Adam Isacson

(Even more here)

June 28, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “Two Soldiers Died by Suicide Along the Mexico Border, Me Says” (Associated Press, Military Times, June 28, 2019).

A medical examiner says two soldiers helping secure the Mexico border in Arizona died by suicide

• Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Emily Cochrane, “House Passes Senate Border Bill in Striking Defeat for Pelosi” (The New York Times, June 28, 2019).

Speaker Nancy Pelosi capitulated to Republicans and Democratic moderates and dropped her insistence on stronger protections for migrant children in overcrowded border shelters

• Riane Roldan, “June Has Been a Deadly Month for Migrants Crossing the Border Into Texas” (The Texas Tribune, June 28, 2019).

As migrants continue arriving at the Texas-Mexico border, drownings have spiked in recent weeks, with nine people drowning in El Paso-area canals this month alone. Border Patrol and soldiers have rescued others

Brazil

• Terrence Mccoy, “Cocaine, Leaks and Opposition: Brazil’s Bolsonaro Challenged by Scandal, Defeats” (The Washington Post, June 28, 2019).

Another week in Brazil, another scandal consuming the young presidency of Jair Bolsonaro

Colombia

• “Gobierno de Colombia Dara Mas Proteccion a Exguerrilleros de las Farc Tras Asesinatos” (Associated Press, El Universo (Ecuador), June 28, 2019).

Duque señaló a la prensa desde Medellín que “a los criminales que están detrás de asesinatos de líderes sociales, excombatientes de las FARC y cualquier colombiano, los vamos a enfrentar”

• Tatiana Duque, “Los Asesinatos de Exfarc Ponen en Vilo la Verdad Que Busca la Jep” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), June 28, 2019).

Durante las últimas dos semanas, dos excombatientes de las Farc fueron asesinados en Cauca y tres en Nariño, todos de la misma forma: a disparos y por sicarios

Guatemala, Mexico

• “Chairman Engel, Nadler, and Thompson Call on Trump to End Unlawful Safe Third Country Negotiations” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Democratic Office, June 28, 2019).

The State Department’s most recent Human Rights Reports on Guatemala and Mexico make it clear that these countries do not meet the legal standards required for safe third country agreements

Honduras

• Carlos Dada, “Los Ninos Con Piedras se Unen a las Protestas en Honduras” (El Faro (El Salvador), June 28, 2019).

Estudiantes con edades que van de los 11 a los 18 años se han unido a las protestas en un país militarizado, en el que se respira gas lacrimógeno

Mexico

• Alberto Pradilla, “Casa del Migrante en Sonora Acusa Que Guardia Nacional Intento Irrumpir en Albergue” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 28, 2019).

Los albergues de la zona norte denuncian que elementos de la Guardia Nacional quisieron entrar a las instalaciones de Agua Prieta. El gobierno no ofrece explicaciones

• Ángeles Mariscal, “Cierran el Paso a Migrantes Que Suben al Tren” (Aristegui Noticias, June 28, 2019).

‘¡Ejército! ¡Están rodeados! ¡Están rodeados!’, gritan a migrantes durante operativo de detención en Palenque, Chiapas

• Arturo Angel, “Guardia Nacional Iniciara Sin Reglamento, Con Dudas Sobre su Estado de Fuerza y Capacitacion” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 28, 2019).

Las autoridades no han transparentado los detalles sobre los cursos de capacitación y procesos de evaluación de los elementos de la Guardia Nacional

• Stephania Taladrid, “The Violence Beat” (Columbia Journalism Review, June 28, 2019).

Since Turati began chronicling the conflict, it has claimed almost 250,000 lives. More than 40,000 people are missing

• Joel Rose, “Trump Administration’s ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy Leaves Migrants Confused, Scared” (National Public Radio, June 28, 2019).

More than 6,000 migrants have been returned to Juarez so far. Most of them are poor, are staying in shelters run by churches in town, waiting for their days in court

• Cedar Attanasio, “‘It’s Not Safe Here.’ Migrants Detail Violence They Face as U.S. Makes Them Wait in Mexico” (Associated Press, Time, June 28, 2019).

