Human Rights Certification for Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador Exposes US Policy Hypocrisy

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Alianza Americas statement regarding the human rights certifications issued by the US State Department to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala

May 28, 2020 — Today, the U.S. Department of State turned a blind eye to evidence of human rights abuses, and issued certifications affirming that  Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador meet the U.S.’s human rights benchmarks.  This action gave a green light to the transfer of $540 million as part of the US strategy to continue exercising its influence in Central America. 

Oscar Chacón, executive director of Alianza Americas, issued the following statement on this action:

“This certification is irresponsible and a continuation of the hypocrisy of the Trump administration’s actions toward the region. These three countries, which had asylum agreements and COVID-19-related deportations imposed upon them by the United States, are now getting certified for allegedly meeting their human rights benchmarks. The message is clear. If countries accept the measures imposed, they will be certified as upholding human rights despite evidence to the contrary. In making this decision, the United States denies and ignores reports from international bodies and civil society organizations that indicate that human rights are being violated regularly in these three countries.

 

“Illegal arrests, killings, corruption, discrimination, impunity, and outright defiance of the rule of law are daily and urgent concerns in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Addressing these problems is critical to creating the social, economic, and political conditions that would lead people in these countries to remain there. Under current conditions, many people will continue to resort to migration as the only option left to them to save their lives and livelihoods.”

Alianza Americas is a network of 50 immigrant-led organizations representing more than 100,000 families across the United States. It is the only United States-based organization rooted in Latino and Caribbean immigrant communities that works transnationally to create an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable way of life. Find out more at alianzaamericas.org.

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