Fausta's Blog

American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

Archives for February 2018

February 27, 2018 By Fausta

Immigration: The extracontinentales

Lauren Markham reports at The New Republic on the tidal wave of migrants, mostly young men in their twenties and thirties, from India, Pakistan, and other countries from Africa and the Middle East heading for the United States via the Mexican border:

How efforts to block refugees and asylum-seekers from Europe have only made the global migration crisis more complex and harrowing (emphasis added)

By 7 p.m., the sun had set and groups of young men had begun to gather inside a small, nameless restaurant on a narrow street in Tapachula, Mexico. Anywhere else in the city, a hub of transit and commerce about ten miles north of the Guatemalan border, there would be no mistaking that you were in Latin America: The open colonial plaza, with its splaying palms and marimba players, men with megaphones announcing Jesus, and women hawking woven trinkets and small bags of cut fruit suggested as much. But inside the restaurant, the atmosphere was markedly different. The patrons hailed not from Mexico or points due south but from other far-flung and unexpected corners of the globe—India, Pakistan, Eritrea, Cameroon, Sierra Leone, Congo. Men, and all of the diners were men, gathered around tables, eating not Mexican or Central American fare but steaming plates of beef curry, yellow lentils, and blistered rounds of chapati. The restaurant’s proprietor, a stern, stocky Bangladeshi man in his thirties named Sadek, circulated among the diners. He stopped at one table of South Asian men and spoke to them in Hindi about how much they owed him for the items he’d collected on their tab. The waitress, patiently taking orders and maneuvering among the crowds of men, was the only Spanish speaker in the room.

Outside, dozens of other such men, travelers from around the world, mingled on the avenue. They reclined against the walls of restaurants and smoked cigarettes on the street-side balconies of cheap hotels. They’d all recently crossed into the country from Guatemala, and most had, until recently, been held in Tapachula’s migrant detention center, Siglo XXI. Just released, they had congregated in this packed migrants’ quarter as they prepared to continue their journeys out of Mexico and into the United States. They had traveled a great distance already: a transatlantic journey by airplane or ship to Brazil; by car, bus, or on foot to Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia; through Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua; on to Honduras, Guatemala, and into Mexico. Again and again, I heard their itinerary repeated in an almost metronomic cadence, each country a link in a daunting, dangerous chain. They’d crossed oceans and continents; slogged through jungles and city slums; braved detention centers and robberies; and they were now, after many months, or even longer, tantalizingly close to their final goal of the United States and refugee status.

“The largest groups tend to be from India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Congo,” but also Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Syria.

They usually arrive in Brazil, through Peru, up the Darién gap connecting Colombia and Panama, north through Central America – and Mexico has increasingly become a destination.

Read the full article.

Note: extracontinentales means “from outside the continent”

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, illegal immigration, immigration, Mexico

February 27, 2018 By Fausta

Trending at WoW! Magazine

Watcher of Weasels

A history professor wrongly claims the Founding Fathers loved gun control

How To Stop Mass Shootings In America

FBI Focuses on Millions of “Mishandled” $$$ Funneled from Australian Gov to Clinton Foundation


The peculiar case of David Hogg exposes media incompetence *UPDATED*

Democrats and Illegal Aliens versus the NRA and the Second Amendment

China Kills US Intel Assets In 2010; NYT Ignores The Obvious Question About Hillary

A Must Read – The Untold Eyewitness Story Of The Paris Bataclan Killings

Bookworm Beat 2/22/18 — our Second Amendment illustrated edition

A Twitter Honey Pot of ‘Russian Bots to Trap Conservatives? #TwitterLockout

Reagan CPAC Speech [1988]; Trump CPAC Speech [2018] (videos)

It’s time to check out What Business Thinks once again *UPDATED*

Does Anyone Actually Teach Conservatism Anymore?

Happy Birthday, George Washington, America’s indispensable man!

Ingraham: Guns, God and the Grace to Listen (Opening Monologue)

Forum:When Does The Mueller Investigation End? With What Result?

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog Tagged With: Watchers Council

February 26, 2018 By Fausta

Mexico: AMLO’s friend Romo gets richer

Today has become a very busy day, and I don’t have the time for a post, but I recommend that you read Mary O’Grady’s article on how Monterrey tycoon Alfonso Romo, whom AMLO has named chief of staff of his proposed cabinet, got richer quick through a 2004 IPO and buyback of sorts.

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, Mexico Tagged With: Alfonso Romo, AMLO, Andrés Manuel López Obrador

February 25, 2018 By Fausta

Sunday palate cleanser: Johnny Cash at Glastonbury

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, music Tagged With: Johnny Cash, Sunday palate cleansers

February 23, 2018 By Fausta

Justin Trudeau dresses up for Bride and Prejudice UPDATE: Trudeau still auditioning for B&P

When Justin Trudeau decided to go to India, he must have tried to kill two birds with one shot, and dress up like Mr. Darcy in Bride and Prejudice:

It did not go well.

