We have dozens of members in El Salvador. We know for certain they have created tens of thousands of jobs. Their commitment to stability and investment in-country continues. They have done this despite not only lack of past government support, but outright anti-business, populist surprises. Our Salvadoran members and the industry waited to see what the recent elections there would bring them. The following article is one indication of promise.
‘It Is Our Fault’: El Salvador’s President Takes Blame for Migrant Deaths in Rio Grande
NYTimes: July 1, 2019
MEXICO CITY — The president of El Salvador was addressing the plight of thousands of his fellow citizens who emigrate each year — including a father and daughter who drowned last week while trying to cross into the United States — when he did something rare among leaders in the region.
He took responsibility.
“People don’t flee their homes because they want to,” President Nayib Bukele said Sunday at a news conference in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. “They flee their homes because they feel they have to.”
“They fled El Salvador, they fled our country,” he declared. “It is our fault.”
Mr. Bukele’s comments were remarkable in a region where political leaders have been averse to assuming responsibility for the social and political dynamics that drive migration and have generally paid only lip service to the idea that conditions must improve at home to dissuade people from leaving. Read More