United States&nbsp;border agents arrested or stopped nearly one million undocumented migrants at the southern border with Mexico in the last 12 months, the most in more than a decade, a top official said Tuesday.

The surge came amid President Donald Trump's tough efforts to halt illegal immigration, which began to show results only in the last three months when border arrests plummeted.

Acting Director of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan said migrants arrested at the border fell to just over 52,000 in September, the final month of the 2019 fiscal year, down from over 144,000 in May and the lowest monthly figure in one year.

The surge came mainly from Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence, crossing in large groups and family units into the US from Mexico and turning themselves in to ask for asylum.

For most that meant being processed by immigration officials and then released to await a hearing on their asylum claim, but they usually disappeared into the US interior hoping to settle.

The Trump administration has stepped up efforts to discourage an exodus from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador by asking Mexico to impede their transit and requiring them to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- meaning either Guatemala or Mexico.

"CBP is continuing to collaborate with our foreign partners -- particularly, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras -- to address this as a regional crisis," Morgan said in a White House briefing.

The administration has ordered the expulsion of any asylum seekers back to Mexico and is fighting a court injunction blocking the implementation of that order.

Besides restricting the ability of migrants to claim asylum, the White House has pressed forward on erecting more wall along the 3,200-kilometre&nbsp;border, diverting Defense Department funds committed to other programs for wall construction after Congress declined to provide the budget.

Morgan said 71 miles of new barrier had been built and predicted that a total of 450 miles would be completed by the end of 2020.

"It's a tough process," he said. "You have to obtain the land and land acquisition is a tough thing."

United States border agents arrested or stopped nearly one million undocumented migrants at the southern border with Mexico in the last 12 months, the most in more than a decade, a top official said Tuesday.

United States border agents arrested or stopped nearly one million undocumented migrants at the southern border with Mexico in the last 12 months, the most in more than a decade, a top official said Tuesday. The surge came amid President Donald Trump's tough efforts to halt illegal immigration, which began to show results only in the last three months when border arrests plummeted. Acting Director of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Mark Morgan said migrants arrested at the border fell to just over 52,000 in September, the final month of the 2019 fiscal year, down from over 144,000 in May and the lowest monthly figure in one year. The surge came mainly from Central American migrants fleeing poverty and violence, crossing in large groups and family units into the US from Mexico and turning themselves in to ask for asylum. For most that meant being processed by immigration officials and then released to await a hearing on their asylum claim, but they usually disappeared into the US interior hoping to settle. The Trump administration has stepped up efforts to discourage an exodus from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador by asking Mexico to impede their transit and requiring them to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- meaning either Guatemala or Mexico. "CBP is continuing to collaborate with our foreign partners -- particularly, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras -- to address this as a regional crisis," Morgan said in a White House briefing. The administration has ordered the expulsion of any asylum seekers back to Mexico and is fighting a court injunction blocking the implementation of that order. Besides restricting the ability of migrants to claim asylum, the White House has pressed forward on erecting more wall along the 3,200-kilometre border, diverting Defense Department funds committed to other programs for wall construction after Congress declined to provide the budget. Morgan said 71 miles of new barrier had been built and predicted that a total of 450 miles would be completed by the end of 2020. "It's a tough process," he said. "You have to obtain the land and land acquisition is a tough thing."

US detained nearly one million migrants in 12 months

Popstar Selena Gomez finds the current immigration crisis in the United States utterly upsetting.

The singer-actor voiced her concerns in a write up published in Time magazine while discussing her own family's history, reported Fox News.

"In the 1970s, my aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States hidden in the back of a truck," <a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/selena-gomez-fangirl-over-taylor-swifts-new-album-lover-248448">Gomez</a>&nbsp;said.

"My grandparents followed, and my father was born in Texas soon after. In 1992, I was born a US citizen thanks to their bravery and sacrifice."

The 27-year-old actor-singer said that her family struggled for around four decades to get their US citizenship. While she wonders about immigration "every day," she never happens to take the fortune of being born in her country for granted.

"But when I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations," she added.

"I feel afraid for my country."

She also explained that her concern isn't much of a political issue but instead of&nbsp;she is more bothered about real people's lives and how they're all affected.

"It is a human issue, affecting real people, dismantling real lives. How we deal with it speaks to our humanity, our empathy, our compassion. How we treat our fellow human beings defines who we are," she said.

Popstar Selena Gomez finds the current immigration crisis in the United States utterly upsetting. The singer-actor voiced her concerns in a write up published in Time magazine while discussing her own family's history, reported Fox News.

Popstar Selena Gomez finds the current immigration crisis in the United States utterly upsetting. The singer-actor voiced her concerns in a write up published in Time magazine while discussing her own family's history, reported Fox News. "In the 1970s, my aunt crossed the border from Mexico to the United States hidden in the back of a truck," Gomez said. "My grandparents followed, and my father was born in Texas soon after. In 1992, I was born a US citizen thanks to their bravery and sacrifice." The 27-year-old actor-singer said that her family struggled for around four decades to get their US citizenship. While she wonders about immigration "every day," she never happens to take the fortune of being born in her country for granted. "But when I read the news headlines or see debates about immigration rage on social media, I feel afraid for those in similar situations," she added. "I feel afraid for my country." She also explained that her concern isn't much of a political issue but instead of she is more bothered about real people's lives and how they're all affected. "It is a human issue, affecting real people, dismantling real lives. How we deal with it speaks to our humanity, our empathy, our compassion. How we treat our fellow human beings defines who we are," she said.

'I feel afraid for my country': Selena Gomez on immigration crisis in United States

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/general-motors-workers-begin-nationwide-strike-in-us-249987">General Motors</a> has laid off 6,000 workers in Mexico temporarily due to a US labour strike, which has disrupted production at two plants south of the border manufacturing pickup trucks, the company said Tuesday.

The layoffs affect the Silao assembly and transmission plants in central Mexico, where work has been "disrupted as a result of a parts shortage related to the UAW strike," a GM spokesman said.

The Silao workers are expected to return to their jobs after the strike, the spokesman said.

GM's Mexican arm notified workers at the Silao assembly plant that they had been placed on indefinite, mandatory vacation and would receive 55 per cent of their pay, according to an internal document obtained by AFP.

However, the company emphasized that no one was permanently laid off.

"There are no layoffs for the moment, we&nbsp;are evaluating the situation day to day and hope to restore normal operations soon, in a matter of days," spokeswoman Teresa Cid told AFP.

The two plants in Silao, Guanajuato state, produce GMC and Chevrolet pickup trucks.

The moves come on top of the furlough of more than 3,000 workers in Canada and at an Ohio plant where GM operates a joint venture with Isuzu to make diesel engines.

Nearly 50,000 US workers are on strike at <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/gm-recalls-35-mn-vehicles-on-brake-issue-249068">GM</a>&nbsp;due to a United Auto Workers conflict over the labour contract, now in its third week.

Workers launched the strike on September 16 after contract talks failed to yield an agreement on wages, health benefits, temporary workers and job security.

The strike also comes against the backdrop of GM's decision last November to effectively shutter five plants in North America.

A report Tuesday from JPMorgan Chase estimated that the strike has so far cost GM $1 billion, adding that the company has the potential to recover some of the lost profits in the fourth quarter if the strike ends soon.

General Motors has laid off 6,000 workers in Mexico temporarily due to a US labour strike, which has disrupted production at two plants south of the border manufacturing pickup trucks, the company said Tuesday.

General Motors has laid off 6,000 workers in Mexico temporarily due to a US labour strike, which has disrupted production at two plants south of the border manufacturing pickup trucks, the company said Tuesday. The layoffs affect the Silao assembly and transmission plants in central Mexico, where work has been "disrupted as a result of a parts shortage related to the UAW strike," a GM spokesman said. The Silao workers are expected to return to their jobs after the strike, the spokesman said. GM's Mexican arm notified workers at the Silao assembly plant that they had been placed on indefinite, mandatory vacation and would receive 55 per cent of their pay, according to an internal document obtained by AFP. However, the company emphasized that no one was permanently laid off. "There are no layoffs for the moment, we are evaluating the situation day to day and hope to restore normal operations soon, in a matter of days," spokeswoman Teresa Cid told AFP. The two plants in Silao, Guanajuato state, produce GMC and Chevrolet pickup trucks. The moves come on top of the furlough of more than 3,000 workers in Canada and at an Ohio plant where GM operates a joint venture with Isuzu to make diesel engines. Nearly 50,000 US workers are on strike at GM due to a United Auto Workers conflict over the labour contract, now in its third week. Workers launched the strike on September 16 after contract talks failed to yield an agreement on wages, health benefits, temporary workers and job security. The strike also comes against the backdrop of GM's decision last November to effectively shutter five plants in North America. A report Tuesday from JPMorgan Chase estimated that the strike has so far cost GM $1 billion, adding that the company has the potential to recover some of the lost profits in the fourth quarter if the strike ends soon.

General Motors temporarily lays off 6,000 workers in Mexico due to strike

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. 
 
Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices." 
 
Jose Jose received several Grammy nominations, sold more than 250 million albums and was once courted by music legend Frank Sinatra, who wanted to win him for his own label. 
 
He is often considered Mexico's most successful singer and was also an occasional actor. "It is sad, his passing," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters. 
 
Mexico City residents gathered for an impromptu tribute at a statue of the singer, laying wreaths, and singing his songs. Some were in tears. 
 
'The Prince of Song',&nbsp;as the Mexican was affectionately called by his fans, was born into a family of musicians and raised in Mexico City. 
 
Son of tenor Jose Sosa Esquivel and pianist Margarita Ortiz Pensado, Jose Jose began his musical career as a child: he debuted in the school choir and in 1963 formed a musical trio formally starting his career at age 15. 
 
Initially, he appeared in nightclubs and even formed a jazz and bossa nova group in which he played the double bass; later, he scored a contract with the Mexican subsidiary of the international label RCA Victor. 
 
In 1969, he released his first album under the pseudonym of "Jose Jose." The singer said later that his artistic name was inspired by the name of his father, who died in 1968 of alcoholism. 
 
Jose Jose conquered the Spanish-speaking world with the interpretation of 'El Triste'&nbsp;at the 1970 Latin Song Festival that took place in the Mexican capital. It became the performance that catapulted him to stardom. 
 
The sudden fame also brought negative consequences. Like his father, he fell into alcoholism and had to take some time out. He returned to the stage in 1971 but continued to suffer from alcoholism for 30 more years. 
 
The 1980s became the most successful decade of his career, during which he sold two million copies of his album 'Secrets'&nbsp;in just a few weeks while also making his debut in the cinema. 
 
But his dipsomania and lack of rest irreparably damaged his vocal cords, forcing him to undergo several operations that failed to restore them. In 2007, he also suffered a facial paralysis. 
 
As a result of his alcohol addiction, Jose Jose`s health deteriorated rapidly since the 1990s. Even so, supported by his wife, Cuban Sarita Salazar, Jose Jose recovered and continued his career. In recent years he gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
 
Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the singer died in Miami at 71 after complications following treatment for pancreatic cancer. Two years ago he announced that he had a tumor in the pancreas that was being treated with chemotherapy. 
 
Many of his works inspired a younger generation of artists and musicians, including Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, who interpreted Jose Jose`s first big hit 'The Ship of Oblivion'. 
 
His son Jose Francisco, known as Jose Joel, who is also a musician, changed his profile picture on Twitter to a black ribbon. His daughters Marysol and Sara have also followed the family tradition into music.

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices.

Mexican singer Jose Jose, whose powerful, romantic ballads captivated Latin America for more than half a century, died on Saturday. Mexico's Culture Ministry expressed its condolences in a statement, calling Jose Jose, whose real name was Jose Romulo Sosa Ortiz, "one of Mexico's most loved voices." Jose Jose received several Grammy nominations, sold more than 250 million albums and was once courted by music legend Frank Sinatra, who wanted to win him for his own label. He is often considered Mexico's most successful singer and was also an occasional actor. "It is sad, his passing," Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told reporters. Mexico City residents gathered for an impromptu tribute at a statue of the singer, laying wreaths, and singing his songs. Some were in tears. 'The Prince of Song', as the Mexican was affectionately called by his fans, was born into a family of musicians and raised in Mexico City. Son of tenor Jose Sosa Esquivel and pianist Margarita Ortiz Pensado, Jose Jose began his musical career as a child: he debuted in the school choir and in 1963 formed a musical trio formally starting his career at age 15. Initially, he appeared in nightclubs and even formed a jazz and bossa nova group in which he played the double bass; later, he scored a contract with the Mexican subsidiary of the international label RCA Victor. In 1969, he released his first album under the pseudonym of "Jose Jose." The singer said later that his artistic name was inspired by the name of his father, who died in 1968 of alcoholism. Jose Jose conquered the Spanish-speaking world with the interpretation of 'El Triste' at the 1970 Latin Song Festival that took place in the Mexican capital. It became the performance that catapulted him to stardom. The sudden fame also brought negative consequences. Like his father, he fell into alcoholism and had to take some time out. He returned to the stage in 1971 but continued to suffer from alcoholism for 30 more years. The 1980s became the most successful decade of his career, during which he sold two million copies of his album 'Secrets' in just a few weeks while also making his debut in the cinema. But his dipsomania and lack of rest irreparably damaged his vocal cords, forcing him to undergo several operations that failed to restore them. In 2007, he also suffered a facial paralysis. As a result of his alcohol addiction, Jose Jose`s health deteriorated rapidly since the 1990s. Even so, supported by his wife, Cuban Sarita Salazar, Jose Jose recovered and continued his career. In recent years he gained a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mexican broadcaster Televisa reported the singer died in Miami at 71 after complications following treatment for pancreatic cancer. Two years ago he announced that he had a tumor in the pancreas that was being treated with chemotherapy. Many of his works inspired a younger generation of artists and musicians, including Latin pop star Julio Iglesias, who interpreted Jose Jose`s first big hit 'The Ship of Oblivion'. His son Jose Francisco, known as Jose Joel, who is also a musician, changed his profile picture on Twitter to a black ribbon. His daughters Marysol and Sara have also followed the family tradition into music.

