Adam Isacson

(Even more here)

June 3, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• A.c. Thompson, “Over 200 Allegations of Abuse of Migrant Children; 1 Case of Homeland Security Disciplining Someone” (ProPublica, June 3, 2019).

From 2009 to 2014, at least 214 complaints were filed against federal agents for abusing or mistreating migrant children. According to the Department of Homeland Security’s records, only one employee was disciplined

• Robert Moore, “Transgender Woman Migrant Who Had Been in Ice Custody Dies After Falling Ill” (The Washington Post, June 3, 2019).

In March, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups sent a letter to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security complaining about the treatment of gay and transgender detainees at the Otero County Processing Center

Colombia

• “La Resurreccion de Santrich” (Semana (Colombia), June 3, 2019).

Su triunfo momentáneo dejó a la rama judicial –con excepción de la Fiscalía– en posición contraria al Gobierno, que reaccionó ante la libertad del exguerrillero en forma categórica

• “Dimar: Una Tumba Sin Todas las Respuestas” (Semana (Colombia), June 3, 2019).

SEMANA fue hasta el lugar en el que un cabo del Ejército asesinó a este desmovilizado, que se había acogido al proceso de paz. Lo quiso hacer pasar por guerrillero del ELN, como en las más cruentas épocas de los falsos positivos

• Adelaida Avila Cabrera, Laura Soto, “La Precampana en el Pacifico Arranco Amenazada” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), June 3, 2019).

Desde diciembre de 2018 hasta la semana pasada 13 precandidatos han sido atacados, amenazados o asesinados en la región, lo que la confirma como una de las regiones más peligrosas en época electoral

El Salvador

• “Nayib Bukele: La Orden del Nuevo Presidente de el Salvador de Retirar de un Cuartel el Nombre de Domingo Monterrosa, el Militar Detras de la Masacre del Mozote” (BBC Mundo, La Prensa (Nicaragua), June 3, 2019).

Un viejo reclamo de las víctimas de la Guerra Civil en El Salvador fue finalmente escuchado

• Daniel Valencia, Nelson Rauda, “Nayib Bukele Comienza a Gobernar Pero No Revela su Hoja de Ruta” (El Faro (El Salvador), June 3, 2019).

Horas después, sin embargo, tomó una decisión que el gobierno anterior evadió por 10 años: ordenó a la Fuerza Armada que retire honores a Domingo Monterrosa, señalado como responsable de la masacre en El Mozote

Guatemala

• Julie Lopez, “Narcotrafico y Politica: Nuevas Historias de un Viejo Affaire” (Plaza Publica (Guatemala), June 3, 2019).

En 2013, cuando la Cicig anunció que investigaría el financiamiento ilícito de las campañas políticas, pocos imaginaban que en 2019 tantos candidatos o funcionarios serían vinculados al narcotráfico. Sin embargo, el nexo crimen organizado/política, por medio de las Redes Político Económicas Ilícitas, cumple al menos medio siglo

Honduras

• “Honduras: 31 Masacres en 5 Meses de 2019” (Criterio (Honduras), June 3, 2019).

En 122 días que van del año 2019 se ha producido una masacre cada 3.9 días, lo que demuestra que los “asesinatos múltiples”, como les llama el gobierno, van en galopante aumento

Mexico

• Mary Beth Sheridan, “Mexico’s Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Consolidates Power With Governorship Wins” (The Washington Post, June 3, 2019).

It’s the first time since 1997 that a Mexican leader has had such a broad mandate

• Amy Guthrie, “Mexicans Launch Friendly Defensive to Deflect Us Tariffs” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, June 3, 2019).

There has also been some expert trolling

• Alberto Pradilla, Manu Ureste, “Amlo Defiende a Migrantes Frente a Trump, Pero las Detenciones en Mexico se Disparan 100%” (Animal Politico (Mexico), June 3, 2019).

La carta enviada a Trump por López Obrador contrasta con lo que sucede en la frontera sur de México, donde ONG denuncian hostigamiento de las autoridades migratorias para detener y deportar personas sin documentos

• Hope Yen, Lisa Mascaro, “White House: Trump ‘Deadly Serious’ About Mexico Tariffs” (Associated Press, Associated Press, June 3, 2019).

“So, there’s no specific target, there’s no specific percentage, but things have to get better,” Mulvaney said. “They have to get dramatically better and they have to get better quickly”

• Kevin Sieff, “Mexican Foreign Minister Prepares Washington Meetings to Avert the Threat of Tariffs” (The Washington Post, June 3, 2019).

He emphasized that Mexico’s main proposal to stop migration is to invest in Central America and that its immigration policy was bound by international treaties on migration, Mexico’s constitution “and its own dignity”

Venezuela

• Jon Lee Anderson, “Venezuela’s Two Presidents Collide” (The New Yorker, June 3, 2019).

The country has been caught in a seesawing conflict between two Presidents—one spuriously elected but backed by the armed forces, the other self-proclaimed but endorsed by much of the Western world

• Thomas Grove, “In a Blow to Maduro, Russia Withdraws Key Defense Support to Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2019).

Russian state defense contractor Rostec, which has trained Venezuelan troops and advised on securing arms contracts, has cut its staff in Venezuela to just a few dozen, from about 1,000 at the height of cooperation between Moscow and Caracas several years ago

(Even more here)

May 13, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Dan Lamothe, “Pentagon Will Pull Money From Ballistic Missile and Surveillance Plane Programs to Fund Border Wall” (The Washington Post, May 13, 2019).

The Pentagon has justified the reprogramming for the border wall by shifting the funding to a Defense Department counterdrug effort

• Helene Cooper, “Pentagon Shifts $1.5 Billion to Border Wall From Afghan War Budget and Other Military Projects” (The New York Times, May 13, 2019).

Lawmakers are irate that the Pentagon is taking money that was meant for fighting a war and using it for what Democrats view as a political move intended to assuage Mr. Trump’s base

• Robert Burns, “Shanahan Says Military Won’t Leave Until Us-Mexico Border Is Secure” (Military Times, May 13, 2019).

Shanahan told Congress this past week that there are 4,364 military troops on the border, including active-duty and National Guard

Colombia

• Yamid Amat, “‘Hay Injerencias y Presiones Indebidas Sobre la Jep’: Patricia Linares” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 13, 2019).

En su diálogo no vaciló en reclamar para la JEP “un trato digno y respetuoso”

• “Corte Suprema Condeno a Seis Militares por Masacre de San Jose de Apartado en 2005” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 13, 2019).

Desmovilizados del bloque paramilitar señalaron que contaron con la “colaboración” de casi 300 soldados adscritos al Batallón Contraguerrilla No. 33, Cacique Lutaima, de la Brigada XVII

• “¿Debe el Gobierno Pronunciarse Sobre las Visas de Magistrados?” (El Tiempo (Colombia), May 13, 2019).

El único miembro del gobierno del presidente Iván Duque que se ha referido al tema es la vicepresidenta Marta Lucía Ramírez, quien dijo en Caracol Radio que respetan “las decisiones de cada país siempre que se tomen con criterios objetivos y transparentes”

El Salvador

• Nelson Rauda Zablah, “Bukele en Washington: “Estamos Alineados Con Estados Unidos”” (El Faro (El Salvador), May 13, 2019).

Bukele aseguró que ha preferido inversiones estadounidenses que chinas. Un día después, dos congresistas del Comité presentaron un proyecto de ley que busca autorizar 577 millones de dólares en ayuda

Guatemala

• Roger Cohen, “‘Here There Is Nothing’” (The New York Times, May 13, 2019).

Since October, 1 percent of Guatemala’s total population — more than 160,000 people — have crossed. Many are children

Venezuela

• Joshua Goodman, “Maduro’s Foes Fill Embassies in Venezuela as Crisis Deepens” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 13, 2019).

Many dissidents are pounding on the doors of foreign embassies in a throwback to the dark days of the 1970s, when far bloodier military dictatorships in South America hunted down their opponents

• Sean Sullivan, “Florida Republicans Warn That Trump’s Venezuela Policy Is at Risk of Backfiring” (The Washington Post, May 13, 2019).

“This could be another Bay of Pigs as far as Cuban sentiment is concerned”

• “The Latest: Guaido Asks for Relations With Us Military” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 13, 2019).

Earlier this week, U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller said he would meet with Guaidó when invited to discuss the future role of Venezuela’s armed forces

(Even more here)

May 10, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Arizona Tribe Refuses Trump’s Wall, but Agrees to Let Border Patrol Build Virtual Barrier” (The Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2019).

The wall he described was not physical, but virtual: 10 towers up to 140 feet tall, with radar and night vision cameras capable of surveying over several miles and streaming footage around the clock to the Border Patrol

• Ryan Devereaux, ““the Fourth Amendment Doesn’t Apply Here” — U.S. Border Guards Arrest Arizona Immigrant Rights Volunteer” (The Intercept, May 10, 2019).

“Intimidation from CBP has been ramping up,” Adlerstein told The Intercept on Wednesday, with CBP routinely pulling individuals working on migrant issues into secondary screening, grilling them with questions and using words like “aiding and abetting”

• Alicia A. Caldwell, “Immigrant Arrests Smash Records, and U.S. Border Struggles to Handle the Crush” (The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2019).

The border has seen illegal-immigrant waves before. This one is different

• Benjamin Russell, “The Growing List of Imprisoned Latin American Presidents” (Americas Quarterly, May 10, 2019).

Latin America’s anti-corruption wave has made the region’s presidents more vulnerable to criminal prosecution than ever before

• Molly o’toole, “Border Patrol Will Screen Asylum Requests in New Push to Restrict Claims, Memos Show” (The Los Angeles Times, May 10, 2019).

The changes involve the initial interviews that asylum seekers go through to determine whether they have what U.S. law defines as a “credible fear” of being persecuted in their home country

• “Populism and Polarisation Threaten Latin America” (The Economist (Uk), May 10, 2019).

Election rules are sometimes flouted and independent institutions undermined. Many voters are turning to populists with little commitment to restraints on power. Parties of the moderate centre are weakening or collapsing

Brazil

• “‘the Order Is to Kill!’—Eight Killed in Police Operation Involving Helicopter Gunfire in Mare” (RioOnWatch (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), May 10, 2019).

Two of the youth raised their hands, saying “I lost,” to which the government agents responded: “My order is to kill”

Central America Regional

• “Engel, Mccaul Introduce Legislation to Address Root Causes of Migration From Central America” (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs Democratic Office, May 10, 2019).

The United States–Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act authorizes $577 million in foreign assistance to Central America for Fiscal Year 2020 and includes conditions on any assistance that goes to the central governments

Colombia, Guatemala

• Julieta Pelcastre, “Colombia Trains Guatemalan Marines” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), May 10, 2019).

Guatemalan service members strengthen their amphibious assault capabilities to conduct operations against criminal organizations in any scenario

Colombia

• Jerson Ortiz, “Una Consulta Popular Contra el Glifosato en Putumayo se Metio en la Campana” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 10, 2019).

Según los voceros de la iniciativa, el regreso del herbicida no solo afectaría los cultivos que sí son legales, sino que le pondría más trabas al Programa Nacional de Sustitución de Cultivos de Uso Ilícito

• Adriaan Alsema, “Five Months Ahead of Colombia’s Local Elections, Political Violence Already Surpassed That of 2015 Vote” (Colombia Reports, May 10, 2019).

According to the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE), there have been 74 acts of aggression against local and regional political leaders, including 10 homicides

• Juanita Velez, “La Estrategia de Duque Contra la Deforestacion Arranca Con Tres Lios” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 10, 2019).

Quien lleva la batuta no es el ministro de Ambiente, Ricardo Lozano, sino el consejero de seguridad, Rafael Guarín, que es el que más ha salido en medios a contar de qué se trata

• “Mas de 800 Casos de Violencia Contra Lideres Sociales Estan en la Impunidad: Cinep” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 10, 2019).

“La nueva estrategia es amenazar y asesinar a los líderes de base, con el fin de debilitar el proceso a través del miedo y el terror”, insiste el Cinep

• “La Justicia Bajo Presion: Estados Unidos Les Quito la Visa a Tres Magistrados” (Semana (Colombia), May 10, 2019).

La presidenta de la Corte Constitucional, Gloria Ortiz, y dos magistrados fueron al Palacio de Nariño para informar la situación. A su turno, el presidente Iván Duque se comunicó con el saliente embajador de Estados Unidos en Bogotá, Kevin Whitaker, para tratar de apaciguar las cosas

El Salvador

• Anastasia Moloney, “El Salvador Gang Violence Stifles Progress on Gender Killings: Top Prosecutor” (Reuters, Reuters, May 10, 2019).

Getting witnesses and the families of victims to come forward remains a key challenge because many fear reprisals from gangs who control city neighborhoods

Honduras

• “A Murder in Honduras: Q&A With Nina Lakhani” (Roads and Kingdoms, May 10, 2019).

Lakhani’s reporting and the ensuing trial revealed that Cáceres’s murder was ordered by the company building the dam

Mexico

• Azam Ahmed, Kirk Semple, “A New Revolution? Mexico Still Waiting as Lopez Obrador Nears Half-Year Mark” (The New York Times, May 10, 2019).

The new country President Andrés Manuel López Obrador says he is building looks an awful lot like the old one he swore to leave behind in the campaign

• Elliot Spagat, Nomaan Merchant, Patricio Espinoza, “For Thousands of Asylum Seekers, All They Can Do Is Wait” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 10, 2019).

The Associated Press visited eight cities along the U.S.-Mexico border and found 13,000 immigrants on waiting lists to get into the country — exposed to haphazard and often-dubious arrangements that vary sharply

Nicaragua

• “Policia Licita Compra de Vehiculos Con Fondos del Bcie” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), May 10, 2019).

La compra asciende a más de medio millón de dólares y será totalmente financiada por el Banco Centroamericano de Integración económica (BCIE), pese a los señalamientos de que la cooperación económica de esta institución continúa oxigenando a la dictadura

Venezuela

• Alex Vasquez, Andrew Rosati, “Maduro Hunts Down Guaido’s Allies, Exacting Revenge for Uprising” (Bloomberg, May 10, 2019).

A week after an audacious attempt to topple Venezuelan autocrat Nicolas Maduro, his regime is cracking down on those it holds responsible, searching homes, issuing arrest warrants and sending opposition leaders into hiding

• “Venezuela Ya Paso la “Linea Roja” para “Cooperacion Militar”: Guaido” (EFE, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), May 10, 2019).

Destacó que es “bienvenido cualquier elemento que sume” para lograr la salida del Gobierno de Nicolás Maduro, pero reiteró su negativa al diálogo, debido a que considera que este mecanismo es utilizado por el chavismo para engañar

Venezuela, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Karen Deyoung, “Trump’s Latin American Allies Want Change in Venezuela, but Not U.S. Intervention” (The Washington Post, May 10, 2019).

As U.S. threats toward Venezuela and Cuba, one of Maduro’s primary backers, have grown more explicit in recent days, Latin American and European governments have nervously stepped up their efforts toward a political solution

(Even more here)

May 9, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Emily Cochrane, “Pentagon Has Redirected Money to Build 256 Miles of Border Barriers, Shanahan Says” (The New York Times, May 9, 2019).

The Pentagon has redirected enough money to build 256 miles of barriers along the southwestern border, including 63 miles within six months, the acting defense secretary told lawmakers on Wednesday

• Nick Miroff, “From the Border, More Frustrating Immigration Numbers for President Trump” (The Washington Post, May 9, 2019).

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detained 109,144 migrants along the boundary with Mexico last month, a 6 percent increase from March

Brazil

• Paulo Trevisani, “Bolsonaro Further Eases Brazilians’ Access to Guns” (The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2019).

“Sales are going through the roof,” said Welker Costa, owner of a gun shop in Brasília as he read the latest decree’s more than 11,000 words to understand the changes

• “Trump Inicia el Proceso para Declarar a Brasil Aliado Militar Fuera de Otan” (EFE, ABC Color (Paraguay), May 9, 2019).

Bajo la ley estadounidense, el presidente de EE.UU. debe notificar al Congreso al menos 30 días antes de designar a un país como aliado militar estratégico fuera de la OTAN

Central America Regional

• “Centroamerica Cierra Filas para Reforzar el Combate a la Criminalidad” (El Heraldo (Honduras), May 9, 2019).

En Honduras se contabilizaron 8.7 toneladas de cocaína decomisadas en diferentes sectores del territorio nacional. En Guatemala se considera que 2018 fue un año histórico porque se decomisaron 17,897 kilos de cocaína. Mientras que en El Salvador la cantidad fue de 12 toneladas de esa droga

• Jose Ruiz, “Central American Security Leaders, Partners Discuss Threats, Support for Civilian Authorities” (U.S. Southern Command, May 9, 2019).

During the two-day security meeting, the participating delegations and observers discussed how military and public-security forces support civilian authorities, as well as regional efforts to target transnational organized crime

Colombia

• Sinar Alvarado, “Los Asesinatos de Exguerrilleros Comprometen la Paz en Colombia” (The New York Times, May 9, 2019).

Desde la firma del acuerdo de paz entre el gobierno de Colombia y las antiguas Farc, en noviembre de 2016 en Bogotá, 129 excombatientes de esa guerrilla han sido asesinados

Colombia, Venezuela

• “Colombia Blasts Venezuela Over Alleged Military Incursion” (Agence France Presse, France 24 (France), May 9, 2019).

In a statement, the foreign ministry said the Venezuelan unit crossed 200 meters into northeastern Colombia

• “Maduro Advierte de una Posible “Escalada Militar” Desde Colombia” (Agence France Presse, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), May 9, 2019).

“He mandado a tomar medidas especiales de precaución en la frontera. A todas las unidades militares de la frontera, máxima alerta”, dijo Maduro

• “Casi la Mitad de los Guerrilleros del Eln Estarian en Venezuela” (Agence France Presse, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), May 9, 2019).

El comandante de las fuerzas militares, Luis Fernando Navarro, afirmó que unos 1.100 miembros del Eln estarían en Venezuela

Colombia

• Laura Panqueva Otalora, ““las Amenazas Desbordaron Nuestras Vidas”: Lideresa de Montes de Maria” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 9, 2019).

Yirleis Velazco dice que quiere regresar a El Salado, el pueblo de los Montes de María del que tuvo que salir desplazada por la violencia

Cuba, Venezuela

• Nora Gamez Torres, “Can Cuba Be Part of the Solution to the Political Crisis in Venezuela?” (The Miami Herald, May 9, 2019).

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo surprised many observers Sunday when he declared that the United States was “working” with Cuba to secure Maduro’s departure from Venezuela

Mexico

• Christopher Sherman, “Mexico Worries as Us Keeps Making Asylum Seekers Wait There” (The Washington Post, May 9, 2019).

On Wednesday night, Mexico’s immigration agency said 4,217 Central American asylum seekers had already been returned through three border cities

• Jon Martin Cullell, “Mexico Triplica las Deportaciones de Migrantes Centroamericanos Con Lopez Obrador” (El Pais (Spain), May 9, 2019).

El nuevo Gobierno ha expulsado a más de 45.000 personas en cinco meses, casi 15.000 de ellas en abril

• Arturo Angel, “Delitos Graves Con Armas de Fuego se Disparan Hasta 250 % en Alcaldias de Cdmx” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 9, 2019).

Datos oficiales revisados por Animal Político evidencian que en las alcaldías más pobladas existen incrementos de hasta 250 % en delitos de alto impacto cometidos con armas de fuego

• Jose De Cordoba, Juan Montes, “Mexico Proposes Redirecting U.S. Security Aid to Address Migrant Crisis” (The Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2019).

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador wants to take the security aid his country receives from the U.S. and use the money instead for a development plan for Central America and southern Mexico to help stop migration

Nicaragua

• Alice Driver, “Mothers Are the Backbone of the Revolution” (Longreads, May 9, 2019).

