Day 4 March 1, 2018

7:30 Breakfast

9-11 TPS Foro at Central America University UCA

Universidad Centro Americana UCA

Future of TPS

Jacob Blickenov-CISPES

“Welcome, I’m here to represent CISPES which is an organization that’s been working with El Salvador our goals are to work with the intervention of the U.S in El Salvador. Another organization Alliance, is a committee to support people who have TPS. TPS covers many people in Central America, and other countries.  This alliance worked four times with congress.  About 3 weeks we went to D.C. and about 300 people were outside the White House.  We were facing congress with the people outside and we were telling them that these are the families that will be deported.  These are the families that will be broken. We used these strategies for congress to do something about it. In case of El Salvador, it’s given 18 more months. During this time, many things can happen.  There is a possibility that they can extend it even further or work on it.  I will talk about why it was cancelled.  They cancelled because foreign policy. They say that El Salvador is united with Venezuela.  If you see from the beginning Trump was being racist. He said that Mexicans were rapist.. and so on and what happened a few weeks ago?  He said that El Salvador were.. well I don’t want to say it but he did say it as well as Africa, Haiti and compared to Norway so you see his racist views.  Many people with TPS have been there for many years, they have bought a house, they have a car, kids and their lives are in the U.S.  If TPS is broken, our relationships will be broken.”

Sonia Lozano-Representative of Laborer’s International North American Union LIUNA and Miguel Diaz

“Welcome, I am a treasurer for 552 in Washington DC we are a syndicate with 500,000 members.  It covers Canada and the U.S.  This has 30% members in constructions that have TPS.  We negotiate contracts with members to make sure they have their salary, vacation, and health plans.  Miguel Diaz- We come to expose the position of our president pushing laws that will benefit our members.  We support all laws that will benefit who has TPS.  There is something important to know. With an organized Alliance construction worker gets 25% more with this syndicate. It will be very sad if this was to be cancelled.  It was going to be expired this month. Thanks to all the organizations that worked hard, it was extended.  We will lament if a new law is not approved because members have generated funds for pension.  They will lose their pension and will affect many people.  To explain what is TPS? They are 200,000, Salvadorans and 60,000 Hondurans. 90% of these make their taxes. They have been doing this for the last 15 years.  Many of them have their homes and if they leave something will happen to their homes? All the work that we’ve done we have 5 proposals that four have a step to residency. There is one that is giving 6 years but nothing happens afterward.  I am here to explain to let you know how this is important and if you have family members to ask them to vote.  We are working on a law before TPS ends.”

Cesar Villalona-Economist

“Welcome, we have a strong immigration. 97% of all Salvadorans are outside of this country. The remittances are from private works.  After the civil war there was more consumption in El Salvador because of the remittances.  Many people’s lives are modest because of those remittances in urban areas. However, who buys medicine? Who buys food?  The people buy and consume these things that are from big companies.  All this money goes to commerce and then goes to the bank who the owner will lend to an importer, and then the U.S. will get that money from all of that circuit from remittances.  The government of El Salvador also gets benefits because we have to pay taxes. Everyone here moves with remittances.  If we dint’ have 5000 million in remittances we wouldn’t progress.  The money continues to enter the economic circuit.  Productive use is given by the machinery companies. The primary is Exportation and the second is remittances.  If the U.S. does it the remittances will drop 20% and will have a significant outcome.

In regards to TPS, the central bank predicts that this year nothing is going to happen.  They estimate that the deportees will increase 4 percent in January and it increased by 10.7 percent.  It was such an increase.  The bank study is underestimating. I think it will increase a lot more next January.  In terms of increments, the bank estimates that people that can come here they see it as positive.  It will not give any problem it will help with the economy.  85% speaks English. This population has homes, the bank estimates that these people will come with money to make businesses. We are seeing the economic not the social. The bank is facing a catastrophe.  In this country to start a company you have to start 50 steps whereas, in Nicaragua 3 steps.  Dr Cavela predicts that Salvadorans will not be deported based on five theories.  1. There is pending reform in the U.S., 2. A person will regulate his situation, 3 a person can move to Canada if they go to Canada to find a job, it will be better since there are better salaries, 4. Will depend on the time judges make a decision, and 5. how many people come.  These are the ideas that I want to share.”

