Migration News Brief for October 28, 2024

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

Action Alert: Assassination of Father Marcelo, Staunch Human Rights Defender in Chiapas
Latin America Working Group, October 24, 2024
“LAWG condemns the assassination of Father Marcelo and demands that President Sheinbaum launch a swift and independent investigation to bring the assailants to justice. We also urge President Sheinbaum to address the worsening violence in Chiapas and protect vulnerable communities.”

US Enforcement

Vuelos de deportación redujeron el paso de migrantes por el Darién, según EE. UU.
Agencia EFE y Redacción Mundo, El Espectador, 23 de octubre de 2024
“La embajada estadounidense en Panamá informó que los vuelos de deportación que iniciaron en julio han reducido el paso de migrantes por la selva del Darién. Hasta ahora han salido 19 vuelos y han costado más de US$1.1 millones”.

Joe Biden rompe el récord de deportaciones de migrantes que tenía Donald Trump
Redacción EFE, Prensa Libre, 22 de octubre de 2024
“Estados Unidos repatrió en el año fiscal 2024 a más de 700 mil migrantes, la cifra más alta registrada desde 2010, con lo que la Administración del presidente Joe Biden se apunta un récord en la expulsión de extranjeros, mayor a la registrada por el Gobierno del expresidente Donald Trump (2017-2021)”.

CHNV Parole Won’t Last Forever – But There Are Options for Its Beneficiaries to Stay in the US
Dara Lind, Immigration Impact, October 16, 2024
“In the last two years, nearly 500,000 immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela have arrived in the United States to live and work here legally. They have come under a program known as ‘CHNV,’ named for the nationalities of its beneficiaries. The CHNV program allows people in the United States to petition to sponsor potential beneficiaries; if approved, they are paroled into the country for a period of two years, and allowed to apply for work permits after they arrive.”

4,000 migrants headed for US, trying to beat Trump to the punch 
Julian Resendiz, Border Report, October 16, 2024
“Multiple migrant caravans are moving north from southern Mexico, and more are scheduled to leave this week, Mexican news outlets in Chiapas, Oaxaca and Tlaxcala report.”

Migrant Deaths in New Mexico have increased tenfold
Anita Snow, Christopher L. Kellter, Morgan Lee, Associated Press, October 15, 2024
“This summer, the Border Patrol expanded search and rescue efforts, dispatching more patrols with medical specialists and surveillance equipment. The agency moved some beacons closer to the border, where more migrants have been found dead or in distress.”

With New Strategies At and Beyond the U.S. Border, Migrant Encounters Plunge
Coleen Putzel-Kavanaugh and Ariel G. Ruiz Soto, Migration Policy Institute, October 2024
“For the full fiscal year that ended September 30, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) reported 2.1 million encounters at and between ports of entry along the Southwest border—a 14 percent decrease from the nearly 2.5 million encounters recorded in FY 2023.”

Mexican Enforcement

Sinaloa shootout: Mexico troops kill 19 suspected cartel members
Al Jazeera, October 23, 2024
“Intra-cartel violence has intensified following the arrest in July of the Sinaloa cartel’s co-founder Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada Garcia, who is now on trial in the United States.”

Rescatan a nueve migrantes de India y Nepal tras ser retenidos en Tapachula, Chiapas
Jhonatan González, Milenio, 23 de octubre de 2024
“A través de un operativo interinstitucional, fueron asegurados nueve migrantes originarios de India, Nepal y Bangladesh, quienes se encontraban retenidos en el hospedaje La Camelia, ubicado en la 11 Sur y 30 Calle Oriente de Tapachula, Chiapas”.

Is Mexico Fueling a Gang War by Sending Migrants to Tabasco?
Peter Appleby, InSight Crime, October 18, 2024
“As Mexico’s southern state of Tabasco deals with the fallout of a wave of violence, an unofficial policy is funneling vulnerable migrants there, providing organized crime groups with more criminal opportunities for profit.”

Mexico military’s role in migrant massacre comes under sharp scrutiny
Lizbeth Diaz, Reuters, October 16, 2024
“The killings occurred on the evening of Oct 1, just hours after Claudia Sheinbaum was inaugurated as Mexico’s first female president, sparking renewed outcry over the role of the military in public security and the human cost of U.S. pressure to keep down the number of migrants arriving at its southern border.”

Root Causes 

Mexico

UNHCR Mexico Annual Report 2023
UNHCR, October 23, 2024
“One in three people on the move in Mexico express their desire to make the country their permanent home, a finding that is also reflected in the record number of asylum claims in 2023. With support from UNHCR, the Mexican Commission for Refugee Assistance (COMAR) has quadrupled its response capacity since 2018. However, challenges in consolidating its structure and operational capabilities persist, alongside the need for a sufficient budget that can accommodate the surge of claims of those in need of international protection.”

