Tighter security fails to stop caravan of as many as 1,000 Central Americans

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June 5, 2019

The new caravan of migrants that arrived today in Mexico.

The federal government has tightened security at Mexico’s southern border after pressure from United States President Donald Trump to do more to stop migration flows into the U.S., but authorities failed to stop a new migrant caravan entering the country on Wednesday.

As many as 1,000 Central Americans crossed the Rodolfo Robles international bridge between Tecún Umán, Guatemala, and Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, this morning, overwhelming immigration agents.

Other migrants who had already crossed the Suchiate river on rafts joined the caravan members and together they began the 30-kilometer journey to Tapachula.

But an operation by immigration agents and federal forces was set in motion late this morning just as Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard prepares to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an effort to persuade the U.S. to withdraw its plan to impose a 5% tariff on Mexican exports.

Forces have been deployed to Metapa, about 15 kilometers from Tapachula, where they intend to stop the caravan.

The newspaper Reforma reported that the caravan attracted members via an announcement on social media and left Honduras on June 1.

In recent days, the government has bolstered security at the border with Guatemala and set up additional highway checkpoints to stop migrants.

In Chiapas, the National Immigration Institute (INM) has installed at least 10 new checkpoints on the 140-kilometer stretch of highway between Tapachula and Pijijiapan, Reforma said.

Migrants who have entered Mexico illegally run the risk of detention and deportation if arrested.

Statistics show that both arrests and deportations have increased significantly in recent months and this month the INM has already reported the repatriation of 68 Cubans and 100 Hondurans, who were flown to San Pedro Sula in a Federal Police plane.

Following Trump’s announcement last week that he intends to place a 5% tariff on all Mexican exports to the United States to pressure Mexico to “take effective actions” to alleviate the “illegal migration crisis,” the military and police have also increased raids on cheap hotels and guesthouses in Tapachula as part of the strategy to arrest undocumented migrants.

The raids have generated fear and uncertainty among Central American, Cuban and African migrants currently staying in the city.

“So scary,” a Cuban migrant told the New York Times after a hotel raid last week. “The fear never goes away.”

US border arrests since 2000. CPB/the washington post

Military police are also guarding the Siglo XXI migrant detention center in Tapachula, where there have been several riots and mass escapes in recent months.

In Veracruz, Federal Police have been deployed to stop migrants from boarding northbound freight trains known collectively and colloquially as “La Bestia” (The Beast).

While the government has stressed that migrants’ human rights will be respected, advocacy groups warn that those rights are threatened by the increasingly militarized approach to combating people’s transit through Mexico.

“Raids and migration control operations have intensified along the entire [Chiapas] coast,” said an umbrella organization of human rights and migrant advocacy groups after they participated in an observation mission to southern Mexico.

“Immigration detention conditions have worsened [to a point that they] amount to forms of physical and psychological torture and other cruel treatments. We demand that the Mexican state comply with . . . its commitment to implement an immigration policy of respect for human rights and not repression.”

U.S. authorities today released statistics indicating that more than 144,000 undocumented migrants were arrested in May, up 32% compared to April. It was the highest monthly figure in 13 years, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said.

May was the third consecutive month in which arrests were near or over 100,000.

CBP officials said holding cells are “bursting at the seams” and the agency’s acting commissioner said they are in “a full-blown emergency . . . the system is broken.”

John Sanders said the CBP has detained more than 680,000 illegal migrants in the past eight months.

UPDATE, June 5, 5:04pm CDT: Security forces rounded up 600 of the migrants in Metapa at about noon today and transported them to an immigration office to review their legal situation. The rest of the caravan escaped capture.

Source: Reforma (sp), The Washington Post (en), Milenio (sp)

Decree bans marriage for children under 18, eliminates exceptions

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Simon Schatzberg

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June 5, 2019

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child bride — She has to be 18 under new decree.

A decree published on Tuesday by the federal government banned marriage for children under 18 in 31 out of 32 states.

The decree annulled certain laws that allowed local authorities and families to provide exceptions or consent for child marriages.

Exceptions to the ban can still be granted in Baja California.

The National System for Protection of Children and Adolescents (Sipinna) celebrated the decree, saying it will help protect the rights of children.

“This will help promote a cultural change to eradicate forced marriages,” read a statement by the organization.

Since its creation in 2015, Sipinna has been advocating for a ban on child marriage, making alliances with international and national civil society organizations.

As of 2016, marriage was legal for boys as young as 16 and girls as young as 14 in 24 states. In some of the 18 states where child marriage was banned, the law contained provisions for families or local authorities to grant exceptions.

