Central America

US, EU, Spain give money to address C.American migrant crisis

AFP/Editor

The United States, European Union and Spain on Thursday pledged more than $85 million in aid to Mexico and Central America to offer alternatives to would-be migrants seeking a better life.

Washington has pledged $57 million on top of $310 million in humanitarian aid for the region already announced in April by Vice President Kamala Harris, a government official said in Costa Rica ahead of a presidential summit.

“This money will be used to support efforts in building asylum systems, enabling governments to address the pressures of the migration itself,” Amy Pope, the White House senior advisor on migration, told a gathering in San Jose.

“This is part of president Biden’s much comprehensive approach to migration, is not all about the United States border, it is about what is happening that causes people to feel that they do not have any other choice than to flee,” she said.

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Pope spoke at an event in solidarity with forcibly displaced people preceding a summit of heads of state and government of countries in the Central American Integration System (SICA), and Spain.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the event his government would contribute $7.6 million to the cause, while the EU pledged another $22.5 million.

“We recognize that without a regional solution, we cannot address this problem,” said Pope.

Undocumented migration from Central America to the United States has been on the increase since 2018, and is a major headache for the administration of President Joe Biden.

Detentions of undocumented migrants, many fleeing poverty or violence at home, hit a 15-year-high along the US-Mexico border in April, with nearly 180,000 people intercepted, according to the US authorities.

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Biden is allowing unaccompanied minors to stay and be united with relatives living in the United States.

The Republican opposition has accused Biden of creating a “crisis” on the country’s southern border.

Harris, on a visit to Mexico and Guatemala this week, said countries must work together to address the root causes of the problem, but told would-be migrants “Do not come” to the United States.

“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.

Earlier Thursday, Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei said Biden’s administration was tempting migrants through what he called humanitarian messages.

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“Because there they said, ‘we are going to encourage family unification.’ And the coyotes (smugglers) took children and adolescents to the US, and the border filled up, not just with people from Guatemala. A ton of people,” Giammattei told Fox News.

Central America

Panama grants Martinelli 72-hour extension to travel to Nicaragua

On Monday (March 31, 2025), Panama extended the safe-conduct pass for former President Ricardo Martinelli by three more days to allow him to travel to Nicaragua, after the Central American country refused to receive him due to concerns over an alleged Interpol arrest warrant.

“The National Government has decided to extend the validity of the safe-conduct pass for an additional seventy-two (72) hours, until the end of Thursday, April 3, 2025,” the Panamanian Foreign Ministry stated in a communiqué. The original permit was set to expire Monday at midnight (05:00 GMT on Tuesday).

The Foreign Ministry explained that regarding the ‘humanitarian asylum’ granted to Martinelli last Thursday, which was set to expire Monday at midnight, the Nicaraguan government requested clarifications about an apparent Interpol alert, which had already been dismissed as inadmissible.

Additionally, the Panamanian Supreme Court of Justice, as the highest authority of the Judicial Branch, stated on Monday that it had “no objections” to granting asylum and a safe-conduct to Martinelli, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Executive Branch.

Central America

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary urges Mexico to strengthen Guatemala border

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed on Monday that during last week’s meeting with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, she urged Mexico to reinforce its border with Guatemala and share biometric datawith U.S. authorities.

“I gave her a list of things that President Trump would love to see. And it was exceptional. It was supposed to be a half-hour meeting, but we talked for nearly two hours. It was very productive,” Noem said in an interview with Fox News.

The Homeland Security Secretary requested that Sheinbaum, who has already deployed 10,000 National Guard troopsalong Mexico’s northern border with the U.S., also secure Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala.

Noem added that she also asked the Mexican president to share biometric data with the U.S., to which Sheinbaum responded that she was “willing to discuss it,” although she acknowledged that it could be a controversial issue in her country.

Central America

Panama police clarifies that Interpol alert for Martinelli is still pending

Panama’s National Police clarified on Sunday that an Interpol alert request for former President Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014) is still under review and has yet to be confirmed. Martinelli was granted a safe-conduct pass last Thursday to leave the Nicaraguan embassy, where he has been seeking asylum since February 2024 after being convicted of corruption.

“The National Police clarifies that there is currently an active process for an Interpol alert, requested by Judge Baloisa Marquínez, against former President Ricardo Martinelli. This request must be analyzed by Interpol’s General Secretariat (headquartered in France) for approval or rejection. If approved, it will be notified to member countries,” the police stated in a press release sent to EFE.

According to the statement, “at the moment, it remains an ongoing procedure, and former President Martinelli does not have a confirmed alert.”

The announcement came hours after National Police Director Jaime Fernández had told the press that an “Interpol alert” for Martinelli had been received on Friday.