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1 1 (June 30, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govedwz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: C $$ I Ses0an~h $ rv [dst In~j ih#~ h~kFstv del ~ sut~ Updated June 30, 2021 Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy Overview U.S. interests in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are diverse and include economic, political, security, and humanitarian concerns. Geographic proximity has ensured strong economic linkages between the United States and LAC, with the United States a major trading partner and source of foreign investmentfor many regional countries. Free-trade agreements (FTAs) have augmented U.S. economic relations with 11 countries in the region. LAC is also a large source ofU.S. immigration, both authorized and unauthorized; economic and security conditions are major factors driving migration trends. Curbing the flow of illicit drugs fromLAC has been a key component of U.S. relations with theregion for decades. The flow of illicit drugs-including heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanylfromMexico and cocaine from Colombia-poses risks to U.S. public health and safety. Since 2000, Colombia has received support through Plan Colombia and its successor programs. The United States alsohas soughtto forge partnerships with other countries to combat drug trafficking and relatedviolence and to advance citizen security, including through the Mdrida Initiative, begun in 2007 to support Mexico; the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), begun in 2008; and the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), begun in 2009. Another long-standing component of U.S. policy has been support for strengthened democratic governance and the rule of law, including initiatives to support civil society and promote human rights. Although many countries in the region have made strides in democratic political development, several face considerable challenges. Increasing Challenges in the Region Over the past several years, the quality of democracy has eroded in a number of countries in the region, along with public s atisfaction with how democracy is working. In addition to Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua-allruled by authoritarian governments repressing the political opposition-humanrights groups have expressed concerns about democratic backsliding in several other countries. Many countries in LAC experienced socialunrest in 2019 fueled by suchpoliticalfactors as weakdemocratic institutions, politicized judicial s y stems, corruption scandals, and high levels of crime and violence, and by such economic factors as declining or stagnant growth rates and high levels ofincome inequality and poverty. Since 2020, the Coronavirus Dis ease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had widespread public health, economic, and political effects in the region. As ofJune 22,2021, the region reported over 1.2 million deaths (32% of deaths worldwide), and vaccination rates remain low for many countries in the region. The International Monetary Fund estimated a regionaleconomic decline of 7% in 2020, with almost every country in recession. As a result, poverty and inequality have increased throughout the region, and many countries may struggle with protracted economic recoveries. The economic setback as sociated with the pandemic contributed to increased protests in the region in late 2020 and 2021. Beginning in late April2021, mass protests in Colombia against apandemic-related taxreform turned into broader anti-government protests. Concern about democracy andhuman rights has increased in several countries in 2021. Haiti is experiencing heightened insecurity and political unrest against President Jovenel Moise, who has ruled by decrees inceJanuary 2020; legislative and presidential elections are scheduled for September 2021. The government of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has arrested prominent opposition political and business leaders, including several who were planning to challenge Ortega in the November 2021 presidential election. In El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele oustedhis critics onthe Supreme Court and ended an anti-corruption body accord with the Organization of American States. Trump Administration Policy Under the Trump Administration, U.S. relations with LAC generally took a more confrontational approach, especially regarding efforts to curb irregular migration fromthe region, compared with past Administrations' emphasis on partnership. FromFY2018 to FY2021, the Trump Administration's proposed foreign aid budget requests would have cut as sistance to the region considerably, but Congress generally rejected thoserequests by providing significantly more assistance thanrequested. To deter increased unauthorized migration fromCentral America, the Administration used various immigration policy tools, as well as aid cuts and threats of increased U.S. tariffs and taxes on remittances. It also imposed broad economic sanctions on Venezuela, which Congress generally supported, and increased sanctions onCuba. Biden Administration Policy Thus far, much of the Biden Administration's focus in LAC has been onimmigration and CentralAmerica. President Biden has ended many ofthe Trump Administration's restrictive immigration policies, while contending with a large increase in the number of undocumented Central American and Mexican migrants seeking to enter the United States. In March 2021, PresidentBiden tasked Vice President Kamala Harris with overseeing efforts with Central America and Mexico; she visited Guatemala, Mexico, and the Southwest border in June 2021. The Administration's FY2022 budget request for foreign assistance to LAC amounts to almost $2.1 billion, nearly 16% over estimated FY2021 appropriations. The request

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