During a meeting with members of the local Nicaraguan, Venezuelan, and Cuban communities in Miami today, USAID Administrator Mark Green announced that the U.S. Government intends to provide an additional $6.5 million in development assistance to support a more prosperous, safe, and free Western Hemisphere. The funding would include the following:

• $5 million to help Colombian communities address the influx of Venezuelans who are fleeing repression and chaos in their home country. These funds will help increase employment and entrepreneurship through partnerships with the private sector, and finance community-cohesion projects to help local and international organizations in Colombian municipalities peacefully integrate newcomers. This brings the total amount of U.S. humanitarian and development assistance to assist displaced Venezuelans to over $60 million since Fiscal Year 2017.
• $1.5 million to continue our support for freedom and democracy in Nicaragua. The United States continues to support democracy and human rights in Nicaragua, and we are a critical lifeline for civil-society organizations, human-rights defenders, emerging leaders, and independent media who are currently under threat from the Ortega regime.

With this new funding, United States reiterates its commitment to a free and democratic hemisphere.