WION Global Round-up: Ivanka Trump announces investment for women in Ivory Coast and other stories

WION Global Round-up: Ivanka Trump announces investment for women in Ivory Coast

Almost 1,000 people gathered Tuesday night in the town of San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras to form a new caravan to reach the United States, police said.

"There are more than 800, almost a thousand," a police official told AFP, with the Red Cross reporting the same number.

The caravan, which followed a call on social media, took the authorities by surprise after similar appeals since February failed to muster numbers.

Many families with children were among those gathered, and some have already started their journeys in crowded minibuses.

Alexis Perez, 27, said,&nbsp;"We are done with this government, there is no work."

Since October 13, when the first caravan of 2,000 set off, three other similar convoys of migrants have left Honduras for the US in search of work or fleeing drug-traffickers.

The groups are a target of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to tighten migration policy and build a wall to stop them from entering the United States through Mexico.

Several thousand Central Americans have trekked across Mexico by caravan since last year, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.

They travel en masse in hopes of finding safety in numbers against Mexican gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants, sometimes in collusion with local authorities.

 
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Almost 1,000 people gathered Tuesday night in the town of San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras to form a new caravan to reach the United States, police said. "There are more than 800, almost a thousand," a police official told AFP, with the Red Cross reporting the same number.

Almost 1,000 people gathered Tuesday night in the town of San Pedro Sula in northern Honduras to form a new caravan to reach the United States, police said. "There are more than 800, almost a thousand," a police official told AFP, with the Red Cross reporting the same number. The caravan, which followed a call on social media, took the authorities by surprise after similar appeals since February failed to muster numbers. Many families with children were among those gathered, and some have already started their journeys in crowded minibuses. Alexis Perez, 27, said, "We are done with this government, there is no work." Since October 13, when the first caravan of 2,000 set off, three other similar convoys of migrants have left Honduras for the US in search of work or fleeing drug-traffickers. The groups are a target of President Donald Trump, who has vowed to tighten migration policy and build a wall to stop them from entering the United States through Mexico. Several thousand Central Americans have trekked across Mexico by caravan since last year, fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries. They travel en masse in hopes of finding safety in numbers against Mexican gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants, sometimes in collusion with local authorities.

Hundreds of migrants form caravan in Honduras to head for the US

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/diego-maradona-to-legally-recognize-three-children-he-has-in-cuba-argentine-lawyer-202215">Diego Maradona</a> has been fined for dedicating a recent victory by his Mexican club to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mexico's football federation said on Monday.

The Argentine great, who coaches Dorados de Sinaloa, had dedicated a 3-2 win over Tampico Madero to Maduro and Venezuela in a news conference at the end of last month.

The body said in a statement that Maradona had been fined an unspecified sum for violating the federation's code of ethics which mandates political neutrality.

Maradona had said he was dedicating the victory to Maduro and Venezuelans caught up in an economic crisis. He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump. 
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Diego Maradona has been fined for dedicating a recent victory by his Mexican club to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mexico's football federation said on Monday.

Diego Maradona has been fined for dedicating a recent victory by his Mexican club to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Mexico's football federation said on Monday. The Argentine great, who coaches Dorados de Sinaloa, had dedicated a 3-2 win over Tampico Madero to Maduro and Venezuela in a news conference at the end of last month. The body said in a statement that Maradona had been fined an unspecified sum for violating the federation's code of ethics which mandates political neutrality. Maradona had said he was dedicating the victory to Maduro and Venezuelans caught up in an economic crisis. He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump.

Soccer: Maradona fined after dedicating win to Venezuela's Maduro

A US federal judge on Monday blocked President <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-mocks-asylum-seekers-explains-halt-of-funds-to-central-american-nations-208466&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjSnMjFlsLhAhWIdXAKHavzDsYQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1Vh8vyjlHwwldinu358Njt">Donald Trump</a>'s policy of returning <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/our-country-is-full-turn-around-trump-to-asylum-seekers-at-mexico-border-208260&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwi8_9utlsLhAhUEdXAKHZQJBJ4QFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3ULYB2eMHyrQUIPnkIs0I4">asylum </a>seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority.

The ruling by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco marked a rebuke for the Trump administration's efforts to stop the flow of migrants seeking asylum through the US border with <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wionews.com/world/our-country-is-full-turn-around-trump-to-asylum-seekers-at-mexico-border-208260&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjSnMjFlsLhAhWIdXAKHavzDsYQFggIMAE&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw3wwjmYvsEcHbqu2YPADmBv">Mexico</a>.

The decision, which goes into effect on Friday, comes just days after outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had vowed to expand the controversial program.

Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request under the policy first implemented in January at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and later extended to Calexico, a second California border point, and El Paso, Texas.

"A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the US OUT OF CONTROL!," Trump furiously tweeted.&nbsp;

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A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL! <a href="https://t.co/XF8o3jMDle">https://t.co/XF8o3jMDle</a>
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1115451908213411845?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
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While any appeal against Seeborg's ruling will be heard by the federal Ninth Circuit appeals court - a frequent target of Trump's ire - Seeborg himself is not on the circuit.

Elsewhere, rights groups welcomed the ruling, saying the return policy failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect asylum seekers from persecution.

"Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project.&nbsp;

The ACLU and several other groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, had sought an injunction against the policy on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who were returned to Mexico after seeking asylum at the US border.

In his 27-page ruling - which can be appealed - Seeborg said at issue was not whether the policy is "a wise, intelligent, or humane policy" but rather whether it exposes aliens to "unduly dangerous circumstances."

He noted that the plaintiffs in the case were not challenging the "system" of expedited removal.

Trump, who originally dubbed the measure the "Remain in Mexico" policy, unveiled it last year as a series of caravans with thousands of Central American migrants made their way to the US-Mexican border.

Mexico said it was cooperating with US authorities concerning the migrants being sent back, but only for humanitarian reasons.

Migrants who reach US soil have a legal right to seek asylum and are usually held in detention facilities while their application is processed, or released into the United States.

A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority.

A US federal judge on Monday blocked President Donald Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico to wait out the processing of their cases, saying the Department of Homeland Security had overstepped its authority. The ruling by US District Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco marked a rebuke for the Trump administration's efforts to stop the flow of migrants seeking asylum through the US border with Mexico. The decision, which goes into effect on Friday, comes just days after outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen had vowed to expand the controversial program. Several hundred people seeking asylum have been returned to Mexico to await the outcome of their request under the policy first implemented in January at the San Ysidro port of entry in California and later extended to Calexico, a second California border point, and El Paso, Texas. "A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the US OUT OF CONTROL!," Trump furiously tweeted. A 9th Circuit Judge just ruled that Mexico is too dangerous for migrants. So unfair to the U.S. OUT OF CONTROL! https://t.co/XF8o3jMDle — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 9, 2019 × While any appeal against Seeborg's ruling will be heard by the federal Ninth Circuit appeals court - a frequent target of Trump's ire - Seeborg himself is not on the circuit. Elsewhere, rights groups welcomed the ruling, saying the return policy failed to provide adequate safeguards to protect asylum seekers from persecution. "Try as it may, the Trump administration cannot simply ignore our laws in order to accomplish its goal of preventing people from seeking asylum in the United States," said Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Immigrants' Rights Project. The ACLU and several other groups, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, had sought an injunction against the policy on behalf of 11 asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala who were returned to Mexico after seeking asylum at the US border. In his 27-page ruling - which can be appealed - Seeborg said at issue was not whether the policy is "a wise, intelligent, or humane policy" but rather whether it exposes aliens to "unduly dangerous circumstances." He noted that the plaintiffs in the case were not challenging the "system" of expedited removal. Trump, who originally dubbed the measure the "Remain in Mexico" policy, unveiled it last year as a series of caravans with thousands of Central American migrants made their way to the US-Mexican border. Mexico said it was cooperating with US authorities concerning the migrants being sent back, but only for humanitarian reasons. Migrants who reach US soil have a legal right to seek asylum and are usually held in detention facilities while their application is processed, or released into the United States.

US judge blocks Trump's policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico

US President<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-threatens-tariffs-if-mexico-does-not-help-with-immigration-drugs-208019"> Donald Trump visited the Mexican</a> border on Friday to deliver a message to would-be illegal immigrants and asylum seekers: don't bother coming.

"The system is full and we can't take you anymore... Our country is full," he said at a meeting with border patrol officers and other officials in Calexico, California. "So turn around, that's the way it is."

Shortly after, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-says-100-ready-to-shut-down-mexico-border-207612">Trump visited a section</a> of recently refurbished border wall - something he wants extended across far more of the US-Mexico frontier -- and said illegal immigrants had previously been "pouring" in.

The California trip followed a retreat from earlier threats to close the border, which had sparked fears of serious economic damage.

Nevertheless, Trump sees his campaign against a "crisis" on the border as key to his 2020 reelection bid, and his time in Calexico was meant to keep that message in the headlines.

Numbers of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence in Central America have risen sharply, although there are enormous political divides on whether this constitutes the "national emergency" that Trump has declared.

Around 200 protesters, accompanied by a giant inflatable balloon depicting Trump as a baby, were waiting for the president in Mexicali, the town on the Mexican side of the frontier.

Waving US and Mexican flags, the protesters carried signs with messages such as "Stop separating families" and "If you build the wall, my generation will tear it down."

On the US side, dozens of people lined the road that Trump's motorcade took, demonstrating support for his policies. "Build the wall," said one placard.

Before leaving Washington earlier Friday, Trump said that his previous threats to shut down the border had been successful in persuading Mexican authorities to clamp down by stopping migrants on their journey north.

"Mexico, I have to say, has been very, very good... over the last four days since I talked about shutting down the border," he said.

Trump reiterated that actually closing the border is not currently in the cards, but said he will instead impose 25 percent tariffs on auto imports from Mexico if illegal migration and drug smuggling are not controlled.

Trump also said he could still order the border closed later. "I may shut it down at some point but I'd rather do tariffs," he said.

While sounding tough, Trump's surprise shift this week to tariffs from the previous threat to close the border is a major climb down.

For days, the White House had been signaling that he was serious about the threat and there was even speculation that he might announce a closing during his Calexico trip.

However, the idea caused alarm among economists and Congress, including in Trump's Republican Party. Mexico is the third-largest US trading partner and any hold-ups at border crossings would have an immediate impact on trade.

The tariffs idea is also causing confusion.

On Thursday, Trump indicated there would be a one-year deadline for Mexico to improve the situation before tariffs kicked in. However, it was not clear if he meant that both for the drug smuggling and migration, or whether he wanted the migration issue resolved immediately.

On Friday, the timing was no clearer. But he seemed to suggest that he might seek to punish Mexico at any time he thought the southern neighbor was not doing enough.

"We're going to shut (the border) down if we have to. We going to tariff the cars, Mexico, if we have to," he said.

It was also unclear how such tariffs would fit into the countries' deeply intertwined trading relationship, which is governed by NAFTA, a free trade accord also including Canada that is due to be replaced by an updated version called the USMCA.

Leaders of the three countries signed the USMCA in November after more than a year of negotiations.

Trump said Friday that his tariffs would "supersede USMCA. It's a great deal, and it's very good for Mexico. But this will supersede USMCA."

In Mexico City, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged investors to "stay calm."

"Our relationship with the government of the United States is very good," he said.

US President Donald Trump visited the Mexican border on Friday to deliver a message to would-be illegal immigrants and asylum seekers: don't bother coming. "The system is full and we can't take you anymore.

US President Donald Trump visited the Mexican border on Friday to deliver a message to would-be illegal immigrants and asylum seekers: don't bother coming. "The system is full and we can't take you anymore... Our country is full," he said at a meeting with border patrol officers and other officials in Calexico, California. "So turn around, that's the way it is." Shortly after, Trump visited a section of recently refurbished border wall - something he wants extended across far more of the US-Mexico frontier -- and said illegal immigrants had previously been "pouring" in. The California trip followed a retreat from earlier threats to close the border, which had sparked fears of serious economic damage. Nevertheless, Trump sees his campaign against a "crisis" on the border as key to his 2020 reelection bid, and his time in Calexico was meant to keep that message in the headlines. Numbers of migrants and asylum seekers fleeing violence in Central America have risen sharply, although there are enormous political divides on whether this constitutes the "national emergency" that Trump has declared. Around 200 protesters, accompanied by a giant inflatable balloon depicting Trump as a baby, were waiting for the president in Mexicali, the town on the Mexican side of the frontier. Waving US and Mexican flags, the protesters carried signs with messages such as "Stop separating families" and "If you build the wall, my generation will tear it down." On the US side, dozens of people lined the road that Trump's motorcade took, demonstrating support for his policies. "Build the wall," said one placard. Before leaving Washington earlier Friday, Trump said that his previous threats to shut down the border had been successful in persuading Mexican authorities to clamp down by stopping migrants on their journey north. "Mexico, I have to say, has been very, very good... over the last four days since I talked about shutting down the border," he said. Trump reiterated that actually closing the border is not currently in the cards, but said he will instead impose 25 percent tariffs on auto imports from Mexico if illegal migration and drug smuggling are not controlled. Trump also said he could still order the border closed later. "I may shut it down at some point but I'd rather do tariffs," he said. While sounding tough, Trump's surprise shift this week to tariffs from the previous threat to close the border is a major climb down. For days, the White House had been signaling that he was serious about the threat and there was even speculation that he might announce a closing during his Calexico trip. However, the idea caused alarm among economists and Congress, including in Trump's Republican Party. Mexico is the third-largest US trading partner and any hold-ups at border crossings would have an immediate impact on trade. The tariffs idea is also causing confusion. On Thursday, Trump indicated there would be a one-year deadline for Mexico to improve the situation before tariffs kicked in. However, it was not clear if he meant that both for the drug smuggling and migration, or whether he wanted the migration issue resolved immediately. On Friday, the timing was no clearer. But he seemed to suggest that he might seek to punish Mexico at any time he thought the southern neighbor was not doing enough. "We're going to shut (the border) down if we have to. We going to tariff the cars, Mexico, if we have to," he said. It was also unclear how such tariffs would fit into the countries' deeply intertwined trading relationship, which is governed by NAFTA, a free trade accord also including Canada that is due to be replaced by an updated version called the USMCA. Leaders of the three countries signed the USMCA in November after more than a year of negotiations. Trump said Friday that his tariffs would "supersede USMCA. It's a great deal, and it's very good for Mexico. But this will supersede USMCA." In Mexico City, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged investors to "stay calm." "Our relationship with the government of the United States is very good," he said.

Our country is full, turn around: Trump to asylum seekers at Mexico border

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to put tariffs on cars coming from Mexico into the United States if Mexico does not continue to help Washington deal with the immigration and drug situation along the southern US&nbsp;border.

