S.Amdt. 1660

1. Adds TITLE __--ANALYSIS OF MIGRATION TRENDS AND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PRIORITIZATION wherever appropriate

   Adds a title

   Inserted: TITLE __--ANALYSIS OF MIGRATION TRENDS AND FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PRIORITIZATION

   Inserted: SEC. __01. DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENT AND STRATEGY ADDRESSING FACTORS DRIVING MIGRATION.

   Inserted: (a) Development of Assessment.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on migration to the United States from the countries specified in paragraph (2) that includes--

   Inserted: (A) a baseline assessment of the primary factors driving migration from those countries;

   Inserted: (B) an assessment of the impact of United States foreign assistance, trade, and foreign policy on migration trends in those countries; and

   Inserted: (C) an assessment of ongoing migrant protection issues and measures to address humanitarian and safety concerns in current migration flows, particularly such measures taken by the United States, the Government of Mexico, and the governments of countries in Central America to address such issues in Mexico and on the Southern border of the United States.

   Inserted: (2) Countries specified.--The countries specified in this paragraph are the 10 countries determined by the Comptroller Genera to have the highest rates of irregular migration to the United States.

   Inserted: (3) Consultations.--In preparing the report required by paragraph (1), the Comptroller General may consult with civil society organizations in the United States and the countries specified in paragraph (2).

   Inserted: (b) Strategy to Address Factors Driving Immigration.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, working with the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and in consultation with the entities specified in paragraph (2), shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives a strategy for addressing the economic, social, and security factors driving high rates of irregular migration from the countries specified in subsection (a)(2).

   Inserted: (2) Entities specified.--The entities specified in this paragraph are the following:

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   Inserted: (A) The Millennium Challenge Corporation.

   Inserted: (B) The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration of the Department of State.

   Inserted: (C) The Department of Homeland Security.

   Inserted: (D) The Department of Labor.

   Inserted: (E) The Department of Agriculture.

   Inserted: (F) The Office of the United States Trade Representative.

   Inserted: (G) Civil society organizations in the United States.

   Inserted: (H) Civil society organizations in the countries specified in subsection (a)(2).

   Inserted: (3) Elements of strategy.--The strategy required paragraph (1) shall include--

   Inserted: (A) a summary and evaluation of current assistance provided by the United States to the countries specified in subsection (a)(2);

   Inserted: (B) an identification of the regions and municipalities in those countries experiencing the highest emigration rates and the current level of United States assistance or investment in those regions and municipalities; and

   Inserted: (C) recommendations for future United States Government assistance and technical support to address key economic, social, and development factors identified in those countries that are designed to ensure appropriate engagement of national and local governments and civil society organizations.

   Inserted: SEC. __02. PRIORITIZATION OF MIGRATION SOURCE COUNTRIES BY THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

   Inserted: (a) In General.--The Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (in this section referred to as the "Administrator") shall coordinate with relevant agencies of the United States and agencies of the countries specified in section __01(a)(2) to promote public policies that prioritize inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and sustainable alternatives to emigration.

   Inserted: (b) Migration and Development Programming.--The Administrator shall provide migration and development programming to assist communities and economic sectors in the countries specified in section __01(a)(2), including communities--

   Inserted: (1) that currently experience, or are projected to soon experience, high rates of population loss due to international migration to the United States;

   Inserted: (2) experiencing or at high risk of trafficking in persons;

   Inserted: (3) that are receiving high rates of returned or deported migrants from the United States;

   Inserted: (4) affected by destabilizing levels of generalized violence, or violence associated with gangs, drug trafficking, or other criminal activity; and

   Inserted: (5) that currently have developed partnerships with migrant associations and federations based in the United States.

   Inserted: (c) Targeted Assistance.--The Secretary of State and the Administrator shall work with the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives to increase, beginning in fiscal year 2014, financial assistance to the communities described in subsection (b) with the goal of--

   Inserted: (1) alleviating rural poverty and revitalizing agricultural production by supporting public and private investment in comprehensive rural development strategies, which should include--

   Inserted: (A) strengthening the quality and sustainability of rural extension services;

   Inserted: (B) expansion of agro-enterprise and agricultural value chain initiatives;

   Inserted: (C) investment in farm-to-market roads and storage facilities for small farmers and cooperatives; and

   Inserted: (D) assistance to protect the environment, promote safe and sustainable natural resource development, strengthen climate change adaptation, and expand access to credit and micro-finance opportunities for small farmers;

   Inserted: (2) fully funding micro-finance and micro-enterprise initiatives, ensuring mechanisms for access to rural credit and micro-insurance, and targeting available funding to traditionally marginalized groups and at risk populations, particularly youth and indigenous populations;

   Inserted: (3) promoting public-private partnerships for income generation, employment, and violence reduction, and prioritizing urban youth;

   Inserted: (4) incorporating mechanisms to adapt and expand financial (savings and credit) and non-financial (property and livelihood insurance) opportunities for vulnerable families in disaster risk reduction and recovery strategies; and

   Inserted: (5) increasing public-private diaspora partnerships for development in the Western Hemisphere, through the United States Agency for International Development's Global Development Alliance model and multilateral initiatives.

   Inserted: SEC. __03. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON INCREASED UNITED STATES FOREIGN POLICY COHERENCE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

   Inserted: (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:

   Inserted: (1) More than 80 percent of the current unauthorized immigration to the United States originates in Latin America, primarily in Mexico and Central America.

   Inserted: (2) Mexico and Central America have made strides in economic growth in recent years, but the majority of their populations, particularly in the rural sector, live in poverty, a factor that continues to drive emigration.

   Inserted: (3) The Mexico and Central America migration corridor maintains strong historic and current ties to the United States through trade and economic integration, labor flows, and geographic proximity, and will require particular bilateral and multilateral efforts to address shared concerns and promote shared opportunities.

   Inserted: (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should review United States foreign policy toward Latin America in order to strengthen hemispheric security through the reduction of poverty and inequality, expansion of equitable trade, and support for democratic institutions, citizen security, and the rule of law, as essential elements of a consolidated and well-managed regional migration policy.

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