IV 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 488 
Supporting a stable Colombia and opposing any threat to democracy in 
Colombia. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 22, 2021 
Mr. DIAZ-BALART (for himself, Mr. WALTZ, Mr. GIMENEZ, and Ms. SALAZAR) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Supporting a stable Colombia and opposing any threat to 
democracy in Colombia. 
Whereas Colombia is among the oldest standing democracies 
in Latin America; 
Whereas the United States established diplomatic relations 
with Colombia in 1822; 
Whereas Colombia is a constitutional republic where the peo-
ple of Colombia hold the power and elect representatives 
to exercise that power; 
Whereas after many years of violence and armed conflict, in 
2021 Colombia is the strongest ally to the United States 
in Latin America; 
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•HRES 488 IH 
Whereas with the support of the United States, Colombia has 
transformed itself between 2001 and 2021 from a volatile 
and near-failed state into a rich democracy with a grow-
ing free market economy; 
Whereas May 15, 2022, will mark the 10-year anniversary of 
the entry into force of the United States-Colombia Trade 
Promotion Agreement, which has supported economic 
growth and employment opportunities in both Colombia 
and the United States; 
Whereas the United States maintains support for Colombia 
in response to the COVID–19 pandemic, including provi-
sion of excess vaccine doses to help revitalize the economy 
of Colombia; 
Whereas Presidential and legislative elections were held in 
Colombia in 2018, and the people of Colombia elected 
Iva´n Duque Ma´rquez President in a second round of elec-
tions that impartial international observers considered 
free and fair and the most peaceful in decades; 
Whereas the United States and Colombia share a commit-
ment to promoting security, prosperity, human rights, 
and democracy in Colombia and across the Western 
Hemisphere; 
Whereas, in recent years, the Government of Colombia has 
taken courageous steps to enforce the law, stop drug traf-
fickers, and rein in foreign terrorist organizations like the 
National Liberation Army (referred to in this preamble 
as the ‘‘ELN’’) and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘FARC’’); 
Whereas the United States continues to support the efforts 
of the Government of Colombia for peace, including pro-
tection of vulnerable populations such as indigenous and 
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•HRES 488 IH 
Afro-Colombian communities, support for human rights 
defenders, provision of greater educational opportunities, 
increases in public and private investments, especially in 
rural areas, and respect for human rights and the rule 
of law; 
Whereas the United States maintains a strong commitment 
to cooperating with the Government of Colombia to inves-
tigate, arrest, and prosecute members of transnational 
criminal organizations and to dismantle terrorist groups 
like the ELN, the FARC, and Hezbollah, whose illicit ac-
tivities, specifically narcotrafficking, devastate the citi-
zens of Colombia and Latin America; 
Whereas, since 2016, the United States has provided more 
than $1,000,000,000 in direct and indirect support to 
peace implementation in Colombia; 
Whereas Colombia is an essential partner of the United 
States in continuing efforts to support the courageous 
people of Venezuela in their fight for freedom, democ-
racy, and economic prosperity against the dictatorship of 
Nicola´s Maduro by generously hosting and providing aid 
to nearly 1,800,000 citizens of Venezuela as of June 
2021 and by providing them essential services such as 
healthcare and education; 
Whereas, in February 2021, President Iva´n Duque Ma´rquez 
issued temporary protective status with work authoriza-
tion to citizens of Venezuela living in Colombia; 
Whereas the leadership of the Government of Colombia dur-
ing the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela has been critical 
in organizing regional support for Interim President 
Juan Guaido´, as well as in denouncing the dictatorship 
of Maduro and helping implement policies to isolate his 
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narcoterrorist regime, specifically through the Lima 
Group and the Organization of American States; 
Whereas the security situation in Colombia has improved sig-
nificantly between 2000 and 2021, but the migrant influx 
from Venezuela and the economic effects of the COVID– 
19 pandemic have hurt the economy of Colombia, cre-
ating unique challenges for Colombia that demand action 
and support from strong democratic allies like the United 
States; 
Whereas freedom of speech, freedom to peacefully assemble, 
and other human rights are inalienable, and any acts of 
excess force against peaceful protesters should be con-
demned and investigated; and 
Whereas enemies of freedom, such as the Communist regime 
of Rau´l Castro in Cuba and the Maduro regime in Ven-
ezuela, exploit and abuse the vulnerable and individuals 
simply asking for their voices to be heard by promoting 
violent unrest, vandalism, and destruction of property: 
Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) declares its firm commitment to Colombia, 
the strongest ally of the United States in Latin 
America; 
(2) opposes any effort to undermine the democ-
racy or sovereignty of Colombia; 
(3) encourages the international community to 
stand for democracy in Colombia and to condemn 
any efforts to undermine that democracy; 
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