Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. 20240704

More including comcast. You think this is just a Community Center . No, it is more than that. Comcast is partnering to create wifi enabled zones so students from low income families can get the tools they need to be ready for anything. Comcast support cspan as a Public Service along with these other Television Providers giving you a front row seat to democracy. Next, officials from the state labor departments and the u. S. Agency for International Development discussed policy towards Central America during an event hosted by the interamerican dialogue. This is one hour and 15 minutes. [indiscernible voices] good afternoon. Welcome. Thank you to everyone joining us in person and online for this important discussion about Central America. I want to thank our speakers for being here. I know you are in gravely busy. Thank you for being here. I want to start we have molly mccoy he here, and we were just discussing with you, we typically dont include the department of labor, and im so glad you are here with us today. Wally is the associate deputy under secretary for affairs. At the department of labor. We also have mullaney clark a from the Deputy Assistant administration of the bureau of latin america and the caribbean and the usaid. Tremendous work being done in that region. An arab jacob. A close friend of this dialogue, who is Deputy Assistant secretary in the bureau of affairs that the department, and you moved over there how long ago . About a month ago. You have been deeply embedded in these issues for a long time before that. So, i think everyone here is tracking that Central America is experiencing one of its most complex and difficult. Since the 80s. This includes, but it is not limited to the alarming and deliberate substantial laying of essential freedoms, the continued irregular migration and the slow Economic Growth with limited opportunities for citizens. In this context, we will have the opportunity to hear updates on the Biden Harris Administration strategy to address root causes of migration and also the Central American sports program. We are also going to have a chance to hear about what is happening in the pacific countries, including guatemala at the president ial election, which we are all watching closely. Further dissent into authoritarianism, and the great Human Rights Violations in el salvador. I want to get straight to the substantive discussion. We will turn things over to manwell, who is the director of interamerican dialogue, with migration develop a program. Welcome to everyone. Thank you to our panelists for joining us to this conversation. I think everyone is excited. I dont know who is more excited, them or the questions you come prepared to ask, or you, for the questions youve brought to them. But, theres definitely a lot of interest in the region, and i must say, we are just trying to mention some of the issues in this region. One of the realities is that we are dealing with at least three Police States in america. Salvador, honduras and nicaragua. Really, they are pushing the envelope all the way towards very limited freedom of expression and other political leaders. We also have progress with migration, so, i think we have a lot of challenges, particularly to the extent to which it is difficult to tell right now which countries doing better or which country is actually performing the worst. But, as we will add later, the questions i have, they are asking about a Silver Lining. Any case, i think what i would like to start with is to give a sense from you three about what has the work done so far, as the by demonstration and then move from there to some followup questions on that part. Thank you, and welcome. Take you. Thank you rebecca and your american dialogue, as in interamerican dialogue, it is necessary for the homecoming to be back here, so a pleasure to be here and a delight to be with you as well. Just, quickly, starting out, blinded made harris demonstration has a strategy read the idea is to provide an opportunity to the people of Central America. A firm belief that the secure and prosperous future lies with the individual home communities. In our view, the root cause of the strategy not only benefits these communities, but starts to serve as a tool regional stability to advance the Economic Prosperity and National Security about Central America and the united states. So, under Vice President harriss leadership, the administration has launched 4 billion for your strategy in 2021. The idea is to generate Sustainable Living conditions for all people throughout the region. And as many of you know quite well, the root cause of the strategy focuses on several areas. Grading jobs. Ruining a governance, protecting human rights. And improving security so ultimately, Central America can build futures at home. And ensure that individuals dont have to make the journey north read from the start, i would say the administration approaches a difference from that. And, there is a recognition of the importance of two drivers of migration that are not necessarily front and center in review strategies. One of those is genderbased violence, the other is human rights. These are two standalone pillars of the strategy. So, let me say at the top, as manwell and rebeccas make clear, the issue and Central America is obviously a longterm challenge. We are clear right that change will not happen overnight. Our efforts require intention and collaboration. They certainly require commitment to good governance. From our partners in the region. Ultimately, without strong governance, it is hard to make progress across different areas of strategy from becoming prosperity to security, whatever it may be. I would say, we are not naive or pollyanna about this. But at the same time, you know, the government is taking a significant step with the root cause strategy, and we are all excited to be here today because we hope events like this will shed light on the efforts, even as the challenges remain extremely deep. With the strategy, we are addressing the q factor that drive the regular migration. From north and Central America, those include natural disasters, water and Food Insecurity and all of which are exacerbated by Climate Change. With longterm chronic structures, it includes as weve discussed extreme poverty, genderbased violence, Citizen Security more governance, and eight to make corruption. With the respecting rule of law with Civil Society, the free and independent press, they are always leak crucial to achieving these goals, and unsurprisingly, we saw of a lot of work to do and these areas. Central america is this group is well aware is increasing its attacks against Democratic Institutions, against transparency and rule of law. We will continue to support actors in this region who defend democratic government, and you can see that happening today. The