Central America
Harris says US wants to work with Guatemala to limit migration
AFP/Editor
US Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday the United States hopes to work with Guatemala to address the root causes of illegal migration by creating “a sense of hope” in the poverty- and violence-plagued country, on her first trip abroad since taking office.
Meeting President Alejandro Giammattei in Guatemala City, Harris said reducing undocumented migration from Central to North America was a priority for US President Joe Biden’s administration.
“Most people do not want to leave the place where they grew up,” loved ones, and people with whom they share a language and culture, Harris said.
But they often do so “either because they are fleeing some harm or because they simply cannot satisfy their basic needs by staying at home,” she added.
Regardless of their reasons for leaving, Harris urged would-be migrants not to make the journey: “Do not come” to the United States, she told them.
“The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders… If you come to our border, you will be turned back,” she said.
Instead, she proposed that the United States and Guatemala “work together” to find solutions to “long-standing problems.”
Critically, people must be given “a sense of hope that help is on the way,” said Harris.
“It must be coupled with relationships of trust. It must be coupled with tangible outcomes, in terms of what we do as leaders to convince people that there is a reason to be hopeful about their future and the future of their children.”
– Create conditions –
Giammattei said Guatemala wanted to cooperate “to create conditions in Guatemala so that they (young people) can find here the hope they do not have today.”
Harris announced a joint task force on smuggling and human trafficking, a women’s empowerment program, and an anti-corruption task force to help Central American law enforcement prosecute cases.
She rejected Republican criticism of the fact that neither she nor Biden had visited the US southern border, saying she had come to Central America to discuss matters in a “way that is significant and has real results” rather than making “grand gestures.”
Harris, who later flew to Mexico to meet President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Tuesday, said she had told Giammattei the United States would send 500,000 coronavirus vaccines to Guatemala.
Her trip is part of the Biden administration’s promise to implement a more humane immigration policy after the hardline approach taken by his predecessor Donald Trump.
But the Republican opposition has accused Biden of creating a “crisis” on the country’s southern border by failing to rein in migration.
Congress must still decide whether to approve the $861 million Biden has asked for next year as part of a $4 billion plan to tackle the issue.
American officials have in recent days called on Central American countries to defend democracy and fight corruption in a bid to improve conditions at home and thus eliminate a driving factor for migration.
Asked Monday about Guatemala’s anti-corruption stance, Giammattei said: “How many cases of corruption have I been accused of? I can give you the answer: Zero.”
Central America
El Salvador reports safest year in its history, security cabinet says
Officials from the institutions that make up El Salvador’s Expanded Security Cabinet on Monday, January 5, presented the results achieved through the country’s security strategies during 2025.
Authorities highlighted a significant reduction in homicides, the arrest of all perpetrators involved in killings, and the seizure of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal drugs throughout the past year.
“We have reached the day when, as the Expanded Security Cabinet, we present the national security report,” said Minister of Security Gustavo Villatoro.
Villatoro detailed the number of days with zero homicides recorded during the administration of President Nayib Bukele, as well as during the state of exception in 2025.
“We have accumulated 1,102 days without homicides during President Nayib Bukele’s administration, of which 988 occurred during the state of exception,” Villatoro explained.
The security minister underscored the government’s fight against impunity, noting that in 2025 authorities arrested those responsible for every homicide reported during the year.
“We closed 2025 with 82 homicides, all of which have been solved. That means we achieved a 100% homicide clearance rate and 0% impunity in homicide cases,” Villatoro said.
“These figures clearly show that the security measures promoted by the government were exactly what the country needed, and today we can say with full authority that we are the safest country in the entire Western Hemisphere,” he added.
Villatoro also reported the homicide rate per 100,000 inhabitants at the end of the year.
“In 2024, we closed with a homicide rate of 1.9 per 100,000 inhabitants. In 2025, we reduced it to 1.3, which represents 32 fewer homicides compared to the previous year,” he said.
According to official data, of the 82 homicides recorded in 2025, 43 were linked to social intolerance, 31 to family-related disputes, and eight to criminal activity. Villatoro emphasized that El Salvador is the only country able to report a reduction of more than 50% in street and violent crimes, including theft, assault, rape, extortion, vehicle theft and robbery.
“2025 represents the safest year in our national history, and all of this is due to the daily efforts of thousands of men and women in uniform and in public service,” Villatoro stated.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister René Francis Merino Monroy noted that another key factor behind the country’s low crime figures has been the strengthened security shield implemented by authorities in the fight against drug trafficking.
Central America
Honduras: Zelaya Calls for Mobilization Amid Dispute Over Tegucigalpa Mayoral Race
Manuel Zelaya, general coordinator of Honduras’ ruling Liberty and Refoundation Party (Libre, left-wing), on Saturday called on party supporters to mobilize next Monday in support of Tegucigalpa Mayor Jorge Aldana, who claims he is being defrauded in his bid for re-election.
“If the people do not mobilize because it is Christmas, then Libre party militants, out of conscience, must mobilize this Monday at 4:00 p.m. (22:00 GMT) at the INFOP (National Institute for Professional Training) to support Aldana in a peaceful, non-violent and democratic resistance against what they are already applying as the ‘Trump Algorithm 2025 – Honduras-style elections,’” Zelaya wrote on social media platform X.
Aldana, who considers himself the winner of the capital’s mayoral race following the general elections held on November 30, has been camping for 19 days outside the INFOP facilities, where all election materials are stored under military and police protection. The National Electoral Council (CNE) has already declared Nasry Asfura, of the conservative National Party, president-elect.
According to Aldana, who is seeking re-election under the Libre banner, the tally sheets in his possession confirm his victory. However, National Party mayoral candidate Juan Diego Zelaya is reportedly leading by a margin of around 600 votes.
While acknowledging that the margin is extremely narrow, Aldana is demanding a full review of more than 400 tally sheets, which he believes will ultimately confirm his win.
On Friday, Aldana told EFE that the protest camp was established “to raise a voice of protest, grounded in truth.” He added, “I am a journalist, and journalism teaches us to report truthfully, to live by the truth and to die for the truth. Here I am with the tally sheets in hand and the 492 inconsistencies identified by the CNE.”
Although uncertainty surrounding the presidential election results has subsided after Asfura—who is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump—was declared president-elect, tensions persist in municipal and legislative races due to inconsistencies in tally sheets across several of Honduras’ 18 departments.
The situation remains highly complex, as the special vote count has been paralyzed for three consecutive days. The process, which began on December 18 with a five-day delay, involves 2,792 tally sheets with reported inconsistencies.
According to CNE council members Ana Paola Hall (president) and Cossette López, representatives of the Liberal and National parties respectively, the paralysis is the result of a political party “boycott” at the Electoral Logistics Center (CLE).
The full CNE board, which also includes Marlon Ochoa of the Libre Party, held meetings on Friday and again on Saturday, virtually, to address delays in the special count of municipal and legislative election results.
Central America
International leaders congratulate Honduras’ president-elect Asfura
The United States government was among the first to congratulate the president-elect, through Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press briefing that Beijing “is willing to work with Honduras to jointly promote the continued development of bilateral relations.”
The European Union also expressed its commitment and interest in working with Asfura to advance “shared priorities aimed at deepening bilateral ties.”
In addition, the foreign ministries of Spain, the United Kingdom, and Uruguay issued messages congratulating the president-elect.
Presidents from Panama and Paraguay, as well as the government of Chile, also extended their congratulations to Asfura. Furthermore, the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic released a joint statement saying: “We reaffirm our solidarity with the Honduran people and express our hope that the transition will take place in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
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