Lead Photo: Asylum seekers listen to instructions at an outdoor U.S. Border Patrol processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on March 23, 2021 near Mission, Texas. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
Asylum seekers listen to instructions at an outdoor U.S. Border Patrol processing center under the Anzalduas International Bridge after crossing the Rio Grande from Mexico on March 23, 2021 near Mission, Texas. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
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Las Notis is a daily news column that gets you up to speed on the political, media + other going ons in Latin America and the diaspora—all in one quick digest.
Here’s your glimpse at what’s going on today:
Mexico released a statement assuring the public that their immigration facilities, specifically in Mexico City’s international airport, are both safe and hygienic. Officials from Mexico’s Migration Institute (INM) and from the Foreign Ministry provided tours of the facilities to consulate officials from a handful of Latin American countries. Mexico has agreed to stricter policies in order to cut the flow of undocumented migrants crossing into the U.S. [NBC]
The Senate Rules Committee is holding a hearing to examine a Democratic plan to overhaul federal elections and expand voting rights. The bill is called the For the People Act and, if passed, would spark landmark changes, including making it easier to vote, enacting new campaign finance laws, and ending partisan gerrymandering in congressional districts. [NYT]
White House officials will be visiting the Mexican border and allowing just one news network camera to enter in response to alarmed calls about the denial of media access to border and migrant detaining facilities. There are currently over 15,000 unaccompanied migrant children in U.S. custody. [WaPo]
The daily COVID-19 death toll in Brazil has passed 3,000 for the first time. The country’s hospitals are overwhelmed and low on necessary supplies as contagious virus variants continue to spread, posing a threat to nearby countries. In a televised address on Tuesday (March 23), President Jair Bolsonaro spoke of a return to normalcy soon. Many people banged pots in protests in major cities during his speech. [BBC]
Officials announced on Tuesday (March 23) that Cuba will administer experimental COVID-19 shots to nearly the entire population of the capital Havana by May. Health authorities are carrying out interventional studies and late stage trials. [Reuters]
Isabel Allende’s recently released memoir, The Soul of a Woman, details the distinguished author’s family life and personal relationship with feminism. Allende discusses how the suffering from her mother’s generation was a major motivator for her work. [NBC]
