Here's the Surveillance the US Sends to Central America Using Aid Money - And it's Surviving Trump's
Here’s the Surveillance the US Sends to Central America Using Aid Money - And it's Surviving Trump’s Cuts
Friday, June 7, 2019
US President Trump has been cutting aid to Central America, including a surprise cut of approximately $500m in aid to the “Northern Triangle” countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, apparently as punishment for “doing absolutely nothing” to prevent emigration to the US.
What remains of the funds is largely and deliberately being repurposed for spending on the US’s own security interests: indeed, one area which his attorney general claims will be spared from the cuts to the Northern Triangle is police aid - the provision of financial and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies. Today that also means the provision of surveillance capabilities.
The use of the aid budget to fund foreign police agencies is part of the broader use of military and security assistance provided to countries around the world to further the US’s own security and foreign objectives: in 2001, the US spent $5.7 billion in security aid – in 2017 it spent over $20 billion.
In 2015, military and non-military security assistance amounted to an estimated 35% of entire US foreign aid expenditure: managed by various authorities including the Departments of State and Defense, as well as agencies such as the DHS, DEA, NSA, and FBI, it is being used to train, fund, and equip surveillance agencies around the world.
More:
https://www.privacyinternational.org/news-analysis/3011/heres-surveillance-us-sends-central-america-using-aid-money-and-its-surviving
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