Salvadorans are reading something really different in the news today. For once, it’s not US politicians’ usual attempts to smear the FMLN. Instead it’s the voices of over 50 Members of Congress declaring their respect for the will of the Salvadoran people and calling on the State Department to do the same. They’re reading something else, too: a public statement of neutrality from the US Ambassador, who responded to the press today by making a commitment to work with whomever the Salvadoran people elect in February! This victory was only made possible by grassroots supporters like you – please make a generous year-end gift today to ensure CISPES has the resources we need to hold the State Department to its word. As a Salvadoran American and one of the CISPES organizers leading our anti-intervention campaign, this is a proud moment for me (that’s me on the right, marching on International Workers’ Day). Let’s be clear – I’m not proud of the State Department. Their #1 priority is to represent US corporate interests – that hasn’t changed. But I'm proud of all of us. I know how hard CISPES chapters, immigrants, and people like you across the country have worked over the past few months to let our Representatives know that foreign policy in Latin America is a constituent issue, and we will hold them accountable. Click here to make a tax-deductible contribution so CISPES can continue our grassroots organizing in 2014! If you’re wondering why US neutrality is so important, the reason is simple: whenever the FMLN has come close to winning the presidency, US politicians have threatened to cut off remittances or deport Salvadorans in the event of a leftist victory. And these fear tactics worked – until 2009. 2009 was the year the solidarity movement won the first-ever neutrality statement from the State Department. Not coincidentally, it was also the year that Salvadorans elected their first-ever FMLN government and embarked on an incredible process of democratic transformation. But just because the US Embassy had to issue a neutrality statement this time around, that doesn’t mean the corporate interests they represent are going to give up – not with a strong leftist candidate in the lead. So we’ve got to be ready for whatever tricks they might pull next. I hope we can count on you to help us keep the “wins” coming in the critical weeks ahead! In solidarity, Frankie Ochoa, CISPES Field Organizer P.S. With so much at stake in El Salvador’s February election, it’s our responsibility to keep US economic interests out of the equation. Can you make a generous donation to defend Salvadoran self-determination today?