President Trump threatened Tuesday morning to pull all aid and funding from Honduras if its government does not stop a caravan of migrants currently heading to the southern U.S. border.
“The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately,” the president tweeted Tuesday morning.
The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
An estimated 1,600 migrants are heading to the U.S. to seek asylum. The group started Friday with an initial 160 Hondurans, but hundreds more have joined the caravan.
The group crossed over the Guatemalan border Monday and was immediately met by 100 Guatemalan police officers. The police eventually let the migrants pass into the territory. Members of the caravan told the Associated Press that they hoped to make it to the U.S. and were leaving their native country because of poverty and the threat of violence there.