Hundreds of Nicaraguan mothers seek justice for their murdered children, birthing a movement

Venezuela

• Angus Berwick, “How a Chinese Venture Made Millions While Venezuelans Grew Hungry” (Reuters, Reuters, May 9, 2019).

A $200 million rice plant illustrates the graft and incompetence that opponents say crippled development by Venezuela’s leftist regime

• Rafael Croda, “El Fallido Alzamiento Militar Dejo “Tocado” a Maduro” (Proceso (Mexico), May 9, 2019).

Ejemplo de su delicada posición, destacan los expertos, es que el jueves 2 pidió a las fuerzas armadas que no lo abandonen y restituyó en la jefatura de los servicios de inteligencia a Gustavo González López

• “Militares Chavistas Rechazan “Chantaje” de Jefe de Comando Sur de Eeuu” (El Estimulo (Venezuela), May 9, 2019).

Un día después de que el oficial norteamericano le pidiera a la Fuerza Armada “decidir a quién representa: A su pueblo a un tirano”

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Ally of Venezuelan Opposition Leader Is Detained After Failed Uprising” (The New York Times, May 9, 2019).

He is at least the fourth prominent ally of Mr. Guaidó to be detained or forced to flee the country since January

• Christopher Torchia, “Venezuela’s Maduro Tightens Pressure on Opposition” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 9, 2019).

The arrest of a top opposition leader in Venezuela unleashed fears of a wider crackdown on Thursday, even as members of the opposition issued renewed calls for weekend protests

• Anne Gearan, John Hudson, Josh Dawsey, Seung Min Kim, “A Frustrated Trump Questions His Administration’s Venezuela Strategy” (The Washington Post, May 9, 2019).

The president’s dissatisfaction has crystallized around national security adviser John Bolton and what Trump has groused is an interventionist stance at odds with his view that the United States should stay out of foreign quagmires

(Even more here)

May 8, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Nick Miroff, “U.S. Asylum Screeners to Take More Confrontational Approach as Trump Aims to Turn More Migrants Away at the Border” (The Washington Post, May 8, 2019).

The new guidelines and directive to asylum officers are among the most significant steps the administration has taken to limit access to the country for foreigners seeking asylum

Brazil

• “Bolsonaro Signs Decree Making It Easier to Own, Carry and Import Weapons” (MercoPress, May 8, 2019).

Beaming members of Congress and industry lobbyists clapped and made pistol signs with their hands

Central America Regional

• “ee.uu. Urge a Militares Centroamericanos Que Enfrentan Narcotrafico a Combatir Corrupcion” (Criterio (Honduras), May 8, 2019).

El jefe del Comando Sur aconsejó a sus colegas militares de la región seguir “un sendero ético cada día”

• “Over 100 Members of Congress Oppose Cutting Aid to Central America” (Washington Office on Latin America, May 8, 2019).

“Progress made on reducing violence and poverty will be reversed, more children and families from the Northern Triangle will be forced to flee their communities, and the situation at our border will get worse, not better,” the letter states

Colombia

• “Amenazaron a Lideres Afro Que Ya Habian Sido Atacados Con Pistolas y Granadas en el Cauca” (Semana (Colombia), May 8, 2019).

Cuando los 16 dirigentes aún no se reponen del impacto que les causó el atentado perpetrado el sábado anterior, a uno de los voceros le llegó un mensaje intimidante que dice: “Es solo el comienzo de lo que será el exterminio de todos ustedes”

• Gonzalo Sanchez, “Las Verdades del General” (Semana (Colombia), May 8, 2019).

El general es ambas cosas a la vez: un presunto responsable a la espera de decisiones judiciales, pero, también, un hombre de honor capaz de asumir responsabilidades públicas

• Felipe Puerta, “Extrajudicial Killing Dims Hopes for Colombia’s Demobilized Farc” (InsightCrime, May 8, 2019).

Following their longtime commanders, many demobilized guerrillas have chosen to leave ETCR zones out of fear of further attacks, leaving them vulnerable to recruitment

• “Infografia: Radiografia de Dos Anos de Corrupcion en Colombia” (Semana (Colombia), May 8, 2019).

Una investigación del Monitor Ciudadano de la Corrupción, de Transparencia por Colombia, reveló que entre 2016 y 2018 la prensa reportó 327 hechos de corrupción que comprometen 17 billones de pesos, e identificó cuánto demoró en llegar la justicia

• Terri Moon Cronk, “Colombian Vice President’s Pentagon Visit Highlights Bilateral Relationship” (U.S. Department of Defense, May 8, 2019).

Shanahan thanked Ramírez for the support her country is providing to address the Venezuelan crisis, and he praised the robust military partnership between the United States and Colombia

Honduras

• “Cinco Cosas Que Debes Saber Sobre el Tratado Militar Que Negocian Honduras e Israel” (El Heraldo (Honduras), May 8, 2019).

El tratado consistiría en la llegada mil soldados de Israel a Honduras, para capacitar y adiestrar a las FF AA y la Policía Nacional

• ““A los Que Cuestionan las Inversiones en Ffaa, el Crimen Organizado Tiene Armas Modernas”: Joh” (El Heraldo (Honduras), May 8, 2019).

El mandatario pronunció el discurso inaugural en la Conferencia de Seguridad Centroamericana 2019

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “Diagnostican Caos en la Extinta Pgr: 95% de Impunidad, 21 Mil Ordenes Sin Cumplir, 300 Mil Casos Rezagados” (Animal Politico (Mexico), May 8, 2019).

La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR), reemplazada en enero pasado por la Fiscalía General, terminó colapsada

• Deborah Bonello, “Extreme Cartel Violence Has Come to Mexico City” (VICE, May 8, 2019).

Developments in Tepito are prompting some locals VICE spoke with to ask whether the city’s partial immunity from Mexico’s drug war is over

• Arturo RodrÍguez GarcÍa, “No a la Iniciativa Merida; Mejor Que Eu Invierta en Desarrollo: Amlo” (Proceso (Mexico), May 8, 2019).

El titular del Ejecutivo, inclusive rechazó que la cooperación estadunidense vaya a incluir formación y capacitación para la Guardia Nacional

• Alfredo Corchado, “Across From the U.S., at Tourist Spots and Elsewhere, Mexico Grapples With Thousands of Murders” (The Dallas Morning News, May 8, 2019).

This country’s tenuous security situation is falling apart. Reports from across Mexico paint a picture of a nation reeling back on its heels as murders and massacres flourish

• Brent Kendall, Louise Radnofsky, “Trump’s Back-to-Mexico Asylum Policy Stays in Effect” (The Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2019).

The appeals court held that several legal factors favored allowing the Trump administration to administer the policy while the litigation continues

• Brian Melley, Elliot Spagat, “Appeals Court: Trump Can Make Asylum Seekers Wait in Mexico” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 8, 2019).

Allowing the policy to remain in effect in the meantime lets the administration carry out an unprecedented change to U.S. asylum practices

Venezuela

• Anthony Faiola, Karen Deyoung, “Venezuela’s Opposition Debates New Tactics as Diplomats Race to Defuse Crisis” (The Washington Post, May 8, 2019).

Venezuela’s opposition and its foreign backers are debating a new approach: extending an offer to senior government and military officials to join a post-Maduro transitional government — while also heightening the threat of U.S.-led intervention

• Christopher Torchia, Fabiola Sanchez , “Venezuela’s Top Court Targets Opposition Lawmakers” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 8, 2019).

Those facing accusations include prominent figures in the Venezuelan opposition such as Henry Ramos Allup and Luis Germán Florido

• “Editorial: Russian Collusion in Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2019).

Why does Donald Trump believe Putin instead of his advisers?

• Juan Forero, Michael C. Bender, “U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Venezuelan General Who Broke Ranks With Maduro” (The Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2019).

Mr. Pence highlighted the immediate removal of all sanctions on Gen. Manuel Cristopher Figuera, the director of Venezuela’s intelligence service, Sebin

• Dan Spinelli, “John Bolton and Mike Pompeo Have Gotten a Lot of Things Wrong About Venezuela” (Mother Jones, May 8, 2019).

Here are three from the last week

(Even more here)

May 7, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Rafael Carranza, “Local Governments at U.S. Border Weigh Using Taxpayer Funds to Help Migrant Families” (The Arizona Republic, May 7, 2019).

As nonprofits struggle to house and care for the number of families released border-wide, city, county and even state governments are starting to take a greater, more direct role in the humanitarian response

Brazil

• “Brazil Police Shoot Dead Eight in Rio Favela: Official” (Agence France Presse, France 24 (France), May 7, 2019).

No other details about the operation in Mare — a poor, densely populated swathe of the city encompassing various favelas in large part run by heavily-armed drug traffickers — were immediately available

Colombia

• ““Muchos Nos Ven Como una Piedra en el Zapato por Defender el Territorio” Aconc” (Contagio Radio (Colombia), May 7, 2019).

“Hay mucha gente en territorio que no está dispuesta a que la verdad se aclare”

• Tatiana Duque, “Los Callos Que Pisan los Lideres Afro en el Norte del Cauca” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 7, 2019).

A uno de ellos le llegó una nueva amenaza, vía un mensaje de whatsapp, en el que les advertían que lo que ocurrió el sábado “era solo el principio”

Colombia, Venezuela

• “Marta Lucia Ramirez Abordara Crisis de Venezuela Con Jefe del Pentagono” (Agence France Presse, El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), May 7, 2019).

La vicepresidente de Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez, abordará el martes la situación en Venezuela con el jefe del Pentágono, Patrick Shanahan, a quien insistirá en la necesidad de seguir presionando “por todos los medios y escenarios posibles”

Colombia

• “Vicepresidenta Defiende el Glifosato: “Si Usted Toma 500 Vasos de Agua al Dia, se Enferma”” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 7, 2019).

La Corte, según ella, está pidiendo estudios que demuestren que no afecta en un 100% a la salud de las personas

Cuba, Venezuela

• Jose Enrique Arrioja, Stephen Wicary, “Cuba Says Maduro Must Be at Negotiating Table to Fix Venezuela” (Bloomberg, May 7, 2019).

“It’s not Cuba, as it’s not the Lima Group, who should say who’s the leader of Venezuela”

Honduras

• Azam Ahmed, “Three Weeks Embedded in Honduran Gang Territory” (The New York Times, May 7, 2019).

I wanted to tell the story of gang violence through the voices of residents, shopkeepers, families and gang members themselves

• “Tratado Militar: 1,000 Soldados de Israel a un Paso de Llegar a Honduras” (El Heraldo (Honduras), May 7, 2019).

La misión principal de los soldados es el adiestramiento en protección de fronteras en vista de las masivas salidas irregulares de hondureños, en especial niños, rumbo a Estados Unidos

• “Si Ha Habido Conversaciones para un Tratado Militar Entre Honduras e Israel” (El Heraldo (Honduras), May 7, 2019).

Hasta ahora, el Gobierno de Honduras, por medio del ministro de la Presidencia, Ebal Díaz, negó categóricamente que exista un tratado multilateral que permita el ingreso de tropas extranjeras al país, aunque EL HERALDO no ha informado de convenio sino de conversaciones

Mexico

• Dorian Hargrove, Jason Dorman, Mari Payton, Tom Jones, “Breaking San Diego: A Meth Crisis” (NBC San Diego, May 7, 2019).

The resurgence of meth into the region has led drug enforcement agents to refer to San Diego County as “ground zero” for the nation’s meth problem

• Danielle Mackey, “How a Group of Mothers Uses Drones to Unearth the Casualties of Mexico’s Drug War” (The Verge, May 7, 2019).

Mexico’s drug war has left tens of thousands of casualties in secret graves. Now, the mothers of the missing are digging them up, armed with iron rods and quadcopter drones

• Alejandro Hope, “Cuando Matan a un Policia” (El Universal (Mexico), May 7, 2019).

Un policía mexicano corre un riesgo de ser asesinado 24 veces mayor que el de un colega estadounidense

Panama

• Elida Moreno, Stefanie Eschenbacher, “U.S. Must Cultivate Central America or Lose Out to China: Panama President-Elect” (Reuters, Reuters, May 7, 2019).

The U.S.-educated former agriculture minister and businessman said that if the United States neglected a region it has long considered its backyard, it was inviting China to fill the gap

Venezuela

• Roberta Rampton, “Pence to Offer ‘Carrots’ to Venezuela Military, Warnings to Judges” (Reuters, May 7, 2019).

Pence’s speech will be the first look at the Trump administration’s recalibrated strategy following massive street protests last week led by Juan Guaido

Cuba, Venezuela

• Carmen Sesin, “Are U.S., Cuba and Russia Going to Work to Break the Impasse on Venezuela?” (NBC News, May 7, 2019).

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo surprised many when he said in an interview Sunday on the CBS program “Face the Nation” that the administration is working with the Cuban government on Venezuela

Venezuela

• Matt Laslo, “Trump’s Venezuela War Hawks Are Freaking Out Congress” (VICE, May 7, 2019).

Even the threat of deploying the U.S. military in Venezuela is unbelievable to many lawmakers on Capitol Hill

(Even more here)

May 6, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Ryan Devereaux, “Scott Warren Worked to Prevent Migrant Deaths in the Arizona Desert. The Government Wants Him in Prison.” (The Intercept, May 6, 2019).

Thousands of migrants have died crossing the desert in Arizona. The U.S. government is prosecuting activists who try to save lives and recover bodies

• Josh Dawsey, Nick Miroff, Shane Harris, “Trump Taps Mark Morgan, Former Obama Official Who Supports Border Wall, to Head Ice” (The Washington Post, May 6, 2019).

Morgan had been the top official at Customs and Border Protection in the Obama administration, but has been outspoken in favor of Trump’s signature proposal for a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border

• Josh Dawsey, Maria Sacchetti, Nick Miroff, “Trump Wants ‘Toughness’ to Deter Migration, but Physical Measures Keep Failing” (The Washington Post, May 6, 2019).

The measures that could actually deter migration are less bruising and physically obvious, veering off instead into a world that is legal, technical and bureaucratic — and could take months or years to show results

Colombia

• “Las Luchas de Francia Marquez Mina Que Ponen su Vida en Peligro” (Semana (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

Esta líder social afrodescendiente, ganadora del premio ambiental Goldman, fue víctima este sábado de un atentado del que salió ilesa, pero que ratifica una vez más la fragilidad en la que se encuentra su vida

• “Atentan Contra Francia Marquez, Lider Social Ganadora del “Nobel de Medioambiente”” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

Lideres sociales y defensores de derechos humanos que hacen partes de la La Asociación de Consejos Comunitarios del Norte del Cauca, ACONC, se encontraban en una reunión comunitaria. El ataque, según Márquez, habría durado unos 15 minutos

• Antonio Caballero, “Extradicion” (Semana (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

A la DEA no le interesa castigar a los grandes narcos, que son sus cómplices. Pero sí le interesa castigar a los guerrilleros, por comunistas

• “Ser Lider Social en el Suroccidente, una Labor de Riesgo Extremo” (Verdad Abierta (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

Cuarenta y siete voceros de comunidades que hacen parte del PDET Alto Patía y Norte del Cauca han sido asesinados desde 2016 en los 17 municipios que lo componen

• “Defensoria Le Habia Advertido al Gobierno Sobre Incremento de Amenazas en Cauca” (El Espectador (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

El pasado 26 de abril se envió un documento al Ministerio del Interior advirtiendo que había cuatro alertas tempranas vigentes en Cauca, en donde desconocidos armados atentaron contra vario líderes sociales el sábado, entre ellos Francia Márquez

• “La Seguridad Democratica 2.0 Esta Asustando en Zonas en Conflicto” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), May 6, 2019).

Las 57 fuentes con las que hablamos coincidieron en que desde la entrada del Gobierno de Duque se están presentando más denuncias contra fuerzas militares y policiales

Honduras

• Azam Ahmed, “Inside Gang Territory in Honduras: ‘Either They Kill Us or We Kill Them.’” (The New York Times, May 6, 2019).

From 2018 through early 2019, The New York Times followed the young men of Casa Blanca in this tiny corner of San Pedro Sula, Honduras, one of the deadliest cities in the world, and witnessed firsthand as they tried to keep the gangs at bay

Mexico

• Kirk Semple, “Mexico Declares Victory Over Fuel Thieves. But Is It Lasting?” (The New York Times, May 6, 2019).

It is a doubt fed by a chronic lack of confidence in the Mexican government’s ability — or willingness — to bring the nation’s increasingly sophisticated criminal groups to their knees

Cuba, Mexico

• Josue Gonzalez, “90 Cubans Escape Migration Detention in Southern Mexico” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, May 6, 2019).

More than 600 Cubans fled the center in late April, and Mexico flew 170 Cubans home last week

Colombia, Venezuela

• Matthew Bristow, “Venezuelan Troops Trained Rebels to Fire Rockets, Colombia Says” (Bloomberg, May 6, 2019).

National Liberation Army fighters were instructed in how to use the Russian-manufactured IGLA surface-to-air missile system, according to General Luis Navarro, Colombia’s top-ranking soldier

Venezuela

• Jose De Cordoba, Juan Forero, Kejal Vyas, “Venezuela’s Opposition Came Close to Ousting the President—but the Plan Fell Apart” (The Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2019).

Under the plan, the country’s top court, the Supreme Justice Tribunal, was to recognize the opposition-controlled National Assembly, the last democratically elected body in Venezuela, as the legitimate representative of the Venezuelan people

• Joshua Goodman, “Us Missed Chance to Woo Venezuela Generals” (Associated Press, Associated Press, May 6, 2019).

One clue to the military officers’ apparent reluctance to join any U.S.-backed plot may be found in the story of their past, failed dealings with senior American officials

• Amanda Holpuch, “Trump Administration Denies Special Help to Venezuelans Seeking Asylum” (The Guardian (Uk), May 6, 2019).

Despite clarion calls for Venezuelan ‘freedom’ the US has resisted offering Temporary Protected Status to those fearing persecution

• Anthony Faiola, “Guaido Says Opposition Overestimated Military Support for Uprising” (The Washington Post, May 6, 2019).

“Dear friend, ambassador John Bolton, thank you for all the help you have given to the just cause here. Thank you for the option, we will evaluate it, and will probably consider it in parliament to solve this crisis. If it’s necessary, maybe we will approve it”

• Karoun Demirjian, Paul Sonne, “Pompeo Won’t Promise to Consult Congress About Potential Military Intervention in Venezuela” (The Washington Post, May 6, 2019).

Pompeo’s evasion of a direct question about the role of Congress — which is the body empowered to declare war under the Constitution — could strike a nerve with several Republicans

(Even more here)

April 30, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Debbie Nathan, “Border Patrol in New Mexico Stood by as Right-Wing Militia Terrorized Migrants” (The Appeal, April 30, 2019).

Benvie and armed men in camouflage then remain on the scene with Border Patrol agents as they begin to process the migrants

• Daniel Gonzalez, “While Shelter Beds in Phoenix Go Empty, Groups Wonder Why Border Patrol Overwhelms Yuma” (The Arizona Republic, April 30, 2019).

At the end of March, the arrangement suddenly changed when the Border Patrol apparently began transferring fewer migrant families to ICE custody and instead began releasing large numbers of migrant families in Yuma

• Doug Cassel, “Human Rights, Diplomatic Wrongs” (Harvard International Law Journal, April 30, 2019).

In December 2018, Cruz, Lee and seven other anti-abortion Senators asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to cut off all US funding of the Commission, because of its support for women’s reproductive rights

• Felicia Sonmez, Maria Sacchetti, Nick Miroff, “Trump Tightens Asylum Rules, Will Make Immigrants Pay Fees to Seek Humanitarian Refuge” (The Washington Post, April 30, 2019).

Trump in recent weeks has increasingly mocked asylum seekers as fraudsters trying to game the system by making up stories about their hardships and fears of return to their native lands

Colombia

• Angela Maria Silva Aparicio, Juan Carlos Garzon Vergara, “Trump tightens asylum rules, will make immigrants pay fees to seek humanitarian refuge” (The Washington Post, April 30, 2019).

The move is an attempt to address one of the most confounding aspects of the surge of Central American migrants — families seeking safe passage using long-standing protections

• “Tras Polemica Votacion, Discusion de Objeciones Continua el Miercoles” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 30, 2019).

A esta hora no se sabe a ciencia cierta qué pasará con esa votación, clave para definir las reglas de Juego con las que arranca en firme la JEP y habrá que esperar hasta el miércoles qué sucede

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “Guardia Nacional Ya Opera Con Militares, Pero Con una Regulacion Incompleta” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 30, 2019).

Al carecer de una ley propia, de requisitos definidos de reclutamiento y, por ende, de elementos propios formados y capacitados, su despliegue solo puede llevarse a cabo con militares transferidos

• Israel Davila, “Preparan Alerta por Desapariciones de Mujeres y Ninas en el Edomex” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 30, 2019).

El 25 de julio del año pasado se entregó la solicitud de la segunda alerta para los municipios referidos, donde el delito de desaparición forzada se ha disparado en años recientes y las autoridades no han enfrentado el problema

• Kevin Sieff, “Why Is Mexican Migration Slowing While Guatemalan and Honduran Migration Is Surging?” (The Washington Post, April 30, 2019).

Migration from Mexico has dropped 90 percent over the past 20 years; this year, for the first time ever, Guatemala and Honduras are on pace to surpass it

• Kate Morrissey, “One Year After Notebook Appears in Tijuana, Confusion and Anxiety Continue in Asylum Line” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, April 30, 2019).

Yards from their intended destination, after long and dangerous journeys to the border, they find themselves stuck in a de facto system not officially recognized by either the United States or Mexico

• David Agren, “Mexico: President Amlo’s Criticism Sparks Death Threats to Newspaper” (The Guardian (Uk), April 30, 2019).

The story listed López Obrador’s address. It was in the public domain anyway but the president publicly complained and an onslaught of threats and harassment followed against Reforma’s editor

Venezuela

• Luke Taylor, “Venezuelan President Maduro Often Uses ‘Colectivos’ Rather Than Military to Maintain Order” (PRI’s The World, USA Today, April 30, 2019).

Colectivos run entire apartment blocks and neighborhoods as criminal empires

• Nicholas Casey, “Juan Guaido Calls for Military Uprising in Venezuela” (The New York Times, April 30, 2019).

The appearance of Mr. Guaidó and Mr. López, with the apparent support of some national guards officers, prompted immediate rumors in Caracas that the armed forces could be shifting loyalties

• Nicholas Casey, “Venezuelan Opposition Leader Steps Up Pressure, but Maduro Holds On” (The New York Times, April 30, 2019).

While the highest ranks of the military dig into their support for Mr. Maduro’s government, many rank-and-file soldiers appear willing to defy their commanders and come to the aid of the opposition

• Tom Phillips, “Venezuela Crisis: Maduro Claims Victory Over ‘Deranged’ Coup Attempt” (The Guardian (Uk), April 30, 2019).

Bolton named three senior officials who he said had been negotiating with the opposition and accepted that the president had to be replaced

• Aram Roston, Matt Spetalnick, “Blackwater Founder’s Latest Sales Pitch: Mercenaries for Venezuela” (Reuters, Reuters, April 30, 2019).

Erik Prince – the founder of the controversial private security firm Blackwater and a prominent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump – has been pushing a plan to deploy a private army to help topple Venezuela’s socialist president, Nicolas Maduro

• Alan Pyke, “Rick Scott Calls for U.S. Military Intervention in Venezuela” (ThinkProgress, April 30, 2019).

Not everyone in public office here has been so openly itchy for injecting U.S. troops into the troubled nation’s constitutional crisis

(Even more here)

April 23, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Alfredo Corchado, “‘This Is All One Big Lie.’ Why This Migrant Just Wishes He Could Go Home” (The Dallas Morning News, April 23, 2019).

The America they were told about was a lie. They were not welcomed with open arms

• Jean Guerrero, “The Border Realities Beneath the Fury” (The New York Times, April 23, 2019).

As President Trump renews threats to close the border outright, customs brokers tell me their partners — in cross-border supply chains for aerospace, medical devices and agriculture — are “panicked”

Brazil

• Andres Martinez-Fernandez, Ryan Berg, “Three Measures Brazil Should Take to Face Organized Crime” (American Enterprise Institute, Americas Quarterly, April 23, 2019).

The Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), Brazil’s dominant criminal group with an estimated 30,000 members, controls key territory in major cities and large swaths in rural areas, as well as parts of Paraguay, Bolivia, and beyond

• Robert Muggah, “Brazil’s Murder Rate Finally Fell—and by a Lot” (Igarape Institute, Foreign Policy, April 23, 2019).

The drop in lethal violence started well before the election of the self-styled crime-fighter-in-chief, President Jair Bolsonaro, who was elected in October 2018. Despite his attempts to claim these successes as his own, there is little evidence that his administration has had anything to do with the drop

Central America Regional, Mexico

• Sonia Perez D., “Mexican Police Detain Hundreds of Central American Migrants” (Associated Press, April 23, 2019).

As migrants gathered under spots of shade in the burning heat outside the city of Pijijiapan, federal police and agents passed by in patrol trucks and vans and forcibly wrestled women, men and children into the vehicles

Colombia

• Luis Felipe Cruz Olivera, “La Sustitucion de Cultivos de Coca Es Mucho Mas Barata Que el Glifosato” (DeJusticia, El Espectador (Colombia), April 23, 2019).

¿Está el Gobierno dispuesto a gastar más de 8 billones de pesos anuales en una guerra contra las poblaciones cocaleras o mejor debería aumentar los 1,3 billones de pesos que se están destinando al programa de sustitución?

• Sebastian Forero Rueda, “Los Desafios para Acelerar la Reincorporacion de la Farc” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 23, 2019).

Básicamente, en todos los ETCR los predios están en arriendo y el Gobierno paga ese monto. Esa situación irá hasta agosto, cuando se deberá resolver si se compran los terrenos o si los excombatientes deben trasladarse

Colombia, Venezuela

• Dylan Baddour, “Inside the un’s First Tent Camp for Venezuelans Who Fled to Colombia” (VICE, April 23, 2019).

The $1.7 million facility opened March 8 with 60 family-sized tents and a lengthy waiting list

Colombia

• Javier Forero, “‘las Farc Nunca Estuvieron Derrotadas Militarmente’: Ariel Avila” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 23, 2019).

En su nuevo libro, el investigador derrumba afirmaciones que, dice, son erróneas sobre la violencia

Cuba

• “Editorial: Cuba Is a Problem That Trump Is Making Worse” (Bloomberg, April 23, 2019).

A full resumption of normal ties between the U.S. and Cuba should indeed require the victims of expropriation to be compensated. A process that could have yielded this result was underway thanks to the warming of relations under President Obama

Nicaragua

• Carlos Dada, “Nicaragua Vive una Normalidad Muy Extrana” (El Faro (El Salvador), April 23, 2019).

A un año del inicio de las protestas contra el gobierno de Daniel Ortega, las autoridades sandinistas se esfuerzan por presentar un país al que ha vuelto la calma y la normalidad. La realidad es muy distinta

• Judith Flores, “Sanciones Muestran la Red de Operacion de Daniel Ortega” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), April 23, 2019).

El Gobierno de Estados Unidos ha designado sanciones para siete altos funcionarios del régimen de Daniel Ortega, y al Bancorp, relacionado con Albanisa, que administra los millonarios fondos del acuerdo petrolero con Venezuela

Venezuela

• Tom Phillips, “‘Operation Blackout Is Underway’: Russia Blames Us for Venezuela Power Crisis” (The Guardian (Uk), April 23, 2019).

The Russian report was approvingly reproduced by Telesur, Maduro’s main international propaganda outlet

(Even more here)

April 22, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Angela Kocherga, “Most of Trump ‘Emergency’ Wall Goes Through Nm” (The Albuquerque Journal, April 22, 2019).

The Trump administration’s declaration calls for $1 billion being diverted from military projects to build 57 miles of bollard barriers, with 46 of those miles in New Mexico’s Doña Ana and Luna counties

• Simon Romero, “f.b.i. Arrests Leader of Right-Wing Militia That Detained Migrants in New Mexico” (The New York Times, April 22, 2019).

Mr. Hopkins was arrested on charges of firearms possession by a felon

• Alex Horton, “Trump Soured Relations in Latin America. China and Russia Have Welcomed the Chaos.” (The Washington Post, April 22, 2019).

The Trump administration’s approach to Latin America is a house of mirrors and contradictions as it emphasizes relations mainly through migration and crime

Colombia

• Jose David Escobar Moreno, Leonardo Botero Fernandez, “Desmonte de los Sucesores del Paramilitarismo, Gran Deuda de la Fiscalia” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 22, 2019).

El Acuerdo de Paz creó una unidad especial para erradicar los grupos sucesores de los paramilitares. Casi dos años después de su creación no parece haber avances ni resultados contundentes

• “ee.uu y Colombia: Con Amigos Asi…” (Semana (Colombia), April 22, 2019).

La injerencia del Tío Sam está comenzando a preocupar a algunos y a incomodar a otros. Desde hace mucho tiempo no había tantas decisiones tan estructurales bajo la lupa de Estados Unidos

Guatemala

• Perla Trevizo, “Passports to the American Dream: Mounting Debt, Few Opportunities Keep Guatemalans Coming” (The Arizona Daily Star, April 22, 2019).

Leaving for the United States is seen as a last choice, propelled by a cycle of debt that only fuels more migration. And while it’s too soon to predict the long-term impact of family migration, some of these villages are losing their future

• Kevin Sieff, “The Stay Here Center” (The Washington Post, April 22, 2019).

As migration from Central America surges, a school funded by the U.S. government in a Guatemalan village aims to give youth the job skills to be successful in their own country. Will it keep them from heading north?

El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

• Marcos Aleman, Maria Verza, “How Does a Central American Migrant Caravan Form?” (Associated Press, The San Francisco Chronicle, April 22, 2019).

The most recent caravan left the bus station in San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras on April 10, and journalists from The Associated Press have been following various online migrant chats since late March

Central America Regional, Mexico

• Sonia Perez D., “Frustration Grows Among Migrants in Mexico as Support Fades” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 22, 2019).

The outpouring of aid that once greeted Central American migrants as they trekked in caravans through southern Mexico has been drying up

Mexico

• Kirk Semple, Paulina Villegas, “Mexican Town Once Welcomed Migrants. Now It Blames Mexico’s President for Them.” (The New York Times, April 22, 2019).

The towns here in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas have long been a common stop on the migratory route for people heading north. But something began to change last October with the arrival of thousands of migrants traveling en masse

• “Arranque de 2019, el Mas Violento del Que Haya Registro: 8,493 Personas Asesinadas” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 22, 2019).

En enero, febrero y marzo de 2019 fueron asesinadas 8,493 personas en México, se trata del primer trimestre más violento del que haya registro (un 9 % arriba del arranque de 2018 que fue récord en su momento)

Nicaragua

• Yader Luna / Maynor Salazar, “Carazo, Masaya, Managua: La Resistencia a un Ano de la Rebelion” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), April 22, 2019).

En semanas recientes, varias casas de Diriamba han amanecido con pintas en las que se lee: “¡Plomo!”, “¡Te estamos esperando!”, “¡Aquí vive un golpista!”

• Javier Lafuente, ““No Hay Libertad para Que Yo Diga Algo, en Nicaragua Estamos en una Dictadura”” (El Pais (Spain), April 22, 2019).

El poeta y sacerdote nicaragüense Ernesto Cardenal, recuperado tras 16 días hospitalizado con 94 años, celebra la figura del papa Francisco y lamenta la deriva de Ortega

Peru

• Mario Vargas Llosa, “Alan Garcia” (El Pais (Spain), April 22, 2019).

¿Fue un político honesto, comparable a un José Luis Bustamante y Rivero o a Fernando Belaúnde Terry, dos presidentes que salieron de Palacio de Gobierno más pobres de lo que entraron? Yo creo sinceramente que no

Venezuela

• Sebastiana Barraez, “Testimonio del Horror: Habla un Torturado en una Carcel Militar Chavista” (Infobae, April 22, 2019).

Infobae conversó con un oficial del ejército que estuvo preso 45 días en la Dirección General de Contrainteligencia Militar de Caracas

• Steven Lemongello, “Florida’s U.S. Senators Rattle Sabers Over Military Intervention in Venezuela” (The Orlando Sentinel, April 22, 2019).

Scott has spoken with President Trump, National Security Advisor John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence about military options

(Even more here)

April 19, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Manny Fernandez, “One of the Deadliest Places on the Southwest Border” (The New York Times, April 19, 2019).

Since January 2009, the bodies or skeletal remains of 642 migrants have been discovered in Brooks County

• Simon Romero, “Militia in New Mexico Detains Asylum Seekers at Gunpoint” (The New York Times, April 19, 2019).

Members of the group, which calls itself the United Constitutional Patriots, filmed several of their actions in recent days, including the detention this week of a group of about 200 migrants who had recently crossed the border

Brazil

• Gabriel Stargardter, “Brazil Murders Maintain Downward Path in First Three Months Under Bolsonaro – Data” (Reuters, Reuters, April 19, 2019).

In Rio de Janeiro state, which Bolsonaro represented as a federal congressman for nearly three decades, the number of people killed in confrontations with security officials rose 18 percent to 434 in the first three months of this year

Cuba

• William M. Leogrande, “Trump Declares Economic War on Cuba” (The Conversation, April 19, 2019).

The Trump administration has declared the most severe new sanctions against Cuba since President John F. Kennedy imposed an economic embargo banning all trade with the communist island in 1962

Mexico

• Delphine Schrank, “Migrant Camps Overflow as Mexico Cracks Down After Trump Threats” (Reuters, Reuters, April 19, 2019).

Amid pressure from Washington, Mexico is backpedaling on promises of better treatment for Central American migrants, leaving hundreds stranded in unsanitary camps near its southern border

Nicaragua

• Javier Bauluz, Maynor Salazar, Wilfredo Miranda Aburto, “350 Muertos, 760 Presos Politicos y 65,000 Exiliados: El Oscuro Saldo de un Ano de Crisis en Nicaragua” (Univision, April 19, 2019).

Tres nicaragüenses cuentan, desde distintas trincheras, cómo han vivido el horror

Peru

• Ryan Dube, “Former President’s Suicide Puts Peru Probes in Spotlight” (The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2019).

Critics say prosecutors are abusing the use of preventive detention, a legal mechanism that allows suspects to be jailed for as long as three years without being charged as investigations are completed

Venezuela

• Marianna Parraga, “Venezuela Skirts U.S. Sanctions by Funneling Oil Sales via Russia” (Reuters, Reuters, April 19, 2019).

Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has started passing invoices from its oil sales to Rosneft

• David Luhnow, “Message From a Venezuelan Opposition Leader: ‘Welcome to My Golden Cage’” (The Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2019).

In his first interview since fleeing arrest and taking refuge in the Chilean diplomatic compound in Caracas, the former deputy head of the National Assembly discusses his country’s autocratic turn

(Even more here)

April 18, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Alicia A. Caldwell, “Yuma, Ariz., Declares State of Emergency Over Migrant Crisis” (The Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2019).

U.S. Border Patrol agents released nearly 1,300 migrants in Yuma, which has a population of about 100,000, in the past three weeks

• Dara Lind, “Attorney General Barr Just Handed Ice More Power to Keep Asylum Seekers in Detention” (Vox, April 18, 2019).

The ruling won’t address the heart of the current border crisis. Families make up a majority of people crossing into the US without papers

Bolivia

• Jason Lemon, “Bolivian Lawmakers Sent Letter to Donald Trump Asking Him to Intervene in Their Country’s Election” (Newsweek, April 18, 2019).

The group of 12 politicians asked Donald Trump to use Washington’s influence within the Organization of American States to prevent Bolivian President Evo Morales from running for another term

Brazil

• Oliver Stuenkel, “How Bolsonaro’s Rivalry With His Vice President Is Shaping Brazilian Politics” (Americas Quarterly, April 18, 2019).

President Jair Bolsonaro’s government is at war with itself, and the president is increasingly unable to control the factions close to him jockeying for influence

Colombia, Venezuela

• Venezuela Investigative Unit, “Guerrilla Groups Largest Employers at Colombia-Venezuela Border: Report” (InsightCrime, April 18, 2019).

The report explores how these recruits are funnelled into numerous lines of illegal work, including drug trafficking, micro-trafficking, fuel smuggling, illegal mining of gold, coltan and copper, or being employed as “gariteros”

Colombia

• ““Condenamos Este Acto Que No Quedara Impune”: Ivan Duque Sobre Asesinato de Samuel David” (Semana (Colombia), April 18, 2019).

El presidente rechazó el atentado que sufrió la familia del excombatiente de las extintas Farc y en el que perdió la vida el menor de 7 meses

• “Bancada Alternativa Rechaza “Intromision de Embajador de Ee. Uu. En Colombia”” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 18, 2019).

Los congresistas se refieren, sin duda, a la reunión que sostuvo el embajador estadounidense con senadores y representantes en días previos a la votación de las objeciones presidenciales a la ley estatutaria de la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz

• “Security Council Press Statement on Colombia” (UN Security Council, Mision de la ONU en Colombia, April 18, 2019).

They agreed with the Secretary-General’s assessment that the peace process stands today at a critical juncture

• “Drogas y Venezuela, los Temas de la Reunion de Duque Con Congresistas de Estados Unidos” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 18, 2019).

El representante Kevin McCarthy anunció que estarán este jueves en la frontera colombo-venezolana

Cuba

• Karen Deyoung, “Trump Administration Announces New Measures Against Cuba” (The Washington Post, April 18, 2019).

U.S. citizens will now be allowed to sue any entity or person found to be “trafficking” in property that was expropriated from U.S. citizens after the 1959 revolution

• Nora Gamez Torres, “U.S. Restricts Travel, Remittances to Cuba as Part of a New Policy Under Trump” (The Miami Herald, April 18, 2019).

The re-tightened restrictions also could impact air travel because of a reduction of passengers

Guatemala

• “Guatemalan Presidential Candidate Charged With Conspiring to Import Cocaine Into the United States and Related Firearms Offense” (U.S. Department of Justice, April 18, 2019).

As alleged, Estrada and Gonzalez conspired to solicit Sinaloa Cartel money to finance a corrupt scheme to elect Estrada president of Guatemala

Colombia, Mexico

• Rafael Croda, “Denuncian Amenaza del Cartel de Sinaloa Contra Lideres Sociales Colombianos” (Proceso (Mexico), April 18, 2019).

Una organización campesina del sureño municipio colombiano de Piamonte denunció este miércoles que grupos armados, entre los cuales se menciona al Cártel de Sinaloa, amenazaron de muerte a varios dirigentes sociales de la zona

Mexico

• Sergio Ocampo Arista, “Advierten en Guerrero Que Derribaran Helicopteros Que Fumigan Amapola” (La Jornada (Mexico), April 18, 2019).

“No nos oponemos a eso, pero que lo hagan por tierra, y que además nos traigan proyectos productivos”, dijo uno de los comisarios

• Elena Reina, “La Frontera Sur de Mexico Es una Olla a Presion” (El Pais (Spain), April 18, 2019).

