Irregular migration continues to rise across Central America
Central American News
In Brief
Hi Readers, Welcome back!
Here are this week’s highlights:
Panamanian officials overwhelmed by migrants crossing the Darién.
Costa Rica declared a state of emergency along its border with Panama in response to the migrant crisis.
Alarming numbers of migrant children in Honduras face risks because of socioeconomic factors.
Greetings,
The Central American News Team
Headlines
Migration
📰Unprecedented Migration Levels: Families crossing the U.S. border irregularly reached an all-time high in August. Panamanian officials say they are overwhelmed by the number of migrants crossing the Darién.
📰State of Emergency: President of Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves Robles met with president Biden to discuss economic growth and migration cooperation. Biden promised more than $12 million in humanitarian support and up to $24 million in security assistance. Costa Rica also declared a state of emergency along its border with Panama in response to the migrant crisis.
📰US Temporary Work Programs: Guatemala’s president-elect Bernardo Arevalo has signaled he wants to work with the U.S. to expand temporary work programs for Guatemalan migrants living in the United States while also increasing investment in the country’s poorest areas to curve migration.
El Salvador
📰Government: The Legislative Assembly recently voted to revoke ARENA Deputy Alberto Romero’s immunity and he will now face a new judicial process for illicit enrichment and money laundering after not being able to account for $1.1 million. He joins four other deputies that the Legislative Assembly has removed since 2021.
📰Food: Óscar Alejandro Domínguez, the Vice Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, claimed that national food production in El Salvador has increased in some sectors and denied the possibility of famine despite the UN designating the country with a critical early warning point for hunger in a recent report.
📰Disappearances: In recognition of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, photos of disappeared persons were set up at the country’s capital to call on judicial authorities to investigate these cases.
Honduras
📰Migration: About 36,983 children have migrated through Honduras from January to August 2023. The amount of children passing through cities like Trojes and El Paraiso is alarming, as they lack refuge, food, water, and risk falling victim to crimes of rape.
📰Education: More than 10,400 students have abandoned classrooms this year with factors being linked to socioeconomic disparities and fleeing the country. With hundreds of children migrating to the United States, experts say it is time to focus on ensuring that children are able to enroll for free and remain in classrooms, with incentives like free lunch.
📰Abuse of Power: CONADEH (National Commission of Human Rights) condemns national police for taking advantage of migrants in Honduras through extortion. In an attempt to prevent the abuses against migrants, frontier zones and migration offices are under ‘constant monitoring’, but the institution is only further debilitated by the actions of the police.
Nicaragua
📰Threats and censorship: On the event commemorating the 44th Anniversary of the Nicaraguan Army, the General Julio Cesar Aviles, head of the Nicaraguan armed forces, called Nicaragua's independent journalists “parasites and mercenaries of information”. “We say to these freeloaders and mercenaries that the homeland (…) the dignity and honor of the Nicaraguan Army is not to be messed with,” he threatened.
📰Remittances: The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) raised Nicaragua's growth forecast for this year to 2.4%, due the increase in remittances. For the ECLAC, this high growth in remittances “can be attributed in large part to the effect of the high migratory flow”.
📰Jesuits: After the arbitrary closure of the Central American university (Universidad Centroamericana - UCA) and the cancellation of the Jesuit Society’s legal status in Nicaragua, the Jesuits in charge of 2 schools called “Colegio Loyola” and “Colegio Centro America” decided to indemnify both schools collaborators.
Guatemala
📰Elections| Democracy: Sandra Torres' party, which experienced defeat in Guatemala's presidential elections for the third straight time, lodged a complaint on 25th August alleging fraudulent vote counting. This move is the latest in a series of efforts to question the integrity of the country's vote-counting system.
📰Human Rights: Guatemala President-elect Bernardo Arevalo and Vice President- elect Karin Herrera face death threats, according to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. The commission urges the state to “provide more protection” and reinforce security for the newly elected officials.
📰Trade: The implementation of the advance declaration of merchandise at the land border posts of Las Chinamas-Valle Nuevo, Anguiatú-La Ermita and San Cristóbal-San Cristóbal became official on August 22, 2023. Users will benefit from cost reduction, enhancements in export logistics, and advanced declaration management on a 24-hour basis.
Costa Rica
📰Cybersecurity: One in three organizations are targeted by phishing scams in Costa Rica, according to a Security Report 2023 by cybersecurity company ESET. This makes the country one of the most attacked nations in Central America.
📰Violence: Homicide rates continue to rise in the country, where over 600 killings have been recorded since January. There are already 184 more homicides this year compared to last year according to records from the Judicial Investigative Agency (OIJ).
📰Environment: An 18-year study found that small farms with natural landscape features serves as a refuge for certain tropical birds. Orinthologist James Zook has spent almost two decades collecting data from over 430 tropical bird species.
Belize
📰Belize Investment Summit: The Belize Investment Summit showcased Belize as a leading investment destination in Central America and the Caribbean. Key sectors like Agritech, Tourism, and Renewable Energy were featured. The summit served as a platform to attract investments and promote Belize as a destination for international investors.
📰Fishing Industry: Belizean fishermen are finding it increasingly difficult to catch fish, even during the designated season, partly due to overfishing and limited enforcement. Marine scientists and the Fisheries Department are playing a role in addressing these issues.
📰Education: Belize High School has been chosen by Massachusetts-based company FIRST for a STEAM education event. This opportunity aims to boost students' proficiency in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. The school will send five students to the International Robotics competition in Singapore, featuring a Belize-built robot.
Panama
📰Anti-mining protests: Civilians, students, environmental organizations and civil society groups have been protesting for several days in front of the National Assembly to demonstrate their rejection of Minera Panama's new contract.
Central American Art
Azael Pitti seeks to highlight the beauty and charm of Panamanian women through this series in which he also makes visible pride in Panamanian customs and traditions.
Events
📅International Festival: The Progreseña 2023 International Fair in Honduras is an event that celebrates the Patron Saint with cultural, religious, artistic, and family-friendly activities. It is commemorated during the month of September, in iconic places in Progreso such as Ramón Rosa Park and its surroundings.
📅Atol Festival: First Atol de Elote Festival in San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. The event will take place on Sunday, September 10 in front of the Municipality of San Lucas Sacatepéquez, Sacatepéquez, from 12:00 to 9:00 p.m. Admission is free.
📅PAN YAAD: The Institute of Creative Arts in collaboration with Belize National Celebrations Commission present PAN YAAD ' 23. It will be held at the Belize City House of Culture on 16th September 2023 starting at 7pm.
Film
For this week, we share an inspiring documentary that touches on poverty in Honduras. ‘With this Light’ captures the inspiration and will of Mother Maria Rosa Leggol, and how she dedicated her life to helping orphaned children in Honduras. Although confronted with obstacles, she has helped thousands and was able to instill hope in shaping the futures of many.
To follow their website and see where to watch ‘With This Light’, please click here!
The Team
Editor: Mindrid Tesucum
Coordinating team: Karla Saenz Porras, Kayla Alamilla, Shahrazad Encinias
Social media: Abigail Galvez-Aguirre
News curators: Pablo Arauz (Costa Rica), Kirsten Cintigo (El Salvador), Luna Cordóba (Nicaragua), Rodrigo Medina and Joan Collins (Panama), Allison Aguilar (Honduras), Rafael Padilla (Guatemala), Elliaz Luna(Belize), Oliver Martínez López (Migration)
Film curator: Robert Zuniga