WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, and Representative Albio Sires, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, today made the following statement on the Guatemalan government’s decision to deny International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) Commissioner Ivan Velasquez re-entry into the country:

“The Guatemalan government’s decision to declare CICIG Commissioner Ivan Velasquez a public security threat and deny him re-entry to Guatemala is another major blow in the country’s struggle against corruption and impunity. The real threat to security in the country is a Guatemalan government that refuses to respect the rule of law and protects the interests of the corrupt over those of the Guatemalan people. We urge President Morales to reverse his ill-advised decision. If he is unwilling to do so, Congress must do everything in our power to appropriately adjust U.S. assistance to the Guatemalan government.”

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