Trump told reporters at the White House he would put tariffs on cars or close the border, but he said he may start with the tariffs. He also said he would give Mexico a year to try to stop the flow of drugs before putting tariffs in place.

"A lot of good things are happening with Mexico. Mexico understands that we're going to close the border, or I'm going to tariff the cars," Trump told reporters at the White House.

Trump said he would "probably start off with the tariffs - that will be a very powerful incentive."

Trump warned last Friday that he would close the US&nbsp;border with Mexico this week unless Mexico took action to help stop the flow of illegal migrants across the frontier.

Trump said on Thursday that media coverage in recent days has prompted Mexico to make moves to curb the flow of immigrants to the United States and take other action to ease the pressure on US&nbsp;ports of entry.

Separately, Mexican exporters said this week they were looking into sending their goods to the United States by air freight to avoid a five-mile-long line of trucks at the border caused by the Trump administration moving federal agents away from customs checks to immigration duties.

&nbsp;

US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to put tariffs on cars coming from Mexico into the United States if Mexico does not continue to help Washington deal with the immigration and drug situation along the southern US border.

US President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to put tariffs on cars coming from Mexico into the United States if Mexico does not continue to help Washington deal with the immigration and drug situation along the southern US border. Trump told reporters at the White House he would put tariffs on cars or close the border, but he said he may start with the tariffs. He also said he would give Mexico a year to try to stop the flow of drugs before putting tariffs in place. "A lot of good things are happening with Mexico. Mexico understands that we're going to close the border, or I'm going to tariff the cars," Trump told reporters at the White House. Trump said he would "probably start off with the tariffs - that will be a very powerful incentive." Trump warned last Friday that he would close the US border with Mexico this week unless Mexico took action to help stop the flow of illegal migrants across the frontier. Trump said on Thursday that media coverage in recent days has prompted Mexico to make moves to curb the flow of immigrants to the United States and take other action to ease the pressure on US ports of entry. Separately, Mexican exporters said this week they were looking into sending their goods to the United States by air freight to avoid a five-mile-long line of trucks at the border caused by the Trump administration moving federal agents away from customs checks to immigration duties.

Trump threatens tariffs if Mexico does not help with immigration, drugs

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Speaking after US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the US southern border if Mexico did not halt illegal immigration immediately, Lopez Obrador said he would not have a confrontation with the United States.

"I prefer love and peace," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his regular morning news conference.

The leftist president has consistently refused to get drawn into a war of words with Trump over the border.

A senior Mexican trade official warned later that closing down the US-Mexico border would cause pain on "both sides."

Most of the people caught at the frontier trying to enter the United States illegally come from three violent and impoverished countries: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Lopez Obrador has tried to persuade Trump to address the problem by fostering economic development in Central America. But on Saturday the US State Department said it was cutting off aid to those three countries.

Detentions at the US border have surged in recent months, angering Trump and putting pressure on Lopez Obrador to find a solution that will prevent a shutdown of the frontier to the market for 80 per cent of Mexico's exports.

Asked if it was time to put pressure on the Central American countries to do more to tackle the problem, Lopez Obrador said the causes of migration were "not being attended to" and that people needed to be offered more opportunities there.

"Obviously, we have to help because Central American migrants pass through our territory and we have to bring order to this migration, make sure it's legal," he said.

"That's what we're doing. But serenely, calmly, without a commotion and with great prudence and responsibility."

Mexico began issuing temporary humanitarian visas to some members of a migrant caravan in southern Mexico, giving priority to children and the elderly, the National Migration Institute said Monday. It said it would provide transport back to Central American countries, Cuba and Haiti, on a voluntary basis.

Earlier this year, Mexico handed out humanitarian visas liberally, but reined in the program after a surge in applications. The institute said from next month it was planning to encourage people to apply for visas in their home countries.

It was not immediately clear if the government was limiting the number of visas it issues.

US CONGRESSIONAL OBJECTIONS

It has quickly become clear that any plan to cut aid to Central America would face strong objections from members of the U.S. Congress, who must approve it.

One of Trump's fellow Republicans, Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said cutting aid would worsen the situation.

"If we cut all this funding ... I think it's going to make things tragically worse, not better," he said during a presentation at a think tank in Washington.

Putting a stop to aid to Central America made the job of stemming the flow of migrants tougher, said Senator Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"And closing the border - that makes no sense at all," he told CNN. "We need Mexico's cooperation to work with us, and cutting off the border just tells Mexico: 'We're doing it alone'."

Following a meeting on Monday with Lopez Obrador at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, invited the Mexican president to visit the committee for a meeting in Washington, an aide to Engel said.

"Excellent meeting with President @lopezobrador_ on importance of US-#Mexico relationship. I emphasized need to partner in assisting Central America," Engel said on Twitter.

Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said that the issues of "development cooperation, fighting corruption in Mexico, need for friendly and constructive bilateral relations" were discussed.

US Border Patrol projections are for over 90,000 apprehensions at the border during March, according to data provided to the Mexican government - a more than 140 per cent increase from March 2018, and a seven-fold jump from 2017.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was working with the Central American governments and Mexico and pointed to the numbers when asked why Trump had toughened his stance.

"Just look at the math," Pompeo told reporters outside the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "How many folks are coming across. This is a crisis. We need to fix it."

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Mexico will help to regulate the flow of Central American migrants passing through its territory to the United States, but the root causes behind the phenomenon must be tackled, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday. Speaking after US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to close the US southern border if Mexico did not halt illegal immigration immediately, Lopez Obrador said he would not have a confrontation with the United States. "I prefer love and peace," Lopez Obrador told reporters at his regular morning news conference. The leftist president has consistently refused to get drawn into a war of words with Trump over the border. A senior Mexican trade official warned later that closing down the US-Mexico border would cause pain on "both sides." Most of the people caught at the frontier trying to enter the United States illegally come from three violent and impoverished countries: Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Lopez Obrador has tried to persuade Trump to address the problem by fostering economic development in Central America. But on Saturday the US State Department said it was cutting off aid to those three countries. Detentions at the US border have surged in recent months, angering Trump and putting pressure on Lopez Obrador to find a solution that will prevent a shutdown of the frontier to the market for 80 per cent of Mexico's exports. Asked if it was time to put pressure on the Central American countries to do more to tackle the problem, Lopez Obrador said the causes of migration were "not being attended to" and that people needed to be offered more opportunities there. "Obviously, we have to help because Central American migrants pass through our territory and we have to bring order to this migration, make sure it's legal," he said. "That's what we're doing. But serenely, calmly, without a commotion and with great prudence and responsibility." Mexico began issuing temporary humanitarian visas to some members of a migrant caravan in southern Mexico, giving priority to children and the elderly, the National Migration Institute said Monday. It said it would provide transport back to Central American countries, Cuba and Haiti, on a voluntary basis. Earlier this year, Mexico handed out humanitarian visas liberally, but reined in the program after a surge in applications. The institute said from next month it was planning to encourage people to apply for visas in their home countries. It was not immediately clear if the government was limiting the number of visas it issues. US CONGRESSIONAL OBJECTIONS It has quickly become clear that any plan to cut aid to Central America would face strong objections from members of the U.S. Congress, who must approve it. One of Trump's fellow Republicans, Representative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said cutting aid would worsen the situation. "If we cut all this funding ... I think it's going to make things tragically worse, not better," he said during a presentation at a think tank in Washington. Putting a stop to aid to Central America made the job of stemming the flow of migrants tougher, said Senator Ben Cardin, a senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "And closing the border - that makes no sense at all," he told CNN. "We need Mexico's cooperation to work with us, and cutting off the border just tells Mexico: 'We're doing it alone'." Following a meeting on Monday with Lopez Obrador at the Presidential Palace in Mexico City, the Democratic chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Eliot Engel, invited the Mexican president to visit the committee for a meeting in Washington, an aide to Engel said. "Excellent meeting with President @lopezobrador_ on importance of US-#Mexico relationship. I emphasized need to partner in assisting Central America," Engel said on Twitter. Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Martha Barcena, said that the issues of "development cooperation, fighting corruption in Mexico, need for friendly and constructive bilateral relations" were discussed. US Border Patrol projections are for over 90,000 apprehensions at the border during March, according to data provided to the Mexican government - a more than 140 per cent increase from March 2018, and a seven-fold jump from 2017. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was working with the Central American governments and Mexico and pointed to the numbers when asked why Trump had toughened his stance. "Just look at the math," Pompeo told reporters outside the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. "How many folks are coming across. This is a crisis. We need to fix it."

Mexican president wants to 'bring order' to Central American migration to US

Mexico scored three goals in a blistering first half but took their foot off the pedal in the second period and had to hold off a Paraguay comeback to win their friendly match 4-2 in California on Tuesday.

Jonathan Dos Santos took advantage of hesitancy in the Paraguayan defence after six minutes to smash home the opener from close range at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

An own goal from Gustavo Gomez doubled Mexico’s advantage three minutes later and Javier Hernandez finished off a lovely move to make it 3-0 and set up what looked like a comfortable second consecutive win for new coach Gerardo Martino.

However, goals from Hernan Perez and Derlis Gonzalez either side of Miguel Almiron’s red card for Paraguay gave the South Americans the chance to snatch an unlikely draw before Luis Montes restored Mexico's two-goal cushion in stoppage time

Mexico scored three goals in a blistering first half but took their foot off the pedal in the second period and had to hold off a Paraguay comeback to win their friendly match 4-2 in California on Tuesday.

Mexico scored three goals in a blistering first half but took their foot off the pedal in the second period and had to hold off a Paraguay comeback to win their friendly match 4-2 in California on Tuesday. Jonathan Dos Santos took advantage of hesitancy in the Paraguayan defence after six minutes to smash home the opener from close range at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. An own goal from Gustavo Gomez doubled Mexico’s advantage three minutes later and Javier Hernandez finished off a lovely move to make it 3-0 and set up what looked like a comfortable second consecutive win for new coach Gerardo Martino. However, goals from Hernan Perez and Derlis Gonzalez either side of Miguel Almiron’s red card for Paraguay gave the South Americans the chance to snatch an unlikely draw before Luis Montes restored Mexico's two-goal cushion in stoppage time

Three first-half goals help Mexico to 4-2 win over Paraguay

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects."

Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World, backed by the Catholic Church, leapt from the history books to the headlines when Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologize for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath.

"I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope, calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologize to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador said.

He made the remarks in a video, filmed at the ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco and posted on Facebook and Twitter.

"There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the (indigenous) temples," added the anti-establishment leftist.

"The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first."

Spain's rejection was immediate and blunt.

"The government of Spain deeply regrets that the letter the Mexican president sent to his majesty the king, whose contents we firmly reject, has been made public," it said in a statement.

"The arrival, 500 years ago, of Spaniards to present Mexican territory cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations," it said.

"Our two brother nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective."

300-year reign&nbsp; 
Lopez Obrador made the remarks during a visit to the Mayan pyramids of Comalcalco, in his native Tabasco state, in southern Mexico.

He later visited the nearby city of Centla, the scene of the first battle between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the indigenous peoples of the land now known as Mexico, on March 14, 1519.

With the help of horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time -- Cortes led an army of fewer than 1,000 men to defeat the Aztec empire, the start of 300 years of Spanish rule over Mexico.

The abuses continued until independence from Spain in 1821, and beyond, Lopez Obrador said.

"Thousands of people were murdered during this period. One culture and civilization imposed itself on another," he said later in a speech.

"There are still open wounds. It's better to recognize that abuses were committed, and mistakes were made. It's better to ask forgiveness and seek to be brothers in a historic reconciliation."

He added that he, too, planned to offer an apology, "because the repression of indigenous peoples continued after the colonial period."

It's complicated&nbsp; 
Mexico has a complicated relationship with its colonial past.

Its history, culture, food and the Mexican people themselves are the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds.

According to a government study, 98 per cent of Mexicans have some combination of indigenous, European and African ancestry.

But although that mixture made modern Mexico -- and gave the world the gifts of chocolate, tacos de carnitas and Day of the Dead -- it is also a past tainted by violence, rape and oppression.

Lopez Obrador, 65, took office in December after a landslide election win that represented a firm break with Mexico's traditional political parties.

A folksy populist, he pulls no punches in going after traditional elites, and has sought to cast himself as a champion of Mexico's indigenous peoples.

But he had so far cultivated cordial relations with Spain and the Vatican, including during a visit to Mexico City by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this year.

Sanchez, a fellow leftist, marked the occasion by presenting the Mexican president with his grandfather Jose Obrador's Spanish birth certificate, from 1893.

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects.

The 500-year-old wounds of the Spanish conquest were ripped open afresh on Monday when Mexico's president urged Spain and the Vatican to apologize for their "abuses" -- a request Madrid said it "firmly rejects." Spain's centuries of dominance in the New World, backed by the Catholic Church, leapt from the history books to the headlines when Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador called on Spanish King Felipe VI and Pope Francis to apologize for the conquest and the rights violations committed in its aftermath. "I have sent a letter to the king of Spain and another to the pope, calling for a full account of the abuses and urging them to apologize to the indigenous peoples (of Mexico) for the violations of what we now call their human rights," Lopez Obrador said. He made the remarks in a video, filmed at the ruins of the indigenous city of Comalcalco and posted on Facebook and Twitter. "There were massacres and oppression. The so-called conquest was waged with the sword and the cross. They built their churches on top of the (indigenous) temples," added the anti-establishment leftist. "The time has come to reconcile. But let us ask forgiveness first." Spain's rejection was immediate and blunt. "The government of Spain deeply regrets that the letter the Mexican president sent to his majesty the king, whose contents we firmly reject, has been made public," it said in a statement. "The arrival, 500 years ago, of Spaniards to present Mexican territory cannot be judged in the light of contemporary considerations," it said. "Our two brother nations have always known how to read our shared past without anger and with a constructive perspective." 300-year reign Lopez Obrador made the remarks during a visit to the Mayan pyramids of Comalcalco, in his native Tabasco state, in southern Mexico. He later visited the nearby city of Centla, the scene of the first battle between Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and the indigenous peoples of the land now known as Mexico, on March 14, 1519. With the help of horses, swords, guns and smallpox -- all unknown in the New World at the time -- Cortes led an army of fewer than 1,000 men to defeat the Aztec empire, the start of 300 years of Spanish rule over Mexico. The abuses continued until independence from Spain in 1821, and beyond, Lopez Obrador said. "Thousands of people were murdered during this period. One culture and civilization imposed itself on another," he said later in a speech. "There are still open wounds. It's better to recognize that abuses were committed, and mistakes were made. It's better to ask forgiveness and seek to be brothers in a historic reconciliation." He added that he, too, planned to offer an apology, "because the repression of indigenous peoples continued after the colonial period." It's complicated Mexico has a complicated relationship with its colonial past. Its history, culture, food and the Mexican people themselves are the product of "mestizaje," the mixing of the Old and New Worlds. According to a government study, 98 per cent of Mexicans have some combination of indigenous, European and African ancestry. But although that mixture made modern Mexico -- and gave the world the gifts of chocolate, tacos de carnitas and Day of the Dead -- it is also a past tainted by violence, rape and oppression. Lopez Obrador, 65, took office in December after a landslide election win that represented a firm break with Mexico's traditional political parties. A folksy populist, he pulls no punches in going after traditional elites, and has sought to cast himself as a champion of Mexico's indigenous peoples. But he had so far cultivated cordial relations with Spain and the Vatican, including during a visit to Mexico City by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez earlier this year. Sanchez, a fellow leftist, marked the occasion by presenting the Mexican president with his grandfather Jose Obrador's Spanish birth certificate, from 1893.