Cartel violence in Juarez is down from its height five years ago, but it is still one of the most dangerous cities in the world

Venezuela

• Brian Ellsworth, Mayela Armas, “Special Report: Why the Military Still Stands by Venezuela’s Beleaguered President” (Reuters, Reuters, June 28, 2019).

In a series of actions that began in 1999, the former lieutenant colonel and one-time coup leader began taming the military by bloating it, buying it off, politicizing it, intimidating the rank and file, and fragmenting the overall command

• “Jefe del Comando Sur Asegura Que Venezuela Requiere de “Paciencia Estrategica”” (EFE, El Estimulo (Venezuela), June 28, 2019).

“La jefatura ha sido clara, todas las opciones están sobre la mesa. Y estas opciones incluyen un amplio abanico de herramientas y políticas. Ya veremos cómo se desarrollan, pero -como militar- mi trabajo es estar preparado”

(Even more here)

June 25, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Jonathan Blitzer, “Ice Agents Are Losing Patience With Trump’s Chaotic Immigration Policy” (The New Yorker, June 25, 2019).

Preparations that would typically take field officers six to eight weeks were compressed into a few days, and, because of Trump’s tweet, the officers would be entering communities that now knew they were coming

• Dan Restrepo, Trevor Sutton, Joel Martinez, “Getting Migration in the Americas Right” (Center for American Progress, June 25, 2019).

Advancing U.S. national interests requires a fundamental reassessment of current and recent approaches in the Americas, beginning with abandoning the policies of the current U.S. administration that are impeding effective national and regional responses to migration

• Clara Long, Nicole Austin-Hillery, “We Went to a Border Detention Center for Children. What We Saw Was Awful” (CNN, June 25, 2019).

US Border Patrol is holding many children, including some who are much too young to take care of themselves, in jail-like border facilities for weeks at a time without contact with family members, regular access to showers, clean clothes, toothbrushes, or proper beds. Many are sick

Colombia

• Megan Janetsky, “They Were Raped During Colombia’s Civil War. Now They Want Justice for Their Children.” (Public Radio International, June 25, 2019).

They called for the government to pay monetary reparations — compensation for war damages — to both sexual abuse survivors and children born as results of the abuse

• “Ejercito Traslada Base Militar por Denuncias de Abusos en el Catatumbo” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 25, 2019).

El plazo para desmontar esta guarnición en El Carmen (N. de Santander) es de siete días Por supuestos casos de abusos que van desde ocupación de bienes indígenas hasta graves hechos de tortura, atribuidos a miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas, el Ejército Nacional acordó este fin de semana trasladar una base militar, ubicada en zona rural del municipio de El Carmen

• Natalia Herrera Durán, “Maria del Pilar Hurtado, la Lider Que Habia Denunciado “Casas de Pique”” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 25, 2019).

La madre asesinada el viernes 21 de junio era María del Pilar Hurtado, una líder comunitaria de la Fundación de Víctimas Adelante con Fortaleza (Funviavor) del Cauca que se había desplazado a Tierralta (Córdoba) hace un año

• Juanita Velez, Adelaida Avila Cabrera, “Mientras la Quieren Tumbar, la Jep Esta por Senalar Culpables” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), June 25, 2019).

Ya abrió siete macro casos, que involucran a más de la mitad de las 11.827 personas que se han sometido a ella, 9.704 de las Farc y 2.059 de la Fuerza Pública. La idea es abrir otros para abarcar a todos los llamados comparecientes

Colombia, Ecuador

• “Fuerzas Armadas de Ecuador y Colombia Hacen Ejercicio para Detener las Narcoavionetas” (El Universo (Ecuador), June 25, 2019).

