CRLN has reported on Guatemala’s constitutional crisis already, with concern about President Morales’ defiance of Constitutional Court rulings and military backing for his attempts to oust the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala. This is especially problematic this year, with Guatemala’s presidential and Congressional elections scheduled in June. There are already indications that the current Guatemalan administration is trying to manipulate the outcome.

In addition, in the past months, the Guatemalan Congress has prepared a law granting amnesty for those who perpetrated war crimes. The amnesty would be granted retroactively to those few who have already been convicted and jailed, wiping away decades of painstaking work to get justice for the victims who were tortured, raped, and/or murdered. There was an international outcry against the legislation, and on the day the vote was to take place, enough members of Congress walked out that there was no quorum, and the vote was postponed. However, CRLN is concerned that it will come up for a vote again.

Those who are guilty of these crimes still wield a great deal of power, and they are trying various ways to sneak amnesty for themselves into other legislation. For example, Congress, under the guise of finding a solution for the problem of overcrowding in Guatemalan prisons, also has drafted a bill that would set free anyone over 70–those in command during the Guatemalan Civil War would all be over 70.

State-sponsored violence and criminalization against human rights defenders has been on the rise in Guatemala in the last few years.The Worldwide Movement for Human Rights (fidh) reports that in 2018, 26 human rights defenders were murdered, the majority of them Indigenous people defending their lands from mining and other extractive projects. Guatemalan human rights organization UDEFEGUAreported 493 attacks against human rights defenders in Guatemala in 2017.

For all of these reasons, CRLN will ask members of Congress from Illinois to suspend funding for Guatemala until democratic process, rule of law, and protection for human rights is a reality.

For more information on the constitutional crisis, click here

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CRLN is supporting the Detention Watch Network’s Campaign, #DefundHate, to cut funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. ICE has greatly expanded its detention of immigrants and now detains over 49,000 on a daily basis. Click here to read more about this on Detention Watch Network’s webpage.

Please send your name, address, and email address to shunter-smith@crln.org if you would like us to add your name to a letter that we will take to your Representative and Senators addressing this issue. You can also call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-2243121 and ask to be connected to your Representative and Senators. Here is a sample script:

“Hello, my name is [first and last name] and I’m a constituent from [City, State]. I’m calling as a member of CRLN and as part of the Defund Hate campaign. I just saw the news that ICE has been rapidly expanding the number of immigrants they detain on a daily basis, now over 49,000 people. This is an historic high that has resulted in the separation of tens of thousands of families. They have exceeded their Congressionally-authorized detention funding by about 9,000 immigrants per day Congress must put a stop to this–it cannot make concessions to an administration that refuses to negotiate in good faith. In addition, I am asking Representative/Senator X to commit to cuts in funding to ICE and CBP and restrictions on transfer and reprogramming authorities to prevent them from raiding other accounts to fund their expansion.”

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Let’s end US travel and trade restrictions that harm the people of Cuba and the US!

In April of 1960, State Department officials wrote that the goal of the U.S. embargo of Cuba was “…to bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow of the government” (State Department, April 6, 1960).  Today the Cuban people still experience shortages of many essentials including life-saving medicines and medical products.

When we meet with our legislators in DC or in district we advocate for policies that benefit the people of our two countries.  Even though polling shows that 96% of Cubans living on the island support lifting the trade embargo and have said that more tourism would benefit the local economy, President Trump  announced in 2017 that “in solidarity with the Cuban people” the U.S. would add more barriers to trade and travel to Cuba. Since polling has also shown that 63% of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County oppose the continuation of the embargo and 73% of people in the U.S. favor ending the embargo we have to ask who is in favor of these restrictions?

CRLN has worked with faith communities in Cuba and the U.S. for more than twenty years to end harmful U.S. policies, believing that the human rights of Cubans and the people of the US would best be served by lifting all travel restrictions and finally ending the embargo.

We are seeking co-sponsors for the following legislationWe are asking legislators to co-sponsor the following bill that will end restrictions to trade and travel:

S.428 – The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2019 — A bill to lift the trade embargo on Cuba.

U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Mike Enzi (R-WY), and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) reintroduced major legislation to lift the Cuba trade embargo. The bipartisan Freedom to Export to Cuba Act (S428) would eliminate the legal barriers to Americans doing business in Cuba and pave the way for new economic opportunities for American businesses and farmers by boosting U.S. exports and allow Cubans greater access to American goods. The legislation repeals key provisions of previous laws that block Americans from doing business in Cuba, but does not repeal portions of law that address human rights or property claims against the Cuban government.  U.S. and Cuban faith communities have long advocated for the lifting of the embargo because of the suffering it causes in Cuba.

We are also asking legislators to urge the State Department to process visas for Cubans in Cuba.  The Trump Administration ordered staff reductions at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba and at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC in response to health issues experienced by some personnel at the US and Canadian Embassies in Havana. Now all staff that would issue visas to Cubans to visit the U.S. have left the Embassy.  The FBI did not find any evidence linking the health issues to actions by the Cuban government during its three visits to the island and the investigation is ongoing.

Now Cubans who want to get visas for tourist travel or permanent reunification with their families must travel to another country to get these visas.  In the past many Cubans were able to obtain visas for five years.  This enabled religious leaders, scientists, artists as well as people with family in the U.S. to travel without applying for a visa each time. This five year visa has been discontinued and Cubans can only receive a visa for one visit in a three month period.   The cost of plane fare, waiting in the third country to see if they can get a visa and the $160 non-refundable fee just to apply have made it financially impossible for most Cubans to apply for a visa.  There must be a way to process Cuban visas in Cuba.  Otherwise the U.S. has effectively created a travel ban against Cubans visiting the US for family reunification or other purposes.

For more information:

 

More information on S.428 – The Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2019 — A bill to lift the trade embargo on Cuba.

https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/2/klobuchar-enzi-leahy-introduce-major-legislation-to-lift-cuba-trade-embargo

 

Cubans frustrated over U.S. move to end five-year visitor visas

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-usa/cubans-frustrated-over-us-move-to-end-five-year-visitor-visas-idUSKCN1QZ2D5

 

Cubans Take to Facebook to Air Grievances Over New Visa Restrictions

https://latinousa.org/2019/03/19/cubansfacebook/

 

Background Information from before April 2018

 

Statement by the Cuban Council of Churches regarding recent changes in US policy

https://nationalcouncilofchurches.us/statement-by-the-cuban-council-of-churches-regarding-recent-changes-in-us-policy/

 

A Cuban pastor’s response to President Trump’s Cuba policies

https://baptistnews.com/article/cuban-pastors-response-president-trumps-cuba-policies/#.Ws6LwC7wYnR

 

Church World Service Says New Restrictions on Cuban Travel Will Hurt the Cuban People and Churches https://cwsglobal.org/cws-statement-on-cuba-june-2017/

 

Catholic leaders: Dialogue between U.S. and Cuba must continue

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/06/20/catholic-leaders-dialogue-between-us-and-cuba-must-continue

 

U.S. Halt in Visa Services Leaves Cuban Families in Limbo   https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/05/world/americas/cuba-us-visas.html

 

Cubans who want to visit the U.S. now face more difficult and expensive hurdles

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/cuba/article177305716.html

 

 

 


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