Work begins on refinery but no permits have been issued: environmental group

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November 20, 2018

Migrants bed down, play cards in Tijuana.

About 300 people, mostly from El Salvador, have arrived at the Guatemala border town of Tecún Umán, intending to cross into Ciudad Hidalgo, Chiapas, when they will become the fifth migrant caravan to enter Mexico since October 19.

The migrants are mostly men; only about 10% are women, some of whom are traveling with children.

The charitable organization Oxfam said it distributed 268 food vouchers to the migrants, while local health authorities said they provided care to about 50 people suffering from fever, headaches and pain.

The latest caravan caught up with 200 who have been staying in churches and shelters in Tecún Umán. The two are expected to merge and cross into Mexico together, on their way to the United States.

There are unofficial reports that more people are planning to leave El Salvador soon, expecting to unite with those at the border and form an even larger caravan.

It is possible that they see greater safety in numbers against efforts by Mexican officials to stop them: members of a small group of 250, also from El Salvador, were arrested November 9 three hours after crossing into Mexico by wading across the Suchiate river.

The waiting caravan has been preceded by four others: 7,000 from Honduras in the first one, followed by a second 10 days later.

The 450 members of the third caravan, this one from El Salvador, decided to turn themselves in to immigration authorities soon after crossing on October 30.

The last caravan to cross into Mexico did so on November 2. It was composed of 3,000 people from El Salvador.

Immigration officials estimated today there are now about 13,800 Central American migrants in Mexico whose destination is the United States. The majority of those are in Tijuana or Mexicali or elsewhere in Baja California.

Source: El Universal (sp) López Dóriga (sp)

Chapo wanted to kill anti-drug boss, bribed security officials with millions: witness

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November 20, 2018

El Chapo's diamond-encrusted .38 was presented as evidence in court in New York.

Plans to kill an anti-drug czar and the names of two senior government officials who accepted million-dollar bribes are among the revelations so far this week at the trial of former drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán.

A former Sinaloa Cartel operations chief said Guzmán wanted to kill the federal government’s top anti-drugs prosecutor in 2005 because he wouldn’t accept bribes, a key prosecution witness said yesterday.

Jesús Zambada, who is providing insider testimony about the accused’s alleged criminal activities, told jurors that Guzmán and his brother and current cartel leader Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada planned to kill José Luis Santiago Vasconcelos because “he didn’t cooperate with anyone.”

The former drug czar, who worked for the federal Attorney General’s office (PGR), was respected and feared by everyone because he wouldn’t accept cartel money, Zambada said.

The ex-cartel member told the court that he was asked to participate in the murder plot by helping to locate Santiago and “providing security to the gunmen” tasked with killing him.

Zambada said that he initially agreed to the request but after asking his brother’s chief sicario, or hitman, how he planned to kill the official, he backed away from his commitment because “what they were going to do didn’t seem right.”

The witness said that his brother later told him to forget about the plan.

Santiago was eventually killed in November 2008 when a government aircraft in which he was traveling crashed in Mexico City. Juan Camilo Mouriño, federal interior secretary at the time, also died in the accident.

In court today, Zambada began naming names. He said he gave US $6 million to Genaro García Luna in the mid-2000s when García was Mexico’s head of security and made other million-dollar payments to Gabriel Regino, who was head of security in Mexico City when president-elect López Obrador was mayor.

García, now a consultant and partner in a company that evaluates risk and security, has made no public response to the accusation.

Regino denied the allegation with a reply on Twitter and declared he was prepared to testify to his innocence before any national or foreign authority. He now works as a criminal lawyer and teaches at the National Autonomous University of México.

In the Brooklyn federal court yesterday, Guzman’s defense team once again portrayed Zambada as a liar who has agreed to frame their client in exchange for a reduction in his own prison sentence.

William Purpura, a lawyer for the infamous 61-year-old ex-capo, attempted to discredit the testimony Zambada has given.

Last Wednesday, he identified El Chapo as “one of the most powerful drug traffickers in Mexico” and spilled secrets on the inner workings of the lucrative trafficking operation that allegedly shipped billions of dollars’ worth of drugs to the United States under Guzmán’s leadership.

He continued his testimony the next day, telling jurors that the Sinaloa Cartel paid regular bribes – in dollars – to high-ranking police officers and officials at all three levels of government.

He has also provided intimate details about the Sinaloa Cartel’s violent turf wars with rival gangs. Yesterday, Zambada said that Chapo was always armed, either with a diamond-encrusted pistol or an AK-47 assault rifle.

During his attempts to convince the jury that Zambada couldn’t be trusted, Purpura said it was curious that the only people who could corroborate much of the evidence Zambada has given are dead.

