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1 1 (November 23, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejnb0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Con gre <01 infon ing I I Research Sen/ce 01914 Updated November 23, 2022 Latin America and the Caribbean: U.S. Policy Overview The United States and neighboring Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) maintain strong linkages based on geographic proximity and diverse U.S. interests, including economic, political, and security concerns. The United States is a major trading partner and source of foreign investment for many of the 33 countries in LAC, with free- trade agreements enhancing economic linkages with 11 countries. The region is a large source of U.S. immigration, both authorized and irregular; major factors driving migration include proximity, economic and security conditions, natural disasters, and familial ties. Curbing the flow of illicit drugs has been a long-standing component of relations, involving close cooperation with Mexico, Colombia, Central America, and the Caribbean. U.S. Administrations have long supported democracy and human rights in the region, with a current focus on Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela-all ruled by authoritarian governments repressing the political opposition-and on democratic backsliding and corruption in other countries. Increasing Challenges in the Region Beginning in 2020, the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID- 19) pandemic had widespread public health, economic, social, and political effects throughout LAC. From the start of the pandemic to November 2022, LAC countries reported more than 1.7 million COVID-19 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The region reported over 26% of deaths worldwide despite the region accounting for about 8.4% of the world's population. As of November 2022, over 70% of the region's population had been fully vaccinated although five Caribbean countries had fully vaccinated less than 40% of their populations. Countries throughout the region suffered sharp recessions in 2020 and increases in poverty. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) reported a 7.0% economic contraction for the region in 2020. Most LAC countries began to recover economically in 2021 and 2022 but are still contending with the lingering effects of the pandemic, China's economic slowdown, and increases in global fuel and food prices due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Difficult economic times have contributed to increased social protests in some countries and fueled an anti- incumbent electoral trend. IMF projections show the region's economic growth rate slowing in 2023 to below global growth prospects. The region faces several ongoing political challenges. In Venezuela, the political and humanitarian crisis under the government of Nicolis Maduro has resulted in over 7 million migrants since 2015. Haiti remains in turmoil after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moise, contending with surges in gang violence, uncertainty over future elections, the aftermath of a severe 2021 earthquake, and a new cholera outbreak in October 2022. In Nicaragua, President Daniel Ortega's government escalated repression ahead of the country's 2021 elections, in which Ortega claimed victory, and has continued repressing political opponents. In Cuba, the government responded to widespread anti-government protests in July 2021 with arrests and harsh sentences for hundreds of protestors. The region's economic decline, along with difficult security and political conditions, also has fueled irregular migration to the United States. In FY2022, Southwest border enforcement encounters (apprehensions and expulsions) reached almost 2.4 million, the highest level ever, with the largest number of migrant encounters from Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Biden Administration Policy In its first year, the Biden Administration focused extensively on addressing the root causes of Central American migration. President Biden revised some of the Trump Administration's restrictive immigration policies, while contending with a large increase in the number of undocumented Central American and other migrants seeking to enter the United States. In July 2021, the Administration released two new strategies to address the underlying causes that push Central Americans to migrate and to manage migration in the region collaboratively. The Administration also has imposed targeted sanctions for corruption against dozens of current and former officials of the governments of Central America's Northern Triangle countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras). The Administration also has fleshed out its broader approach toward the region. In October 2022, the Administration issued its National Security Strategy, which laid out three broad U.S. priorities for the Western Hemisphere-expanding economic opportunities, strengthening democracy, and building security-that reflect long-standing continuity with U.S. policy for the region. In its strategy, the Biden Administration acknowledged the considerable challenges confronting the Western Hemisphere, remarking that the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant recession exacerbated long-standing structural challenges, fueled political and social unrest, undermined faith in democracy's ability to deliver, and spurred unprecedented levels of irregular migration. It noted challenges posed by increased geopolitical and economic volatility and climate change. The Administration vowed to confront these challenges and advance its policy priorities in the region through regular interaction and engagement, multilateral and institutional collaboration, and regional initiatives. Illustrative of this engagement was the June 2022 Ninth Summit of the Americas hosted by the Administration in Los Angeles, CA, at which President Biden met with heads of government or representatives from 30 LAC countries and Canada. The nations approved political commitments 0

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