Welcome to LAWG’s Migration News Brief, a compilation of recent top articles and reports related to issues of U.S. immigration and enforcement policy and migration from Central America and Mexico.
SPOTLIGHT
Honoring the Families of the Key Bridge Tragedy
CASA, April 1, 2024
“Days after eight men went tumbling into the waters of the Patapsco River, construction workers, community leaders, and labor partners gathered at CASA’s Baltimore Worker Center. They paid tribute to the families affected by the horrific Key Bridge collapse. Their fists were high in the air, solemnly chanting, ‘We are with you. Today. And Always. Right here. Right now. Always.’”
2nd Year of State of Exception
Ariel Morales Bonilla, LAWG, March 29, 2024
“In the two years under the state of emergency, we have seen countless human rights violations, increased militarization, the construction of a mega jail, and Bukele’s unconstitutional presidential reelection. Ask your members of Congress to contact the State Department and urge our government to press President Bukele to restore rights.”
U.S. ENFORCEMENT
Texas asks court to decide if the state’s migrant arrest law went too far
Acacia Coronado, AP News, April 3, 2024
“An attorney defending Texas’ plans to arrest migrants who enter the U.S. illegally told a panel of federal judges Wednesday that it’s possible the law “went too far” but that will be up to the court to decide. The comment was made to a 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel that has already previously halted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s strict immigration measure.”
Judge questions Border Patrol stand that it’s not required to care for children at migrant camps
AP News, March 29, 2024
“A federal judge on Friday sharply questioned the Biden administration’s position that it bears no responsibility for housing and feeding migrant children while they wait in makeshift camps along the U.S-Mexico border.”
Georgia legislature passes new immigration enforcement bill following Laken Riley’s killing
CNN, March 29, 2024
“Georgia’s GOP-controlled legislature has advanced an immigration enforcement bill as Republican lawmakers nationwide continue to call for stricter policies in the wake of nursing student Laken Riley’s killing last month. HB 1105 would require law officials to verify the immigration status of those over the age of 18 who have been arrested, those in detention or those who an ‘officer has probable cause to believe’ have committed a crime.”
Louisiana bill would put immigration enforcement in state’s hands
Louisiana Illuminator, March 28, 2024
“Louisiana legislators will soon consider a bill that would empower local and state law enforcement officials to arrest people on suspicion of being in the country illegally. The Louisiana bill, filed last week by Sen. Valarie Hodges, R-Denham Springs, is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary C committee. Even if S.B. 388 passes the Legislature and is signed into law, its fate will ultimately depend on how the courts rule on the Texas law, known as Senate Bill 4.”
Border Patrol and Ohio Law Enforcement Engage in Racial Profiling in Northern Ohio, New Report Finds
Immigration Impact, March 27, 2024
“ABLE and the American Immigration Council published a report analyzing data suggesting that the collusion between U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Sandusky Bay station and Ohio law enforcement led to racial profiling. The report also highlights troubling practices used by Ohio local law enforcement officers to detain immigrants in their jurisdictions so that Border Patrol agents could conduct immigration investigations.”
FACT SHEET: Update on the U.S. Strategy for Addressing the Root Causes of Migration in Central America
White House, March 25, 2024
“Vice President Harris continues to lead the implementation of the Root Causes Strategy, which tackles the drivers of irregular migration by improving conditions in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras so people do not feel compelled to leave their homes.”
Arrests for Illegal Border Crossings Up in February, Among Lowest of Biden Term
Associated Press, Voice of America, March 23, 2024
“The number of arrests for illegally crossing the U.S. southern border with Mexico nudged upward in February over the previous month. But at a time when immigration is increasingly a concern for voters, the numbers were still among the lowest of Joe Biden’s presidency.”
House appropriations bill would increase border enforcement capacity
Jasmine Garsd, NPR, March 22, 2024
“The 2024 budget appropriations include an increase in money for immigration and border enforcement. On Friday, the House of Representatives approved the $1.2 trillion bipartisan package to keep the government open. It leaves a tight turnaround for the Senate to vote on it before midnight.”
MEXICAN ENFORCEMENT
Migrants accuse Mexico’s National Guard of abuse and theft
Salvador Rivera, Border Report, April 3, 2024
“Several migrants, including Katerine from Ecuador, have told Border Report they were groped, fondled and robbed by members of Mexico’s National Guard when they attempted to cross the border in the mountains east of San Diego. Katerine said she was part of a group of seven migrants that soldiers stopped as they made their way toward the border barrier.”
