INSIDER
Guatemalan police arrest 7 accused of trafficking the 53 migrants who asphyxiated in Texas in 2022
Read full article: Guatemalan police arrest 7 accused of trafficking the 53 migrants who asphyxiated in Texas in 2022Guatemalan police have arrested seven Guatemalans accused of having smuggled 53 migrants from Mexico and Central America who died of asphyxiation in 2022 in Texas after being abandoned in a tractor trailer in the scorching summer heat.
Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 dead
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar dumps heavy rains on Central America leaving at least 2 deadTropical Storm Pilar is lashing Central America with heavy rains that have already been blamed for two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coast
Read full article: Tropical Storm Pilar leaves 2 dead in El Salvador as it wanders off Central America's Pacific coastHeavy rain from Tropical Storm Pilar has already caused two deaths in El Salvador as it meanders off the Pacific coast.
Logistics business agrees to pay $50K in penalties after allegedly exporting goods to Central America
Read full article: Logistics business agrees to pay $50K in penalties after allegedly exporting goods to Central AmericaAn exporting and logistics business who allegedly failed to screen insufficient cargo for export to Central America has agreed to pay $50,000, the U.S. District Attorney’s office said on Monday.
Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74
Read full article: Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74Patrick Hamilton, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who covered civil wars in Central America as a photojournalist for The Associated Press,and later worked at Reuters covering the first Gulf War in Iraq, has died after a long struggle with cancer.
State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central America
Read full article: State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central AmericaThe State Department says it's imposing sanctions on two former Salvadoran presidents and dozens of other officials and judges in Central America.
Before Texas mass shooting, locals felt abandoned by police
Read full article: Before Texas mass shooting, locals felt abandoned by policeThe end of a manhunt in Texas for a gunman accused of killing five Honduran neighbors hasn't quieted anger in the rural community where the April 28 shooting took place.
Presidents of Taiwan, Guatemala visit Mayan pyramid
Read full article: Presidents of Taiwan, Guatemala visit Mayan pyramidTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei have toured the archaeological site of Tikal during a trip by Tsai that aims to shore up the self-governing island’s ties with its remaining allies in Central America.
US releases Guantanamo prisoner once tortured at CIA sites
Read full article: US releases Guantanamo prisoner once tortured at CIA sitesA onetime al-Qaida courier has been released after serving more than 16 years at the Guantanamo Bay detention center and enduring torture at clandestine overseas CIA sites.
Pricey pants from 1857 go for $114k, raise Levi’s questions
Read full article: Pricey pants from 1857 go for $114k, raise Levi’s questionsPulled from a sunken trunk at an 1857 shipwreck off the coast of North Carolina, work pants that auction officials describe as the oldest known pair of jeans in the world have sold for $114,000.
Climate Questions: How much has the climate changed already?
Read full article: Climate Questions: How much has the climate changed already?From incrementally rising temperatures and seas to an influx of natural disasters, the climate right now certainly isn't the same as it was before the industrial era.
Hurricane Bonnie steams west off Mexico's Pacific coast
Read full article: Hurricane Bonnie steams west off Mexico's Pacific coastHurricane Bonnie strengthened moved roughly parallel to Mexico's Pacific coast, after crossing over Central America from the Caribbean, dropping heavy rain and contributing to two deaths.
Tropical Storm Colin brings rain to Carolinas, weakens
Read full article: Tropical Storm Colin brings rain to Carolinas, weakensTropical Storm Colin has brought rain and winds to parts of North and South Carolina, though the storm has weakened and conditions are expected to improve by Monday's July Fourth celebrations.
Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central America
Read full article: Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central AmericaThe U.S. National Hurricane Center says a storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America is expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific.
2 Mexican citizens charged with weapons possession after suspected migrant smuggling operation near San Antonio: Reports
Read full article: 2 Mexican citizens charged with weapons possession after suspected migrant smuggling operation near San Antonio: ReportsTwo men detained following Monday’s discovery of dozens of dead migrants in the trailer of a big rig in San Antonio have been charged with possessing a weapon while in the United States illegally.
Ex-Honduran leader placed on US list of corrupt officials
Read full article: Ex-Honduran leader placed on US list of corrupt officialsThe Biden administration last year quietly placed former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández on a classified list of officials suspected of corruption or undermining democracy in Central America.
