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                                                                                         Updated June 30,2020

U.S. Strategy for Engagement in CentralAmerica: An Overview


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Instability in Central America is a pressing challenge for
U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere. Severalnations-
particularly El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras in the
Northern Triangle o fCentral America-are struggling
with widespread insecurity, fragile political and judicial
systems, and high levels ofpoverty and unemployment.

The inability of Central American governments to address
those challenges effectively has had far-reaching
implications for the United States. Criminal organizations
have used the Central American corridor for arange of
illicit activities, including the trafficking of approximately
53% of South American cocaine bound for the United
States in 2018. CentralAmerica also has surpassed Mexico
as the largest s ource of irregular migration to the United
States in recentyears. In FY2019, U.S. authorities
apprehended nearly 608,000 unauthorized migrants from
the Northern Triangle at the southwest border (see Figure
1). More than 80% of those apprehended were
unaccompanied minors or families, many of whomwere
seeking asylum

Figure I. U.S. Apprehensions of Northern Triangle
Nationals at the Southwest Border: FY201 I -FY2019


                                        Cu ate ma as

                                           Hokirams



           *  ~                           N~4 hadorans
                                          :'4






                      Fiscal Year
Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol
Nationwide Apprehensions by Citizenship and Sector in FY2007-
FY20 18; and U.S. Border Patrol Southwest BorderApprehensions
by Sector Fiscal Year 2019, press release, November 14,2019.

In 2014, the Obama Administration determined that it was
in the national security interests ofthe United States to
work with Central American governments to promote
economic prosperity, improve security, and strengthen
governance. It approved anew, whole-of-governmrntU.S.
Strategy for Engagement in CentralAmerica and, with
congressional support, more than doubled aid to the region.


The Trump Administration initially maintained the strategy,
but suspendedmost aid for the NorthernTriangle in March
2019-les s than two years into the strategy's on-the-ground
implementation. Some Members of Congress objectedto
the Administration's policy shift andintroduced legislation
to continue providing U.S. foreign as sistanceto the region.
The decisions of the 116' Congress could play a crucial
role in shaping U.S. policy in Central America.
F u n, d' in g
Since FY2016, Congress has appropriated more than $3.1
billion for the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central
America (see Figure 2). Congress has divided
appropriations relatively evenly between bilateral as sistance
programs focusedon goodgovemance, economic growth,
and social welfare and Central America Regional Security
Initiative (CARSI) programs intended to prevent violence,
reformjus tice-s ector institutions, and combat gangs and
organized crime. U.S. agencies have allocated the vast
majority of the aid to the Northern Triangle countries.

Figure 2. Appropriations for the U.S. Strategy for
Engagement in Central America: FY2016-FY2021


Sources: U.S. Department of State, Congressional Budget
Justifications for Foreign Operations, FY201 8-FY2021; Congressional
Notification 19-288, September 12,2019; and FY2020 estimate data
provided to CRS,June 15,2020.
Note: Actual amounts may be lower due to the Administration's
decision to suspend and reprogram some aid.

   S~~ ~ u-, p FU Ss,      nc '
The Trump Administration suspended mostforeign aid to
the Northern Triangle countries in March 2019 due to the
continued northward flow of migrants and asylum-seekers
from the region. Although some Department of Homeland
Security and Department of Justice programs continued, the
aid suspension forced other U.S. agencies to beginclosing
down projects and canceling planned activities. In
Honduras, for example, the totalnumber of beneficiaries of


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