US Democrats Propose Bill To Provide Conditional Aid To 3 Central American Countries

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th May, 2019) A group of US Senate Democrats reintroduced a legislative proposal to address the root causes of the Central American migrant crises that includes conditional assistance, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a press release on Tuesday.

"The Central America Reform and Enforcement Act... seeks to stem the flow of asylum claims at our border, crack down on the drug cartels causing the violence that forces people to flee, and provide a safer path to asylum for families in Central America," Schumer, a co-sponsor of the bill, said.

The bill proposes providing conditional assistance to the governments of the so-called Northern Triangle: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador tied to improvements in governance and cracking down on the drug trade.

The legislation also promotes efficient processing of asylum seekers at the US border and expanding refugee processing in neighboring countries like Mexico, the release said.

The lawmakers said the law will address the "failed" Trump Administration policies that exacerbate issues at the southern border.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin and Senators Dianne Feinstein, Bob Menendez, Patrick Leahy, Tom Carper and Mazie Hirono also co-sponsored the bill.