Our Recommendations

Overview

The Bush Administration

The Bush administration continued to carry on many of the former policies that had been enacted by former administrations. The Bush administration has been most noted for passing the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR). This trade agreement was between the U.S. and Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, as well as the Dominican Republic. It focused on advancing strong trade and investment ties, prosperity, and stability throughout the Central American region. The other big implementation Bush started was the “22 point agreement” with Mexico. This stated that both Mexico and the U.S. would work together to build infrastructure to better maintain the border. 

 

The Obama Administration

The Obama administration had a strong focus on aid and development of infrastructure within Latin American countries. Obama also focused on community development within these countries as he sought to boost education and limit crime in specific, at-risk communities. However, the Obama administration is most notable for our relationship with Cuba. Obama began the process of normalizing the strained ties between the U.S. and Cuba. Obama held several meetings with Cuban leaders and removed constraints placed upon Cuba such as the travel restrictions.

The Trump Administration

The Trump administration effectively reversed many of the policies the Obama administration had in place with Latin America. The de-escalation towards Cuba we saw during the Obama administration was replaced by a very hardline stance of hostility. Trump canceled many of the deals Obama had put in place with Cuba and replaced some travel restrictions. In regards to Latin America, the Trump administration reduced the amount of aid the U.S. provided. The Trump administration also started to construct a wall along the U.S.- Mexico border but it was never completed. 

 

The status quo:

The Biden administration has proposed many initiatives linked to Latin America since taking office. Within the first months of coming into office, the Biden administration announced that they requested around two billion dollars all designated to assist Latin America. The Biden administration also announced the  “Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity” plan. This plan outlines a series of objectives the U.S. wishes to achieve in regards to Latin America. Some of these goals include strengthening supply chains between the U.S. and Latin America and ensuring sustainable and inclusive trade. Biden understands the looming threat that China presents and called for an improved economic arrangement in Latin America. Finally, the administration is working towards supplying Latin American countries with the resources they need to rebound from the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes sending vaccines, other medical supplies, and even using telehealth methods to help.

Implementation

However, although it may look like the Biden administration has a handle on the Latin America situation, the implementation has unfortunately been lackluster. As we’ve seen, the rhetoric Biden has used when referring to Latin America has been nothing but positive and optimistic when mentioning solutions to the problems that plague the relationship between Latin America and the U.S. government. Many of the plans and initiatives Biden announced in late 2021 or early 2022 such as the  “Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity” plan have not been fully enacted. This has caused Latin America to question how committed the Biden administration really is when it comes to maintaining healthy relationships with their respective countries. Currently, we don’t see any indication that the Biden administration’s response will change as there are other, more pressing issues for Biden such as the war in Ukraine.

 

Our Recommendation 

Moving forward we believe the Biden administration should target a specific issue such as immigration. Within the past year, Mexico’s President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has called upon the U.S. to help contain the crisis occurring at the border. The U.S. is still coping with illegal immigration at our southern border. This is exacerbated by the fact that the border is where fentanyl and other drug smuggling is prevalent, especially within the past year. We are calling upon the Biden administration to directly invest in the Mexican economy in order to help it grow and prosper. Investing in the Mexican economy allows for more homegrown jobs and a more prosperous environment for Mexican citizens. This will cause the amount of people immigrating and looking to immigrate into the U.S. to decrease, lessening the traffic at the border. We believe that the Biden administration would then have an easier time containing the crisis at the border.