Latin America Security by the Numbers Share This /

This post was compiled by WOLA Intern Lesley Wellener.

• On July 8, 2014, President Obama requested US$3.7 billion in emergency funding from Congress to help deal with the recent “surge” of unaccompanied minors migrating from the Central American countries of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala. The funding request includes US$300 million to help Central American governments reintegrate deported minors, “better control their borders,” and “address the underlying root causes driving migration.”
• On July 8, Nicaragua unveiled a plan to create a canal that will link the country’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The canal will stretch 278km or 173 miles from Punta Gorda to the mouth of the river Brito. It will be between 230m and 520m wide and 27.6m deep, and will cost US$40 billion to build. The Nicaraguan government’s chosen contractor, Hong Kong-based HKND Group, expects to break ground in December on a project that, Nicaragua insists, will “complement” and not compete with the Panama Canal.
• Insightcrime.org reported that the Estado de Mexico (Edomex), a populous state that borders Mexico City, has seen the country’s greatest number of homicides and other violent crimes this year. During the first five months of 2014, Mexico state—where President Enrique Peña Nieto served as governor before his election—experienced 838 homicides, 14 percent more than the same time period in 2013.
• PBS Newshour recently issued a report on malnutrition in Central America. The report focused on Guatemala, where half of children are malnourished and as many as three quarters of children who live in rural areas are malnourished. An internal Guatemalan government report found that 53 children died of malnutrition between January 1 and June 20 of this year.
• In recent years, Colombia has been lauded for its economic growth with a reported US$622.5 million in new foreign investment so far this year. Even so, reports Globalpost, Colombia continues to present serious human rights concerns. Presently, journalist Hannah Matthews counts between 4,000 and 9,500 alleged political prisoners incarcerated in the country, charged with “rebellion” or suspicion of guerrilla ties. Most are in overcrowded prisons with abysmal conditions.
• In December 2013, Uruguay became the first country to legalize the regulated production, distribution, and use of cannabis. These progressive drug laws were set to begin implementation this week, but President Jose Mujica has said that the laws will be delayed one year due to “practical difficulties.” The new regulations will eventually allow licensed pharmacies to sell the drug from less than US$1.00 per gram and would have allowed to consumers to possess 40g per month. "If we want to get this right we are going to have to do it slowly," President Mujica said.
• Adimark, a Chile-based pollster, released June results for President Michelle Bachelet. As of June 2014, Bachelet has a 58 percent approval rating. She has 76 percent approval on foreign policy and 51 percent on economic policy. However, she lacks approval on education policy and reform, with only 38 percent. Bachelet ran for president on a platform that emphasized education reform.
• In Brazil, pundits wonder whether the national soccer team’s bitter World Cup defeat will affect President Dilma Rousseff’s prospects for re-election when Brazilians vote in October. The most recent polling showed 38 percent of Brazilians inclined to vote for President Rousseff, an 18-point margin over her nearest rival.