Washington, D.C. (April 7, 2021) – In response to the border crisis, President Biden has pledged to address the "root causes" of illegal immigration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the so-called Northern Triangle nations of Central America. The Center for Immigration Studies has published A Biden Plan for the Northern Triangle, a report outlining what such an economic assistance program might look like. It is important to note that this would be a long-term project which, even if successful, would not address the immediate border crisis.
The president has promised four billion dollars in additional economic assistance to the region, but a detailed plan has not been made public for what the funds will target, how funds will be allocated, what regions will be emphasized, and how long it will take before migration will be impacted.
In this report, David North, a Center fellow, explores how the proposed economic assistance funds could be best used to target the root causes of illegal immigration. North emphasizes the need for a data-driven plan that would include a Covid-19 vaccination program, an export-expansion program, crime control and family-planning efforts, and a cash payment program for people who subsequently agree, on pain of imprisonment, not to go to the U.S. The report also puts forth a funding idea: A wire transfer fee paid only by those who fail to file complete tax returns.
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