Organizations in the United States and Central America Ask Biden Administration to Create a Policy That Will Benefit Families and Not Bureaucrats

Los Angeles, CA – On Wednesday, workers and organizations based in the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador will respond to the Biden Administration’s plan to tackle the root causes of migration in the region. The organizations are asking for transparency, accountability and inclusion as the region faces the unfolding convergence of multiple emergencies in recent history

“Today, vulnerable people across Central America have two choices: to stay and die or to jump on a caravan and even if they die on the road, at least they tried”. Explains José Sicajau from Guatemala. This is the heart wrenching decision thousands of people have to make in the face of disaster, corruption, the pandemic, the crisis on governance in the region, the extreme violence and widespread poverty.” He added.

Central Americans expect the Biden Administration to invest in concrete initiatives that generate jobs with good wages, benefits and better working conditions. Migration cannot be equated to drug trafficking or human smuggling and cannot be solved with more military personnel, immigration agents, cops, security training or more surveillance equipment. Rather, the investment should benefit working families that currently live in precarious circumstances. They must be supported to establish small businesses and enabled to participate in job skills development programs.

We call on the Biden administration to establish a commission that includes workers, migrants and other members of civil society to ensure transparency, to monitor and measure impact of the plan. Previous administrations have approved similar investments with little to no accountability. This time, it should be different.

WHAT:

Press conference to detail how past money injected into Central America has ended up in the wrong hands and how Biden Administration can avoid the same mistakes

WHO:

• Liduvina Magarin, CIMITRA. (El Salvador)
• Pablo Alvarado, NDLON (USA)
• Jose Sicajau, AGUND (Guatemala)
• Vinicio Sandoval, GMIES (El Salvador)
• Fidelina Mena Corrales, Centro de Derechos Laborales Sin Fronteras (Costa Rica)

WHEN:

Wednesday February 3, 2021
9:30 AM PT
11:30 AM Central America
12:30 PM ET

WHERE:

ZOOM MEETING: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87063592045, Meeting ID: 870 6359 2045, Passcode: 245761

Dial by your location:
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+503 2136 6444 El Salvador
+503 2113 9088 El Salvador
+506 4100 7699 Costa Rica

Meeting ID: 870 6359 2045
Passcode: 245761

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The Corridors For Justice in Labor Migration initiative is anchored at CIMITRA (Center for the Integration of Worker Migrants) in El Salvador. CIMITRA is the first worker center incubated outside the United States by NDLON. The initiative currently includes partners in Mexico, Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Chile working to bring dignity and justice to migrant workers and create a new vision for labor migration.