,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fjhc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,november #ah1 #bjbe,mr4 ,espaillat introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,foreign ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to establish a commission to address the fundamental repercussions of misguided interventions by the ,united ,states in multiple sovereign ,western ,hemisphere nations over the course of the twentieth century1 including to study and consider an apology and proposals for the repairment of relations and reconciliation with the peoples of said nations1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,commission on the ,united ,states ,occupations in the ,americas ,act or the ,la ,comisin de las ,ocupacines ,americanos ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following as it relates to misguided ,united ,states military interventions in the following nations3 7#a7 ,first occupation of ,nicaragua ,on ,november #ah1 #aiji1 ,president ,william ,howard ,taft sent warships off the coast of ,nicaragua to signal ,united ,states support for an uprising against ,nicaraguan ,president ,jos ,santos ,zelaya1 whose ,presidency was viewed as unfavorable to the interests of ,united ,states businesses operating in ,nicaragua4 ,while ,united ,states forces were not ordered to intervene directly1 a small group of ,united ,states ,marines nevertheless made landfall on the ,nicaraguan coast and assisted in the successful rebellion against ,president ,zelaya1 who resigned on ,december #ad1 #aiji1 and later fled the country4 ,a new pro-,united ,states ,president of ,nicaragua1 ,juan ,estrada1 was later installed in ,august #aiaj1 due in large part to the pressure imposed by the continual presence of ,united ,states warships off the ,nicaraguan coast4 ,president ,estrada's pro-,united ,states stances proved unpopular1 and he was forced to resign in ,may of #aiaa by the ,nicaraguan ,minister of ,war1 ,luis ,mena4 ,president ,estrada was replaced by his ,vice ,president1 ,adolfo ,daz4 ,nevertheless1 ,daz's close connections to the ,united ,states also made him unpopular1 and in mid-#aiab1 ,nicaragua's ,constituent ,assembly appointed ,mena as the successor to the ,presidency over ,daz4 ,when the ,united ,states refused to recognize ,mena's ,presidency as legitimate1 ,mena's and ,daz's forces clashed in ,july of #aiab in a full-scale civil war4 ,daz requested the ,united ,states support in the war4 ,beginning on ,august #d1 #aiab1 multiple contingents of ,united ,states ,bluejackets and ,marines arrived in ,nicaragua and assisted ,daz's forces1 resulting in ,daz's victory on ,october #f1 #aiab1 when his forces captured the city of ,leon1 ,nicaragua4 ,although only #g members of the ,united ,states military died in the conflict1 the war nevertheless resulted in approximately #b1jjj total casualties4 ,the ,united ,states withdrew most of its forces toward the end of ,october #aiab4 ,however1 a smaller contingent of approximately #ajj ,marines would remain in ,nicaragua's capital city of ,managua for over a decade before eventually withdrawing in ,august #aibe4 7#b7 ,first occupation of ,mexico ,on ,april #ba1 #aiad1 at the order of ,president ,woodrow ,wilson1 #ejj ,marines and #cjj ,navy personnel invaded the port city of ,veracruz1 ,mexico1 to seize control of the city4 ,president ,wilson's pretext for this operation was to enforce a ,united ,states arms embargo against ,mexico and prevent the arrival of an arms shipment in ,veracruz that had been ordered by ,mexican ,president ,victoriano ,huerta1 who was viewed as an enemy of the ,united ,states at that time4 ,the ensuing fighting saw ,united ,states forces destroy most of the ,mexican ,naval ,academy in ,veracruz4 ,the ,united ,states military was eventually able to take full control of ,veracruz by ,april #bd1 #aiad1 beginning a #f-month occupation by the ,united ,states of the city4 ,the ,united ,states military suffered just shy of #ajj casualties while approximately #eej ,mexican soldiers and civilians died while defending the city4 ,united ,states forces eventually withdrew from ,veracruz on ,november #bc1 #aiad4 ,the ,united ,states occupation of ,veracruz had broad negative consequences for the favorability of the ,united ,states amongst ,mexican citizens and increased anti-,american sentiment throughout ,mexico and ,latin ,america for decades to come4 7#c7 ,second occupation of ,mexico ,from ,march #af1 #aiaf1 through ,february #ad1 #aiag1 an expeditionary force of more than #ad1jjj ,united ,states ,army troops was sent into northern ,mexico4 ,these forces were instructed to engage in the singular pursuit of capturing ,mexican revolutionary ,francisco ,pancho ,villa4 ,president ,woodrow ,wilson ordered this expedition in response to ,villa's army's raid of ,colombus1 ,new ,mexico1 on ,march #i1 #aiaf1 which killed #ag ,united ,states citizens4 ,over the course of the next #aa months1 multiple battles occurred in ,mexico between ,pancho ,villa's forces and ,united ,states forces1 leaving a total #ae ,united ,states citizens and #bea ,mexicans dead4 ,mexican ,president ,venustiano ,carranza viewed the ,united ,states expedition in pursuit of ,villa as a clear violation of ,mexican sovereignty4 ,the expedition ended before ,villa was ever captured1 and ,united ,states forces eventually withdrew from ,mexico on ,february #ad1 #aiag1 in order to consolidate forces to fight in ,world ,war ,i in ,europe4 7#d7 ,first occupation of the ,dominican ,republic ,on ,may #ac1 #aiaf1 a contingent of the ,united ,states ,marine ,corps landed on the shores of the ,dominican ,republic with the goal of militarily occupying the island nation due to concerns about the possible ,german use of the ,dominican ,republic as a base for attacks on the ,united ,states during ,world ,war ,i4 ,after #b months of fighting1 the ,united ,states military took control of the nation1 established a government1 and continued to occupy the island for #h years before withdrawing on ,september #ah1 #aibd4 ,by the time ,united ,states forces withdrew1 #add marines had died and #ej were injured4 ,the #h-year occupation also resulted in #iej ,dominican casualties between those who died and those who were injured in the conflict4 7#e7 ,second occupation of ,nicaragua ,on ,january #bd1 #aibg1 when ,nicaragua was embroiled in another civil war that threatened ,united ,states business and diplomatic interests in the region1 #c1jjj ,united ,states ,marines were deployed to ,nicaragua by ,president ,calvin ,coolidge with the goal of disarming rebel groups1 supervising the highly contentious #aibh ,presidential election1 and developing and training the ,guardia ,nacional de ,nicaragua 7,nicaraguan ,national ,guard74 ,while the ,marines were successful in disarming various rebel groups throughout the country1 ,nicaraguan rebel leader ,csar ,augusto ,sandino and his forces resisted due to ,sandino's ideological opposition to ,united ,states interventionism in his country4 ,sandino's army and the ,united ,states ,marines engaged in a #f-year-long military conflict through #aicc4 ,a total #acf ,marines died and estimates of ,nicaraguan casualties1 although imprecise1 were even larger4 ,sandino's willingness to stand up to ,united ,states forces attracted sympathy and galvanized anti-,american sentiment both in ,nicaragua and throughout the ,western ,hemisphere4 ,despite ,sandino's resistance1 the ,united ,states successfully supervised ,nicaragua's ,november #aibh elections1 which saw ,president ,jos ,mara ,moncada ascend to power4 ,after the election1 ,president ,herbert ,hoover1 slowly withdrew troops from ,nicaragua until the last ,marines left ,nicaragua on ,january #b1 #aicc4 ,sandino's rebel forces continued to engage in periodic guerilla warfare against ,united ,states troops until these last ,marines were evacuated4 ,today1 ,sandino is a popular folk hero amongst the ,nicaraguan political left and his name provides the inspiration for the modern-day ,sandinista political party that rules ,nicaragua4 7#f7 ,second occupation of the ,dominican ,republic ,on ,april #bh1 #aife1 the second intervention and occupation of the ,dominican ,republic by the ,united ,states ,armed ,forces1 called ,operation ,power ,pack1 commenced and provided ,united ,states air and ground troops to assist future ,dominican ,president ,donal ,reid ,cabral's army in the ,dominican #aife civil war4 ,operation ,power ,pack took place between #aife and #aiff1 after a period of political instability and military coup following the assassination of former ,dominican dictator ,rafael ,lenidas ,trujillo in #aifa4 ,in #aifb1 socialist politician ,juan ,bosch became the elected ,president of the ,dominican ,republic before being overthrown in a separate coup in #aifc4 ,from #aifc through ,april #aife1 a #c-man military junta of ,general ,antonio ,imbert ,barrera1 ,general ,luis ,amiamo ,ti1 and ,general ,victor ,elby ,vias ,romn held power before growing dissatisfaction led to another rebellion on ,april #bd1 #aife4 ,four days later1 ,president ,lyndon ,johnson sent a total of #db1jjj ,united ,states troops from multiple branches of the military to the island1 supplemented by an ,inter-,american ,peace ,force of #b1jjj troops1 to assist rebels led by ,donald ,reid ,cabral4 ,in what is now known as the #aife ,dominican ,civil ,war or ,la ,revolucin del #fe ,cabral's forces prevailed