Ecuador pone en práctica el funcionamiento de planes de interdicción a través de la flota de aviones Super Tucano, que de acuerdo con Oswaldo Jarrín, ministro de Defensa, ya ha dejado algunos resultados

Honduras

• “Policia Militar Ataca Con Bala Viva a Estudiantes y Viola Autonomia de la Unah” (El Heraldo (Honduras), June 25, 2019).

A los minutos se escucharon los llantos, había varios heridos de bala, cuatro estudiantes con edades entre 21 y 22 años que fueron trasladados al Hospital Escuela, con heridas en las piernas, glúteos y otras partes de cuerpo

• Ryan Dube, “Honduras’s Leader Struggles With Ills That Drive Migration” (The Wall Street Journal, June 25, 2019).

The White House and State Department have praised Mr. Hernández for fighting cocaine traffickers and reducing the homicide rate. U.S. diplomat Kimberly Breier thanked the president in April for “empowering Hondurans to build their future at home”

• Sandra Cuffe, “Honduras Protest Crackdown: Five Things to Know” (Al Jazeera, June 25, 2019).

Protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez are likely to continue as the anniversary of the 2009 coup approaches

Mexico

• “Nueva Evidencia de Tortura en el Caso Ayotzinapa Reafirma la Urgencia de Investigar a Funcionarios Que Incurrieron en Violaciones a Derechos Humanos y Obstruyeron la Busqueda de la Justicia y Verdad” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mexico Field Office, June 25, 2019).

Desde el viernes pasado diversos medios de comunicación publicaron un video que expone la tortura en contra de uno de los detenidos por el caso Ayotzinapa, Carlos Canto Salgado, por tres individuos

• Adolfo Flores, “Mexico Is Deploying 15,000 Troops to the Border to Stop Immigrants From Reaching the Us” (BuzzFeed, June 25, 2019).

Monday’s press conference appeared to mark the first time Mexican officials have disclosed they were sending troops to its border with the US

Nicaragua

• “Editorial: Las Sanciones y el Ejercito” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), June 25, 2019).

Según analistas políticos, el caso de Mojica es el más importante porque la sanción es una advertencia indirecta que envía EE. UU. a los altos mandos del Ejército de Nicaragua, de que también podrían ser sancionados por su complicidad con la dictadura

Venezuela

• Anthony Faiola, “Maduro’s Ex-Spy Chief Lands in U.S. Armed With Allegations Against Venezuelan Government” (The Washington Post, June 25, 2019).

Figuera arrived in the United States on Monday armed with allegations about Maduro’s government: The illicit gold deals. The Hezbollah cells working in Venezuela. The extent of Cuban influence inside Maduro’s Miraflores Palace

(Even more here)

June 24, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “Editorial: There’s No Excuse for Mistreating Children at the Border. Here’s What to Do About It.” (The New York Times, June 24, 2019).

President Trump has promoted policies that undermine all these goals, and Congress has failed to agree on a coherent vision. You can help turn that around. Here’s how

• Serena Marshall, Lana Zak, Jennifer Metz, “Doctor Compares Conditions at Immigrant Holding Centers to ‘Torture Facilities’” (ABC News, June 24, 2019).

The disturbing, first-hand account of the conditions were observed by lawyers and a board-certified physician in visits last week to border patrol holding facilities in Clint, Texas, and McAllen

• Caitlin Dickerson, “‘There Is a Stench’: No Soap and Overcrowding in Detention Centers for Migrant Children” (The New York Times, June 24, 2019).

A chaotic scene of sickness and filth is unfolding in an overcrowded border station in Clint, Tex., where hundreds of young people who have recently crossed the border are being held

• Ken White, “Why a Government Lawyer Argued Against Giving Immigrant Kids Toothbrushes” (The Atlantic, June 24, 2019).

The sheer effrontery of the government’s argument may be explained, but not excused, by its long backstory

• Chantal Da Silva, “Border Patrol Agents Find Woman and Three Children Dead Near Border” (Newsweek, June 24, 2019).