Jose Jose, one of Mexico's most-loved voices, dies at 71

Exactly five years after 43 students disappeared without a trace in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/its-business-as-usual-at-mexicos-southern-border-despite-trump-deal-225581">Mexico</a>, the government said on Thursday that it will reinvestigate the case as a crime by "agents of the state," offering a reward for new information.

The night of September 26, 2014, a group of students in Guerrero state on their way to a protest were detained by corrupt police who handed them over to a drug cartel.

Forty-three of them vanished.

Half a decade later, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/thousands-of-asylum-seekers-left-waiting-at-the-us-mexico-border-228198">Mexico is still haunted</a> by the case, which drew international condemnation and stained the government of ex-president Enrique Pena Nieto.

On Thursday thousands of people, mainly students, took part in a demonstration led by the parents of the missing youths, shouting "justice!" as they marched towards Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo.

Approximately a hundred people wearing hoods who remained at the rear of the crowd broke shop windows and tried to set a restaurant on fire, which other protesters extinguished.

The investigation into the disappearance has been marred by allegations of official incompetence and even corruption. Misconduct -- especially the use of torture to extract supposed confessions -- has resulted in the release of 77 detainees, including the main suspect earlier this month.

New President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched a truth commission, and the new prosecutor general has announced plans to reinvestigate "almost from scratch."

Deputy Human Rights Minister Alejandro Encinas said the case would now be investigated as a crime "committed by agents of the Mexican state," a phrase Pena Nieto once said he "categorically" rejected.

Lopez Obrador said investigators would have a "great advantage" this time around: under his government, "there is no impunity."

"That's important, because when it's a crime by the state, it's very difficult to get at the truth," the leftist leader told a news conference, wearing a T-shirt stamped with the number 43 and the words "I am for the truth."

The government announced it would offer a reward of about $75,000 for new leads in the case, and $500,000 for information on the whereabouts of Alejandro Tenescalco, the local police supervisor at the time and a chief suspect.

No one will remain above the law, said Omar Gomez, special prosecutor for the case. He said his team would question former top prosecutor Jesus Murillo Karam next week, and even Pena Nieto "if necessary."

Historic Lie

But it is uncertain whether the world will ever know what happened to the young men from the teacher training institute in the rural village of Ayotzinapa.

"I don't think (a new investigation) will achieve a radically different result from the original," said Alejandro Hope, a security expert and former Mexican intelligence officer.

"There are two facts that don't seem to be in doubt: The students were kidnapped by police, and they were handed over to the Guerreros Unidos cartel."

What happened after that, he said, might remain a mystery forever.

The student activists had hijacked five buses that night to drive themselves to a protest in Mexico City.

Local police opened fire on the buses, killing six people. Then they rounded up the remaining students and handed them over to Guerreros Unidos, which apparently had the police on its payroll.

Under Pena Nieto, the federal prosecutor's office concluded the cartel mistook the students for members of a rival gang, executed them at a garbage dump and burned their bodies.

However, a team of independent investigators from the Inter-American Commission&nbsp;on&nbsp;Human Rights found that was impossible, based on forensic analysis of the supposed crime scene.

Their conclusion left Mexicans to wonder: If the government's gruesome explanation was a cover story, how horrific was the truth?

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-asks-un-for-more-suppoprt-to-tackle-central-american-migrants-228816">The government</a> did not renew the experts' mandate.

However, before leaving Mexico, they hypothesised the students may have inadvertently hijacked a bus loaded with heroin bound for the United States.

Investigators began chasing a fresh lead this week: they are excavating at a different garbage dump nearby, in the town of Tepecoacuilco, where witnesses reportedly say some of the men were executed.

Exactly five years after 43 students disappeared without a trace in Mexico, the government said on Thursday that it will reinvestigate the case as a crime by "agents of the state," offering a reward for new information.

Exactly five years after 43 students disappeared without a trace in Mexico, the government said on Thursday that it will reinvestigate the case as a crime by "agents of the state," offering a reward for new information. The night of September 26, 2014, a group of students in Guerrero state on their way to a protest were detained by corrupt police who handed them over to a drug cartel. Forty-three of them vanished. Half a decade later, Mexico is still haunted by the case, which drew international condemnation and stained the government of ex-president Enrique Pena Nieto. On Thursday thousands of people, mainly students, took part in a demonstration led by the parents of the missing youths, shouting "justice!" as they marched towards Mexico City's central square, the Zocalo. Approximately a hundred people wearing hoods who remained at the rear of the crowd broke shop windows and tried to set a restaurant on fire, which other protesters extinguished. The investigation into the disappearance has been marred by allegations of official incompetence and even corruption. Misconduct -- especially the use of torture to extract supposed confessions -- has resulted in the release of 77 detainees, including the main suspect earlier this month. New President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has launched a truth commission, and the new prosecutor general has announced plans to reinvestigate "almost from scratch." Deputy Human Rights Minister Alejandro Encinas said the case would now be investigated as a crime "committed by agents of the Mexican state," a phrase Pena Nieto once said he "categorically" rejected. Lopez Obrador said investigators would have a "great advantage" this time around: under his government, "there is no impunity." "That's important, because when it's a crime by the state, it's very difficult to get at the truth," the leftist leader told a news conference, wearing a T-shirt stamped with the number 43 and the words "I am for the truth." The government announced it would offer a reward of about $75,000 for new leads in the case, and $500,000 for information on the whereabouts of Alejandro Tenescalco, the local police supervisor at the time and a chief suspect. No one will remain above the law, said Omar Gomez, special prosecutor for the case. He said his team would question former top prosecutor Jesus Murillo Karam next week, and even Pena Nieto "if necessary." Historic Lie But it is uncertain whether the world will ever know what happened to the young men from the teacher training institute in the rural village of Ayotzinapa. "I don't think (a new investigation) will achieve a radically different result from the original," said Alejandro Hope, a security expert and former Mexican intelligence officer. "There are two facts that don't seem to be in doubt: The students were kidnapped by police, and they were handed over to the Guerreros Unidos cartel." What happened after that, he said, might remain a mystery forever. The student activists had hijacked five buses that night to drive themselves to a protest in Mexico City. Local police opened fire on the buses, killing six people. Then they rounded up the remaining students and handed them over to Guerreros Unidos, which apparently had the police on its payroll. Under Pena Nieto, the federal prosecutor's office concluded the cartel mistook the students for members of a rival gang, executed them at a garbage dump and burned their bodies. However, a team of independent investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights found that was impossible, based on forensic analysis of the supposed crime scene. Their conclusion left Mexicans to wonder: If the government's gruesome explanation was a cover story, how horrific was the truth? The government did not renew the experts' mandate. However, before leaving Mexico, they hypothesised the students may have inadvertently hijacked a bus loaded with heroin bound for the United States. Investigators began chasing a fresh lead this week: they are excavating at a different garbage dump nearby, in the town of Tepecoacuilco, where witnesses reportedly say some of the men were executed.

Five years on, 43 missing students still haunt Mexico

Hurricane Lorena weakened to a tropical storm as it approached northwestern Mexico on Saturday, bringing with it heavy wind and rain, US forecasters said.

On Saturday afternoon, Lorena had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles (80 km) per hour as it moved north, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a report.

Currently crossing Baja California peninsula, the storm is expected to reach mainland Mexico early Sunday, at which point it will likely weaken swiftly, the NHC said.

Tropical storm warnings are in effect for parts of mainland Mexico's northwestern coast, the NHC said.

The storm doused the Baja California peninsula with strong wind and rain after touching down early Saturday morning, though there were no reports of victims or damages. Despite warnings, the storm skirted the ritzy resorts of Los Cabos.

The storm is expected to dump three to six inches (7 to 15 cm) of rain on the western state of Sonora over the weekend, creating a risk of flash floods, the NHC said.

Hurricane Lorena weakened to a tropical storm as it approached northwestern Mexico on Saturday, bringing with it heavy wind and rain, US forecasters said. On Saturday afternoon, Lorena had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles (80 km) per hour as it moved north, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a report.

Hurricane Lorena weakened to a tropical storm as it approached northwestern Mexico on Saturday, bringing with it heavy wind and rain, US forecasters said. On Saturday afternoon, Lorena had maximum sustained winds of 50 miles (80 km) per hour as it moved north, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in a report. Currently crossing Baja California peninsula, the storm is expected to reach mainland Mexico early Sunday, at which point it will likely weaken swiftly, the NHC said. Tropical storm warnings are in effect for parts of mainland Mexico's northwestern coast, the NHC said. The storm doused the Baja California peninsula with strong wind and rain after touching down early Saturday morning, though there were no reports of victims or damages. Despite warnings, the storm skirted the ritzy resorts of Los Cabos. The storm is expected to dump three to six inches (7 to 15 cm) of rain on the western state of Sonora over the weekend, creating a risk of flash floods, the NHC said.

Hurricane Lorena weakens to a tropical storm as it nears mainland Mexico

Led by a dream of marrying on US soil, a young Honduran couple travelled thousands of miles from their home in the port city of La Ceiba, narrowly escaping a kidnapping in Mexico before seeking asylum across the border in Texas.

But the couple, Dexy Maldonado and Marvin Madrid, decided, in the end, to settle for a wedding in less than dream-like conditions.

First, US&nbsp;authorities sent them back to wait for months in a violent region of Mexico for their asylum hearings. Then a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-pushes-back-after-top-us-court-favours-trump-on-shunning-migrants-249280">ruling on Wednesday by the US&nbsp;Supreme Court</a> threatened to scupper their plans -- and those of thousands of other Central American migrants who have traveled through Mexico in pursuit of their own dreams in the United States.

So Maldonado, 20, and Madrid, 28, married on Thursday just over the Rio Grande in a Mexican border town, under open skies at a crowded tent camp in an impromptu religious ceremony -- and without registering the wedding with a government.

"The pastor said it wasn`t `legal, legal,` but it might give us a better chance of staying together," said Maldonado, whom US&nbsp;immigration agents had separated from Madrid after detaining the pair in July with their toddler daughter before returning them to Mexico.

Abrupt shifts in US&nbsp;immigration policy have pitched hundreds of mostly Central American asylum-seekers into a life of limbo in the border city of Matamoros, many of them crammed into tents on the end of a bridge from Brownsville, Texas.

The newlyweds are among at least 42,000 asylum seekers who since January have been sent to troubled Mexican border cities to await hearings with US immigration judges under a US program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP).

In July, the Trump administration extended MPP to Matamoros, one of two receiver cities in Tamaulipas, an eastern state so riven by drug cartels that the US State Department ranks it as a "level 4" danger zone on a par with Afghanistan or Somalia.

Asylum seekers experienced a harsher blow still with the Supreme Court`s ruling on Wednesday allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ruling that would require anyone who passes through a third country, including Mexico, to seek asylum there instead of the United States. The decision, which allows US authorities to enforce the rule on asylum seekers as litigation challenging its legality proceeds, piles pressure on Mexico and migrants alike.

"It`s a disaster," said Jennifer Harbury, a Texas-based immigration attorney. "No one knows what it`s going to do to MPP."

Marrying between tents and toilets

The Supreme Court ruling fed the anxieties of asylum seekers who had already been returned to Matamoros and were struggling to stay afloat, caught between two worlds in an unforgiving city where jobs are elusive and criminal gangs treat migrants as lucrative trafficking commodities.

By day, many of some two dozen returnees whom Reuters spoke with worried about leaving the relative safety of a sidewalk near the bridge to search for work. By night, some forced themselves to stay awake lest gangsters snatch their children from inside their tents.

Then there was the question of whether to marry.

Maldonado and Madrid were the first of seven asylum-seeking couples who all tied the knot in the camp beside the bridge on Thursday afternoon.

Reverend Isaac Collins, from Charlottesville, Virginia, officiated the brief but emotional ceremony on a patch of parking lot between two portable toilets, three tents, and a sickly tree whose twigs someone clipped off for makeshift bouquets.

Another migrant fashioned Maldonado a wedding ring from aluminum foil. A third shared with other brides her ring with a mermaid tail, Collins said. 
Earlier, lacking other options to bathe, they cooled off from the stifling heat in the murky green waters of the Rio Grande, despite the rashes that many migrants said it caused. Red blotches marked Madrid`s wrist and their 2-year-old daughter`s armpit.