Sheinbaum pide colaboración entre FGR y Fiscalía de Chiapas en caso de Marcelo Pérez
Gaspar Vela, Milenio, 23 de Octubre de 2023
“La presidenta Claudia Sheinbaum pidió que haya colaboración entre la Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) y la Fiscalía de Chiapas, para esclarecer el asesinato del sacerdote Marcelo Pérez Pérez, ocurrido el domingo 20 de octubre en San Cristóbal de las Casas”.

Mexico’s Ex-Security Chief Sentenced to 38 Years for Cartel Bribery
Alan Feuer, October 16, 2024
“Genaro García Luna, who once served as Mexico’s top law enforcement official, was sentenced on Wednesday to just over 38 years in prison following his conviction in New York last year on charges of taking bribes from the very drug cartels he was meant to be pursuing.”

ACNUR da a conocer resultados de encuesta de percepciones hacia personas refugiadas en México
ACNUR, 14 de octubre de 2024
“Como parte de su estrategia para favorecer la inclusión y combatir el racismo, la discriminación y la xenofobia, ACNUR, la Agencia de la ONU para los Refugiados, da a conocer los resultados de la encuesta, ‘¿Qué piensa la población mexicana sobre la movilidad humana?’, elaborada por Data Opinión Pública y Mercados”.

Guatemala

In Guatemala, families mourn the migrants who never reached the USA
Cheney Orr, Maria Alejandra Cardona, Andrea Godinez, Rosalba O’Brien, Reuters, October 24, 2024
“Although the number of people apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol attempting to cross has declined in recent months, increased security on the U.S.-Mexican border in recent years has pushed migrants to take increasingly perilous routes, migration advocates say.”

Capturan a dos presuntos traficantes de personas cuando trasladaban a 59 emigrates en un autobús
César Pérez Marroquín, Prensa Libre, 13 de octubre de 2024
“Dos presuntos traficantes de personas fueron capturados este domingo 13 de octubre en el km 69 de la ruta al Pacífico, en Siquinalá, Escuintla, informó la Policía Nacional Civil (PNC)”.

Save the Children Denies Child Trafficking Allegation in Guatemala
AFP, The Tico Times, October 9, 2024
“The NGO Save the Children denied being involved in the trafficking of migrant children in Guatemala, a day after the prosecutor’s office raided five of the organization’s offices in the country. The raids were led by the controversial prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who reported ‘possible violations and abuses against Guatemalan children,’ alleging the trafficking of migrant children traveling alone to the United States.”

El Salvador

Former FMLN Officials Await Verdict After Years of Pretrial Detention 
CISPES, October 23, 2024
“On the heels of Friday’s historic acquittal of five Santa Marta environmentalists, 21 former FMLN officials and government employees await a verdict in their own trial. The trial, which began on August 20, is yet the latest in a series of attacks by the Bukele government, characterized by smear campaigns and the use of the legal system, to discredit the leftist FMLN party and opposition leaders.”

​​El Salvador: Experts Question Account of Death in Custody
Human Rights Watch, October 15, 2024
“A new report by international forensic experts commissioned by Human Rights Watch found significant flaws in the hospital care and later investigation into the death in custody of a former top security adviser to the El Salvador government.”

Forced displacement in and from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras (October 2024)
UNHCR, Reliefweb, October 14, 2024
“Violence and crime, together with food insecurity and lack of opportunities, are the main drivers of forced displacement in and from these countries. Climate change is increasingly a factor driving displacement.”

Honduras

Distinguen a cónsul por loable labor a favor de los migrantes
La Tribuna, 25 de octubre de 2024
“El Cónsul de Honduras en México, Héctor Amador, recibió una distinción honorífica en Pachuca, Hidalgo, en reconocimiento a su trabajo a favor de la protección de los migrantes en México”.

Coalición hondureña pide acelerar acuerdo con ONU para la Cicih
Agencia EFE, La Presa, 23 de octubre de 2024
“La Coalición Anticorrupción de Honduras pidió este miércoles al Gobierno acelerar las negociaciones con Naciones Unidas (ONU) para constituir un mecanismo internacional que combata de ‘manera decisiva’ la corrupción y la impunidad, dos flagelos que han ‘socavado’ las instituciones del país”.

Guatemala Vice President to address migration issue in Honduras
Prensa Latina, October 17, 2024
“Guatemalan Vice President Karin Herrera will seek to follow up the immigration issue in Honduras, after which she will sign an agreement to strengthen institutional capacities and governance.”

Regional

U.S election rhetoric on migration undermines Washington’s soft power in Latin America
Dr. Christopher Sabatini, Chatham House, October 23, 2024
“The US’s broken immigration system has become a central theme of the 2024 election campaign. But the discussion on immigration, undocumented immigrants, and asylum seekers – increasingly lurching into dehumanizing rhetoric – extends beyond US borders.”

‘I Love Kamala’: Migrants Fear Trump Victory As Caravan Heads To US
Jason Hopkins, Daily Caller, 23 october, 2024
“Numerous migrants that are part of a massive caravan headed for the U.S.-Mexico border expressed fear of a Republican presidential victory, believing that former President Donald Trump would not let them into the country if he returns to the White House.” 

