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Updated February 16,2021


U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America: An Overview


Introduction
Central America has received considerable attention from
U.S. policymakers over the past decade, as it has become a
major transit corridor for illicit narcotics and a top source of
irregular migration to the United States. In FY2019, U.S.
authorities at the southwest border apprehended nearly
608,000 unauthorized migrants fromEl Salvador,
Guatemala, and Honduras (the Northern Triangle of Central
America); 81% of those apprehended were families or
unaccompanied  minors, many ofwhomwere  seeking
asylum(see Figure 1). Although the Coronavirus Disease
2019 (COVID-19)  pandemic disrupted illicit trafficking and
irregular migration flows in FY2020, many analysts expect
a resurgence once governments throughoutthe Western
Hemisphere begin lifting border restrictions.

Figure 1. U.S. Apprehensions of Northern Triangle
Nationals at the Southwest Border  FY20  1 I -FY2020

     4@  Hondurans -#Guatemalans -0Salvadordns
 300,00

 250,000

 200,000

 150,000

 100,yooo


     o o

        11  12  13   14  15  16   17  18  19  20
                      Fiscal Year

Sources: U.S. Customs and Border Protection,U.S. Border Patrol
Nationwide Apprehensions by CitizenshipandSector in FY2007-
FY20 19; and U.S. Border Patrol Southwest BorderApprehensions
by Sector Fiscal Year 2020, press release, November 19, 2020.

Note: FY2020 data include both apprehensions and public health
expulsions for March 2020-September2020.

These narcotics and migrant flows are the latest symptoms
of deep-rooted challenges in the region, including
widespread insecurity, fragile political and judicial system,
and high levels of poverty and unemployment. In 2014, the
Obama  Administration determined that it was in the
national security interests of the United States to workwith
Central American governments to improve living
conditions in the region. It approved a new U.S. Strategy


for Engagementin CentralAmerica and, with congressional
support, more than doubled annualforeign aid to the region.

The Trump  Administration repeatedly sought to scale back
funding for the CentralAmerica strategy. It proposed
significant year-on-year assistance cuts for the region in
each of its annualbudget requests and suspended most aid
for the Northern Triangle in March 2019, two years into the
strategy's on-the-ground implementation. Congress chose
not to adopt many of the proposed cuts, but annual funding
for the Central America strategy declined from$750
million in FY2017 to $505.9 million in FY2021-a nearly
33%  drop over four years (see Figure 2).

Both Congress and the Biden Administration have called
for a reexamination of U.S. policy toward Central America
in 2021.

Funding
FromFY2016   to FY2021, Congress appropriated more than
$3.6 billion to implement the U.S. Strategy for Engagement
in Central America. Congres s has divided appropriations
relatively evenly between bilateral as sistance programs
focused on good governance, economic growth, and social
welfare and Central America Regional Security Initiative
(CARSI)  programs intended to prevent violence, reform
justice-sector institutions, and combat gangs and organized
crime. U.S. agencies have allocated the majority of funds to
the Northern Triangle countries. Annual appropriations
measures haverequired the State Department to withhold a
portion that aid, however, until the Northern Triangle
governments take steps to improveborder security, combat
corruption, protecthumanrights, and address other
congressionalconcerns.


https://crs reports.congr

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