>>> AN INTERNAL WHITE HOUSE REPORT INDICATING HOW CLIMATE
CHANGE IS AFFECTING MIGRANTS.
CROP SHORTAGES ARE LEADING TO
EXTREME POVERTY AND HUNGER.
JACOB SOBOROFF IS ON THE GROUND
IN GUATEMALA CITY.
GIVE CONTEXT ON THE FLOW OF
GUATEMALANS TO THE U.S.
HOW MANY HEADED NORTH LAST YEAR
AND HOW BIG OF AN ISSUE IS THIS?
>> OVER 100,000, ALISON.
GUATEMALA IS THE LARGE END
SPENDING COUNTRY COMING TO THE
UNITED STATES IN 2018 AND 2019
WHICH IS WHY THIS IS SUCH A BIG
DEAL.
DEAL. THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
PRODUCED ITS OWN EVIDENCE THAT
CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLIMATE
CHANGE LINKED FOOD AND SECURITY
IS FUELING MIGRATION TO THE
UNITED STATES.
UNITED STATES. PEOPLE ARE STARVING ON THE
GROUND HERE AND THE FOREIGN AID,
THE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE THAT THE
U.S. WOULD GIVE TO THIS COUNTRY
TO HELP PEOPLE DOWN HERE, THEY
DECIDED NOT TO DOUBLE DOWN ON IT
TO SLOW AND STOP THE MIGRATION
AND ULTIMATELY TO SAVE LIVES,
BUT TO CANCEL IT ENTIRELY.
>> JACOB, THIS IS SIGNIFICANTLY
CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCREASED
NUMBER OF UNDOCUMENTED
IMMIGRANTS COMING TO THE
SOUTHWEST BORDER OF THE U.S.
CAN YOU TALK ABOUT OVER ALL THE
PROBLEM THAT WE’RE DEALING WITH
THERE?
THERE? >> Reporter: LET ME PUT IT TO
YOU THIS WAY.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE
STARVING, LITERALLY STARVING TO
DEATH.
DEATH. I WENT TO A VILLAGE, ONE OF THE
STATES HERE IN GUATEMALA.
LAST YEAR FIVE CHILDREN THERE
DIED OF MALNUTRITION.
’S SOMETHING THAT PLAYS OUT
ALL ACROSS THIS COUNTRY.
THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM BROUGHT
US THERE TO SHOW US THE
CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND.
WITHOUT THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM
WHO IS THERE IN AN ENERGY
CAPACITY TO SAVE LIVES, YOU’D
PROBABLY HAVE MORE KIDS DYING.
I ASKED THE KIDS THERE TO RAISE
THEIR HANDS AND TELL ME HOW MANY
PEOPLE KNEW FOLKS THAT LEFT FOR
THE UNITED STATES.
ABOUT HALF OF THEM DID.
IT’S A NO-BRAINER.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOUR FAMILY
WAS STARVING TO DEATH.
YOU WOULD LEAVE IN ORDER TO GET
HELP.
HELP. THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE ARE DOING
THROUGHOUT GAUT MALL LARKS
PARTICULARLY IN THE WESTERN
HIGHLANDS WHERE COFFEE AND THE
COFFEE PLANT IS BEING
DISSEMINATED BY A FUNGUS
SPREADING RAPIDLY DUE TO CLIMATE
CHANGE.
CHANGE. WHILE CLIMATE CHANGE IS NOT THE
ONLY FACTOR PUSHING PEOPLE OUT,
STARVATION REALLY IS, BUT THERE
ARE MANY FACTORS WHICH
CONTRIBUTE TO IT.
IT’S THING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION KNOWS ABOUT, NOT
ONLY HAS THEIR OWN EVIDENCE
ABOUT, BUT COMPLETELY IGNORING
IN TERMS OF DEFUNDING HEALTH
THROUGH PROGRAMS LIKE USAID ON
THE GROUND.
THE GROUND. >> LET’S TALK ABOUT THAT FOR A
MOMENT.
MOMENT. WE HAVE THIS INTERNAL WHITE
HOUSE REPORT OUTLINING HOW THIS
IS A PROBLEM.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OBVIOUSLY
AWARE OF IT.
CUTTING AID THERE.
ARE THEY ACKNOWLEDGING IN ANY
WAY THAT SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE
DONE CONSIDERING A REVERSAL IN
APPROACH?
APPROACH? >> KEVIN McALEENAN, THE ACTING
HEAD OF HOMELAND SECURITY HAS
BEEN SOUNDING THE ALARM ON THIS.
