President Donald Trump at the White House on June 21, 2018, in Washington, DC. (Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Trump Accused of 'Manufacturing' Crisis By Slashing Aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador
"This will create more refugees. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing."
In a move that was immediately denounced as "cruel" and counterproductive, the Trump State Department on Saturday confirmed that it is cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
"Cutting foreign aid to Central America is the absolute last thing the Trump administration should do right now," Vicki Gass, senior policy advisor for Central America and Mexico with Oxfam America, said in a statement. "Not only is it morally wrong, it also counters efforts to address the root causes behind migration."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is."
--Kristen Clarke, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
"Aid cuts would be devastating to the region and would only foster the same instability that is making people flee in the first place," Gass added.
The decision to slash around $500 million in aid to the three Central American nations comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to "close" the U.S.-Mexico border.
Critics argued that Trump's aid cuts to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will worsen economic hardship in those nations and force more people to flee out of desperation.
"This will create more refugees. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing," tweeted journalist Thor Benson.
Some observers accused the president of manufacturing a crisis at the border for political gain.
"Making desperate people even more desperate and less able to stay in their own countries... It's almost as if Trump wants more asylum seekers at the U.S. border," Andrew Stroehlein, European media director with Human Rights Watch, tweeted on Sunday. "As if he wants more media images that he will then twist for his fear-mongering."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is," wrote Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "These are among the poorest parts of Central America."
According to the Washington Post, the president's move "would affect nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the prior fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but has not yet been spent."
"This is governance by tantrum," tweeted Vox immigration reporter Dara Lind. "[H]ard to overstate how much this threatens to throw off regional dynamics."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just three days to go in our Spring Campaign, we're falling short of our make-or-break goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
In a move that was immediately denounced as "cruel" and counterproductive, the Trump State Department on Saturday confirmed that it is cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
"Cutting foreign aid to Central America is the absolute last thing the Trump administration should do right now," Vicki Gass, senior policy advisor for Central America and Mexico with Oxfam America, said in a statement. "Not only is it morally wrong, it also counters efforts to address the root causes behind migration."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is."
--Kristen Clarke, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
"Aid cuts would be devastating to the region and would only foster the same instability that is making people flee in the first place," Gass added.
The decision to slash around $500 million in aid to the three Central American nations comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to "close" the U.S.-Mexico border.
Critics argued that Trump's aid cuts to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will worsen economic hardship in those nations and force more people to flee out of desperation.
"This will create more refugees. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing," tweeted journalist Thor Benson.
Some observers accused the president of manufacturing a crisis at the border for political gain.
"Making desperate people even more desperate and less able to stay in their own countries... It's almost as if Trump wants more asylum seekers at the U.S. border," Andrew Stroehlein, European media director with Human Rights Watch, tweeted on Sunday. "As if he wants more media images that he will then twist for his fear-mongering."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is," wrote Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "These are among the poorest parts of Central America."
According to the Washington Post, the president's move "would affect nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the prior fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but has not yet been spent."
"This is governance by tantrum," tweeted Vox immigration reporter Dara Lind. "[H]ard to overstate how much this threatens to throw off regional dynamics."
In a move that was immediately denounced as "cruel" and counterproductive, the Trump State Department on Saturday confirmed that it is cutting off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
"Cutting foreign aid to Central America is the absolute last thing the Trump administration should do right now," Vicki Gass, senior policy advisor for Central America and Mexico with Oxfam America, said in a statement. "Not only is it morally wrong, it also counters efforts to address the root causes behind migration."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is."
--Kristen Clarke, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
"Aid cuts would be devastating to the region and would only foster the same instability that is making people flee in the first place," Gass added.
The decision to slash around $500 million in aid to the three Central American nations comes as President Donald Trump is threatening to "close" the U.S.-Mexico border.
Critics argued that Trump's aid cuts to El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala will worsen economic hardship in those nations and force more people to flee out of desperation.
"This will create more refugees. This is the exact opposite of what we should be doing," tweeted journalist Thor Benson.
Some observers accused the president of manufacturing a crisis at the border for political gain.
"Making desperate people even more desperate and less able to stay in their own countries... It's almost as if Trump wants more asylum seekers at the U.S. border," Andrew Stroehlein, European media director with Human Rights Watch, tweeted on Sunday. "As if he wants more media images that he will then twist for his fear-mongering."
"While not surprising, we still must call out how cold, callous, and inhumane this is," wrote Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "These are among the poorest parts of Central America."
According to the Washington Post, the president's move "would affect nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the prior fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but has not yet been spent."
"This is governance by tantrum," tweeted Vox immigration reporter Dara Lind. "[H]ard to overstate how much this threatens to throw off regional dynamics."