Read my post, Justin Trudeau dresses up for Bride and Prejudice.

UPDATE: Trudeau still auditioning fo B&P
Justin Trudeau dons traditional dress again and dances the BHANGRA

Compare and contrast:

Justin Trudeau:

Naveen Andrews:

Share

Filed Under: Canada, Fausta's blog, India Tagged With: Da Tech Guy Blog, Justin Trudeau

February 22, 2018 By Fausta

MS-13 in the news this week: What you need to know

“Mata, roba, viola, controla” [“Kill, steal, rape, control”]

Paul Berard writes that report from the Center for Immigration Studies, MS-13 spreads to 22 states, fed by 300,000 illegals, DACA recipients, tied to 207 murders

One MS-13 clique leader in Frederick, Md., who had received a DACA work permit and was employed as a custodian at a middle school in Frederick, Md., and who was recently incarcerated for various gang-related crimes, reportedly was told by gang leaders in El Salvador to take advantage of the lenient policies on UACs to bring in new recruits, knowing that they would be allowed to resettle in the area with few questions asked. Several of these unaccompanied minors now have been arrested and incarcerated for various crimes, including a vicious random attack on a sheriff’s deputy in 2015.

Crime, torture and theft are the trademarks of the gang.

“The MS-13 members identified in the cases we found were accused of very serious crimes, including 207 murders. More than 100 were accused of conspiracy/racketeering, and dozens of others were charged with drug trafficking, sex trafficking, attempted murder, sexual assaults, and extortion,” said the report. Vaughan is the center’s policy director.

Assault rifle-wielding MS-13 member threatens motorists, cops
Rep. Zeldin bill would revoke US citizenship of MS-13, other gang members

Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., introduced “Protecting our Communities from Gang Violence Act,” which would revoke the citizenship of people who acquired citizenship through naturalization and got involved in gang activity either ten years prior or within ten years of becoming a citizen.

The Center for Immigration Studies blog reports on MS-13 and Sex Trafficking, and how the gang preys on undocumented girls,

The website Human Trafficking Search describes how MS-13 is able to obtain the victims it exploits:

In the United States, victims of MS-13 tend to be Latino immigrant girls or girls from the Northern Triangle countries who came into the country as unaccompanied minors. Once the unaccompanied minors are smuggled into the United States, they become prime targets for human trafficking. HHS places minors either in foster care, with family or a sponsor. The majority of unaccompanied minors end up in California, New York, Texas, and the Washington DC area that includes Maryland and Virginia — states that have large Central American populations and thus large MS-13 populations. … MS-13 preys on the vulnerability of the unaccompanied minors; some have previously suffered sexual abuse either in their home country or during the trip north; others lack a community and do not speak English. Members of MS-13 seek out the vulnerable young girls using violence and other coercive tactics to intimidate the girl into having sex for money to help financially support the gang. Runaways are also appealing to the MS-13. Family problems, transitions from foster care and economic problems are some of the reasons that unaccompanied minors run away from their homes. Many of the unaccompanied minors may have experienced sexual abuse, exploitation or physical abuse in their home countries or during their migration to the United States and even more suffer from poverty and lack of a stable social network. These are all factors that make young girls more susceptible to human trafficking.

The money that the gang makes from these horrendous crimes supports its other criminal activities. In October 2012, the Treasury Department designated MS-13 as a “transnational criminal organization“.

Transnational indeed,MS13 Trial in Spain Highlights Gang’s Struggle for International Unity

From InSight Crime’s MS13 in the Americas: Major Findings,

  • The MS13 is a largely urban phenomenon that has cells operating in two continents.
  • The MS13 is a social organization first, and a criminal organization second.
  • The MS13 is a diffuse organization of sub-parts, with no single leader or leadership structure that directs the entire gang.
  • The MS13 has guidelines more than rules, which are subject to varying interpretations.
  • MS13 violence is brutal and purposeful.
  • The MS13’s diffuse nature makes it hard for it to control its own expressions of violence.
    . . .
  • The MS13 is a transnational gang, not a transnational criminal organization (TCO).

Read the full report.

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, MS-13

February 21, 2018 By Fausta

Billy Graham, RIP

He was tall, good-looking, very American, hugely appealing, but he made a difference only because of his message – which resonated not just because Billy Graham spoke the words. It’s because he lived them.

Read my post, Billy Graham, RIP.


Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, religion Tagged With: Billy Graham, Da Tech Guy Blog

February 20, 2018 By Fausta

Peru: Fujimori going on trial . . . again

The BBC reports that Peru’s ex-President Alberto Fujimori has been ordered to stand trial for the 1992 killings of six farmers.

It comes just over a month after he was released from prison, where he was serving 25 years for human rights abuses and corruption.

The 79-year-old was given a pardon on health grounds but the court in the capital Lima says this does not apply to the new case.

Fujimori was president of Peru from 1990 to 2000. After faxing his resignation from Tokyo in 2000, he received citizenship from Japan, from where his parents had emigrated to Peru.