Guzmán, who was extradited to the United States in January 2017 and has been kept in solitary confinement in a Manhattan prison cell ever since, has pleaded not guilty to 17 counts of drug trafficking, conspiracy, firearms offenses and money laundering.

If convicted, he faces possible life in prison. The trial, which has been held under extraordinarily tight security, continues today.

Source: El Universal (sp), Associated Press (en)

Oaxaca mayor accused of diverting social funding to finance election run

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November 20, 2018

San Miguel Amatitlán, where the mayor is in hot water.

A Oaxaca mayor has been accused of embezzling more than 10 million pesos (US $490,000) in social services funding to use in his reelection campaign.

The state auditor’s office charged that funds allocated by the federal Social Development Secretariat (Sedesol) were diverted by Mayor Alejandro Vázquez Mata to finance his campaign for mayor of San Miguel Amatitlán.

The accusation followed a formal complaint by a non-governmental organization.

The money had been intended to finance public works projects and investments that were to benefit citizens living in extreme poverty.

A representative of the organization told local news outlets that Vázquez’s mismanagement of the municipal coffers also left municipal employees without pay.

The auditor’s office has found enough evidence of irregularities — including the fact that there have been no social projects implemented during 2018 — to order a full audit of the Vázquez administration.

Vázquez’s election triumph is also under scrutiny after accusations of irregularities and fraud.

Last month, the federal electoral court ordered its Oaxaca counterpart to review several complaints filed by the Institutional Revolutionary Party regarding the election of Vázquez, who ran under a three-party coalition of the National Action, Democratic Revolution and Citizens’ Movement parties.

The results gave Vázquez the victory with only 32 votes more than his closest competitor.

Source: Reforma (sp)

Human rights violations put Ayotzinapa’s ‘historical truth’ in doubt

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November 20, 2018

An Ayotzinapa protest march, one of hundreds — if not thousands — held since 2014.

A judge has cast doubt on the federal government’s “historical truth” regarding the 2014 disappearance of 43 students in Guerrero by ruling that statements on which the findings were based were obtained illegally and must be dismissed.

Martha Georgina Comte Villalobos, a federal court judge in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, said the 83 statements made by the majority of people accused of involvement in the crime must be omitted from the Ayotzinapa investigation due to evidence that their human rights were violated.

Guerrero state police, agents from the federal Attorney General’s office (PGR), Federal Police and army and navy personnel, “among others,” committed the abuses, the judge declared.

In a resolution issued on October 25, Comte said that most of the people accused of playing a role in the disappearance and presumed death of the students were subjected to “torture [and] cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment,” “illegal arrest” or unlawful “prolonged detention.”

Some of those detained were subjected to all three violations of their human rights, the judge said.

Statements made by three men identified as being actual perpetrators of the crime – Agustín “El Chereje” García Reyes, Jonathan “El Jona” Osorio Cortés and Patricio “El Pato” Reyes Landa – were among those dismissed by the judge.

The three men, all of whom supported the federal government’s official version of events, were released from custody.

“The majority of the witnesses whose fundamental rights were violated . . . ended up accepting the deeds attributed to them and those who didn’t formulated accusations against various people . . . It’s not explicable that practically all of them, despite having the right to not give evidence and to not self-incriminate, ended up doing so . . .” the judge’s resolution said.

According to the government’s “historical truth,” the 43 students from the Ayotzinapa rural teachers’ college were intercepted by corrupt municipal police in Iguala, Guerrero, in September 2014 while traveling on buses they had commandeered to travel to a protest march in Mexico City.

The police then handed them over to members of the Guerreros Unidos gang who killed the students, burned their bodies in a municipal dump and scattered their ashes in a local river.

Former Attorney General Jesús Murillo Karam told a press conference in January 2015 that the version of events he described was “a legal certainty.”

However, the government’s conclusion has been widely questioned both within Mexico and internationally and authorities have been heavily criticized for their handling of the case.

Many suspect that the army may have played a role in the disappearance and presumed murder of the students.

The United Nations (UN) said in a report published in March that 34 people were tortured in connection with the investigation.

The report, entitled Double Injustice: Human Rights Violations in the Investigation of the Ayotzinapa Case, said that “there are solid grounds to believe that torture” including “beatings, kicks, electric shocks, blindfolding, attempted asphyxia, sexual assault and various forms of psychological torture” was committed against 33 men and one woman who were arrested in relation to the case.

Torture mainly occurred in the first 48 hours after arrest, and some cases occurred at the offices of the Special Prosecutor for the Investigation of Organized Crime (SEIDO), a division of the PGR, the report said.

Judge Comte corroborated that finding, stating in her resolution that there are medical opinions that “confirm the deterioration” of the physical condition of many of the accused while held in SEIDO custody.

Medical examinations found that the three recently released men – García, Osorio and Reyes – had all sustained injuries but, according to authorities, they occurred before they were arrested.

