{"code":"25392","sect":"Central America","sect_slug":"central-america","hits":"843","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202104\/centroamerica\/25392","link_edit":"","name":"\u201cLike It or Not, These Are the Presidents We Have to Deal With\u201d","slug":"-ldquo-like-it-or-not-these-are-the-presidents-we-have-to-deal-with-rdquo-","info":"While Californian congresswoman Norma Torres criticizes \u201cthe United States\u2019 past interventions\u201d in Central America and her country\u2019s \u201crelationship with many of these present-day dictators,\u201d she has given her vote of confidence to Biden\u2019s new team of envoys to the region, chief among them Vice President Kamala Harris. In a potentially decisive week for bilateral relations framed by the visit of Biden\u2019s special envoy Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga to Guatemala and El Salvador, Torres claims that Bukele behaves like \u201ca little kid, not a president,\u201d while simultaneously deeming as \u201cnecessary\u201d Biden\u2019s diplomatic overtures to all three presidents of northern Central America. ( Leer en espa\u00f1ol )","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz \/ Washington","data":{"jose-luis-sanz-washington":{"sort":"","slug":"jose-luis-sanz-washington","path":"jose_luis_sanz_washington","name":"Jos\u00e9 Luis Sanz \/ Washington"}}},"view":"843","pict":{"cms-image-000035678-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"35678","name":"cms-image-000035678.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035678.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035678.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035678-jpg","text":"<p>Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ERepresentative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000035679-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"35679","name":"cms-image-000035679.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035679.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035679.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035679-jpg","text":"<p>Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ERepresentative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000035680-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"35680","name":"cms-image-000035680.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035680.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000035680.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000035680-jpg","text":"<p>During a House Homeland Security hearing on October 21, 2015, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) questioned witnesses during a hearing on global attacks against the United States amid the rise and online recruiting of ISIS. Photo: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images\/AFP<\/p>","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EDuring a House Homeland Security hearing on October 21, 2015, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) questioned witnesses during a hearing on global attacks against the United States amid the rise and online recruiting of ISIS. Photo: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images\/AFP\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":35678,"date":{"live":"2021\/04\/07"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2021","data_post_dateLive_MM":"04","data_post_dateLive_DD":"07","text":"\u003Cp id=\"docs-internal-guid-cccd26e0-7fff-d740-412f-03d08ad2c387\" dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s not uncommon for Representative Norma Torres, a California Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, to witheringly criticize Central American governments for corruption and what she sees as their complicity or responsibility for the migrant caravans traveling north. She has taken an especially tough stance on Honduran president Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez since 2018, regularly accusing him of running a narcostate. In the past year, she has turned her criticism to Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s even more noteworthy, then, that just two days after a blistering Twitter spat with Bukele, Torres applauded that Biden\u2019s special envoy to Central America was considering meeting with the Salvadoran president, or that she resigns herself to the idea that the United States should seek common ground with the likes of Hern\u00e1ndez. \u201cThose overtures are necessary,\u201d she said, adding a jab at the end. \u201cPresidential power comes with responsibility,\u201d she said. \u201cI hope President Bukele can calm down and control himself a bit.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ETorres, born in 1965 in Guatemala, joined the House in 2015, and is its only member born in Central America. She not only created and co-chairs the Central America Caucus on Capitol Hill. She is also a member of the influential House Appropriations Committee, tasked with setting the national budget and foreign aid \u2014 the latter including the $4 billion that the White House has pledged to the isthmus over the next four years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a city where few Republican congressmen or senators pay much mind to Central America, and in a political arena in which centrist Democrat Joe Biden will need to placate the more progressive wing of his own party, Torres\u2019s opinion carries a weight that Bukele had not fully considered when he insulted her last week on Twitter, suggesting she use \u201cpart of the check from her financiers to buy glasses\u201d and called on voters in her district to turn away from her in the upcoming midterms.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cThe Biden administration will have a hard time convincing me to vote to finance a plan or agreement with President Bukele because I want results, and I\u2019m not seeing advances in the Northern Triangle,\u201d said Torres. It\u2019s yet another setback for Bukele, who has already stumbled diplomatically with Washington, according to a State Department source who reflected on the recent volley of tweets between the Salvadoran president and the California congresswoman. \u201cWe\u2019ll defend our congresspeople and the non-intrusion in our elections, though Torres hardly needs help standing up for herself.