7:00 am breakfast
8:00 left for the U.S Embassy in El Salvador
9:00 arrived at the Embassy and passed through security leaving our phones behind.
On February 20, 2018 a letter was directed to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson from Congressmen and Congresswomen Jan Schakowsky, Juan Vargas, Hank Johnson, and Jose Serrano about their concerns for U.S. involvement in the upcoming elections in El Salvador.
On February 8, 2018 I sent an email to Mitchel Hochberg Foreign Affairs in Washington D.C. and Katrina Rill in my district office who was able to send an email requesting California representative Jackie Spier to join and sign the letter. The letter was a success with the help of many CISPES delegates and was directed to Ambassador Jean Elizabeth Manes in El Salvador.
On our arrival to the U.S. embassy, we patiently waited in a conference room. Within 10 minutes Ambassador Jean Manes and her policy advisor Amy E. Archibald. She gave a statement and right after she asked if we had any questions.
My partner Delegate Lea Papas made the following statement:
“We thank you for seeing us here today. As CISPES delegates and international observers for the elections we have three main points that we would like to discuss with you. Delegates Rocio Esqueda, Yesenia Portillo and Carlos Rosales will be making the following statements:”
My statement of recommendation was the following:
“As election observers, we are concerned that the voting centers were understaffed due to the exclusion of political party members from the JRV’s and were semi-functional during the vote count. We worry that the hours that poll workers remained at the voting centers were inhumane and might reduce civic engagement for future elections. We agree with the Organization of American States’ recommendation that El Salvador simplify its voting system, which has been complicated by the last minute decisions of the Constitutional Chamber.”
After my statement, Ambassador Jean Manes responded with the following:
“With the same objective TSE has done an incredible job. It is complicated with the new composition and having to train. We participated for the international communities and if we compare it to 2015, they were peaceful. The police did a great job with securing and 30 embassy members were part of the international observing. We have our own list in the U.S. everyone is going to come out with their own list of recommendations. TSE found an error and they fixed the error.”
My partner Delegate Yesenia Portillo, made the following statement:
“In recent years the Constitutional Chamber of El Salvador’ Supreme Court of Justice has acted far outside of its mandate, making very troubling decisions that actually undermine El Salvador’s constitution. The chamber’s ruling prohibiting the political affiliation of citizens within the electoral process and of representatives of various governmental institutions are a draconian violation of political and civil rights. These decisions disproportionately benefit right wing oligarchic interests and undermine the integrity of the country’s electoral process. In our role of election observers we have witnessed the effects of the Constitutional Chamber’s overreach into electoral matters that according to 1992 peace accords should be left to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. We are deeply troubled that you have repeatedly very publicly expressed your congratulatory support for the chamber’s work given that their resolutions have all but forced the TSE to make changes to the electoral process which have resulted in one of the most complicated electoral processes in Latin America, if not the world. We demand that you stop intervening in El Salvador’s political in El Salvador’s political process through this expression of support for such problematic institutions. Members of congress echoed this demand in a letter to you and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last week. As we look ahead, we call on you and the U.S. State Department to withhold from taking actions or making any statements that might appear to support the Chamber’s controversial decisions, and publicly state your neutrality towards whatever government wins the 2019 presidential elections.”
Ambassador Jean Manes responded with the following:
“I want to thank you for investing the time. We work with the people that the Salvadoran elect and that is what we do. We are working on reduction of migration to the U.S. with three objectives
- Working with Salvadoran government to decrease the rate of homicide which has decreased 40%
- Jobs, working on investment
- Support on institutions militarily such as Alliance for Prosperity
We work with indirect coordination. I work once a week to work on a common agenda. We have 600 employees in the embassy. 200 are Americans and 400 are Salvadorans. Gangs in the prison system are getting classified since they are overcrowded for about 30%. The prisoners are getting re-integrated by YOCAMBIO. When you see the work program, it is concentrated on job placement which depends on the economy growth. There are many challenges and 3 countries are working together for an economic progress on custom union Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. These are the three coordination of the Attorney’s General.
