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A Source of Relief or of Dominance? USAID in Honduras

By immigrationprof

Guest blogger: Bentley Cornett, graduate student, Migration Studies, University of San Francisco

In the summer of 2019, I had the opportunity to travel throughout Honduras to conduct research on the impacts of USAID. The agency that is largely viewed by Americans as charity for foreign countries is found by Hondurans to be quite the opposite. Honduras is a country whose governmental structure is embedded in a system of corruption. Instances of human rights abuses, embezzlement and electoral fraud have yet to halt the influx of aid to the Honduran government. Funds flowing into Honduras from the United States are directly correlated with the Honduran military’s purchases of firearms and weapons from U.S. based companies. These weapons, including machine guns and teargas are used against protestors who express disapproval of the government. One of these instances included the electoral protests of President Juan Orlando Hernandez occurring in 2018, which ultimately led to the deaths of at least 22 Hondurans (Palencia, 2017).

According to Ricardo Ortega, a middle-aged lawyer who represents homicide cases in San Pedro Sula, the United States carries the burden of responsibility for the continued cycle of violence in Honduras. Ricardo explained to me in an interview that San Pedro Sula is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, not only in Honduras. This second largest city in Honduras is a place in which not only homicides, but also massacres are considered as common. There exists no form of relief or justice for crimes, as governmental officials and agencies including police and military forces are involved in systemic corruption. Ricardo offers that from 100% of the crimes presented in Honduran courts, less than 5% are investigated. Due to this faulty system, Hondurans do not have a sense of security as there is no agency that is able to successfully implement effective oversight and protection of their residents’ well-being. The United States’ knowledge of these deficient systems and the corruption that abounds within them should be, according to the U.S. Department of State’s cite, Leahy Law Fact Sheet, grounds for immediate termination of all aid and cooperation with the Honduran government. Despite clear violations of Leahy Law regulations by the Honduran government, members of Congress cite aid distribution as necessary by citing human rights concerns and the desire to stem out-migration from the region (Hiemstra, 2017).

For Ricardo, these claims by United States Congress members are quite ironic. This is because all USAID funds are channeled through the Honduran governmental structure, a system that regularly commits the human rights abuses. These abuses, such as the killings of 22 protestors in 2018 and the teargasing of thousands of others, are root causes forcing Hondurans to flee their homes due to fears of persecution. If the United States had human rights in mind when allocating USAID funds, they surely would not continue to fuel the source that they arise from. Ricardo thus contends that the Honduran fight is not only for a culture of peace and stability, but further, a struggle for independence from United States dominance within the country.

Although many relate USAID with generosity and goodwill, often more damage than benefit results as funds are allocated in a manner that seeks to further the United States’ national interests. It is the responsibility of policymakers, the U.S. government and its agencies to carry out international relations in a way that reflects the values of the United States, founded upon liberty and equality for all. The United States must make the decision if they will honor those fundamental values or, if in the words of Julieta Castellanos, Dean of the National Autonomous University of Honduras, they will continue to “feed the beast.”

 

References

Engler, M. (2012). Honduras: While Corruption and Repression Mushroom, Justice Rots

On the Vine. Institute of Policy Studies.

Palencia, G. et al. (2017). Honduran Army Enforces Curfew After Vote Count Stalls. Reuters.

U.S. Department of State. Leahy Law Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.state.gov/key-topics-bureau-of-democracy-human-rights-and-labor/human-rights/leahy-law-fact-sheet/.

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