Central America

Asylum-seeking migrants wait to be processed in a makeshift, mountainous campsite after crossing the border with Mexico, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024, near Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Mexico saw a huge increase in migrants from Africa and Venezuela in 2023, authorities say

Mexican authorities say they saw a huge increase in the number of migrants from Africa and Venezuela entering the country in 2023.

Gendarmes patrol at the Vatry airport, eastern France, Saturday, Dec. 23, 2023 in Vatry, eastern France. About 300 Indian citizens heading to Central America were sequestered in a French airport for a third day Saturday because of an investigation into suspected human trafficking, authorities said. The 15 crew members of the Legend Airlines charter flight en route from United Arab Emirates to Nicaragua were questioned and released, according to a lawyer for the small Romania-based airline. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

About 300 Indian travelers are stuck in a French airport in a human trafficking probe

FILE - Demonstrators protest outside the Jesuit-run Universidad Centroamericana (UCA) demanding the university's allocation of its share of 6% of the national budget in Managua, Nicaragua, Aug. 2, 2018. Founded by Jesuits in 1960, UCA has historically rejected authoritarianism and offered support for students committed to fighting for deep social transformations. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File)

Alumni grieve for Jesuit-run university seized by Nicaraguan government that transformed their lives

FILE - A Guatemalan woman, showing signs of severe malnutrition, lies on a cot at a makeshift clinic in a refugee camp on the outskirts of China, Mexico, near the border with Guatemala, July 7, 1984. Pat Hamilton, a combat veteran of the Vietnam War who covered the civil wars in Central America as a photojournalist for The Associated Press, and who later worked at Reuters covering the Gulf War in Iraq, died Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, after a long struggle with cancer. He was 74. (AP Photo/Pat Hamilton, File)

Patrick Hamilton, ex-AP and Reuters photographer who covered Central American wars, dies at 74

FILE - Demonstrators protest outside the Jesuit-run Universidad Centroamericana, UCA, demanding the university's allocation of its share of 6% of the national budget in Managua, Nicaragua, Aug. 2, 2018. The Jesuits announced Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023, that Nicaragua's government has confiscated the UCA, one of the region's most highly regarded colleges. (AP Photo/Arnulfo Franco, File)

Nicaraguan government seizes highly regarded university from Jesuits

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Here’s the latest for Saturday, December 23rd: Hamas calls UN Gaza resolution ‘weak’ and ‘insufficient'; Paramedics found guilty in death of Elijah McClain; About 300 Indian travelers stuck at airport in France; Bethlehem displays Christmas artwork in solidarity with Palestinians.

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Some 500 migrants depart northern Honduras in a bid to reach the US by caravan

Some 500 Honduran migrants in a caravan have departed from the northern city of San Pedro Sula in hopes of reaching the United States.

FILE - A crabbing vessel turns below a U.S. Coast Guard flyover inspection of crabbing ships along the Washington and Oregon coasts near Astoria, Ore., on Jan. 1, 2016. Oregon crab fishermen may soon face an indefinite extension of rules that for three seasons have restricted the number of pots allowed in the water to reduce the risk of whales and sea turtles getting entangled in fishing gear. (Joshua Bessex/The Astorian via AP, File)

Oregon crabbers and environmentalists are at odds as a commission votes on rules to protect whales

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is set to consider extending rules restricting the number of crab traps in the water and how deep they can drop in the late-season months when humpback whales are more likely to swim there.

FILE - El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes stands in the National Assembly before speaking to commemorate the anniversary of his third year in office in San Salvador, El Salvador, June 1, 2012. The State Department announced Wednesday, July 19, 2023, it was imposing sanctions on two former Salvadoran presidents including Funes, and dozens of other officials and judges in Central America. (AP Photo/Luis Romero, File)

State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central America

The State Department says it’s imposing sanctions on two former Salvadoran presidents and dozens of other officials and judges in Central America.

A strong 6.5-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean shakes Central America

A powerful 6.5 magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of El Salvador has shaken much of Central America from Nicaragua to Guatemala, sending residents in some cities streaming into the streets.

A Venezuelan migrant uses an emergency blanket as cover from the rain, near the banks of the Rio Grande in Matamoros, Mexico, Saturday, May 13, 2023. As the U.S. ended its pandemic-era immigration restrictions, migrants are adapting to new asylum rules and legal pathways meant to discourage illegal crossings. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

End of Title 42 hasn’t stopped migrants’ push north to US from across the Americas

Confusion has rippled from the U.S.-Mexico border to migrant routes across the Americas, as migrants scramble to understand complex and ever-changing laws.

