Calay News
Since 2021, Washington has been annually preparing and submitting to Congress the well-known “Engel List,” which contains the names of Northern Triangle personalities accused of “corrupt and undemocratic acts,” preventing them from entering the country. The State Department reports that these individuals have knowingly engaged in actions that undermine democratic processes, are involved in significant corruption, or have obstructed investigations.
This year, the list has included 39 names, 21 fewer than the previous year, with ten Guatemalans, as many Hondurans, 13 Nicaraguans, and six Salvadorans. The administration of President Joe Biden believes that corruption causes instability and favors migration, which represents a challenge for both Democrats and Republicans due to the waves of migrants arriving at the border with Mexico.
The White House immigration strategy for Central America, led by Vice President Kamala Harris, prioritizes the fight against corruption and support for the rule of law, according to the State Department.
Among the names added is Guatemalan judge Fredy Raúl Orellana, who recently caused a stir by disqualifying Social Democratic candidate Bernardo Arévalo’s Semilla party at the request of the prosecution. Washington is not charging him for this court ruling but for authorizing baseless and politically motivated criminal charges against journalists.
As for the list from El Salvador, it includes three former directors of Banco Hipotecario and two former presidents, Salvador Sánchez Cerén and Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena, both from the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) party, as well as a person close to Funes: José Miguel Antonio Menéndez Avelar, known as “Mecafé.”
In the case of Honduras, there are former officials and two former ministers of the government of former President Juan Orlando Hernández who are being tried in the United States for drug trafficking. Senior Honduran officials in office are also mentioned, such as the mayor of El Progreso, Alexander López Orellana, the deputy, Samuel García Salgado, the president of the Liberal Party, and former presidential candidate Yani Benjamín Rosenthal Hidalgo.
Regarding Nicaragua, a country subject to US sanctions due to the repression of the 2018 anti-government protests, the list includes 13 senior officials from the government of President Daniel Ortega, including legislators, judges, and other high-profile officials.
The State Department advises that it will continue to use all available tools to ensure that corrupt actors and those who undermine the region’s democratic governance are held accountable. The Enforced Engagement Act between the United States and the Northern Triangle, known as the Engel List, was promoted in 2019 by former Democratic congressman Eliot Engel and approved the following year. It is one of the various lists developed by the US government to denounce illegal conduct around the world.