Still building home-field advantage, US stumbles on road
Read full article: Still building home-field advantage, US stumbles on roadA 1-0 loss to Panama again highlighted the United States' disadvantage on the road in Central America and put pressure on the Americans to win at home against Costa Rica on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio.
US gives 1st public look inside base housing Afghans
Read full article: US gives 1st public look inside base housing AfghansThe Biden administration is giving the first public look inside a U.S. military base housing Afghans airlifted out of Afghanistan, amid questions about how the government is caring for the refugees and vetting them.
The tropics this week
Read full article: The tropics this weekYellow, orange and red hatched areas like the one above always get our attention and this one showed up just yesterday on the National Hurricane Center’s five-day graphical forecast. Nothing is expected the next two days down there in the Caribbean, but perhaps by day five we’ll see a tropical low spin up and head into Central America. The American Model doesn’t seem too interested other than to show a low popping up for a quick moment over Honduras:
US report: Allies of El Salvador's president deemed corrupt
Read full article: US report: Allies of El Salvador's president deemed corruptSalvadoran President Nayib Bukele's Cabinet chief and other allies have been included in a list of senior officials in Central America deemed corrupt by the U.S. State Department.
Crisis along Texas’ border with Mexico not slowing, numbers continue rising
Read full article: Crisis along Texas’ border with Mexico not slowing, numbers continue risingData just released by Customs and Border shows the number of encounters along our southern border continues to rise and reached a level not seen since the year 2000.
Sen. John Cornyn tours Houston facility for unaccompanied minors
Read full article: Sen. John Cornyn tours Houston facility for unaccompanied minorsHOUSTON – A Texas senator visited a Houston-area facility on Tuesday where migrant children from Central America are temporarily staying. Senator John Cornyn took a trip to Houston to visit an undisclosed facility for unaccompanied children run by the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. This again is what I consider to be the gold standard of (how) you’re going to have the current system,” Cornyn said while comparing the Houston facility to the one near the Texas-Mexico border. It was a contrast, Cornyn said, to images journalists were able to capture at a migrant facility in Donna, Texas. Thousands of unaccompanied children could be seen packed in rooms designed for a few hundred all while during a pandemic.
Asylum seekers rush to register for US border processing
Read full article: Asylum seekers rush to register for US border processingAsylum seekers wait for news of policy changes at the border, Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)MEXICO CITY – In the first five days since the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden began to process the thousands of asylum seekers waiting in Mexico, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees registered 12,000 people. Instituted by the Trump administration in January 2019, the program sought to discourage asylum seekers by making them wait in Mexico rather than releasing them with orders to appear for future court dates in the U.S. AdOn Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced it would begin processing asylum seekers with registered cases who have been living in a tent encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico. Last week, the U.S. government began processing a small number of asylum seekers with active cases in San Diego.
Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at border
Read full article: Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at borderMerín gave birth to her daughter next to the Rio Grande, attended to by two Border Patrol agents, showing how lives routinely end up at risk at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mother and child were hospitalized for three days, then processed at a Border Patrol station before being released to Catholic Charities. “There’s so many women in great danger,” said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol blames smugglers for using people in medical distress as decoys, drawing attention from others trying to sneak into the country. The Border Patrol defends how it treats immigrants and the medical care they receive.
Federal judge blocks new criminal disqualifiers to asylum
Read full article: Federal judge blocks new criminal disqualifiers to asylumA judge on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020 has blocked a Trump administration rule that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The federal judge in San Francisco says current federal law already includes plenty of disqualifying crimes such as drug trafficking, money laundering and counterfeiting. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)LOS ANGELES – A federal judge on Thursday blocked a Trump administration rule about to take effect that would have put up new roadblocks for asylum-seekers convicted of a variety of crimes. The rule would have also denied asylum to people convicted of crimes that an adjudicator “knows or has reason to believe” was committed to supporting a criminal street gang. Asylum is for people fleeing persecution for their race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a social group.
