“Good Side” by Liz Phair (2019).
April 2020
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 30, 2020
Venezuela, Western Hemisphere Regional
- “Executive Order on Ordering the Selected Reserve of the Armed Forces to Active Duty” (The White House, April 30, 2020).
It is necessary to augment the regular Armed Forces of the United States for a named operational mission, specifically the “Enhanced Department of Defense Counternarcotic Operation in the Western Hemisphere”
Brazil
- Eduardo Simoes, Jake Spring, “Brazil to Deploy Troops to Protect Amazon as Deforestation Surges” (Reuters, April 30, 2020).
From January to March, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rose 51% from a year ago
- Diane Jeantet, “Under Pressure, Brazil’s Bolsonaro Revokes Police Nomination” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 30, 2020).
The ouster of the former police chief had led to the resignation of Bolsonaro’s highly popular justice minister, Sérgio Moro, who alleged political interference, pitching the administration into political turmoil
Brazil, Colombia, Mexico
- Andrés Bermúdez Liévano, “Covid-19 Crisis: Attacks on Environmental Defenders Continue in Latin America” (OpenDemocracy (UK), April 30, 2020).
At least five defenders of the environment have been killed in different Latin American countries since March 11, the date the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic
Colombia
- “Gobierno No Acogera Idea Uribista de Usar Recursos de la Paz para la Pandemia” (Colprensa, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 30, 2020).
En la plenaria de la Cámara, el representante uribista Edward Rodríguez, le propuso al gobierno que parte de esos 8 billones se redireccionen
- Luis Jaime Acosta, “Colombia to Offer Legal Benefits to Those Who Leave Gangs” (Reuters, The New York Times, April 30, 2020).
Colombia will offer individuals who leave crime gangs and rebel dissident groups legal benefits including reduced sentences in an effort to weaken illegal armed groups
- “Declaracion Publica Ante el Fin de la Tregua del Eln” (Comision de la Verdad (Colombia), April 30, 2020).
La Comisión de la Verdad expresa preocupación por la decisión del Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN) de retomar las acciones armadas a partir del 1 de mayo de 2020, después de una tregua unilateral de todo el mes
- “Statement by the Special Representative of the un Secretary-General in Colombia Carlos Ruiz Massieu” (Mision de la ONU en Colombia, April 30, 2020).
I, therefore, encourage the ELN to extend its ceasefire. I also call once again on all groups that generate violence to suspend their actions
- Javier AlexÁnder MacÍas, “Mas de 10.000 Desplazados Deja el Conflicto en Colombia en Tres Primeros Meses” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 30, 2020).
Según el documento, los departamentos más afectados por este fenómeno son, en su orden, Nariño, Chocó, Cauca, Norte de Santander, Antioquia y Caquetá. Además, OCHA informó que más de 100 personas fueron afectadas por minas antipersonal
- Ricardo Monsalve Gaviria, “Ilegales Han Buscado Acercamientos” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 30, 2020).
Mucho antes de conocerse esta determinación del Gobierno de Iván Duque, todos esos GAO, a excepción de las disidencias de las Farc, ya habían expresado su intención de una negociación con el Estado
- “Jep Arranca el Tramite para Proteger a Quienes se Sometieron a Esta Justicia y Estan en Riesgo” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 30, 2020).
De acuerdo con la Jurisdicción, a la fecha han sido asesinados 193 exmiembros de las Farc y han sido hostigados 16 integrantes de la fuerza pública
- Arshad Mohammed, Julia Symmes Cobb, Frank Jack Daniel, “Two Dozen People Deported to Colombia on U.S. Flight Found to Have Coronavirus: Sources” (Reuters, April 30, 2020).
Of the 64 migrants deported by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) on a March 30 flight, approximately 24 have tested positive for COVID-19
Colombia, Venezuela
- “Colombia Cools on Venezuelan Refugees” (The Economist (Uk), April 30, 2020).
The flight may return to its former level when covid-19 ravages Venezuela. But the next wave of migrants will find Colombia less welcoming
El Salvador
- Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), Rep. Albio Sires (D-New Jersey), “Engel & Sires Urge Salvadoran President to Respect Democratic Norms” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Democratic Office, April 30, 2020).
We are concerned by several recent actions that you have taken which jeopardize the human rights of the Salvadoran people and your country’s democracy
- “El Salvador: Covid-19 Doesn’t Excuse Bukele’s Attacks on Rule of Law” (Washington Office on Latin America, April 30, 2020).
While imprisoned gang leaders may be directing gang activity on the street, flouting harsh and abusive treatment of incarcerated populations does nothing to make Salvadorans safer
- Brendan o’boyle, “Behind Nayib Bukele’s “Shocking” Turn” (Americas Quarterly, April 30, 2020).
The strongman image projected by Bukele in recent months stands in contrast with the picture of the young, energizing change agent many in the international community saw him as before he took office
- Marcos Aleman, “El Salvador’s Jail Crackdown on Gang Members Could Backfire” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 30, 2020).
Experts warn that the popular president’s harsh move could backfire, unite the country’s powerful gangs against his government and return El Salvador to the days when it was one of the world’s deadliest countries
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico
- Mathieu Tourliere, “Inm Presume Liberacion de Migrantes; Fueron “Deportaciones Ilegales”: Sin Fronteras” (Proceso (Mexico), April 30, 2020).
Sin Fronteras deploró que el INM deportara de manera masiva a 3 mil 653 personas guatemaltecas, hondureñas y salvadoreñas –algunas solicitantes de asilo–, sin proteger a los grupos vulnerables
Honduras
- “Former Chief of Honduran National Police Charged With Drug Trafficking and Weapons Offenses” (U.S. Department of Justice, April 30, 2020).
On behalf of convicted former Honduran congressman Tony Hernandez and his brother the president, Bonilla Valladares oversaw the transshipment of multi-ton loads of cocaine
- Homeland Security Department, “Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the Republic of Honduras for Cooperation in the Examination of Protection Claims” (Federal Register, April 30, 2020).
Document is a PDF
Mexico
- “Mexico: Background and U.S. Relations” (Congressional Research Service, April 30, 2020).
Content is a PDF
- Alberto Pradilla, “Mexico Implementa la Politica Migratoria Con la Que Trump Sono” (The Washington Post, April 30, 2020).
México no tiene obligación legal de recibir a los centroamericanos expulsados, mucho menos de ser un eslabón más en la deportación exprés. Al aceptar las reglas de juego impuestas por Trump, participa en un sistema que niega derechos fundamentales como el de pedir asilo
Nicaragua
- “Nicaragua Is Promoting Illegal Land Grabs in Indigenous Territories – Report” (Associated Press, The Guardian, April 30, 2020).
Since 2015, more than 40 members of indigenous communities along Nicaragua’s northern Caribbean coast have been killed and many more wounded and kidnapped, according to the Oakland Institute
Peru
- “Peru Prison Riot Over Coronavirus Fears Leaves Nine Dead” (Agence France Presse, msn.com, April 30, 2020).
Nine inmates were killed and scores of guards wounded when rioting broke out at a prison in Lima after two inmates died from COVID-19
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Reynaldo Leanos Jr., “Advocates Say Trump Isn’t Wasting Time to Snatch Land for Border Wall Even During Pandemic” (National Public Radio, April 30, 2020).
Advocates say the administration is ramping up lawsuits against South Texas landowners to take their land for border wall construction and is accelerating the approval of construction contracts
Venezuela
- Corina Pons, Mayela Armas, “Venezuela Asks Bank of England to Sell Its Gold to u.n. For Coronavirus Relief – Sources” (Reuters, Reuters, April 30, 2020).
Venezuela is asking the Bank of England to sell part of the South American nation’s gold reserves held in its coffers and send the proceeds to the United Nations to help with the country’s coronavirus-fighting efforts
The day ahead: April 30, 2020
I’ll be around in the late morning and late afternoon. (How to contact me)
I’ll be sitting in on WOLA’s Colombia event at 12:00, and recording a podcast in the mid-afternoon. (After a two-week break, the podcasts are coming back.) When not doing that, I’ll be prepping for two podcasts tomorrow, working on a commentary about military roles in Latin America during coronavirus, and taking myself outside for a long run.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“Kyoto” by Phoebe Bridgers (2020).
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 29, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Jake Johnston, “Exporting Covid-19: Ice Air Conducted Deportation Flights to 11 Lac Countries, Flight Data Shows” (Center for Economic and Policy Research, April 29, 2020).
There were 232 likely ICE Air deportation flights to Latin America and Caribbean countries between February 3, 2020 and April 24, 2020
Brazil
- Tom Phillips, “Jair Bolsonaro Faces Inquiry Into Claims of Meddling With Police” (The Guardian, April 29, 2020).
