Thread: Hispanic Congressional Caucus Opposes CAFTA

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Opposes CAFTA

109th Congress Congresswoman Grace Flores Napolitano,
Chair

For Immediate Release
Contact: Imelda Aguirre

Thursday, May 26, 2005
(202) 225-2410

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Opposes CAFTA

CHC concerned trade agreement would widen gap between
haves and have-nots.

Washington, DC -- Today, the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus (CHC) issued the following statement announcing
its strong opposition to the Central American Free
Trade Agreement (CAFTA):

The decision to oppose CAFTA came after almost two
years of careful consideration, dialogue with numerous
organizations and individuals, and extensive debate.
It is a decision we make based on the concerns of our
constituents, the impact of the agreement on the
United States, and the effect this trade agreement
could have on millions of our Latino brothers and
sisters in the western hemisphere.

In a May 15, 2003 letter to U.S. Trade Representative
Robert Zoellick, the CHC raised several concerns about
the direction the Bush administration was taking CAFTA
negotiations. The CHC urged the Ambassador to
negotiate an agreement that included meaningful labor
and environmental obligations, including a fully
enforceable commitment by CAFTA countries to adopt and
effectively enforce internationally recognized core
labor standards.
The CHC is extremely disappointed that this sincere
advice was not completely heeded.

As Hispanic Members of Congress, we fully understand
the critical importance of promoting economic
development throughout the Americas. However, United
States policy towards Latin America must promote
growth that is sustainable, just and inclusive,
regardless of socio-economic status. We must invest in
programs that elevate people to a higher standard of
living, that allow for and encourage entrepreneurship
and self-reliance, and adhere to democratic
principles.

A decade after the passage of NAFTA, an agreement that
some CHC members supported, it is clear some sectors
in the Latino community benefited.
As a caucus, however, we are gravely concerned those
benefits were lopsided.
This model of trade has not delivered the promised
benefits and has widened the gap between the rich and
poor. For instance, 47% of workers receiving federal
assistance for being certified as having lost a job
due to NAFTA were Latino.

In Mexico, 1.3 million small to medium-size Mexican
farmers have been forced off their land because they
were unable to compete with large multi-national
producers. For those concerned about our "broken
borders", the CHC asks that you think of this: the
employed farmers and agricultural workers of 10 years
ago have become the undocumented immigrants of today.
( I think they are trying to say illegal aliens!)

The United States must also be cautious about entering
into free trade
agreement with countries that lack strong legal
systems, transparency,
and accountability. If this agreement ensured the Rule
of Law, and created a transparency in the governance
of the nations involved, perhaps we would support it.
Unfortunately, it does not. According to Transparency
International, four out of the six CAFTA countries
received a Corruption Perception Index score which
indicates rampant political and legal corruption.
(We've been telling our government that, for years!)

It is our strong belief that CAFTA will only continue
to broaden the
gap between the haves and have-nots. It is in the
vital interest of the
hemisphere and in the interest of the security of our
great nation that
we look for avenues to close the gap. CAFTA is
certainly not the answer. It is our hope that in the
future the Administration produces agreements that are
more fair and better address the concerns of the CHC.
We can and must do better for the Americas.

# # #
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) is comprised
of 21 members of Congress of Hispanic descent. Since
1976 the CHC has been addressing the needs of the
Hispanic community in all areas of American life. For
more information on the CHC call
(202) 225-2410.

www.napolitano.house.gov/chc/

Raul Islas
Organizer
Public Citizen
Global Trade Watch
GTW: 202-454-5129
cell: 202-271-1253
rislas@citizen.org
http://www.citizen.org/trade/cafta/

http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/ ... panic.html

This was emailed to me and I cant find it on their site, but I did find it on www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill ... panic.html

Some of the stories or press releases on their site are listed as follows:

http://www.napolitano.house.gov/chc/news.htm
May20, 2005



Congressional Hispanic Caucus Responds to Divisive Remarks by President Fox



In Letter to Fox, CHC Asks for Apology



Washington, DC – In response to remarks made last week by Mexican President Vicente Fox, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) today issued a letter to Mr. Fox expressing its discontent with the insensitivity of the remarks and asks for an apology.



To read the letter, please follow this link.




Congresswoman Grace Flores Napolitano, Chair

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute



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