Almost 1.3 million child marriages take place in Mexico every year, making it one of the 10 countries with the highest number of cases. According to Save the Children, one in every five Mexican women get married before their 18^th birthday, 73% of whom do not finish school. Child marriages also put women and girls at higher risks of physical and sexual violence.

But pressure has been mounting to ban child marriage in recent years. In March, the Supreme Court upheld a ban on on the practice in Aguascalientes from a challenge to its constitutionality. On May 1, the Chamber of Deputies approved a measure to ban child marriage at the federal level with near unanimity.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp), La Opinión (sp)

Mexico City introduces 14 measures to address air quality

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MND Staff

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June 5, 2019

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mexico city air pollution — New measures are intended to prevent this.

Three weeks after issuing an emergency alert in Mexico City due to extremely high levels of air pollution, the Environmental Commission of the Megalopolis yesterday presented 14 proposals aimed at reducing contamination.

Commission chief Víctor Hugo Páramo said the proposed measures will help to reduce fine airborne particulate matter by between 12% and 14% and volatile organic compounds by 46% beginning in 2020.

He explained that during a one-month period members of the public can email their opinions about the measures or their own proposals.

Citizens’ responses will be taken into account during the development of the plan to improve air quality in the Valley of México metropolitan area, Páramo said.

The 14 proposals are:

1. Emissions reduction in the distribution and use of LP gas.

The mandatory use of low-emission valves in the distribution and storage of gas is proposed for 2020. A social awareness campaign will educate the public about how to check for gas leaks and make informed purchases of gas tanks.

2. Reduction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in household products.

Official emergency regulations will inform the public about the quantity of VOCs in different household cleaning products, personal hygiene products, paints and enamels. Rules will be established to ensure that the government only purchases products with low levels of VOCs.

3. Emissions controls at gas stations.

Inspections of gas stations will aim to detect and control evaporative gasoline emissions from fuel pumps. Gas stations will be supported to increase the efficiency of their control systems and a mechanism will be established to allow citizens to report stations where they have detected excessive gasoline odors.

4. Cleaner gasoline.

Authorities will modify existing regulations to ensure greater availability of low volatility gasoline between March and June, a period during which air quality in the capital and surrounding area tends to deteriorate.

5. Fire prevention.

As more than 60% of forest fires are the result of negligence, authorities will restrict controlled burns, including those for agricultural purposes, in the peak fire season of April and May.

6. Low emissions industry.

The use of natural gas and solar energy in local factories will be promoted and supported by authorities in the metropolitan area.

7. Environmentally-friendly public works.

Environmental and infrastructure authorities will collaborate to establish sustainable guidelines for the execution of public works. Machinery used in government infrastructure projects must be fitted with particle filters.

8. Crackdown on vehicle pollution.

Efforts to detect vehicles that are visibly polluting the air and to fine their drivers will be increased. Stricter circulation restrictions will be imposed on heavy vehicles and citizens will be encouraged to report sightings of vehicles that are in clear violation of emissions laws.

9. Stricter emissions limits for new cars.

New regulations will stipulate stricter emissions limits for new cars and provide incentives for the use of electric and hybrid vehicles.

10. Restrictions on the sale of motorcycles.

By the year 2021, it is proposed that all new motorcycles sold in Mexico City must meet European emissions standards.

11. Introduction of a new emissions verification scheme for vehicles.

Hybrid and electric vehicles will be issued with “ecological” license plates and all other vehicles will have to pass stricter emissions tests in order to be able to circulate without restrictions, or in the case of older cars, remain on the road.

12. Sustainable transportation.

Authorities will reduce the use of government vehicles on Fridays this year and car-pooling programs for public employees will be introduced next year. Incentives will be on offer for those who participate in car-pooling schemes.

13. Public transit expansion.

New bus lines are proposed for Mexico City and México state and a high percentage of public buses will undergo modification to make them more environmentally friendly. Extension of Line 12 of the Metro system is under consideration and more cycle paths and bike parking stations will be built.

14. Development of technology that helps to reduce emissions.

Authorities will call for the submission of proposals that utilize new technologies to help reduce contamination.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

No more ‘academic tourism’ as AMLO rejects travel by researchers

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MND Staff

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June 5, 2019

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AMLO: scientists have been traveling all over the world.

President López Obrador warned researchers and scientists earlier this week that his government’s austerity measures mean that the days of “academic tourism” are over, but it turns out he was misinformed.

