The sewing machines and computers sit collecting dust in the dark. They were once tools of hope and empowerment, a promise for those seeking to build a life for themselves. This abandoned workshop is no ordinary factory. It is a vocational school in Cali, southwest Colombia, run by local contractors of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and was once a route for Venezuelan migrants like Alexandra Guerra to develop the skills to join the shoemaking industry. The school offered the 25-year-old single mother of two a way to provide for her children, younger sister, and mother. USAID was even going to pay Guerra a daily subsidy while she looked for work. But she saw her hopes crushed when the White House halted foreign aid last month. Her classroom was shuttered. Courses ceased. And the prospects of staying in Colombia looked bleak once again. US President Donald Trump’s…
