MIGRANT INFLUX: US pledges billions in aid to South America to curb exodus of refugees, asylum seekers

As part of a plan to strengthen economies in the region and curb illegal immigration, the US has pledged billions of dollars towards development in Central America and Mexico.

The development was announced by both the US and Mexican governments with reports suggesting that much on the new pledge will be placed on private investment that will depend on the viability of the projects.

But Tuesday’s announcement defied expectations among some sceptics who thought Trump, a Republican, and Mexico’s Lopez Obrador, a leftist, would clash.

Read also: Desperate asylum seekers, migrants risk detention after breaching US border

“Finally, we see that Mexico and the U.S. are on the same page in understanding and tackling migration from Central America as a regional issue, not something that one country can handle on its own,” said Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington.

The development comes days after the US government ordered the deployment of active-duty troops at the southern border with Mexico until January 31, to ward off desperate migrants and asylum seekers.

That much information was revealed by Pentagon’s Defense Secretary Jim Mattis who revealed that the 45-day extension was requested by the Department of Homeland Security.

He said the deployment involves military forces that will install and repair wire barriers and provide security and transportation for border patrol agents.

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