What is left of Iota continues to soak Central America
Read full article: What is left of Iota continues to soak Central AmericaHOUSTON – Iota was the 30th named storm and the 13th hurricane in this record-setting 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. 4 Hurricane Eta decimated the same area. What is left of Iota is still producing rain over Central America but the focus now switches to the long road to recovery for Honduras and Nicaragua, both hard hit by Eta and Iota. The calendar might say mid November and hurricane season does end November 30th but the tropics are still busy. Neither spot would threat the U.S. but they could be a concern for hard hit Central America.
Houstonians rallying for donations as Central America braces for another hurricane
Read full article: Houstonians rallying for donations as Central America braces for another hurricaneHOUSTON – As Central America braces for another devastating hurricane, Houstonians and organizations here at home are ramping up efforts to help families who will need it for months to come. Alvarez said it’s just devastating to see families who lost everything in her home country, Honduras, and the rest of Central America. Their family, who owns a shipping company, organized a huge donation drive to get needed items to families in Honduras. - To reach Alianza Latina Internacional you can call (832) 836-7682 or (832)896-3204 or drop off items at 2404 Caroline Street. They are hosting a fundraiser on Nov. 21 at noon, where you can drop off donations.
Dangerous Hurricane Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coast
Read full article: Dangerous Hurricane Iota makes landfall on Nicaragua coastLocals move on street barely cleared from the debris of the last storm, before Hurricane Iota makes landfall in La Lima, Honduras, Monday, November 16, 2020. Hurricane Iota rapidly strengthened Monday into a Category 5 storm that is likely to bring catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by a powerful Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)MANAGUA, Nicaragua – Powerful Hurricane Iota made landfall on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast late Monday, threatening catastrophic damage to the same part of Central America already battered by equally strong Hurricane Eta less than two weeks ago. Iota already had been hitting the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua and Honduras with torrential rains and strong winds. Iota came ashore just 15 miles (25 kilometers) south of where Hurricane Eta made landfall Nov. 3, also as a Category 4 storm.
Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central America
Read full article: Hurricane Iota heads for already battered Central AmericaIota became a Category 2 hurricane late Sunday afternoon, and the U.S. National Hurricane Center warned it would likely be an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm when it approached the Central America mainland late Monday. It was already a record-breaking system, being the 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. It hit Nicaragua as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least 120 people as torrential rains caused flash floods and mudslides in parts of Central America and Mexico. Eta was the 28th named storm of this year’s hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. The official end of hurricane season is Nov. 30.
Iota Dissipates Over Central America
Read full article: Iota Dissipates Over Central AmericaThe remnants are moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue today. Maximum sustained winds are near 30 mph (45 km/h) with higher gusts. The estimated minimum central pressure is 1006 mb (29.71 inches). Portions of Nicaragua and El Salvador: 2 to 4 inches (50 to 100 mm), with isolated maximum totals of 6 inches (150 mm). SURF: Swells generated by Iota will affect much of the coast of Central America and the Yucatan Peninsula during the next day or so.
Tropical Storm Iota forms, could follow Eta’s deadly path
Read full article: Tropical Storm Iota forms, could follow Eta’s deadly pathHurricane experts were closely watching the Caribbean, where Tropical Storm Iota formed Friday afternoon. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iota could bring dangerous wind, storm surge and as much as 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rainfall to northern Nicaragua and Honduras. The storm was located about 350 miles (560 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph). Iota is a record-setting 30th named storm of this year’s extraordinarily busy Atlantic hurricane season. Earlier, firefighters in Tampa had to rescue around a dozen people who got stuck in storm surge flooding on a boulevard adjacent to the bay.
British queen offers condolences to Eta storm victims
Read full article: British queen offers condolences to Eta storm victimsBritain's Queen Elizabeth II stands on the balcolny of the Foreign Office, during the Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph, in Whitehall, London, Sunday Nov. 8, 2020. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP)LONDON – Queen Elizabeth II on Monday sent her condolences to people in Mexico and Central America affected by “the tragic loss of life and destruction” caused by the devastating storm Eta. In a message to leaders in Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua, the queen lamented the destruction caused by the storm. “Prince Philip and I were deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life,'' caused by the storm, the queen's message said. Official death tolls put the number of dead at least 68 people, but hundreds more are missing.
