Democrats Norma Torres and Albio Sires are urging the new president, who is their co-supporter, not to keep the Trump administration’s silence on the Salvadoran president’s abuses of power.
In a letter to US President Joe Biden, two Democratic congressmen denounce that the government of his predecessor, Donald Trump, empowered authoritarian practices in El Salvador by Nayib Bukele.
“The Trump administration allowed President Nayib Bukele to prosecute journalists in El Salvador,” says the energetic letter signed by House Democrats Albio Sires and Norma Torres.
In this letter, they call on the previous government to remain indifferent in the face of serious human rights violations, institutional blows or acts of corruption in El Salvador, as well as in Honduras and Guatemala.
In addition to the attack on journalists, the letter condemns Trump’s inactivity when Bukele “deployed troops for a congressional takeover of that country, with very few consequences.”
SEE: For abuse of power by Bukele, United States cuts military aid to El Salvador
They also state that in the Northern Triangle, the Trump administration left more vulnerable than ever those who carry out anti-corruption efforts.
comprehensive approach
These denunciations are made by congressmen to ask President Biden for a strengthened approach against the irregular migration that leaves these countries to the United States.
However, and unlike the Trump administration, they celebrate that the new president promises an approach that “addresses the causes of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.”
These include the impact of Hurricanes Eta and Iota, which hit the region in November. In addition, they mention the pandemic of VOCID-19 and its results not only in health but also in economic terms, in view of the massive bankruptcy of businesses and unemployment generated by closures and quarantines.
Finally, they illustrate how institutional weakness and corruption lead to the diversion of important resources that increase the vulnerability of citizens. “U.S. disaster relief efforts and assistance to COVID-19 should go hand in hand with a renewed commitment to aggressively fight corruption,” Sires and Torres mention.
SEE: US Congressmen. UU. They criticize Bukele for “moving away” from democracy
“We believe the U.S. government should use its influence to work in collaboration with civil society, prosecutors, media citizens, and international allies to dismantle corruption networks in the region,” they add.
These statements are in line with the Biden plan for the region, which includes precisely tackling corruption as one of the basic pillars to decrease the flow of irregular migrants. They also include strengthening economies and investing in productivity; investment in public safety; and democratic strengthening.
“We are prepared to work with its administration in support of the region’s recovery efforts following the hurricanes and pandemic of COVID-19 and in restoring the fight against corruption as a high priority,” Sires and Torres said.
List of requests
To bolster migration efforts, which Biden promises will be structural rather than conjunctural, lawmakers made him and his government a list of petitions, which include directing assistance money to non-governmental organizations, civil society associations and institutions government and not the central governments, of which they have exposed serious scandals.
In this line, they call for the imposition of sanctions on corrupt officials and the strengthening of efforts to investigate and fight corruption with $ 45 million for the three countries. They also call for strengthening regulatory and tax capacities to combat tax evasion.
They also request the designation of Guatemala as a beneficiary of the GST, as well as expanding the benefits of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.
Biden is also being asked to work with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization to ensure access to coronavirus vaccines in the region, and to strengthen collapsed health systems.
This, they reiterate, in order to prevent the flow of undocumented people to their country. “We recognize the vital efforts he led in his time in the Senate and as Vice President (2009-2017) to address the causes of migration in the Northern Triangle and we have full confidence that he will continue this good work as President.” they sentenced legislators, while endorsing their support for Congress to achieve these goals.