“The president of the republic … is also subject to the laws, just like any other of the country’s citizens,” the supreme court judge Celso de Mello noted in his decision
- David Biller, Marcelo de Sousa, “Bolsonaro’s Latest Crisis Threatens Brazil’s Virus Response” (Associated Press, April 29, 2020).
As Brazil careens toward a full-blown public health emergency and economic meltdown, President Jair Bolsonaro has managed to add a third ingredient to the toxic mix: political crisis
- Terrence Mccoy, Heloisa Traiano, Marina Lopes, “For Brazil’s Bolsonaro, Isolated by Corruption Probe and Virus Denial, the Troubles Mount” (The Washington Post, April 29, 2020).
His behavior has overlaid the health and economic emergencies with a political crisis, pushing Brazil into a period of extraordinary volatility
- Tom Phillips, “‘So What?’: Bolsonaro Shrugs Off Brazil’s Rising Coronavirus Death Toll” (The Guardian, April 29, 2020).
“So what?” Jair Bolsonaro told reporters when asked about the record 474 deaths that day. “I’m sorry. What do you want me to do?”
Colombia
- “Autoridades Continuan en su Lucha Contra el Narcotrafico en Cuarentena” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 29, 2020).
Desde el pasado 16 de marzo, una semana antes de que se decretara la cuarentena por el COVID-19, la articulación entre Fiscalía y Fuerzas Militares ha dejado 25 operaciones contra redes criminales que se lucran del tráfico trasnacional de drogas
- Hanna Wallis, “Indigenous in Colombia Take on Armed Groups – and Coronavirus” (Al Jazeera, April 29, 2020).
More than 15,000 unarmed guardians from the Guardia Indigena (Indigenous Guardians or Guards), a civilian, community defence force, have mobilised throughout the country to prevent the virus from reaching Indigenous reserves
- “Gobierno Plantea Sometimiento Con Beneficios para Bacrim y Disidencias” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 29, 2020).
Así está contemplado en el decreto 601 de este martes, firmado por el presidente Iván Duque, en el cual se establece que el Alto Comisionado para la Paz y las personas autorizadas por él, deberán verificar la voluntad real de paz y reinserción
- “‘No Hay Ninguna Posibilidad de Dialogo Con Bacrim o Disidencias’” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 29, 2020).
No puede ser visto como un diálogo con esas organizaciones sino que se enfoca en darles las posibilidades a sus miembros de conseguir unos beneficios, que van más allá de lo judicial, si deciden volver a la vida regular
- “‘Habra Nueva Ruta para Someter Grupos Armados’: Alto Comisionado para la Paz” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 29, 2020).
Se exige el desmonte de estructuras heredadas del paramilitarismo y alternativas para sus miembros
- “El Secretario de Onu para la Prevencion de Genocidios Pretende Visitar Colombia” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 29, 2020).
Le preocupa sobre manera, los constantes homicidios contra líderes sociales y defensores de derechos humanos en departamentos como el Cauca, donde, en la última semana, fueron asesinados cuatro de ellos
Cuba
- Laura Kelly, “Biden Says He Would Return to Obama-Era Relations With Cuba” (The Hill, April 29, 2020).
“In large part, I would go back,” Biden said in an interview with a CBS affiliate in Miami. “I’d still insist they keep the commitments they said they would make when we, in fact, set the policy in place”
El Salvador
- Marcos Aleman, Christopher Sherman, “El Salvador Leader Fights Crime and Virus, Amid Criticism” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 29, 2020).
The most popular leader in Latin America is a slender, casually dressed millennial with an easy manner on Twitter and a harsh approach that critics call increasingly frightening
- Carlos Martinez, Oscar Martinez, Efren Lemus, “Piezas para Entender la Subita Alza de Homicidios” (El Faro (El Salvador), April 29, 2020).
Ante el desconcierto, el Gobierno optó por mostrar todo el músculo posible. El Faro conversó con policías, un funcionario y un líder pandillero para buscar piezas de este rompecabezas
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico
- “Deportation and Disease: Central America’s Covid-19 Dilemmas” (International Crisis Group, April 29, 2020).
Ideally, the U.S. and Mexico should immediately pause all deportations
Mexico
- Ioan Grillo, “The Specter of Mexico’s Coronavirus Crash” (The New York Times, April 29, 2020).
Besides the loss of jobs and savings, personal frustration and depression, could it translate to more malnutrition? And will this in turn lead to crime and unrest?
Nicaragua
- Lucia Navas, “¿Como Nos Afecta el «Vacio de Poder» en Nicaragua en Medio de la Crisis Sanitaria por el Covid-19? Esto Dicen los Analistas” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), April 29, 2020).
La parálisis de todas las instituciones carentes de un plan de respuesta para enfrentar la pandemia, lo que agrava la incertidumbre de los nicaragüenses con consecuencias a corto, mediano y largo plazo
U.S.-Mexico Border
- John Kruzel, “Court Weighs Democrats’ Challenge to Trump Wall Funding” (The Hill, April 29, 2020).
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday heard arguments over a Democratic challenge to the Trump administration’s use of defense funding to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border
- Connor o’brien, David Rogers, “Pentagon Pulls Money From Overseas Projects to Pay for Border Wall” (Politico, April 29, 2020).
The move, which is laid out in a memo dated Monday and obtained by POLITICO, drew an angry response from Democrats, who say the administration is “trampling” on Congress’ power of the purse
- Aaron Mehta, Valerie Insinna, “Dod’s Border Wall Funding Shift Hits Russia Deterrence Efforts” (Military Times, April 29, 2020).
The Pentagon is moving to scuttle nearly 19 more military construction projects ? including $274 million worth in Europe to deter Russia ? as a means to backfill a number of building projects at home that were deferred to pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall
- Laiken Jordahl, “New Drone Footage Shows Damage From Trump’s Wall in Remote Arizona Wildlands” (Center for Biological Diversity, April 29, 2020).
New drone footage shows border-wall construction blasting through a wildlife refuge and mountain range in one of the most remote regions of the United States, along a Mexican UNESCO biosphere reserve
Venezuela
- “Familiares Denuncian Que Gerentes de Pdvsa Detenidos en la Dgcim Fueron Torturados” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 29, 2020).
Los familiares desmienten a Saab y aseguran que Chirinos y Torrealba «han manifestado de manera clara, firme y contundente su inocencia». Asimismo, denuncian que Alfredo Chirinos y Aryenis Torrealba han sido torturados en los calabozos de la Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar
- “The Hemisphere Must Embrace Active Diplomacy to Defend the Rights of Venezuelans Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic” (Several organizations, Washington Office on Latin America, April 29, 2020).
As the current stalemate drags on, it has become clear that there can be no solution to Venezuela’s political crisis unless there is improved coordination between geopolitical actors, namely Russia, China, and the United States
- “Eeuu Comienza a Hacer Planes para Reabrir su Embajada en Caracas” (EFE, Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), April 29, 2020).
“Le pedí a mi equipo la semana pasada, que tenga nuestros planes listos para cuando el día llegue”, dijo Pompeo en una mesa redonda con un grupo reducido de medios
- Deisy Martinez, “Onu Reconoce Incapacidad de Maduro para Resolver Crisis Humanitaria, Afirman Internacionalistas” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), April 29, 2020).
El 28 de abril, en la sesión del Consejo de Seguridad se habló de la necesidad de expandir la presencia de la ONU en Venezuela y de un mayor acceso para llegar a más personas en situación vulnerable
The day ahead: April 29, 2020
I’m most reachable in the mid and late afternoon. (How to contact me)
I’m in 3 internal meetings with colleagues in the morning and lunch hour. Then I’m discussing some legislative strategy with another organization. Then, I’ll be at my desk. I’ll be recording 3 podcasts on Thursday and Friday and need to prepare for those, and I’ll be putting together a report on military roles in Latin America during the coronavirus era. Yesterday I finally caught up our Colombia peace page’s Timeline through the month of March (it looks pretty cool) and will do similar updates today for its Numbers page and list of Explainers.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“Brooklyn” by Katie Malco (2020).
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 28, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Eva Vergara, Maria Verza, “Virus Spreads Fear Through Latin America’s Unruly Prisons” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 28, 2020).
Latin America’s prisons hold 1.5 million inmates, and the facilities are often quasi-ruled by prisoners themselves because of corruption, intimidation and inadequate guard staffs
- Seth Robbins, “Why Is Us Sending Navy Warships to Thwart Drug Smugglers?” (InsightCrime, April 28, 2020).
