Adam Isacson

(Even more here)

December 31, 2020

Brazil

• “Jair Bolsonaro 2020 Person of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption” (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, December 31, 2020).

Bolsonaro has surrounded himself with corrupt figures, used propaganda to promote his populist agenda, undermined the justice system, and waged a destructive war against the Amazon

Colombia

• “Este 31 de Diciembre se Cumple el Plazo para Que las Extintas Farc Entreguen Sus Bienes” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 31, 2020).

Desde el Ejecutivo dicen que reportarán incumplimiento a la JEP y la Fiscalía. Farc invita a un espacio de trabajo conjunto para superar los inconvenientes

• “Exfiscal Gustavo Moreno Sera Trasladado a la Modelo, Pese a Sus Condiciones de Seguridad” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 31, 2020).

El exfiscal anticorrupción, Luis Gustavo Moreno, quien llegó al país el pasado 4 de diciembre, luego de purgar una condena de 48 meses de prisión en Estados Unidos, será trasladado a la cárcel La Modelo

• “Colombia Sets New Record in Eradicating Coca Production” (Agence France Presse, France 24 (France), December 31, 2020).

“We have achieved the highest level of manual coca eradication ever recorded by Colombia: 130,000 hectares (321,000 acres),” President Ivan Duque said

• “‘No Hay Que Poner Mas Trabas’: El Duro Mensaje del Presidente de Jep” (El Tiempo (Colombia), December 31, 2020).

La JEP cerró el año pasado con más de 36.000 decisiones adoptadas, 308.000 víctimas acreditadas en los siete macrocasos y un terreno abonado para las primeras decisiones de fondo y condenas contra los máximos responsables

Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela

• “El Flujo de Extranjeros Que Buscan Cruzar Ilegalmente a Peru Aumenta en la Frontera Sur” (El Universo (Ecuador), December 31, 2020).

Las investigaciones revelan que existe una red de trata de personas en la que participan presuntos coyoteros que operan en Colombia, Ecuador y Perú

Cuba

• Abel Gonzalez, “Calls for Freedom of Expression in Cuba After Members of Artist Collective Evicted During Peaceful Protest” (Global Voices, December 31, 2020).

Since November, a group of Cubans has been demanding freedom of expression in solidarity with members of an artists collective which has been facing repression from state authorities

Mexico

• Wendy Fry, Alejandro Tamayo, “In Their Own Words: Parents Talk About Their Endless Search for Mexico’s Missing” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 31, 2020).

When met with what they say is official indifference or outright resistance, the collectives purchased shovels and other tools and began conducting their own searches in clandestine mass graves and abandoned properties

• “Mexico Cierra 2020 Con Baja en Homicidios y Ligera Alza en Feminicidios” (Animal Politico (Mexico), December 31, 2020).

En 2020 habrá una disminución de 0.4% en homicidios dolosos y de 1.3% en la tasa de homicidios por cada 100 mil habitantes, con relación a 2019

• “Mexico Fentanyl Seizures Soar by Almost 500% in 2020” (Associated Press, ABC News, December 31, 2020).

Military and police forces said on the final day of the year that they had seized an estimated 1.3 tons of the synthetic opioid, compared to 222 kilograms in 2019

• “A New Law Might Hobble the Us-Mexican Fight Against Drug Cartels” (The Economist (Uk), December 31, 2020).

The episode, described by one American official as “a total shitshow”, has complicated the Mexican-American relationship just as it had at last seemed to be getting simpler

Peru

• Aldo Pecho Gonzales, “El Ano de la Pandemia: ¿Que Abordamos Sobre Seguridad Ciudadana?” (Instituto de Defensa Legal (Peru), December 31, 2020).

Seguridad Ciudadana se prepara para afrontar un nuevo año con retos por venir, en circunstancias que seguramente serán diferentes para nuestra ciudadanía, con eminentes cambios políticos

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Rafael Carranza, “Nogales Shelter Director Juan Francisco Loureiro Dies From Covid-19 After a Lifetime Helping Migrants” (The Arizona Republic, December 31, 2020).

Don Paco, as he was known to friends and migrants, founded the San Juan Bosco migrant shelter in Nogales, Sonora in 1982

• Meghann Myers, “New in 2021: Border Deployments Slowly Winding Down as More Wall Goes Up” (Military Times, December 31, 2020).

As of Dec. 16 3,600 National Guard and reserve troops are stationed at the border, with a cap of 4,000 issued in June

Venezuela

• Luisa Quintero, “Ddhh en Venezuela: Un Ano de Graves Denuncias y Lo Que Falta por Venir” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), December 31, 2020).

