[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 17, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E394-E395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                DISTURBING STATEMENTS OUT OF EL SALVADOR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. DAN BURTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2004

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, the United States grants 
Temporary Protective

[[Page E395]]

Status (TPS) to about 400,000 citizens of El Salvador annually, and 
helps facilitate their sending about $2 billion home to their families 
each year. We do this, in part, because the United States enjoys a 
positive working relationship with the democratic government there.
  Unfortunately, the communist candidate for the Presidency, and his 
political party, the FMLN, has explicitly stated their support for the 
communist narco-guerrilas who have been attacking the democratic 
government of Colombia since 1962. They have also said that upon their 
election to office they will immediately open full diplomatic relations 
with communist Cuba, a country recognized by the United States as a 
state sponsor of terrorism.
  Based upon these disturbing statements, should the communist/FMLN 
candidate assume the Presidency of El Salvador, it may well be 
necessary for the United States to reconsider our relationship with El 
Salvador, the continuation of TPS for Salvadoran citizens, and our 
current support for their sending remittances back home.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to have the following statement, which I 
believe provides a concise overview of this matter placed into the 
Congressional Record following my statement. I strongly urge my 
colleagues to read it and keep it firmly in mind as we await the 
results of the March 21st elections in El Salvador.

     Statement on U.S. National Security Policy Regarding the FMLN


                       tps and national security

       In making immigration decisions, such as the granting or 
     extension of Temporary Protective Status (TPS) or the 
     conversion of TPS to Permanent Resident Status or other 
     considerations that enable foreign nationals to remain in the 
     United States, the U.S. government must put first the 
     national security of the United States.


                   tps and the pro-terrorist regimes

       For that reason, the granting of TPS to nationals of a 
     country should be immediately reviewed and, in most cases, 
     terminated, if a pro-terrorist party wins power or enters the 
     government of that country.


                   the fmln as a pro-terrorist party

       The FMLN, a political party in El Salvador, can be 
     considered a pro-terrorist party because of its support for 
     designated terrorist 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, this taking place 
     immediately after September 11, 2001. The U.S. Embassy in El 
     Salvador was forced to condemn the written public statements 
     related to the September 11th attacks that were issued by the 
     FMLN and hostile toward the U.S.
       The FMLN was created as an armed subversive communist 
     organization that sought the violent overthrow of the 
     Government of El Salvador in order to replace it with a pro-
     Castro Marxist-Leninist regime. After years of armed 
     aggression and terrorism, the FMLN signed a peace agreement 
     in 1992 that brought the violence to an end and led to the 
     participation of the FMLN in the political process. The 
     leader of the FMLN has reiterated recently his commitment to 
     communism. The FMLN continues to participate actively in 
     international gatherings with violent and radical anti-U.S. 
     groups and terrorist organizations. Recent purges in the FMLN 
     have left the party under the complete control of its most 
     hard-line communist leaders. The FMLN is also known to 
     organize in the United States among the Salvadoran immigrant 
     community.


          excellent current relations Between U.S.-El Salvador

       It must be emphasized that the United States has superb 
     relations with the current government of El Salvador, led by 
     the party ARENA. This friendship is based on confidence, 
     shared values, mutually beneficial international policies and 
     strong personal relationships. Excellent bi-lateral relations 
     permit a high-level of cooperation on important national 
     security matters. El Salvador provides military and 
     intelligence cooperation and is part of the coalition that 
     has sent armed forces to post-war Iraq. The Salvadoran 
     government is also an active promoter of the free trade 
     agreement with the United States.


             tps based on excellent strategic relationship

       In the context of excellent relations and close 
     cooperation, the U.S. government was able to grant and extend 
     TPS for the benefit of nearly 300,000 Salvadorans now living 
     and working in the United States. For similar reasons, the 
     U.S. government has not had special concerns about the source 
     and use of the $2 billion per year in remittances sent by 
     Salvadorans in the United States to their home country, 
     allowing the free movement of that large sum. The government 
     of El Salvador has shown itself to be a reliable and 
     trustworthy counterpart regarding U.S. national security.


           fmln in government radically changes the equation

       If the FMLN enters the government of El Salvador following 
     the presidential elections scheduled for March 2004, it will 
     mean a radical termination of the conditions that permitted 
     the granting of TPS in the first place. The U.S. government 
     would have no reliable counterpart to satisfy legitimate 
     national security concerns, especially those regarding the 
     threat posed by pro-terrorist groups and the providing of 
     funding for those groups.


          fmln in government would require termination of tps

       Therefore, if the FMLN enters the government in El Salvador 
     it will be necessary for the U.S. authorities to consider all 
     available information regarding the ties of the FMLN to 
     violent anti-U.S. groups and designated terrorist groups and, 
     on that basis, proceed toward the immediate termination of 
     TPS for El Salvador.


         fmln in government would require review of remittances

       In many instances, pro-terrorist groups conduct fundraising 
     in the United States, and special controls and restrictions 
     on the flow of funds have been applied where necessary. Given 
     the pro-terrorist nature of the FMLN and its ties to 
     designated terrorist groups, if the FMLN enters the 
     government in El Salvador, it will be urgent to apply special 
     controls to the flow of remittances from the United States to 
     El Salvador, a sum that is currently $2 billion per year.

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