most obvious way we are doing that is partnering as a government with the organizations, with the european union, with likeminded countries. Pushing back on efforts to undermine watermelon institutions. That is like the electoral tribunal, and we will get more into the share during the conversation, but zooming out for a second, in guatemala, over the last year, the root cause of the strategy limitation, the state department and usa supported more than 1500 Human Rights Defenders and also train more than 300 journalists in that. That supported and quickly provided in embattled Human Rights Defender and Civil Society organization through emergency assistance, through supporting these individuals. You all know about the voice initiative, or some of you do, where the u. S. Government is bringing together all of its resources, public and private diplomacy, foreign assistance, and oarsman authorities to protect, defend, and promote civic space throughout america. Not just in north or Central America. With nicaragua as well. There were some digital authorities promoting freedom of expression and strengthening independent media. But also, countering the criminalization and providing protection for those who are targeted. The tools are not limited to foreign assistance and diplomacy. On july 19, the government released the latest public list of a consistency with 353 of the northern triangle with an enhanced engagement, and it designated individuals who engage in significant acts of corruption or undermine Democratic Institutions, and that is in el salvador, honduras, and nicaragua are that reporting requirement as well. And, this reporting is a public name and shame efforts, but it also requires individuals are ineligible for the u. S. Our feeling is that this is been a critical tool in holding individuals accountable. To date, weve published a hundred 69 entries on the 353 list over the past three years. That includes where you from guatemala, 31 from el salvador, 35 from honduras and 35 from nicaragua. Turning to the economic side briefly, Vice President harris heads move Central America forward with the partnership or Central America to create good jobs in the region under Central America forward, companies have committed to invest over 4. 2 billion dollars in the region and these investors are creating jobs and have connected 4 Million People to the internet and brought more than one Million People to the formal financial economy they have trained almost 500,000 people Workforce Skills including digital and language skills. Its not just about investment alone. Our private sector engagement, we are aiming to use it to reinforce the importance of the rule of law and good governance. Through that, the state department and the partnership of Central America recently launched the good governance, good jobs joint check declaration and the idea being to hold individuals accountable and hold Companies Accountable with the ability to force companies to exit the partnership if they are not living up to that pledge. I would briefly ive talked about the strategy but Migration Management very much complements the strategy. A little over a year ago, the u. S. And 20 countries endorsed los angeles declaration of migration protection on the margins ofs of the americas. Its been a really critical tool in terms of ensuring companies are aligned and best practices and strategies to create conditions for safe, orderly and humane migration. As we continue to carry out robust enforcement efforts, the administration has taken historic steps to increase lawful pathways. You see that in june, 20 23 through the announcement of safe mobility offices in costa rica and columbia and guatemala and the initial sixmonth phase of these offices. The ideas to facilitate access to protections to other lawful pathways in the u. S. In addition , our commitment to continue to consider thousands of additional individuals in the western hemisphere through settlement through the u. S. Refugee admissions process. I would just conclude here by saying that this is not limited to Central America. Last week, or Homeland Security advisor met with mexican leaders to announce a new program in mexico with the Mexican Government to offer new refugee and labor options in the u. S. Is committing through that for settlement efforts for cubans, haitians, and mexico which complements the existing program. By no means, its a victory lap or Mission Complete moment. These are longterm challenges. Its important to show we feel we are moving the needle and offer transparency about the ongoing challenges. I look forward to the conversation with you all here. Thank you. Ok, thanks, eric and good afternoon everyone. Buenos tardes. I want to thank you for organizing todays event. I dont think we have had one in a while so im glad you invited us. Thank you all of you attending here in person but also i think we have a big crowd joining virtually. I think eric really gave an excellent overview of the root strategy which builds on a lot of the work usaid has done for a long time like create jobs and fight corruption and empower the most vulnerable and much more. Also, as he alluded to, we are clear the strategy in itself is not a panacea. Otherwise, we would not see the undermining of elections or attacks on anticorruption activist and so much more. Despite the challenges we face, i think theres been a positive development in all the free countries the strategy targets. This administrations commitment to northern and Central America includes one of the most robust foreign assistant packages we have seen in three decades. Its enabling usaid to double down on approaches that work. From fy 21fy 22, or budget increased by almost 40 . We have not seen the levels of resources we are seeing since i would say the beginning of the early 1990s. We also see signs of the root cause strategy programming is affecting migration. We have data showing that individuals who process of faith in our programs in areas of high migration now intend to migrate at a rate nearly 80 lower than the general population. The administrations focus on migration goes beyond the root cause of strategy. We are taking a holistic approach because these large movements of people have political, social and Economic Impacts across the hemisphere. Thats where the collaborative Migration Management strategy late the ground for the declaration on migration and protection which eric highlighted. It was lost last year and the declaration has encouraged further collaboration with 20 latin american countries in the hemisphere and not only to address the root causes but also to expand lawful pathways in integrating migrants into those countries. Into host countries. We support humane migration throughout our region. Our work with the governments of guatemala and san salvador and honduras has doubled the number of Seasonal Workers so credit to fill labor critical critical labor gaps in the u. S. We continued we expect the numbers to continue to grow. Some relationships are critical to making progress in the partners we forge have helped us address the full scope of the challenge. Tackling corruption, promoting human rights and democratic principles. Genderbased violence is also a real challenge for the region. Latin america and the caribbean are home to a staggering 14 of the 25 countries with the World Highest rate of semicide. Honduras is the worst rate, women genderbased violence as a reason for migrating at almost twice the rate of men. Last year alone, or programs provided services to more than 30,000 survivors. Were also reaching people in new ways. We partner with the largest media conglomerate in honduras to air a series for overcoming the past which reached 3. 