Is Washington Pressuring Central American Presidents to Boycott Debate on Drug Legalization?

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the U‑turn performed by Mauricio Funes, president of El Salvador, who initially supported the proposal of Guatemala’s President Otto Pérez Molina to discuss drug legalization in Central America and then came out against it. I wondered if Funes’ change of mind had anything to do with pressure from Washington regarding the renewal of the Temporary Protected Status program (TPS) that grants migratory benefits to Salvadoran citizens in the United States. I also noticed that the TPS benefits nationals from Honduras and Nicaragua too.


This past weekend, president Pérez Molina hosted a Central American summit to discuss his proposal of drug legalization. Even though the presidents of all Central American countries had confirmed their attendance, three of them called off in the last moment. Want to guess which ones? Yes, the presidents of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.


Just a coincidence?