Photo from Instituto de Defensa Legal (Peru).

(Even more here)

December 15, 2020

Western Hemisphere Regional

No president today would name high ranked foreign policy staff without including individuals with knowledge and background on China, Europe, or the Middle East. The same needs to be true for Latin America and the Caribbean

Under Trump, China has left the United States trailing in terms of power and influence across most of Latin America

Notably, the federal judge in the Texas case, brought by Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, has ruled against two other deferred action programs initiated by the Obama administration

Brazil

The report describes the origins of the PCC, its unique model of organization, and its ability to regulate criminal markets in the areas it controls

Chile

El Mandatario aseguró que la iniciativa “atenta contra el orden público, la seguridad ciudadana, la democracia y el Estado de derecho”

Colombia

La hipótesis del Gobierno que culpa a las disidencias vinculadas al narcotráfico no deja ver las diferencias entre cada asesinato ni ayuda a comprender o resolver el problema

SEMANA RURAL le explica en qué va el desminado humanitario en el país y cómo los excombatientes están aportando en el proceso

Una de las cabezas de esta organización creada por Pablo Escobar en los ochenta, usa el contrabando para legalizar dinero del narcotráfico

Grupos armados ilegales, algunos heredados del paramilitarismo, cooptan no sólo las gestiones de líderes y lideresas del departamento de Córdoba, sino la vida misma de las comunidades

Colombia, Venezuela

The two countries should urgently reopen communication channels to lower tensions and lessen the suffering of migrants who cross the border

Cuba

Like the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States, the N27 protest was sparked by police brutality against Afro-Cubans

El director de la revista ‘El Estornudo’ y colaborador de EL PAÍS fue puesto en libertad tras seis horas detenido. El escritor se encuentra bajo vigilancia desde que participó en el Movimiento San Isidro

Mexico

Tres presidentes consecutivos dieron órdenes de que los agentes de la DEA, el FBI, la CIA y el ICE, operaran en México con toda libertad

Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border

The Sinaloa and Arellano Felix cartels have long been at war with each other for “turf.” After the arrest of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán in 2016, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel became increasingly involved

Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela

Diputados de la Asamblea Nacional (AN) continúan recabando información sobre lo ocurrido y se evalúan acciones ante organismos internacionales de derechos humanos

U.S.-Mexico Border

Border Patrol has told the stewards of the park that it plans to quickly replace the two fences that line it with two thirty-foot fences made of metal bollards

Congress must pass the Missing Persons and Unidentified Remains Act of 2020 (H.R. 8772). It is a true unicorn of legislation in that it has wide bipartisan support

The Biden administration will be expected to balance demands for more lenient policies with moderates’ concerns that any show of tolerance could lead to more illegal migration

U.S. border officials and shelter directors along the border are concerned about the effects of a major surge in migration in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, as is the Biden transition team

Immigration advocates are hopeful that the Biden administration will work to reverse the regulations, but doing so could take as many as sixty days

Venezuela

The new report from the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s office, indicating that the office’s examination of possible crimes against humanity in Venezuela is moving forward, advances the search for justice

A Reuters review of over 40 recent arrests found in each case that authorities used the law to detain critics of the president, his aides or allies