Adam Isacson

(Even more here)

May 29, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Monique O. Madan, “Ice Admits to Transferring Detainees With Covid-19, Says It Can’t Test Everybody” (The Miami Herald, May 29, 2020).

U.S. immigration officials admitted during a federal court hearing Wednesday that they are not conducting COVID-19 testing on every detainee who gets transferred from one detention center to another, saying they don’t have enough tests

Bolivia

• “Las Amenazas de las Fuerzas Armadas de Bolivia al Senado Prenden una Nueva Alerta Sobre el Papel Indebido de los Militares en el Pais” (Several organizations, Washington Office on Latin America, May 29, 2020).

Las amenazas de las fuerzas armadas de Bolivia al Senado en el marco del tratamiento de los ascensos prenden una nueva señal de alerta sobre el papel indebido de los militares en el país

Brazil

• Thiago Bronzatto, “Coronel Do Exercito Comanda Servico Paralelo de Informacao para Bolsonaro” (Veja (Brazil), May 29, 2020).

De dentro do Palácio do Planalto, o ‘espião’ do presidente conduz investigações e produz dossiês que já provocaram a demissão de ministros

• Brian Winter, “Copying the U.S. Is Leading Brazil to Disaster on Covid-19” (Americas Quarterly, The Washington Post, May 29, 2020).

As an American analyst who has studied Brazil for nearly two decades, it has been strange to watch my country’s flag become a powerful anti-establishment symbol there

Colombia

• Sergio Saavedra, “Entre el Hambre y la Erradicacion, un Drama de Miles de Campesinos” (Fundación Paz y Reconciliación (Colombia), May 29, 2020).

Las comunidades tienen incertidumbre por su presente inmediato ¿qué puede quedar para el campesinado con esta situación? Tener que desplazarse a otros pueblos porque no hay soluciones a esta crisis humanitaria

• Juanita Velez, “Gobierno Vuelve a Idea Uribista de Desarticular Grupos Sin Verdad a Victimas” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 29, 2020).

El Gobierno en realidad no está cumpliendo exactamente con el contenido de lo pactado en Cuba, podría dejar a muchas víctimas sin su derecho a la verdad y, de paso, le pone una lápida encima al ya moribundo proceso de diálogo con el ELN

Colombia, Venezuela

• “Lo Que Busca el Gobierno Trump Con la Operacion Antinarcoticos Que Incluye a Colombia” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 29, 2020).

Aunque en Colombia los cultivos de uso ilícito han aumentado, todos los caminos conducen a Venezuela

• “Farc Asegura Que Con Llegada de Brigada de Eeuu a Colombia se Busca Agredir a Venezuela” (EFE, Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 29, 2020).

Para las FARC el comunicado divulgado por la embajada de EEUU en ese país, en el que se anuncia la llegada de la brigada, experta en la lucha contra el terrorismo, a ese país es alarmante

Cuba

• David Shepardson, “U.S. Caps Charter Flights to Cuba at 3,600 Per Year” (Reuters, Reuters, May 29, 2020).

The action – enacted in response to a January request by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo – caps such flights at about 2019 levels, preventing any increase

El Salvador

• Jorge BeltrÁn Luna, “Pddh Pide a Policia Informe de Investigacion de Posible Tortura” (El Diario De Hoy (El Salvador), May 29, 2020).

Salud dijo a la familia que Luis Iván Mejía había muerto por COVID-19. Sospechas de que fue torturado surgieron luego de abrir el ataúd

Guatemala, Honduras

• Alex Papadovassilakis, “Cocaine Seizures Expose Flaws at Guatemala, Honduras Ports” (InsightCrime, May 29, 2020).

The discovery of large amounts of cocaine in cargo shipped from Honduran and Guatemalan ports has revealed the difficulties in securing maritime shipping operations on the northern stretch of Central America’s Caribbean coast

Mexico

• Sugeyry Romina Gandara, “Al Menos 6 Carteles Distribuyen “Apoyos” (Despensas y Prestamos) en 11 Estados Durante la Covid-19” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), May 29, 2020).

Estas acciones son parte del fenómeno llamado Gobernanza Criminal, de acuerdo con la doctora Sandra Ley, profesora investigadora del Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas

U.S.-Mexico Border

• “Trump Wants the Border Wall Painted Black and It Could Cost an Extra $1 Million Per Mile” (CNN Wire, KTLA, May 29, 2020).

US Customs and Border Protection, which oversees border wall construction, is painting approximately 450 feet of new border wall in San Luis, Arizona, using a “coal tar epoxy,” in an effort to assess the operational benefits

• Adolfo Flores, “An Immigrant Who Sued Ice Is Missing After Being Deported to a Dangerous Border City” (BuzzFeed, May 29, 2020).

Nuevo Laredo has earned a reputation for being a city where immigrants are easily kidnapped, extorted, and assaulted by cartels. Deportees could also be targets

Venezuela

• “Report: Civil Rights Violations Patterns 2 Months Into the State of Alarm in Venezuela” (PROVEA (Venezuela), May 29, 2020).

During the first month, the so-called Bolivarian Fury, following calls made by Nicolás Maduro himself, went on a wave of harassment against the homes of social leaders and members of the political opposition, as well as people critical of the regime

• “31% de los Migrantes Venezolanos Piensa en Retornar” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), May 29, 2020).

Entre los hallazgos destaca que cuatro de cada 10 perdieron su empleo y 66% aseguró que depende de donativos para alimentarse, desde la entrada en vigencia de la cuarentena

• Luc Cohen, Marianna Parraga, “Fourth Iranian Fuel Tanker Enters Venezuela, U.S. Slams ‘Distraction’” (Reuters, The New York Times, May 29, 2020).

Washington has said it is weighing a response to the shipments

Venezuela, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Antoni Belchi, “Us Views Iran’s Interests in Latin America With Concern” (Voice of America, Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), May 29, 2020).

“I view Iran’s interests with concern […]; we’re tracking that closely and sharing intel with our partners” in the region, the U.S. military high commander said

(Even more here)

May 28, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Maria Teresa Ronderos, “Migrants From Another World” (Centro Latinoamericano de Investigación Periodística, Animal Politico (Mexico), May 28, 2020).

Every year thousands of people expelled from Asia and Africa cross Latin America looking for the north like swallows disoriented by an altered climate. Along the way, the already painful journey of these extraordinary human beings is made unnecessarily difficult by almost all governments

Argentina

• Uki Goñi, “Argentina Cordons Off Virus-Hit Slum as Critics Decry ‘Ghettoes for Poor People’” (The Guardian, May 28, 2020).

