"Aid projects were designed to help Central Americans withstand extreme weather at home. Their end could undercut Trump’s goal of reducing migration."
"Two months ago, the Biden administration announced an initiative to share satellite data with Central American countries including Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador to help them prepare for severe storms.
The goal was twofold. In a region vulnerable to hurricanes and other calamities made worse by a warming climate, reducing the damage would help ease suffering. It would also relieve the pressure to migrate to the United States. And at $6.6 million, the project, run by the U.S. Agency for International Development and NASA, cost a tiny fraction of what the federal government spends on border security.
That program, along with a suite of other development projects designed to reduce the flow of people from Central America to the U.S. border, now seems to be over. The day he took office, Mr. Trump signed an order freezing U.S.A.I.D. spending; on Friday, he proposed closing the agency entirely. The State Department has assumed responsibility for the agency, which is set to lose 97 percent of its staff."
Christopher Flavelle reports for the New York Times February 8, 2025.
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