Central America ready to commit $5 bln to migration plan -Guatemala

Reuters: Three Central American nations that have sent a flood of migrants to the United States are ready to provide $5 billion between them to match a sum Washington says may be needed to help solve the problem, Guatemala's president said on Tuesday.

Struggling to stop the migrant exodus that sparked a crisis in the summer, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador presented U.S. officials with a plan in September to boost their economic growth with infrastructure investment. Read more. 

Guatemala-Mexico Agreement on Migrants in Baja Signed

Frontera NorteSur: Guatemalan and Mexican authorities have signed an agreement to provide greater assistance to Guatemalan migrants in Baja California, Mexico.

Alejandra Gordillo, executive director of the National Council for Assistance to Guatemalan Migrants (Conamigua), estimated that upwards of 3,500 Guatemalan migrants are residing in the northern Mexican border city of Tijuana alone, virtually stranded without work or adequate economic support.

“We are interested in making the problem visible, because we’ve seen the efforts of Mexico on the southern border,” Gordillo said during a visit to Tijuana this week. “Now we want to know the problem on the northern border so we can take actions.”

Mothers search for missing CentAm migrants in Mexico

EFE. Oct. 14: A caravan made up of Central American women whose children went missing in Mexico while trying to reach the United States has set out to try to find out what happened to the migrants.

The caravan - made up of 10 women from Guatemala, 19 from Nicaragua, three from El Salvador and 28 from Honduras - set out Saturday on the 4,600-kilometer (2,858-mile) journey on the so-called "route of the immigrant" in southeast and central Mexico.

"They started today in Guatemala (and) in 24 days they will cover 14 states in southeastern and central Mexico, as well as 23 specific locations in that country identified on the route of the immigrant," a National Roundtable for Migration in Guatemala, or Menamig, spokeswoman told reporters Saturday. Read more.

UN corruption panel to stay in Guatemala till 2015

By The Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY — The director of a United Nations commission investigating and prosecuting corruption in Guatemala says the team will extend its work in the Central American country three more years.

Director Francisco Dall'Anese said Tuesday the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala needs to keep working until 2015 to bring change.

The commission began operating in January 2008 to dismantle illegal security groups and to bring officials under the law. It has also taken on rampant vigilante justice, which includes contract killings of criminals.

The U.N.-backed investigative team of police and prosecutors from 25 nations has been highly effective in prosecuting crime in Guatemala, which has one of the highest murder rates in the region. Nearly 2,000 police and government officials have been fired or sent to jail since its creation.

The Associated Press

Violence Targets Women In Mexico, Central America

The Center for International Policy's own director of the Americas Project, Laura Carlsen, speaks to NPR about the report for the Nobel Women's Initiative: From Survivors to Defenders: Women confronting violence in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala. 

NPR: Violence against women in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala has reached crisis proportions, according to a report by the Nobel Women's Initiative. The group's delegation spent ten days documenting homicides, disappearances, and attacks of sexual violence. Laura Carlsen wrote the report and discusses the findings with guest host Viviana Hurtado.

VIVIANA HURTADO, HOST: Now we turn our attention to a growing problem in Mexico and Central America - violence against women. It's a situation that's become a crisis in the last decade. For example, in Guatemala the number of women murdered each year has more than tripled since 2000.

The Nobel Women's Initiative, which was founded by the female Nobel Peace Prize winners, is shining a bright light on this violence and its victims. The group has also just released a report, "From Survivors to Defenders: Women Confronting Violence in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala." I'm joined by the author of the report, Laura Carlsen. She's the director of the Americas Project for the Center for International Policy based in Mexico City. Read more. 

Nobel laureates highlight violence against women in Mexico, Central America

CNN: Increased militarization in Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala has created more insecurity, especially for women, a report spearheaded by two Nobel laureates found.

"The war on drugs ... has become a war on women," Nobel Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchu wrote in the report, based on a 10-day fact-finding mission. "Efforts to improve 'security' have only led to greater militarization, rampant corruption and abuse within police forces and an erosion of rule of law."

After consulting with presidents, high-ranking officials, human rights activists and others, the team compiled statistics to illustrate the problem. Read more. 

