washingtonpost.com - Central America

Preparing for Mass Exodus As Gustav Gathers Strength

Jacqueline L. Salmon and Spencer S. Hsu — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

CHALMETTE, La., Aug. 28 -- Determined to avoid the mistakes made when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, federal and state officials began preparations for massive evacuations if it becomes clear that Tropical Storm Gustav will sweep over the region with the same force as Katrina.

New Orleans Makes Plans As Gustav Moves Closer

Jonathan M. Katz — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Aug. 27 -- Hurricane Gustav triggered flooding and landslides that killed at least 23 people before weakening to a tropical storm, but forecasters said Wednesday that it remains a major threat to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Tropical Storm Looms Over Haiti

Post — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Aug. 25 -- Tropical Storm Gustav formed quickly Monday in the Caribbean and took a course that would send it into Haiti's denuded southern coast as a hurricane before moving on to Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida.

Tropical Storm Heads for Fla. Gulf Coast

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

MEXICO CITY, Aug. 18 -- Tropical Storm Fay headed for Florida's west coast late Monday after dumping heavy rains on Key West and slashing through the Caribbean, leaving at least five people dead in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Tijuana's AIDS Epidemic Is a Binational Threat

Ceci Connolly — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

TIJUANA, Mexico -- Half a dozen prostitutes swarm Angel Cabrera's car as he inches along the traffic-choked streets of downtown Tijuana on a balmy Friday evening.

Mexico's Drug Cartels Take Barbarous Turn: Targeting Bystanders

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

GUAMUCHIL, Mexico -- The three teenagers started their big weekend singing "Happy Birthday" to the parish priest.

Russian Bombers Could Be Deployed to Cuba

Peter Finn — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

MOSCOW, July 21 -- Russian bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons could be deployed to Cuba in response to U.S. plans to install a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, a Russian newspaper reported Monday, citing an unnamed senior Russian air force official.

Sustaining the Medellin Miracle

Anthony Faiola — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

MEDELLIN, Colombia -- This labyrinthine metropolis transformed over the course of a decade from a battlefield of drug lords, paramilitaries and leftist guerrillas into one of the safest, most dynamic cities in Latin America. Visionary inner-city renewal projects and a push to take back the lawles...

Detainee-Trial Evidence Was Allegedly Destroyed

Michael Melia — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 8 -- The Pentagon urged interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to destroy handwritten notes in case they were called to testify about potentially harsh treatment of detainees, a military defense lawyer said Sunday.

Detainee to Face Military Tribunal

Post — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, June 3 -- A former British resident accused of plotting with al-Qaeda to bomb apartment buildings in the United States was selected to face a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon said.

Immigration Raid Jars a Small Town

Spencer S. Hsu — Sun, 18 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

POSTVILLE, Iowa -- Antonio Escobedo ran to get his wife Monday when he saw a helicopter circling overhead and immigration agents approaching the meatpacking plant where they both work. The couple hid for hours inside the plant before obtaining refuge in the pews and hall at St. Bridget's Catholic...

System of Neglect

Dana Priest and Amy Goldstein — Sun, 11 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Near midnight on a California spring night, armed guards escorted Yusif Osman into an immigration prison ringed by concertina wire at the end of a winding, isolated road.

Guatemalan Stresses Immigrant Sacrifices

Pamela Constable — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom, on his first visit to Washington since taking office in January, said yesterday that his country's discredited police and justice systems need to be "reordered and disciplined" and that Guatemalan immigrants who are in the United States illegally deserve the same...

At Least 20 Dead After Boat Capsizes Off the Bahamas

Tosheena Robinson-Blair — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

NASSAU, Bahamas, April 21 -- Haitians fleeing their impoverished homeland met tragedy when their boat went down off the Bahamas, killing at least 20 people and leaving only three known survivors, including an alleged migrant smuggler, authorities said Monday.

Mexicans Get Less Aid From Migrants

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

LO DE LUNA, Mexico -- The effects of the subprime mortgage crisis and the downturn in the U.S. economy have cascaded into Mexico, causing a sudden, precipitous drop in the flow of money sent home by Mexican immigrants and highlighting this country's dependence on its wealthier northern neighbor.

