Dan Whitman, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer and State Department employee, says he had no involvement in the foiled Haiti coup plot on Sunday.  “I don’t know who is spreading this narrative, or why. I’ve never met or heard of any of the individuals mentioned — and don’t know why my name would be used in this regard,” Whitman told VOA in a phone interview Monday.    The American, currently a professor at American University’s School of International Service, is depicted in a video distributed by Haiti’s Intelligence Service to members of the Haitian press on Sunday. A photo of Whitman is captioned as a “former member of the State Department” who, the video alleges, masterminded the plot to overthrow President Jovenel Moise with the help of national police officers.  Whitman worked at the State Department from 1985 to 2009 and has written a book on Haiti, “A Haiti Chronicle: The Undoing of a Latent Democracy,” published in 2004. The professor is fluent in French and spoke a few words of Creole to VOA during the interview.  Asked why he had been included in the Haitian video, Whitman told VOA, “I haven’t seen the video, I’ve heard about it.”    As for whether he was in Haiti on Sunday (February 7), or recently, he said, “I left that country 20 years ago and I’ve never been back.”Dan Whitman worked at the U.S. State Department from 1985 to 2009. He is now a professor at American University’s School of International Studies. (Credit – courtesy)Whitman told VOA it upsets him that his name has been linked to the foiled coup attempt.  VOA asked the State Department for comment on the video implicating a former employee.  “It is our well-established practice to conduct diplomatic relations through our embassies, not private individuals,” a spokesperson said. “And we have a very capable embassy and ambassador in Port-Au-Prince. As you know, we do not discuss cases involving private U.S. citizens absent their written consent.”  Haitian President Jovenel Moise announced during a Facebook Live event at noon Sunday that law enforcement officials had foiled a coup attempt and made more than 20 arrests. Moise stood on the tarmac of the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, alongside his wife, first lady Martine Moise, in front of a private plane that he boarded immediately afterward to visit the southern coastal town of Jacmel to kick off Carnival festivities. He said Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe would hold a press conference Sunday afternoon to provide further details.  Jouthe told the press he saw and heard proof in the form of audio recordings produced by the Intelligence Service, signed documents and the text of a speech for the inauguration of the new president.  VOA listened to the recordings — a video that shows a photo of who is speaking over the audio of their conversation in French and Creole — Monday. Here’s what was heard:  The plot  The alleged coup plot is laid out in a produced video featuring mobile phone footage of Supreme Court Justice Hiviquel Dabrezil shortly after his arrest and then segues to a series of audio recordings of conversations between the alleged coup plotters.  In one exchange, Dimitri Herard, a commander of the USGPN (L’Unité de Sécurité Générale du Palais National), a specialized unit of the national police force tasked with protecting the national palace, is talking to National Police Force Inspector General Marie Antoinette Gauthier about plans. Gauthier is captioned in the video as “lead putschiste.” Dimitri Herard: “Hello, commander?”  Marie Antoinette Gauthier: “Yes, hello. Dimitri? I’m listening.” DH: “Yes, commander.” MAG: “Listen, I received orders from the State Department.” DH: “OK…”  MAG: “…to plan certain things.”    DH: “Clearly. They contacted me as well so that’s why I was waiting for your call. I’m listening commander.” MAG: “Yes, listen. They told me that Friday or Saturday — you understand?”   DH: “Uh-huh.”  Whitman is never mentioned by name. But the Intelligence Service video narrator alleges “the group plotted with a former member of the Department of State — Dan Whitman — who they say was working with them to pull off this coup d’etat.”  In another exchange, Herard and Gauthier discuss the “extraction” of President Moise.    DH (in French): “I don’t know if it’s the same people who contacted you — OK? But they also mentioned an inauguration on Monday, the 8th, etc., but. …” MAG: “I’m coming over.” DH: “OK, the reason why I’m asking the question is I wanted to know what about the president? What is happening with him?” MAG: “Listen, listen the president — on the morning of the 7th, if he is still in power — are you listening?” DH: “Yes, I hear you clearly, commander.” MAG: “On the 7th, I’ll have to take control of him. Do you understand?” DH: “OK.”  MAG: “I’ll let him know we have a warrant for his arrest, and we have to detain him and take him to — are you familiar with the Petit Bois complex?”  DH: “The complex that is near the American Embassy?”  MAG: “Yes.”  The video alleges that the 23 arrests on Sunday gave authorities a clear picture about the plot and the prominent politicians, businessmen and law enforcement officials who agreed to participate in it.    “We found that this coup was masterminded by Jean Henry Ceant (former prime minister),” the narrator says, “Reginald Boulos (millionaire businessman who is also an opposition politician), who would finance it; Jean Marie Vorbe — in fact the complex where they masterminded the plot belongs to Jean Marie Vorbe. Youri Chevry (Port-au-Prince mayor) and Nenel Cassy (former senator of Lavalas party) were responsible for arming and financing. Fantom 509 (rogue police officers), they were going to organize the coup and a member of the Supreme Court — Justice Mario Beauvoir and many other members of the opposition, many of whom have been arrested and other warrants are outstanding for the arrest of all the coup plotters.”  US reaction Commenting on Sunday’s events, a State Department spokesperson told VOA, “The United States is following the situation in Haiti with concern and calls on all political actors to address their differences though peaceful means. We understand the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals who were arrested over the weekend. The situation remains murky, and we await the results of the police investigation.”    In response to VOA’s question about what message the United States would like to send Haitians who insist Moise’s term is expired, the spokesperson responded, “While the Haitian constitution does not clearly address today’s situation, President Jovenel Moise was elected in November 2016, following the annulment of the initial presidential polls in October of the previous year. He was sworn into office on February 7, 2017, for a five-year term, which is, therefore, scheduled to end on February 7, 2022.”  Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks of New York tweeted Saturday that he co-led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke “to condemn President Moise’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The letter was signed by five other House representatives: Albio Sires, Andy Levin, Alcee Hastings, Ilhan Omar and Darren Soto.Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The full text of the letter: https://t.co/CDGgmpM45Lpic.twitter.com/pkuriOY5TS— Rep. Gregory Meeks (@RepGregoryMeeks) February 6, 2021Early Sunday, Congressman Levin tweeted condemnation of President Moise.  “I am deeply saddened but unsurprised that Moise has escalated his anti-democratic campaign with a mass arrest of opposition officials and others on what should be his final day in office,” Levin tweeted.I am deeply saddened but unsurprised that Moïse has escalated his anti-democratic campaign with a mass arrest of opposition officials and others on what should be his final day in office.— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021The State Department told VOA it was aware of the lawmakers’ comments but decline to provide any details on communications.  “We do not comment on specific communications with Congress,” the spokesperson said. “The department is briefing members on the situation in Haiti. The secretary appreciates insight and communication from Congress on foreign policy.”  The United Nations also commented on Sunday’s events in Haiti, echoing the Biden administration’s stance.  “On Haiti, I will tell you that we are obviously, both the secretary-general and the team on the ground, are following the situation with worry and concern. It is very important that all stakeholders address their differences though peaceful means,” spokesperson Stephane Durjarric told VOA.  “We have also seen the reports and are very much aware that the Haitian National Police is investigating 23 individuals arrested over the weekend for allegedly plotting a coup. We are waiting and are interested in seeing the results of what that investigation is,” Dujarric said.  Port-au Prince was calm Monday, according to VOA Creole reporters, who said most businesses and the Supreme Court were closed.  Jean Samuel Pierre in Port-au-Prince, Cindy Saine at the State contributed to this report.
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Colombia will give temporary protective legal status to Venezuelan migrants, President Ivan Duque said Monday in a joint announcement with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The status will allow the migrants to work legally in Colombia. Colombia has been the top destination for people fleeing economic and social collapse in neighboring Venezuela. About 966,000 of the 1.73 million Venezuelan migrants living in Colombia do not currently have legal status. FILE – Colombia’s President Ivan Duque addresses the nation in a televised speech, in Bogota, Colombia, Nov. 22, 2019.”We need to take action,” Duque said at a press announcement. “This process marks a milestone in Colombia’s migration policies.” The U.N.’s Grandi called the announcement historic and said it was the most important humanitarian gesture in the region for decades. The migrant influx has overburdened Colombia’s fragile public health and education systems, especially in border areas. The new status, which will last 10 years, will free those who are already legalized from regularly having to reapply for permissions, Duque said. In addition, migrants with irregular status who entered Colombia before January 31 are eligible, along with migrants who legally enter Colombia during the first two years of the new measures. Anyone who does not register under the new temporary status will eventually be subject to deportation, Duque added. Duque reiterated a call for the international community to increase funding for the crisis, asking for help to vaccinate migrants against COVID-19. The Venezuelan population in Colombia fell more than 2% last year, as tens of thousands returned home in desperation during more than five months of coronavirus lockdown that shuttered many parts of the economy. But Colombian authorities predict many are likely to return as the economy recovers, bringing with them one or two additional migrants. Colombia said last month it will keep its land and river borders closed until March 1 in a bid to curb spread of coronavirus. International and domestic air travel is open. 
 
