US President Donald Trump's proposed spending cuts for Central America are "not a good sign" for efforts to reduce immigration from the poor, violent region, the head of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) told Reuters on Monday. Trump's austere 2018 budget proposal, which is unlikely to get legislative approval, envisages slashing US aid to Guatemala by almost 40 percent from 2016. Aid for Honduras and El Salvador would fall nearly a third, according to last month's proposal.
The vast majority of Central American migrants bound for the United States hail from those three countries. IADB President Luis Alberto Moreno said in an interview that to make a real change in Central America, the United States needed to maintain regional spending of around $600 million for seven years before contemplating lowering its outlay.
"A spending cut is not good," said Moreno, who is a key player behind a US-backed meeting in Miami later this month to uncover new sources of funding for tackling migration. "It's not a good sign."
The Miami meeting on June 15 and 16 will bring together representatives from Mexico, Central America and the United States, among others, to discuss news ways to slow the flow of migrants bound for the United States and improve conditions in the gang-ravaged region. Critics say much of the United States' current aid money for Central America is heavily skewed toward tackling drug smuggling and gangs. Trump's tough immigration rhetoric has led to a decline in Central American migrants and migrant detentions along the southern US border, but experts warn the United States must commit for the long term if it hopes for a lasting change in migration flows.
Moreno believes the US government still view migration as a priority despite the drop in traffic. "People in anguish will always find a way to get there," he said. "It doesn't matter how big the wall is; the ladder will always be bigger." Echoing statements made by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly last month, Moreno said the money needed for Central America was relatively little compared to US commitments in regions like the Middle East.
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