Central America in Minutes
Central America in Minutes is a short-form podcast produced by El Faro English. It delivers reported briefings and analysis on the politics shaping Central America. Each episode offers concise updates on key political developments in the region.
Episodios
Juan Orlando Hernández Returns to Honduras
Episode 83: Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández returns to his country after Trump pardoned him last year. He now faces criminal charges of embezzlement.A couple recently forced to return to Guatemala is found dead in a field outside Retalhuleu, near the Mexican border. U.S. self-deportation totals are disputed.Seven months before national elections, Salvadoran opposition leader Claud
Who Can Stop Murillo and Ortega in Nicaragua?
Episode 81: Daniel Ortega’s announcement that “there will be no more elections” in Nicaragua sparks a wave of regional and international criticism.A Salvadoran fisherman’s body shows signs of violent death in prison that were ignored in an autopsy. He is one of over 500 confirmed deaths in custody under the state of exception.Benedicto Lucas, a former Guatemalan general accused of genocide against
What Will Trump Decide on TPS for El Salvador?
Episode 81: While Salvadoran TPS recipients hold their breath for a last-second renewal, Bukele meets with Trump after launching a bid for a third term.The Nicaraguan regime begins a new phase of persecution by selling off exiles’ properties and secretly revoking the licenses of an estimated 2,000 lawyers.Former President Juan Orlando Hernández is expected to return to Honduras on July 26, where h
Salvadoran Political Prisoner Ruth López’s Life Is At Risk
Episode 80: Salvadoran human rights attorney Ruth López’s family fears for her life. They finally visited her following more than 400 days in prison.Guatemalan prosecutors stop trying to revoke the house arrest of newspaperman Jose Rubén Zamora, easing up on an emblematic case of lawfare against journalists in Latin America.Nicaragua has received dozens of third-country deportees since Donald Trum
Bukele Sets Stage for Third Term in El Salvador
Episode 79: Nayib Bukele registers to run for a third term in El Salvador’s 2027 election after scrapping term limits. If he achieves his goal, he’s set to stay in power until 2033.Donald Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Guatemala, heralded by the opposition, steps down without public explanation following months of turmoil over U.S. policy in Guatemala.Trump's threat to “take back the canal”
Trump Diplomats Depart an OAS Mission in Turmoil
Episode 78: A string of U.S. officials departs Trump’s mission to the OAS amid ideological tensions and a financial crisis that are roiling the hemisphere’s oldest multilateral.The World Bank projects El Salvador’s economy will grow in 2026 by a hair. The ruling party celebrates, while economists say it’s fueled by tens of millions of dollars in remittances.A year after the murder in Costa Rica of
Honduras Cracks Down on Protests Tied to Land Conflicts
Episode 77: Honduras expands the definition of terrorism to include legally registered organizations and cracks down on protests tied to land conflict.Costa Rican President Laura Fernández proposes a reform to slow Nicaraguan migration. Amid mounting criticism, she asserts Nicaraguans have the government “they chose.”In our magazine Beacon: an investigation in El Salvador; an interview with Guatem
Nicaraguan Political Prisoners Keep Dying in Regime Custody
Episode 76: In Nicaragua, the United States sanctions more than 100 officials after naming the Ortega-Murillo regime as responsible for the death of political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera.In Guatemala, the new attorney general halts the three-year prosecution of a group of journalists and columnists for obstruction of justice, in a landmark win for press freedom.In El Salvador, search groups question
Arévalo Downplays Report of Imminent Joint U.S. Military Strikes
Episode 75: In Guatemala, Arévalo downplays New York Times reporting that joint military strikes against cartels are set to begin in June as U.S. officials push to put boots on the ground.In Nicaragua, six relatives of Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera are detained by Sandinista police while claiming his body. Rivera had died in regime custody.In El Salvador, a campaign to save a major city forest
Sweeping Abuses in Costa Rica Against U.S. Deportees
Episode 74: Costa Rican authorities find 200 migrants deported there from the U.S. in 2025 were subject to de facto deprivation of liberty, passport retention, discrimination, and physical injury due to the prolonged use of shackles.Despite a constitutional mandate to promote home ownership, El Salvador has a shortage of around 400,000 homes, with many living in precarious housing called mesones.I
Political Prisoner Ruth López Hits One Year in Bukele’s Dungeons
Episode 73: One year after her arrest by the Salvadoran regime, Ruth López’s family, international organizations, and groups in exile call for her release and for information on her health.Audio published by Hondurasgate and amplified by international media allege an international plot in favor of Juan Orlando Hernández, but skip journalistic due diligence.Guatemala’s new attorney general ends the
A Friend to Trump, Netanhayu, and Bukele Takes Office in Costa Rica
Episode 72: Laura Fernández is sworn in as president of Costa Rica, promising an El Salvador-style crackdown on crime. The Israeli government says Costa Rica is willing to open an embassy in Jerusalem. rU.N. experts demand proof of life for Nicaraguan Indigenous leader and political prisoner Brooklyn Rivera. They denounce forced disappearances, inhumane conditions, and dozens of remaining politica
Guatemala Turns the Page After Eight Years of Consuelo Porras
Episode 71: Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo names Gabriel García Luna, a career judicial official working for the Executive, as attorney general. After years of selective justice, he will take office May 17 barring legal challenges.In Guatemala, the murder of journalist Carlos Humberto Cal Ical draws calls for a swift investigation and end to impunity, amid growing threats to the press from
Mass Trial for Collective Gang Crimes Begins in El Salvador
Episode 70: El Salvador begins a mass trial of 486 alleged MS-13 members following a dramatic rewriting of judicial procedure. The men will be tried for collective, not individual crimes. New penalties of life in prison will take effect on Sunday.After months of avoiding direct confrontation with Washington, Ortega calls Trump “mentally deranged” just as new U.S. sanctions are imposed on his inner
Remember Bitcoin? Now Bukele’s All In on A.I.