Denuncias de torturas, detenciones arbitrarias y ejecuciones extrajudiciales se combinaron este año con las vulneraciones a los derechos a la alimentación, salud y servicios básicos

• Abelardo Perez, “Oro, Sangre, Ecocidio y Esclavitud Reinaron Durante 2020 en el Arco Minero” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), December 31, 2020).

El Arco Minero del Orinoco se ha convertido en una tierra de barbarie donde la ley la imponen los grupos armados irregulares

(Even more here)

December 30, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Francesco Manetto, “Jon Lee Anderson: “Estamos en una Era de Protesta y Exasperacion, Pero No de Empunar Armas Contra el Poder”” (El Pais (Spain), December 30, 2020).

Todos nos sentimos sacudidos, hostigados, dañados y algo traumatizados por el paso de Trump. Creo que los latinoamericanos han de sentir algo parecido

Argentina

• Daniel Politi, Ernesto Londono, “Argentina Legalizes Abortion, a Milestone in a Conservative Region” (The New York Times, December 30, 2020).

The Senate vote on Wednesday was a major victory for Latin America’s growing feminist movement, and its ripple effects are likely to be widespread

Bolivia

• Luis Marcelo Tedesqui Vargas, “Nuevo Alto Mando Militar Promete Esclarecer Casos Sacaba y Senkata” (El Deber (Bolivia), December 30, 2020).

El anterior jefe de las FFAA había expresado el malestar institucional por los procesos a militares por las muertes de Sacaba y Senkata

Chile

• “El Comando de Operaciones Especiales del Ejercito de Chile (Cope) Inicia Sus Funciones” (Ejército de Chile, Defensa.com (Spain), December 30, 2020).

Cabe destacar que la creación del COPE es parte de las modificaciones diseñadas para la nueva Estructura Superior del Ejército (ESE) y depende directamente del Comandante en Jefe

Colombia, Venezuela

• John Otis, “Large Venezuelan Migration Sparks Xenophobic Backlash in Colombia” (National Public Radio, December 30, 2020).

The message that Venezuelan migrants are no longer welcome comes from average Colombian citizens and powerful government officials alike

Cuba

• Nora Gamez Torres, Jacqueline Charles, “Will Biden Restore Ties With Cuba? Debate Swirls Over Next Steps as Florida Loss Muddies Plans” (The Miami Herald, December 30, 2020).

On the campaign trail, President-elect Joe Biden promised to reverse Donald Trump’s restrictions on travel and remittances to Cuba. But he stopped short of saying just how far he’ll go

• Michael Crowley, Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt, “Pompeo Weighs Plan to Place Cuba on U.S. Terrorism Sponsor List” (The New York Times, December 30, 2020).

The plan to restore Cuba to the terrorism sponsor list was developed, in a break from standard process, by the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and not its Counterterrorism Bureau

Cuba, U.S.-Mexico Border

• Jose Luis Gonzalez, “Cuban Migrants Protest at Mexico Border, Seeking Entry to U.S.” (Reuters, December 30, 2020).

U.S. authorities, including police in anti-riot gear, closed off the bridge that leads into El Paso, Texas, with a concrete barrier topped with barbed wire

Honduras

• Nina Lakhani, “Indigenous Environmental Defender Killed in Latest Honduras Attack” (The Guardian, December 30, 2020).

Félix Vásquez, 60, a veteran leader of the indigenous Lenca people, was shot dead at home in Santiago de Puringla, a rural community in the department of La Paz

Mexico

• Juan Montes, “Mexico Set to Become World’s Largest Legal Cannabis Market” (The Wall Street Journal, December 30, 2020).

Mexico’s Senate passed a bill in late November legalizing recreational marijuana. Lawmakers in the lower house say they will approve a bill by February, though they want to raise the amount of pot consumers may possess in public

• Eduard Ribas I Admetlla, “No Es una Eleccion Mas. En 2021, Amlo se Juega el Control del Congreso y… Gobernabilidad” (EFE, SinEmbargo (Mexico), December 30, 2020).

El 6 de junio de 2021, 94 millones de mexicanos están llamados a las urnas para elegir a los 500 diputados federales, 15 de los 32 gobernadores, 30 congresos estatales y mil 900 ayuntamientos

• “Una Guerra en Curso: Trincheras, Pueblos Sitiados, Muertos. Cjng Quiere Michoacan. Lo Que Cueste” (Revista Zeta (Tijuana Mexico), SinEmbargo (Mexico), December 30, 2020).

Se inauguraron 22 bases de la Guardia Nacional en la entidad, pero no responden a la violencia

• Steve Fisher, Kirk Semple, “Hit Hard by the Pandemic, Mexico’s Drug Cartels Tweaked Their Playbook” (The New York Times, December 30, 2020).