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A young leftist backed by a convicted-but-popular former president led the field of 16 candidates in early returns from Ecuador’s presidential election Sunday, which was held under strict coronavirus sanitary measures. Andrés Arauz, who is supported by former President Rafael Correa — a major force in the troubled Andean nation despite a corruption conviction — appeared likely to go on to an April 11 runoff, though it wasn’t clear hours after polls closed who else might advance. An early quick count showed conservative former banker Guillermo Lasso and indigenous rights and environmental activist Yaku Pérez vying for second place. In the early count, Arauz had more than 30% of the votes, and Lasso and Pérez each were around 20%. To win outright, a candidate needed 50% of the vote, or to have at least 40% with a 10-point lead over the closest opponent. Voters were required to wear masks, bring their own bottle of hand sanitizer and pencil, keep a 1.5-meter distance from others and avoid all personal contact in the polling places. The only time voters could lower their masks was during the identification process.  Long lines formed at polling places, especially in big cities, where some voters had to wait hours to cast their ballots. “I don’t care who wins the elections. We are used to thinking that the messiah is coming to solve our lives and no candidate has solved anything for me,” said one voter, Ramiro Loza. “During the quarantine, my income was reduced by 80%, and the politicians did not feed me.” The winning candidate will have to work to pull the oil-producing nation out of a deepening economic crisis that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The South American country of 17 million people recorded more than 257,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 15,000 deaths related to COVID-19 as of Sunday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Arauz, a former culture minister who attended the University of Michigan, has proposed making the wealthy pay more taxes and strengthening consumer protection mechanisms, public banking and local credit and savings organizations. Arauz, 36, said he would not comply with agreements with the International Monetary Fund. Arauz could not cast his vote in the capital, Quito, because he was registered to do so in Mexico, where he lived until shortly before his nomination, and he did not change his electoral address. Lasso, 65, was making a third run for the presidency after a long career in business, banking and government. He favors free-market policies and Ecuador’s rapprochement with international organizations. He promised to create more jobs and attract international banks. He also wants to boost the oil, mining and energy sectors through the participation of private entities to replace state financing. Hovering over the election was the future of Correa, a leftist who is only 57. He governed from 2007 to 2017 as an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, both now deceased.  He remains popular among millions of Ecuadorians after overseeing a period of economic growth driven by an oil boom and loans from China that allowed him to expand social programs, build roads, schools and other projects. But he increasingly cracked down on opponents, the press and businesses during his latter stage in office and feuded with Indigenous groups over development projects. His appeal also has been tarnished by a corruption conviction he says was a product of political vengeance. Correa was sentenced in absentia in April to eight years in prison for his role in a scheme to extract millions of dollars from businessmen in exchange for infrastructure projects — money allegedly used for political purposes. That conviction barred him from running as Arauz’s vice presidential candidate. An earlier attempt by Ecuadorian prosecutors to extradite him from Belgium in an unrelated kidnapping case was rejected by Interpol on human rights grounds. 
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“I am not a dictator,” Haitian President Jovenel Moise said during a national address Sunday, hours after announcing that the police had foiled a coup attempt and made more than 20 arrests.  Haitians woke Sunday to gunfire in areas near the national palace, and a high police presence was seen by VOA Creole reporters on the scene.  At midday, the president surprised the nation by going live on Facebook from the international airport in Port-au-Prince to announce a foiled coup attempt and the arrests.  The prime minister would give more details, the president said, before heading to the southern coastal town of Jacmel to inaugurate Carnival festivities. He was accompanied by his wife, first lady Martine Moise.  
 
Moise has said he will serve another year because he was sworn in in 2017 for a five-year term. But the nation’s opposition party says the president’s term should have ended Sunday, February 7, the date set by the constitution when elected presidents are sworn into office. Moise failed to hold elections in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic and a climate of insecurity. The Biden administration on Friday expressed support for Moise’s position that his term would end February 7, 2022, while urging him to respect the rule of law, refrain from issuing more decrees and organize elections as soon as possible. It’s a position also supported by the United Nations and Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro.Police officers detain demonstrators during a protest to demand the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 7, 2021.On Saturday, some U.S. lawmakers wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemning Moise’s actions. 
 
The State Department and U.S. Embassy in Haiti did not comment on Sunday’s events. 
Prime Minister Joseph Jouthe described the police operation during an afternoon press conference at his official residence as “operation catastrophe” during which police targeted a location called Habitation Petit Bois in the Tabarre neighborhood of the capital. The prime minister said police made 23 arrests and seized U.S. and Haitian currency, weapons and munition.  “Among the 23 arrested, unfortunately there was a Supreme Court judge and an inspector general for the national police force. We deplore this,” he said.  
 
The Supreme Court judge has been identified as Hiviquel Dabrezil and the Police Nationale d’Haiti Inspector General was identified as Marie Louise Gauthier. Agronomist Louis Buteau was also detained.  
 
Prime Minister Joseph described the alleged attempted coup:  “Those people had contacted the official in charge of security for the national palace who were to arrest the president and take him to Habitation Petit Bois and also facilitate the swearing in of a new provisional president who would oversee the transition.”  The prime minister added that he saw and heard proof in the form of audio recordings, signed documents and the text of a speech for the inauguration of the new president.  
 
The opposition’s transition plan called for a judge of the Supreme Court to replace Moise after his term expired on February 7.  Asked by VOA Creole on Saturday who they had chosen among the judges, Andre Michel, a lawyer who represents the coalition of the Democratic and Popular opposition groups, declined to specify who it would be. He told VOA if he gave the name, the person would not live to see Sunday. 
 
As the prime minister was speaking, Michel held a simultaneous press conference elsewhere in town to denounce the arrests and insist that President Jovenel Moise is now a de-facto leader because his term expired at midnight on Saturday.A police officer fires his weapon to disperse demonstrators during a protest to demand the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 7, 2021.“The CSPJ (Superior Council of the Judiciary Branch), who in principle has the last word in any political or legal conflict — this judicial branch of government — says Jovenel Moise’s constitutional term of office has expired,” Michel said, adding that this position is supported by members of the U.S. Congress.  
 
Democratic Congressman Gregory Meeks tweeted Saturday that he co-led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke “to condemn President Moise’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power.  The letter was signed by five other House representatives: Albio Sires, Andy Levin, Alcee Hastings, Ilhan Omar and Darren Soto.Today I co-led a letter to @SecBlinken with @RepYvetteClarke to condemn President Moïse’s undemocratic actions in Haiti, urging for a Haitian-led democratic transition of power. The full text of the letter: https://t.co/CDGgmpM45Lpic.twitter.com/pkuriOY5TS— Rep. Gregory Meeks (@RepGregoryMeeks) February 6, 2021Early Sunday, Congressman Levin tweeted condemnation of President Moise.  
 