Drastic measures are being taken to contain the coronavirus in the Villa Azul area of Buenos Aires which has emerged as a hotspot

Brazil

• “Brazil’s Losing Battle Against Covid-19” (The Economist (Uk), May 28, 2020).

Mr Bolsonaro’s attitude causes more damage, however. Brazil’s federal system is more president-centred than America’s. To work well in a crisis, all levels of government must co-operate

• Omar G. Encarnacion, “Brazil Is Suffering. Bolsonaro Isn’t.” (Foreign Policy, May 28, 2020).

The Brazilian president is proving that right-wing populism has ways of overcoming self-inflicted disasters

Colombia

• Beatriz Valdes Correa, “Con Desaparicion Forzada Despojaron a los Sucrenos de Sus Tierras” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 28, 2020).

En el informe “Exhumando Justicia y Verdad”, el Movice detalla cómo las alianzas del Bloque Héroes de los Montes de María de las Auc con políticos, empresarios y Fuerza Pública posibilitaron la desaparición de personas que pueden hallarse en 15 fincas y 18 cementerios

• “La ‘Ceguera’ Prevalece Ante la Violencia Que Sufren Lideres Sociales” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), May 28, 2020).

En su más reciente informe, Somos Defensores señala que los asesinatos contra líderes sociales disminuyeron en 2019, pero no en la cantidad que afirma el gobierno nacional, y advierte que se incrementaron otras agresiones que no son tenidas en cuenta por las autoridades

• Juan Masullo, Julia Zulver, “In War-Torn Colombia, One Community Stands Up to Outsiders” (Political Violence at a Glance, May 28, 2020).

Pacelli provides an example of how strong community organization can quickly be repurposed to face the challenges of COVID-19

• Corey Dickstein, “Army’s 1st Sfab Is Headed to Colombia to Boost Anti-Drug Fight” (Stars and Stripes, May 28, 2020).

About 45 soldiers from one of the brigade’s advisory teams based at Fort Benning, Ga., will travel Monday to the South American country

• “Sfab Mission Arrives in Colombia” (U.S. Embassy in Colombia, May 28, 2020).

Its mission in Colombia will begin in early June and will last several months, during which it will focus its efforts primarily on the “Zonas Futuro” defined by the National Government

• “General Navarro Dice Que Militares de Ee. Uu. Vendran por 4 Meses” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 28, 2020).

Navarro afirmó que todos los miembros de la brigada de asistencia extranjera que vengan al país cumplirán todos los protocolos de distanciamiento por la pandemia de coronavirus

• “Asi Funcionara la Mision Militar de Ee. Uu. Que Apoyara la Lucha Contra el Narcotrafico” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 28, 2020).

“Este personal asesorará dentro de las unidades militares a los Estados Mayores de las Fuerzas de Tarea Conjunta Hércules, Vulcano, Omega y de la Brigada contra el Narcotráfico”

Colombia, Venezuela

• Santiago Serna Duque, “El Covid-19 Golpea a los Migrantes y Exige Despolitizar la Frontera Entre Colombia y Venezuela” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 28, 2020).

El secretario de Frontera y Cooperación Internacional para Norte de Santander, Víctor Bautista, advirtió que de no establecerse un manejo conjunto en la frontera colombo-venezolana, la crisis del COVID-19 “nos puede explotar en las manos”

Mexico

• “Gunmen Attack Daughter of Murdered Mexican Reporter Maria Elena Ferral in Veracruz” (Committee to Protect Journalists, May 28, 2020).

De Luna Ferral is the editor of El Quinto Poder, a local news website based in Papantla, a town in northern Veracruz. She continued editing the website’s Facebook page after her mother was murdered

• Juan Montes, David Luhnow, “Mexico’s Leader Has Answer for All His Needs: The Army” (The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2020).

President López Obrador has boosted the military’s roles in public works, fighting coronavirus and confronting drug cartels, a tack some see as risky

• Parker Asmann, “As Officer Murders Soar, Identity Crisis Plagues Mexico’s Local Police” (InsightCrime, May 28, 2020).

So far this year, at least 215 police officers have been killed across the country, or more than one a day

• “Decomisan Arsenal y Taller de Blindaje del Cartel del Golfo en Tamaulipas” (Proceso (Mexico), May 28, 2020).

Las armas y vehículos decomisados estaban destinados al capo Evaristo Cruz, alias “el Vaquero”, jefe de plaza del Cártel del Golfo en la ciudad fronteriza de Matamoros

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Lomi Kriel, “House Democrats Demand Trump Administration Stop Rushing Through Deportations of Migrant Children” (Texas Tribune, Propublica, The Texas Tribune, May 28, 2020).

The letter signed by five key House leaders overseeing immigration cited a May 18 ProPublica/Texas Tribune story that found the U.S. government has aggressively begun to rush the deportations of unaccompanied children in its care to countries where they have been raped, beaten or had a parent killed

Venezuela

• Javier Ignacio Mayorca, “Desapariciones” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 28, 2020).

En los cuatro meses de 2020, las cifras de personas desaparecidas en Venezuela se han disparado de forma inexplicable ¿Gente que se va sin decir adiós o policías fuera de control?

• Benoit Faucon, Ian Talley, “U.S. Threatens Sanctions to Deter Tankers Carrying Fuel to Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, May 28, 2020).

The two were expected to arrive in Venezuela in the wake of three Iranian tankers carrying gasoline that have reached the country

(Even more here)

May 27, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Sandra Weiss, “The Authoritarian Temptation” (International Politics and Society, May 27, 2020).

Under the pretext of the coronavirus and embedded in measures to protect public health, authoritarian tendencies are spreading from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego. Three trends are emerging

• Anthony Boadle, “Who Says the Americas Are New Covid-19 Epicenter as Deaths Surge in Latin America” (Reuters, Reuters, May 27, 2020).

Latin America has passed Europe and the United States in daily infections

• Joshua Goodman, “Spread of Coronavirus Fuels Corruption in Latin America” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 27, 2020).

From Argentina to Panama, a number of officials have been forced to resign as reports of fraudulent purchases of ventilators, masks and other medical supplies pile up

Bolivia

• Ivan Alejandro Paredes Tamayo, “Se Acerca el Plazo Que Dieron las Ffaa a la Asamblea Legislativa para Aprobar Lista de Ascensos y Crece la Friccion Politica” (El Deber (Bolivia), May 27, 2020).

Hay malestar en filas militares contra el Alto Mando porque no incluyó en la lista de ascensos a los que cumplen los requisitos. El Ejecutivo remitió la nómina al Senado subsanando las observaciones

Bolivia, Peru

• Linda Farthing, Thomas Grisaffi, “Corona Hits the Cocaine Supply Chain” (Latin America News Dispatch, May 27, 2020).