8 Million People. Episodes featuring genderbased violence and Cyber Bullying served as the start of a Public Awareness campaign and brought this issue to the forefront of the national conversation. He gave clear and hopeful messages to women and young people. Corruption is also another area of focus for usaid. This President Biden has said, corruption is a cancer that eats away at citizen faith and democracy. It weighs a ton of entire generations, scares investments in jobs and denies people their dignity. According to the 2021 Americas Barometer report, and astounding three in five citizens from the region believe there is widespread corruption among politicians. In response, usaid programs trained more than 8000 government officials and representatives last year, empowering people with knowledge of the ethical norms of their roles and the capacity to act against corruption so they can hold criminals accountable and build public trust in institutions. That trust is critical to upholding the Democratic Values celeste year, usaid and the department of state, we launched voices, the Initiative Investment to amplify Democratic Values such as transparency and accountability. It supports our work alongside those standing up her democracy and human rights including independent media. As we look ahead to the coming year, we see strong headwinds across north and Central America. There is potential for election interference, increasing signs of authoritarianism and crackdowns on freedom of expression. We seen this before. You can look no further than nicaragua for a sense of what happens when leaders direct Civil Society persecution, closure of Media Outlets and attacks on religious institutions and individuals. We dont want to see that repeated in north and Central Americas will continue to work alongside our neighbors in the region while remaining vigilant and outspoken. Thank you and i look forward to the exchange after. Thank you. I would like to thank the dialogue for the invitation and its really a pleasure to be here. If i had to caption under myself, i probably wouldnt see that but the department of labor is happy to be here. Rebeccas opening point that there has not been a lot of engagement with the department of labor and i would say in general, its sort of known in Foreign Policy spaces but the reason we are here and talking about the root cause of strategy is because it represents an evolution of the understanding of where decent work and labor rights fit within the migration question. If we look from where we sit at the department of labor at the region and what we see his eric vision remission, it is economies rooted in decent work. By decent work i mean that offer safety and health and offer a voice in rights that work in offer families sustaining likelihood. That may seem very basic but ive been in the government for about two years and i come from the Labor Movement. 10 years ago, we would not have had that conversation about white labor rights, white trade unions, why decent work is fundamental to democracy not just in north and Central America but obviously globally. We have seen really good examples of that in the region. There are tremendous challenges and i know we will get questions on a lot of them. I would like to speak to a few things we have done under the root cause of strategy and because it is our first time in this space, take a little bit of time to justify why this fits in. Independent trade unions, labor rights, decent work is what we see as enabling people to stay and invest in their communities, obviously having a job that pays a decent wage not only provides for your children but it also gives you the freedom to become an active and engaged citizen. Nobody was working 80 hours a week has time forget about attending a rally in voting and interacting with neighbors and even going to church, you need a decent livelihood to have that kind of freedom. If youre going to denounce corruption your job come you will not do that as an individual unless you are in a system that already protect you or if youve got a strong union at your back who enables you to take that risk to call it something as a whole and cause people accountable for corruption. As a woman worker, you cannot talk about genderbased violence in your workplace as an individual. Even here in the u. S. , we look back a few years at me too, that happened because lets of people spoke up but not because they were powerful people or single woman took that issue on her own so weve seen the department of labor and the work we do to protect Worker Rights to organize as fundamental tackling these issues by building democratic worker organizations that enable the boat, that participation in the economic and family stability that gives people the basis for being active citizens in their community. I will mention a couple of these and i look forward to questions. Since the root cause strategy was announced, the department of labor put a fulltime labor attache in the region. We have only 10 in the world. We are a Domestic Agency our work is mostly in the u. S. And we have only 10 folks overseas, one is based in our embassy in guatemala was responsible for engaging with Labor Movements with employers and with their own embassies and governments on labor issues and rights. We have 40 million in Technical Cooperation programs. Those are partnering with Civil Society groups. Those are also working with government and employers to enhance conditions. I will mention to briefly, one that works with the trade Union Movement and through that project, it seems like small numbers but if you understand the reasons we are talking about, its important, has secured wage increases through collective bargaining for close to 500 banana workers in honduras. That same union is also negotiating collective bargaining agreements and multinational agreements with nana brands against genderbased violence and harassment on plantations where people are working and in the world of work beyond that. A program we have is Occupational Safety and health in the sugar