January 26, 2021
Brazil
- Hugo Marques, “Ministro Da Defesa Vai Acompanhar Treino Do Exercito Brasileiro Nos Eua” (Veja (Brazil), January 26, 2021).
O ministro da Defesa, general Fernando Azevedo, viaja no próximo sábado para os Estados Unidos e só volta no dia 4 de fevereiro. Ele vai para Luisiana visitar o Centro de Treinamento de Preparação Conjunta, em Fort Polk
Central America Regional
- Rep. Albio Sires (D-New Jersey), Rep. Norma Torres (D-California), “Reps. Sires and Torres Support President Biden’s Plan to Address Root Causes of Migration From Central America” (U.S. House of Representatives, January 26, 2021).
We need the Biden Administration to set a new tone that unequivocally embraces the rule of law. That starts by holding corrupt actors accountable through tools like the Magnitsky Act
Colombia
- Manuel Rueda, “Former Colombian Guerrillas Shed Their Decades-Old Name” (Associated Press, Associated Press, January 26, 2021).
The FARC’s political party will now be known as Comunes, which translates roughly to commoners or commons
- “Colombia’s Deadly Fight for Justice” (VICE, YouTube, January 26, 2021).
The fallout of a decades-long armed conflict, a peace process that appears to be coming apart at the seams, an impending economic crisis, and a government with far-right conservative leanings that has failed to appease the growing frustration —all factors driving the anger of everyday Colombians
- “Fallecio Carlos Holmes Trujillo, Ministro de Defensa, por Covid-19” (El Espectador (Colombia), January 26, 2021).
Carlos Holmes Trujillo se desempeñó en este gobierno como ministro de Relaciones Exteriores y de Defensa. Fue precandidato presidencial para las elecciones de 2018
- Ariel Ávila, “De Lo Que Hernan Giraldo No Ha Hablado en la Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta” (El Espectador (Colombia), January 26, 2021).
La llegada de Girado tiene en tensión a tres departamentos y varios municipios de la Sierra Nevada de santa Marta
- Francia Elena Marquez Mina, “Goldman Prize Recipient and Renowned Afro-Colombian Activist Francia Marquez to Vice President Kamala Harris: “Afro-Colombian and Indigenous People Are Tired of Being in the Midst of Violent Confrontations”” (Washington Office on Latin America, January 26, 2021).
Márquez requested direct communication with Vice President Harris to help ensure the United States’ continued commitment to an inclusive peace in Colombia
Guatemala, Mexico
- Sofia Menchu, “Guatemalan Maya Families Fear Relatives Among Mexican Massacre Victims” (Reuters, Reuters, January 26, 2021).
30 indigenous men and women traveled to the foreign ministry in Guatemala City from distant highland provinces on Monday after word spread their relatives may be among the deceased
Haiti
- Jacqueline Charles, “In Rare Move, Haiti President Acknowledges Uptick in Kidnappings, Asks for Help” (The Miami Herald, January 26, 2021).
While once only a concern for those with means, now no one is immune from becoming a kidnapping victim in Haiti
Mexico
- Maria Abi-Habib, Oscar Lopez, “Mexicans Worry That Even Getting Covid Won’t Make Their Leader Take It Seriously” (The New York Times, January 26, 2021).
With the president now infected, what most aggrieved many Mexicans was not only that he had flouted basic safety precautions, but that he also may go back to playing down the threat
- Lenin Ocampo Torres, Zacarias Cervantes, “Campesinos Confrontan a Militares para Evitar Destruccion de Plantios de Amapola en Guerrero” (El Sur (Acapulco Mexico), SinEmbargo (Mexico), January 26, 2021).
Unos 200 campesinos de siete comunidades del municipio de San Miguel Totolapan, Guerrero, se confrontaron a jaloneos y empujones este domingo con efectivos del Ejército que acudieron a destruir plantíos de amapola
- “Mexico Authorities Attempt to Identify 19 Charred Corpses Found Near Us Border” (Associated Press, The Guardian, January 26, 2021).
The group had kept in contact with family members back home, Coronado said, but there had been no word for them since Thursday, when they were apparently in or near Tamaulipas
- S. Priya Morley Et Al., ““There Is a Target on Us” – the Impact of Mexico’s Anti-Black Racism on African Migrants at Mexico’s Southern Border” (Black Alliance for Just Immigration, January 26, 2021).
Since 2019, the current U.S. and Mexican Administrations have been working together to externalize U.S. immigration enforcement into Mexican territory. This resulted in thousands of African migrants being stranded in the southern Mexican city of Tapachula
U.S.-Mexico Border
- April Reese, “Some Ecological Damage From Trump&Rsquo;S Rushed Border Wall Could Be Repaired” (Scientific American, January 26, 2021).
Determining which fence segments should come down and how to fix the damage they have caused would likely require some tough decisions
- Felipe de la Hoz, “Why Biden’s ‘Virtual’ Border Could Be Worse Than Trump’s Wall” (The Nation, January 26, 2021).
A frontline Customs and Border Protection officer, who asked not to be identified as they were not authorized to speak publicly, told The Nation that they had concerns about the growth of this technology, especially with the agency “expanding its capabilities and training its armed personnel to act as a federal police”
- “Southwest Border: Dhs and Doj Have Implemented Expedited Credible Fear Screening Pilot Programs, but Should Ensure Timely Data Entry” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, January 26, 2021).
About 1,220 individuals received positive credible fear determinations placing them into full removal proceedings where they may apply for various forms of protection such as asylum. However, as of October 2020, DHS and EOIR could not account for the status of such proceedings for about 630 of these individuals
- “Recommendations to End “Remain in Mexico” and Bring People Seeking Protection Safely Into the United States” (Human Rights First, January 26, 2021).
While the suspension of new enrollments in MPP is a critical first step, thousands of individuals with pending MPP cases remain in danger
Venezuela
- “Capriles Asegura Que la Oposicion Debe Sentarse a Negociar Con el Chavismo” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), January 26, 2021).
“Del lado del chavismo sí hay gente que quisiera la negociación”