As trafficking routes shrink, in parts of Peru and Bolivia, the price of coca leaf has slumped to one third, or even one sixth, of its previous levels

Brazil

• Bruno Carvalho, “The Amazon Will Soon Burn Again” (The New York Times, May 27, 2020).

Unlike drier areas in Australia or California, the rainforest can’t catch on fire unless humans cut trees down. The Amazon is being devastated on an industrial scale, and for what?

• Stephen Eisenhammer, Gabriel Stargardter, “Bolsonaro Brought in His Generals to Fight Coronavirus. Brazil Is Losing the Battle” (Reuters, Reuters, May 27, 2020).

Brazil has lost two health ministers in the past six weeks – one was fired, the other resigned – after they disagreed publicly with Bolsonaro over how best to combat the virus

Colombia

• Camilo Galvis, “Se Mantiene Aislamiento por un Mes Mas para Poblacion Vulnerable” (Caracol (Colombia), May 27, 2020).

Se trata del coronel en retiro Martín Arrauth. Este oficial fue, según fuentes dentro de las instituciones, hombre de confianza del ex comandante de las fuerzas militares, general Alberto José Mejía

• ““Queremos Evitar un Genocidio”: Solicitud de Farc Ante la Cidh” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 27, 2020).

Diego Martínez, peticionario en representación de ese partido ante la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH), dijo que se acude a esa instancia tras haber intentado por todas las vías garantizar la vida de los excombatientes

• “‘Preocupa Que Ningun Militar de Alto Mando Ha Sido Condenado en Colombia por Casos de Conflicto’: Cajar” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 27, 2020).

Esta fue una de las inquietudes que el colectivo de abogados José Alvear Restrepo y la Federación Internacional de Derechos Humanos le manifestaron, a través de una conferencia virtual, a la Corte Penal Internacional

• Laura Gil, “Colombia’s Government Is Using the Coronavirus to Weaken the Historic Peace Agreement” (The Washington Post, May 27, 2020).

Now, with Colombians focused on the coronavirus emergency, a new window has opened for the government and the Democratic Center to pursue old and new ways to attack peace

• “Cauca Grita Con Dolor: Radiografia de la Violencia en Esa Region” (Semana (Colombia), May 27, 2020).

Este departamento vive un preocupante recrudecimiento de la violencia. SEMANA cuenta detalles de cómo y por qué llegaron estos niveles de barbarie, que el año pasado dejaron una cifra cercana a los 1.000 muertos. Disidencias, ELN, Clan del Golfo y carteles mexicanos operan allí

Costa Rica

• Susanne Schweitzer, “In Costa Rica, Defending Indigenous Territory Comes at a Price” (Latin America News Dispatch, May 27, 2020).

When Indigenous communities attempt to recover land that legally belongs to them in the Térraba territory, they are often met with violence

Mexico

• Maria Hinojosa, “The Moving Border: Part Two, the South” (Latino USA, National Public Radio, May 27, 2020).

We visit Tapachula, a Mexican city on the border with Guatemala that has become a frontier for this trend and is overwhelmed by desperate migrants arriving from across the globe

• Maureen Meyer, “One Year After National Guard’s Creation, Mexico Is Far From Demilitarizing Public Security” (Washington Office on Latin America, May 27, 2020).

The López Obrador administration has only deepened the militarized nature of public security in Mexico and made civilian policing at the federal level nearly obsolete

• Meaghan Beatley, “America’s Guns Fuel Mexico’s Domestic Violence Epidemic” (Foreign Policy, May 27, 2020).

Lockdowns and an easy supply of weapons have been a fatal combination for Mexican women

• Jorge Alejandro Medellin, “La Armada de Mexico Cancela su Asistencia al Ejercicio Rimpac 2020 por el Covid” (Defensa.com (Spain), May 27, 2020).

El ejercicio multinacional se realizará a finales de agosto en aguas de los Estados Unidos (costas de Hawaii y California) y en el participarán alrededor de 25 países, entre los cuales México estaba invitado

• Leon Krauze, “With Coronavirus Hurting the Drug Business, There’s an Opportunity to Corner Cartels” (The Washington Post, May 27, 2020).

If both governments cooperated on taking down real transnational criminal organizations as enthusiastically as they have worked in suppressing migrant caravans made up of thousands of impoverished and terrified potential refugees, cartels would be in real trouble

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Elizabeth Findell, “Push to Build Border Wall Accelerates in Texas Despite Coronavirus Pandemic” (The Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2020).

Since March, the government has filed 24 federal cases against South Texas landowners for the border wall, more than the previous eight months combined

• Philip Bump, “There’s New Wall on 194 Miles of the Border. Sixteen Miles Didn’t Have a Barrier Before.” (The Washington Post, May 27, 2020).

Of the 170 miles of primary wall that have been built, three miles are in places where no barrier existed before

• John Burnett, “Unlikely Allies Band Together in Laredo to Oppose the Border Wall” (National Public Radio, May 27, 2020).

Folks in black “No Border Wall” T-shirts marched in the streets earlier this year. They share their movement with sedate bankers in starched, white shirts and gray suits who are just as passionate

• Stephanie Leutert, Sam Lee, & Victoria Rossi, “Migrant Deaths in South Texas” (University of Texas Strauss Center, May 27, 2020).

https://www.strausscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/MigrantDeathsSouth_Texas.pdf

Venezuela

• Angus Berwick, Matt Spetalnick, “U.S. Targets Venezuela’s First Lady for Drug Trafficking, Other Crimes” (Reuters, Reuters, May 27, 2020).

First lady Cilia Flores has a long record as a power broker in Venezuela. Now, with the help of a jailed former bodyguard, U.S. prosecutors are preparing to charge her with crimes that could include drug trafficking and corruption

• Angus Berwick, Matt Spetalnick, “Venezuela: Urgent Aid Needed to Combat Covid-19” (Human Rights Watch, May 27, 2020).

As of May 25, 2020, Venezuela had 1,121 confirmed cases of Covid-19, and 10 deaths. The real number is almost certainly much higher

(Even more here)

May 26, 2020

Brazil

• Javier Bonilla, “El Ejercito Brasileno en la Lucha Contra la Deforestacion de la Selva” (Defensa.com (Spain), May 26, 2020).

El operativo Verde Brasil 2 ya está en marcha e involucra a 3.800 efectivos del Ejército, 110 vehículos, 20 embarcaciones y 12 aviones, con bases en Belém, Porto Velho y Cuiabá

• David Biller, “In Bolsonaro’s Brazil, Everyone Else Is to Blame for Virus” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 26, 2020).