industry where Kidney Disease is rampant has brought in the largest sugar mill in the country, Sugar Growers association and is working with multinational and including u. S. Brands of beverages that use a lot of sugar in their products. I wont name them. On Occupational Safety standards. They are agricultural regions that are very low income and are tremendously susceptible to Climate Change and disasters and they are areas that a lot of people migrate from because they are not having opportunities for safety or because they are not making ends meet and because their livelihoods are very much dependent on the climate. Just a couple of examples of why its so important that labor integrated in the root cause strategy across the board and some of things we are doing so far, thank you. Thank you very much. Im very motivated by your last comments of integrating labor. I think its fundamentally important. Have a question for each one of you. Also, there is sort of a Silver Lining taking place in the current political crisis in the region. Its something this not optimistic. There is optimism taking place right now because of the last magnitude of produce taken place but there is a growing discontent with the current president of honduras. The president is moving against the tide, against all the commitments he promised to have committed but is introducing legislation thats going against government promises and the popularity of pressing castro has cut been cut by half in the past six months. We also see the guatemalan spirit really prevailing in the midst of an almost constant effort to prevent the political process to follow an electoral outcome in a free and fair context. And we see also, despite the challenges of the police state in the car while got in nicaragua, there is growing dissent to the extent to which the basis of ruling in that regime is becoming more apparent to be an opera news an opportunity to stick style of governing. People are still going through this euphoria of feeling free to work. I dont know what you call it but this is shortlived. Most of us people in the street were saying, we dont have a dictator anymore and thats the same statement that they are making today. They are thinking there is a Silver Lining right now in the region that is moving away from these efforts in the region. Thats my general question. Then i have a couple of questions to each of you. One question to each of you. Eric, i think there is some reluctance to draw the line on the political transgressions taking place in the region in particular, i am concerned we dont have the special envoys in the northern triangle. They are raising some of these issues. Where do we draw the line when there are violations of different sets of Constitutional Rights . There seems to be no Foreign Policy on nicaragua. I am very impressed by the work usaid has done and trying to sort of care the migration side with the development side. I see the elephant in the room is missing and that is remittances from a developing standpoint. Nicaragua became the largest remittance dependent country in the world this year. 33 of remittances are part of gdp for nicaragua. For the other countries, 22 for guatemala. Guatemala used to have 8 dependence, el salvador, 26 , honduras 28 so how do we leverage that . There is evidence that the intention to migrate decreases among those who formalize their savings among those who receive remittances. Im really impressed by the effort on labor rights. I was also impressed by the biden administrations First Executive order when he took over. He made a specific statement about looking at labor and environment. That was his first order of business we have two years now and i dont know where we stand with that especially chapter 16 that talks about the formation of labor and environment counsel. So far, they have not been set up since 2019 and there is very little advance. Its important because there are over 1300 businesses working in free trade in the region. They control basically 2 3 of capital exports to the united states. They hire about one million workers but thats about 10 of the formal labor force in Central America. There are serious labor Rights Violations in nicaragua. There labor rights issues in mining in on doris and nicaragua. How do we activate this . I leave that open and after that , i will work on the colleagues to give you the soapbox. Thank you, i think there is an exciting moment to talk a little about guatemala for a second, this is first and foremost attribute to the guatemalan people. Also, it includes this sort of democratic moment we are seeing which is the private sector is really stepping up but you are also seeing a lot from the international community. Its heartening to see countries throughout the region like antigua and others stepping up with regard to guatemala and supporting Democratic Institutions. Its a tribute to the guatemalan people but also, a lot of exciting things are going on in guatemala with support from others and standing up to attorney general whose job is to protect the guatemalan people but is but has ultimately undermined that institution. Weve been proud of these tools at our disposal to sanction some of these individuals. But also to stand with some of these Democratic Institutions in favor of the free and Fair Election guatemala. In terms of your question about standing up and speaking out, we constantly are evaluating what is the most efficacious approach to these very challenges. I think the challenges you layout certainly exist at the question whether public or private diplomacy is important. What is the perfect formula . Its often hard to find what that formula is but always looking to see what the best approach is on that. In honduras and especially in society from independent institutions and ensuring a Fair Election in 2021 and we need to continue to support those societies. They are doing impressive work in this space. In terms of nicaragua, i would disagree that Foreign Policy nicaragua, what youve seen of the past year and a half or so wasnt escalatory approach where you had the reallocation of nicaraguan sugar allocation, you had the sanctioning of the states Mining Ministry in the executive order for President Biden in october, 20 which authorized certain sanctions. I think there is different questions about what the right formula is and we continue to evaluate that and no one would disagree that whats going on in nicaragua is extremely troubling. 