Mexico demands apology for colonial 'abuses,' Spain says no

At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday.

Another four people, three men and a woman, suffered injuries, public prosecutor's office spokesman Juan Jose Martinez told AFP by telephone.

The nightclub lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft.&nbsp;

The attack took place in the early hours Saturday as several heavily armed men opened fire at the La Playa nightclub in Salamanca before making off in a vehicle, the spokesman said.

The four injured people were taken to a nearby hospital. So far, none of the victims have been identified.

Salamanca is the site of the main pipeline of state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3 billion over the last few years.

In late January, a fake bomb was found in a car parked close to the refinery.

Nearby, signs were found threatening Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and demanding that he withdraw from the area soldiers fighting against fuel theft gangs.

Salamanca is less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Santa Rosa de Lima, where a few days ago authorities conducted an operation against Juan Antonio Yepez, the alleged leader of a fuel-stealing cartel.

At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday. Another four people, three men and a woman, suffered injuries, public prosecutor's office spokesman Juan Jose Martinez told AFP by telephone.

At least 15 men have died following a shooting at a nightclub in central Mexico, prosecutors said Saturday. Another four people, three men and a woman, suffered injuries, public prosecutor's office spokesman Juan Jose Martinez told AFP by telephone. The nightclub lies in Guanajuato state, where authorities have launched an operation against criminal gangs involved in fuel theft. The attack took place in the early hours Saturday as several heavily armed men opened fire at the La Playa nightclub in Salamanca before making off in a vehicle, the spokesman said. The four injured people were taken to a nearby hospital. So far, none of the victims have been identified. Salamanca is the site of the main pipeline of state oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), where fuel thieves have cost the firm around $3 billion over the last few years. In late January, a fake bomb was found in a car parked close to the refinery. Nearby, signs were found threatening Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and demanding that he withdraw from the area soldiers fighting against fuel theft gangs. Salamanca is less than 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Santa Rosa de Lima, where a few days ago authorities conducted an operation against Juan Antonio Yepez, the alleged leader of a fuel-stealing cartel.

Mexico night club attack leaves 15 dead

A cargo truck without license plates careened off a road in southern Mexico and turned over, killing at least 25 people inside, state officials said Thursday night. 
 
Nearly 30 people were reported injured in the accident involving an approximately three-ton Ford Super Duty pick-up truck attached to a cargo container, according to a statement from the Chiapas attorney general`s office. 
 
The crash happened around dusk on a highway about 25 miles (41 km) northeast of Tuxtla-Gutierrez, the capital of southern Chiapas state which borders Guatemala. 
 
Officials did not give a breakdown of the victims` nationalities but said they were Central Americans. Chiapas is a major transit point for migrants, especially from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as many treks through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border.&nbsp; 
 
Media reported that investigators are considering the possibility that the driver of the truck lost control due to a mechanical failure, citing other state authorities.

A cargo truck without license plates careened off a road in southern Mexico and turned over, killing at least 25 people inside, state officials said Thursday night.

A cargo truck without license plates careened off a road in southern Mexico and turned over, killing at least 25 people inside, state officials said Thursday night. Nearly 30 people were reported injured in the accident involving an approximately three-ton Ford Super Duty pick-up truck attached to a cargo container, according to a statement from the Chiapas attorney general`s office. The crash happened around dusk on a highway about 25 miles (41 km) northeast of Tuxtla-Gutierrez, the capital of southern Chiapas state which borders Guatemala. Officials did not give a breakdown of the victims` nationalities but said they were Central Americans. Chiapas is a major transit point for migrants, especially from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, as many treks through Mexico on their way to the U.S. border. Media reported that investigators are considering the possibility that the driver of the truck lost control due to a mechanical failure, citing other state authorities.

Truck roll-over in Mexico kills at least 25

Mexico's mighty Popocatepetly volcano erupted on Wednesday (March 06), sending a plume of gas and ash 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) into the sky, according to Mexico's disaster prevention agency.

Images showed the ash plume being discharged into the sky high above the snow covered slopes of the mountain. The eruption occurred at 8:26 a.m. on Wednesday according to Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center.

Servando de la Cruz, a researcher at Mexico's National Autonomous University, said the volcano's current activity, while spectacular, was within the limits of recent historical eruptions and the volcano was being monitored by authorities for any heightened activity.

Popocatepetl is 5,426 meters (17,802 feet) tall and is the second highest mountain in Mexico and the fifth highest in North America.

Mexico's mighty Popocatepetly volcano erupted on Wednesday (March 06), sending a plume of gas and ash 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) into the sky, according to Mexico's disaster prevention agency.

Mexico's mighty Popocatepetly volcano erupted on Wednesday (March 06), sending a plume of gas and ash 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) into the sky, according to Mexico's disaster prevention agency. Images showed the ash plume being discharged into the sky high above the snow covered slopes of the mountain. The eruption occurred at 8:26 a.m. on Wednesday according to Mexico's National Disaster Prevention Center. Servando de la Cruz, a researcher at Mexico's National Autonomous University, said the volcano's current activity, while spectacular, was within the limits of recent historical eruptions and the volcano was being monitored by authorities for any heightened activity. Popocatepetl is 5,426 meters (17,802 feet) tall and is the second highest mountain in Mexico and the fifth highest in North America.

Mexico's Popocatepetly volcano erupts with massive ash plume

Mexico's Popocatepetl erupts with massive ash plume

Tiger Woods has won more major championships than anyone other than Jack Nicklaus but his putting went badly awry during the third round of the WGC-Mexico Championship on Saturday.

The American, in his first competitive appearance south of the border, sent murmurs of disbelief through the packed gallery when he four-putted at the 15th hole at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City.

It took him three attempts to get the ball into the hole on the 16th green and the PGA Tour confirmed that it was the first time he had put together such a poor display of putting on consecutive holes.

Woods had played 22,640 holes on the PGA Tour when he approached the 15th, where everything looked in order as he coaxed a birdie putt up to inside four feet.

His par putt lipped out, however, and trickled two feet away from the cup. Without marking his ball, Woods stroked his third putt, which also lipped out, and he walked off with a double-bogey.

His three-putt at the next, where he missed a five-footer, was not quite as dramatic but hardly less disappointing for one of the greatest talents to have played the game.

Despite the putting problems, the 14-times major champion shot a respectable one-under-par 70 to trail leader Dustin Johnson by 10 strokes heading into Sunday's final round.

Woods declined to speak to the media afterwards, something he has done only a handful of times over his career.

Tiger Woods has won more major championships than anyone other than Jack Nicklaus but his putting went badly awry during the third round of the WGC-Mexico Championship on Saturday.

Tiger Woods has won more major championships than anyone other than Jack Nicklaus but his putting went badly awry during the third round of the WGC-Mexico Championship on Saturday. The American, in his first competitive appearance south of the border, sent murmurs of disbelief through the packed gallery when he four-putted at the 15th hole at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City. It took him three attempts to get the ball into the hole on the 16th green and the PGA Tour confirmed that it was the first time he had put together such a poor display of putting on consecutive holes. Woods had played 22,640 holes on the PGA Tour when he approached the 15th, where everything looked in order as he coaxed a birdie putt up to inside four feet. His par putt lipped out, however, and trickled two feet away from the cup. Without marking his ball, Woods stroked his third putt, which also lipped out, and he walked off with a double-bogey. His three-putt at the next, where he missed a five-footer, was not quite as dramatic but hardly less disappointing for one of the greatest talents to have played the game. Despite the putting problems, the 14-times major champion shot a respectable one-under-par 70 to trail leader Dustin Johnson by 10 strokes heading into Sunday's final round. Woods declined to speak to the media afterwards, something he has done only a handful of times over his career.

Tiger Woods hits career low with putting woes on consecutive holes in Mexico

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday that no decision has been taken on funding President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico, a project that may come partly from redirected military funds.

Trump on Friday <a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/donald-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-signs-border-wall-deal-197774">declared a national emergency</a> to address what he called an "invasion" of drugs, gangs, human traffickers and undocumented migrants over the US border with Mexico.

The declaration means he would be able to sidestep Congress to access federal funds from elsewhere to help pay for building the border wall. The move however was immediatly challenged in court.

"So very deliberately, we have not made any decisions. ... There has been no determination by me," Shanahan said on the way home from Germany.

Trump wanted Congress to authorize $5.7 billion for a wall along parts of the border, but lawmakers provided just $1.375 billion for barriers, not a solid concrete wall.

The White House said Friday that Trump will access $6.1 billion from two Pentagon sources: $3.6 billion from a military construction fund, and $2.5 billion from Defense Department counter-drug activity funds.

"We always anticipated that this would create a lot of attention and since money potentially could be redirected, you can imagine the concerns this generates," Shanahan said.

The Pentagon chief said he would "review that analysis now that the emergency has been declared. Based on that analysis, we can do an assessment of what would be appropriate."

He added: "We are following the law. We are using the rules. We are not bending the rules."

As a candidate, Trump repeatedly vowed that Mexico would pay for a wall.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday that no decision has been taken on funding President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico, a project that may come partly from redirected military funds.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Saturday that no decision has been taken on funding President Donald Trump's border wall with Mexico, a project that may come partly from redirected military funds. Trump on Friday declared a national emergency to address what he called an "invasion" of drugs, gangs, human traffickers and undocumented migrants over the US border with Mexico. The declaration means he would be able to sidestep Congress to access federal funds from elsewhere to help pay for building the border wall. The move however was immediatly challenged in court. "So very deliberately, we have not made any decisions. ... There has been no determination by me," Shanahan said on the way home from Germany. Trump wanted Congress to authorize $5.7 billion for a wall along parts of the border, but lawmakers provided just $1.375 billion for barriers, not a solid concrete wall. The White House said Friday that Trump will access $6.1 billion from two Pentagon sources: $3.6 billion from a military construction fund, and $2.5 billion from Defense Department counter-drug activity funds. "We always anticipated that this would create a lot of attention and since money potentially could be redirected, you can imagine the concerns this generates," Shanahan said. The Pentagon chief said he would "review that analysis now that the emergency has been declared. Based on that analysis, we can do an assessment of what would be appropriate." He added: "We are following the law. We are using the rules. We are not bending the rules." As a candidate, Trump repeatedly vowed that Mexico would pay for a wall.

No decision made on spending for Trump's wall: Pentagon chief

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/this-hurts-on-el-chapos-home-turf-some-lament-mexican-drug-lords-conviction-197164">"El Chapo" Guzman</a>, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin.

Speaking to a crowd in Badiraguato, a mountainous municipality in the northwestern state of Sinaloa long associated with cartels, Lopez Obrador said people must not be "stigmatized."

"(The people of) Badiraguato is good people, they are hardworking people," he told a cheering crowd in a public square. "We must seek reconciliation, we must find peace."

Though warring gang factions have inflicted periodic bloodshed on the municipality, some villagers speak fondly of the largesse of their native son, who was born in the hamlet of La Tuna and whose Sinaloa cartel provided work for marijuana and opium poppy growers.

With a population of 32,000, Badiraguato is one of the poorest municipalities in the state of Sinaloa and the country, according to Mexican statistics agency Inegi.

Lopez Obrador, who has spoken of the need to fight poverty across Mexico, announced a development plan for Badiraguato that included a new highway, a public university and a program to plant trees.

"Until now, I've never seen a president come here," said Javier de la Rocha, a 41-year-old farmer.

El Chapo is not the only drug lord who calls it home - Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, both former leaders of the Guadalajara cartel, were also born nearby.

In a district where 70 per cent of residents live below the poverty line, the capos emerged as unlikely benefactors, building roads and buildings, locals say.

That may explain why some found Lopez Obrador's visit, coming after El Chapo's conviction on smuggling tons of drugs to the United States, so significant. With the drug lord behind bars, and facing a probable life sentence, Badiraguato will need a new champion.

"Mr Guzmán helped the town a lot. Now that he is not here, let's hope the state responds," said Jose Carrillo, a 61-year-old day labourer, while eating at a chicken restaurant named after El Chapo.

Several residents said they were cautiously optimistic about Lopez Obrador's plans and eager to work on the projects.

"With the university, my family is no longer going to have to travel to study elsewhere," said de la Rocha, the farmer, leaning on his shovel in front of a huge sign welcoming Lopez Obrador.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador visited the birthplace of the country's most infamous drug trafficker, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, on Friday, calling for peace and reconciliation days after a US jury convicted the kingpin. Speaking to a crowd in Badiraguato, a mountainous municipality in the northwestern state of Sinaloa long associated with cartels, Lopez Obrador said people must not be "stigmatized." "(The people of) Badiraguato is good people, they are hardworking people," he told a cheering crowd in a public square. "We must seek reconciliation, we must find peace." Though warring gang factions have inflicted periodic bloodshed on the municipality, some villagers speak fondly of the largesse of their native son, who was born in the hamlet of La Tuna and whose Sinaloa cartel provided work for marijuana and opium poppy growers. With a population of 32,000, Badiraguato is one of the poorest municipalities in the state of Sinaloa and the country, according to Mexican statistics agency Inegi. Lopez Obrador, who has spoken of the need to fight poverty across Mexico, announced a development plan for Badiraguato that included a new highway, a public university and a program to plant trees. "Until now, I've never seen a president come here," said Javier de la Rocha, a 41-year-old farmer. El Chapo is not the only drug lord who calls it home - Rafael Caro Quintero and Ernesto Fonseca Carrillo, both former leaders of the Guadalajara cartel, were also born nearby. In a district where 70 per cent of residents live below the poverty line, the capos emerged as unlikely benefactors, building roads and buildings, locals say. That may explain why some found Lopez Obrador's visit, coming after El Chapo's conviction on smuggling tons of drugs to the United States, so significant. With the drug lord behind bars, and facing a probable life sentence, Badiraguato will need a new champion. "Mr Guzmán helped the town a lot. Now that he is not here, let's hope the state responds," said Jose Carrillo, a 61-year-old day labourer, while eating at a chicken restaurant named after El Chapo. Several residents said they were cautiously optimistic about Lopez Obrador's plans and eager to work on the projects. "With the university, my family is no longer going to have to travel to study elsewhere," said de la Rocha, the farmer, leaning on his shovel in front of a huge sign welcoming Lopez Obrador.

