Thousands of asylum seekers from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — some of the most dangerous places on Earth (especially for women and children) — are being held at the southern U.S border in inhumane detention centers. Central Americans are fleeing their countries for their lives in this humanitarian crisis.

The United States has received a record number of asylum applications in the last couple of years, yet hundreds of thousands of people continue to be detained at the border with no end in sight because of policies such as “metering” and the “zero tolerance policy.”

The Trump administration is so against immigration and granting refugees asylum status, and yet is seeking to cut funding for the international affairs budget by 24 percent. This is the very budget that seeks to support critical development and diplomacy programs around the world, such as Central America. Adequately funding this budget would keep people from becoming refugees and seeking asylum, and would help solve the crisis at the border.

I urge all senators to reject the administration’s proposal and fund the international affairs budget at $60 Billion in Financial year 2020 to keep pace with today’s growing global challenges.

Trishla Jain

Redmond