When the flow of drugs regained momentum, the transportation hurdles resulted in a sharp drop in the frequency of shipments, with cocaine from the Andean countries of South America arriving in Mexico once every two weeks, instead of a few times a week

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Luis Chaparro, “Trump’s Crackdown on the Us-Mexico Border Has Been a Moneymaker for Border Agents Working With Traffickers” (Business Insider, Yahoo!, December 30, 2020).

The cartel operative, who asked not to be identified to avoid retribution, said cartels not only have ties to the Border Patrol but to CBP officers at the international bridges as well

Venezuela

• Sebastian Boccanegra, “Maduro No Estaba Disfrazado” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), December 30, 2020).

En el acto de salutación a la Fuerza Armada Nacional celebrado el 28 de diciembre de 2020, Nicolás Maduro asistió vestido de militar

• Ahiana Figueroa, “Venezuela Aun Tiene 351 Presos Politicos, Dos de Ellos Menores de Edad” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), December 30, 2020).

Los presos políticos permanecen en diferentes recintos carcelarios como el Helicoide, los calabozos de la Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar (Dgcim) y en la sede principal del Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional

• “Ovv: La Violencia en Venezuela Fue Mas Letal Que la Covid-19” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), December 30, 2020).

Entre las muertes violentas, hubo 4.231 personas que fallecieron en casos de «resistencia a la autoridad», 4.153 homicidios y otras 3.507 muertes que están en averiguación

(Even more here)

December 29, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Michael J. Camilleri, “Biden’s Latin American Opportunity” (Inter-American Dialogue, Foreign Affairs, December 29, 2020).

The Biden administration will need to expect the unexpected and plan for multiple contingencies, whether migration surges, natural disasters, or constitutional crises

Brazil

• Dom Phillips, “‘Miners Out, Covid Out’: Threats to Indigenous Reserve in Brazil Grow” (The Guardian, December 29, 2020).

Illegal goldminers supported by Bolsonaro bring environmental destruction and coronavirus to Yanomami communities

Colombia

• Valerie Cortes Villalba, “Un Dialogo Franco Entre Fuerza Publica y la Comision de la Verdad” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 29, 2020).

Miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas y de la Policía han participado en espacios de escucha como víctimas del conflicto armado y también han aportado sus versiones para el esclarecimiento de la verdad

• “Masacre en Bolivar: Asesinaron a Cinco Miembros de una Familia” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 29, 2020).

Entre las víctimas está Rosa Mendoza, una excombatiente de las Farc y su hija, menor de edad

• “Editorial: General: No Desestime a los Criticos” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 29, 2020).

Sería muy útil para la paz nacional, así como para restablecer la confianza de los ciudadanos, ver un liderazgo menos conflictivo y escudado en el debido proceso para no dar explicaciones necesarias

Colombia, Venezuela

• Thiany Rodriguez, ““Colombia Prepara Ataques Contra Unidades Militares de Venezuela”, Asi Despide Maduro el Ano” (Defensa.com (Spain), December 29, 2020).

“Desde Colombia se preparan ataques contra unidades militares del país, con mercenarios entrenados bajo el financiamiento de Iván Duque, se preparan ataques a final de este año o en los días por pasar a principio del 2021”, aseguró

Costa Rica

• Katherine Stanley Obando, “A Tale of Two Costa Ricas” (El Faro (El Salvador), December 29, 2020).

Both versions of 2020 — the rapid and competent initial Covid-response and scientific development, and the blundering financial reaction and misreading of public needs — will be part of the benefits and burdens Costa Rica carries into the future

El Salvador

• Joshua Goodman, “Us Cuts Military Aid to el Salvador Amid Intense Lobbying” (Associated Press, Associated Press, December 29, 2020).

Tucked into the omnibus spending bill signed Sunday by President Donald Trump was a provision barring access for El Salvador — as well as for neighbors Guatemala and Honduras — to a State Department program that finances the purchase of U.S. defense equipment

Guatemala

• Elsa Coronado, “From Fear to Outrage in Guatemala” (Plaza Publica (Guatemala), El Faro (El Salvador), December 29, 2020).

In Guatemala, fear of the virus was overshadowed by outrage in the face of corruption and abuse of power

• Evelyn Boche, “Bloquean Trabajo de Corresponsal de Elperiodico” (ElPeriodico (Guatemala), December 29, 2020).

El fotógrafo esperaba la llegada de Mynor Moto a Puerto Barrios, pero captó al excandidato presidencial Fredy Cabrera, que le advertía al juez “¡Metete, metete!”

Honduras

• Jennifer Ávila, Otto Argueta, “The Tribulations of Honduras: Pandemic, Hurricanes, Coming Elections” (El Faro (El Salvador), December 29, 2020).

