IRTF News

Guatemala's president-elect, Bernardo Arévalo, accuses political and judicial forces of attempting to prevent his January inauguration through corrupt means, warning that their success would lead to economic disaster, increased migration to the US, and the establishment of an authoritarian regime. Arévalo, elected in August, emphasizes the desperation for change in Guatemala and accuses Attorney General Consuelo Porras and others of undermining democracy. He anticipates sanctions if prevented from taking office, making it difficult to attract investment. Arévalo's economic plans include doubling public investment, improving the rule of law, and reducing debt relative to GDP by 2028.

The Organization of American States (OAS) plans to continue monitoring Nicaragua's democracy and human rights situation despite the country's impending departure from the organization. Nicaragua's withdrawal, initiated by President Daniel Ortega, will not deter OAS from scrutinizing his administration. The OAS aims to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms in Nicaragua, sending a message of support to the Nicaraguan people. The resolution is seen as crucial in the face of Ortega's government suppressing dissent since the 2018 protests. Although Nicaragua's exit is considered a setback for democracy, OAS members express determination to stand by the country, rejecting the notion of abandonment. Ortega's government initiated the withdrawal process in 2021, following international criticism of flawed elections. Brazil hopes for Nicaragua's eventual return, while Uruguay warns Ortega that the departure won't be easy, emphasizing the impact on Nicaraguans living under the perceived dictatorship.

The text provides an update on the ongoing Indefinite National Strike in Guatemala, initiated on October 2nd by Indigenous Ancestral Authorities and supported by various sectors of the population. The main demand is the resignation of officials involved in the "Pact of Corrupt." The Indigenous authorities have shifted their strategy, ending highway blockades but maintaining a sit-in outside the Public Prosecutor's Office in Guatemala City. The US Assistant Secretary of State met with President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo, not the current president, and discussed potential sanctions to ensure democratic order. Political parties in Congress proposed removing Attorney General Consuelo Porras from her post. Tragically, an Indigenous leader involved in the strike was murdered, demanding a thorough investigation. Despite the end of the electoral process, the strike continues, and new actions are expected as the people persist in their demands for justice and accountability. Solidarity with Guatemala is encouraged.

The Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, along with the Latin American Working Group and the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission, has expressed solidarity with the people of Guatemala, particularly Indigenous communities, who are fighting for democracy, human rights, and accountability. They condemn the Guatemalan government's attempts to overturn the August 20, 2023 elections and prevent President-Elect Bernardo Arévalo from taking office. The government's tactics include intimidation, threats, and legal actions against election workers and the winning party, Movimiento Semilla. The international community recognizes Arévalo's landslide victory. The protesters, including Indigenous authorities, human rights activists, women's groups, and religious leaders, demand the resignation of corrupt officials and the protection of their constitutional right to peaceful protest. The article calls on the United States to impose sanctions on the guilty officials and urges the Guatemalan government to respect the election results and ensure a peaceful transition of power. The solidarity statement expresses support for the courageous people of Guatemala in their struggle for democracy and the rule of law.

The US Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian Nichols, visited Guatemala to support a peaceful presidential transition but was denied a meeting by President Giammattei. Meanwhile, members of the US House Democracy Partnership urgently requested Secretary of State Antony Blinken to ensure a peaceful transition of power in Guatemala. Additionally, US House representatives, led by Congresswoman Norma Torres, called for strong sanctions, including financial ones, to protect democracy in Guatemala amid concerns of attacks on election workers. The State Department also added former and current Guatemalan officials, including Gendri Rocael Reyes Mazariegos and Alberto Pimentel Mata, to the corrupt actors list due to their involvement in significant corruption, making them ineligible for entry into the United States.

On behalf of IRTF’s Rapid Response Network (RRN) members, we wrote six letters this month to heads of state and other high-level officials in Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, and Mexico, urging their swift action in response to human rights abuses occurring in their countries.  We join with civil society groups in Latin America to: (1) protect people living under threat, (2) demand investigations into human rights crimes, (3) bring human rights criminals to justice.

Volunteers with the Rapid Response Network (RRN)—together with IRTF staff—write letters in response to six urgent human rights cases each month. We send copies of these letters to US ambassadors, embassy human rights officers, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, regional representatives of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and desk officers at the US State Department. To read the letters, see https://www.irtfcleveland.org/content/rrn , or ask us to mail you hard copies.

You can read this monthly newsletter at https://www.irtfcleveland.org/blog.

When we hear about the Border Patrol apprehending people along the southern border, we tend to imagine people from Mexico or Central America. But the national origins of migrants are much more varied, and the Border Patrol isn’t exactly “apprehending” as many people because most are turning themselves in at ports-of-entry.

In this month’s newsletter, we report that 100% of Haitians encountered by the Border Patrol affirmatively presented themselves at ports-of-entry, as did 88% of Cubans and 96% of Russians. Although Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is reporting increases in the number of migrants it “encounters,” (an 82% increase from June to July; a 36% increase from July to  August), the numbers of migrants encountered by CBP are still well below the numbers from 2022.

Mexican nationals still top the numbers of encounters by CBP. But current trends indicate that Venezuelans might soon push them out of that number one spot.

To slow the migration of Venezuelans to the US, the Biden administration is taking some new steps. One: Biden signed an agreement with President Maduro to lift some of the economic sanctions on Venezuela and, in reciprocity, Maduro agreed to start accepting deportation flights of Venezuelans. Two: Biden announced in September that it will allow Venezuelans who entered the U.S. on or before July 31 to receive temporary protected status, allowing them to apply for a work visa and deferred deportation for 18 months. Three: Biden plans to spend $10 million in foreign aid to help Panama deport more migrants who do not qualify for asylum protections. Four: In June, the US opened two Safe Mobility Offices in Colombia (as it has in Costa Rica and Guatemala) to consider nationals from Cuba, Haiti, and Venezuela for humanitarian protection or other legal pathways. Five: The US had made deals with Panama and Mexico to begin deporting citizens of Venezuela from their countries.

Since Venezuelans can no longer get visas to fly to places like Mexico, many are been voyaging through the deadly jungles of the Darién Gap that lies between Colombia and Panama. According to the government of Panamá, 334,000 migrants have made the trek since January; 60% have been Venezuelan. The $10 million Biden is offering to Panama (see above) is intended to push US border enforcement south from the US-Mexico border to the Panama-Colombia border.

Migration justice advocates continue to call for addressing structural issues in Latin America that are pushing emigration. Many of those issues are caused by, or exacerbated by, US policies (e.g., militarization of security forces, economic sanctions, mineral extraction, support for non-democratic regimes). Unless people see hope of real change and can envision raising their families in safe environments at home, migration will continue. But the US continues to respond with militarized borders, criminalization of migration, mass incarceration, and deportation.

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DONATE: Please consider supporting IRTF’s Migrant Justice work. Click HERE to donate. Thank you.

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Welcome to IRTF’s October 2023 newsletter on Migrant Justice and the current situation at the US-Mexico border! After you’ve looked through the articles, we hope you can take a few minutes to see the TAKE ACTION items at the bottom.

UN experts, led by Marco Feoli Villalobos of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture (SPT), urged Guatemala to safeguard the human rights of detainees after their second visit to the country. Despite challenges in transportation and communication, the delegation inspected over 20 detention facilities, including prisons, migrant shelters, and children's homes. They found alarming conditions that could amount to torture and called on Guatemala to modernize its criminal justice system with input from all branches of government. The SPT will share its findings and recommendations in a confidential report with Guatemala, encouraging the state to make it public. The delegation also engaged with civil society and international organizations during their visit.