(Even more here)

April 30, 2021

Central America Regional

• Nicole Narea, “Sending Aid to Central America Won’t Stop Migrants From Coming” (Vox, April 30, 2021).

Research on foreign aid and migration provides no evidence that foreign aid will significantly reduce migration from the Northern Triangle. In fact, it might even increase it

Central America Regional, U.S.-Mexico Border

• Rafael Bernal, “Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Approve of ‘Root Causes’ Immigration Strategy” (The Hill, April 30, 2021).

Pollster Civiqs found that 85 percent of survey respondents agreed that the United States needs to engage with other countries to address migration patterns

Colombia

• “¿por Que el Caso de Dilan Cruz Seguira en la Justicia Penal Militar?” (Kienyke (Colombia), April 30, 2021).

“Esto se generó como consecuencia de una manifestación que se tornó violenta y que requirió del uso de la fuerza por parte de la Policía Nacional, siendo un evidente acto del servicio que por supuesto deberá ser investigado pero por la Justicia Castrense”, se lee

• Luis Jaime Acosta, “Colombia Ups Deployment of Security Forces to Cali Amid Violence” (Reuters, Reuters, April 30, 2021).

An additional 2,500 members of security forces will be deployed in Cali

• “Capturan a Siete Hombres Que Tendrian Que Ver Con Coronel Desaparecido en Arauca” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 30, 2021).

Según el ministro de Defensa, Diego Molano, el uniformado fue secuestrado por disidencias de las Farc

• Megan Janetsky, “Clashes Erupt as Colombians Protest Tax Hikes” (Voice of America, April 30, 2021).

The strike, known as the Paro Nacional, was a reaction to proposed tax hikes by the administration of embattled Colombian President Iván Duque, but the marches soon became a backlash to tensions and economic turmoil caused by the pandemic

• “Paro Nacional 28a: Asi Fue la Violencia Denunciada por los Manifestantes y la Policia” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 30, 2021).

El Paro Nacional 28A, convocado contra la reforma tributaria del gobierno Duque, dejó un saldo de centenares de heridos entre miembros manifestantes, gestores de convivencia y uniformados

• “Jep: Exsecretariado de las Farc Acepta Cargos por Secuestro y Otros Crimenes de Lesa Humanidad” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 30, 2021).

Así lo manifestaron hoy los excombatientes Carlos Antonio Lozada y Pastor Alape, a través de una rueda de prensa virtual, quienes aseguraron que sí hubo una política de secuestro en su organización

Colombia, Venezuela

• “Entre 30% y 40% de Desplazados en Arauquita Regresaron a Sus Casas en Venezuela” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), April 30, 2021).

Autoridades colombianas indicaron que la cifra de 5.888 personas que estaban en Arauquita, ha comenzado a disminuir de forma paulatina

Haiti, Honduras

• Martin Calix, “El Exilio Haitiano Cruza por Honduras” (Contra Corriente, April 30, 2021).

La diáspora haitiana que cruza por Centroamérica se ha vuelto difícil de medir por sus condiciones de precariedad absoluta, el tráfico de personas y el cruce por puntos ciegos

Mexico

• “El General Gallardo, Defensor de Ddhh y un Critico de la Opacidad del Ejercito, Muere a los 74 Anos” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 30, 2021).

El General Gallardo Rodríguez, amigo entrañable de SinEmbargo, murió a causa de complicaciones del coronavirus. Fue conocido por denunciar desde el interior de las Fuerzas Armadas las arbitrariedades cometidas por el Ejército

• Ricardo Ravelo, “Miguel Angel Yunes: Una Historia Sucia” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), April 30, 2021).

Yunes Linares fue Gobernador de Veracruz de 2016 a 2018. En ese bienio, se asegura, permitió que el cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación se asentara

• Parker Asmann, “Methamphetamine Taking Over Mexico’s Domestic Drug Market” (InsightCrime, April 30, 2021).

As things stand now, the lucrative trade shows no signs of slowing, and use of the drug in Mexico is likely to continue

• Alejandro Hope, “Estados Unidos, los Criminales y el “Control” del Territorio” (El Universal (Mexico), April 30, 2021).

No es admisible distorsionar la realidad sumando peras y manzanas o pensando en abstracciones con más valor propagandístico que utilidad analítica

Nicaragua

• “Investigation Exposes Nicaraguan Army’s Participation in 2018 Repression” (Expediente Publico (Honduras), April 30, 2021).

Victim testimonies, confidential interviews and reconstructions of official reports collected by a Central American think tank in an independent investigation prepared at the request of a US agency revealed that the Nicaraguan Army was never neutral

South America Regional

• Julie Turkewitz, Mitra Taj, “After a Year of Loss, South America Suffers Worst Death Tolls Yet” (The New York Times, April 30, 2021).

Last week, Latin America accounted for 35 percent of all coronavirus deaths in the world, despite having just 8 percent of the global population

U.S.-Mexico Border

• Hamed Aleaziz, “Biden Officials Are Considering a Process to Allow Some “Vulnerable” Immigrants to Avoid Trump-Era Border Restrictions” (BuzzFeed, April 30, 2021).

Despite the considerations, Department of Homeland Security officials are expected to still turn around the vast majority of immigrants at the border

• Priscilla Alvarez, “Number of Children Held in Border Patrol Facilities Drops 84% Since Peak Last Month” (CNN, April 30, 2021).

The average time that kids are in CBP custody is now 28 hours, compared to 133 hours on March 28, the official said, a nearly 80% reduction in time spent in Border Patrol detention

• Rebecca Shabad, “Biden Lays Border Crisis on Trump Admin’s Refusal to Cooperate” (NBC News, April 30, 2021).

Biden said his administration inherited “one god-awful mess at the border” from former President Donald Trump. He said it’s the result of “the failure to have a real transition — cooperation from the last administration, like every other administration has done.”

• “Aid Group: Returned Migrants Crowd Camp Near Texas Border” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 30, 2021).

Around 400 migrants expelled from the United States have camped out in a plaza in the dangerous Mexican border city of Reynosa, the aid group Doctors Without Borders said

Venezuela

• Joshua Goodman, “Watchdog: Us Aid to Venezuela Driven by More Than Just Need” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 30, 2021).

A new report by the inspector general at the U.S. Agency for International Development raises doubts about whether the deployment of aid was driven more by the U.S. pursuit of regime change than by technical analysis of needs