President Trump To Cut Foreign Aid For Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador

NBC: Trump administration says it will cut foreign aid for Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador

Some Democrats said the move "will only result in more children and families being forced to make the dangerous journey north to the U.S.-Mexico border."

The Trump administration said Saturday that it intends to end foreign assistance programs for Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, a move that Democrats called “reckless” and “counterproductive” in addressing the problems that cause people to flee to the U.S.

A State Department spokesperson said that “at the Secretary’s instruction, we are carrying out the President’s direction and ending FY 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle,” a term that refers to the three countries.

The spokesperson said "we will be engaging Congress as part of this process," which could mean it needs Congress' approval to end funding.

The aid affects nearly $500 million in 2018 funds and millions more left over from the previous fiscal year. The money was destined for Central America but had not been spent yet, the Washington Post reported.

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WNU Editor: I am skeptical the Congress will end funding. In the meantime President Trump is upping the pressure .... Trump threatens to close border 'next week' if Mexico doesn't 'immediately stop' flood of illegal immigrants (FOX News). Meanwhile at the border the crisis continues .... 'We’ve never seen anything like this': As Trump threatens to close border, migrants overwhelm Texas cities (USA Today).

More News On President Trump Vowing To Cut Foreign Aid For Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador

Donald Trump cuts financial assistance to Northern Triangle countries Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and claims 'they haven't done a thing for us' -- Daily Mail
U.S. ending aid to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras over migrants -- Reuters
Trump cuts all direct assistance to Northern Triangle countries Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala -- GMA
U.S. cuts off federal aid to Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- Axios
Trump Orders Cut to Financial Aid to Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala - Reports -- Sputnik

Gallop Poll: 158 Million Migrants Want To Move To The U.S.

Gallop

Washington Examiner: 158 million migrants want to move to the US, world’s top pick

The United States is the top pick — by far — for migrants seeking a new home, despite reports that President Trump’s policies are scaring people away and making countries such as Canada and some in Europe the preferred choice, according to a new report.

Some 158 million, or a population far larger than all of Russia, want to move to the U.S., about 21 percent of all those in the world seeking a new home.

In a worldwide survey, Gallup found that 15 percent of the world, or 758 million, want to move, most for jobs.

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WNU Editor: I can understand that most of the world migrants want to move to the U.S.. But 158 million?!?!?!? I would put that number nearer to a billion (if not more). The Gallop poll is here .... More Than 750 Million Worldwide Would Migrate If They Could (Gallop).

In Central America, Coups Still Trump Change

From Time Magazine:

If he holds his handy lead in the polls, Porfirio (Pepe) Lobo will be the next President of Honduras. Problem is, the last man elected to that office, Manuel Zelaya, was ousted last summer in a military coup. That makes it unlikely that any nation — except maybe the U.S. — will recognize Lobo if he wins the Nov. 29 election. But as he relaxes in his opulent house near Honduras' capital Tegucigalpa after a day of campaigning, Lobo sounds unfazed. "I practice Taekwondo for serenity," he says with his trademark Cheshire cat smile. "We have to hold this election, and the world has to recognize it, because Hondurans have to move on."

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My Comment: The key paragraph in this report is the following ....

And while it's been 20 years since Central America's last major civil-war battle, the isthmus is actually more dangerous today. Thanks in large part to exploding gang violence and useless justice systems, Central America has seen 79,000 murders in the past six years, more than the 75,000 people killed in El Salvador's 1980-1992 civil war or the 50,000 killed in Nicaragua's 1980-1990 contra war.

Honduras Coup Spotlights Latin America's Growing Instability

A soldier stands guard as supporters of Honduras' ousted President Manuel Zelaya hold a banner with Zelaya's picture during a march in Tegucigalpa July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Henry Romero

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Unrest has also erupted in Guatemala and Nicaragua in the past year, and the region is dealing with powerful organized crime and drug traffickers.

Tegucigalpa, Honduras - The military ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday, for many, harks back to dark days of military coups in Latin America.

Yet even as it stands as the region's most tense crisis at the moment, it does not stand alone. Protests have erupted across the region in the past year.

Citizens took to streets in Nicaragua demanding a recount after municipal elections they say were rigged.

In Guatemala, protesters called for their president to step down after he was accused of orchestrating a murder. There, as in other countries in the region, organized crime is taking over wide swaths of territory and corrupting institutions.

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My Comment: This article nails what are the problems in Latin America. While the article focuses on three countries, most of the continent can be included into this mix.

The U.S./Mexico Divide

(Photo from Bits and Pieces)

A Growing Divide at the Border -- Washington Post

Families Dread the Pending Fortification of Barrier Between U.S. and Mexico

BORDER FIELD STATE PARK, Calif. -- Each face would be overlaid with the rusted chain links of the U.S.-Mexico border fence, but Jorge Ibarra snapped the photos anyway.

There was his cousin, holding up her baby boy for the family to see. There, his aunt, wiping her eyes under the shade of her parasol. And there, his grandmother, her face filled with joy as she touched her daughter's fingertips through the fence with her own.

Ibarra, 17, of National City, Calif., shot the family photos on a recent Sunday afternoon here, where the 2,000-mile line separating the United States and Mexico sinks into the Pacific Ocean. For years, Mexican American families have flocked to this beachside park to see, touch, hear and feed loved ones through the modest openings of the fence.

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My Comment: Violence, economic dislocation and social upheaval .... all of these factors are now resulting in the establishment of physical barriers between the two countries.

The U.S. has always been the outlet for Mexicans/Central Americans looking for a better life. With this outlet now closing, one can easily expect rising societal frustrations and protests to slowly start to escalate throughout Central America.