Mainstream media outlets Globo and Folha de S.Paulo later announced they would stop covering Bolsonaro’s informal press conferences outside the residence due to concern for their journalists’ safety

• Renata Brito, “Death and Denial in Brazil’s Amazon Capital” (Associated Press, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, May 26, 2020).

Doctors and psychologists say denial at the grassroots stems from a mixture of misinformation, lack of education, insufficient testing and conflicting messages from the country’s leaders

Colombia

• “Dos Meses de Cuarentena / Pandemia del Covid-19 No Ha Detenido el Avance de la Politica de Paz Con Legalidad” (Presidencia de Colombia, May 26, 2020).

Las instrucciones del Jefe de Estado fueron claras: privilegiar la vida y evitar que se detengan las acciones de la Paz con Legalidad, particularmente, en los territorios más vulnerables

• “Colombia Registra en Cuarentena la Menor Tasa de Homicidios en 46 Anos” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 26, 2020).

“Entre el 20 de marzo y el 20 de mayo se registraron 1.321 homicidios en todo el país, mientras que en el mismo periodo del año anterior se presentaron 2.012 casos, lo que equivale a una reducción del 34 %”, indicó la Policía

Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela

• “Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela: Population Movement in the Covid-19 Context” (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, May 26, 2020).

Returnee flows of people on the move raise concerns about the increased risk of COVID-19 infection in that population group

Colombia, Venezuela

• ““Santrich” Esta en Caracas “Con Anuencia del Regimen de Maduro”, Dice Asesor de Guaido” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 26, 2020).

Iván Simonovis, comisionado de seguridad e inteligencia, mostró imágenes de satélite y un video en el que, asegura, aparece el rearmado jefe guerrillero de las extintas Farc

Cuba, Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

• Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Cuban Doctors and Nurses Seeking Asylum Keep Border Clinic Running During Pandemic” (The Los Angeles Times, May 26, 2020).

The clinic, run by U.S. volunteers with Florida-based nonprofit Global Response Management, has been staffed since it opened last fall almost entirely by asylum seekers. Most are Cubans like Tamayo with prior medical training

Honduras

• Hector Silva Avalos, Victoria Dittmar, “Honduras Politician’s Murder Linked to Underworld Violence in Copan” (InsightCrime, May 26, 2020).

Recent violence in Copán has been linked to the fall of the Valle clan beginning in 2014, and the later arrest of Tony Hernández and surrender of Ardón to US authorities in 2018

Mexico

• Catalina Perez Correa, “Acuerdo Militarista” (Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas, El Universal (Mexico), May 26, 2020).

No es subordinada, pues los castrenses tendrán que “coordinarse” mas no “subordinarse” a las autoridades civiles. Y no es “complementaria”, pues las Fuerzas Armadas seguirán siendo los protagonistas centrales

• Alejandra Garcia, Isaac Vargas, Nancy Chavez, Sara Velazquez, “El Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion y su Dominio en el Mercado de la Metanfetamina en Mexico” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 26, 2020).

Los laboratorios de metanfetamina que se dedican al abastecimiento de la demanda internacional y local han sido localizados en una variedad de lugares que van desde casas en fraccionamientos, bodegas en zonas industriales, locales abandonados, o espacios montados ex profeso en sierras y caminos apartados

Mexico, Venezuela

• Joy Olson, “Mexico Uniquely Positioned to Help Venezuelans” (Joy Olson’s Blog, May 26, 2020).

Mexico could, and should, use its good offices and long history of non-intervention, to help the Venezuelan people by encouraging the acceptance and execution of an a-political humanitarian response

Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

• Alfredo Corchado, Valeria Olivares, “Covid-19 Cases Rise in Juarez and el Paso as Mexico Readies for Reopening of Factories” (The Dallas Morning News, May 26, 2020).

This nation is far from flattening the COVID-19 curve, but thousands of maquiladora employees are set to return to work after the government caved in to intense pressure from the Trump administration

• Sergio Arauz, “Matamoros: Un Botadero de Migrantes en Plena Pandemia” (El Faro (El Salvador), May 26, 2020).

Matamoros, ciudad controlada por La Maña, la crisis humanitaria se resume en un campamento a la orilla del río Bravo: 2,000 personas de Centroamérica, Venezuela, Cuba y otros países, sobreviven hacinados

Nicaragua

• “Ivan Acosta Podria Continuar en su Cargo a Pesar de la Sancion de Estados Unidos” (Nicaragua Investiga, May 26, 2020).

El Ministro de Hacienda y Crédito Público Iván Acosta podría continuar en su cargo hasta terminar su mandato, pero se vería imposibilitado de firmar convenios o préstamos en nombre de Nicaragua

U.S.-Mexico Border

• John Burnett, “Trump’s Border Wall Would Go Through Laredo’s Historic Downtown” (National Public Radio, May 26, 2020).

The federal government plans to build 69 miles of the massive barrier through the city’s historic downtown but not if opponents in Laredo have anything to do with it

• Morgan Loew, “Critics in Southern Arizona Call New Border Wall Contract Wasteful, Unnecessary” (KOLD (Tucson, Arizona), May 26, 2020).

Critics argue that this spot between Nogales and Sasabe is so remote and rugged, that the cost to build and damage done by a border wall far outweigh any benefit

Venezuela

• Kejal Vyas, Benoit Faucon, “Second Fuel Tanker From Iran Arrives in Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, May 26, 2020).

A second tanker dispatched by Iran was welcomed Monday by Venezuelan naval frigates and helicopters as it entered national waters

(Even more here)

May 25, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Hamed Aleaziz, “An Immigrant Man in Ice Custody Died After Contracting the Coronavirus” (BuzzFeed, May 25, 2020).

Since the beginning of the pandemic, medical experts and immigrant advocates have warned that the highly contagious coronavirus would put detainees at risk

• Ryan Devereaux, “Ice Detainee Who Died of Covid-19 Suffered Horrifying Neglect” (The Intercept, May 25, 2020).

In place of wide-scale releases, ICE has adopted a practice of consolidating people suspected of having Covid-19 in designated areas and waiting to see if they get better or worse

Argentina

• Guido Braslavsky, “General Juan Martin Paleo: “La Pandemia No Tiene Mucha Diferencia Con una Guerra Bacteriologica”” (Clarin (Argentina), May 25, 2020).