The couple had left Honduras after losing their jobs when authorities raided the used-clothing chain where they worked, alleging the owners used the business to launder drug money.

The two said they departed with a small group led by a self-proclaimed "guide," who asked for no money to take them up through Mexico.

However, as they neared Reynosa, a city about an hour`s drive west of Matamoros, a man apparently known to the guide pulled them off a bus and took them to a site where dozens of other people were being forcibly held, the couple said. They said they escaped, sleeping in ditches until finally crossing the Rio Grande and surrendering to US&nbsp;authorities.

It was not immediately possible for Reuters to verify the details of the apparent kidnapping.

A Department of Homeland Security document reviewed by Reuters shows that Maldonado was "subject to removal" from Texas on July 26 and told to appear at the gateway to Brownsville for a court hearing on September&nbsp;30.

"They told us the rules had changed three days earlier, which is why they sent us back here," Maldonado said.

Even before MPP was expanded to Tamaulipas, rights group Human Rights First documented more than a hundred cases of rape, kidnapping, sexual exploitation and other violent attacks against asylum seekers returned to Mexico under the program.

Madrid has now found work as a part-time laborer after a Mexican construction worker walked into the MPP encampment, looking for hires.

Wary of criminals, Madrid said he decided to try the job for a day, before sticking with it as the best option for his family as they await a court date that lawyers say may now not come.

Led by a dream of marrying on US soil, a young Honduran couple travelled thousands of miles from their home in the port city of La Ceiba, narrowly escaping a kidnapping in Mexico before seeking asylum across the border in Texas.

Led by a dream of marrying on US soil, a young Honduran couple travelled thousands of miles from their home in the port city of La Ceiba, narrowly escaping a kidnapping in Mexico before seeking asylum across the border in Texas. But the couple, Dexy Maldonado and Marvin Madrid, decided, in the end, to settle for a wedding in less than dream-like conditions. First, US authorities sent them back to wait for months in a violent region of Mexico for their asylum hearings. Then a ruling on Wednesday by the US Supreme Court threatened to scupper their plans -- and those of thousands of other Central American migrants who have traveled through Mexico in pursuit of their own dreams in the United States. So Maldonado, 20, and Madrid, 28, married on Thursday just over the Rio Grande in a Mexican border town, under open skies at a crowded tent camp in an impromptu religious ceremony -- and without registering the wedding with a government. "The pastor said it wasn`t `legal, legal,` but it might give us a better chance of staying together," said Maldonado, whom US immigration agents had separated from Madrid after detaining the pair in July with their toddler daughter before returning them to Mexico. Abrupt shifts in US immigration policy have pitched hundreds of mostly Central American asylum-seekers into a life of limbo in the border city of Matamoros, many of them crammed into tents on the end of a bridge from Brownsville, Texas. The newlyweds are among at least 42,000 asylum seekers who since January have been sent to troubled Mexican border cities to await hearings with US immigration judges under a US program known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). In July, the Trump administration extended MPP to Matamoros, one of two receiver cities in Tamaulipas, an eastern state so riven by drug cartels that the US State Department ranks it as a "level 4" danger zone on a par with Afghanistan or Somalia. Asylum seekers experienced a harsher blow still with the Supreme Court`s ruling on Wednesday allowing the Trump administration to enforce a ruling that would require anyone who passes through a third country, including Mexico, to seek asylum there instead of the United States. The decision, which allows US authorities to enforce the rule on asylum seekers as litigation challenging its legality proceeds, piles pressure on Mexico and migrants alike. "It`s a disaster," said Jennifer Harbury, a Texas-based immigration attorney. "No one knows what it`s going to do to MPP." Marrying between tents and toilets The Supreme Court ruling fed the anxieties of asylum seekers who had already been returned to Matamoros and were struggling to stay afloat, caught between two worlds in an unforgiving city where jobs are elusive and criminal gangs treat migrants as lucrative trafficking commodities. By day, many of some two dozen returnees whom Reuters spoke with worried about leaving the relative safety of a sidewalk near the bridge to search for work. By night, some forced themselves to stay awake lest gangsters snatch their children from inside their tents. Then there was the question of whether to marry. Maldonado and Madrid were the first of seven asylum-seeking couples who all tied the knot in the camp beside the bridge on Thursday afternoon. Reverend Isaac Collins, from Charlottesville, Virginia, officiated the brief but emotional ceremony on a patch of parking lot between two portable toilets, three tents, and a sickly tree whose twigs someone clipped off for makeshift bouquets. Another migrant fashioned Maldonado a wedding ring from aluminum foil. A third shared with other brides her ring with a mermaid tail, Collins said. Earlier, lacking other options to bathe, they cooled off from the stifling heat in the murky green waters of the Rio Grande, despite the rashes that many migrants said it caused. Red blotches marked Madrid`s wrist and their 2-year-old daughter`s armpit. The couple had left Honduras after losing their jobs when authorities raided the used-clothing chain where they worked, alleging the owners used the business to launder drug money. The two said they departed with a small group led by a self-proclaimed "guide," who asked for no money to take them up through Mexico. However, as they neared Reynosa, a city about an hour`s drive west of Matamoros, a man apparently known to the guide pulled them off a bus and took them to a site where dozens of other people were being forcibly held, the couple said. They said they escaped, sleeping in ditches until finally crossing the Rio Grande and surrendering to US authorities. It was not immediately possible for Reuters to verify the details of the apparent kidnapping. A Department of Homeland Security document reviewed by Reuters shows that Maldonado was "subject to removal" from Texas on July 26 and told to appear at the gateway to Brownsville for a court hearing on September 30. "They told us the rules had changed three days earlier, which is why they sent us back here," Maldonado said. Even before MPP was expanded to Tamaulipas, rights group Human Rights First documented more than a hundred cases of rape, kidnapping, sexual exploitation and other violent attacks against asylum seekers returned to Mexico under the program. Madrid has now found work as a part-time laborer after a Mexican construction worker walked into the MPP encampment, looking for hires. Wary of criminals, Madrid said he decided to try the job for a day, before sticking with it as the best option for his family as they await a court date that lawyers say may now not come.

After US court ruling, Honduran newlyweds among migrants clinging to asylum dream

The Mexican government protested and Central American migrants feared deportation back to their violent homelands on Thursday after the US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-supreme-court-allows-trump-to-deny-asylum-to-many-central-americans-249093">to slam the door on asylum-seekers at the US-Mexican border</a>.

The court on Wednesday found that Trump`s restrictive asylum rule could go into effect nationwide while a lawsuit challenging its underlying legality proceeds, handing the president a victory as he brandishes his anti-immigration credentials for the November 2020 presidential election.

The rule requires<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/migrants-will-pay-the-price-of-mexicos-tariff-deal-with-trump-226455"> immigrants who want asylum </a>to first seek safe haven in a third country through which they travel on the way to the United States, enabling the United States to combat a record surge in Central American asylum-seekers.

Trump`s immigration crackdown has animated his base of supporters while immigrant advocates in the United States fear the court decision will endanger the lives of migrants, many of them fleeing poverty, street gangs and domestic violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

With the threat of automatic rejection hanging over the most recent arrivals, thousands of migrants are cramped into shelters or sleeping in the streets of Mexican border cities in places such as the state of Tamaulipas, where the US State Department has placed a "do not travel" advisory due to violent crime similar to its warnings against visiting war-torn Sudan or Syria.

One asylum-seeker from El Salvador who staying in a Tijuana shelter while awaiting her immigration hearing in San Diego said she could only hope to God she would not be sent back.

"I`m very scared, I hope this won`t affect me. I cannot return to my country, they tried to rape me there twice because I am a lesbian and the last time I ended up in a hospital in intensive care," said Veronica Martinez, 23. "I trust in God that the court`s decision does not affect me."

The Mexican government also pushed back against the US high court`s action, one that could create a new headache for Mexico.

"This is the ruling by the court, it`s a US issue, and obviously we don`t agree with it, we have a different policy," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news conference.

Tense relations

The court`s decision comes at a delicate time for Mexican-US relations.&nbsp;

Under Trump`s threat of imposing tariffs, Mexico has agreed to house many of the surging number of Central American asylum-seekers south of the border pending their US hearings.

That gesture has led to a sharp decline in US apprehensions and rejections of migrants at the border, winning Mexico praise from Trump following a White House meeting on Tuesday.

But Mexico has resisted US pressure to sign a formal "safe third country" agreement that would commit it to hearing the asylum cases of migrants from Central American and elsewhere, a move that would take even more pressure off the US border.

The downside for Mexico is that the buildup of migrants at the northern border is putting stress on schools, health clinics and housing.

"We have seen outbreaks of acts of xenophobia in Mexico that did not exist before, mainly in the north of the country," said Israel Ibarra, an immigration expert with the Continente Movil consultancy in Tijuana.

Francisco Gallardo, director of the Casa de Migrantes shelter in Reynosa, said migrants are sleeping in tents beside a bridge linking the two countries and are sure to grow more discouraged by the Supreme Court decision.

"We`ll see what measures can be taken because there are about 500 people next to the bridge," Gallardo said.

Under the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols, the US government built temporary, soft-sided courthouses near the border ports of entry in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas, and started hearing cases this week.

In Harlingen, Texas, Judge Delia Gonzalez took the bench Thursday, linked by video conference to a courtroom 30 miles (50 km) away in Brownsville.

She heard the cases of two Salvadorans who crossed from Mexico into south Texas in August, were arrested by US officers, and returned to the Mexican border town of Matamoros.

A Salvadoran woman said she had received cruel threats from gangs, and Gonzalez asked if she feared returning.

"Yes, a lot," the woman said.

After brief hearings, she and a Salvadoran man were given court dates to appear again in October.

The Mexican government protested and Central American migrants feared deportation back to their violent homelands on Thursday after the US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to slam the door on asylum-seekers at the US-Mexican border.

The Mexican government protested and Central American migrants feared deportation back to their violent homelands on Thursday after the US Supreme Court allowed President Donald Trump to slam the door on asylum-seekers at the US-Mexican border. The court on Wednesday found that Trump`s restrictive asylum rule could go into effect nationwide while a lawsuit challenging its underlying legality proceeds, handing the president a victory as he brandishes his anti-immigration credentials for the November 2020 presidential election. The rule requires immigrants who want asylum to first seek safe haven in a third country through which they travel on the way to the United States, enabling the United States to combat a record surge in Central American asylum-seekers. Trump`s immigration crackdown has animated his base of supporters while immigrant advocates in the United States fear the court decision will endanger the lives of migrants, many of them fleeing poverty, street gangs and domestic violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. With the threat of automatic rejection hanging over the most recent arrivals, thousands of migrants are cramped into shelters or sleeping in the streets of Mexican border cities in places such as the state of Tamaulipas, where the US State Department has placed a "do not travel" advisory due to violent crime similar to its warnings against visiting war-torn Sudan or Syria. One asylum-seeker from El Salvador who staying in a Tijuana shelter while awaiting her immigration hearing in San Diego said she could only hope to God she would not be sent back. "I`m very scared, I hope this won`t affect me. I cannot return to my country, they tried to rape me there twice because I am a lesbian and the last time I ended up in a hospital in intensive care," said Veronica Martinez, 23. "I trust in God that the court`s decision does not affect me." The Mexican government also pushed back against the US high court`s action, one that could create a new headache for Mexico. "This is the ruling by the court, it`s a US issue, and obviously we don`t agree with it, we have a different policy," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told a news conference. Tense relations The court`s decision comes at a delicate time for Mexican-US relations. Under Trump`s threat of imposing tariffs, Mexico has agreed to house many of the surging number of Central American asylum-seekers south of the border pending their US hearings. That gesture has led to a sharp decline in US apprehensions and rejections of migrants at the border, winning Mexico praise from Trump following a White House meeting on Tuesday. But Mexico has resisted US pressure to sign a formal "safe third country" agreement that would commit it to hearing the asylum cases of migrants from Central American and elsewhere, a move that would take even more pressure off the US border. The downside for Mexico is that the buildup of migrants at the northern border is putting stress on schools, health clinics and housing. "We have seen outbreaks of acts of xenophobia in Mexico that did not exist before, mainly in the north of the country," said Israel Ibarra, an immigration expert with the Continente Movil consultancy in Tijuana. Francisco Gallardo, director of the Casa de Migrantes shelter in Reynosa, said migrants are sleeping in tents beside a bridge linking the two countries and are sure to grow more discouraged by the Supreme Court decision. "We`ll see what measures can be taken because there are about 500 people next to the bridge," Gallardo said. Under the so-called Migrant Protection Protocols, the US government built temporary, soft-sided courthouses near the border ports of entry in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas, and started hearing cases this week. In Harlingen, Texas, Judge Delia Gonzalez took the bench Thursday, linked by video conference to a courtroom 30 miles (50 km) away in Brownsville. She heard the cases of two Salvadorans who crossed from Mexico into south Texas in August, were arrested by US officers, and returned to the Mexican border town of Matamoros. A Salvadoran woman said she had received cruel threats from gangs, and Gonzalez asked if she feared returning. "Yes, a lot," the woman said. After brief hearings, she and a Salvadoran man were given court dates to appear again in October.