Miles de cubanos, congoleños, angoleños, haitianos y centroamericanos se acumulan en la frontera sur de México tras la orden del Gobierno de López Obrador de suspender en Tapachula los trámites migratorios para quienes se dirigen a EE UU

• Fernanda Echavarri, “For Some Asylum Seekers, Trump’s “Messed Up” Policies Have Made Settling in Mexico Their Only Option” (Mother Jones, April 18, 2019).

When their names were finally called, they were detained for three days in extremely cold cells and then released back into Tijuana as part of the Trump policy known as Remain in Mexico

• “Gente Nueva… El Ejercito de 5 Mil Hombres Que Surgio para Proteger a ‘el Chapo’ Guzman y Ahora Es un Brazo Armado del Cartel de Sinaloa” (Vanguardia (Saltillo Mexico), April 18, 2019).

Ambas organizaciones, “La Línea” y “Gente Nueva”, han protagonizado sanguinarios enfrentamientos que ha aumentado la violencia principalmente en Chihuahua

Peru

• Adam Taylor, Simeon Tegel, “Former Peruvian President Dead; Shot Himself as Police Attempted to Make Arrest” (The Washington Post, April 18, 2019).

Alan García, the former two-time president of Peru, died Wednesday morning after shooting himself as police attempted to arrest him in the wide-ranging corruption scandal that has implicated scores of leaders

• Andrea Zarate, Nicholas Casey, “Alan Garcia, Ex-President of Peru, Is Dead After Shooting Himself During Arrest” (The New York Times, April 18, 2019).

When the authorities arrived at the home of the former president, Alan García, with an arrest warrant, he locked himself into his bedroom, shot himself and was rushed to a hospital

Venezuela

• Jonah Shepp, “Venezuela’s Maduro Doesn’t Appear to Be Going Anywhere. What Now?” (New York, April 18, 2019).

The U.S. strategy of sanctions and isolation has yet to show any concrete wins — and in some ways, may even be backfiring

(Even more here)

April 17, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Katie Benner, Michael D. Shear, “In New Effort to Deter Migrants, Barr Withholds Bail to Asylum Seekers” (The New York Times, April 17, 2019).

Mr. Barr’s decision does not affect unaccompanied children or families who cross into the United States illegally. A longstanding settlement in a previous court case says that the government cannot detain children or families for longer than 20 days

• “House Judiciary Requests Information on Reported Pardon Offer for Cbp Head” (CNN, April 17, 2019).

After the President left the room, agents sought further advice from their leaders, who told them they were not giving them that direction and if they did what the President said they would take on personal liability. You have to follow the law, they were told

Colombia

• “Duque Pone a Prueba su Discurso de Mano Suave Con Bases de Farc” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), April 17, 2019).

El 15 de agosto se acaba la figura que creó los espacios territoriales en los que viven casi 3.500 excombatientes

• “La Retaguardia Disidente” (Semana (Colombia), April 17, 2019).

Ni los jefes de las antiguas Farc se sienten seguros en los llanos, donde tuvieron su fortín. Al escenario, dominado por las disidencias de Gentil Duarte, se suman grupos posparamilitares y se asoman los elenos

• Nelson Ricardo Matta Colorado, “Las Huellas de Isis y Hezbola en Colombia” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 17, 2019).

Esta conversación, registrada el 3 de febrero de 2018, es una de las pruebas que tiene la Fiscalía en el proceso penal por terrorismo y concierto para delinquir en contra del cubano

Colombia, Venezuela

• Ethan Bronner, Ezra Fieser, “Mercenaries, Spies, and Double Agents Gather en Masse in Bogota” (Bloomberg, April 17, 2019).

In the Casablanca of the Andes, seemingly everyone’s plotting—or counterplotting—for control of neighboring Venezuela

Colombia

• Ariel Ávila, Juan Gomez Tobon, “El Ejercito Antirrestitucion y la Guerra Contra los Reclamantes” (Fundacion Paz y Reconciliacion, El Espectador (Colombia), April 17, 2019).

El ataque a una comisión de la Unidad de Restitución de Tierras, el pasado 11 de abril, habría sido perpetrado por una organización cuyo objetivo es “exterminar” a todo campesino que reclame tierra o verdad

• “¿Que Esta Pasando Con la Seguridad?” (Semana (Colombia), April 17, 2019).

Resulta desconcertante que aun cuando los capturaron cometiendo el delito, el 95 por ciento de ellos quedaron en libertad, según cifras de la Fiscalía y la Policía

• Javier AlexÁnder MacÍas, “En Bojaya y el Atrato la Guerra No Cesa, se Agudiza” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), April 17, 2019).

Leiner Palacios, líder social de ese territorio chocoano y sobreviviente de la masacre de Bojayá, aseguró a EL COLOMBIANO que puede presentarse no solo una masacre como la que el presenció, sino otras incluso más fuertes

Cuba

• Matt Spetalnick, Sarah Marsh, “In Major Shift, Trump to Allow Lawsuits Against Foreign Firms in Cuba” (Reuters, April 17, 2019).

The major policy shift, which will be announced on Wednesday, could expose U.S., European and Canadian companies to legal action and deal a blow to Cuba’s efforts to attract more foreign investment

Mexico

• Molly o’toole, “Internal Memos Say Trump Officials to Resume Forcing Asylum Seekers to Wait in Mexico” (The Los Angeles Times, April 17, 2019).

Under the policy, which then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announced in December, authorities have forcibly returned more than 1,000 asylum seekers

• Arturo Angel, “Gobierno Si Propuso Que Estados Paguen por la Guardia Nacional; Ahora Buscan Dar Marcha Atras” (Animal Politico (Mexico), April 17, 2019).

La Presidencia informó a Animal Político que el gobierno buscará dar marcha atrás a su propia propuesta y que este requisito se elimine

• Jose Raul Linares, “Rodriguez Bucio Fue Critico “del Empleo Rutinario” del Ejercito en Funciones de Seguridad Publica” (Proceso (Mexico), April 17, 2019).

Rodríguez Bucio se pregunta: ¿cuáles fueron los principales problemas externos e internos que enfrentaron las Fuerzas Armadas Mexicanas (FAMs) con motivo de su participación en la estrategia mencionada?

• Mathieu Tourliere, “La Guardia Nacional Tambien Actuara Como “Migra”” (Proceso (Mexico), April 17, 2019).

El gobierno de Andrés Manuel López Obrador pretende dotar a la Guardia Nacional de facultades para revisar documentos y arrestar a migrantes que transiten por territorio mexicano y custodiar los centros de detención migratoria

• J. Jesus Esquivel, “Mexico-Eu: “Compromisos” Migratorios en Sigilo” (Proceso (Mexico), April 17, 2019).

Este semanario revela los pormenores de esos acuerdos, que son trastocados una y otra vez por la ira de Trump

• Jorge Ramos, “El Presidente No Es el Jefe de los Periodistas” (The New York Times, April 17, 2019).

López Obrador ha utilizado sistemáticamente ese espacio para desacreditar a reporteros, columnistas y a medios de comunicación que lo critican

Nicaragua

• , Toby Stirling Hill, “Nicaragua: One Year After Protests Erupt, Ortega Clings to Power” (The Guardian (Uk), April 17, 2019).

Opposition calls for a return to the streets as talks between government and civil society leaders stall

Venezuela

• Karen Deyoung, Mary Beth Sheridan, “Venezuela’s Military, Despite U.S. Expectations, Has Not Turned on Maduro” (The Washington Post, April 17, 2019).

Some express anger at what they see as ineffectual U.S. bluster and are calling colleagues still inside, telling them to stay put

Colombia, Honduras, Venezuela

• Diana Castrillon, Natalie Gallon, Nick Paton Walsh, “Corruption in Venezuela Has Created a Cocaine Superhighway to the Us” (CNN, April 17, 2019).

US and other regional officials say it’s Venezuela’s own military and political elite who are facilitating the passage of drugs in and out of the country on hundreds of tiny, unmarked planes

Venezuela

• Ana Vanessa Herrero, Anatoly Kurmanaev, “After Years of Denial, Venezuela’s President Allows Aid to Enter” (The New York Times, April 17, 2019).

After denying for years that Venezuelans were suffering a humanitarian crisis, the government allowed the Red Cross to send in 24 tons of medical equipment

• Barbara Starr, Ryan Browne, Zachary Cohen, “Pentagon Developing Military Options to Deter Russian, Chinese Influence in Venezuela” (CNN, April 17, 2019).

Several Pentagon officials continue to say there is no appetite at the Department of Defense for using US military force against the Venezuelan regime to try to force it from power

(Even more here)

April 4, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Aaron Martinez, Aaron Montes, Vic Kolenc, “Cbp to Close Cargo Lanes at el Paso International Bridge as It Shifts Officers to Aid Migrant Processing” (The El Paso Times, April 4, 2019).

McAleenan announced that CBP officers currently at the ports of entry would be reassigned to help with processing migrant families. The decision has led to longer wait times and concerns about security

• Amanda Taub, Max Fisher, “Border Crackdowns Feed a Self-Reinforcing Cycle of Fear and Backlash” (The New York Times, April 4, 2019).

Anti-immigration sentiment is driving demand for harsh policies that may not only fail to reduce arrivals, but to also make the problem look even more uncontrolled and overwhelming

Brazil

• “Weapons Makers Encouraged With the Brazilian Market by Pro-Gun Bolsonaro” (MercoPress, April 4, 2019).

Some 450 Brazilian and foreign companies, ranging from makers of machine guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers to “target detection” technology and surveillance drones, are on display at the four-day LAAD defense and security expo

Central America Regional

• , Rep. Norma Torres (D-California), “Torres Statement on State Department List of Corrupt Central American Government Officials” (U.S. House of Representatives, April 4, 2019).

By willfully concealing the names of corrupt government officials in Central America, in defiance of Congress’ intent, the Trump administration is engaging in a cover-up

• Megan Specia, “Trump Wants to Cut Aid to Central America. Here Are Some of the Dozens of U.S.-Funded Programs.” (The New York Times, April 4, 2019).

Here are some examples of programs financed by American dollars in the three countries targeted by President Trump

Colombia

• “Acabar Con la Coca Buscan Duque y Pompeo” (Agence France Presse, El Nuevo Siglo (Colombia), April 4, 2019).

En la breve comunicación se señaló, además, que la estrategia está enfocada en “aumentar la erradicación y las operaciones contra las redes de tráfico”.

• Maria Alejandra Navarrete Forero, “Gentil Duarte’s Master Plan to Reunite Colombia’s Farc Dissidents” (InsightCrime, April 4, 2019).

The rearrangement of the multiple FARC dissident units into one single structure could mean a return to combat with similar military power as the group had before it demobilized

• Juan Esteban Lewin, Julian Huertas, “Las Movidas de la Embajada Americana Van Mas Alla de la Camara” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), April 4, 2019).

La fuerte estrategia del embajador para incidir en las objeciones, especialmente en la que tiene que ver con la extradición

• “La Hora Cero de las Objeciones a la Jep en la Camara de Representantes” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 4, 2019).

El próximo lunes será citado el debate en la plenaria, sin embargo, desde ya se avizora una estruendosa derrota del Gobierno

• Hanna Wallis, “Why Thousands of Colombians Are Blocking the Pan-American Highway” (The New Republic, April 4, 2019).

Many of the protesters belong to sectors of the population most affected by this rising violence

• “Pueblos Indigenas de Cordoba, Sucre y Putumayo se Unen a la Minga” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 4, 2019).

El movimiento social que hoy cumple 24 días, ya cuenta con alrededor de 25.000 personas provenientes de varios departamentos como Cauca, Antioquia, Chocó, Tolima, Nariño, Huila, Valle, Amazonía, entre otros

Guatemala

• Sonia Perez D., “Fiscal Guatemala: Gobierno Ha Sido Nefasto en Anticorrupcion” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 4, 2019).

Según Juan Francisco Sandoval, fiscal contra la impunidad que contribuyó a llevar a prisión a tres expresidentes acusados de corrupción, el gobierno de Jimmy Morales ha sido el peor para combatir estos abusos

• Jonathan Blitzer, “How Climate Change Is Fuelling the U.S. Border Crisis” (The New Yorker, April 4, 2019).

Even approaches that have accounted for the root causes of regional mass migration have underestimated the impact of climate change

Mexico

• , Robbie Whelan, “U.S. Shift on Mexican Border Triggers Trade Bottleneck” (The Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2019).

The Department of Homeland Security on Monday reallocated up to 750 officers, citing a “growing security and humanitarian crisis at the border,” and said that the reassignments might rise to more than 2,000 personnel

• Noah Lanard, “Nixon Closed the Border to Sow Chaos. Trump’s Shutdown Could Be Even Worse.” (Mother Jones, April 4, 2019).

The difference is that Nixon had clear and potentially achievable objectives in mind with his game of diplomatic chicken. Trump does not

• Maria Polletta, “Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Says He Would Support Border Closure After Meeting With Trump” (The Arizona Republic, April 4, 2019).

The governor indicated the president had not made a final decision regarding a border closure, despite multiple threats to do so over the last week

Central America Regional, Mexico

• Salvador Rizzo, “Trump’s False Claims About Mexico’s Immigration System” (The Washington Post, April 4, 2019).

Trump says Mexico began to detain thousands of Central American migrants at its southern border only this week. Let’s not beat around the bush here — that’s totally false. They’ve been doing it for decades

Venezuela

• Raul Gallegos, “To Defeat Maduro’s Regime, Treat It Like a Crime Syndicate” (Americas Quarterly, April 4, 2019).

Taking advantage of the mercenary nature of chavismo can help, by eventually offering rewards for the surrender and delivery of Maduro and his top lieutenants

• Patricia Torres, Tom Phillips, “Venezuela’s Slums Are Turning on Maduro – but Guaido Faces Uphill Battle” (The Guardian (Uk), April 4, 2019).

Across Petare’s vertiginous back alleys such anger is inescapable – even if some still lionise Chávez as a champion of the poor

• Alan Rappeport, “Trump Prepares Aid Package for Venezuela in Case Maduro Government Falls” (The New York Times, April 4, 2019).

The legislation would provide $200 million in aid for Venezuela and $200 million for neighboring countries to absorb refugees

I’ll be around in the late afternoon. (How to contact me)

We’ve got a draft piece about the current border situation that I’d like to post ASAP, and I’ll be scrambling to finish by bits of it before 10:00, when I start a series of meetings: 2 internal strategy meetings, a visit to the Mexican embassy, and a call with a coalition of groups working on Central America and Mexico. (Also a haircut, because I’m really shaggy right now.)

In the afternoon, I’ll be back at my desk, putting together last meetings for my next trip to San Diego and Tijuana (I fly out Sunday) and eventually posting news links here, which I didn’t finish gathering this morning.

(Even more here)

April 1, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• “Editorial: Yes, There’s a Problem at the Border. Trump’s Wall Won’t Fix It.” (The Washington Post, April 1, 2019).

Mr. McAleenan would like Congress to give him authority to hold these migrants for up to eight weeks. That would allow time to process their claims, which would in many cases be denied

Brazil

• Ernesto Londono, Leticia Casado, Shasta Darlington, “Brazil’s President Tells Armed Forces to Commemorate Military Coup” (The New York Times, April 1, 2019).

The presidency has given Mr. Bolsonaro a powerful platform to thrust a revisionist version of that era into the mainstream

• “Brazilian Armed Forces Paid Tribute to the 1964 Coup, Soberly, Despite Bolsonaro’s Encouragement” (MercoPress, April 1, 2019).

Instead of public celebrations, Brazil’s armed forces say they will hold internal programs and panels looking at events that led to Brazil’s coup, what happened during the military regime and the importance of the 1985 return to democracy

• Andres Schipani, Bryan Harris, “Brazil’s Generals Viewed as Voice of Moderation in Populist Government” (The Financial Times (UK), April 1, 2019).

The generals “handle things with a lot of pragmatism, with an adult posture. They could be seen as either the most adult, or the least childish, in the room”

• Paulo Coelho, “Paulo Coelho: I Was Tortured by Brazil’s Dictatorship. Is That What Bolsonaro Wants to Celebrate?” (The Washington Post, April 1, 2019).

Decades later, the archives of the dictatorship are made public, and my biographer gets all the material. I ask why I was arrested: an informant accused you, he says

Central America Regional, Mexico

• Kevin Sieff, Mary Beth Sheridan, “Trump Plans to Cut U.S. Aid to 3 Central American Countries in Fight Over U.S.-Bound Migrants” (The Washington Post, April 1, 2019).

One former U.S. official said there was “chaos” in the State Department and U.S. embassies as officials tried to figure out whether they had to cancel existing contracts or simply not renew them

Central America Regional

• Elisabeth Malkin, “Trump Turns U.S. Policy in Central America on Its Head” (The New York Times, April 1, 2019).

Not only will it cut development and humanitarian assistance, but it will also halt joint law enforcement efforts, such as anti-gang units vetted by the United States

Colombia

• Mac Margolis, “Colombia’s President Risks Blowing Up a Fragile Peace” (Bloomberg, April 1, 2019).

If President Ivan Duque gets his way, the pact could unravel, and, with it, Colombia-watchers fear, the country’s best chance to put to rest a half-century of mayhem and infamy

• Marcela Osorio, Sebastian Forero, “La Violencia Esta Despoblando el Sur de Cordoba” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 1, 2019).

El nuevo ciclo de enfrentamientos entre las AGC y las disidencia de las Farc se estaría dando en la disputa por los corredores de movilidad entre las cuencas de los ríos Esmeralda y Tigre, en Tierralta, y San Jorge en Puerto Libertador

• “La Sombra de Espias y Militares Rusos en Colombia y la Region” (Semana (Colombia), April 1, 2019).

Espías rusos en Colombia y militares y mercenarios de Putin en Venezuela configuran un teatro de operaciones de guerra fría entre los dos países. SEMANA revela detalles desconocidos de ese espionaje en el país

• Alicia Liliana Mendez, Juan Camilo Pedraza, Maria Isabel Ortiz, Marisol GÓmez Giraldo, Michelle Quinones, Milena Sarralde, Sair Buitrago, “Alarma por Exjefes ‘Paras’ Que Habrian Vuelto a Delinquir en Sus Zonas” (El Tiempo (Colombia), April 1, 2019).

Conocidos exjefes paramilitares, como ‘Juancho Dique’ (Uber Enrique Bánquez), que dirigía el bloque Héroes de Montes de María; ‘Terror’ (Oliverio Isaza), hijo de Ramón Isaza, el exparamilitar más antiguo de Colombia y quien comandó las Autodefensas del Magdalena Medio, y sobre Jesús Ignacio Roldán, alias Monoleche

• “Ivan Duque: Sin Aire Politico” (El Espectador (Colombia), April 1, 2019).

Las objeciones a la JEP pueden hundirse en el Congreso, la minga indígena arrecia y se anuncian otras movilizaciones, el orden público se complica y el respaldo internacional sigue en favor del Acuerdo de Paz

Mexico

• Trump White House Presses Threat to Close U.S.-Mexico Border This Week, “Trump White House Presses Threat to Close U.S.-Mexico Border This Week” (The Washington Post, April 1, 2019).

Administration officials have offered no details about the president’s intentions, and border control officials have received no instructions to prepare for a shutdown

• Fernanda Echavarri, “In Tijuana, Migrants Grapple With the Border Crisis Trump Created” (Mother Jones, April 1, 2019).

This backup of asylum seekers is the result of several steps taken by the Trump administration to reduce the number of people entering the country to seek refuge

• “Report: Violence in Mexico Against Journalists and Human Rights Defenders” (Peace Brigades International, WOLA, Washington Office on Latin America, April 1, 2019).