Guerra’s statement on the deaths came ten hours after the sheriff warned of a “dangerous heat advisory,” asserting that people in the area should “avoid outdoor activities”

• Lomi Kriel, Dug Begley, “Trump Administration Still Separating Hundreds of Migrant Children at the Border Through Often Questionable Claims of Danger” (The Houston Chronicle, June 24, 2019).

More than 700 children were taken from their parents or, in a few cases, from other relatives between June 2018 and May 2019

Brazil

• Daniel Schweimler, “Police Violence Worsens in Brazil’s Poor Neighbourhoods” (Al Jazeera, June 24, 2019).

Despite many questionable police killings, no Rio de Janeiro police officer has yet been convicted or jailed

Colombia

• “Operacion Silencio” (Semana (Colombia), June 24, 2019).

SEMANA revela los detalles del cerco de amenazas y presiones sobre los militares que están denunciando los falsos positivos y actos de corrupción en el Ejército. ¿Por qué los quieren callar y qué información tienen?

Colombia, Cuba

• “Gobierno Pide a Fiscalia Tramitar Extradicion de Negociadores del Eln” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 24, 2019).

‘Pablo Beltrán’ y el alto comisionado, Miguel Ceballos, se refirieron a esta solicitud“A nosotros nos mandaron acá en Cuba a hacer negociaciones de paz, con una agenda que ya estaba firmada y sigue firmada, nosotros nos enteramos de esa acción aquí en Cuba, por supuesto no sabíamos, nos enteramos acá”, detalló ‘Beltrán’

Colombia

• Carolina Avila Cortes, “Hay Mas de 300 Posibles Victimas de Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales en la Region Caribe” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 24, 2019).

Este es el departamento con mayor número de víctimas y aseguran que bajo la comandancia de Nicacio Martínez, en la X Brigada Blindada, 58 personas fueron asesinadas y presentadas como exguerrilleros o extorsionistas

• “¿Ejecutados? Semana Encontro Nuevas Denuncias Sobre Posibles Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales” (Semana (Colombia), June 24, 2019).

Arauca y Tumaco son los escenarios de hechos que dejan muchas dudas y que tendrá que investigar la Fiscalía y Procuraduría

Colombia, Venezuela

• Dylan Baddour, “Colombia’s Border Czar Stands Against the Anti-Migrant Tide” (The Atlantic, June 24, 2019).

Muñoz has now spent 16 months through two presidential administrations leading his nation’s efforts to respond to the migration crisis. He is upbeat, though there are few hints that the flow of Venezuelans will stop anytime soon

Colombia

• “¿por Que los Quieren Callar?” (Semana (Colombia), June 24, 2019).

Los militares que están confesando en la JEP cómo participaron en los falsos positivos son blanco de amenazas y presiones. ¿Qué están contando que es tan incómodo?

• Julieta Pelcastre, “Colombian Navy Boosts Tactical Land Mobility” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), June 24, 2019).

The U.S. delivered 12 Humvees to strengthen the Colombian Navy’s tactical land mobility. These vehicles will be operational in mid-June 2019

Cuba

• Anthony Faiola, “As Sanctions Bite in Cuba, the U.S. — Once a Driver of Hope — Is Now a Source of Pain” (The Washington Post, June 24, 2019).

The lawn of the Nicaraguan Embassy — a launch point for migrants seeking to enter the United States via Mexico — is overflowing with visa applicants

Guatemala

• Alleen Brown, “She Defended Her Land Against a Mine in Guatemala. Then She Fled in Fear for Her Life.” (The Intercept, June 24, 2019).

For years, Tahoe Resources argued that there were no Xinca people left in the communities surrounding the mine who would require any consultation. They were wrong

Mexico

• Maya Averbuch, Kirk Semple, “Mexico’s Crackdown at Its Southern Border, Prompted by Trump, Scares Migrants From Crossing” (The New York Times, June 24, 2019).