El jefe del Estado Mayor Conjunto de las FF.AA. sostiene que en la crisis por el coronavirus la sociedad ha revalorizado el papel de las instituciones militares en la Argentina

Bolivia

• Jesus Reynaldo Alanoca Paco, “Murillo Dice Que Asambleistas Son Pasibles a un Proceso Si No Aprueban los Ascensos en las Ffaa” (El Deber (Bolivia), May 25, 2020).

El ministro de Gobierno comprende la molestia que existe al interior de la institución castrense. Los militares dieron un plazo de una semana para que el Legislativo ratifique la disposición

Brazil

• “As Rio Becomes Covid-19 Epicenter, Police Violence Soars to New High” (RioOnWatch (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), May 25, 2020).

The deadliest police force in Brazil, maybe in the world, Rio police are known for rushing armored trucks and helicopters into the favelas in what are described merely as “police operations”

• Tom Phillips, “‘Horror Show’: Critics Hope Bolsonaro’s Foul Tirade Could End Rule” (The Guardian, May 25, 2020).

Jair Bolsonaro swore 34 times during a two-hour cabinet meeting some think could help bring his four-year term to a premature end

• Euan Marshall, “Brazil’s Bolsonaro Still in Denial as Coronavirus Cases Soar” (The Telegraph (UK), May 25, 2020).

Between political implosion and a virus out of control, Mr Bolsonaro faces the prospect of becoming known as the man who broke Brazil

Colombia

• Olga Patricia Rendon M., “Tras Investigaciones, en el Ejercito Sigue la Purga” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), May 25, 2020).

La Resolución, que no detalla motivos para el retiro, explica que el llamado a calificar servicios “no significa sanción, despido ni exclusión deshonrosa de la institución”

• “Amenazan a Investigadores de la Corte Suprema Que Indagan Irregularidades de Inteligencia” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

Los detalles de la amenaza revelan que sabían en qué carros se movían, cuántos hijos tenían y hasta el trabajo de sus parejas

• LeÓn Valencia, “De Como los Politicos Utilizan a los Militares” (Fundación Paz y Reconciliación (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

Resulta que los primeros en salir de la institución fueron los oficiales que presuntamente filtraron la información de chuzadas y seguimiento y no los que las ejecutaron

• Javier Forero, “Vuelve el ‘Fantasma’ de Cambiar los Acuerdos de Paz” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

Holmes Trujillo, quien actuó como vocero del uribismo en la campaña del No para el plebiscito, sugirió examinar “si conviene o no hacer algunos cambios hacia adelante (en la implementación del acuerdo), sin afectar siquiera el texto del acuerdo”

• “¿No Mas Farc? Timochenko Plantea Cambio de Nombre para su Partido” (Semana (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

Timochenko aceptó este domingo que el nombre de Farc da “un mensaje bastante complicado, que incluso genera distancias cuando va uno a hablar con la gente”

• “La Ceguera: Informe Anual 2019” (Somos Defensores (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

La ceguera muestra el panorama nacional y hace e?nfasis en el negacionismo que caracteriza al Gobierno Nacional, de mu?ltiples asuntos relacionados con la cri?tica situacio?n de seguridad y de los derechos humanos pero, en particular, sobre la problema?tica de criminalidad de li?deres y lideresas sociales

• Juan Carlos Garzon Vergara, Angela Maria Silva Aparicio, Catalina Riveros Gomez, “El Conflicto Armado y su Impacto Humanitario y Ambiental: Tendencias Durante la Pandemia” (Fundacion Ideas por la Paz (Colombia), May 25, 2020).

Los homicidios disminuyeron 16% a nivel nacional y los desplazamientos forzados aumentaron el 5%.

Cuba

• Anthony Depalma, “How Cubans Lost Faith in Revolution” (The New York Times, May 25, 2020).

To expect that if only things get bad enough, Cubans will rise up, when they are struggling just to stand, is not just unrealistic. It is cruel

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “Pese a Orden de Corte, No Avanza el Observatorio para Vigilar a Guardia Nacional” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 25, 2020).

Se dio un plazo de dos años al Estado mexicano para crear este observatorio independiente, pero transcurrido casi el 75% del tiempo ONG revela resistencias del gobierno

• Anayeli Garcia Martinez, “El Impacto de la Militarizacion en los Cuerpos de las Mujeres” (Milenio (Mexico), May 25, 2020).

Para las mujeres la militarización ha sido sinónimo de violencia sexual, por eso la presencia de las fuerzas armadas en labores de seguridad pública debe ser únicamente excepcional y temporal

Nicaragua

• Yader Luna, “Us Slaps Sanctions on Nicaraguan Army Chief and Finance Minister” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), May 25, 2020).

The US Treasury Department imposed on Friday sanctions on the head of the Nicaraguan Army, Julio Cesar Aviles Castillo, and on the Finance Minister, Ivan Adolfo Acosta Montalvan, “for supporting the corrupt regime” of Daniel Ortega

Peru

• “Ministro de Defensa Indico Que Fuerzas Armadas Continuaran Con Operaciones Durante Estado de Emergencia” (El Comercio (Peru), May 25, 2020).

El ministro de Defensa, Walter Martos Ruíz, informó este sábado que las Fuerzas Armadas y la Policía Nacional del Perú (PNP) continuarán realizando operaciones inopinadas para garantizar el cumpliento del estado de emergencia

Suriname

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Suriname’s President Shrugs Off Murder Sentence in Re-Election Bid” (The New York Times, May 25, 2020).

Appealing the ruling and avoiding prison through presidential immunity, he is instead running for re-election

Venezuela

• “Avanza la Construccion de la Planta para Producir Fusiles Ak-103 en Venezuela” (Asociación Civil Control Ciudadano (Venezuela), May 25, 2020).

Las planta están siendo construidas a partir del contrato suscrito por el Gobierno venezolano con la empresa rusa Rosoboronexport en 2006, estando previsto que iniciaran su producción en 2009, lo cual no pudo ser posible

• Deisy Buitrago, Luc Cohen, “Iranian Fuel Starts Arriving in Venezuelan Waters Despite U.S. Warning” (Reuters, Reuters, May 25, 2020).

The first of five Iranian tankers carrying fuel for gasoline-starved Venezuela entered the South American country’s exclusive economic zone on Saturday, despite a U.S. official’s warning that Washington was considering a response

• Kejal Vyas, Benoit Faucon, “Iran Ships Fuel to Venezuela, Flouting U.S. Pressure on Its Foes” (The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2020).

As the first vessel entered Venezuelan waters late Saturday, Iran’s national anthem sounded on Venezuela state television against images of the late Islamic revolutionary Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini

(Even more here)

May 22, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Jose Miguel Vivanco, Cesar Munoz Acebes, “Como Evitar Que las Carceles de America Latina se Conviertan en una Incubadora del Coronavirus” (Human Rights Watch, The New York Times, May 22, 2020).

