President Trump is right to want to stop an illegal immigrant caravan from approaching the U.S. border. But Trump would make a big mistake by following through on his threat on Tuesday and cutting U.S. aid programs in Honduras.

That’s because the programs are specifically focused on reducing criminality while providing education and employment opportunities that allow Hondurans to escape from violence but remain in their own country. Gangs in Honduras, including MS-13, possess an almost psychotic penchant for brutality. And so, even as Trump rightly cannot accept illegal immigration, Honduran desperation is rational.