“I am deeply saddened but unsurprised that Moise has escalated his anti-democratic campaign with a mass arrest of opposition officials and others on what should be his final day in office,” Levin tweeted.I am deeply saddened but unsurprised that Moïse has escalated his anti-democratic campaign with a mass arrest of opposition officials and others on what should be his final day in office.— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021The congressman also questioned Moise’s “claims of conspiracy against his life” saying “Moise is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power.”With no evidence to support his claims of a conspiracy against his life, Moïse is demonstrating what my colleagues and I have said: there is zero chance of real elections, real democracy or real accountability while he remains in power. https://t.co/3AzphfSPaN— Rep. Andy Levin (@RepAndyLevin) February 7, 2021Moise has faced intense pressure internally and internationally over the past months for ruling by decree and failing to curb the rampant kidnappings and gang violence that have terrorized the nation.  
 
However, he was jubilant Sunday, as he listed his infrastructure accomplishments that he said has brought electricity, irrigation and roads to towns nationwide.  He implored the opposition to stop fighting him and work with him to make the lives of the people better because he has only 364 days left in office.  
 
“The battle I’m waging is not for myself, it’s for you,” Moise said. “I’m not here to lie to you today, I’m here to tell you the truth. … My brothers and sisters in the opposition don’t let pride, revenge, selfishness keep you from working with me.” 
 
VOA Creole spoke to people in Haiti about the president’s speech and the events of the day.  
 
“Today we’ve reached a decisive moment. This is a moment to prove our sovereignty. This is a day to show that we are a symbol of democracy. And that is why we are in the streets today,” said a protester who said he belongs to a grassroots group called Slave Revolt. “We are living events we’ve never seen before and that has pushed us into civil disobedience.”  
 
Another protester said he’d like to remind Jovenel Moise that his term is expired.  
 