Cuba Repeals Ban on Its Citizens Staying in Hotels on Island

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT

EL PASO, March 31 -- The government of President RaÃºl Castro has lifted a ban on Cubans staying in hotels on the island, tourism industry employees said Monday, in an apparent end to a policy that exiled bloggers and other critics had dubbed "tourism apartheid."

Party Elders Triumph In Cuba

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

HAVANA, Feb. 24 -- Cuba's revolutionary old guard consolidated its hold on power Sunday when the National Assembly bypassed a younger generation of politicians and named Fidel Castro's brother, RaÂ¿l, president and a hard-line communist first vice president.

The Two Paths of Castro's Legacy in Latin America

Juan Forero — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

CARTAGENA, Colombia, Feb. 19 -- Fidel Castro sparked revolution and inspired guerrilla leaders and progressive politicians in Latin America who came of age watching him defy the United States, champion socialism and oppose a string of military dictatorships.

Uncertainty in Cuba as Castro Steps Down

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

MEXICO CITY, Feb. 19 -- Fidel Castro, the Marxist revolutionary and nemesis of 10 U.S. presidents, resigned as Cuba's paramount leader Tuesday after dominating the island's politics and society for nearly five decades.

Forests Vanishing Swiftly in Haiti

Jonathan M. Katz — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST

GRAND COLLINE, Haiti, Feb. 16 -- Far from the spreading slums of the Haitian capital, past barren dirt mountains and hillsides stripped to a chalky white core, two woodcutters bring down a towering oak tree in one of the few forested valleys left in the Caribbean country.

New Generation Casts Votes on Immigration, Economic Issues

Peter Whoriskey — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

MIAMI, Jan. 29 -- It has become a highly stylized ritual: Political candidates drop by the Versailles restaurant in Little Havana, slurp a cafecito , condemn Fidel Castro and loudly affirm, " Viva Cuba libre!" Television cameras capture it all.

Romney And McCain, 'Hispanic' Candidates?

David Montgomery — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

When Bill Richardson canceled his presidential bid, wags in the Latino blogosphere did not mourn the lack of other Hispanic contenders. They still had the "Mexican-American" and the "Panamanian" vying for the GOP nomination.

Arrests, Slaying Underscore Mexico's Drug Crisis

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

MEXICO CITY, Jan. 22 -- Soldiers arrested 11 suspected hit men Tuesday at drug safe houses in the Mexican capital. Authorities said the safe houses were linked to the violent Sinaloa cartel, a group whose caches had not previously been discovered in the city.

Mexican Police Hit the Books With the Help of Radio Codes

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST

NEZAHUALCOYOTL, Mexico In the luminous opening scene of Gabriel GarcÃa MÃ¡rquez's classic novel "One Hundred Years of Solitude," Aureliano BuendÂ¿a confronts a memory.

Alleged Taliban Member Detained in Guantanamo Bay Dies of Cancer

Post — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Dec. 30 -- An Afghan detainee and alleged member of the Taliban died in custody Sunday after an illness at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, officials said.

Nicaraguan Court Voids American's Conviction

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 17 -- A Nicaraguan court on Monday ordered the release of an American magazine editor who became an international cause celebre after being convicted in the grisly murder of his ex-girlfriend.

Crossing From Mexico The Old-Fashioned Way, Powered by Forearms

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

GUSTAVO DIAZ ORDAZ, Mexico The Rio Bravo makes a big, lazy turn through the cornfields, half its channel in Mexico, half in the United States. At the bend, the wind picks up speed and whips through the ebony trees, trees so hard and strong that their wood resembles polished stone.

The USDA's Losing Effort

Gilbert M. Gaul — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST

Under a program to create jobs in rural America, the U.S. Department of Agriculture guaranteed $1.6 million in loans to Aztec Environmental Inc., an asbestos-removal company in Panama City, Fla.

Central Americans See Peril in Bush's Anti-Drug Priorities

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 28 -- The funding imbalance in the Bush administration's new anti-drug plan, which would send 10 times as much aid to Mexico as to all seven Central American nations combined, is generating anxiety in Central America.