200 22 prisoners were released in february but thats not the end and we so stripping of citizenship and continued imprisonment. I would agree that there is a Silver Lining now. There is a lot of good stuff happening in the region in spite of major challenges and corrupt institutions. On honduras when we talk about the tools at our disposal, with the 353 sanctions, in honduras, when yanni rosenthal and legislators were designated and their visas were revoked, in the honduran congress, the liberal block voted and it was not won but 86 on expulsions. It was a sign that sometimes these designations make a difference and they have in the region. Trying to find the right formula is probably impossible but we continue to work at it and see what see if that exists. Thanks for that softball as you called it. In terms of our day to Day Development work and migration, having these two strategies in Central America and the Migration Management strategy has really made our Development Work in the region evolve over time. Thats why you have dhs. We are not a Migration Agency but the way we are viewing the flow of migration throughout the hemisphere is we do it in multiple ways. The h2 works, creating work for Seasonal Workers has been something new for usaid which i think is something to be proud of. We know a lot of migrants leave for the issues we discussed earlier but really for economic opportunity. We want to provide those options for people for them to stay at home and not take the dangerous journey. As an immigrant myself, we wouldnt have chosen to flight to flee communist cubit it wasnt for a whole set of issues by providing for a better future. In terms of remittances specifically come i think thats an untapped resource that we as an agency have not taken a close look to see how we can leverage remittances with foreign assistance. It is a significant portion. You mentioned 30 in nicaragua but over 20 in Central America. There is an opportunity for us to see what more we can do with remittances. Its an area of expertise of yours but early on, we heard there wasnt an interest for countries in the region to do more, stopping the flow of migration because they are getting a lot of remittances in return and its sustaining a lot of their economy. I beg to differ because i dont think people would take the dangerous journey if they had opportunities at home. In the last two years, we have worked with the private sector and even small and medium enterprises, over 10,000 to create and sustain over 100,000 jobs which is significant. We have worked with farmers. There are cases of women Led Enterprises that had subsistence farming as their main resource and now they are creating work and opportunities or maybe their husband in one case in particular, woman whose husband came to the u. S. Was deported and was able to create a business because of the seed funding we provided so she could grow her own work and now they have a partnership. We are seeing cases were even people that have returns to the region based on the support they have received for assistance. In addition to the h 2 and Seasonal Workers program, we are doing more in integration. We see more people are deciding to stay in the region that come north. If you look at the media everything you are hearing, they say most people are fleeing to come north but the numbers are showing that most migrants that fled whether its venezuela or other parts of the region have decided to stay in latin america. Beyond our work in Central America, weve enclosed are missions 10 years ago. There are other parts of the hemisphere where we are trying to have an immigration policy to make it more humane and working with host countries to make sure their policies provide opportunities for people to stay. That has also change the game for us as a development agency. Its a paradigm and i dont think it will go away. Our administrator is extremely involved in the work we do in the integration space but also an advocate for Seasonal Workers program. Lastly, pillars of the root cause of strategy is our day job. We will continue to do that we doubled down those efforts and are seeing some gains. Its looking at foreign assistance from a Development Perspective in a new way. Our leadership throughout the hemisphere, our workforce and our colleagues in the region have been used to working on development in a very traditional way. I think this really changes the paradigm so we can maximize and optimize their foreign assistance like remittances. I think we have piloted in one place or another but we need to do more. Thank you very much. The number of visas increase from 300025,000 this year. Thats since 2019. There is no question that there is an important effort being made. Molly . I will start with the bright spots and the Silver Lining. I think thats Civil Society, their endurance, their ability to withstand a lot of attacks and the bridges being built between different kinds of groups. I will mention a few weve seen in our work. I mentioned honduras earlier and in particular, what has grown over the last few years. What i see is a tremendous example of resilience and strength and growth is what has bridges built between the Labor Movement and Womens Womens mot and feminist organizations. Starting on genderbased violence including violence in the workplace, but also focused on womens leadership in labor spaces in a tangible way. If you look at the honduran Labor Movement and their leadership, this is global. This is not just northern and Central America. They have a huge percentage of women leading trade unions. They have a National Trade Union Federation president who is a woman. And a lot of young women are coming up as leaders in garment factories. That is important for womens economic livelihoods. It is important for being able to take direct action on genderbased violence but also important for a cohort of democratic activists building their strength in these spaces. That is one bridge between these womens organizations in honduras and the Labor Movement. I would mention outside of root causes but looking at the Labor Movement in costa rica where they have developed a really Good Practice of representing nicaraguan migrants in the agriculture sector. If you look at folks were voiceless who have migrated outside their home countries, to see organizations not just including them as members but taking them in as a part of their strategy and enhancing leadership is important. In guatemala, i would point to the bridges that have been built between labor organizations and human rights organizations in particular around Violent Attacks against human rights and labor defenders. There is not always a bridge between labor and Human Rights Defenders, even the labor rights are the most frequently violated on earth. They have been in separate categories. Human rights is over here and labor rights over here. But what you have seen in response to the shared challenges they face is they have built stronger monitoring, reporting, and Advocacy Networks in what used to be separate camps. When i look at Silver Linings i look at what has persisted in the activism of Civil Society. It is something we continue to support through the department of labor and other development and diplomatic engagement. As far as casta, i recognize the challenge and that we have