Sacramento, California - Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement today after the President announced cuts in federal aid to Northern Triangle countries:

“This Administration’s xenophobia and nativism is once again fueling its immigration and foreign policies. The United States should be organizing the world communities to help families feel safer and have economic opportunities in the Northern Triangle countries. Instead, this President is demonizing legal asylum seekers fleeing violence while at the same time putting in place policies that will make the situation for these families worse in their home countries. And he’s doing it all to score cheap political points with his political base. It is reckless and intentional, and we must call it out.”

On Thursday, Governor Newsom hosted a roundtable with Central American community leaders in Los Angeles to examine the root causes of migration and discuss California’s efforts to provide relief and humanitarian aid to asylum seekers fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries. At the roundtable, the Governor announced his first international fact-finding mission to the Republic of El Salvador April 7-10.