The pandemic is thriving in countries like Honduras where democracy and dictatorship blend together into a toxic autocracy

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “2020 Con Violencia Record: Homicidios Aumentaron en 11 Estados” (Animal Politico (Mexico), December 29, 2020).

Ni el confinamiento por la pandemia, ni el despliegue masivo de la Guardia Nacional lograron una reducción de la violencia homicida

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Ilya Somin, “How Biden Can Terminate Trump’s Border Wall Project—and Save Money and Protect Property Rights in the Process” (Reason, December 29, 2020).

Additional steps may be tougher, but are still worth considering

• Ryan Devereaux, “An Unchecked Union” (The Intercept, December 29, 2020).

The next head of DHS will need to grapple with the insular, hard-right worldview held by influential border and immigration officials

Venezuela

• Betania Franquis, “#Guiriaduele, Entre la Ilegalidad y la Sobrevivencia” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), December 29, 2020).

Dos o tres lanchas parten de forma clandestina cada semana en Güiria. Surcan el oleaje del océano Atlántico que baña la costa oriental, con venezolanos que escapan

• Deisy Martinez, “Maduro Rechaza Continuidad de la an y Advierte Que “Habra Justicia”” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), December 29, 2020).

Nicolás Maduro reaccionó en rechazo a la declaratoria de la continuidad administrativa y constitucional de la Asamblea Nacional (AN) presidida por Juan Guaidó

(Even more here)

December 28, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Hannah Dreier, “To Stay or to Go?” (The Washington Post, December 28, 2020).

Some immigrants have been withdrawing cases against their lawyers’ advice, saying they’re more afraid of being in detention during a coronavirus outbreak than of what might be waiting in the places they fled

Colombia

• Valentina Parada Lugo, “Diez Verdades Que No Conociamos del Conflicto Armado” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 28, 2020).

Gracias al trabajo de la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, la Comisión de la Verdad y la Unidad de Búsqueda de Desaparecidos, el país ha podido conocer versiones sobre varios hechos que permanecieron ocultos

• Juan Pablo Perez B., “En los Asesinatos de Lideres, Son Varios los Imputados, Pero Pocos los Condenados” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), December 28, 2020).

Sólo doce han terminado en una condena, pero veinte están en juicio

• “Tras los Baldios de la Nacion” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), December 28, 2020).

El Estado colombiano no tiene certeza de cuántos son los predios considerados baldíos y mucho menos sus dimensiones reales. Aprovechándose de esa falencia, cientos de colombianos se habrían apropiado de grandes extensiones de tierra

• “Asesinan a Dos Excombatientes de las Farc en Bolivar y Cauca” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 28, 2020).

Rosa Amalia Mendoza y Manuel Alonso Villegas, exarc asesinados este domingo, 27 de diciembre en los departamentos de Bolívar y Cauca

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Kate Morrissey, “The U.S. Asylum System Is Broken. How Could It Be Reimagined?” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, December 28, 2020).

The U.S. has always resisted protecting refugees at its border. The incoming Biden administration will have to decide whether to break with that past

(Even more here)

December 24, 2020

Colombia

• “‘en Entrega de Bienes, Gobierno Parece Inducirnos al Incumplimiento’: Pastor Alape” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 24, 2020).

Por situación de seguridad en los territorios, muchos de ellos ya no se podrán entregar. Gobierno dice que tiene toda la logística necesaria disponible para recibir los bienes

• “Editorial: Insistir en Lo Inutil” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 24, 2020).

Si en efecto vuelven las aspersiones con glifosato, es fácil predecir qué va a ocurrir: la política de drogas de Colombia continuará en el fracaso

• “20 Anos de Incumplimiento de las Medidas Cautelares en el Caso de Jineth Bedoya” (Fundación para la Libertad de Prensa (Colombia), December 24, 2020).

La Fiscalía debía informar sobre los avances en las investigaciones penales por los hechos ocurridos el 25 de mayo de 2000 que atentaron contra la vida, integridad y libertad de expresión de la periodista

• “Jorge Luis Vargas, el General Pionero de la Inteligencia Policial” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 24, 2020).

La nueva cabeza de esa institución es una ficha que genera confianza en distintos sectores políticos, en el Ejército y en las agencias de inteligencia internacional

• Cruz Bonlarron Martinez, Evan King, “How the U.S. Is Quietly Undermining Colombia’s Fragile Peace Process” (Wit­ness for Peace Sol­i­dar­i­ty Col­lec­tive, In These Times, December 24, 2020).

This role has been most pro­nounced in the U.S. coun­ternar­cotics pol­i­cy in the coun­try for the past few decades. Under the Trump admin­is­tra­tion this pol­i­cy has been mixed with ani­mos­i­ty toward the 2016 peace agree­ment

Guatemala

• Vaclav Masek, “Remembering Guatemala’s Martyr of Justice: An Interview With Francisco Goldman” (NACLA, December 24, 2020).