Reducir la sobrepoblación penitenciaria es crucial para evitar un contagio generalizado en las prisiones de la región. Los gobiernos y los jueces deben actuar con urgencia

• “Latin America’s Economic Plight Is Getting Worse” (The Economist (Uk), May 22, 2020).

Latin American governments lack the fiscal firepower, as well as the effective institutions, of their counterparts in Europe or the United States. As a result, rather than having a rapid recovery, as some hoped, the region risks entering a dark valley

• “Ice Asked Parents to Choose Between Family Separation and Prolonged Detention—During a Pandemic” (Mother Jones, May 22, 2020).

One of the parents said about the ICE agents, “We felt like they were really enjoying watching us suffer.”

• “House Democrats Demand Ice End New “Binary Choice” Policy Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, May 22, 2020).

This Administration has an unfortunate track record of repeatedly violating the Flores agreement, including by engaging in the long-term detention of families with children

• Kristie de Pena, Emily Van Fossen, “The State of Asylum: Changes Made to the Asylum System During the Trump Administration” (Niskanen Center, May 22, 2020).

The continued prevalence and use of the misnomer “catch and release” complicates the safe release of certain migrants into the interior, and abuses expensive detention for individuals that pose no risk to national security or public safety

• “Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Urge the Trump Administration to Halt to Deportations Amid Global Pandemic” (Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S. House of Representatives, May 22, 2020).

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus led by Chairman Joaquin Castro are calling on the Trump administration halt deportation flights and urging the Administration to swiftly and safely release individuals in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19

Brazil

• Jon Lee Anderson, “The Coronavirus Hits Brazil Hard, but Jair Bolsonaro Is Unrepentant” (The New Yorker, May 22, 2020).

As Brazil’s rates of infection and mortality continue to climb, President Jair Bolsonaro is behaving with absolute and deterministic irresponsibility

Colombia

• “La Exigua Implementacion del Capitulo Etnico” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), May 22, 2020).

Presentamos un conjunto de reportajes sobre diversos puntos esenciales del Capítulo Étnico y los avances y retrocesos de su implementación en los departamentos de Cauca y Chocó

• Mathew Charles, “Abducted, Brainwashed and Plied With Alcohol: Farc’s Child Soldiers” (The Telegraph (UK), May 22, 2020).

Forced recruitment in Colombia rose by 73 per cent between 2017 and 2018. The UN believes these figures are only the tip of the iceberg

• Daniel Coronell, “Beyond Rotten Apples: The Colombian Military Intelligence Needs to Be Reformed” (The New York Times, May 22, 2020).

The government must assume political responsibility for what the military does or does not do

El Salvador

• Patrick Oppmann, “The Young President Defying Congress and Courts on Covid-19 Policy” (CNN, May 22, 2020).

Another showdown already appears to be in the works with lawmakers looking to override a president who is determined to use all his powers and beyond to stop them

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

• “Covid-19: Dangers Mount for Migrant Children Forcibly Returned to Northern Central America and Mexico During Pandemic” (UNICEF, May 22, 2020).

Since early March, at least 1,000 unaccompanied migrant children have been returned from the United States to Mexico and northern Central America – El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – despite serious protection risks

Guatemala

• Sonia Perez D., “Guatemala President Fumes Over Infected Deportees From Us” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 22, 2020).

“Guatemala is an ally of the United States, but the United States is not Guatemala’s ally. They don’t treat us like an ally”

Honduras

• Jennifer Ávila, “Prisiones de Honduras: El Reino de Precariedad, Violencia y Militarismo al Que Llego la Pandemia” (Otras Miradas, Contra Corriente, May 22, 2020).

Luego de la confirmación de dos casos —uno fallecido—, la información sobre protocolos de seguridad durante la emergencia es manejada como un secreto por las Fuerzas Armadas, que tienen a cargo el sistema penitenciario desde diciembre de 2019

• Hector Silva Avalos, Angela Olaya, Seth Robbins, “The Two Deaths of Agent Sherill Hernandez in Honduras” (InsightCrime, May 22, 2020).

The Hernández Máncia case fits into a pattern in Honduras in which high-profile death inquiries are slow-walked, riddled with errors and then dismissed without much explanation

Mexico

• Buggs, “Nogales or la Nogalera” (Borderland Beat, May 22, 2020).

Today the city is in a relative calm after the violent events that occurred around it, the fracture and the war between the factions of the Chapitos against the Mayo Zambada has not not touched Nogales yet, although the boss of the plaza is embroiled in the confrontations

• Arturo Angel, “Tras Denunciar Fallas, Renuncia a Gabinete de Seguridad; Luego se Arrepiente” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 22, 2020).

David Pérez-Esparza, uno de los funcionarios de mayor jerarquía del Sistema Nacional de Seguridad Pública y responsable del manejo de las cifras de incidencia delictiva del país presentó ayer su renuncia

Suriname

• Mat Youkee, “Suriname Election: Can Pandemic Help Outlaw Leader Get Away With Murder?” (The Guardian, May 22, 2020).

The pandemic has prompted to the EU to cancel its election observation mission, although the Organization of American States (OAS) will send a 10-person team

U.S.-Mexico Border

• “Family Separation 2.0: “You Aren’t Going to Separate Me From My Only Child.”” (Amnesty International, May 22, 2020).

ICE has now introduced a new element of harm: family separation. Once again, this administration is weaponizing its public health response to COVID- 19 to punish and deter people seeking safety

Venezuela

• Ramses Ulises Siverio, “Benigno Alarcon: ‘Relying on Outside Players and Disempowering Society Was a Mistake’” (Caracas Chronicles, May 22, 2020).

The director of UCAB’s Political Studies Center sees an opposition of questionable credibility, both inside and outside Venezuela

• Deisy Martinez, “657 Personas Asesinadas en Zulia por Cuerpos de Seguridad del Estado” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), May 22, 2020).

La ONG alertó que se trató de un incremento de 135,48% con respecto a 2018, cuando se registró la muerte de 269 personas

• “Real Negotiation Among Venezuela’s Main Political Actors ‘Only Way Forward’ to Resolving Protracted Crisis, Under-Secretary-General Tells Security Council” (Security Council, United Nations, May 22, 2020).

“We remain convinced that a real negotiation among Venezuela’s main political actors is the only way forward.” She called on them to resume serious negotiations, and all Member States to stand behind this call

(Even more here)

May 21, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Roger Ernesto la o Munoz, “Opinion: Ice Detainee Pleads for Release to Help Battle Coronavirus” (The Houston Chronicle, May 21, 2020).