Episode 69: Amid major strain on the public health system, Bukele announces Google’s A.I. system Gemini will help oversee case loads for chronic illnesses. He is billing El Salvador as “the world’s premier testbed for real-world A.I. deployment.”In Guatemala, Plaza Pública reports that the U.S. Embassy tried to influence the elections of constitutional magistrates. Two lobbying groups work against
After Trump Pardon, Hernández Appeals to Court of Public Opinion
Episode 68: On Wednesday, former president Juan Orlando Hernández claimed a U.S. appeals court declared him “innocent” of drug trafficking charges. But the court in fact dismissed his appeal because Trump’s November 2025 pardon had made it a moot point.Costa Rican President-elect Laura Fernández has announced her first decrees in May. Mining rights are a priority, and she’ll set the agenda for thr
Mounting Civilian Death Toll in U.S. Boat Strikes
Episode 67: International human rights experts condemn U.S. boat strikes against civilians accused of drug trafficking. To date, at least 163 people have been killed and no evidence of drug smuggling has been provided in any of the attacks.Costa Rica joins almost all governments in Central America to sign migration agreements to receive third-country nationals deported from the United States. Cost
At the End of the Maras
SPECIAL, Episode 66: I always imagined the end of the maras playing out differently. Since I am a pathological romantic, I imagined people in the street in some sort of march with drums and tears of joy. Or going to leave flowers at a monument for the victims of so much darkness… But no.This special episode shares an audio column by El Faro special investigations reporter Carlos Martínez, translat
Bukele Dismisses Findings of Crimes against Humanity
Episode 65: With crimes against humanity in El Salvador on full international display, Bukele denounces the reports as a “coordinated” conspiracy. Trump’s pick as ambassador to El Salvador, former DHS official Troy Edgar, goes before the Senate.China’s future in Honduras hangs in the balance with the new Trump-backed president, Nasry Asfura. In his election campaign, he promised to restore relatio
Honduras Guilty Again for Dispossessing Garifunas
Episode 64: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights condemned the state of Honduras for trying to uproot the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna community from Cayos Cochinos at the behest of a tourism conglomerate and a European TV spinoff of Survivor.Guatemalan political elites battle over a top court tainted by allegations of corruption and insider dealing. With all five seats up for grabs this week, bot
Judge Denounces Death Threats after Halting Trump on TPS
Episode 63: A federal judge denounces intimidation and death threats on social media after suspending Trump’s rollback of TPS for Haiti. An appeals court allows Trump to cancel the program for Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal as litigation continues.In Guatemala, an internationally sanctioned judge annuls the 1993 arrest warrant for coup president Jorge Serrano Elías, a fugitive in Panama. The same
U.N. Experts Warn of Illegal Adoptions Tied to Guatemalan AG
Episode 62: U.N. experts tie internationally sanctioned Guatemalan AG Consuelo Porras to an illegal adoption scheme during the armed conflict. They make the allegations public on the same day she runs for constitutional magistrate.The Bukele-controlled Assembly in El Salvador claims it is running a 2026 “austerity” budget for legislative operations, but is keeping line items under lock and key. Af
Nicaragua Accused of “State Terrorism” in Murder of Exile
Episode 61: Costa Rican authorities arrest the fifth suspect in the murder of prominent Nicaraguan exile Roberto Samcam, in a brazen case underscoring fear and insecurity for refugees in Costa Rica. Some have decided to leave the country.A Guatemalan court orders —yet again— the release on house arrest of newspaperman Jose Rubén Zamora in the second of two cases that had kept him in prison awaitin
Nicaragua Gets Mixed Signals from Trump
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 60: The Trump administration sends mixed signals to Nicaragua on trade, sanctions, and anti-narcotics while the Ortega-Murillo regime signs new commercial agreements with Russia and China.Costa Rican President-elect Laura Fernández wins the election by sweeping margin and promises continuity with the Rodrigo Chaves administration’s agenda. She says she will consider
Bukele Celebrates a Hardly-Reciprocal Trade Deal with Trump
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 59: In exchange for select exemption from Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs, Bukele signs a trade deal promising the U.S. mining and energy access and calling on El Salvador to co-sign Trump’s trade sanctions.In Honduras, Tito Asfura takes office on promises to cut back the state, while the National Party proposes Bible readings in schools. Honduras asks to return to