Eta strikes Florida Keys; expected to become hurricane
Read full article: Eta strikes Florida Keys; expected to become hurricaneA strengthening Tropical Storm Eta cut across Cuba on Sunday, and forecasters say it's likely to be a hurricane before hitting the Florida Keys Sunday night or Monday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami declared hurricane and storm surge warnings for the Keys from Ocean Reef to the Dry Tortugas, including Florida Bay. Several shelters also opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. On Sunday night, authorities in Lauderhill, Florida, responded to a report of a car that had driven into a canal. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low-lying areas.
Guatemala searches, Eta regains storm status, heads to Cuba
Read full article: Guatemala searches, Eta regains storm status, heads to CubaMembers of search and recovery teams search for survivors in the debris of a massive, rain-fueled landslide in the village of Queja, in Guatemala, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Eta. The storm was expected to hit Cuba by early Sunday, and approach the Florida Keys and south Florida late Sunday or Monday. Tropical storm warnings were issued for central Cuba, southern Florida and the Florida Keys. South Florida started emptying ports and a small number of shelters opened in Miami and the Florida Keys for residents in mobile homes and low lying areas. The storms’ threat comes as many streets across South Florida have been inundated by heavy rains and unusual King Tides.
Guatemala digs through landslide where 100 believed buried
Read full article: Guatemala digs through landslide where 100 believed buriedA barefooted woman makes her way around debris brought on by a landslide on a road blocking traffic, in the aftermath of Hurricane Eta, in Purulha, northern Guatemala Friday, Nov. 6, 2020. In a news conference, President Alejandro Giammattei said he believed there were at least 100 dead there in San Cristobal Verapaz, but noted that was still unconfirmed. Her home in La Lima, a San Pedro Sula suburb, is 150 feet from the roiling Chamelecon river and only a short way from the international airport’s runway. It said rescues were happening Friday in San Pedro Sula and La Lima, but the need was great and resources limited. The U.S. State Department said in a statement Friday that four U.S. helicopters from the Soto Cano Air Base near Tegucigalpa had flown to San Pedro Sula to participate in rescue operations.
Weakened Eta drenches Central America; at least 57 dead
Read full article: Weakened Eta drenches Central America; at least 57 deadA pregnant woman is carried out of an area flooded by water brought by Hurricane Eta in Planeta, Honduras, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)TEGUCIGALPA – The rain-heavy remnants of Hurricane Eta flooded homes from Panama to Guatemala Thursday as the death toll across Central America rose to at least 57, and aid organizations warned the flooding and mudslides were creating a slow-moving humanitarian disaster across the region. Eta had sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph) and was moving north at 8 mph (13 kph) Thursday. When what’s left of the storm wobbles back into the Caribbean it will regain some strength and become a tropical storm again, forecasts show. “Whatever comes out (of Central America) is going to linger awhile,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach.
Why ETA will be so devastating
Read full article: Why ETA will be so devastatingETA, now a 50-mph tropical storm, continues to move over Nicaragua and Honduras at a slow 7 mph. Eta moving slowly over Central America courtesy NOAAThat slow movement divided into 100 (my rule of thumb for rainfall) equals 14-15 inches. My prayers are with them as Eta takes the next two days to move through that country. However, because 2005 had a couple of unnamed storms, that year’s names did not get to ETA (stopping one short with ZETA). ETA forecasted pathOfficially the season ends Nov. 30, but if 2005 taught us anything it is not to look at the calendar -- that year’s ZETA formed Dec. 28 and degenerated Jan.
ETA: NOT just another storm
Read full article: ETA: NOT just another stormAlong with a 12-18′ storm surge, rainfall forecast by the National Hurricane Center will be torrential:Much of Nicaragua and Honduras: 15 to 25 inches, isolated amounts of 35 inches. Eastern Guatemala and Belize: 10 to 20 inches, isolated amounts of 25 inches. Portions of Panama and Costa Rica: 10 to 15 inches, isolated amounts of 25 inches. The storm drove in with 180-mph winds dropping 3 feet of rain, producing horrendous mudslides. Hurricane Mitch's PathSadly, Hurricane Eta will measure up well to Hurricane Mitch.