“We’re in the streets to remind the president that although he is reticent to respect the constitution — let’s remember it is the same constitution he was sworn to uphold when he was inaugurated. Now he’s letting the country tumble into a free fall,” he said.  
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Haitian authorities said Sunday they had foiled an attempt to kill President Jovenel Moise and overthrow the government, as a dispute rages over when his term ends.The plot was an “attempted coup d’etat,” according to Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent, with authorities saying at least 23 people have been arrested, including a top judge and an official from the national police.”I thank my head of security at the palace. The goal of these people was to make an attempt on my life,” Moise said. “That plan was aborted.”Moise has been governing without any checks on his power for the past year and says he remains president until Feb. 7, 2022 — in an interpretation of the constitution rejected by the opposition, which has led protests asserting his term ends Sunday.The United States on Friday accepted the president’s claim to power, with State Department spokesman Ned Price saying Washington has urged “free and fair legislative elections so that parliament may resume its rightful role.”The dispute over when the president’s term ends stems from Moise’s original election: he was voted into office in a poll later canceled on grounds of fraud, and then elected again a year later, in 2016.After the latter disputed election, demonstrations demanding his resignation intensified in the summer of 2018.Voting to elect deputies, senators, mayors and local officials should have been held in 2018, but the polls have been delayed, triggering the vacuum in which Moise says he is entitled to stay for another year.In recent years, angry Haitians have demonstrated against what they call rampant government corruption and unchecked crime by gangs.  In a letter Friday to the U.N. mission in Haiti, a dozen or so human rights and women’s advocacy groups faulted it for providing technical and logistical support for the president’s plans to hold a constitutional reform referendum in April, then presidential and legislative elections.”The United Nations must under no circumstances support President Jovenel Moise in his anti-democratic plans,” the letter stated. 
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Ecuador will choose a new president Sunday facing unprecedented health measures due to the coronavirus pandemic and the influence of a populist former head of state who was blocked from a place on the ballot due to a corruption conviction. Sixteen candidates are vying to succeed President Lenín Moreno, a protege-turned-rival of former President Rafael Correa, who governed Ecuador for a decade and remains a major force despite a criminal conviction that blocked him from seeking the vice presidency this year. There are so many contenders that an April 11 runoff election is almost certain, but the clear leaders have been a Correa-backed candidate, Andrés Arauz, and a conservative former banker who finished second twice before, Guillermo Lasso. Voters have been ordered to wear a mask, bring their own bottle of hand sanitizer and pencil, keep a 5-foot (1.5-meter) distance from others and avoid all personal contact in the polling place. The only time voters will be allowed to lower their mask will be during the identification process.  The winner will have to work to pull the oil-producing nation out of a deepening economic crisis that has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The South American country of 17 million people had recorded more than 253,000 cases and nearly 15,000 deaths of COVID-19 as of Friday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University in the United States. Arauz, a 35-year-old former culture minister who attended the University of Michigan, faces Lasso, who at 65 is making a third run for the presidency after a long career in business, banking and government. Indigenous rights and environmental activist Yaku Pérez has been trailing in third place. Arauz has proposed making the wealthy pay more taxes and strengthening consumer protection mechanisms, public banking and local credit and savings organizations. He has said he will not comply with agreements with the International Monetary Fund. Lasso, favors free-market policies and Ecuador’s rapprochement with international organizations. He has promised to create more jobs and attract international banks. He also wants to boost the oil, mining and energy sectors through the participation of private entities to replace state financing. Hovering over the election is the future of Correa, a leftist who is still only 57. He governed from 2007 to 2017 as an ally of Cuba’s Fidel Castro and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, both now deceased.  He remains popular among millions of Ecuadorians after overseeing a period of economic growth driven by an oil boom and loans from China that allowed him to expand social programs, build roads, schools and other projects. But he increasingly cracked down on opponents, the press and businesses during his latter stage in office and feuded with Indigenous groups over development projects. His appeal also has been tarnished by a corruption conviction he says was a trumped up product of political vengeance. Correa was sentenced in absentia in April to eight years in prison for his role in a scheme to extract millions of dollars from businessmen in exchange for infrastructure projects — money allegedly used for political purposes. That conviction barred him from running as Arauz’s vice presidential candidate. An earlier attempt by Ecuadorian prosecutors to extradite him from Belgium in an unrelated kidnapping case was rejected by Interpol on human rights grounds. Moreno won office four years ago with the backing of Correa but broke with him, pursuing business-friendly policies as the nation’s economy was hit by a slide in oil and commodities prices. While eligible to seek reelection, he chose not to run.  
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The Biden administration said on Saturday it was immediately suspending Trump-era asylum agreements with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, part of a bid to undo his Republican predecessor’s hard-line immigration policies.In a statement, State Department Secretary Antony Blinken said the United States had “suspended and initiated the process to terminate the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with the Governments of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras as the first concrete steps on the path to greater partnership and collaboration in the region laid out by President Biden.”The so-called “safe third country” agreements, inked in 2019 by the Trump administration and the Central American nations, force asylum seekers from the region to first seek refuge in those countries before applying in the United States.Part of a controversial bid by Trump to crack down on illegal immigrants from Central America who make up a large part of migrants apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border, the policies were never implemented with El Salvador and Honduras, the State Department said on Saturday.Transfers under the U.S.-Guatemala agreement have been paused since mid-March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the statement added.The moves announced Saturday came after Biden unveiled a host of measures last week aimed at revamping the U.S. immigration system, including a task force to reunite families separated at the United States-Mexico border and another to increase an annual cap on refugees.One of the orders called for Blinken to “promptly consider” whether to notify the governments of the three countries that the United States intended to suspend and terminate the safe third country deals. It also called on the Secretary of Homeland Security and the attorney general to determine whether to rescind a rule implementing the agreements.
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The U.S. government has ended a controversial agreement with Guatemala that sent asylum-seekers processed at the U.S.-Mexico border to the Central American country to await hearings, according to a U.S. State Department statement and the Guatemalan government.Guatemala’s foreign ministry said in a statement Friday that U.S. officials had informed it of the cancellation of the program, which was negotiated under the administration of former President Donald Trump.The agreement with Guatemala was signed in 2019, just as similar pacts were negotiated with El Salvador and Honduras, all in a bid by Trump to force other countries in the region to help the United States alleviate a surge of asylum-seekers arriving at the U.S. southern border by agreeing to take them in for prolonged waits.Transfers under the U.S.-Guatemala Asylum Cooperative Agreement had been paused since mid-March 2020 because of COVID-19 measures, and the agreements with El Salvador and Honduras were never implemented, according to a State Department statement Saturday.“To be clear, these actions do not mean that the U.S. border is open,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in the statement. “While we are committed to expanding legal pathways for protection and opportunity here and in the region, the United States is a country with borders and laws that must be enforced.”Criticism of pactsRights groups sharply criticized the pacts, saying they added to the misery of asylum-seekers, many of whom fled violent gangs from the same impoverished countries.The agreements allowed the U.S. to send asylum-seekers to one of the three Central American countries to apply for asylum there and have their claims reviewed.Earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden ordered a review of asylum processing at the U.S.-Mexico border, part of a broad effort to chart a less-restrictive immigration system during the first weeks of his term.Among the measures announced, Biden called for a review of the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), a Trump program also known as “Remain in Mexico” that ordered tens of thousands of asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for their U.S. court dates.He also signaled the imminent end of the asylum deals with the Central American countries.Senior aides to Biden have nevertheless cautioned that administration’s broader immigration agenda will take time to roll out, as the new president seeks to be both more accepting of migrants and asylum-seekers while also seeking to prevent a surge in unlawful border crossings.  
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In a major reform of the state-dominated economy, the Cuban government will allow small private businesses to operate in most fields, eliminating its limited list of activities, state-run media reported on Saturday.The measure, coming as the Caribbean island seeks to recover from an economic slump, will expand the field from 127 activities to more than 2,000 Labor Minister Marta Elena Feito Cabrera was quoted as saying. She spoke at a council of ministers meeting that approved the policy.She said there would be 124 exceptions, but the media reports provided no details.Reform-minded Cuban economists have long called for the role of small business to be expanded to help jump-start the economy and to create jobs.US Sanctions Cuba for Alleged Human Rights Abuses Sanctions come five days before end of Trump administrationThe economy has stagnated for years and contracted by 11% last year, due to a combination of the coronavirus pandemic that devastated tourism and tough U.S. sanctions. Cubans have been dealing with a scarcity of basic goods and endless lines to obtain them.The crisis has forced a series of long promised but stalled reforms, from devaluation of the peso and reorganization of the monetary system to some deregulation of state businesses and foreign investment.President Miguel Diaz-Canel said last year the country faced an international and local crisis and would implement a series of reforms to increase exports, cut imports and stimulate domestic demand.He said the measures would include “the improvement of the non-state sector, with immediate priority in the expansion of self-employment and removal of obstacles.”The non-state sector – not including agriculture with its hundreds of thousands of small farms, thousands of cooperative and day laborers – is composed mainly of small private businesses and cooperatives; their employees, artisans, taxi drivers and tradesmen.The labor minister said there were more than 600,000 people in the sector, some 13% of the labor force. They are all designated as self-employed and an estimated 40% depend mainly on the tourism industry or work in public transportation.Over the last six months the government has also moved to grant access to wholesale markets for small businesses and import and export, though only through state companies.