Immigrants’ advocates anticipated that the increasing presence of security forces would continue to drive down the number of people trying to migrate north, but they expected that in time, the flows would rebound

• Oliver de Ros, “Mexico Officials Detain More Migrants as Crackdown Steps Up” (Associated Press, Associated Press, June 24, 2019).

Many of the National Guardsmen are soldiers and police officers who now wear black armbands indicating they are part of the National Guard

Belize, Guatemala, Mexico

• Jacobo Garcia, Teresa de Miguel, Fred Ramos, “El Caribe Turbio” (El Pais (Spain), June 24, 2019).

Este especial describe la enigmática realidad que se levanta a pocos pasos de los centros turísticos más importantes del mundo

Mexico

• “Deportations After Deal: A New Reality in Mexico” (BBC (UK), June 24, 2019).

Photojournalist Encarni Pindado has seen the impact of the harsher policies on the people making their journey north.

• Lizbeth Diaz, “Two More Border Cities Added to U.S.-Mexico Asylum Program: Sources” (Reuters, Reuters, June 24, 2019).

The policy known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), or Remain in Mexico, will be implemented later this week in Nuevo Laredo in the northern state of Tamaulipas

Venezuela

• “Army and Police Officials ‘Detained’ in Venezuela” (BBC (UK), June 24, 2019).

Activists say six officials have been detained as President Maduro intensifies a crackdown on dissent Six members of Venezuela’s military and police have been arrested, activists say, weeks after a failed uprising against President Nicolás Maduro

• James Dobbins, “Preparing for a Venezuela After Maduro” (Foreign Affairs, June 24, 2019).

There is no sign that the Trump administration set any post-conflict preparation in train before U.S. officials began issuing musing about military action, or even that they have now done so

• Admiral Craig Faller, “Ussouthcom Commander Admiral Craig Faller Message to the Venezuelan Military” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), June 24, 2019).

I hope the day comes soon when we can welcome you back into our hemisphere’s professional brotherhood-of-arms. We look forward to Venezuela’s return to the family of democracies in this hemisphere

(Even more here)

June 18, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Priscilla Alvarez, Geneva Sands, “Trump Admin Considers Temporary Courts Along the Southern Border” (CNN, June 18, 2019).

Site assessments have been completed for almost all the ports of entry to determine where such temporary immigration courts, described by sources as “soft-sided,” would be needed

Colombia

• Tatiana Duque, Juanita Velez, “Gentil Duarte Da un Paso Mas para Revivir a las Farc” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), June 18, 2019).

La disidencia de Gentil Duarte, que es la más grande del país, se está consolidando en Putumayo, está dando los primeros pasos para entrar a Cauca y por medio de su aliado Iván Mordisco llegó hasta Nariño

• Sebastian Forero Rueda, “La Verdad de las Mujeres en la Guerra, en Manos de Justicia Transicional” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 18, 2019).

La Jurisdicción Especial de Paz y la Comisión de la Verdad reciben este martes, 18 de junio, cinco informes sobre violencia contra mujeres indígenas, afrodescendientes, exiliadas y defensoras de derechos humanos que recogen más de 900 testimonios

• “Gobierno Planea Retomar Aspersion Con Glifosato En “Cuestion de Semanas”” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 18, 2019).

Según reveló Botero, la aspersión se retomaría en julio

Ecuador

• Pablo Jaramillo Viteri, Chris Kraul, “Ecuador Defends Decision to Let the U.S. Use the Galapagos Islands for Anti-Drug Flights” (The Los Angeles Times, June 18, 2019).

Ecuador signed the new agreement with the U.S. last year, but it was detailed only at a little-noticed news conference in April

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

• Matthew Lee , “Us Restores Some Aid to el Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala” (Associated Press, Associated Press, June 18, 2019).

The State Department said that after a review of more than $615 million in assistance that President Donald Trump ordered in March to be cut entirely, it would go ahead with $432 million

Guatemala

• Sandra Cuffe, “Guatemala Arrests Fugitive Ex-Military Chief Accused of Genocide” (Al Jazeera, June 18, 2019).

