#161 Thousands of Haitian People Cross Central America

Sep 27, 2021

Dear Readers,

News and images about Haitian people trying to migrate -- and how they are brutally met and later deported by U.S. officials -- made world headlines this week. What's less known is how tens of thousands of African and Caribbean people are on the move throughout South and Central America.

Nearly 90,000 migrants entered Panama this year. As of writing, 19,000 people -- the majority of whom are Haitians -- are waiting to cross the perilous Darien forest towards Central America. Then, they might walk through Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico.

Haitian migrants are not only detained at the U.S. border, but also in Central America -- 75 people were detained, including children, in Guatemala last week, according to a news report. Dozens were detained and deported to Haiti from southern Mexico.

Many Haitian people have been trying to rebuild their lives in Latin America, specifically Chile, after the 2010 earthquake, but jobs have become difficult to find. How will Central America greet and host migrants from another land?

Have a good newsletter read.

Salú,

Melissa

Announcement: We are looking for volunteer (2h/week) Belize and Guatemala news curators. Email centralamericannews@gmail.com for more information.

Guatemala is a transit point for migrant groups attempting to cross into the United States, especially Central Americans, Cubans, Africans, Haitians and South Americans.

Headlines

Migration

📰 Texas: Texas governor Greg Abbott ordered state troopers to form a barricade at the US-Mexico border to deter Haitian migration. // The migrant camp at the US-Mexico border has been nearly cleared out as immigration removals have shrunk the population of the Texas encampments.

📰 Brutality against Haitians: Images allegedly depicting physical brutality of Haitian migrants from Border Patrol agents have drawn anger and criticism toward the Biden administration’s handling of migration at the border. The White House is investigating the “horrific” footage.

📰 Deterrence: As many as 4,000 migrants have been deported under the Title 42 policy, according to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

📰 Separated Families: The parents of 303 migrant children who had been separated by the Trump administration have yet to be found.

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Belize

📰 Belize's 40th Birthday: Despite being the second year in a row of subdued celebrations due to COVID, Belize still proudly commemorated its 40th anniversary of independence this week.

📰 Mennonites Against Vaccination: Many in the Mennonite community are skeptical of COVID regulations, from wearing a mask to social distancing. In light of the Government of Belize's new requirement for people to be vaccinated in order to enter public buildings, many Mennonites joined together in a "Free Belize" protest.

📰 COVID-19: The Government mandated "No Movement Sundays" for the next two weeks, a nationwide ordinance that restricts free movement except for essential services in an effort to flatten the rise of COVID.

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Costa Rica

📰 2022 Elections: Campaigns kicked off over the weekend for the 2022 general elections. More than 20 political parties will compete for presidential and legislative offices on Feb. 6. Current President Carlos Alvarado’s party (PAC) nominated Welmor Ramos for presidential candidate, while the center-left PLN chose former president José María Figueres and the center-right PUSC elected Lineth Saborío.

📰 Proyecto 20.308: More than 600 women leaders of various political parties urged legislative deputies to promptly approve of the Law 20.308 to prevent, address, punish and eradicate violence against women in politics.

📰 Agriculture Workers: The Ministry of Agriculture met with Nicaraguan authorities at the border to renew an entry plan for over 6,000 temporary migrant agricultural workers from Nicaragua. The plan allows workers to harvest various crops on Costa Rican soil in exchange for labor, health and safety rights.

📰 COVID-19: Researchers at the University of Costa Rica found that 4 out of 5 Costa Rican residents infected with COVID-19 in the first half of the year were unvaccinated. Meanwhile, the government announced the purchase of 1 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine for a plan to vaccinate children as well as for booster shots.

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El Salvador

📰 COVID-19: Due to the rise of COVID-19 cases and limited beds available at hospitals, COVID-19 patients needing care are put on a waiting list. // Last Friday, President Nayib Bukele announced that the country will begin administering booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine. // 70 schools were closed due to the influx of COVID-19 cases. As a result, the teachers union and two other organizations asked to go back to virtual learning.

📰 Engel List: Last week, the United States added five Salvadoran Supreme Court judges to the Engel List, along with Guatemala’s attorney general. All of these judges were appointed by Nuevas Ideas deputies. President Bukele called the decision "interference" in the politics of El Salvador.

📰 Market Fire: On Sept. 22, a fire broke out at one of San Salvador’s largest markets. Although the cause is yet to be determined, vendors have stated that the building was already in poor condition due to the lack of maintenance by the Mayor’s Office. Officials say that the market will be rebuilt and aid will be provided to the vendors.

📰 Mozote: Salvadoran magistrate Jorge Guzmán, who sought to end impunity for El Mozote massacre committed by the military, announced his resignation in rejection of a controversial congressional measure which dismissed a third of the country's judges. He hopes that, as in 2012, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights will resuscitate the case, which has been stalled.