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Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s term will end on February 7, 2022, the Biden administration said Friday, weighing in on a contentious question that has roiled the Caribbean nation for months.”In accordance with the OAS [Organization of American States] position on the need to proceed with the democratic transfer of executive power, a new elected president should succeed President Moise when his term ends on February 7, 2022,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in response to a question from VOA.”The Haitian people deserve the opportunity to elect their leaders and restore Haiti’s democratic institutions,” Price said.The Biden administration’s expression of support is significant for Moise and comes at a crucial time as he faces intense pressure from the political opposition to step down this Sunday.Price told VOA the U.S. Embassy in Haiti maintains contact with members “across the political spectrum” and that the United States, like the OAS, has “consistently called on all political forces to adhere to the spirit of their constitutional order.”Ambassador’s meetingHaiti Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond tweeted Friday afternoon that he had a “very productive meeting” with the State Department. The ambassador said he discussed “upcoming elections, referendum on the new constitution and security challenges.”Today I had a very productive meeting with the FILE – U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.UN backs US positionThe United Nations on Friday backed the American position on the end of Moise’s term in 2022. Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told VOA that U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “closely following developments” and that Guterres was encouraged “by the willingness of many stakeholders to engage constructively in finding agreement on a way forward, to ensure the holding of several free, fair and peaceful electoral processes in the coming months.”But the way forward is murky. Moise’s handpicked Provisional Electoral Council has announced a referendum on the constitution on April 25, followed by presidential and legislative elections in September.In contrast, Moise’s opponents, who have vowed  not to participate in an electoral process they view as illegitimate, have come up with their own transition plan. The plan stipulates that after Moise leaves office, a successor will be chosen from among the Supreme Court justices and a commission made up of seven members of the opposition will choose Cabinet members.It is unclear how the Biden administration and U.N. statements Friday will affect that plan.Anxiety about SundayMeanwhile, some Haitians are expressing fear that the situation will turn violent Sunday, after the opposition vowed to take to the streets and turn up the pressure. Haiti’s national police and security forces have been criticized for being overly aggressive and firing upon peaceful protesters and journalists over the past year.FILE – Smoke from tires set fire by protesters fills a street in Delmas where vendors sell clothing during a countrywide strike demanding the resignation of Haitian President Jovenel Moise in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 1, 2021.A protester was shot and killed by a police officer during a spontaneous protest Friday, VOA Creole reported. Tires were seen burning and blocking some streets of the capital, Port-au-Prince.Asked how the Moise administration would handle protests Sunday, Edmond told VOA the government intended to remain in observer mode, unless public property was destroyed and crimes were committed.Sunday is a day of national significance to Haitians. February 7 was the day dictator Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was overthrown. It is also the day when democratically elected presidents are to be sworn in, according to the constitution.What does the U.S. anticipate in the months ahead? State Department spokesman Price said the Biden administration expects the Moise government to exercise “restraint” in issuing decrees, “only using that power to schedule legislative elections and for matters of immediate threats to life, health and safety, so the parliament can be restored and resume its constitutional responsibility.”Cindy Saine at the State Department, Margaret Besheer at the United Nations and Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report.  
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A former Mexican governor suspected of ordering the torture of an investigative journalist who had accused him of links to a pedophilia ring appeared in court Thursday to formally face charges.Mario Marin, who was the governor of the state of Puebla from 2005-11, asked to be placed under house arrest for the duration of the legal process, citing health problems and fear of catching COVID-19 in jail. The judge will decide on request next week. The 66-year-old former governor is in detention for the time being.In 2005, award-winning journalist Lydia Cacho had alleged in her book The Demons of Eden that Marin, who has been a fugitive since April 2019, and several prominent Mexican businessmen were linked to a child pornography ring.”I have been seeking justice for 14 years for having been tortured by this accomplice of child pornography networks,” the journalist wrote on Twitter.“He is the first governor arrested for acts of torture against journalists and linked, furthermore, with a ring of trafficking girls and boys,” Cacho said.In December 2005, agents of the Puebla prosecutor’s office arrested Cacho in Cancun and drove her to Puebla. She was accused of slander and defamation.Cacho was later released.She alleged that on the road from Cancun to Puebla officials psychologically tortured and threatened to sexually abuse her.The press freedom organization Artículo 19, which is representing Cacho, said that if convicted, Marin could face up to 12 years behind bars.Cacho, who now lives overseas, has won many international awards including the UNESCO-Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom prize.
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Canada became the first country Wednesday to formally designate the Proud Boys a terrorist entity, according to the nation’s FILE – Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio wears a hat that says The War Boys during a rally in Portland, Ore., Sept. 26, 2020.“They don’t do anything except protest. … To be put on the level of ISIS is simply an overreach,” Tarrio said. The designation could allow Canadian police to handle crimes committed by the group as terrorist activity as well as empower authorities to seize financial assets.Tarrio said the move will only serve to inhibit the group’s “free speech.” Reputation for violenceThe Proud Boys is considered a far-right, male chauvinist extremist organization with a reputation of engaging in violent activities at political rallies in the United States and Canada. When asked about the group’s objectives, Tarrio told VOA, “We’re a beer-drinking club.” Members have been under increasing scrutiny in the United States after embracing the former Trump administration’s nationalist policies, and being a major agitator during previous protests and last month’s riot at the Capitol that left five people dead.According to the U.S.-based Southern Poverty Law Center, members of the Proud Boys were “aggressively front and center during the attack on the Capitol.” The SPLC also defines the Proud Boys as a hate group.During a presidential debate in September 2020 with then-Democratic nominee Joe Biden, then-President Donald Trump urged the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” when a moderator asked him to denounce the group. After the attack on the Capitol, Jagmeet Singh, head of Canada’s opposition New Democratic Party, urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to declare the Proud Boys a terrorist group. The Canadian government added a total of 13 groups to its terrorism list, including three other neo-Nazi or far-right organizations — The Base, and the Atomwaffen Division, which operate mostly in the U.S., and the Russia-based Russian Imperial Movement, which has operated in Europe, the Middle East and other regions.  
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Mexico’s regulatory agency approved emergency use of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine, shortly after Deputy Health Minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell announced Tuesday the country’s plan to combat the novel coronavirus would involve use of the vaccine. The Associated Press reports Mexico is launching its vaccination program as its capital, Mexico City, is struggling to accommodate a growing number of coronavirus patients and provide adequate oxygen to hospitals.  Meantime, Lopez-Gattel said the first batches of the 7.4 million doses of the Sputnik V vaccine will arrive this month through April.    The Sputnik V vaccine’s credibility was elevated Tuesday after late-stage clinical trial results published in The Lancet international medical journal revealed it was 91.6% effective in preventing people from developing COVID-19.    Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has spoken to Russian President  Vladimir Putin about purchasing 24 million doses of the vaccine.  Argentina joins Mexico in ramping up its efforts to secure an ample supply of the Sputnik V vaccine.     Lopez Gatell said on Monday Mexico would receive between 1.6 million to 2.75 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX global vaccine sharing program this month.  Mexico has one of the highest coronavirus tallies in Latin America with about 159,100 confirmed  deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University COVID Resource Center.  
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Money sent home by Mexican migrants rose 11.4% in 2020 to a new high despite the coronavirus pandemic, Mexico’s central bank reported Monday.Migrants sent $40.6 billion to Mexico in cash transmissions, known as remittances, including $4 billion in March alone, a record for a single month.The record flow of cash for 2020 compared to $36.4 billion in remittances sent in 2019. The rise was much better than other countries, which have seen drops in remittances because of job losses or reductions in hours due to the pandemic.Most Mexican migrants live and work in the United States, where unemployment has surged because of lockdowns. Given the big drop in the value of the peso so far this year, remittances sent in dollars will go much further.   
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A second lawmaker endorsed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been elected to a critical leadership role in Congress, possibly bolstering his political future amid dozens of calls for his resignation. Congressman Arthur Lira, an ally of Bolsonaro, was elected speaker of the lower house of Congress for two years on Monday. The chamber voted overwhelmingly in favor of Lira, whose rival pushed for separation from the Bolsonaro administration. Earlier Monday, Brazil’s Congress elected Rodrigo Pacheco as Senate speaker, another ally of the far-right leader who aims to improve bruised relations with legislators. Bolsonaro has faced an uphill battle get legislation passed in Congress, while his popularity has declined over his handling of the latest surge of Covid-19 in Brazil. Bolsonaro has long downplayed the pandemic even after he contracted the virus in July, at times appearing in pubic without a protective face mask.  So far, Brazil has confirmed more than 9,204,000 coronavirus infections and 224,504 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.  