\u201d\u00a0\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EA few days ago, the Central America Caucus, which you preside over in Congress, resumed business, reflecting the interest that a group of mostly Congressional Democrats are paying to the region. But in general, is there an understanding of Central American current events in the U.S. Congress?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe strength of the caucus, which I founded six years ago, is that it\u2019s bipartisan. It doesn\u2019t endorse bills, but it does promote information to representatives and their aides about the situation in Central America and the actions we or other actors take throughout the region, though the focus in recent years has been the Northern Triangle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThere are members of Congress, especially Latinos, Democrats, and a few Republicans, who are closely following what happens in the Northern Triangle, but it\u2019s not typical. Much of our attention is set on the Middle East, Europe, Africa\u2026 but Central America is a priority for me because they\u2019re our neighbors, and they\u2019re the source of most of our problems on the border.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWith the arrival of the Biden administration, a common refrain is that there\u2019s been a shift in priorities, but do you think the new U.S. administration is doing all that\u2019s necessary?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBiden is barely two months and a few weeks in, but we see that he\u2019s delegated tending to Central America to a group of people experienced in the region and led by the vice president. That signals that he\u2019s really committed to the region and wants to help solve the problems that are now culturally engrained, because the problems of drug trafficking, violence, or corruption are part of a political culture in need of reform by the very countries themselves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiden\u2019s immigration policy is inseparable from his Central America policy. What do you think about the fact that he continues to use Title 42 to reject or expel asylum seekers from the United States? Multiple human rights organizations say that the United States continues to break domestic and international law in using that legal authority to deny the right to apply for asylum to thousands of people.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWe\u2019re having that conversation with the administration almost daily, pushing them to do more to permanently revoke the policy that President Trump put into place. But we have to recognize that President Trump tore down the entire infrastructure necessary to receive these people, victims, in a humanitarian way as they flee their countries. There was nowhere for a child to be treated with humanity. Instead, children have seen cages, places resembling dog kennels. You can\u2019t receive children there.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWe\u2019re just starting to rebuild the necessary infrastructure and logistics, and that entails hiring new federal employees to process applications. There\u2019s much work to do, but in two and a half months there have been big changes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAnd yes, we want to cancel Title 42, but it\u2019s hard to do that without the necessary infrastructure to test for the coronavirus, separate and quarantine those testing positive. That\u2019s all in the works, but we can\u2019t move too quickly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1333&ImageId=35679 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Representative Norma Torres (D-CA) during a House Rules hearing on the impeachment of Donald Trump on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiden has also been challenged for not including undocumented workers in his policymaking. California, the state you represent, has approved unemployment insurance for undocumented workers, and New York just passed a similar budget. Should Biden support such legislation at the federal level?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s very difficult for Congress to make changes like those because we can\u2019t count on the support of Republicans, who don\u2019t recognize the 11 million undocumented people in the country, most of them part of our economy. As a Californian, I\u2019m very proud that my state recognizes the labor of those workers and has started to give them at least some assistance, because this pandemic has been terrible and many of them have lost their lives. Essential workers not only work in the fields, grocery stores, and warehouses, but also cleaning hospitals or as doctors. We have to recognize their labor.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EI\u2019ve also asked Congress to commission an in-depth study on the migrants arriving at our border. I think they\u2019re people whose futures have been robbed, and that\u2019s why they come here. But when in the United States they have access to school, work, and buying a home, what kinds of work can they find? We already know many of them are professionals, and I think it\u2019s very important that we recognize their talent. In reality, the greatest resource that those three countries have is those young people traveling to our border, and their abilities and talents go unrecognized.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYou speak of the Republican stance. Biden\u2019s immigration package was announced to great fanfare, but what real chance does such an ambitious law have of passing?