A doctor who assessed García said that he was injured while working at home but the judge declared that the claim was “absurd,” pointing out that a naval medical report stated that he was in good health at the time of his arrest.

According to the PGR, the two other men, who were allegedly drunk at the time of their arrest, suffered injuries after falling while trying to evade capture.

But Comte questioned why the three men would have “spontaneously declared” to belonging to the Guerreros Unidos gang and killing the students if they were not under duress.

There are no “reasonable explanations” for the men’s “spontaneous confessions about very serious events,” she said.

The disappearance of the 43 students is considered the biggest of several blemishes on the record of President Peña Nieto.

However, the president said in August that he stood by the “historical truth” declared by investigators, a stance that was quickly criticized by the Centro Prodh human rights group.

It said that the federal government continues to insist on maintaining its “historical lie.”

President-elect López Obrador met with parents of the missing students on September 26 – the fourth anniversary of their disappearance – and vowed to discover the truth about what happened to them.

In June, a federal court ordered the creation of a truth and justice commission to undertake a new investigation into the case, declaring that the initial one was not “was not prompt, effective, independent or impartial on the part of the PGR.”

However, the federal government has not acted on the court’s directive.

López Obrador said that if the commission has not been created by December 1 – the date he will be sworn in as president – he will create it by decree.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Veracruz dancers break a Guinness record with La Bamba

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November 19, 2018

Record-setting dancers yesterday in Xalapa.

Yet another Guinness World Record was set on Mexican soil yesterday: 2,370 men, women and children danced simultaneously to the Mexican folk song La Bamba.

The successful record attempt took place in the historic center of Xalapa, the capital of Veracruz.

La Bamba, an example of Veracruz’s son jarocho musical style, is considered an anthem of the Gulf coast state.

The song was played live during yesterday’s mass dance by the group Tlen Huicani.

However, it was not just jarochos, as natives of Veracruz are known, who had the honor of claiming the new record as dancers from México state, Puebla, Hidalgo and Morelos, among other states, also took part.

All the participants dressed in traditional white costumes adorned with red neck ties for men and red scarves for women.

The annual record attempt was organized by the folkloric ballet ensemble of the University of Veracruz.

The previous La Bamba record was set a year ago by 1,938 professional and amateur dancers.

All manner of weird and wonderful Guinness World Records have been set in Mexico.

They include the world’s biggest marzipan, the biggest bead mosaic, the largest foosball tournament and – of course – preparation of the largest number of flautas, or crispy, fried tacos.

Source: Excélsior (sp), Al Calor Político (sp)

‘Out Hondurans, we don’t want you here:’ anti-migrant sentiment continues

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November 19, 2018

'Migrants out!' Tijuana protesters voice their disapproval over migrant arrivals.

Residents of Tijuana are divided over the presence of large numbers of Central American migrants in their city.

Protests both for and against members of the first migrant caravan were held yesterday in the northern border city.

Around 500 people gathered in front of a statue of Aztec ruler Cuauhtémoc that stands atop a Tijuana traffic circle and began an anti-migrant march towards a sports complex serving as a temporary shelter for about 2,500 Central Americans.

During the march, protesters demanded that the caravan members be sent back to their countries of origin.

“Out Hondurans, we don’t want you here” and “long live Mexico” were among the slogans chanted by the demonstrators as they waved Mexican flags and held up signs declaring “Basta de migración” (Migration, enough already) and “Primero nuestra gente” (Our people first).

Some protesters claimed that there are gang members, thieves and rapists mixed in with the migrants in the first caravan, whose members began arriving at the border city early last week.

“Their presence here makes me very afraid. I don’t know if something is going to happen to me or my neighbors . . . They could break into a business . . . or assault someone. That worries me,” Tijuana business owner María de Jesús told the newspaper Milenio.

Others said they are not against migration per se but rather the way in which many of the caravan members entered the country.

“They arrived and kicked down the door and that makes them criminals,” said Emilio Zúñiga, a Guanajuato native who has called Tijuana home for the past 20 years.

The marchers were stopped from reaching the entrance to the Benito Juárez sports center by a large contingent of municipal police sporting riot gear.

A standoff lasted for several hours, with protesters throwing water and beer cans at the officers before eventually dispersing.

A protester voices her concern over migrants' caravan. — A protester voices her concern over migrants’ caravan.

Just one street away from where the anti-migrant march started, a smaller group of demonstrators held their own rally at which they denounced racism and discrimination and declared that the migrants are welcome in Tijuana and that their human rights must be respected.

Yesterday’s protests followed a week of heightened tension in Tijuana during which some residents made it clear that the migrants are not welcome.

Social media posts aimed at inciting violence against the Central Americans began appearing in anti-migrant groups on platforms such as Facebook virtually as soon as they arrived in the city.