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Washington’s immigration policy will focus on regional migration and its root causes, as well as the annulment of policies inherited from the Trump administration, according to White House officials.  President Joe Biden will make the announcement Tuesday, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a daily briefing this week.  Representatives of the governments of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala envision more U.S. attention toward the region during the Biden administration and plan to support a common development agenda based on “mutual respect.” President Biden told his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, that Washington will address the containment of the irregular flow of migrants to Mexico and the United States, in part, through promoting economic development in Central America.FILE – In this Dec. 18, 2020 file photo, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his daily, morning news conference at the presidential palace, Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City.Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández told VOA that approach represents an “opportunity to retake” what the Obama administration was working on.  Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo told VOA that both countries have a “common agenda” beyond economic opportunities, including fighting increased organized crime and drug trafficking, and he plans to bring those issues to the table in future meetings. Cooperation and mutual respect Ariel Ruíz Soto, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, said U.S. investment in the region is not enough.  The Northern Triangle countries need to show they are committed to solve the root causes of the immigration, including poverty and corruption, Ruiz Soto said. Bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress is also necessary to enact immigration reform, he added. “The relationship has to change its tone. It is necessary to reopen the dialogue with Central America in order to once again have cooperation, not pressure,” Ruíz Soto told VOA. Biden promised during his presidential campaign to allocate $4 billion to the Central American region and attack the issues that cause migration, including “endemic corruption,” poverty and economic insecurity.FILE – Demonstrators with the New York Immigration Coalition rally asking President Joe Biden to prioritize immigration reform, Nov. 9, 2020, in New York.Brolo indicated the three countries that make up the Northern Triangle will be more “attractive for foreign investment” to repair economies hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s natural disasters, including back-to-back hurricanes Eta and Iota. “Our people would tend to migrate less, since they would have jobs,” he explained.  A closed-door policy at the border The changes that the White House plans to implement do not represent an open border policy, said Brendan O’Brien, the United States charge d’affaires in El Salvador. “Migrants who cross the border irregularly will be returned, in accordance with legal procedures that guarantee their safety,” O’Brien said in a joint statement with the foreign minister of El Salvador. Both Brolo of Guatemala and the Honduran ambassador to the United States, Luis Fernando Suazo, said their governments are focused on discouraging the caravans to the north. “We are not going to allow irregular, disorderly and unsafe traffic,” Brolo said, while Suazo indicated his government is investigating the organization of caravans that “are not spontaneous.” The administration of former President Donald Trump put in place a zero-tolerance policy that was rescinded Tuesday by the Justice Department. Several human rights organizations and President Biden denounced the separation of hundreds of children from their parents as part of Trump’s policy. The new president’s actions include the creation of a task force to reunify the families of at least 600 children who were separated from their parents at the U.S-Mexico border. For Ruíz Soto, the challenge for the current White House will be to engage in a strategy that “sends a message to the region that the caravans and future migratory flows will not be able to enter the United States” and at the same time, establish a new approach to deal with immigration policies in the country.  Congress is key The diplomats who spoke with VOA said the intention of starting the legislative process in the United States to achieve immigration reform is good news, but they agree that it is a process that will take time. Public policy analyst Ruíz Soto said the Biden administration must set realistic expectations and specific goals for his ideas to gain bipartisan support in Congress. He said the legislative option is the only way to provide a lasting United States response to the root causes of immigration and will accomplish a comprehensive reform. President Biden faced his first setback on his immigration plans this week when a Texas judge blocked his deportation “pause,” a key component of his immigration priorities. Former President Trump faced similar obstacles when several judges blocked several of his restrictive immigration policies.  “The best solution is the legislative option, in order to avoid going to court, because it causes confusion and can send the wrong message to the region about who can or cannot enter the country,” Ruiz Soto said. 
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Washington’s immigration policy will focus on regional migration and its root causes, as well as the annulment of policies inherited from the Trump administration, according to White House officials.  President Joe Biden will make the announcement next week, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a daily briefing this week.  Representatives of the governments of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala envision more U.S. attention toward the region during the Biden administration and plan to support a common development agenda based on “mutual respect.” President Biden told his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, that Washington will address the containment of the irregular flow of migrants to Mexico and the United States, in part, through promoting economic development in Central America.FILE – In this Dec. 18, 2020 file photo, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his daily, morning news conference at the presidential palace, Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City.Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández told VOA that approach represents an “opportunity to retake” what the Obama administration was working on.  Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo told VOA that both countries have a “common agenda” beyond economic opportunities, including fighting increased organized crime and drug trafficking, and he plans to bring those issues to the table in future meetings. Cooperation and mutual respect Ariel Ruíz Soto, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, said U.S. investment in the region is not enough.  The Northern Triangle countries need to show they are committed to solve the root causes of the immigration, including poverty and corruption, Ruiz Soto said. Bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress is also necessary to enact immigration reform, he added. “The relationship has to change its tone. It is necessary to reopen the dialogue with Central America in order to once again have cooperation, not pressure,” Ruíz Soto told VOA. Biden promised during his presidential campaign to allocate $4 billion to the Central American region and attack the issues that cause migration, including “endemic corruption,” poverty and economic insecurity.FILE – Demonstrators with the New York Immigration Coalition rally asking President Joe Biden to prioritize immigration reform, Nov. 9, 2020, in New York.Brolo indicated the three countries that make up the Northern Triangle will be more “attractive for foreign investment” to repair economies hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s natural disasters, including back-to-back hurricanes Eta and Iota. “Our people would tend to migrate less, since they would have jobs,” he explained.  A closed-door policy at the border The changes that the White House plans to implement do not represent an open border policy, said Brendan O’Brien, the United States charge d’affaires in El Salvador. “Migrants who cross the border irregularly will be returned, in accordance with legal procedures that guarantee their safety,” O’Brien said in a joint statement with the foreign minister of El Salvador. Both Brolo of Guatemala and the Honduran ambassador to the United States, Luis Fernando Suazo, said their governments are focused on discouraging the caravans to the north. “We are not going to allow irregular, disorderly and unsafe traffic,” Brolo said, while Suazo indicated his government is investigating the organization of caravans that “are not spontaneous.” The administration of former President Donald Trump put in place a zero-tolerance policy that was rescinded Tuesday by the Justice Department. Several human rights organizations and President Biden denounced the separation of hundreds of children from their parents as part of Trump’s policy. The new president’s actions include the creation of a task force to reunify the families of at least 600 children who were separated from their parents at the U.S-Mexico border. For Ruíz Soto, the challenge for the current White House will be to engage in a strategy that “sends a message to the region that the caravans and future migratory flows will not be able to enter the United States” and at the same time, establish a new approach to deal with immigration policies in the country.  Congress is key The diplomats who spoke with VOA said the intention of starting the legislative process in the United States to achieve immigration reform is good news, but they agree that it is a process that will take time. Public policy analyst Ruíz Soto said the Biden administration must set realistic expectations and specific goals for his ideas to gain bipartisan support in Congress. He said the legislative option is the only way to provide a lasting United States response to the root causes of immigration and will accomplish a comprehensive reform. President Biden faced his first setback on his immigration plans this week when a Texas judge blocked his deportation “pause,” a key component of his immigration priorities. Former President Trump faced similar obstacles when several judges blocked several of his restrictive immigration policies.  “The best solution is the legislative option, in order to avoid going to court, because it causes confusion and can send the wrong message to the region about who can or cannot enter the country,” Ruiz Soto said. 
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A second lawmaker endorsed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been elected to a critical leadership role in Congress, possibly bolstering his political future amid dozens of calls for his resignation. Congressman Arthur Lira, an ally of Bolsonaro, was elected speaker of the lower house of Congress for two years on Monday. The chamber voted overwhelmingly in favor of Lira, whose rival pushed for separation from the Bolsonaro administration. Earlier Monday, Brazil’s Congress elected Rodrigo Pacheco as Senate speaker, another ally of the far-right leader who aims to improve bruised relations with legislators. Bolsonaro has faced an uphill battle get legislation passed in Congress, while his popularity has declined over his handling of the latest surge of Covid-19 in Brazil. Bolsonaro has long downplayed the pandemic even after he contracted the virus in July, at times appearing in pubic without a protective face mask.  So far, Brazil has confirmed more than 9,204,000 coronavirus infections and 224,504 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center.  
