Trump administration border chief says US needs 'to invest in Central America,' ...

[DonViejo]

Source: ABC News



Trump administration border chief says US needs 'to invest in Central America,' at odds with president's tweet saying aid to countries will be cut off

By KRIS SCHNEIDER and QUINN SCANLAN Dec 30, 2018, 9:35 AM ET

Speaking about the migration crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border, the Trump administration’s border chief said Sunday that the United States needs to “invest in Central America,” which was at odds with a tweet from the president saying he would cut off aid to those countries.

“I think this is a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-faceted solution,” Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz on the crisis at the southern border.

“We ... need to invest in Central America,” he said. “The State Department's announcement of an unprecedented increase in aid, I think is a tremendous step forward. Our green shoots of progress, both on security and the economic front in Central America, we need to foster that and help improve the opportunities to stay at home.”

Link to tweet

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-administration-border-chief-us-invest-central-america/story?id=60066888

[Roy Rolling]

1. NFS

Finally someone gets it!

Spend U.S. military money protecting peaceful citizens where they live in Central America and they won't flee for their lives as refugees to the United States.

[olegramps]

7. What a novel idea! Like what we did in Europe following WWII.

Tim Kaine wrote an article for the Foreign Affairs publication by the Council on Foreign Relations (January-August 2017) that put forth the concept that we should as a major initiative build our relationship with the entirety of North and South America.

Develop a plan of unification as our policy to meet the China's emerging dominance of in the east and Russia's aggressive behavior in the eastern Ukraine and Crimea. I doubt that Trump or any of his underling kiss asses have taken time to read it let alone comprehend its powerful possibilities. Image a unified North and South America and its possibilities.

The fact is that it is well very within our reach. We would effectively launch a Marshall Plan for the Americas in what he termed A New Truman Doctrine -Grand Strategy in a Hyperconnected World. It would be the Western block that could meet any challenge either militarily or more importantly economically that is in the making as China emerges as the dominate Eastern leader. Plus we should have never abandon the trade agreement and have effectively given China free reign throughout Asia and the South China Sea. Kaine effectively revealed how ridiculous and childish Trump's management of nation is leading to disaster. The loss of the election has far more long reaching repercussions and it is truly unfortunate that Clinton and Kaine are not sitting in the White House providing effective leadership rather than a broken down degenerate and his menagerie of morons leading us into the oblivion.

[Turbineguy]

2. What?

And help solve the problem? How did this guy slip through?

[pangaia]

10. Right. :))))))))))))

5---4----3----2---- YOUR, YOU'RE, YOUR' FIRED

[riversedge]

11. wonder how long he will be at job.

[Autumn]

3. How soon will Trump fire this guy?

[ewagner]

6. in 3...2...1... n/t

[Freethinker65]

4. The same week Trump threatens to cut off all aid!!! Insanity and dysfunction rule the WH

[SHRED]

5. We've already spent a lot on Central America

To destroy the region that is.

[Roy Rolling]

8. Good Pernt

We've spent billions helping U.S. corporations (legal and illegal) exploit indigenous populations. It's where the term "banana republic" was born.

I would support genuine assistance to countries based on a thorough, diplomatic evaluation including local universities. Giving guns to local dictators to keep the peace has been a proven failure everywhere the U.S. has tried it.

A failure to everyone but the companies who become obscenely rich off the backs of poor people. Until the poor revolt and you get chaos. The same thing they have now, just singing in a different key. Chaos from illegal business gangs instead of legal business gangs. It's all the same.

[rickyhall]

12. Way over Trump's head.

[Cicada]

9. Americans buying drugs create the drug gangs

Our success fighting drug gangs in Mexico and Columbia has pushed the business to Central America. If we Americans stopped buying cocaine gangs would go broke and people would not have to run for their lives.

[rickyhall]

13. Legalization scares the drug gangs.

I believe if a high can be acquired legally, locally why risk jail? Obviously, there are addicts but I think we could handle them with a real healthcare and rehabilitation system. With little need for illegal drugs the cartels would starve like the whiskey runners after FDR ended prohibition.

[Cicada]

14. Portugal proved you are correct

And drug use declined, contrary to expectations.

[SpankMe]

15. How odd - a Trump official says something I totally agree with. Go figure. n/t