Feed MRSS-S guatemala_a, english.elpais.com en-us https://english.elpais.com Sat, 02 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-05-02/the-promise-of-1000-in-exchange-for-becoming-one-of-trumps-deportees-i-wanted-to-get-out-of-detention-not-out-of-the-us.html Sat, 02 May 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-05-02/the-promise-of-1000-in-exchange-for-becoming-one-of-trumps-deportees-i-wanted-to-get-out-of-detention-not-out-of-the-us.html Simona Carnino A growing number of deportees are arriving in Guatemala after signing voluntary departure agreements in the United States, lured by the promise of a cash payment in exchange for giving up their right to defend their immigration cases in court A growing number of deportees are arriving in Guatemala after signing voluntary departure agreements in the United States, lured by the promise of a cash payment in exchange for giving up their right to defend their immigration cases in court Donald Trump Guatemala ICE Planeta Futuro Simona Carnino The thousand dollar blackmail José Andrés Monterroso López, deported from the United States on December 19, 2025, in the Guatemalan town of Amatón, on March 13, 2026. José Andrés Monterroso López, deported from the United States on December 19, 2025, in the Guatemalan town of Amatón, on March 13, 2026. <p>When Luis Andrés Monterroso López, 29, set foot on Guatemalan soil on December 19, 2025 — his first time back in three years — he was furious. Dressed in a gray jumpsuit and dark‑blue slippers, the standard uniform for migrants held in U.S. detention, he spoke to his mother on the phone while sitting outside the Guatemalan Air Force base where deportation flights land. “They don’t treat animals like this. I came back with my hands and feet shackled,” he told her, outraged.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-05-02/the-promise-of-1000-in-exchange-for-becoming-one-of-trumps-deportees-i-wanted-to-get-out-of-detention-not-out-of-the-us.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/7JT6RBP4ABG6LB3ZMQR5O6XKJ4.jpg?auth=5a6dff2e5f845688280e56966cdcdc3df2752751dac106cf74ab3dcf240f4f76" width="2300" height="1533" alt="Andrés repairs the side mirror of a scooter in his auto repair shop in El Estoraque, in the village of Amatón, Quezada, Jutiapa, on March 13, 2026."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-23/chinas-prestige-shows-strong-growth-in-latin-america-while-that-of-the-us-is-plummeting.html Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:38:01 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-23/chinas-prestige-shows-strong-growth-in-latin-america-while-that-of-the-us-is-plummeting.html Naiara Galarraga Gortázar A German foundation is taking the pulse of the region, which has become the main stage for the power struggle between the two superpowers A German foundation is taking the pulse of the region, which has become the main stage for the power struggle between the two superpowers China Washington D.C. Argentina Chile Costa Rica Uruguay Guatemala Venezuela Bolivia Colombia Vladimir Putin Xi Jinping Donald Trump José Antonio Kast Claudia Sheinbaum Gustavo Petro Evelyn Hockstein (REUTERS) Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, last year. Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Busan, South Korea, last year. <p>Faced with Donald Trump’s aggressive and erratic policies during his second term in the White House, his southern neighbors are increasingly looking more favorably toward China, the United States’ main strategic rival. The Asian giant is the only major power gaining prestige among Latin Americans, according to a survey conducted by the German Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Foundation, the magazine <i>Nueva Sociedad</i>, and the Diálogo y Paz group, released this week. China is gaining new supporters in the region (up by 6 points) while the positive image of the U.S. is plummeting (a 17-point drop) and that of Europe is declining, dragged down by Germany and France. Twelve thousand people in 10 countries participated in the survey.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-04-23/chinas-prestige-shows-strong-growth-in-latin-america-while-that-of-the-us-is-plummeting.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-30/over-33000-people-arrested-in-bukeles-crackdown-were-not-listed-as-gang-members.html Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:14:56 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-30/over-33000-people-arrested-in-bukeles-crackdown-were-not-listed-as-gang-members.html Bryan Avelar Internal intelligence documents reveal that 36% of those captured during the state of emergency were not profiled as criminals before the measure was implemented Internal intelligence documents reveal that 36% of those captured during the state of emergency were not profiled as criminals before the measure was implemented Nayib Bukele El Salvador FBI Guatemala Honduras Salvador Melendez (AP) Prisoners at CECOT in El Salvador, January 30. Prisoners at CECOT in El Salvador, January 30. <p>The government of Nayib Bukele has renewed its <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-01/felix-ulloa-vice-president-of-el-salvador-people-want-bukeles-state-of-emergency-they-feel-protected.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-01/felix-ulloa-vice-president-of-el-salvador-people-want-bukeles-state-of-emergency-they-feel-protected.html">controversial state of emergency</a> 48 times, promising not to stop until the last gang member is captured in El Salvador. However, official data reveals a significant discrepancy: while intelligence reports identified 58,270 gang members and collaborators at large before the state of emergency was implemented, authorities have arrested 91,628 people as of March 25. This means that more than 33,000 of those arrested (36%) were not previously listed as gang members in police records.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-30/over-33000-people-arrested-in-bukeles-crackdown-were-not-listed-as-gang-members.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-23/against-the-terror-of-ice-the-mayans-of-brooklyn-preserve-their-faith.html Mon, 23 Mar 2026 09:45:03 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-23/against-the-terror-of-ice-the-mayans-of-brooklyn-preserve-their-faith.html Alejandro Santos The arrest of a Guatemalan evangelical church leader in the Bensonhurst neighborhood highlights the constant but discreet harassment of this migrant community in recent months The arrest of a Guatemalan evangelical church leader in the Bensonhurst neighborhood highlights the constant but discreet harassment of this migrant community in recent months ICE Donald Trump Guatemala Minneapolis Corrie Aune (EL PAÍS) AMERICA-US-Bensonhurst - Brooklyn - REDADAS ICE Raids Susan Zhuang Councilwoman Susan Zhuang poses in front of her office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, on March 4. Councilwoman Susan Zhuang poses in front of her office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, on March 4. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/SJUFV5CUEBAWXA2LPOIQYTC6DU.jpg?auth=059d79686fea4476a87175c138d945b4c91b02993f2b3ddf265f9976dfb4db07" width="9216" height="6144" alt="Councilwoman Susan Zhuang poses in front of her office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, on March 4."></img><p>The usual thing for <i>la migra </i>is to roam the subway stations around 79th Street, to prowl the corner of 18th and New Utrecht Ave., in the early hours just before dawn, hunting for folks who run ahead of the sun wearing steel-toed boots and cement-stained jeans, Quiché traces in their accents. On January 15, though, <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-09/cuts-in-training-for-new-ice-agents-should-scare-everyone-says-whistleblower.