due to the ,united ,states military backing4 ,shortly after the war ended1 on ,july #a1 #aiff1 democratically questionable elections were held in the ,dominican ,republic which resulted in the election of ,joaqun ,balaguer as ,president4 ,united ,states troops withdrew from the island nation thereafter on ,september #ba1 #aiff4 ,in total1 #dd ,united ,states combatants were killed in the conflict1 alongside over #b1jjj ,dominicans1 roughly half of whom were civilians4 ,following the withdrawal of ,united ,states troops1 ,president ,balaguer1 a previous member of the ,trujillo-led government1 ruled the ,dominican ,republic for a #ab-year period characterized by turmoil1 the disappearances of ,balaguer's political opponents1 and the deaths of hundreds of young political and social activists4 ,in this manner1 the ,united ,states intervention during ,operation ,power ,pack played a key role in depriving ,dominican citizens of a free and sovereign government for at least #ab additional years through #aigh4 7#g7 ,guatemala air occupation ,on ,june #ah1 #aied1 through ,june #bg1 #aied1 as part of ,operation ,p,b,success1 the ,united ,states ,central ,intelligence ,agency 7,,cia7 planned1 designed1 and led a successful coup in ,guatemala1 overthrowing the predominantly capitalist government of ,president ,jacobo rbenz1 coinciding in time with ,president ,arbenz's plans to redistribute land owned by the ,united ,fruit ,company1 a prosperous ,united ,states-based fruit company which controlled #db percent of all land in ,guatemala at that time4 ,in justification for ,operation ,p,b,success1 the ,united ,states spuriously alleged that ,president rbenz's government had been infiltrated by anti-,american communists4 ,the ,,cia provided both supplies and a small fleet of combat troops for the rebellion1 during which ,united ,states pilots bombed fortresses and other areas of ,guatemala ,city4 ,operation ,p,b,success was successful1 and on ,june #bg1 #aied1 ,president rbenz fled ,guatemala4 ,the #aied coup is widely viewed by historians as ushering in an unprecedented era of civil war in ,guatemala that lasted until #aiif and claimed the lives of over #bjj1jjj ,guatemalans1 many of which were lost in connection with various additional covert ,,cia operations that operated in the nation during this time period4 7#h7 ,grenada occupation ,from ,october #be1 #aihc1 through ,october #bi1 #aihc1 the ,united ,states conducted ,operation ,urgent ,fury1 a full-scale military invasion of ,grenada in which thousands of troops from the ,united ,states ,army1 ,marines1 ,navy1 and ,air ,force were deployed to ,grenada and participated in active combat against native ,grenadians and ,cuban fighters4 ,the ,united ,states invasion was authorized by ,president ,ronald ,reagan based on the asserted need to prevent a military coup and communist takeover of the small island nation1 in addition to the need to protect the approximately #a1jjj ,united ,states citizens who resided on the island at that time4 ,united ,states forces achieved a swift victory in just #d days1 but the fighting resulted in the deaths of #de ,grenadian combatants1 #be ,cuban combatants1 and #ai ,united ,states combatants4 ,the last ,united ,states troops eventually exited ,grenada on ,june #ac1 #aihe4 7#i7 ,panama occupation ,on ,december #bj1 #aihi1 approximately #bg1jjj ,united ,states troops invaded ,panama at the order of ,president ,george ,bush under the ignominiously named ,operation ,just ,cause4 ,the purpose of ,operation ,just ,cause was to remove ,general ,manuel ,noriega1 the country's dictatorial ruler1 from power and secure his extradition to the ,united ,states1 where ,noriega was wanted on charges of drug trafficking and money laundering 7he was later found guilty on these charges upon his successful extradition74 ,relations between the ,united ,states and ,panama's ,government soured over the course of #aihh and #aihi due to ,noriega's antidemocratic behavior and monopolization of power1 ,noriega's #aihh indictment in the ,united ,states on drug smuggling charges1 notably escalating tensions between ,panamanian troops and ,united ,states troops stationed in the ,panama ,canal ,zone1 and ,united ,states concerns about maintaining physical control of the ,panama ,canal ,zone4 ,tensions boiled over on ,december #ae1 #aihi1 when the ,noriega-led ,panamanian ,assembly declared ,panama to be in a state of war with the ,united ,states4 ,on ,december #af1 an off-duty ,united ,states ,marine was shot and killed by ,panamanian soldiers1 prompting ,president ,george ,bush to order ,operation ,just ,cause in the aftermath of this incident4 ,the ,united ,states would win the ensuing ground conflict1 gain control of