As part of the Obama administration’s plan to discourage illegal immigration, Vice President Joseph R. Biden is calling on Central American governments to raise their taxes.
During a meeting in Guatemala City, Mr. Biden said that part of the solution to prevent Central Americans from emigrating to the U.S. is for nations such as Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras to embark on their own tax-and-spend programs to raise their standards of living.
“Right now your countries have among the lowest effective tax rates in the entire Western Hemisphere,” Mr. Biden told the presidents of the three nations Monday.
“The only way to collect funds necessary to invest in your future is to do others to do the same, is to take action to collect and manage the revenues and make sure they are managed effectively, efficiently, and transparently so people know where the money is going,” he said.
The vice president said security is important, but “without good governance, your folks don’t have much of an opportunity.”
The Obama administration scrambled last year to deal with a surge of tens of thousands of illegal immigrants, mostly unaccompanied minors from Central America who came to the U.S. expecting to be reunited with families and win amnesty under President Obama’s immigration proposals.
In the wake of that migration, the administration has been working with Central American governments to address chronic poverty, crime and corruption in those countries.
Last July, President Obama asked Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency funds to pay for the services needed to handle the surge in illegal immigrants, but lawmakers approved only a fraction of his request. Mr. Obama has proposed an additional $1 billion in aid for Central America in his new budget.
Mr. Biden said more private investment is also needed.
“Corporate America wants to come,” Mr. Biden said. “The rest of the world wants to come. There’s great opportunities in human capital here. But you have to end once and for all the climate of endemic violence and poverty.”
He said developments in Central America are “a matter of intense interest to the United States.”
“Six million young people will enter the labor force in Central America in the next 10 years,” Mr. Biden said. “So it’s in our self-interest, and I would respectfully suggest yours, to help them find jobs and physical security. Because the people who tend to leave are the people with the most talent. And if we don’t do this, all of us will feel the consequences.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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