'Colombia Drug Lords Tried to Turn in Sinaloa Cartel Boss Chapo Guzman'

Plaza Pública. Translation of excerpt Insight Crime. By Julie López. Costa Rican Alejandro Jimenez Gonzalez, alias “El Palidejo” (pictured above), had 16 reasons to feel afraid. Jailed in Guatemala, accused of planning the killing of Argentine singer Facundo Cabral (July 9 2011), Jimenez could become involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering trial against 16 defendants in a Brooklyn, New York court. The accused belong to gang the Rastrojos, and their leaders, brothers Javier Antonio and Luis Enrique Calle Serna, are identified as the people who planned to protect Jimenez when he arrived in Colombia, according to the president of that country, Juan Manuel Santos. Palidejo was arrested nearly two weeks ago off the Colombian Pacific coast, where he’d arrived via boat from Panama. Days later, he was extradited to Guatemala for the Cabral case.

It was no coincidence that Jimenez arrived to the Colombian Pacific coast. The zone is the stronghold for Javier Antonio and Luis Enrique Calle Serna, alias the “Combatants” or “Comba,” due to [Javier Antonio's] previous service in the Popular Liberation Army (EPL) in the southern Putumayo department. Some media sources identify them as former paramilitaries (AUC), as are many of the Rastrojos. Read more: Full article in Spanish, English excerpt

Guatemala seeks the legalization of drugs

CNN Mexico: "The President of Guatemala urged his Central American counterparts to sign a regional security plan that includes drug legalization.

The head of state, Otto Perez Molina, proposed several options to put a stop to narco-violence in Central America including a regional tribunal that would adjudicate drug related cases and an indemnity on behalf of the United States for drug seizures.

The leaders didn’t arrive at an agreement during the meeting on Saturday in Antigua, Guatemala, but Perez Molina described the summit as a success.

“It was a success, as we hoped it would be. The success lies in the fact that taboos and myths were dismantled, taboos and myths that the region’s leaders had held in terms of talking about or debating these ideas. For a long time these ideas couldn’t be spoken about openly,” said Perez Molina.

The presidents of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, and of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, attended the meeting which also included representatives from other Central American countries.

Perez Molina affirmed on Saturday that the leaders are looking to start a discussion on the topic in the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena, Colombia, which will take place in May.

The proposal could help lay the path for an important policy change in a region where violence from drug trafficking is a brutal daily reality.

Perez Molina isn’t the first leader to propose that drug legalization could help to slow bloodshed.

In a report in 2009, three ex-presidents from Latin America, Brazilian Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Colombian Cesar Gaviria, and Mexican Ernesto Zedillo, asked that marijuana be legalized for personal use.

Mexican ex-president Vicente Fox has also said that he supports legalization.

Analysts indicate that it’s rare that the fear of political consequences hasn’t prevented these presidents from making these proposals.

“This has been an academic debate and also a scientific debate—a topic that has been studied. Putting it to a political debate is important,” said Perez Molina last month on CNN en Espanol.

The 61-year-old president is a ex-military general that promised to govern Guatemala with an iron fist when he ran for the position in 2011.

His proposal to legalize drugs took many by surprise in April of that year.

“What I have done is put the issue on the table,” Perez Molina said to CNN en Espanol shortly after making the proposal known. “I think that it’s important for us to have alternatives (…) We have to talk about decriminalizing the production, the transit, and, of course, the consumption [of drugs].”

However, some skeptics have suggested that Perez Molina is using the drug legalization debate as a strategy to pressure the United States into sending military aid to Guatemala again.

The aid has been cut for decades following human rights abuses committed during the Central American country’s civil war." Spanish original

Translation: Mikael Rojas, Americas Program

Official says US Should Resume Military Aid to Guatemala

InSight Crime: "Speaking to media during a visit to Washington D.C., Guatemalan Defense Minister Ulises Noe Anzueto (shown with President Perez in the photo) said, "We have complied with the declassification of military archives, we have included the issue of human rights in our military academies, and we have (addressed) the remaining concerns there were about this issue."

The US Congress halted all military aid to Guatemala in 1990 as a result of the atrocities committed by the country's armed forces during its civil war. The restrictions were relaxed to a degree in 2007, with the purchase of helicopters for the Guatemala Air Force, as long as they were intended to be used to fight drug trafficking." read more

Drug War: Zetas Drug Cartel Threatens Violence in Peten, Guatemala

Fox News Latino: "A banner that appeared Tuesday in front of a school in the northern Guatemalan province of Petén threatens attacks on civilians if authorities in the Central American nation continue to pursue members of the Mexico-based Los Zetas drug cartel.

