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Desperate young Guatemalans try to reach the US even after horrific deaths of migrating relatives

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COMITANCILLO, Guatemala (AP) — Every night for nearly two years, Glendy Aracely Ramírez has prayed by the altar in her parents’ mud-brick bedroom where, under a large crucifix, is a picture of her sister Blanca. The 23-year-old died alongside 50 other migrants in a smuggler’s tractor-trailer in Texas.

«I ask God for my family’s health and that I might get to the United States one day. My mom asks God that she won’t have to see another accident,» said Glendy, 17, who has already packed a small backpack for her own journey from the family’s home 8,900 feet (2,700 meters) up in Guatemala’s highlands.

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Her «coyote» postponed it for a few days because of a flare-up in violence among Mexican drug cartels that control migrants’ routes to the United States, but she is undeterred.

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Olivia Orozco Lopez cries as she holds a portrait of her late daughter Celestina Carolina during an interview in the Culvilla hamlet of Tejutla, Guatemala, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Carolina died asphyxiated alongside 50 other migrants in a smugglers’ trailer truck in San Antonio, Texas in June 2022.  (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Tens of thousands of youths from this region would rather take deadly risks — even repeatedly — than stay behind where they see no future. Blanca’s fatal journey was her third attempt to reach the U.S.

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«I want to go there, because here there are no opportunities, even though Mom says that I’ll suffer what Blanca did,» Glendy said as she sat with her mother, Filomena Crisóstomo, in their tidy dirt-floor courtyard. «I’d like to have a house, help my family and get ahead.»

The record-high numbers of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border have made migration a top concern in this U.S. presidential election year. Among those migrants, the largest group of unaccompanied minors has been from Guatemala — nearly 50,000 of the 137,000 encounters recorded by border authorities in the last fiscal year.

Most come from tiny hamlets in the predominantly Indigenous Western Highlands. Daily wages top out around the equivalent of $9, far below the supposed legal minimum. In tiny plots of brittle clay soil — often the only collateral for loans to pay smugglers’ fees that can reach $20,000 — many families grow corn and beans to eat.

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Little else sprouts from the steep mountainsides except for the exuberantly decorated, multi-story concrete homes built with remittances from loved ones in the United States — constant reminders of what’s possible if only one makes it «to the north.»

In the small town of Comitancillo, two murals serve as a different reminder — they’re memorials to the nearly two dozen local migrants who died in recent mass tragedies. They either asphyxiated in the trailer in San Antonio, Texas, in June 2022, or were shot and set afire by rogue police officers in Camargo, Mexico, in January 2021.

It took less than a week after the remains from the Camargo massacre were returned to Comitancillo for burial before the first surviving family member left for the U.S.

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And with a 17-year-old boy who made it to Florida this winter, now at least one relative has migrated from nearly all of the families since the massacre, said the Rev. José Luis González, a priest with the Jesuit Migration Network. The lone exception was an older man whose family was already north of the border; he died trying to make it back after being deported, González said.

«It’s an evident sign that the fear to stay is bigger than the fear to go,» said González, who started ministering to the affected families when they traveled some six hours to Guatemala’s capital for DNA tests to identify the remains.

Many families credit the Jesuit group for being the only institution that has stayed by their side, regularly traveling to Comitancillo to provide legal updates — nearly a dozen police officers were sentenced last fall in the Camargo case — as well psychological, humanitarian and pastoral assistance.

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On a recent morning, about 50 relatives of those lost either in Camargo or San Antonio gathered for a meeting with the Jesuit group that included workshops to process depression and grief. Most were women and children speaking Mam, one of Guatemala’s two dozen Mayan languages.

One of the handful of fathers at the meeting was Virgilio Ambrocio. The eldest of his eight children, Celestina Carolina, was making less than $90 a month as a housekeeper in Guatemala City and sending half of that back home to help feed her siblings. So she decided to try her luck in the United States, and died at 23 in the trailer.

«The hardest part is, who’s going to help us now,» Ambrocio said as dust swirled around his home. His wife, Olivia Orozco, wept silently, while holding a framed photo of a smiling Celestina.

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The primary driver of migration over the past 10 years is the inability to get jobs to pay for the most basic necessities, said Ursula Roldán, a researcher at Rafael Landívar University in Guatemala City. That’s exacerbated by the debts families incur to pay the smugglers, which would take 10 years’ worth of in-country wages to repay — making it crucial to get to the U.S. and send back remittances from far higher wages.

Rising violence in the Mexican regions bordering Guatemala is also pushing more migrants to head to the U.S. instead of working seasonal agricultural jobs there. Climate change is affecting even subsistence farming.

In their one-room home near Comitancillo, Reina Coronado tried to convince the eight children she had since she married at 16 that they didn’t have to risk their lives.

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Some went north anyway, including Aracely Florentina Marroquín, 21, who had completed high school like Blanca and, like her, felt she had wasted her family’s money in studying since she still couldn’t get a professional job.

The last thing she told Coronado was that she’d go only for four years and send money to build a kitchen, so she wouldn’t have to cook tortillas over an open fire. Next came the call from Texas that made Coronado cry for months. Today, she finds some comfort caring for two young daughters still living with her and the animals she raises.

«Even though it’s a struggle, one has to fight, to try to keep going,» Coronado said. «I go to work and that way the day, and the hard moments, pass. Sometimes I do it crying, but I trust in our Father, the Lord.»

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Marcelina Tomás has also been praying for strength since her oldest son, Anderson Pablo, was murdered in Camargo — and especially in recent months since his younger brother Emerson, 17, also went to the U.S.

Anderson was in 9th grade when the pandemic hit and he started working in the fields alongside his father. Their wages of around $6 a day were enough to afford tortillas each day for the family of 11, but not something to go with them, Tomás said. So she and her husband agreed to help Anderson get loans for the $16,000 smuggling fee.

Twelve days after Anderson, 16, left their home near Comitancillo, news of the Camargo massacre arrived via social media. Pregnant with her tenth child, Tomás, 37, had to leave her children with family members and spend a night away from home for the first time to undergo DNA tests in the capital that allowed Anderson’s partial remains to be identified and buried.

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«Only God knows what happened. And all for wanting to get ahead,» Tomás said. «I relied on him, and he treated his little siblings so well.»

Anderson had dissuaded Emerson from going along, saying he should stay in school a bit longer. According to Tomás, Emerson was heartbroken after his brother’s death; he enrolled in high school, but soon quit to work in a potato field.

Around the third anniversary of Anderson’s death, Emerson said he wanted to migrate, because many other youths had gone too. Tomás reminded him of Anderson’s fate, the tragedy in San Antonio, the neighbors’ children who died in the border deserts or in work accidents in the U.S.

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«‘No,’ he told me, ‘I’m going.’ And he went,» Tomás said by the altar where three pictures of Anderson stand by a crucifix, with a lit candle and a vase of calla lilies.

Anderson’s dream was to earn enough to move the family from their one-room, mud-brick house to a concrete one with separate spaces for his parents, his brothers and his sisters. They live in such a house now, built with donations received after his death.

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But nobody sleeps in the room with the altar. They’re keeping it as Anderson’s room.

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Philippine fighter jet carrying 2 pilots goes missing during mission against insurgents in southern province

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A Philippine air force fighter jet carrying two pilots went missing during a night combat assault in support of ground forces who were battling insurgents in a southern province, officials said Tuesday.

The FA-50 jet lost communication during the tactical mission around midnight on Monday before reaching a target area. A search for the jet is underway.

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«We are hopeful of locating them and the aircraft soon and ask you to join us in prayer during this critical time,» Philippine air force spokesperson Col. Ma. Consuelo Castillo said.

CHINESE NAVY HELICOPTER FLIES WITHIN 10 FEET OF PHILIPPINE PATROL PLANE OVER DISPUTED SHOAL

Two Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets fly during a joint patrol and training session with the U.S. over the South China Sea, Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Philippine Air Force via AP)

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The other aircraft involved in the mission returned safely to an air base in central Cebu province, the air force said, without offering further details due to security reasons.

The incident happened in a southern Philippine province during an anti-insurgency mission against communist guerrillas, a Philippine military official told The Associated Press.

US FLIES JOINT PATROL WITH THE PHILIPPINES NEAR SHOAL REGION GUARDED BY CHINA

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Two Philippine Air Force FA-50 fighter jets fly with two U.S. Air Force B-1 bomber aircraft during a joint patrol and training session over the South China Sea on Tuesday, Feb.4, 2025. (Philippine Air Force via AP)

It was not immediately clear if the other FA-50s would be grounded after the incident.

The Philippines acquired 12 FA-50s multi-purpose fighter jets from South Korea’s Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. for 18.9 billion pesos, or $331 million, beginning in 2015. The acquisition was viewed at the time as the biggest deal under a military modernization program that had been repeatedly stalled by a lack of funds.

A Philippine Air Force FA-50 and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet

A Philippine Air Force FA-50, left, and U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet, right, fly in formation during the US-Philippines joint air force military exercise dubbed ‘Cope Thunder’ at Basa Air Base in Pampanga on April 11, 2024. (Getty Images)

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In addition to anti-insurgency missions, the jets have been used for various other activities, including major national ceremonies and patrolling the disputed South China Sea.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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Trump’s threats against Canada boost Trudeau’s Liberal Party in the polls as new tariffs set to begin

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OTTAWA, Canada — As new tariffs came into effect on Tuesday, analysts say that if Canada’s Liberal Party holds onto power, the party can thank President Donald Trump in part for such a reversal of political fortune.

Since Trump’s inauguration, Canada’s official opposition Conservative Party – once leading the governing Liberals by a wide margin – has seen their popularity in public-opinion polls gradually decline. 

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An Ipsos poll released last week found that, for the first time since the Liberals won the last federal election in 2021, they’re ahead of the Conservatives by two points, with 38% popularity compared to the Conservatives at 36%. Six weeks earlier, the Conservatives were leading the Liberals by 26 points. A general election is expected to be called as early as this spring by Trudeau’s successor, who will be announced on Sunday.

Darrell Bricker, CEO of Ipsos Global Public Affairs, told Fox News Digital that he has never seen a party experience such a rapid and dramatic drop during his four-decade career in polling.

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Canada Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre holds a news conference in a hotel ballroom in Ottawa on Dec. 1, 2024. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press via AP)

He believes the Conservatives’ decline is attributable to two factors.

Justin Trudeau, whose personal popularity has plummeted since he became Canada’s 23rd prime minister in 2015, will step down as head of the Canadian government and Liberal Party on March 9; «And the threat from Trump to use economic force on Canada to bend us to his knee and possibly absorb us as a 51st state,» explained Bricker, about the president’s planned tariffs against Canada and his repeated references regarding annexation.

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Throughout February, Nanos Research found the gap narrowing between the Liberals and Conservatives, who the month before were poised to form a «super-majority» government with as many as 240 members of Parliament (MPs) in an expanded 343-seat House of Commons that takes effect after the next general election.

«That’s completely out the window now,» said Nik Nanos, founder and chief data scientist of the Canadian polling firm, who also believes Trudeau’s imminent departure and Trump’s rhetoric against Canada have contributed to the Liberals’ bump in the polls.

The president «has effectively changed the ballot question from: Is it time for a change? – which was bad news for the Liberals – to who can best deal with Donald Trump, the new existential threat to the Canadian economy?» offered Nanos.

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Mark Carney, the former governor of the Bank of Canada, officially announced his bid for the federal Liberal Party leadership in Edmonton, Canada, on Jan. 16, 2025. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

He explained that Canadian Conservative Official Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre and his party played a part in the Liberals’ boost by «showing they were a little out of touch» in focusing on the Liberal government’s tax on carbon emissions and vowing to remove it while Canadians became increasingly concerned about Trump’s threats. 

«In hindsight, when the Conservatives had a 27-point advantage in our polling, it didn’t have anything to do with Pierre Poilievre being strong or liked, or the Conservatives being brilliant strategists,» said Nanos. «It all had to do with dislike of Justin Trudeau and people wanting change and the Conservatives being the agent of change.»

According to the Ipsos poll, 86% percent of 1,000 respondents said that they want a general election «immediately» to have a federal government «with a strong mandate» to deal with Trump’s tariff threat. 

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Bricker said the Liberals’ lead in the polls, particularly in Canada’s most populous provinces of Ontario and Quebec, over the Conservatives could even widen should Mark Carney, the former governor of the central banks of England and Canada and the frontrunner in the Liberal leadership race, succeed Trudeau as prime minister.

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President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office on Feb. 25, 2025. (Pool)

Veteran Canadian pollster Angus Reid said the latest polling by his company found that 51% said Carney and the Liberals were best suited to improve relations with the U.S., including on tariffs, compared to 35% who chose the Conservatives under Poilievre, who is seen by many Canadians as holding a «Trump-light agenda.»

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From south of the border, the president has «eroded Conservative support because it completely changed the political dynamic in Canada, completely changed what could be considered the most important ballot question that was all about getting rid of some of the baggage from the Trudeau era,» explained Reid, founder and chair of the Angus Reid Institute.

«Now it’s one of defending the sovereignty and economy of the country.»

Another Angus Reid poll found that with Carney as Liberal leader, his party is virtually tied at 44% with the Conservatives, at 45% on voting intention. In Quebec, a Carney-led Liberal Party enjoys 31% support compared to the Conservatives at 22%.

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Canadians Mark Their Flag's 60th Anniversary

Guests display a giant Canadian flag before a flag-raising ceremony on Feb. 15, 2025, in Toronto. (Yu Ruidong/China News Service/VCG via AP)

Reid said the annexation and tariffs issue especially resonates with Quebecers more than any other region in Canada.

Carney’s further challenge for Poilievre is that the former «on paper, looks like a Conservative,» said Nanos.

«The guy worked in the banking sector and the private sector, like Goldman Sachs, and chaired, until recently, large enterprises like Bloomberg and Brookfield [Asset Management]. He walks and talks like a Conservative.»

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Carney, an Oxford-educated economist who has never held elected office, is expected to call a snap election should he be chosen as Trudeau’s successor.

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If the polling numbers continue to rise in favor of the Liberals, they could not only win the national vote in such a contest but form a majority government, added Reid. 

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Currently, the Liberals have 153 MPs in the 338-seat House of Commons, which constitutes a minority government.


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«Estamos abandonados por todo el mundo»: entrevista al pediatra palestino que operó, salvo vidas y lo perdió todo

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Imad Kabaja, médico pediatra palestino, doctor en un hospital de Gaza, educado en Bolivia, sufrió la guerra en la Franja. Sin medios, sin sueldo, operó, salvo vidas, se ocupó de los niños huérfanos y lo perdió todo. Su hospital fue atacado durante el conflicto con Israel, desatado tras el ataque de Hamas, el 7 de octubre.

Este fue su testimonio cuando el presidente Donald Trump anunció que quiere ocupar Gaza para convertirlo en una suerte de Costa Azul en medio de una frágil tregua en Gaza.

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Hoy el doctor Imad vive en una carpa, junto a su esposa odontóloga y sus tres hijos. Su casa, sus consultorios, todo ha sido absolutamente destruido por las bombas. Camina tres horas para llegar a su trabajo.

-Doctor Imad, ¿cómo es la vida en Gaza hoy?

-La verdad es que la vida en Gaza es un infierno total. Vivir en Gaza es muy, muy difícil. Aquí recién paró la guerra, paró la sangre. Pero lo malo ahora es que estamos luchando para sobrevivir. Ahora estamos en invierno, mucho frío. Llevamos 10 días de lluvia, un barro casi todas las horas. Y como todos saben, toda Gaza ya está destruida. Ya no tenemos casa. ¡Todos vivimos en carpas! Esas carpas hechas con lo que podíamos conseguir. La verdad, en la carpa no podemos cuidarnos ni de la lluvia, ni del frío. Pero no tenemos más que esto.

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-Otra cosa: la comida. Los anteriores meses pasados no encontramos nada. Ni siquiera para comprar. No había comida, y la comida que había, como es muy poca, era demasiado cara. Ahora entra la comida. Pero lo malo es que no tenemos dinero para comprar esta comida.

-¿Entra ayuda humanitaria tras la tregua? ¿Distribuyen ayuda gratuita?

Imad Kabaja carga un bebito en un hospital de Gaza. Foto: Gentileza

-La ayuda que entra es muy poca, muy poca. Estamos hablando de casi 3.000.000 personas, que, a través de la guerra, han perdido todo. Un ejemplo soy yo. Perdí mi casa, perdí mi consultorio. Mi mujer era una odontóloga, también perdió su consultorio. Los fondos de vida que teníamos todos los meses, perdidos. No tenemos casi nada. A toda la gente le pasa lo mismo. Toda la gente no tiene trabajo, no tiene sueldo. Entonces, ¿con qué se va a comprar? Y la ayuda que entra, ni siquiera ayuda a sobrevivir. Es muy, muy poca.

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-¿Imad, usted está trabajando en el hospital de médico?

-Yo trabajo en el hospital de médico. Pero trabajo y no hay sueldos. Nosotros hoy día, durante un año y medio casi, trabajamos sin sueldos.

-Sin dinero. Yo trabajo sin dinero. Algunas veces no puedo llegar a mi trabajo porque tengo que pagar dinero para ir a mi trabajo y subirme a un taxi y no tengo con qué. Entonces, tengo que caminar como dos, tres horas y llegar a mi trabajo.

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Imad Kabaja junto a un colega. Foto: GentilezaImad Kabaja junto a un colega. Foto: Gentileza

¿Gaza convertida en la Costa Azul?

-¿Cuál es la sensación que ustedes tienen frente a este proyecto de Donald Trump de convertir a Gaza en una suerte de Costa Azul y ustedes, a vivir a Jordania o a Egipto u otros países?

-Nosotros aquí en Gaza nunca dejamos nuestra tierra. Nuestra tierra es más importante que nuestra vida. Nuestra tierra es más importante que nuestra felicidad. Esta tierra es la tierra de nuestros abuelos, de nuestros padres, de nosotros y de nuestros hijos. Nunca vamos a aceptar. Nosotros, durante un año y medio de bombardeo, durante todos los días, hubo miles y miles de muertos, desaparecidos.

-¿Cómo va a poder reconstruir su casa? ¿Cómo va a poder reconstruir su trabajo? ¿Cómo es su futuro si el alto el fuego continúa?

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-La verdad, sin ayuda de alguien, nunca voy a poder volver a mi casa. Mi casa, que era una casa buena, una casa bonita. Era la casa de nuestros sueños. Yo y mi mujer hemos trabajado, luchando durante 10 años, tratando de no gastar mucho para tener nuestra casa, la casa de nuestros hijos. Eso no es fácil para volver a hacerla, la verdad. Para mí es difícil. Ahora solamente pienso en la comida del día. No pienso en la casa ni en mi consultorio. No hay tiempo de pensar en casa. Yo ahora solamente estoy pensando en una buena carpa para cuidar a mis hijos. No pensando en la casa, la verdad.

-¿Qué cree que pasará con la guerra?

-Yo primero pienso es que termine la guerra. Dios quiera que la tregua continúe y no recomience por cualquier razón.

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-¿Ustedes sienten que va a llegar la solidaridad?

-Nosotros, ¿qué sentimos? Que estamos abandonados por todo el mundo.

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