the ,panama ,canal1 and force ,noriega's surrender on ,january #c1 #aiij4 ,however1 this operation came at a great cost1 as according to the ,pentagon's official tally1 #bc ,united ,states soldiers1 #cjj ,panamanian soldiers1 and #bad ,panamanian civilians were killed during the ,united ,states invasion4 ,some human rights groups also estimate the death toll amongst ,panamanian civilians to be far higher4 ,furthermore1 the ,united ,states repeated bombing of the impoverished ,panama ,city neighborhood ,el ,churillo during ,operation ,just ,cause destroyed approximately #d1jjj homes and displaced thousands more civilians1 resulting in ,panamanians nicknaming the neighborhood ,little ,hiroshima following the war4 #c4 ,establishment and duties 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established a ,commission to ,study and ,develop ,reconciliation ,proposals for ,misguided ,interventions in the ,americas 7in this ,act referred to as the ,commission74 7b7 ,duties ,the ,commission shall be responsible for the following duties3 7#a7 ,identifying1 documenting1 examining1 compiling1 and synthesizing the relevant body of evidentiary documentation relating to the ,united ,states interest in intervening in-- 7,a7 the #i conflicts in ,nicaragua1 ,mexico1 the ,dominican ,republic1 ,guatemala1 ,grenada1 and ,panama discussed in section #b of this ,act2 and 7,b7 any additional ,united ,states military involvement in nations in the ,caribbean1 ,latin ,america1 or ,south ,america that the ,commission1 via a majority vote at any meeting of the ,commission containing a quorum1 identifies as misguided and believes merits investigation and action by the ,commission4 7#b7 ,identifying1 documenting1 examining1 compiling1 and synthesizing the relevant corpus of evidentiary documentation relating to the ,united ,states military occupations identified in paragraph 7#a7 of this subsection1 as it pertains to-- 7,a7 the ,united ,states involvement in these nations internal affairs and its financial and military support to different rebellions and regime changes in these nations2 7,b7 the treatment of the native persons by both the ,united ,states military and under the regimes ushered in a result of ,united ,states military action1 including any repressions of basic rights and freedoms by ,united ,states-supported governments2 and 7,c7 the lingering negative effects of these ,united ,states-supported regimes on each individual nation's citizens1 collective psyche1 and society4 7#c7 ,recommending appropriate ways to educate the ,united ,states public on the ,commission's findings4 7#d7 ,recommending appropriate remedies in consideration of the ,commission's findings on the different ,united ,states military occupations described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of this subsection4 ,in making such recommendations1 the ,commission shall address among other issues1 the following questions3 7,a7 ,how such recommendations comport with international standards of remedy for wrongs and injuries caused by the ,united ,states ,government1 including repair and reconciliation efforts1 as understood by various relevant international protocols1 laws1 and findings4 7,b7 ,how the ,united ,states ,government may offer a formal apology on behalf of the people of the ,united ,states for the invasions and occupations studied by the ,commission for those occupations which the ,commission deems worthy of an apology4 7,c7 ,how the repercussions resulting from matters described in paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 of this subsection may be reversed and provide appropriate policies1 programs1 projects1 and recommendations for the purpose of reversing the effects of the invasions and occupations4 7c7 ,report to congress ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,commission shall submit to ,congress a written report of its findings and recommendations under this section4 7d7 ,membership 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,stated members ,the following shall be members of the ,commission3 7i7 ,the ,under ,secretary for ,western ,hemisphere ,affairs of the ,department of ,state4 7ii7 ,the current ,united ,states ,ambassadors to each of the sovereign nations studied by the ,commission4 7,b7 ,appointed members ,not later than #ij days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the following shall be members of the ,commission1 appointed as follows3 7i7 ,one member shall be appointed by the ,president of the ,united ,states4 7ii7 ,two members shall be appointed by the ,speaker of the ,house of ,representatives1 in consultation with the minority leader4 7iii7 ,two members shall be appointed by the majority leader of the ,senate1 