A "different" CODEL to Latin America

A congressional delegation of progressives will visit Latin America next week for what they stress is a “different” kind of visit — one focused on shared challenges, ideological kinship and transnational movements.

Democratic Reps. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ and NYDIA VELÁZQUEZ of New York, JOAQUIN CASTRO and GREG CASAR of Texas, and MAXWELL FROST of Florida, along with the chief of staff for Sen. BERNIE SANDERS (I-Vt.) are headed to Brazil, Chile and Colombia, Politico reports. 

There they’ll hold discussions with the presidents of those nations, fellow legislators and civil society leaders, NatSec Daily has learned.

While many CODELs to the region have focused on China’s growing influence, criminal organizations and immigration — and the Biden administration itself has prioritized those issues — the progressive lawmakers want to emphasize struggles echoing across the Western Hemisphere.

“There are political currents in these countries that are happening in the U.S., and those connections aren’t always made,” said a Democratic congressional aide familiar with the CODEL’s plans, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive schedule. “It’s worth it to talk about what’s happening there and here and have that conversation together.”

What’s “happening there” is Brazil having its own Jan. 6-like insurrection, the far right gaining influence in Chile and a fight for racial justice roiling Colombian politics. There’s increasing concern among left-leaning American politicians that all these issues are connected by a conservative backlash to democracy. Brazil’s former president, JAIR BOLSONARO, who refused to concede his election loss to leftist LULA INÁCIO DA SILVA and went into self-imposed exile in Florida, spoke at CPAC, the conference of U.S. conservatives, this year.

The lawmakers expect to compare notes about these trends, among other things.

In whispered tones, some in Washington suggest that the CODEL is little more than a progressive lovefest. After all, Lula, Colombia’s GUSTAVO PETRO and Chile’s GABRIEL BORIC are liberal leaders celebrated by Democrats on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans assert that the travelling lawmakers aim to start a like-minded ideological movement to counter global conservatism.

No CODEL member has said anything of the sort publicly and every member, of course, has their own priorities. But there already is talk about seeking a major shift in policy.

“It’s long past time for a realignment of the United States’ relationship to Latin America,” AOC told the Los Angeles Times this month. “The U.S. needs to publicly acknowledge the harms we’ve committed through interventionist and extractive policies and chart a new course based on trust and mutual respect.”

JORGE HEINE, a former Chilean diplomat and minister, told NatSec Daily that the group of progressives could also break past “wrongheaded” rhetoric in Congress on China and development partnerships with Latin America.

“This whole thing of seeing Latin America just as a stage of great power competition, and how the United States can exclude China, has been very detrimental to the image of the United States in the region,” Heine said. “This congressional delegation can help to shift, a bit, that debate.”