Democrats Norma Torres and Albio Sires are asking the new president, who is their partner, not to keep the same silence as the Trump administration about the Salvadoran president’s abuse of power.
In a letter to US President Joe Biden, two Democratic congressmen denounce that Nayib Bukele’s government of their predecessor, Donald Trump, has reinforced authoritarian practices in El Salvador.
“The Trump administration allowed President Nayib Bukele to prosecute journalists in El Salvador,” reads the energetic letter signed by House Democrats Albio Sires and Norma Torres.
In this letter they call on the previous government to remain indifferent to serious human rights violations, beatings for the institutions or corruption in El Salvador, as well as in Honduras and Guatemala.
In addition to attacking journalists, the letter condemns Trump’s inactivity when Bukele “sent troops to take over that country’s Congress with very little repercussions.”
SEE: Due to abuse of power by Bukele, the United States is cutting off military aid to El Salvador
They also argue that the Trump administration in the Northern Triangle has made those engaged in anti-corruption efforts more vulnerable than ever.
Integrated approach
These complaints have been filed by Congressmen to ask President Biden to step up action on irregular migration leaving these countries to the United States.
However, unlike the Trump administration, they celebrate that the new president promises an approach that “tackles the causes of migration from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador”.
Among these is the impact of hurricanes Eta and Iota that hit this region in November. In addition, they mention the COVID-19 pandemic and its results, not only on a health level, but also economically speaking, the mass bankruptcy of companies and the unemployment caused by closures and quarantines.
Finally, they illustrate how institutional weakness and corruption lead to the redirection of important resources that increase the vulnerability of citizens. “The United States’ disaster rescue efforts and aid to COVID-19 must go hand in hand with a renewed commitment to aggressively fighting corruption,” said Sires and Torres.
SEE: US Congressmen criticize Bukele for “deviating” from democracy
“We believe the United States government should use its influence to work with civil society, prosecutors, ordinary 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 actually includes anti-corruption as one of the basic pillars to reduce the flow of irregular migrants. They also include strengthening economies and investing in productivity; investment in citizen safety; and democratic reinforcement.
“We are ready to work with your administration to support the region’s recovery efforts following the hurricanes and the COVID-19 pandemic and to restore the fight against corruption as a high priority,” said Sires and Torres.
Request list
To bolster the immigration efforts, which Biden pledges will be structural and not temporary, lawmakers have compiled a list of requests for him and his government, including providing aid money to non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations and government agencies to central governments. , of those who have serious scandals.
In this sense, they are calling for sanctions to be imposed on corrupt officials and to bolster investigative and anti-corruption efforts by $ 45 million for the three countries. They also call for regulatory and tax capacities to be strengthened to combat tax evasion.
Likewise, they are calling for Guatemala’s designation as a beneficiary of TPS, and for the benefits of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras to be expanded.
They are also asking Biden to partner with the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization to ensure access to coronavirus vaccines in the region and strengthen collapsed health systems.
This, they reiterate, is to avoid the influx of undocumented immigrants into their country. “We recognize the vital efforts he made during his time in the Senate and as Vice President (2009-2017) to address the causes of migration from the Northern Triangle and we are confident that he will do that good work as President will continue, ”the lawmakers simultaneously said their support in Congress to achieve these goals.