Chairwoman Salazar Denounces Socialist Curse in Central America and the Caribbean

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) convened a hearing to denounce the curse that socialism poses to Central America and the Caribbean. The hearing began ahead of the beginning of the yearly left-wing conference Foro de São Paulo in Honduras.

As Latin America’s socialists descend on Tegucigalpa to discuss their plans to continue destroying our hemisphere, Salazar sounded the alarm on the protection of liberty and democracy in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Honduras.

“Across Central America and the Caribbean, the Biden Administration is sending the message that the socialists in the Western Hemisphere can mess with democratic institutions and get away with it,” said Chairwoman Salazar. “It’s time to support genuine liberty in these countries as the shining city on the hill that the United States is.”

Chairwoman Salazar highlighted three examples of socialist governments in Latin America where the Biden Administration has demonstrated exceptional lack of leadership: Cuba, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

On Cuba, Salazar confronted top State Department official for Central America and Cuba, Eric Jacobstein, about potential plans the Biden Administration has to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism List. Jacobstein denied that a review process for Cuba being on the list was under way but refused to count out the review process beginning soon.

Rep. Salazar also asked Mr. Jacobstein about a new app created through one of the State Department’s offices that would allow the Cuban people to access the internet even if the Cuban government shuts down the signal that the Cuban state-owned telecommunications agency ETECSA provides. This development would revolutionize the way an average Cuban can protest the dictatorship on the Island. Jacobstein acknowledged that the Biden Administration supports access to the Internet for the Cuban people, but was unaware of the details of the app.

On Honduras, Salazar asked Jacobstein about questionable decisions Honduran president Xiomara Castro has made since taking office, including allowing 100 Cuban doctors who cannot travel and who work under slave-like conditions against the protests of her own people, awarding the Order of Francisco Morazán to the dictator Nicolás Maduro, and establishing Chávez-like colectivos to enforce her ideology. Salazar asked when a State Department report on Honduran democracy required by law would be published, it is already over 10 days late. Salazar also reminded Jacobstein that government officials that traffic in Cuban doctors must by law have their American visas canceled.

Jacobstein assured Chairwoman Salazar that he would take her suggestions back to the State Department, and that the report is on its way. He was also open to considering her suggestions for Honduran officials whose visas must be taken away for facilitating the human trafficking of Cuban doctors.

Lastly, on Nicaragua, Rep. Salazar exposed the Nicaraguan Ortega-Murillo regime’s scheme to facilitate flights of people from around the world who intend to cross the southern border of the United States illegally. This included 8 Tajikistani members of ISIS who were caught by federal authorities in the United States and who had crossed the border by way of Managua. In the last year, 1000 chartered flights arrived in the Nicaraguan capital from around the world with people ready to cross into the border, some of whom were planning to commit terrorism. Salazar asked whether allowing ISIS terrorists to knowingly travel though Managua to the United States would be grounds for including Nicaragua on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, Jacobstein said he would look into the possibility.

In response, Jacobstein said the Biden Administration shares the Congresswoman’s concerns, and has initiated sanctions against the Nicaraguan regime and private sector actors facilitating the flights. He also said he was open to cooperating with her office to find additional ways to address this national security crisis.

To watch the Congresswoman’s line of questioning, click here.

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