El Salvador Caucus

Last updated

El Salvador Caucus
Co-chairs Anna Paulina Luna (R, FL-13)
Vicente Gonzalez (D, TX-34)
Founders Matt Gaetz (R)
FoundedJuly 8, 2024;4 months ago (2024-07-08)
Seats in the House
16 / 435
Website
gaetz.house.gov/ElSalvadorCaucus

The Congressional El Salvador Caucus is an bi-partisan congressional caucus of the United States Congress that supports strengthening relations with the country of El Salvador. The caucus was founded by former Republican representative Matt Gaetz in July 2024 and is co-chaired by Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna and Democratic congressman Vicente Gonzalez.

Contents

Purpose

The El Salvador Caucus' purpose is to promote strengthened relations between the United States and El Salvador. [1] The caucus itself describes its purpose as being to "a better understanding of issues related to the United States' relationship with El Salvador, our mutual interests and the interests of the United States". According to caucus founder and Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, the El Salvador Caucus also aims to "encourage the strong reforms that President [Nayib] Bukele has put into effect" and "vindicate the choices President Bukele has made". [2]

According to the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), the caucus additionally serves to "boost the image of Bukele" and promote his political agenda within the United States. [2] It further claimed that the caucus was "whitewashing" alleged human rights abuses committed by Bukele's government. Gaetz denied CISPES' description of the caucus as "baseless" and denounced the group for supposedly "ignor[ing] the anarcho-tyranny of the gangs". [3]

History

The El Salvador Caucus was established by Gaetz on 8 July 2024. He and Democratic congressman Vicente Gonzalez became the caucus' co-chairmen. The caucus was founded one month after they and four other U.S. congress members — representatives Adriano Espaillat, María Elvira Salazar, and Lou Correa, and Senator Mike Lee — attended Bukele's second inauguration on June 1, 2024 in San Salvador. [2] In late July 2024, Gaetz and three other Republican members of the El Salvador Caucus visited El Salvador, met with Bukele, and toured the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a prison built by Bukele's government amidst a nationwide gang crackdown. [4]

On August 6, 2024, the caucus sent a letter to Antony Blinken, the secretary of state, requesting that the United States Department of State reduces its travel advisory's status on El Salvador citing a decrease in crime during Bukele's presidency. [2] The State Department did decrease its travel advisory status for El Salvador from Level 3 to Level 2 on November 8, 2024. [5]

After President-elect Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Gaetz as his attorney general and Gaetz's subsequent resignation from the United States Congress, [6] Republican congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna succeeded Gaetz as the caucus' Republican co-chair. [7]

Membership

Current members

Anna Paulina Luna.jpg
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, 118th Congress.jpg
Anna Paulina Luna (left) and Vicente Gonzalez (right), the El Salvador Caucus' co-chairs

The following 16 United States representatives are members of the El Salvador Caucus: [7] [8]

Former members

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Anuncian Creación de Caucus de El Salvador en el Congreso de EEUU" [The Announce the Creation of the El Salvador Caucus in the US Congress]. El Mundo (in Spanish). July 8, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "New El Salvador Caucus Appears Set to Do Bukele's Bidding in Congress". North American Congress on Latin America . September 10, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  3. ↑ Bio, Demian (September 18, 2024). "Matt Gaetz Rejects Claim about El Salvador Caucus 'Whitewashing Abuses' by Bukele". The Latin Times . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  4. ↑ García, Jessica (July 21, 2024). "Congresista Estadounidense Matt Gaetz Conoció el CECOT en Su Visita a El Salvador" [American Congressman Matt Gaetz Visited CECOT in His Visit to El Salvador]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Updates to Reflect a Shift to Level 2 Due to Changes in Crime". United States Department of State . November 8, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  6. ↑ Sotomayor, Marianna; Alemany, Jacqueline; LeVine, Marianne (November 13, 2024). "Gaetz resigned days before ethics investigation report expected". Washington Post . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  7. 1 2 Magaña, Yolanda (November 20, 2024). "Congresista Demócrata de EE.UU. Sugiere "Exportar" Modelo de El Salvador "a Todo el Mundo"" [US Democratic Congressman Wants to "Export" the El Salvador Model "to the Whole World"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  8. ↑ "U.S. Congressional El Salvador Caucus". Matt Gaetz House.gov. Archived from the original on November 6, 2024. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
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