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-09/cuts-in-training-for-new-ice-agents-should-scare-everyone-says-whistleblower.html">agents are conducting</a> a stakeout inside a van in front of a gray apartment building on Bay Ridge Parkway, in Guatemalan Bensonhurst, in the heart of Maya Brooklyn. The security camera catches how Sebastián Renoj, grainy in the low-fi footage, leaves the block sometime between 5 and 6 a.m., pulls his hood up to stave off New York’s winter cold, and walks off down the sidewalk. The camera doesn’t record how the officers jump him, how Renoj is arrested, how six other men, all Guatemalan, all bricklayers on their way to work, follow in his footsteps, one by one.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-23/against-the-terror-of-ice-the-mayans-of-brooklyn-preserve-their-faith.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/RN4NFUC6Q5C6PGU65CKSASF77Q.jpg?auth=f8ede5e7bd6668c0f095ba9e7ffb4e63e7840c8a752d7581e0584bb273d5ba24" width="9112" height="6075" alt="The neighboring houses are reflected in the entrance of the building where Sebastián Renoj lived at the time of his arrest by ICE."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/GEUJR6X2K5F33L3CVMQLQK76XE.jpg?auth=3c4c71ba66b1d6d67b8419ac465a9e7ab6f0fad9feed1dfaed484c333d7cf08b" width="9487" height="6325" alt="Pedestrians on 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/LG4J2YVJZJEUZBHQ6WL3D4UXME.jpg?auth=1157fc1e4f5f06bb567c26ae26c2d62d2acbe2e1c37657427711299fc73110d2" width="8225" height="5483" alt="A store in the Guatemalan neighborhood in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/QLN23XYMQ5BMTCQ23QFURS6ZE4.jpg?auth=697ae0a6ff6b50f6cbe421c920d347729d60d64f56eea8c5e4ede1d5344f352c" width="8878" height="5919" alt="Susan Zhuang in her office in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/7LGIOJDEKBE4VN2EXGARI2ZLRY.jpg?auth=eaa9e3d8e6fbe821e349555934600dc602232cce9d693c57053a734171186b31" width="8865" height="5910" alt="Guatemalan and Chinese businesses line 18th Avenue in Bensonhurst."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-22/honduras-photo-archive-preserves-countrys-queer-memory.html Sun, 22 Mar 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-22/honduras-photo-archive-preserves-countrys-queer-memory.html Juan José Santos A project guards the story of cruel losses and eventual victories of the LGBTQ+ community in the Central American nation A project guards the story of cruel losses and eventual victories of the LGBTQ+ community in the Central American nation Honduras Comunidad LGTBIQ+ Tegucigalpa América Guatemala Dany Barrientos-Ramírez Abigail Galindo in Guatemala, in 2023. Abigail Galindo in Guatemala, in 2023. <p>Abigail Reyes Galindo holds up a photo from 30 years ago. In it, she appears in El Obelisco Park in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, posing with <a href="https://english.elpais.com/health/2025-12-13/trans-migrants-are-adrift-in-trumps-america.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/health/2025-12-13/trans-migrants-are-adrift-in-trumps-america.html">her trans sisters</a>: La Campero, Bessy Ferrera and Michell. With a fragile smile and soft but firm voice, she says, “This is the photograph I love the most, it means so much to me. I am 27 years old here, though I look younger. We’re at a place where we used to do sex work. That day we didn’t have any clients, and we were sad. I’m with two of my friends who were murdered. This is the photo that hits me the hardest.”</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-03-22/honduras-photo-archive-preserves-countrys-queer-memory.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-12/the-shattered-dream-of-migrating-to-the-us-and-the-odyssey-of-returning-i-was-in-jail-for-four-months-thats-the-only-way-i-got-to-know-new-york.html Thu, 12 Mar 2026 10:50:56 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-12/the-shattered-dream-of-migrating-to-the-us-and-the-odyssey-of-returning-i-was-in-jail-for-four-months-thats-the-only-way-i-got-to-know-new-york.html Bryan Avelar The Trump administration’s persecution is generating a massive return flow to Latin America driven by the fear of mass raids The Trump administration’s persecution is generating a massive return flow to Latin America driven by the fear of mass raids ICE Chiapas Guatemala Donald Trump Honduras Venezuela Texas Laura García (EL PAÍS) Venezuelan migrants at the Cristobal Colón bus station in Guatemala City. Venezuelan migrants at the Cristobal Colón bus station in Guatemala City. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/QEU3LGRCTZBSJO2C3R2HL6UMGI.jpg?auth=9f5779c1e5d0f1b5f9133be634fbc5280be2fc82195b327e5c99819e308ffbf7" width="4575" height="3050" alt="Venezuelan migrants at the Cristobal Colón bus station in Guatemala City."></img><p>Laime Arold, a 26-year-old Haitian, buys energy bars at a small shop on the side of the Pan-American Highway in southern <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-29/the-mexican-town-where-migrants-disappear.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-29/the-mexican-town-where-migrants-disappear.html">Chiapas</a>, Mexico. José Adán, a Honduran, prays aloud in a park in Tapachula, asking God to protect him from kidnappers and the police along the way. Gerardo Aguilar, a Venezuelan, travels at 60 miles per hour, lying across two seats on a bus headed for Guatemala, while talking on the phone with the woman he left behind in Caracas.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-03-12/the-shattered-dream-of-migrating-to-the-us-and-the-odyssey-of-returning-i-was-in-jail-for-four-months-thats-the-only-way-i-got-to-know-new-york.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/M45RDORFZBAQZCQ7AV6YBJJI6Q.jpg?auth=eb33e32c750b418c29120aae6e05134d7b4ec51c3fcec663dcd59e78aaed86b1" width="3894" height="2596" alt="Gerardo Aguilar, Gianna, Óscar and Yanira, Venezuelan migrants."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/O24F5BK7JVAJFLTZBO463XVAUQ.jpg?auth=2ac7e1241c49929561abbc25753eb2baa484540b3107b92b4c0a7bf3b0aebdf2" width="4032" height="2688" alt="Laime Arold, a 26-year-old Haitian, in Tapachula, Chiapas (Mexico)."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-22/the-odyssey-of-the-first-cubans-deported-from-the-united-states-to-guantanamo.html Sun, 22 Feb 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-22/the-odyssey-of-the-first-cubans-deported-from-the-united-states-to-guantanamo.html Carla Gloria Colomé Over 50 migrants were transferred from Louisiana to the prison in December, believing they were being returned to Cuba. After several weeks stranded there, they were returned to the US and then deported to Havana Over 50 migrants were transferred from Louisiana to the prison in December, believing they were being returned to Cuba. After several weeks stranded there, they were returned to the US and then deported to Havana Cuba ICE Donald Trump Venezuela El Salvador Guatemala Texas EDUARDO RAMÓN (EL PAÍS) Cubans deported to Guantánamo. Cubans deported to Guantánamo. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/7AR4PAOZ2FCI3GGMIU4H6LI74U.jpg?auth=1b315980982dd6859134234cc6932227700edb6010b53ab423ca319020321bb4" width="3200" height="1801" alt="Cubans deported to Guantánamo."></img><p>On January 31, during bathing time at Camp 6, the Cuban detainees at <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2023-07-09/guantanamo-the-torture-legacy-21-years-later.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2023-07-09/guantanamo-the-torture-legacy-21-years-later.html">Guantánamo Bay</a> heard a loud crash in the shower area — the sound of a body collapsing. One of them, Vladimir Gago Soriano, fell heavily onto his ailing left leg, which had undergone eight surgeries and is barely functional since a motorcycle accident two years prior. He slipped on a puddle of water on the floor, and the detainees began shouting for help. The authorities, who took an hour to arrive, handcuffed him and put him in a kind of truck. From the loud noise of the engine, Vladimir guesses it was a large vehicle, although he isn’t certain because they blindfolded him so he would never know exactly where he was or what the maximum-security military installation looked like — the same installation where some of the world’s most wanted terrorists have been held, and where he, an Uber Eats delivery driver, had also found himself.