Mexico pushes back after top US court favours Trump on shunning migrants

Lautaro Martinez netted a hat-trick in just 40 minutes as Argentina blitzed Mexico 4-0 win in a friendly in San Antonio on Tuesday. The Internazionale striker took advantage of shocking defending to fire three angled shots past Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 17th, 22nd and 39th minutes.

Lautaro Martinez netted a hat-trick in just 40 minutes as Argentina blitzed Mexico 4-0 win in a friendly in San Antonio on Tuesday. The Internazionale striker took advantage of shocking defending to fire three angled shots past Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa in the 17th, 22nd and 39th minutes. Leandro Paredes scored from the penalty spot in the 33rd minute. Argentina dropped the pace in the second period but still faced little resistance from an untidy Mexico side who did not manage a shot on target throughout the 90 minutes. Eight players were shown yellow cards in a match that rarely lived up to its 'friendly' billing, but the game will be remembered largely for the brilliant finishing that brought the 22-year-old Martinez his first international hat-trick. "I'm delighted and emotional," he said. "One has to make a lot of sacrifices to get here and it's not every day that you score three goals wearing this shirt." The result was Mexico’s heaviest defeat since they lost 7-0 to Chile in 2016. It was also the first loss for coach Gerardo Martino, who had guided them to 11 straight wins since taking over in January.

Martinez scores hat-trick as Argentina hammer Mexico 4-0

Mexico's Fashionista Protester Has An Outfit For Every Protest

Gravitas: Mexico's Professional Protester!

The US Defense Department said Tuesday it was freeing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-threatens-closure-of-us-mexico-border-next-week-to-stem-asylum-surge-206626">Mexican border </a>as ordered by President Donald Trump.

Six weeks after being confirmed by Congress, Defense Secretary Mike Esper has signed off on the diversion of funds from 127 "deferred military projects" both inside and outside the country, said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffmann.

Explainer: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/explainer-how-does-the-situation-on-the-us-mexico-border-compare-with-the-past-225130">How does the situation on the US-Mexico border compare with the past?</a>

In February Trump, frustrated that Congress would not provide funding for the 18-foot (5.5-meter) barrier, declared a "national emergency" at the border in order to obtain $6.6 billion from other budgeted accounts for wall construction aimed at stemming the flow of undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central America.

That included an initial $2.5 billion from Pentagon spending that was to have been used for programs to combat the drug trade and other operations.

Multiple lawsuits against the wall led a federal judge to place an injunction blocking the funding until the cases could be reviewed.

But in a major political victory for the president, in July the Supreme Court overturned that ruling, allowing work to go ahead.

Since then, Pentagon funds have gone toward Department of Homeland Security projects to replace existing portions of wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) frontier, while no new wall has been erected.

In addition, the Defense Department has deployed thousands of uniformed troops to the Mexican border to help monitor security and provide backup logistics for hundreds of thousands of detained migrants.

'Slap in the face'

Building the wall was one of Trump's central campaign pledges in the 2016 president election battle, along with a promise that Mexico, and not US taxpayers, would foot the estimated $25 billion bill.

With a new election coming up next year, Trump has recently appeared sensitive to charges that no new mileage of wall has been built yet.

"When we rip down and totally replace a badly broken and dilapidated Barrier on the Southern Border, something which cannot do the job, the Fake News Media gives us zero credit for building a new Wall. We have replaced many miles of old Barrier with powerful new Walls!" Trump tweeted in July.&nbsp;

"The Wall is going up very fast despite total Obstruction by Democrats in Congress, and elsewhere!" he wrote last week.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Trump's was pursuing the wall "to boost his own ego" and called it "a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces."

While Pentagon chief Esper's go-ahead signaled a likely surge in new wall building work immediately, the project could face more legal challenges.

Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for Congress to oppose "misusing defense dollars in this manner."

"Clearly, this administration is trying to circumvent Congressional authority and this ill-advised attempt should be legally challenged and struck down by the courts," Reed said in a statement.

The American Civil Liberties Union meanwhile said it would sue on the grounds of abuse of power by Trump.

"The fact that the government sat on these so-called 'emergency funds' for seven months further confirms that this is nothing but an unlawful power grab," said ACLU staff attorney Dror Ladin.

The US Defense Department said Tuesday it was freeing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the Mexican border as ordered by President Donald Trump.

The US Defense Department said Tuesday it was freeing up $3.6 billion in funds budgeted for other projects to build a wall on the Mexican border as ordered by President Donald Trump. Six weeks after being confirmed by Congress, Defense Secretary Mike Esper has signed off on the diversion of funds from 127 "deferred military projects" both inside and outside the country, said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffmann. Explainer: How does the situation on the US-Mexico border compare with the past? In February Trump, frustrated that Congress would not provide funding for the 18-foot (5.5-meter) barrier, declared a "national emergency" at the border in order to obtain $6.6 billion from other budgeted accounts for wall construction aimed at stemming the flow of undocumented migrants from Mexico and Central America. That included an initial $2.5 billion from Pentagon spending that was to have been used for programs to combat the drug trade and other operations. Multiple lawsuits against the wall led a federal judge to place an injunction blocking the funding until the cases could be reviewed. But in a major political victory for the president, in July the Supreme Court overturned that ruling, allowing work to go ahead. Since then, Pentagon funds have gone toward Department of Homeland Security projects to replace existing portions of wall along the 2,000 mile (3,200 kilometer) frontier, while no new wall has been erected. In addition, the Defense Department has deployed thousands of uniformed troops to the Mexican border to help monitor security and provide backup logistics for hundreds of thousands of detained migrants. 'Slap in the face' Building the wall was one of Trump's central campaign pledges in the 2016 president election battle, along with a promise that Mexico, and not US taxpayers, would foot the estimated $25 billion bill. With a new election coming up next year, Trump has recently appeared sensitive to charges that no new mileage of wall has been built yet. "When we rip down and totally replace a badly broken and dilapidated Barrier on the Southern Border, something which cannot do the job, the Fake News Media gives us zero credit for building a new Wall. We have replaced many miles of old Barrier with powerful new Walls!" Trump tweeted in July. "The Wall is going up very fast despite total Obstruction by Democrats in Congress, and elsewhere!" he wrote last week. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday that Trump's was pursuing the wall "to boost his own ego" and called it "a slap in the face to the members of the Armed Forces." While Pentagon chief Esper's go-ahead signaled a likely surge in new wall building work immediately, the project could face more legal challenges. Jack Reed, the senior Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for Congress to oppose "misusing defense dollars in this manner." "Clearly, this administration is trying to circumvent Congressional authority and this ill-advised attempt should be legally challenged and struck down by the courts," Reed said in a statement. The American Civil Liberties Union meanwhile said it would sue on the grounds of abuse of power by Trump. "The fact that the government sat on these so-called 'emergency funds' for seven months further confirms that this is nothing but an unlawful power grab," said ACLU staff attorney Dror Ladin.

Pentagon frees $3.6 billion for wall construction on Mexican border

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation.

After taking office in December vowing to revive a sluggish economy and reduce violence, the veteran leftist has so far fallen short of the goals he set himself.

Lopez Obrador said last Tuesday that after a months-long dispute, he had saved taxpayers $4.5 billion by making companies renegotiate several natural gas pipeline contracts agreed to by the last government.

"The companies accepted the principle that the national interest must be above the private interest, however legitimate (those interests) may be," Lopez Obrador said in his Sunday speech.

Supporters of Lopez Obrador hailed the accord as a political victory for the president, who has spent years accusing business leaders of colluding with corrupt politicians to get rich.

Lopez Obrador underscored on Sunday that his economic plan would look to promote private enterprise, boost foreign trade and promote the attraction of foreign investment.

It is unclear if companies will feel encouraged to bet on Mexico as a result of the agreement and his comments.

Some of the decisions made by Lopez Obrador, an exponent of economic nationalism, have shaken investor confidence in Mexico. Among them, his cancellation of a partly built $13 billion Mexico City airport rattled markets.

The central bank said on Thursday the economy was facing headwinds, including stagnating private investment, which was affected by a persistent environment of uncertainty stemming from the public policy decisions made by the government and concerns over insecurity and corruption.

In his state of the union address, Lopez Obrador also said that income distribution would remain a priority over economic growth.

The administration will "gradually push aside the technocratic obsession of measuring everything based simply on economic growth," he said. "The equitable distribution of income and wealth" will be his government`s guiding principles.

He has argued that by redistributing wealth better, his government is able to help economic development among the poor even with lower headline growth numbers.

Mexico narrowly avoided entering a recession in the second quarter, prompting the central bank to cut its economic outlook for the year to forecast virtually no growth, citing slack conditions that will persist longer than expected.

In his first nine months in office, Lopez Obrador has repeated the message that the chronic inequality, gang violence and tepid growth afflicting Mexico are the product of decades of government by a corrupt political and economic elite still trying to resist his promise of change.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in his first state of the union address on Sunday, doubled down on his approach to managing Latin America`s second-largest economy, saying the interests of private firms would be subordinated to those of the nation. After taking office in December vowing to revive a sluggish economy and reduce violence, the veteran leftist has so far fallen short of the goals he set himself. Lopez Obrador said last Tuesday that after a months-long dispute, he had saved taxpayers $4.5 billion by making companies renegotiate several natural gas pipeline contracts agreed to by the last government. "The companies accepted the principle that the national interest must be above the private interest, however legitimate (those interests) may be," Lopez Obrador said in his Sunday speech. Supporters of Lopez Obrador hailed the accord as a political victory for the president, who has spent years accusing business leaders of colluding with corrupt politicians to get rich. Lopez Obrador underscored on Sunday that his economic plan would look to promote private enterprise, boost foreign trade and promote the attraction of foreign investment. It is unclear if companies will feel encouraged to bet on Mexico as a result of the agreement and his comments. Some of the decisions made by Lopez Obrador, an exponent of economic nationalism, have shaken investor confidence in Mexico. Among them, his cancellation of a partly built $13 billion Mexico City airport rattled markets. The central bank said on Thursday the economy was facing headwinds, including stagnating private investment, which was affected by a persistent environment of uncertainty stemming from the public policy decisions made by the government and concerns over insecurity and corruption. In his state of the union address, Lopez Obrador also said that income distribution would remain a priority over economic growth. The administration will "gradually push aside the technocratic obsession of measuring everything based simply on economic growth," he said. "The equitable distribution of income and wealth" will be his government`s guiding principles. He has argued that by redistributing wealth better, his government is able to help economic development among the poor even with lower headline growth numbers. Mexico narrowly avoided entering a recession in the second quarter, prompting the central bank to cut its economic outlook for the year to forecast virtually no growth, citing slack conditions that will persist longer than expected. In his first nine months in office, Lopez Obrador has repeated the message that the chronic inequality, gang violence and tepid growth afflicting Mexico are the product of decades of government by a corrupt political and economic elite still trying to resist his promise of change.

Nearly a year in, Mexico's president doubles down on management of economy

This segment of WION brings to you top stories of the morning from across the globe. Watch this video to get updated with the latest information.

WION Speed News: Watch top national and international news of the morning - August 29th, 2019

At least 23 people died in a bar fire in the southeastern Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos late on Tuesday after a suspected attack, authorities said, in what appeared to be one of the most deadly acts of criminal violence under the current government.

23 Killed in Attack on Bar in Mexico

At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out in a bar in southern Mexico Tuesday night, NBC News reported.

The prosecutors said that the fire is likely caused by an attack.

Thirteen others were left seriously injured following the blaze in the southern port city of Coatzacoalcos, NBC said, citing a statement from the state attorney general's office.

The office condemned "what may constitute a malicious attack," it added.&nbsp;

Citing reports, The Los Angeles Times said Molotov cocktails had been thrown into the bar.

Images carried by local media showed a wrecked interior with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor, and emergency vehicles and police outside the building.&nbsp;

"The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished," the governor of Veracruz state said in a tweet. &nbsp;

Veracruz is one of the most violent regions of Mexico. Drug trafficking routes to the United States pass through it, and bloody battles frequently erupt between rival drug gangs.

At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out in a bar in southern Mexico Tuesday night, NBC News reported. The prosecutors said that the fire is likely caused by an attack.

At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out in a bar in southern Mexico Tuesday night, NBC News reported. The prosecutors said that the fire is likely caused by an attack. Thirteen others were left seriously injured following the blaze in the southern port city of Coatzacoalcos, NBC said, citing a statement from the state attorney general's office. The office condemned "what may constitute a malicious attack," it added. Citing reports, The Los Angeles Times said Molotov cocktails had been thrown into the bar. Images carried by local media showed a wrecked interior with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor, and emergency vehicles and police outside the building. "The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished," the governor of Veracruz state said in a tweet. Veracruz is one of the most violent regions of Mexico. Drug trafficking routes to the United States pass through it, and bloody battles frequently erupt between rival drug gangs.

At least 23 killed, 13 wounded in Mexico bar fire likely caused by 'attack': Prosecutors

The streets of Guadalajara filled with musicians and colourful dancers as mariachis from around the world gathered for the annual mariachi festival, the biggest Mexican folk music and cowboy event in the world.