The kind of firepower now being deployed is expensive for counterdrug operations — and is not the most effective, either
- “Study Projects Significant Impact on Immigrants and Local Health Care if Ice Detention Populations Are Not Decreased” (Government Accountability Project, April 28, 2020).
The study found that 72% of individuals are expected to be infected by day 90 under the optimistic scenario, while nearly 100% of individuals are expected to be infected by day 90 under a more pessimistic scenario
- Monique O. Madan, “Ice Tells Federal Judge the Court Has No Authority Over Its Detention Practices” (The Miami Herald, April 28, 2020).
“The report’s directives as to how ICE is to exercise its detention authority exceeds this court’s jurisdiction to adjudicate cases and controversies,” ICE attorneys said
Brazil
- Marina Lopes, “Brazil’s Supreme Court Authorizes Investigation of Bolsonaro” (The Washington Post, April 28, 2020).
Brazil’s supreme court has authorized an investigation of alleged corruption and obstruction of justice by President Jair Bolsonaro after the country’s outgoing justice minister accused him of attempting to interfere with federal police probes
Colombia
- “Carta Dirigida a Carlos Ruiz Massieu Representante Especial del Secretario General Mision de Verificacion en Colombia Naciones Unidas” (Defendamos la Paz (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
Defendamos la Paz se pronuncia en contra de designios para que las reformas del Acuerdo de Paz, que el Gobierno y el partido de Gobierno fracasaron en obtener por vía legislativa, se hagan realidad por la puerta de atrás, mientras la ciudadanía permanece concentrada en la pandemia
- “Audiencia Publica para Evaluar Reanudacion de Fumigaciones Aereas Con Glifosato No Puede Ser Virtual” (DeJusticia (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
Escudándose en la pandemia por el COVID-19, la ANLA propone que esta audiencia se haga por Facebook Live, Youtube y radios. Porque es inequitativo, inconstitucional y con efectos nefastos, pedimos que se suspenda este trámite
- “Sobre el Cumplimiento del Cese” (ELN (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
El Ejército de Liberación Nacional informa que el Cese el Fuego Unilateral…
- “Pese a Llamado de la Onu, Eln No Prolongara Cese al Fuego Unilateral” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
A través de un comunicado, esa guerrilla anunció que el próximo jueves 30 de abril finalizará el cese al fuego unilateral que había decretado el pasado 29 de marzo
- “Defensoria Alerta por “Arremetida Violenta” en Medio de la Pandemia” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
Preocupación en Cauca; el Pacífico nariñense; la zona del bajo Putumayo; el occidente de Antioquia y el Atrato chocoano
- Mariana Otoya, Mariana Valderrama, “Los Municipios Que Enfrentan el Virus y Luchan Contra la Violencia” (Instituto para las Transiciones Integrales, El Tiempo (Colombia), April 28, 2020).
Por causa del coronavirus, las regiones más apartadas del país y donde históricamente menos ha llegado el Estado pueden verse golpeadas simultáneamente en términos de salud, economía, seguridad alimentaria y sobre todo, en su esfuerzo de los últimos años por superar el conflicto armado
Colombia, Venezuela
- John Otis, “Thousands of Migrants Head Back to Venezuela to Flee Colombia’s Covid-19 Lockdown” (NPR, KCRW, April 28, 2020).
Things have gotten so bad that half of all Venezuelan migrants in Colombia face malnutrition or starvation, according to a new report from the World Food Program
- Ricardo Monsalve Gaviria, “Una Guerra Silenciosa Padecen Colombia y Venezuela en Frontera” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 28, 2020).
Contrabando, narcotráfico, trata de personas y confrontaciones entre grupos armados ilegales y autoridades venezolanas o colombianas es el pan diario en la frontera colombo-venezolana
El Salvador
- Wilfredo Pineda, “El Salvador Lines Up Semi-Naked Gang Members for Grim Prison Photos” (Reuters, April 28, 2020).
Right groups condemned El Salvador’s president on Monday for releasing startling photos of hundreds of jailed gang members stripped to underwear and pressed together in formation
- Jacobo Garcia, Carlos Salinas, “Bukele Autoriza a la Policaa a Matar Pandilleros en el Salvador Tras un Sangriento Fin de Semana” (El Pais (Spain), April 28, 2020).
El presidente de El Salvador decreta el estado de emergencia máxima en las cárceles tras el número de homicidios, al menos 40 en las últimas 72 horas, de los que se acusa a las maras
Guatemala
- Jeff Abbott, “Unwelcomed in Us – and at Home: Deported Guatemalans Face Threats” (Al Jazeera, April 28, 2020).
At least 100 migrants deported from the US have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Guatemalan officials. For many, the stigma they faced by some in the US has now followed them back to their homes in Guatemala
Mexico
- “Despite Pandemic Restrictions, People Fleeing Violence and Persecution Continue to Seek Asylum in Mexico” (UN High Commissioner for Refugees, April 28, 2020).
Even though border restrictions in Central America have meant a 90 per cent drop in average weekly asylum claims in Mexico in April, hundreds of people continue to apply for refugee status in the country
- Vanda Felbab-Brown, “Mexican Cartels Are Providing Covid-19 Assistance. Why That’s Not Surprising.” (The Brookings Institution, April 28, 2020).
The fact criminal groups do not necessarily seek to topple a government or have an ideology does not mean that they do not seek to build influence with populations and governments
- Juan Jesus Garza Onofre, Sergio Lopez Ayllon, Issa Luna Pla, Javier Martin Reyes, Pedro Salazar Ugarte, “Gobernar por Discurso” (El Universal (Mexico), April 28, 2020).
Más cerca de Santa Anna que de Juárez, el presidente quiere gobernar por decreto
- Gustavo de la Rosa, “Parte de Guerra Desde Ciudad Juarez” (Despacho Obrero y Derechos Humanos, SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 28, 2020).
En este estado y en esta ciudad, incapaces de proteger a sus ciudadanos, cada quien hace lo que le viene en gana, sólo necesita la suficiente fuerza política, económica o colectiva para evitar las consecuencias jurídicas
Nicaragua
- Lucia Navas, “Presupuestos del Ejercito y la Policia Orteguista Desmienten Que Prioridad del Regimen Sea la Salud” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), April 28, 2020).
El presupuesto para Defensa Nacional y el aparato represor del régimen como es la PO es 326 por ciento más que lo destinado a la compra de medicamentos para los hospitales y centros de Salud pública
U.S.-Mexico Border
- “Trump Administration Ducks and Dodges to Justify Wall Spending” (Politico, April 28, 2020).
Federal judges are being told so little in court proceedings that it’s hard for them to “follow the money.”
- Ryan Browne, “Pentagon Weighs Replacing Active Duty Troops on Us-Mexico Border With National Guard” (CNN, April 28, 2020).
The change could take place in September, according to one of the officials
- Mallory Falk, “Asylum Seekers in Mexico Worry About Waiting Longer in Dangerous Conditions Due to Covid-19” (KERA News, April 28, 2020).
In the past, if migrants experienced violence and persecution while waiting, they could try to get removed from the program by requesting something called a non-refoulement interview. COVID-19 has complicated the process
- Linda Chavez, Scott Roehm, “Trump’s Coronavirus Order Scapegoats Immigrants and Doesn’t Make Us Safer” (Center for Victims of Torture, Becoming American Initiative, USA Today, April 28, 2020).
Why are we turning away refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants rather than adopting sensible measures recommended by experienced public health experts
Venezuela
- Sergio Silva Numa, “Cifras de Presos Politicos en Venezuela Son Similares a las de Febrero” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 28, 2020).
La lista actualizada reporta 347 ciudadanos detenidos por delitos de conciencia
- Kejal Vyas, “Venezuela Appoints Alleged Drug Trafficker as Oil Minister” (The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2020).
Mr. El Aissami, who is also vice president for the economy and industry minister, has denied the charges
The day ahead: April 28, 2020
I should be reachable much of the day. (How to contact me)
No meetings today—the one day this week. I’m writing a new commentary about Latin American militaries’ roles in the COVID-19 crisis, and making many updates to features on our Colombia website.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“Somewhere” by Gum Country (2020).
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 27, 2020
Brazil
- Tom Phillips, “Bolsonaro in Fresh Crisis Over Son’s Alleged Links to Fake News Racket” (The Guardian, April 27, 2020).
Federal police investigators have identified his son as one of the alleged key members of a “criminal fake news racket” engaged in threatening and defaming Brazilian authorities
- Ernesto Londono, Leticia Casado, Manuela Andreoni, “‘a Perfect Storm’ in Brazil as Troubles Multiply for Bolsonaro” (The New York Times, April 27, 2020).