Immigrant Paperwork Backs Up At DHS

Spencer S. Hsu — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

The Department of Homeland Security failed to prepare for a massive influx of applications for U.S. citizenship and other immigration benefits this summer, prompting complaints from Hispanic leaders and voter-mobilization groups that several hundred thousand people likely will not be granted citi...

Colom Wins Presidency In Guatemalan Runoff

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EST

GUATEMALA CITY, Nov. 4 -- Ãlvaro Colom, who struggled with internal defections and disappointing poll numbers in the final stages of Guatemala's presidential campaign, won a startling victory Sunday.

Choosing a Future From Tainted Pasts

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 00:00:00 EDT

GUATEMALA CITY, Nov. 3 -- Guatemalans vote Sunday in a presidential runoff election shaped as much by the candidates' pasts as their visions for the future.

Cuba's Waning System of Block-Watchers

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

CAMAGUEY, Cuba -- Children swarmed the table outside Blanca Peleaz's concrete home in this central Cuban city. There were cakes and cookies, gooey frosting and candy speckles, rare abundance in a place where food shortages are the norm.

Federal Grand Jury Takes Copperfield Case

Mike Carter — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

SEATTLE -- A federal grand jury in Seattle is investigating allegations by a Washington state woman who said she was raped, assaulted and threatened by magician David Copperfield at his private island in the Bahamas in July, at least three federal law enforcement officials have confirmed.

Document Details U.S. Aid Proposed For Mexico

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

TIJUANA, Mexico, Oct. 26 -- More than a third of the Bush administration's proposed counternarcotics aid package for Mexico would be spent on aerial surveillance and the rapid deployment of troops, according to a breakdown of the plan.

Free-Trade Fight Reflects Broader Battle

Peter Baker — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

The vote was barely 24 hours away when President Bush's aides held an emergency conference call at 10:45 p.m. last Friday. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) had sent a letter that could sink a U.S.-led free trade agreement up for referendum in...

Costa Ricans Vote on Trade Pact

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

MEXICO CITY, Oct. 7 -- Costa Rica appeared headed late Sunday toward approval of a trade pact with the United States after a count of 88.7 percent of polling stations showed 51.6 percent of voters in favor of the trade deal. The balloting follows a contentious campaign marked by a scandal that to...

Pampering A Mysterious Deity With Presents and Rum

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

SANTIAGO ATITLAN, Guatemala The shaman looked annoyed.

GOP Congressman From Illinois Won't Run in 2008

Carla K. Johnson — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

JOLIET, Ill., Sept. 21 -- Rep. Jerry Weller (R-Ill.), facing questions about his ethics, announced Friday that he will not seek an eighth term.

Guatemalan Businessman, Ex-General Head to Runoff

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

ANTIGUA, Guatemala, Sept. 10 -- Three-time presidential candidate Ãlvaro Colom and former army general Otto PÃ©rez Molina easily outdistanced 12 opponents in Sunday's presidential election and will face each other in a Nov. 4 runoff, according to results announced Monday.

For Guatemalan Villagers, Ability to Vote Is a Victory

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

SAN JUAN DE OBISPO, Guatemala, Sept. 9 -- Marta Aquino carefully folded four sheets of paper -- pink, green, blue and white -- then dropped them into long, clear plastic pouches Sunday in this village at the foot of the majestic Water Volcano.

Guatemalan Presidential Elections

Compiled by Heather Farrell — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:34:17 EDT

In a runoff on Nov. 4, 2007, voters in Guatemala elected Ãlvaro Colom president to succeed Oscar Berger of the center-right Grand National Alliance (GANA) party. The new president is expected to be sworn in to a four-year term on Jan. 14, 2008.

Traffickers Infiltrate Military in Colombia

Juan Forero — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

BOGOTA, Colombia -- An investigation by the Colombian Defense Ministry has found that drug traffickers and rebels from the country's largest guerrilla group infiltrated the U.S.-backed military here, paying high-ranking officers for classified information to help elude capture and continue smuggl...

Hot, Humid Weather Expected Today, Tomorrow

Joe Holley — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 13:38:00 EDT

Just because it's September, on autumn's cusp, don't expect cool, crisp air for the Washington area -- not just yet, at least. Today and tomorrow, it's still going to be hot, humid and summerlike.

