The Latin American Report # 365

Latin America is part of the busy agenda that Donald Trump has outlined for his first day back in the White House. A massive and aggressive deportation plan is expected to be at least officially proposed. It may face barriers in the complex U.S. legal apparatus and could be very demanding regarding logistics, but is feasible. The main problem here is, to begin with, to know who Trump is referring to when he speaks of “criminals” to be deported. It would seem a too-negative category for undocumented immigrants—there would be some 11 million according to the latest available statistic, from 2022—, thinking of those who do not engage in criminal activity beyond that status—which they do not want to have—or antisocial attitudes.

The dangerous rhetoric of Trump's advisors contains references to the potential removal of “illegal criminals, drug dealers, and human traffickers.” “On Day 1, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history to get the criminals out. I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, then kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible,” Trump said in October. The poster city for this narrative must be none other than Springfield, where the president won by a hair's breadth—by 135 votes—to Harris after spreading the hoax that Haitian immigrants ate dogs and cats.

The anxiety that Trump's stance has implied for migrants is not limited to those on U.S. soil. We have already spoken of those in Mexico waiting to obtain an appointment via the CBP One mobile application, or those in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela waiting to be approved to be part of a humanitarian parole program introduced by the Biden administration. But the same drama is entangling those who these days have crossed—or are trying to cross—the Darién Gap. Venezuelans disenchanted with the outcome of last August's electoral process in their homeland are part of the advance guard of that group—which also includes people from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh—, in a hurry to crown the so-called American dream before January.

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Mexico in the Trump´s agenda

Associated with the notion of criminality that the 47th President has in his sights as a priority is drug trafficking and in general the activity of organized crime that—from México—compromises the safety of Americans and in particular their health (although the persecution of the criminals inside America who end up distributing the deadly fentanyl and other drugs, obtaining huge profits from the business, is always left out of the discussion). Who will be a second-time owner of the Resolute desk has threatened México with imposing 25% tariffs on all products coming from Aztec lands “if they don't stop [the] onslaught of criminals and drugs coming into [the United States]”. We know that campaigning is one thing and life in concrete government bureaucracy is another. Let's stay tuned to see how far apart both dimensions are during Donald Trump's second round at the wheel of the most powerful car in the world.

The bloody Mexican scene inside, another act

The truth is that the Aztecs have a serious problem in their failed attempt—whatever policy they pursue—to contain the violence within. While the cry of a family that lost eleven of its members—including four minors—whose bodies were found dismembered in the back of a pickup truck, all sellers of various household items, and awaits the whereabouts of six others—two of them originally disappeared along with the eleven referred above, while the other four went out in search of them and have not been heard from either—, is still heard loudly, yesterday, Saturday, another painful massacre occurred in which ten people lost their lives in the so-far quiet colonial city of Querétaro. By my count, three armed individuals got out of a car and opened fire indiscriminately on people sharing at a local bar, in an attack that also left seven people wounded. The violence prevailing in Guanajuato could be spilling over into the neighboring Querétaro, experts say, which could open another dangerous front where blood is flowing, as in the also complicated Guerrero—where the murders/disappearances occurred of household items sellers—, Zacatecas, and Sinaloa. The motive for the massacre at the bar Los Cantaritos is still unclear, although it has been reported that after the attack the authorities closed a score of establishments also owned by its proprietary, including nightclubs.

And this is all for our report today. I have referenced the sources dynamically in the text, and remember you can learn how and where to follow the LATAM trail news by reading my work here. Have a nice day.