It remains unclear what the recent developments will mean for his support base, which includes evangelical Christians and a stable of military leaders he appointed to top jobs
Colombia
- “5.524 Ninos y Ninas Han Sido Desvinculados de Grupos Armados” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 27, 2020).
Según las cifras del Ministerio de Defensa, que van desde el 7 de agosto de 2002 hasta hoy, se han desvinculado de los grupos armados 4.695 adolescentes entre los 15 y 17 años, 817 que estaban entre los 11 y los 14 años y 12 niños que tenían entre 7 y 10 años
- Julie Turkewitz, “A One-Time Rebel of Colombia’s War Seeks Her Place in Peacetime” (The New York Times, April 27, 2020).
María Alexandra Marín says she joined the leftist FARC guerrillas at age 15 to escape machismo. Adjusting to civilian life has not been easy
- “Asi Va el Acuerdo de Paz: ¿se Ha Sentido el Silencio de los Fusiles Con las Farc?” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 27, 2020).
La comisión creada para la seguridad no arranca con vigor
- Santiago Torrado, ““la Implementacion de los Acuerdos de Paz Es Muy Ambiciosa, Muy Dificil, y Hay Que Insistir”” (El Pais (Spain), April 27, 2020).
“Uno no puede decir que la paz no llegó a ninguna parte del país, pero no llegó a estos territorios muy lejanos, pobres, donde hay ausencia del Estado y una situación muy difícil. Esto es lo que queda por hacer”
- Gwen Burnyeat, Andrei Gomez-Suarez, “Covid-19: A Window of Opportunity for Negotiations With the Eln?” (Rodeemos el Dialogo, April 27, 2020).
Peace is not a linear process. Even if these two unilateral gestures do not immediately bring the parties to a negotiation table, they give oxygen to pro-peace elements
- “Christoph Harnisch, el Suizo Que Le Aposto a la Paz en Colombia” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 27, 2020).
El jefe de la delegación del CICR deja sus labores en el país, y un legado en el trabajo por la paz
- “Suspenden Cuatro Directores de Cenac por Irregularidades en Contratos del Ejercito” (Colprensa, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 27, 2020).
Las investigaciones iniciaron desde el pasado 14 de abril, cuando se conoció la primera denuncia de presuntos sobrecostos en contratos relacionados con elementos de protección para los uniformados
- Armando Novoa Garcia, “El Estado de Emergencia y los Derechos Humanos” (Razon Publica (Colombia), April 27, 2020).
¿Se ha excedido el Gobierno? Aún en medio de la crisis, necesitamos preservar el Estado de Derecho y el régimen democrático
El Salvador
- “El Salvador Gangs ‘Taking Advantage of Pandemic’” (BBC (UK), April 27, 2020).
Police said that 24 murders had been reported on Friday, making it the deadliest day since President Bukele came to power in June 2019
Mexico
- Alma Munoz, Roberto Garduno, “La Jornada: Mas de 161 Mil Efectivos para Proteger el Estado de Derecho: Sedena” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 27, 2020).
La fuerza armada regular para combatir a la delincuencia organizada en territorio nacional asciende a 321 mil 636 elementos, expuso el general secretario de Defensa Nacional Luis Cresencio Sandoval
Central America Regional, Mexico
- Alberto Pradilla, “Inm Vacia las Estaciones Migratorias por Covid-19: Deportan a 3 Mil 653” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 27, 2020).
Lo que no aclara el boletín es cuántos de los centroamericanos deportados habían sido previamente entregados por Estados Unidos
Guatemala, Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border
- Lorena Arroyo, “El Coronavirus Anade un Nuevo Estigma a los Deportados” (El Pais (Spain), April 27, 2020).
A los migrantes que siguen llegando en autobús desde México, el Gobierno les hace chequeos médicos en los centros de retornados y, si no presentan síntomas de la enfermedad, les envían de regreso a sus comunidades
Mexico
- “Nuevo Ixcatlan, el Pueblo de Vereacruz Que Desde Hace Anos Vive Aterrorizado por las Desapariciones” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 27, 2020).
En el pueblito estiman que podrían ser más de 30 los desaparecidos durante los últimos 3 años
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Nicole Narea, “The Us Has Abandoned Asylum Seekers in Mexico During the Coronavirus Pandemic” (Vox, April 27, 2020).
Migrants are still afraid that the pandemic will rip through the camp and that they won’t have the medical resources to endure it
Venezuela
- Sofia Nederr, “Milicia Paso de Tres a Cuatro Millones en Cuatro Meses y Avanza en Control Territorial” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 27, 2020).
El número de milicianos no es auditable. Al mismo tiempo, da la idea de una fuerza de complemento convertida, en enero de 2020, en el componente de la Fuerza Armada Nacional (FAN) que supera al total de la organización castrense
- Sofia Nederr, “Fuerza Armada Fiscaliza Comercios Tras Orden de Maduro para el Control de Precios” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 27, 2020).
La Región Estratégica de Defensa Integral (REDI) Capital ordenó desplegar unidades de restitución de orden público en las áreas comerciales para evitar acciones desestabilizadoras que generen saqueos
- Barbara Boland, “Is Trump Using the U.S. Military for Regime Change in Venezuela?” (The American Conservative, April 27, 2020).
An examination of the timeline reveals the last month of U.S. policy towards Venezuela has been nothing if not chaotic
WOLA comment on the CDC border ban
Under something called an “Interim Final Rule,” the Trump administration has sealed the U.S.-Mexico border since March 20 to all “inessential” travel. This means those without proper travel documents are getting expelled in as little as 90 minutes.
These expulsions are happening even to people asking for asylum or protection in the United States. Right now our government is sending hundreds of people directly back to danger.
This rule comes with a public comment process, and last Thursday was the deadline for getting in comments. With the text linked here and as a PDF here, WOLA was among dozens of organizations to submit comments. While I doubt it will get the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services to alter the rule, the collection of comments from organizations, taken together, is a remarkable document.
The day ahead: April 27, 2020
I’ll be reachable in the early afternoon. (How to contact me)
I’ve got a long morning staff check-in, a lunchtime call, and an NGO coalition meeting in the late afternoon. In the intervening time, my to-do list says I’m quite behind in updating sections of our Colombia website, so I’d like to knock that out if I can.
Tweets that made me laugh the most this week
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“Like I Do” by Georgia Maq (2019).
Latin America-related online events this week
Monday, April 27
- 2:00 at atlanticcouncil.org: Brazil and Mexico: Domestic disinformation in the context of COVID-19 (RSVP required).
- 2:30 at Ignatian Solidarity Network Youtube channel: Migrants in the Americas & COVID19.
Tuesday, April 28
- 10:00–11:00 at stimson.org: Trends in Global Arms Transfers and Military Spending (RSVP required).
- 10:30–11:45 at wilsoncenter.org: Confronting COVID-19 in Brazil: Safeguarding Public Health, Social Welfare, and Economic Policy Amid a Political Crisis (RSVP required).
Wednesday, April 29
- 10:00–11:00 at thedialogue.org: Covid-19 and Human Rights in Latin America – A Conversation with Michelle Bachelet (RSVP required).
- 11:30–1:00 at thedialogue.org: La primera infancia y el Covid-19 – Respuestas a la emergencia (RSVP required).
Thursday, April 30
- 12:00–1:00 at cartercenter.org: Colombia’s Defiant Peace Communities: Strategies for Consolidating Peace Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic
“What do you do here at WOLA?”
WOLA launched a series of e-mail updates to supporters in which they profile staff members. Mine was the first to go—this went out a couple of days ago. Regular visitors to this site are already familiar with the musical recommendations near the bottom:
This week, we would like to introduce you to Adam Isacson, WOLA Director for Defense Oversight
What do you do here at WOLA?
The core of my work has been the same since the ’90s. I keep track of the U.S. relationship with Latin America’s militaries and police forces. Historically, this relationship has been incredibly close, under-scrutinized, and troubled. I do research and advocacy on anything around the region involving U.S. policy toward people who wear uniforms and carry guns.
That’s taken me in a lot of directions, from drug policy to migration response to peace processes. Some of it is closely overseeing U.S. military aid, digging through documents and interviewing people who are in charge of the programs. Some of it is going to some of the places where that aid is spent and, working with partners, talking to communities on the receiving end.
Those communities can be farmers fumigated with herbicides by coca eradication planes, social leaders threatened by military-tied paramilitaries, migrants turned back from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, or reformers worried that the power balance between civilians and soldiers is swinging back to the military. The countries I’ve gotten to know most over the years are the ones that get the most aid: Colombia, Mexico, and Central America’s Northern Triangle.
