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May 18, 2021
Brazil
- “4th Fleet Commander Conducts Maritime Staff Talks With Brazilian Navy” (U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet, Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), May 18, 2021).
Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. Fourth Fleet (USNAVSO/FOURTHFLT), hosted delegates from the Brazilian Navy for the 15th annual Maritime Staff Talks (MST), May 5
Chile
- “Chileans Favored Independents to Draft a New Constitution” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 18, 2021).
In a major blow to the traditional political forces in Chile, weekend voting for the 155-member constitutional assembly gave 48 seats to independent candidates, most of them identified with leftist ideology
Colombia
- “Fiscalia y Defensoria Dicen Que Ubicaron a 261 Personas Reportadas Como Desaparecidas” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 18, 2021).
Las entidades aseguran que se mantiene activo el mecanismo de búsqueda urgente en 134 casos
- Fernanda Torres Tovar, “La Cidh, a la Espera de un Si del Gobierno para Venir” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 18, 2021).
Con la intención en firme de visitar Colombia, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) aguarda la respuesta de la Cancillería colombiana sobre si una delegación suya puede arribar por octava vez al país en los próximos días para adelantar una visita de trabajo
- Joshua Collins, “Port Resistance: The Autonomous Zone at the Heart of Colombian Protests” (Medium, May 18, 2021).
“We don’t have leaders,” the kid responds. “Colombia killed our leaders. You can speak to the community”
- ““Perdi el Ojo, Pero No los Suenos”: Relatos de Victimas de Lesiones Oculares en las Protestas” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 18, 2021).
Por lo menos 30 personas han sido agredidas en sus ojos durante las manifestaciones del paro nacional de 2021. Catorce jóvenes que denuncian haber recibido disparos de la Policía y el Esmad en sus rostros hablaron con El Espectador
- Sally Palomino, “Understanding the Racism and Classism at the Heart of Colombia’s Protests” (El Pais (Spain), May 18, 2021).
The confrontation between armed civilians and indigenous groups in Cali has highlighted unaddressed forms of violence that the state has yet to acknowledge
- Tim Padgett, Luis Hernandez, “In South Florida, Colombia’s Turmoil Morphs (Again) Into ‘Socialismo’ Scare” (WLRN, May 18, 2021).
An SEA poll out last week indicated Latinos here feel that keeping socialism out of Florida is a bigger issue than jobs
El Salvador
- Joshua Goodman, “Us Report: Allies of el Salvador’s President Deemed Corrupt” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 18, 2021).
The emergence of the list of purportedly five corrupt officials is likely to heighten tensions with Bukele
Guatemala
- Donald Sparks, “Arsouth Hosts Army Lessons Learned Program Development Seminar to Assist Guatemalan Army to Establish Call Center” (U.S. Army, May 18, 2021).
Discussions included how the Guatemalan Army envisions leveraging the ALLP’s methodology and processes to update doctrine, support army-wide modernization, and to employ available resources more wisely
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Meghan Roos, “Ted Cruz Presses Joe Biden to Fix ‘Road-Sized Holes’ in Levees Left by Donald Trump’s Border Wall Contractors” (Newsweek, May 18, 2021).
The DHS attributed the damage to construction undertaken during former President Donald Trump’s administration, which the DHS said “blew large holes” in the levees
- Todd Miller, “Visions of a Borderless World” (The Nation, May 18, 2021).
Any future border freedom of movement policy would be the twin pillar with another fundamental right, the right to stay home and live a dignified life
- Julian Resendiz, “‘Remain in Mexico’ Ordeal Ends for 10,707 Asylum-Seekers” (Border Report, May 18, 2021).
El Paso leads the nation in welcoming back asylum-seekers placed in the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols program
- Camilo Montoya-Galvez, “U.S. Commits to Admitting 250 Asylum-Seekers Per Day in Concession to Advocates” (CBS News, May 18, 2021).
Under the new agreement, the Biden administration has committed to processing up to 250 asylum-seekers deemed to be vulnerable by advocacy groups on a daily basis and permitting them to continue their legal cases on American soil
- Monica Campbell, “Many Asylum-Seekers Are Returned at the Us-Mexico Border Under Title 42. Advocates Call It a ‘Sham.’” (PRI’s The World, Public Radio International, May 18, 2021).