Sólo 1 de cada 5 solicitantes son considerados como refugiados en México
Atzayacatl Cabrera, El Sol de México, 3 de abril de 2024
“En el primer bimestre de 2024, la Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (Comar) otorgó la condición de refugiados a tres mil 959 personas en contexto de movilidad. Esta cifra es sólo una quinta parte del total de solicitantes que recurrió a la Comar en el mismo lapso”.
México disuade con programas sociales la migración de 5 países
Emir Olivares Alonso, La Jornada, 1 de abril de 2024
“De 2020 a la fecha, el gobierno de México ha entregado de forma directa más de 95 millones de dólares en proyectos de empleo y productividad agrícola a más de 61 mil personas de Belice, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala y Honduras, a fin de contrarrestar la migración desde esos países”.
Venezuelans are increasingly stuck in Mexico, explaining drop in illegal crossings to US
AP News, March 28, 2024
“Mexico’s crackdown on immigration in recent months — at the urging of the Biden administration — has hit Venezuelans especially hard. The development highlights how much the U.S. depends on Mexico to control migration, which has reached unprecedented levels and is a top issue for voters as President Joe Biden seeks reelection.”
México firma acuerdo con Ecuador y Colombia para dar apoyo económico a deportados
El Universo, 26 de marzo de 2024
“El Gobierno de México firmó un acuerdo con Colombia y Ecuador para, al igual que ya sucede con Venezuela, pagar 110 dólares mensuales a migrantes retornados a esos países bajo un programa de prácticas profesionales, anunció este martes el presidente mexicano, Andrés Manuel López Obrador”.
Mexico urges appeals court to consider impact of SB 4 on Latino community, Mexican citizens
Christine Sanchez, Spectrum News 1, March 22, 2024
“Following Tuesday’s pause on Senate Bill 4, Mexico warned the law would lead to discrimination of the Mexican and Latino communities and “tensions” between the U.S. and Mexico.”
Mexico’s president says he won’t confront cartels on U.S. orders
Mark Stevenson, PBS News, March 22, 2024
“Mexico’s president said Friday he won’t fight Mexican drug cartels on U.S. orders, in the clearest explanation yet of his refusal to confront the gangs. Over the years, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has laid out various justifications for his “hugs, not bullets” policy of avoiding clashes with the cartels.”
ROOT CAUSES
MEXICO
A candidate for mayor of a violent city in Mexico has been killed as she began campaigning
Mark Stevenson, AP News, April 2, 2024
“A candidate for mayor of a violence-wracked city in Mexico has been killed just as she began campaigning. Two authorities in the north-central state of Guanajuato said candidate Bertha Gaytán was shot to death on a street in a town just outside the city of Celaya. Mayorships in Mexico often included smaller surrounding communities. The authorities were not authorized to be quoted by name.”
Eight Chinese migrants found dead on Mexico beach after boat capsizes
CNN, April 1, 2024
“Eight Chinese migrants have been found dead on the coast of southern Mexico, authorities said, after their boat capsized along a popular but perilous route for illegally entering the United States.”
Flujo de niños, niñas y adolescentes migrantes rompe récord en México
Aldo Canedo, El Sol de Mexico, 30 de marzo de 2024
“El flujo migratorio de niños, niñas y adolescentes en México aumentó un 60% durante el 2023. El número de infantes que se encontraban en situación migratoria irregular en nuestro país alcanzó niveles no vistos desde que se tiene registro”.
Chiapas sufre por ‘guerra’ entre CJNG y cártel de Sinaloa por rutas migrantes y de droga
Milenio, March 29, 2024
“El estado fronterizo de Chiapas sufre, al menos desde 2021, una “guerra” entre los cárteles de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG) y el de Sinaloa, debido a su vecindad con Guatemala, lo que le da a estas rutas accesos importantes para el tráfico de drogas y de personas, un negocio del que ningún bando quiere prescindir”.
AMLO is trying to bury the tragedy of Mexico’s missing people
The Economist, March 21, 2024
“As elections loom, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador seems to be burying the issue of Mexico’s missing people. In June last year he announced a new “census” of the disappeared, so as to be “completely certain of how many missing people there really are”. In December the government declared that just 12,377 of the 110,964 people in the register are definitely missing.”
GUATEMALA
El presidente Arévalo pide retirarle la inmunidad a la fiscal general de Guatemala, Consuelo Porras
CNN, April 1, 2024
“El Gobierno de Guatemala pidió este jueves ante la justicia que se retire la inmunidad a la fiscal general, Consuelo Porras, para que pueda ser acusada penalmente por presunto incumplimiento de deberes”.
