Pictured Above - President Donald Trump (3rd L) and First Lady Melania Trump (C) host Caribbean leaders (L-R) Allen Michael Chastanet, Prime Minister of Saint Lucia; Danilo Medina Sánchez, President of the Dominican Republic; Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica; Jovenel Moïse, President of the Republic of Haiti; and Hubert A. Minnis, Prime Minister of theBahamas, at the Mar-a-Lago estate in West Palm Beach Florida, on March 22, 2019. (Photo by Nicholas Kamm / AFP via Getty Images)

The Trump Administration's foreign policy towards the Caribbean has been marked by steep cuts in foreign aid and stricter immigration laws and policies. After more than two years in office, this is President Trump's first official outreach to the Caribbean, which President Ronald Reagan called our, "Third border." The Administration stated three ways it planned to engage the Caribbean: economic growth and prosperity, security and democratic governance.

A promise of renewed engagement in the region by the president is a stark contrast with the Administration's actions, sometimes accompanied by tough rhetoric on foreign aid, trade and immigration. The Trump Administration's proposed FY 2018 and FY 2019 plans slash funding to the region by more than a third; the FY 2020 proposed budget is set to reduce aid to the Caribbean by roughly 30 percent. At a brief press conference at the end of the, "Trump-Caribbean Summit," the Caribbean leaders were very optimistic about President Trump's pledge of investment. He promised the Caribbean leaders that a high-level delegation from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the United States development lender, would visit their nations in the next 90 days. Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Hollness said to reporters that it is critical the President's promise is not just talk, but a real investment.

But given the Administration's plan to substantially reduce aid to the Caribbean, can President Trump's pledge to the Caribbean leaders for investment in their countries become a reality? Was the, "Trump-Caribbean Summit," the first steps in robust engagement in the region by the Administration, or did his invitation do nothing little to insure United States involvement? Did the summit create problems and deepen division in CARICOM?

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