Recently, I informed Congress of the Administration's intent to provide $252 million in additional U.S. foreign assistance for El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. This assistance will promote U.S. national security and further the President's goal of decreasing illegal immigration to the United States.
These additional funds will assist in making these countries more secure and prosperous by enabling private sector-led economic opportunity and provide critical, lifesaving assistance. Leveraging private sector investment to address the second order economic impacts of the pandemic is key to achieve longer term success in addressing the underlying security, governance, and prosperity issues that drive illegal immigration to the United States.
This Administration remains focused on the health, prosperity, democracy, and security of the Western Hemisphere region. To that end, the United States expanded the Growth in the Americas/America Crece initiative, approved $258 million in targeted foreign assistance earlier this year, and has prioritized critical funds to address the COVID-19 emergency pandemic.
We look forward to continuing this important work with our partners in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras and to help them build secure and prosperous futures for their citizens at home.
