"El Salvador President Wants U.S. Assistance to Reduce Illegal Immigration"

[WhiskeyGirl]

Los Angeles, California, United States (AHN) - El Salvador’s president, Mauricio Funes, is urging the United States to form a new alliance with Central American countries to reduce illegal immigration through an economic development program.

Funes is in Los Angeles this week discussing immigration issues with Salvadorans who live in the United States.

His visit was timed to coincide with the last day of registration Tuesday for the U.S. government’s renewed “temporary protected status” (TPS) program.

The Bush administration started the program after an earthquake devastated El Salvador in 2001. TPS has allowed about 217,000 Salvadorans to work in the United States.

It originally was scheduled to end this month but is being extended for another 18 months.

How many more will go on TPS?  One millions?  What kind of benefits do they get?

“We need to build an alliance with the U.S. government so that we can push a regional social policy,” Funes said.

The United States should work with Central American countries to “build a solid partnership to reduce levels of inequality,” he said.

Funes’ plan for reducing the poverty that leads to illegal immigration from El Salvador is similar to President Obama’s economic stimulus program.

At one time, Central and South America competed for immigrants with the US.  All countries were lands of opportunity.  Why did one become so prosperous?  Others not so much?

Levels of inequality?  Equality of opportunity?  Outcome?  Enslaving hard working folks?

Funes said the international social policy he sought with the United States and Mexico should include measures to ensure the human rights of immigrants are respected.

He held his press conference only days after the bodies of the Salvadorans killed in the Tamaulipas massacre were returned home. The Salvadoran government is helping to pay their funeral expenses.

“These are poor families who need support from the Salvadoran state to not be forced to send their children to get the money they can not get in El Salvador,” Funes said.

Funes plans to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon on Friday to discuss how El Salvador could join in the fight against drug cartels.

He said during his televised press conference that a regional strategy against drug cartels would be more effective than “isolated efforts.”

What about the human rights of workers to keep the fruit of their labor?

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7019823707#ixzz0ywa6H9B1

How are all those end users of drugs paying for them?  Why are drugs booming when unemployment is going up?  Where is the money coming from?

Stimulus/recover?  Expended welfare spending?

[WhiskeyGirl]

Funes Calls for Unity to Face Organized Crime

SAN SALAVADOR - Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes called the population of his country to unity, to face all the common problems affecting Central America and other regions of the world, such as poverty, the effects of climate change and organized crime.

"The challenges of our peoples are the same, and the solutions can only come from our joint work," said Funes in activities to mark the 189th anniversary of independence in Central America.

He expressed his conviction that it is impossible to fight alone in this globalized world against poverty and inequality, natural disasters and organized crime.

http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2010/september/03/centralamerica100090304.htm

Let see...don't see border violence, border killings, didn't see financial meltdown coming.

What's next for Americans?