LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR A DAILY PUBLICATION OF THE DIALOGUE www.thedialogue.org Wednesday, February 3, 2021 BOARD OF ADVISORS FEATURED Q&A TODAY’S NEWS Diego Arria Director, Columbus Group POLITICAL Devry Boughner Vorwerk Would Talks Help Twelve Mexican Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Grubhub Police Officers Joyce Chang Global Head of Research, Solve Venezuela’s Accused in JPMorgan Chase & Co. Massacre of 19 Paula Cifuentes Director of Economic & Fiscal Affairs, Political Crisis? Twelve Mexican police officers Latin America & Canada, have been arrested in connection Philip Morris International with the killings of 19 people Marlene Fernández whose charred bodies were found Corporate Vice President for Jan. 22 in the state of Tamaulipas, Government Relations, Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s) just across the border from the United States. Peter Hakim President Emeritus, Page 2 Inter-American Dialogue Donna Hrinak Senior VP, Corporate Affairs, BUSINESS Royal Caribbean Group New Itaú CEO to Jon E. Huenemann Former Corporate and Focus on Chile, Government Senior Executive The European Union has called for talks between in Venezuela between President Nicolás Argentina Units James R. Jones Maduro’s government and the opposition. // File Photo: @NicolasMaduro via Twitter. Chairman, Milton Maluhy, the new CEO of Monarch Global Strategies Itaú Unibanco, said he will focus Craig A. Kelly The European Union on Jan. 25 called for political talks on facing the competition posed Senior Director, Americas by financial start-ups and also Int’l Gov’t Relations, Exxon Mobil in order for Venezuela to hold “credible, inclusive and seek to improve performance in John Maisto transparent local, legislative and presidential elections.” The Director, U.S. Education Itaú’s Chile and Argentina units. Finance Group Q statement came less than two months after Venezuela’s Dec. Page 3 Nicolás Mariscal 6 legislative elections, which have been widely denounced as fraudulent Chairman, Grupo Marhnos and which the main Venezuelan opposition parties boycotted. What is POLITICAL Thomas F. McLarty III the likelihood of such dialogue happening this year in Venezuela? Would Almagro Blasts Chairman, talks between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and the opposi- McLarty Associates Killings of FMLN Beatrice Rangel tion lead to a productive outcome? What actions should international Supporters Director, actors, such as the European Union and the Biden administration in AMLA Consulting LLC Organization of American States Jaana Remes the United States, as well as Maduro allies such as Russia and Iran, be Secretary General Luis Almagro Partner, taking now to help stabilize Venezuela? condemned the killings of two McKinsey Global Institute supporters of El Salvador’s FMLN. Ernesto Revilla Page 2 Head of Latin American Vanessa Neumann, former Juan Guaidó-appointed Vene- Economics, Citi Gustavo Roosen zuelan ambassador to the United Kingdom: “No one who Chairman of the Board, thinks clearly believes there will be free and fair presidential Envases Venezolanos Andrés Rozental elections in Venezuela in 2021. While it’s long overdue, we President, Rozental & A have neither the drivers nor the conditions. The electoral farce of Dec. Asociados 6 has strengthened Maduro’s co-option of everything, including foreign Shelly Shetty Managing Director, Sovereigns NGOs and civil society, paradoxically bringing greater stability: a stabler Fitch Ratings downward spiral into further horror, without credible challengers to disrupt that terrible momentum. The dictatorship is winning. Currently, its only motivation to sit down would be to get its sanctions lifted and live the international high life again. That won’t help the Venezuelan people. To drive a real dialogue, we need a paradigm shift. As in any negotiation, you have to develop some trust across sides but most importantly with Almagro // File Photo: @Almagro_OEA2015 via Twitter. Continued on page 3 COPYRIGHT © 2021, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE PAGE 1 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR Wednesday, February 3, 2021 POLITICAL NEWS ECONOMIC NEWS NEWS BRIEFS Twelve Mexican Mexico Receives Biden Signs Orders to Review Trump’s Police Officers $40.6 Billion in Immigration Policies Accused in Massacre Remittances for 2020 U.S. President Joe Biden signed executive actions on Tuesday that order the review and Twelve Mexican police officers have been Mexico received $40.6 billion in remittances potential reversal of the previous administra- arrested in connection with the massacre of 19 last year, a record level and up 11 percent tion’s immigration policies, which restricted people, including Guatemalan migrants, whose as compared to 2019, the Bank of Mexico legal immigration along the