Ending USAID programs could undercut Trump's goal of slashing migration to U.S., experts warn

In Colombia and Haiti, U.S. funding supports farming and fishing and provides incentives for people to stay rather than migrate to the U.S.

In Colombia, a group with funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development helps employ Venezuelans who fled their country’s authoritarian regime and economic crisis.

In Haiti, another program that gets USAID money is ready to distribute millions of tons of bean seeds to farmers and tools for fishermen that would help sustain families amid the country’s widespread hunger, violence and instability. 

Those programs along with others are part of the complex web of U.S. global assistance that addresses humanitarian needs and helps mitigate migration to the United States and other countries, by helping people become self-sustaining.

The Trump administration has excoriated USAID programs as fraught with waste and abuse as they've virtually dismantled the agency, with President Donald Trump on Friday calling for it to be "shut down." But those who have worked with USAID programs say they've had a role in preventing some migration — and could help Trump accomplish his goals of slashing illegal entries into the U.S. and controlling the border.

“What drives migration is lack of opportunity, lack of health services, a decent quality of life and knowing you can have a better one in a different place,” said an official with knowledge of the USAID partnered program in Colombia that helps employ Venezuelans. He did not want to be identified for fear the program could be targeted. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/cutting-usaid-migration-us-border-rcna191169

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