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Vice President Mike Pence is urging Central American nations to help stop "illegal and dangerous migration," defeat gangs and transnational drug cartels, and end corruption.

"This must end," said Pence on Thursday, "and this will end." Pence plans to travel to Central and South America later this year as part of continuing U.S. outreach to the region.

"Be assured, the United States is proud of our strong partnership with nations in the Northern Triangle. We are committed to strengthening that partnership so that we can continue to address the significant problems facing our neighborhood," Pence added.

Top U.S. officials said what happens in the Northern Triangle countries of El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala directly affects the security and economic interests of the U.S. and other countries in the region.

"In order to boost economic prosperity, it is imperative that we work together to strengthen the formal economy and diminish the economic drivers of illegal migration and other illicit activities," said Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

The top U.S. diplomat reaffirmed Washington's pledge to the region, despite a 2018 budget that proposes a significant cut in aid to those countries.

"This is no way an indication that somehow our interest is diminished in the region," said Tillerson, adding that even with the cut, "there is substantial money in the budget to continue our commitment" to support our joint security and law enforcement.

"A convulsing Central America, faced with a lack of opportunities and with violence, is a power risk for the United States, Mexico and the region," said Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

Cabinet members from President Donald Trump's administration, senior officials from Mexico, presidents from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, along with senior delegates from Latin America gathered in Miami for the Conference on Prosperity and Security in Central America.

The conference is seen as the result of the close work done by the U.S. and Mexico in recent months.

But critics warned that both countries are turning a "blind eye" to the root cause of Central America's humanitarian crisis.

"Given the extraordinarily high violence at the root of the problem, there should be attention to the emergency needs of people forced from their homes," said Jason Cone, Doctors Without Borders USA Executive Director.

Every year, it is estimated that 500,000 people flee the Northern Triangle nations. The high level of violence in the Northern Triangle ranks alongside the world's deadliest war zones and is the main driver of migration from this region, according to Doctors Without Borders.

A three-pronged approach is recommended by some experts to address the root cause, with a focus on sustainable economic development, strengthening the rule of law and improving security.

"Our approach should focus on a shared partnership," said Jason Marczak, who heads the Atlantic Council's Latin America Economic Growth Initiative.

"One of the big challenges that we see in the Northern Triangle is a fact that the judiciaries are weak, impunity rates are incredibly high, cases are not prosecuted," said Marczak, adding that the rampant corruption has a negative impact on people's trust in government and foreign businesses eyeing investment in the region.

Some analysts cautioned the Trump administration not to make a further shift in policy, from aid-based efforts to a more military-focused approach.

The conference comes at a time when the Trump administration has proposed a significant cut more than 30 percent in U.S. assistance to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, raising questions about how Washington can accomplish an ambitious agenda in Central America.

"With a reduced foreign assistance budget, it is clear the U.S. is putting a greater emphasis on private-sector actors in spurring economic development," the Center for Economic and Policy Research's Jake Johnston told VOA on Thursday.

"Just as much of this conference will be held behind closed doors, so too is U.S. assistance to Central America incredibly opaque," he added.

On Friday, the conference moves to the U.S. Southern Command in Doral, Florida, where U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security John Kelly, who previously served as SOUTHCOM commander, will host talks on regional security.

"While the United States is indeed the magnet that feeds drug smuggling through Central and South America, it is mostly our friends in Mexico and to the south that feel the brunt of the violence and the crime," Kelly said last month.

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VP Pence: Illegal Immigration From Central America 'Must End' - Voice of America

While the economic report for May was not as strong as it should be, we still added 138,000 jobs. Consumer confidence, which reached a nine-year high post 2016 election, has dipped slightly but remains at very healthy levels. Small business owners confidence also reached its highest levels since 2007. Yet, what about those people who havent been able to find a job? Well, politically, they favor Hillary Clinton, but want less illegal immigration and Obamacare out of their lives. Second, they havent succumbed to doom and gloom. Though they may still be in the waiting lines, 92 percent are hopeful. Express Employment Professionals, a headhunting organization, released a survey last month that polled 1,500 unemployed Americans over the age of 18 from March 14 to April 6 to gauge their feelings on the current economic climate.

