President Trump Cuts Aid Off to Central American Nations

On March 29, President Trump announced that aid would be cut off to countries in Central America that he believes are responsible for the amount of migrants seeking to make their way to the United States. He has also threatened to close the border from Mexico into the U.S. 

“President Trump’s recent threats to “close the border” if Mexico does not do more to curb migration and to cut off aid to Central American countries that have been the origin of some of this migration are short-sighted, ill-conceived and potentially self-defeating," said Jonathan Doh, the Herbert G. Rammrath Endowed Chair in International Business. "Regarding the border, thousands of vehicles and tens of thousands of workers cross the southern border every day, and stopping these flows – most of which occur without incident or controversy – would be highly disruptive to both the U.S. and Mexican economy. Cutting off aid to the “Northern Triangle” countries would be self-defeating in that these aid programs are explicitly designed to provide economic opportunities in those countries. If aid is stopped, residents of those nations will have even more reason to flee. These threats constitute more examples of diplomacy through bluster and undermine the close relations the United States has built with Mexico and Central America over the course of decades.”

The New York Times says that cuts in aid would affect farmers and young people the most and lead to, as Professor Doh points out, to more people fleeing their home countries. 

To speak with Doh, click on his headshot above, email mediaexperts@villanova.edu or call 610-519-5152.