On today's El Boletin: 

The Other Side Of Migration

🚌 Fire at migration center in Ciudad de Juarez
A fire in a detention center, in Ciudad de Juarez, left 39 migrants dead. 

- 18 from Guatemala
- 7 from El Salvador 
- 7 from Venezuela 
- 6 from Honduras 
- 1 from Colombia 

Officials have begun an investigation to understand what happened with the fire but currently, Mexican authorities have issued 6 orders of arrest against three migration agents. two guards and one suspected migrant. 

Tragedy and uncertainty fall under a small Honduran community following the Juarez fire

In the small community of Nuevo Porvenir, Santa Barbara, located in the northeast of Honduras, emigrating has become a survival tool for the new generations. The local coffee economy of the region is not enough to sustain a decent life and recently many have left for the nearby city of San Pedro Sula or have decided to embark on a dangerous journey to the United States. 

For Edin, Dikson, and Jesus, all from Nuevo Porvenir, the journey to the United States was a necessary decision. They gathered some money to partially pay a coyote, which cost between $10,000 to $13,00 USD, and left Honduras on Sunday, March 19. On Friday, March 24, they told their family members that they were in good shape and were heading to Ciudad de Juarez. In Juarez, they were going to cross the border with the help of the coyote. On Saturday they were detained and put in a nearby migration center. 

Five days later family members in Nuevo Porvenir heard about a fire in the detention center in Ciudad Juarez but did not receive any news from Edin, Dikson, and Jesus. Initially, officials reported there were 14 Hondurans among the 39 dead, and later the Honduran Secretary of Foreign Affairs reported 13. 

Family members are frustrated and confused by the mixture of information, according to Carlos Ramon Umaña, father of Edin Umaña, there is no concrete version of what happened. 

Last week, Don Carlos explained, “Look, there are moments that they make us happy because they tell us that they are in a hospital, others tell us that they escaped and there was even a guy that told us that they kidnapped our son and we need to send them money”. The families of Nuevo Porvenir do not know what to believe but are optimistic that they’ll find them safe. 

Don Carlos said that he is ready for anything, but with optimism, he added that he would not be surprised if he had escaped and was in the United States already.

In the latest report from the Mexican Government, Edin Umaña is part of the official list of the 39 deceased migrants in the migration-center. Edin along with his friends Dikson Aron Cordova and Jesus Adony Alvarado are three of the six Hondurans that died in the fire. Jose Angel Ceballos Molina, Oscar Serrano Ramirez, and Alis Dagoberto Santos Lopez are the other two. 

Don Carlos and the other family members of the victims are now in the capital, Tegucigalpa, to issue a special humanitarian visa to go see their deceased boys.

Honduras ends diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognizes the People's Republic of China as a new partner. 
 

Last week, the Honduran government officially established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, China, and ended its diplomatic recognition of the Republic of China, Taiwan. 

“The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the existence of only one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China represents China as a whole,” said the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique Reina. 

The decision left Taiwan with only 13 countries recognizing its sovereignty and led to the removal of its embassy in the country. 

The government of Xiomara Castro has justified the change as an economic opportunity for the country, Reina explained that the change in policy would provide Honduras a market with more than 1,400 million consumers. 

However, experts claim that a change in diplomatic relations will not magically increase Honduras' exports to China, since the Chinese market is already a very competitive market. In order for Honduras to establish itself in the market, there needs to be a well-coordinated plan between the two governments and their respective commercial sectors.

Though experts pointed out that there will most likely be an increase in Chinese industry in the country, especially in the infrastructure area. China has increased its influence in the Central American area in recent years and there is currently Chinese infrastructure projects underway in Honduras, and Costa Rica. Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador, and Guatemala. Guatemala and Belize are the only two countries in the region left with diplomatic relations with Taiwan. 

Experts claim that it is unlikely that the new diplomatic relations will impact Honduras’ politics since China does not tend to export a political ideology, however, with this recognition Honduras has taken a step away from the United States. 

Read Here 🌎 In Spanish

Central America News Roundup 🌎

🇬🇹Guatemala- As the presidential elections of Guatemala near, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal has been under scrutiny for preventing certain candidates from participating in the elections and sanctioning campaigns for unethical practices. Candidate Roberto Arzu Garcia, for instance, has decided to take the electoral tribunal to the Supreme Court, despite a constitutional court invalidating his candidature. 

🇸🇻El Salvador- The state of exception continues to define Salvadorean society. The NYT just released an article detailing the consequences of the state of emergency on the social fabric of the country. 

🇳🇮Nicaragua - Daniel Ortega prohibited holy week processions in the country as a sign of disapproval of the Roman Catholic Church. Holy week, which celebrates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ in the Christian religion, is an integral cultural part of the Central American region. In Nicaragua, local communities celebrate the week with community events and processions to commemorate their faith. 

🇧🇿Belize- Belize reaffirms its commitment to Taiwan following the end of diplomatic relations between Honduras and Taiwan. Prime Minister John Briceño hosted the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, and signed a cooperative agreement to consolidate their presence in the region.

🇨🇷Costa Rica- Lutrnan Warsame Farah, son of the known Somali terrorist leader of Al-Shabaab was arrested and deported from Costa Rica last week. Authorities reported that Farah entered Costa Rica earlier in the year with a Swedish passport. 

🇵🇦Panama- Government authorities revealed that 19,000 doses of fentanyl disappeared from the Panamanian social security fund. The social security fund has launched an investigation to understand what happened with the doses. 

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Saludos ,

Jorge Paz Reyes 

English Content Editor

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