Members of the Stop Cafta Coalition held a rally and press conference May 11th, 2005, at 870 Market St., the San Francisco consulate offices for most Central American countries. Photos Presidents from Central America were visiting the U.S. to lobby Congress to vote in favor of CAFTA. Speakers at the rally emphasized how the majority of people in Central America are opposed to CAFTA, despite what their presidents say. The Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA also known as DR-CAFTA) would create a trade and investment bloc that includes Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and the United States.

San Francisco Bay Area groups demonstrated at House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office in the Federal Building in San Francisco May 26th urging Congress not to pass CAFTA. Photos Two days later, May 28th, when President Bush signed the agreement, she stated her opposition: "The countries of Central America have inadequate, poorly-enforced labor and environmental laws that do not follow international standards. As such, enforcement in these areas must be written into CAFTA rather than just asking the countries to police themselves." CAFTA must be ratified by majority vote of both houses before it would go into effect.

Anti-CAFTA activists report that the Republican leadership is pushing to introduce CAFTA in June. They have called May 28: "A Bitter Birthday for Bush's CAFTA Bill." It has been a year since CAFTA was signed, and a nationwide movement against CAFTA has made it so the Administration hasn't been able to get the votes it needs to pass it in Congress. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has indicated that the Committee is tentatively considering a "mock markup" of CAFTA for June 14, 2005. Anti-CAFTA organizers believe that if the US realizes that there aren't enough votes to pass CAFTA, it may never come up for a vote. However, not all representatives' planned votes are known. The Stop CAFTA Coalition is encouraging people to meet with their senators or representatives during the Memorial Day recess or to hold protests to get their concerns heard. More info on the Stop CAFTA Website and the CISPES website.