A bottleneck continues to build in Mexico near the US-Mexico border, as a public health order invoked by the Trump administration remains in place and shuts out many migrants and asylum-seekers
- Sandra Sanchez, “Migrant Tent Encampment to Relocate Outside a Shelter in Mexican Border City of Reynosa” (Border Report, May 18, 2021).
The conditions in the Reynosa tent encampment, some say, are worse than in Matamoros due to violent crimes reported in the border town
May 17, 2021
Argentina
- Luis Piñeiro, “La Defensa Argentina en el Futuro Proximo” (Defensa.com (Spain), May 17, 2021).
El Gobierno actual ya había presentado en las cámaras el proyecto FONDEF (Fondo de Defensa), que, por medio del uso de un porcentaje del presupuesto nacional, lograría obtener recursos mínimos que permitan un cierto nivel de recuperación de capacidades militares
Brazil
- Flavia Milhorance, “Yanomami Beset by Violent Land-Grabs, Hunger and Disease in Brazil” (The Guardian, May 17, 2021).
About 27,000 Yanomami live on the reserve which is the size of Portugal. But in recent years, the territory has seen a new invasion by about 20,000 wildcat miners
Chile
- “Chileans Vote Against Traditional Politicians and Demand Substantial Reforms” (MercoPress, May 17, 2021).
Chile’s ruling coalition of Conservative President Sebastián Piñera was the biggest loser of the weekend, as a fragmented leftwing opposition took a sizeable majority of the 155 seats
- Eva Vergara, Patricia Luna, “Chileans Choose Assembly to Draft a New Constitution” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 17, 2021).
The document that emerges from the wrangling will go to a public vote in mid-2022. If rejected, the current constitution will remain in force
Colombia
- “Duque Preside el Retroceso de Colombia en la Escena Internacional” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
El Gobierno ya había recibido mensajes diplomáticos duros de sus aliados
- Juan David Laverde Palma, ““la Sociedad Parece Estar Regida por la Paranoia”: Director de Justicia Penal Militar” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
Fabio Espitia Garzón, director de la Justicia Penal Militar, dice que, a pesar del desprestigio histórico de esa entidad, no va a haber impunidad en los casos por las muertes de decenas de manifestantes
- Laura Sofia Matiz, “Detector: Lo Que la Policia Desmintio del Abuso Sexual en Popayan No Es Lo Que Denuncio la Victima” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
El general Alarcón desmiente hechos diferentes a los que denunció la víctima y a los que han retomado la mayoría de organizaciones sociales
- Ivette Feliciano, “Colombia Protests Enter Week Three as Violence Escalates” (PBS, May 17, 2021).
It’s getting more and more difficult to come to an agreement because the government is very weak. So I think that conversations are going to take a long while
- Camilo Gonzalez Posso, “La Explosion de Cali Es la del Valle, el Pacifico y el Suroccidente” (Instituto de Estudios para el Desarrollo y la Paz (Indepaz) (Colombia), Razon Publica (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
No es cierto que Cali sea una ciudad hoy sitiada por bloqueos y protestas de unos pocos, pues es un levamiento popular encabezado por la juventud y por muchos sectores que se concreta en control territorial, control de vías y carreteras en toda la macrorregión
- Valentina Parada Lugo, “Paro Nacional: El Malestar de Cali, una Ciudad Con Varias Ciudades Furiosas Que No se Hablan” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
La capital del Valle lleva una semana sin homicidios ni hechos de violencia en medio de las jornadas del paro nacional, sin embargo, los retenes extorsivos continúan y la gente se siente estigmatizada
- Natalia Tamayo, “Lo Que se Lee del Lenguaje No Verbal del Presidente Ivan Duque” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
“Es un presidente que está hablando con los mismos, que no conecta con el ciudadano y que, adicionalmente, está encerrado en la Casa de Nariño”
- “Informe de Temblores Ong e Indepaz a la Cidh” (INDEPAZ (Colombia), May 17, 2021).
Informe de Temblores ONG e Indepaz a la CIDH sobre la violación sistemática de la Convención Americana y los alcances jurisprudenciales de la Corte IDH con respecto al uso de la fuerza pública contra la sociedad civil en Colombia en el marco de las protestas realizadas entre el 28 de abril y el 12 de mayo de 2021
Colombia, Venezuela
- Sofia Nederr, “Vinculan Silencio de la Fan Con Improvisacion y Fallas Operativas en Apure” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 17, 2021).