Mariachi bands showcase talent in festival

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/migrants-finally-disembark-open-arms-ship-in-italy-244628">migrants</a> flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States.

Efforts to stem the flow of Central Americans, many <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/changes-for-a-landmark-agreement-mean-immigrant-children-face-harsher-treatment-in-us-245059">seeking legal asylum in the United States</a>, have gained impetus as US President Donald Trump continues to pursue a mix of threats and stepped-up immigration enforcement.

Poverty and rampant corruption that allows drug trafficking and criminal gangs to flourish in the so-called Northern Triangle have prompted many to seek a better life in the United States.

"The Northern Triangle region needs a shock of investment," said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, host of a regional summit that wrapped up on Friday that also included political and business leaders from Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic as well as all six Central American nations.

In the summit`s final declaration, the leaders signaled their "commitment to promote the formation of a great international initiative for the massive generation of jobs and productive investments in our countries."

The plan, which focused on infrastructure projects including railways, highways, pipelines, ports and airports, is needed to reduce the "migratory momentum," it said. 
Hernandez noted that the proposal will be submitted to the United Nations.

The summit was held in Honduras` second biggest city and industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, which has seen waves of migrants fleeing one of the world`s highest homicide rates at more than 47 per 100,000 residents, according to 2018 government data.

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of migrants flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States.

Regional leaders on Friday called for "shock" investment in infrastructure in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to reduce the number of migrants flowing from the three economically fragile countries, bound for the United States. Efforts to stem the flow of Central Americans, many seeking legal asylum in the United States, have gained impetus as US President Donald Trump continues to pursue a mix of threats and stepped-up immigration enforcement. Poverty and rampant corruption that allows drug trafficking and criminal gangs to flourish in the so-called Northern Triangle have prompted many to seek a better life in the United States. "The Northern Triangle region needs a shock of investment," said Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, host of a regional summit that wrapped up on Friday that also included political and business leaders from Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic as well as all six Central American nations. In the summit`s final declaration, the leaders signaled their "commitment to promote the formation of a great international initiative for the massive generation of jobs and productive investments in our countries." The plan, which focused on infrastructure projects including railways, highways, pipelines, ports and airports, is needed to reduce the "migratory momentum," it said. Hernandez noted that the proposal will be submitted to the United Nations. The summit was held in Honduras` second biggest city and industrial hub, San Pedro Sula, which has seen waves of migrants fleeing one of the world`s highest homicide rates at more than 47 per 100,000 residents, according to 2018 government data.

'Shock' investment urged to stem flow of Central American migrants

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-inaugurates-its-new-national-guard-force-231955"> northern Mexico </a>hoping to find her remains.

Ortiz belongs to a group of families working to uncover graves of some of the 40,000 people who have gone missing in mounting lawlessness since the government sent in the armed forces to tackle Mexico's drug cartels at the end of 2006.

More than 200,000 people have been killed in the violence since then, and shedding light on the fate of the disappeared is one of the toughest challenges facing the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

Criminal gangs often bury the bodies of victims in clandestine graves. Some have been known to try to minimize evidence by dismembering or dousing them in acid.

Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/the-rise-and-fall-of-el-chapo-mexicos-most-wanted-kingpin-236726">Mexican criminal investigators</a> and forensic teams have struggled to keep up with the increased workload during the surge in killings. Fear of reprisals at the hands of perpetrators can also impede efforts to identify victims.

Decked out in surgical masks and sun hats, Ortiz's collective - Grupo Vida or "Life Group" - keep up a near-constant digging operation around the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila.

The volunteer association made up of relatives of local missing people set out six years ago to uncover clandestine graves, saying government officials were not trying hard enough to find or identify human remains.

"This is why we say we're facing a forensic emergency," said Ortiz, sitting at home with her husband, Oscar Sanchez, surrounded by framed photos of their daughter Silvia Stephanie Sanchez before she disappeared in 2004, aged 16, she has not been heard from since.

Jose Angel Herrera, Coahuila's special prosecutor for disappeared people, said authorities are cooperating with Grupo Vida in the area around Torreon and conducting their missions in other parts of the state.

In Coahuila, 2,144 people reported missing have never been found, Herrera said. Many disappeared while the territory was ravaged by the Zetas, a notoriously brutal drug cartel.

The state has identified the remains of 235 missing people through digs, including those led by Grupo Vida.

The group works for a week at a time, and many members struggle to keep their jobs during digs, Ortiz said.

Two weeks ago, Grupo Vida opened a tortilleria, launched with a grant from the American Jewish World Service, a non-profit group.&nbsp;

They hope money from the enterprise can cover the operating costs of their community-led forensic digs.

Grupo Vida said since 2013 it has uncovered 27 sites with human remains, 10 full skeletons and hundreds of thousands of bone fragments, enabling over 100 disappeared to be identified.

Lopez Obrador has vowed to identify thousands of human remains in morgues and mass graves around the country, which he has called the "worst legacy" of past governments.

Members of Grupo Vida have yet to feel the benefits of his pledge, according to Ortiz, who said the result has been "working groups and photos, no real action on the searches."

Still, prosecutor Herrera said the new administration helped fund construction of a center that will work to establish the identities of the state`s backlog of human remains.&nbsp;

Regardless of the adversity, Ortiz said she would continue the search "until the last person is found."

 
&nbsp;

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in northern Mexico hoping to find her remains.

Fifteen years after her daughter's disappearance, 55-year-old Silvia Ortiz spends day after day raking through arid scrubland in northern Mexico hoping to find her remains. Ortiz belongs to a group of families working to uncover graves of some of the 40,000 people who have gone missing in mounting lawlessness since the government sent in the armed forces to tackle Mexico's drug cartels at the end of 2006. More than 200,000 people have been killed in the violence since then, and shedding light on the fate of the disappeared is one of the toughest challenges facing the administration of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Criminal gangs often bury the bodies of victims in clandestine graves. Some have been known to try to minimize evidence by dismembering or dousing them in acid. Meanwhile, Mexican criminal investigators and forensic teams have struggled to keep up with the increased workload during the surge in killings. Fear of reprisals at the hands of perpetrators can also impede efforts to identify victims. Decked out in surgical masks and sun hats, Ortiz's collective - Grupo Vida or "Life Group" - keep up a near-constant digging operation around the city of Torreon in the state of Coahuila. The volunteer association made up of relatives of local missing people set out six years ago to uncover clandestine graves, saying government officials were not trying hard enough to find or identify human remains. "This is why we say we're facing a forensic emergency," said Ortiz, sitting at home with her husband, Oscar Sanchez, surrounded by framed photos of their daughter Silvia Stephanie Sanchez before she disappeared in 2004, aged 16, she has not been heard from since. Jose Angel Herrera, Coahuila's special prosecutor for disappeared people, said authorities are cooperating with Grupo Vida in the area around Torreon and conducting their missions in other parts of the state. In Coahuila, 2,144 people reported missing have never been found, Herrera said. Many disappeared while the territory was ravaged by the Zetas, a notoriously brutal drug cartel. The state has identified the remains of 235 missing people through digs, including those led by Grupo Vida. The group works for a week at a time, and many members struggle to keep their jobs during digs, Ortiz said. Two weeks ago, Grupo Vida opened a tortilleria, launched with a grant from the American Jewish World Service, a non-profit group. They hope money from the enterprise can cover the operating costs of their community-led forensic digs. Grupo Vida said since 2013 it has uncovered 27 sites with human remains, 10 full skeletons and hundreds of thousands of bone fragments, enabling over 100 disappeared to be identified. Lopez Obrador has vowed to identify thousands of human remains in morgues and mass graves around the country, which he has called the "worst legacy" of past governments. Members of Grupo Vida have yet to feel the benefits of his pledge, according to Ortiz, who said the result has been "working groups and photos, no real action on the searches." Still, prosecutor Herrera said the new administration helped fund construction of a center that will work to establish the identities of the state`s backlog of human remains. Regardless of the adversity, Ortiz said she would continue the search "until the last person is found."

Mexican families scour arid plains for graves of disappeared

Argentine authorities and Interpol detained on Friday a&nbsp;businessman&nbsp;who was at the&nbsp;centre&nbsp;of a&nbsp;Mexican&nbsp;corruption&nbsp;scandal&nbsp;in 2004 that hurt the reputation of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexican-president-hints-at-migration-concessions-to-defuse-us-trade-spat-223536">Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador</a>, who at the time was Mexico City's mayor and is now the nation's president.

The detained Argentine&nbsp;businessman&nbsp;Carlos Ahumada was filmed in 2004 giving bundles of money to Lopez Obrador's main ally in the City Council, Rene Bejarano.

Support for Lopez Obrador at the time was battered by the graft&nbsp;scandal.

Ahumada was detained at the request of&nbsp;Mexican&nbsp;authorities and a process to extradite him to Mexico will begin immediately, the&nbsp;Mexican&nbsp;attorney general's office (FGR) said in a statement.

The FGR said it suspects Ahumada of committing tax fraud of around 1.47 million pesos ($74,910).&nbsp;

In 2004, investigators wanted to question him over an alleged $3 million in missing public funds.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in December, has made fighting corruption a cornerstone of his administration.

Argentine authorities and Interpol detained on Friday a businessman who was at the centre of a Mexican corruption scandal in 2004 that hurt the reputation of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who at the time was Mexico City's mayor and is now the nation's president.

Argentine authorities and Interpol detained on Friday a businessman who was at the centre of a Mexican corruption scandal in 2004 that hurt the reputation of Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who at the time was Mexico City's mayor and is now the nation's president. The detained Argentine businessman Carlos Ahumada was filmed in 2004 giving bundles of money to Lopez Obrador's main ally in the City Council, Rene Bejarano. Support for Lopez Obrador at the time was battered by the graft scandal. Ahumada was detained at the request of Mexican authorities and a process to extradite him to Mexico will begin immediately, the Mexican attorney general's office (FGR) said in a statement. The FGR said it suspects Ahumada of committing tax fraud of around 1.47 million pesos ($74,910). In 2004, investigators wanted to question him over an alleged $3 million in missing public funds. Lopez Obrador, who took office in December, has made fighting corruption a cornerstone of his administration.

Argentina detains businessman at the center of a Mexican corruption scandal

Mexico's majestic Popocatepetl volcano erupted early on Tuesday morning, in a dramatic show of ash, water vapour and gas under a canopy of stars.

The dramatic eruption at 5:43 am local time (1143 GMT) spewed ash followed by incandescent rock. Shortly after sunrise, a new plume of ash and gas emerged from the snowcapped crater, reaching some 1,000 metres (3,200 feet) into the blue sky.

Popocatepetl is 5,426 metres (17,802 feet) tall and is the second-highest mountain in Mexico and the fifth-highest in North America.

Mexico's majestic Popocatepetl volcano erupted early on Tuesday morning, in a dramatic show of ash, water vapour and gas under a canopy of stars. The dramatic eruption at 5:43 am local time (1143 GMT) spewed ash followed by incandescent rock.

Mexico's majestic Popocatepetl volcano erupted early on Tuesday morning, in a dramatic show of ash, water vapour and gas under a canopy of stars. The dramatic eruption at 5:43 am local time (1143 GMT) spewed ash followed by incandescent rock. Shortly after sunrise, a new plume of ash and gas emerged from the snowcapped crater, reaching some 1,000 metres (3,200 feet) into the blue sky. Popocatepetl is 5,426 metres (17,802 feet) tall and is the second-highest mountain in Mexico and the fifth-highest in North America.

Mexico's mighty Popo volcano blows under starry night sky

Protesters in Mexico City demanded justice Monday for two teenage girls who say police officers raped them, dousing the capital's security minister in pink glitter and smashing the glass doors of the local prosecutor's office.

Shouting 'Justice!', around 250 people, mostly women, took to the streets to protest the lack of punishment in the two cases, the latest to trigger outrage over the high rate of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world?page=1350">violence against women and girls in Mexico</a>.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/south-korea-sacks-army-commander-over-north-korea-defector-boat-232730">The capital's security minister, Jesus Orta</a>, appealed for calm as the march turned rowdy, greeting the protesters in person and telling them, "These cases have not been closed. We're on your side."

Protesters, however, responded by covering him in pink glitter and spray-painting a group of policemen standing guard.

They also displayed a pig's head outside the local prosecutor's office.

Masked demonstrators later hurled rocks at the building, shattering the glass entrance.

The protests were sparked by two recent cases: that of a 17-year-old girl who says four policemen raped her in their patrol car as she left a party on the capital's north side, and that of a 16-year-old girl who says a policeman raped her at the national photography archive museum, in the city center.

No officers have been detained or punished so far in the first case.

A policeman was arrested Thursday in the second.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman elected to the post, said she sympathized with the protesters, but condemned their actions.

"There need to be investigations (in the two cases), but this was not a protest, it was a provocation. They wanted the government to respond with violence. But we're not going to do that," she told a news conference.

Local prosecutor Ernestina Godoy said on Twitter that 'various investigations' are underway in the cases.

Mexico has a long history of machismo and high levels of violence against women and girls.

Nine women are murdered here every day, according to the United Nations.