Out now in documentary form, The Art of Political Murder presents a riveting narrative reconstruction of one of Latin America’s most controversial and bizarre criminal cases

Mexico

• Sugeyry Romina Gandara, “El Crimen Organizado en Mexico No Supo de Pandemia. Trabajo “su Territorio”, se Diversifico, Mato…” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), December 24, 2020).

Al menos 26 mil 105 personas fueron asesinadas de marzo a noviembre de 2020, periodo en el que se han mantenido las medidas de restricción por la pandemia

Nicaragua

• “Daniel Ortega Confisca de Forma Arbitraria Bienes de Medios de Comunicacion” (ElPeriodico (Guatemala), December 24, 2020).

Carlos Chamorro denunció que el régimen de Daniel Ortega ordenó confiscar todos los bienes que pertenecen a los medios de comunicación, El Confidencial

Peru

• Roberto Paredes Vereau, “Vraem: Unos Diez Agentes del Orden Han Muerto en la Lucha Contra el Narcoterrorismo Este Ano” (El Comercio (Peru), December 24, 2020).

Especialista advierte que hace 20 años no se producía un ataque contra miembros de esta institución

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Jeremy Schwartz, Perla Trevizo, “The Trump Administration Awarded Border Wall Contracts to Build on Land It Doesn’t Own in Texas” (Texas Tribune, Propublica, The Texas Tribune, December 24, 2020).

The government’s strategy of awarding contracts before acquiring titles to land in Texas has led to millions of dollars in costs for delays. Things could get even more complicated if President-elect Joe Biden stops border wall construction

• Ed Lavandera, Ashley Killough, “Border Wall Construction Presses Full Steam Ahead in Final Days of Trump Administration” (CNN, December 24, 2020).

The work is part of a final sprint to complete as many miles of border wall as possible before President-elect Joe Biden takes office

• Yesenia Padilla, “Trump Pardons Border Agents Who Covered Up Shooting” (Southern Border Communities Coalition, December 24, 2020).

President Trump issued pardons to Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, two U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents who were convicted in 2006 of shooting Osvaldo Aldrete-Davil and then attempting to cover up the shooting

• Lauren Gilger, “Despite Crackdown on Illegal Immigration, Migrants Flock to U.S.-Mexico Border” (Fronteras Desk, December 24, 2020).

There is the promise of more lenient immigration policies to come, but as Tony Payan argues, it’s more about what people are running from than what they are running toward

Venezuela

• Maryhen Jimenez Morales, Antulio Rosales, “Venezuela’s Opposition Needs a New Strategy” (Al Jazeera, December 24, 2020).

Like the December 6 sham election, the consultation has done nothing to jump start a transition to democracy

(Even more here)

December 23, 2020

Colombia

• “Cauca, una Apuesta Militar Ineficaz” (La Liga Contra el Silencio, Voragine (Colombia), December 23, 2020).

Organizaciones sociales y voceros comunitarios, a pesar del miedo, denuncian una supuesta connivencia entre la fuerza pública y los grupos ilegales

• “Una Guerra Entre Ilegales Desangra a Norte de Santander” (La Liga Contra el Silencio, Voragine (Colombia), December 23, 2020).

La pugna que enfrenta al grupo narcoparamilitar Los Rastrojos con la guerrilla del ELN ha dejado una estela de muerte

• “Antioquia y Cordoba, Otra Vez Tierra de Sangre” (La Liga Contra el Silencio, Voragine (Colombia), December 23, 2020).

El Nudo del Paramillo, frontera natural entre los dos departamentos, es hoy un corredor que ocho grupos se disputan tras la salida de las Farc

Colombia, Venezuela

• Joe Parkin Daniels, “Alarm at Colombia Plan to Exclude Migrants From Coronavirus Vaccine” (The Guardian, December 23, 2020).

President Iván Duque says undocumented Venezuelans will be denied access in a move denounced as unethical and impractical

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

• Rep. Eliot Engel (D-New York), “Engel U.S.-Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act Passes Congress” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, December 23, 2020).

Legislation requires creation of “Engel list” of corrupt and undemocratic actors who will be denied entry to U.S.

U.S.-Mexico Border

• “2020 Was the Deadliest Year on Record for Migrants Crossing the Arizona Desert” (Mother Jones, December 23, 2020).

They are likely the result of a combination of changes to border policy by the Trump administration, an increase in hostility by US Border Patrol toward humanitarian aid workers, and record-breaking heat

• Nick Miroff, Maria Sacchetti, “Biden Says He’ll Reverse Trump Immigration Policies but Wants ‘Guardrails’ First” (The Washington Post, December 23, 2020).

