Following a series of discussions addressing the main areas of a reform agenda in Guatemala and how they impact the migratory issue, the virtual Roundtable, Cooperation and Prosperity: Analysis of the Relationship between the United States and Guatemala, was held. An analysis and commentary on the Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration in Central America, published by the Biden-Harris administration in July 2021, was carried out. This was done with the aim of highlighting the opportunities and challenges this strategy might face in its implementation in Guatemala.
The participants included:
- Carroll Ríos de Rodríguez, University Professor, President of the Faith and Liberty Institute
- Christians Castillo, Researcher at the Institute of National Problems of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala IPNUSAC
- Roberto Wagner, International Relations Analyst.
- Christa Walters, Coordinator of MCN Institutional Outreach.
Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration in Central America
The U.S. administration emphasizes that migration has direct impacts on its country. For this reason, it seeks to engage with the region to address the causes that lead Central Americans to leave their countries and seek to reach the U.S. border. The strategy is based on five pillars:
- Addressing insecurity and economic inequality.
- Combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and promoting the rule of law.
- Promoting respect for human rights, labor rights, and freedom of the press.
- Countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations.
- Fighting sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence.
"It is a strategy that aims to be holistic, covering aspects they consider to be the fundamental causes of migration" - Christa Walters
According to the strategy, to address these pillars, civil society actors, international organizations, and the private sector will be consulted and coordinated with. Therefore, they emphasize that cooperation aid is not enough to reduce migration; the will of various local actors is also needed. They also state that no foreign assistance can replace the political will within the government and society of each country.
What are the impressions of the strategy?
Although the name mentions a strategy for Central America, it focuses on Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala; that is, the countries of the Northern Triangle. This is an important point to emphasize, as the strategy refers to the three countries as a whole, but the main causes driving migration are different in each country, even at the municipal level.
As Christians Castillo mentions, this strategy must rely on local actors, especially because they have direct knowledge of the country and how to proceed to generate development. This strategy states that it wants to improve certain aspects so that migration to the United States can decrease. However, there have also been messages that have been interpreted as an opportunity to migrate, as Roberto Wagner mentions, "the increase in migration stems from the message of immigration reform," where instead of decreasing, it increased, leading Vice President Kamala Harris to have no other option but to say "do not come."
Opportunities and challenges in cooperation and prosperity generation
This strategy offers some opportunities and challenges to consider, both nationally and locally, for collaboration with the United States. One of the most important, on which all three panelists agreed, is the economic factor. Economic growth is the key and the beginning of a prosperous region. Today, the lack of employment and income is one of the main reasons for migrating from Guatemala, as detailed in the International Organization for Migration's World Migration Report.
Roberto Wagner recalled that cooperation must establish an action plan that allows local actors to continue developing it and make it self-sustaining, which will ensure that this economic growth is long-term and not just a momentary intervention driven by international political interests. By improving the economic level of a society, its poverty levels can decrease over time.
"Poverty can only be fought with wealth" - Carroll Ríos
Another opportunity is the fight against organized crime, because, as the IOM report mentions, violence and organized crime are another motivator for people to migrate and seek a better quality of life. In Guatemala, there is little capacity for prompt and efficient justice. Therefore, collaboration between the United States and Guatemala can be a factor that helps strengthen the judicial system through modernization.
More effective cooperation
The most important variable for this cooperation and the actions sought to be implemented in Guatemala to be effective is the role of Guatemalans themselves. Currently, there are programs that seek to expand development and prosperity in the country. However, they face an institutional framework that can limit the replication of these programs.
As Christians Castillo mentions, "we have a style of government that is still very centralized," so cooperation must go beyond providing monetary aid to the same old actors. It should also be noted that most of this aid is channeled into administrative and bureaucratic matters. Therefore, it is important to truly understand what and how to help, so that most of that aid is directed to the people who genuinely need it.
The panelists mentioned that receiving foreign aid does not mean instant solutions. In recent years, it has been seen that there are actors who continue to receive funds, but they are not reflected in prosperity for Guatemalans.
"Central America received 100 billion dollars between 2000 and 2019, which sounds like a lot, but what was that aid used for? Much of that money is transferred to the government and NGOs that produce scarce results, and sometimes with negative outcomes" - Carroll Ríos
Joint actions for cooperation and prosperity
The strategy allows for focusing efforts that enable joint action with various actors. It is imperative to mention that the changes sought for Guatemala cannot depend solely on international actors. These cooperation and prosperity efforts require local actors committed to advancing a reform agenda that includes better conditions for economic development, the rule of law, and democracy.