Protesters in Mexico City demanded justice Monday for two teenage girls who say police officers raped them, dousing the capital's security minister in pink glitter and smashing the glass doors of the local prosecutor's office.

Protesters in Mexico City demanded justice Monday for two teenage girls who say police officers raped them, dousing the capital's security minister in pink glitter and smashing the glass doors of the local prosecutor's office. Shouting 'Justice!', around 250 people, mostly women, took to the streets to protest the lack of punishment in the two cases, the latest to trigger outrage over the high rate of violence against women and girls in Mexico. The capital's security minister, Jesus Orta, appealed for calm as the march turned rowdy, greeting the protesters in person and telling them, "These cases have not been closed. We're on your side." Protesters, however, responded by covering him in pink glitter and spray-painting a group of policemen standing guard. They also displayed a pig's head outside the local prosecutor's office. Masked demonstrators later hurled rocks at the building, shattering the glass entrance. The protests were sparked by two recent cases: that of a 17-year-old girl who says four policemen raped her in their patrol car as she left a party on the capital's north side, and that of a 16-year-old girl who says a policeman raped her at the national photography archive museum, in the city center. No officers have been detained or punished so far in the first case. A policeman was arrested Thursday in the second. Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum, the first woman elected to the post, said she sympathized with the protesters, but condemned their actions. "There need to be investigations (in the two cases), but this was not a protest, it was a provocation. They wanted the government to respond with violence. But we're not going to do that," she told a news conference. Local prosecutor Ernestina Godoy said on Twitter that 'various investigations' are underway in the cases. Mexico has a long history of machismo and high levels of violence against women and girls. Nine women are murdered here every day, according to the United Nations.

Mexico march demands justice for girls allegedly raped by police

Mexico's prickly pear cactus, which is emblazoned on the country's flag,&nbsp;could soon play a new and innovative role in the production of biodegradable plastics.

A packaging material that is made from the plant has been developed by a Mexican researcher and is offering a promising solution to one of the&nbsp;world's biggest pollution conundrums.

'The pulp is strained to obtain a juice that I then use,' said Sandra Pascoe, who developed the product and works at the Atemajac Valley University in the western city of Guadalajara.

That substance is then mixed with non-toxic additives and stretched to produce sheets that are coloured with pigments and folded to form different types of packaging.

'What we're doing is trying to concentrate on objects that don't have a long life,' she said, particularly "single-use" packaging.

Pascoe is still conducting tests but hopes to patent her product later this year and look for partners in early 2020, with an eye towards larger-scale production.

The cacti&nbsp;Pascoe uses for her experiments come from San Esteban, a small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara, where they grow by the hundreds.

San Esteban is located in Jalisco state where, starting next year, single-use non-recyclable plastic bags, straws and other disposable items will be banned.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/three-journalists-slain-in-mexico-in-a-week-240458">Mexico city</a>&nbsp;and states such as Baja California have also introduced similar measures.

In May, the capital city adopted a "historic" ban on plastic bags beginning in 2020.

From 2021, straws, plastic plates and cutlery, and balloons will also be banned if they're made "entirely or partially from plastic," according to the bill adopted by the local congress.

Pascoe says her new material would be no more than a "drop in the ocean" in the battle to preserve the environment.

Given the rampant production of industrial&nbsp;plastics&nbsp;and the time it takes to make her material, there would need to be "other recycling strategies" to make any concrete difference, she said.

Latin America and the Caribbean account for around 10 per cent of worldwide waste, according to United Nations figures.

In March, UN member states committed to "significantly reduce" single-use plastics over the next decade, although green groups warned that goal fell short of tackling the Earth's pollution crisis.

Plastic pollution has become a global concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas.

Despite widespread alarm on the environmental cost, Asia and the United States lifted&nbsp;world production of plastic last year while Europe saw a dip, according to numbers released by the PlasticsEurope federation in June.

More than eight million tons of plastics&nbsp;enter the&nbsp;world's oceans every year.

Mexico's prickly pear cactus, which is emblazoned on the country's flag, could soon play a new and innovative role in the production of biodegradable plastics. A packaging material that is made from the plant has been developed by a Mexican researcher and is offering a promising solution to one of the world's biggest pollution conundrums.

Mexico's prickly pear cactus, which is emblazoned on the country's flag, could soon play a new and innovative role in the production of biodegradable plastics. A packaging material that is made from the plant has been developed by a Mexican researcher and is offering a promising solution to one of the world's biggest pollution conundrums. 'The pulp is strained to obtain a juice that I then use,' said Sandra Pascoe, who developed the product and works at the Atemajac Valley University in the western city of Guadalajara. That substance is then mixed with non-toxic additives and stretched to produce sheets that are coloured with pigments and folded to form different types of packaging. 'What we're doing is trying to concentrate on objects that don't have a long life,' she said, particularly "single-use" packaging. Pascoe is still conducting tests but hopes to patent her product later this year and look for partners in early 2020, with an eye towards larger-scale production. The cacti Pascoe uses for her experiments come from San Esteban, a small town on the outskirts of Guadalajara, where they grow by the hundreds. San Esteban is located in Jalisco state where, starting next year, single-use non-recyclable plastic bags, straws and other disposable items will be banned. Mexico city and states such as Baja California have also introduced similar measures. In May, the capital city adopted a "historic" ban on plastic bags beginning in 2020. From 2021, straws, plastic plates and cutlery, and balloons will also be banned if they're made "entirely or partially from plastic," according to the bill adopted by the local congress. Pascoe says her new material would be no more than a "drop in the ocean" in the battle to preserve the environment. Given the rampant production of industrial plastics and the time it takes to make her material, there would need to be "other recycling strategies" to make any concrete difference, she said. Latin America and the Caribbean account for around 10 per cent of worldwide waste, according to United Nations figures. In March, UN member states committed to "significantly reduce" single-use plastics over the next decade, although green groups warned that goal fell short of tackling the Earth's pollution crisis. Plastic pollution has become a global concern, particularly after bans imposed by China and other countries on the import of plastic waste from overseas. Despite widespread alarm on the environmental cost, Asia and the United States lifted world production of plastic last year while Europe saw a dip, according to numbers released by the PlasticsEurope federation in June. More than eight million tons of plastics enter the world's oceans every year.

Could Mexico cactus solve world's plastics problem?

The Trump administration hailed a large drop in migrant border crossings Thursday but found itself under attack&nbsp;over a massive sweep of&nbsp;long-resident <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-immigration-raids-sweep-up-hundreds-of-undocumented-migrants-241420">undocumented&nbsp;immigrants</a> working in several Mississippi slaughterhouses.

Detentions on the southern US border plunged for the second straight month in July after a deal with&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;to block Central American migrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.

US Border Patrol agents detained or blocked 82,049 migrants at the frontier with&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;last month, down from 104,367 in June and a 13-year peak of 144,266 in May.

DHS credited a deal with&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;in June to stem the flow of migrants traveling northward to the United States from Central America --&nbsp;mainly Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador --&nbsp;as well as cooperation by the three in cracking down on migrant smuggling groups.

But the success of the border crackdown was clouded by criticism of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for its workplace raids in Mississippi on Wednesday that rounded up some 680 migrants, many of them longtime US residents, while leaving their children to fend for themselves.

The largest single-state immigration raids in US history targeted seven food processing plants in the southern state, an industry long known to employ undocumented migrants as inexpensive labor.

"They have to follow our laws, they have to abide by our rules, they have to come here legally or they shouldn't come here at all," Mike Hurst, the US attorney for the southern district of Mississippi, said.

But Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, the state capital, blasted the raids and called on local churches to provide migrants sanctuary from authorities.

"The ICE raids are both dehumanizing and ineffective as a tactic for protecting citizens from potential harm," he said.

The American Civil Liberties Union accused the administration of "terrorizing" migrant communities.

"We are deeply concerned that the raids have separated Mississippians' families, disrupted our local economy, and diverted our state's limited resources to support Trump's mass deportation agenda," said Joshua Tom, interim executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi.

"Local law enforcement should refuse to cooperate with the president's anti-immigrant policies."

'I need my mommy'

Local television broadcast tearful scenes of children returning from school Wednesday to find out their parents had been taken away by authorities.

"I need my dad and mommy," 11-year-old Magdalena Gomez Gregorio told WJTV. "My dad didn't do anything, he's not a criminal."

Neighbor Christina Peralta said the girl's mother had been in the country for 15 years and had no record.

Peralta was taking care of two boys whose mother also was arrested.

"They've been crying all day since they got home from school," she said.

ICE, which has come under fire before for arresting undocumented migrants without providing for their children, said it had allowed detainees on Wednesday to contact their families and make arrangements for the children.

Around 300 of the 680 detainees had been released by Thursday after being processed by authorities. In a statement, the office of the federal prosecutor in Jackson said that if two parents were swept up in the raid, one would be released to care for their children.

"Based on these procedures, it is believed that all children were with at least one of their parents as of last night," it said.

Several Democratic politicians running for president attacked Trump's policies as immoral.

"This is inhumane and will have devastating effects on the children that are left behind," said Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the candidates.

The Trump administration hailed a large drop in migrant border crossings Thursday but found itself under attack over a massive sweep of long-resident undocumented immigrants working in several Mississippi slaughterhouses.

The Trump administration hailed a large drop in migrant border crossings Thursday but found itself under attack over a massive sweep of long-resident undocumented immigrants working in several Mississippi slaughterhouses. Detentions on the southern US border plunged for the second straight month in July after a deal with Mexico to block Central American migrants, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday. US Border Patrol agents detained or blocked 82,049 migrants at the frontier with Mexico last month, down from 104,367 in June and a 13-year peak of 144,266 in May. DHS credited a deal with Mexico in June to stem the flow of migrants traveling northward to the United States from Central America -- mainly Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador -- as well as cooperation by the three in cracking down on migrant smuggling groups. But the success of the border crackdown was clouded by criticism of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency for its workplace raids in Mississippi on Wednesday that rounded up some 680 migrants, many of them longtime US residents, while leaving their children to fend for themselves. The largest single-state immigration raids in US history targeted seven food processing plants in the southern state, an industry long known to employ undocumented migrants as inexpensive labor. "They have to follow our laws, they have to abide by our rules, they have to come here legally or they shouldn't come here at all," Mike Hurst, the US attorney for the southern district of Mississippi, said. But Chokwe Antar Lumumba, the mayor of Jackson, the state capital, blasted the raids and called on local churches to provide migrants sanctuary from authorities. "The ICE raids are both dehumanizing and ineffective as a tactic for protecting citizens from potential harm," he said. The American Civil Liberties Union accused the administration of "terrorizing" migrant communities. "We are deeply concerned that the raids have separated Mississippians' families, disrupted our local economy, and diverted our state's limited resources to support Trump's mass deportation agenda," said Joshua Tom, interim executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi. "Local law enforcement should refuse to cooperate with the president's anti-immigrant policies." 'I need my mommy' Local television broadcast tearful scenes of children returning from school Wednesday to find out their parents had been taken away by authorities. "I need my dad and mommy," 11-year-old Magdalena Gomez Gregorio told WJTV. "My dad didn't do anything, he's not a criminal." Neighbor Christina Peralta said the girl's mother had been in the country for 15 years and had no record. Peralta was taking care of two boys whose mother also was arrested. "They've been crying all day since they got home from school," she said. ICE, which has come under fire before for arresting undocumented migrants without providing for their children, said it had allowed detainees on Wednesday to contact their families and make arrangements for the children. Around 300 of the 680 detainees had been released by Thursday after being processed by authorities. In a statement, the office of the federal prosecutor in Jackson said that if two parents were swept up in the raid, one would be released to care for their children. "Based on these procedures, it is believed that all children were with at least one of their parents as of last night," it said. Several Democratic politicians running for president attacked Trump's policies as immoral. "This is inhumane and will have devastating effects on the children that are left behind," said Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of the candidates.

US border crossings plunge but immigration raids draw fire

Police arrested a man in body armour, with a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, who walked into a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/walmart-told-us-government-indias-e-commerce-rules-regressive-warned-of-trade-impact-235131">Walmart store in Springfield</a>, Mo., on Thursday, alarming customers within in a week of back-to-back shootings that shocked the nation.

A national debate on gun safety was reignited by Saturday's shooting in Texas that killed 22 in a Walmart store in El Paso on the border with Mexico, hours before another in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday that killed 9 people and the suspect.

No shots were fired in Thursday's incident and it was unclear what the man's motives were, Springfield police said in an online statement. A police representative was not immediately available to speak to Reuters early on Friday.

"An armed white male in his twenties was detained by an armed, off-duty fireman until officers arrived on the scene and took the suspect into custody," the statement said, describing the incident at about 4 pm&nbsp;in southwest Springfield.

He was arrested after walking out of the store with his weapon, police said.

It was not immediately clear if the man had made any threats or had even committed a crime. His identity was not released and no information on possible charges was available.

Police believe the man intended to cause chaos, but they were also working to determine his motives, they told the Springfield News-Leader newspaper.

It was a "really scary, dangerous situation," police at the scene told media, adding that they would investigate the man's social media accounts to try to determine if a threat was intended.

