‘Foreign’ agents pitch has El Salvador civil society on edge

By MARCOS ALEMAN and CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has pitched a proposed law requiring people and organizations who receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” following the lead of countries like the United States. When the U.S. passed its own Foreign Agents Registration Act in 1938, World War II was on the horizon and the U.S. government was concerned about the spread of Nazi propaganda. The political context in today’s El Salvador is different. Those who could have to register under the proposed law believe the real motivation is to intimidate the remaining voices critical of Bukele’s administration.