The United States will work with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador to help "build their capacity" and commitment to keeping their citizens from leaving the country, but the Northern Triangle countries have not demonstrated the will to stop caravans from heading to the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday.
"We've given them hundreds of millions of dollars to create the capacity for them to do so," Pompeo told Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria." "They have not demonstrated the will...they need to work at it."
Last Saturday, the United States cut direct aid to the three countries, with President Donald Trump accusing them of having "set up" migrant caravans to head north.
Appearing on Fox News' Fox & Friends, Pompeo said Trump is using "every tool in his tool kit" to work on the border crisis and the risk to security it presents.
"I think about this as the secretary of state every day," Pompeo said. "The drugs that are coming across the border, fentanyl, opioids, other substances moving is a serious issue."
On Fox Business, Pompeo also talked about the ongoing trade deal negotiations with China, saying they remain a "challenge" because of the country's continued theft of intellectual property.
"The work that is being done is about the enforcement mechanism," said Pompeo. "What is it you do they don't live up to it? Steve Mnuchin and Ambassador (Robert) Lighthizer have to get this done in a way that after the deal is done and the signing ceremony, American companies can count on the fact they do business in China without substantial risk there IP will be stolen and if it is, they will have a tool to recover for their loss."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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