not set up the labor and environment counsel. That said, we look at the last couple of years of engagement under this administration. We have been doing a lot around those spaces i will not step on ustrs toes but looking at ongoing labor complaints and we have deep engagement with governments in the regions around labor action plans. They get down to the nittygritty what are you doing about your inspection laws . How many inspectors have you hired . How are they getting paid . How are things being enforced . We have those with the majority of governments in the region. We have a nonatashay who engages with government. We have done a lot through Technical Assistance and government to government engagement meeting the requirements of the trade agreement. But i recognize there are challenges. Thank you. Guatemala has labor inspectors in over 4 billion people. Nicaragua has 10. There is the persecution against private sector businesses in el salvador and guatemala. I take that back. In honduras and nicaragua, criminalization, etc. I am going to start with the easy questions on the side. Without ideological positioning we start with the left, center, right. Anyone . I wanted to ask well, congratulations on legal pathways. I think the concept of shifting to legal pathways is the right one. In terms of refugees coming out of southern mexico, any sense of one that is going to happen . There is the component of their needs to be some there, there to the concepts and terms of legal pathways. Is it just for people from the four countries that are already there . When are we going to get this fleshed out . I appreciate the question. I think relatively quickly. This is something that there is a lot of momentum on between our leadership at the white house and the president of mexico. The initial idea is that those countries if those individuals do not qualify for the pathways, the idea is to find ways to incorporate other legal pathways, including labor pathways and legal pathways to other countries outside the region or within the region. In terms of other individuals outside those four countries, i am not aware but i am happy to get back to you. Thank you. We have mary. Leanore. This is for eric but anyone can answer. It has been hard to see how the u. S. Has recently taken a more active role in promoting democratic rule in guatemala. We hope to see this in el salvador as well. How do you feel, how do you think, about reelection . Especially given the executive president ial election is prohibited by the constitution of el salvador and in light of government institutions in el salvador. Thank you. Mary . Just a followup on the el salvador question. We have been focusing on guatemala and it is heartening to see the unification, but in el salvador we announced trials of defendants. I am wondering what the indication if there are any indications that this administration is looking beyond the state of exception and looking at all rehabilitation and reintegration. It does not sound like it with math trials. On the other hand, perhaps behind the scenes there are efforts to reach out to the community. The ambassador has urged them to do that and restart the programs the usa has had in prisons and these neighborhoods. Any more questions . Third question . Ok. We have a few questions from the audience virtually, but why dont you answer these once. If you want to comment as well given the excellent work you do on violence prevention. More generally in el salvador i think our record is clear the last 2. 5 years in responding to these issues on democracy, human rights. I think you have seen that through public statements. You have seen that through foreign assistance. You have seen that through visa revocations and other sanctions. In terms of the election, as we expressed previously, we respect the peoples sovereign right to choose their elected leaders. On the state of exception we certainly take these reports of human rights abuses seriously and continue to monitor the situation. We make our concerns known at every opportunity. We engage with the el salvador government. But i noted at the top we constantly are looking at the most efficacious approach. When it comes to el salvador this is a complex relationship. Is multifaceted. We Work Together in a number of areas. In terms of foreign assistance, we are the top donor. There is good engagement on social economic issues. And then there are issues where we engage in public and private to try to find the most effective way to get at them. Thanks, eric. It is a very complex relationship. Early on in 2021 we paused our assistance. The Supreme Court with the Attorney Generals Office made that decision early on. Democratic backsliding is being seen in all three countries, but i think in el salvador it is the most worrisome. The state of exemption and, to your question about our are reengaged with communities, just today we had a representative from the first ladys office. We are trying to work in these communities impacted. Not only with the social needs but we are working with the administration. We will continue to do that. Our work is not directly with an administration but with the people of el salvador and our commitment to do that. I think the next few months will be extremely challenging, especially next year with the election. From the usas perspective we are ensuring we promote fair and democratic participation. Working with organizations locally to make sure people come out to vote. I do not think that will be an issue in el salvador when the president continues to enjoy a high Approval Rating despite everything happening. I think social media has been another interesting from a Development Point of view an evolution. With meta we have partnered with meta to make sure they play a role. Working with ngos and Civil Society to ensure that misinformation does not factor in. I think our ambassador has been extremely forward leaning and trying to engage with the administration in a way to convey what our priorities are as an administration. We are keeping a close eye. Did you want to add something . No . We have a few questions from the audience. The virtual audience. One is open ended to everyone. How is the u. S. Engaging the diaspora . I say open ended because when we were talking about labor we talked about labor in the u. S. The second question is, is the administration factoring in corruption when considering work within the context of Central American work . How is nicaragua affecting the rule of law in the region . Rosario has been actively reaching out to the president ial candidates. Trying to say that he is [ speaking spanish] trying to go up against him. There is another question from Abe Leventhal asking would be viable to consider Strategic Corporation framework between the north american countries and these other countries that have cooperation in the region to take on these challenges