What led you to this work?
Growing up in New Jersey’s New York suburbs in a half-Jewish, half-Scots-Irish household, I have no family or childhood ties to Latin America. I’ve been interested in it, though, because I first became aware of the rest of the world as a kid in the 1980s. Central America was a front-page, lead the evening-news story almost every day when I was in junior high. I was bored in New Jersey, wanted to travel a lot when I grew up, and really upset that the United States-which I’d learned in elementary school stood for freedom and rights-was propping up these vicious dictators.
That all stuck with me. When I started college in 1988 and met my advisor for the first time, I said “I want to work on U.S. policy toward Latin America.” I never changed my mind.
Why are you proud to work at WOLA?
There’s nowhere else in the United States where you can share a workspace with 30 people who have such deep knowledge, curiosity, and love for Latin America. There are places where you can find 30 people who are experts about Latin America-government, for instance-but the curiosity and love aren’t quite there.
My colleagues try to view the region through the eyes of partners there who want to make their countries fairer, more sustainable places to live. Too many other U.S. institutions view the region through the lens of U.S. interests (however they define it) or the investment climate.
What should people be on the lookout for in the coming months in your area of expertise?
Watch Latin America’s militaries. Even before the coronavirus hit, they were starting to play roles we hadn’t seen them playing since the democratic transitions of 30-plus years ago. More soldiers on the streets acting like police, a greater role in putting down social protest, more presidents seeking their political support so they could do questionable things.
Now, the region is facing a crisis that’s sort of like a natural disaster. In a natural disaster, it’s normal to see the armed forces playing emergency roles like logistics, delivering food, search-and-rescue, or keeping order. But this is no normal natural disaster. It’s a disaster that’s happening everywhere at once, for an indefinite period of time.
It’s going to become normal for heavily armed, combat-trained, camouflage-wearing soldiers to be out in the streets, among the citizens, for several months or more, playing a host of roles that normally correspond to civilians. Once you ratchet up that kind of militarization, it’s hard to ratchet it back down. Especially when economies are in free fall and all but the top 10% aren’t even sure how they’re going to be feeding themselves.
I don’t think Latin America is headed back to 1970s-style military junta governments. But I’m deeply worried about a future in which elected civilians are forced to share power with the generals, who keep them on a tight leash and restrict civil society’s freedoms in the name of order and security. And I’m also worried that the default response of the United States-regardless of who is president in 2021-will be to act in ways that prop up these military roles in the name of stability and investor confidence. That’s why we have to keep monitoring these issues and pressing our concerns.
There’s a lot more to worry about with coronavirus, obviously. At the border, the Trump administration is using the emergency as a pretext to implement a deadly agenda, ignoring generations of immigration law and turning Mexican border cities, U.S. detention centers, and deportation flights into COVID-19 vectors. In Colombia, it’s going to be very, very hard to keep directing resources and political will into implementing the peace accord and halting the slow-motion massacre of social leaders. That was hard enough even without a global pandemic.
What are some of the best things you’ve read or seen during this period of self-isolation?
This is lame, but I’ve watched zero new movies during our social isolation so far. I’ve spent about half an hour a day watching TV, and that’s usually been an old episode of Arrested Development, Silicon Valley or The Simpsons after dinner with the family. I just finished slogging through the same fiction book I’d taken out of the library in early March, and it kept putting me to sleep. I did order 15 books from a local bookstore, but they were still on the floor in their shrink wrap 2 weeks after they were delivered.
I know this is a terribly type-A Washington thing to say, but I’ve been finding diversion in my work. (Remember, I’m a weirdo who has been into this since I was in junior high.) Social isolation has vastly increased the portion of the day I get to spend doing the part of the job that’s fun for me, where I get to do research and make stuff, rather than sit in meetings, talk on the phone, and answer endless emails. I’ve been writing a lot, coding a lot, making new web pages like components of our Colombia Peace site. I’ve done 16 audio podcasts where I interview smart people. I have piles of saved reports, analysis, official documents, and testimonies that I finally have some time to read and add to my geeky data system. I guess this is what’s fun for me, what gets the dopamine flowing in the brain.
While doing all this, I do listen to a lot of music, most of it the sort of indie pop that middle-aged dads like me listen to. I recommend the latest records by Waxahatchee, Christine and the Queens, Beach Slang, Soccer Mommy, Caroline Polachek, Caribou, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Jenny Lewis, and Grimes.
If you were a baseball player, what would be your walk-up song?
Probably some 80s spandex-pants hair metal like Guns N Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle,” Van Halen’s “Everybody Wants Some,” or Whitesnake’s “Here I Go Again.” Total crowd-pleasers. Then I’d strike out on 3 pitches.
5 links from the past week
- Noah Lanard reproduces testimonies from several women and their relatives as he reconstructs a late March episode of vicious cruelty in a corporate-run migrant detention center in Louisiana. Keep Stephen Miller’s smirking face in your mind as you read about these women’s experience in the system, and what happened the day they were locked for an hour in a room full of pepper spray.
- In a contribution to the multinational Tierra de Resistentes project on environmental defenders, La Liga Contra el Silencio profiles brave indigenous activists resisting big mining projects in southern Córdoba department, one of the most conflictive parts of Colombia right now.
- A similarly excellent Tierra de Resistentes piece at Contra Corriente does the same for indigenous communities opposing power generation projects in Yoro, Honduras—work that has cost 40 lives in the past 20 years.
- Verdad Abierta takes you to Colombia’s Naya River valley, a stunningly beautiful wilderness (I visited in 2018) whose Afro-descendant and indigenous communities describe a paradisiacal communitarian past—until about 20 years ago, when it became a trafficking corridor fought over between guerrilla and paramilitary factions.
- Verdad Abierta also produced a similarly important report from nearby Cauca, the department of Colombia that has seen the most murders of social leaders since the FARC conflict ended in 2016.
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 24, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Juan Montes, Michelle Hackman, “Latin America, Wary of Exported Coronavirus, Voices Concern Over U.S. Deportations” (The Wall Street Journal, April 24, 2020).
Governments worry that returned migrants could spark new waves of infections, overwhelming ill-equipped health-care systems
Brazil
- Ricardo Brito, “Brazil ‘Super Minister’ Quits in Bolsonaro’s Worst Crisis Yet” (Reuters, April 24, 2020).
Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro suffered the heaviest blow to his presidency so far as his popular justice minister quit on Friday and accused him of potentially criminal meddling in law enforcement
- Diane Jeantet, David Biller, Mauricio Savarese, “Bolsonaro in Crisis Mode After Brazil Justice Minister Quits” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 24, 2020).
Brazil’s government plunged into disarray Friday after Justice Minister Sérgio Moro, who became popular as a crusader against corruption, resigned and alleged political interference in the federal police force
Colombia
- “Las Criticas al Gobierno por “Simular” la Implementacion de los Pdet” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 24, 2020).
Uno de los centros de pensamiento que le hacen seguimiento a lo pactado afirma que el Gobierno limitó el alcance que esos programas tenían y que no tienen una financiación asegurada
- “Press Briefing Note on Colombia / Right Defenders Killing” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, April 24, 2020).
The situation in the Cauca department of Colombia, where at least 13 human rights defenders are reported to have been killed so far this year– including three in the past few days – is deeply worrying
- “Lider Alejandro Llinas, Nueva Victima de la Violencia en la Sierra Nevada” (Semana (Colombia), April 24, 2020).
Sospechosamente, a los pocos días, Llinás empezó a recibir llamadas de altos oficiales policiales en la que lo instaban a canalizar bien las denuncias y a dejar que ellos actuaran
- Alejo Vargas Velasquez, Farid Camilo Rondon Raigoza, “El Concepto de Seguridad y las Tareas de la Fuerza Publica Frente al Covid -19 en Colombia” (Revista Sur, April 24, 2020).
La Fuerza Pública no debe descuidar la atención de sus misiones constitucionales, ya que ellas siguen presentando un escenario preocupante, especialmente en lo relacionado con la seguridad en los territorios
- Javier AlexÁnder MacÍas, “Control Social, el Arma de Ilegales en los Territorios” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 24, 2020).
Un informe de la Unidad de Investigación y Acusación (UIA), de la Justicia Especial para la Paz, JEP, dejó en evidencia como los grupos armados ilegales siguen con sus operaciones militares y, bajo amenazas, confinaron a poblaciones completas
- Mariana White Londono, “Los Combos de la Comuna 8 de Medellin Estan en Modo ‘Solidarios’” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), April 24, 2020).
