Brazil’s single day COVID-19 death tally rose above 3,000 for the first time as citizens of the South American nation staged protests demanding President Jair Bolsonaro take action to curtail the spread of the virus. The lion share of Tuesday’s record 3,251 deaths occurred in its most populous state of Sao Paulo, with 1,021 new deaths. During a national address Tuesday, protesters across the nation banged pots to express anger at the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking to the nation, Bolsonaro expressed condolences for the lives lost, but once again said the virus will soon pass.  Bolsonaro, who has rejected restrictions imposed by local leaders said that by the end of the year, Brazil will have more than 500 million doses to inoculate all the population, saying 2021 will be the year of Brazilians’ vaccination.Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro celebrates his 66th birthday with supporters at the Alvorada Palace, the official presidential residence, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 21, 2021.He also predicted the people of the South American country will soon return to a normal life.  However, Bolsonaro’s history in dealing with the more than year old pandemic doesn’t appear to have generated much confidence among citizens. Bolsonaro, who became infected with the virus last year, has consistently downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19, saying restrictions in the business sector to curtail the spread of the virus has been bad for the economy. Brazil continues to lead Latin America with more than 12,000,000 infections and 295,425 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center. 
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Brazil’s single day COVID-19 death tally rose above 3,000 for the first time as citizens of the South American nation staged protests demanding President Jair Bolsonaro take action to curtail the spread of the virus. The lion share of Tuesday’s record 3,251 deaths occurred in its most populous state of Sao Paulo, with 1,021 new deaths. During a national address Tuesday, protesters across the nation banged pots to express anger at the government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking to the nation, Bolsonaro expressed condolences for the lives lost, but once again said the virus will soon pass.  Bolsonaro, who has rejected restrictions imposed by local leaders said that by the end of the year, Brazil will have more than 500 million doses to inoculate all the population, saying 2021 will be the year of Brazilians’ vaccination.Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro celebrates his 66th birthday with supporters at the Alvorada Palace, the official presidential residence, in Brasilia, Brazil, March 21, 2021.He also predicted the people of the South American country will soon return to a normal life.  However, Bolsonaro’s history in dealing with the more than year old pandemic doesn’t appear to have generated much confidence among citizens. Bolsonaro, who became infected with the virus last year, has consistently downplayed the seriousness of COVID-19, saying restrictions in the business sector to curtail the spread of the virus has been bad for the economy. Brazil continues to lead Latin America with more than 12,000,000 infections and 295,425 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center. 
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Haiti Soccer Federation officials are awaiting the decision of FIFA, the international governing body for football, on whether a Haiti-Belize World Cup qualifier will be held Thursday in Port-au-Prince.   Tessier Jeanty, communications director for the Haitian Soccer Federation (Federation Haitienne de Futbol, FHF), told VOA a FIFA security expert met with Haitian and Belize team officials Tuesday afternoon. The FIFA security expert arrived in Haiti Tuesday morning and toured the capital to evaluate the security situation after Belize’s team bus was held up at gunpoint on Monday. The incident happened as the team made its way from the Toussaint Louverture international airport to their hotel.Upon Belize’s ?? arrival to Haiti ?? for their World Cup Qualifier, their police escort was stopped by armed “insurgents”This is the video going around on social media.Match is set for March 25. Belize has put out an official statement. pic.twitter.com/B3Z0gTfW16— Nico Cantor (@Nicocantor1) March 23, 2021The athletes, who were not harmed in the incident, described the harrowing scene during an interview with a Belize television station. They said high-powered rifles were aimed at their bus.   “Suddenly, we saw so many motorcycles with a lot of men and they were armed. You know, they stopped the bus and all we see, they were talking to the police. After that, we wanted to know what was happening. The next, they wanted us to turn back, pointing their guns at the police. So we don’t know what to do,” recalled Ian “Yellow” Gaynair, who plays defense for the Belize national team. “Some of us were doing some video and they pointed on the bus and said cut out the video, so we had to cut the video, pull the curtain,” Gaynair said. “All of us were really traumatized, fearing we didn’t know what would happen. Next thing we thought they would even want to come on the bus.”   The armed men on motorbikes were members of a renegade group called Fantom 509, comprising disgruntled current and former police officers. The U.S. State Department described them as criminals on Twitter.#PortAuPrince#Haiti: The criminal organization known as Fantom 509 is currently active in Delmas and Petionville. The group is known for violence and the ability to relocate quickly. Avoid travel to these areas. Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks. https://t.co/NpUjSlG2zRpic.twitter.com/sD2yTib70O— Travel – State Dept (@TravelGov) March 22, 2021“The criminal organization known as Fantom 509 is currently active in Delmas and Petionville. The group is known for violence and the ability to relocate quickly. Avoid travel to these areas. Do not attempt to drive through roadblocks,” the U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Consular Affairs tweeted. Belize team official Marlon Kuylen immediately reported the incident to FIFA and CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football).“We’ve told them in no uncertain terms that we want to get our players out of the country. However, the match commissioner is arriving tomorrow to assess the situation and decide what happens from there,” Kuylen told the Belize television station. The Belize Football Federation later issued a statement expressing “disappointment and disgust.“Football Federation of Belize registers its anger & disappointment after its delegation was attacked by armed men in #Haiti en route from airport to hotel today. pic.twitter.com/2UUaSaawjP— Jacqueline Charles (@Jacquiecharles) March 23, 2021Kuylen said his players are having a hard time concentrating on the upcoming match. “The players, they are frazzled. They cannot focus on playing. We were supposed to go training … and they don’t want to leave the hotel,” he said. “Our security is not guaranteed and what if we win and the crowd gets out of control again, who’s to say that we will be safe?” Two officials from FHF went to check on the Belize players in the evening, according to a statement posted in French on its Facebook page. “Jacques Letang … and Yvon Sevère paid a visit of solidarity to team Belize to assure its members of that the FHF supports them,” the statement said. FIFA has not yet responded to VOA’s request for comment on the incident. The spike in violence in Haiti has alarmed both Haitian and international officials. Last week, Fantom 509 staged two jailbreaks, looted a car dealership and set fire to tires, blocking streets. Jeanty of FHF told VOA it is unfortunate that insecurity in the country, which has become a part of daily life for most Haitians, now risks jeopardizing the national team’s ability to play at home.   “Haiti already has some factors working against it and now this complicates things even further,” Jeanty said. As for Haiti’s beloved national team, most of the players, such as goalie Johny Placide, only began arriving in Port-au-Prince Tuesday morning. The majority currently play for European league teams. “They weren’t even aware of what happened yesterday,” Jeanty told VOA. “We have six players who arrived this morning. And we have three players arriving [Wednesday] — because they are traveling from Armenia. I’m talking about Donald Guerrier, Soni Mustivar and Alex Junior Christian. They are ready to win for Haiti, but it’s shocking for them to see the images of what happened [on Monday].” Jeanty told VOA the FIFA security expert, a former military official from Barbados, would send his report to FIFA and CONCACAF Tuesday night. “After the meeting, we will not know immediately whether or not the match will go on in Haiti. He will send a report to CONCACAF and FIFA and those officials will issue a statement based on what the report advises,” Jeanty said. In the meantime, Haiti’s soccer federation is appealing to the public to refrain from violence.   “Haitians must understand: if there is any kind of attack against this match, we can kiss Haiti soccer goodbye,” FHF secretary general Carlo Marcelin said in an interview with Haitian radio station Magik 9 Tuesday.   The World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022. 
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The United States has expressed concern about the way the Chinese government is conducting the trial of two Canadians charged with espionage, according to a State Department spokesperson.“We remain deeply troubled by the lack of transparency surrounding the legal proceedings of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig,” Ned Price tweeted Tuesday. Entrepreneur Spavor and former diplomat Kovrig were both arrested on different occasions in December 2018 following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies, in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant.Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights extradition. As a chief financial officer of Huawei — one of the world’s largest manufacturers of smartphones — Meng is accused of lying to U.S. officials about Huawei’s business in Iran, which is under U.S. sanctions.The arrests plunged relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest levels in decades.FILE – A protester holds a sign calling for China to release Canadian detainees Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig outside a court hearing for Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, March 6, 2019.The espionage trial of Kovrig began Monday behind closed doors in Beijing, three days after Spavor was put on trial behind closed doors in the northeastern Chinese city of Dandong.Diplomats from several nations, including Canada and the United States, gathered Monday outside the Beijing courthouse where Kovrig’s trial was held after they were barred from attending it for what China says are national security reasons.Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denounced China’s action as “completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings.”The United States joined the call for “continued consular access in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations,” Price’s tweet read in support of the Canadian government. 
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The United States, the European Union, Britain and Canada have imposed sanctions on several Chinese officials for human rights abuses against the Muslim Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province, prompting retaliation from China.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. sanctions were taken in solidary with U.S. allies.  “A united transatlantic response sends a strong signal to those who violate or abuse international human rights, and we will take further actions in coordination with like-minded partners,” Blinken said in a statement Monday.  FILE – Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on foreign policy at the State Department in Washington, March 3, 2021.The U.S. Treasury Department said Monday it was sanctioning two Chinese officials — Wang Junzheng, former deputy party secretary in Xinjiang, and Chen Mingguo, director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau.  The EU and Britain sanctioned those same officials, along with two others — Wang Mingshan, a member of the Communist Party’s standing committee in Xinjiang, and Zhu Hailun, former head of China’s Xinjiang region.   China’s Foreign Ministry responded immediately after the first sanctions were announced, denouncing them as “based on nothing but lies and disinformation.”  China then announced its own sanctions against 10 European individuals and four institutions, saying they had “maliciously spread lies and disinformation.” Those sanctioned included five members of the European Parliament.   The EU sanctions are the first significant economic penalties it has placed on China since 1989, when Beijing was cited for its violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square.  The EU accused Chen of being responsible for “arbitrary detentions and degrading treatment inflicted upon Uyghurs and people from other Muslim ethnic minorities, as well as systematic violations of their freedom of religion or belief,” according to its Official Journal.   FILE – Residents line up inside the Artux City training center in western China’s Xinjiang region, Dec. 3, 2018.The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Public Security Bureau was also sanctioned by Britain and the European Union.  All 27 EU governments agreed to the sanctions.  Canada’s foreign ministry said: “Mounting evidence points to systemic, state-led human rights violations by Chinese authorities.”  Separately Monday, Blinken along with the foreign ministers of four countries — Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada — released a joint statement that said the evidence of China’s abuses in Xinjiang, “including from the Chinese Government’s own documents, satellite imagery, and eyewitness testimony is overwhelming.”  “We will continue to stand together to shine a spotlight on China’s human rights violations,” they said. Human rights advocates say about 1 million Uyghurs are being held in camps. Some accuse Beijing of torture, forced sterilization and forced labor.   China maintains its actions in Xinjiang are to root out Islamic extremism.   Zhang Ming, China’s ambassador to the EU, said last week that sanctions would not impact Beijing’s policies and warned of retaliation.    “We want dialogue, not confrontation. We ask the EU side to think twice. If some insist on confrontation, we will not back down, as we have no options other than fulfilling our responsibilities to the people in our country,” he said.   
 