Mexican president visits 'El Chapo's' home turf seeking reconciliation

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/drug-lord-escape-artist-el-chapo-convicted-by-us-jury-197026">Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman</a>, Mexico's most notorious kingpin, shipped tonnes of drugs around the world, escaped two maximum-security prisons and became one of the world's most-wanted fugitives.

The 61-year-old now faces the prospect of life in prison.

Jurors on Tuesday found Guzman guilty of all 10 counts, including running a criminal enterprise, in a trial that began in November in New York.

The audacious exploits of "El Chapo," or "Shorty," captured the world's imagination and turned him into a folk hero for some in Mexico, despite the thousands of people killed by his brutal Sinaloa cartel.

Beyond putting Guzman's personal life and drug dealings on public display, the case has also highlighted Mexico's longtime fight to bring down its chief adversary in the bloody war on drug trafficking.

In January 2016, after some three decades running drugs, Guzman was caught in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa.

Six months earlier, he had humiliated Mexico's then-president, Enrique Pena Nieto, by escaping from prison through a mile-long (1.6-km-long) tunnel dug straight into his cell and equipped with a motorbike - his second time escaping a Mexican penitentiary.

Just days after his 2016 capture, Guzman's larger-than-life reputation was sealed when US movie star Sean Penn published a lengthy account of an interview he conducted with the drug lord, which the Mexican government said was "essential" to his capture a few months later.

"I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats," Penn said Guzman told him at the drug lord's mountain hideout.

Mexico's government extradited Guzman in January 2017, a day before Donald Trump took office as US president on vows to tighten border security to halt immigration and drug smuggling.

Guzman's legendary reputation in the Mexican underworld began taking shape when he staged his first jailbreak in 2001 by bribing prison guards, before going on to dominate drug trafficking along much of the Rio Grande.

However, many in towns across Mexico remember Guzman better for his squads of hit men who committed thousands of murders, kidnappings and decapitations.

Violence began to surge in 2006 as the government launched a war on drug trafficking that splintered criminal groups and sent killings spiralling. Mexico has registered more than 250,000 homicides since then, including a record number of killings last year.

Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel went on smuggling hundreds of tonnes of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and crystal meth across Mexico's border with the United States.

In February 2013, the Chicago Crime Commission dubbed him the city's first Public Enemy No.1 since Al Capone.

ELUSIVE KINGPIN

Security experts concede the 5-foot-6-inch (1.68 meter) gangster was exceptional at what he did, managing to outmanoeuvre, outfight or outbribe his rivals to stay at the top of the drug trade for over a decade.

Rising through the ranks of the drug world, Guzman carefully observed his mentors' tactics and mistakes, forging alliances that kept him one step ahead of the law for years.

Mexican soldiers and US agents came close to Guzman on several occasions, but his layers of bodyguards and spies always tipped him off before they stormed his safe houses.

In preparing for a raid in 2014, US officers restricted information to a small group for fear of corruption among Mexican law enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Victor Vasquez testified in Guzman's trial.

SINALOA ROOTS

Guzman was born in La Tuna, a village in the Sierra Madre mountains in Sinaloa state where smugglers have been growing opium and marijuana since the early 20th century.

He ascended in the 1980s, working with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias "The Boss of Bosses," who pioneered cocaine smuggling routes into the United States.

The aspiring capo came to prominence in 1993 when assassins who shot dead Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas claimed they had actually been aiming at Guzman.

Two weeks later, police arrested him in Guatemala and extradited him to Mexico. During his eight-year prison stay, Guzman smuggled in lovers, prostitutes and Viagra, according to accounts published in the Mexican media.

After escaping, Guzman expanded his turf by sending in assassin squads with names such as "The Ghosts" and "The Zeta Killers," in reference to the rival Zetas gang.

Guzman hid near his childhood home, agents said, but rumours abounded of him visiting expensive restaurants and paying for all the diners.

In 2007, Guzman married an 18-year-old beauty queen in an ostentatious ceremony in a village in Durango state.

The state's archbishop subsequently caused a media storm when he said that "everyone, except the authorities," knew Guzman was living there. Guzman's bride, Emma Coronel, gave birth to twins in Los Angeles in 2011.

She attended nearly every day of her husband's trial in New York, at one point donning a red blazer that matched his own.

WAGING WAR

Between 2004 and 2013, Guzman's gangs fought in all major Mexican cities on the US border, turning Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo into some of the world's most dangerous places.

In one such attack, 14 bodies were left mutilated under a note that read, "Don't forget that I am your real daddy," signed by "El Chapo."

Guzman's Sinaloa cartel often clashed with the Zetas, a gang founded by former Mexican soldiers, arming its crew with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns.

In 2008, hit men working for a rival murdered Guzman's son Edgar, a 22-year-old student. Guzman reportedly left 50,000 flowers at his son's grave.

In the 1990s, Guzman became infamous for hiding several tonnes of cocaine in cans of chili peppers. In the following decade, his crew took drugs in tractor-trailer trucks to major US cities, including Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago, indictments say.

Forbes magazine put the kingpin's wealth at $1 billion, though investigators say it is impossible to know exactly how much he was worth.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most notorious kingpin, shipped tonnes of drugs around the world, escaped two maximum-security prisons and became one of the world's most-wanted fugitives.

Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, Mexico's most notorious kingpin, shipped tonnes of drugs around the world, escaped two maximum-security prisons and became one of the world's most-wanted fugitives. The 61-year-old now faces the prospect of life in prison. Jurors on Tuesday found Guzman guilty of all 10 counts, including running a criminal enterprise, in a trial that began in November in New York. The audacious exploits of "El Chapo," or "Shorty," captured the world's imagination and turned him into a folk hero for some in Mexico, despite the thousands of people killed by his brutal Sinaloa cartel. Beyond putting Guzman's personal life and drug dealings on public display, the case has also highlighted Mexico's longtime fight to bring down its chief adversary in the bloody war on drug trafficking. In January 2016, after some three decades running drugs, Guzman was caught in his native northwestern state of Sinaloa. Six months earlier, he had humiliated Mexico's then-president, Enrique Pena Nieto, by escaping from prison through a mile-long (1.6-km-long) tunnel dug straight into his cell and equipped with a motorbike - his second time escaping a Mexican penitentiary. Just days after his 2016 capture, Guzman's larger-than-life reputation was sealed when US movie star Sean Penn published a lengthy account of an interview he conducted with the drug lord, which the Mexican government said was "essential" to his capture a few months later. "I supply more heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana than anybody else in the world. I have a fleet of submarines, airplanes, trucks and boats," Penn said Guzman told him at the drug lord's mountain hideout. Mexico's government extradited Guzman in January 2017, a day before Donald Trump took office as US president on vows to tighten border security to halt immigration and drug smuggling. Guzman's legendary reputation in the Mexican underworld began taking shape when he staged his first jailbreak in 2001 by bribing prison guards, before going on to dominate drug trafficking along much of the Rio Grande. However, many in towns across Mexico remember Guzman better for his squads of hit men who committed thousands of murders, kidnappings and decapitations. Violence began to surge in 2006 as the government launched a war on drug trafficking that splintered criminal groups and sent killings spiralling. Mexico has registered more than 250,000 homicides since then, including a record number of killings last year. Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel went on smuggling hundreds of tonnes of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and crystal meth across Mexico's border with the United States. In February 2013, the Chicago Crime Commission dubbed him the city's first Public Enemy No.1 since Al Capone. ELUSIVE KINGPIN Security experts concede the 5-foot-6-inch (1.68 meter) gangster was exceptional at what he did, managing to outmanoeuvre, outfight or outbribe his rivals to stay at the top of the drug trade for over a decade. Rising through the ranks of the drug world, Guzman carefully observed his mentors' tactics and mistakes, forging alliances that kept him one step ahead of the law for years. Mexican soldiers and US agents came close to Guzman on several occasions, but his layers of bodyguards and spies always tipped him off before they stormed his safe houses. In preparing for a raid in 2014, US officers restricted information to a small group for fear of corruption among Mexican law enforcement, Drug Enforcement Administration agent Victor Vasquez testified in Guzman's trial. SINALOA ROOTS Guzman was born in La Tuna, a village in the Sierra Madre mountains in Sinaloa state where smugglers have been growing opium and marijuana since the early 20th century. He ascended in the 1980s, working with Miguel Angel Felix Gallardo, alias "The Boss of Bosses," who pioneered cocaine smuggling routes into the United States. The aspiring capo came to prominence in 1993 when assassins who shot dead Roman Catholic Cardinal Juan Jesus Posadas claimed they had actually been aiming at Guzman. Two weeks later, police arrested him in Guatemala and extradited him to Mexico. During his eight-year prison stay, Guzman smuggled in lovers, prostitutes and Viagra, according to accounts published in the Mexican media. After escaping, Guzman expanded his turf by sending in assassin squads with names such as "The Ghosts" and "The Zeta Killers," in reference to the rival Zetas gang. Guzman hid near his childhood home, agents said, but rumours abounded of him visiting expensive restaurants and paying for all the diners. In 2007, Guzman married an 18-year-old beauty queen in an ostentatious ceremony in a village in Durango state. The state's archbishop subsequently caused a media storm when he said that "everyone, except the authorities," knew Guzman was living there. Guzman's bride, Emma Coronel, gave birth to twins in Los Angeles in 2011. She attended nearly every day of her husband's trial in New York, at one point donning a red blazer that matched his own. WAGING WAR Between 2004 and 2013, Guzman's gangs fought in all major Mexican cities on the US border, turning Ciudad Juarez and Nuevo Laredo into some of the world's most dangerous places. In one such attack, 14 bodies were left mutilated under a note that read, "Don't forget that I am your real daddy," signed by "El Chapo." Guzman's Sinaloa cartel often clashed with the Zetas, a gang founded by former Mexican soldiers, arming its crew with rocket-propelled grenades and heavy machine guns. In 2008, hit men working for a rival murdered Guzman's son Edgar, a 22-year-old student. Guzman reportedly left 50,000 flowers at his son's grave. In the 1990s, Guzman became infamous for hiding several tonnes of cocaine in cans of chili peppers. In the following decade, his crew took drugs in tractor-trailer trucks to major US cities, including Phoenix, Los Angeles and Chicago, indictments say. Forbes magazine put the kingpin's wealth at $1 billion, though investigators say it is impossible to know exactly how much he was worth.

The rise and fall of 'El Chapo,' Mexico's most wanted gangster

The world's most infamous cartel boss <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/el-chapo-drugged-and-raped-teenage-girls-witness-claims-194807">Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman</a>, who rose from poverty in rural Mexico to amass billions of dollars, was found guilty in a US court on Tuesday of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a violent, colourful, decades-long career.

Jurors in federal court in Brooklyn convicted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/entertainment/el-chapo-dreamed-of-biopic-for-years-before-capture-says-trial-witness-190401">Guzman</a>, 61, head of the Sinaloa Cartel, on all 10 counts brought by US prosecutors.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/the-rise-and-fall-of-el-chapo-mexicos-most-wanted-gangster-197028">The rise and fall of 'El Chapo,' Mexico's most wanted gangster</a>

Richard Donoghue, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said he expected Guzman to receive life without parole when sentenced on June 25. "It is a sentence from which there is no escape and no return," Donoghue told reporters.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mexican-drug-lord-el-chapo-faces-biggest-us-drugs-trial-175595">Guzman</a>, one of the major figures in Mexican drug wars that have roiled the country since 2006, become almost legendary for escaping from Mexican high-security jails twice and avoiding massive manhunts. He cultivated a Robin Hood image among the poor in his home state of Sinaloa.

Guzman sat and showed no emotion while the verdict was read. Once the jury left the room, he and his wife Emma Coronel, put their hands to their hearts and gave each other the thumbs up sign. His wife shed tears.

Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was extradited to the United States for trial in 2017 after he was arrested in Mexico the year before.

Though other high-ranking cartel figures had been extradited previously, Guzman was the first to go to trial instead of pleading guilty.

The 11-week trial, with testimony from more than 50 witnesses, offered an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the Sinaloa Cartel, named for the state in northwestern Mexico where Guzman was born in a poor mountain village.

The US government said Guzman trafficked tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States over more than two decades, consolidating his power in Mexico through murders and wars with rival cartels.

Small in stature, Guzman's smuggling exploits, the violence he used and the sheer size of his illicit business made Guzman the world's most notorious drug baron since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was shot dead by police in 1993.

Guzman's lawyers say he was set up as a “fall guy” by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a powerful drug lord from Sinaloa who remains at large.

Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for Guzman, told reporters after the verdict that the defence faced an uphill fight, given the amount of evidence the government presented, and the widespread perception that Guzman was already guilty.

"This was a case that was literally an avalanche, avalanche of evidence," Lichtman said. "Of course we're going to appeal."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/el-chapos-hometown-sceptical-much-will-change-after-verdict-197062">El Chapo's hometown sceptical much will change after </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/el-chapos-hometown-sceptical-much-will-change-after-verdict-197062">verdict</a>

DRUG WARS

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was elected last year after promising a change to the deadly military-led war against drug gangs, suggesting a negotiated peace and amnesty for non-violent drug dealers, traffickers and farmers.

The most detailed evidence against Guzman came from more than a dozen former associates who struck deals to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors.

They told jurors how the Sinaloa Cartel gained power in the 1990s, eventually coming to control almost the entire Pacific coast of Mexico.

Guzman made a name for himself in the 1980s by building cross-border tunnels that allowed him to move cocaine from Mexico into the United States faster than anyone else.

The witnesses, who included some of Guzman's top lieutenants, a communications engineer and a onetime mistress, described how he built a sophisticated organization reminiscent of a multinational corporation.

He sent drugs northward with fleets of planes and boats, and had detailed accounting ledgers and an encrypted electronic communication system run through secret computer servers in Canada, the court heard.

Guzman's attempt to take territory from a rival cartel was one of the main reasons for an explosion of drug violence in Mexico. The government has registered more than 250,000 homicides since it launched an aggressive war on cartels in 2006. A report by the US Congressional Research Service last year estimated 150,000 of those deaths were tied to organised crime.

A former bodyguard testified that he watched Guzman kill three rival drug cartel members, including one victim who he shot and then ordered to be buried even as he was still gasping for air.

US District Judge Brian Cogan told the jurors after the verdict that it was up to them to decide to talk to the media, but that he would advise against it. “Once that door is open, it can’t be closed again,” he said.&nbsp;

Estimates of how much money Guzman made from drugs vary. In 2009, Forbes Magazine put him on its list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated $1 billion. It later dropped him from the list, saying it was too difficult to quantify his assets.