¿Su respuesta? Ahora reparten mercados
Ecuador
- Jose Maria Leon Cabrera, Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Ecuador’s Death Toll During Outbreak Is Among the Worst in the World” (The New York Times, April 24, 2020).
A New York Times analysis suggests that Ecuador’s death toll is 15 times higher than its official tally of coronavirus deaths, highlighting the damage the virus can do in developing countries
Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico
- Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, “U.S. to Test Some Immigrants for Coronavirus Before Deportation” (Reuters, Reuters, April 24, 2020).
The United States plans to begin testing some migrants in detention for COVID-19 before deporting them, an official familiar with the effort said on Thursday, after infections among deportees in Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico
Honduras
- Lisa Haugaard, “Honduras: Repression in the Time of Covid-19” (Latin America Working Group Education Fund, April 24, 2020).
Human rights organization COFADEH documented that 45 human rights defenders suffered attacks, harassment, or reprisals for their work during the crisis and 7 journalists were assaulted, detained, and/or had their equipment taken and camera footage deleted
Mexico
- Kate Linthicum, “Coronavirus Chokes the Drug Trade — From Wuhan, Through Mexico and Onto U.S. Streets” (The Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2020).
The drop in exports has left some Mexican drug producers with less access to needed chemicals. Simultaneously, cartels have encountered another colossal challenge: new restrictions on entry to the United States
- Fernando Camacho Servin, “Denuncian Otro Caso de Ejecucion en Tamaulipas Que Involucra al Ejercito” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 24, 2020).
Forma parte de una larga serie de agresiones en las que se han visto involucradas las fuerzas armadas en años recientes
- Falko Ernst, “El Conflicto Letal Mexicano, Revisitado Desde Lo Local” (International Crisis Group, Animal Politico (Mexico), April 24, 2020).
Esas zonas, allí donde se manifiesta de manera abierta el poder ilegal armado, no son enclaves autónomos. Su existencia –y persistencia– se negocia, día a día, con diversos entes del Estado
- “Presuntos Integrantes del Cartel de Sinaloa Repartieron Despensas en Chihuahua Con la Imagen de Bin Laden” (Infobae, April 24, 2020).
Son presuntos integrantes de la organización Gente Nueva, brazo armado del cártel de Sinaloa, que dirigía Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán
- Arturo RodrÍguez GarcÍa, “Pese al Aislamiento, Homicidios Crecieron 8.4% en Marzo: Sspc” (Proceso (Mexico), April 24, 2020).
Los datos muestran que aun con la reducción de la movilidad social y el aislamiento asumido como parte de la emergencia sanitaria para hacer frente a la pandemia de coronavirus, la violencia crece
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Asher Stockler, “Federal Government Not Liable for Border Agent Who Assaulted, Terrorized Migrants, Appeals Court Says” (Newsweek, April 24, 2020).
According to the decision from the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, Esteban Manzanares, a Border Patrol agent who took his own life as law enforcement officers raided his apartment after the assaults, was not acting within his official capacity when he attacked the three migrants
Venezuela
- Nicolle Yapur, Fabiola Zerpa, “Riots Erupt in Venezuela’s Countryside Over Food, Fuel Scarcity” (Bloomberg, April 24, 2020).
At least 500 protests have been registered so far in April
- “Estados Aragua, Monagas y Merida Vuelven a Registrar Protestas el #24abr” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 24, 2020).
Desde hace varios días, diversos focos de protestas se han registrado en varios estados de Venezuela en exigencia por comida, gasolina y servicios públicos
New “explainer” on FARC dissident groups in Colombia
I’ve added a fifth “explainer” feature to our Colombia Peace website: an overview of the armed groups made up of FARC guerrillas who either rejected the 2016 peace accord, or demobilized in 2017 and then re-armed.
There are about 23 such armed groups around the country. What I hadn’t realized when I set out to write this was the extent to which they are consolidating into two national networks. One of those networks is tied to the first set of FARC dissidents, the 1st and 7th Front structure headed (loosely) by alias Gentil Duarte. The other is the organization begun by former FARC chief negotiator Iván Márquez, who abandoned the process with an August 2019 video message. I thought Márquez’s group was proving to be a dud, but it has in fact convinced dissident bands to align themselves in Nariño, Antioquia, probably Arauca, and possibly elsewhere.
Anyway, since I was lower on the learning curve than I thought, this took a long time to write. Many thanks to my program assistant Matt Bocanumenth for helping with early research and drafting to put it together.
At World Politics Review: Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Crackdown Is Creating New Coronavirus Hotspots
Yesterday World Politics Review—which uses a paywall but I think will let you read it if you give them an e-mail address—ran my column about what’s happening at the border right now. It identifies the four virus hotspot vectors that the Trump administration is creating by insisting on the hardest line approach to migration in response to the pandemic. Those are Mexican border towns where people are being summarily expelled; ICE detention centers; places where ICE deportations are still going on; and the sites where itinerant construction workers are still building the border wall.
The day ahead: April 24, 2020
I should be reachable much of the day. (How to contact me)
I did a lot of writing yesterday, some of which will appear today, and I’ll post links when it does. I’m trying to finish an “Explainer” for the Colombia website about the FARC dissident groups, and I’m not even going to look at the news until I do so. Anyway, I’ve got no meetings on the calendar and was unable to book any podcast interviews until next week, so I’ll be spending this rainy Friday at home, writing and adding to my research database.
Colombia Pushes Coca Eradication During COVID-19 Pandemic
Like the title says: not only is Colombia going full-throttle on manual eradication operations—U.S.-funded, U.S.-pressured manual eradication operations—in coca-growing zones during a pandemic, but eradicators’ security-force escorts have killed two civilians in the past four weeks.
The second killing happened yesterday (Wednesday), and we put together this WOLA statement.
Citing rising rates of coca production and cultivation, the Trump administration has pushed the Duque government to expand its eradication teams from 25 in 2017 to nearly 150 today. This rapid expansion appears to have vastly outpaced any instruction in use-of-force protocols that the security forces accompanying the eradicators were receiving, heightening the risk that when these teams go into rural communities to destroy what is, for many families, their only steady source of income, the resulting confrontations involve excessive or even lethal force.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“She Plays Bass” by Beabadoobee (2019).
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 23, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Andrés Bermúdez Liévano, “Soldados Avisados Cayeron en las Guerras Ambientales” (Latin American Center for Investigative Journalism, April 23, 2020).
Uno de cada dos episodios de violencia contra defensores ambientales en América Latina había sido denunciado previamente a las autoridades, sin embargo, estas no actuaron a tiempo. Ni siquiera cuando la Corte y la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos urgieron a los gobiernos protegerlos
- Noah Lanard, “The Women Asked Ice for Soap. They Got Pepper-Sprayed Instead.” (Mother Jones, April 23, 2020).
Officials from GEO Group at Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s LaSalle detention center had assured that they were safe from the new coronavirus. Things went awry, and soon 79 women found themselves trapped in a room filled with pepper spray
- Monique O. Madan, “More Than Half of Krome Detainees Have Been Exposed to the Coronavirus” (The Miami Herald, April 23, 2020).
350 detainees, whom the government has identified as being exposed to the illness are being quarantined together, a practice that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement calls “cohorting.”
- Maria Sacchetti, “What You Need to Know About Trump’s Coronavirus Immigration Order” (The Washington Post, April 23, 2020).
Although Trump had said on Twitter earlier in the week that he was going to suspend all immigration during the pandemic, the order he signed was much less broad and carries several exemptions
Bolivia
- Jesus Reynaldo Alanoca Paco, “Presidenta del Senado Dice Que Debe Haber Elecciones “Lo Antes Posible”” (El Deber (Bolivia), April 23, 2020).
La presidenta de la Cámara de Senadores, Eva Copa (MAS), señaló este martes que debe haber elecciones generales en el país “lo antes posible”, una vez se supere la crisis por la pandemia del coronavirus
Brazil
- Jill Langlois, “In Brazil, Indigenous People Are Fighting to Keep Their Children” (National Geographic, April 23, 2020).
For their culture to survive, they need to maintain their connection to ancestral land. But that land can no longer support them, opening them up to charges of neglect from agencies of a government that would prefer they just assimilate
- Paulo Trevisani, “Amazon Deforestation Accelerates as Coronavirus Pandemic Hinders Enforcement” (The Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2020).
With hundreds of environmental enforcement agents sidelined by the pandemic, deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon has increased to its fastest pace in years—and the season when clearing typically accelerates hasn’t even begun yet
Brazil, Peru
- Gabriel Stargardter, Drazen Jorgic, “Special Report: Peruvian Coca Farmers to Paris Pushers, Coronavirus Upends Global Narcotics Trade” (Reuters, Reuters, April 23, 2020).