The López Obrador administration has an important opportunity to change course and send the message that attacks against journalists and human rights defenders in the country will not be tolerated

• Amy Guthrie, “Mexico to Issue Limited Humanitarian Visas to Migrants” (Associated Press, Associated Press, April 1, 2019).

Mexican immigration officials plan to issue humanitarian visas on a “limited basis” starting Monday to some of the roughly 2,500 Central American and Caribbean migrants gathered in the southern state of Chiapas

Nicaragua

• Emiliano Chamorro Mendieta, Roy Moncada, “Regimen Orteguista Viola Acuerdos y Ataca Protesta Con Policias, Antimotines y Turbas” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), April 1, 2019).

El régimen a través de su policía, paramilitares y turbas asedió, agredió, apresó e hirió con arma de fuego a manifestantes que se expresaban pacíficamente

Venezuela

• “Revelan Quienes Son los Doce Grandes Torturadores del Regimen de Maduro” (ABC (Spain), April 1, 2019).

Estos son los doce señalados ahora como torturadores del régimen por Tamara Suju

• Jackson Diehl, “Trump’s Intervention in Venezuela Has Stalled — Because Caracas Knows He’s Bluffing” (The Washington Post, April 1, 2019).

Venezuelans who support the opposition are growing skeptical. “They think that if they tweet hard enough the government will get scared and run away,” said one. “It’s not going to happen”

(Even more here)

March 29, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• D. Parvaz, “Pentagon Officials Struggle to Explain Diverted Funding for Trump’s Border Wall” (ThinkProgress, March 29, 2019).

The Pentagon notified Congress Monday night that it authorized the reallocation of $1 billion in department funding to be used for new wall construction — but at the same time, it is seeking additional funding from Congress for what it calls “underfunded priorities”

• w.j. Hennigan, “Why Spending $1 Billion on a Border Wall Is Risky for the Military” (Time, March 29, 2019).

It’s an unprecedented tactic to notify Congress about moving the money around, rather than request the transfer. The decision will likely cost the Pentagon its ability to “reprogram” money in the years ahead

• Geneva Sands, Priscilla Alvarez, “Federal Government Preparing for Unaccompanied Minors in Its Care to Double” (CNN, March 29, 2019).

If current trends hold, referrals of unaccompanied children to HHS could surpass the record 2016 figures, when 59,171 minors were referred for care

• Amna Nawaz, “Why Current U.S. Immigration Challenge Reflects ‘Complete Political Failure’” (Newshour, PBS, March 29, 2019).

The commissioner mentioned yesterday that 100,000 people had been taken into custody this month. I could easily see that doubling or tripling in coming months

• “2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report” (U.S. Department of State, March 29, 2019).

The 2019 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) is an annual report by the Department of State to Congress prepared in accordance with the Foreign Assistance Act

Brazil

• Julia Dias Carneiro, “Violence in Rio: Public Security Expert Warns of a ‘Retreat From Rights,’ Return to Old Policies of Confrontation” (RioOnWatch (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), March 29, 2019).

Cano highlighted the fact that the violence in Rio in the 1990s was still seen as a vestige of Brazil’s military dictatorship. The recent surge in violence in the city is all the more discouraging given the reversal of the progress that had been made

Central America Regional

• Julia Ainsley, “Dhs Will Ask for Sweeping Authority to Deport Unaccompanied Children” (NBC News, March 29, 2019).

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s proposal will also include more money for detention beds and the ability to hold families in detention longer than currently permitted

Colombia

• Olga Patricia Rendon M., “La Jep No Es un Camino Facil para Evitar la Extradicion” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), March 29, 2019).

40 de las 57 solicitudes de aplicación de la garantía de no extradición han sido rechazadas por la JEP y ninguna ha sido aprobada, lo que muestra que este no es un camino para evitarla.

• “Asi Seria la Votacion Contra las Objeciones de Duque” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 29, 2019).

La Corte Constitucional ya dijo que si no hay una votación mayoritaria de acá al 20 de junio, el Congreso le debe mandar el proyecto de ley estatutaria y será ella quien decida. La decisión de Cambio de hoy hace probable que eso sea lo que pase

• “El Planton de los Congresistas para Hablar Con el Presidente Duque” (Semana (Colombia), March 29, 2019).

El propósito de la iniciativa era hacerse escuchar por el mandatario y proponerle ideas que permitan destrabar la mesa de conversaciones y suavizar las posturas en torno a las condiciones que exigen ambas partes

Guatemala

• “Can Thelma Aldana, Guatemala’s Corruption Fighter, Win the Presidency?” (The Economist (Uk), March 29, 2019).

It pits her promise to renew Guatemala’s democracy against efforts by a worried ruling class to entrench its power. Much depends on whether Ms Aldana stays on the ballot

• Cat Rainsford, “Guatemala Dismantles Ring of Police Moonlighting as Hitmen” (InsightCrime, March 29, 2019).

The alarming incidence of police criminality in Guatemala reflects structural failures within the PNC that appear to have worsened over the last year

Honduras

• “Allanan Radio Globo y Capturan a David Romero” (Criterio (Honduras), March 29, 2019).

Ratificó la sentencia emitida en marzo de 2016, de 10 años de reclusión, por la comisión de seis delitos de difamación constitutivos de injurias

• , Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Georgia), “Rep. Johnson Reintroduces the “Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act”” (U.S. House of Representatives, March 29, 2019).

This bill will work to ensure that the Honduran government, military, and police cannot commit crimes or act of violence against the Honduran people with impunity

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “Ejercito Iniciara el Reclutamiento para la Guardia Sin la Ley Que Define los Requisitos” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 29, 2019).

La Sedena buscará 21 mil nuevos elementos este año; expertos dudan de meta de reclutamiento y de capacidad de aplicar controles de confianza

Venezuela

• Joe Parkin Daniels, Tom Phillips, “Maduro Blames Blackout on Sniper and Tells People to Pray” (The Guardian (Uk), March 29, 2019).

“This is a total war,” Venezuela’s authoritarian leader added. “Since they can’t invade the country … they have decided to damage, damage, damage”

• Marjuli Matheus, “Grupos Violentos Atacan Caravana de Juan Guaido” (Proceso (Mexico), March 29, 2019).

Unas 30 personas identificadas con Nicolás Maduro gritaban improperios y atacaban a la prensa, diputados y demás personas que salían del Palacio Federal Legislativo

(Even more here)

March 26, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Emily Cochrane, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, “With Override Vote Coming, Congress Examines Military Cuts That Will Fund Wall” (The New York Times, March 26, 2019).

This time, on the veto override, their appeal is more parochial: Look where the wall money will come from

• T. Christian Miller, “If Trump’s Border Wall Becomes Reality, Here’s How He Could Easily Get Private Land for It” (ProPublica, March 26, 2019).

We knew Homeland Security had the ability to waive those protections, but we never found concrete proof that the agency had done so. Until now

• Peter King, Tom Suozzi, “A Grand Compromise on Immigration” (The New York Times, March 26, 2019).

$4.3 billion would pay for additional physical structures along the United States-Mexico border, as proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, and $4.3 billion would go to aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to help prevent further out-migration

• William Debuys, “Guarding the Southern Border Has Become an Exercise in Cruelty” (The Nation, March 26, 2019).

The border is cruel because it gives some people what they want and denies the needs of almost everybody else. Still, the hopeful come, lately in swelling numbers

Brazil

• Estadao Conteudo, “Bolsonaro Quer Comemoracao Do Golpe de 1964 Nos Quarteis” (Veja (Brazil), March 26, 2019).

Generais sugerem cautela e pedem mensagem ‘suave’ para evitar alarde e novo conflito político em meio às negociações da reforma da Previdência

• Jonathan Wheatley, “Rio de Janeiro’s Militias: A Parallel Power in Bolsonaro’s Brazil” (The Financial Times (UK), March 26, 2019).

Franco’s killing has focused attention on a different and parallel menace — Rio’s milícias, the murderous paramilitary gangs led by serving and former police officers

• Jon Lee Anderson, “Jair Bolsonaro’s Southern Strategy” (The New Yorker, March 26, 2019).

In Brazil, a budding authoritarian borrows from the Trump playbook

Colombia

• Laura Dulce Romero, “La Verdad de Marino Cordoba” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 26, 2019).

Espera que con la entrada en funcionamiento de la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP) se esclarezca qué sucedió en Riosucio ese diciembre de 1996, por qué Rito Alejo del Río decidió apoyar la toma paramilitar

• “La Agitada Semana para la Paz Que Comienza en el Congreso” (El Tiempo (Colombia), March 26, 2019).

Con un debate de control político y el comienzo del estudio de las objeciones presidenciales a la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz (JEP), la controversia entre los defensores del acuerdo con las Farc y sus críticos se tomará nuevamente el Congreso

• Jorge Enrique Melendez, “Arauca, Entre la Sombra y el Poder de la Guerrilla del Eln” (El Tiempo (Colombia), March 26, 2019).

En las trochas y pequeños caseríos advierten que la mayoría de los ‘elenos’ son jóvenes de civil que se mueven en motos sin placas o con matrículas venezolanas

• Nicolas Sanchez A., “Choco: Una Crisis Que Hace Recordar las Peores Epocas” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 26, 2019).

Ese departamento volvió a los titulares luego de la muerte de 8 niños indígenas, según la Defensoría del Pueblo, en Carmen del Darién. Sin embargo, miles de chocoanos han sido víctimas de la guerra desde el 2018

Colombia, Venezuela

• Jeremy Mcdermott, “Op-Ed: The Eln as a Colombo-Venezuelan Rebel Army” (InsightCrime, March 26, 2019).

A civil conflict in Venezuela will simply only strengthen the ELN and Colombia’s criminal dynamics and condemn us to further decades of violence

Guatemala

• Gabriel Woltke, “Los Diputados Tienen un Plan “B” para Sacar de Prision a los Criminales de Guerra” (Nomada (Guatemala), March 26, 2019).

Esta vez apelan a los Derechos Humanos para sacar a los veteranos que guardan prisión por crímenes cometidos durante el conflicto armado interno

Mexico

• “Los Puntos de Control para los Migrantes en la Frontera Sur de Mexico” (El Heraldo (Honduras), March 26, 2019).

El mapa detalla que los controles migratorios están en más de 30 ciudades, las principales del sur de México

• Ioan Grillo, “Mexico’s Fuel Thieves Must Be Stopped” (The New York Times, March 26, 2019).

Trying to force people to stop producing, selling and taking drugs has proved a losing battle in most of the world. In contrast, most countries manage to stop their oil pipelines from being savaged with a basic rule of law

• Priscilla Alvarez, “‘I Don’t Want to Return to Mexico, Your Honor’: Asylum Seekers Make Their Plea to Immigration Judges” (CNN, March 26, 2019).

Migrants seeking asylum in the United States and forced to wait in Mexico expressed a fear of returning to Mexico, as the detention officers who transported them to the hearing stood idly in the back of the room

• Emily Green, “Mexico’s President Vowed to Halt Murders of Journalists. He Hasn’t Been Able to Stop Them.” (VICE, March 26, 2019).

The president hasn’t articulated a concrete plan to address the dangers faced by journalists — and that doesn’t bode well for the future

Venezuela

• Santiago Perez, “Venezuela’s Economic Collapse Explained in Nine Charts” (The Wall Street Journal, March 26, 2019).

Venezuela’s decline is now deeper than that of the Soviet Union after its breakup, and comparable only to Zimbabwe’s in the late 1990s, economists say

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “2 Russian Military Planes Land in Caracas, Exacerbating Political Tension” (The New York Times, March 26, 2019).

The timing showed that both Russian and Venezuelan officials wanted to convert a routine technical stop into a show of strength

• Gregory Weeks, “The U.S. Is Thinking of Invading Venezuela. That’s Unlikely to Lead to Democracy.” (The Washington Post, March 26, 2019).

There’s a high risk that U.S. military intervention would involve long-term occupation, and undermine democracy and increase violence in the long term

• Alex Daugherty, “House Passes Bills to Expand Humanitarian Aid in Venezuela and Hurt Maduro” (The Miami Herald, March 26, 2019).

The House of Representatives passed three bills on Monday to expand U.S. humanitarian assistance in Venezuela, examine Russia’s growing military presence in the country and prohibit U.S. exports of crime control materials

(Even more here)

March 25, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Robert Moore, “Border Patrol Inland Checkpoints Shut Down So Agents Can Help Process Asylum Seekers” (Texas Monthly, March 25, 2019).

“It’s really out of control. It’s bad,” said one official of the surge in families streaming across the border

• Molly Hennessy-Fiske, “Trump Says Barbed Wire ‘Can Be a Beautiful Sight.’ Many Border Communities Disagree” (The Los Angeles Times, March 25, 2019).

“This is not our city. It looks like a prison,” the mayor said. “If that wire stays around, it’s going to hurt us”

Argentina

• “Thousands of Argentines Recall the March 1976 Coup and Demand Punishment for Human Rights Abuses” (MercoPress, March 25, 2019).

With slogans such as “Memory, truth and justice”, “Never again” and “30.000 Disappeared” the marchers filled the streets of the Argentine capital

Colombia

• Guillermo Botero, “Es el Narcotrafico, No la Aspersion Aerea” (El Tiempo (Colombia), March 25, 2019).

Erradicar manualmente puede costar hasta 6,6 millones de pesos por hectárea. Con aspersión terrestre, 3,9 millones, y con aspersión aérea, entre 1,8 y 3,1 millones

• “Organizaciones Indigenas Hablan De “Masacre” Tras Explosion Que Dejo Ocho Muertos” (Semana (Colombia), March 25, 2019).

En un comunicado expresaron que “presuntamente una persona lanzó un artefacto explosivo” en un resguardo de Dagua (Valle) contra guardias que organizaban la minga que mantiene bloqueada la vía Panamericana entre Cali y Buenaventura

El Salvador, Guatemala

• Gabriel Labrador, ““No Estan Dadas las Condiciones para Regresar a Guatemala”” (El Faro (El Salvador), March 25, 2019).

Por ahora sigue diseñando su estrategia de campaña, para lo cual cuenta con los consejos de Porfirio Chica, ex asesor del gobierno de Antonio Saca

Honduras

• “Honduras Reconoce a Jerusalen Como Capital Israeli” (Associated Press, El Heraldo (Honduras), March 25, 2019).

El presidente Juan Orlando Hernández, así como el primer ministro de Rumania Viorica Dancila, hicieron los respectivos anuncios en el cónclave anual del Comité Americano-Israelí de Asuntos Públicos, en Washington

Mexico

• “No Hay Limite de Presupuesto para Busqueda de Desaparecidos e Identificacion Forense, Promete Amlo” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 25, 2019).

López Obrador acusó que la crisis humanitaria de miles de desaparecidos en el país es el “fruto podrido” de la política económica neoliberal, en la que, según dijo, se desatendió al pueblo

• Kate Morrissey, “Cbp Sends Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico Without Required Screening” (The San Diego Union-Tribune, March 25, 2019).

Customs and Border Protection officers have not consistently followed policies intended to protect Central American asylum seekers who are likely to be harmed in Mexico from returning there under the “Remain in Mexico” program

Venezuela

• Tom Phillips, “Venezuela Opposition Fears Crackdown After Maduro Threatens Arrests” (The Guardian (Uk), March 25, 2019).

Addressing a rally in Caracas on Saturday, Maduro hinted that Guaidó and other key opposition figures were also in his sights

• Nicholas Casey, “Maduro Digs In. It’s an Old Strategy, but It May Work.” (The New York Times, March 25, 2019).

This week, Mr. Maduro was even taking the offensive

• Brian Ellsworth, Carlos Garcia, Carlos Jasso, Diego Ore, Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber, Maria Tsvetkova, “Russian Air Force Planes Land in Venezuela Carrying Troops: Reports” (Reuters, Reuters, March 25, 2019).

Reporter Javier Mayorca wrote on Twitter on Saturday that the first plane carried Vasily Tonkoshkurov, chief of staff of the ground forces, adding the second was a cargo plane carrying 35 tonnes of material

• Mike Pence, “Vice President Mike Pence: For the Future of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro Must Go” (The Miami Herald, March 25, 2019).

The United States calls for the immediate release of Roberto Marrero. We will not tolerate Marrero’s imprisonment or the intimidation of the legitimate government of Venezuela

(Even more here)

March 22, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Molly o’toole, “Marine Corps Commandant Says Deploying Troops to the Border Poses ‘Unacceptable Risk’” (The Los Angeles Times, March 22, 2019).

Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, said Neller’s memos showed the danger in diverting Pentagon funds to build Trump’s border wall

• David Nakamura, “Democrats Struggle to Address Rising Border Apprehensions as They Seek to Counter Trump on Immigration” (The Washington Post, March 22, 2019).

Republicans have seized on statements from Democrats to paint them as turning a blind eye to the mounting problems and make the case that the rising numbers at the border have proved Trump right about a “crisis”

• Saul Saenz, “Annunciation House: Ice to Release 600 Migrants a Day for 3 Days; Churches Need to Help” (KVIA (El Paso Texas), March 22, 2019).

Laura Cruz, a spokeswoman for the City of El Paso, said the City cannot legally provide shelter for the immigrants

• “Iachr Releases 2018 Annual Report” (Organization of American States, March 22, 2019).

The report reflects the abundant work done between January 1 and December 31, 2018, and highlights the most relevant outcomes attained over the course of the year

• “Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Iachr Presents Its 2018 Annual Report” (Organization of American States, March 22, 2019).

In a critical moment for democracy, independent media, and freedom of expression in the Hemisphere, the report also highlights the realization of on-sight visits to Honduras, Ecuador and Brazil

Brazil

• Anthony Boadle, Brad Brooks, “Brazil’s Ex-President Temer Jailed, Accused of Heading ‘Criminal Organization’” (Reuters, Reuters, March 22, 2019).

Brazil’s former President Michel Temer was arrested on Thursday in “Operation Radioactivity,” a probe of alleged graft in the construction of a nuclear power plant

• Jeffrey T. Lewis, Luciana Magalhaes, Samantha Pearson, “Former Brazilian President Michel Temer Arrested in Car Wash Corruption Probe” (The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2019).

Since Brazil’s return to democracy in 1985 after a military dictatorship, four of the eight presidents who took office have now fallen afoul of the country’s laws, either impeached for misconduct or arrested after leaving office

Colombia

• “El Momento de Hacer las Cuentas: ¿Como Votarian Camara y Senado las Objeciones a la Jep?” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 22, 2019).

Los impedimentos que se aprueben, que modificarán el quórum, y la posición de Cambio Radical determinarán el futuro de los reparos del presidente Duque a la estatutaria de la JEP en el Congreso

El Salvador

• Raymond Bonner, “El Salvador Considers Amnesty for Those Accused of Crimes During Its Civil War” (ProPublica, March 22, 2019).

The move by conservatives in El Salvador’s Parliament comes as 20 former senior military officers have been charged with an array of crimes, including murder, rape and kidnapping

Guatemala

• Elsa Coronado, “Los 7,108 Expedientes Abandonados del Conflicto Armado Interno” (Plaza Publica (Guatemala), March 22, 2019).

El Ministerio Público tenía entre el polvo y el olvido miles de denuncias de graves violaciones a los derechos humanos que ocurrieron durante la guerra interna. En diciembre de 2018 concluyó la primera fase de un proyecto que busca rescatarlas, pero no es suficiente

Mexico

• Jose Gallego Espina, Julio-Cesar Chavez, “For Asylum Seekers in Mexico, U.S. Judge Asks, ‘How Does the Court Serve Them?’” (Reuters, Reuters, March 22, 2019).

Judge Jonathan Simpson at a San Diego courthouse repeatedly asked the government’s attorney how to handle cases of applicants told to wait for their U.S. court dates in Mexican border towns

• Nathaniel Parish Flannery, “How Acapulco Exemplifies Mexico’s Ongoing Security Crisis” (Forbes, March 22, 2019).

