As a Guatemalan American who has lived in the United States for more than 15 years, I was delighted when I learned that you would be leading strategic efforts urgently needed in the three northern countries of Central America: Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras.
Addressing the root causes of migration from that region is a multilayered, multigenerational and complex endeavor. These countries are still rebuilding after decades of authoritarian rule, civil war, corrupted governments and exclusionary economic elites compounded by the multibillion dollar drug trafficking industry.
I felt encouraged when it was announced that you will be visiting Guatemala in June after several virtual meetings with President Giammattei and members of civil society, followed by in-person meetings with four strong anti-corruption women fighters and a group of private US investors, including Guatemalan-born Duolingo’s CEO and founder, Luis von Ahn. These are definitely measures in the right direction. Engaging directly with the people most affected, and with new actors that can assess Guatemala’s pathways into the future, is critical.
I understand this is your first international trip and your first visit to a Central American country. I wish you were able to stop in Guatemala for more than one hour and a half. I know that your schedule is very busy, handling so many international and domestic challenges at the same time. But, were you able to spend a couple of days in that country, you would be able to see beyond the headliners and beyond whatever the unpopular official representatives of the country want you to believe.
Above all, the breathtaking beauty of our volcano skyline, the warmth and authenticity of the people, the way my fellow Guatemalans offer a radical hospitality without even trying and the hard working ethic of the majority of them explain why they also resist and are resilient once they join us in the United States. This strength of character explains why the remittances to Guatemala from our paisanos during the pandemic saw a record increase in 2020, compared to 2019, when we know that Latinos in the US have been disproportionately hit by the covid-19 virus since they work in those essential industries that kept the US economy afloat.
As the US government decides programs to help Central Americans, continue seeking out the voices and institutions far from the corrupted centers of power.
Below are some suggestions as you continue to seek answers to stop more people from seeking refuge at the border. We need to be realistic that the stay here campaigns and the militarization of the borders will not stop desperate young men, women and children to take a trip that they consider less risky than staying in their precarious towns and villages. I’m afraid that the forces of nature and society will torpedo the life prospect of a majority of Guatemalans who wouldn’t choose to leave if hard work paid off on their communities.
1. Investing US$4 billion for the three Central American countries in the next four years is not enough to combat poverty and malnourishment. Remittances and money from drug trafficking fuel the economy more than this aid. So, for these funds to be impactful, they have to be more than doubled and go directly to organizations with proven effectiveness and impact in the communities. You must focus on building both the economic and political capacity of Guatemalan civil society to sustain changes and disrupt the statu quo. This is the investment needed to overcome many of our structural impediments.
2. Establish crop price supports for Guatemalan farmers that allow the farms to continue to survive and prosper. These price supports must go directly to the farmer and avoid going through political channels or through the usual middlemen who buy agricultural products. Likewise, wage price supports that help Guatemalan workers achieve a dignified life in Guatemala would keep millions from seeking a better life in the US. Making work pay in Guatemala, on the farm and in the city, is a critical way to keep people from migrating.
3. Sanctions are necessary deterrents. Unscrupulous political and economic elites need to be held accountable through sanctions while political opposition and civil rights advocates fighting for an independent judiciary are free to live without the threat of state violence.
As you recall from your hardworking parents, immigrants strive to make the most of the opportunities we fight for in our new country and home. But our heart remains close to that place we also call home, where we left behind family and friends. As the US government decides programs to help Central Americans, continue seeking out the voices and institutions far from the corrupted centers of power. For these new partnerships to work, they will require a sustained long-term commitment with the Guatemalan people.
