--:-- [Theme music fades out]
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Welcome to Today Explained. I'm Sean Rameswaram.
--:-- Dara Lind: Thanks for having me on the show, Sean.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Today, we're talking about President Trump's decision to cut off aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Dara Lind is a staff writer at Vox who covers immigration. Dara, can you explain why the President is doing this?
--:-- Dara Lind: So, President Trump has been expressing frustration with these three countries for a while now. He's saying they're not doing enough to stop their people from coming to the U.S.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And what's the reasoning behind that?
--:-- Dara Lind: Well, the President is saying that if we give them aid, they're just taking it and not using it to stop people from leaving. He's arguing that the aid isn't working.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's a pretty simplistic view of a very complex issue. Can you walk us through what's actually going on in these three countries?
--:-- Dara Lind: Sure. El Salvador, for example, has seen a decline in migration to the U.S. over the past few years. The Trump administration has actually touted its efforts there, partly with foreign aid, to reduce violence and migration.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's interesting. What about Honduras?
--:-- Dara Lind: Honduras has some serious governance issues. There's poverty, malnutrition, and one of the world's highest homicide rates. The government has its own impunity problems, and the police are often involved in gang violence.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: And Guatemala?
--:-- Dara Lind: Guatemala is a tricky problem because it's the country sending the most people to the U.S. But it's also the country with the least violence and gang instability problems. However, it has crushing poverty, particularly due to climate change-related patterns.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: So, it sounds like these countries are facing some really tough challenges. How surprising is it that the President is cutting off aid?
--:-- Dara Lind: Well, Trump has been threatening to cut off aid for a while now, but this is a significant shift. The State Department announced that they're cutting off $700 million in aid, and it's not clear what exactly that means for the contracts that were already in place.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's a big number. Where does that money go, exactly?
--:-- Dara Lind: The State Department and USAID are doing some of the work themselves, but they're also sending money to nonprofits and other organizations on the ground. The idea is to address the root causes of migration, like poverty, violence, and governance issues.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That sounds like a pretty comprehensive approach. Did the Obama administration's refocusing on Central America have any impact?
--:-- Dara Lind: There's some evidence that reducing violence can reduce emigration, particularly among children. But there's also evidence that improving economic conditions can actually lead to more people leaving, because they can afford to fund their journey.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's a nuanced view. How is this message being received in Central America?
--:-- Dara Lind: Well, the governments of these countries need the U.S. a lot more than the U.S. needs them. They're not likely to pick a fight over this, but the crisis is likely to get worse. The numbers of people coming into the U.S. are not going to slow down.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's a pretty dire prediction. What's the solution to this crisis, in your opinion?
--:-- Dara Lind: It's going to take a lot of intergovernmental effort to get back to any kind of equilibrium. Cutting off aid is not going to help, and it's not clear what the solution would be even without that added complication.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: Thanks for breaking this down for us, Dara.
--:-- Dara Lind: Thanks for having me on the show, Sean.
--:-- Sean Rameswaram: That's it for today's episode. Thanks for listening to Today Explained.
--:-- [Theme music fades in]
