Sample Letter to Congressional Candidates

Send this letter to congressional candidates in your district and state with LAWG’s candidate packet. Be sure to personalize your letter so that the candidate knows why you care about Colombia! Make sure to ask for a response from the candidate.

Download the sample letter in Word for easy modification.

[Date]

Dear Candidate XX,

As a resident of ________[city or town] and a constituent of the district you are seeking to represent in Congress, I would like to draw your attention to the issue of U.S. involvement in Colombia. I feel strongly about this matter of foreign policy and believe that U.S. policy toward Colombia should reflect American values of justice, human rights and peace. Colombia is not an election issue, but it is an important foreign policy question you will face if elected. I ask you to consider the human rights impact of U.S. policy as you determine your position.

Colombia is caught in a complex web of violence resulting in the most severe humanitarian crisis in the hemisphere. Approximately 3 million people have been forced to flee their homes in recent years, and human rights violations continue by all armed actors - guerilla, paramilitary and military. Since the inception of Plan Colombia in 2000, the United States has supported a military solution to Colombia's armed conflict and illegal drug trade. Over 80 percent of nearly $5 billion in U.S. assistance has gone directly to Colombian military and police forces. This includes funding for aerial drug spraying, an inhumane coca eradication program that has failed to eliminate coca production in the region or reduce the availability of drugs on U.S. streets. The relatively little economic (non-military) support that the United States has offered Colombia is more positive, but is not enough. The war in Colombia continues unabated, and despite the many destructive consequences of U.S. policy in Colombia and the drastic failure of the War on Drugs, Plan Colombia has not changed.

I believe that U.S. foreign policy in Colombia should be based in respect for human rights and justice. The U.S. Congress should shift its focus in Colombia. Instead of heavily funding the Colombian military, the United States should call for and assist in negotiations for a lasting peace. The balance of U.S. foreign aid should be shifted – military assistance should be drastically reduced and funds should instead be allotted for alternative development programs, judicial reform and aid to internally displaced persons, including Afro-Colombian and indigenous populations. The United States should assume a much stronger position on human rights and actively support the rights of victims of violence by, among other means of support, encouraging reparations programs and insisting upon the return of land to those who were violently forced to flee. Also, if we want to see a true end to illegal drug trafficking, drug treatment and prevention programs need to be prioritized at home in order to reduce demand, and alternative development programs prioritized in Colombia in order to move coca farmers permanently away from illicit crop production.

I have enclosed a copy of the Blueprint for a New Colombia Policy, a publication that outlines how the direction of U.S.-Colombia policy could be improved.

Thank you in advance for considering these perspectives. You may reach me at [provide contact information].

Sincerely,

Personalize your letter!

If you have been to Colombia or have a personal connection to the country through your church or a local organization, be sure to include that in your candidate letter! It will add a personal touch to your message and help your legislator-to-be understand why you care about this issue. Here are some ideas of what you could include:

• If you have been to Colombia, briefly describe why you were there and what you observed. Also mention what Colombians may have told you about the role of the United States in their country.

• If you are you a member of a church or other place of worship that has a partners in Colombia, talk about this connection and why you feel that solidarity with people of faith in Colombia is important. Many Colombian churches and religious leaders are taking on great risks to pave the way for peace.

• Does your town or community have partnerships in Colombia? Talk about the relationship your school, community or labor union has in Colombia. Convey the challenges that your sister community/group faces.

• If you are you a long-time peace activist who believes in promoting human rights and justice in Latin America, discuss your beliefs and how you want them reflected in U.S. foreign policy toward Colombia. Emphasize the fact that the lives and security of Colombian human rights defenders and peace activists are constantly threatened.

To read more on Colombia, visit LAWG's Colombia page.

Return to the Raising the Issue with Candidates page on Colombia Policy page