They noted that 33 percent of this group agreed with the statement Ive completely given up on looking for a job, which is down from 43 percent in 2016, 40 percent in 2015, and 47 percent in 2014. Also, more blame themselves for being unemployed than the factors impacting the economy. The poll found that 50 percent took responsibility for their situation, while 26 percent blamed the economy. The group noted this is part of a trend. Thirty-four percent blamed the economy in 2016, 37 percent in 2015, and 45 percent in 2014.

Bob Funk, the CEO for Express Pros, said in a statement that while hes alarmed that one-third of the American workforce has said theyve given up, there are signs of a positive trend from previous years; fewer have given up, more are hopeful, fewer blame the economy and fewer are unemployed due to layoffs. Funk was the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

Concerning those who said they were jobless because of layoffs, 22 percent was the figure for 2017, down 23 percent in 2016, 28 percent in 2015, and 36 percent in 2014.

Now, in terms of politics, the unemployed favored Hillary over Trump in a 35/25 split. Thirty-four percent did not vote. Yet, even with unemployed America tilting towards Clinton, they want Obamacare gone by a 57/43 margin. Also, a substantial majority also thought that a crackdown on illegal immigration would help them find work by a 58/42 margin. Concerning whether government should spend more on a jobs program or cut corporate tax rates to spur job creation, more government spending is preferred but by a slim 52/48 margin. Its almost down the middle on that question.

Yet, one troubling indicator is the direction of the country; 40 percent of the unemployed said we were heading down the right path compared to 60 percent who disagreed. At the same time, while these voters broke for Hillary, theyre more aligned with Donald Trump on immigration and health care, which are two huge issues facing the country today. There are many inroads with these voters on economic issues and if Democrats craft a populist, job creating-centric agenda over the next couple of yearsthese people will vote for them. As Real Clear Politics Sean Trende has said in prior discussions about elections and demographics, there are many ways to skin the electoral cat. Republicans resonate with this group on illegal immigrants and Obamacare, while Democrats could gain traction with a serious job program. For now, the political Left seems more worried about Russia and whether were all going to die from global warming now that were withdrawing from a non-binding agreement with Europe. So, seriousness is not a quality visible in todays Democratic Party at present.

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ICMYI: Unemployed Americans said it would be easier to find jobs with less illegal aliens around - Hot Air

The author, Dickinson College professor Crispin Sartwell, paints an idyllic image of the vibrant, intersectional culture of York Springs, Pa., where the streets are purportedly lined with Mexican food trucks and children playing ftbol and a bona-fide real estate revival is well underway thanks to townspeople [fixing] up old houses.

That is, until Donald Trump was elected president.

According to the author, stringent enforcement of immigration law by the Trump administration has precipitated the destruction of a rich, new rural culture and has sent York Springs spiral[ing] into a local depression that is personal, cultural and economic. He cites only 15 documented cases of immigration enforcement in the area but assures readers there have been many more.

Central to his narrative is the fact that Adams County is a national leader in apple production, and that York Springs 70-percent Hispanic population plays an essential role in the growth and harvest of Galas and Granny Smiths.

The thesis of Mr. Sartwells narrative, of course, is that the lawful detainment of unlawful migrant workers will devastate the local economy, to the detriment of all residents, legal and illegal. Sartwell goes on to explain how the devastation transcends economics:

This is separating families, and people are living in fear, he writes. Children arent playing out in the yard any longer. Parents are afraid to leave their homes ... the food truck is gone, and its been a while since I heard Mexican pop music.

Unsurprisingly, the narrative propagated by Mr. Sartwell aligns closely with the left-wing orthodoxy on this topic. It is rooted in the common misconception that American agriculture cannot function without illegal immigrant labor and that the concerted enforcement of federal immigration law will result in the collapse of the farming industry altogether.

According to the Pew Research Center, the U.S. civilian workforce includes 8 million unauthorized immigrants, but only 4 percent of that population is employed in agricultural jobs like farming, fishing, and forestry.

While illegal immigrants do comprise a larger share of the agricultural labor force compared to other industries, the vast majority of the American farming workforce is comprised of legal workers, foreign and native-born.

This fact alone calls into question Mr. Sartwells assertion that the removal of unauthorized immigrant labor (not to be confused with legal immigrant labor) will have an adverse impact on the domestic farming economy.

It also goes far in discrediting the leftist clich that illegal immigrants are needed to perform the dirty, blue collar jobs American citizens are allegedly unwilling to do.

Sure, labor-intensive fruit-and-vegetable farming does attract illegal immigrant workers, but those commodities constitute a relatively small part of the overall U.S. farm economy. Bigger crops wheat, cotton, and corn, for example account for a far greater share of total agricultural output. The production of these major crops is largely automated and can be performed with minimal human inputs.

Bottom line: the modern agriculture economy is diverse and dynamic. Most farmhands are working legally and agribusiness in general is becoming less reliant on manual labor. The enforcement of federal immigration law will never stop Americans from engaging in one of the oldest forms of organized economic activity known to the human race.

Mr. Sartwell, and others who share his worldview, use scary rhetoric about vanishing children and food trucks to obfuscate economic reality and perpetuate the wink-and-nod immigration policies of the Barack Obama administration. In doing so, they defend a broken system which has bankrupted taxpayers and endangered American communities.

Laissez-faire immigration enforcement has resulted in dramatic population growth, not only in our cities but in rural pockets of America like York Springs. Costs in public education, healthcare, social welfare programs, and the criminal justice system all borne by American taxpayers have increased correspondingly.

The American opioid epidemic, which claims the lives of 10 Pennsylvanians each day, has been fueled in part by the unmitigated trafficking of heroin across the porous southern border.

Sartwell observes in his column that the migrant labor community of York Springs has been quick to adopt rural American values ... which are instinctively traditional and oriented toward family and hard work.

Before authoring opinion pieces which decry the enforcement of federal immigration law, he should be reminded that an abiding respect for the rule of law is another value rural Americans hold dear.

Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime.

Sen. Mike Regan is a member of the PA Senate Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee and previously served as U.S. Marshal in the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

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Guest Editorial: Ag economy will survive illegal immigration crackdown - The Sentinel

Vice President Mike Pences decision to hire his own lawyer for the special counsel investigation into alleged ties between Donald Trumps presidential campaign and the Russian government can mean one of two things or perhaps even both things at the same time.

Either Pence is concerned that he may face charges of his own, or believingthat he isinnocent he wants to separate his own legal fate from that of a president whose innocence he (for good reason) doubts.

If the latter prospect is true, of course, its doubtful that Pence will ever admit this publicly. As the Watergate scandal began to swallow up Richard Nixon, and Vice President Gerald Ford was confronted with the prospect that he would be thrust into the presidency, Ford nevertheless maintained his public defenses of the president. This was both politically necessary (Nixon was a fellow Republican, after all) and morally astute (it would be unseemly for the man who might benefit from Nixons downfall to seem to contribute to it).

Although Pence should avoid defending Trump so vehemently that he winds up looking complicit, it is best for him to refrain from seeming over-eager at ascending to the White House himself. That said, if he has sound reason to suspect that Trump is about to take a mighty fall, it is wise for him to determine how he can best protect himself from a strictly legal standpoint.

This, by necessity, means he must at least partially decouple his fate from that of the president he serves.

