December 19, 2018
Western Hemisphere Regional
- Damian Paletta, Erica Werner, John Wagner, “Congress Moves to Avert Government Shutdown, Deny Trump Money for Wall” (The Washington Post, December 19, 2018).
If Trump did order the military to build a wall anyway, Democrats or landowners could file a lawsuit and seek an immediate injunction to halt the construction
- Dara Lind, “The Death of 7-Year-Old Jakelin Caal Maquin in Border Patrol Custody Isn’t an Isolated Outrage” (Vox, December 19, 2018).
Right now, the Trump administration’s immigration policy is focused on making it less appealing to try to come to the US — specifically, by reducing the chance that a migrant will ever be able to earn an American paycheck
- Alicia A. Caldwell, “Surge of Migrant Families Tests Border Patrol” (The Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2018).
In the Yuma sector, which stretches across 126 miles of border in southeastern Arizona and Southern California, agents spent more than 25% of their time, or about 9,000 man-hours, last year on tasks like feeding children and chauffeuring families
- Robert Moore, “Thousands of Migrant Children Could Be Released With Trump’s Major Policy Reversal” (Texas Monthly, December 19, 2018).
Federal officials have reversed course and announced they will reduce fingerprint requirements of potential sponsors for detained children
- “Growth in the Immigration Court Backlog Continues in Fy 2019” (TRAC Immigration, December 19, 2018).
As of November 30, 2018, the number of pending cases on the court’s active docket topped eight-hundred thousand (809,041) cases. This is almost a fifty percent (49.1%) increase compared to the 542,411 cases pending at the end of January 2017 when President Trump took office
- Elliot Spagat, “Judges Push Back Against ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Immigration Policy” (Associated Press, Associated Press, December 19, 2018).
To avoid getting cases dismissed, the administration could not conduct the type of lightning-quick prosecutions that it practices elsewhere along the border
Brazil
- “Brazil Arrests More Than 50 Police Officers Accused of Taking Cartel Bribes” (Reuters, The New York Times, December 19, 2018).
The P.C.C. has rapidly grown in strength in recent years, investigators say, and now largely controls cocaine and gun shipments into Brazil
- Zoe Sullivan, “Brazilian Journalists Gird for Tough Times Under Bolsonaro” (Columbia Journalism Review, December 19, 2018).
Folha and its staff are prepared for whatever comes next. “As the Americans say, it’s not our first rodeo”
Colombia, Honduras
- Lorena Baires, “Honduran Naval Force Acquires Intercepting Speedboats to Strengthen Maritime Shield” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), December 19, 2018).
The Honduran Naval Force (FNH, in Spanish) bought two Multi-Mission Interceptor 35 (MMI 35) speedboats from Colombia’s Science and Technology Corporation for Naval, Maritime, and Riverine Industry Development
Colombia
- “Gobierno Quiere Cumplir Reglas de la Corte Constitucional para Aspersion de Cultivos Ilicitos” (El Espectador (Colombia), December 19, 2018).
Los aviones para este trabajo “están prácticamente listos, pero hay que hacer algunos ajustes en las boquillas de fumigación”
- Tatiana Duque, “La Ruptura del Pacto Criminal Que Asusta a Buenaventura” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), December 19, 2018).
Lo que pasó en esas horas es la prueba más clara de que se rompió un pacto entre las bandas criminales La Empresa y La Local, que tenían repartido el control de la ilegalidad en las 12 comunas
- Joe Parkin Daniels, “Colombia: Six Killed at Site of Notorious 1990s Massacre as Violence Returns” (The Guardian (Uk), December 19, 2018).
At least seven massacres have been committed by myriad groups since March last year, while murders of human rights defenders and local activists have soared
Cuba
- Marc Frank, “U.S. Cuba Lobby Celebrates a Farm Bill Win Despite Worsening Ties” (Reuters, Reuters, December 19, 2018).
The measure is the first approved by Congress related to heavily sanctioned Cuba in nearly two decades and represents a symbolic victory for the lobby favoring normalization of ties
Guatemala
- Jose Elias, “Guatemala Da 72 Horas para Que 11 Investigadores del Comisionado de la Onu Salgan del Pais” (El Pais (Spain), December 19, 2018).
El Gobierno de Morales ordena la expulsión de los funcionarios de la Cicig incumpliendo los protocolos internacionales
Mexico
- , Itxaro Arteta, “Si Congreso No Aprueba la Guardia, Militares Regresarian a los Cuarteles, Advierte Durazo; Colectivo Acusa Chantaje” (Animal Politico (Mexico), December 19, 2018).
“En circunstancia de rechazo retiraríamos al Ejército completamente a los cuarteles. Creo que sería irresponsable que eso sucediera”
- Rafael Fernandez de Castro, “La Caravana Migrante, Desilusionada y Diluida” (Proceso (Mexico), December 19, 2018).
El gobierno de López Obrador tiene que dejar de jugar una política que oscila entre avestruz y policía –a muchos se les deja pasar y otros tantos son deportados
Nicaragua
- “Editorial: Las Banderas del Ejercito” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), December 19, 2018).
El Ejército es una institución del Estado, pero por sus características no necesariamente tiene que ser parte ni cómplice de la dictadura
- David Adams, “Like Father, Like Son: Nicaragua’s Chamorros Lead Fight for Democracy” (Univision, December 19, 2018).
His father, Pedro Joaquin Chamorro, was a crusading newspaper editor who was gunned down by an unknown assassin in 1978, triggering street riots amid charges that his killing was ordered by the country’s hated dictator Anastasio Somoza
- Carlos Dada, “Ortega Saca el Manual de Somoza para Acallar a Sus Criticos” (El Faro (El Salvador), December 19, 2018).
Exiliados de sus redacciones, los periodistas de la revista Confidencial y el programa televisivo Esta Semana trabajan desde donde pueden para continuar denunciando a un régimen que hoy tiene más presos políticos que los que tenía el dictador Anastasio Somoza
- Martin Caparros, “Antes de Que Anochezca” (The New York Times, December 19, 2018).
Hay que intentar pararlos: ocuparse, por todos los medios posibles, de pararlos. Es necesario defendernos, juntarnos, solidarizarnos: no perder las pocas vías de expresión que van quedando
Venezuela
- “The Risks of Diplomatic Rupture With Maduro’s Venezuela” (International Crisis Group, December 19, 2018).
This move would be counterproductive. Instead, external powers should step up efforts to find a negotiated pathway out of Venezuela’s crisis
- “Numero Dos del Chavismo Nego Que en Venezuela se Instalara una Base Militar Rusa” (La Republica (Peru), December 19, 2018).
“Sale una noticia por ahí: Rusia prepara la instalación de una base militar en (la isla venezolana) La Orchila. Ojalá fuera verdad, no una, dos, tres, cuatro, diez”, dijo Cabello