Missouri is an "open carry" state that allows people to openly carry firearms without a special permit, but there are some restrictions, for example, on convicted felons.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-announce-second-term-run-at-june-florida-rally-223437">US&nbsp;President Donald Trump and the first lady visited both El Paso and Dayton</a> on Thursday to show support for the victims, their families, and first responders.

The visits have drawn some criticism as protesters and some Democrat presidential candidates have accused Trump of inflaming tension with anti-immigrant and racially charged rhetoric.

While the motive for the Dayton shooting is unclear, the accused gunman in El Paso had posted an anti-immigrant screed online.

Police arrested a man in body armour, with a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, who walked into a Walmart store in Springfield, Mo., on Thursday, alarming customers within in a week of back-to-back shootings that shocked the nation.

Police arrested a man in body armour, with a loaded rifle and 100 rounds of ammunition, who walked into a Walmart store in Springfield, Mo., on Thursday, alarming customers within in a week of back-to-back shootings that shocked the nation. A national debate on gun safety was reignited by Saturday's shooting in Texas that killed 22 in a Walmart store in El Paso on the border with Mexico, hours before another in Dayton, Ohio on Sunday that killed 9 people and the suspect. No shots were fired in Thursday's incident and it was unclear what the man's motives were, Springfield police said in an online statement. A police representative was not immediately available to speak to Reuters early on Friday. "An armed white male in his twenties was detained by an armed, off-duty fireman until officers arrived on the scene and took the suspect into custody," the statement said, describing the incident at about 4 pm in southwest Springfield. He was arrested after walking out of the store with his weapon, police said. It was not immediately clear if the man had made any threats or had even committed a crime. His identity was not released and no information on possible charges was available. Police believe the man intended to cause chaos, but they were also working to determine his motives, they told the Springfield News-Leader newspaper. It was a "really scary, dangerous situation," police at the scene told media, adding that they would investigate the man's social media accounts to try to determine if a threat was intended. Missouri is an "open carry" state that allows people to openly carry firearms without a special permit, but there are some restrictions, for example, on convicted felons. US President Donald Trump and the first lady visited both El Paso and Dayton on Thursday to show support for the victims, their families, and first responders. The visits have drawn some criticism as protesters and some Democrat presidential candidates have accused Trump of inflaming tension with anti-immigrant and racially charged rhetoric. While the motive for the Dayton shooting is unclear, the accused gunman in El Paso had posted an anti-immigrant screed online.

A man armed with a loaded rifle, body armor arrested at Missouri Walmart

Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday in an effort to block a rule published last month that expands the number of migrants who can be subject to a sped-up deportation process without oversight by an immigration judge.

The rule, published in the Federal Register on July 23, broadened the practice of "expedited removal" to apply to anyone arrested anywhere nationwide who entered the United States illegally and cannot prove they have lived continuously in the country for at least two years.

Previously, only migrants caught within 100 miles of a US border and who had been in the country for 14 days or less were subject to the fast-track process.&nbsp;

Under expedited removal, migrants are not entitled to a review of their cases in front of an immigration judge or access to an attorney.&nbsp;

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Washington, D.C., by the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Immigration Council on behalf of three immigration rights groups, claims the government did not go through the proper procedures in issuing the rule and says it violates due process and US immigration laws.

The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the filing.

President Donald Trump has struggled to stem an increase of mostly Central American families arriving at the US-Mexico border, leading to overcrowded detention facilities and a political battle over immigration that is inflaming tensions in the country. In El Paso, Texas, last weekend a gunman killed 22 people after apparently posting an anti-immigrant manifesto online.

Nearly 300,000 of the approximately 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally could be quickly deported under the new rule, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute.&nbsp;

"Hundreds of thousands of people living anywhere in the US are at risk of being separated from their families and expelled from the country without any recourse," Anand Balakrishnan, an attorney with the ACLU`s Immigrants` Rights Project, said in a statement.

The government has said increasing rapid deportations would free up detention space and ease strains on immigration courts, which face a backlog of more than 900,000 cases.&nbsp;

People in rapid deportation proceedings are detained for 11.4 days on average, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. People in regular proceedings are held for 51.5 days and are released into the United States for the months or years it takes to resolve their cases.

Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday in an effort to block a rule published last month that expands the number of migrants who can be subject to a sped-up deportation process without oversight by an immigration judge.

Advocacy groups sued the Trump administration on Tuesday in an effort to block a rule published last month that expands the number of migrants who can be subject to a sped-up deportation process without oversight by an immigration judge. The rule, published in the Federal Register on July 23, broadened the practice of "expedited removal" to apply to anyone arrested anywhere nationwide who entered the United States illegally and cannot prove they have lived continuously in the country for at least two years. Previously, only migrants caught within 100 miles of a US border and who had been in the country for 14 days or less were subject to the fast-track process. Under expedited removal, migrants are not entitled to a review of their cases in front of an immigration judge or access to an attorney. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Washington, D.C., by the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Immigration Council on behalf of three immigration rights groups, claims the government did not go through the proper procedures in issuing the rule and says it violates due process and US immigration laws. The US Department of Justice declined to comment on the filing. President Donald Trump has struggled to stem an increase of mostly Central American families arriving at the US-Mexico border, leading to overcrowded detention facilities and a political battle over immigration that is inflaming tensions in the country. In El Paso, Texas, last weekend a gunman killed 22 people after apparently posting an anti-immigrant manifesto online. Nearly 300,000 of the approximately 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally could be quickly deported under the new rule, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. "Hundreds of thousands of people living anywhere in the US are at risk of being separated from their families and expelled from the country without any recourse," Anand Balakrishnan, an attorney with the ACLU`s Immigrants` Rights Project, said in a statement. The government has said increasing rapid deportations would free up detention space and ease strains on immigration courts, which face a backlog of more than 900,000 cases. People in rapid deportation proceedings are detained for 11.4 days on average, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. People in regular proceedings are held for 51.5 days and are released into the United States for the months or years it takes to resolve their cases.

Groups sue to block Trump administration's expansion of rapid deportations

The children crammed into the bus and sat in two neat lines, poring over notebooks at desks where once there had been passenger seats.&nbsp;

From the overhead baggage bins, a teacher hung their exploits: coloured alphabet letters, watercolour paintings.

In the border city of Tijuana just miles<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-900-children-separated-at-us-border-since-policy-halted-aclu-239605"> from the US border</a>, in a dirt parking lot adjoining <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-says-migrant-numbers-at-us-border-down-40-since-may-239609">a migrant shelter</a>, that bus is offering a rare chance at school to Central American and Mexican children.

For most of the several dozen who have passed through the program since it began in mid-July, education was a distant dream in the weeks or months since their parents decided to uproot and head north to seek refuge or a better life.

Estefania Rebellon, director of the program called Yes We Can, said it offers specialised bilingual education for children who tend to have low literacy and struggle with social skills. Providing care and security is important too.&nbsp;

"These are children from very dangerous areas, where they have very big issues with trust," she said.&nbsp;

Despite shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend that left 22 people dead, including eight Mexicans, she said the violence they saw in their home countries was likely worse.

Police say the gunman posted a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto before the shooting.

She said it was upsetting that vulnerable people could not count on finding safety in the United States, even to run basic errands such as back-to-school shopping.

"It's atrocious that there's the amount of hate in this country that's been converted into mass shootings. It's taken innocent lives," she said.&nbsp;

Rebellon, who also works as an actress in Los Angeles, said she knows what it is like to feel lost as a migrant child.

When she was 10 years old, she moved to Miami from Colombia, where her parents had received death threats.&nbsp;

The school became her refuge. 
&nbsp; 
When she saw large groups of Central American migrants arriving in Tijuana late last year, she launched a school program for children in tents at a large shelter.&nbsp;

The "tiny home movement" - an eponymous social movement that advocates for smaller homes - inspired her to try the same concept in an old bus.

Rebellon's bus used to have a capacity for 55 people - but with the old interior torn out, it can now seat 80 children.&nbsp;

The bus has welcomed aboard 37 students ages 5 to 12 since opening and will take in another 20 children in the coming weeks.&nbsp;

Yes, We Can also launch a program for teenagers in tents outside, Rebellon said.&nbsp;

The three teachers, accredited in Mexico, have experience working with displaced children in Latin America.&nbsp;

Yes, We Can is working to bring on a fourth teacher who speaks two indigenous languages, in addition to Spanish and English.&nbsp;

Most of the children are from families that are stuck in limbo in Tijuana for weeks or months as they inch higher on a long waitlist to apply for asylum in the United States.&nbsp;

They come from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala as well as Mexican cities in states including Guerrero and Michoacan, where locals often fear getting caught in the crossfire of warring drug gangs.&nbsp;

Rebellon said parents from those cities have told her that teachers often refuse to show up at school for fear of getting killed or kidnapped, and some children had missed school for several months.

If the program can secure enough funding, Rebellon said she would like to expand to Ciudad Juarez and Mexicali, other border cities with surging migrant populations.

"We can be on a bus, in a house, in a boat," she said. "It's more about what we teach the children."

 
&nbsp;

The children crammed into the bus and sat in two neat lines, poring over notebooks at desks where once there had been passenger seats. From the overhead baggage bins, a teacher hung their exploits: coloured alphabet letters, watercolour paintings.

The children crammed into the bus and sat in two neat lines, poring over notebooks at desks where once there had been passenger seats. From the overhead baggage bins, a teacher hung their exploits: coloured alphabet letters, watercolour paintings. In the border city of Tijuana just miles from the US border, in a dirt parking lot adjoining a migrant shelter, that bus is offering a rare chance at school to Central American and Mexican children. For most of the several dozen who have passed through the program since it began in mid-July, education was a distant dream in the weeks or months since their parents decided to uproot and head north to seek refuge or a better life. Estefania Rebellon, director of the program called Yes We Can, said it offers specialised bilingual education for children who tend to have low literacy and struggle with social skills. Providing care and security is important too. "These are children from very dangerous areas, where they have very big issues with trust," she said. Despite shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, over the weekend that left 22 people dead, including eight Mexicans, she said the violence they saw in their home countries was likely worse. Police say the gunman posted a racist, anti-immigrant manifesto before the shooting. She said it was upsetting that vulnerable people could not count on finding safety in the United States, even to run basic errands such as back-to-school shopping. "It's atrocious that there's the amount of hate in this country that's been converted into mass shootings. It's taken innocent lives," she said. Rebellon, who also works as an actress in Los Angeles, said she knows what it is like to feel lost as a migrant child. When she was 10 years old, she moved to Miami from Colombia, where her parents had received death threats. The school became her refuge. When she saw large groups of Central American migrants arriving in Tijuana late last year, she launched a school program for children in tents at a large shelter. The "tiny home movement" - an eponymous social movement that advocates for smaller homes - inspired her to try the same concept in an old bus. Rebellon's bus used to have a capacity for 55 people - but with the old interior torn out, it can now seat 80 children. The bus has welcomed aboard 37 students ages 5 to 12 since opening and will take in another 20 children in the coming weeks. Yes, We Can also launch a program for teenagers in tents outside, Rebellon said. The three teachers, accredited in Mexico, have experience working with displaced children in Latin America. Yes, We Can is working to bring on a fourth teacher who speaks two indigenous languages, in addition to Spanish and English. Most of the children are from families that are stuck in limbo in Tijuana for weeks or months as they inch higher on a long waitlist to apply for asylum in the United States. They come from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala as well as Mexican cities in states including Guerrero and Michoacan, where locals often fear getting caught in the crossfire of warring drug gangs. Rebellon said parents from those cities have told her that teachers often refuse to show up at school for fear of getting killed or kidnapped, and some children had missed school for several months. If the program can secure enough funding, Rebellon said she would like to expand to Ciudad Juarez and Mexicali, other border cities with surging migrant populations. "We can be on a bus, in a house, in a boat," she said. "It's more about what we teach the children."

At US-Mexico border, a bus becomes a school for migrant children in limbo

Two journalists were shot dead in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-says-migrant-numbers-at-us-border-down-40-since-may-239609">Mexico</a> Friday, bringing to three the number of journalists killed in the country this week, officials say.

Jorge Celestino Ruiz, who worked for the newspaper El Grafico de Xalapa, was killed on Friday night in the violence plagued state of Veracruz, the mayor of the state's capital Paulino Dominguez told AFP.

Ruiz's house was shot at in October and bullets were also "fired at his vehicle to intimidate him," said a police source, who asked for anonymity, and did not give further details.

Ruiz had stopped putting his name to his articles to keep a low profile, the reporter's colleagues also said.

State interior secretary Hugo Gutierrez "strongly condemned" the killing on <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/one-in-five-us-twitter-users-follows-donald-trump-survey-236247">Twitter </a>and said it was an attack on freedom of expression.

The shooting occurred less than 24 hours after the director of online news website La Verdad de Zihuatanejo, Edgar Alberto Nava, was gunned down in the southern state of Guerrero, according to the local prosecutor's office.

And on Tuesday, the body of Rogelio Barragan head of news website Guerrero Al Instante was discovered in an abandoned car's trunk in the State of Morelos.

Reporters Without Borders said eight journalists had been killed in Mexico this year up until Thursday.

