INSIDER
How Mexican cartels manage the flow of migrants on their way to the US border
Read full article: How Mexican cartels manage the flow of migrants on their way to the US borderThe first place many migrants sleep after entering Mexico from Guatemala is inside a large structure, a roof above and fenced in the sides on a rural ranch.
Desperate young Guatemalans try to reach the US even after horrific deaths of migrating relatives
Read full article: Desperate young Guatemalans try to reach the US even after horrific deaths of migrating relativesIn the small town of Comitancillo in Guatemala’s mostly Indigenous highlands, two murals memorialize the nearly two dozen local migrants who died in mass tragedies en route to the United States recently.
Clarification: Guatemala-Mine-Verdict story
Read full article: Clarification: Guatemala-Mine-Verdict storyIn a story published December 15, 2023, The Associated Press reported on a ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights that found Guatemala violated Indigenous rights by permitting a huge nickel mine on tribal land almost two decades ago.
Former high-ranking Z-43 cartel member pleads guilty to trafficking tons of cocaine into US; facing life in prison
Read full article: Former high-ranking Z-43 cartel member pleads guilty to trafficking tons of cocaine into US; facing life in prisonA former high-ranking member of the Los Zetas cartel has entered a guilty plea to a conspiracy to import tons of cocaine into the United States, the United States Department of Justice announced Thursday.
Hundreds of migrants in southern Mexico form group to head toward US
Read full article: Hundreds of migrants in southern Mexico form group to head toward USNearly a thousand migrants that recently crossed from Guatemala to Mexico have formed a group to head north hoping to reach the border with the United States.
Unaccompanied migrant girl from Guatemala dies in US custody from underlying disease, officials say
Read full article: Unaccompanied migrant girl from Guatemala dies in US custody from underlying disease, officials sayOfficials say an unaccompanied 15-year-old migrant girl from Guatemala died from an underlying disease while in federal custody.
4 Mexican nationals arrested in 2022 smuggling attempt leading to death of more than 50 migrants in tractor-trailer
Read full article: 4 Mexican nationals arrested in 2022 smuggling attempt leading to death of more than 50 migrants in tractor-trailerOn Tuesday, it was announced that four Mexican nationals were arrested Monday in San Antonio, Houston, and Marshall, Texas for their roles in the tractor-trailer smuggling tragedy, bringing the total to six suspects.
Guatemala leader in Taiwan expresses 'rock-solid friendship'
Read full article: Guatemala leader in Taiwan expresses 'rock-solid friendship'The president of Guatemala has appealed to other governments to respect Taiwan’s sovereignty during an official visit at a time when China’s ruling Communist Party is stepping up efforts to isolate the self-ruled island democracy claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.
Taiwan leader scrambles for allies in Central America visit
Read full article: Taiwan leader scrambles for allies in Central America visitAs Taiwan’s diplomatic partners dwindle and turn instead to rival China, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen is aiming to shore up ties with the self-governing island’s remaining allies during a trip this week to Central America.
Airbnb's Joe Gebbia donates $25 million to The Ocean Cleanup
Read full article: Airbnb's Joe Gebbia donates $25 million to The Ocean CleanupEntrepreneur Joe Gebbia donated $25 million to The Ocean Cleanup Thursday to support the nonprofit’s efforts to remove plastic from the world’s oceans and rivers.
Julia Moving Quickly Across Nicaragua, Approaching The Pacific Coast
Read full article: Julia Moving Quickly Across Nicaragua, Approaching The Pacific CoastAt 100 PM CDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Julia was located inland near latitude 12.4 North, longitude 86.2 West. Julia is moving toward the west near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this motion is...
Salvadoran leader rebuffs Blinken effort to bolster summit
Read full article: Salvadoran leader rebuffs Blinken effort to bolster summitIn the run-up to this week's Summit of the Americas, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador rebuffed attempts by U.S. officials to set up a phone call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Report: Mexico's immigration enforcement relies on military
Read full article: Report: Mexico's immigration enforcement relies on militaryMexico’s immigration enforcement is increasingly militarized with the armed forces and National Guard now accounting for more migrant detentions than immigration agents.
Man accused of killing Houston girlfriend in 2017 extradited back to US, DA says
Read full article: Man accused of killing Houston girlfriend in 2017 extradited back to US, DA saysA man accused in connection with the death of his 26-year-old girlfriend in Houston is back in the U.S. after authorities said he fled to Guatemala nearly five years ago.
Harris announces private investments in Central America
Read full article: Harris announces private investments in Central AmericaVice President Kamala Harris is announcing $1.2 billion in commitments from international businesses to support the economies and social infrastructure of Central American nations.
US extends temporary status for Somalis, citing civil strife
Read full article: US extends temporary status for Somalis, citing civil strifeU.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has extended temporary legal status to hundreds of Somalis to allow them to remain in the United States for an additional 18 months during civil strife in the African nation.
No. 103 Trinidad ties No. 11 Mexico 0-0 in Gold Cup opener
Read full article: No. 103 Trinidad ties No. 11 Mexico 0-0 in Gold Cup openerNo. 103 Trinidad and Tobago held 11th-ranked Mexico to a 0-0 draw in the opener of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean region.
Harris to announce business investments in Central America
Read full article: Harris to announce business investments in Central AmericaVice President Kamala Harris on Thursday will announce commitments from a dozen companies and organizations to invest in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration from the region.
