El Salvador $1000 Tax On African Travellers
The US are using new tactics to curb migration from Central America
I saw this story and couldn’t quite believe it. Apparently, El Salvador had imposed a $1000 fee on travellers from Africa and India. On some investigation, I found it to be true and that the reasons had ties to both the United States and El Salvador’s desire to increase revenue for construction.
El Salvador's $1,000 fee for travellers from Africa and India, effective since October 23, 2023, is a policy that has sparked significant discourse on the global approach to migration, particularly from the African continent. This fee, implemented by the Salvadoran government, targets over 50 African nations and India, ostensibly as part of efforts to fund the modernization and expansion of El Salvador International Airport. The policy applies specifically to transit passengers, revealing a strategic approach to managing migration through Central America, particularly to the United States.
This measure comes at a time when African migration is increasingly visible in the global narrative. I mean it is a political lightning rod in many Western nations with the migrant situation making headline news in the US and Europe weekly. What is conspicuously absent in all this discourse are the complex reasons driving Africans to migrate including economic hardships, such as poverty and unemployment, exacerbated by political instability and conflicts in various regions of the continent. It’s ironically US and European foreign policy that is preventing African nations from creating an environment where their people don’t need to flee. I’ve covered many stories of how West Africa for example has been fighting back against neo-colonialism and the fact the West aren’t going out of their way to help. Environmental factors, significantly influenced by climate change, have also played a crucial role in displacing communities in Africa, especially those dependent on agriculture.
The international response to migration, including El Salvador's fee, is indicative of a broader trend focusing on deterrence and border control. While the Salvadoran authorities state that the funds collected will be allocated towards airport improvements, it is evident that the regulation also aims to prevent immigrants from using El Salvador as a gateway to North America. This policy, as reported by sources like Aviacionline and Gulf News, underscores a global tendency to manage migration through restrictive financial measures rather than addressing the underlying causes prompting individuals to leave their home countries. It’s essentially punishing the actual victims of economic hardship rather than the benefactors of it.
El Salvador’s approach, while possibly effective in curbing the use of its airport as a transit point, does little to address the root causes of migration from Africa. As such, it serves as a reminder of the need for comprehensive and sustainable strategies that go beyond fiscal barriers and border control. It highlights why we as Africans have to take responsibility because other nations will always align with Western powers. I’m not a fan of migration out of Africa so I’m not sad that this is being curbed. I think it masks the problems we have and doesn’t force change.
If all these thousands of migrants couldn’t get to Europe and the US they’d have more incentive to push for change in their own countries. That energy is being lost to the seas. You should check out my article on the Japa phenomenon (Brain Drain) for more on these issues.
Solutions to the migration issue should include initiatives for economic development, political stability, conflict resolution, and environmental sustainability in African nations. Only by addressing these fundamental issues can the international community hope to find a lasting solution to the challenges of migration.
However, will we do what we need to do?
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