Luis Enrique Mendoza, on the run since 2011, faces charges for his alleged role in 1982 massacre of Maya Ixil people

• MartÍn RodrÍguez Pellecer, “Habra Otro Invierno en el Gobierno, el Pacto Es Castigado, y Otras Sorpresas de la Eleccion” (Nomada (Guatemala), June 18, 2019).

No hay mucho qué celebrar para la alianza conocida como el Pacto de Corruptos en el Congreso. Y hubo un voto de protesta que no puede ser ignorado

• Gabriel Labrador, “Guatemala se Resigna en las Urnas a Ver Morir a la Cicig” (El Faro (El Salvador), June 18, 2019).

El resultado probablemente condena a muerte a la Comisión Contra la Impunidad, pieza clave de la lucha contra la corrupción en los últimos diez años

Mexico

• Alonso Urrutia, “Asumira el Gobierno Control de Albergues para Indocumentados: Amlo” (La Jornada (Mexico), June 18, 2019).

Había casos, dijo, de organizaciones no gubernamentales dedicada a apoyos a migrantes a quienes se le entregaban los recursos y el dinero nunca llegó a los migrantes

• Alberto Pradilla, “Todos Alerta: Migrantes Eluden Retenes en la Carretera y Corren en un Intento de Abordar el Tren” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 18, 2019).

En una de las salidas de Huixtla, Chiapas, migrantes centroamericanos se aferran a la posibilidad de abordar el tren, para avanzar en su ruta hacia el norte

• Maria Verza, “Overcrowding, Abuse Seen at Mexico Migrant Detention Center” (Associated Press, Associated Press, June 18, 2019).

Located in the city of Tapachula, near the border with Guatemala, it’s a secretive place off-limits to public scrutiny where cellphones are confiscated and journalists aren’t allowed inside

• Nick Miroff, “Arrests Along Mexico Border Are Falling, Preliminary Figures Show” (The Washington Post, June 18, 2019).

U.S. authorities detained more than 85,000 “family unit” members at the border in May, an average of nearly 2,800 per day. That number has declined about 13 percent since the beginning of June

• Alejandro Lazo, “Mexican Shelters Strained by Migrants Struggle With U.S. Returnees” (The Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2019).

Shelters in Mexico are already overcrowded, and resources are thin in border communities such as Tijuana

• Maria Sacchetti, “‘the American Dream Has Turned Into Hell’: In Test of a Deterrent, Juarez Scrambles Before U.S. Dumps Thousands of Migrants” (The Washington Post, June 18, 2019).

More than 200 migrants were sent back to Juarez on Thursday, double the previous day, and officials expect as many as 500 migrants each day will be returned from El Paso to Juarez in coming weeks

• Ted Hesson, “Mexican Official Claims Gains in U.S. Border Enforcement” (Politico, June 18, 2019).

The Mexican official, who briefed reporters in Washington, said U.S. Border Patrol arrested 2,600 people per day after the agreement was struck on June 7. That would be a steep drop from the daily average of 4,300 border arrests in May

(Even more here)

June 17, 2019

Colombia

• Joe Parkin Daniels, “Journalist Finally Brings Attackers to Justice but Warns: ‘Colombia’s Sliding Backwards’” (The Guardian (Uk), June 17, 2019).

“When you see social leaders threatened, when you hear women threatened with rape if they don’t shut up, when you see journalists attacked for not toeing the government line, it’s heartbreaking”

• “Jep Busca a 1.615 Militares y Policias Que No se Han Reportado” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 17, 2019).

Para mantener el beneficio de la libertad debían presentarse a la JEP y, a través de la Sala de Definición de Situaciones Jurídicas, concretar el régimen de condicionalidad mediante el cual se comprometen a garantizar la verdad, la reparación y la no repeticiónEllos obtuvieron su libertad o pasaron de una cárcel a una sede militar, y aún no responden

• Juan Jose Aux Trujillo, “Jep, en la Mira de un Referendo” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), June 17, 2019).

