[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 426 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 426
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States should continue to engage with and support the people and
governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in order to improve
security and prosperity and address the root causes of migration to the
United States.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2019
Mr. Sires (for himself and Mr. Yoho) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United
States should continue to engage with and support the people and
governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in order to improve
security and prosperity and address the root causes of migration to the
United States.
Whereas two-thirds of the population of Honduras and nearly 60 percent of the
population of Guatemala live in poverty, according to the World Bank;
Whereas El Salvador and Honduras have two of the world's highest murder rates,
according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC);
Whereas the region of Central America that encompasses the countries of El
Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, commonly known as the ``Northern
Triangle'', is a major trafficking route for illegal drugs, including
for 90 percent of the cocaine destined for the United States;
Whereas youth in Northern Triangle countries are relentlessly persecuted by
gangs and often victims of forced recruitment;
Whereas more than a quarter of youth in each country between the ages of 15 and
24 is not engaged in employment, education, or vocational training;
Whereas El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras all receive low scores in
Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, indicating a
high degree of perceived corruption;
Whereas the rate of impunity in all three countries has been estimated at over
90 percent;
Whereas violent crimes targeting women, including femicides, occur at alarming
rates and are rarely prosecuted;
Whereas violence, poverty, forced gang recruitment, food insecurity, absence of
rule of law, and corruption and extortion are among the key factors
driving people to migrate from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras;
Whereas research shows that violence is a direct driver of migration;
Whereas according to the Inter-American Dialogue, ``a 1 percent increase in
homicides corresponds with respective increases in migration of 120%,
100%, and 188% in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador'';
Whereas the Northern Triangle countries are the primary source of irregular
migration flows to the United States;
Whereas in 2014, the conditions in the Northern Triangle contributed to a crisis
in which the U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 52,000 unaccompanied
minors at the southwest border of the United States, according to the
Congressional Research Service;
Whereas, while the United States has been committed to a strong foreign
assistance program for the Northern Triangle to improve good governance
and spur economic development, these countries are still experiencing
economic insecurity, corruption and violence;
Whereas it remains essential that the United States continues to implement
development programs in the region;
Whereas promoting security, the rule of law, and economic prosperity in this
region is a long-term goal, and to successfully allocate aid to these
countries, the United States should continue to assist, and should work
to maintain effectiveness of its foreign development assistance
programs, through institutions such as the new United States
International Development Finance Corporation, which was established
under the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act
of 2018 or the BUILD Act of 2018 (division F of Public Law 115-254);
Whereas, on March 20, 2019, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which
is the predecessor to the United States International Development
Finance Corporation, approved more than $350 million in financing to
construct a liquified natural gas power generation facility in El
Salvador;
Whereas the new power generation facility would become the largest thermal power
plant in El Salvador and would increase the country's power generating
capacity by 23 percent, helping it meet growing demand and reduce
dependence on diesel and heavy fuel oil;
Whereas the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America constitutes a multi-
faceted, bipartisan approach to improve governance and security and
enhance prosperity in the region;
Whereas United States foreign assistance to governmental and non-governmental
organizations has enabled the investigation and prosecution of important
corruption cases, a reduction in crime in many dangerous neighborhoods
of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the seizure of record amounts
of illegal drugs, increased employment opportunities for youth, and the
strengthening of the agricultural sector in the region;
Whereas, for example, United States food security and agricultural assistance
programs in Guatemala helped create more than 78,000 jobs and $160
million in sales from 2013 to 2017, according to the United States
Agency for International Development; and
Whereas targeted United States security assistance in gang-controlled
neighborhoods contributed to a reduction in homicides by more than 50
percent in Rivera Hernandez in Honduras, according to the Los Angeles
Times, and a reduction in homicides by 61 percent in targeted
municipalities in El Salvador, according to the United States Agency for
International Development: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) reaffirms the importance of implementing the U.S.
Strategy for Engagement in Central America and continuing to
support the people and governments of El Salvador, Guatemala,
and Honduras to advance our shared interests;
(2) believes addressing the root causes of migration in
addition to securing our borders is the best way to prevent a
migration crisis; and
(3) urges the Administration to prioritize addressing root
causes of migration, including fighting corruption, increasing
security, and promoting economic growth.
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