Refugees: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

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Refugees: Chapultepec Peace Agreement

Implementations

Refugees – 1992

The Government of El Salvador began to coordinate with neighboring countries for the resettlement of Salvadorian refugees.1 Representatives from the UN High Commission for Refugees went to Mexico to facilitate the return of some 250,000 Salvadoran refugees residing there.2 The greater portion of the approximately 7,000 refugees in Honduras and 20,000 in Nicaragua had already returned by the time the Peace Agreement was signed. Around 2,000 of those left in Nicaragua prepared to return as soon as the cease fire took effect.3 Over 250 maimed FMLN combatants returned from Cuba, where they had been receiving medical treatment.4 Some 200,000 Salvadoran refugees remained in the United States. It seemed many either did not wish to return, or were too uncertain about the peace process to return before it was complete.5

The Legislative Assembly passed two decrees to help displaced persons and returnees gain/regain documents for certification and registration with the Government of El Salvador.6

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/23999), May 26, 1992.
  2. “U.N. to hasten return of Salvadoran refugees from Mexico,” Xinhua General News Service, February 29, 1992.
  3. “Salvadoran refugees in Nicaragua hope to return home,” Xinhua General News Service, January 4, 1992; “Last group of Salvadoran refugees in Honduras return home,” Xinhua General News Service, April 1, 1992.
  4. “Disabled Salvadoran guerrillas leave Cuba for home,” Xinhua General News Service, June 17, 1992.
  5. “United States: Can Salvadoran refugees stay?” Inter-Press Service, May 13, 1992.
  6. “Report of the Director of the Human Rights Division of ONUSAL,” United Nations Security Council (S/24066), June 5, 1992.

Refugees – 1993

The roughly 200,000 Salvadoran refugees granted safe-haven in the United States were set to have their temporary protected status expire on 30 June 1993, after President Bush had extended it a year past the prior expiration date of 30 June 1992. Advocates for the refugees estimated that another 500,000 Salvadorans were in the US without documentation and argued that conditions were still too unstable in El Salvador to repatriate such large numbers of persons en masse.1 President Clinton extended the temporary protected status for an additional 18 months, setting the new deadline for 31 December 1994.2

A Board of Vigilance composed of representatives of all the political parties was created to advise citizens on problems they encountered in getting voter registration cards.3 This was important because refugees in the process of repatriation faced problems due to a lack of legal documentation.

  1. “United States will allow Salvadorens to stay,” The Associated Press, May 14, 1992; “El Salvador: U.S. urged to extend safe haven for thousands,” Inter-Press Service, March 20, 1993.
  2. “U.S. does not extend Salvadoran refugee program,” Deutshe Presse-Agentur, December 2, 1994.
  3. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/179), February 16, 1994.

Refugees – 1994

The legal limbo in which many returned refugees found themselves became a more salient issue as the first post-conflict election neared. Despite important improvements made by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, many discrepancies persisted in the registration records. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal did not meet the deadline in early 1994 for issuing registration cards after the push to register as many voters as possible.1 By 16 March 1994, more than 74,000 persons requesting voter registration cards still had not received them due to insufficient documentation.2

In December 1994, the US Government announced it would not extend the temporary protected status of approximately 200,000 Salvadorans sheltered in the US. After their status expired on 31 December 1994, they were to return to El Salvador within nine months.3

  1. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/179), February 16, 1994.
  2. “Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Observer Mission in El Salvador,” United Nations Security Council (S/1994/304), March 16, 1994.
  3. “U.S. does not extend Salvadoran refugee program,” Deutshe Presse-Agentur, December 2, 1994.

Refugees – 1995

The Government of El Salvador feared that if all the refugees in the US returned home en masse the economy would not be able to absorb them. The remittances sent to El Salvador from Salvadoran refugees and immigrants in the US made up a large part of the Salvadoran economy as well. The Government actively assisted Salvadorans in the US on temporary protected status visas to extend their stays by applying for political asylum.1

  1. “El Salvador lends a hand to keep refugees in U.S.,” The Houston Chronicle, October 27, 1995.

Refugees – 1996

Salvadoran refugees continued to apply for asylum up until the end of the nine-month grace period. More than 100,000 applied in total. Once their case was received for review, they may be granted permission to stay until it is resolved, but refugee advocates only expected a small fraction of applicants to be granted asylum. The US pledged that there would be no mass-deportations in any case.1

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal made some administrative reforms, but was not advancing very quickly to institute the acts of the Legislative Assembly to improve the voting register. Much work was to be done to implement the ONUSAL and MINUSAL recommendations before the 1997 legislative and municipal elections, but the Tribunal was hampered by a small budget.2

  1. “Salvadorans face deadline — Today is last day for refugees to apply for political asylum,” San Antonio Express-News, January 31, 1996; “Peace in El Salvador strikes fear in refugees; Time is running out on temporary protected status of 190,000,” Knight-Ridder News Service, via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 18, 1996, National Section, p. A4.
  2. “Mission of the United Nations in El Salvador: Report of the Secretary-General,” United Nations General Assembly (A/50/935), April 23, 1996.

Refugees – 1997

President Calderon Sol criticized the US for not being more lenient with Salvadoran refugees.1 The US Congress made moves to loosen immigration regulations that would require the deportation of all Salvadoran refugees denied political asylum. Under the new rules, refugees would be allowed to stay long enough to apply for residency, but residency would not be guaranteed.2

  1. “Salvador president hits U.S.; Immigration, drugs are focus of speech,” The Washington Times, June 20, 1997.
  2. “Congress to loosen immigration rules,” Austin American-Statesman, November 7, 1997.

Refugees – 1998

In 1999, the US government confirmed plans to allow Salvadoran refugees to apply for permanent residence in the US. The plan applied for those who had entered the US before 1990, and was designed to heed concerns that mass deportations would exacerbate El Salvador’s unemployment problems.1

Following two disastrous earthquakes in 2001 (which came after a deadly hurricane in 1998), the US government granted Temporary Protected Status for undocumented Salvadoran immigrants. The move was expected to benefit about 300,000 Salvadorans living in the US.2

Instead of being repatriated and resettled back in El Salvador, more than two-third of the Salvadoran refugees ended up settling in the United States. This happened even when the peace process became a success and no political prosecution and killings took place in the aftermath of the peace accords.

  1. “Guatemala,” Keesing’s Record of World Events, Vol. 45, (May 1999), p. 42932.
  2. “El Salvador,” Keesing’s Record of World Events, vol. 47, (March 2001), p. 44046.

Refugees – 1999

No further developments observed.

Refugees – 2000

No further developments observed.

Refugees – 2001

No further developments observed.