Mexico finds 8 sacrificial victims at Gulf coast pyramid

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Archaeologists in Mexico said Wednesday they have found 13 buried sets of human remains, eight of which appear to be young men who were apparently decapitated as part of a ceremony to consecrate a temple.

FILE - Migrants, mostly Venezuelans, cross a river during their journey through the Darien Gap from Colombia into Panama, hoping to reach the U.S., Oct. 15, 2022. The United States, Panama and Colombia announced Tuesday, April 11, 2023, that they will launch a 60-day campaign aimed at halting illegal migration through the treacherous Darien Gap, where the flow of migrants has multiplied this year. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

UN: As many as 400,000 migrants may cross Darien Gap in 2023

Two U.N. groups say the number of migrants crossing the dangerous Darien Gap between Colombia and Panama could soar to as many as 400,000 this year.

Fans cheer after the United States scored during the first half of a SheBelieves Cup soccer match against Brazil Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, in Frisco, Texas. The United States won 2-0. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

First-ever CONCACAF W Gold Cup kicks off next year in US

The first CONCACAF W Gold Cup, a women’s edition of the long-running men’s tournament, will be played in the United States early next year.

MS-13 gang members in Central America sanctioned by US

The United States Treasury Department sanctioned two members of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha on Wednesday, part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. to crack down on the gang commonly known as MS-13.

Omar Hernandez walks with his daughters on land he sold for the construction of a section of the Maya Train, near the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Hernandez hopes to sell organic honey he produces to tourists. He had to relocate his hives though, worried the heavy machinery would scare them away. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Worries abound that Mexico’s Maya Train will destroy jungle

CALAKMUL BIOSPHERE RESERVE, Mexico (AP) — Miguel Ángel Díaz walks slowly so his footfall on dry leaves doesn’t drive away what he’s trying to find in this dense forest of seeded breadnut and sapodilla trees.

US sanctions Mexican international cartel lieutenant

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions Monday on an international operator for the Sinaloa drug cartel whose activities span the globe.

HOLD FOR STORY BY JOHN SEEWER- U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, is interviewed, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in Toledo, Ohio. When the new Congress convenes on Tuesday, Rep. Kaptur will become the longest-serving woman in its history. First elected to Congress in 1982, Kaptur will set the mark for the longest tenure by a woman in the House or Senate, surpassing former Sen. Barbara Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat who retired at the end of 2017. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Kaptur, longtime Ohio Democrat: Congress overlooks heartland

Ohio Democrat Marcy Kaptur is set to become the longest-serving woman in congressional history when the U.S. House convenes Tuesday.

This photo provided by researchers in December 2022 shows a glass frog, strict leaf dwelling frogs, that sleep, forage, fight, mate, and provide (male) parental care on leaves over tropical streams. Some frogs found in South and Central America have the rare ability to turn on and off their nearly transparent appearance, researchers report Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, in the journal Science. (Jesse Delia/AMNH via AP)

Glass act: Scientists reveal secrets of frog transparency

A species of glass frogs found in South and Central America has the rare ability to turn on and off its transparent appearance.

Migrants walk towards the US-Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (AP Photo/Christian Chavez)

Migrants flee more countries, regardless of US policies

A Trump-era ban on asylum that was granted a brief extension by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday was one of the U.S. policies affecting migrants’ decisions to leave their homes.

FILE - Honduras' President Xiomara Castro waves during the swearing-in ceremony for Colombia's President Gustavo Petro in Bogota, Colombia, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2022. Honduras became the second country in Central America to impose a state of exception suspending some constitutional rights to help fight street gangs when a decree took effect Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

Honduras suspends rights in 2 big cities amid gang crackdown

Honduras has become the second country in Central America to impose a state of exception suspending some constitutional rights to deal with street gangs.

Germany's goalkeeper Manuel Neuer reacts at the end of the World Cup group E soccer match between Spain and Germany, at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor , Qatar, Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022. The match ended in a 1-1 draw. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Germany needs a win and help to avoid World Cup early exit

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — After getting a favor from Costa Rica, Germany needs a win against the Central American team on Thursday to have any chance of reaching the knockout stages at the World Cup.

Players warm up during Japan official training on the eve of the group E of World Cup soccer match between Japan and Costa Rica, in Doha, Qatar, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Japan aims for World Cup knockout stage against Costa Rica

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — How big was Japan’s 2-1 upset of Germany in the opening round of the World Cup?

Newspapers in Japan used the term “Daikimboshi” from sumo wrestling to describe the magnitude of the surprise: when a low-ranked wrestler overpowers a grand champion.