Policy changes help drive US migrant crossings to new highs
Read full article: Policy changes help drive US migrant crossings to new highsComplex forces are driving an increase in the number of migrant families and unaccompanied children coming to the U.S. Many say President Joe Biden's positions on immigration, whether real or rumored, have influenced their decisions.
Expelled from US at night, migrant families weigh next steps
Read full article: Expelled from US at night, migrant families weigh next stepsMigrants sleep under a gazebo at a park in the Mexican border city of Reynosa, Saturday, March 27, 2021. The decisions unfold amid what Border Patrol officials say is an extraordinarily high 30-day average of 5,000 daily encounters with migrants. But under pandemic authority, Mexicans and citizens of Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras can be expelled to Mexico throughout the night and in smaller towns. A U.S. travel advisory says heavily armed criminal groups patrol Reynosa in marked and unmarked vehicles. AdFelicia Rangel, founder of the Sidewalk School, which gives educational opportunities to asylum-seeking children in Mexican border cities, sees the makings of a squalid migrant camp like in nearby Matamoros, which recently closed.
Guatemala woman, 23, is among 13 killed in California crash
Read full article: Guatemala woman, 23, is among 13 killed in California crash(AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)EL CENTRO, Calif. – One of the 13 people killed when the SUV smuggling them into California hit a tractor-trailer was a 23-year-old woman who was fleeing violence in Guatemala for the hope of a better life, family members said. “She couldn’t reach the American dream,” her father, Maynor Melendrez of New York, told the paper in Spanish. The youngest injured was a 15-year-old girl whose name and nationality were undetermined, according to California Highway Patrol. The Guatemala City woman lost consciousness. The Border Patrol said surveillance video showed the Expedition and a Chevrolet Suburban drive through an opening in the border wall about 30 miles (48 kilometers) east of the crash.
Evacuation request ignored at Guatemala's Pacaya volcano
Read full article: Evacuation request ignored at Guatemala's Pacaya volcanoA child sits on a motorcycle as the Pacaya volcano erupts in the background, viewed from San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala, Wednesday, March 3, 2021. The national disaster relief agency said there were more eruptions Thursday, but with a decrease in their intensity. Agency spokesman Davíd León said there are at least 21 hamlets around Pacaya that have been asked to evacuate out of precaution. Residents say they are familiar with the habits of the 8,373-foot (2,552 meter) volcano, located just 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of Guatemala City. Pacaya had an explosive blast in 2010 that killed a reporter and two locals.
US motions expand drug claims against Honduras president
Read full article: US motions expand drug claims against Honduras president(UNTV via AP)NEW YORK – U.S. federal prosecutors have filed motions saying that Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández took bribes from drug traffickers and had the country's armed forces protect a cocaine laboratory and shipments to the United States. The documents quote Hernández as saying he wanted to “'shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos' by flooding the United States with cocaine." The motions filed Friday with the U.S. Southern District of New York do not specifically name the president, referring to him as “CC-4,” or co-conspirator No. During that trial, the president was accused of accepting more than $1 million from Mexican drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — an accusation repeated in the new motions. At this time, CC-4 was pursuing election as the President of Honduras as a member of the Partido Nacional de Honduras (the “National Party”),” the motion said.
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.
Hurricane Nana hits Belize, then dissipates over Guatemala
Read full article: Hurricane Nana hits Belize, then dissipates over GuatemalaPUNTA GORDA – Hurricane Nana made landfall in Belize, pelting a relatively sparsely populated stretch of the country's coast with heavy rain and wind, before weakening while pushing across Guatemala and dissipating late Thursday. The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Nana hit land between the coastal towns of Dangriga and Placencia in the early minutes of Thursday at an area around 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), making it barely a hurricane. Nana weakened to a tropical depression with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph (55 kph) by late in the afternoon, and dissipated during the night near Guatemala's border with Mexico. Guatemala reported heavy rains, especially along that border, but the country's national disaster coordinator reported no deaths and said no one had been moved to shelters. Long lines stretched through supermarkets and hardware store shelves were nearly bare as residents of Belize bought materials to board up windows and doors.
Nana Inland Over Northern Guatemala
Read full article: Nana Inland Over Northern GuatemalaLocation 150 miles NNE of Guatemala City Guatemala Wind 60 mph Heading WSW at 15 mph Pressure 29.53 Coordinates 89.7W, 16.6NDiscussionAt 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Nana was located near latitude 16.6 North, longitude 89.7 West. On the forecast track, Nana will continue to move inland over Guatemala and extreme southeastern Mexico today and tonight. A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area. Tropics Models at 2:10 Thursday Night, September 03rdLand HazardsWIND: Tropical storm conditions will continue in the warning area in Guatemala for a few more hours. STORM SURGE: Water levels along the Belize coast will gradually subside through the morning as Nana moves farther inland.
Tropical storm kills 17 in El Salvador and Guatemala
Read full article: Tropical storm kills 17 in El Salvador and GuatemalaVehicles stand damaged by the Acelhuate River after a flash flood at a neighborhood in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, May 31, 2020. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)SAN SALVADOR Rains from Tropical Storm Amanda left at least 17 dead and seven missing while causing extensive damage across El Salvador and Guatemala that pushed thousands of people into shelters amid the coronavirus pandemic. EL Salvador Interior Minister Mario Durn said Monday some 7,000 people were scattered across 154 shelters. Amanda pounded El Salvador with rain for days before moving ashore as a tropical storm on Sunday and pushing across Guatemala. Mexico issued a tropical storm warning from Campeche west to the port of Veracruz, expecting the depression to become a tropical storm Monday night or Tuesday.