No End in Sight for His AG Problem, Arévalo Seeks Aid from US, OAS, Europe
El Faro, March 27, 2024
“Lacking a roadmap for the central political issue of AG Consuelo Porras’ refusal to resign, Bernardo Arévalo is doubling down on his bet for international support. In Washington this week he asked the OAS to monitor this year’s critical Supreme Court selection process and told El Faro English that he is trying to uproot corruption networks from within the Executive Branch.”
Harris elogió al presidente de Guatemala y refuerza un vínculo clave para frenar la migración desde Centroamérica
La Politica Online, 25 de marzo de 2024
“La vicepresidenta Kamala Harris recibió en la Casa Blanca a Bernardo Arévalo, el recién elegido presidente de Guatemala, para elogiar su batalla contra la corrupción y promover su trabajo para frenar la migración desde Centroamérica”.
EE. UU. aumenta en US$170 millones los fondos para frenar la migración de Guatemala
Acan-Efe, Prensa Libre, 25 de marzo de 2024
“Estados Unidos anunció este lunes que proporcionará US$170 millones más al plan para frenar la migración de Guatemala, una medida anunciada en el marco de la visita a Washington del presidente guatemalteco, Bernardo Arévalo.:
Crisis en Haití podría causar un nuevo éxodo migrante hacia México y Guatemala, según activistas
EFE, Prensa Libre, 17 de marzo de 2024
“Migrantes y activistas de la frontera sur de México esperan una nueva oleada de migrantes ante la actual crisis en Haití, cuya migración irregular en territorio mexicano se multiplicó por 10 en 2023 y representó el principal país de origen de las solicitudes de asilo”.
EL SALVADOR
El Salvador: El paraíso de personas que emigran ilegalmente hacia Estados Unidos
ElSalvador.com, April 1, 2024
“Decenas de ecuatorianos entran a El Salvador todos los días como turistas que en pocas horas salen hacia Guatemala, a sabiendas que necesitan visas para entrar a ese país. El flujo va en aumento. Cientos salen por fronteras autorizadas y otros ocupan pasos ciegos, corrompiendo autoridades y pagando a bandas de traficantes”.
2 years of organized resistance under El Salvador State of Exception
Global Exchange, March 27, 2024
“In this panel in collaboration with popular movement leaders and human rights defenders in El Salvador, journalists, solidarity organizers and human rights advocates, Global Exchange addressed and explained the current situation of El Salvador, such as fraud during recent elections, the military and police repression against communities with organized resistance, and the economic exploitation that is fuelling a new wave of displacement.”
Human rights crisis in El Salvador ‘deepening’: Amnesty
Al Jazeera, March 27, 2024
“As El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele embarks on his second term in office, an international rights group has warned that his war on gangs has created a spiraling human rights crisis. As of February 2024, Bukele’s draconian two-year campaign, which has seen the authorities detain about 78,000 people, has caused 235 deaths in state custody, said Amnesty International on Wednesday.”
Are crimes against humanity being committed in El Salvador’s “War on Gangs”?
Due Process of Law Foundation, March 26, 2024
“In this article DPLF argues that some of the grave human rights violations being committed under the state of emergency may constitute crimes against humanity, due to their widespread and systematic nature, and that they appear to be part of a coordinated policy utilized against a civilian population.”
4,415 salvadoreños fueron detenidos en frontera sur de Estados Unidos en febrero
La Prensa Gráfica, 25 de marzo de 2024
“La patrulla fronteriza de Estados Unidos detuvo a 4,415 salvadoreños que intentaban ingresar al país norteamericano sin el permiso legal correspondiente durante el pasado mes de febrero, según reportaron dichas autoridades en su última actualización de cifras”.
HONDURAS
Honduras repatría a miles de menores migrantes
Voz de America, Youtube, 3 de abril de 2024
“Continúan llegando a Honduras como repatriados cientos de menores de edad que intentaron migrar a Estados Unidos sin la debida documentación y sin acompañantes adultos. Oscar Ortiz de la Voz de América, nos tiene el informe”.
Document – Honduras – Fact Sheet Country Office – March 2024
UNHCR ACNUR, March 27, 2024
“Honduras experiences forced displacement triggered by generalized violence, human rights violations, and environmental threats. It also has unprecedented mixed movement flows. As of March 2024, there are 311 Refugees, 247,090 Internally Displaced, 207 Asylum-seekers, and 671,692 of people either at risk of being displaced, people in mixed movements, returnees with international protection needs, and host communities.”
