A Salvadoran journalist and a Boston civil rights attorney discuss democracy, 2024 elections and immigration policy during a lecture

The Department of Romance Studies hosted a discussion on October 3 entitled “The High Cost of Democracy, Press Freedom, and Immigration Policy,” which focused on the political climate in El Salvador and its parallels to politics in the United States. TTwo speakers took part in the event: OScar Martineza Salvadoran journalist and co-founder of the Latin language America’s first digital newspaper, El Faro, And Ivan Espinoza, eExecutive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston.

Nancy Levy-Konesky, lecturer in the Department of Romance Studiesspoke to the Daily about the inspiration for the event. She explained that she organized a similar lecture in 2018 with Martínez to raise awareness of violence and corruption in El Salvador.

“People loved hearing about him and it opened their eyes to a lot of violence. “This was at a time when El Salvador was the most violent country in the world that was not at war,” Levy-Konesky said said. “I decided that it is important that Óscar comes back because we are in an election year and because the president in El Salvador has managed to make himself a dictator in a very short time.”

Martinéz opened the lecture with an overview of the history of El Salvador, He explained how ineffective the peace agreement reached after the end of the civil war in 1992 was, ushering in an era of violence, corruption and gang violence across the country.

“AAfter peace [agreement]we had a very violent peace“said Martinez. He discussed how corruption is rampant throughout El Salvador’s government, affecting both presidents on the left and the right.

Martinéz then highlighted the current political situation in El Salvador under President Nayib Bukele.

“Bukele called himself the coolest dictator in the world, … right now he calls himself a ‘philosopher king’.” Martinez added.

Martinéz pointed to widespread corruption under Bukele, particularly in the country’s criminal justice system. In El Salvador, where Incarceration rates are currently three times higher than in the United States. One in 57 Salvadorans is currently in prison.

“Any soldier, any police officer can arrest you just because you seem nervous. … There [are] lots of people who [are] in prison, just without evidence,” he said.

Espinoza drew parallels between the problems facing El Salvador and the current political climate in the United States, comparing Bukele to former President Donald Trump. bBoth candidates revel in importance popularity Espinoza argued that despite engaging in acts that could be viewed as anti-democratic, He referred to Trump’s false claims of election fraud, which led his supporters to attack the US Capitol on January 62022.

“I think there are lessons to be learned from the Salvadoran experience about how democratic institutions and democratic trust erode over time which are very applicable to us [U.S.] today,” he said. “In the [U.S.]…in some circles we see that the focus is more on supporting a particular politician than on supporting the institutions of deDemocracy itself.”

The conversation then shifted to the issue of immigration to the United States. Martinez called attention to Trump’s false claim during the presidential debate that Haitian migrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio.

“I never saw migrants there [U.S.] eat a dog,” he said. “But I saw it [a] Food from migrants Garbage.”

Espinoza highlighted widespread xenophobia in the United States and explained how many Americans often harbor resentment toward immigrants for the support of their tax dollars. However, Espinoza says Americans should redefine their view of immigrants and recognize the economic value they bring.

“People don’t see immigrants as an investment” he said. “People don’t think about the economic vitality of immigrants to renew our economy and the investments we are making to bring these people into our workforce.”

During the Q&A portion of the event, an audience member asked the speakers what they thought of Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Immigration policy.

“At this point, here’s what we see [for] both political parties… It is really one There is a race to see who could be crueler to immigrants and who could be more difficult in the immigration processEspinoza said. “The whole conversation about asylum, humanitarian protection and how we continue to welcome persecuted people has evaporated because all we talk about is getting tough on IMM.”Immigrants.”

After the event, Elena CArrion Guerrero, a senior lecturer at the Department of Romance Studies, spoke to the daily about how the lecture provided valuable insights how independent journalists like Martínez play a crucial role in holding politicians accountable. She noted the value of studying U.S. politics in comparison to other countries’ governments.

“Learn about other countries [and] Their developments in politics make us think about our own. We take many of the rights we have for granted.” Guerrero said.