For over a decade Mr. Marroquín has conducted educational visits to the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly and the Executive branch to ensure Salvadorans living abroad were able to exercise their right to participate in national elections. Finally in 2012 a law passed enabling Salvadoran immigrants to participate in elections by casting their votes in the countries where they reside. Similarly, he contributed to educating US Congressional members on El Salvador’s 2014 Presidential elections. Fifty-one US Congress members signed a “Dear Colleague Letter” addressed to Secretary of State John Kerry, which called on the US Government to maintain a neutral position in regard to the Salvadoran electoral process and to respect its outcome. In 2013 and 2014, Mr. Marroquín’s leadership helped to provide opportunities for Salvadoran Americans to learn more about US foreign relations and specifically US economic development strategies for the Central American region. A nation-wide coalition was built with the participation of Salvadoran Americans from nine states and 23 community organizations. This effort was also supported by hundreds of community members who for the first time followed the Salvadoran Presidential electoral campaign. Once again it is an honor to welcome Mr. Werner Marroquin as a new Community Scholar to the UCLA NAID CENTER.
Raúl Hinojosa Ojeda, PhD. Founder and Director UCLA NAID Center & Associate Professor UCLA César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies