Trump cuts aid to three Central American countries
Countries whose aid the US has cut have been criticized by President Trump for not taking action to stop the flow of illegal migrants.
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| US President Donald Trump. Photo:AP |
"We will carry out the president's direction to end fiscal year 2017-2018 foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. We will work with Q
Congress in this process," a US State Department spokesman said on March 30.
However, the 2018 fiscal year ended a few months ago and the US State Department did not specify how much aid money had not been transferred to these countries, but Washington's move may be purely symbolic.
In recent years, tens of thousands of people fleeing poverty and violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador have attempted to cross the border into the United States through Mexico.
The United States and Mexico reached an agreement last December to significantly increase investment in the three countries in hopes of stemming the flow of migrants. The $1.3 billion in official U.S. development assistance to Central America over the past two years has gone largely to these three countries.
However, President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to end aid to Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador because these countries have not taken action to stop the flow of migrants trying to illegally cross the border into the United States.
Trump on March 29 also accused Mexico of failing to contain the crisis and threatened to close the border next week unless "something changes".
The number of people seeking asylum in the United States increased in March, mainly from countries facing poverty and violence such as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
The US Department of Homeland Security warned Congress on March 28 that the country is facing a dangerous situation when it comes to caring for 6,600 families seeking asylum.