The president told reporters at his morning press conference on Monday that he has received more than 300 requests from public university academics asking for approval to travel overseas on the public purse.

In a May 3 memorandum, López Obrador said all overseas trips by government officials must be authorized by him and that allowances for approved travel had been cut by 50%.

On Monday, he said that scientists and researchers must be able to justify their proposed trips, charging that in the past academics traveled abroad largely for pleasure and that many of them flew in “classes above economy.”

The president added that a lot of international scientific work and collaboration can now be completed via the internet.

He called on the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt) to draw up new protocols that stipulate in which cases overseas travel will be approved, adding that he will cede responsibility for authorization to the agency’s director.

“. . . Only those who really need to will travel, and they’ll do it for the benefit of science,” López Obrador said.

However, Conacyt said in a statement yesterday that researchers can indeed travel without presidential authorization as long as they do not hold management positions. The latter must seek approval from the head of the science agency.

The statement was released following a meeting between Conacyt director María Elena Álvarez-Buylla and Public Administration Secretary Irma Eréndira Sandoval Ballesteros to clarify the legal requirements for obtaining travel approval.

The issue has generated concern within the scientific community.

The former president of the Mexican Academy of Sciences said neither the president nor the federal cabinet was qualified to determine whether a researcher should travel.

“It seems the president has a lot of other things to attend to rather than review travel plans to decide if they are pertinent . . .” said José Franco, who said it was a shame that López Obrador was receiving distorted information.

A researcher at the National Polytechnic Institute’s Center for Investigation and Advanced Study posted a letter to social media in which she challenged López Obrador’s crackdown on travel for academic purposes.

“Mr. President, I understand that in this government the poor come first and that we must help millions of people who, because of the place . . . where they were born, didn’t have the same opportunities as other . . . people. We have to create study and work opportunities for those who didn’t or don’t have them. However, can you explain to me, why the malice towards those who did have them?” Eugenia Roldan wrote.

She said that when Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was president of Brazil between 2003 and 2010, his government not only brought millions of people out of poverty but also significantly increased investment in higher education and research.

“Thousands of Brazilian researchers traveled to international conferences [and] created networks and research projects,” Roldan said before questioning why Mexicans can’t be afforded the same opportunities.

“Why in your government do those who had the opportunity to study have to be cut down, discredited and punished?”

Source: El Economista (sp)

Energy regulator chief quits but AMLO denies he was pressured

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MND Staff

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June 4, 2019

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Regulator chief García and López Obrador.

President López Obrador today denied that the head of Mexico’s energy regulator — of whom the president was critical earlier this year — was pressured to quit.

Guillermo García Alcocer, president of the Energy Regulatory Commission (CRE), announced his resignation yesterday, writing in a letter to the Senate that “the maximum decision-making authority of the commission, the governing body, today has a new composition with a majority vision different to mine.”

He will officially step down on June 15.

López Obrador told reporters at his morning press conference that his government didn’t make any attempt to pressure García to quit.

However, he added that any officials who don’t share his administration’s vision for the country should – in an “act of honesty” – seek alternative employment.

“What’s not right is not to agree with the new project for the nation but to stay [in the government] just for the [perks of the] position,” López Obrador said.

In February, the president leveled a conflict of interest accusation at García but initially didn’t provide any evidence to support his claim.

Days later, Public Administration Secretary Irma Sandoval elaborated on the allegation, stating that a contract had been found for the transportation of natural gas that was awarded to a company at which a family member of García works. The CRE president has denied any wrongdoing.

Prior to López Obrador’s accusation, García had been critical of the candidates proposed by the president to fill four positions on the governing body of the CRE, stating that they lacked expertise in the electricity sector.

In his resignation letter, García said that “with my departure, I want to allow the [energy] sector to continue developing with the adjustments that are required . . . so that the common goal is reached: a dynamic energy sector with public and private participants, which sets the base for national development.”

López Obrador said he will present a short list of candidates to replace García this week and that he will also propose appointments to Pemex and Federal Electricity Commission councils.

The president said that his nominees will be “honest, nationalist . . . truly independent and close to the people.”

Critics of the government, including his former party, have accused López Obrador of attempting to concentrate his power by handpicking candidates to fill roles on independent government institutions.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Rights commission identifies violations in health care and security

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MND Staff

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June 4, 2019

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The president of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has identified violations by the new government in health and public security and charged that human rights don’t appear to be a priority for President López Obrador and his administration.

Luis Raúl González said the government’s austerity measures and its fight against corruption must not be allowed to hinder people’s ability to access public health care.

Hospitals and national health institutes warned last month that they were on the brink of insolvency due to federal budget cuts and the freezing of funds. Shortages of doctors, nurses and medicine were among a range of problems faced by hospitals in at least 24 states as a result of the cuts.

“It’s clear that the health sector presented serious challenges and deficiencies in 2018. However, the outlook with which 2019 has begun doesn’t allow us to infer that this situation could turn around in the current year,” González said yesterday while presenting the commission’s 2017-18 report.

The CNDH chief described evidence of the “worsening of the crisis” in the health sector as “worrying.”

Medical care must not be put at risk in efforts to control spending, combat corruption: commission chief.

“Nobody can be opposed to the public budget being allocated and exercised better, nor to acts of corruption being investigated and punished” but medical care must not be put at risk as a result.

He also that the government’s response to high levels of violent crime is inadequate, charging that a comprehensive and preventative public security strategy – rather than a reactive one – is needed.

Prevailing rates of violence against women, frequent attacks on journalists and human rights defenders, the escalating number of lynching cases, the continued occurrence of abductions and a worsening of violence towards prison staff, police and members of the armed forces serve as evidence of “the need to tackle the insecurity and violence crisis” with a “real strategy that prioritizes [crime] prevention and is not limited to . . an eminently reactive force as is the National Guard,” González said.

The human rights ombudsman charged that in the six months since the new government took office, “incidents, acts and oversights are beginning to accumulate that, seen as a whole, make us assume that” the respect of human rights is not a “premise” on which the government is based.

He claimed that the López Obrador administration is “not adopting pertinent measures” to confront the problems Mexico faces in a range of different areas including those within the realm of human rights.

“Hopefully respect for human dignity really finds a space and place within the policies, plans, programs and actions of the government . . .” González said.

“Criticism of civic groups and groups of journalists, and the need to avoid comments that divide or polarize people, are things that should be examined to ensure better protection for human rights,” he asserted.

López Obrador acknowledged today that he has polarized Mexico, stating that he had done so because not everyone agrees with his anti-corruption and anti-poverty measures.

He also said that the comments made by the CNDH president are valid and that his government would accept all the commission’s recommendations.

However, the president insisted that the defense of human rights is a fundamental premise of his government and pledged that any shortcomings will be rectified.

“. . .If there are things to do to comply with human rights recommendations, [to address] human rights violations, we’ll get up to speed, they’ll be dealt with . . .”

Source: El Universal (sp), Noticieros Televisa (sp)

11 murders in 4 days greet Uruapan’s new security measures

By

Simon Schatzberg

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June 4, 2019

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Eleven people have been killed since the implementation last Thursday of a security plan by the state and federal governments that seeks to reduce violence in the Michoacán city.

The murders occurred in seven different incidents in the city, which is home to 315,000 people and lies 70 miles southwest of the state capital. Most of those killed died of gunshot wounds.

The bloody weekend follows a trend of rising violence. In the first four months of 2019, Uruapan registered 39 homicides, the highest in five years.

Last Thursday, Michoacán Governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo announced the second phase of a security plan, which includes the deployment of 400 state police and 200 federal personnel to patrol the city.

Aureoles also said that by the end of the year, Uruapan will have the 800 municipal police officers necessary for a city its size. The governor promised there will be “no truce” with organized crime.

“We need to confront the security challenge head on, and go as far as necessary,” said Aureoles. “We’re not going back to the days when criminals were in charge.”

Uruapan Mayor Víctor Manuel Manríquez González recognized the complexity of the problem, and the need for cooperation between federal, state and local authorities.

“Having support from the people is fundamental, because we won’t be able to end insecurity alone,” he said. “It’s important for us to be close to the public so we can improve conditions.”

The Uruapan security plan was announced after a deadly confrontation on May 22 between Los Viagras and the Jalisco New Generation Cartel killed 10 people. The next day, the burned remains of five people were found in an abandoned pickup truck on the Uruapan-Los Reyes highway.

Source: El Universal (sp), Proceso (sp), Mi Morelia (sp)

15,000 turn up to seek work at new oil refinery in Tabasco

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MND Staff

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June 4, 2019

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More than 15,000 people lined up for as long as 24 hours in Villahermosa, Tabasco, to sign up for jobs building the state’s new oil refinery.

While waiting in a queue that eventually grew to more than four kilometers in length, job seekers were forced to endure both the hot Tabasco sun and rain, according to a report in the newspaper El Universal.

But with more than 20,000 jobs expected to be on offer during the three years it will take to build the Dos Bocas refinery, there was ample incentive for residents of Tabasco – which has the highest unemployment rate in the country – and bordering states to put up with the long wait and discomfort.

The Tabasco government announced a week ago that it would open an employment center at the Tabasco Park in the state capital at 10:00am Monday but the most enthusiastic job seekers began arriving Sunday morning.

Among the first to arrive was Bartolomé Paredes, a 68-year-old man from Minatitlán, Veracruz, who traveled for three hours to reach Villahermosa along with other residents of the violence-plagued city.

“I haven’t worked for six years,” he told El Universal while waiting for the job center to open.

“We’ve looked for opportunities but there aren’t any so we have to wait,” Paredes said, adding that he had scraped by in recent years taking on any odd jobs that he could find.

He claimed to have 40 years’ experience in the petroleum sector, explaining that he has worked as a welder and coppersmith on refinery and oil platform projects.

Paredes said he had full confidence in President López Obrador’s pledge to build the new refinery in three years, although experts have questioned the state oil company’s technical capacity to execute the project.

“Of course we have faith that this refinery will materialize, he’s our leader, he’s the messiah that we were waiting for, he’s come to save the country and the southeast,” he said.

José Luis Olivera, a 40-year-old Minatitlán man with an education degree, said he was hopeful of gaining employment in the construction of the new refinery because union corruption in his home state makes work hard to come by for people who refuse to pay for the privilege.

“We lined up since last night in the rain . . . we hope that they give us the opportunity to work,” he said. “I’ve worked at several refineries . . . as a technical assistant.”

Among the thousands of other people who lined up yesterday were engineers, welders, electricians and even unemployed people with few skills and little education but a lot of hope.

Due to the huge response from people looking for work, management graduate Doralida García Salvador said that applying for a job was “like looking for a needle in a haystack” but added that she had faith that the refinery project would help to reduce the high levels of unemployment in Tabasco.

López Obrador officially launched construction of the US $8-billion refinery on Sunday even though some studies for the project haven’t been carried out and it lacks all the required permits.

The president announced last month that Pemex and the Secretariat of Energy will be responsible for building the refinery because the bids made by private companies were too high and their estimated time frames to complete the project were too long.

Source: El Universal (sp)

El Popo ash fall reported in 13 municipalities of Morelos, 3 in México

By

Madison Koen

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June 4, 2019

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Municipalities in Morelos and México state reported ash fall after the Popocatépetl volcano erupted yesterday, leaving surrounding areas on alert.

The national disaster prevention agency Cenapred registered two explosions, which shot volcanic material more than three kilometers into the air in a southeasterly direction at 9:20 am yesterday, affecting more than a quarter of the state’s 37 municipalities.

There have been another 37 exhalations in the last 24 hours, which were accompanied by steam, gases and a small earth tremor.

According to authorities, ash fell in 13 municipalities in Morelos and two in the state of México.

Officials in Morelos did not rule out the possibility that the ash could reach as far as the metropolitan area of Cuernavaca, and they urged residents to take precautions, including refraining from outside activities, using face masks, covering water tanks, sealing windows and doors, covering skin and hair as much as possible and cleaning eyes and throat with pure water in case of exposure.

Federal Civil Protection authorities recently deescalated the volcano’s alert level from yellow Phase 3 to yellow Phase 2 (the alert levels correspond to traffic light colors, with three phases each) due to a decrease in the severity of volcanic activity.

State officials emphasized that despite the large number of municipalities affected, the ash fall observed yesterday was well within the parameters of normal activity during a yellow Phase 2 alert.

Source: Milenio, (sp), Proceso (sp), ADN40 (sp)

Suspected Santa Rosa gang leader arrested in Guanajuato

By

César Hernández

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June 4, 2019

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A man believed to be a leader of the Santa Rosa de Lima Cartel in Guanajuato was apprehended last week for a second time, state officials said.

Juan Elías “El Metra,” 26, was arrested after a car chase in Celaya in which his vehicle struck a house. He tried to evade capture on foot, but was soon arrested.

Authorities believe “El Metra” is among the senior leaders of the cartel, operating mainly in the municipalities of Celaya, Apaseo and Villagrán and was considered a priority target in dismantling the Santa Rosa de Lima organization.

He faces four charges of homicide, including that of a minor, while the state Attorney General’s Office is investigating his involvement in several homicides and other crimes.

“El Metra” was arrested last year but was admitted to Celaya General Hospital after complaining of feeling ill. Armed civilians forced their way into the hospital and set him free.

Source: Milenio (sp)