in consultation with the minority leader4 7,c7 ,members under international cooperation ,the ,president shall seek to negotiate with the governments of previously occupied nations to seek1 to the extent practicable1 the following as members of the ,commission3 7i7 ,the ,ambassador to the ,united ,states for each sovereign nation being studied by the ,commission pursuant to subsection 7b77#a74 7ii7 ,the ,ambassador1 ,permanent ,representative to the ,organization of ,american ,states for each sovereign nation being studied by the ,commission pursuant to subsection 7b77#a74 7#b7 ,qualifications ,all members of the ,commission shall be persons who are especially qualified to serve on the ,commission by virtue of their education1 training1 activism1 or experience1 particularly in the fields of ,western ,hemisphere relations or reparatory justice4 7#c7 ,terms ,the term of office for members shall be for the life of the ,commission4 ,a vacancy in the ,commission shall not affect the powers of the ,commission and shall be filled in the same manner in which the original appointment was made4 7#d7 ,meetings ,the ,commission shall conduct its initial meeting not later than #cfe days after the date of enactment of this ,act4 ,the ,commission shall establish rules of procedure at such meeting4 ,all meetings of the ,commission shall be public4 ,the ,commission should meet not less often than #d times per year1 including virtual meetings called to order by either the entire ,commission or any member thereof4 7#e7 ,quorum ,more than half of the total members of the ,commission shall constitute a quorum for the purposes of holding a meeting in compliance with subsection 7d77#d71 but a lesser number may hold hearings4 7#f7 ,chair and vice chair ,the ,commission shall elect a ,chair and ,vice ,chair from among its members4 ,the term of office of each shall be for the life of the ,commission4 7#g7 ,compensation ,each member of the ,commission who is not an officer or employee of the ,federal ,government shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level ,,iv of the ,executive ,schedule under section #ecae of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 for each day 7including travel time7 during which such member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the ,commission4 ,all members of the ,commission who are officers or employees of the ,united ,states shall serve without compensation in addition to that received for their services as officers or employees of the ,united ,states4 7#h7 ,travel expenses ,the members of the ,commission shall be allowed travel expenses1 including per diem in lieu of subsistence1 at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter ,i of chapter #eg of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code1 while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of the duties of the ,commission4 7e7 ,powers of the commission 7#a7 ,hearings and sessions ,the ,commission may1 for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section1 hold such hearings and sit and act at such times and at such places in the ,united ,states1 and request the attendance and testimony of such witnesses and the production of such books1 records1 correspondence1 memoranda1 papers1 and documents1 as the ,commission considers appropriate4 ,the ,commission may invoke the aid of an appropriate ,united ,states district court to require1 by subpoena or otherwise1 such attendance1 testimony1 or production4 7#b7 ,powers of members ,any member of the ,commission may1 if authorized by the ,commission1 take any action which the ,commission is authorized to take by this subsection4 7#c7 ,obtaining official data ,the ,commission may acquire directly from the head of any department1 agency1 or instrumentality of the executive branch of the ,united ,states ,government1 available information which the ,commission considers useful in the discharge of its duties4 ,all departments1 agencies1 and instrumentalities of the executive branch of the ,united ,states ,government shall cooperate with the ,commission with respect to such information and shall furnish all information requested by the ,commission to the extent permitted by law4 7f7 ,termination ,the ,commission shall terminate #ij days after the date on which the ,commission submits its report to ,congress under subsection 7c74 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations 7#a7 ,in general ,there is authorized to be appropriated #bj1jjj1jjj to carry out this ,act4 7#b7 ,availability ,amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization under paragraph 7#a7 are authorized to remain available until the termination of the ,commission in accordance with subsection 7f74