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-22/the-odyssey-of-the-first-cubans-deported-from-the-united-states-to-guantanamo.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><h3>Map:</h3><p>Mónica Juárez Martín</p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-18/jose-ruben-zamora-i-have-essentially-been-kidnapped.html Wed, 18 Feb 2026 11:31:55 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-18/jose-ruben-zamora-i-have-essentially-been-kidnapped.html Carlos Salinas Maldonado,Sofía Menchú The Guatemalan journalist, under house arrest after more than 800 days in prison, denounces persecution by the Attorney General’s Office and maintains that the structures that control the justice system remain intact despite Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power The Guatemalan journalist, under house arrest after more than 800 days in prison, denounces persecution by the Attorney General’s Office and maintains that the structures that control the justice system remain intact despite Bernardo Arévalo’s rise to power Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo José Rubén Zamora Alejandro Giammattei Milan Kundera Alfonso Portillo Otto Pérez Molina Sandra Sebastián (EL PAÍS) José Rubén Zamora, February 17. José Rubén Zamora, February 17. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/XEXPX4WARRF65AEBK4CVMIWME4.jpg?auth=f06e500476992d3a3e674c09dc6f2aa2a666aecf131f80e3c71b9a0f7bef554a" width="6720" height="4480" alt="José Rubén Zamora, February 17. "></img><p>Guatemalan journalist <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-06-17/jose-ruben-zamora-the-uncomfortable-voice-in-the-face-of-guatemalan-power-that-ended-up-behind-bars.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-06-17/jose-ruben-zamora-the-uncomfortable-voice-in-the-face-of-guatemalan-power-that-ended-up-behind-bars.html">José Rubén Zamora</a> (Guatemala City, 69 years old), who was granted house arrest last week, faces the possibility of being returned to prison after the Prosecutor’s Office appealed the judge’s decision on Tuesday. Zamora receives this newspaper in the quiet living room of his home, in an affluent neighborhood of the capital, a spacious house surrounded by vegetation that has once again become his refuge after leaving the 12-square-meter cell — “bartolina,” he calls it — that he occupied for more than a year. He walks with relief, but also cautiously: he knows that the Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by the controversial <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html">Consuelo Porras</a>, has him under surveillance and that his freedom is fragile.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-18/jose-ruben-zamora-i-have-essentially-been-kidnapped.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/DXF7GDSQFBEYLJ4B6BGJZ7LGSE.jpg?auth=6c4f5c6beacb1f92c18e987fb2a74eaba3cf0b2c7b8d47e4c350fac82a6c547d" width="6601" height="3713" alt="José Rubén Zamora during the interview at his home in Guatemala City."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/QM6IOYGY3ZG7PKV7NZRJQ36AUM.jpg?auth=b404b69f764076e0e422876bb6a7da54d73d69105761845a7d965cd1ec725d96" width="5295" height="2979" alt="José Rubén Zamora."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-14/returning-to-guatemala-in-a-cardboard-box-after-a-migrant-life-in-the-united-states.html Sat, 14 Feb 2026 05:25:09 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-14/returning-to-guatemala-in-a-cardboard-box-after-a-migrant-life-in-the-united-states.html Simona Carnino Every day, people who have died in the US arrive at La Aurora Airport in a final migratory journey surrounded by scams, injustices, bureaucracy, and the unwavering will of their families Every day, people who have died in the US arrive at La Aurora Airport in a final migratory journey surrounded by scams, injustices, bureaucracy, and the unwavering will of their families Guatemala Nicaragua Honduras El Salvador Planeta Futuro Simona Carnino (EL PAÍS) Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, February 2. Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, February 2. Simona Carnino (EL PAÍS) Maya Ixil women, relatives of Miguel Raymundo Raymundo, hold his photograph during his funeral at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Maya Ixil women, relatives of Miguel Raymundo Raymundo, hold his photograph during his funeral at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Simona Carnino (EL PAÍS) Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Simona Carnino Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Simona Carnino Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's burial, laid to rest in his homeland after nearly 20 years in the U.S. Image taken in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's burial, laid to rest in his homeland after nearly 20 years in the U.S. Image taken in Nebaj, Guatemala, on February 2, 2026. Simona Carnino Francisco Marroquín, director of Asaunixil, attends the wake for Miguel Raymundo Raymundo, who died in the U.S. and was repatriated by his family. Nebaj, Guatemala, February 1, 2026. Francisco Marroquín, director of Asaunixil, attends the wake for Miguel Raymundo Raymundo, who died in the U.S. and was repatriated by his family. Nebaj, Guatemala, February 1, 2026. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/C67UTT3QZ5D5DCKOUPEHHVFF6E.jpg?auth=5671a69284d5a60124067676e856c49aa6a41acf53229f6ad0277deb9590749f" width="2300" height="1533" alt="Relatives carry Miguel Raymundo's coffin during his burial at the cemetery in Nebaj, Guatemala, February 2."></img><p>At 11:10 p.m. on an unusually freezing night in late January, the last commercial flight from Houston, Texas, landed at <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-03/the-benefits-of-circular-migration-in-guatemala-a-round-trip-to-the-american-dream.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-04-03/the-benefits-of-circular-migration-in-guatemala-a-round-trip-to-the-american-dream.html">La Aurora Airport in Guatemala City</a>. Passengers and their luggage were immediately unloaded. Just when it seemed everyone had left, the cargo hold door opened and airline staff pulled out two white cardboard boxes. Inside, two coffins.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-14/returning-to-guatemala-in-a-cardboard-box-after-a-migrant-life-in-the-united-states.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/PP6FNFNVXNHKFK5ZHNCSHZOKCI.jpg?auth=4ca612d3518262aa20e78fd88d4e1b658754b631b12689fe9d0b300901e6f6c9" width="2300" height="1533" alt="Funeral altar made by the family of Miguel Raymundo during his wake in Nebaj, Guatemala, February 1."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/272V4BE4DNCGNGMQC7DADBCAS4.jpg?auth=c0af99cc119af325be9f8c42da8150595f2c569e7308c939a9086e1312107676" width="2300" height="1533" alt="A funeral procession accompanies Miguel Raymundo Raymundo's body to the evangelical church in Nebaj, Guatemala, February 2."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EK7T3PYNQZHUNB3RIZQ6Q3MHT4.jpg?auth=abc1d42a902892a0fc5212bf2498a5577f8652a025afac20e0866b94e21a14af" width="2300" height="1533" alt="Mario López, a journalist from Megavisión, broadcasts live on Facebook for the family of Miguel Raymundo in Nebaj on February 2."