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Guatemala

📰 Engel List: US State Department added the current Attorney General of Guatemala, María Consuela Porras, and Ángel Arnoldo Pineda Ávila, Secretary General of the Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office, accused of "obstructing investigations into acts of corruption" on its list of "Undemocratic and Corrupt Actors".

📰 Justice: Four National Civil Police agents will go to trial for abuse of authority when detaining human rights and environmental journalist Norma Sancir in 2014. She has been seeking justice for more than seven years.

📰 COVID-19: Doctors want more long-term action from the government and constitutional court to contain the pandemic, but fear they are not seeing progress. // The Minister of Finance, Álvaro González Ricci, asked ministers to allocate money to the Ministry of Health for COVID-19. It is mainly to fund the new National Emergency Law, which defines ways to buy medicine and hire staff.

📰 Odebrecht Case: President Giammattei assured that he is not being investigated for the Odebrecht case in regards to alleged bribes from Russians.

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Honduras

📰 President Speeches: Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez spoke at the UN General Assembly and at the Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), where he defended himself against drug-trafficking accusations. His brother “Tony” Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison in the United States for trafficking cocaine and using his political connections for illicit drug operations.

📰 Elections: The National Opposition Unit of Honduras (UNOH), which contains two opposition parties, presented a draft Plan de Gobierno (a policy statement) for the upcoming elections. The UNOH and the Libre Party are the only parties to have presented governmental plans. The governing National Party and the Liberal Party have not presented any yet.

📰 COVID-19: The governmental agency Sinager authorized universities to begin classes through a hybrid system.

📰 Climate Change: The United Kingdom selected Honduras to become a beneficiary of funds aiming to combat climate change in the country.

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Nicaragua

📰 Diplomacy: Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, the United States, France, and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement in which they assure that the conditions for “free and fair” elections do not exist in Nicaragua. // US military attaché in Nicaragua says the Nicaraguan Army is part of the country's "growth" and "stability". // A U.S. Congress hearing found a mixed strategy by the Biden administration with Nicaragua, with loans being approved by the International Monetary Fund (US did not veto them), or new quotas on sugar imports, while there are calls to new sanctions or laws pressuring for democratic reforms in Nicaragua.

📰 COVID-19: While the Ministry of Health reports 1 deceased patient per week, reports from the Citizen Observatory find an average of 300 deceased patients per week in recent months. // Spain donates a fourth batch of ‘covid vaccines’ to Nicaragua through COVAX. Spanish donations total 1,130,020 doses of AstraZeneca.

📰 Human Rights: Relatives of political hostages demand an end to "acts of torture" in El Chipote prison. Political prisoners list rises to 155. The list includes 37 opposition leaders and professionals captured in 2021 ahead of the elections.

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Panama

📰 Migration: A high-level delegation from the US Department of State will visit Panama next week to see its immigration agenda. The National Migration Service reported that 88,514 migrants have entered Panama this year. Samira Gozaine, director of the National Migration Service, urges a shared responsibility among international communities to coordinate strategies for this humanitarian crisis.

📰 Workers Rights: Large trade unions (the National Confederation of Independent Trade Union (Consui) and the Confederation of Workers of the Republic of Panama (CTRP)) met and agreed on a reform proposal of Law 51 to consider the defense of laborer’s rights and unjustified layoffs.

📰 Ngäbe-Buglé: In early October, Ngäbe-Buglé indigenous community members will choose the Electoral Commission, which will organize the upcoming election of traditional authorities.

📰 Elections 2024: Protests took place in front of the National Assembly in rejection of the reforms of the Panamanian electoral codes concerning the 2024 elections. They raise, among other issues, a "parliamentary dictatorship," norms regarding the financing of political campaigns, electoral jurisdiction and gender parity.

Fly So Far

Salvadoran-Swiss filmmaker Celina Escher discusses her documentary “Fly so far,” which advocates for the decriminalization of abortion with Revista Factum. Here is the trailer:

Nicaragua's Police vs Doctors

Nicaragua prioritizes the training of armed men more than doctors. "While Nicaragua is filling up with policemen, the country is failing to expand the number of doctors to care for a growing population afflicted by the pandemic." (Nicaragua Investiga)

Good News

✨Film Award: "Noche de fuego" by Salvadoran-Mexican Tatiana Huezo, won the award of best Latin American film in San Sebastián (France 24)

✨Badminton win: Kevin Cordón, Guatemalan badminton player, became the champion of the VII Guatemala International Series 2021 after winning against Canadian Victor Lai. (Prensa Libre)

✨Imprisoned women: The “Colectivo Artesana” celebrated their 15th anniversary. This Guatemalan group is dedicated to serve human rights of women who have been deprived of liberty.

✨Salvadoran poet awarded in the Poems in Translations 2021 contest: Salvadoran poet Lauri García Dueñas was among one of the winners in this year’s Poems in Translation Contest, hosted by the Academy of American Poets and Words Without Borders. (Diario El Salvador)

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