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Washington’s immigration policy will focus on regional migration and its root causes, as well as the annulment of policies inherited from the Trump administration, according to White House officials.  President Joe Biden will make the announcement next week, Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a daily briefing this week.  Representatives of the governments of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala envision more U.S. attention toward the region during the Biden administration and plan to support a common development agenda based on “mutual respect.” President Biden told his Mexican counterpart, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, that Washington will address the containment of the irregular flow of migrants to Mexico and the United States, in part, through promoting economic development in Central America.FILE – In this Dec. 18, 2020 file photo, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his daily, morning news conference at the presidential palace, Palacio Nacional, in Mexico City.Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández told VOA that approach represents an “opportunity to retake” what the Obama administration was working on.  Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo told VOA that both countries have a “common agenda” beyond economic opportunities, including fighting increased organized crime and drug trafficking, and he plans to bring those issues to the table in future meetings. Cooperation and mutual respect Ariel Ruíz Soto, an analyst at the Migration Policy Institute in Washington, said U.S. investment in the region is not enough.  The Northern Triangle countries need to show they are committed to solve the root causes of the immigration, including poverty and corruption, Ruiz Soto said. Bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress is also necessary to enact immigration reform, he added. “The relationship has to change its tone. It is necessary to reopen the dialogue with Central America in order to once again have cooperation, not pressure,” Ruíz Soto told VOA. Biden promised during his presidential campaign to allocate $4 billion to the Central American region and attack the issues that cause migration, including “endemic corruption,” poverty and economic insecurity.FILE – Demonstrators with the New York Immigration Coalition rally asking President Joe Biden to prioritize immigration reform, Nov. 9, 2020, in New York.Brolo indicated the three countries that make up the Northern Triangle will be more “attractive for foreign investment” to repair economies hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and last year’s natural disasters, including back-to-back hurricanes Eta and Iota. “Our people would tend to migrate less, since they would have jobs,” he explained.  A closed-door policy at the border The changes that the White House plans to implement do not represent an open border policy, said Brendan O’Brien, the United States charge d’affaires in El Salvador. “Migrants who cross the border irregularly will be returned, in accordance with legal procedures that guarantee their safety,” O’Brien said in a joint statement with the foreign minister of El Salvador. Both Brolo of Guatemala and the Honduran ambassador to the United States, Luis Fernando Suazo, said their governments are focused on discouraging the caravans to the north. “We are not going to allow irregular, disorderly and unsafe traffic,” Brolo said, while Suazo indicated his government is investigating the organization of caravans that “are not spontaneous.” The administration of former President Donald Trump put in place a zero-tolerance policy that was rescinded Tuesday by the Justice Department. Several human rights organizations and President Biden denounced the separation of hundreds of children from their parents as part of Trump’s policy. The new president’s actions include the creation of a task force to reunify the families of at least 600 children who were separated from their parents at the U.S-Mexico border. For Ruíz Soto, the challenge for the current White House will be to engage in a strategy that “sends a message to the region that the caravans and future migratory flows will not be able to enter the United States” and at the same time, establish a new approach to deal with immigration policies in the country.  Congress is key The diplomats who spoke with VOA said the intention of starting the legislative process in the United States to achieve immigration reform is good news, but they agree that it is a process that will take time. Public policy analyst Ruíz Soto said the Biden administration must set realistic expectations and specific goals for his ideas to gain bipartisan support in Congress. He said the legislative option is the only way to provide a lasting United States response to the root causes of immigration and will accomplish a comprehensive reform. President Biden faced his first setback on his immigration plans this week when a Texas judge blocked his deportation “pause,” a key component of his immigration priorities. Former President Trump faced similar obstacles when several judges blocked several of his restrictive immigration policies.  “The best solution is the legislative option, in order to avoid going to court, because it causes confusion and can send the wrong message to the region about who can or cannot enter the country,” Ruiz Soto said. 
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Haiti’s opposition leaders have agreed on a plan to replace President Jovenel Moise with a new head of state on Sunday.They accuse Moise, who has ruled for nearly four years, of being an autocrat who failed to curb the rash of kidnappings that have terrorized the nation. They also criticize Moise for what they regard as his weak response to a crippling economic crisis.Moise has said he will not step down until February 2022, noting he has one year left of his five-year term.The opposition agreement, named Ako Final Teras Garden (Terrace Garden Final Accord), creates a commission made up of seven members of civil society and seven opposition leaders. The commission would be tasked with choosing a president to lead the transitional government from members of Haiti’s Supreme Court.The prime minister would be chosen among the opposition politicians, and the heads of government ministries would be selected by the new government.The opposition is determined to finalize their choices before February 7, they announced Monday.Former Senator Nenel Cassy of the Fanmi Lavalas opposition party attends a meeting to discuss a political accord to establish a transitional government to replace President Jovenel Moise on Feb. 7, 2021. (Photo: Renan Toussaint/ VOA)Moise has said he intends to transfer power to the winner of the general election scheduled for September of this year.Moise has also said he intends to make changes to the country’s constitution. A hand-picked Provisional Electoral Council (KEP) was chosen last year, despite criticism from the opposition that it is not representative of civil society. The KEP announced in January that a referendum on the constitution will be held on April 25.In an exclusive interview with VOA, Haitian Ambassador Bocchit Edmond said the opposition’s plan to form a transitional government has been tried before — and failed.”It is time for Haiti to leave that cycle — that cycle of using illegitimate people to replace elected officials,” he told VOA. “Every time we have elections, we have to reverse the electoral votes. We have to ask the president to go, (only) to be replaced by a transitional government, which has never served the good of the Haitian people.”But the opposition isn’t listening. Leaders announced a nationwide mobilization in all 10 departments of the country that began January 28-31, followed by general strikes Monday and Tuesday, and again on February 7 to keep the pressure on Moise, who was a businessman before entering politics, to step down.Former Senator Jean Charles Moise of the Pitit Dessalines opposition party joined protesters in the streets of Port-au-Prince on Sunday.”When I was a senator and my term expired, I left the Senate. I was elected to a six-year term, so I resigned. We all know that the constitution states that every five years there must be elections to choose a new president. A president’s term lasts five years. That is why we have told President Jovenel Moise that his term is expired,” Moise (no relation to the president) told VOA.Former senator Moise said after February 7, there will be a new “system” governing Haiti and a there will be a transition period.”The leader will not be a member of the opposition — I want to reassure the people (of Haiti) about that — whether you are living in Haiti or abroad, this time we must liberate our nation, this is our country. (General Jean Jacques) Dessalines did not win the revolutionary war to end up with this result,” he said.Haitian opposition leaders aren’t the only ones calling for a transitional government. U.S. Representatives Andy Levin, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks, incoming chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Albio Sires, chair of the Western Hemisphere Civilian Security and Trade subcommittee, expressed the need for a transition in Haiti in a joint statement issued in December 2020. The U.S. lawmakers said there was “growing concern” about political events in Haiti.“Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is pursuing an increasingly authoritarian course of action, issuing a series of recent decrees that include creating an extraconstitutional domestic ‘intelligence’ force,” the statement said. “His latest actions are reminiscent of past anti-democratic abuses the Haitian people have endured, including the run-up to the Duvalier dictatorship. We will not stand idly by while Haiti devolves into chaos.”Former Senator Youri Latortue attends a meeting in Port-au-Prince to discuss a transitional government that will replace President Jovenel Moise on Feb. 7, 2021. (Photo: Renan Toussaint / VOA)Reacting to the statement in December, Ambassador Edmond expressed frustration and said he intended to meet with the congressmen.“It is really disturbing,” he told VOA. “It saddens us to see democratic officials call for a transitional government. We don’t think that going through a transition again will help Haiti.”Haiti has had eight provisional governments since the departure of Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in 1986.Last week, Edmond told VOA he had a “lengthy discussion” with Congressman Levin that lasted more than 45 minutes. He said they met virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions.”We will continue to discuss the situation and show that maybe they had erroneous information. But we will continue the dialogue to make sure they have accurate information. I’m here to answer all their questions and give them any information they ask for,” Edmond told VOA.The ambassador said he plans to speak with Congressman Meeks later this month.Meanwhile, a general strike announced by Haiti’s unions to protest against insecurity and to demand the president resign was observed Monday. The streets of the capital were mostly empty, with only pedestrians and a few motorbikes moving about, according to VOA Creole reporters in the capital.Most businesses, markets and schools remained shuttered. A second day of strikes is planned for Tuesday.Matiado Vilme and Florence Lisene in Port-au-Prince contributed to this report. 
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Hundreds of Brazilians took to the streets Sunday in a fresh round of protests against President Jair Bolsonaro over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Protesters in Rio de Janeiro paraded in cars and on bikes shouting slogans for Bolsonaro’s removal. Demonstrations also took place in Sao Paolo and outside federal buildings in the capital, Brasilia.
 