FILE - Honduras' President Xiomara Castro addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 20, 2022. Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion. Late Thursday, Nov. 24, Castro proposed a measure to limit constitutional rights so as to round up gang members. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, File)

Honduras declares state of emergency against gang crime

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Honduras became the second country in Central America to declare a state of emergency to fight gang crimes like extortion.

German gym outlets CEO confirmed dead after Costa Rica crash

The RSG Group of gym outlets says its founder and CEO, Rainer Schaller, has been confirmed dead after the crash of a small plane off Costa Rica late last month.

This satellite image taken at 8:40am ET and provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lisa under Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Lisa is forecast to make landfall in Central America later in the week as a likely hurricane. (NOAA via AP)

Tropical Depression Lisa crosses into southern Mexico

Tropical Depression Lisa has moved into southern Mexico a day after making landfall as a hurricane in the Central American nation of Belize and heading inland over northern Guatemala.

This satellite image taken at 8:40am ET and provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lisa under Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Lisa is forecast to make landfall in Central America later in the week as a likely hurricane. (NOAA via AP)

Hurricane Lisa makes landfall in Belize in Central America

Hurricane Lisa has made landfall on the Caribbean coast of Belize. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says Lisa had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) late Wednesday as it made landfall just southwest of Belize City.

This satellite image taken at 8:40am ET and provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lisa under Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Lisa is forecast to make landfall in Central America later in the week as a likely hurricane. (NOAA via AP)

Tropical Storm Lisa moves toward Central America

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Lisa strengthened as it pushed across the western Caribbean Tuesday south of the Cayman Islands and was forecast to make landfall, likely as a hurricane, in Central America as early as Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Lisa forms in Caribbean, likely to grow

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Lisa formed Monday in the Caribbean south of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and was forecast to make landfall, likely as a hurricane, in Central America later in the week.

2023 CONCACAF final set for SoFi Stadium in California

MIAMI (AP) — The 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup final will be played at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, one of the sites of the 2026 World Cup.

President Joe Biden pauses at the top of the stairs as he boards Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, en route to Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Biden targets Nicaragua’s gold in new move against Ortega

The Biden administration is ratcheting up pressure on President Daniel Ortega’s authoritarian rule in Nicaragua, banning Americans from doing business in the nation’s gold industry, threatening trade restrictions and stripping the U.S. visas of some 500 government insiders.

FILE - The former defense minister of El Salvador, Jose Guillermo Garcia-Merino is surrounded by the press as he arrives at the ''Oscar Arnulfo Romero'' international airport in San Luis Talpa, El Salvador, Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Salvadoran judge has ordered the provisional arrest of several retired high-ranking members of the armed forces accused of having participated in the killings of four Dutch journalists in 1982 while they were covering the Central American nation’s civil war. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez, File)

Salvador court orders arrests in Dutch journalist killings

A Salvadoran judge has ordered the provisional arrest of several retired high-ranking members of the armed forces accused of having participated in the killings of four Dutch journalists in 1982 while they were covering the Central American nation’s civil war.

Venezuela migrants walk to a boat that will take them to Acandi, from Necocli, Colombia, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Some Venezuelans are reconsidering their journey to the U.S. after the U.S. government announced on Oct. 12 that Venezuelans who walk or swim across the border will be immediately returned to Mexico without rights to seek asylum. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

US migrant policy ‘bucket of cold water’ to some Venezuelans

Venezuelan Gilbert Fernández still plans to cross the dangerous Darien jungle into Panama. He’ll make that trip by land toward the U.S. despite Washington’s announcement that it will grant conditional humanitarian permits only to 24,000 Venezuelan migrants who arrive by air.

Tropical Storm Karl forms in Gulf off southern Mexico coast

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Karl formed off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast Tuesday and is forecast to meander in the Gulf for a few days without reaching hurricane strength.

Soldiers stand guard under the rain near a cross that decorates a road in Comasagua, El Salvador, Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. At least five soldiers died on Monday nearby when the wall of a home collapsed as they were sheltering from the rain while deployed to crackdown on gang activity. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

28 dead as Julia drenches Central America with rainfall

Former hurricane Julia has dissipated, but is drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with rain after reemerging in the Pacific.

Men pick up a damaged roof in the aftermath of Hurricane Julia in San Andres island, Colombia, Sunday, Oct.9, 2022. Hurricane Julia hit Nicaragua’s central Caribbean coast on Sunday after lashing Colombia’s San Andres island, and a weakened storm was expected to emerge over the Pacific. (AP Photo/Daniel Parra)

Hurricane Julia hits Nicaragua with torrential rainfall

Hurricane Julia hit Nicaragua’s central Caribbean coast and dumped torrential rains across Central America before reemerging over the Pacific as a tropical storm.