California governor to visit El Salvador to talk immigration

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he will travel to El Salvador in April to discuss the poverty and violence that’s causing waves of migrants to seek asylum in the United States.

It will be Newsom’s first international trip as governor and his latest effort to position California — not the White House — as the leader on the nation’s toughest issues.

The announcement Thursday came days after U.S. and Central American leaders signed a new border security compact. Still, President Donald Trump said Thursday that foreign leaders were “doing nothing” to stop the flow of migrants.

In announcing his trip, Newsom said that while the “Trump administration demonizes those who are fleeing violence from Central America, California is committed to lifting up our immigrant communities and understanding the root causes of migration.”