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWe first have to control unauthorized migration. That\u2019s our greatest hurdle right now. Immigration reform should be a bipartisan affair, and for now that\u2019s not the case because many Republicans feel that there is no orderly legal process in place. That\u2019s why it\u2019s important for us to collaborate not only with the Northern Triangle, but with Mexico, the route for those thousands of migrants.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBiden promised to take a fresh look at Central America, but for now relations are based on curbing migration, a short-term objective not different from previous administrations, including that of Donald Trump. In fact, it seems that the current closeness with Guatemala is simply the result of their effort to block migrants and work as another border wall \u2014 just as Trump had pushed for. And Mexico is doing the same.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EYes, curbing unauthorized migration is very important, just like protecting the lives of those people when they make an unauthorized trip. In the last two years of the Obama administration, when Biden was vice president, we started trying to help those people. We opened talks with Belize, Costa Rica, and other countries in the region to ask for their help in protecting those asking for asylum.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EWe also started finding places within the Northern Triangle where we could build refuges so that those who wanted to migrate could do so in an orderly fashion, so that they wouldn\u2019t have to expose themselves to the dangers of the voyage and then enter the United States illegally. That would be the ideal scenario, and that\u2019s what we\u2019re striving for with this administration.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you think about the creation of the position of special envoy to Central America, and of Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga\u2019s appointment?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EI think it\u2019s very important. The team assembled for the region is composed of professionals who know the history (Torres laughs), are informed, and can really help us promote what we want to do.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAre you laughing because you\u2019re thinking of past administrations?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s very sad to think about the United States\u2019 past interventions and its relationship with many of these present-day dictators. It\u2019s something that\u2019s hardened the region. We now have to do things differently. The United States won\u2019t impose its agenda, but we will work with leaders committed to civil society, democracy, and improving living conditions in their countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESome of the statements you\u2019ve made, labeling Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador as narcostates\u2026\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EI\u2019ve never labeled Guatemala or El Salvador a narcostate. I have said, very clearly, that Honduras is a narcostate. In the other two cases\u2026 you could say the jury is still out. Unfortunately we\u2019ve seen, though, that they\u2019re heading in that direction.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E[On March 24, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NormaJTorres\/status\/1374841803636019200?s=20\"\u003Ea tweet from Torres\u2019s official twitter account\u003C\/a\u003E referenced the \u201cnarcostates led by Nayib Bukele, Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez, and Alejandro Giammattei.\u201d The video accompanying the tweet referenced the \u201cnarcostate,\u201d in a clear reference to Honduras, as well as \u201cthe corrupt and failed leaders of Guatemala and El Salvador.\u201d]\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe point is that the relationship between the current White House and the governments of the region has yet to be solidified. Does the tone of your affirmations complicate the work of Biden\u2019s team? The clearest example would be your most recent confrontation with President Bukele.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELet me be clear. We can\u2019t turn a blind eye to the realities of the region, nor can we hold talks with governments telling us what we want to hear. We\u2019ll never get anything done if we go down that path. We need to do something different, and that starts with honesty about the actors that we have to deal with.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEl Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala are to blame. They\u2019ve made an international example of themselves because they haven\u2019t cared about the conditions under which their citizens migrate. When I saw those two girls, one three and the other five years old, dropped off a 14-foot wall in the middle of the night\u2026 I\u2019m a mother and grandmother, but for any human being it\u2019s something quite serious. I blame those three countries because they have set an example for others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPresident Bukele challenged you because those girls are Ecuadorian, not Central American\u2026\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHe did as he always does: twists words, change the subject. He needs to acknowledge that the same actions taken by El Salvador are being replicated elsewhere. Our exchange of messages happened on thursday night, and by 9am the next morning, California time, he had already sent 49 tweets or retweets about me \u2014 49! Yesterday I issued a statement and it began again. President Bukele is connected to trolls, who he pays to say what he wants, but it\u2019s not real. They\u2019re fake accounts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBut, to me, that\u2019s not what matters most. What\u2019s important is that the work of public officials isn\u2019t easy, and presidential authority brings responsibility. He was the mayor of San Salvador; he\u2019s no political newcomer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=2000&ImageHeight=1333&ImageId=35680 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"During a House Homeland Security hearing on October 21, 2015, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) questioned witnesses during a hearing on global attacks against the United States amid the rise and online recruiting of ISIS. Photo: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images\/AFP\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E During a House Homeland Security hearing on October 21, 2015, Rep. Norma Torres (D-CA) questioned witnesses during a hearing on global attacks against the United States amid the rise and online recruiting of ISIS. Photo: Chip Somodevilla\/Getty Images\/AFP \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDo you think these confrontations will affect the dialogue with the government of El Salvador?