Regional Round-Up: Pope Leo Intervenes on US Migrant Policy; Bolsonaro, Hallucinations & the Ankle Monitor; Mexico's Axolotl Banknote; Elections in Honduras; Haiti's Eels

Latin America Correspondent Jon Bonfiglio with a round-up and analysis of stories from the region. 

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Transcript

Hi everyone!

Let’s start with the pope, who has been exceedingly vocal about the plight of migrants in recent weeks. He’d already made an intervention in September, saying that he wasn’t sure that someone who was anti-abortion and at the same time supported the inhuman treatment of migrants could be termed pro-life. 

More recently, he’s directly criticised Donald Trump’s immigration policies, saying that migrants in the US are being treated in an “extremely disrespectful way”. It’s worth remembering that Pope Leo is the first US pontiff that the Catholic church has had, and he made the comments by way of response to a statement made by US Bishops which sharply criticized the ongoing mass deportations in the country. 

He’s called on Catholics to take heed and reflect deeply on what is taking place, saying that “many people who have lived for years and years and years, never causing problems, have been deeply affected by what is going on right now”.

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In Brazil, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the arrest of ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, which led to the 70-year-old leader’s preemptive jailing on the understanding that he is considered a flight risk. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September for attempting a coup to remain in the presidency after his 2022 electoral defeat.

At the center of the rationale for the arrest was the fact that Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor had been damaged. 24 hours after his arrest, Bolsonaro told a judge that the damage had occurred because of a nervous breakdown he had had, and resultant hallucinations, which were caused by a change in his medication. Bolsonaro denied that he had been trying to escape. 

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In Mexico, there has been ongoing attention drawn to the country’s 50 peso note, which features an axolotl, emblematic creature known as a paedomorphic salamander, paedomorphic meaning that they never evolve into the terrestrial adult, and remain aquatic, with external gills. 

They are only native to Mexico’s Central Valley, and although the population once extended through most lakes and wetlands in this region, its only remaining habitat is now the area of Xochimilco in the south of Mexico City, its numbers significantly declining over the last generation.

The banknote is so striking, in and of itself, but also because of the appreciation which is had for the axolotl, that people are hoarding the bill, refusing to spend it. I am aware of this not just because of public reactions, but also because I have been doing the same myself, without even realizing that it was common behaviour. The axolotl 50 peso note is my bookmark of choice!

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In economics, Mexico is now the biggest buyer of US goods, according to data released by the US government, replacing Canada for the first time this century. Sales to Mexico include more than $30 billion dollars in agricultural products, including (controversially for Mexicans) corn, pork and pork products, dairy products and soybeans, while Mexico exports to the United States more than $48 billion dollars in agricultural products, including fresh vegetables, beer, distilled spirits (Tequila, mostly) and fresh fruit. 

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And finally, let’s head to Honduras, which we don’t talk much about, on the whole, but which will play host to the latest important set of elections in Latin America, on November 30th. Unlike in most other elections in the region, this will be a single-round contest, and is playing out against a backdrop which questions the legitimacy of the poll, after disagreements between the government and the opposition earlier in the year over the electoral process. 

It’s a problem because unless there is a clear winner, results could be contested, with likelihood of post-election unrest. It wouldn’t be the first time, and the country has a long-standing mistrust in its political processes. Additionally, the head of the armed forces recently said that he would request a copy of the ballots - in theory to safeguard the results - but of course this intervention has also been seen as overreach by the military into civilian political processes. 

Hondureños have a deep dislike of the country’s political class, having been witness to ongoing corruptions scandals across successive administrations - remember that former President Juan Orlando Hernandez, by way of example, is currently serving 45 years at a US maximum security facility for links to organized crime, drug smuggling, money laundering etc etc…

As well as corruption, the main issues for voters are security (no surprises there) and the economy (always) - still living a post-Covid context and now battered by tariffs from the US, added to a lost generation of young people who have fled the country and the difficulty of generating commerce within an unstable, insecure social landscape.

We’ll do a special feature on Honduras later this week, for those of you interested. It was once the US’s biggest ally in Central America, and suffered an infamous coup during the Obama years. In fact, the then deposed leader, Manuel Zelaya, is the husband of now President Xiomara Castro. There’s a lot to break down, and it’s definitely worth it, so look out for a Honduras special in a few days.

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Just before I go, one final note on Haiti, which has been a central focus of broadcasts for the last week or so. A draft electoral decree sent by authorities to Haiti’s provisional government last week proposes a first round of voting in August followed by a December second-round runoff. But the law is open to interpretation on a variety of points, and instead of clarifying the situation and opening up the political landscape, it has only succeeded in generating more tension. 

Oh, yes, I am now out of Haiti, but my departure was delayed due to the boarding of hundreds of boxes of eels. Yes, Haitian eels. Haiti exported 174,000 tonnes of eels for nearly $13 million dollars during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and now I’ve started to look into it, it’s a hugely problematic industry, one which the gangs are also now engaged in to generate a different strand in funding. 24 hours ago I knew nothing about Haitian eels. Now I do, and I really wish I didn’t.

Goodnight!