Jorge Castañeda Discusses Central American Asylum Seekers

AMANPOUR: But does — what does that mean in the macro picture, threatening to take away aid? What will it do to this flow of caravan?

CASTANEDA: Well, first of all, Christiane, it’s very little money. It’s what’s left of Vice President Biden initiative called Alliance for Prosperity for the three countries, actually the five countries in Central America which have been gradually reduced over the first two years of the Trump administration. There’s not a whole lot left. It’s not that much money. For you and me it is. But for big countries or relatively big countries, Guatemala has a population of 18 million people, it’s not that much money, firstly. Secondly, to cut it off is complete counterproductive. The money was sent there in the first place by the Obama administration initially to help people stay in Honduras and Guatemala and El Salvador, help people be more secure, help people against gangs, again the kidnappings, against the extortion, against the violence. You take that money away, all Trump is going to do is encourage more caravans, which are, by the way, are said to be already leaving Honduras and El Salvador as we speak. And it’s logical. Why is it happening now? I know you asked Bill Weir, Christiane, and I think it’s worth adding to what he said, which was quite right on the — was quite right. This has been — the numbers have been increasing for the past three months. September was the month of the greatest number of Central American families together reaching the U.S. border. It’s not that all of a sudden a lot more people are coming, it’s that a lot more people are coming together because it makes much more sense for them to protect themselves and also, to make it more difficult for Mexican authorities either to shake them down. We have corrupt authorities in Mexico, Christiane. You and I have spoken about these many times. That it’s senseless to deny it. Well, these people are protecting themselves from that and they are also placing the Mexican government in a very difficult situation, we have to agree to that. Trump is pressuring them on the one hand. You stop them. And public opinion in Mexico, Bill again has been showing this, the Mexican townspeople along the way are helping them with blankets, with water, with diapers, with tissue paper, toilet paper, tortillas, what have you, because they feel a great deal of empathy for them. There may be others in Mexico who are not so happy, but the townspeople in Chiapas, and once they get to Wahaca it’s going to be the same thing, people are going to be helping them and supporting them. So, the Mexican government can’t just all of a sudden try and throw them out. There’s no way. It can’t happen.