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A set of laws due to be debated in Venezuela could further limit citizens’ rights, experts are warning.The country’s newly formed National Assembly was asked to review 34 laws earlier this month, including the Law on Social Responsibilities on Radio, Television and Electronic Media or “Ley Resorte,” which regulates media; and the International Cooperation Law, which governs how civil society groups operate in Venezuela.No details have been made public about what reforms may be proposed, but rights groups and those who rely on platforms such as Twitter to access independent information raised concerns that any revisions could limit press freedom.Ali Daniels, director of the nonprofit civil rights group Acceso a la Justicia, told VOA the plans for reform are further evidence that the Venezuelan government seeks to control the few spaces over which it has minimal control.”If you want to control content on social networks, what you really want to control is dissent and the manifestations of freedom of expression that are made through it,” Daniels said.José Gregorio Correa, a member of the newly formed National Assembly, told VOA he believes some amendments are needed to update the Resorte law, but that the government should avoid measures that restrict freedom of expression.”It’s necessary that we make some amendments and adapt it to new realities. I don’t believe in restrictions; I believe in responsibilities,” Correa said, adding, “I don’t think the state may interfere in people’s freedom to express themselves.”Journalists, including those using social media, have an “obligation to answer,” Correa said, adding, “I do not think that social media should be restricted, but rather that those who use it, should be held accountable.”VOA tried to reach other members of the new National Assembly for comment, but they did not respond to the requests.The United States, European Union and several other countries do not recognize Venezuela’s newly formed National Assembly, saying elections in December, which the opposition largely boycotted, failed to comply with international standards.Free expression limitedRafael Uzcátegui, coordinator of the nongovernmental organization Provea, said he is concerned that legal reforms to the International Cooperation Law could be used to limit criticism of rights abuses and ultimately mean greater restrictions on freedom of expression.The law grants rights groups legal status in Venezuela and governs how they operate, including access to foreign funding.Uzcátegui said any attempts to restrict the law could harm the ability of rights groups to investigate abuses and make it harder for groups “denouncing situations that are harmful to individuals and human rights.”Fran Monroy, a Caracas-based journalist who specializes in technology, said the review could signal the “beginning of the end of social networks in Venezuela.”The space for independent reporting has shrunk in Venezuela under President Nicolás Maduro, according to media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. The country ranks 147 out of 180, where 1 is the freest, according to the group’s annual press freedom index.FILE – A Venezuelans picks a newspaper in Caracas, May 1, 2019, after a day of violent clashes on the streets of the capital spurred by opposition leader Juan Guaido’s call on the military to rise up against President Nicolas Maduro.Radio and TV stations that broadcast critical content have lost access to broadcast frequencies, and legal and economic pressures have led news outlets to close or journalists to flee.Social media has filled the gap left by traditional media, but that can also bring retaliation.The nongovernmental organization Espacio Publicó has documented 25 cases of citizens being arrested for publishing content on digital platforms.Twitter has also come into conflict with the Maduro government.In 2020, the social media site suspended dozens of accounts linked to the government and military, including the oil ministry, Reuters reported.Some accounts were later restored. At the time Twitter said it has systems set up to detect “platform manipulations” which account users can appeal if they are suspended in error.This report originated in VOA’s Latin American Division. Maria Elena Little Endara contributed to this story.
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The espionage trial of former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig began Monday behind closed doors in a Beijing courtroom. Kovrig’s trial is being held just three days after another Canadian, entrepreneur Michael Spavor, was put on trial in a closed door hearing on espionage charges in the northeastern city of Dandong.   Both Kovrig and Spavor were arrested separately in December 2018 days after Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of China’s Huawei Technologies, in Vancouver on a U.S. warrant.   Diplomats from several nations, including Canada and the United States, gathered outside the Beijing courthouse where Kovrig is being tried. The diplomats said they have been barred from attending the trial on what China claims are national security reasons.Policemen wearing face masks chat each other at No. 2 Intermediate People’s Court in Beijing, March 22, 2021.Spavor’s trial last Friday, in which diplomats were also barred, ended without a verdict being rendered.   The arrests of Kovrig and Spavor have plunged relations between Ottawa and Beijing to their lowest levels in decades. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denounced China’s actions as “completely unacceptable, as is the lack of transparency around these court proceedings.” Meng remains under house arrest in Vancouver as she fights the extradition warrant from the U.S. As chief financial officer of Huawei — one of the world’s largest manufacturers of smartphones — Meng is accused of lying to U.S. officials about Huawei’s business in Iran, which is under U.S. sanctions.   The U.S. has also warned other countries against using Huawei-built products, suspecting the Chinese government of installing spyware in them.   
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The Mexican banks of the Suchiate River dawned Sunday with a heavy presence of immigration agents in place to enforce Mexico’s new limits on all but essential travel at its shared border with Guatemala.Dozens of immigration agents lined the riverside asking those who landed on the giant innertube rafts that carry most of the cross-border traffic for documentation and turning many back.But those turned away weren’t migrants, they were the small-time Guatemalan merchants and residents from Tecun Uman, across the river, who buy in bulk in Mexico to resell in Guatemala or purchase household items when the exchange rate favors it.”They haven’t let us enter because they think we’re migrants when really we’re only coming to shop,” said Amalia Vázquez, a Guatemalan citizen with her baby tied to her back and seven other relatives accompanying her. Vázquez said her family travels the 100 kilometers monthly from Quetzaltenango to buy plastic items and sweets they resell at home.After a negotiation, immigration agents allowed her sister and another relative to pass, but they had to leave their IDs with agents while they shopped. Nearby, other agents turned away a man who said he was just coming to buy his medicine.The Mexican government has interrupted the usually free-flowing cross-river traffic here before, infuriating merchants on both sides. In recent years, as migrant caravans arrived in Tecun Uman, Mexican troops lined the Mexican side of the Suchiate and largely stopped the raft traffic.The last time was in January 2020 when hundreds of soldiers blocked large groups of migrants trying to cross.This time there is no large migrant presence across the river, but Mexico is again under pressure to slow the flow of migrants north as the U.S. government wrestles with growing numbers, especially of families and unaccompanied minors.  Many of those, however, are believed to be traveling with smugglers who can simply choose among the hundreds of unmonitored crossing points on Mexico’s long jungle borders with Guatemala and Belize.The government said the measures that went into effect Sunday — one year into the pandemic — were aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. But most saw it as a cover to again try to control illegal migration and no one was talking about health concerns. The U.S. and Mexico have had a similar limit on non-essential travel on their shared border for a year, but Mexico is one of the few countries to otherwise not impose health restrictions on people entering the country by land or air.The Mexican government last week also announced a new effort against the smuggling of families with minors. They said they would increase patrols in areas and checkpoints and use drones and night vision to watch crossing points.On Saturday, Mexico’s immigration agency announced that authorities had detained 95 Central American and Cuban migrants who arrived by plane to the northern city of Monterrey. Among them were eight unaccompanied minors. The flights originated in southeast Mexican cities, Villahermosa and Cancun. Smugglers sometimes put migrants who can pay on such flights to avoid highway checkpoints in Mexico.  On Friday, hundreds of National Guard troops and immigration agents paraded through the capital of the southern state of Chiapas. On Sunday, few soldiers were visible along the river.”It’s all a show,” said a woman with a sweets stand in the market, who asked to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation. “They don’t let the ones coming to buy pass, but the smugglers are very active.”Mexico’s National Immigration Institute says smugglers are telling Central American migrants to bring children to improve their chances of entering Mexico and the United States.The flow hasn’t reached early 2019 levels yet, but the U.S. government is worried by the rapid increase in illegal entries since last fall.  “It isn’t much that we take for reselling,” said María Vázquez, Amalia’s sister, while she negotiated the price of some cookies and her family waited by the river. “The migrants traveling in groups really harm us and the pandemic too. They never asked us for documentation.”
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Canadian Pacific Railway on Sunday said it has agreed to buy Kansas City Southern for $25 billion in a deal to create the first rail network connecting the United States, Mexico and Canada, betting on an increase in North American trade.The cash-and-shares deal would create the first U.S.-Mexico-Canada railroad, offering a single integrated rail system connecting ports on the U.S. Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific coasts with overseas markets.The deal is contingent on the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) blessing the transaction and Canadian railroad operators’ previous attempts to buy U.S. rail companies have met limited success.”I’m not going to speculate about the STB rejecting,” Canadian Pacific Chief Executive Keith Creel told Reuters in an interview. But he said based on the facts of the case, including that the two railroads currently have no overlap in their network, he expects regulators to approve it. The STB review is expected to be complete by mid-2022.It is the top merger and acquisition deal announced in 2021 and the biggest merger involving two rail companies, though it ranks behind Berkshire Hathaway’s purchase of BNSF in 2010 for $26.4 billion.  Creel said in a statement that the new competition the deal would inject into the North American transportation market “cannot happen soon enough,” as the new USMCA Trade Agreement makes the efficient integration of the continent’s supply chains more important than ever before.The new and modernized U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact took effect in July of last year, replacing the earlier deal that lasted 26 years, and is expected to foster manufacturing and agriculture trade activities among the three countries.”It gives us certainty given that the USMCA trade deal was resolved,” Creel added.Creel will continue to serve as CEO of the combined company, which will be headquartered in Calgary, the statement said.The KCS board has approved the bid.The companies also highlighted the environmental benefits of the deal, saying the new single-line routes that would be created by the combination are expected to shift trucks off crowded U.S. highways, and cut emissions.Rail is four times more fuel efficient than trucking, and one train can keep more than 300 trucks off public roads and produce 75% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, the companies said in the statement.Calgary-based Canadian Pacific is Canada’s No. 2 railroad operator, behind Canadian National Railway Co Ltd, with a market value of $50.6 billion.Kansas City Southern has domestic and international rail operations in North America, focused on the north-south freight corridor connecting commercial and industrial markets in the central United States with industrial cities in Mexico.
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A Bolivian judge retracted his decision to allow for former president Jeanine Anez to be transferred from jail to a hospital so she could receive medical attention for alleged high blood pressure. The judge argued that hospital doctors can enter the jail facility to examine and treat her.
 
