(Even more here)

July 11, 2018

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Colleen Long, “Border Protection Says Nyc Mayor Crossed Border Illegally” (Associated Press **, July 11, 2018).

The agent told them they’d crossed the border illegally and asked them to remain there while he got a supervisor and took them to an official crossing for an inspection per federal law

• Sonia Nazario, “Do You Care About the Rule of Law? Then Act Like It” (The New York Times, July 11, 2018).

In the first nine months of this fiscal year, 68,560 families and 37,450 unaccompanied children were apprehended at our southern border. That’s not a “flood.” It’s one football stadium of people

• Mark Joseph Stern, “Documents: Trump’s Office of Refugee Resettlement Is Budgeting for a Surge in Child Separations” (Slate, July 11, 2018).

The ORR’s budgeting exercise is premised on the possibility it could need as many as 25,400 beds for immigrant minors by the end of the calendar year

Colombia

• “Onu Alerta del Desplazamiento de Mas de 400 Personas en Narino” (EFE, El Espectador (Colombia), July 11, 2018).

Los desplazamientos ocurrieron el pasado 4 de julio tras los enfrentamientos entre el grupo disidente de las FARC autodenominado “Frente Oliver Sinisterra” y la organización “Gente del común”

• Juanita Velez, “Duque, el Nuevo Mejor Amigo de Trump” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), July 11, 2018).

Aunque Duque está alineado en los dos temas que le importan a Trump en América Latina, que son las drogas y Venezuela, eso automáticamente no va significar ni más plata ni más atención de la Casa Blanca

Cuba

• “United States and Cuba Hold Biannual Migration Talks in Washington, Dc” (U.S. Department of State, July 11, 2018).

The Migration Talks, which began in 1995, provide a forum for the United States and Cuba to review and coordinate efforts to ensure safe, legal, and orderly migration between Cuba and the United States

• Franco Ordonez, “Cdc Joins Investigation Into ‘Sonic Attacks’ in Cuba and China” (McClatchy DC, July 11, 2018).

The addition of CDC reflects the ongoing trouble the United States is having trying to determine the cause of the incidents that have left more than 25 Americans and U.S. personnel experiencing headaches, hearing loss, and other mysterious ailments

El Salvador

• Heather Gies, “El Salvador’s Hidden Tragedy: ‘I Can’t Take the Agony Any More’” (Al Jazzeera, July 11, 2018).

There were more than 296,000 new displacements due to conflict and violence in El Salvador in 2017, according to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre

Guatemala

• Franco Ordonez, “Trump Works to Thank Guatemala for Moving Embassy by Weakening Anti-Corruption Panel” (McClatchy DC, July 11, 2018).

After Guatemala joined the United States in moving its embassy to Jerusalem, the Trump administration has been working to weaken an international commission on corruption targeting the Guatemalan president

Honduras

• Kay Valle, “Honduran Military Police Trains in Human Rights” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), July 11, 2018).

Each week since February, about 100 military police officers take the 40-hour course. The course includes an introduction to human rights and instruction on the use of force and firearms

• Kay Valle, “Southcom Donation Strengthens Honduran Elite Police Force” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), July 11, 2018).

A $3 million donation from U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) financed the new center

Mexico

• “Marinos Mexicanos Realizan Operaciones de Combate Durante Entrenamiento en Rimpac” (Proceso (Mexico), July 11, 2018).

El Ejercicio Multinacional “RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) Cuenca del Pacífico 2018” en la Base de Camp Pendleton en el Sur de California, EE.UU.

• Arturo Angel, “La Justicia en Mexico Es un Desastre, ¿Como Reconstruirla?” (The New York Times, July 11, 2018).

De los 154.557 asesinatos cometidos en el país de 2010 a 2016, el 94,8 por ciento permanecen impunes

• Joshua Partlow, Nick Miroff, “U.S. and Mexico Discussing a Deal That Could Slash Migration at the Border” (The Washington Post, July 11, 2018).

Some in the Foreign Ministry who want to improve ties with the United States remain in favor of at least a pilot project, while others in the Interior Ministry, who would have to handle resettling thousands of Central Americans, stand opposed

Nicaragua

• “Ejercito Afirmo No Estar Involucrado en Actos de Represion en Nicaragua” (Agence France Presse, El Universo (Ecuador), July 11, 2018).

Opositores, entre los que se cuentan exmilitares, han denunciado la supuesta presencia de miembros del Ejército en los grupos armados ilegales

• “Editorial: Nicaragua Is Following Venezuela’s Path to Despair” (The Washington Post, July 11, 2018).

The best vehicle for that would be a coalition led by other Latin American nations to put pressure on Mr. Ortega and to support talks between him and the opposition

• Elízabeth Romero, Mabel Calero, “24 Muertos Dejo “Operacion Limpieza” de Policia y Paramilitares en Carazo, Reporta el Cenidh” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), July 11, 2018).

El ataque del domingo de policías y paramilitares armados con fusiles de guerra contra la población fue una masacre

Venezuela

• Francisco Toro, “Trump’s Dangerous Venezuelan Fantasy” (The Washington Post, July 11, 2018).

It was hard to suppress a nauseating sense of dread upon hearing that President Trump repeatedly pressed aides on why the United States couldn’t just invade Venezuela