[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 183 (Tuesday, December 10, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S6907]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               GUATEMALA

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to celebrate the 
175th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Guatemala and the 
United States.
  As we mark this milestone, I want to highlight the strength of the 
U.S.-Guatemala bilateral relationship today. Earlier this year, I led a 
congressional delegation to Guatemala, and we met with President 
Bernardo Arevalo. He is a leader who was elected last year by voters 
who were sick of widespread corruption. He ran by focusing on 
corruption and insecurity, as well as generating employment and 
promoting climate change policies. And I was impressed. Prior to 
serving in elected office, Arevalo worked in Guatemala's Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs. He served as First Secretary and Minister Counselor in 
Israel in the 1980s and as Ambassador to Spain and Deputy Foreign 
Minister in the 1990s. For several years, Arevalo was active as a 
leader in civil society, promoting anticorruption initiatives.
  The Guatemalan President clearly cares--as do I--about upholding the 
rule of law, promoting democratic values, and combatting corruption. I 
believe that Guatemala stands at one of the most pivotal and 
potentially transformative moments since the end of the 1996 civil war.
  But the path it takes going forward will largely depend on the extent 
that President Arevalo is able to govern. I was deeply concerned by 
attempts to undermine his democratic election last year and by the 
concerted efforts by the previous government to obstruct the peaceful 
transfer of power.
  Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras led the charge in weaponizing 
the justice system against him. She criminalized the President's 
political party. She jailed journalists. She has forced former 
prosecutors and judges investigating corruption into exile. She 
continues to use the Public Ministry to protect her personal financial 
and political interests--working without any practical check on her 
power.
  This makes it difficult to combat corruption, to go after 
transnational crime, and to seek justice for human rights defenders 
persecuted under the previous government.
  And yet despite these challenges, President Arevalo has not given up. 
He hasn't given up on his commitment to rooting out corruption at home, 
as we have seen with the launch of the National Commission Against 
Corruption.
  He has continued to build on our strong economic relationship; the 
U.S. is Guatemala's largest investor and trading partner. Just this 
year, our countries held a High-Level Economic Dialogue with 
discussions across all sectors of society, including private businesses 
and indigenous groups.
  President Arevalo has also continued to have the courage to support 
liberty across the globe. Despite economic coercion by the People's 
Republic of China, he has maintained Guatemala's diplomatic relations 
with Taiwan. And on the question of migration, his government has been 
supportive of the Biden administration's safe mobility office in 
Guatemala. This effort has been critical to reducing irregular 
immigration on our southern border and providing legal pathways to 
vulnerable populations.
  I know we will continue working together to address the root causes 
of migration, whether it is corruption, poverty, violence, crime, or 
climate change.
  Now, I recognize these are immense challenges. And we are going to 
have a new administration coming into office here in the United States 
in January with very different views of America's role in the world--
especially with regards to our relationship to the Western Hemisphere.
  But for those of us who believe deeply in values-based policy making, 
for those of us who understand the importance of democracy and the rule 
of law, for those of for whom respect for human rights is paramount, we 
must not give up.
  Making the world a better place is hard, but it is not impossible. So 
whether you live in Guatemala--or in the United States--let us come 
together in mutual respect to address the challenges we face.
  And let us commit to making the next 175 years of our relationship 
one of prosperity, security, and peace.

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