[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E389]]


                        ELECTION IN EL SALVADOR

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. THOMAS G. TANCREDO

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2004

  Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express concern with the 
resurgence of the Leninist-Marxist FMLN in El Salvador. The FMLN is 
controversial in part because of its support for organizations such as 
the FARC, and for the public participation by some of its leaders in a 
pro-Al Qaeda rally where the U.S. flag was burned immediately after 
September 11, 2001. The U.S. Embassy in El Salvador was forced to 
condemn the written public statements related to the September 11 
attacks that were issued by the FMLN and hostile toward the United 
States.
  The leader of the FMLN has recently reiterated his commitment to 
communism. The FMLN continues to participate actively in international 
gatherings with violent and radical anti-U.S. organizations. Recent 
purges in the FMLN have reportedly left the party under the almost 
monolithic control of its most hard-line communist leaders.
  Should the FMLN come to power in the upcoming elections, good 
bilateral relations between our two countries could be jeopardized. El 
Salvador's ARENA government provides military and intelligence 
cooperation, and is part of the coalition in the war on terror. The 
Salvadoran Government is also an active promoter of the free trade 
agreement with the United States.
  To date, the United States Government has granted Temporary 
Protective Status to nearly 300,000 Salvadorans who are now living and 
working in the United States--workers who send home some $2 billion 
annually in remittances. If the FMLN controls the government of El 
Salvador following the presidential elections scheduled for March 2004, 
it could mean a radical change in United States policy as it pertains 
to the essentially free-flow of remittances from Salvadorans living in 
the United States to El Salvador.
  Under an FMLN Presidency, the United States government would have no 
reliable counterpart to satisfy legitimate national security concerns, 
especially those regarding the threat posed by the FMLN's support of 
groups like the FARC. Therefore, if the FMLN takes control of the 
government in El Salvador, it may be necessary for the United States 
authorities to examine closely and possibly apply special controls to 
the flow of $2 billion in remittances from the United States to El 
Salvador--unfortunately to the detriment of many people living in El 
Salvador.

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