Judge Armando Zeballos of Bolivia’s court in its administrative capital of La Paz justified his decision saying that Anez must remain isolated in the detention center to avoid contracting COVID-19.
 
Anez, 53, who was sentenced to four months pre-trial detention a week ago accused of inciting a coup d’état against her predecessor, is being held in a women’s prison in La Paz.
 
Anez family and her defense attorney, Ariel Coronado, said although Bolivian justice officials authorized the transfer, the government of President Luis Arce, who chairs the ruling party, Movement for Socialism (MAS), has refused to comply with the order. “Once again we are facing abuse by the government of the most basic human rights,” said a message sent from Anez’ Twitter account.
 
“It seems to me that they want to see my mother dead, they have no will for anything, I brought a cardiologist, but they won’t let him in either. I am very indignant and I know that my mother has another crisis,” Anez’ daughter Carolina Ribera said while waiting at the gate of the La Paz prison.
 
Anez was arrested on March 13 on terrorism, sedition and conspiracy charges to topple her predecessor Evo Morales.Anez, a lawyer and former senator for the center-right Democrat Social Movement, took power after her predecessor Morales and most parliamentarians from his MAS party resigned and fled the country in November 2019 as violent protests erupted across Bolivia amid accusations that he rigged the election.The claims were supported by international organizations.
 
Morales returned to Bolivia from exile after his former economy minister, current President Luis Arce led MAS to victory in the October 2020 elections.Besides the presidency, MAS currently controls the Bolivian legislature.
 