The president-elect said creating a system to process thousands of asylum seekers will take months, because the government needs funding to put staffers such as “asylum judges” in place

• Michelle Hackman, Santiago Perez, Alicia A. Caldwell, “Migrants Stranded in Mexico Await Biden Administration Overhaul” (The Wall Street Journal, December 23, 2020).

While tens of thousands of asylum seekers, mostly from Central America, have given up and returned home, many others haven’t

(Even more here)

December 22, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Michelle Hackman, “Texas Challenges Legality of Daca in Latest Bid to End the Program” (The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2020).

Judge Hanen declined to immediately end DACA as Texas requested when the state filed its suit in 2018, but he wrote in a preliminary opinion that Texas was likely to ultimately win the suit

Colombia

• “Detalles de la Acusacion Contra el Presidente y Expresidente de la Drummond” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 22, 2020).

El fiscal del caso resolvió declarar como crimen de lesa humanidad el presunto delito de concierto para delinquir que se les imputa a los reconocidos empresarios

• “Colombia No Aparece en la Lista de Llamadas de Joe Biden a Mandatarios del Mundo” (La W Radio (Colombia), December 22, 2020).

En la lista de mandatarios, presidentes, cancilleres y primeros ministros que han hablado telefónicamente con el presidente electo de los Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, no aparece el presidente Iván Duque

Colombia, Venezuela

• Joe Parkin Daniels, “Alarm at Colombia Plan to Exclude Migrants From Coronavirus Vaccine” (The Guardian, December 22, 2020).

President Iván Duque says undocumented Venezuelans will be denied access in a move denounced as unethical and impractical

Cuba

• Peter Kornbluh, “Can Biden Finish What Obama Started With Cuba?” (The Nation, December 22, 2020).

WOLA and CDA representatives said they had provided the “detailed inventory of what needs to be done” to members of Biden’s transition team, and they hoped the report would create a “momentum for engagement”

Guatemala, Honduras

• Ted Hesson, Laura Gottesdiener, “Biden Team Weighs Deportation Relief for More Than 1 Million Hondurans, Guatemalans” (Reuters, Reuters, December 22, 2020).

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team is weighing whether to grant them Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

Mexico

• Nina Lakhani, “Mexico World’s Deadliest Country for Journalists, New Report Finds” (The Guardian, December 22, 2020).

Nine journalists killed in 2020, bringing deaths to 120 since 2000

• Jose De Cordoba, Santiago Perez, Sadie Gurman, “U.S. Evidence Against Mexican Ex-Defense Minister Raises Conviction Doubts” (The Wall Street Journal, December 22, 2020).

The case that Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos took bribes from drug cartels is largely circumstantial, people in both countries say, clouding chances of a conviction in Mexico

• Earl Anthony Wayne, “A Better Way Forward Than Mexico’s New Anti-Crime Legislation” (The Hill, December 22, 2020).

Before this grows into a very damaging bilateral problem, the two governments urgently need to engage to address the serious and legitimate issues at stake and find workable solutions

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Lucia Leal, “Asesores de Biden: Tardaremos “Meses” en Restablecer el Asilo en la Frontera” (EFE, EFE, December 22, 2020).

Rice y Sullivan intentaron contener el “efecto llamada” que puede generar entre los migrantes la próxima llegada al poder de Biden, después de cuatro años de restricciones al derecho al asilo

• Anita Snow, “Arizona Migrant Border Deaths on Track for Record Amid Heat” (Associated Press, Associated Press, December 22, 2020).

Federal statistics show that search and rescue operations near Arizona’s border inexplicably dipped to 213 during a record-hot July and August, from 232 in July and August 2019

• Nick Miroff, “Several Trump Immigration Restrictions Will Remain in Place, Biden Advisers Say, Urging Patience” (The Washington Post, December 22, 2020).

Rice and Sullivan’s interview with EFE were the first extensive on-the-record statements on immigration policy plans from Biden’s White House team

Uruguay

• Juan Manuel Montoro, “Uruguay’s New Government Is Prioritising Security, but Is It at the Cost of Free Speech?” (Global Voices, December 22, 2020).

The law aims to reform a wide range of issues, including broadening the power given to the police force during public demonstrations

Venezuela

• “Venezuela: Humanitarian Groups Under Attack” (Human Rights Watch, December 22, 2020).

Venezuelan authorities are harassing and criminally prosecuting civil society organizations that are doing essential work to address the ongoing humanitarian emergency in the country

• Eric Schmitt, Julie Turkewitz, “Navy Warship’s Secret Mission Off West Africa Aims to Help Punish Venezuela” (The New York Times, December 22, 2020).