Hammered by a series of hurricanes, a chain of protests, and a surge in violent attacks by criminal groups, Acapulco’s economy is at a breaking point. Evodio took over as mayor and is tasked with the impossible

• Arturo Angel, “Primer Bimestre de 2019, el Inicio de Ano Mas Violento del Que se Tenga Registro: 5,803 Personas Asesinadas” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 22, 2019).

En enero y febrero pasados fueron asesinadas un total de 5 mil 803 personas en México. Esta cifra convierte al primer bimestre de 2019 en el más violento del que haya registro

South America Regional

• “Why Prosur Is Not the Way to Unite South America” (The Economist (Uk), March 22, 2019).

Attempts at regional integration always seem to stumble over politics

Venezuela

• David Smilde, “Is an Oil-for-Food Program Plausible for Venezuela?” (Washington Office on Latin America, March 22, 2019).

If a political transition does not materialize, what policy other than a well-designed oil-for-food program would avert famine?

Caribbean Regional, Cuba, Venezuela

• Jacqueline Charles, “U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela Are Affecting Caribbean Nations’ Ability to Pay for Oil” (The Miami Herald, March 22, 2019).

The only country that seems to still be receiving Venezuelan petroleum products is Cuba, which doesn’t pay for fuel in U.S. dollars but in an exchange of doctors and medical services

Venezuela

• Mariana Zuniga, Mary Beth Sheridan, “Venezuela Has Its Electricity Back, for Now, but It’s Still on the Verge of Collapse” (The Washington Post, March 22, 2019).

“This is the beginning of a phase in which we’ll see a more profound collapse of services in the country”

• Kejal Vyas, “Venezuela Intelligence Police Detain Top Opposition Aide” (The Wall Street Journal, March 22, 2019).

As he was ushered away, Mr. Marrero shouted to his neighbors that the Sebin officers had planted two rifles and a grenade in his apartment to justify his arrest

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, “Venezuela Crisis Escalates as Guaido’s Chief of Staff Is Arrested” (The New York Times, March 22, 2019).

By detaining Mr. Marrero, Mr. Maduro was trying to gauge how far the international community is prepared to go to defend Mr. Guaidó, Hugo Carvajal, a former Venezuelan military intelligence chief who defected this year, said

• Ethan Bronner, “Maduro Aides Reached Out to U.S. Seeking to Cut a Deal, Rubio Says” (Bloomberg, March 22, 2019).

“There isn’t a single major figure in the regime that hasn’t reached out to make a deal,” Rubio said. “The danger is that if Maduro is pushed aside by such a figure, international pressure could diminish”

(Even more here)

March 21, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Amanda Holpuch, Lauren Aratani, “Alarm Over Leaked Us Database Targeting Journalists and Immigration Activists” (The Guardian (Uk), March 21, 2019).

The debate about immigrants’ rights, about the treatment of immigrants, about the treatment of asylum seekers, is going to be suppressed or censored

• Elliot Spagat, “New Us Asylum Policy Dealt Setback in Immigration Court” (Associated Press, Associated Press, March 21, 2019).

The judge’s refusal was a setback for the administration’s highly touted initiative to make asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases wind through U.S. immigration courts

• Robert Moore, “Controversial Trump Administration Protocol for Asylum Seekers Will Begin in el Paso” (Texas Monthly, March 21, 2019).

The Trump administration this week will begin implementing its “Migrant Protection Protocols” in El Paso, requiring some migrants to return to neighboring Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Brazil

• Brian Winter, “The Tropical Trump? If He’s Lucky” (Americas Quarterly, March 21, 2019).

The true path to success (and popularity) would be to put the culture wars aside – and focus on turning the economy around and reducing crime in a sustainable, legal way. But don’t count on it

Brazil, Venezuela

• “What to Make of the Trump-Bolsonaro Meeting” (WOLA and Conectas, Washington Office on Latin America, March 21, 2019).

That yesterday Bolsonaro did not unambiguously reiterate Brazil’s official position with regards to military intervention in Venezuela creates concerning levels of uncertainty

Brazil

• Anthony Boadle, Lisandra Paraguassu, “Bolsonaro Gets Trump’s Praise but Few Concessions, Riling Brazilians” (Reuters, Reuters, March 21, 2019).

“If this is the way forward, we might as well stay put,” said a Brazilian official directly involved in the negotiations, who requested anonymity to speak freely

Colombia

• , Julia Symmes Cobb, Luis Jaime Acosta, “Colombia Court Says Cannot Yet Rule on Possible Changes to Peace Law” (Reuters, Reuters, March 21, 2019).

Colombia’s constitutional court said on Wednesday it cannot rule on whether potential changes to legislation that implements a peace deal with Marxist rebels are constitutional until after they are approved by congress

• Gideon Long, “Colombia’s Peace Deal Comes Under Strain” (The Financial Times (UK), March 21, 2019).

Since the whole package has already been approved by the constitutional court, his veto could trigger a clash between the executive and judiciary, throwing the whole peace process into the air

• Tatiana Duque, “Coca y Minas, el Coctel de la Guerra Olvidada de Choco” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 21, 2019).

No llegó el Estado y las comunidades quedaron a merced del ELN y el Clan del Golfo -o Autodefensas Gaitanistas ó paramilitares como son conocidas en la zona

Colombia, Venezuela

• Kyle Rempfer, Todd South, “There Are Mounting Signs of Military Planning for Venezuela” (Military Times, March 21, 2019).

One such speculation is that the administration will try to create a “humanitarian corridor” that would let U.S. troops enter a small area of Venezuela, possibly along the border with Columbia

Costa Rica

• “Indigenous Land Activist Shot Dead in Costa Rica” (Reuters, Voice of America, March 21, 2019).

Rojas had survived at least one previous assassination attempt. In 2015, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the government to provide Bribri and Teribe people with protection

Guatemala

• MartÍn RodrÍguez Pellecer, “Si los Opositores No Participan en las Elecciones, se Acaba la Democracia en Guatemala” (Nomada (Guatemala), March 21, 2019).

No importa si gana la aliada del sistema, Sandra Torres; la opositora Thelma Aldana; o cualquier otro candidato. Lo importante es que puedan participar opositores para que las elecciones tengan oxígeno y sean una competencia real

Haiti

• Kim Ives, Matthew Cole, “U.S. Mercenaries Arrested in Haiti Were Part of a Half-Baked Scheme to Move $80 Million for Embattled President” (The Intercept, March 21, 2019).

What at first resembled a comedic plot about a group of ex-soldiers looking for a quick and easy mercenary score was in fact a poorly executed but serious effort by Moïse to consolidate his political power with American muscle

Mexico

• Jorge Valencia, “Will Mexico’s New National Guard Dissuade Crime or Escalate the War?” (Fronteras Desk, March 21, 2019).

The National Guard could be the beginning of the demilitarization of Mexico’s more than decade-long war on organized crime, or it could escalate it

• Bahr Abdul-Razzak, Bill Marczak, John Scott-Railton, Masashi Crete-Nishihata, Ron Deibert, Siena Anstis, “Reckless Vii” (Citizen Lab (Canada), March 21, 2019).

Griselda Triana, journalist and the wife of slain journalist Javier Valdez Cárdenas, was targeted with NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware in the days after his killing

• Elliot Spagat, “Asylum Seekers Forced to Wait in Mexico Say They Fear for Their Safety” (Associated Press, PBS NewsHour, March 21, 2019).

The seven cases being heard in a downtown San Diego courtroom are among the first to advance under the Trump administration policy that calls for people seeking asylum in the U.S. to be held in Mexico

Nicaragua

• Wilfredo Miranda Aburto, “Ortega Acepta Liberar a Todos los Presos Politicos en 90 Dias” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), March 21, 2019).

El gobierno los “liberará” en un plazo no mayor a 90 días como parte del acuerdo suscrito con la Alianza Cívica, con la OEA y el Vaticano como testigos, para volver a reactivar el diálogo en el INCAE

Venezuela

• “Tortura en Venezuela: General Miguel Rodriguez Torres Esta Grave de Salud” (El Nacional (Venezuela), El Comercio (Peru), March 21, 2019).

El teniente Dugarte ofreció declaraciones sobre lo que sucede en las sede del cuerpo de inteligencia en Boleita, donde se han registrado numerosos casos de tortura en los detenidos

• “Venezuelan Opposition Makes New Offer to the Military Hoping They Will Switch Sides” (MercoPress, March 21, 2019).

Members of the Venezuelan armed forces that abandon President Nicolas Maduro will keep their rank and be reinstated once a new government is in place, the opposition-controlled legislature said

(Even more here)

March 20, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Rebekah Entralgo, “The Pentagon Can’t Explain Where $2.5 Billion in Border Wall Funding Is Coming From” (ThinkProgress, March 20, 2019).

Trump announced that in addition to diverting money from the military reconstruction budget, he would also take $2.5 billion from the Pentagon’s counter-drug funding. But as The Washington Post reported, the counter-drug account currently has less than $100 million in it

• Brittny Mejia, “This Agency Helped Catch ‘el Chapo.’ but Association With Ice Can Be a Headache” (The Los Angeles Times, March 20, 2019).

The confusion between the two branches is long running, and HSI has struggled with a “branding problem”

Brazil, Venezuela

• Franco Ordonez, “Trump Declares ‘We Can Go a Lot Tougher’ on Venezuela” (McClatchy News Service, March 20, 2019).

Bolsonaro also appeared to leave the door open to stronger measures when asked about the use of military force

Brazil

• Isaias Dalle, “‘Militias Are Involved in Drug Trafficking and Operate in Rio’s Wealthier Neighborhoods’” (Revista Fórum, RioOnWatch (Rio de Janeiro Brazil), March 20, 2019).

Thainã de Medeiros, a member of Coletivo Papo Reto—a favela-based media collective fighting against police brutality—reveals changes to how [off-duty vigilante police] militias are operating in Rio de Janeiro

• Anthony Faiola, “‘Shame’: As Bolsonaro Visits Trump, Some Brazilians Tweet Their Embarrassment” (The Washington Post, March 20, 2019).

Speaking on Fox News, Boslonaro made the polemic assertion that “the vast majority of immigrants do not have good intentions”

• Dom Phillips, “Brazilian Drug Gang Opens Fire on Convoy of Trucks Carrying Nuclear Fuel” (The Guardian (Uk), March 20, 2019).

The attack is the latest of several violent incidents in the area where Brazil has two nuclear reactors and has raised concerns about its nuclear security

Colombia

• Juan Esteban Lewin, “La Corte Define Que Tan Fuerte Va a Chocar Con el Uribismo” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 20, 2019).

Habría una mayoría en la Corte para responderla, y decir que las objeciones son inviables y que el Congreso debe devolver el proyecto a Duque para que lo firme, incluyendo los seis artículos que objetó

Guatemala

• Jo-Marie Burt, “Another Proposal Threatens to Free Convicted War Criminals in Guatemala” (International Justice Monitor, Open Society Foundations, March 20, 2019).

Another initiative that is on Wednesday’s legislative agenda could have a similar effect as an amnesty, not only for war criminals, but for those accused of corruption

• Carlos Dada, “Una Ley de Reconciliacion Divide a Guatemala” (El Faro (El Salvador), March 20, 2019).

La llamada ley de reconciliación forma parte de lo que abogados y activistas de derechos humanos llaman el desmantelamiento de los avances judiciales de los últimos quince años

• Jose Elias, “Un Juez Guatemalteco Ordena la Captura de la Candidata Presidencial y Ex Fiscal General Thelma Aldana” (El Pais (Spain), March 20, 2019).

“Esto demuestra cómo en Guatemala se utilizan las instituciones para impedir mi participación política, pero no lo lograron”, enfatiza Aldana

Mexico

• Jose Gallego Espina, Lizbeth Diaz, “Asylum Seekers Returned From Mexico Plead to Stay in U.S.” (Reuters, Reuters, March 20, 2019).

Six Central American migrants who crossed from Tijuana through the San Ysidro port of entry had their cases heard at a San Diego courthouse in the program’s first day of hearings on Tuesday. All were told to return to Mexico

Nicaragua

• Octavio Enríquez, “Estados Unidos se Reune Con Socios para Presionar Mas a la Dictadura de Daniel Ortega” (La Prensa (Nicaragua), March 20, 2019).

La presión implicaría imponer más sanciones a la dictadura, entre ellos a “militares” que hayan participado directamente en la represión contra la ciudadanía

Venezuela

• David Luhnow, “Maduro Loses Grip on Venezuela’s Poor, a Vital Source of His Power” (The Wall Street Journal, March 20, 2019).

Support for Mr. Maduro among Venezuela’s poorest fifth of the population has gone from roughly 40% in early 2016 to 18% in February, according to Datanalisis

• Maria Victoria Murillo, “El Incierto Futuro de la Transicion Democratica Venezolana” (La Nacion (Argentina), March 20, 2019).

La idea de una intervención militar puede parecer beneficiosa al senador Marco Rubio (que busca consolidar el apoyo republicano en Florida), pero no parece estar siendo considerada seriamente por el gobierno estadounidense

• Frank O. Mora, “What a Military Intervention in Venezuela Would Look Like” (Foreign Affairs, March 20, 2019).

That would mean a major intervention, including both air strikes and the deployment of at least 150,000 ground troops

(Even more here)

March 19, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Molly o’toole, Sarah D. Wire, “Pentagon Discloses Military Projects in California That It Could Tap for Trump’s Wall” (The Los Angeles Times, March 19, 2019).

“Now that members of Congress can see the potential impact this proposal could have on projects in their home states, I hope they will take that into consideration before the vote to override the president’s veto”

• Chantal Da Silva, “Trump Administration Accused of Ignoring u.n. Human Rights Expert’s Request to Visit U.S.-Mexico Border” (Newsweek, March 19, 2019).

At least 22 requests from U.N. special rapporteurs have gone ignored by the Trump administration, with the last response from Trump officials having come in May 2018

• Julia Ainsley, “More Lawyers, Reporter Questioned at Border by U.S. Border Agents” (NBC News, March 19, 2019).

DHS officials have said there is no policy that targets lawyers and journalists, but they do have broad authority in who they choose to stop for screening

• Lisa Schlein, “Latin America Is World’s Deadliest Route for Migrants” (Voice of America, March 19, 2019).

International Organization for Migration spokesman, Joel Millman, says since February 1, 79 deaths have been reported along this route. He says this is nearly three times higher than the numbers reported in the Mediterranean

Brazil

• Deb Haaland, Joenia Wapichana, “Protecting Indigenous Lands Protects the Environment. Trump and Bolsonaro Threaten Both.” (The Washington Post, March 19, 2019).

Among the many parallels between their administrations, Bolsonaro and Trump are both taking extreme action to strip the hard-earned rights of indigenous peoples to the benefit of extractive industries and commercial farming

• Dom Phillips, “‘Same Rhetoric’: Bolsonaro’s Us Visit to Showcase Populist Alliance With Trump” (The Guardian (Uk), March 19, 2019).

Much of that rhetoric owes much to another star guest seated beside Bolsonaro at the “opinion formers” dinner: Olavo de Carvalho, a pipe-smoking rightwing Brazilian philosopher

• Ben Fox, “Brazilian President Bolsonaro Visits Cia During U.S. Trip” (Associated Press, Time, March 19, 2019).

Bolsonaro underscored the difference between his administration and that of former President Dilma Rousseff by stopping by CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, to discuss “international themes in the region,” according to his son

Colombia, Venezuela

• Christopher Torchia, “Colombia: 1,000 Venezuelan Forces Crossed Border Since Feb.” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, March 19, 2019).

Some deserters say their small military salaries were the only source of income for their families

Colombia

• “En el Catatumbo ‘Nos Dejaron Con la Burra Enflorada’” (La Opinión de Cúcuta, Verdad Abierta (Colombia), March 19, 2019).

“Hablar de sustitución en la región del Catatumbo se convirtió en un problema, porque prácticamente somos declarados objetivo militar”

Colombia, Venezuela

• Phil Stewart, “As Venezuela Crisis Deepens, U.S. Sharpens Focus on Colombia Rebel Threat” (Reuters, Reuters, March 19, 2019).

U.S. officials see a growing threat from both Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN) and factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that refuse to adhere to a 2016 peace agreement

Colombia

• Tatiana Duque, “La Guerra Narco en Tumaco Ya Golpeo a los Lideres de Sustitucion” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 19, 2019).

Al menos desde septiembre del año pasado, según una de las fuentes, Argemiro había dicho que tenía amenazas

• “Por Lo Menos 8 Menores de Edad Han Muerto por Confinamiento en Choco” (El Tiempo (Colombia), March 19, 2019).

Desde hace casi un mes, comunidades de tres zonas del Chocó viven en medio de las balas tras la creciente confrontación que sostienen el Eln y el ‘Clan del Golfo’ quienes se disputan el control territorial

El Salvador

• Jason Motlagh, “Inside el Salvador’s Battle With Violence, Poverty, and U.S. Policy” (National Geographic, March 19, 2019).

As migrants flee the decimated Central American nation, changes in the United States could send thousands back into the chaos

Guatemala

• Jo-Marie Burt, Paulo Estrada, “Amidst International Pressure, Guatemala Congress Does Not Pass Amnesty Bill, for Now” (International Justice Monitor, Open Society Foundations, March 19, 2019).

Despite the international rebuff of the amnesty bill, including a resolution by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordering Guatemala to withdraw the proposal, its supporters say they are not giving up

Mexico

• Fernanda Echavarri, “Teens Fleeing Central American Gangs Are Stuck at the Border—and Fear for Their Lives” (Mother Jones, March 19, 2019).

Some of the teens have been at this shelter, the Casa YMCA de Menores Migrantes (YMCA Home for Underage Migrants), for a couple of days, some more than three months

• Daniella Silva, “Officially, the Notebook Does Not Exist. But It’s the Key for Migrants to Get Into the U.S.” (NBC News, March 19, 2019).

“If I continue to stay here, I am going to be killed,” said a mother of two from Honduras, who spent two months waiting in Tijuana to cross into the U.S.

• Catherine E. Shoichet, “Investigators Are Scrambling to Solve a Mystery Just Miles From the Us-Mexico Border” (CNN, WTOP, March 19, 2019).

Authorities are investigating what they’ve said may be a mass kidnapping, and Mexico’s top leaders have offered several possible explanations in recent days

• Rafael Carranza, “Mexican Journalist Gunned Down at His Home Near Arizona-Mexico Border” (The Arizona Republic, March 19, 2019).

Reading from a local newspaper report on his show, Barroso chronicled how on Thursday evening a “pollero,” or smuggler, had assembled nearly a dozen migrants at a portion of outdated fencing in the middle of the city of San Luis Rio Colorado

Nicaragua

• “Estados Unidos “No Descarta” Ninguna Opcion en Nicaragua Como Con Venezuela” (EFE, La Prensa (Nicaragua), March 19, 2019).

Washington “no descarta ninguna otra opción”, entre ellas la militar, según declaró este lunes en Madrid el embajador Todd Robinson, enviado especial de Estados Unidos para Centroamérica

Peru

• Fiorella Montano, Monica Cuti, “Golpes, Bullying, Drogas y Licor en el Colegio Militar de Arequipa” (La Republica (Peru), March 19, 2019).

La República accedió a más de 70 testimonios escritos y verbales sobre estas irregularidades en el colegio militar Francisco Bolognesi. Incluso hay una denuncia por tocamientos indebidos en el Ministerio Publico

• Oscar Chumpitaz, “Narcos Usan via Maritima para Burlar Fuerte Control en el Vraem y el Huallaga” (La Republica (Peru), March 19, 2019).