Hurricane Felix Hits Nicaragua as Henriette Slams Baja Peninsula

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

GUATEMALA CITY, Sept. 4 -- Hurricanes swept ashore in Nicaragua and Mexico within hours of each other Tuesday, the first time Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes have made landfall on the same day since 1998, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Nicaragua's Soviet-Era Missiles Locked in Limbo

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT

MANAGUA, Nicaragua -- At a secret location somewhere in Nicaragua, shoulder-fired missiles capable of taking down a jetliner lie behind heavy fencing and locked double doors.

On Mexican Coast, Anxiety After Dean

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

CASITAS, Mexico, Aug. 22 -- Now, they wait. Wait and worry.

After Dean, Yucatan Counts Its Blessings

Adriana Varillas and Manuel Roig-Franzia — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO, Mexico, Aug. 21 -- In the grim darkness, as 160 mph winds lashed this small city, she lay in pain.

Yucatan Villagers Implored to Flee Homes

Adriana Varillas and Manuel Roig-Franzia — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

FELIPE CARRILLO PUERTO, Mexico, Aug. 21 -- Hurricane Dean roared early Tuesday into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, where some campesinos refused to leave their thatch-roofed shacks in rural villages and brandished machetes at evacuation crews.

Dean Punishes Jamaica, Takes Aim at Yucatan

Taneisha Lewis and Manuel Roig-Franzia — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 00:00:00 EDT

KINGSTON, Jamaica, Aug. 19 -- Hurricane Dean's massive eye skidded just south of Jamaica on Sunday, but its ferocious outer bands still socked the island with 145 mph winds that shredded roofs, shattered windows and toppled trees.

Conflicting Portraits of Officer Charged Over Abu Ghraib

Josh White — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan does not appear in any of the notorious images of detainee abuse that emerged from Abu Ghraib prison three years ago. Going into his tour in Iraq in 2003, he had no interrogation experience. And more than half a dozen military interrogators have said in recent...

China's Diplomatic Gain Is Taiwan's Loss

Edward Cody — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

TAIPEI, Taiwan, July 8 -- The news came as a shock to many Taiwanese. After 63 years as a faithful ally of this self-ruled island, Costa Rica was switching diplomatic relations to mainland China, acknowledging that money was the big lure.

Hondurans Ride Winds of Change Blown In by Mitch

Pamela Constable — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT

CHOLUTECA, Honduras -- When Hurricane Mitch tore into this sleepy Pacific coastal province of dairy farms and cane fields in October 1998, its torrential rains and winds swept away an entire way of life -- and opened up unexpected new vistas of change.

Sharp Reaction to Immigration Bill's Defeat

Manuel Roig-Franzia — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT

MEXICO CITY, June 29 -- Latin America reacted with sharp disappointment Friday to the U.S. Senate's defeat of an immigration bill, a decision that Mexican President Felipe CalderÃ³n called "a grave error" and Salvadoran President ElÃas Antonio Saca said was "a pity."

Bush Imagines Cuba After Castro's Death

Peter Baker — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT

NEWPORT, R.I., June 28 -- President Bush on Thursday openly anticipated the death of ailing Cuban President Fidel Castro, picturing it as an opportunity to bring freedom to the Caribbean island after nearly half a century of iron-fisted rule by the fiery communist leader.

Deportees' Bittersweet Homecoming

Pamela Constable — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Almost every day, another unmarked jet from Houston lands at the international airport in this Central American capital and disgorges a new batch of deportees from U.S. immigration custody. More than 1,800 this month. More than 13,700 since January.

Vilma Espin de Castro; Politician Empowered Women in Cuba

Adam Bernstein — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Vilma Espin de Castro, 77, a daughter of privilege who became one of the most powerful women in Communist Cuba -- as the de facto first lady for her brother-in-law, Fidel Castro, and as a champion of women's rights -- died June 18 in Havana. Her husband, Defense Minister Raul Castro, is acting pr...

Guatemala, Neighbors Hit by Quake

Post — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT

GUATEMALA CITY, June 13 -- A powerful earthquake shook Guatemala and parts of neighboring nations Wednesday, sending some residents of the capital rushing into the streets for safety. Officials said there were no immediate reports of casualties or serious damage.