></img> https://english.elpais.com/society/2026-02-12/rodrigo-mudrovitsch-we-perceive-a-strong-disenchantment-with-human-rights-among-young-people.html Thu, 12 Feb 2026 12:42:51 GMT https://english.elpais.com/society/2026-02-12/rodrigo-mudrovitsch-we-perceive-a-strong-disenchantment-with-human-rights-among-young-people.html Noor Mahtani Mahtani The Brazilian jurist begins his term as president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights focusing on three key areas: climate action, bringing the court closer to citizens, and expediting measures The Brazilian jurist begins his term as president of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights focusing on three key areas: climate action, bringing the court closer to citizens, and expediting measures Costa Rica Corte IDH San José (Costa Rica) Guatemala El Salvador Venezuela Cedida Rodrigo Mudrovitsch Rodrigo Mudrovitsch in an undated photo. Rodrigo Mudrovitsch in an undated photo. <p>Rodrigo Mudrovitsch, 41, is the second-youngest jurist to preside over the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR). In January, he began a two-year term at the highest court of the Inter-American justice system, at one of the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-08/the-us-opens-a-new-era-of-interventions-in-latin-america.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-08/the-us-opens-a-new-era-of-interventions-in-latin-america.html">most politically turbulent periods</a> in recent memory. However, he has unwavering faith in the court’s strength and in the fresh energy that younger leadership can bring to modernizing an institution that feels abstract to many. His main objective, he acknowledges, is to bring young people closer to the court. “Young people can help us build a court with open doors,” he says in a video call with EL PAÍS. “We perceive a strong disenchantment with politics, human rights and the future among young people,” he laments.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/society/2026-02-12/rodrigo-mudrovitsch-we-perceive-a-strong-disenchantment-with-human-rights-among-young-people.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-03/bernardo-arevalo-guatemalas-democracy-is-at-stake-in-the-coming-month.html Tue, 03 Feb 2026 16:08:54 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-03/bernardo-arevalo-guatemalas-democracy-is-at-stake-in-the-coming-month.html Jan Martínez Ahrens ,Javier Lafuente In an interview with EL PAÍS, the president of the Central American country reflects on the challenges he faces ahead of a vote he hopes will reshape the judicial ecosystem In an interview with EL PAÍS, the president of the Central American country reflects on the challenges he faces ahead of a vote he hopes will reshape the judicial ecosystem Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo AGGI GARDUÑO (EL PAÍS) PANAMÁ - BERNARDO ARÉVALO - FORO ECONÓMICO Bernardo Arévalo at the Latin America and the Caribbean International Economic Forum, in Panama, on January 28. Bernardo Arévalo at the Latin America and the Caribbean International Economic Forum, in Panama, on January 28. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/EMUZQYG54FFD5MYES56LV7RQRQ.jpg?auth=7a3ab6c6cc9b4d55c9a525b838c8350b30874c61bc511e91007f840d4aaf0837" width="5585" height="3723" alt="Bernardo Arévalo at the Latin America and the Caribbean International Economic Forum, in Panama, on January 28."></img><p>Guatemala is going through a <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-01/guatemala-caught-between-gang-bloodshed-and-the-bukele-effect.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-01/guatemala-caught-between-gang-bloodshed-and-the-bukele-effect.html">critical moment</a>. The country is caught between efforts to rebuild its institutions and the resistance of a corrupt state unwilling to surrender its privileges. Since taking office in January 2024, <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-22/for-now-the-beginning-of-guatemalas-democratic-spring-is-on-hold.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-22/for-now-the-beginning-of-guatemalas-democratic-spring-is-on-hold.html">President Bernardo Arévalo</a>, 67, has confronted those entrenched powers, which have tried by every means to limit his autonomy. He has faced destabilization maneuvers, threats, and a persistent offensive from the Attorney General’s Office and Congress. Added to this is a series of prison riots, triggered after the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html">Barrio 18 gang killed 10 police officers</a>, which led him to impose a state of siege that remains in effect.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-03/bernardo-arevalo-guatemalas-democracy-is-at-stake-in-the-coming-month.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HEQP56LDHNBLPALHBYQ7NAFZM4.jpg?auth=b6335ba4b44a3ff60a55499d21462df2775802f413f72f09c5be2e3c683c720f" width="4551" height="3034" alt="Bernardo Arévalo in Panama City, January 28."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-01/guatemala-caught-between-gang-bloodshed-and-the-bukele-effect.html Sun, 01 Feb 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-01/guatemala-caught-between-gang-bloodshed-and-the-bukele-effect.html Jacobo García The Central American country is under a state of emergency after a massacre of police officers that calls into question the state’s ability to deal with the violence of an army of 30,000 gang members The Central American country is under a state of emergency after a massacre of police officers that calls into question the state’s ability to deal with the violence of an army of 30,000 gang members Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo Otto Pérez Molina Jimmy Morales Alejandro Giammattei Nayib Bukele El Salvador Claudia Sheinbaum Donald Trump Reuters La violencia paraliza a Guatemala Presos durante un motín la prisión Renovación, en Escuintla, Guatemala, el 17 de enero. Presos durante un motín la prisión Renovación, en Escuintla, Guatemala, el 17 de enero. <p>El Mezquital is neither a neighborhood nor a district. It started out as one, but now it’s a motley patchwork of gray houses and corrugated metal roofs on the outskirts of Guatemala City. From here, the capital’s buildings appear in the distance as tiny lights, as unattainable as green spaces, shopping malls, or health centers. Old yellow school buses burst noisily down the main street, belching smoke and carrying silent residents who travel with their cell phones hidden away. The <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-14/escape-of-20-barrio-18-gang-members-from-a-maximum-security-prison-sparks-crisis-in-guatemala.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-14/escape-of-20-barrio-18-gang-members-from-a-maximum-security-prison-sparks-crisis-in-guatemala.html">Barrio 18</a> and <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-06/the-invisible-exile-of-ms-13-in-mexico.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-04-06/the-invisible-exile-of-ms-13-in-mexico.html">Mara Salvatrucha</a> gangs, which have brought the country and the government of Bernardo Arévalo to its knees, emerged from here. Arévalo has declared a state of emergency in the country. Although the decree marked its first week in effect on January 25, in the streets of El Mezquital, only the old rules apply: “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-01/guatemala-caught-between-gang-bloodshed-and-the-bukele-effect.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-24/sharks-become-easy-prey-for-criminal-groups.html Sat, 24 Jan 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-24/sharks-become-easy-prey-for-criminal-groups.html María Belén Arroyo,Arturo Torres Los Choneros, the reigning criminal organization in Manabí, Ecuador, is linked to shark hunting and finning, complimentary activities to its primary trade of drug and fuel trafficking Los Choneros, the reigning criminal organization in Manabí, Ecuador, is linked to shark hunting and finning, complimentary activities to its primary trade of drug and fuel trafficking Ecuador Michoacán México Guatemala El Salvador China Quito Marina del Ecuador Drug shipment seized on the high seas. Drug shipment seized on the high seas. <p>In February 2023, an article in the Mexican press announced the capture of a vessel some 195 nautical miles from the port of Lázaro Cárdenas in the state of <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-06/michoacan-untamed-territory-one-of-the-symbols-of-mexicos-security-crisis.