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The United States is expelling migrants to Mexico far from where they are caught crossing the border, according to Reuters witnesses, in a move that circumvents the refusal of authorities in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas who stopped accepting the return of migrant families with younger children.The practice is a sign that President Joe Biden is toughening his approach to the growing humanitarian crisis on the U.S.-Mexican border after his administration’s entreaties for Central American migrants to stay home have failed to stop thousands from heading north.Some families caught at the border in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley said in interviews they were flown to El Paso, Texas, after being held in custody just a few days. From there, they were escorted by U.S. officials to the international bridge to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, around 1,300 kilometers away from where they were first picked up by U.S. border patrol agents.A Reuters photographer saw planes landing in El Paso this week that were loaded with dozens of migrant families with young children, including babies in diapers, and then saw the same families crossing the international bridge.Some passengers interviewed by Reuters once they crossed into Mexico said they had been awakened in their holding cells at night by border agents and not told where they were going as they were loaded on buses and taken to the airport.Landon Hutchens, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) spokesperson, said that because of a lack of capacity in the Rio Grande Valley, migrants have been sent to El Paso for processing, as well as Laredo, Texas, and San Diego, California.Gloria Chavez, the U.S. Border Patrol chief for the El Paso Sector, said that El Paso had been receiving families from the Rio Grande Valley since March 8. Chavez said the priority was to expel them to Mexico, but that Mexico could only receive a limited number of families from the region per day. She said some families were still being released to shelters in the United States.The shuttling of migrants to El Paso was first reported by the Dallas Morning News.While the United States has been expelling thousands of people crossing the border illegally, Tamaulipas, which sits across the border from Texas, has not been accepting families returning with younger children, presenting a conundrum for the Biden administration.A migrant boy launches a paper airplane while playing with other migrant kids near the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge point of entry into the US, after being caught trying to sneak into the US and deported, March 18, 2021, in Reynosa, Mexico.U.S. authorities have been releasing hundreds of families to shelters and giving them notices to appear in immigration court to reduce overcrowding at border facilities.Dylan Corbett, the director of the Hope Border Institute, an advocacy organization, said the majority of families expelled to Ciudad Juarez after crossing in south Texas have children younger than 7.”They have been returned to Juarez to a situation of extreme vulnerability,” facing dangers from human traffickers and organized criminal groups, Corbett said in an interview, adding that shelters in Mexico are full because of the pandemic.Edna Sorto, who came from Honduras with her two young sons, sat on the floor in a state government immigration office in Ciudad Juarez shortly after walking over the bridge from El Paso. Dozens of families milled around the office with some toddlers and babies sleeping on blankets on the floor.”They didn’t ask us anything about why we came or where we were going or who could receive us in the United States,” Sorto said through tears and over the cries of children in the background who said they were hungry. “We are just going to wait here and see what they tell us, see if we can find a place to stay.”The new practice of expelling families to a different part of Mexico comes as the Biden administration faces pressure by both critics and some supporters for its handling of the crisis on the border. Opposition Republicans blame the increase in illegal border crossings on Biden’s immigration policies and what they say is his mixed messaging to would-be migrants.The Rio Grande divides the cities of Brownsville, Texas, right, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on March 16, 2021.Biden administration officials’ warnings to migrants not to make the journey north appear to be ignored, as people smugglers point to some families being allowed in to persuade would-be migrants that the border is open.”We have been clear from all levels of government that the border is closed and the majority of individuals will be turned away or expelled under Title 42,” a White House spokesperson said, referring to a public health order instituted under former President Donald Trump amid the pandemic. The order allows migrants, including families, to be “expelled” to Mexico or their home countries.Gil Kerlikowske, who was CBP commissioner for three years under former President Barack Obama, said the Biden administration’s heavy reliance on messaging was “a huge mistake.””We have 25 plus years of messaging in Mexico and Central America, from placards on buses and bus shelters to radio spots and more, saying, ‘Don’t come, it’s dangerous,’ and for 25 years that message has been completely unheard.”Democrats and activists meanwhile say children are being kept in border patrol custody for too long and should be released more quickly to family members or other sponsors.More than 500 of the roughly 4,500 unaccompanied children being held in sparse border patrol facilities as of Thursday have been there for more than 10 days, above the legal three-day limit, according to U.S. government data shared with Reuters.
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Mass protests and gang violence have roiled Haiti for months and many people blame the president for not doing enough to stop it. As Sandra Lemaire reports, ongoing kidnappings and jailbreaks are threatening to derail elections planned for summer.Camera: Matiado Vilme, Sandra Lemaire, Reuters, AP 
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Fantom 509, a heavily armed group of disgruntled current and former police officers, pulled off another jailbreak in Haiti on Thursday, its second in as many days.The rebels broke into the jail of the Croix des Bouquets police station, about 13 kilometers northeast of Port-au-Prince.Video recorded by VOA Creole shows a former detainee leaving the jail, surrounded by masked and unmasked Fantom 509 police officers, some of whom are holding what appear to be automatic weapons. Clapping and cheers are heard in the background as the group quickly exits the main gate.Geffrard Guerby, who identified himself as a delegate of the national police union, SPNH17, spoke to VOA after the jailbreak. He said Fantom 509 was following through on a previous threat.Geffrard Guerby, a national police union delegate, talks to VOA about the jailbreak, March 18, 2021. (Matiado Vilme/VOA)”Yesterday, we said [that] until we get the policemen’s bodies back, we will make the country unlivable. It will not be able to function,” Guerby told VOA, acting as a spokesman for Fantom 509.Guerby was referring to the bodies of police officers who died March 12 in an anti-gang operation in Village de Dieu; gang members are still holding the bodies.The national police and Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) officers launched the March 12 operation in Village de Dieu, a Port-au-Prince slum and gang stronghold. Gangs there have been blamed for a surge in kidnappings that have targeted Haitians from all levels of society and terrorized the nation.The police operation was botched, resulting in the deaths of four officers. Gang members posted gruesome videos of the victims as well as photos of themselves standing in front of an armored police vehicle they had seized during the operation. Critics blamed faulty police intelligence for the failed operation.Guerby told VOA the officer they freed Thursday was in jail for a shooting that killed a gang member.”That bandit [he shot] was an ally of [Bob Anel,] the mayor of Croix des Bouquets,” Guerby alleged. “The mayor called [a city official] … and asked him to have the policeman arrested because he killed a gang member who was his [Anel’s] ally.” The mayor has not yet responded to the allegation.Alleged murder plotGuerby then alleged to VOA Creole that there was a plot by the government to kill Police Inspector General Carl Henry Boucher, who was arrested after the Village de Dieu operation and is being held in isolation at the national police academy.”I learned that the government made a deal with [Police Chief] Leon Charles to kill Carl Henry Boucher, who is in isolation, and then say he had a stroke so he will not tell the truth about the [Village de Dieu] operation. We dare the government and Leon Charles to try it. Carl Henry Boucher will not die — we need to hear what he has to say,” Guerby told VOA Creole.In a telephone Leon Charles, the director-general of Haiti’s National Police Force, holds a press conference in Port-au-Prince to respond to the initial Fantom 509 jailbreak and protest, March 17, 2021. (Matiado Vilme/VOA)Police chief responseOn Wednesday, Fantom 509 members freed four police officers from Delmas 33 jail and made the same allegation about Boucher. Later that night, in a press conference, Charles, the director-general of Haiti’s National Police Force, addressed the allegations.”With regards to decisions made after the events [of March 12] concerning IG Boucher, police officers must allow the inspector general’s office to do its job. No police officer should make the situation worse by taking to the streets to demand his freedom,” Charles said.”What we saw in the streets today is linked to the same personal interests that led to the failed operation last Friday. Now Fantom 509 is taking advantage of the situation to create chaos as the national police are coping with the pain and sorrow of having lost their colleagues,” Charles said.State of emergencyIn response to the jailbreak Wednesday, Haitian President Jovenel Moise declared a state of emergency, citing national security.”A new extraordinary session of the council of ministers was held today at the national palace during which a state of emergency was declared for national security reasons in all areas identified by the CSPN [Supreme Council of the National Police] including Village de Dieu. … We are determined to establish peace in this country,” Moise tweeted.Un nouveau Conseil des Ministres à l’extraordinaire s’est tenu aujourd’hui, au Palais National, où l’état d’urgence sécuritaire a été déclaré au niveau de toutes les zones identifiées par le CSPN dont Village de Dieu…Nous sommes déterminés à pacifier le pays.#Haïtipic.twitter.com/EsgdBPY3WW— Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) March 16, 2021The decree allows the government to use extraordinary measures to establish security, including requesting the help of international forces.Haiti is under intense pressure from the U.S. and international community to curb violence so that elections can be held this year. A constitutional referendum is planned for June, followed by legislative and presidential elections in September and November.Gang-related crime is one of the biggest obstacles that election officials face in terms of creating a climate conducive to holding elections.Renan Toussaint in Port-au-Prince and Jacquelin Belizaire in Washington contributed to this report. 
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The U.S. government has stopped taking immigrant teenagers to a converted camp for oilfield workers in West Texas because of questions about the safety of emergency sites quickly being opened to hold children crossing the southern border.The Associated Press has learned that the converted camp has faced multiple issues in the four days since the Biden administration opened it amid a scramble to find space for immigrant children. More than 10% of the camp’s population has tested positive for COVID-19 and at least one child had to be hospitalized.An official working at the Midland, Texas, site said most of the Red Cross volunteers staffing the site do not speak Spanish, even though the teenagers they care for are overwhelmingly from Central America. When the facility opened, there were not enough new clothes to give to teenagers who had been wearing the same shirts and pants for several days, the official said. There were also no case managers on site to begin processing the minors’ release to family members elsewhere in the U.S.Bringing in teenagers while still setting up basic services “was kind of like building a plane as it’s taking off,” said the official, who declined to be named because of government restrictions.No plans for moreThe U.S. Department of Health and Human Services notified local officials in Midland late Wednesday night that it had no plans to bring more teenagers to the site, according to an email seen by The Associated Press. There were still 485 youths at the site as of Wednesday, 53 of whom had tested positive for COVID-19.The government on Wednesday brought around 200 teenagers to another emergency site at the downtown Dallas convention center, which could hold up to 3,000 minors. HHS spokesman Mark Weber said taking more teenagers to Midland was on “pause for now.” HHS will also not open a facility for children at Moffett Federal Airfield near San Francisco, according to Democratic Representative Anna Eshoo.Migrants who were caught trying to sneak into the United States and were deported eat near the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge point of entry into the U.S., March 18, 2021, in Reynosa, Mexico.U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration has been sharply criticized for its response to an increase in crossings of unaccompanied immigrant children. As roughly 4,500 children wait in Border Patrol facilities unequipped for long-term detention, with some sleeping on floors, HHS has rushed