OIM y Plan Trifinio potenciarán aportes de la migración al desarrollo en frontera de El Salvador, Honduras y Guatemala
Organización Internacional para las Migraciones, 19 de octubre de 2024
“La Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM) y la Comisión Trinacional del Plan Trifinio (CTPT) firmaron hoy un acuerdo de cooperación para impulsar el desarrollo sostenible y la gobernanza de la migración en la región Trifinio, una zona que abarca 8 distritos en El Salvador, 15 municipios en Guatemala y 22 municipios en Honduras. Este convenio refuerza la colaboración para enfrentar los desafíos sociales, económicos y medioambientales de la región”. 

Gobierno reitera a la comunidad internacional posición del país sobre relación con Haití y la migración 
El Caribe, 18 de octubre de 2024
“El Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores (Mirex) informó que, ante las reiteradas acusaciones que han realizado autoridades haitianas respecto a las repatriaciones de inmigrantes indocumentados, que incluyen un supuesto racismo de Estado, el Gobierno dominicano consideró propicio reiterar a la comunidad internacional su rechazo a estos señalamientos”.

Why Do Latin American Governments Keep Betting on States of Emergency?
Jeronimo Lopez, Insight Crime, October 15, 2024
“In general, this type of measure suspends civil rights such as the inviolability of the home, freedom of movement, and freedom of assembly, among others. At the same time, it calls on the armed forces to support the police in tackling criminality and militarizes law enforcement.”

Gender and LGBTQ+

U of A researchers to study how family dynamics impact mental health of Latinx LGBTQ youth
Erin Schauer, The University of Arizona News, October 21, 2024
“Toomey said the project aims to address gaps in the research on LGBTQ youth and their families. Much of the existing literature has focused on white, non-Latinx families, which has resulted in recommendations and interventions that don’t take culturally specific experiences into account, he said.”

In México City, Casa Frida provides a haven for LGBTQIA+ migrants
Anita Pouchard Serra and Lucía Cholakian Herrera, Missing Perspectives, October 21, 2024
“To update your paperwork and documents, to access a formal job, to apply for work visas, to look for a home: these movements are easy and ordinary for many. But for someone migrating to a new country, these tasks represent enormous challenges. And for someone moving because they’re fleeing persecution, they’re harder still.”

TRANSEXUALES “Las matan solo por ser diferentes, ASÍ LAS RESCATO” Kenya Cuevas | Relatos Forenses
Relatos Forenses Podcast, octubre de 2024
“Kenia Cuevas es actual directora y fundadora de casa de las muñecas tiresias que es una organización civil legalmente constituida el 2 de abril del 2018 a consecuencia de haber vivido el primer transfeminicidio reconocido en el país a partir del asesinato de su compañera Paola Buenrostro”.

Climate

At COP16, South American Nations Face the Climate Crisis in Real Time
Joshua Collins, Sierra, October 25, 2024
“The multiple crises made for a potent backdrop as Latin American leaders from across the region, and diplomatic personnel from around the world, arrived in Cali to attend the United Nations COP16 conference, which kicked off on Monday. The summit is organized around the theme “Peace With Nature”—though in speeches and casual conversation throughout this week’s events, most acknowledged that there were few signs of peace to be had.”

Holding Out Hope On the Drying Rio Grande 
Martha Pskowski, Inside Climate News, October 23, 2024
“The once-mighty river is barely a trickle through much of West Texas. Scientists and advocates say local initiatives could be scaled up to restore flows to the river.” 

Can Amazon Countries Save the Rain Forest? 
Diana Roy, Council on Foreign Relations, October 22, 2024
“The Amazon Rainforest plays a critical role in global climate health, but accelerating deforestation continues to raise alarm. How are the region’s governments responding?”

Latin America, Caribbean are key to ‘shaping a greener future’: COP29 president
EFE, October 17, 2024
“Latin America and the Caribbean are key players in the global effort against climate change and will play a significant part in the upcoming United Nations COP29 conference in Baku, Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources minister Mukhtar Babayev said in an interview with EFE news agency.”

Actions, alerts, resources

Mexico: Woman human rights defender disappeared
Amnesty International, October 22, 2024
“We call on Mexican authorities to take all necessary steps and resources to find defender Sandra Domínguez alive in coordination with their relatives and all the authorities responsible for the search, as well as bring those responsible for the disappearance to justice.”

11 Ejes para una Nueva Política Migratoria y de Asilo
Grupo de Trabajo sobre Política Migratoria (GTPM), Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración, AC (IMUMI), Grupo de Acción por la No Detención de Personas Refugiadas, Centro de Atención a la Familia Migrante Indígena (CAFAMI), Sin Fronteras, IAP, imumi , 2024-2030
“Se trata de un esfuerzo apartidista y sin fines de lucro que busca generar un consenso entre las fuerzas políticas, sociales y empresariales con el fin de colocar en el centro de la agenda nacional las necesidades de las personas migrantes, solicitantes de asilo, refugiadas, apátridas, con protección complementaria, retornadas, deportadas y mexicanas residentes en el exterior”.

• *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