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-06/michoacan-untamed-territory-one-of-the-symbols-of-mexicos-security-crisis.html">Michoacán</a>. It had been carrying nearly 700 pounds of cocaine packaged in plastic-wrapped bricks, in addition to 1,650 liters of hydrocarbons in 33 plastic containers.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-24/sharks-become-easy-prey-for-criminal-groups.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-01-22/andrea-martinez-baracs-historian-indigenous-allies-saved-the-spanish-on-the-night-of-sorrows.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 13:35:22 GMT https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-01-22/andrea-martinez-baracs-historian-indigenous-allies-saved-the-spanish-on-the-night-of-sorrows.html Manuel Jabois The specialist in Mesoamerican history warns against revisionism: ‘The course of the conquest could have been different without Indigenous support’ The specialist in Mesoamerican history warns against revisionism: ‘The course of the conquest could have been different without Indigenous support’ México Hernán Cortés José Manuel Albares TVE Guatemala Tenochtitlan Pablo Monge (EL PAÍS) Andrea Martínez at Madrid's Casa de América Tuesday. Andrea Martínez at Madrid's Casa de América Tuesday. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/6VQTQH3BLBBE7BMGVQOKWRSGRM.jpg?auth=888d9577406b379775b680a863371eec68f2a4c0dbb3b3ac2a60167067d0edbf" width="3984" height="2656" alt="Andrea Martínez at Madrid's Casa de América Tuesday."></img><p>Andrea Martínez Baracs (Mexico City, 69) is a historian with a doctorate from El Colegio de México, specializing in the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-08-09/the-conquest-of-mexico-under-question-500-years-on.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-08-09/the-conquest-of-mexico-under-question-500-years-on.html">Indigenous history of Mesoamerica</a> and the processes of conquest and colonization. This week at Casa América in Madrid, she spoke about the political alliances between Indigenous peoples, specifically the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/24/inenglish/1490370589_127597.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2017/03/24/inenglish/1490370589_127597.html">Tlaxcalans</a> and the Spanish Crown, offering a critical and rigorous perspective based on both Spanish and Indigenous sources. Historical enemies of the Mexica people, the Tlaxcalan rulers decided to ally themselves with the Spaniards led by <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-08-09/isabel-bueno-hernan-cortes-was-a-puppet-in-indigenous-hands-he-had-no-choice-but-to-trust-them.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2025-08-09/isabel-bueno-hernan-cortes-was-a-puppet-in-indigenous-hands-he-had-no-choice-but-to-trust-them.html">Hernán Cortés</a> after initially fighting against them. They participated in the entry into Tenochtitlan, its final siege, and other campaigns of conquest. In Mexican historiography, they have been portrayed as traitors, although this view is quite simplistic.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2026-01-22/andrea-martinez-baracs-historian-indigenous-allies-saved-the-spanish-on-the-night-of-sorrows.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/FPO4NMRFN5F5NIV25DO6PVZYEY.jpg?auth=da4a4fa8840b2145676112cc2000aeba7a07ef8d58daf744feb43b2c3af1bf20" width="3984" height="2656" alt="Mexican historian Andrea Martínez Baracs, in Madrid."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html Thu, 22 Jan 2026 11:20:15 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html Bryan Avelar The authorities have deployed the army to patrol the streets, but the response has had little impact on the gangs or a judicial system riddled with corruption The authorities have deployed the army to patrol the streets, but the response has had little impact on the gangs or a judicial system riddled with corruption Guatemala Bernardo Arévalo El Salvador Washington D.C. Nayib Bukele Moises Castillo (AP) Barrio 18 gang attacks in Guatemala Soldiers patrol in Guatemala, January 19. Soldiers patrol in Guatemala, January 19. <p>The day unfolds calmly in Guatemala City, and nothing seems to indicate that just 48 hours earlier, the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-02/a-gang-leader-released-by-bukele-reveals-his-pacts-with-the-government-of-el-salvador.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-05-02/a-gang-leader-released-by-bukele-reveals-his-pacts-with-the-government-of-el-salvador.html">Barrio 18 gang</a> murdered 10 police officers in different parts of the country, prompting <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-10/bernardo-arevalo-we-have-reaffirmed-that-guatemala-can-have-a-government-that-doesnt-bend-the-knee-to-corruption.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-10/bernardo-arevalo-we-have-reaffirmed-that-guatemala-can-have-a-government-that-doesnt-bend-the-knee-to-corruption.html">President Bernardo Arévalo</a> to declare a state of emergency. On the main street of the capital’s Alameda neighborhood, a police checkpoint stops two young men riding a motorcycle without helmets. The officers check their documents, inspect the vehicle, and after 10 minutes, detect the infraction: the exhaust noise exceeds the permitted decibel level. There’s a fine. They let them go. “We know the gang members aren’t going to be caught at this checkpoint,” admits the officer in charge of the operation. “But the law doesn’t authorize us to go looking for them at their homes. We’re not allowed to do that.”</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-01-22/barrio-18-gang-attacks-in-guatemala-expose-government-impotence-in-the-face-of-organized-crime.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/climate/2026-01-05/a-recipe-for-resistance-indigenous-peoples-politicize-their-struggles-from-the-kitchen.html Mon, 05 Jan 2026 17:02:27 GMT https://english.elpais.com/climate/2026-01-05/a-recipe-for-resistance-indigenous-peoples-politicize-their-struggles-from-the-kitchen.html Noor Mahtani Mahtani A book that compiles the recovery of ancestral recipes from the Americas, from Canada to the Amazon, maps strategies in the face of climate change and agribusiness A book that compiles the recovery of ancestral recipes from the Americas, from Canada to the Amazon, maps strategies in the face of climate change and agribusiness Ecuador Bolivia Perú Guatemala México Roly Cota Women with the recipe book in Bolivia on November 19. Women with the recipe book in Bolivia on November 19. <p>To cook <i>chipa de pescado</i> (a baked fish dish) with roasted yucca, the Asháninka Indigenous community of Peru must first gather bijao leaves to wrap the scaled fish in a leaf that will also serve as a plate. This community must also have fished for boquichico (black prochilodus) or chupadora (suckermouth catfish), in the Pichis River basin; quite a challenge since the widespread use of explosives and nets that barely allow the fish to grow. Similarly, to make toasted wheat soup, typical of the Quechua people in Bolivia, garlic, cumin, and red chili peppers, which they carefully harvest themselves, must be ground on a stone mortar. The story behind these <a href="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-11-06/miske-the-ancient-indigenous-drink-that-is-being-revived-around-the-world.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/culture/2023-11-06/miske-the-ancient-indigenous-drink-that-is-being-revived-around-the-world.html">ancestral recipes</a> begins long before the fire is lit. It involves the selection of seeds, the methods of cultivation and fishing, how and with whom food is eaten, and how it is served. In a world where Western diets are increasingly limited to fewer food groups, keeping this diverse and colorful gastronomy alive is an act of resistance.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/climate/2026-01-05/a-recipe-for-resistance-indigenous-peoples-politicize-their-struggles-from-the-kitchen.