March 30 (UPI) — The State Department is following President Donald Trump’s call to punish Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador for migrant caravans by cutting off foreign aid to the three countries.
The United States has worked with those countries for years to stabilize their economies and political climates, so residents wouldn’t need to migrate, but Trump said he doesn’t feel like that’s paid off.
“We’re not paying them anymore because they haven’t done a thing for us,” Trump said Friday in Florida.
Trump directed the department to end all direct assistance to the Central American countries, ABC News reported.
“I’ve ended payments to Guatemala, to Honduras, and to El Salvador,” Trump said. “No money goes there anymore.”
Though this wasn’t Trump’s first threat to cut funds from the countries, known as the Northern Triangle, the State Department is following through this time.
“At [Secretary of State Mike Pompeo]’s instruction, we are carrying out the President’s direction and ending FY [fiscal year] 2017 and FY 2018 foreign assistance programs for the Northern Triangle,” a State Department spokesperson told ABC. “We will be engaging Congress as part of this process.”