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThis type of behavior shows the instability of a leader in the region and that his actions can\u2019t be taken seriously. I\u2019m not the first member of Congress he\u2019s offended. A colleague called me yesterday to say, \u201cHe did the same thing to me!\u201d That\u2019s the behavior of a little kid, not a president.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpecial Envoy Ricardo Z\u00fa\u00f1iga will visit Guatemala and El Salvador this week. I understand that his itinerary will include a meeting with President Giammattei and another with President Bukele. What do you hope for from those meetings?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThose overtures are necessary. I hope President Bukele calms down and controls himself a bit. I hope they can establish a dialogue, because as a congresswoman my important job goes beyond representing my district and guaranteeing information and transparency in the use of tax dollars. As a member of the International Affairs and Appropriations Committees, I also approve and monitor the United States budget. I take that work quite seriously, and the Biden administration will have a hard time convincing me to vote to finance a plan or agreement with President Bukele because I want results, and I\u2019m not seeing advances in the Northern Triangle.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPresident Bukele has asked for differential treatment for each country in the Northern Triangle. Are you on board with that?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EYes, 100 percent. That was our strategy when Biden was vice president. The three countries created their plans for prosperity and security themselves. That\u2019s how it will be again, and then we\u2019ll see which plan we most agree on. And it\u2019s important to think of the countries separately in allocating funds to the region so that during the process we can redirect aid to the countries advancing most in their agreements with us.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat do you think those agreements should entail?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EConditions of respect for the rule of law and transparency, not only in the use of public funds but throughout the government\u2026 Transparency is essential to democracy and to a republic, as well as respecting journalists and different opinions. It\u2019s crucial that we leaders accept that not everyone will think like we do. And leaders should focus on improving education, employment opportunities, training, infrastructure, and access to basic services like electricity and water. They\u2019re things that help a country grow, and not only its economy.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EI understand, then, that despite your professed doubts about the governments of Guatemala and El Salvador, you\u2019re in favor of working toward cooperation agreements with both presidents. With Honduras, too?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EYes. It\u2019s more difficult due to the case against the president\u2019s brother. And I don\u2019t have all the information on the case against the president\u2026 But as long as he\u2019s in the role we\u2019ll have to reach an understanding with him. Like it or not, these are the presidents we have to deal with.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn this conversation you seem more reserved than usual, like you\u2019re choosing your words more carefully than on other occasions. Is that because you think it\u2019s time to turn down the temperature?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENo, it\u2019s because at the end of the year there are elections in Honduras and I have to respect the process. I hope the people elect leaders we can work with, but for now I have to keep my distance. I can\u2019t do as President Bukele (Torres laughs), asking citizens in my district to vote against me!\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you receive that message?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt\u2019s never good for a leader to try to influence an election in another country. I take that very seriously. Many colleagues wrote to me when they saw it, and they were very bothered by the messaging he continues to promote.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDemocrats?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EYes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDo you think President Bukele gets along better with Republicans?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EI don\u2019t think so. I do think many of my Republican colleagues are disinterested in the region and tend to think that each president is the same as the previous because the conditions don\u2019t change. They\u2019re tired of having to treat the symptoms on our border of the unresolved problems of their countries. And most of them don\u2019t represent Latino districts, as is the case with many Democrats who the public is asking to help their compatriots and to pass immigration reform to help those already here.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E*Translated by Roman Gressier\u003C\/p\u003E"}