The spending cuts proposed for Central America by President Donald Trump do not bode well for attempts to reduce the arrival of undocumented immigrants from the violent and poor region. This is according to Luis Alberto Moreno, the head of the Inter-American Development Bank, speaking yesterday.
Speaking to Reuters on Monday, Moreno said the US needs to continue spending about $600 million in the region for at least the next seven years to make any genuine changes to Central America before they should consider lowering that outlay. The austere budget proposal for 2018, from President Trump, suggests slashing the aid the US gives to Guatemala by as much as 40 percent from last year, with a third also being cut from the aid provided to El Salvador, and Honduras.
The proposal is unlikely to receive legislative approval. Moreno says that a spending cut would not be a good sign for the future. He will be an important behind-the-scenes figure at a meeting, which is set to take place in Miami later this month, backed by the US, and aimed at uncovering new ways to fund issues to tackle immigration.
The meeting in Miami is expected to take place on 14 and 15 June next week. It will see representatives from the US, Central America, and Mexico, as well as some other nations, coming together to discuss finding new methods of improving conditions in the region, and stopping the flow of immigrants to the US.