Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
The United States enters a crucial week this Monday with the election of the forty-sixth president in its political and democratic history, and all of Honduras will have your attention focused on this unprecedented choice marked by the covid-19 pandemic and its brutal impact on the global economy.
The current republican president Donald Trump continuity is played in the White House after four years of a controversial government that was characterized by a heavy-handed policy towards illegal immigration, the revision of free trade agreements and a discreet and almost zero relationship with its southern neighbors.
Meanwhile, the Democrats, hand in hand with Joe Biden, former US vice president in the administration of Barack Obama, seek to regain power after the frustrated election of November 2016, which left behind their political star, former first lady Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote, but he lost that of the Electoral Colleges.
Why is this election especially important for Honduras, a small nation nestled in the heart of Central America and with multiple problems of poverty, insecurity, drug trafficking, corruption and authoritarianism?
Key issues
The relationships between Honduras and United States They date from 1830 and include a wide spectrum of cooperation, exchanges, treaties, political, diplomatic, economic, cultural, military and more recently migratory pacts. In recent decades, as a result of the US fight against drug trafficking from South America, the two countries have strengthened their cooperation to confront this scourge, considering that a large part of the drug that goes to the US passes through Honduran territory.
In trade, the US represents the main market for Honduran exports, especially the maquila. In addition, the economy of Honduras depends on the flows of family remittances that Hondurans send from the United States, the that in 2018 represented more than 4.860 million dollars and $ 5.500 million in 2019.
Trade between Honduras and the United States has experienced strong growth in the last three decades as a result of the entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the United States. (Cafta, for its acronym in English).
In immigration matters, the Government of Juan Orlando Hernandez signed in September 2019 with his counterpart Donald Trump a safe third country agreement. Through this agreement, Honduras pledged to reinforce its immigration security and contain the massive flow of immigrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti, but also from South Americans, Africans and Asians.
Before that, Trump passed an executive order ending the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 44,000 Hondurans residing in the US, whose term expires precisely on January 5, 2021. In the last term of Barack Obama, both countries also signed the agreement of the Alliance for Prosperity for the countries of the Northern Triangle, which seeks to stop the irregular causes of migration to the US.
These, among others, are some of the reasons why the election of the tenant of the White House is of vital importance for Hondurans, since that depends on the continuity or not of some of these agreements.
Promises
During his campaign, Biden ensured the continuity of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Honduran, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran and Haitian immigrants, and offered to give this same benefit to Venezuelans so that they can legally reside in the United States.
In addition, he proposed to reverse the policies that led to the separation of Central American immigrant families and ruled out continuing to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
In a fact that could benefit thousands of compatriots, the Democratic candidate announced that he will propose to Congress an immigration reform that opens the way to citizenship for immigrants who have lived in the United States for years. Likewise, work with Congress to make the system of temporary work visas for foreigners more flexible in sectors with a shortage of local labor. Biden also promised to reactivate the Alliance Plan for the Prosperity of the Northern Triangle and inject $ 4,000 million for its execution.
In contrast, Trump has indicated that he will maintain his policy of “zero tolerance” with undocumented immigrants that in 2018 led to the separation of thousands of children from their parents in the border with Mexico.
In that sense, it proposes eliminating TPS for Haitians, Central Americans and Nepalese, ending the program of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca) and promote safe third country policy.
Likewise, it will continue with the construction of a wall on the border with Mexico and plans to prevent undocumented immigrants from being eligible for social assistance, medical attention and tuition. free college funded by taxpayers.
Other measures are restricting work and foreign student visas, ending immigrant sanctuary cities and limiting the entry into the US of asylum seekers and refugees from other countries.
In its policy towards Latin America, Trump will continue to maintain their pressure and economic threats to the governments of Mexico and Central America to contain migrants and asylum seekers in the US.
It will also maintain economic and political pressures against Dictatorial governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua and it is expected that it will continue to maintain cordial relations with like-minded governments such as Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. However, in the last week, the president relaxed his position and promised to create more than 2 million new jobs for Latinos in his country if he is reelected for a second term, in a clear nod to the Hispanic community.
This would include bringing 500,000 Hispanic-owned businesses into the economy, in addition to improve access to capital for these companies.
“With Hispanics we will rebuild the best economy in history. Even better than before the pandemic, ”said a senior Trump administration official.
DONALD TRUMP:
Heavy-handed immigration continuity
Migration
Eliminate TPS for Haitians, Central Americans, construction of the wall on the border with Mexico, prevent the undocumented from being eligible for social, medical and free university tuition, restrict work and student visas, and promote a safe third country.
Commerce
Imposition of tariffs on foreign products to favor US domestic production, promote a reformed trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, promote the purchase of products made in the US and maintain a trade war with China.
Foreign policy
Put America first in relations with other countries, not military interventions in other countries, continue personal negotiations with Kim Jong un in search of the denuclearization of North Korea, promote peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors.
Latin America
Maintain economic pressure on the governments of Mexico and Central America to contain caravans of migrants and asylum seekers in the US. Maintain pressure on the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua to restore their democracies.
Economy
Economic aid, including payments of $ 300 a week to the unemployed, cutting the tax on wages that finances social security and not increasing taxes on capital gains and corporations benefiting from tax cuts that he applied in 2017.
JOE BIDEN:
Your commitments to Honduras and the region
Migration
Continuity of TPS for Hondurans, Nicaraguans, Salvadorans and Haitians, reverse the policies of separation of immigrant families, immigration reform that opens the way to citizenship for immigrants, make the temporary work visa system more flexible.
Commerce
He proposes that everything that the US acquires be manufactured within the country and envisages a plan of $ 400,000 million in 4 years for the purchase of US goods and services, objects to Trump’s trade war and agrees with the new trade agreement between the US and Mexico and Canada (T-MEC).
Foreign policy
He proposes that the United States once again lead global challenges and work with other democracies to confront the rise of populist, nationalist and demagogue governments, restore the association with NATO and the denuclearization of North Korea.
Latin America
Retaking the Alliance Plan for the Prosperity of the Northern Triangle and injecting $ 4 billion, offering Brazil an international fund of $ 20 billion to stop Amazon deforestation, pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime and humanitarian aid for Venezuela, a new policy for Cuba.
Extend unemployment insurance for the coronavirus and negotiate with Congress a new financial aid package, increase the minimum wage from $ 7.25 to $ 15 an hour and avoid cuts to social security.
He is in favor of raising taxes on capital gains.
– .