Prices for coca leaves sold to drug gangs have slumped 70% since Peru went on lockdown last month
Colombia
- “Asesinan al Lider Social Hugo de Jesus Giraldo en Santander de Quilichao, Cauca” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
El líder social hizo parte de la Junta de Acción Comunal en Río Mina, región del Naya, donde lideró el retorno de quiénes fueron desplazados forzadamente. Además, fue presidente de ASOCOMUNAL Alto Naya
- “Operaciones de Erradicacion Forzosa en Tumaco Profundizan Crisis por Covid 19 y Enciende Alarmas Ante Agresion Desmedida Que Recuerda Masacre de el Tandil” (Asociación Minga (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
Se concentraron de forma pacífica buscando un diálogo con la fuerza pública, la cual respondió con disparos de ráfagas de fusil, dejando como consecuencia la muerte de Ángel Artemio Nastacuas Villareal y un herido de gravedad
- Steven Grattan, “Mothers of Murdered Sons Fight for Justice in Colombia” (BBC (UK), April 23, 2020).
False positives is the name given to the killings of young men – mainly from poor families in Bogotá and its surroundings – carried out by the Colombian army
- “Enfrentamientos por Erradicacion Forzada de Coca Dejan un Muerto en Tumaco” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
Ángel Artemio Nastacuas Villareal, indígena Awá, murió este miércoles en zona rural de ese municipio, según denuncia la comunidad, como consecuencia de un disparo de la Policía en medio de las protestas de indígenas y campesinos que se oponen a la erradicación
- “‘La Resistencia del Indio’ Es Caminar por el Territorio Minero” (Tierra de Resistentes, La Liga Contra el Silencio (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
En el sur del departamento de Córdoba se levantan proyectos mineros de gran alcance. Le resta al pueblo zenú que resiste en el territorio, a pesar de todo
- “Violencia y Control Social: Lo Que Ha Dejado la Cuarentena en Regiones, Segun la Jep” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
La gran mayoría de indicadores de seguridad en todo el país han mejorado. Sin embargo, en ciertos territorios de interés para la JEP, se han prolongado
- Joe Parkin Daniels, Henry Mcdonald, “Colombia Grants Amnesty to Alleged Ira Bomb-Making Trio” (The Guardian, April 23, 2020).
After a highly-publicised trial and appeal the Irishmen were sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2004 – only for it to emerge that they had already fled Colombia while on bail
Colombia, Venezuela
- “Amenaza por Whatsapp Desplaza a 400 Venezolanos Hacia Colombia” (Semana (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
“A toda la comunidad de Boca de Grita le voy a pedir el favor que salgan del pueblo porque vamos a echar una arremetida, no respondemos por los civiles que mueran”
- Luis Fernando Trejos Rosero, “Hay una Paz Mafiosa en el Sur de la Frontera Colombo-Venezolana” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), April 23, 2020).
Ninguna política pública que se asuma desde el lado colombiano para combatir y disminuir las rentas ilícitas y la presencia de actores armados ilegales tendrá efectos positivos si desde el lado venezolano no hay un correlato
Ecuador
- Dan Collyns, “‘Like the Horror of War’: Mayor of Virus-Ravaged Ecuador City Calls for Drastic Response” (The Guardian, April 23, 2020).
Cynthia Viteri told the Guardian she believed thousands had probably lost their lives in the Ecuadorian port city in recent weeks and compared Covid-19’s deadly impact there to “an unexpected bomb falling on a peaceful town”
El Salvador
- “Piden a la Onu Preservar la Democracia en el Salvador” (EFE, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 23, 2020).
Un grupo de 16 organizaciones humanitarias de El Salvador pidió este miércoles al secretario general de las Naciones Unidas, Antonio Guterres, activar mecanismos de este ente para “preservar” la democracia en el país ante una serie de medidas gubernamentales que consideran “autoritarias”
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras
- Anna-Cat Brigida , “Central America: Unrest, Repression Grow Amid Coronavirus Crisis” (Al Jazeera, April 23, 2020).
In some cases, desperate citizens have been met with repression and arbitrary detentions as police and military take the front line in a public health crisis
Haiti
- Catherine Porter, Ianthe Jeanne Dugan, “Covid-19 Trickles Into Haiti:‘This Monster Is Coming Our Way’” (The New York Times, April 23, 2020).
The virus has been slow to hit the country. But as laid-off Haitians return from hard-hit areas, doctors are preparing furiously for an outbreak they fear will strain the nation’s threadbare health care system
Honduras
- Vienna Herrera, Martin Calix, Deiby Yanez, Jennifer Ávila, “Death and Oblivion in the Tolupan Forest” (Tierra de Resistentes, Contra Corriente, April 23, 2020).
The Tolupan San Francisco de Locomapa Tribe, in Yoro, Honduras, has suffered murders, judicial harassment and attacks due to its opposition to the power generation projects in the territory where they have always lived
Mexico
- Arturo RodrÍguez GarcÍa, “Pese a la Cuarentena la Violencia Sigue, Reconoce Amlo; Anuncia 3 Mil Mdp Mas para la Gn” (Proceso (Mexico), April 23, 2020).
Los planes de despliegue territorial, anunció, se mantienen y confió en que, para el cierre de año se tengan construidos 200 centros o coordinaciones del nuevo cuerpo de seguridad, de las 266 que se tienen programadas
- Christopher Sherman, “Pandemic Warms Relationship Between Trump, Mexican President” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 23, 2020).
The men appear so chummy that the Mexican president, who has not traveled outside his country since taking office nearly 18 months ago, is talking about visiting his U.S. counterpart
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Algernon D’ammassa, “A Columbus, n.m. Restaurant Mourns as Border Wall ‘Man Camp’ Moves Out of Town” (Las Cruces Sun-News, April 23, 2020).
Residents of Columbus contacted state and federal officials earlier in April over the “man camp,” concerned about adding congregate housing in the midst of a pandemic
- James Laporta, Julie Watson, “Us Adds Cameras at Mexico Border Despite Drop in Crossings” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 23, 2020).
The Department of Defense, at the request of the Department of Homeland Security, sent 60 mobile surveillance cameras and 540 additional troops to the southwest border this month
Venezuela
- “Foro Penal Registra Ocho Nuevos Presos Politicos en Tan Solo 15 DaAs” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 23, 2020).
La cifra de presos políticos aumentó a 342 en toda Venezuela, lo que representa un incremento de ocho personas si se compara con el balance presentado a inicios de mes
- “Dgcim Sistematizo la Tortura Dentro de Sus Centros de Detencion” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 23, 2020).
La organización no gubernamental Una Ventana a la Libertad (UVL) reveló que la Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar (Dgcim) ha sistematizados la tortura hacia los presos dentro de sus centros de detención preventivos, una práctica de la que ha «alejado» el Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional
- Trevor Williams, “Top U.S. Diplomat: Covid-19 Could Devastate Venezuela, Unseat Maduro” (Global Atlanta, April 23, 2020).
“They are potentially weeks away from going into complete chaos,” Mr. Story said
- Luz Mely Reyes, “Abrams: Un Acuerdo para un Gobierno de Transicion Sin Maduro Es Mas Posible Ahora Que Nunca” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), April 23, 2020).
En conversación con Efecto Cocuyo, Abrams también dejó claro a sectores de la oposición que cuestionan a Guaidó, que el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, “ es el hombre central del movimiento democrático de Venezuela”
The day ahead: April 23, 2020
I’ll be most reachable mid-day. (How to contact me)
I’ve got 2 NGO coalition calls today, and am joining a class at the University of Texas in the late afternoon. In between, writing an explainer for the Colombia website, which I’d hoped to finish yesterday.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“stay” by pronoun (2019).
Some articles I found interesting this morning
April 22, 2020
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Paul J. Angelo, David Gevarter, “Who Is Killing Latin America’s Environmentalists?” (Council on Foreign Relations, April 22, 2020).
Weak law enforcement and overburdened justice systems across Latin America seldom deter those waging war on the environment and its defenders
- Tom Phillips, Uki Goñi, Cindy Jimenez Becerra, Lexi Parra, Joe Parkin Daniels, David Agren, “Lockdowns Leave Poor Latin Americans With Impossible Choice: Stay Home or Feed Families” (The Guardian, April 22, 2020).
Across Latin America and the Caribbean – where an estimated 113 million people live in low-income barrios, favelas or villas – families are struggling to adapt
- Michael D. Shear, Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Caitlin Dickerson, “Trump Halts New Green Cards, but Backs Off Broader Immigration Ban” (The New York Times, April 22, 2020).
