IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 18 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 

should redirect and target foreign assistance provided to El Salvador, 

Guatemala, and Honduras in a manner that addresses the driving causes 

of illegal immigration into the United States from such countries, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 3, 2019 

Mr. BURGESS submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the President should redirect and target foreign assistance provided to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras 

in a manner that addresses the driving causes of illegal 

immigration into the United States from such countries, 

and for other purposes. 

Whereas gang violence, poverty, and corruption are the main 

drivers of illegal immigration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to the United States; 

Whereas in fiscal year 2018, 34 percent of all southwest border apprehensions were migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala, or Honduras, of which 90 percent are unaccompanied alien children or family units; 


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•HRES 18 IH 

Whereas roughly half of Central America’s population lives in 

poverty, including 33 percent of Salvadorans, 59 percent 

of Guatemalans, and 66 percent of Hondurans; 

Whereas millions of Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans face hunger at some point each year; 

Whereas in particular, the indigenous people of Mayan descent in Guatemala are the most malnourished population 

in the world with children averaging 6 inches shorter 

than the global average height for their ages, as reported 

by the World Health Organization; 

Whereas transnational criminal organizations use Central 

American countries to traffic approximately 90 percent of 

the cocaine bound for the United States; 

Whereas gang-related violence in El Salvador, Guatemala, 

and Honduras contributes to the highest homicide rates 

in the world; 

Whereas Salvadorans, Guatemalans, and Hondurans are 

forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in ‘‘protection taxes’’ by gangs and transnational criminal organizations; 

Whereas the United States provided more than 

$2,600,000,000 in foreign assistance to Central American 

countries between fiscal years 2015 and 2018, and Congress has proposed to provide $595,000,000 in such assistance during fiscal year 2019; 

Whereas there exists the potential for foreign assistance from 

the United States to be misused by central government 

officials in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in 

order to reduce the success of anti-corruption efforts; and 

Whereas systemic corruption in El Salvador, Guatemala, and 

Honduras undermines efforts to address the driving 


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•HRES 18 IH 

causes of illegal immigration into the United States from 

such countries: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the President should redirect foreign as3 sistance provided to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Hon4 duras away from the central governments of such coun5 tries and instead target such assistance in a manner that 

6 addresses the driving causes of illegal immigration into the 

7 United States from such countries, by supporting local 

8 and regional governmental entities as well as entities in 

9 the private sector and civil society, especially non-profit, 

10 faith-based, or non-governmental organizations and edu11 cational institutions, that are addressing such causes. 

Æ 


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