Central America

The Congress of El Salvador ratifies a reform for express changes to the Constitution

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s ruling party, Nuevas Ideas (NI), ratified this Wednesday a controversial reform that allows express changes to the Constitution.

The reform, which received the endorsement of the 2021-2024 Legislature, allows the same legislature to approve and ratify the changes to the Magna Carta.

Initially, the constitutional amendments needed the vote of two different legislatures.

This amendment was ratified with 57 votes from NI and its allies, while the three opposition legislators voted against it.

The government justified this reform in the need to “have the necessary tools to face the social realities demanded by Salvadorans in the face of the constant changes that the world faces quickly.”

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The original wording of the second paragraph of article 248 establishes that the only way to modify the Constitution is through approval in a legislature with a simple majority and its ratification with the vote of two-thirds of the legislators.

With this approved amendment, it is added that this process can be carried out in the same legislature with three quarters of the elected deputies (45 out of 60).

Congresswoman Marcela Villatoro, of the opposition party Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), criticized the reform and pointed out that the reform process established in the same Constitution and judgments of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) would be violated.

“You are calling yourself constituents, you are violating the Constitution because you are not following the process of law” and “you have found the perfect excuse to upset the substance of the Constitution,” said the legislator.

The ruling deputy Caleb Navarro said that this reform would also serve to remove the political debt to the parties, with which they receive public funds for their work, which includes political campaigns prior to elections.

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In September 2020, President Bukele during his first term appointed his vice president, Félix Ulloa, to coordinate the study and proposal for reform to the Constitution.

It was in September 2021 that Bukele received a draft to reform more than 200 articles of the Constitution, but this document has not yet been presented to the Legislative body.

Central America

Bernardo Arévalo: US deportations could exacerbate Guatemala’s economic crisis

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo stated in an interview with EFE that his government is working to ensure that mass deportations agreed with the United States do not worsen the already fragile economy of his country. He warned that without the creation of “job opportunities and sources of work,” the migration crisis could worsen.

“Our intention is to show the United States that we must avoid allowing these deportations to lead to an economic deterioration process in a country where we already have worrying indicators. If the result is that, instead of solving the migration problem, we will only exacerbate it,” Arévalo emphasized.

The president, who traveled to Montevideo for the inauguration of progressive leader Yamandú Orsi on Saturday, defended the recent agreement with the US to receive up to 40% more flights with irregular migrants, both from Guatemala and other nationalities. He assured that the details of the agreement “are still being discussed.”

Migrants who are not Guatemalan will be sent back to their respective home countries at the expense of the US, according to Arévalo, who stressed that the deal, signed in February during a visit by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, “is an agreement” and not an imposition.

Sports

Manchester United knocked out of FA Cup after penalty shootout loss to Fulham

Another disappointment for Manchester United: the defending FA Cup champions were eliminated in this edition’s round of 16, losing in a penalty shootout (4-3 after a 1-1 draw) to Fulham on Sunday at Old Trafford.

Swede Victor Lindelof and Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee were the ‘Red Devils’ who missed their shots against goalkeeper Bernd Leno, sending the ‘Cottagers’ to the penultimate round of the oldest football competition.

The elimination is a heavy blow for a United team that is currently struggling in the Premier League, where they sit in a lowly 14th place.

Now, the Europa League, where they will face Real Sociedad in the first leg of the round of 16 next week, appears to be their only chance to lift a trophy this season. Last year, the FA Cup, in which United triumphed in the final against their neighbors Manchester City, was the competition that saved their campaign. The previous season, they had reached the final, finishing as runners-up.

Central America

Mass deportations begin: Central American migrants face unemployment and despair

Migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua account for 38% of all individuals with deportation orders from the United States. If Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan is fully executed, more than 200,000 Central Americans could be sent back to their home countries in 2025 alone.

But are these governments prepared to receive them and withstand the economic blow of reduced remittances?

“Look at my wrists. They put the shackles so tight, all the way down,” described a Salvadoran migrant, recounting his harsh repatriation journey in late January. He was on one of the first deportation flights under Trump’s second term.

“I have nothing—no money, no job, none of the opportunities I dreamed of,” expressed a Honduran migrant, who was forcibly returned to his country in early 2025.

These testimonies, documented by Central American media, paint a picture of desperation and uncertainty among recent deportees.

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During his campaign, President Trump vowed to carry out “the largest mass deportation in history”. Since his return to the White House, images of deported migrants have dominated official channels, underscoring the high priority of this policy on his administration’s agenda.