President Trump said on Tuesday that he would order a temporary halt in issuing green cards to prevent people from immigrating to the United States, but he backed away from plans to suspend guest worker programs
- “Large Numbers at Risk in Ice Detention Facilities for the Covid-19 Virus” (TRAC Immigration, April 22, 2020).
Almost six out of every ten of these individuals—or 18,535—had never been convicted of even a minor petty offense
Argentina
- Juan Pablo Csipka, “A 35 Anos del Juicio a las Juntas Militares” (Pagina12 (Argentina), April 22, 2020).
La Cámara Federal juzgó desde ese día a las tres primeras juntas militares de la dictadura cívico militar instaurada en 1976. El juicio no tenía antecedentes en el mundo
Brazil
- Pedro Prado, Christopher Cherry, Marina Costa, Katie Lamborn, “Bolsonaro Won’t Help With Coronavirus, So Brazil’s Favelas Are Helping Themselves – Video” (The Guardian, April 22, 2020).
As Acari records its first coronavirus death, we follow Buba through a typical day fighting to help her community in the face of government inaction
Colombia
- Andrei Gomez-Suarez, “Cese al Fuego Unilateral del Eln: Implicaciones y Oportunidades” (Rodeemos el Diálogo, YouTube, April 22, 2020).
Diálogo con Annette Idler, Kristian Herzbolheimer, Angelica Rettberg, Carlos Velandia, Luis Eduardo Celis, Juan Carlos Garzón y Steve Hege. Moderado por Andreí Gómez-Suárez
- David Fernando Correal, Ana Cristina Restrepo, Jorge Restrepo, “Monitor del Cese el Fuego Unilateral del Eln” (CERAC (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Desde hace 38 días CERAC no ha registrado acciones ofensivas atribuidas al ELN, por lo tanto no hay reporte de víctimas asociadas a la violencia de ese grupo guerrillero
- “Museo Memorias del Periodismo en Colombia” (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Content is a multimedia presentation.
- “Por Peticion de la Procuraduria, No Habran Consultas Previas Virtuales” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Ante la polémica que sucitó la medida entre ambientalistas, la medida fue derogada
- Valeria Cuevas Gonzalez, “Capturan a Alias Boquita por Presuntos Ataques a Defensores de Derechos Humanos” (Semana (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Los registros de las autoridades indican que a los 15 años ingresó al frente 57 de las Farc, estructura en la que habría desempeñado varios roles ilegales hasta convertirse en cabecilla de escuadra
- “La Guerra Eterna en el Catatumbo” (Semana (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Norte de Santander tiene en su territorio 12 de estas estructuras
- “Jep Concede Libertad a los Tres Irlandeses Condenados en 2001 por Entrenar a las Farc en Explosivos” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 22, 2020).
Martin John Mc Cauley, Niall Terrence Connolly y Séamus O’ Muineacháin fueron condenados a 17 años de prisión por falsedad en documento público y entrenamiento para actividades ilícitas
Ecuador
- Brent Mcdonald, Lise Josefsen Hermann, Ivan Castaneira, “How Ecuador’s Port City Became a Coronavirus Epicenter” (The New York Times, April 22, 2020).
Ecuador took early aggressive measures to stop the coronavirus, but ended up becoming an epicenter of the pandemic in Latin America. How? We revisit the first confirmed case and what led to the disease’s spread
El Salvador
- Carlos Martinez, “El Fiscal Frente a la Tanqueta” (El Faro (El Salvador), April 22, 2020).
El caso de este municipio es un buen resumen de la tensión entre los poderes legislativo y judicial, con un presidente que no está dispuesto a ceder terreno
- “El Salvador: Bachelet Preocupada por la Erosion del Estado de Derecho en Medio de las Medidas para la Covid-19” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, April 22, 2020).
El Gobierno ha ignorado reiteradas resoluciones de la Sala de lo Constitucional de la Corte Suprema de abstenerse de implementar medidas para hacer cumplir la cuarentena domiciliaria sin una ley debidamente adoptada por la Asamblea Legislativa
Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico
- Kevin Sieff, Nick Miroff, “U.S. Is Deporting Infected Migrants Back to Vulnerable Countries” (The Washington Post, April 22, 2020).
In many instances, the screenings, which consist primarily of taking a person’s temperature, have failed to detect cases
Mexico
- Julian Resendiz, “Mexican President Getting Cozy With Mother of ‘el Chapo’ a ‘Slap in the Face’ to Crime Fighters” (Border Report, April 22, 2020).
Why, exactly, the president went out of his way to comfort the mother of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera in Badiraguato, Sinaloa — a town known as the birthplace of the Sinaloa drug cartel — remains a mystery to many and an insult to some
- “Plan de Emergencia Es Sin Deuda, Dice Amlo. Dos Bocas y Tren Maya Siguen; Se Van 10 Subsecretarias” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 22, 2020).
“Vamos a demostrar que hay otra forma de enfrentar la crisis”, expresó el Presidente y expuso el blindaje de los programas de la Secretaría de Bienestar, el apoyo a la Sedena, Semar, Secretaría de Salud y la Guardia Nacional
- Manuel Espino, “El Lunes se Registraron 114 Homicidios Dolosos en el Pais; Es el Dia Mas Violento de 2020” (El Universal (Mexico), April 22, 2020).
De acuerdo con el reporte diario del gobierno federal, el 20 de abril superó al domingo pasado como el más violento; la mayoría de homicidios ocurrió en Guanajuato
- Arturo Angel, “Opacidad, Simulacion y Dudosa Eficacia: La Guardia Nacional a un Ano de su Creacion” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 22, 2020).
La Guardia Nacional no solo adolece del perfil civil, también ha sido opaca en temas como la evaluación y certificación de sus nuevos reclutas o la construcción de cuarteles; su despliegue está por debajo de lo pronosticado originalmente y la violencia no ha disminuido
- Victor Ballinas, Andrea Becerril, “Las Fuerzas Armadas Sufrieron 13 Bajas por Ataques del Crimen” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 22, 2020).
Del primero de diciembre de 2018 al 22 de marzo de este año, las fuerzas armadas fueron objeto de 324 agresiones por parte de integrantes de la delincuencia organizada en operativos de seguridad
- Arturo Angel, “El Crimen Organizado Mata a 6 de Cada 10 en el Primer Ano de Gobierno de Amlo” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 22, 2020).
El nivel de violencia homicida en el primer año del actual gobierno es el peor del que haya registro reciente
- Mark Stevenson, “Us Pressures Mexico to Reopen Plants Amid Worker Walkouts” (Associated Press, ABC News, April 22, 2020).
“There are risks everywhere, but we don’t all stay at home for fear we are going to get in a car accident,” Landau wrote
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Nolan Rappaport, “A Program Can Be Established to Offer Refuge to Asylum Seekers Being Turned Away From Our Border” (The Hill, April 22, 2020).
A new program for in-country refugee processing could be established that would be open to everyone in participating countries, and it wouldn’t have to be limited to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras
- “ACLU Sues for Drastic Reduction in Population of Overcrowded Otay Mesa, Imperial Detention Centers – ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties” (ACLU San Diego, April 22, 2020).
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 21, 2019 CONTACT: Edward Sifuentes, ACLU Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties, 619-501-3408, [email protected] SAN DIEGO – Today, the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of San Diego & Imperial Counties (ACLUF-SDIC) filed a class-action lawsuit
Venezuela
- Corina Pons, Mayela Armas, “Venezuela Socialists, Opposition Leaders Begin Secret Talks Amid Pandemic – Sources” (Reuters, Reuters, April 22, 2020).
The talks, which have no clear agenda, show that allies of both Maduro and Guaido remain unconvinced they can defeat the other amid a global pandemic and a broad U.S. sanctions program
- Scott Smith, “Trump Tells Chevron To “Wind Down” Oil Fields in Venezuela” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 22, 2020).
Chevron is the last major U.S. oil company to do business in crisis-wracked Venezuela, investing in the South American nation’s oil fields and machinery over the last century with an estimated value of $2.6 billion
The day ahead: April 22, 2020
I’ll be around in the morning and mid-day. (How to contact me)
I’ve got a couple of calls scheduled, a late afternoon “meeting” of groups working on Colombia, I’ll sit in on WOLA’s Brazil webinar, and I’m nearly done writing a new item for our Colombia website. I should be reachable intermittently until mid-afternoon.
The best song I washed dishes to tonight
“Dying to Believe” by The Beths (2020).