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.

IV 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, Gua- temala, 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 pov- erty, 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); VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jun 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR426.IH HR426 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 426 IH 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 per- cent of the cocaine destined for the United States; Whereas youth in Northern Triangle countries are relent- lessly persecuted by gangs and often victims of forced re- cruitment; Whereas more than a quarter of youth in each country be- tween the ages of 15 and 24 is not engaged in employ- ment, 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 in- security, absence of rule of law, and corruption and ex- tortion are among the key factors driving people to mi- grate from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; Whereas research shows that violence is a direct driver of mi- gration; Whereas according to the Inter-American Dialogue, ‘‘a 1 per- cent increase in homicides corresponds with respective in- creases in migration of 120%, 100%, and 188% in Hon- duras, Guatemala, and El Salvador’’; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jun 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR426.IH HR426 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 426 IH 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 Tri- angle to improve good governance and spur economic de- velopment, 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 suc- cessfully allocate aid to these countries, the United States should continue to assist, and should work to maintain effectiveness of its foreign development assistance pro- grams, through institutions such as the new United States International Development Finance Corporation, which was established under the Better Utilization of In- vestments 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 Invest- ment Corporation, which is the predecessor to the United States International Development Finance Corporation, approved more than $350 million in financing to con- struct a liquified natural gas power generation facility in El Salvador; VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jun 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR426.IH HR426 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HRES 426 IH Whereas the new power generation facility would become the largest thermal power plant in El Salvador and would in- crease the country’s power generating capacity by 23 per- cent, helping it meet growing demand and reduce depend- ence on diesel and heavy fuel oil; Whereas the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central Amer- ica 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 in- vestigation and prosecution of important corruption cases, a reduction in crime in many dangerous neighbor- hoods of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the sei- zure of record amounts of illegal drugs, increased employ- ment opportunities for youth, and the strengthening of the agricultural sector in the region; Whereas, for example, United States food security and agri- cultural 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 mu- nicipalities in El Salvador, according to the United States Agency for International Development: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jun 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR426.IH HR426 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HRES 426 IH (1) reaffirms the importance of implementing 1 the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central Amer- 2 ica and continuing to support the people and govern- 3 ments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to 4 advance our shared interests; 5 (2) believes addressing the root causes of mi- 6 gration in addition to securing our borders is the 7 best way to prevent a migration crisis; and 8 (3) urges the Administration to prioritize ad- 9 dressing root causes of migration, including fighting 10 corruption, increasing security, and promoting eco- 11 nomic growth. 12 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:27 Jun 05, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR426.IH HR426 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS