Third migrants’ caravan scheduled to leave El Salvador within the next week

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October 24, 2018

A third caravan of migrants is expected to leave Central America within the next week, which could bring the total number of people escaping poverty and violence by making the northward trek to nearly 10,000.

The third wave, believed to have been inspired by the caravan now traveling through Chiapas, is scheduled to leave El Salvador on October 28 and cross the border into via Tecún Umán, Guatemala, according to one report.

Organized on a Facebook group called El Salvador Emigrates for a Better Future, the caravan’s communications on social media are being monitored by the United States Department of Homeland Security, NBC News reported after obtaining an internal government report. That document indicated the departure date would be October 31, and that so far the migrants were largely families traveling with children.

The first and largest caravan entered Mexico via Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, last Friday and according to the United Nations is composed of more than 7,000 people. Today it is en route to Mapastepec, Chiapas.

A second caravan of about 2,500 people from Honduras that is currently in Guatemala has divided into two smaller groups.

Guatemala police said one group of about 1,500 people is en route to Tecún Umán while the other group of about 1,000 is planning to cross into Mexico at El Ceibo, Tabasco. Local media reported that the second group’s numbers have been augmented by migrants in the Honduras caravan who were deported from Mexico last week.

“Several units of the police are accompanying the caravan for security reasons,” said police spokesman Pablo Castillo. He also explained that military personnel and police attempted unsuccessfully to stop the advance of the group on Monday.

The Guatemala government said it was adopting measures to stop the entry of more migrants from Honduras and El Salvador into its territory, although attempts by both Guatemala and Mexico to halt the flow have failed.

In El Salvador, the government has taken a different stance. President Salvador Sánchez Cerén expressed support yesterday for the first caravan of migrants and criticized the position of U.S. President Donald Trump despite the latter’s announcement that he would cut aid to El Salvador and other Central American countries for not preventing the migrants from leaving.

“For us, to migrate is a human right so the rights of migrants have to be protected; we are totally opposed to the policy of Donald Trump,” he said.

Emigration from El Salvador has contributed to the development of the U.S. and helped the North American economy, Sánchez continued.

Trump has claimed that there are “Maras,” or members of the criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha, among the migrants, although the gang originated in Los Angeles, California. However, most were originally from El Salvador.

Source: El Universal (sp), NBC News (en), Infobae (sp)

No casualties reported after Hurricane Willa makes landfall in southern Sinaloa

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MND Staff

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October 24, 2018

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Damage caused by Hurricane Willa in southern Sinaloa.

Hurricane Willa slammed into the coast of southern Sinaloa last night, bringing heavy rain and strong winds that toppled trees and utility poles but no casualties have been reported.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) said Willa made landfall at 7:38pm in the municipality of Escuinapa.

The category 3 hurricane brought winds of 195 kilometers per hour with gusts as strong as 240 kilometers per hour.

“It was really strong,” Cecilia Crespo, a police spokeswoman in Escuinapa, told the news agency Reuters. “It knocked down trees, lamps, poles, walls. There’s no electricity.”

Sinaloa Governor Quirino Ordaz said this morning that Willa caused a lot of material damage in Escuinapa and other coastal municipalities but there were no deaths.

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“Communication to towns has been cut off because a lot of utility poles collapsed, trees fell, there is no electricity or drinking water . . . neighborhoods are flooded and it’s not easy to access them . . .” he said.

Waves of four to six meters were reported on the coasts of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco. Durango and Zacatecas also felt the effects of the powerful storm as it moved inland.

Before reaching the Mexican mainland, Willa passed over Las Islas Marias, where a federal penitentiary is located. Authorities said that the safety of prisoners was a priority but declined to comment on what precautions had been taken, citing security concerns.

Some roads and highways in Sinaloa, Nayarit and Durango were partially closed last night.

The ceiling of the laundry at the Escuinapa General Hospital collapsed and a strong odor of gas was reported, the newspaper El Universal reported.

National Civil Protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente confirmed that no deaths had been reported going into Wednesday, explaining that “the population took cover in time.”

More than 19,000 people were evacuated from coastal municipalities in Sinaloa and Nayarit, some of whom went to shelters set up by state and municipal authorities.

Willa weakened rapidly as it moved inland and was downgraded early this morning to a tropical depression.

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that maximum sustained winds had decreased to about 35 kilometers per hour with higher gusts.

“Further weakening is forecast and Willa is expected to dissipate by early afternoon,” it added.

At 10:00am CDT, the remnants of Willa were located about 120 kilometers west of Monterrey, Nuevo León.

Despite Willa’s weakening, the SMN is forecasting it will cause intense storm activity in Durango today and very strong storms in Zacatecas.

The Center for Atmospheric Sciences at the National Autonomous University (UNAM) said that in Sinaloa and Nayarit the biggest risk to the safety of the population was the potential of landslides in mountainous areas of the states.

The army is assisting federal, state and municipal authorities to assess damage and respond to the needs of affected citizens.

Source: El Financiero (sp), El Universal (sp), Reuters (en), Noticieros Televisa (sp)

UN warns some migrants are in danger should they be deported

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MND Staff

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October 23, 2018

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Migrants squeeze into the back of a truck in Chiapas.

The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that the migrant caravan currently traveling through Mexico is likely to include people fleeing “real danger” in their countries of origin.

UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards told a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, today that “in any situation like this it is essential that people have the chance to request asylum and have their international protection needs properly assessed, before any decision on return/deportation is made.”

The federal government last week warned members of the caravan, made up mainly of Hondurans, that if they enter Mexico illegally, they will be detained and deported.

However, after attempts to prevent the caravan from entering Mexico on Sunday proved futile, the migrants have walked and/or traveled on the back of trucks or in other vehicles through Chiapas unimpeded.

The government invited the UNHCR to help attend to the migrant caravan, whose numbers have been estimated as high as 7,000 people.

Most of the migrants don’t have visas and haven’t formally requested asylum with the National Immigration Institute (INM).

Around 200 migrants remain camped out on the bridge in Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, on the border between Guatemala and Mexico waiting to enter Mexico legally, the newspaper Milenio reported.

Edwards said that as of yesterday there were 45 UNHCR staff in Tapachula, Chiapas, and that others are en route.

“Working in support of the Mexican authorities, our teams are providing staffing and technical help to ensure timely registration of asylum seekers, setting up identification and referral mechanisms for those with specific vulnerabilities and needs, and increasing assistance and shelter capacity,” he said.

“Of concern to UNHCR at present is the developing humanitarian situation and the known kidnapping and security risks in areas the caravan may venture into. Stabilizing the situation has become urgent. It is essential that there are proper reception and other conditions for those seeking asylum as well as for others on the move.”

Most members of the caravan have now reached Huixtla, a Chiapas municipality about 40 kilometers north of Tapachula.

The Chiapas Attorney General’s office said that an unidentified man believed to be a member of the migrant caravan died yesterday after falling from a vehicle on the Tapachula-Huehuetán highway.

Migrants camping out in Huixtla’s main square last night lit candles in homage to their deceased companion.

The migrants are resting in the town today where local residents and church groups have been providing food and clothing. The municipal government provided two partially covered sports facilities and the Red Cross has been handing out water.

Tomorrow they plan to set out for Mapastepec, a coastal municipality just over 60 kilometers north of Huixtla.

The final destination for most is the United States’ southern border where they intend to seek asylum.

The migrants appear to be undeterred by United States President Trump’s threats to deploy the military and close the border.

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“I’m very exhausted, I hope I can bear it [the journey to the U.S.], I want to be able to have a house to provide a future for my children, I’ve got three little ones. I left Guatemala because of crime, poverty and threats,” Rafael Suárez said.

Irineo Mujica, a member of the migrant advocacy group Pueblo Sin Fronteras (People Without Borders), hit back at Trump’s claim that “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in” with the caravan members.

“Donald Trump says there are terrorists in the caravan; they must be the women, the bombs must be the diapers,” he said.

“It’s a disgrace that this powerful president uses this caravan for political purposes.”

Trump admitted today that he had no proof that anyone from the Middle East was traveling among the migrants but suggested there might be.

A second caravan of migrants left Honduras on Sunday with plans to travel through Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Tamaulipas to reach the border city of McAllen, Texas.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Pemex’s gift to AMLO: 107,000 retirees and costly pension payments

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MND Staff

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October 23, 2018

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Pemex has almost as many retired workers on pensions as it has employees on the payroll.

When president-elect López Obrador takes office on December 1 there will be no welcome gift from the state oil company. In fact, he will get an unwelcome gift from Pemex: an increasingly expensive pension plan with more than 107,000 recipients.

Each of the 107,249 former Pemex employees on the company’s pension plan receives on average 35,574 pesos (US $1,833) per month, which adds up to a monthly bill of more than 3.8 billion pesos (US $196.7 million).

Just under 30,000 of the retirees concluded their service during the six-year administration of President Peña Nieto.

Between January and August of this year, 2,180 Pemex employees lodged their retirement applications including company drivers, debt collectors and technical and medical staff.

Information submitted by the state-owned company to the National Transparency Platform shows that the current government has implemented a strategy aimed at cutting the size of the Pemex workforce in which employees as young as 55 were encouraged to retire.

All of the ex-employees will continue to be entitled to the same pensions regardless of any changes that are made to current federal labor laws, the newspaper El Universal reported.

Such has been the extent of the pension payroll growth that Pemex is now paying almost as many retired workers as current employees.

According to information sent to the Mexican Stock Exchange, the state oil company has 128,505 workers in active service.

During the first eight months of 2018, those employees cost Pemex almost 57.8 billion pesos (just under US $3 billion) in salaries and benefits.

In the same period, retired workers received more than 40.4 billion pesos (US $2.1 billion), according to the federal Finance Secretariat.

By the end of the year, Pemex will have paid out almost 64.9 billion pesos in pensions, over 10 billion pesos (US $516.8 million) more than last year.

The ballooning cost of Pemex pensions contrasts with López Obrador’s plan to reduce government expenditure.

Under the incoming government’s austerity plan, the salaries of lawmakers and other government officials will be reduced and the future president has said he plans to sell off the presidential plane and largely eschew personal security among other cost-cutting measures.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Opera singers to compete in Metropolitan Opera auditions in San Miguel

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César Hernández

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October 23, 2018

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The Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Classical music promoter Pro Musica of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, has been named the Mexico organizer for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions (MONCA).

The competition gives young opera singers the opportunity to launch major careers and ultimately win US $15,000 in cash prizes.

Auditions in San Miguel will take place on November 8 and a public winners concert will be held two days after.

“Since 1954, the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions have been regarded as a major step on the road to an international career in opera. We look forward to hearing the talented singers that Mexico has to offer and hope we will see some of them on the Met stage as a result of our auditions,” said Melissa Wegner, executive director of MONCA.

“Mexico has a vibrant opera history with Mexican stars like the late Oralia Domínguez, Javier Camarena and Ramón Vargas gracing the stage of the world’s great opera houses. That legacy continues today and Pro Musica is honored to be partnering with the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in helping more talented young singers achieve their dreams,” added Michael Pearl, president of the organization.

More than 1,000 opera singers between the ages of 20 and 30 are expected to participate in the 2019 MONCA program, the longest-running singing competition in the United States.

Up to four winners of the San Miguel-Mexico district will each receive $1,500 in prize money and move on to the 2019 Gulf Coast Regional Finals to be held in January in New Orleans.

Past winners include some of the world’s best-known opera stars, among them Renée Fleming, Thomas Hampson, Jessye Norman, and Frederica von Stade. On average, nearly 100 alumni of the National Council Auditions are seen each season in Metropolitan Opera performances.

Throughout the four-stage competition process, members of the Met’s artistic staff and other professionals from the opera world judge the auditions, giving each singer feedback that includes career advice and ideas on future engagements.

Mexico News Daily

Teachers accuse union boss of embezzling; his predecessor claims she’s still leader

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MND Staff

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October 23, 2018

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Gordillo and Díaz: a leadership challenge.

Dissident teachers have filed a criminal complaint against the boss of the SNTE teachers’ union, accusing him of embezzlement.

The teachers claim that Juan Díaz de la Torre has illegally diverted millions of pesos in union fees and contributions during his five-year tenure at the helm of the union.

The complaint was presented yesterday to the federal Attorney General’s office (PGR).

The spokesman for the group told the newspaper Reforma that the union’s members expect the PGR to summon de la Torre to make a statement about the whereabouts of the missing funds.

“. . . There are thousands of teachers in the country who are in the dark because they don’t know what their money is being used for,” Venancio Morales said. “We are demanding that all this be clarified . . . because we presume embezzlement.”

Morales explained that for the past 10 years union members have not been informed about the status of 20 billion pesos (US $1 billion) held in a teachers’ retirement fund.

“. . . No teacher knows the fate of that money, that’s why we’re asking for accountability in front of the authorities . . . Juan Díaz de la Torre is a usurper . . . and an illegal leader . . .” he said.

In response to the group’s claims, the SNTE filed its own complaint with the PGR, accusing union members, including Morales, of providing false information.

“[The complaint against de la Torre] indicates facts and versions of events that are totally false and devoid of reality,” said the SNTE complaint, filed by the union’s legal representative, Soralla Bañuelos de la Torre.

The complaint said that the fallacy of the dissident teachers’ claims will be proven by documentation the SNTE will present to the PGR when required, adding that the union’s objective is to defend the labor, economic, social and professional rights of its members.

Meanwhile, Díaz’s leadership is being challenged by his predecessor.

Former long-serving SNTE boss Elba Esther Gordillo, released from house arrest in August after she was absolved of corruption charges, reappeared yesterday.

In a video posted to social media, the ex-chief commonly known as La Maestra (The Teacher) is seen addressing a meeting of the anti-Díaz teachers’ organization Maestros Por México (Teachers For Mexico).

During her speech, Gordillo claimed she was still the real leader of the SNTE.

“. . . As I demonstrated my innocence, I am still the president of the union. What Juan Díaz has is the teachers’ checkbook. What I have is the leadership of the workers. That’s the difference,” Gordillo said.

She also urged members to rescue the union via a secret leadership ballot and said that never again would she allow any government to “insult the nation’s teachers.”

Source: Reforma (sp), El Universal (sp), Milenio (sp)

Another migrants’ caravan left Honduras on Sunday bound for Texas

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César Hernández

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October 23, 2018

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A second caravan on the road in Guatemala on Sunday.

A second caravan of migrants left Honduras on Sunday with plans to travel through Chiapas, Oaxaca, Veracruz and Tamaulipas to reach the border city of McAllen, Texas.

The Honduran ambassador to Mexico revealed the information in an interview today with broadcaster Grupo Fórmula, in which he also countered claims by United States President Trump that “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners” were among members of the first caravan, now traveling northward through Chiapas.

Alden Rivera Montes said the migrants “are not maras [members of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13 gang], they are not criminals. They are citizens who struggle for a better life and having reached a certain level of frustration over not having social mobility decided to begin the migration.”

Most decided to leave everything behind and migrate from the northern triangle region of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, either to look for better job opportunities, flee violence or reunite with relatives, the ambassador said.

He also suggested that a Honduran political party was behind the organization of the caravan, alleging that “with deceptions and lies [the migrants] were told they would get transit visas in Mexico, and that the United States was waiting for them. Our people were misled . . . .”

The second caravan, now traveling through Guatemala, numbers almost 1,000, according to a source in the Guatemala police.

Source: El Financiero (sp), Milenio (sp)

Lake Chapala at its highest level in years thanks to Willa

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César Hernández

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October 23, 2018

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Water laps at the surface of the malecón in Jocotepec, Jalisco.

Water levels in Mexico’s largest lake have risen over two meters thanks to the rain brought by weather events, including Hurricane Willa.

In fact, the level of the water in Lake Chapala is the highest it has been in decades, according to water officials, who said on Sunday the lake is at 80.4% capacity. Two weeks ago it was at 77.5%; in July it was at just 51.1% capacity.

The Jalisco state water commission said the total volume of water in the lake is up to almost 6.4 billion cubic meters.

The replenishment surprised some in Jocotepec, where the water rose to the level of the San Cristóbal de Zapotitlán malecón, a rare occurrence.

Civil Protection officials said the promenade was closed as a preventative measure.

The late rainy season has been beneficial for the greater Lake Chapala basin, where the main reservoirs in the region report 100% capacity. The reservoirs release their surplus water into the lake, and as rains are expected to continue for several days, so will the recovery of Lake Chapala’s water level.

Source: Informador (sp), 20 minutos (sp)

Hurricane Willa downgraded but still ‘dangerous;’ landfall forecast this evening

By

MND Staff

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October 23, 2018

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A Banorte branch boards up windows in preparation for Willa.

Hurricane Willa is expected to make landfall this evening near the Sinaloa-Nayarit border, bringing a life-threatening storm surge, strong wind and torrential rain.

The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Willa, currently a category 3 storm, is “expected to be a dangerous hurricane when it reaches the coast of Mexico” although “gradual weakening is forecast today.”

Willa was located about 55 kilometers west-southwest of Las Islas Marias and 205 kilometers south-southwest of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, at 9:00am MDT and moving north-northeast at nine kilometers per hour. Winds were 205 kilometers per hour.

The hurricane is forecast to bring an extremely dangerous storm surge to southern Sinaloa and Nayarit accompanied by “large and destructive waves.”

Up to 46 centimeters of rain are forecast for parts of Jalisco, Nayarit, southern Sinaloa and southern Durango that will likely cause life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.

The National Meteorological Service (SMN) is forecasting storms with torrential rain in Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco. It also forecasting three to five-meter waves on the coasts of Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa.

A hurricane warning is in effect for San Blas, Nayarit, to Mazatlán, Sinaloa. The NHC said that Willa is expected to weaken rapidly after landfall tonight.

Authorities have declared extraordinary emergency situations in 19 municipalities in Nayarit and Sinaloa while President Peña Nieto has ordered the installation of the National Emergency Committee to coordinate the preparation and response to the powerful storm.

The Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) said that it has already deployed a contingency plan in Coahuila, Durango, Sinaloa, Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco.

The state governments of Sinaloa, Nayarit and Jalisco ordered schools in coastal regions to close yesterday and have set up shelters to receive people who have evacuated their homes.

In Mazatlán, thousands of people have evacuated already and buildings were boarded up yesterday as residents prepare for the expected onslaught.

The mayor of Escuinapa, a municipality about 90 kilometers south of Mazatlán directly in the hurricane’s path, said that authorities intended to evacuate at least 10,000 people.

The ports of Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and San Blas, among others, have all been closed.

Between 10,000 and 15,000 people in the northern Nayarit municipalities of Acaponeta and Tecuala are expected to evacuate their homes.

“Let’s not play the macho,” said Nayarit Governor Antonio Echevarría.

“Let’s not act like superheroes. It’s a very strong hurricane, very powerful, and we don’t want any tragedies.”

Farther to the south, Tropical Storm Vicente weakened into a remnant low this morning while moving over Michoacán.

However, it continues to bring heavy rain to southern states including Oaxaca where flash flooding and mudslides have claimed the lives of 12 people, including at least two children, in recent days.

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

More foreigners will come to see the Mexico Grand Prix this year

By

MND Staff

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October 22, 2018

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The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico City, site of this weekend's Grand Prix.

Twenty drivers from 10 teams will be aiming for the checkered flag at this weekend’s Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix in Mexico City.

Three practice sessions will be held at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez race track starting Friday before qualifying Saturday afternoon and the main event Sunday.

High numbers of foreign motorsport fans, especially from the United States, will be on hand to watch the event, the third-last of the 21-race season.

Data from StubHub, an online ticketing company, shows that the U.S. fans will make up 22% of all spectators at the grand prix, up from 14.9% last year.

In contrast, the percentage of Mexican fans at the event will decrease to 71% of the total number of attendees from 79% last year.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton is leading the 2018 Drivers Championship coming into this weekend’s event and if he finishes anywhere in the top seven, the Brit will wrap up the title in the Mexican capital on Sunday.

The two Ferrari drivers, German Sebastian Vettel and Finn Kimi Räikkönen, are in second and third place respectively.

Sergio Pérez, a 28-year-old Guadalajara native who drives for the Force India team, is currently in eighth place. His best result at the Mexican grand prix was in last year’s race when he finished seventh.

The 2018 Mexican Gran Prix will be the 20th edition of the race. Formula 1 was first held in Mexico in 1962 as a non-championship event before becoming an official race between 1963 and 1970 and 1986 and 1992.

The Mexican Grand Prix returned in 2015 and this year’s race will be the penultimate of a five-year deal.

Dutch driver Max Verstappen won last year’s event for the Red Bull team.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to see Formula 4, Porsche Cup and Carrera Panamericana races as a prelude to Sunday’s F1 race, which is scheduled to start at 1:10pm.

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