Congress approved a new budget last week that will allocate a package of $750 million to Central America. The funding is intended to support the Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA) in alleviating poverty, improving security, controlling gang violence and supporting government reform.
Comprised of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the NTCA is one of the most dangerous regions in the world, and the number of people fleeing the region has increased significantly in the past couple of years, according to the United Nations High Commissioner.
Tens of thousands sought asylum in the U.S. in 2014, and asylum applications have also increased in the NTCA border countries of Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama, The Latin Correspondent reported.
"The security and prosperity of Central America are inextricably linked with our own... this decision by Congress to invest $750 million in Central America demonstrates that we honor our commitments and believe in a future where the Western Hemisphere is middle class, democratic, and secure," Vice President Joe Biden explained in a statement.
Referred to as the Alliance for Prosperity Plan, a key part of the funding package is for preventing the increasing numbers of unaccompanied minors that are flowing across the border, in addition to other migrants fleeing poverty and gang violence. More than 10,500 unaccompanied children crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in October and November of this year, reported The Washington Post. Femicide is also an issue of concern throughout the region.
The $750 million is the largest aid allocation in the U.S.'s 2016 budget, but the funding comes with some conditions. Specifically, the Central American countries will have to prove that clear steps have been taken in tackling migration, as well as in handling human rights and corruption issues- although the exact nature of these "effective steps" remains unclear, InSight Crime explains.
Some critics are also concerned that the money will not achieve long-term change. "These forms of 'assistance' are unlikely to mitigate the root causes of migration, and, in fact, have been prone to exacerbating these causes," Alex Main, Senior Associate for International Policy at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, told TeleSUR.