For months, Mr. Esper had fended off pleas from the State and Justice Departments to deploy a Navy vessel to Cape Verde to deter Venezuela and Iran from plotting to spirit Mr. Saab away from the island

(Even more here)

December 18, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Hamed Aleaziz, “Dhs Inspectors Found Ice Detainees Who Were Kept in Solitary Confinement for 300 Days” (BuzzFeed, December 18, 2020).

Nearly a dozen immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement were kept in solitary confinement for more than two months, including two people who were isolated for more than 300 days

Aruba, Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela

• Jordi Amaral, “Fleeing Venezuelans Face Difficult Realities in Caribbean Response” (Washington Office on Latin America, December 18, 2020).

Venezuelan migrants have greatly struggled to gain access to legal status in host countries in the Caribbean

Bolivia

• Jesus Reynaldo Alanoca Paco, “Bolivia Registra la Mas Baja Erradicacion de Cultivos de Coca de los Ultimos 11 Anos” (El Deber (Bolivia), December 18, 2020).

Solo se destruyeron 2.177 hectáreas de la hoja verde. Efectivos encargados de esa labor atribuyen el descenso a la pandemia y a los conflictos que vivió el país

Colombia

• Jose Andres Gonzalez Gaitan, “22 Generales del Ejercito, Investigados por Presuntos “Falsos Positivos”” (Caracol (Colombia), December 18, 2020).

La Fiscalía investiga 2.314 casos de falsos positivos contra 10.949 miembros del Ejército que involucran a 3.966 víctimas

• Maria Alejandra Velez, “Regalo de Navidad: ¿Licencia Ambiental para las Fumigaciones Con Glifosato?” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), December 18, 2020).

Sería un error histórico para Colombia desconocer tanto la evidencia sobre la aspersión como las demandas sociales y ambientales de los territorios

• “Declaracion Rechazo a la Audiencia del Plan de Manejo Ambiental para la Fumigacion Aerea Con Glifosato” (Numerous organizations, INDEPAZ (Colombia), December 18, 2020).

Rechazamos la pretensión del gobierno nacional de imponer el plan de aspersión aérea y dejamos constancia de nuestros desacuerdos frente a la audiencia del Plan de Manejo Ambiental del PECIG con la que se pretende haber ajustado al Plan de Manejo Ambiental con miras a reactivar las fumigaciones

• “A Juicio Presidente de Drummond Colombia por Presuntos Nexos Con Paramilitares” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 18, 2020).

De acuerdo con la Fiscalía, el actual presidente (José Miguel Linares) y el expresidente de la multinacional (Augusto Jiménez) carbonífera habrían financiado y promovido la creación y los propósitos ilícitos de las Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia entre 1996 y 2001

El Salvador

• Hector Silva Avalos, “Charges Point to el Salvador Police Chief’s History of Obstructing Justice” (InsightCrime, December 18, 2020).

A police chief allegedly protecting cabinet ministers under criminal investigation underscores how the force’s highest officials still act in ways that obstruct justice and guarantee impunity

Guatemala

• Lucero Sapalu, “Ejercito Gasto Mas de q48 Millones en Reparaciones y Vehiculos” (ElPeriodico (Guatemala), December 18, 2020).

El Ministerio de la Defensa (Mindef) gastó más de Q48 millones en vehículos y reparaciones de aeronaves bajo el Plan de recuperación de Capacidades del Ejército

Mexico

• “Amlo Asegura Que Ya No Hay Masacres Ni Violaciones a los Derechos Humanos por Parte de Militares” (Mientras Tanto en Mexico (Mexico), December 18, 2020).

Durante su visita a Bavispe, Sonora, señaló que ya no se encubren delitos cometidos por militares y hay autoridad moral en el comandante de las Fuerzas Armadas y los mandos

• Mary Beth Sheridan, “As Mexico’s Security Deteriorates, the Power of the Military Grows” (The Washington Post, December 18, 2020).

Under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, troops have taken on expanded tasks well beyond their bases

• “Mexican President Defends Restrictive Immigration Policies” (Associated Press, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, December 18, 2020).

López Obrador denied that the U.S. government had pressured Mexico to impose the restrictions, including the ‘Remain in Mexico’ policy on asylum seekers

Peru

• “Peru: Serious Police Abuses Against Protesters” (Human Rights Watch, December 18, 2020).

We have gathered worrying evidence of excessive use of police force against demonstrators protesting the very questionable removal of president Vizcarra

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Anita Snow, “Damage From Border Wall: Blown-Up Mountains, Toppled Cactus” (Associated Press, Associated Press, December 18, 2020).