Of course, there is also the possibility that Pence has reasons to be worried about his own future with the law. He does have at least one major scandal from his own past in 1990, he used campaign funds to pay his mortgage and other personal expenses, which, though not illegal at the time, was regarded as highly unethical and it is not inconceivable that there is something brewing beneath the surface that the public simply doesnt know about. The only vice president to resign due to scandal, Richard Nixons own Spiro Agnew, did so not because of Watergate but for the entirely unrelated reason thathe received over a quarter million dollars in bribes. It has long been speculated that prosecutors were eager to cut a juicy deal for Agnew so that he would resign before Nixon and an honest man could be appointed as his successor (Ford) to wait in the wings should Watergate destroy Nixon.

Perhaps, like Agnew, Pence was involved in an unknownscandal completely unrelated to the Russia shenanigans. Of course, it is also possible that Pence is personally involved in the Russia-related mess, especially considering the legendbehind how he became Trumps vice president. The former reality TV star had apparently been set on choosing New Jersey Governor Chris Christie as his running mate until his campaign manager at the time, Paul Manafort, claimed there were mechanical issues with Trumps plane as it waited on the tarmac in Indiana, which bought time for Trumpto be wooed by Pence.

Manafort, you may recall, is under investigation by the FBI for his own potential connections to Russia, not the least of which is his work for Putins puppet in Ukraine,Viktor Yanukovych.

As I contemplate Pences possible political future, I recall a story I wrote in March about the man. I had sent out word among Indiana Democrats that I was interested in hearing their take on who the man was and what kind of president he might be. I left with the impression that he was a governor who, regardless of what you might think of his ideas, was not very effective at getting them implemented; by contrast to another, more effective Republican Indiana governor, Mitch Daniels, whom one legislator described asthe man with the plan.Pence was also depicted as a hard-line conservative, albeit somewhat more generic in his views than the absurd ideological expediency that definesTrump.

Most important, however, was this observation by House Minority Leader Scott Pelath:

Mike Pence has the prerequisite understanding of political customs, American history, and the three branches of government. My sleep would resume its normal patterns until the nation made a change and we could move on.

Assuming that Pence is in Fords situation and not Agnews, I would agree with Pelaths assessment. It is becoming increasingly difficult to believe that Trump isnt at the very least guilty of obstruction of justice, and more likely of electoral dirty tricks that would put Tricky Dick himself to shame. If Trump has obstructed justice, and especially if he did collude with Russia to sabotage Hillary Clintons campaign, then we would be far better off with Pence in the White House than Trump.

Read more here:
Is Mike Pence pulling a Gerald Ford or a Spiro Agnew? - Salon

Vice President Mike Pence had harsh words for Freedom Caucus members of the House during a meeting over the Republican health care bill, bringing several grown men to tears, according to a Politico report.

In a profile detailing Pences tightrope act as President Donald Trumps VP, Politicos Tim Alberta described Pences efforts to convince the hardline Freedom Caucus to support the first attempt at passing a health care bill in the House, which eventually failed.

Once it looked as though the bill would be going down in flames, on March 24 the nearly three dozen members of the Freedom Caucus gathered on Capitol Hill to plot their next move in secret. According to Politico:

Not long after they had gathered, however, the door was flung open and in marched Pence. He was accompanied by Trumps chief of staff, Reince Priebus, and neither man was smiling.

Pence himself a former member of the Tea Party Caucus reportedly pleaded with members to hop on board with the bill, and let loose an uncharacteristic flash of anger:

I was the Freedom Caucus before the Freedom Caucus existed, Pence told them, his voice rising, according to multiple people who were in the room. Dont try to tell me this bill isnt conservative enough.

According to Politico, the appeal worked: After Pence abruptly exited the meeting, and several grown men had broken into tears because of the tension present in the room, a chorus of Freedom Caucus members informed Chairman Meadows that they would now support the legislation if a vote were held.

It was too late, however, as Paul Ryans coalition of moderates had by then fallen apart, and the AHCA never saw the floor that day though a second attempt, championed by Ryan and Pence, passed through the House in May.

Read the extended profile over at Politico.

[image via screengrab]

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Mike Pence's Fury With House Health Bill Reportedly Brought Grown Men to Tears - Mediaite