{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://ramirez.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-ramirez-torres-castro-call-protection-democracy-guatemala-amidst", "Reps Ramirez, Torres, Castro Call for for the Protection of Democracy in Guatemala Amidst Democratic Backsliding", "2023-12-12", "2023", "2023-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Delia C. Ramirez", "R000617", "ramirez.house.gov", "ramirez", "https://ramirez.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2014 Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35), Congresswoman Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) and Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) held a press conference today in support of the rule of law and democracy in Guatemala. The press conference followed Congresswoman Torres & Ramirez\u2019s Congressional delegation to Guatemala last week and the Guatemala Attorney General\u2019s office moving to nullify the fair election of President-elect Bernardo Ar\u00e9valo. The Members of Congress \u2013 joined by civil society organizations and Guatemalans forced to flee the country \u2013 underscored the importance of the United States\u2019 support for Guatemala amid escalating attacks on its democracy. The speakers called for a peaceful transition of power to the rightfully elected President-elect Ar\u00e9valo.\n\n\u201cI reject the Giammatei regime\u2019s blatantly anti-democratic actions and call for the peaceful transfer of power \u2013 it\u2019s not too late for them to change course. But if high-ranking officials in the Guatemalan government are going to ignore and act against the interests of the Guatemalan people, the United States should not be rewarding those officials with our taxpayer dollars,\u201d said Congresswoman Torres, a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee and Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations, chair of the bipartisan Central America Caucus, and the only Member of Congress to be born in Central America.\n\n\u201cAs a member of the U.S Congress and a daughter of immigrants, I recognize the importance of strengthening the relationship of both countries,\u201d said Congresswoman Ramirez, the daughter of Guatemalan immigrants. \u201cOur countries must work together to find strong solutions to challenges that are causing the pain for families that are driven to migration.\u201d\n\n\u201cIf President-elect Ar\u00e9valo is inaugurated in January, then Guatemala is truly a democracy. If he is not, Guatemala is not truly a democracy,\u201d said Congressman Castro, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. \u201cPresident-elect Ar\u00e9valo was elected with more than 60% of the vote in a valid landslide election that demonstrated the popular enthusiasm for his message of progress, opportunity and hope for the future of Guatemala. I urge Guatemala\u2019s ruling party to respect the will of the voters and ensure the peaceful transfer of power in their country.\u201d", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://ramirez.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-ramirez-torres-castro-call-protection-democracy-guatemala-amidst"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8104068003594875, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}