WHAT WE HEARD IS PEOPLE ARE
ESSENTIALLY SCARED TO GO IN
FRONT OF STEVEN MILLER AND TALK
TO HIM ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
ANOTHER SOURCE WITHIN THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT TOLD US THAT PUTTING
FORWARD A SOLUTION TO MIGRATION
THAT’S CONNECTED TO CLIMATE
CHANGE PRE SUPPOSES THAT THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ACTUALLY
CARES ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.
I THINK THEREIN LIES THE
PROBLEM.
PROBLEM. WHEN YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS
HAPPENING BUT YOU DON’T BELIEVE
OR YOU DON’T -- YOU CHOOSE TO
BELIEVE THAT IT DOES NOT EXIST,
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS
DECIDED NOT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT
IT.
IT. NOT ONLY NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT
IT, BUT REMOVE AID, ASSISTANCE
AND HELP THAT IS CONTRIBUTING TO
PEOPLE.
PEOPLE. I TALKED TO A SOURCE TODAY WHO
SAID THE MONEY IS ALREADY BEING
PULLED OUT OF THE U.S. FOREIGN
AID AND THERE ARE COMMUNITIES
THAT DON’T HAVE THE ASSISTANCE
THEY HAD MAYBE A MONTH OR TWO
MONTHS AGO THAT WAS DESIGNED TO
HELP PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES AND ULTIMATELY
SURVIVE.
SURVIVE. >> JACOB, WE KNOW WHAT THE ROOT
PROBLEM IS, PART OF THE ROOT
PROBLEM, UNWILLING TO ADDRESS
WHAT THAT IS, UNWILLING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE IT, AFRAID TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. AS YOU’RE SPEAKING, PEOPLE ARE
LITERALLY ON THE BRINK OF DYING
FROM STARVATION.
FROM STARVATION. THIS IS A DIRE PROBLEM THAT
APPEARS TO NEED IMMEDIATE
ATTENTION.
ATTENTION. >> Reporter: I WILL SAY THERE
ARE AGENCIES ON THE GROUND NO
LONGER WAITING ON THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAM DOES NOT
RELY ON FUNDING DIRECTLY FROM
THE U.S. FOREIGN AID.
THERE ARE ORGANIZATIONS LIKE
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, DOWN WITH
THEIR NEXT GEN INITIATIVE WITH
THE GUATEMALAN GOVERNMENT TO
GIVE SEASONAL FORECASTING TOOLS
TO FARMERS SO THEY KNOW WHEN TO
PLANT THE CROPS SO THE CROPS
DON’T SPOIL BECAUSE OF DROUGHT
AND LEAVE ROT.
THERE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE
DONE ON THE GROUND TODAY TO
BETTER PROTECT THESE FARMERS IN
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE.
BUT THE UNITED STATES AT THIS
POINT HAS BASICALLY SIGNALED
THEY DON’T WANT TO BE A PART OF
THAT.
THAT. >> ARE WE IN THE SITUATION WHERE
WE NEED TO WORK AROUND THE U.S.
BECAUSE WE DON’T NEED TO
COOPERATE ON THESE INITIATIVES
OR HELP IN ANY WAY?
>> Reporter: THAT’S EXACTLY
RIGHT.
RIGHT. YOU HAVE ALL KIND OF
ORGANIZATIONS OPERATING OUT HERE
FROM SAVE THE CHILDREN TO THE
WORLD FOOD PROGRAM.
USAID HAD A PROGRAM CALLED FEED
THE FUTURE ON THE GROUND HERE.
GUATEMALANS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES
WON’T BE ABLE TO RELY ON FUNDING
FOR THAT PROGRAM ANY LONGER.
THEY’LL HAVE TO TURN TO SOURCES
TO INDEPENDENTLY FUNDRAISE.
THE REALITY IS THE UNITED STATES
IS ONE OF THE MOST PROSPEROUS
COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.
IT’S IN THE INTEREST OF THE
UNITED STATES IF THEY DON’T WANT
PEOPLE COMING ILLEGALLY FROM
GUATEMALA, THE COUNTRY SENDING
THE MOST PEOPLE, TO FIND A
SOLUTION.
SOLUTION. BUT THE REALITY IS NOW ON THE
GROUND YOU’LL HAVE TO FIND
SOLUTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE UNITED
STATES.
STATES. >> JACOB, IT WILL BE VERY
INTERESTING TO SEE IF THE U.S.
DECIDES WE’RE GOING TO
ACKNOWLEDGE THAT PROBLEM, IF
ONLY TO ADDRESS THAT IMMIGRANT
ISSUE AS YOU MENTIONED.
WE KNOW THAT’S SOMETHING THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS
CONCERNED ABOUT.
CONCERNED ABOUT. WE SHALL WAIT AND SEE.