to open holding sites across the country and tried to expedite its processes for releasing children in custody. About 9,500 minors are in HHS custody.In addition, the U.S. has seen a sharp increase in Central American families arriving at the border who are fleeing violence, poverty and the effects of a destructive hurricane. Biden has kept intact an emergency measure enacted by the Trump administration during the pandemic that allows the government to quickly expel them to Mexico, though families with young children are generally allowed to enter through South Texas.The Biden administration is not expelling immigrant children unaccompanied by a parent or legal guardian. Several hundred a day are crossing the border, going first to often-packed Border Patrol stations while they await placement in the HHS system.Red Cross helpHHS has turned to the American Red Cross to care for teenagers in both Midland and Dallas, a departure from the standard practice of having paid, trained staff watch over youths. Red Cross volunteers sit outside portable trailers in Midland to monitor the teenagers staying inside. Staff from HHS and the U.S. Public Health Service are also at both sites.Neither HHS nor the Red Cross would say whether the volunteers had to pass FBI fingerprint checks, which are more exhaustive than a commercial background check. Both agencies have declined repeated requests for interviews.The waiver of those background checks at another HHS camp in Tornillo, Texas, in 2018 led to concerns that the government was endangering child welfare. HHS requires caregivers in its permanent facilities to pass an FBI fingerprint check, and the agency’s inspector general found in 2018 that waiving background checks and not having enough mental health clinicians resulted in “serious safety and health vulnerabilities.”The official who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity said there was not sufficient mental health care at the Midland camp for minors who typically have fled their countries of origin and undergone a traumatic journey into the country.Dany Vargas Rodriguez, 10, of Honduras, plays with a toy car near the McAllen-Hidalgo International Bridge entry point into the U.S. after he and his family were caught trying to sneak into the U.S. and deported, March 18, 2021, in Reynosa, Mexico.In a statement earlier this week, HHS said it was rushing to get children out of Border Patrol custody and that emergency sites “will provide a safer and less overcrowded environment where children are cared for and processed as quickly as possible.”The Red Cross says its volunteers in Midland and Dallas “have received intensive training in sheltering operations and COVID-19 safety,” and that they had all undergone background checks. The agency declined to say how many hours of training each volunteer had received.Republican U.S. Representative August Pfluger, who represents Midland, was allowed to visit the site soon after it opened and saw the portable units that serve as rooms for each teenager.”It’s a professional facility that was intended for workers,” he said.But Pfluger and other Midland officials said the Biden administration was not answering their questions or giving them assurance that officials would keep the surrounding community safe. HHS opened the Midland site without notifying some top local officials, who said many of their questions were not being answered.Quick openingThe email HHS sent to local officials this week details the haste with which government officials opened the site. It says officials identified the camp on Friday and signed a contract Saturday. The first group of teenagers arrived Sunday night.Leecia Welch, an attorney for the National Center for Youth Law, interviewed children last week who were detained at the Border Patrol’s sprawling tent facility in Donna, Texas. Many of those children reported going days without a shower or being taken outside.Welch noted that Biden “inherited a dismantled immigration system and the impact on children, in particular, is becoming increasingly dire.”But, she added, “Building more and more holding centers without services or case management is just trading one set of problems for another.” 
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U.S. and Mexican officials deny Washington is attaching any strings to a likely shipment of millions of coronavirus vaccine doses to America’s southern neighbor at a time of heightened migration passing through Mexico en route to the United States.“[P]reventing the spread of a global pandemic is part of one of our diplomatic objectives. Another one of our diplomatic objectives is working to address the challenges at the border. So, it shouldn’t be a surprise that those conversations are both ongoing and happening,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki replied when asked about a link between lending vaccine supplies and commitments from Mexico to tighten the flow of migrants heading north.White House press secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a press briefing at the White House, March 18, 2021, in Washington.“These are two separate issues, as we look for a more humane migratory system and enhanced cooperation against COVID-19, for the benefit of our two countries and the region,” said a statement from Roberto Velasco, director general for the North America region at Mexico’s foreign ministry.Psaki confirmed Thursday that there are discussions to send 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada.“We are assessing how we can lend doses,” the press secretary said. “That is our aim. It’s not fully finalized yet.”President Joe Biden, accompanied by Vice President Kamala Harris, right, speaks about COVID-19 vaccinations in the East Room of the White House, March 18, 2021, in Washington.In remarks Thursday afternoon, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the 100 millionth shot of a coronavirus vaccine of his presidency will be administered Friday.The president had previously set a goal of 100 million shots in 100 days. Friday marks the 58th day of his administration.“Scientists have made clear that things may get worse as new variants of this virus spread,” Biden warned. “Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to fight back against these variants. Millions of people are vaccinated, we need millions more to be vaccinated.”Biden, in his remarks from the White House East Room, made no mention of sending doses to other countries.Mexican officials say an agreement among the United States, Canada and Mexico is to be announced Friday.Tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca-University of Oxford vaccine are in U.S. manufacturing sites. That company’s vaccine has been authorized in numerous countries, but not yet in the United States.Medical workers prepare doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine at a vaccination center in Antwerp, Belgium, March 18, 2021.The AstraZeneca vaccine has received some negative publicity and there is speculation some Americans will hesitate to take that vaccine when it receives expected approval in the United States.Several countries in Europe this week suspended use of the AstraZeneca doses after reports that a few people who received it later developed blot clots and severe bleeding.Europe’s drug regulator Thursday declared the AstraZeneca vaccine safe, adding that a review of the 17 million people who received it found they were actually less likely to develop dangerous clots than others who hadn’t received the vaccine.“It makes sense for the United States to loan its surplus of millions of doses to neighbors where it can be put to good use right away,” said Joshua Busby, assistant professor of public affairs at the University of Texas-Austin.The pending deals with Canada and Mexico, Busby told VOA, do not go far enough because “more countries in the Americas and beyond will need vaccines. But I’m confident that the Biden team is aware of this.”Busby, author of the book “Moral Movements and Foreign Policy,” said he expects in the coming months the Biden administration will make a major effort to increase global vaccine access “because the longer the epidemic persists globally, the greater the risk of variants that could emerge for which the current vaccines are ineffective.”Asked on Thursday about requests from other countries to make U.S. coronavirus vaccine stock available to them, Psaki replied: “Certainly we’ll have those conversations, and we are open to receiving those requests and obviously making considerations.”FILE – In this March 3, 2021, file photo, Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks on foreign policy at the State Department in Washington.”Various countries including China have been engaged in so called vaccine diplomacy,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Japanese reporters on Wednesday. “We shouldn’t tie the distribution or access to vaccines to politics or to geopolitics.”Concerns have been raised that the United States and the rest of the West are losing a public relations battle with China and Russia which, at minimum, are using such vaccine distribution to improve their influence and image in developing countries.“Even as nations understandably prioritize their own citizens for vaccines, including their own most vulnerable, we cannot forget that those with the means should also help other countries in need,” said Curtis Chin, former U.S. ambassador to the Asian Development Bank.Vaccine diplomacy competition between nations to help other countries can be a good thing, but “where it falls apart is when that competition overrides necessary cooperation and coordination,” Chin told VOA.Chin termed it disappointing that “some in China’s government and state-controlled media might seek to tear down the vaccine development efforts of other nations’ companies and institution as a response to a call for greater transparency and honesty in China when it comes to COVID-19.”Nearly all countries are participating in the COVAX initiative to deliver coronavirus vaccines to poor countries.The administration of then-President Donald Trump last year declined to join the project because of its association with the World Health Organization, which had lost the his support.Since his inauguration in January, Biden has said the United States would join COVAX and play a more active role globally to fight COVID-19.
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Protesters freed four police officers from behind bars in Haiti’s capital on Wednesday, local media reported, as demonstrations over a botched police raid on a gang stronghold and anger at state authorities roiled the city for a fifth day.A deepening economic and political crisis in the poorest country in the Americas has led to a surge in kidnappings and murders as gangs have gained power, turning ever more areas of the capital and other cities into no-go areas.Masked, heavily armed members of the Fantom 509 group, who describe themselves as disaffected police officers and ex-officers, told local media they believed their colleagues had been unjustly detained in a Port-au-Prince police station.The police had no immediate comment on the incident or why the officers had been detained. Lawyers for the officers said in a statement they were victims of the politicization of Haiti’s police force and the failures of its justice system.The Fantom 509 members said they were also protesting the fact authorities had not recovered the bodies of four policemen who died last Friday in a botched attack on a gang stronghold where kidnapping victims are often held.Trainee police officers joined in the jail break while citizens took to the street for a fifth day to block roads with vehicles, debris and burning tires, also vandalizing a car dealership.President Jovenel Moise declared on Wednesday a state of emergency in the worst gang-controlled areas for one month in order to allow state security forces to regain control of the situation.Critics accuse the government of not sufficiently equipping the police to confront gangs, even if it has slightly raised its budget for the police this year.They also accuse it of fostering gang activity either by design, to intimidate opponents, or simply by inaction. Gang leaders or even former government officials implicated in massacres in opposition strongholds have not been arrested.
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U.S. homeland security officials are pushing back against claims that known and suspected terrorists are trying to sneak into the country from Mexico, calling such incidents “very uncommon.” Republican lawmakers have been sounding alarms about what they say is a growing immigration crisis along the U.S southern border. And in an interview Monday with Fox News, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy alleged terrorists were using the situation to infiltrate the country. “It’s not just people from Mexico or Honduras or El Salvador,” McCarthy said. “They’re now finding people from Yemen, Iran, Turkey – people on the terrorist watch list.”  FILE – House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks to the press during a tour for a delegation of Republican lawmakers of the U.S.-Mexico border, in El Paso, Texas, March 15, 2021.But in a statement late Tuesday to VOA, U.S. Customs and Border Protection rejected the notion of a major security breach.  “Encounters of known and suspected terrorists at our borders are very uncommon,” a CBP spokesperson said. “Our border security efforts are layered and include multiple levels of rigorous screening that allow us to detect and prevent people who pose national security or public safety risks from entering the United States.” CBP and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, did not provide any data on the number of suspected terrorists who have been caught trying to enter the U.S. at the border.
The U.S.-based news site Axios, citing a congressional aide briefed on correspondence from CBP, reported late Tuesday that, since October 2020, four people on the FBI’s terror watchlist were caught trying to enter the U.S. from the southern border — including three people from Yemen and one from Serbia.
 