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-01-03/nora-sandigo-the-great-mother-who-offers-refuge-to-migrant-families-in-the-united-states.html Sat, 03 Jan 2026 04:45:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-01-03/nora-sandigo-the-great-mother-who-offers-refuge-to-migrant-families-in-the-united-states.html Ana Vidal Egea For the past 20 years, she has been legal guardian to 2,373 children, whose parents have been deported or are at risk of detention. She currently has 700 minors under her care For the past 20 years, she has been legal guardian to 2,373 children, whose parents have been deported or are at risk of detention. She currently has 700 minors under her care ICE Texas Guatemala Donald Trump Florida Marco Bello Nora Sandigo in Miami on December 3. Nora Sandigo in Miami on December 3. Marco Bello Nora Sandigo gifts a toy to the daughter of immigrants. Nora Sandigo gifts a toy to the daughter of immigrants. Alan Diaz (AP) Sandigo and several children under her guardianship attend an immigration hearing in Miami-Dade County. Sandigo and several children under her guardianship attend an immigration hearing in Miami-Dade County. Marco Bello Nora Sandigo, at her Miami home. Nora Sandigo, at her Miami home. Marco Bello Bags of food that Nora Sandigo donates to immigrants. Bags of food that Nora Sandigo donates to immigrants. Marco Bello At home, Nora Sandigo looks at photos of some of the immigrant children she has cared for. At home, Nora Sandigo looks at photos of some of the immigrant children she has cared for. Wilfredo Lee (AP) The immigration activist with Ritibh Kumar, a young man of Indian origin, who has lived with her since September of 2016. The immigration activist with Ritibh Kumar, a young man of Indian origin, who has lived with her since September of 2016. Marco Bello Nora Sandigo meets with an immigrant mother in Miami. Nora Sandigo meets with an immigrant mother in Miami. <p>An hour’s drive from Miami Beach, on the way to the suburb of Homestead, is the headquarters of the <a href="https://norasandigochildrenfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="" title="https://norasandigochildrenfoundation.org/">Nora Sandigo Children Foundation</a>, founded by Nora Sandigo. Known as “La Gran Madre” — “the great mother” — Sandigo is a local legend. Since opening her foundation in 2006, she’s been the legal guardian to 2,373 children, whose parents have been deported or are at risk of being <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-16/sick-migrants-detained-at-krome-denounce-appalling-medical-care-this-is-a-concentration-camp.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-16/sick-migrants-detained-at-krome-denounce-appalling-medical-care-this-is-a-concentration-camp.html">detained by immigration authorities</a>. This number is constantly changing as the children reach adulthood. </p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-01-03/nora-sandigo-the-great-mother-who-offers-refuge-to-migrant-families-in-the-united-states.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-31/the-end-of-the-american-dream-gives-way-to-guatemalan-opportunity.html Wed, 31 Dec 2025 13:36:35 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-31/the-end-of-the-american-dream-gives-way-to-guatemalan-opportunity.html Andrés Suárez Jaramillo Indebted and traumatized by the abuse of human smugglers and mistreatment by US authorities, migrants who returned without hope have managed to start a new life in their country of origin Indebted and traumatized by the abuse of human smugglers and mistreatment by US authorities, migrants who returned without hope have managed to start a new life in their country of origin Guatemala Texas ICE Donald Trump Ciudad Juárez El Paso Kansas Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) Roberto Barán (right) with his family in Coatepeque on November 6. Roberto Barán (right) with his family in Coatepeque on November 6. Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) Roberto Antonio Barán Castellanos, a Guatemalan migrant who returned from Ciudad Juárez after being abandoned by a human smuggler. Roberto Antonio Barán Castellanos, a Guatemalan migrant who returned from Ciudad Juárez after being abandoned by a human smuggler. Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) A meeting to promote entrepreneurship among returning migrants in Coatepeque, organized by the Hame Foundation in partnership with the Avina Foundation. A meeting to promote entrepreneurship among returning migrants in Coatepeque, organized by the Hame Foundation in partnership with the Avina Foundation. Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) Astrid Mariela de León Recinos, in her bakery venture. Astrid Mariela de León Recinos, in her bakery venture. Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) Electro-welding training for young people at risk of migration. Electro-welding training for young people at risk of migration. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HGAERRZWAJGTBBGKR2KWDRKHCI.JPG?auth=17bc49249e08c2e646039c0c7cd55d1ffebc2250a276bf76a1f20126d9e289fa" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Roberto Barán (right) with his family in Coatepeque on November 6."></img><p>At 29, Astrid crossed the border separating Mexico from the United States, slipping through the semi-arid landscape of the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/travel/2025-08-10/discovering-chihuahuas-sotol-murals-and-the-views-from-copper-canyon.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/travel/2025-08-10/discovering-chihuahuas-sotol-murals-and-the-views-from-copper-canyon.html">Chihuahuan Desert</a>. On her journey, she was accompanied by other migrants under the leadership of a <i>coyote</i> (a human smuggler) to whom she had paid $17,000, a sum she had raised through loans from relatives in the municipality of Coatepeque, in western Guatemala. “The hardest part for me was crossing the desert,” she recounts, her voice trembling and her eyes watering after what she endured in July 2023. “We had to stay among the garbage, risking being bitten by an animal, or being found by a cartel and losing our lives.”</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-31/the-end-of-the-american-dream-gives-way-to-guatemalan-opportunity.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/VGZFAMUUN5FVXHBI3V3AWPGT4M.JPG?auth=499e984a38290280c8543c702cbf49a730d27d63080cbe8e45ed72a1fd42fa63" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Astrid Mariela de León Recinos, in her bakery business, in Guatemala on November 7."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-30/the-interoceanic-train-the-mexican-alternative-to-the-panama-canal.html Tue, 30 Dec 2025 11:31:12 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-30/the-interoceanic-train-the-mexican-alternative-to-the-panama-canal.html Carlos Carabaña The deadly derailment of a passenger train in Oaxaca on Sunday has put the spotlight on the least scrutinized of López Obrador’s railway megaprojects The deadly derailment of a passenger train in Oaxaca on Sunday has put the spotlight on the least scrutinized of López Obrador’s railway megaprojects México Andrés Manuel López Obrador Oaxaca Chiapas Guatemala Enrique Peña Nieto Carolina Jiménez (Cuartoscuro) Inauguration of the Z line at Ixtepec station, Oaxaca, December 22, 2022. Inauguration of the Z line at Ixtepec station, Oaxaca, December 22, 2022. <p>The deadly <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-30/what-is-known-about-the-interoceanic-train-derailment-in-oaxaca.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-30/what-is-known-about-the-interoceanic-train-derailment-in-oaxaca.html">derailment of a passenger train</a> Sunday in Oaxaca has brought the Interoceanic Corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into sharp focus — the black sheep of the rail megaprojects developed during the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Conceived with the aim of competing with the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-25/segregation-malaria-and-25000-dead-the-hidden-history-of-the-panama-canal-in-a-literary-epic.