Rumors circulating on the mobile messaging service WhatsApp that the migrants had looted stores, referred to Mexicans as “dogs” and even murdered someone only served to fuel the anti-migrant sentiment.

A confrontation occurred Wednesday night between an angry mob and migrants sleeping on the beach next to the border fence that separates Mexico from the United States.

Mayor Juan Manuel Gastélum, who has been labelled Tijuana’s Trump, has also spoken out against the caravan, declaring that the migrants are not wanted.

United States President Trump yesterday seized on the mayor’s opposition to the migrants, writing on Twitter that “The Mayor of Tijuana, Mexico, just stated that ‘the City is ill-prepared to handle this many migrants, the backlog could last 6 months.’”

In the same tweet, he added: “Likewise, the U.S. is ill-prepared for this invasion, and will not stand for it. They are causing crime and big problems in Mexico. Go home!”

In a subsequent Twitter post, Trump wrote: “Illegal Immigrants trying to come into the U.S.A., often proudly flying the flag of their nation as they ask for U.S. Asylum, will be detained or turned away. Dems must approve Border Security & Wall NOW!”

The United States government has deployed 5,900 troops to the southern border to bolster security and barbed wire is also being affixed to the border fence to act as an additional deterrent to any attempts to scale it illegally.

With two other caravans currently traveling through Mexico, Tijuana officials have estimated that the number of migrants in the city could reach 10,000, stoking concerns about the city’s ability to cope with such a large cohort.

There are already around 3,000 migrants on a waiting list to apply for asylum in the United States, meaning that the new arrivals, and future ones, face a lengthy wait just to have the opportunity to plead their case.

But after traveling more than 4,000 kilometers to reach Mexico’s northern border, the vast majority are determined to do all they can to enter the United States, even if that means attempting to cross illegally.

“If I die on the way, at least I will have fought for something,” 24-year-old José Adan Núñez told The New York Times.

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

Thousands turn out for balloon festival despite chilly weather

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November 19, 2018

Balloons soar over León for annual festival.

Chilly temperatures were no deterrent to visitors at this year’s International Hot Air Balloon Festival in León, Guanajuato.

Thermometers dropped to 7 C early Friday morning, but entire families arrived at the site of the festival as early as 5:00am, eager to find the best spot from which to see the colorful balloons rise after dawn.

By 8:00am the sky was dotted by the imaginative and bright shapes of 200 balloons, including a Christ the Redeemer and the face of Vincent Van Gogh.

An estimated 20,000 people — 20% more than last year — were there on Saturday for the biggest hot air balloon festival in Latin America.

Governor Diego Sinhue Rodríguez Vallejo said on Saturday that it was thanks to massive events such as the festival that Guanajuato is one of the five most visited states in the country.

Mayor Héctor López Santillana remarked that the festival is a family-friendly event that has now become part of the identity of the people of León.

This year’s festival kicked off on Friday and concludes Monday. As well as the hot air balloons visitors also had the chance to enjoy daily musical concerts.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Body of missing US man found; residents think gang suspected he was a US agent

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November 19, 2018

Braxton-Andrew: he might have been mistaken for DEA.

Officials in Chihuahua say they have located the body of Patrick Braxton-Andrew, a United States citizen who disappeared October 28 in Urique.

Governor Javier Corral announced last week that an intensive search for the missing man had revealed he had been killed, but there was no indication as to the whereabouts of the body.

Yesterday, the 34-year-old North Carolina man’s family wrote on Facebook that it was “with a sense of relief that we are able to confirm that Patrick’s body has been recovered and we will be able to bring him home soon.”

The news was later confirmed by Corral, who explained that the body had been buried by his killers but due to “pressure exerted by the official search operation” the corpse was exhumed and abandoned near the town of Guapalayna, between Urique and Batopilas.

Braxton-Andrew’s relatives where informed of the discovery following a positive identification of the body, which will be sent to North Carolina as soon as the legal procedures are completed, the governor said.

Corral said efforts will now focus on apprehending José Noriel Portillo Gil, also known as “El Chueco,” who is believed to have been responsible for the homicide. His Gente Nueva gang has been linked to the Sinaloa Cartel.

“He will pay dearly for what he’s done,” said the governor.

Some Urique residents believe the gang killed Braxton-Andrew thinking he was with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The fluent Spanish speaker asked a lot of questions about the culture of the region, they said, and spent time exploring the area. In addition, his knowledge of the language set him apart from most tourists.

On the day he disappeared he attended a party where there were armed civilians belonging to Gente Nueva. Locals suspect they felt threatened by the man so they killed him.

Source: El Universal (sp), El Sol de México (sp)

Gunfire greets displaced residents during attempt to return to their homes

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November 19, 2018