Mexico border and bodies were found last month near the U.S. announced Tuesday, Dow Jones reported. The which Biden called “very counterproductive to border, officials said Tuesday, the Associated increase defied expectations early last year our security,” The Washington Post reported. Press reported. Irving Barrios Mojica, the that the money transfers would slide in 2020 The orders also create an interagency task attorney general of Tamaulipas state, where due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Remittances force with the aim of reuniting migrant families the bodies were discovered, said the police remained strong in December, rising 17 percent separated by former President Donald Trump’s officers were in custody and faced charges of as compared to the same month a year earlier, “zero tolerance” policy. homicide, abuse of authority and making false the central bank said. “The sharp contraction statements. The attorney general did not identi- of activity and employment in the U.S. have not fy a motive for the killings, though corrupt local impacted in a visible way the flow of remittanc- and state police in Mexico have frequently es to Mexico. Generous wage/income support OAS’ Almagro Condemns taken money for helping drug cartels, the wire fiscal transfers in the U.S., a very competitive Killings of FMLN service reported. Mexican drug cartels charge MXN/USD level and a deep contraction of Supporters in El Salvador smugglers for transporting migrants through activity and employment in Mexico may have Organization of American States Secretary their territory, and migrants are sometimes acted as both push and pull drivers of dollar General Luis Almagro on Monday condemned kidnapped or killed when the smugglers don’t remittances from the U.S. to Mexico,” Alberto the fatal shooting of two supporters of El pay up. The bodies of the 19 people were found Ramos, managing director and head of Latin Salvador’s FMLN opposition party weeks ahead Jan. 22, piled up in a charred pickup truck America economic research at Goldman Sachs, of the Central American nation’s legislative in the city of Camargo, on the other side of said in a note. “Solid workers’ remittance flows and local elections. “We condemn the attack the Rio Grande from Texas. The bodies were have been adding support to the current ac- on party supporters of FMLN,” Almagro wrote burned so badly that authorities have had count and to private consumption, particularly on Twitter. “We support quick action from the difficulty identifying them. The area has long for low-income families, who have a high pro- police. We request El Salvador investigates and been besieged by turf battles between rival pensity to consume and are the overwhelming prosecutes those responsible,” he added. Five drug cartels. In Guatemala, family members recipients of such transfers.” The record level others were seriously injured in the politically of some of the victims received a call from of remittances and a trade balance surplus motivated attack, Deutsche Welle reported. a smuggler who said the migrants had been “have more than offset the loss of income from fatally shot, The Washington Post reported. At international travel/tourism,” Ramos added. least 13 of the victims appeared to have been Mexico’s current account surplus for 2020 is Guatemalans heading to the United States, the likely to be more than 2.5 percent of gross Chile Reports Declines newspaper reported. So far, authorities have domestic product, he said. “Extraordinary fiscal in Copper Production been able to identify only two of the Guatema- support in the United States to individuals lan victims. “The government of the Republic because of the pandemic” has helped to boost Chilean state-owned mining company Codel- of Guatemala expresses its absolute rejection personal incomes and remittances to Mexico, co’s production fell 16 percent in December of the atrocities committed in the Tamaulipas Ernesto Revilla, managing director and head of as compared to the same month a year earlier, massacre and expresses its deepest condo- Latin America economics at Citigroup, told the according to government figures released lences to the families of the victims,” Guatema- Financial Services Advisor in a Q&A published Tuesday, Reuters reported. National copper la’s government said in a statement Tuesday Dec. 16. Additionally, a fall in spending relative commission Cochilco said Codelco’s output night. The migrants were mainly men and to wages has led to higher levels of saving in declined in December to 157,800 metric tons. women in their 20s from the Guatemalan town the United States, and a lack of ability to travel The company’s total production for 2020 rose of Comitancillo and were attempting to escape due to the pandemic likely led immigrants to by 1.2 percent as compared to 2019, according poverty, The Washington