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-10-25/segregation-malaria-and-25000-dead-the-hidden-history-of-the-panama-canal-in-a-literary-epic.html">Panama Canal</a> for freight transport between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the corridor remained largely under the radar while the Maya Train <a href="https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-12-20/miniskirts-on-mexicos-maya-train.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2023-12-20/miniskirts-on-mexicos-maya-train.html">garnered most of the media attention</a>.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-30/the-interoceanic-train-the-mexican-alternative-to-the-panama-canal.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-30/the-year-trump-created-16-million-undocumented-immigrants.html Tue, 30 Dec 2025 09:40:52 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-30/the-year-trump-created-16-million-undocumented-immigrants.html Carla Gloria Colomé Throughout 2025, the Republican administration cracked down not only on illegal immigration, but also on migrants who were in the country with humanitarian protections or certain types of special visas Throughout 2025, the Republican administration cracked down not only on illegal immigration, but also on migrants who were in the country with humanitarian protections or certain types of special visas Donald Trump Latinos Cuba Haití Nicaragua Venezuela ICE Washington D.C. Guatemala Cristopher Rogel Blanquet (Getty Images) Protest against ICE raids in Los Angeles on June 14. Protest against ICE raids in Los Angeles on June 14. <p>In 2023, the Pew Research Center estimated the total number of undocumented immigrants in the United States at 14 million. In 2024, Republicans campaigned on the promise to deport 20 million undocumented immigrants. By 2025, the figure — on which the U.S. government and international organizations still disagree — was already much higher in official discourse, with Donald Trump even stating that there were 25 million immigrants “who shouldn’t be here.” Amid so many conflicting and unverifiable figures, what is certain as we approach 2026 is that the current administration has made <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-07/donating-blood-or-selling-tamales-how-undocumented-immigrants-survive-when-nobody-wants-to-hire-them.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-07/donating-blood-or-selling-tamales-how-undocumented-immigrants-survive-when-nobody-wants-to-hire-them.html">1.6 million people undocumented this year</a> alone, with a well-oiled anti-immigrant policy that has made those previously protected illegal, revoked the documents of those who had them, and is now deporting those it initially welcomed.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-30/the-year-trump-created-16-million-undocumented-immigrants.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-12-27/a-floating-school-teaches-children-how-to-save-lake-atitlan.html Sat, 27 Dec 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-12-27/a-floating-school-teaches-children-how-to-save-lake-atitlan.html Andrés Suárez Jaramillo This is the latest attempt by Guatemalan scientists to make kids aware that the once-pristine lake is in danger of ‘dying’ from the constant discharge of waste water, garbage and erosion This is the latest attempt by Guatemalan scientists to make kids aware that the once-pristine lake is in danger of ‘dying’ from the constant discharge of waste water, garbage and erosion Guatemala Aldous Huxley Bacteria América Andrés Suárez Jaramillo (EL PAÍS) AMERICA FUTURA - ESCUELA FLOTANTE ATITLAN- GUATEMALA Children in the module on composting and soil erosion, in Sololá, Guatemala, in September 2025. Children in the module on composting and soil erosion, in Sololá, Guatemala, in September 2025. <img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/A3EQ2FTEM5GFTIAHBEMJP3EAUE.JPG?auth=c7485710bc72f31654fa1284a2d1d2693daeebfc4f58feb6108746f65a58fa46" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Children in the module on composting and soil erosion, in Sololá, Guatemala, in September 2025."></img><p>In 1934, the famous <a href="https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2024-01-31/brave-real-world.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/opinion/2024-01-31/brave-real-world.html">British writer Aldous Huxley</a> described Lake Atitlán, in the Guatemalan highlands, as “too much of a good thing,” alluding to its immeasurable beauty. In his travel book <i>Beyond the Bay of Mexico</i>, he compared it to Lake Como in Italy, which “touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes,” he wrote, namely San Pedro, Tolimán, and Atitlán. </p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/climate/2025-12-27/a-floating-school-teaches-children-how-to-save-lake-atitlan.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/4BNZXKNJ3ZBFLKWKOCMYAVSMLA.JPG?auth=7db462f8fec11479cdec8c556f6eefcf2da15016b910a94e0f78b06838b7b203" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Fátima Reyes teaches the module on emerging pollutants."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/6ROYHUJVUFBIROHMDAAPR63OPE.JPG?auth=7074a69f8531f0274af3d2e15d8320c55a739eb07cb8c642930476880e46584c" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Fátima Reyes gives the children an introduction to the day. "></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/2EW5WGIJ3BDSZMTCX6P7XOSJL4.JPG?auth=67dc17d6e4cd07b880e55f1497d7409eb443b2a6be3b0a0b34c9c2a863e47ef6" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Iván Coronado, 11 years old, in the water quality and phytoplankton module."></img><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/XESSRMD45BF5PE6MXFFFTXALPU.JPG?auth=38c6a34ddc361af4f866a17442ee60eba116b8223fac327a141f3faa3fee0d22" width="6000" height="3376" alt="Lake Atitlán surrounded by the three volcanoes."></img> https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-15/trump-administration-ends-family-reunification-parole-for-seven-countries.html Mon, 15 Dec 2025 18:16:24 GMT https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-15/trump-administration-ends-family-reunification-parole-for-seven-countries.html Jordi Alonso Martínez Yañez Thousands of beneficiaries from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras will have to leave the country in the coming weeks Thousands of beneficiaries from Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, and Honduras will have to leave the country in the coming weeks América Kristi Noem Donald Trump Florida Colombia El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Cuba Haití Gregory Bull (AP) Migrants wait at the border between Mexico and the United States in January 2023. Migrants wait at the border between Mexico and the United States in January 2023. <p>Another blow for Latino immigrants. The Trump administration has announced the definitive cancellation of all Family Reunification Parole programs, a migration mechanism that allowed citizens of seven countries —Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras — to enter the United States temporarily to reunite with close family members while awaiting the resolution of other <a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-11/trumps-new-restrictions-leave-no-migrant-safe-being-a-legal-resident-in-the-us-is-being-a-second-class-citizen.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-11/trumps-new-restrictions-leave-no-migrant-safe-being-a-legal-resident-in-the-us-is-being-a-second-class-citizen.html">immigration procedures</a>. The decision, announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and formalized through a notice in the Federal Register, will affect thousands of people.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-12-15/trump-administration-ends-family-reunification-parole-for-seven-countries.