11:30 am Centro Monseñor Romero

12:00 pm Lunch

4:00- 6:00 International Solidarity

International Solidarity SRI

Blancaflor Bonilla

One of the leaders of FMLN for the Political Commission is the historical leader. Joined in 1970. From 2010 to now on the International Solidarity in all the America’s

“Welcome, from the FMLN we welcome you and appreciate that you made personal efforts and sacrifices you made to come into this country. After the peace accords we have a compromise to fight for political struggle and arms. The arms struggle   that lasted 60 years that caused the civil war from 1981 and 1992 we were 12 years in civil war and that is why we were able to know that with the struggle of arms is not the right way but dialogue and negotiation.  We were obligated to take arms because human rights were on the floor. There were many human rights violations.  No one wants war but our experience was the alternative to destroy the dictatorships they were promoting.  The military dictatorships did not end, it just masked into a new institution. There was 3 causes that caused  the war 1. Excessive concentration of richness, 2. Small number of people cues and electoral frauds to get to the state, and 3. Human right violations. We had to ask the U.S. administration to stop supporting that and that is when CISPES came in to help. By signing the peace accords we didn’t have the political strength to change economic structure. What stayed in the peace accords was government representatives, union representatives, private representatives and Arenas had all the access to it. The master plan was started.  8 and a half years ago we started a new type of governing with the majority of new social programs. In past 18 years that ARENA had in power, a neoliberal policy approach was in place and approved new laws by dollarizing the currency, privatized many factors that at that time FMLN did not have the political power to prevent that. We would have to change the free trade agreements. we would need 43 votes to change the free trade agreement. The first one to privatize was the national banks and then they sold it cheap.  Sold it to Cristiani it was Banco Custatlan and then was Citibank and now Custaclan.  This country was agro-exporter to a service country.  A country of services has to be with Maquilas, banks, and Goldcenter call-centers. They removed all institutions that offered support for agriculture. 49% of the population was in agriculture. By commerce it was cheaper to buy then to cultivate. 2 million people left because there was no work. There are close to 2.3 million Salvadorans outside El Salvador with 7 million in el Salvador and total 10 million in the world of Salvadorans.  In those 18 years that arena was governing, it agreed with the U.S. with FTTA for cheap labor, and expropriation of natural resources. 10 years ago 2 parliament ARENA leaders were assassinated in Guatemala because they were part of the organized crime.   Arena left El Salvador in an insecure situation in relation with organized crime sort of like a metastasized cancer. We have a different administration from the U.S. to combat the organized crime, a new project “The Northern Triangle” a project that is for armed security in which we don’t want. We have 2,000 million of Salvadorans and FMLN is anti-imperialist so we are like a sandwich. We have established diplomacy with many countries. But we have a contradiction that is not linear. We are under control without an exit with the U.S. administration. Now with Trump there is instability. I met Congresswoman Norma Torres, she is Republican I asked her how she sees this project. What she said is that not to disperse a cent and it should not enter into El Salvador. PNC has given new cars, projects for the civil society and 100% goes to Arena foundation and right wing think tanks. However, Guatemala and Honduras are given direct funds.

Electoral Process

Since 2018, we have participated in 5 electoral presidential and 5 parliament elections. There are many organisms in the chamber-institutions after the peace accords. It was formed in 35 articles by removing military dictatorship to form democracy. The oligarchy and military after the peace accords did not face charges for violating human rights we can say that throughout the elections we’ve been competing with the same. Yet we continue to strengthen our political power by participating with the rules that were made by the right. What is the situation? By winning the election in 2009 practically arena loses the cow from which it drank milk from it. They did not just utilize the services, construction, stealing from the state, etc. but they stole 13,000,000 dollars, 160 cases in the court, and they are just pretending until after 10 years similar to stature of limitations law.  The law says that they cannot sue since the time passed. We have not been able to change the law since we don’t have 43 seated.  We have 31 seated.  Arena has 35 seats. We made a law of transparency and corruption. However, because we don’t have enough seats, they are blocking at any given time. As a result, the threats that we now face are because we do not have enough seats.

Changes in the Electoral System that are a Threat

Financial Sector-

Loans, administrative reforms, including taxing millionaires are boycotted.

Electoral Changes-

Party flags could no longer be used on polling only faces, then, in 2015, they were able to use both, faces and flags and then cross-votes.  In 2015 40,000 votes were annulled because of crossed votes. Civilian candidates were allowed to be given an opportunity who was not affiliated to any party. The first person to be removed from office was Eugenio Chicas who made a resolution that any magistrate cannot be affiliated to any party.”

Would you please elaborate with statistics or information with the implications and efforts with the Organized Crime at this time in El Salvador?

“Currently, our president is seen with a weak image yet he has created 5 organizations 1. Prevention of Delinquency, 2. Strengthened Organized Crime Investigation, 3. Goverment Confrontation, 4. Special Measurements, and 5. Strengthened Social Services”

On the left Blancaflor Bonilla

 7:00 pm dinner