La recolección de firmas para el referendo que pretende hacer dos reformas constitucionales –una jurídica, en la que eliminaría la JEP, y una política, que transformaría el Congreso– ya inició

• “Ivan Marquez Pierde su Investidura de Congresista” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 17, 2019).

El Consejo de Estado tomó esta decisión luego de advertir que el exjefe de las Farc no se posesionó en el Congreso y la única excusa posible para su ausencia, que haya sido por “fuerza mayor”, no pudo comprobarse

• Hector Riveros, “La Declaracion del Coronel Acelero Todo” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), June 17, 2019).

El expresidente Álvaro Uribe anunció formalmente su intención de promover una modificación constitucional que revoque los poderes actuales -cortes y legislativo- y que cambie el componente de justicia (JEP)

Guatemala

• Sonia Perez D., “Ex-First Lady Leads Guatemalan President Vote, Runoff Likely” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, June 17, 2019).

With votes tallied from just over a third of polling centers, Sandra Torres had captured 24% of Sunday’s vote, followed by four-time presidential candidate Alejandro Giammattei with 15%

• Javier Corrales, “Guatemala: Nueve Vicios de las Elecciones Latinoamericanas en un Solo Ejemplo” (The New York Times, June 17, 2019).

Si una persona con poco conocimiento de América Latina quisiera enterarse de los males típicos de las elecciones presidenciales de la región, no tendría que ir más lejos que a Guatemala

• Nina Lakhani, “Thelma Cabrera: Indigenous, Female and Shaking Up Guatemala’s Election” (The Guardian (Uk), June 17, 2019).

The campesino leader is running for president in a country whose indigenous majority is chronically overlooked – and she has a chance of making the runoff

Mexico

• Maria Verza, Rebecca Blackwell, “Mexico Reinforces Migrant Checks Amid U.S. Pressure” (Associated Press, Time, June 17, 2019).

The Associated Press saw nearly 10 armed soldiers at a checkpoint near Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, in Chiapas state, wearing black armbands to indicate they are part of the National Guard

• Jude Webber, “Grim Border Trek Continues in Defiance of Mexico Crackdown” (The Financial Times (UK), June 17, 2019).

Mr Martínez’s brother is holed up in a hotel near Veracruz in south-eastern Mexico, with a party of three adults and three children, after being tipped off about a huge roadblock ahead. “When it’s that big, you can’t buy them off,” the coyote said

Peru, Venezuela

• Mitra Taj, “As Peru Tightens Its Border, Desperate Venezuelans Cling to Asylum Lifeline” (Reuters, Reuters, June 17, 2019).

A record 4,700 asylum claims were filed in Peru on Friday, part of more than 8,000 Venezuelans who entered the country that day

(Even more here)

June 7, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• James Laporta, “Exclusive: U.S. Marines Faced Down Armed Gunman at Mexico Border in Latest Threatening Encounter” (Newsweek, June 7, 2019).

Three individuals, one armed and aiming a firearm at U.S. service members in Yuma, Arizona were apprehended late last month

Colombia

• “Entrenamiento Militar Bajo Tortura: ¿Origen de Falsos Positivos?” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 7, 2019).

Expuso videos, testimonios y documentos que apuntan a que los entrenamientos militares se basan en la humillación, tortura y maltrato de los oficiales en curso, lo cual, en su concepto, contribuye a que estén dispuestos a matar sin contemplación

• “Lento Avance en Paz Enfria Relacion Gobierno- Comunidad Internacional” (El Tiempo (Colombia), June 7, 2019).

Lo que piensan algunos defensores del acuerdo de paz con las Farc es que hay un “desconcierto generalizado” en la comunidad internacional por la postura del gobierno de Iván Duque sobre la implementación de lo pactado en La Habana

• “Por Peticion de la Corte, Duque Firma Ley Estatutaria de la Jep” (Semana (Colombia), June 7, 2019).