The US Justice Department said in 2017 it sought forfeiture of more than $14 billion in drug proceeds and illicit profits from Guzman.

The most shocking allegation of corruption during the trial came from Guzman's former top aide Alex Cifuentes, who accused former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto of taking a $100 million bribe from Guzman. A spokesman for the ex-president has denied the claim.

In one of the trial's final days, Guzman told the judge he would not testify in his own defence. The same day, he grinned broadly at audience member Alejandro Edda, the Mexican actor who plays Guzman in the Netflix drama "Narcos."

Despite his ties to government officials, Guzman often lived on the run. Imprisoned in Mexico in 1993, he escaped in 2001 hidden in a laundry cart and spent the following years moving from one hideout to another in the mountains of Sinaloa, guarded by a private army.

He was seized again in 2014, but pulled off his best known escape the following year when he disappeared into a tunnel dug into his cell in a maximum security prison.

But the Mexican government says he blew his cover through a series of slip ups, including an attempt to make a movie about his life. He was finally recaptured in January 2016.

Despite Guzman's downfall, the Sinaloa Cartel still has the biggest US distribution presence of Mexican cartels, followed by the fast-growing Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration.

Together, they are the biggest producers of drugs sold on US streets.

The world's most infamous cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who rose from poverty in rural Mexico to amass billions of dollars, was found guilty in a US court on Tuesday of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a violent, colourful, decades-long career.

The world's most infamous cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, who rose from poverty in rural Mexico to amass billions of dollars, was found guilty in a US court on Tuesday of smuggling tons of drugs to the United States over a violent, colourful, decades-long career. Jurors in federal court in Brooklyn convicted Guzman, 61, head of the Sinaloa Cartel, on all 10 counts brought by US prosecutors. Also read: The rise and fall of 'El Chapo,' Mexico's most wanted gangster Richard Donoghue, the US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said he expected Guzman to receive life without parole when sentenced on June 25. "It is a sentence from which there is no escape and no return," Donoghue told reporters. Guzman, one of the major figures in Mexican drug wars that have roiled the country since 2006, become almost legendary for escaping from Mexican high-security jails twice and avoiding massive manhunts. He cultivated a Robin Hood image among the poor in his home state of Sinaloa. Guzman sat and showed no emotion while the verdict was read. Once the jury left the room, he and his wife Emma Coronel, put their hands to their hearts and gave each other the thumbs up sign. His wife shed tears. Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was extradited to the United States for trial in 2017 after he was arrested in Mexico the year before. Though other high-ranking cartel figures had been extradited previously, Guzman was the first to go to trial instead of pleading guilty. The 11-week trial, with testimony from more than 50 witnesses, offered an unprecedented look at the inner workings of the Sinaloa Cartel, named for the state in northwestern Mexico where Guzman was born in a poor mountain village. The US government said Guzman trafficked tons of cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine into the United States over more than two decades, consolidating his power in Mexico through murders and wars with rival cartels. Small in stature, Guzman's smuggling exploits, the violence he used and the sheer size of his illicit business made Guzman the world's most notorious drug baron since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was shot dead by police in 1993. Guzman's lawyers say he was set up as a “fall guy” by Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, a powerful drug lord from Sinaloa who remains at large. Jeffrey Lichtman, a lawyer for Guzman, told reporters after the verdict that the defence faced an uphill fight, given the amount of evidence the government presented, and the widespread perception that Guzman was already guilty. "This was a case that was literally an avalanche, avalanche of evidence," Lichtman said. "Of course we're going to appeal." Also read: El Chapo's hometown sceptical much will change after verdict DRUG WARS President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was elected last year after promising a change to the deadly military-led war against drug gangs, suggesting a negotiated peace and amnesty for non-violent drug dealers, traffickers and farmers. The most detailed evidence against Guzman came from more than a dozen former associates who struck deals to cooperate with U.S. prosecutors. They told jurors how the Sinaloa Cartel gained power in the 1990s, eventually coming to control almost the entire Pacific coast of Mexico. Guzman made a name for himself in the 1980s by building cross-border tunnels that allowed him to move cocaine from Mexico into the United States faster than anyone else. The witnesses, who included some of Guzman's top lieutenants, a communications engineer and a onetime mistress, described how he built a sophisticated organization reminiscent of a multinational corporation. He sent drugs northward with fleets of planes and boats, and had detailed accounting ledgers and an encrypted electronic communication system run through secret computer servers in Canada, the court heard. Guzman's attempt to take territory from a rival cartel was one of the main reasons for an explosion of drug violence in Mexico. The government has registered more than 250,000 homicides since it launched an aggressive war on cartels in 2006. A report by the US Congressional Research Service last year estimated 150,000 of those deaths were tied to organised crime. A former bodyguard testified that he watched Guzman kill three rival drug cartel members, including one victim who he shot and then ordered to be buried even as he was still gasping for air. US District Judge Brian Cogan told the jurors after the verdict that it was up to them to decide to talk to the media, but that he would advise against it. “Once that door is open, it can’t be closed again,” he said. Estimates of how much money Guzman made from drugs vary. In 2009, Forbes Magazine put him on its list of the world’s richest people, with an estimated $1 billion. It later dropped him from the list, saying it was too difficult to quantify his assets. The US Justice Department said in 2017 it sought forfeiture of more than $14 billion in drug proceeds and illicit profits from Guzman. The most shocking allegation of corruption during the trial came from Guzman's former top aide Alex Cifuentes, who accused former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto of taking a $100 million bribe from Guzman. A spokesman for the ex-president has denied the claim. In one of the trial's final days, Guzman told the judge he would not testify in his own defence. The same day, he grinned broadly at audience member Alejandro Edda, the Mexican actor who plays Guzman in the Netflix drama "Narcos." Despite his ties to government officials, Guzman often lived on the run. Imprisoned in Mexico in 1993, he escaped in 2001 hidden in a laundry cart and spent the following years moving from one hideout to another in the mountains of Sinaloa, guarded by a private army. He was seized again in 2014, but pulled off his best known escape the following year when he disappeared into a tunnel dug into his cell in a maximum security prison. But the Mexican government says he blew his cover through a series of slip ups, including an attempt to make a movie about his life. He was finally recaptured in January 2016. Despite Guzman's downfall, the Sinaloa Cartel still has the biggest US distribution presence of Mexican cartels, followed by the fast-growing Jalisco New Generation Cartel, according to the US Drug Enforcement Administration. Together, they are the biggest producers of drugs sold on US streets.

Drug lord, escape artist 'El Chapo' convicted by US jury

Gravitas: A look back at the life of drug boss 'El Chapo' Guzman

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

"Let's see, the children, are they reporters?" the president asked upon giving the floor to the two children, who were sitting in the second row at his daily morning press conference wearing blue t-shirts with the Radioaventureros (Radio-adventurers) logo.

Fernando, 12, confirmed to the president that he is a reporter and that he has spent two years investigating the increasing disappearances of children around the country, so he questioned the president on the government's strategy to stop the problem.

Lopez Obrador called the number of disappearances in the country - 40,000 in the last 10 years - a horror that "should never happen again" and said that he will not allow "the state to disappear any human being" or for any "criminal gang" to exist.

"We all have to take care (of each other), as you do, and I congratulate you for making sure that there are no (more) disappearances," the president told the two young reporters.

Earlier this week, high-level officials in Lopez Obrador's administration unveiled a plan to try to find the 40,000 people listed as missing.

The goal is to work with relatives of the missing and non-governmental organizations to design the general guidelines and public policies for conducting searches, locating and identifying missing persons, as well as preventing, investigating and punishing those responsible for disappearances, Government Undersecretary for Human Rights Alejandro Encinas said Monday.

Fernando's colleague, Eitan, thanked the president for answering the questions and asked him about the government's strategy to prevent "many young people with brilliant minds" from leaving Mexico to look for opportunities abroad.

"The scholarship program will be improved for those who study for Masters degrees, doctorates. For those who are dedicated to scientific research, to innovation. They will have broad possibilities so that they can contribute their knowledge to the development of the country," Lopez Obrador said.

On that subject, he recalled that he appointed a scientist, Maria Elena Alvarez-Buylla, as head of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), a post that was previously occupied by "professionals who did not necessarily have specializations."

Conacyt, whose mission is promoting scientific and technological development, works closely with Mexican academic institutions to encourage and facilitate the work of budding scientists.

On its website, Radioaventureros is defined as "children's radio made by children for children." At the station, interviews have been conducted with personalities such as acclaimed Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska.

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. "Let's see, the children, are they reporters?

Two cub reporters who work for a children-oriented radio station got the chance on Thursday to ask questions of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. "Let's see, the children, are they reporters?" the president asked upon giving the floor to the two children, who were sitting in the second row at his daily morning press conference wearing blue t-shirts with the Radioaventureros (Radio-adventurers) logo. Fernando, 12, confirmed to the president that he is a reporter and that he has spent two years investigating the increasing disappearances of children around the country, so he questioned the president on the government's strategy to stop the problem. Lopez Obrador called the number of disappearances in the country - 40,000 in the last 10 years - a horror that "should never happen again" and said that he will not allow "the state to disappear any human being" or for any "criminal gang" to exist. "We all have to take care (of each other), as you do, and I congratulate you for making sure that there are no (more) disappearances," the president told the two young reporters. Earlier this week, high-level officials in Lopez Obrador's administration unveiled a plan to try to find the 40,000 people listed as missing. The goal is to work with relatives of the missing and non-governmental organizations to design the general guidelines and public policies for conducting searches, locating and identifying missing persons, as well as preventing, investigating and punishing those responsible for disappearances, Government Undersecretary for Human Rights Alejandro Encinas said Monday. Fernando's colleague, Eitan, thanked the president for answering the questions and asked him about the government's strategy to prevent "many young people with brilliant minds" from leaving Mexico to look for opportunities abroad. "The scholarship program will be improved for those who study for Masters degrees, doctorates. For those who are dedicated to scientific research, to innovation. They will have broad possibilities so that they can contribute their knowledge to the development of the country," Lopez Obrador said. On that subject, he recalled that he appointed a scientist, Maria Elena Alvarez-Buylla, as head of the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), a post that was previously occupied by "professionals who did not necessarily have specializations." Conacyt, whose mission is promoting scientific and technological development, works closely with Mexican academic institutions to encourage and facilitate the work of budding scientists. On its website, Radioaventureros is defined as "children's radio made by children for children." At the station, interviews have been conducted with personalities such as acclaimed Mexican writer and journalist Elena Poniatowska.

We all have to take care, Mexico President tells cub reporters on 40,000 disappearances

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/trump-hardens-stance-on-mexico-border-says-15000-troops-could-be-sent-174771">Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis</a>.

Most of the 118 National Guard troops deployed in the state will be withdrawn, Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement late Tuesday. She called Trump's frequent declarations of an immigration crisis at the border a "charade."

The troops had been deployed by her Republican predecessor, Susana Martinez, last year at the request of Trump, also a Republican.

A small, though unspecified, number of troops will remain in place to help with the "humanitarian needs" of communities near the border and vulnerable migrants arriving at the border, Lujan Grisham said.

"We will support our neighbours where the need for assistance is great, and we will offer a helping hand when we can to those vulnerable people who arrive at our border, but New Mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops," her statement said.

Trump's promise to build a wall on the border, with construction paid for by Mexico, was a key message of his 2016 campaign. Mexico has refused to fund the project and Congress rejected Trump's demands for $5.7 billion in funding for the project. That triggered a 35-day partial US government shutdown, the longest in the nation's history.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis.

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has ordered most of the National Guard troops deployed at the state's border with Mexico to withdraw, rejecting US President Donald Trump's contention there was a border crisis. Most of the 118 National Guard troops deployed in the state will be withdrawn, Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, said in a statement late Tuesday. She called Trump's frequent declarations of an immigration crisis at the border a "charade." The troops had been deployed by her Republican predecessor, Susana Martinez, last year at the request of Trump, also a Republican. A small, though unspecified, number of troops will remain in place to help with the "humanitarian needs" of communities near the border and vulnerable migrants arriving at the border, Lujan Grisham said. "We will support our neighbours where the need for assistance is great, and we will offer a helping hand when we can to those vulnerable people who arrive at our border, but New Mexico will not take part in the president's charade of border fear-mongering by misusing our diligent National Guard troops," her statement said. Trump's promise to build a wall on the border, with construction paid for by Mexico, was a key message of his 2016 campaign. Mexico has refused to fund the project and Congress rejected Trump's demands for $5.7 billion in funding for the project. That triggered a 35-day partial US government shutdown, the longest in the nation's history.

In defiance of Trump, New Mexico governor pulls National Guard troops from US-Mexico border

Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said.

The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.

It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar.

Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori.

Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating.

Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country's media, according to Reporters Without Borders.

The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico.

Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said. The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada.

Two Afghan journalists were killed on Tuesday night when gunmen entered a radio station and opened fire, authorities said. The presenter and reporter, both males in their 20s, died at the scene, said Semin Hussaini, director of Radio Hamsada. It was not known if they were on air at the time and both police and Hussaini said they no idea of the motive for the attack in Taloqan, capital of the northern province of Takhar. Theirs was the second killing of journalists in Afghanistan this year. Last month the Taliban kidnapped and later killed government worker and part-time journalist Javid Noori. Jawad Hejri, spokesman for the Takhar governor, said the gunmen fled without being identified and police were investigating. Taliban and other Islamist insurgents have repeatedly targeted Afghan journalists, killing 15 in 2018, the deadliest year yet for the country's media, according to Reporters Without Borders. The Paris-based media rights group said the three most dangerous countries for journalists to work in were Afghanistan, Syria and Mexico.

Two Afghan journalists killed as gunmen open fire in radio station

The death toll from a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/death-toll-from-mexico-pipeline-blast-stands-at-100-192621">fiery pipeline explosion in central Mexico</a> last month reached 125, the government announced Sunday.

Another 22 people remain in hospital, many of them with burns covering at least 80 per cent of their bodies, the social security office IMSS reported.

On January 18, the fuel-line in Hidalgo state was deliberately punctured, drawing hundreds of people looking to gather gasoline before it ignited.

The disaster occurred as the government wages a huge effort to clamp down on fuel theft, which costs Mexico an estimated three billion dollars in 2017.

So-called "huachicol" — as the stolen fuel is known in Mexico — costs about half of the market price.&nbsp;

Mexico is regularly rocked by deadly explosions at illegal pipeline taps, a dangerous but lucrative business whose players include powerful drug cartels and corrupt Pemex insiders.

The death toll from a fiery pipeline explosion in central Mexico last month reached 125, the government announced Sunday. Another 22 people remain in hospital, many of them with burns covering at least 80 per cent of their bodies, the social security office IMSS reported.