"To all civil and military authorities and the population in general stop persecution of the race or we will start killing. We will toss grenades into discos and shopping centers in Petén ... because this is 'Z' territory we don't want a war against the government this is a warning. Z200," the message said." read more

Drug War: Cartel Members Call for Drug Legalization in Guatemala

Reverse psychology from the drug barons? The supposed support for the decriminalization of drugs by the Zetas in Guatemala should draw skepticism.  

Latin American Herald Tribune: "Supposed members of Mexico’s Los Zetas drug cartel hung bedsheets Monday over heavily traveled boulevards in Guatemala City bearing messages of support for President Otto Perez Molina’s proposal to legalize drugs.

The messages signed by “Zeta 200,” the supposed boss of the Mexican cartel’s cell in Guatemala, also called for a crackdown on youth gangs, which are known as “maras” and blamed by officials for much of the crime in this Central American country.

“Perez and (Vice President Roxana) Baldetti, go through with legalizing drugs, and we support fighting the maras ... Zeta 200” and “A thousand thanks general Otto Perez and Roxana Baldetti for legalizing drugs ... Zeta 200,” the messages left on pedestrian bridges in southwestern and central Guatemala City said.

Police pulled the bedsheets off the overpasses a few hours after they appeared and officials have not commented on them.

Perez Molina has been promoting international debate on the legalization of drug production, transportation, sales and consumption for about a month as a strategy for fighting drug traffickers." read more

Drug Policy Debate: U.S. not budging on drug decriminalization stance

The Tico Times: U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano arrived in Guatemala Monday evening to discuss drug war strategy with President Otto Pérez Molina, who caused a stir in Central America a few weeks ago with his proposal for a discussion on illicit drug decriminalization. Napolitano reiterated U.S. opposition Monday night.

'The United States does not view decriminalization as a viable way to deal with the narcotics problem,' she said. She suggested a regional effort that would prevent drug use, intercept production and distribution, and stop money laundering.

But Pérez Molina was firm. 'We are calling for a discussion, a debate. And we continue to insist it. ... We want to open a debate to find a more effective way to fight drug trafficking.'" read more

Drug Policy Debate: Should Central America Legalize Drugs?

The Atlantic: "Last week, the president of Guatemala joined former and current presidents of Colombia and Mexico in expressing interest in considering the regional legalization of the drug trade. The U.S. State Department immediately expressed its disfavor, but the question is out in the open now. The issue of whether to legalize drugs -- and thus reject the U.S. model of "war" against drugs -- threatens to consume the next Summit of the Americas, an April meeting of Western Hemisphere Heads of State in Colombia.

It is easy to see why. The drug war has been a disaster for the Latin American countries fighting it, especially Mexico, and Central Americans' suspicion that legalization could be less painful and costly is reasonable. Whether or not legalization would in fact be a good thing for Central America, the situation is desperate enough that they must at least consider their options." read more

Drug War: US Homeland Security Secretary visits Guatemala

After voicing his opinions on drug decriminalization, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina will have the opportunity to meet with US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. 

Prensa Libre: "Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano will visit Guatemala on Monday to meet with President Otto Perez Molina and his ministers.

Through a press release, the United States Embassy in Guatemala stated that Napolitano will be accompanied by Deputy Commissioner of US Border Patrol and Customs Agency, David Aguilar, and the Undersecretary of International Relations for US Homeland Security, Alan Bersin.

Napolitano will arrive in Guatemala this afternoon as part of a tour that will also pass through Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. The tour will last from February 27-29.

According to the US embassy, the objective of the trip will be to “meet with international counterparts to discuss the efforts of the United States government to facilitate business and travel, improve the exchange of information, and to make sure that work is the safest and most protected as it can be, and that the global supply chain is reliable.”

Decriminalization

Combating drug trafficking will be another issue addressed during the meeting between Napolitano and Perez Molina—the Guatemalan President has recently proposed to lead a debate about drug decriminalization and Vice President Roxana Baldetti will begin a lobbying tour this week on the issue throughout Central America.

Another issue expected to be addressed is the request for Temporary Protection Status (TPS) for Guatemalans who live in the United States without documentation.

Both issues were already discussed with the Secretary when Guatemalan Chancellor, Harold Caballeros, recently visited the US. After the visit, Caballeros signaled that Napolitano showed interest in aiding mechanisms that support TPS for Guatemalans and the continued training for border patrol agents.

Napolitano’s activities will begin at 5:00PM when she arrives in Guatemala." Spanish original

 

Translation: Mikael Rojas, Americas Mexico Blog

Drug Policy Debate: Why Guatemala’s Pérez Molina Is Considering Legalizing Drugs

Latin America's Moment: "(Guatemala President) Pérez Molina’s most recent about face has drawn annoyance and even anger from the United States. Last Saturday he raised the possibility of legalizing drugs in Central America, saying he’d put the debate on the table in future meetings with regional leaders.