Tienen hasta cinco nuevas rutas. Ya no optan por vuelos debido a que la PNP y las FFAA cuentan con mayor capacidad en las zonas de producción. A la fecha se han incautado siete toneladas de droga en diversos puertos de Áncash, La Libertad, Lambayeque y Piura

Venezuela

• Dion Nissenbaum, Jessica Donati, “Trump Administration Officials Clash Over Relief for Venezuelan Immigrants” (The Wall Street Journal, March 19, 2019).

Mr. Abrams favors offering a form of the Temporary Protected Status or Deferred Enforced Departure programs

• Juliana Gil Gutierrez, “El Camino de la Transicion Saldria de Venezuela” (El Colombiano (Medellin Colombia), March 19, 2019).

Carlos Vecchio, delegado del presidente interino Juan Guiadó ante Estados Unidos, entró a las sedes diplomáticas de su país en Nueva York para tomar control de estas oficinas

• Rafael Croda, “Los Contactos Entre Maduro y Guaido: Discretos y Funcionales” (Proceso (Mexico), March 19, 2019).

Es claro que, desde el momento en que Guaidó abordó el vuelo en Panamá, sabía que podría ingresar sin problemas a su país, tal como ocurrió a su llegada

(Even more here)

March 18, 2019

Argentina

• Pablo Corso Heduan, “Destinan Mas de Us$ 600 Millones para el Ejercito en el Ano Electoral” (Perfil (Argentina), March 18, 2019).

Con la mira puesta en las elecciones de octubre, Mauricio Macri reforzó al Ejército con una millonaria inversión en equipamiento militar para la lucha contra el narcotráfico en el norte del país

Brazil, Venezuela

• “Brazilian Generals in Standing Contact With Their Venezuelan Counterparts, Reveals Defense Minister” (MercoPress, March 18, 2019).

The dialogue is held through military attaches both countries maintain in Brasilia and Caracas

Brazil

• “Sponsored by Us, Brazil Is to Become “a Major Non-Nato Ally”” (MercoPress, March 18, 2019).

Currently 17 countries have MNNA status. Brazil would become just the second Latin American country to join their ranks after Argentina, which received the designation in 1998

Colombia

• Alfredo Molano Jimeno, ““Estan Echando al Sifon la Institucionalidad y Ya Sabemos Eso a Donde Llega”: Sergio Jaramillo” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 18, 2019).

Hoy, ante la encrucijada institucional en que se encuentra el sistema de justicia transicional por la objeción presidencial a la ley estatutaria de la JEP, sale en defensa de lo pactado con las Farc

• “Colombia Dividida: Las Objeciones de Duque Agudizaron la Polarizacion” (Semana (Colombia), March 18, 2019).

La decisión del presidente de objetar parcialmente la ley estatutaria de la JEP ha aumentado la polarización y puede traerle consecuencias que no había dimensionado

• “Colombia’s President Puts a Fragile Peace Deal on Life Support” (Washington Office on Latin America, March 18, 2019).

The Ambassador’s statements are disappointing since it sends the wrong signal about consolidating peace in Colombia

Cuba, Venezuela

• Nicholas Casey, “‘It Is Unspeakable’: How Maduro Used Cuban Doctors to Coerce Venezuela Voters” (The New York Times, March 18, 2019).

16 members of Cuba’s medical missions to Venezuela — a signature element of relations between the two countries — described a system of deliberate political manipulation in which their services were wielded to secure votes

Honduras

• “Journalist Shot Dead in Southern Honduras” (Agence France Presse, Rappler.com, March 18, 2019).

Police says Leonardo Gabriel Hernandez, a TV reporter, was shot and wounded in the street and taken to a clinic, where he died

• “Despues de 39 Anos la Unidad Elite Cobra Paso a Ser Historia en la Policia Nacional” (El Heraldo (Honduras), March 18, 2019).

El lunes 4 de diciembre del año 2017 un numeroso grupo de agentes Cobras protagonizaron una manifestación de fusiles caídos, rehusándose a salir a las calles para dispersar las manifestaciones públicas

Mexico

• Angela Kocherga, “Thousands of Migrants Wait in Juarez” (The Albuquerque Journal, March 18, 2019).

The list is managed by Mexico’s immigration officials, and thousands – like O’Farrill – are now waiting in shelters or elsewhere in Juárez until their number is called

Central America Regional, Mexico

• Nick Miroff, “‘the Conveyor Belt’: U.S. Officials Say Massive Smuggling Effort Is Speeding Immigrants to — and Across — the Southern Border” (The Washington Post, March 18, 2019).

By using the direct-bus method, smugglers can eliminate the need for stash houses along the border where they would normally keep migrants under the watch of armed guards before sneaking them across the border

Mexico

• Jose Raul Linares, “De Amlo a las Fuerzas Armadas, Insolitos Premios” (Proceso (Mexico), March 18, 2019).

Especialistas en administración pública y en las Fuerzas Armadas advierten: en el arranque del nuevo gobierno, éste sigue sin aclarar las causas por las que otorgó al Ejército la atribución como constructor de infraestructura e incrementó su presupuesto

• “Amlo Da Mas Recursos al Ejercito Que Pena, Pero Reduce Presupuesto a Policias y Prisiones” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 18, 2019).

Al comparar el cambio de 2018 a 2019, la reducción del presupuesto para Seguridad Nacional es de 14 %

• Valerie Gonzalez, “Special Report: ‘La Trampa’, a Trap Laid Out for Migrants in Reynosa” (KRGV (McAllen Texas), March 18, 2019).

“When I arrived they told me, ‘no, here in order to get out you have to pay $3,500 U.S. dollars. Ha! $3,500!” he says

• Fabiola Martinez, “La Jornada: Senala Sg Rezago de 15 Mil Solicitudes de Refugio” (La Jornada (Mexico), March 18, 2019).

En enero y febrero de 2019 se recibieron 7 mil 941 solicitudes, la mayoría de originarios de Honduras y Venezuela; le siguen El Salvador, Guatemala y Nicaragua. En ese bimestre se concluyó el procedimiento en favor de 497 personas

• Luciano Campos Garza, “Ocho Anos Despues, las Balaceras y Ejecuciones Regresan a Nuevo Leon” (Proceso (Mexico), March 18, 2019).

Los mismos capos que ocasionaron aquella espantosa escalada criminal, son los mismos que han regresado a recuperar el terreno que habían perdido durante estos años

• NoÉ Zavaleta, “El Cjng Declara la Guerra al Gobierno de Veracruz; “Nos Vamos a Morir Muchos”, Advierte” (Proceso (Mexico), March 18, 2019).

El Cártel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) abrió un nuevo frente contra el gobierno de Cuitláhuac García Jiménez, en particular contra el secretario de Seguridad Pública, Hugo Gutiérrez Maldonado, tras colocar narcomantas

Nicaragua

• Juan Carlos Bow, “Brutal Represion Policial Deja 164 Detenidos” (Confidencial (Nicaragua), March 18, 2019).

Por primera vez, desde que hace cinco meses se impuso un estado de excepción de facto prohibiendo las marchas, los protestantes se manifestaron en las calles de Managua

Venezuela

• Nicholas Casey, “Venezuela Was Crumbling. A Blackout Tipped Parts of It Into Anarchy.” (The New York Times, March 18, 2019).

For days and nights, unruly crowds sacked 523 stores in Maracaibo as residents stood on their porches wielding weapons to guard against looters. Dozens died in hospitals

• Phil Gunson, “The Darkest Hours: Power Outages Raise the Temperature in Venezuela” (International Crisis Group, March 18, 2019).

Any power-sharing deal will be extremely hard for politicians on both sides to sell. Both have led their supporters to believe that a “winner-takes-all” solution is available

• Amanda Mars, ““Espana Es un Destino Logico para Miembros del Regimen Chavista”” (El Pais (Spain), March 18, 2019).

El veterano halcón Elliott Abrams, representante de EE UU para Venezuela, afirma en una entrevista con EL PAÍS que algunos cargos “tienen a sus familias y su dinero en el país y querrán reunirse con ellos”

(Even more here)

March 15, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Erica Werner, John Wagner, Seung Min Kim, “Senate Votes to Reject Trump’s Emergency Declaration, Setting Up President’s First Veto” (The Washington Post, March 15, 2019).

The disapproval resolution passed the House last month, so the 59-to-41 Senate vote will send the measure to the president’s desk. Trump intends to use the first veto of his presidency

• Dan Spinelli, “Congress: Tell Us What the Border Emergency Is Doing to the Military. The Pentagon: Crickets.” (Mother Jones, March 15, 2019).

“I feel completely sandbagged. You’re going to send it to us today after the vote on the emergency declaration?”

• Ted Hesson, “Trump May Send Volunteer Force to Border” (Politico, March 15, 2019).

An administration official told POLITICO that the existing surge force could not be used for a border security mission because it draws on disaster relief funds

• Maria Sacchetti, Nick Miroff, “U.S. Weighs Plan to Phase Out Family Detention at Texas Facility, Despite Migration Surge” (The Washington Post, March 15, 2019).

Families held there would be issued notices to appear in immigration court and would then be released into the U.S. interior

Brazil

• “Bolsonaro Praises Brazilian Military as the Ultimate Arbiters of Democracy” (MercoPress, March 15, 2019).

“Democracy and liberty only exist when your armed forces want them to,” said Bolsonaro, himself a former army captain

• Ernesto Londono, “A Year After Her Execution, Marielle Franco Has Become a Rallying Cry in a Polarized Brazil” (The New York Times, March 15, 2019).

A year after her execution, the call for justice for Ms. Franco — a black, gay, feminist Rio de Janeiro city councilmember who was raised poor — has morphed into a rallying cry in a deeply-polarized nation

• Oliver Stuenkel, “What to Expect When Bolsonaro Meets Trump” (Americas Quarterly, March 15, 2019).

The anti-globalist, pro-Trump faction of the Bolsonaro administration, which includes his foreign minister, will clash with the more prudent generals, led by Vice President Hamilton Mourão, and the technocrats, represented by the Economy Minister Paulo Guedes and Justice Minister Sérgio Moro

Colombia

• Laura Dulce Romero, “Jep Escucho a los Militares Sobre el Uso de Armas No Convencionales por Parte de las Farc” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 15, 2019).

Por primera vez, magistrados y fiscales de la JEP acudieron a una instalación militar, la histórica base de Tolemaida, a recibir capacitación sobre cómo las Farc usaron minas antipersona y artefactos explosivos improvisados

• Juan Carlos Garzón, “Las Peleas y el Consenso en el Debate Sobre el Glifosato” (Fundacion Ideas para la Paz, El Espectador (Colombia), March 15, 2019).

La imagen del Estado para las comunidades no puede volver a ser una avioneta asperjando glifosato

• Juanita Velez, “Las Objeciones de Duque a la Jep Tumban los Animos de la Farc” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 15, 2019).

Los nueve exguerrilleros entrevistados no habían manifestado un miedo tan real de que algunos de sus compañeros prefieran volver a las armas -ni cuando la Fiscalía capturó a Santrich-, especialmente por cuatro de las seis objeciones

• “Colombia’s President Ivan Duque Undermines a Peace Deal” (The Economist (Uk), March 15, 2019).

During his seven months in office, Mr Duque has tried to strike a balance between the hard line of his mentor, Álvaro Uribe, a former president who opposes the peace accord, and Colombians who want to preserve it. Now he seems to have backed Mr Uribe’s policy

• “Situation of Human Rights in Colombia” (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Colombia Field Office, March 15, 2019).

Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Cuba

• Andrea Rodriguez, “Amid Crisis, Cuba Plans Revamp of State and Legal System” (Associated Press, Associated Press, March 15, 2019).

Cuban legal experts told The Associated Press that they expect the government to send the National Assembly between 60 and 80 new laws over the next two years to replace ones rendered obsolete by the new constitution

Guatemala, Peru

• Simone Dalmasso, “Los Procesos de Reconciliacion Historica: Una Comparacion Entre Peru y Guatemala” (Plaza Publica (Guatemala), March 15, 2019).

Los procesos de dignificación de las víctimas y reconciliación han sido abordados de manera diferente por los Estados

Guatemala

• “Us Suspends Some Military Aid to Guatemala Over Vehicle Use” (Associated Press, The Washington Post, March 15, 2019).

The U.S. Embassy said via text message that since August, Guatemala’s Interior Ministry “has repeatedly used (the vehicles) in an incorrect way”

• Sergio Morales Rodas, “Ee. Uu. Suspende Ayuda Militar a Guatemala por el “Uso Incorrecto” de Jeeps j8” (Prensa Libre (Guatemala), March 15, 2019).

Un vocero de la Embajada de EE. UU. en Guatemala confirmó que el Departamento de Defensa ha cesado, por ahora, la transferencia de equipos y la capacitación a las Fuerzas de Tarea debido al uso incorrecto de los jeeps J8

Mexico

• Arturo Angel, “Cambio el Gobierno, Pero Sedena Insiste en Ocultar Cifras de Civiles Muertos en Operativos” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 15, 2019).

La dependencia no desglosó, como se había solicitado, el municipio o entidad en que tuvieron lugar dichos enfrentamientos, ni en qué año ocurrieron

• “Congreso Emite Constitucionalidad de la Guardia Nacional; La Envia a Amlo para su Promulgacion” (Animal Politico (Mexico), March 15, 2019).

La Cámara de Diputados y el Senado emitieron la declaratoria de constitucionalidad de la reforma en materia de Guardia Nacional, luego de que fue avalada por los 32 congresos locales

• Gabriela Sotomayor, “Osc Reprueban Gestion de Amlo en Materia de Derechos Humanos Ante la Onu” (Proceso (Mexico), March 15, 2019).

“Nos preocupa que tan sólo a 100 días de su gestión ya han sido asesinados 14 defensores de derechos humanos y periodistas”

• Kate Linthicum, “Mexico Launching Search for Migrants Pulled Off Bus by Gunmen Near the U.S. Border” (The Los Angeles Times, March 15, 2019).

The two cases highlight the risks faced by Central American migrants in Mexico, where criminal groups have diversified well beyond drug trafficking and now help smuggle migrants north and sometimes extort or kidnap them

• Leon Krauze, “Mexico’s President Is Waging a Trumpian War on the Press” (Slate, March 15, 2019).

That he has fallen prey to his worst populist impulses bodes ill for his presidency, and for the country he governs

Venezuela

• Barbara Arvanitidis, Caitlin Hu, Diana Castrillon, Evan Perez, Natalie Gallon, Nick Paton Walsh, “The August Plot to Kill Maduro With Drones” (CNN, March 15, 2019).

In an exclusive interview with CNN, he recounted how they prepared for the attack, and provided cell phone videos of their drones, explosives, and practice flights in the rural farmlands of Colombia

• Christian Lowe, Rinat Sagdiev, “How Russia Sank Billions of Dollars Into Venezuelan Quicksand” (Reuters, March 15, 2019).

Russian oil company Rosneft spent a fortune on joint ventures in Venezuela even though it suspected it was losing out on millions of dollars, documents show. It continued investing, sources say, because the Kremlin wanted to support its ally

• Mariana Zuniga, Mary Beth Sheridan, “Maduro’s Muscle: Politically Backed Motorcycle Gangs Known as ‘Colectivos’ Are the Enforcers for Venezuela’s Authoritarian Leader” (The Washington Post, March 15, 2019).

“I call on the colectivos; the hour of resistance has arrived, active resistance in the community,” Maduro declared in the speech on Monday

(Even more here)

March 12, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Jeff Stein, “Trump Seeks $4.7 Trillion Budget With Domestic Cuts, $8.6 Billion in Wall Funding” (The Washington Post, March 12, 2019).

The demand for $8.6 billion for a border wall, less than two months after a 35-day partial government shutdown paralyzed much of Washington, raised the possibility that there could be an even more dramatic impasse

• John J. Sullivan, Mark Green, “Briefing With Deputy Secretary of State John J. Sullivan, Usaid Administrator Mark Green, and Experts on the President’s Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of State and Usaid” (U.S. Department of State, March 12, 2019).

In the event the supreme court rules and allows the government to resume aerial eradication, provide resources from the United States for that program. So that’s why you see significant uptick

Brazil

• “Marielle Foi Morta por Sua ‘Atuacao Politica’, Afirma Mp Em Denuncia” (Veja (Brazil), March 12, 2019).

Os dois foram presos na madrugada desta terça-feira, 12. A denúncia formulada pelo Grupo de Atuação Especial de Combate ao Crime Organizado do MP-RJ classificou o crime como um “golpe ao Estado Democrático de Direito”

Colombia

• “Las Movilizaciones Que se Le Vienen a Duque” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 12, 2019).

Fecode, las comunidades indígenas, afros y campesinas del suroccidente del país y los cultivadores de coca en Meta, Caquetá y el sur de Córdoba anuncian protestas

• Augusta Anthony, “Drug Bust at Newark Port Seizes Ton and a Half of Cocaine Worth Estimated $77 Million” (CNN, March 12, 2019).

Authorities at the Port of New York and New Jersey have seized about 3,200 pounds of cocaine in what authorities are calling the largest cocaine seizure at the port in nearly 25 years

• “Estamos de Acuerdo: ee.uu. Respalda a Duque en Objeciones a Ley Estatutaria de Jep” (Blu Radio (Colombia), March 12, 2019).

En entrevista con BLU Radio dijo que el espaldarazo a Duque se basa en cuatro puntos fundamentales, que incluyen el tratado de extradición y el manejo del listado de miembros de las extintas Farc para evitar colados

• “El Sistema de Naciones Unidas y la Mision de Verificacion en Colombia Reiteran la Importancia del Libre Funcionamiento de la Jurisdiccion Especial para la Paz Como el Principal Instrumento de Garantia del Derecho a la Justicia de las Victimas” (Mision de la ONU en Colombia, March 12, 2019).

Lamentamos que, a más de dos años de la firma del Acuerdo Final, la JEP aún no cuente con una Ley Estatutaria, marco jurídico sólido que garantice su operación en pleno ejercicio de autonomía e independencia

• , Many Signers, “Carta al Secretario General de la Onu” (La Linea del Medio (Colombia), March 12, 2019).

El gobierno del presidente Iván Duque Márquez persiste en formular nuevos obstáculos, o en intentar revivir debates ya superados en el trámite legislativo de las normas que deben regular el funcionamiento del recién inaugurado sistema de justicia transicional

Guatemala

• Elisabeth Malkin, “Jailed for War Crimes, Guatemalan Military Officials May Now Get Amnesty” (The New York Times, March 12, 2019).

The amnesty has gained traction in Congress as part of a reaction against a broader fight against impunity and corruption

Mexico

• “Nueva Ministra de la Scjn de Mexico Debe Ser Idonea e Independiente” (CEJIL, Due Process of Law Foundation, Washington Office on Latin America, Washington Office on Latin America, March 12, 2019).

Las tres candidatas han sido severamente cuestionadas por la sociedad civil por su cercanía con el partido político del Presidente López Obrador

• Shannon K o’neil, “Lopez Obrador Is Dismantling Democracy in Mexico” (Council on Foreign Relations, Bloomberg, March 12, 2019).

AMLO’s calculated strategy isn’t a new Mexican playbook. It harkens back to the PRI’s heyday

Peru

• Marcos Ommati, “Peruvian Army Commander Visits Military Units in the Us” (Revista Dialogo (U.S. Southern Command), March 12, 2019).

Gen. Céliz, a WHINSEC instructor in the late ‘90s, caught up with former colleagues and conducted a lecture for the WHINSEC Command and General Staff Officer course

Cuba, Venezuela

• Michael R. Pompeo, “Remarks to the Press” (U.S. Department of State, March 12, 2019).

This story is not complete without acknowledging the central role Cuba and Russia have played and continue to play in undermining the democratic dreams of the Venezuelan people and their welfare

Venezuela

• “Lootings as Venezuela Power Cut Drags On” (BBC (UK), March 12, 2019).