Since 2000, around 100 reporters have been killed in the country. Violence linked to drug trafficking and political corruption is rampant, and most crimes go unpunished.

Two journalists were shot dead in Mexico Friday, bringing to three the number of journalists killed in the country this week, officials say. Jorge Celestino Ruiz, who worked for the newspaper El Grafico de Xalapa, was killed on Friday night in the violence plagued state of Veracruz, the mayor of the state's capital Paulino Dominguez told AFP.

Two journalists were shot dead in Mexico Friday, bringing to three the number of journalists killed in the country this week, officials say. Jorge Celestino Ruiz, who worked for the newspaper El Grafico de Xalapa, was killed on Friday night in the violence plagued state of Veracruz, the mayor of the state's capital Paulino Dominguez told AFP. Ruiz's house was shot at in October and bullets were also "fired at his vehicle to intimidate him," said a police source, who asked for anonymity, and did not give further details. Ruiz had stopped putting his name to his articles to keep a low profile, the reporter's colleagues also said. State interior secretary Hugo Gutierrez "strongly condemned" the killing on Twitter and said it was an attack on freedom of expression. The shooting occurred less than 24 hours after the director of online news website La Verdad de Zihuatanejo, Edgar Alberto Nava, was gunned down in the southern state of Guerrero, according to the local prosecutor's office. And on Tuesday, the body of Rogelio Barragan head of news website Guerrero Al Instante was discovered in an abandoned car's trunk in the State of Morelos. Reporters Without Borders said eight journalists had been killed in Mexico this year up until Thursday. Since 2000, around 100 reporters have been killed in the country. Violence linked to drug trafficking and political corruption is rampant, and most crimes go unpunished.

Three journalists slain in Mexico in a week

Tariff wars, duties imposed by Donald Trump and US trading partners

Mexico's government opened a shelter in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on Thursday (August 01) meant to house Central Americans waiting for their asylum claims to be processed in the United States.

Mexico opens new migrant shelter as U.S. continues to send back asylum seekers

Guatemala`s refugee agency meets only sporadically and operates on a bare-bones basis, adding to doubts about how the crime-wracked, impoverished Central American country will cope with a surge in asylum-seekers under a deal signed with Washington.

Under Friday`s accord, Guatemala becomes a so-called "safe third country," turning it into a buffer zone for migrants trying to reach the United States, and potentially lifting applications for asylum in Guatemala from a few hundred a years to tens of thousands.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-tears-into-china-on-twitter-as-trade-talks-resume-239492">US President Donald Trump</a> has pushed Mexico and Guatemala to sign such agreements to make asylum-seekers passing through their territory solicit haven in those countries, and not in the United States.

Mexico has so far refused, but under pressure from Trump it has accepted taking in Central American migrants while their applications for asylum in the United States are processed by US courts.&nbsp;

Guatemala only agreed after Trump threatened to impose what <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/guatemalan-presidential-candidates-question-us-migration-deal-238957">President Jimmy Morales</a> described on Facebook as "drastic" economic sanctions against the country, which is heavily dependent on billions of dollars in remittances sent home by Guatemalans in the United States.&nbsp;

Asylum applicants, migration experts and critics of the deal say Guatemala, which itself sends tens of thousands of migrants to the United States each year, has the scant capacity to process asylum-seekers, never mind keep them safe.

"Asylum infrastructure in Guatemala and other parts of the region is still under development," said William Spindler, senior external engagement coordinator for Latin America at the United Nations` refugee agency UNHCR.

"So the number of individual asylum-seekers who can be received and processed with adequate protection guarantees is still limited."

Decisions about whether to grant asylum fall to Guatemala`s National Commission for Refugees (CONARE), an agency represented by officials from the ministries of foreign relations, interior, labour and migration who meet periodically to adjudicate claims.

The CONARE "is not an office as such, and meets only to analyse, grant and deny shelter," said Alejandra Mena, a spokeswoman for Guatemala`s General Directorate of Migration.

Compared to the United States and neighbouring Mexico, which has received tens of thousands of asylum applicants, the numbers of applicants in Guatemala has been negligible.

As such, CONARE met only twice between 2013 and 2014, according to a 2018 UNHCR document. Meetings since that year have increased after a jump in applications, it said.

Between 2002 and 2014, the document said, CONARE analysed an average of seven cases per year. From 2015, applications began accelerating, and so far in 2019, CONARE has received 226. But none of those has yet been approved, said Mena.&nbsp;

Critics say that backlog could spell trouble for the deal, which was immediately called into question by the two contenders battling to assume Guatemala`s presidency in 2020.

"If you can`t deal with 60 or 100 requests, what will you do when you receive hundreds?," said Mauro Verzeletti, director of a migrant shelter in Guatemala City.

Safe country

Oscar, 47, a public health technician from Honduras who declined to give his last name out of fear of reprisals, said he had been waiting six months for asylum in Guatemala.

He fled the violent Honduran city of San Pedro Sula after officials harassed him for investigating the murders of LGBTQ individuals, including a friend, he said.&nbsp;

In Mexico, he joined a caravan of migrants, but fell ill and could not manage the long daily treks further north toward the US border.&nbsp;

Oscar eventually ended up back in Guatemala, but he told Reuters the risks he faced just across the border with Honduras were almost the same as at home.&nbsp;

"To me, the idea of a `safe country` is a country without corruption, without violence, that gives us work, home and food, but Guatemala has no jobs (even) for Guatemalans," Oscar said.&nbsp;

"It`s not that I`m ungrateful, but Guatemala has the same conditions as Honduras," he added.

People from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador make up the bulk of the migrants caught on the US-Mexican border, and the so-called Northern Triangle countries have some of the highest murder rates in the Americas.

Since January, Oscar has had two interviews at Guatemala`s migration directorate, which granted him a provisional residence permit he must renew every month. Still, migrant shelters only allow three-day stays, and finding work has been tough, he said.

The US-Guatemala agreement faces other challenges.&nbsp;

On July 14, Guatemala`s Constitutional Court ruled that Morales could not sign a safe third country agreement without congressional approval, an obstacle that the two presidential candidates pointed to last weekend.

Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart, who signed the deal in Washington, and Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel on Monday denied that Guatemala had reached the agreement under duress.&nbsp;

"We were not coerced, pressured, or forced to sign anything at all," Degenhart said. 
&nbsp;

Guatemala`s refugee agency meets only sporadically and operates on a bare-bones basis, adding to doubts about how the crime-wracked, impoverished Central American country will cope with a surge in asylum-seekers under a deal signed with Washington.

Guatemala`s refugee agency meets only sporadically and operates on a bare-bones basis, adding to doubts about how the crime-wracked, impoverished Central American country will cope with a surge in asylum-seekers under a deal signed with Washington. Under Friday`s accord, Guatemala becomes a so-called "safe third country," turning it into a buffer zone for migrants trying to reach the United States, and potentially lifting applications for asylum in Guatemala from a few hundred a years to tens of thousands. US President Donald Trump has pushed Mexico and Guatemala to sign such agreements to make asylum-seekers passing through their territory solicit haven in those countries, and not in the United States. Mexico has so far refused, but under pressure from Trump it has accepted taking in Central American migrants while their applications for asylum in the United States are processed by US courts. Guatemala only agreed after Trump threatened to impose what President Jimmy Morales described on Facebook as "drastic" economic sanctions against the country, which is heavily dependent on billions of dollars in remittances sent home by Guatemalans in the United States. Asylum applicants, migration experts and critics of the deal say Guatemala, which itself sends tens of thousands of migrants to the United States each year, has the scant capacity to process asylum-seekers, never mind keep them safe. "Asylum infrastructure in Guatemala and other parts of the region is still under development," said William Spindler, senior external engagement coordinator for Latin America at the United Nations` refugee agency UNHCR. "So the number of individual asylum-seekers who can be received and processed with adequate protection guarantees is still limited." Decisions about whether to grant asylum fall to Guatemala`s National Commission for Refugees (CONARE), an agency represented by officials from the ministries of foreign relations, interior, labour and migration who meet periodically to adjudicate claims. The CONARE "is not an office as such, and meets only to analyse, grant and deny shelter," said Alejandra Mena, a spokeswoman for Guatemala`s General Directorate of Migration. Compared to the United States and neighbouring Mexico, which has received tens of thousands of asylum applicants, the numbers of applicants in Guatemala has been negligible. As such, CONARE met only twice between 2013 and 2014, according to a 2018 UNHCR document. Meetings since that year have increased after a jump in applications, it said. Between 2002 and 2014, the document said, CONARE analysed an average of seven cases per year. From 2015, applications began accelerating, and so far in 2019, CONARE has received 226. But none of those has yet been approved, said Mena. Critics say that backlog could spell trouble for the deal, which was immediately called into question by the two contenders battling to assume Guatemala`s presidency in 2020. "If you can`t deal with 60 or 100 requests, what will you do when you receive hundreds?," said Mauro Verzeletti, director of a migrant shelter in Guatemala City. Safe country Oscar, 47, a public health technician from Honduras who declined to give his last name out of fear of reprisals, said he had been waiting six months for asylum in Guatemala. He fled the violent Honduran city of San Pedro Sula after officials harassed him for investigating the murders of LGBTQ individuals, including a friend, he said. In Mexico, he joined a caravan of migrants, but fell ill and could not manage the long daily treks further north toward the US border. Oscar eventually ended up back in Guatemala, but he told Reuters the risks he faced just across the border with Honduras were almost the same as at home. "To me, the idea of a `safe country` is a country without corruption, without violence, that gives us work, home and food, but Guatemala has no jobs (even) for Guatemalans," Oscar said. "It`s not that I`m ungrateful, but Guatemala has the same conditions as Honduras," he added. People from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador make up the bulk of the migrants caught on the US-Mexican border, and the so-called Northern Triangle countries have some of the highest murder rates in the Americas. Since January, Oscar has had two interviews at Guatemala`s migration directorate, which granted him a provisional residence permit he must renew every month. Still, migrant shelters only allow three-day stays, and finding work has been tough, he said. The US-Guatemala agreement faces other challenges. On July 14, Guatemala`s Constitutional Court ruled that Morales could not sign a safe third country agreement without congressional approval, an obstacle that the two presidential candidates pointed to last weekend. Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart, who signed the deal in Washington, and Foreign Minister Sandra Jovel on Monday denied that Guatemala had reached the agreement under duress. "We were not coerced, pressured, or forced to sign anything at all," Degenhart said.

Guatemala's shortcomings raise doubts about US migration deal

The number of migrants reaching <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/over-900-children-separated-at-us-border-since-policy-halted-aclu-239605">Mexico`s border with the United States</a> has fallen almost 40 per cent since May, the Mexican government said on Tuesday, seeking to defuse tensions with US President Donald Trump over a recent surge in migration.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that according to a preliminary estimate, 87,648 people would reach the US border during July. That would represent a fall of around 39.5 per cent compared to the 144,278 migrants registered in May, he added.

"This is a considerable reduction," the minister told reporters at a regular government news conference.

A jump in migrant apprehensions on the US southwest border during the first few months of 2019 prompted Trump on May 30 to threaten tariffs on all Mexican exports to the United States if Mexico did not contain the flow of people.

Mexico responded by sending out thousands of National Guardsmen to tighten up its southern and northern borders, and this month the government said it had averted the risk of having to adopt new migration rules that could allow Trump to expel thousands of asylum-seekers into Mexico.

Ebrard credited the migrant slowdown to rising job creation in Central America, spurred in part by the Mexican government`s efforts to foster development programs and growth there.&nbsp;

Most of the migrants caught trying to enter the United States illegally are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, three countries ravaged by violence, inequality and poverty.

Mexico`s government said on Saturday that it will help Honduras create 20,000 jobs by December, building on earlier commitments to El Salvador.

The number of migrants reaching Mexico`s border with the United States has fallen almost 40 per cent since May, the Mexican government said on Tuesday, seeking to defuse tensions with US President Donald Trump over a recent surge in migration.

The number of migrants reaching Mexico`s border with the United States has fallen almost 40 per cent since May, the Mexican government said on Tuesday, seeking to defuse tensions with US President Donald Trump over a recent surge in migration. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said that according to a preliminary estimate, 87,648 people would reach the US border during July. That would represent a fall of around 39.5 per cent compared to the 144,278 migrants registered in May, he added. "This is a considerable reduction," the minister told reporters at a regular government news conference. A jump in migrant apprehensions on the US southwest border during the first few months of 2019 prompted Trump on May 30 to threaten tariffs on all Mexican exports to the United States if Mexico did not contain the flow of people. Mexico responded by sending out thousands of National Guardsmen to tighten up its southern and northern borders, and this month the government said it had averted the risk of having to adopt new migration rules that could allow Trump to expel thousands of asylum-seekers into Mexico. Ebrard credited the migrant slowdown to rising job creation in Central America, spurred in part by the Mexican government`s efforts to foster development programs and growth there. Most of the migrants caught trying to enter the United States illegally are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, three countries ravaged by violence, inequality and poverty. Mexico`s government said on Saturday that it will help Honduras create 20,000 jobs by December, building on earlier commitments to El Salvador.

Mexico says migrant numbers at US border down 40% since May

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