“I am concerned if one tries to come,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told lawmakers during a hearing Wednesday.
 
“That’s not a new phenomenon,” he added. “Individuals who match that profile have tried to cross the border, the land border, [and] have tried to travel by air into the United States, not only this year, but last year.””It is because of our multi-layered security apparatus, the architecture that we have built since the commencement of the Dept of Homeland Security, that we are in fact able to identify & apprehend them & ensure that they do not remain in the United States” per @SecMayorkas— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) March 17, 2021Other officials, though, have warned that the situation bears watching. “I have seen intelligence that gives me reason to be concerned about what comes across the border,” General Glen VanHerck, the commander of U.S. Northern Command, told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday in response to a question from VOA. “We need to know exactly who is coming across that border and what their intent is,” he said. “How we get there is a policy decision but it has homeland, defense and national security implications.” This is not the first time lawmakers or officials have raised concerns about terrorists trying to get into the United States by posing as migrants or refugees. In January 2019, then-Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen issued a series of tweets, alleging “the number of terror-watchlisted (people) encountered at our Southern Border has increased over the last two years,” and that “Thousands of terror-watchlisted individuals transit our hemisphere each year.”The threat is real. The number of terror-watchlisted encountered at our Southern Border has increased over the last two years. The exact number is sensitive and details about these cases are extremely sensitive.— Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen (@SecNielsen) January 8, 2019But U.S. counterterrorism officials took issue with the DHS assessment, telling VOA at the time, “We do not see any evidence that ISIS or other Sunni terrorist groups are trying to infiltrate the southern U.S. border.”  US Counterterror Officials See No Signs of IS, al-Qaida on Southern Border

        U.S. counterterrorism officials are sticking by their assessment that terror groups like Islamic State and al-Qaida are not actively trying to sneak operatives into the country from Mexico, despite claims by the White House and Homeland Security officials that "the threat is real.""We do not see any evidence that ISIS or other Sunni terrorist groups are trying to infiltrate the southern U.S. 

More recently, the State Department’s 2019 Country Reports on Terrorism, released in June 2020, also rejected the idea that terrorists are trying to get into the U.S. via Mexico. “There was no credible evidence indicating international terrorist groups established bases in Mexico, worked directly with Mexican drug cartels, or sent operatives via Mexico into the United States,” the report found. NEW: @StateDept report finds “no credible evidence” terrorists using #Mexico to enter US”There was no credible evidence indicating int’l terrorist groups established bases in #Mexico, worked directly w/Mexican drug cartels, or sent operatives via Mexico into the #UnitedStates” pic.twitter.com/zdvQ8j1nYh— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) June 24, 2020A September 2020 whistleblower complaint, released by House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, a Democrat, alleged DHS officials, under then-President Donald Trump, made false statements to Congress about the terror threat along the southern border. The complaint charged the false claims were part of an effort to “politicize, manipulate and censor intelligence in order to benefit President Trump.”  Per @RepAdamSchiff, the complaint alleges @DHSgov & administration officials also made false statements to Congress about terror threats on the southern border & minimizing the threat posed by white supremacists— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) September 9, 2020
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Haiti is under enormous pressure from the United States, United Nations, Organization of American States and members of the international community to organize elections as soon as possible. President Jovenel Moise has ruled by decree since January 2020 when the terms of two-thirds of the parliament expired. Elections planned for 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic and a series of mass protests that paralyzed the country. Complicating matters, a spike in kidnappings and violent crimes targeting Haitians from all sectors of society has raised security concerns.In January 2021, President Moise named millionaire entrepreneur Mathias Pierre as minister-designate in charge of overseeing elections. Pierre has a unique insight into the electoral process as a former candidate who opposed Moise in the 2016 election. He spoke to VOA via Skype about the upcoming elections.  VOA: Good Morning Minister Pierre. What do you see as the biggest obstacle to holding these elections? MINISTER PIERRE: I think the election challenge today is to get the political leaders to understand that democracy is the power of the people to elect their leaders. We understand that a lot of the political leaders from the opposition are afraid of elections and what we as a government are doing is, we are trying to show everyone that we are working toward free and fair elections. We’ll work with BINUH ([the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti), which is the U.N. on the ground, through UNDP (United Nations Development Program) and UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services) through a contract to provide logistical support and assistance … to make sure that the electoral process will go technically well and that we’ll be supporting the electoral council.VOA: Are people willing to sign up for voter cards? We’ve heard that people are afraid due to lack of security, kidnappings, crime.  MINISTER PIERRE: Historically, every time elections are going to happen you have a tendency of [people saying] “if I don’t control power, then I’m afraid of the election.” So then, when there is a transition of power, it’s easier for me to [participate in] elections. Why? Because I need to be in power in order to find more resources to participate in elections. That’s something we need to overcome as political leaders. We understand there is a major security issue. At the same time, the president has been doing everything he can to address [that]. A cell has been put in place with the head of the police — we call it an anti-kidnapping cell — the purpose is to work toward addressing the kidnapping issue and putting every resource that the country can do addressing that issue. Very soon there will be measures taken to make sure that we control insecurity and also neutralize the gangs that are creating unrest around the country. But again, democracy is about elections.  Inclusivity  VOA: Is there a way to be more inclusive at this late date and encourage the opposition to participate so that these elections will be more credible in their eyes? This is something the U.S., the UN, OAS have all asked for. MINISTER PIERRE: Well, I think by choosing myself … a fierce former opponent of the president, he sent the right signal that he wants an inclusive election. I’m engaged in that process because I believe there should be a fair, transparent and inclusive election.But the president is … doing everything he can to invite his opponents and the political leaders into a dialogue, a dialogue that will get us together and do whatever is necessary… in terms of looking at the electoral council and in terms of the new constitution. That is ongoing.  VOA: The opposition doesn’t seem willing to change their position on not participating in the process and they seem to not want dialogue. As a former presidential candidate, is there a unique role you can play?MINISTER PIERRE: I think there are two parts to my job. One is to facilitate and talk to all the partners that are in the electoral process to make sure that the process is streamlined. The second aspect of my job is a relationship with the political parties.Since my arrival I’ve been actively … talking to political parties, to political leaders to see what can be done. At my first event, more than 100 political parties were invited to sit and discuss the constitution. We are preparing other events. I am pretty confident that major political leaders will join the election when they see signs that we are doing everything we can to alleviate issues that we have, but at the same time create conditions for fair, transparent elections that are also inclusive.  Election security VOA: A lot of people question whether the Haitian National Police force is capable of getting security under control after what happened in Village de Dieu on March 12 when at least eight police were killed in an anti-gang operation. We hear Haiti is going to get some help from the international community on security. What can you tell us about that? MINISTER PIERRE: We have confidence in the national police, and we will keep having confidence in the national police. We also understand we have weak structures. We also understand their lack of resources and that is why I think during the meeting with the president and [Luis Almagro, head of the Organization of American States] yesterday, international support was requested to assist the police. We have the manpower; we have the expertise we have a lot of officers that are experienced. They have been trained for the past 25 years.  They know what to do. Certainly, we understand gangs are well equipped in some parts [of the country]. The police failed [on March 12]. Why? Because they were avoiding [civilian casualties] — don’t forget these gangs are using poor people as shields. I think in the days to come there [will be] strong measures announced. There are strong decisions being taken to address that issue and provide the adequate response to what happened in Village de Dieu on Friday. VOA: Let’s talk about logistics. You said there’s a lot to do. Will the constitutional referendum happen in June? MINISTER PIERRE: For sure. Everything is underway. UNOPS which will assist the electoral council on logistics — the technicians from UNOPS are already in Haiti and certainly this is the first time we are going have an election without the logistical support of [the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti] but what we’ve done, there is [an electoral security] cell that has been created inside the BINUH that is specifically in charge of the logistics and security for the election. The army also is mobilizing their soldiers and all of the equipment from Port-au-Prince to the different departments. We have 1,700 [electoral council] poll centers that will be [working with] 11,000 poll offices, so I think everything will be done… we have the expertise on the ground. VOA: Does Haiti have enough money to organize these elections? MINISTER PIERRE: For now, the budget is $125 million — which is under revision. The agreement signed with UNDP is $72 million. I know the U.S. government has been pushing the U.N. to reduce that. Haiti already disbursed $20 million to the [U.N.] basket fund. That’s why materials have been ordered. And another $3 million was disbursed to the CEP (Provisional Electoral Council) to start renting space, pay people, etc… I think as a sovereign country, we have a responsibility to organize elections — with or without international support. Certainly, we encourage our international partners to contribute to the basket fund.  VOA: Haiti has been under a lot of pressure to organize these elections. Give us some insight on how that pressure feels for you. MINISTER PIERRE: I believe that we and the international community have the same goal. The president has been clear — elections this year is the number one priority. The president understands the challenge. Everything he has done for the past year, any legacy that he has — organizing elections and handing power over to a new elected president is key to his success. We understand the concerns of the international community, our partners — particularly the United States. We are communicating to our partners regularly … [we are addressing] issues along the way and respond adequately so that we provide the Haitian people with one of the things most important for them — leaders that are elected.Voter fraud VOA: What steps are you taking to counter potential fraud?MINISTER PIERRE: When I was an opponent to President Jovenel Moise one of my major concerns was electoral fraud. I [looked] everywhere in the system to understand whatever could create fraud and one of them was the national identification card. [With] the new system, you have your picture, fingerprint, all the biometric information is included in your card. There is one unique number for every Haitian that has their card. [If you] lose your card [you can] get a replacement card but you will always have one unique identification number. And that unique number — will be transferred into the electoral registry. As of today, we have over 4.2 million people registered in the system and [they] will be able to vote. And I encourage them to go out there to vote. No one will be able to vote twice or three times as happened in the past. We will make sure this cannot happen in the system this time. VOA: How many people are you aiming to have registered by the time the referendum rolls around? MINISTER PIERRE: We have one constraint with the CEP and the UN who have requested that the registry be closed 60 days before the vote. If that happens, we’re trying to see how we can reduce two months into either one month or 1 1/2 months. I just had a meeting with a technician to see how we can address that in order to give more people the possibility to register.According to the UN people working with the CEP, those registries that would provide the list of people able to vote have to be printed outside of Haiti. At the same time, the secretary general of the UN is telling us don’t leave 2.5 million people out. VOA: What is your message to Haitians and to the opposition about this election? Why should they trust you to organize it?MINISTER PIERRE: If we’re looking to have stability … to have peace in the country, if we have to come together and fight poverty, there is no way in a democracy for leaders to get to the top [unless it’s] by the people. The power of the people to cast a ballot and decide who their next leader [will be].I know there might be a lack of confidence in the government, but the president [is committed] to holding fair elections.  
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Brazil’s fourth health minister in a year is promising a continuation of the anti-COVID restriction policies of President Jair Bolsonaro, ahead of his formal appointment on Wednesday. Cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga assumes his post, a day after Brazil logged a record one-day total of 2,841 COVID-19 deaths. Following the spike in deaths, Queiroga urged people to continue wearing masks and washing their hands but did not propose restrictions such as lockdowns, which are not favored by Bolsonaro, who has downplayed the virus even after he became infected. Queiroga has reportedly been working with outgoing Health Minister Eduardo Pazuello, who also backed Bolsonaro, but it is unclear when he will take over as the fourth health minister since the pandemic began one year ago. Brazil has one of the highest COVID-19 infections rates in Latin America, with more than 11,519,000 infections and 279,286 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center. 
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Just as top U.S. defense and diplomatic officials are meeting with allies in Asia to find ways to counter the threat from a rising, more aggressive China, a key military commander is warning the front line in the competition for global dominance between Washington and Beijing is much closer to home. The commander of U.S. forces in Central and South America, Southern Command’s Admiral Craig Faller, told lawmakers Tuesday that China has become the leading threat in the region, taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and increased lawlessness to impose its will on a growing number of countries.  FILE – U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller listens during a briefing at U.S. Southern Command, in Doral, Fla., July 10, 2020.”I look at this hemisphere as the front line of competition,” Faller told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, further describing Beijing’s efforts as a “full-court press.” “I feel a sense of urgency,” he added. “Our influence is eroding.”  Region “is sinking in the violence & it is sinking in FILE – U.S. Air Force Gen. Glen VanHerck speaks during a news conference on the campus of California State University of Los Angeles in Los Angeles, Feb. 16, 2021.”They are absolutely in the NOTHCOM AOR [area of responsibility] attempting to influence in the Bahamas, working through 5G for example,” VanHerck said. “The same thing in Mexico.” U.S. military officials likewise expressed concern about the growing relationship between Chinese operations in Central and South America and transnational crime, described by SOUTHCOM’s Faller as the second biggest threat to the U.S. in the Americas. “They market in drugs, and people and guns and illegal mining,” Faller said of the various crime organizations that have secured a foothold across the region. “And one of the prime sources that underwrites their efforts is Chinese money laundering.” To counter China, Faller urged lawmakers to help ensure a continued U.S. presence and partnership. “It’s important that we remain engaged in this hemisphere,” he said. “It’s our neighborhood, That proximity matters.” “What I hear from my partners is … ‘We want to partner with you, but when you’re drowning, you need a life ring — you’re going to take the life ring from whoever throws it,” Faller said. 
 
