IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 426 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States 

should continue to engage with and support the people and governments 

of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in order to improve security 

and prosperity and address the root causes of migration to the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2019 

Mr. SIRES (for himself and Mr. YOHO) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

the United States should continue to engage with and 

support the people and governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in order to improve security and 

prosperity and address the root causes of migration to 

the United States. 

Whereas two-thirds of the population of Honduras and nearly 

60 percent of the population of Guatemala live in poverty, according to the World Bank; 

Whereas El Salvador and Honduras have two of the world’s 

highest murder rates, according to the United Nations 

Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); 


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•HRES 426 IH 

Whereas the region of Central America that encompasses the 

countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, 

commonly known as the ‘‘Northern Triangle’’, is a major 

trafficking route for illegal drugs, including for 90 percent of the cocaine destined for the United States; 

Whereas youth in Northern Triangle countries are relentlessly persecuted by gangs and often victims of forced recruitment; 

Whereas more than a quarter of youth in each country between the ages of 15 and 24 is not engaged in employment, education, or vocational training; 

Whereas El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras all receive 

low scores in Transparency International’s Corruption 

Perceptions Index, indicating a high degree of perceived 

corruption; 

Whereas the rate of impunity in all three countries has been 

estimated at over 90 percent; 

Whereas violent crimes targeting women, including femicides, 

occur at alarming rates and are rarely prosecuted; 

Whereas violence, poverty, forced gang recruitment, food insecurity, absence of rule of law, and corruption and extortion are among the key factors driving people to migrate from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras; 

Whereas research shows that violence is a direct driver of migration; 

Whereas according to the Inter-American Dialogue, ‘‘a 1 percent increase in homicides corresponds with respective increases in migration of 120%, 100%, and 188% in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador’’; 


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•HRES 426 IH 

Whereas the Northern Triangle countries are the primary 

source of irregular migration flows to the United States; 

Whereas in 2014, the conditions in the Northern Triangle 

contributed to a crisis in which the U.S. Border Patrol 

apprehended nearly 52,000 unaccompanied minors at the 

southwest border of the United States, according to the 

Congressional Research Service; 

Whereas, while the United States has been committed to a 

strong foreign assistance program for the Northern Triangle to improve good governance and spur economic development, these countries are still experiencing economic 

insecurity, corruption and violence; 

Whereas it remains essential that the United States continues 

to implement development programs in the region; 

Whereas promoting security, the rule of law, and economic 

prosperity in this region is a long-term goal, and to successfully allocate aid to these countries, the United States 

should continue to assist, and should work to maintain 

effectiveness of its foreign development assistance programs, through institutions such as the new United 

States International Development Finance Corporation, 

which was established under the Better Utilization of Investments Leading to Development Act of 2018 or the 

BUILD Act of 2018 (division F of Public Law 115–254); 

Whereas, on March 20, 2019, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which is the predecessor to the United 

States International Development Finance Corporation, 

approved more than $350 million in financing to construct a liquified natural gas power generation facility in 

El Salvador; 


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•HRES 426 IH 

Whereas the new power generation facility would become the 

largest thermal power plant in El Salvador and would increase the country’s power generating capacity by 23 percent, helping it meet growing demand and reduce dependence on diesel and heavy fuel oil; 

Whereas the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America constitutes a multi-faceted, bipartisan approach to 

improve governance and security and enhance prosperity 

in the region; 

Whereas United States foreign assistance to governmental 

and non-governmental organizations has enabled the investigation and prosecution of important corruption 

cases, a reduction in crime in many dangerous neighborhoods of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, the seizure of record amounts of illegal drugs, increased employment opportunities for youth, and the strengthening of 

the agricultural sector in the region; 

Whereas, for example, United States food security and agricultural assistance programs in Guatemala helped create 

more than 78,000 jobs and $160 million in sales from 

2013 to 2017, according to the United States Agency for 

International Development; and 

Whereas targeted United States security assistance in gangcontrolled neighborhoods contributed to a reduction in 

homicides by more than 50 percent in Rivera Hernandez 

in Honduras, according to the Los Angeles Times, and 

a reduction in homicides by 61 percent in targeted municipalities in El Salvador, according to the United States 

Agency for International Development: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 


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•HRES 426 IH 

1 (1) reaffirms the importance of implementing 

2 the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central Amer3 ica and continuing to support the people and govern4 ments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to 

5 advance our shared interests; 

6 (2) believes addressing the root causes of mi7 gration in addition to securing our borders is the 

8 best way to prevent a migration crisis; and 

9 (3) urges the Administration to prioritize ad10 dressing root causes of migration, including fighting 

11 corruption, increasing security, and promoting eco12 nomic growth. 

Æ 


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