22 días después del secuestro de ocho efectivos por parte de las FARC, fue cuando el Alto Mando confirmó el hecho. Analistas militares asocian el silencio a la improvisación manifiesta, las debilidades en el profesionalización castrense, que se ha traducido en fallas operativas, y la falta de control del territorio
Honduras
- Geraldine Cook, “Honduran Air Force Commander Inducted Into Whinsec Hall of Fame” (Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), May 17, 2021).
Brig. Gen. Barrientos, who was sworn in as commander in March 2019, took several courses at WHINSEC in 2007-2008, including the Command and General Staff Officer course and the Joint Interagency Operations course
Mexico
- Alberto Pradilla, “Madre Denuncia a Marina por Desaparicion de su Hijo; Fgr Ignora el Caso” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 17, 2021).
La Fiscalía tiene abiertas 34 carpetas de investigación contra el grupo de élite de la Marina por 47 posibles víctimas
- Alberto Pradilla, “Familias de Desaparecidos Hacen Planton en Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 17, 2021).
Este es uno de los estados con mayor presencia del crimen organizado, con el Cártel del Golfo y el Cártel del Noreste (escisión de los antiguos Zetas) disputándose el territorio. Además, aquí son continuas las denuncias de violaciones a los derechos humanos perpetradas por Ejército, Guardia Nacional, Marina o policía estatal
- Emily Green, “Mexico’s Populist President Is Acting Pretty Authoritarian” (VICE, May 17, 2021).
Once a left-wing darling, López Obrador has stepped up his attacks on the press, civil society groups, and watchdog agencies that question his actions
Mexico, U.S.-Mexico Border
- Patrick J. Mcdonnell, “Mexico Faces Crisis of Migrant Children and Families, With Little Housing and Few Resources” (The Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2021).
Mexico is facing its own crisis — an escalating humanitarian emergency caused by what authorities and advocates call an unprecedented increase in migrant families traversing its territory
Peru
- Sebastian Ortiz Martínez, “Steven Levitsky: “una Solida Mayoria Quiere un Cambio Moderado del Modelo” | Entrevista” (El Comercio (Peru), May 17, 2021).
El politólogo estadounidense- quien residió en el Perú- afirmó que los peruanos no quieren volver a un régimen fujimorista, pero tampoco quieren ir a uno bolivariano
U.S.-Mexico Border
- Dara Lind, “Documents Show Trump Officials Used Secret Terrorism Unit to Question Lawyers at the Border” (ProPublica, May 17, 2021).
Trump officials cited conspiracies about Antifa to justify interrogating immigration lawyers with a special terrorism unit. The documents also show that more lawyers were targeted than previously known
- Miriam Jordan, “From India, Brazil and Beyond: Pandemic Refugees at the Border” (The New York Times, May 17, 2021).
According to official data released this week, 30 percent of all families encountered along the border in April hailed from countries other than Mexico and the Central American countries
- Adriana Gomez Licon, “‘There Was No Going Back’: Migrant Parents Grapple With Sending Kids Alone to Us” (Associated Press, Border Report, May 17, 2021).
Growing numbers of migrant families are making the heart-wrenching decision to separate from their children and send them into America alone
- Molly o’toole, “Biden’s Border Closure Cracks Under Pressure From Lawsuits, Advocates and the Easing Pandemic” (The Los Angeles Times, May 17, 2021).
Biden officials have quietly agreed to narrow but substantial changes — among them, an end to the lateral expulsion flights and expelling migrants late at night, which exacerbate their vulnerability
- Adolfo Flores, “A Man and His Nephew Are Still Grappling With the Trauma of Being Separated at the Border Under the Biden Administration” (BuzzFeed, May 17, 2021).
Thousands of immigrant children who have been separated by US immigration authorities after showing up at the border with relatives who aren’t their parents or legal guardians
Venezuela
- Luna Perdomo, “Provea Registro 628 Detenciones Arbitrarias Desde Marzo de 2020 Hasta Enero de 2021” (Tal Cual (Venezuela), May 17, 2021).
Diciembre de 2020 fue el mes que tuvo el menor registro de detenciones arbitrarias. En enero de 2021 no hubo ningún caso
- Venezuela Investigative Unit, “The Unlikely Resistance of a Lone Mining Gang in Venezuela” (InsightCrime, May 17, 2021).
Over the last year and a half, the El Perú Syndicate (Sindicato del Perú) – a gang that extorts illegal miners and operates crude gold processing plants in southern Bolívar state – has been the target of repeated operations by Venezuelan security forces