together . Great. I can start with a few. On the diaspora, certainly, engaging. We have a Senior Advisor in the western hemisphere committed to that. He has done a lot of outreach with el salvador and communities throughout the americas. Definitely an important area and one we would like to do more on. We welcome ideas. In terms of the question of corruption in Central America, that is front and center. This was the call to action and the focus on investment in the region. Central America Forward the aim is to bring in rule of law. With Central America forward we have the pledge from companies but we also have an ability for companies to force exodus if they are not meeting commitments. It is tough. We continue to see there is opportunities to engage the private sector on these areas. I hope given what is happening in guatemala there might be efforts with the private sector that has stepped up in a major way to work more collaboratively on rule of law in the coming months, regardless of who wins the presidency. On the leventhal idea, i will have to think about that. I think you could speak about cooperation on Central America. She is the expert and was just down there. But i think there is an opportunity for alignment for others that work on democracy issues to play a role in the region. I have been heartened by costa rica and what they said on guatemala. They have been outspoken and helpful on that front. I think it is a fair question on the nicaraguan experience affecting rule of law. Hard to exactly boil down with that means, but we have seen nicaragua serve as a place of refuge for expresident s trying to escape. A model that is troubling and that we worry about. Thanks, eric. On the diaspora, that is one area the usa could do more. We do not necessarily work with the diaspora here but remittance is another untapped resource we have. Not only educating how taxpayer money is spent. A lot of our communities that live here in the dmv area and throughout the country should be proud of the work that our agency is doing to support communities back home. I think there is definitely an opportunity there for us to socialize the work we do throughout the hemisphere with our communities. In terms of having a north american assistance to support the work we do in the region, i just came back from mexico a couple of days ago. I was there to officially launch a partnership with canada, mexico, and us to increase our assistance in Central America. This is something that was announced last year at the north american Leaders Summit with President Biden and Prime Minister trudeau. We always talk about working with likeminded countries and ensuring our assistance is not duplicated. I think this is really an intentional partnership. Not only are we putting our resources together. We are also targeting the beneficiaries we support. It is not just ensuring that we support a number of areas but ensuring we are working in the same communities, targeting the same beneficiaries to ensure there is longlasting impact. I thing there has been an intentional want to do that from the Biden Harris Administration. Ecuador, costa rica, and the Dominican Republic have a lot to offer. It is not just u. S. Government trying to support and advancing the agenda we talked about but having others support us in the process. I think it has been a collaborative process. We want to see more of that and there is more to do. In terms of nicaragua, i think we share those concerns. Under my supervision i see mexico and Central America but nicaragua is the place unfortunately, most of our implements and beneficiaries and even the opposition, if you were to call it that, have actually left in exile. There is also the process that we continue to track closely to ensure there is an alternative. The only news that comes out of nicaragua is controlled. I think there has been a lot of efforts, especially by independent media, to put a spotlight on nicaragua. We need to continue doing that. Ensuring that we use our human rights systems in the region to investigate, document, report. That is necessary. Im proud of the work that even those who have been forced to flee continue to do to keep a spotlight on nicaragua. Thank you. I will address the question on diaspora. I am from a Domestic Agency. We have a lot of engagement with diaspora. For purposes of this conversation i will focus on what we are doing under the collaborative Migration Management strategies and what we call our partnership program. The department of labor supported the creation of a network that involved domestic agencies like the wage agency, those responsible for enforcing working conditions in the u. S. , overtime pay, minimum age of work, safety and health rules. We work with the consulates and the embassies of countries of origins here in the u. S. , overseas, and with Civil Society and organizations on both sides. That has allowed us to deepen relationships with consulates here which are normally the most trusted places for people to go when they are experiencing violations of their rights at work. They are not likely to come straight to the department of labor. They go to where people speak their language and they have trust with the community. Most recently i am sure everybody has read about child labor in the u. S. We have been meeting intensively at the Embassy Level and then consulate levels to understand how we can respond, what they can do with the information, how to connect victims to enforcement. We also work with Civil Society organizations and stakeholders to identify and report back areas where there is migration recruitment fraud. When people are trying to come to the u. S. Through whatever channels they are often deceived or receiving misinformation and they can fall victim to Rights Violations. Working with stakeholders and communities we are able to get information not just to know your rights but watch out for this organization. Or watch out for this message so that people are protected before they travel. We are coming this is the most developed model so i will hold it up as an example. The end of this month will be labor rights week which is an exercise on labor rights issues in the u. S. And mexico. It is more developed because it is something we have deal with for a long time. I see that as a direction in which we are going with our work with the consulates and embassies. We have a series of videos coming out that we gone migrant rights in the u. S. And what your rights are. Briefly on Central America forward, not corruption directly but i want to speak to the good jobs part of it. Companies are vetted. We look at their history with workers but it is a space to engage and Ask Companies that are good to be better. We are planning on doing more of this in the fall with a good jobs focus to be better. Yes, investment is good. Yes, jobs are good, but not every job is a good job. We are looking