MIAMI (AP) – The Biden administration rejected a request to meet with the president of El Salvador on an unannounced trip to Washington last week as criticism of the Central American leader escalates among Democrats. say Monday three people with knowledge of the decision.
Nayib Bukele’s trip, which had not been previously reported, came after a senior White House official warned in an interview with a highly critical Salvadoran media outlet with Bukele that the Biden administration hoped to have “differences ” with him.
Bukele was quick to adopt former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies that limited asylum applications, which earned him great American support for his tough style of government in El Salvador, where he is popular. But, like other Trump-friendly world leaders, he faces an upward turn that turns to the Biden administration, which seeks to undo these policies and has noted its relationship with El Salvador, is in the process of being reviewed.
The president’s surprise trip amid a pandemic posed a dilemma for U.S. policymakers. They were notified shortly in advance and, for the most part, avoid face-to-face meetings because of the coronavirus and because many senior positions remain vacant, said the three people, who are in Washington and insisted on speaking anonymously in exchange for discuss an internal decision. manufacturing.
In rejecting Bukele’s request, Biden officials wanted to make sure Bukele did not try to promote any meeting as a show of support before the legislative elections later this month, where he intends to expand his power base. according to people. Still, they made an exception for Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno, who met in Washington with senior Biden officials 11 days before the Andean nation’s presidential election.
Bukele insisted the trip was private and did not request any meetings with Biden officials.
What “president of the world is going on a trip with his wife and baby girl to sit in Washington and ask for random meetings right away? That doesn’t even make sense,” he said in a text message.
The three people did not say how the meeting request was made. But they said the decision not to meet with Bukele was deliberate.
While the Biden administration hopes to involve Bukele in its $ 4 billion plan to tackle the root causes of migration from Central America, it has serious concerns about its respect for the rule of law and democracy, added the people.
“It’s clear that conditions have changed for Bukele,” said José Miguel Vivanco, American director of Human Rights Watch in Washington. “His popularity in El Salvador does not isolate him from legitimate control in Washington over his background on human rights and the rule of law.”
The Western Hemisphere section of the State Department said the Biden administration values what it considers a strong relationship between El Salvador and the United States and will work closely with its partners to address the region’s challenges. A spokesman declined to comment.
During the visit to Washington, Bukele met with Luis Almagro, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, said Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill, who did not accompany the president on the trip.
The OAS, which last year announced it would send an observer mission to El Salvador for the February 28 congressional elections, did not respond to a request for comment or comment on the visit. . Almagro is known to do a regular tweet about his meetings with visiting dignitaries and the same day he met with Bukele he promoted his participation in a Zoom call with Colombian diplomats.
Bukele took office in 2019 as an independent oath to rescue El Salvador of the deep divisions left by uncontrolled gang violence and systemic corruption in right-wing and left-wing governments that followed the end of a bloody civil war in 1992.
Polls say an overwhelming majority of Salvadorans approve of their harsh approach, which is credited with reducing high levels of violence, and their allies are expected to win a majority in this month’s Congressional vote.
But more and more Democrats, but also some Republicans, have criticized Bukele for his strong arm tactics, such as sending troops around Congress last year to pressure lawmakers to vote to fund the fight against bands.
Over the weekend, two House Democrats, Rep. Norma Torres and Rep. Albio Sires, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs in Latin America, sent a letter to Bukele urging him to “not provoke divisions. in the interest of political gains “.
The letter was motivated by the Jan. 31 murder of two individuals returning from a rally by Bukele opponents of the left-wing FMLN party. Police have arrested two FMLN members and a bodyguard who works for the Ministry of Health as suspects.
Both Bukele and his opponents seized the confusing incident, which is being investigated, to accuse each other of inciting political violence.
“It appears that the dying parties have put their final plan into practice,” Bukele wrote immediately after the killings, countering criticism on social media of opponents that his rhetoric was to blame for the deaths. “They are so desperate not to lose their privileges and corruption.”
Last week, the Biden administration put an end to Trump-era bilateral agreements with El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala, which required people seeking asylum on the U.S.-Mexico border to go to one of the Central American nations and continue their demands there.
Legislation passed last year and backed by Democrats puts US foreign aid in El Salvador in check to finance the purchase of U.S. military equipment. The State Department is also required to submit within six months a public list of corrupt individuals in Central America subject to sanctions, an action that could include some of the region’s most powerful politicians.
Juan Gonzalez, senior director of the National Security Council for the Western Hemisphere, said last month that the Biden administration hoped to have “differences” with the president of El Salvador and that any leader who does not want to address corruption it will not be considered an ally of the United States.
González’s comments had added weight because they were the first as the head of the White House’s policy toward Latin America and because they were made in an interview with El Faro, a frequent target of Bukele.
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Joshua Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman