Haitians protest ineffective transitional gov't
April 3, 2025
Thousands of Haitians marched through Port-au-Prince yesterday, they expressed outrage against the surge in gang violence and demanded the resignation of the country’s transitional authorities and the head of the Haiti National Police.
The transitional government, a rotating body of presidential council members appointed nearly a year ago, alongside a long undermanned and underfunded U.N.-backed security mission, have done little to hold off the criminal gangs' territorial advances over the past year, notes Reuters.
“During the massive protest, demonstrators brandished machetes and firearms. Others waved tree branches and red and black flags, once the symbol of the Duvalier dictatorship, but which has since become associated with other forces in Haiti,” reports the Miami Herald.
At least a dozen heavily armed protesters opened fire on officers who responded outside the offices of the prime minister and the transitional presidential council, reports the Associated Press.
“The protest march, one of the largest since the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse plunged the country deeper into despair, is a warning to Haiti’s ruling authorities, which have been unable to bring relief amid the surge in gang attacks that led to the deaths of more than 5,600 people last year,” according to the Miami Herald.
More Haiti
In an interview with FRANCE 24, democracy activist Monique Clesca explained that "daily life is hellish" and compared the capital Port-au-Prince to "an open-air prison". She criticised the UN-backed international force in Haiti as well as the country's transitional presidential council.
Journalists in Haiti are under attack like never before, reports the Associated Press: “They are dodging bullets, defying censorship and setting personal struggles aside as they document the downfall of Haiti’s capital and the surge in violence blamed on powerful gangs that control 85% of Port-au-Prince.”
Separately Haiti was among the countries slapped with 10% tariffs by the United States, yesterday, a significant blow for the country, which counts the U.S. as its top trade partner, exporting hundreds of millions of dollars in goods such as textiles, spirits and cosmetics, reports Reuters.
U.S. Tariffs hit LatAm and Caribbean
U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs — affecting more than 180 countries and territories, including close trade partners and ideological allies, as well as governments with which the U.S. has a conflictive relationship. The U.S. says the tariffs are roughly half of what U.S. exports to that country are taxed. (CNBC, El País) Countries in the region that are affected — most of which were slapped with Trump’s “baseline tariff” of 10% include:
Brazil (10%)
Chile (10%)
Colombia (10%)
Peru (10%)
Nicaragua (18%)
Guyana (38%)
Costa Rica (10%)
Dominican Republic (10%)
Argentina (10%)
Ecuador (10%)
Guatemala (10%)
Honduras (10%)
El Salvador (10%)
Trinidad and Tobago (10%)
Uruguay (10%)
Haiti (10%)
Bolivia (10%)
Panama (10%)
Venezuela (15%)
Jamaica (10%)
Paraguay (10%)
Sint Maarten (10%)
Falklands Islands/Islas Malvinas (41%)
Suriname (10%)
Belize (10%)
Barbados (10%)
Antigua and Barbuda (10%)
St. Kitts and Nevis (10%)
Grenada (10%)
St. Vincent and the Grenadines (10%)
St. Lucia (10%)
Dominica (10%)
The methodology has been questioned (and ridiculed) but essentially, according to the Financial Times, “The White House wants to shrink the US’s trade deficit, it seems. This does not bode well for fans of coffee or bananas or other produce that doesn’t grow in the US.”
Mexico and Canada, which are subject to potential tariffs related to migration and fentanyl smuggling were not included in the wide ranging list Trump presented yesterday at the White House. Goods from Mexico and Canada that comply with the USMCA trade agreement between the three countries will largely remain exempt from tariffs, except for auto exports and steel and aluminum which fall under separate tariff policies. (Reuters)
Tariff reactions
In Brazil, the Lula administration said it was evaluating retaliatory measures. Yesterday, Brazil's Congress approved a law allowing the executive to respond to trade barriers, after Trump’s tariff announcements, reports AFP.
Brazil’s goverment also said it remains open to dialogue and believes U.S. claims the tariffs are reciprocal do not "reflect reality", pointing to the U.S. recording "recurrent and significant trade surpluses in goods and services with Brazil," reports Reuters.
The Costa Rican government said it will engage in dialogue with U.S. authorities to seek better access conditions for Costa Rican products, reports Reuters.
Guatemala’s government said the tariffs violate the DR-CAFTA free-trade agreement, reports Reuters.
Deportations
A legal challenge to the Trump administration’s implementation of the Alien Enemies Act brought by the American Civil Liberties Union provides evidence of a scoring system used by authorities to decide whether migrants are gang members who could be deported, reports El País. (See yesterday’s post.)
“ICE is using some absurd criteria for identifying alleged Venezuelan criminals: Michael Jordan tattoos, reggaeton quotes and sportswear now signal gang affiliation,” reports the Caracas Chronicles.
Lawyers for Kilmar Armando Abrego García, a Salvadoran who was inadvertently deported despite a court order that he could remain in the United States angrily urged the judge overseeing his case to force the Trump administration to bring him back as soon as possible, reports the New York Times: the case “is the latest flashpoint in a multifront and increasingly bitter battle between immigration lawyers and the White House.”
Regional Relations
Trump has invited El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to visit him at the White House later this month. "Your support of my efforts to combat illegal immigration is greatly appreciated," Trump told Bukele in the message. "For far too long, our southern border has been an open door. With the assistance of friends like you, we have made great progress in protecting Americans from illegal border activity.” (Fox News)
“The U.S. State Department revoked the visas of members of a Mexican band after they projected the face of a drug cartel boss onto a large screen during a performance in the western state of Jalisco over the weekend,” reports the Associated Press.
“When it comes to the U.S. policy toward Venezuela, advocates within the Trump administration for a campaign of maximum pressure against the Venezuelan government and President Nicolás Maduro are in the driver’s seat — at least for now,” according to Politico.
Venezuela
The Maduro government’s NGO Oversight Law, coupled with the Trump administration’s rollback of U.S. foreign assistance has dealt a one-two punch to Venezuelan civil society, warns WOLA. “Hundreds of organizations now face the grim choice of going underground, relocating abroad, or shutting down operations altogether. Meanwhile, the White House’s efforts to discredit USAID and other channels of foreign funding have emboldened Venezuelan authorities, who have long sought to justify a crackdown against internationally funded human rights monitors and aid groups.”
Nicaragua
UN experts identified for the first time 54 Nicaraguan officials, military personnel, police officers, magistrates, and deputies, with co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo at the helm, as responsible for serious “crimes” and “systematic repression,” reports AFP.
Diego Ruiz tells the story of Nicaragua’s 1990 election — how grassroots mobilizing helped the opposition beat Daniel Ortega, a lesson he never forgot again — Americas Quarterly.
Brazil
A majority of Brazilians now disapprove of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's leadership, according , the latest Quaest poll that showed that 41% of those surveyed approve of Lula's administration, down from 47% in January, while disapproval rose to 56% from 49% earlier this year. (Reuters)
Colombia
Colombian patients are being denied coverage for pharmaceuticals, as the festering health crisis leaves insurers strapped for cash, reports Bloomberg.
Colombia will buy fighter planes from Sweden to replace its aging Israeli aircraft after declining proposals from the United States and France, according to President Gustavo Petro. (AFP)
Mexico
The push for a national care system is gaining momentum in Mexico, reports World Politics Review. President Claudia Sheinbaum created a Women’s Secretariat that, among other tasks, is charged with building the system. And earlier this month, one of the country’s main opposition parties said it would introduce an initiative enshrining the right to care in the Constitution.
Argentina
The story behind the unlikely importance Trump grants Argentine President Javier seems to lie in the South American leader’s wholehearted support for the U.S. president, according to the New York Times.
Milei marked the anniversary of his nation’s failed 1982 attempt to forcibly wrest the Falkland Islands from Britain, yesterday, by expressing hope that the island's residents may one day choose to be Argentine rather than British. (Associated Press)
Milei words seemed to imply that the islanders are entitled to self-determination. Argentina’s historic position is that the Malvinas were colonized by the British, and therefore the right of self-determination afforded to native populations is not applicable, reports the Buenos Aires Herald.
Milei’s position was slammed by critics who say it weakens Argentine territorial claims to Las Islas Malvinas. “Even politicians from the center-right PRO party expressed confusion over Milei's stance on an issue that long has forged a unifying sense of Argentine patriotism.” (Associated Press)
The head of the World Bank has promised “significant” financial support to Argentina in the short term after a meeting with Milei in Buenos Aires. (Buenos Aires Times)
Ecuador
“The fugitive leader of a violent Ecuadorian gang that relied on hitmen, bribes and military weapons to do business has been indicted in New York City on charges he imported thousands of pounds of cocaine into the United States,” reports the Associated Press.
Peru
“Reports of extortion are rising again in Peru, suggesting the crime is becoming increasingly common and victims are more willing to seek help from the authorities,” reports InSight Crime.
Bolivia
Emissaries of the “United States of Kailasa,” a fake Hindu nation led by a fugitive holy man, were deported from Bolivia after negotiating 1,000-year deals with Amazon Indigenous groups, reports the New York Times. “The agreements were declared void, and the Kailasans were deported — not to Kailasa, but to their actual home countries, among them India, the United States, Sweden and China.”