One evening, ICE officials came to my dorm and tried to pressure me into signing documents stating that they have taken sufficient preventative measures. When I refused, one official got on top of me, yelled at me, and tried again to coerce me into signing the papers

Colombia

• “Estos Son los Nombres de los 13 Militares Que Iran a Juicio por “Carpetas Secretas”” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 21, 2020).

Un coronel, un mayor y un teniente aparecen mencionados en el expediente de “chuzadas” de la Corte Suprema

• ““se Ha Reducido el Numero de Muertes de Lideres Sociales”” (El Nuevo Siglo (Colombia), May 21, 2020).

Así lo manifestó la ministra del Interior, Alicia Arango, quien, en su función de secretaria técnica del Plan de Acción Oportuna (PAO), entregó cifras del primer trimestre de la atención del Gobierno a esta población

• Julia Zulver, Megan Janetsky, “Lockdown Turns Colombian Activists Into ‘Sitting Ducks’” (BBC (UK), May 21, 2020).

Community activists from different parts of Colombia have told the BBC that restrictions on movement imposed to curb the spread of virus mean that they have become even easier targets

• Joe Parkin Daniels, “Colombia: Outrage as Warlord’s Son Picked to Lead Victim Support Project” (The Guardian, May 21, 2020).

The son of a notorious death squad leader has been appointed to run the Colombian government’s programmes for victims of the country’s long civil war, prompting fury among survivors

• ““Siempre Van a Ser unos Miserables”: Miembros del Gobierno Insultan a Indigenas” (Semana (Colombia), May 21, 2020).

Miembros del Consejo Regional Indígena del Cauca (Cric) denunciaron que funcionarios del Ministerio del Interior olvidaron apagar sus micrófonos y lanzaron fuertes improperios en su contra: “Solo quieren plata y siempre van a ser unos miserables y brutos”

• Sebastian Forero Rueda, “La Resistencia del Pueblo Negro de la Larga y Tumarado Contra el Despojo” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 21, 2020).

Aunque el consejo comunitario, ubicado en Riosucio (Chocó), tiene un título colectivo por 107.064 hectáreas, en la práctica la tierra productiva está en manos de empresarios que la compraron en medio de la arremetida paramilitar

Colombia, Cuba

• “‘Noruega Cree en Solucion Diplomatica en Caso Eln’” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 21, 2020).

John Petter Opdahl, embajador noruego en Colombia, revela posición de su país sobre Cuba

Colombia, Panama, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Cecilia Anesi, Giulio Rubino, Nathan Jaccard, Antonio Baquero, Lilia Saul Rodriguez, Aubrey Belford, “What Lockdown? World’s Cocaine Traffickers Sniff at Movement Restrictions” (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, May 21, 2020).

What is clear is that cocaine continues to flow from South America to Europe and North America. Closed trafficking routes have been replaced with new ones, and street deals have been substituted with door-to-door deliveries

Colombia, Venezuela

• Edith M. Lederer, “Un Urges Venezuela’s Rival Political Leaders to Resume Talks” (Associated Press, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, May 21, 2020).

The United Nations called on Venezuela’s feuding political leaders Wednesday to urgently resume serious negotiations, while Russia and its Caracas government ally traded barbs with the United States and Colombia

El Salvador

• Nelson Renteria, “Bukele Decreta Nueva Cuarentena por Coronavirus, Ahonda Choque Con Congreso y Corte” (Reuters, Reuters, May 21, 2020).

Los legisladores salvadoreños habían aprobado el lunes una ley para reabrir la economía garantizando la salud de la población que Bukele amenazó con vetar. Ese día, el alto tribunal suspendió provisionalmente otro decreto de emergencia

Mexico

• Patricia Mayorga, “La Covid-19 Complica las Condiciones de Migrantes en Mexico; Se Enfrentan al Hacinamiento” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), May 21, 2020).

Actualmente hay cerca de 4 mil 800 personas solicitantes de asilo que viven en 89 albergues, por lo que cerrarlos por la pandemia de COVID-19 es inviable

• Anthony Esposito, Dave Graham, “Murders in Mexico Reach Record Levels in First Four Months of 2020” (Reuters, Reuters, May 21, 2020).

In the first four months of this year, 11,535 murders were registered, up from 11,266 homicide in same period last year

Peru

• Dan Collyns, “Peru’s Coronavirus Response Was ‘Right on Time’ – So Why Isn’t It Working?” (The Guardian, May 21, 2020).

Peru was one of the first Latin America countries to go into lockdown – but the jump in new cases is undeniable, and experts say it’s due to people’s behaviour

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Ruthie Epstein, Shaw Drake, “How to Co-Opt a Pandemic to Ban Asylum” (American Civil Liberties Union, May 21, 2020).

The impact of the CDC order is devastating. The agency is not only placing adults and families in immediate harm, either in Mexico or in the very country from which they fled, but is doing the same thing to hundreds of unaccompanied children

Venezuela

• “Venezuela’s Military to Escort Iranian Oil Tankers” (BBC (UK), May 21, 2020).

The five Iranian tankers – Fortune, Forest, Petunia, Faxon and Clavel – are carrying about 1.5m barrels of fuel and passed through the Suez Canal earlier this month

• David Smilde, Geoff Ramsey, “International Peacemaking in Venezuela’s Intractable Conflict” (European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies, May 21, 2020).

While it is clear that the Maduro government uses dialogue processes as a delay tactic through which it can divide and demobilize the opposition, clear progress has been made in the mediators’ ability to generate concrete articulation and discussion of the conflicting parties’ demands

• “Rusia y Eeuu Salieron a«Tablasa» Otra Vez del Consejo de Seguridad Sobre Venezuela” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 21, 2020).

EEUU y Rusia, que presentan discrepancias y tienen veto en el Consejo de Seguridad, hace que no haya decisión concreta sobre Venezuela

• “Venezuela Armed Forces to Escort Iranian Tankers Bringing Needed Fuel” (Associated Press, Navy Times, May 21, 2020).

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said Venezuela’s navy and air force will welcome the five Iranian tankers, seeing them through the nation’s maritime territory and into port

(Even more here)

May 20, 2020

Brazil

• ““Es Cada Vez Mas Dificil Imaginar Que Jair Bolsonaro Llegue al Final del Mandato en Brasil”” (BBC Mundo, El Comercio (Peru), May 20, 2020).

“Es una tormenta perfecta”, dice Murilo de Carvalho, miembro de la Academia Brasileña de Letras y de la Academia Brasileña de Ciencias

• Shasta Darlington, Tara John, Flora Charner, “Brazil Hits Record High for New Coronavirus Cases” (CNN, May 20, 2020).