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Faced with a burgeoning migration crisis on the U.S.-Mexico border, the Biden administration vowed Tuesday to continue to expel most single adults and families trying to reach the United States but to help unaccompanied children find relatives in the U.S. or place them with vetted care givers.Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the U.S. is on pace to encounter the highest number of migrants arriving from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico recorded in the past 20 years.  “The situation at the southwest border is difficult,” he said in a statement. “We will also not waver in our values and our principles as a nation. Our goal is a safe, legal, and orderly immigration system that is based on our bedrock priorities: to keep our borders secure, address the plight of children as the law requires, and enable families to be together.”“We are both a nation of laws and a nation of immigrants,” he said. “That is one of our proudest traditions.”The number of migrants at the border is quickly becoming an early defining moment for U.S. President Joe Biden. He stopped construction of the border wall championed by former president Donald Trump and has advanced what he says are more humanitarian immigration policies, while also continuing to reject entry for adult immigrants and families.FILE – Tents used by migrants seeking asylum in the United States line an entrance to the border crossing, March 1, 2021, in Tijuana, Mexico.He said authorities are trying to reunite the children with family members already living in the United States or with other sponsors who have been vetted to care for them. Initially after the apprehension of the children at the border, immigration officials by law are supposed to transfer them to the Department of Health and Human Services within 72 hours, but Mayorkas said that because of the growing number of migrants, that deadline is “not always met.”  Mayorkas said poverty, high levels of violence, and corruption in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries “have propelled migration to our southwest border for years,” but that “adverse conditions have continued to deteriorate. Two damaging hurricanes that hit Honduras and swept through the region made the living conditions there even worse, causing more children and families to flee.”In addition, the Homeland Security chief claimed the Trump administration “completely dismantled the asylum system. The system was gutted, facilities were closed, and they cruelly expelled young children into the hands of traffickers. We have had to rebuild the entire system, including the policies and procedures required to administer the asylum laws that Congress passed long ago.”     He said the Biden administration is building additional facilities in the southwestern states of Texas and Arizona to shelter unaccompanied children, while working with Mexico to expand its ability to house expelled families.Last weekend, Homeland Security said that for the next 90 days, the Federal Emergency Management Agency would help process the large number of unaccompanied migrant children.In Dallas, the city convention center will be used to house as many as 3,000 migrant boys, ages 15-17, for up to 90 days starting next week, with the U.S. providing food, security and medical care.  Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax said in a statement that “collective action is necessary, and we will do our best to support this humanitarian effort.”The Health and Human Services agency will also house youths in Midland, Texas, at a converted oilfield workers camp with help from the American Red Cross, which sent 60 volunteers. Biden’s Immigration Reform Proposal ExplainedBill would create eight-year path to citizenship for millions On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters “the Biden administration is trying to fix the broken system that was left to them by the Trump administration. The Biden administration will have a system based on doing the best possible job, understanding this is a humanitarian crisis.”Trump weighed in with his immigration thoughts at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference, contending that Biden “wants it all to go to hell.”  “When I left office just six weeks ago, we had created the most secure border in U.S. history,” Trump claimed, ignoring the increased number of illegal crossings during his last months in office.  “It took the new administration only a few weeks to turn this unprecedented accomplishment into a self-inflicted humanitarian and national security disaster by recklessly eliminating our border security measures, controls, all of the things that we put into place,” Trump argued.  Aside from dealing with the current quandary at the border, Democrats in the House of Representatives this week are trying to advance two pieces of immigration legislation.  One would establish a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and have lived, attended school and worked in the country since then.  The House is also considering a measure in which a migrant worker in the agricultural industry could earn temporary status to stay in the U.S. with an eventual option to become a permanent resident.  Democrats strongly support both bills and also passed them in 2019. Even if they are approved again, however, their fate in the politically divided Senate is uncertain, at best.
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Jamaica will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations Tuesday to top government officials, including Cabinet members, Parliamentarians and heads of ministries and government agencies who are at least 60 years of age. The Ministry of Health announced Monday night the group follows healthcare workers, police and members of the military who have already gotten their shots against the virus. Since Jamaica began its immunization program six days ago, some 15,000 people have been vaccinated.  The Caribbean island received its latest batch of COVID-19 vaccines Monday, when 14,400 doses of arrived under the COVAX Facility. The global COVAX vaccine distribution plan aims to deliver tens of millions of vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries.The initiative was launched by the World Health Organization, the European Commission and France to assist nations facing difficulty affording the vaccines, and middle-income counties unable to make deals with vaccine manufacturers.   So far, Jamaica has confirmed more than 30,400 infections and 485 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University Covid Resource Center, a U.S.-based research institute constantly updating information with COVID-19 data and expert input. 
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Haitian rights activists, a former ambassador to the country and civil society groups are pressing the U.S. government to drop its support for Haiti’s president’s plan to hold a referendum and elections at a time of rising violence and kidnappings in the country. During a virtual hearing last week on Capitol Hill, Congressman Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, was blunt. “Haiti’s a mess. The people are suffering. This has to stop!”  Two members of Haitian civil society, a former U.S. ambassador to Haiti and the leader of a Haitian American nongovernmental organization working on immigration issues testified before American lawmakers Friday, saying no elections can be held because the Haitian Provisional Electoral Council lacks credibility and gang violence is rising.  FILE – Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise speaks during a news conference at the National Palace in Port-au-Prince, March 2, 2020.The panel urged officials not to support Haitian President Jovenel Moise’s plan to hold a constitutional referendum in June, followed by legislative and presidential elections in September and November of this year.   “It is difficult for me to imagine having successful elections this year in Haiti,” said Pamela A. White, who served as U.S. ambassador to Haiti from 2012 to 2015. “I do not believe right now the necessary institutions are in place to assure a smooth transition.”   Some Haitians, including the political opposition and civil society members, view Moise’s electoral council as illegitimate because it was named unilaterally and without input from civil society. Members were not sworn in by the Supreme Court as mandated by the constitution, and they answer only to the president.  Moise has largely ignored the criticism while expressing support for the electoral council. He also says he is willing to hold discussions with the opposition. “As Haitians and patriots, we need to stand together for dialogue for a better tomorrow for our people. We stand ready to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition for a brighter future for our children and our nation while rejecting Violence,” he tweeted on February 26.  As Haitians and patriots we need to stand together for dialogue for a better tomorrow for our people . We stand ready to engage in meaningful dialogue with the opposition for a brighter future for our children and our nation while rejecting Violence. FILE – A man throws a tear gas canister back at the police during a protest against Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Feb. 10, 2021.Lawyer Rosy Auguste, program director for the human rights organization Reseau National de Defense de Droits Humains (RNDDH), said the country needs a credible electoral council before it can hold a vote. “Stop supporting an electoral process that will lead to political instability,” Auguste said. Haiti’s Ambassador to the U.S. Bocchit Edmond did not participate in the congressional hearing, but later in an interview with VOA dismissed their complaints as political posturing.“I think this is just a group of people who want to fight a government that was democratically elected, who want to overthrow it and replace it with a transitional government because the transition will do their bidding — that’s all it is,” the ambassador said.Edmond said Haiti’s woes are not Moise’s fault and that Haitians should work together on a solution.A Haitian solution to the political crisis is one of the few things all sides agree on.So far, President Joe Biden has maintained the U.S. backing for Moise that existed during the Trump administration. The State Department and U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison have repeatedly said free, fair and credible elections, the restoration of democratic institutions, and adherence to the rule of law are essential. The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations have made similar statements. FILE – Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during a news conference at the State Department in Washington.During testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 10, Secretary of State Antony Blinken was pressed on Haiti by Congressman Andy Levin, a Michigan Democrat who has been outspoken about his lack of confidence in Moise’s ability to organize free and fair elections.“I share your concern about some of the authoritarian and undemocratic actions that we’ve seen,” Blinken said, “particularly this irregular rule by decree and decrees getting into the heart of Haiti’s democratic institutions. So we’re making it very clear that for now, while we have this, decrees need to be limited to essential functions and to your point, we need to see the Haitians organize with international support — genuinely free and fair elections this year.”For all of the concern over the upcoming votes, Laurent Weil, a Latin America and Caribbean country analyst for The Economist magazine’s intelligence unit, says he does not expect the congressional hearing will have a meaningful impact on U.S.-Haiti relations.“This is the second hearing organized by Congress since the current crisis in Haiti started in 2018. It was organized by the same committee as the previous one, held in December 2019, and included the same witnesses as last time. While the previous hearing received media attention, it did not cause a shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Haiti. I don’t expect this one to change things dramatically either,” Weil told VOA via email.Weil believes the Biden approach will be similar to policies pursued by the Obama administration.“As was the case during the Obama era, the U.S. under the leadership of Joe Biden is likely to explore diplomatic solutions to the crisis by focusing its attention on efforts to organize elections,” Weil told VOA. “Given that the Haitian administration of Jovenel Moïse is committed to organizing elections, Mr. Moïse will remain part of the solution to the crisis, he will keep his seat at negotiating tables.”Vote legitimacy With dissenting voices pressing to drop a vote, it’s unclear if the referendum and elections are held, how many people will take part in voting. White, Douyon and Auguste say inclusivity is essential for credible and fair elections.“I think the entire question of a referendum to change the constitution is extremely dubious,” she said. “If we do not get minimal consensus among the relevant actors, Haiti will not be able to pull off credible elections — period.”Weil says most Haitians do not share the view that the referendum must be stopped.“Although many political actors, including those who participated in the hearing, and interest groups have echoed the view that Mr. Moïse must step down and abandon his project of a constitutional referendum, it does not represent the view of the majority of Haitians. In fact, according to recent opinion polls, the broad majority (over 80%) of Haitians agree that a referendum should be held to change the constitution,” Weil told VOA.    A local opinion survey published in December by America Elects, a poll aggregation and election analysis group, indicated some 87% of Haitians support the referendum.  Haiti, BRIDES poll:Those in favour of…A new constitution: 87.4%Abolishing the post of Prime Minister: 72.3%Abolishing the Senate: 75.1%Fieldwork: November 2020Sample size: 14,400#Haiti#Ayiti#NouvelleConstitution#JovenelMoïse#Moïse#Elections2021— America Elects (@AmericaElige) December 23, 2020
   