Many parts of the country are still cut off and it is hard to get a full account of their situation. Even when the electricity returns, it is often patchy and only lasts for a few hours

• Patrick Oppmann, Stefano Pozzebon, Susannah Cullinane, “Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro Says Power Recovery Will Come ‘Little by Little’” (CNN, March 12, 2019).

Guaidó said the exodus of millions of Venezuelans over the last several years likely meant there were not enough engineers left to help end the blackouts

• Daniel Victor, Edward Wong, “In Setback in Venezuela, U.S. Is Withdrawing Diplomats From Its Embassy” (The New York Times, March 12, 2019).

Mr. Pompeo said the move reflected the “deteriorating situation” in the country and the belief that the presence of American diplomats “has become a constraint on U.S. policy.” The last phrase could be read as hinting at some form of military intervention

(Even more here)

March 11, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Jim Tankersley, Peter Baker, “Defying Congress, Trump Plans to Renew Fight for Border Wall Funding” (The New York Times, March 11, 2019).

Mr. Trump will request $8.6 billion in the annual budget proposal, aides said

• Angela Kocherga, “8 Hours on the Border” (The Albuquerque Journal, March 11, 2019).

“This is where we’ve seen a few of the large groups come through. They come to the end of the fence, come right around this edge and make their way and turn themselves in to the agents here”

• Alicia A. Caldwell, “Record Immigration Surge at U.S.-Mexico Border to Accelerate, Government Projects” (The Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2019).

According to an internal document reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, officials at U.S. Customs and Border Protection anticipate between 51,000 and 58,000 migrants traveling as families will either cross the border illegally or ask for asylum at a legal border crossing this month

• Scott Turner, “Torres Small: More Customs, Border Patrol Agents Needed” (The Albuquerque Journal, March 11, 2019).

She is introducing the bipartisan U.S. Customs and Border Protection Rural and Remote Hiring and Retention Strategy Act with Rep. Will Hurd, R-Texas

• Kristina Davis, “The U.S. Tracked Border Activists, Journalists and Attorneys. Is It Legal?” (The Los Angeles Times, March 11, 2019).

Activists and freelance journalists named in the leaked dossiers, published last week by San Diego’s NBC7, have reported being stopped and searched when they cross back into the U.S.

Brazil

• “After a Year of Impunity, Authorities Must Bring Marielle Franco’s Killers to Justice” (Amnesty International, March 11, 2019).

The authorities investigating Marielle’s death have neither confirmed or denied that they are following lines of investigation reported by the media regarding the possible involvement in of military police officers, local officials, militia groups or a group of professional hitmen

Colombia

• “Presidente Duque Objeto Seis Articulos de la Ley Estatutaria de la Jep” (El Espectador (Colombia), March 11, 2019).

La objeción sólo generaría un debate de ocho o nueve meses y que, finalmente, tendría que echarla a andar

• Juan Esteban Lewin, Juanita Velez, “Con Sus Objeciones a la Jep, Duque Muestra un Uribismo Mas Duro” (La Silla Vacia (Colombia), March 11, 2019).

Eso puede llevar a que muchos decidan finalmente irse a engrosar las filas de las disidencias, algo que jefes de la Farc como Fabián Ramírez han intentado evitar

Guatemala

• Jo-Marie Burt, Paulo Estrada, “Guatemala One Step Closer to Imposing General Amnesty for War Crimes” (International Justice Monitor, Open Society Foundations, March 11, 2019).

With the failure of these motions challenging the amnesty bill to be approved, the second reading concluded, paving the way for it to advance to the third and final reading before it can become law

Mexico

• Yetlaneci Alcaraz, “Amlo Genera Claroscuros en Derechos Humanos; Ong Celebran Liberacion de Presos Politicos Pero Ven Con Recelo a la Guardia” (Proceso (Mexico), March 11, 2019).

Si bien celebran medidas como las liberaciones de los denominados presos políticos, miran con recelo y preocupación decisiones como la creación de una Guardia Nacional, y alertan sobre una continua criminalización de defensores de derechos humanos y periodistas

• Sugeyry Gandara, “Amlo Llega a 100 Dias Sin Mejorar la Seguridad de Mexicanos y Con Temores por la Guardia Nacional” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), March 11, 2019).

En el primer bimestre de la administración morenista la violencia creció 2.12 por ciento al registrar 102 crímenes más que el último bimestre de Enrique Peña Nieto

Venezuela

• Anatoly Kurmanaev, Isayen Herrera, “No End in Sight to Venezuela’s Blackout, Experts Warn” (The New York Times, March 11, 2019).

Restarting the turbines requires skilled operators who can synchronize the speed of rotation on as many as nine of Guri’s operational turbines. Experts said the most experienced operators have long left the company

• Lesley Wroughton, Luc Cohen, Marianna Parraga, “U.S. Presses India to Stop Buying Oil From Venezuela’s Maduro: Envoy” (Reuters, March 11, 2019).

“We say you should not be helping this regime. You should be on the side of the Venezuelan people,” Elliott Abrams told Reuters

• Maolis Castro, Ryan Dube, “Massive Power Outages Turn Deadly in Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2019).

“[Monday] will be a key day, depending on what happens with the electricity [on Sunday],” he said, concerned there would be more deaths

• Christoph Koettl, Deborah Acosta, Nicholas Casey, “Footage Contradicts U.S. Claim That Maduro Burned Aid Convoy” (The New York Times, March 11, 2019).

A reconstruction of the moment when a truck bearing humanitarian supplies was set on fire shows the likely cause was a Molotov cocktail thrown by a protester

(Even more here)

March 1, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Julia Ainsley, “Advocates: Trump Policies Are Causing Surge in Illegal Border Crossing” (NBC News, March 1, 2019).

An official from the Department of Homeland Security, of which CBP is a part, said those abandoning legal entry points may not have legitimate asylum claims

• Muzaffar Chishti, Randy Capps, Sarah Pierce, “Executive Power Showdown: Congress and White House Quarrel Over Immigration Spending” (Migration Policy Institute, March 1, 2019).

While the Democrats can claim success in the increased ATD spending and potential decrease in detention space, the spending agreement is unlikely to force ICE to decrease the numbers of people detained

• Robert Warren, “Sharp Multiyear Decline in Undocumented Immigration Suggests Progress at Us-Mexico Border, Not a National Emergency” (Center for Migration Studies, March 1, 2019).

From 2010 to 2016, about two thirds of undocumented arrivals overstayed temporary visas; only one third entered across the southern border

Argentina

• Daniel Politi, “Argentina Convicts Ex-Officials in Cover-Up of ‘94 Bombing of Jewish Center” (The New York Times, March 1, 2019).

The court sentenced eight people accused of a cover-up, among them a former federal judge and a former head of the intelligence services, but it acquitted five others, including the highest-profile defendant: former President Carlos Menem

Brazil

• Chris Dalby, “Police Exercise License to Kill in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro” (InsightCrime, March 1, 2019).

It was the second highest number of killings for the month of January since 1998

Caribbean Regional

• “U.S. Agencies Should Establish a Mechanism to Assess Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Progress” (U.S. Government Accountability Office, March 1, 2019).

State has not created an initiative-wide planning and reporting mechanism that facilitates interagency coordination or establishes consistent performance indicators across agencies, countries, and activities

Colombia

• ““El Ministro Botero Esta Intentando Confundir a los Colombianos”: Vivanco Sobre Falsos Positivos” (Semana (Colombia), March 1, 2019).

Aquí está en juego la credibilidad y legitimidad de la comandancia de las Fuerzas Militares para dirigir a un Ejército capaz de cuidar a la población de forma profesional y respetuosa de los derechos humanos

Guatemala

• Jo-Marie Burt, Paulo Estrada, “For Third Time, Amnesty Bill Fails to Reach Floor of Guatemalan Congress” (International Justice Monitor, Open Society Foundations, March 1, 2019).

Tension is rising over the proposed legislation and the possibility that convicted criminals could walk free and that future investigations in hundreds of other cases would be blocked

Mexico

• , Alfredo Corchado, “Trump Policy That Sends Asylum Seekers Back to Mexico Is About to Be Expanded to Texas” (The Dallas Morning News, March 1, 2019).

“We are hearing one thing locally and another thing in Washington, and we are trying to find out exactly what’s going on,” said Escobar, saying the situation is fluid

• “Mexico Must Consider Human Rights Concerns When Implementing Its New National Guard” (Washington Office on Latin America, March 1, 2019).

Mexico’s Congress will now have to pass three additional laws within a 60 to 120-day period

• Kirk Semple, Paulina Villegas, “Mexico Approves 60,000-Strong National Guard. Critics Call It More of the Same.” (The New York Times, March 1, 2019).

In the end, Congress decided the National Guard would have an explicitly civilian, rather than military, character, with the new force lodged under the authority of the civilian Ministry of Security and Citizen Protection

• Patricia Davila, “La Guardia Nacional Contara Con 80 Mil Elementos a Fin de Ano: Durazo” (Proceso (Mexico), March 1, 2019).

En una primera etapa la Guardia Nacional se formará con 35 mil integrantes de la Policía Militar, ocho mil de la Policía Naval, 18 mil de Fuerzas Federales y Gendarmería, y 20 mil efectivos que serán reclutados y capacitados

• Omar Ornelas, Rebecca Plevin, “Ruthless Cartel Violence Drives a Wave of Mexican Asylum Seekers. This Family Lost a Son and Fled” (The Desert Sun, March 1, 2019).

In recent years, people have been fleeing Guerrero and Michoacán not only to improve their lives, but to save their lives

Mexico, Western Hemisphere Regional

• Steven Dudley, “The End of the Big Cartels” (InsightCrime, Foreign Affairs, March 1, 2019).

For U.S. policymakers, it may be overkill to direct the resources of six federal law enforcement agencies toward dismantling these groups, especially in the era of synthetic drugs

Venezuela

• “¿Que Tanto Debilita al Regimen de Maduro las Deserciones Militares en Venezuela?” (La Republica (Peru), March 1, 2019).

“No hay comida. No tienen colchones, nosotros los sargentos de la Guardia Nacional estamos durmiendo en el suelo”

• “Gold and Grief in Venezuela’s Violent South” (International Crisis Group, March 1, 2019).

The ongoing economic crisis has driven many impoverished Venezuelans into working in the illegal mining sector. Armed state and non-state actors, Colombian guerrillas foremost among them, have also expanded in this resource-rich region

• “The Risks of Military Intervention in Venezuela” (The Economist (Uk), March 1, 2019).

“I can dispel the theory that there is a military option for Venezuela,” says a defence official in Washington. She denies that staff are being asked to draw up plans

• Andrew Duehren, Courtney Mcbride, “Democrats Strain for a Unified Message on Venezuela” (The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2019).

Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Venezuela should hold an election before any new leader assumes power

(Even more here)

February 28, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Elliot Spagat, “Amid Clouds of Dust, Border Wall Prototypes Are Demolished” (Associated Press, February 28, 2019).

The nearly $3 billion that Congress has provided for barriers during the first half of Trump’s term requires that money be spent on designs that were in place before May 2017, effectively prohibiting the prototypes from being used

• Aziz Huq, “Congress Is Voting to End Trump’s ‘Emergency.’ but the Vote Won’t Stop Him.” (The Washington Post, February 28, 2019).

There is no necessary connection between judicial intervention and the maintenance of constitutional democracy. A court can intervene and increase the risks to democracy — precisely what happened in Chadha

• Perry Bacon Jr., “What the House Vote Means for Trump’s National Emergency” (FiveThirtyEight.com, February 28, 2019).

In the Senate, 20 Republicans would need to join Democrats to override a Trump veto, but there aren’t nearly that many GOP members who come from purpleish states and break with Trump relatively often

• Richard Cowan, “‘Chumps?’ Democrats Blast Trump Diversion of Pentagon Money to Border Wall” (Reuters, Reuters, February 28, 2019).

Republican Representative Kay Granger urged McMahon to inform Congress of the specific projects the Pentagon would defer. He said specific decisions had not yet been made

• Daniel Gonzalez, “28 Women May Have Miscarried in Ice Custody Over the Past 2 Years” (The Arizona Republic, February 28, 2019).

Ten of the miscarriages occurred in fiscal year 2017, and 18 occurred in fiscal year 2018

Brazil

• “Numero de Mortes Violentas Cai Mais de 10% No Brasil Em 2018” (O Globo (Brazil), February 28, 2019).

São 51.589 assassinatos, ante 59.128 registrados em 2017. Número, no entanto, ainda é alto; taxa é de 24,7 mortes a cada 100 mil

Colombia

• “Militares Piden al Presidente Duque Sancionar la Estatutaria de la Jep” (El Espectador (Colombia), February 28, 2019).

15 militares, beneficiados por la Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, le solicitaron al presidente Iván Duque que sancione la ley estatutaria de la JEP

Cuba, Venezuela

• John Otis, “Cuba’s Reliance Upon Venezuela for Cheap Oil Looms as Potential Threat” (The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2019).

The result would be power outages, fuel shortages and government spending cuts that would cause the Cuban economy to shrink by as much as 10%

Cuba

• Stephen Wicary, “Trump Nears Key Cuba Sanctions Decision Over Support for Maduro” (Bloomberg, February 28, 2019).

With the 45-day deadline looming — and a 15-day notification period for Congress — a decision on Helms-Burton could come by the end of this week

Honduras

• Parker Asmann, “Honduras President Selective When Targeting Criminal Crackdowns” (InsightCrime, February 28, 2019).

Hernández has chosen to hammer down on the gangs, rather than address the allegedly corrupt government officials linked to the country’s drug trafficking groups

• “Lluvia de Condenas Internacionales Ante Encarcelamiento de 12 Defensores del Medio Ambiente” (Criterio (Honduras), February 28, 2019).

Mientras el Estado hondureño se ensaña contra las personas que se oponen a un proyecto minero en la comunidad de Guapinol, Tocoa, en el departamento de Colón, varias organismos internacionales ha levantado la voz

Mexico

• Patrick Timmons, “Desperate Migrants Brave River as U.S., Mexico Harden Eagle Pass Border” (UPI, February 28, 2019).

Border Patrol agents and Texas state troopers positioned trucks on the river’s banks, lights flashing, in a show of force to discourage them from entering the water

• “La Onu-Dh Participara en la Capacitacion de los Elementos de la Guardia Nacional: Ebrard” (SinEmbargo (Mexico), February 28, 2019).

Participará en “la definición de los contenidos, de los sistemas de selección y del entrenamiento en el uso de la fuerza” para la formación de la Guardia Nacional

• Jorge Carrasco Araizaga, “Bola de Mandos” (Proceso (Mexico), February 28, 2019).

Si algo han demostrado los 12 años de combate a la delincuencia organizada es que los militares no están dispuestos a quedar bajo las órdenes de los civiles

Venezuela

• Ryan Dube, “Venezuelan Opposition Leader’s Return From Colombia to Spell Showdown With President” (The Wall Street Journal, February 28, 2019).

“To have the international community not echo that call to use force but in fact say very clearly, ‘No, we’re not doing that’ is a big deal,” said a former high-ranking U.S. official

• Rick Gladstone, “U.S. Urges New Venezuela Elections. One Obstacle: Russia.” (The New York Times, February 28, 2019).

An American resolution at the United Nations, which could be put to a vote on Thursday in the 15-member Security Council, is likely to be vetoed by Russia

(Even more here)

February 27, 2019

Western Hemisphere Regional

• Amy Davidson Sorkin, “The Challenge to Republicans in the House Vote to Terminate Trump’s Emergency” (The New Yorker, February 27, 2019).

The vote will be an open test of the willingness of Republicans to place a limit on this President’s grab for power

• Lolita C. Baldor, “A Top U.S. General Told Senators He Sees No Military Threat at Southern Border” (Associated Press, Time, February 27, 2019).

Under pointed questioning from senators, the top U.S. general for homeland defense said Tuesday that he sees no military threat coming from the southern border with Mexico, but his focus is on “very real” threats from China and Russia

• Daniel Borunda, “Cbp Officers in Riot Gear Deployed After Migrant Group Arrives at el Paso Area Border” (The El Paso Times, February 27, 2019).

The drill included the use of smoke and officers in riot gear next to recently installed barriers with concertina wire on the bridge. There was no migrant intrusion attempt at the bridge

• Felicia Sonmez, “Democrats Grill Trump Officials Over Family Separations and Threaten Wider Legal Probe” (The Washington Post, February 27, 2019).

Both developments came as the administration faces new legal scrutiny over the separations and the threat that a federal judge could force the government to comb through thousands of files to account for all migrant children

• Alan Gomez, “Thousands of Migrant Children Report They Were Sexually Assaulted in U.S. Custody” (USA Today, February 27, 2019).

The data show the majority of the alleged assaults were carried out by other minors in custody, but at least 178 were carried out by staff

Central America Regional

• David González, Scott Wallace, “Finding Echoes of Today’s Headlines in Central America’s Proxy Wars in the 1980s” (The New York Times, February 27, 2019).

“We exercised this heavy hand in Latin America, yet we have no understanding of the people we are influencing”

Colombia

• ““¿Nos Van a Matar a Todos por Defender el Rio Atrato?”: Lider Social del Choco” (El Espectador (Colombia), February 27, 2019).

Durante el encuentro, conversamos con uno de los voceros del Consejo Comunitario Alto Atrato, quien prefirió no dar su nombre por las amenazas constantes que recibe

• “Colombia: New Army Commanders Linked to Killings” (Human Rights Watch, February 27, 2019).

At least three of the nine are under investigation by the Attorney General’s Office. Prosecutors are investigating numerous killings by soldiers in units under the command of the others. The following is a summary of the evidence implicating the nine officers

Cuba

• Michael R. Pompeo, “Cuba’s So-Called Referendum” (U.S. Department of State, February 27, 2019).

No one should be fooled by this exercise, which achieves little beyond perpetuating the pretext for the regime’s one-party dictatorship. The entire process has been marked by carefully managed political theater and repression of public debate

Mexico

• “Mexico’s Role in the Deadly Rise of Fentanyl” (InsightCrime, February 27, 2019).

Mexican gangs have also become key links in this chain, transporting, selling, and even producing the drug

• “Es Equivocado e Injusto Que Amlo Generalice Sobre las Osc, Reclaman Organizaciones” (Animal Politico (Mexico), February 27, 2019).

En sus conferencias de prensa matutinas, el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador ha cuestionado a la sociedad civil organizada, y afirmó que ninguna OSC recibiría ya dinero del presupuesto público

Venezuela

• Christine Armario, “Attacked and Powerless, Venezuela Soldiers Choose Desertion” (Associated Press, Associated Press, February 27, 2019).

Anyone who shows the slightest hint of disapproval risks arrest, they said, and jail has become increasingly synonymous with torture

• Brent Mcdonald, Nicholas Casey, “Desertions Reflect Discontent With Maduro, but Not Enough to Topple Him” (The New York Times, February 27, 2019).

While the desertions are not good news for Mr. Maduro, they are not exactly what the opposition had hoped for, either

• Anthony Faiola, Dylan Baddour, “Has the Venezuelan Opposition Lost Its Momentum?” (The Washington Post, February 27, 2019).

The succession of setbacks left the opposition here scrambling Tuesday to sustain what has become the single biggest challenge to 20 years of socialist rule and manage inflated expectations of a rapid ouster of Maduro

• Francisco Rodriguez, Jeffrey D. Sachs, “How to Avoid a War in Venezuela” (Project Syndicate, February 27, 2019).

Trump and other US leaders say that the time for negotiation has passed. They believe in a short, quick war if necessary. World leaders – and those in Latin American countries first and foremost – should open their eyes to the risks of a devastating war