(Even more here)

January 29, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Alicia A. Caldwell, “Illegal Migrant Crossings Surge in Remote New Mexico Desert” (The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2019).

Official statistics aren’t available for this barely populated area of New Mexico, but agents say groups of 100 or more migrants have crossed the border there at least 25 times since October

• Caitlin Dickerson, Simon Romero, “The Trek Across the Border Veers Into More and More Remote Terrain” (The New York Times, January 29, 2019).

At least 413 migrants were found dead along the border in 2018, according to a preliminary count by the International Organization for Migration, up from 412 in 2017 and 399 in 2016

Brazil

• , Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), “Rubio: Us Should Go Big on Brazil” (CNN, January 29, 2019).

President Bolsonaro’s new administration offers a fresh opportunity to build a stronger US-Brazilian partnership to ensure continued peace and expanded prosperity and stability for the Western Hemisphere

Chile, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Colum Lynch, “The U.S. Sought to Derail Michelle Bachelet’s Bid for Top u.n. Human Rights Job” (Foreign Policy, January 29, 2019).

Claiming her political views on Israel were troubling and citing photographs in which she appeared alongside “Latin American dictators.”

Colombia, Mexico

• “‘Narcos’ Mexicanos en Colombia: Lo Que se Especula y Lo Que se Sabe” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), January 29, 2019).

El mercado interno del narcotráfico se está revitalizando por cuenta de los capitales económicos que están poniendo sobre la mesa los emisarios provenientes de ese país

Colombia

• Edinson Arley Bolanos, “Entrevista. “Ni el ‘Paisa’ Ni Nadie se Ha Salido del Proceso de Paz”: Ivan Marquez” (El Espectador (Colombia), January 29, 2019).

El exjefe negociador de las Farc, Luciano Marín, habla desde la clandestinidad sobre el futuro del proceso de paz, su compromiso con la JEP y si es posible que vuelva a rearmarse ante lo que llama “traición al Acuerdo de Paz”

• “Sin Pruebas de Estados Unidos, Jep Decidira Extradicion de “Jesus Santrich”” (El Espectador (Colombia), January 29, 2019).

Santrich, su defensa y la Procuraduría tienen cinco días hábiles para presentar sus alegatos. Se prevé que la decisión final se conozca a mediados de febrero

• Nicolas Sanchez A., “La Lucha de Temistocles Machado: Mas Viva Que Nunca” (El Espectador (Colombia), January 29, 2019).

Tras un año de su asesinato, en Buenaventura sigue la batalla por el territorio, que era la razón de vivir de don Temis. Por ese crimen, perpetrado el 27 de enero del 2018, hay tres capturados y siete órdenes de captura. Las autoridades no han determinado quién ordenó el homicidio

Colombia, Venezuela

• “El Pentagono Guarda Silencio Sobre Despliegue de Tropas en Colombia” (Agence France Presse, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), January 29, 2019).

“No he discutido eso con el secretario Bolton”, dijo Shanahan al ser preguntado sobre si había un plan para enviar miles de tropas a Colombia

Mexico

• Ed Vulliamy, “Migrants Flee Violence Only to Find More in Tijuana – Mexico’s Murder Capital” (The Guardian (Uk), January 29, 2019).

Three murders on New Year’s Eve took the total to 2,502 – a rate of 126 per 100,000 inhabitants, returning the city to levels of hyper-violence it last saw a decade ago

• “Mexico Won’t Accept Minors Awaiting U.S. Asylum Claims” (Associated Press, NBC News, January 29, 2019).

National Immigration Institute Commissioner Tonatiuh Guillen also said Mexico won’t extend the policy beyond a single border crossing, the El Chaparral crossing in Tijuana

• Tom Hays, “El Chapo’s Defense Team Rests Its Case After Just 30 Minutes” (Associated Press, Time, January 29, 2019).

Guzman’s fleeting defense was striking because it followed a sweeping one by the government that featured 56 witnesses

Nicaragua

• Jose De Cordoba, “Nicaraguan Journalist Challenges Regime, and His Own Family’s History” (The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2019).

Now, Mr. Chamorro’s son also finds himself in exile, fighting an increasingly repressive regime. This time around, the regime is led by the man who in 1979 helped topple Anastasio Somoza

Venezuela

• Ian Talley, Kejal Vyas, Michael C. Bender, “U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Venezuela’s Oil Industry” (The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2019).

If the standoff endures, the U.S. move could prove devastating for Venezuela’s economy

• “Treasury Sanctions Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil Company Petroleos de Venezuela, s.A.” (U.S. Department of the Treasury, January 29, 2019).

As a result of today’s action, all property and interests in property of PdVSA subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them

• Edward Wong, Nicholas Casey, “U.S. Targets Venezuela With Tough Oil Sanctions During Crisis of Power” (The New York Times, January 29, 2019).

Sanctions on Pdvsa potentially put at risk as much as a half-million barrels of oil that the United States imports from Venezuela, representing roughly 3 percent of American demand

• “Rusia Dice Que “Defendera Sus Intereses” en Venezuela” (EFE, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), January 29, 2019).

“Es probable que haya algunos problemas”, dijo Storchak a la prensa en alusión al pago del 100 millones de dólares que debe abonar Caracas en marzo próximo

• Kejal Vyas, “Venezuelan Crackdown Takes Deadly Toll” (The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2019).

Special-police units—carrying shotguns and wearing ski masks—and soldiers have been deployed to clear the crowds. All but one of the victims tallied so far were killed by gunfire

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, Thomas Grove, “Russia’s Backing of Venezuela’s Maduro Has Its Limits” (The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2019).

Russia’s stagnating economy has limited funds available for international campaigns amid growing social discontent at home

• David Smilde, Geoff Ramsey, “Faq: Venezuela’s Crisis Explained” (Washington Office on Latin America, January 29, 2019).

Anonymous U.S. intelligence sources have told reporters that Padrino threatened to resign if Maduro didn’t step down. Thus one can imagine, under the right circumstances, military officials telling Maduro it is time for new elections

• David A. Graham, “How Seriously Should the World Take Trump’s Venezuela Threat?” (The Atlantic, January 29, 2019).

The question is whether Venezuela will be different, and whether the presence of veteran regime-change advocates such as Bolton and Elliott Abrams will make the difference

• Peter Van Buren, “Nervous Times for the U.S. Embassy in Caracas” (The American Conservative, January 29, 2019).

If Maduro does one thing, what will we do as a result? And at what point will we evacuate personnel?