The Latin American country confirmed a record of 1,179 deaths and 17,408 new infections on Tuesday

Chile

• “Chilean Army Sent to Contain Hungry Mobs in Poor Neighborhoods of Santiago” (MercoPress, May 20, 2020).

Overnight Monday to Tuesday rioters looted a neighborhood gas station, while downtown a mob set a bus ablaze. Residents in both poor and middle-class neighborhoods banged pots and pans in protest

Colombia

• Juan Diego Cardenas, Chris Dalby, “Colombia’s Coca Eradicators Spared From Coronavirus Lockdown” (InsightCrime, May 20, 2020).

Continuing with coca eradication campaigns during the lockdown goes beyond political recklessness. It directly endangers the lives of some of Colombia’s most vulnerable communities

• “Mindefensa Propone Pacto para Modificar Implementacion del Acuerdo” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 20, 2020).

Holmes, quien actuó como vocero del uribismo en la campaña para el plebiscito, sugirió examinar la idea de “si conviene o no hacer algunos cambios hacia adelante (en el proceso de implementación), sin afectar siquiera el texto del acuerdo”

• Oscar Parra, “Nos Acostumbramos al Miedo” (Rutas del Conflicto, El Espectador (Colombia), May 20, 2020).

Existen varios indicios que señalan que terminamos ‘perfilados’ por pedirle información al Ejército sobre el dinero que reciben de empresas petroleras y mineras, muchas señaladas de violar derechos humanos, en qué lo invierten y cómo lo fiscalizan

• “ee.uu. Donara Equipos de Proteccion a Carceles de Colombia Tras Motines” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 20, 2020).

El director de la Oficina de Asuntos Antinarcóticos y Aplicación de la Ley, Brian Harris, manifestó en una videoconferencia que entre lo donado hay “equipo de protección, monitoreo, seguridad y material de construcción para arreglar los daños de los disturbios”

• “Alicia Arango Defiende Nombramiento del Hijo de ‘Jorge 40’” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 20, 2020).

Varios sectores políticos han asegurado que el nombramiento de Tovar no se puede tomar no es un gesto de reconciliación con las víctimas y por otro lado, hay quienes aseguran que el abogado ha tenido gestos de paz

Colombia, Cuba

• Gloria Castrillon, ““Esperamos Que Cuba Continue Acompanando el Acuerdo de Paz”: Onu” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 20, 2020).

El jefe de la Misión de la ONU, que verifica la implementación del Acuerdo de Paz, el mexicano Carlos Ruiz Massieu, hace un balance de las afectaciones que ha dejado la pandemia por el coronavirus en los compromisos que adquirieron el Estado y las Farc

Mexico

• Juan Jesus Garza Onofre, Sergio Lopez Ayllon, Issa Luna Pla, Javier Martin Reyes, Pedro Salazar Ugarte, “Normalizar la Militarizacion: Analisis Juridico del Acuerdo Presidencial” (Nexos (Mexico), May 20, 2020).

El acuerdo desestima los principios más elementales del Estado constitucional y transgrede los límites que el derecho impone al ejercicio del poder. Por eso, el presidente se equivoca

• Jorge Galindo, Lorena Arroyo, Elena Reina, “La Pandemia Sigue el Rastro de la Desigualdad en Mexico” (El Pais (Spain), May 20, 2020).

Los contagios y las muertes crecen más en los sectores populares del sureste de la capital y la zona metropolitana, así como en las grandes urbes de la frontera norte. Estas son las historias detrás de los números

• “Bajan Homicidios en Abril; Pero Promedio Diario de Asesinatos Sube” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 20, 2020).

El secretario de seguridad señaló que se registraron 50 homicidios menos en abril respecto a marzo de este año, y que bajaron los robos y el feminicidio

• Ann Deslandes, “Despite the Coronavirus, Mexican Women Are Fighting Femicide” (Foreign Policy, May 20, 2020).

With little help from the government, citizens are now relying on grassroots organizing and support to combat gendered violence and discrimination

• “El Regreso del Ejercito a las Calles No Cambia la Estrategia de Seguridad del Gobierno Federal: Durazo” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), May 20, 2020).

Durazo Montaño aseguró que de lo contrario a lo que se cree, el decreto limita las facultades de las fuerzas armadas y está justificado en el artículo quinto transitorio constitucional

Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

• “Un “Hotel Filtro” Es Habilitado en Ciudad Juarez; Atiende en Cuarentena a Migrantes Antes de Ir a Albergue” (EFE, SinEmbargo (Mexico), May 20, 2020).

Este hotel, que inició sus operaciones el pasado 9 de mayo, busca prevenir posibles brotes del coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (causante de la enfermedad de la COVID-19) en población en tránsito, pues en él se mantiene a los migrantes en observación

• “The Moving Border: Part One, the North” (Latino USA, National Public Radio, May 20, 2020).

Latino USA delves into the increasing pressure put on refugees seeking safety in the United States via its southern border. It reveals the surprising support the Trump administration has received from a Mexican administration that once publicly spoke out against Trump’s rhetoric

Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

• Kate Morrissey, “Mexicans Caught Crossing Border Illegally to Be Flown to Mexico City” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 20, 2020).

Mexicans caught crossing illegally into the United States will be sent to Mexico City rather than back to border cities beginning on Tuesday, according to U.S. Border Patrol

U.S.-Mexico Border

• “The Trump Administration Just Extended Its Covid-19 Border Restrictions—Indefinitely” (Mother Jones, May 20, 2020).

The Trump administration indefinitely extended its coronavirus border restrictions Tuesday, finalizing a rule that has allowed the government to turn away asylum seekers and other immigrants for public health reasons

• Caitlin Dickerson, “10 Years Old, Tearful and Confused After a Sudden Deportation” (The New York Times, May 20, 2020).

Since the coronavirus broke out, the Trump administration has deported hundreds of migrant children alone — in some cases, without notifying their families

Venezuela

• Luisa Quintero, “Juan Guaido: Debemos Ir en los Proximos Dias a una Estrategia de Accion Simultanea” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 20, 2020).

«La oportunidad del venezolano radica en el gobierno de emergencia nacional, que tiene una base constitucional. Desde que estuvimos en las reuniones en Noruega, yo dije que ponía mi cargo a la orden para facilitar este escenario»

• Benoit Faucon, “U.S. Seeks Ways to Halt Iran’s Oil Sales to Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, May 20, 2020).

The possibility of new U.S. sanctions and legal action comes as five Iranian gasoline tankers make their way toward Venezuela