SAN SALVADOR, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- El Salvador on Saturday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's allegation that it was "doing nothing" to discourage undocumented migrants from heading to the United States.
"We have continually called on the people not to risk their lives and the lives of their families, especially little girls, little boys and adolescents, as they are exposed to many adverse situations along the way, including falling into the hands of criminal groups," Salvadoran Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.
In addition, El Salvador has taken important steps, economically and socially, to curb migration in keeping with the Alliance for Prosperity Plan to improve the living conditions of people in Central America's impoverished Northern Triangle, the ministry said.
Irregular migration from El Salvador dropped 60 percent in 2018, the ministry said, citing statistics from U.S. authorities.
On Friday, Trump accused El Salvador and other Central American nations of failing to take effective actions to discourage migrants and threatened to cut off aid.
"Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money. Word is that a new caravan (of migrants) is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off aid to these 3 countries," said Trump.
This year, at least three caravans of mostly undocumented migrants fleeing poverty crossed Mexico to reach the southern U.S. border.
In response, Washington beefed up security in the border region by sending troops.