Environmentalists hope President-elect Joe Biden will stop the work, but that could be difficult and expensive to do quickly and may still leave pillars towering over sensitive borderlands

(Even more here)

December 17, 2020

Colombia

• “Ante Retos de la Pandemia, Mapp/Oea Llama a Fortalecer Sinergias y Esfuerzos en Favor de la Paz en Colombia” (MAPP-OEA (Colombia), Organization of American States, December 17, 2020).

La Misión de Apoyo al Proceso de Paz en Colombia de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (MAPP/OEA) presentó hoy ante el Consejo Permanente de la Organización su vigésimo noveno informe semestral

• Juan Pablo Perez B., Nicole Bravo, Andres Ortiz, “En Zonas Focalizadas por el Acuerdo, Duque Construye Pero No Empodera” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), December 17, 2020).

En esas comunidades se sienten frustrados, porque lo pactado no sólo incluía obras y recursos, sino que también le apostaba a empoderar y darles mayor capacidad de decisión a los habitantes de estas regiones. Y esta apuesta se ha ido diluyendo

• “De Aqui Vinieron las Balas” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), December 17, 2020).

Registrar cifras tiende a deshumanizar y a invisibilizar las historias de valientes ciudadanos y ciudadanas que asumieron la vocería de sus comunidades para exigir derechos o para denunciar atropellos

• “Denuncian Captura de Tres Lideres Agrarios en Narino, Bolivar y Meta” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 17, 2020).

Rober Daza, Adelso Gallo y Teófilo Acuña, dirigentes y voceros del Coordinador Nacional Agrario y la Cumbre Agraria, fueron capturados en tres operativos realizados entre el 15 y 16 de diciembre, acusados de rebelión agravada

• “‘Insecure’ Actor Kendrick Sampson Punched by Cop in Colombia” (Variety, December 17, 2020).

The helmeted officer can be seen punching him in the face, pulling a handgun and appearing to cock it before holstering the weapon and putting Sampson in handcuffs

• “Jep Rechaza Solicitud de Victimas de Expulsar a los Militares Mario Montoya y Hernan Mejia” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 17, 2020).

La Jurisdicción argumenta que no es el momento para evaluar si los militares pierden o no los beneficios por entrar a la JEP o si son expulsados

El Salvador

• Ivan Briscoe, Tiziano Breda, “A Bargain Worth Making? Bukele and the Gangs of El Salvador – War on the Rocks” (International Crisis Group, War on the Rocks, December 17, 2020).

Not long before the pandemic touched down in El Salvador, which over the years has been the Central American country hardest hit by gang violence, the

Guatemala

• Ricardo Barrientos, “Guatemala: Can the Oas Help Solve a Political Crisis?” (AULA Blog (American University), December 17, 2020).

The OAS actions appeared based more on personal relations between its representatives and Guatemalan officials, particularly the appointment of someone with a clear conflict of interest

• Hamed Aleaziz, “Secret Emails Show the Dramatic Moment a Top Ice Lawyer Tried — and Failed — to Get Deported Children Flown Back to the Us” (BuzzFeed, December 17, 2020).

ICE emails show officials scrambling to decide what to do after a plane carrying 32 immigrant children landed in Guatemala — right around the same time a judge blocked the controversial Trump administration policy that allowed them to be deported

Honduras

• Juan Pablo Sabillon, “Corruption, Weak Institutions and Natural Disasters: Is There Hope for Honduras to Rebuild?” (El Milenio, Univision, December 17, 2020).

Honduras is experiencing dire symptoms of a failed state, accelerated by a pandemic and two hurricanes, and nurtured by weak state capacity, corruption and poor rule of law. How to fix that?

Peru

• Ana Bazo Reisman, “¿Que Exigen 13 Generales Pnp en su Demanda Contra el Presidente Francisco Sagasti?” (El Comercio (Peru), December 17, 2020).

Los oficiales, pasados al retiro el 24 de noviembre, sostienen que las decisiones tomadas por el Ejecutivo violaron la normativa de la Policía

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Josh Dawsey, Nick Miroff, “Biden order to halt border wall project would save U.S. $2.6 billion, Pentagon estimates show” (The Washington Post, December 17, 2020).

The government would owe construction firms about $700 million for terminating contracts

• Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas), “Congressman Gonzalez’s Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act Passes House” (U.S. House of Representatives, December 17, 2020).

This bipartisan and bicameral legislation will enhance local jurisdictions’ ability to record and report missing persons and unidentified remains found in South Texas and elsewhere along the U.S.-Mexico border

• “Humanitarian Disgrace: U.S. Continues to Illegally Block, Expel Refugees to Danger” (Human Rights First, December 17, 2020).

The Trump Administration continues to break U.S. laws and treaty obligations that protect refugees from persecution, returning to danger people seeking protection at the southern border