Más de 116,000 migrantes han transitado por Honduras este año
La Prensa, 22 de marzo de 2024
“Un total de 116,258 migrantes han cruzado por Honduras, según estadísticas oficiales del Instituto Nacional de Migración (INM), desde el 1 de enero hasta el 19 de marzo de 2024. La mayoría de personas, en edades comprendidas entre los 21 y 30 años, provienen de países como Venezuela, Ecuador, Haití y Colombia”.
Estados Unidos reabrirá oficina migratoria en Honduras para acelerar procesamiento de refugiados y sus familias
CNN, 22 de marzo de 2024
“Estados Unidos anunció este viernes que reabrirá su oficina internacional en Tegucigalpa, capital de Honduras, para “aumentar la capacidad de procesamiento de refugiados y ayudar a reunir a las personas con sus familiares”, informó en un comunicado el Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de EE.UU. (USCIS)”.
REGIONAL
Neglected in the Jungle: Inadequate Protection and Assistance for Migrants and Asylum Seekers Crossing the Darién Gap
Human Rights Watch, April 3rd, 2024
“Luciana, 31, and Juan Herrera (pseudonyms), 32, left Venezuela in 2023, leaving their three children, ages 2, 6, and 11, behind. In March 2023, they crossed the Darién Gap, a swampy jungle at the Colombia-Panama border, with the hope of going to the United States. In their five-day walk across the jungle, a group of men wearing hoods and black clothes assaulted them, demanding US$100 from each person in their group.
Peru’s Brewing Migration Storm
Americas Quarterly, April 1, 2024
“Over the past year, an alliance of lawmakers that dominates Peru’s Congress has pushed the country further toward the outmigration trap. 90% of Peruvians now disapprove of the performance of the nation’s Congress, sharing a litany of corruption investigations, contributing to the conditions of a future Peruvian exodus.”
Más del 60 % de los 109.000 migrantes que atravesaron el Darién en 2024 son venezolanos
Efecto Cocuyo, 31 de marzo de 2024
“Más del 60 % de los 109.000 migrantes que atravesaron la peligrosa selva del Darién, frontera natural entre Panamá y Colombia, durante el primer trimestre de 2024 son venezolanos, seguidos a mucha distancia de los ecuatorianos, informó este domingo el Gobierno panameño”.
GENDER AND LBGTQ+
Redes de Mujeres en Honduras intercambian experiencias sobre autocuidado y migración con enfoque de género
Proceso Digital, 2 de abril de 2024
“La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM), en colaboración con el Gobierno de Canadá, ha desarrollado el Encuentro de Redes Comunitarias de Mujeres: la migración con enfoque de género y multiculturalidad, que se llevó a cabo durante dos jornadas con la participación de redes organizadas en los municipios de La Ceiba, Tela, Yoro y San Pedro Sula (Honduras)”.
Relato| Cuando el Estado y la pareja agreden a una mujer en El Salvador, según familiares de víctima
William Sandoval, La Prensa Grafica, 2 de abril de 2024
“A los pocos meses de haber denunciado a su expareja, Selena fue capturada por una llamada anónima. Su bebé falleció tras salir de la cárcel y ahora ella tiene carta de libertad pero Centros Penales aún no la libera”.
For trans migrants forced to flee their homes, the violence continues at our border – Human Rights First
Sydney Randall, Human Rights First, March 20, 2024
“A few months ago in Tijuana, Mexico, our Director of Research and Analysis for Refugee Protection Christina Asenico met two couples from Russia – three of the four individuals identified as transgender men.”
ACTIONS, ALERS, RESOURCES
Nine Prominent International Organizations Call on Salvadoran Attorney General to Drop All Charges against Five Water Defenders
Institute for Policy Studies, March 25, 2024
“In the wake of the 44th anniversary of the assassination of Bishop Óscar Romero in El Salvador, nine international organizations issued a statement to call attention to the upcoming trial on April 3 against five prominent water defenders and community leaders from Santa Marta, El Salvador, who are currently facing politically motivated charges.”
Policy Solutions to Safeguard and Strengthen the U.S. Asylum System – Welcome With Dignity
Welcome with Dignity, March 2024
“Congress needs to robustly and sustainably fund local governments and community
organizations welcoming new arrivals and providing essential humanitarian services that help
offer stability and support people to navigate the U.S. immigration process.”
- The Migration News Brief is a selection of relevant news articles, all of which do not necessarily reflect the viewpoint of the Latin America Working Group.
P.S. Do you know of someone who might be interested in receiving the Migration News Brief? Tell them to email tdelmoral@lawg.org