Cat 4 Hurricane Eta threatens flooding in Central America
Read full article: Cat 4 Hurricane Eta threatens flooding in Central AmericaMEXICO CITY – Hurricane Eta erupted quickly into a potentially catastrophic major hurricane Monday as it headed for Central America, where forecasters warned of massive flooding and landslides across a vulnerable region. Eta was a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph) late Monday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was centered about 45 miles (75 kilometers) east of Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, and moving west-southwest at 7 mph (11 kph). Eta tripled in strength in about 24 hours, rapidly intensifying from a 40 mph (65 kph) storm Sunday morning to a 120 mph (190 kph) hurricane around midday Monday, and continued gain power throughout the rest of the day. Hurricane season still has a month to go, ending Nov. 30.
Report: US knew of problems family separation would cause
Read full article: Report: US knew of problems family separation would causeDocuments in the report suggest Health and Human Services officials weren't told by the Department of Homeland Security why shelters were receiving more children taken from their parents in late 2017. Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee released the report Thursday with emails obtained from government agencies. The report outlines discussions since the start of the Trump administration of family separation as a law enforcement tactic. Documents in the new report suggest CBP did not communicate with HHS about why shelters were receiving more separated children. The email notes “the increase in referrals” of children unaccompanied by a parent “resulting from separation of children from parents.” White sent McAleenan a chart of all the children HHS had received.
Final debate could thrust foreign policy back into campaign
Read full article: Final debate could thrust foreign policy back into campaignBiden's foreign policy credentials have largely been overshadowed by questions about how he would lead the U.S. through the worst pandemic in a century. But the issue could reemerge Thursday as Trump and Biden take the stage for a final debate, with a topic list including national security. But, Biden said, the president still has “no coherent plan for foreign policy” beyond “America alone.”Trump counters that “America First” is more than sloganeering. Yet heading into the final debate, Trump's loudest foreign policy pitch isn't about his record. Once the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Biden hails from the bipartisan establishment that shaped U.S. international policy from World War II's end until Trump's election.
Tropical Storm Omar forms as Nana approaches Central America
Read full article: Tropical Storm Omar forms as Nana approaches Central AmericaMIAMI Tropical Storm Omar formed off the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Nana approached the coast of Central America, the U.S. National Hurricane Center reported. Nana was moving west at 18 mph (30 kph) on a path that could damage Central America on Wednesday and Thursday. The National Hurricane Center later said the entire coast of Belize had been placed under a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch. The National Hurricane Center expects Tropical Storm Omar to be short-lived. Omar was 225 miles (365 kilometers) east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and moving east-northeast at 15 mph (24 kph).
The historic Saharan dust plume is darkening skies in the Caribbean and will soon stretch into the US
Read full article: The historic Saharan dust plume is darkening skies in the Caribbean and will soon stretch into the US(CNN) – The current Saharan dust episode is leading to the worst dust storm in the Caribbean in decades. On Tuesday, this sunset enhancing, blue sky limiting, tropical threat reducing dust plume continues its 5,000-mile journey toward the US. "We flew over this Saharan dust plume today in the west central Atlantic,' Astronaut Doug Hurly tweeted on Sunday. The Saharan dust will reach the US by Thursday morningOn Wednesday, the dust is forecast to move across the Gulf of Mexico toward Texas. If you find yourself reaching for a tissue this week -- or your iPhone to post yet another awesome sunset pic to Instagram -- thank the Saharan dust.
Tropical Storm Cristobal advances toward US Gulf Coast
Read full article: Tropical Storm Cristobal advances toward US Gulf CoastMIAMI A re-energized Tropical Storm Cristobal advanced toward the U.S. Gulf Coast early Saturday, bringing with it the heavy rains that already caused flooding and mudslides in Mexico and Central America. After weakening to a tropical depression while moving over land in Mexico's Gulf coast, Cristobal headed back into the southern Gulf of Mexico from the Yucatan Peninsula on Friday and powered back up into a tropical storm. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 7 a.m. advisory Saturday that the storm was expected to slowly strengthen until it makes landfall, expected Sunday night along the U.S. Gulf Coast. A tropical storm watch was posted for the northern Gulf of Mexico coast from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border. Cristobal formed this week in the Bay of Campeche from the remnants of Tropical Storm Amanda, which had sprung up last weekend in the eastern Pacific and hit Central America.