El mandatario finalmente promulgó en silencio y a regañadientes la norma que trató de modificar con las fracasadas objeciones

• Nicolas Sanchez Arevalo, “Una Nueva Guerra en Choco: Lo Que Hay Detras del Desplazamiento de 417 Indigenas” (El Espectador (Colombia), June 7, 2019).

Huyen de combates entre el Eln y las disidencias de las Farc, lo que abriría una nueva confrontación en el sur del departamento

• German Arenas Usme, “El Placer: Pueblo Fantasma Lleno de Temor en Medio de la Selva de Putumayo” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), June 7, 2019).

Los habitantes de esa región todavía no han superado las secuelas del conflicto armado que padecieron hace un par de décadas y están sufriendo una nueva ola de violencia que ha producido más desplazamientos forzados

Cuba

• William M. Leogrande, “U.S.-Cuba: You Can’t Get There From Here” (AULA Blog (American University), June 7, 2019).

The biggest losers are the small entrepreneurs, intellectuals, and artists who have been agents of change on the island

El Salvador

• “El Salvador Stops Honouring the Leader of the el Mozote Massacre” (The Economist (Uk), June 7, 2019).

Mr Bukele’s order to take down Monterrosa’s name—which he announced on Twitter—signals an attempt to break with those parties’ legacies

Guatemala

• Nicholas Kristof, “‘Food Doesn’t Grow Here Anymore. That’s Why I Would Send My Son North.’” (The New York Times, June 7, 2019).

American carbon emissions are partly responsible for wretchedness in Guatemala that drives emigration, yet when those desperate Guatemalans arrive at the U.S. border they are treated as invaders

• Sandra Cuffe, “Us Agents’ Deployment to Stem Guatemalan Migration Raises Alarm” (Al Jazeera, June 7, 2019).

When asked about the Gonzalez letter indicating it was the Morales administration that requested troops, Morales scoffed, said journalists should ask the letter’s author and promptly left

Honduras

• “Gobierno Militariza Toda Honduras Como Si Tratase de un Estado de Sitio” (Criterio (Honduras), June 7, 2019).

Las principales ciudades de Honduras amanecieron este jueves llenas de elementos de la seguridad del Estado en momentos en que este país centroamericano se debate en una crisis política-social

Mexico

• David J. Lynch, Kevin Sieff, Nick Miroff, “Mexico Aims to Avoid Tariffs With Potential Deal Limiting Migrants Going North, Allowing U.S. to Deport Central American Asylum Seekers” (The Washington Post, June 7, 2019).

Any migrants who made it to the U.S. border generally would be deported to the appropriate third country. And any migrants who express a fear of death or torture in their home country would be subjected to a tougher screening standard

• Alberto Pradilla, Manu Ureste, “¿por Que Detuvieron a Irineo y Cristobal, Defensores de Derechos de Migrantes?” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 7, 2019).

Mujica y Sánchez están acusados de tráfico de personas y han sido vinculados a las caravanas; un fenómeno que, en la práctica, permite a los migrantes atravesar México sin recurrir a un coyote

• Leon Krauze, “Mexico’s Breaking Point?” (Slate, June 7, 2019).

Nothing would be a more indefensible concession than granting a potential request for Mexico to become a “safe third country” for Central American immigrants. McAleenan is mistaken: Mexico is not a safe country for refugees

• Azam Ahmed, Michael D. Shear, “Mexico and the U.S. Have Made Progress Toward Averting Tariffs” (The New York Times, June 7, 2019).

Guatemalans looking for refuge would have to apply for asylum in Mexico rather than the United States. And those fleeing El Salvador and Honduras would have to seek asylum in Guatemala rather than continuing on to Mexico or the United States

Venezuela

• Geoff Ramsey, “5 Takeaways From U.S. Individual Sanctions: A Key to U.S. Strategy in Venezuela” (Washington Office on Latin America, June 7, 2019).

Though offering sanctions relief to individuals emerges as a dominant tool of the U.S. government strategy in Venezuela, it remains to be seen how effective such offers can be at lowering exit costs