President of El Salvador to Tucker: Mass Immigration 'Not Profitable' for El Salvador or US
The president of El Salvador talked with Fox News host Tucker Carlson about the root causes of why people are leaving Central American countries for the United States, which is creating a crisis at the southern border.
President Nayib Bukele, who took office in 2019, said he has tried to improve the situation in El Salvador in hopes that people will stay in the country.
El Salvador faces major issues such as poverty and high crime that cause people to take the long and risky journey to the United States.
“It’s obvious: Our country has failed to provide two basic things which are the two main drivers of immigration, which is the lack of economic opportunity and the lack of security,” Bukele told Carlson in a Tuesday interview.
“Most people don’t want to leave their country. They like their culture, they like their food, they like their weather, it’s their country. They have their family members here and their friends.”
The president suggested that mass immigration is “not profitable” for either country, as it causes workers to leave El Salvador and forces the United States to spend money on border security and migrant processing.
“First, it is immoral — you need to provide for your people, right? That’s the moral issue. But you also have an economic issue. If you send your hardworking people and your talented people and the people that want to work and want to risk it just to go and work, you want to keep them here because those will be the drivers of your economy. You don’t want them there so they can send a remittance, which would be a small portion of what they would earn and produce; you want them to produce here.”
Bukele understands why people are leaving the country in droves, and he hopes that people will stay as improvements are made.
“The best thing for both of us is to keep our people here and to provide for our people right here in our country. And that’s what people here want,” he added.
Carlson’s interview with Bukele provided the insight that was needed to truly get the full picture of what is happening at the southern border.
CRISIS ON THE BORDER: @cbsmireya embedded along the U.S.-Mexico border with heartbreaking stories from families crossing over.
Migrants share why they came — including one 10-year-old who crossed alone. pic.twitter.com/wTJNp8bV2l
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) March 16, 2021
While many Americans know that Biden’s messaging on the campaign trail and certain policies have contributed to the border crisis, they might not be aware of the root cause of why people are arriving.
This is Joe Biden’s border crisis. pic.twitter.com/OoyKwQEWOr
— Senate Republicans (@SenateGOP) March 16, 2021
One cannot help but feel empathy for the people coming here, as it indicates that taking the risk to come to the United States may be better than actually staying in their home country.
Asylum is meant to protect those facing systematic persecution on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or political views—not people who want better jobs. The governments of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala do not systematically persecute. pic.twitter.com/A9EwWmBXkg
— Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) March 16, 2021
Critics of Bukele have suggested that he has authoritarian tendencies, but people should remain optimistic that he will lead the country in a fair way that will improve the lives of its citizens.
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