The death toll from a fiery pipeline explosion in central Mexico last month reached 125, the government announced Sunday. Another 22 people remain in hospital, many of them with burns covering at least 80 per cent of their bodies, the social security office IMSS reported. On January 18, the fuel-line in Hidalgo state was deliberately punctured, drawing hundreds of people looking to gather gasoline before it ignited. The disaster occurred as the government wages a huge effort to clamp down on fuel theft, which costs Mexico an estimated three billion dollars in 2017. So-called "huachicol" — as the stolen fuel is known in Mexico — costs about half of the market price. Mexico is regularly rocked by deadly explosions at illegal pipeline taps, a dangerous but lucrative business whose players include powerful drug cartels and corrupt Pemex insiders.

Mexico fuel theft tragedy death toll rises to 125

The United States will send an additional 3,750 troops to its frontier with <a href="http://www.wionews.com/opinions/mexico-is-bleeding-can-its-new-president-stop-the-violence-193818">Mexico</a>, the Pentagon said on Sunday, as President Donald Trump doubled down on his call for a wall to boost border security.

Soldiers were originally deployed to the border under an order President Donald Trump gave before midterm elections in November as <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-delays-returning-asylum-seekers-to-mexico-192849">"caravans" of migrants </a>made their way to the border to seek asylum from violence and poverty in their own countries.

But the mission, under which troops assist civilian border patrol agents by providing logistical support and installing concertina-wire fencing, has been described by opponents as a political stunt designed to create the illusion of a crisis.&nbsp;

"The Department of Defense will deploy approximately 3,750 additional US forces to provide the additional support to CBP (Customs and Border Protection) at the southwest border that Acting Secretary of Defense (Pat) Shanahan approved Jan. 11," a statement said.

This additional deployment is for three months, the statement added and will bring to 4,350 the total number of troops at the border.

Their tasks will include "a mobile surveillance capability through the end of September 2019, as well as the emplacement of approximately 150 miles of concertina wire between ports of entry."

The news comes ahead of a February 15 deadline that President Donald Trump set for Congress to agree on funding for building a border wall which he made a key pledge in his election campaign.

The president says that existing sections of walls should be extended along the border to stop what he describes as an uncontrolled invasion of criminals.

Trump underscored these claims Sunday. "With Caravans marching through Mexico and toward our Country, Republicans must be prepared to do whatever is necessary for STRONG Border Security," he tweeted.&nbsp;

"Dems do nothing. If there is no Wall, there is no Security. Human Trafficking, Drugs and Criminals of all dimensions - KEEP OUT!"

Democrats, who control the lower house, have repeatedly rejected Trump's funding demands, saying that he has made the wall project a political crusade to demonize immigrants and to satisfy his base.

He previously tried to pressure Congress into backing his idea by refusing to sign off on budgets for swathes of the federal government, leading to a five-week shutdown of some 800,000 government jobs.

The border troop deployment was one of several issues on which Trump and former defence secretary Jim Mattis disagreed before he quit in December after Trump's shock decision to pull troops from Syria.

The United States will send an additional 3,750 troops to its frontier with Mexico, the Pentagon said on Sunday, as President Donald Trump doubled down on his call for a wall to boost border security.

The United States will send an additional 3,750 troops to its frontier with Mexico, the Pentagon said on Sunday, as President Donald Trump doubled down on his call for a wall to boost border security. Soldiers were originally deployed to the border under an order President Donald Trump gave before midterm elections in November as "caravans" of migrants made their way to the border to seek asylum from violence and poverty in their own countries. But the mission, under which troops assist civilian border patrol agents by providing logistical support and installing concertina-wire fencing, has been described by opponents as a political stunt designed to create the illusion of a crisis. "The Department of Defense will deploy approximately 3,750 additional US forces to provide the additional support to CBP (Customs and Border Protection) at the southwest border that Acting Secretary of Defense (Pat) Shanahan approved Jan. 11," a statement said. This additional deployment is for three months, the statement added and will bring to 4,350 the total number of troops at the border. Their tasks will include "a mobile surveillance capability through the end of September 2019, as well as the emplacement of approximately 150 miles of concertina wire between ports of entry." The news comes ahead of a February 15 deadline that President Donald Trump set for Congress to agree on funding for building a border wall which he made a key pledge in his election campaign. The president says that existing sections of walls should be extended along the border to stop what he describes as an uncontrolled invasion of criminals. Trump underscored these claims Sunday. "With Caravans marching through Mexico and toward our Country, Republicans must be prepared to do whatever is necessary for STRONG Border Security," he tweeted. "Dems do nothing. If there is no Wall, there is no Security. Human Trafficking, Drugs and Criminals of all dimensions - KEEP OUT!" Democrats, who control the lower house, have repeatedly rejected Trump's funding demands, saying that he has made the wall project a political crusade to demonize immigrants and to satisfy his base. He previously tried to pressure Congress into backing his idea by refusing to sign off on budgets for swathes of the federal government, leading to a five-week shutdown of some 800,000 government jobs. The border troop deployment was one of several issues on which Trump and former defence secretary Jim Mattis disagreed before he quit in December after Trump's shock decision to pull troops from Syria.

US to send 3,750 more troops to Mexico border: Pentagon

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez

Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest.

Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels.

Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians.

More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war.

Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.”

He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials.

Finding the truth

Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1.

So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies.

In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate.

Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though.

Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014.

Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive.

According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies.

Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students.

In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance.

A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation.

The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do.

Transitional justice

Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship.

Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid.

Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war.

But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise.

Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime.

Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico.

As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government.

Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then.

If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished.

Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico.

Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis.

As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system.

Pardoning low level crimes

Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders.

The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm.

Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders.

Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years.

Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly.

As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group.

What lies ahead

Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial.

Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive".

Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness.

But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding.

Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need.

*(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/mexico-is-bleeding-can-its-new-president-stop-the-violence-109490">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began.

*By Angelica Duran-Martinez Nearly 34,000 people were murdered in Mexico last year, according to new government statistics - the deadliest year since modern record-keeping began. Of all the challenges facing Mexico's new president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, curbing violence may be the biggest. Mexico has seen ever-growing bloodshed since 2006, when President Felipe Calderon deployed the Mexican armed forces to fight drug cartels. Rather than reduce violence, the government’s crackdown actually increased conflicts between and among cartels, according to my research on criminal violence and numerous other studies. It also led to widespread military abuses of power against civilians. More than 250,000 people have been murdered and 35,000 have disappeared since the beginning of Mexico’s drug war. Lopez Obrador said on the campaign trail that Mexico must “consider multiple alternatives to achieve the pacification of the country.” He pitched several possibilities to reduce crime without using law enforcement, including granting amnesty to low-level criminals, negotiating with crime bosses to dismantle their syndicates and confronting the human rights violations committed by soldiers, police and public officials. Finding the truth Some of those ideas - particularly the controversial notion of negotiating with organized crime - have faded away since Lopez Obrador took office on December 1. So far, his administration has put more emphasis on traditional law-and-order policies. In December, he ordered the creation of a Mexican national guard to fight organized crime. Though human rights advocates and security experts fear this approach will repeat past fatal mistakes of militarizing Mexican law enforcement, the lower house of Congress recently approved the measure. It will likely be approved in the Senate. Lopez Obrador has followed through on one of his campaign proposals for "pacifying" Mexico, though. Days after being sworn in, the president established a truth commission to investigate the unsolved disappearance of 43 students from the Ayotzinapa teachers college in the southern Mexican town of Iguala in 2014. Five years after their disappearance, the truth of this infamous case remains elusive. According to the government of former president Enrique Pena Nieto, the crime was a local affair. Students en route to a protest march in Mexico City were detained by the Iguala police, and, at the mayor's order, handed over to a local gang, which killed them and burned their bodies. Investigators from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights could not corroborate this story. In the burn pit identified in 2016, they found no physical evidence of the missing students. In a scathing final report, investigators said that authorities had ignored crucial evidence that the army and federal police were involved in the students’ disappearance. A truth commission will help Mexicans "understand the truth and do justice to the young people of Ayotzinapa," Lopez Obrador said on Twitter in announcing its creation. The Ayotzinapa truth commission will put extraordinary resources and personnel on the case and give the victims’ families and perpetrators a voice in the process - neither of which police investigations in Mexico typically do. Transitional justice Truth commissions aim to create a collective, participatory narrative of human rights atrocities that not only exposes the perpetrators but also identifies the conditions that facilitated violence. They are a central component of transitional justice, an approach to helping countries recover after civil war or dictatorship. Countries like Argentina, Guatemala, Brazil and Peru all used truth commissions to reckon with the toll of their bloody dictatorships and wars and give reparations to victims. South Africa famously used a truth commission to document the horrific human rights violations committed under apartheid. Mexico's situation is different: It has a criminal violence problem, not a civil war. But my research indicates this pacification strategy may have some promise. Recent studies suggest that truth commissions can actually help prevent future violence. Because they identify perpetrators, who then face punishment for their crimes, truth commissions can both take criminals off the street and deter others from committing crime. Holding public officials responsible for their corruption would be a major achievement in Mexico. As the US federal trial of drug trafficker Joaquin "Chapo" Guzman illustrates, corruption penetrates the highest levels of Mexican government. Since the beginning of its drug war, in 2006, Mexican citizens have filed 10,000 complaints of abuse against soldiers, including accusations of extrajudicial killings and torture. The government has done little to look into those allegations. Nor has it actively investigated most of the murders of 97 Mexican journalists since then. If an Ayotzinapa truth commission enjoys the full support of federal authorities - which is not a guarantee, given the corruption it will almost certainly uncover - it could restore some faith in Mexico’s justice system. Currently, 97 percent of all crimes go unpunished. Focusing on truth may also help the country better understand - and therefore address - the root causes of violence in Mexico. Truth commissions, however, will not immediately solve an incredibly complex security crisis. As Amnesty International has said, the Mexican government cannot create a truth commission to investigate every mass atrocity of the drug war. Mexico also needs a functioning justice system. Pardoning low level crimes Another transitional justice tool the Lopez Obrador government has proposed is amnesty to non-violent, low-level drug offenders. The president's chief-of-staff, Olga Sanchez Cordero, says that pardoning people convicted and jailed for growing, processing, transporting or using drugs - particularly women and offenders from marginalized populations - would stop the cycle of violence in Mexico and encourage petty criminals to disarm. Mexico's amnesty proposal is not unlike the First Step Act recently passed in the United States, which will result in the early release of about 2,600 prisoners, many of them drug offenders. Mexico’s prison population has been steadily rising for years. Between 2000 and 2016, it increased 40 per cent, from 154,765 inmates to 217,868 inmates, according to the Institute of Criminal Policy Research. The number of people jailed in Mexico for drug offenders has also increased markedly. As in the United States, most prisoners in Mexico come from economically and socially disadvantaged backgrounds, according to the Collective for the Study of Drugs and Law, a non-profit research group. What lies ahead Should Lopez Obrador's amnesty idea become policy, it would surely be controversial. Victims of violence in Ciudad Juarez were outraged when, in August 2018, President-elect Lopez Obrador said residents must be "willing to forgive". Many caught in the crossfire of Mexico's drug war say justice and punishment should come before forgiveness. But violence in Mexico is so pervasive that, in my opinion, the country must consider every option that might stanch the bleeding. Truth commissions and amnesties to low level crimes will not pacify the country immediately - but they may bring some of the truth and justice Mexicans so desperately need. *(Angelica Duran-Martinez is Assistant Professor of Political Science at University of Massachusetts Lowell) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Mexico is bleeding. Can its new President stop the violence?

Ten members of rival civilian self-defence groups were killed in a gun battle in the Mexican state of Guerrero, a local security official said late Sunday.

Guerrero, located on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, is one of the country's most violent regions, where rump groups of criminals belonging to defeated but once powerful drug cartels fight to control lucrative drug smuggling routes.

In response, armed civilian vigilante groups have emerged in an attempt to maintain peace.

"Members of two groups of armed civilian groups that call themselves community (self-defence) police faced off in a gun battle on Sunday," said Roberto Alvarez, the regional head of security.

After the clash state police found "two vehicles that showed multiple bullet impacts and inside the lifeless bodies of ten people," Alvarez said.

The statement did not say how many people were found in each vehicle, or which groups the victims belonged to.

Drug-related violence has resulted in some 200,000 deaths in Mexico since December 2006, according to official figures.

Ten members of rival civilian self-defence groups were killed in a gun battle in the Mexican state of Guerrero, a local security official said late Sunday. Guerrero, located on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, is one of the country's most violent regions, where rump groups of criminals belonging to defeated but once powerful drug cartels fight to control lucrative drug smuggling routes.

Ten members of rival civilian self-defence groups were killed in a gun battle in the Mexican state of Guerrero, a local security official said late Sunday. Guerrero, located on Mexico's southern Pacific coast, is one of the country's most violent regions, where rump groups of criminals belonging to defeated but once powerful drug cartels fight to control lucrative drug smuggling routes. In response, armed civilian vigilante groups have emerged in an attempt to maintain peace. "Members of two groups of armed civilian groups that call themselves community (self-defence) police faced off in a gun battle on Sunday," said Roberto Alvarez, the regional head of security. After the clash state police found "two vehicles that showed multiple bullet impacts and inside the lifeless bodies of ten people," Alvarez said. The statement did not say how many people were found in each vehicle, or which groups the victims belonged to. Drug-related violence has resulted in some 200,000 deaths in Mexico since December 2006, according to official figures.

Ten killed in clash of Mexican self-defence forces

The United States has delayed its plan to send asylum seekers back to Mexico while their claims are processed, as the Mexican government said Friday it <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-disagrees-with-us-returning-asylum-seekers-192837">"disagrees" with the policy</a>.

US and Mexican officials had said President Donald Trump's controversial "Remain in Mexico" policy would be put into effect Friday at noon with the return of 20 Central Americans at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego, California and the Mexican city of Tijuana.

However, no asylum seekers had been sent back by Friday evening, said an AFP correspondent at the border, and Mexican authorities said the program had been delayed.

A Mexican immigration official in Tijuana, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first returns had been pushed back, possibly to Monday or later.

"It's not that simple. It's a very delicate migration situation," the source told AFP.

"These are migrants who have a court date with a judge (to seek asylum), which means US authorities have accepted that their lives could actually be in danger. If anything happens to them in Mexico, their families could sue the US government for failing to protect them."

Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Roberto Velasco said the Mexican government was not happy with the new policy, but would accept the migrants for "humanitarian" reasons.

"The Mexican government disagrees with the unilateral measure implemented by the United States government. However... we reiterate our commitment to migrants and human rights," Velasco told a news conference.

Mexico will give returnees humanitarian visas that allow them to stay in the country temporarily while they await their court dates in the US, he said.

