US should give direct cash support to families in Central America: Mexican President.

By Jorge Antonio Rocha

MEXICO CITY (AA) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized the US on Friday for funding NGOs and said Washington should provide direct cash assistance to families in Central America.

Lopez Obrador slammed the US government at a news conference for relying on NGOs as intermediaries to support families in Central America, saying that civil society organizations dedicated to addressing the causes behind migration are conservative and end up profiting from US funding.

The Mexican leader questioned why the US was allocating billions of dollars in armaments to Ukraine and not tackling the root causes of migration through economic development in Central America.

"If you could see how these middlemen go around in Central America -- the cars they bring. All the money stays there, and it's too little to start with,” he said. “What does the US government have given to Central America have to do with the $30, $35 billion destined for the purchase of arms for Ukraine?" he asked.

Lopez Obrador said the US should support families economically rather than depending on NGOs and other civil societies.

"They say, 'We can't give the money to the governments because the governments are corrupt. Don't give it to the governments.’ If you are thinking about it, give it directly to the people, but don't use those intermediaries," he said.

In addition, Lopez Obrador criticized the UN for "not doing anything to benefit the people," saying that America has acted with hypocrisy in dealing with the migratory phenomenon in the world.
Lopez Obrador's criticisms follow the deadly fire at a migrant detention facility in northern Mexico that killed 39 migrants. Activists and experts have denounced the Lopez Obrador administration's migration policies for causing the fire.

The president traveled Friday to Ciudad Juarez to visit hospitals where 27 surviving migrants are being treated.