In 2005, Mr. Fujimori unexpectedly ended a self-imposed exile in Japan and traveled to Chile, apparently intending to return to Peru and try for a political comeback. But he was arrested soon after he arrived, and Peru quickly sought extradition.

Nine years ago,

Fujimori found guilty of ordering killings and kidnappings during the war with “Shinning Path” Maoist guerrillas, and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Fujimori is the first democratically-elected Latin American president to be found guilty of human rights crimes in his own country.

Fujimori was tried for ordering the 1991 killings at the Barrios Altos area of Lima, where 15 people died, and the killings at La Cantuta University in 1992, along with the kidnappings of journalist Gustavo Gorriti, a correspondent for Spanish daily El País, and businessman Samuel Dyer, who were abducted to the basement of the army’s Intelligence Service.

There were street protests in Lima last December when he was granted a pardon over health issues. Last month he was released from prison where he was serving the 25-year sentence.

Japan Times has covered Fujimori over the decades.

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

Trending at Bad Blue.

Share

Filed Under: Fausta's blog, Peru Tagged With: Alberto Fujimori

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »
Tweets by @Fausta
retirees_raise-2015_300x250

Pages

  • About
  • Email

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Previous Posts

  • Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • You need to unfriend me
  • Go ahead and Kiss the Girl, if you dare
  • Ashamed

Recent Comments

  • John on Mrs. Maisel goes full Alinsky on Mrs. Schlafly
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! – PoliticalWitchDoctor.com on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Today’s hot topics: Democrats’ collusion shift, tax-return rift, Venezuela drift, and more! - AmericanTruthToday on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Did Venezuela’s Minister of Defense Back Out At The Last Minute? on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?
  • Roseanne Not Back, Khan not Invited, Operaman’s back, Jobs back, Fausta’s back (but not here yet) Thoughts under the fedora – Da Tech Guy Blog on Venezuela: Did the Minister of Defense back out at the last minute?

Archives

  • 2019
    • December 2019
    • May 2019
    • January 2019
  • 2018
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
  • 2017
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • February 2017
    • January 2017
  • 2016
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
    • April 2016
    • March 2016
    • February 2016
    • January 2016
  • 2015
    • December 2015
    • November 2015
    • October 2015
    • September 2015
    • August 2015
    • July 2015
    • June 2015
    • May 2015
    • April 2015
    • March 2015
    • February 2015
    • January 2015
  • 2014
    • December 2014
    • November 2014
    • October 2014
    • September 2014
    • August 2014
    • July 2014
    • June 2014
    • May 2014
    • April 2014
    • March 2014
    • February 2014
    • January 2014
  • 2013
    • December 2013
    • November 2013
    • October 2013
    • September 2013
    • August 2013
    • July 2013
    • June 2013
    • May 2013
    • April 2013
    • March 2013
    • February 2013
    • January 2013
  • 2012
    • December 2012
    • November 2012
    • October 2012
    • September 2012
    • August 2012
    • July 2012
    • June 2012
    • May 2012
    • April 2012
    • March 2012
    • February 2012
    • January 2012
  • 2011
    • December 2011
    • November 2011
    • October 2011
    • September 2011
    • August 2011
    • July 2011
    • June 2011
    • May 2011
    • April 2011
    • March 2011
    • February 2011
    • January 2011
  • 2010
    • December 2010
    • November 2010
    • October 2010
    • September 2010
    • August 2010
    • July 2010
    • June 2010
    • May 2010
    • April 2010
    • March 2010
    • February 2010
    • January 2010
  • 2009
    • December 2009
    • November 2009
    • October 2009
    • September 2009
    • August 2009
    • July 2009
    • June 2009
    • May 2009
    • April 2009
    • March 2009
    • February 2009
    • January 2009
  • 2008
    • December 2008
    • November 2008
    • October 2008
    • September 2008
    • August 2008
    • July 2008
    • June 2008
    • May 2008
    • April 2008
    • March 2008
    • February 2008
    • January 2008
  • 2007
    • December 2007
    • November 2007
    • October 2007
    • September 2007
    • August 2007
    • July 2007
    • June 2007
    • May 2007
    • April 2007
    • March 2007
    • February 2007
    • January 2007
  • 2006
    • December 2006
    • November 2006
    • October 2006
    • September 2006
    • August 2006
    • July 2006
    • June 2006
    • May 2006
    • April 2006
    • March 2006
    • February 2006
    • January 2006
  • 2005
    • December 2005
    • November 2005
    • October 2005
    • September 2005
    • August 2005
    • July 2005
    • June 2005
    • May 2005
    • April 2005
    • March 2005
    • February 2005
    • January 2005
  • 2004
    • December 2004
    • November 2004
    • October 2004
    • September 2004
    • August 2004
    • July 2004
    • June 2004
    • May 2004
    • April 2004
    • March 2004
Content Copyright Fausta's Blog

Site Developed and Managed by 300m.com