Biden Administration Provides Additional $20M in Aid to Central America, Mexico

The U.S. State Department announced $20 million in additional aid to Central America and Mexico, amid growing humanitarian concerns throughout the region and a surge in migrants on the U.S. southern border.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) announced on Oct. 15 that it will provide over $20 million in additional aid to meet “urgent humanitarian needs” for the nearly 700,000 refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrants in Central America and Mexico, bringing the total to $331 million for Fiscal Year 2021.

This funding will reportedly support increased access to mental health support, legal assistance, shelter, and healthcare, including treatment of COVID-19.

“Through this new humanitarian assistance, the United States is advancing our mission to collaboratively manage migration in the region,” the statement said. “This is part of the administration’s comprehensive approach to supporting safe, orderly, and humane migration while also addressing the root causes of irregular migration in the region.”

The Biden administration has faced criticism over a surge at the southern border that led to more than 200,000 migrant apprehensions a month in July and August. Such observers blame the increase on lax border policies and changes to the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

Biden has pledged to take a more “humane” approach to border issues than former President Trump, by focusing on tackling “root causes” to the spike in migrants such as poverty, violence, and corruption in their home countries. His administration recently announced that it would raise the cap on refugee admissions to 125,000 people for the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1 — a significant rise from the cap of 15,000 imposed by Trump.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security has indicated it plans to restart the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) — or the “Remain-in-Mexico” policy — by mid-November, in response to a court order forcing the administration to do so. The MPP was established in 2019 by the Trump administration and involves sending migrants back to Mexico as their immigration proceedings are heard, instead of allowing them to enter the U.S. The Biden administration began overturning the MPP earlier this year and officially ended it in June. But a lawsuit from Texas and Missouri claimed the termination of the policy was dangerous and illegal. The Supreme Court upheld the ruling and ordered a reversal.

Nevertheless, the Biden administration noted that the policy’s implementation requires the cooperation of Mexico, saying that “DHS cannot implement MPP without Mexico’s independent decision to accept individuals that the United States seeks to send to Mexico.”

The recent pledge in additional funding appears to signal an attempt at greater collaboration with countries in the region, to address the socio-economic dynamics that are fueling the rise in migrants.

The U.S. is the largest single donor of humanitarian aid in Mexico and Central America. “We remain concerned about the continuing increase in humanitarian needs and forced displacement in the region and we urge other donors to contribute to the international response and provide the support needed to save lives,” the Department of State affirms in the release.