“Moreover, many of Mr. Moïse’s opponents are actually in favor of the referendum, but they do not trust Mr. Moïse to run the process. So, the real question is on the referendum’s feasibility amid the security crisis and deepening political polarization,” he added.Congressman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican and ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, says the U.S. will continue to support Haiti.   “No matter how difficult the situation, the United States remains committed to supporting the Haitian people. Haiti is the second largest recipient of U.S. assistance in the Western Hemisphere receiving over $180 million in FY 20 (Fiscal Year 2020),” McCaul noted.“However, given the huge challenges facing Haiti, I think it’s fair to ask how effective our assistance has been and explore how our aid can achieve the desired outcome.” 
 
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Former Bolivian interim president Jeanine Anez claimed Sunday that she had the people’s support, after a judge in the capital La Paz sentenced her to four months pre-trial detention for inciting a coup d’état against her predecessor. “I have the support of the people because we defend the rule of law and of all those who believe in democracy,” Anez, former interim president of Bolivia said speaking in Spanish. “I cannot have the support of the MAS (Movement for Socialism) party because they obviously despise democracy.” MAS won the elections in October 2020 and currently controls the presidency and the Congress.Bolivia’s Socialist Candidate Seen Winner of Presidential Election  An authoritative pollster indicates Luis Arce has over 52% of the vote, so no need for run-off In a tweet later she said “[t]hey are sending me to detention for four months to await a trial for a ‘coup’ that never happened,” adding “[f]rom here I call on Bolivia to have faith and hope. One day, together, we will build a better Bolivia.” Earlier Anez told reporters that the rule of law in the country was being “undermined” and that Bolivia could become a “no man’s land.” Judge Regina Santa Cruz ruled in a virtual hearing on Sunday to send Anez, 53, and two ministers in her caretaker government to pre-trial detention after prosecutors had initially for six months as a “precautionary” measure. Anez was arrested Saturday on terrorism, sedition and conspiracy charges. The United States, European Union, and right groups, including InterAmerican Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights have called on Bolivia to follow due process without political interference. Anez, a lawyer and former senator for the center-right Democrat Social Movement, took power after her predecessor Evo Morales and most parliamentarians from his MAS party resigned and fled the country in November 2019 as violent protests erupted across Bolivia amid accusations that he rigged the election.  The claims were supported by international organizations.    At least 33 people were killed, 30 of them after Anez took office. Morales returned to Bolivia from exile after his former economy minister, current President Luis Arce led MAS to win the elections last October.  
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