Bolsonaro, who tested positive for the coronavirus last summer, has been routinely criticized by scientists and health experts for not enacting measures that would minimize the spread of the disease.
 
In the Amazon state of Manaus, hospitals and health care workers have said for weeks that they’re unable to fully treat patients because of a lack of supplemental oxygen.
 
Brazil has recorded the second-highest number of deaths and the third-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the world, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center.
 
More than 224,000 Brazilians have died of the virus since the pandemic began last year.
 
Two weeks ago, Brazil approved Britain’s AstraZeneca vaccine and China’s CoronaVac for emergency use against the virus.
 
But the rollout has been slow and rocky, further angering citizens calling for Bolsonaro’s removal. 
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The Biden administration is urging migrants trapped in Mexico under restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump to be patient, even as the population of a refugee camp in northeastern Mexico begins to swell with hopeful asylum-seekers.On Friday, a senior aide to U.S. President Joe Biden said the administration is working on a system to process the tens of thousands of asylum-seekers who have been forced to wait in Mexico under a Trump-era program.”We’re reviewing now how we can process the migrants who are already in this program,” the aide, Roberta Jacobson, said on a call with reporters. “How to prioritize the people who were enrolled not only months but years ago, and above all, people who are the most vulnerable.”Jacobson said all of those waiting in Mexico under the program, officially known as Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), will have an opportunity to present asylum claims.The protocols, in place since 2019, have pushed more than 65,000 asylum-seekers back into Mexico to wait for their U.S. court hearings. The Biden administration stopped adding people to MPP last week but has not yet outlined how it will process the claims of those already enrolled.Advocates have documented the dangers they face while waiting, including rape and murder.Jacobson promised that the administration would process people “in a much more rapid manner than in the past.”She asked asylum-seekers not to rush to the U.S. border, however, as it would not speed up the process.”Please, wait,” she said.The population of a makeshift refugee camp in the Mexican border city of Matamoros, across the river from Brownsville, Texas, has been slowly swelling, migrants and aid workers say, despite attempts by Mexican authorities to control it.”It’s been growing because people think that if you’re in the camp, you’ll be able to enter (the United States) first,” said Honduran asylum-seeker Oscar Borjas, who helps coordinate the camp. He estimated up to 800 people, including many women and children, are now living in the camp.He and other camp residents welcomed Jacobson’s comments.”Everything is changing for the better,” said Dairon Elisondo, an asylum-seeker and doctor from Cuba, who has been providing medical care to fellow migrants.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday announced stricter restrictions on travelers in response to new, likely more contagious variants of the novel coronavirus — including making it mandatory for travelers to quarantine in a hotel at their own expense when they arrive in Canada and suspending airline service to Mexico and all Caribbean destinations until April 30.  Trudeau said in addition to the preboarding test Canada already requires, the government will be introducing mandatory PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) testing at the airport for people returning to Canada. “Travelers will then have to wait for up to three days at an approved hotel for their test results, at their own expense, which is expected to be more than $2,000,” Trudeau said. FILE – Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a news conference at Rideau Cottage, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of the coronavirus disease, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Jan. 22, 2021.”Those with negative test results will then be able to quarantine at home under significantly increased surveillance and enforcement.” The steep cost for the hotel stay includes the cost for a private PCR test, security and food, and the cost of measures the designated hotels will have to take to keep their workers safe. “The cost is a ballparking. This isn’t like any other facility. This is one where there has to be infection prevention control measures, security and other costs as well. It’s not just a regular stay at a hotel,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. Tam also said a test will be required on the 10th day after people return.  The prime minister said those with positive tests will be immediately required to quarantine in designated government facilities to make sure they’re not carrying variants of particular concern. Suspended flightsTrudeau also said the government and Canada’s main airlines have agreed to suspend service to sun destinations right away. He said Air Canada, WestJet, Sunwing, and Air Transat are canceling air service to all Caribbean destinations and Mexico starting Sunday until April 30. “They will be making arrangements with their customers who are currently on a trip in these regions to organize their return flights,” Trudeau said.  He said starting next week, all international passenger flights must land at the following four airports: Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal. “We will also, in the coming weeks, be requiring nonessential travelers to show a negative test before entry at the land border with the U.S., and we are working to stand up additional testing requirements for land travel,” Trudeau said. FILE – Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam speaks at a news conference held to discuss the country’s coronavirus response in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Nov. 6, 2020.Canada already requires those entering the country to self-isolate for 14 days and to present a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days before arrival. Tam, Canada’s top health official, said that security contractors will be going door-to-door to check on returnees who are isolating at home. ‘Step in right direction’The move to require a hotel stay upon return would discourage vacations as people would not want to have to quarantine at a hotel at their own expense upon return. “It’s excellent. It’s a shame it’s this late. This is something they could have done ages ago,” said Dr. Andrew Morris, a professor of infectious diseases at the University of Toronto and the medical director of the Antimicrobial Stewardship Program at Sinai-University Health Network. “This is definitely a step in the right direction.” More and more governments are thinking about ways to be more aggressive because of the new variants, delays in vaccines, the challenges with getting the population vaccinated and the strains on health care systems. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said officials have been urging Canadians to cancel all nonessential travel and are trying to eliminate it. “Unfortunately, some are making the choice to engage in nonessential travel. If they are going to make that choice, they should bear the full cost,” Blair said. Trudeau also announced there will be a delay in part of the next shipment of the Moderna vaccine, which arrives next week. He said Canada will receive 78% of the expected amount, translating to 180,000 doses. 
 
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Dozens of journalists, lawyers and former police officers held a peaceful march around Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, Thursday to denounce police brutality.Some of the protesters held photos of reporters who had been injured while in the line of duty. Others held posters depicting scenes of police brutality during demonstrations.As they made their way around town, they chanted, “When they don’t get paid, we’re the ones they call!” a reference to the role journalists often play giving a voice to citizens’ efforts to hold the government accountable.Members of the Haitian media allege they are often targeted by aggressive law enforcement officers while covering protests and other news events. They say they also face intimidation and death threats.“I think the point of this protest is to say journalists’ rights must be respected. That is what we are fighting for. That is our objective,” Radio Zenith reporter Robeste Dimanche told VOA.Daniel Lamartiniere, a reporter for Impartial Info, told VOA he is a recent victim of police brutality.Impartial Info reporter Daniel Lamartiniere said he’s a victim of police brutality. (Matiado Vilme/VOA)”On Wednesday January 20, 2021, I was … doing a live update when I saw a policeman in a beige and blue uniform start shooting. When I realized he was firing a gun, I ran for cover so I wouldn’t get shot. But I miscalculated (in choosing) a shelter because that is exactly where a rubber bullet hit me in the eye,” he said.Lamartiniere had a plastic shield over his left eye as he spoke to VOA.Complaints about abusesDimanche told VOA he delivered a letter on behalf of the journalists to the Office for the Protection of Civilians (OPC) before the protest started to complain about police brutality. Dimanche said he spoke to Jacques Desrosier, the official responsible for human rights issues, and was well-received.”I think that (the) OPC is going to act on the message we delivered. And what we asked for is what we have been asking all along — we denounce police brutality. We listed the barbarian acts committed by police against journalists, and that’s basically what is contained in our complaint,” he said.In an exclusive interview with VOA, Haitian Ambassador to the United States Bocchit Edmond said he was surprised to hear police were deliberately targeting reporters covering protests.FILE – Bocchit Edmond, Haiti’s ambassador to the United States. (Twitter)Protesters and journalists, including VOA Creole reporters in Port-au-Prince covering the demonstrations, say police often target them with tear gas and behave aggressively toward them, despite no evidence of illegal behavior on their part.”We will always support the right of the people to protest peacefully on any issue, because this is a right recognized by the constitution,” Edmond told VOA. “But any society in any country, whenever protesters are trying to behave in a disorderly manner — burning public goods, burning public property — the police has to step in and put a stop to it.”Edmond advised victims of aggression to file a complaint with the PNH (national police) inspector general’s office.Leon Kersivil of Radio Vision 2000, told VOA it was important for him to participate in the protest because the list is long of colleagues who are also victims.”There are many journalists I can name, such as our colleague Reginald Remy from (radio-television) Caraibes FM, who was shot multiple times by police with rubber bullets in the Carrefour Aeroport (neighborhood of the capital). There are many other journalists who have been victimized,” he said. “Today, this march is our way of demanding justice, as well, for all members of the press who have been victims of criminal acts.”Remy was covering an anti-government protest and wearing a press badge when he was shot and wounded in the arm by police using rubber bullets.Press freedoms erodedPress freedom deteriorated substantially in Haiti in 2020, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which described working conditions for journalists as “dangerous and precarious.”On a scale of one to 100, the Caribbean nation’s ranking fell from 62 in 2019 to 83 in 2020. RSF’s annual report cites multiple factors for the deterioration, including corruption and increasing hostilities.The Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) and RSF have called on the Haitian government to investigate attacks on journalists.Reporter Robenson Alphonse of Magik 9 FM was covering the protest and lending support.”We insist that law enforcement must be professional and follow the law when they interact with journalists who are covering protests,” he told VOA. “Just as the Association of Haitian Journalists has deplored the aggression toward the Radio-TV Caraibes journalist, I believe we must remind people that it is necessary to protect the press and act responsibly always. This is fundamental, and that is why I’m participating in this protest.”The march ended peacefully without incident or police interference, according to the VOA Creole reporter who covered the event.
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