The Biden administration announced Friday that it is giving another $20 million to Mexico and Central America in aid for the hundreds of thousands of migrants and refugees in the region — including money for healthcare, shelter, and legal aid.
The State Department announced that through its Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, it is providing the money “to help meet urgent humanitarian needs for the nearly 700,00 asylum seekers, refugees and vulnerable migrants in Central America and Mexico.”
The money will support access to legal aid, shelter, healthcare and “mental health and psychosocial support,” a statement from the State Department said.
It brings the total assistance for FY 2021 for the region to more than $331 million, the agency said — also noting that the U.S. is the single largest donor of aid to the region and for migrants in the region.
Amid a continuing and surging crisis at the southern border that has seen more than 200,000 migrant encounters a month in July and August, the Biden administration has focused on tackling “root causes” like poverty, violence and corruption in Central America.
“Through this new humanitarian assistance, the United States is advancing our mission to collaboratively manage migration in the region, including by promoting access to protection and increasing the U.S. response to urgent humanitarian needs in Central America and Mexico,” the statement said. “This is part of the Administration’s comprehensive approach to supporting safe, orderly, and humane migration while also addressing the root causes of irregular migration in the region.”