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-06/lev-tahor-a-sect-on-the-run-tracking-the-jewish-taliban-from-israel-to-colombia.html Sat, 06 Dec 2025 04:45:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-06/lev-tahor-a-sect-on-the-run-tracking-the-jewish-taliban-from-israel-to-colombia.html Noor Mahtani Mahtani The South American country has become the seventh nation to try to stop the group, which has been charged with sexual abuse and trafficking The South American country has become the seventh nation to try to stop the group, which has been charged with sexual abuse and trafficking Colombia Antioquia América Israel Guatemala México Migración Colombia COLOMBIA - SECTA LEV TAHOR - YARUMAL Operation against the Lev Tahor sect in Yarumal (Antioquia) on November 23, 2025. Operation against the Lev Tahor sect in Yarumal (Antioquia) on November 23, 2025. <p>Andrés Orrego saved the man’s number in his cell phone under American Friend. Orrego, who runs a small supermarket in the heart of the northern Colombian town of Yarumal, had liked the foreign stranger’s manners. He made an effort to speak Spanish well, paid in cash with new bills, and was almost always on time. Plus, he bought on a large scale, as if for a crowd: 22 pounds of peanuts, 55 of oranges, 22 of eggplant, 220 of potatoes, 50 coconuts, 75 limes… And then, sure, odder things: a hard-to-find fish, organic wheat flour, pure honey from a specific bloom. </p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-12-06/lev-tahor-a-sect-on-the-run-tracking-the-jewish-taliban-from-israel-to-colombia.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/FSQJX4KZGBAMDKT4CUSVWTCANI.jpg?auth=cfb4727c2a2ac2df764d46a6dd2bdcf7169143ecc9daa0fae382f96fddb8d412" width="6327" height="4218" alt="Residents walk through the town in Yarumal, Antioquia."></img> https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-28/the-controversial-history-of-raul-rocha-the-miss-universe-owner-under-investigation-for-links-to-organized-crime.html Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:33:56 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-28/the-controversial-history-of-raul-rocha-the-miss-universe-owner-under-investigation-for-links-to-organized-crime.html Micaela Varela The businessman, whose interests include the import and export of hydrocarbons, is wanted by the Attorney General’s Office for a fuel and arms trafficking scheme originating in Guatemala, where he served as honorary consul The businessman, whose interests include the import and export of hydrocarbons, is wanted by the Attorney General’s Office for a fuel and arms trafficking scheme originating in Guatemala, where he served as honorary consul Miss Universo México Guatemala Pemex Monterrey Michel Temer Felipe Calderón Los Zetas Miami Claudia Sheinbaum Sakchai Lalit (AP) Raúl Rocha Miss Universe Raúl Rocha in Thailand on November 21. Raúl Rocha in Thailand on November 21. <p>Raúl Rocha Cantú, the controversial magnate who owns the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-18/miss-universe-pageant-takes-the-spotlight-off-bukeles-looming-dictatorship.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-18/miss-universe-pageant-takes-the-spotlight-off-bukeles-looming-dictatorship.html">Miss Universe pageant</a>, has once again come under scrutiny from authorities with an investigation launched by the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime (FEMDO). But this is not the first time Rocha has been the subject of the authorities’ interest. The businessman, with a lavish track record in the corporate world and in the import and export of hydrocarbons in Mexico, is wanted for his involvement in a fuel, weapons, and drug smuggling ring originating in Guatemala that connects him to the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-31/el-mencho-the-discreet-drug-lord-in-charge-of-mexicos-most-powerful-cartel.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-03-31/el-mencho-the-discreet-drug-lord-in-charge-of-mexicos-most-powerful-cartel.html">Jalisco New Generation Cartel</a> and the Mexico City-based cartel <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-29/la-union-tepito-the-mexico-city-cartel-that-refuses-to-die.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-29/la-union-tepito-the-mexico-city-cartel-that-refuses-to-die.html">La Unión Tepito</a>. An arrest warrant has been issued, which he has rejected without providing any explanation for the charges brought against him. He has so far avoided arrest through an alleged agreement with the prosecution to become a protected witness. In 2011, he left Mexico after the tragedy at the Casino Royale in Monterrey, which left 52 people dead in a <a href="https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2011/08/31/inenglish/1314768042_850210.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/elpais/2011/08/31/inenglish/1314768042_850210.html">fire started by organized crime</a>.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-28/the-controversial-history-of-raul-rocha-the-miss-universe-owner-under-investigation-for-links-to-organized-crime.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p> https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-27/from-kitsch-to-organized-crime-miss-universe-controversy-uncovers-a-network-of-drug-trafficking-weapons-and-fuel-theft.html Thu, 27 Nov 2025 12:07:44 GMT https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-27/from-kitsch-to-organized-crime-miss-universe-controversy-uncovers-a-network-of-drug-trafficking-weapons-and-fuel-theft.html David Marcial Pérez Raúl Rocha, the president of the beauty pageant, has in one week gone from being accused of rigging the prize in favor of the Mexican winner to being pursued for leading a criminal network with links within the Mexican Attorney General’s Office Raúl Rocha, the president of the beauty pageant, has in one week gone from being accused of rigging the prize in favor of the Mexican winner to being pursued for leading a criminal network with links within the Mexican Attorney General’s Office Miss Universo Pemex México Guatemala Claudia Sheinbaum Chiapas Héctor Pereira (EFE) Miss Universe controversy Raúl Rocha and Fátima Bosch in Thailand on November 21. Raúl Rocha and Fátima Bosch in Thailand on November 21. <p>Every step Fátima Bosch has taken toward the <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-19/miss-nicaragua-sheynnis-palacios-wins-miss-universe-crown.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-11-19/miss-nicaragua-sheynnis-palacios-wins-miss-universe-crown.html">Miss Universe crown</a> has been accompanied by controversy. But the tangle of scandals, misunderstandings, and accusations has grown rapidly, escalating from kitsch to organized crime. At the center of the spotlight is the pageant’s president, Raúl Rocha. In less than a week since the winner was announced, the Mexican businessman has faced a barrage of criticism for favoritism and admitted to having a multi-million dollar contract with the oil giant Pemex, where Bosch’s father is an executive. On Wednesday, it was also revealed that Rocha has an arrest warrant in his name on accusations of leading a drug, arms, and <a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-17/mexico-fuel-trafficking-network-operated-since-at-least-2023with-69-shipments-and-more-than-150-million-in-profits.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-09-17/mexico-fuel-trafficking-network-operated-since-at-least-2023with-69-shipments-and-more-than-150-million-in-profits.html">fuel trafficking network</a> on the border between Mexico and Guatemala. According to court documents obtained by this newspaper, police officers and officials from the Mexican Attorney General’s Office (FGR) are also involved.</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/international/2025-11-27/from-kitsch-to-organized-crime-miss-universe-controversy-uncovers-a-network-of-drug-trafficking-weapons-and-fuel-theft.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p>