One, there is no doubt that the elections are super complicated process with an incredibly long day across the country with limited food. Two, we respect the election results. We will respect the 2019 results. We support the institutions. Our policy of the 16 criteria of our legislation is a written criteria that the U.S. governs. I don’t come here to tell them what to do. It is up to the Salvadoran people to make their decisions.”
Immediately, Policy Advisor Amy Archibald continued with the following:
“We get others with transnational justice. I would argue that Salvadoran Institutions to act upon we have a role to act upon. We have a role to play with check and balances. It is our role as it is to say that Salvadoran government has their system.”
Ambassador Jean Mane continued with the following:
“In this role my job is to make it work. To make it work, my job is not to see it if they are trained in TSE or JRV my role is to support their institutions and El Salvador to make their decisions.”
Policy Advisor Amy Archibald-
“The challenge for us is that we hear just as other judicial experts and other associations that we are doing what we should. We can’t make a decision. I am an American diplomat I can’t say these lawyers are correct or these are not correct. There is a difference of opinion.”
Ambassador Jean Mane-
“I get criticized by congratulating the police should I refrain from acting with the constitutional chamber? We cannot do that. The police have done things against human rights violations and we at times cannot congratulate them or get critical. We can’t refrain from public statements.”
Partner Delegate Carlos Rosales continued with the following:
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security decision to suspend TPS program for El Salvador created significant anxiety for Salvadorans in the U.S. and El Salvador due to the loss of status for such a large segment of the Salvadoran population in the U.S. The Salvadoran media has misrepresented the State Department’s reason for the decision, saying that TPS was suspended due to the foreign policy positions of the Sanchez Ceren administration. We ask that this embassy clarify this misunderstanding with a public statement repeating the State Department’s reasons for cancelling TPS for El Salvador.”
Ambassador Jean Mane-
“How decisions get done in Washington is a formal process submitted to the Secretary of State. Other factors are considered. There are political considerations. I cannot make those publicly. On a big policy there are many factors, I rather say nothing. It is a factor in all our conversation. One is that we don’t have the same opinion with the Salvadoran government. We have foreign policy just like we disagree with Iran, North Korea, and Venezuela. I can’t refrain from making public statements.”
CISPES delegate-
“So then you are saying that it is a factor?”
“We have tremendous amount of people working with the Salvadoran people and the private sector. We have the Millennium Challenge Corporation. I am not making any statements or taking part to build a wall (as she directs herself looking at me). Or this goes for you Carlos…We have to think about the 130,000 kids who are U.S. citizens from TPS parents. What would happen to them if they get deported? I will leave because I have other things that I have to take care of, but you can talk to my advisor Amy Archibald, for any questions that you have. We barely get Americans in the embassy and thank you again for visiting us.”
The threat of Water and Metallic Mining was brought up to her policy advisor right after ambassador Jean Maine left.
Policy Advisor Amy Archibald-
“We cover migration issues, we cover issues of security and human rights. We have no views whatsoever with the mining. Access to clean water was part of the Millennium Challenge Corporation which was negotiated between 2014-2019. They are inaugurating a plant in Apopa, Najapa this part of infrastructure is in partnership. Another one is climate change that will implicate the loss of lands. The biggest challenge is to be able to deliver these projects and we have not heard any complaints from the community.”
I asked her the following question:
“Then, can you please tell me or elaborate about the civilians in the municipality of Diez de Mayo who are being evacuated and have tried to get them evacuated four times?”
Policy Advisor Amy Archibald-
“I am not familiar with that particular community of Diez de Mayo.”
The conversation ended and we all left being escorted by Policy Advisor Amy Archibald. I observed many wall pictures and sings with the following:
U.S. STRATEGY
For engagement in
Central America
ALLIANCE
for
PROSPERITY
Policy Objective: Reduce irregular migration through
Increasing economic growth and improving citizen security and access to justice
Developing human capital strengthening government institutions
1:00 pm Lunch and arrived at the beach for the rest of the day
Bay Area Movement 