The US plans to continue presenting 20 people a day at San Ysidro, and eventually extend the policy to other points along the 3,145-kilometer (2,000-mile) border, Velasco said.

Fighting 'catch and release'&nbsp;

Announced last year, the policy is meant to stop what Trump calls "catch and release" -- allowing migrants who cross the border without papers and claim asylum to leave detention and remain in the United States while their cases are processed.

The US Department of Homeland Security says it is facing a "humanitarian and security crisis" on the southern border, caused by a broken immigration system "exploited by smugglers, traffickers, and those who have no legal right to remain in the United States."

It says at least 80 percent of asylum claims are without merit -- mostly by poor refugees from violence-wracked Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Many of them never show up for their court hearings, department officials say.

The system is badly backlogged, with 800,000 asylum requests currently pending.

But the "Remain in Mexico" plan -- which Homeland Security has since rebranded the "Migrant Protection Protocols" -- has been sharply criticized by opponents on both sides of the border.

Migrants have been tortured, raped and killed in Mexico's often violent border regions, and the new policy violates the right of people whose lives are genuinely at risk to seek asylum in the US, activists say.

The new policy "is not only unlawful but could lead to dire and catastrophic consequences for those who are seeking to access the asylum process in the United States, a right which is enshrined in both domestic and international law," Katie Shepherd, a lawyer at the American Immigration Council, told AFP.

Authorities in Tijuana said the returnees would initially be housed in a government-run shelter.

Mexico will not accept unaccompanied minors, people with health problems or those who have appealed a rejected asylum claim, said Velasco.

The policy limbo came as Trump announced a deal to reopen the US government after a record five-week shutdown triggered by his fight with Congress over funding for a border wall, which he says is the only way to stop illegal immigration.

The deal with opposition Democrats does not include funding for the wall.

The United States has delayed its plan to send asylum seekers back to Mexico while their claims are processed, as the Mexican government said Friday it "disagrees" with the policy.

The United States has delayed its plan to send asylum seekers back to Mexico while their claims are processed, as the Mexican government said Friday it "disagrees" with the policy. US and Mexican officials had said President Donald Trump's controversial "Remain in Mexico" policy would be put into effect Friday at noon with the return of 20 Central Americans at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego, California and the Mexican city of Tijuana. However, no asylum seekers had been sent back by Friday evening, said an AFP correspondent at the border, and Mexican authorities said the program had been delayed. A Mexican immigration official in Tijuana, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first returns had been pushed back, possibly to Monday or later. "It's not that simple. It's a very delicate migration situation," the source told AFP. "These are migrants who have a court date with a judge (to seek asylum), which means US authorities have accepted that their lives could actually be in danger. If anything happens to them in Mexico, their families could sue the US government for failing to protect them." Earlier, foreign ministry spokesman Roberto Velasco said the Mexican government was not happy with the new policy, but would accept the migrants for "humanitarian" reasons. "The Mexican government disagrees with the unilateral measure implemented by the United States government. However... we reiterate our commitment to migrants and human rights," Velasco told a news conference. Mexico will give returnees humanitarian visas that allow them to stay in the country temporarily while they await their court dates in the US, he said. The US plans to continue presenting 20 people a day at San Ysidro, and eventually extend the policy to other points along the 3,145-kilometer (2,000-mile) border, Velasco said. Fighting 'catch and release' Announced last year, the policy is meant to stop what Trump calls "catch and release" -- allowing migrants who cross the border without papers and claim asylum to leave detention and remain in the United States while their cases are processed. The US Department of Homeland Security says it is facing a "humanitarian and security crisis" on the southern border, caused by a broken immigration system "exploited by smugglers, traffickers, and those who have no legal right to remain in the United States." It says at least 80 percent of asylum claims are without merit -- mostly by poor refugees from violence-wracked Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Many of them never show up for their court hearings, department officials say. The system is badly backlogged, with 800,000 asylum requests currently pending. But the "Remain in Mexico" plan -- which Homeland Security has since rebranded the "Migrant Protection Protocols" -- has been sharply criticized by opponents on both sides of the border. Migrants have been tortured, raped and killed in Mexico's often violent border regions, and the new policy violates the right of people whose lives are genuinely at risk to seek asylum in the US, activists say. The new policy "is not only unlawful but could lead to dire and catastrophic consequences for those who are seeking to access the asylum process in the United States, a right which is enshrined in both domestic and international law," Katie Shepherd, a lawyer at the American Immigration Council, told AFP. Authorities in Tijuana said the returnees would initially be housed in a government-run shelter. Mexico will not accept unaccompanied minors, people with health problems or those who have appealed a rejected asylum claim, said Velasco. The policy limbo came as Trump announced a deal to reopen the US government after a record five-week shutdown triggered by his fight with Congress over funding for a border wall, which he says is the only way to stop illegal immigration. The deal with opposition Democrats does not include funding for the wall.

US delays returning asylum seekers to Mexico

Mexico said Friday it "disagrees" with the United States's new policy of returning asylum seekers back across the border while their cases are processed, but will accept them for "humanitarian" reasons.

Speaking as the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-to-begin-returning-asylum-seekers-to-mexico-192617">US prepared to send the first asylum seekers</a> back across the border, foreign ministry spokesman Roberto Velasco said Mexico had not contributed to President Donald Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy.

"The Mexican government disagrees with the unilateral measure implemented by the United States government. However... we reiterate our commitment to migrants and human rights," Velasco told a news conference.

He said the US embassy in Mexico had informed local authorities the policy would begin within hours with the return of 20 Central American asylum seekers at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego, California and the Mexican city of Tijuana.

The US will continue presenting 20 people a day at that crossing, and eventually extend the policy to other points along the 3,145-kilometre (2,000-mile) border, he said.

Announced in December, the policy is meant to stop what Trump calls "catch and release" -- allowing migrants who cross the border without papers and claim asylum to leave detention and remain in the United States while their cases are processed.

The US Department of Homeland Security says at least 80 per cent of asylum claims are without merit -- mostly by poor refugees from violence-wracked Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.

Many of them never show up for their court hearings, department officials say.

The system is badly backlogged, with 800,000 asylum requests currently pending.

But the "Remain in Mexico" plan has been sharply criticized by opponents on both sides of the border.

Migrants have been tortured, raped and killed in Mexico's often violent border regions, and the new policy violates their right to seek asylum in the US, activists say.

The new policy "is not only unlawful but could lead to dire and catastrophic consequences for those who are seeking to access the asylum process in the United States, a right which is enshrined in both domestic and international law," Katie Shepherd, a lawyer at the American Immigration Council, told AFP.

Mexico said it would give returnees humanitarian visas that would allow them to remain in the country temporarily while they await their court dates in the US.

Authorities in Tijuana said they would initially be housed in a government-run shelter.

Mexico will not accept unaccompanied minors, people with health problems or those who have appealed a rejected asylum claim, said Velasco.

Trump announced a deal Friday to reopen the US government after a record five-week shutdown triggered by his fight with Congress over funding for a border wall, which he says is the only way to stop illegal immigration.

The deal with opposition Democrats does not include funding for the wall. Mexico 'disagrees' with US returning asylum seekers

Mexico said Friday it "disagrees" with the United States's new policy of returning asylum seekers back across the border while their cases are processed, but will accept them for "humanitarian" reasons.

Mexico said Friday it "disagrees" with the United States's new policy of returning asylum seekers back across the border while their cases are processed, but will accept them for "humanitarian" reasons. Speaking as the US prepared to send the first asylum seekers back across the border, foreign ministry spokesman Roberto Velasco said Mexico had not contributed to President Donald Trump's "Remain in Mexico" policy. "The Mexican government disagrees with the unilateral measure implemented by the United States government. However... we reiterate our commitment to migrants and human rights," Velasco told a news conference. He said the US embassy in Mexico had informed local authorities the policy would begin within hours with the return of 20 Central American asylum seekers at the San Ysidro border crossing between San Diego, California and the Mexican city of Tijuana. The US will continue presenting 20 people a day at that crossing, and eventually extend the policy to other points along the 3,145-kilometre (2,000-mile) border, he said. Announced in December, the policy is meant to stop what Trump calls "catch and release" -- allowing migrants who cross the border without papers and claim asylum to leave detention and remain in the United States while their cases are processed. The US Department of Homeland Security says at least 80 per cent of asylum claims are without merit -- mostly by poor refugees from violence-wracked Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Many of them never show up for their court hearings, department officials say. The system is badly backlogged, with 800,000 asylum requests currently pending. But the "Remain in Mexico" plan has been sharply criticized by opponents on both sides of the border. Migrants have been tortured, raped and killed in Mexico's often violent border regions, and the new policy violates their right to seek asylum in the US, activists say. The new policy "is not only unlawful but could lead to dire and catastrophic consequences for those who are seeking to access the asylum process in the United States, a right which is enshrined in both domestic and international law," Katie Shepherd, a lawyer at the American Immigration Council, told AFP. Mexico said it would give returnees humanitarian visas that would allow them to remain in the country temporarily while they await their court dates in the US. Authorities in Tijuana said they would initially be housed in a government-run shelter. Mexico will not accept unaccompanied minors, people with health problems or those who have appealed a rejected asylum claim, said Velasco. Trump announced a deal Friday to reopen the US government after a record five-week shutdown triggered by his fight with Congress over funding for a border wall, which he says is the only way to stop illegal immigration. The deal with opposition Democrats does not include funding for the wall. Mexico 'disagrees' with US returning asylum seekers

Mexico 'disagrees' with US returning asylum seekers

The United States will return the first group of migrants seeking US asylum to the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Friday, a Mexican government spokesman said on Thursday.

In a major policy change, US President Donald Trump's administration said on December 20 it would send non-Mexican migrants who cross the US southern border back to wait in Mexico while their asylum requests are processed.

The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not specify the nationalities of those to be returned to Mexico, although the policy was aimed at helping cope with rising numbers of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States.

The two countries have held two meetings to work out details of the plan to return migrants seeking US asylum across the shared border. Mexico has said it will not accept anybody facing a credible threat in Mexican territory.

The US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond for comment on when the program would begin, although a department official said the policy would not apply to certain vulnerable populations and unaccompanied minors.

Serious doubts exist over whether Mexico can keep Central American asylum seekers who are fleeing poverty and crime safe, especially in border towns that are often more violent than the cities they left.

It is unclear how Mexico plans to house what could be thousands of asylum seekers for the months - or years - it takes US immigration cases to be heard. A backlog of more than 800,000 cases is pending in immigration courts.

The program, dubbed Migrant Protection Protocols by the US Department of Homeland Security, is one of a series of measures taken by the Trump administration aimed at making it harder for Central Americans to enter the United States under asylum laws.

Trump argues that the asylum system is abused, calling a process by which many migrants are freed in the United States to await immigration trial "catch and release."

Trump is demanding $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the Mexican border, triggering a US partial government shutdown that stretched to its 34th day on Thursday and has left 800,000 federal workers without pay.

Illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped dramatically since highs in previous decades, but in recent years more Central American families and unaccompanied children have been migrating to the United States and applications for asylum have ballooned.

Last year, about 93,000 people sought asylum at the southern border, up 67 percent from 2017, according to US government data.

The United States will return the first group of migrants seeking US asylum to the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Friday, a Mexican government spokesman said on Thursday.

The United States will return the first group of migrants seeking US asylum to the Mexican border city of Tijuana on Friday, a Mexican government spokesman said on Thursday. In a major policy change, US President Donald Trump's administration said on December 20 it would send non-Mexican migrants who cross the US southern border back to wait in Mexico while their asylum requests are processed. The spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not specify the nationalities of those to be returned to Mexico, although the policy was aimed at helping cope with rising numbers of Central Americans seeking asylum in the United States. The two countries have held two meetings to work out details of the plan to return migrants seeking US asylum across the shared border. Mexico has said it will not accept anybody facing a credible threat in Mexican territory. The US Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond for comment on when the program would begin, although a department official said the policy would not apply to certain vulnerable populations and unaccompanied minors. Serious doubts exist over whether Mexico can keep Central American asylum seekers who are fleeing poverty and crime safe, especially in border towns that are often more violent than the cities they left. It is unclear how Mexico plans to house what could be thousands of asylum seekers for the months - or years - it takes US immigration cases to be heard. A backlog of more than 800,000 cases is pending in immigration courts. The program, dubbed Migrant Protection Protocols by the US Department of Homeland Security, is one of a series of measures taken by the Trump administration aimed at making it harder for Central Americans to enter the United States under asylum laws. Trump argues that the asylum system is abused, calling a process by which many migrants are freed in the United States to await immigration trial "catch and release." Trump is demanding $5.7 billion in funding for a wall along the Mexican border, triggering a US partial government shutdown that stretched to its 34th day on Thursday and has left 800,000 federal workers without pay. Illegal crossings at the southern border have dropped dramatically since highs in previous decades, but in recent years more Central American families and unaccompanied children have been migrating to the United States and applications for asylum have ballooned. Last year, about 93,000 people sought asylum at the southern border, up 67 percent from 2017, according to US government data.

US to begin returning asylum seekers to Mexico today

At least 73 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.

Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the explosion occurred on Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico's troubled oil infrastructure in years.

One witness described how an almost festive atmosphere among hundreds of local residents filling containers with spilled fuel turned to horror as the blast scattered the crowd in all directions, incinerating clothing and inflicting severe burns.

A number of people at the scene told Reuters that local shortages in gasoline supply since Lopez Obrador launched a drive to stamp out fuel theft had encouraged the rush to the gushing pipeline.

"Everyone came to see if they could get a bit of gasoline for their car, there isn't any in the gas stations," said farmer Isaias Garcia, 50. Garcia was at the site with two neighbors, but waited in the car some distance away.

"Some people came out burning and screaming," he added.&nbsp;

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<img alt="Mexico fuel pipeline blast" data-align="left" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="331f1ef3-c724-4570-b616-00b4db00ffa0" src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2856%29_0.jpg" />

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(Forensic personnel work (top) and (above) fuel canisters are seen at the site of the blast. Image source: Reuters)

To root out the theft, Lopez Obrador in late December ordered pipelines to be closed. But that led to shortages in central Mexico, including Hidalgo, where local media this week said more than half of the gas stations were at times shut.

Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad said 73 people were killed and 74 people injured in the explosion, which happened as residents scrambled to get buckets and drums to a gush at the pipeline that authorities said rose up to 23 feet (7 meters) high.

Fayad said the condition of many of the injured was deteriorating, and that some had burns on much of their body. Some of the most badly injured minors could be moved for medical attention in Galveston, Texas, he added.

Hidalgo Attorney General Raul Arroyo said 54 bodies were so badly burned that they could take a long time to identify.

The crackdown on fuel theft has become a litmus test of Lopez Obrador's drive to tackle corruption in Mexico - and to stop illegal taps draining billions of dollars from the heavily-indebted state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

Video on social media showed people filling buckets from the pipeline during daylight hours in the presence of the armed forces before the blast.

