She knew that along the way she could be murdered or trafficked to a brothel, or else die of thirst in the desert. She now has a reason to stay — and therein lies a message for President Trump. To stop the flow of migrants, Trump has called for a wall at the Mexico border that would cost billions of dollars, has separated children from parents for months, has cut off aid to Central America and, most recently, threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico.
The result? The torrent keeps getting bigger, with twice as many migrants seized at the border in each of the last few months as a year earlier. People here say that this is partly because Trump is providing free advertising for the coyotes who take people north. This reversed an Obama administration effort that enjoyed some success in using aid to improve conditions in Central America and reduce migration. El Salvador is the best example : Aid helped improve governance and reduce gang violence, and the number of its migrants to the U.
In contrast, Guatemala is becoming more corrupt and messy , yet the Trump White House is ignoring the deteriorating conditions. That is a broader problem with Trump. Yet even in a troubled country like this, aid can help by giving ordinary Guatemalans some sense that they might have a future where they are. Because of an aid project. She and others learned to adapt to climate change and produce high-quality tomatoes and other produce for export, at up to twice the local price.
It gave me opportunity. In truth, while poverty is a reason people travel to the U. But on balance, the evidence suggests that aid reduces emigration.
There are no easy solutions to migration — not a wall, not tariffs, not diatribes, not family separation and not aid. The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. Here are some tips.
