(Even more here)

April 2, 2021

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “The Biden-Harris Administration’s Statement of Drug Policy Priorities for Year One” (The White House, April 2, 2021).

President Biden has made clear that addressing the overdose and addiction epidemic is an urgent priority for his administration

Brazil

• “Brazil Appoints New Chiefs-of-Staff for Three Armed Forces” (MercoPress, April 2, 2021).

The three new chiefs are senior military officers and their picking eased fears among some analysts that Bolsonaro would prefer younger replacements so as to politicize the armed forces

• Ricardo Noblat, “O Preco Da Liberdade e a Eterna Vigilancia” (Veja (Brazil), April 2, 2021).

Ora, a Constituição estabelece que as Forças Armadas são instituições de Estado, razão pela qual não podem ser “alinhadas” ao presidente

Chile

• “¿Quienes Son los Nuevos Blancos de Atentados de los Grupos Radicales Que Buscan Controlar la Provincia de Arauco?” (La Tercera (Chile), April 2, 2021).

Solo entre diciembre de 2020 y marzo de este año han ocurrido al menos siete ataques contra civiles, que se suman a otros 18 atentados contra empresas forestales

Colombia

• Mathew Charles, “Bajo Cauca and Vaupes – Colombia’s Child Recruitment Hotspots” (InsightCrime, April 2, 2021).

The number of youngsters being recruited by armed groups in Colombia has been rising steadily since the 2016 peace accords

• “Llegaron a Colombia Cuatro Aviones Militares Norteamericanos” (Infobae, April 2, 2021).

Los C-17 son tipo carguero y desarrollarán misiones de apoyo administrativo a la embajada de Estados Unidos en Colombia así como llevar de regreso a su país de origen a varios funcionarios estadounidenses

Colombia, Venezuela

• Steven Grattan, Anthony Faiola, Ana Vanessa Herrero, “Venezuelan Military Offensive Sends Thousands Fleeing, Recharging One of the World’s Worst Refugee Crises” (The Washington Post, April 2, 2021).

Refugees in Colombia interviewed by The Washington Post spoke of beatings and detentions in Apure as the Venezuelan military went from house to house

• Julie Turkewitz, “5,000 Flee as Venezuela Launches Largest Military Campaign in Decades” (The New York Times, April 2, 2021).

The Venezuelan assault, centered around La Victoria, a town of about 10,000, has been aimed at a faction of FARC dissidents known as the Tenth Front, according to local residents, leading security experts to suggest they may have broken unwritten rules

• “Liberados Periodistas Rafael Hernandez y Luis Gonzalo Perez” (Efecto Cocuyo (Venezuela), April 2, 2021).

Funcionarios de la Guardia Nacional Bolivariana los detuvieron cuando realizaban una cobertura periodística sobre el conflicto armado en la zona fronteriza del estado Apure y permanecieron más de 24 horas incomunicados

Guatemala

• Kevin Sieff, “The Reason Many Guatemalans Are Coming to the Border? A Profound Hunger Crisis.” (The Washington Post, April 2, 2021).

Chronic childhood malnutrition doubled in Guatemala between 2019 and 2020. In areas where migrants are mainly coming from, the rates are higher than anywhere in the world

Guatemala, Mexico

• Alberto Pradilla, “Inm Clasifica 5 Anos Expedientes de Agentes Relacionados en Masacre de Camargo” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 2, 2021).

El Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM) clasificó por cinco años sus expedientes relacionados con la masacre de 19 personas en Camargo, Tamaulipas. De las víctimas, 16 eran migrantes guatemaltecos en ruta hacia Estados Unidos

Honduras

• Spencer S. Hsu, “Honduras Hired Elite d.c. Law Firm in Failed Lobbying Effort to Derail ‘State-Sponsored Drug Trafficking Probe’ of President’s Brother” (The Washington Post, April 2, 2021).

Prosecutors cited the failed September 2019 influence campaign by Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP — along with the murder of four people linked to the investigation and the defendant’s own alleged repeated lies and obstruction — in urging stiff punishment for Juan Antonio “Tony” Hernández

Mexico

• Diego Fonseca, “La Guardia Pretoriana de Amlo” (The New York Times, April 2, 2021).

El presidente de México encontró en las fuerzas armadas un aliado. Las considera parte de su proyecto político personal. Y las premia y protege. ¿Protege su futuro con ellas?

• “Siete Militares Involucrados en Ejecuciones Extrajudiciales de Tlatlaya Con Pena Son Detenidos” (EFE, SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 2, 2021).

Los efectivos de la Sedena habrían salido bajo fianza el 26 de marzo para continuar su proceso en libertad, mientras que tres permanecen en una prisión militar

• Maria Abi-Habib, “‘Mommy, I Have Bad News’: For Young Migrants, Mexico Can Be the End of the Road” (The New York Times, April 2, 2021).

They will wait in shelters in Mexico, often for months, for arrangements to be made. Then, they will be deported

• David Agren, “Mexican Press Freedom Dispute Erupts as Amlo Attacks Us and Domestic Critics” (The Guardian, April 2, 2021).

Amlo also singled out press freedom group Article 19, which was cited as a source, in an outburst reflecting his disdain for civil society groups

• Tom Phillips, Analy Nuno, “‘An Atmosphere of Terror’: The Bloody Rise of Mexico’s Top Cartel” (The Guardian, April 2, 2021).

Unlike El Chapo, who sought Sean Penn’s help to turn his criminal life into a Hollywood blockbuster, El Mencho prefers the shadows

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Suzanne Monyak, “Court Challenge to ‘Expulsion’ Order Looms Over Border Policy” (Roll Call, April 2, 2021).

This tactic has allowed the administration to buy itself some “breathing room” to build up those processes before it fully resumes asylum at the border

• Elliot Spagat, “Migrants Freed Without Court Notice — Sometimes No Paperwork” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 2, 2021).

The Border Patrol began the unusual practice last week in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley, which has seen the biggest increase in the number of migrant families and unaccompanied minors crossing the border

• Ted Hesson, “U.S. Caught the Most Migrants in Two Decades at U.S.-Mexico Border in March” (Reuters, Reuters, April 2, 2021).

While Biden said last week that the “vast majority” of families are being sent back to Mexico under Title 42, U.S. government data suggests that is not the case

• Nick Miroff, “Border Crossings in March Jumped to Highest Level in 15 Years, Data Shows” (The Washington Post, April 2, 2021).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection took more than 171,000 migrants into custody along the Mexico border last month, according to preliminary tallies

• Nick Miroff, “Border Officials Say More People Are Sneaking Past Them as Crossings Soar and Agents Are Overwhelmed” (The Washington Post, April 2, 2021).

While CBP has never claimed to interdict every border crosser, the number of so-called got aways recorded in recent weeks is the highest in recent memory, said two of the officials

• Dara Lind, ““No Good Choices”: Hhs Is Cutting Safety Corners to Move Migrant Kids Out of Overcrowded Facilities” (ProPublica, April 2, 2021).

New “emergency” facilities skirt safety standards, while facilities accused of abuse are still getting grants