...So what is Pérez Molina’s endgame? A popular theory is that he’s trying to pressure the United States into lifting its ban on weapons sales to Guatemala, instituted in 1978 due to the military’s role in human rights abuses during the civil conflict. This makes sense. The president has spoken openly and frequently about his desire to buy U.S. arms, ... Threatening to decriminalize drugs as a last resort solution the problem of organized crime could pressure the United States to offer an alternative: renewed military aid.

... But Pérez Molina may also be making a more ambitious attempt to alter the long-standing foundations of U.S. relations with Guatemala and Central America more broadly. ... The legalization debate is a way of putting Central America – and Guatemala in particular – on the United States’ radar screen. It is also a way of asserting the country’s autonomy from Washington." read more

Drug Policy Debate: Guatemala president says drug war requires more than arms

AP/CBS News: "Guatemala's first president with a military background in 25 years said Tuesday the drug war can't be won with arms alone, and pledged that his administration will focus on fighting hunger, which he called a security problem.

In an interview with The Associated Press one day after he promised to propose legalizing drugs in Guatemala, President Otto Perez Molina said the Central American country isn't following U.S. orders, despite American opposition to legalization.

"We are not doing what the United States says, we are doing what we have to do," said Perez, who was elected on promises of an "iron-fist" approach to rampant crime and surprised observers by proposing drug legalization." read more

Drug Policy Debate: El Salvador’s Funes Retreats on Drug Legalization Debate

Ah, yes, the U.S. is such a "good neighbor" and "equal partner" (Obama) with Mexico and Central American countries that we will "protect" them from even entertaining any deviation from U.S. drug prohibition policy and "convince" them of its continuing necessity, even if that policy destroys their very fragile democracies, their societies and the lives of their people.

The Pan-American Post: "Hours after expressing support for the Guatemalan president’s call for a debate on drug legalization, Salvadoran leader Mauricio Funes has beat a hasty retreat, declaring himself opposed to any such initative. ... The two presidents met on Monday, and, after the encounter, Funes told press that he was open to “promoting the discussion” of Perez’s proposal, and that it would have to be a regional initiative.

However, later on Monday night, Funes changed his position, stating that, "I am not in agreement with the depenalization of drugs; neither the production, nor the transport, nor the consumption." This hasty clarification seems likely to have been made under pressure from Washington. The US Embassy in Guatemala was quick to slap down Perez’s proposal, a response which the Guatemalan leader classed as “premature.”" read more

Drug Legalization: Guatemala president to propose legalizing drugs

Wow! We'll have to see where this goes.

The Associated Press: "Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina said Saturday he will propose legalizing drugs in Central America in an upcoming meeting with the region's leaders. Perez Molina said in a radio interview that his proposal would include decriminalizing the transportation of drugs through the area. "I want to bring this discussion to the table," he said. "It wouldn't be a crime to transport, to move drugs. It would all have to be regulated."" read more

Rule of Law: Guatemala's New President Surprises Critics by Defending Justice

The Pan-American Post: "A UN-backed investigation unit, set up to combat impunity rates in Guatemala, is set to stay in the country until 2015, after President Otto Perez asked for its mandate to be extended until the end of his term. The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) was set up in 2006 with some 180 international staff to help the domestic legal system investigate and prosecute criminal organizations that operate within state institutions, known as the “hidden powers.”

... Its current mandate was set to expire in September 2013, but President Otto Perez, who began his four-year term in January, requested this week that it be extended for another two years. He praised the commission’s work, and said that it was necessary to build up Guatemala’s institutions so that, when the body left, the country would have the institutional strength to cope alone." read more

Drug Policy Reform: Guatemala's Otto Perez Molina Calls for Drug Decriminalization

Fox News Latino: "Only days after taking office on the promise of an "iron fist" approach to security, Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina called for a discussion about decriminalizing drugs.

The former general argued on Mexican television that a regional strategy for decriminalization should be looked into as soon as possible. “Here we are speaking from the southern area, where it occurs, through all the countries like Guatemala that are transit points to Mexico and the United States," Pérez Molina said, according to El Nuevo Heradlo newspaper.

Pérez Molina added that Mexican President Felipe Calderón had made a great effort in combating drug trafficking, but criticized the United States for not matching Mexico’s effort and for being the world’s largest drug consumer." read more