at the Central America Forward Space to engage with investors and companies to make sure Worker Rights are respected and make sure the jobs created through Central America forward are good jobs that provide families with stability and livelihood to be active citizens in the community. Thank you. This is wonderful news. Especially when we have 30 of the female migrant labor force working in domestic work. It is a highly under addressed issue. We are talking about at least 7 million Migrant Workers cleaning three homes each. That is 20 million homes in the united states. I am glad this relationship with mexico is working in that direction. We have two more questions to go before we finish. One is asking i think the answer might be easier to have. What is being done to address the root causes of Child Migration . And something about a bipartisan approach and Central America. We are getting close to election timing and it gets more complicated to make into bipartisan commitments. But i think the next 18 months for Central America are going to be critical. That is an open ended question. You can also answer off the record. I can turn off the camera. [laughter] i would argue not only is the room for bipartisan approach but i think we are seeing one. When it comes to guatemala we got a strong statement from senator menendez and mike mccall peeking out on efforts to obstruct guatemalan elections. Is a perfectly bipartisan . Certainly not. I know from my time on the hill these issues are challenging. But we sought on the passage of the bill that led to the three by three section visa revocation. There was real commitment on that piece. Yes, i think there is room. But at the end of the day the Appropriations Bills the passed through Congress Need to be bipartisan. If you look at the foreign assistance this is something that is the way the sausage is made. I think there is space to do more but there is bipartisanship and certainly on these issues of governance, human rights, and rule of law. I think there is commitment across the board. You can address the second question but i think everything we do addresses Child Migration. The numbers at the border are down from where they were before the end of title 42. But if you look at the numbers of unaccompanied minors showing up, those of increased. I think we are always thinking about Child Migration. It is the core of the strategy that the Obama Administration developed in 2014 and at the center of what we are doing now with the root cause strategy under the Vice President s leadership. I will take the next question. On Child Migration our focus from the department of labor is on the child labor aspect. I explained a little bit of how that works with migrants in the u. S. But in the root causes and the work we do overseas, child labor globally accounts for half of our Technical Assistance work. That includes programs that work with alternatives to child labor, education systems, working on enforcement. We mentioned the problem of inspection. And decent work and livelihood for adult. Child labor is a big part of our work both overseas and through our partnership with domestic agencies in the u. S. I would add to erics good answer that we enjoy a lot of bipartisan support. Not on every issue but i think the budget demonstrates the support we have been getting to increase the budget for the region. I think we could do better but it is a sign of support. In terms of the unaccompanied minors and what more could we do to prevent from seeing them at the border, we have done more at the primary and secondary level of education. I think when we have kids remaining in school and you are supporting their parents through different types of Economic Opportunities it creates a sense of rootedness. We have data that demonstrates where we have invested especially in communities where we see uacs at higher numbers remain. And providing support after school. It is really taking a holistic approach and ensuring the family is supported so the kids can remain in school and they are not just another number. Thank you very much. The unaccompanied minor number has declined but it is still a striking number. 500,000 kids have arrived since 2019. I want to thank you for participating in this conversation. The list of commitments is extensive and i think you agree that it is a work in progress. The challenges require a stronger personal response to the issues. I think we still have the commitment from the administration to move forward in this direction to prevent further issues from happening. Thank you very much and have a good weekend. [applause] thank you. [indistinct chatter] sees ben as your unfiltered view of government funded by these Television Companies and more, including cox. This syndrome is extremely rare, but friends dont have to be. When youre connected, youre not alone. Cox suprt cspan is a Public Service along with these other Television Providers, giving you a frontrow seat to democracy. Cspans washington journal, a live forum involving you to discuss the latest issues of government, politics and public policy. From washington, d. C. And across the country. Coming up saturday morning, the professor, talks about the effects of rhetoric and the lack of stability in u. S. Politics, and then feminist Majority Foundation executive director kathryn on the state of feminism in the u. S. Cspans washington journal, join in the conversation live at 7 00 eastern on cspan, cspan now or online at cspan. Org. Former Defense Department and military officials discuss increases in defense spending and building a stronger military at a defense at an event hosted by the hudson institute. Watch live monday morning at 10 00 eastern on cspan, cspan now on free mobile video app or online at cspan. Org. Ongress returns from its summer recess in september with a busy legislative flr schedule ahead. The house and senate are expected to take up federal spending bills funding the government through next year to prevent a government shutdown. Currengornment spending expires on september 30. Laaks are also facing end of the mth deadlines to reauthorize faa and pandemic praredness programs. The senate will continue working on President Bidens judicial and executive nominations, including for the federal reserve. Watch live coverage of the house on cspan, the senate on cspan2, and a reminder that you can watch all of ou congressional coverage with our free video app cspan now or online at cspan. Org. Next, army general laura richardson, commander of the u. S. Southern command, talks about security challenges facing latin america during a Virtual Event hosted by the center for strategic and international studies. Such challenges include migration, narcotics trafficking, Climate Change, protecting the amazon rain forest, and competing with china amid the countrys investments in infrastructure in the region. This is about 50 minutes