But Lopez Obrador, who vowed to continue the crackdown on theft, defended the army in the face of questions about why soldiers failed to prevent the tragedy.

"We're not going to fight fire with fire," the veteran leftist said. "We think that people are good, honest, and if we've reached these extremes ... it's because they were abandoned."

In the aftermath, soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers.

More than 100 people gathered at a local cultural center on Saturday afternoon, hoping to get information about loved ones who disappeared. Officials posted information about DNA tests for identification and a list of people taken to hospital.

'LIKE A PARTY'

Lopez Obrador said the army had been right to avoid a confrontation due to the large number of people seeking to make off with a trove of free fuel - a few liters of which are worth more than the daily minimum wage in Mexico.

Blaming previous governments for neglecting the population, he said the priority was to eradicate the social problems and lack of opportunities that had made people risk their lives. He rejected suggestions the incident was linked to his policy.

Still, Lopez Obrador had vowed to tighten security in sensitive sections of the oil infrastructure, and the ruptured pipeline was only a few miles away from a major oil refinery.

Pemex's Chief Executive Octavio Romero told reporters that there had been 10 illegal fuel taps in the same municipality in the last three months alone. Neither he nor the president said exactly when the valves to the pipeline were closed.

Relatives of victims stood huddled together, some of them crying, after the massive blast. Much of the rush to siphon off fuel and the chaos of the explosion was captured on mobile phones and began quickly circulating on social media.

Mexican media published graphic pictures of victims from the blast site covered in burns and shorn of their clothes.

Local journalist Veronica Jimenez, 46, arrived at the scene before the explosion where she said there were more than 300 people with containers to collect fuel.

"I saw families: mother, father, children," she told Reuters. "It was like a party...for a moment you could even hear how happy people were."

When the blast hit, people ran in different directions, pleading for help, some burned and without clothing, she said.

"Some people's skin came off...it was very ugly, horrible, people screamed and cried," she said. "They shouted the names of their husbands, brothers, their family members."

Grief-stricken family members blocked access to the field for over half an hour, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken.

Lopez Obrador has said his decision to close pipelines has greatly reduced fuel theft, but the death toll has raised questions about potentially unintended consequences.

"There was a gasoline shortage, people one way or another wanted to be able to move around," said local farmer Ernesto Sierra, 44. "Some even came with their bean pots."

At least 73 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast.

At least 73 people were killed after a pipeline ruptured by suspected fuel thieves exploded in central Mexico, authorities said on Saturday, as President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the army despite its failure to clear the site before the blast. Forensic experts filled body bags with charred human remains in the field where the explosion occurred on Friday evening by the town of Tlahuelilpan in the state of Hidalgo, in one of the deadliest incidents to hit Mexico's troubled oil infrastructure in years. One witness described how an almost festive atmosphere among hundreds of local residents filling containers with spilled fuel turned to horror as the blast scattered the crowd in all directions, incinerating clothing and inflicting severe burns. A number of people at the scene told Reuters that local shortages in gasoline supply since Lopez Obrador launched a drive to stamp out fuel theft had encouraged the rush to the gushing pipeline. "Everyone came to see if they could get a bit of gasoline for their car, there isn't any in the gas stations," said farmer Isaias Garcia, 50. Garcia was at the site with two neighbors, but waited in the car some distance away. "Some people came out burning and screaming," he added. (Forensic personnel work (top) and (above) fuel canisters are seen at the site of the blast. Image source: Reuters) To root out the theft, Lopez Obrador in late December ordered pipelines to be closed. But that led to shortages in central Mexico, including Hidalgo, where local media this week said more than half of the gas stations were at times shut. Hidalgo Governor Omar Fayad said 73 people were killed and 74 people injured in the explosion, which happened as residents scrambled to get buckets and drums to a gush at the pipeline that authorities said rose up to 23 feet (7 meters) high. Fayad said the condition of many of the injured was deteriorating, and that some had burns on much of their body. Some of the most badly injured minors could be moved for medical attention in Galveston, Texas, he added. Hidalgo Attorney General Raul Arroyo said 54 bodies were so badly burned that they could take a long time to identify. The crackdown on fuel theft has become a litmus test of Lopez Obrador's drive to tackle corruption in Mexico - and to stop illegal taps draining billions of dollars from the heavily-indebted state oil firm Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex). Video on social media showed people filling buckets from the pipeline during daylight hours in the presence of the armed forces before the blast. But Lopez Obrador, who vowed to continue the crackdown on theft, defended the army in the face of questions about why soldiers failed to prevent the tragedy. "We're not going to fight fire with fire," the veteran leftist said. "We think that people are good, honest, and if we've reached these extremes ... it's because they were abandoned." In the aftermath, soldiers and other military personnel guarded the cordoned-off area that was littered with half-burned shoes, clothes and containers. More than 100 people gathered at a local cultural center on Saturday afternoon, hoping to get information about loved ones who disappeared. Officials posted information about DNA tests for identification and a list of people taken to hospital. 'LIKE A PARTY' Lopez Obrador said the army had been right to avoid a confrontation due to the large number of people seeking to make off with a trove of free fuel - a few liters of which are worth more than the daily minimum wage in Mexico. Blaming previous governments for neglecting the population, he said the priority was to eradicate the social problems and lack of opportunities that had made people risk their lives. He rejected suggestions the incident was linked to his policy. Still, Lopez Obrador had vowed to tighten security in sensitive sections of the oil infrastructure, and the ruptured pipeline was only a few miles away from a major oil refinery. Pemex's Chief Executive Octavio Romero told reporters that there had been 10 illegal fuel taps in the same municipality in the last three months alone. Neither he nor the president said exactly when the valves to the pipeline were closed. Relatives of victims stood huddled together, some of them crying, after the massive blast. Much of the rush to siphon off fuel and the chaos of the explosion was captured on mobile phones and began quickly circulating on social media. Mexican media published graphic pictures of victims from the blast site covered in burns and shorn of their clothes. Local journalist Veronica Jimenez, 46, arrived at the scene before the explosion where she said there were more than 300 people with containers to collect fuel. "I saw families: mother, father, children," she told Reuters. "It was like a party...for a moment you could even hear how happy people were." When the blast hit, people ran in different directions, pleading for help, some burned and without clothing, she said. "Some people's skin came off...it was very ugly, horrible, people screamed and cried," she said. "They shouted the names of their husbands, brothers, their family members." Grief-stricken family members blocked access to the field for over half an hour, saying they would not let funeral service vehicles pass until they were told where the dead were being taken. Lopez Obrador has said his decision to close pipelines has greatly reduced fuel theft, but the death toll has raised questions about potentially unintended consequences. "There was a gasoline shortage, people one way or another wanted to be able to move around," said local farmer Ernesto Sierra, 44. "Some even came with their bean pots."

Mexico fuel pipeline blast: Death toll rises to 73

In this yard in the Texas town of Mission, they played as children, learned how to fish, picked cotton and gathered watermelons.&nbsp;

But because it's on the border with <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/death-toll-raised-to-79-in-mexico-pipeline-blast-new-focus-on-fuel-theft-191662&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjT8rm5iv7fAhUMpY8KHc8fD8gQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw0CA6sDow_1lZ4t-OjwETAO">Mexico</a>, the Cavazos family could lose their property — to Donald Trump's border wall.

They are not going down without a fight.

In his sister Eloisa's dining room, Jose Alfredo Cavazos — who goes by Fred — displays the numerous letters sent by the federal government.

"Our property right now is in... the danger of being no more," says the 69-year-old, who lives next door to his sister, and uses a wheelchair to get around.

Construction seems inevitable: financing for the portion of the <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/dr-congo-court-declares-tshisekedi-president-outraging-opponents-191652&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjG4YnQiv7fAhUFbo8KHXF7CgsQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw1zTyiaj1figdxyXfInzu0B">president</a>'s much-awaited border wall that would pass through the Cavazos' property in the Rio Grande Valley was approved by Congress in March 2018.

It is separate from the wider debate about border wall funding that has roiled Washington for weeks, sparked a showdown between <a href="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-reiterates-demand-for-wall-attacks-media-191492&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=0ahUKEwjw-fTsiv7fAhUTS48KHT4xDRkQFggFMAA&amp;client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;usg=AOvVaw165HyUbOwPbYj8U-SRgPI0">Trump</a> and Democratic lawmakers, and led to the longest government shutdown in American history.

The federal government has already surveyed the land, which mainly belongs to Eloisa — the first step towards construction. The family opposed the move, and the government filed suit, winning the initial case.

The Cavazos clan is not giving up just yet, though. They have appealed the initial decision, and are being represented on a pro bono basis by the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Raison de Vivre

Fred Cavazos runs his hand over the maps attached to each official document in the pile.&nbsp;

If the wall is built as planned, it will run along the levee that keeps the land from flooding — and will block his access to his land, where he tends a small herd of cattle and goats.

His other worry is that the family will lose revenue earned by renting out small riverside homes, often used as weekend getaways. Fred says the family makes about $35,000 a year from rentals, and they cannot live without it.

After all, who would want to come to spend a relaxing weekend staring at a giant concrete wall, or even towering steel slats? Would tenants even be allowed to cross back and forth?

"It's an unknown to us," says Rey Anzaldua, a cousin of the Cavazos siblings and Fred's best friend.

"It would still be our land... but it wouldn't have any value at all."

Beyond the financial strains, the very real possibility of seeing the family land split up has upset the entire clan.

Since their ancestors came from Spain and settled here in the 18th century, the family has "been losing land for so many years," said Anzaldua, who turns 74 this month.

With a Vietnam veteran cap and a sticker on his Jeep that says "No border wall," Anzaldua is bitter: "This land to us is worth more than money — we have an actual love for the land."

To boot, Fred is "totally disabled. This land is actually what keeps him alive," Anzaldua said.

Cavazos manages to get by despite his physical issues, helping Eloisa to collect the rent.&nbsp;

"If he didn't have this, I don't think he'd last very much longer," Anzaldua said.

Stall for as long as possible&nbsp;

Roy Snipes is a local priest who helps take care of the historic 19th century La Lomita chapel in Mission. His parish rents land from the Cavazos family for summer camps.&nbsp;

The church itself, which is classified as a historic monument, should not be affected by the wall construction, but it would end up in a sort of no man's land between the barrier and the river.&nbsp;

For Snipes, who has lived here for 26 years, building the wall would "desecrate a sacred place."

It also would likely keep undocumented migrants from visiting the church, which has been a safe place for them in the past.

"Nobody comes down here expecting to be interrogated and to present papers," says Snipes, a 73-year-old nicknamed the "Cowboy Priest" who sports a Stetson and a large metal cross over his white robe.

The local diocese also refused to allow the government to survey the land, and federal authorities filed a complaint. A decision is expected in February, according to the attorney for the diocese, David Garza.&nbsp;

No one here is under any illusions — it's going to be a tough battle.

"It's difficult to fight the government," Anzaldua said.

"To be very honest with you, what we want to do is we want to delay as much as we can," he explained.&nbsp;

"We would like to fight for long enough so maybe Trump will be out of office and some of this will stop."

In this yard in the Texas town of Mission, they played as children, learned how to fish, picked cotton and gathered watermelons. But because it's on the border with Mexico, the Cavazos family could lose their property — to Donald Trump's border wall.

In this yard in the Texas town of Mission, they played as children, learned how to fish, picked cotton and gathered watermelons. But because it's on the border with Mexico, the Cavazos family could lose their property — to Donald Trump's border wall. They are not going down without a fight. In his sister Eloisa's dining room, Jose Alfredo Cavazos — who goes by Fred — displays the numerous letters sent by the federal government. "Our property right now is in... the danger of being no more," says the 69-year-old, who lives next door to his sister, and uses a wheelchair to get around. Construction seems inevitable: financing for the portion of the president's much-awaited border wall that would pass through the Cavazos' property in the Rio Grande Valley was approved by Congress in March 2018. It is separate from the wider debate about border wall funding that has roiled Washington for weeks, sparked a showdown between Trump and Democratic lawmakers, and led to the longest government shutdown in American history. The federal government has already surveyed the land, which mainly belongs to Eloisa — the first step towards construction. The family opposed the move, and the government filed suit, winning the initial case. The Cavazos clan is not giving up just yet, though. They have appealed the initial decision, and are being represented on a pro bono basis by the Texas Civil Rights Project. Raison de Vivre Fred Cavazos runs his hand over the maps attached to each official document in the pile. If the wall is built as planned, it will run along the levee that keeps the land from flooding — and will block his access to his land, where he tends a small herd of cattle and goats. His other worry is that the family will lose revenue earned by renting out small riverside homes, often used as weekend getaways. Fred says the family makes about $35,000 a year from rentals, and they cannot live without it. After all, who would want to come to spend a relaxing weekend staring at a giant concrete wall, or even towering steel slats? Would tenants even be allowed to cross back and forth? "It's an unknown to us," says Rey Anzaldua, a cousin of the Cavazos siblings and Fred's best friend. "It would still be our land... but it wouldn't have any value at all." Beyond the financial strains, the very real possibility of seeing the family land split up has upset the entire clan. Since their ancestors came from Spain and settled here in the 18th century, the family has "been losing land for so many years," said Anzaldua, who turns 74 this month. With a Vietnam veteran cap and a sticker on his Jeep that says "No border wall," Anzaldua is bitter: "This land to us is worth more than money — we have an actual love for the land." To boot, Fred is "totally disabled. This land is actually what keeps him alive," Anzaldua said. Cavazos manages to get by despite his physical issues, helping Eloisa to collect the rent. "If he didn't have this, I don't think he'd last very much longer," Anzaldua said. Stall for as long as possible Roy Snipes is a local priest who helps take care of the historic 19th century La Lomita chapel in Mission. His parish rents land from the Cavazos family for summer camps. The church itself, which is classified as a historic monument, should not be affected by the wall construction, but it would end up in a sort of no man's land between the barrier and the river. For Snipes, who has lived here for 26 years, building the wall would "desecrate a sacred place." It also would likely keep undocumented migrants from visiting the church, which has been a safe place for them in the past. "Nobody comes down here expecting to be interrogated and to present papers," says Snipes, a 73-year-old nicknamed the "Cowboy Priest" who sports a Stetson and a large metal cross over his white robe. The local diocese also refused to allow the government to survey the land, and federal authorities filed a complaint. A decision is expected in February, according to the attorney for the diocese, David Garza. No one here is under any illusions — it's going to be a tough battle. "It's difficult to fight the government," Anzaldua said. "To be very honest with you, what we want to do is we want to delay as much as we can," he explained. "We would like to fight for long enough so maybe Trump will be out of office and some of this will stop."

In Texas, a family fights to keep Trump wall off property

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