Rodrigo Chaves’ “Heir” in Costa Rica Outruns the Pack
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 58: UCR pollsters place Laura Fernández, Minister of the Presidency under Rodrigo Chaves, with 40% of the vote. If that lead holds on February 1, Chaves’ “heir” will win the presidency outright without a runoff.Days before the transfer of power in Honduras, the National Party takes the reins of Congress and President-elect Tito Asfura meets with Israeli Prime Minist
Honduras Appeals to Trump Weeks Before Transfer of Power
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 57: Honduran President Xiomara Castro orders a controversial last-second electoral recount and calls for dialogue with Trump. Meanwhile, President-elect Tito Asfura meets with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Israeli ambassador in Washington.Before the February 1 election iBefore the February 1 election in Costa Rica, the electoral tribunal rejects a request t
Trump’s Invasion of Venezuela Polarizes Central America
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 56: After the U.S. invasion of Venezuela, the Nicaraguan dictatorship tightens state surveillance, Nayib Bukele mocks Maduro to settle a score, and Panama calls for the Venezuelan opposition to be put in charge.The White House declares a “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine, shaking up its envoys to Central America. Trump taps a billionaire couple who donated to
How a White House Lie About “Sex Changes” in Guatemala Helped Decimate USAID
Ep. 55, SPECIAL with LATINO USA: This year, the White House falsely claimed that millions of U.S. taxpayers’ dollars were funding “sex changes” in Guatemala — a lie used to justify gutting USAID, which has provided aid worldwide for over 60 years.In this episode produced with Latino USA, we travel to Guatemala to uncover the truth, hear from local organizations caught in the controversy, and learn
Anatomy of (Yet Another) Disputed Election in Honduras
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 54: On Thursday, four days after the Honduran election, representatives of two major parties denounced irregularities in the preliminary vote tally, which as of Friday morning gave the lead to Trump’s candidate Tito Asfura over Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party.In Honduras, electoral disputes have been waged with violence for almost two decades. Why has that no
Irrefutable Images | Letter from the Editor
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 53: One woman had no family left in Guatemala. Some men were snatched from their jobs. Every deportee was distraught, confused, or angry. When Guatemalans flip the coin of abandonment, they often find brutality on the other side.This seventh issue of Central America Monthly seeks to answer the question: What comes after deportation?In our podcast today, we present t
Bukele and Washington: Honeymoon, Breakup, and Back Together
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 52: Nayib Bukele has dealt with three U.S. administrations. He went from conservative darling to pariah under the early Biden years’ anti-corruption agenda. Outlasting and outmaneuvering the Democrats, Bukele bet on Trump’s return, catapulting him back to the seat of U.S. power.This special November episode of Central America in Minutes was written by Roman Gressier
Honduran Army Chief Pushes to Run Parallel Vote Count
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 51: In Honduras, questions about a militarized election deepen. The head of the Joint General Staff wants to run a parallel vote count on November 30. Meanwhile, the attorney general’s office announces its newest investigation into the National Electoral Council.In a new coup effort in Guatemala, an internationally sanctioned judge orders the removal of the presiden
Torn Apart Under Trump Six Years Ago, A Guatemalan Father and Son Still Hope to Reunite
Ep. 50, SPECIAL with LATINO USA: Thousands of immigrant children were separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border during the first Trump administration. And while a court ruled the government should reunite these families, hundreds still remain apart.In this episode, we travel to Guatemala to meet a father who was deported from the U.S. without his 14-year-old son. In theory the familie
Gang Jailbreak in Guatemala Engulfs Arévalo in Security Crisis
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 49: Guatemala’s former minister of governance, whose office oversees the police and prisons, resigns and leaves the country after the public learns of the escape from prison of twenty 18th Street gang members.In El Salvador, a new Law Against Money Laundering in fact significantly loosens controls. Attorney general Rodolfo Delgado argues compliance officers relied t
Everyday Cruelty | Letter from the Editor
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 48: Crackdown tactics emerging from El Salvador’s Casa Presidencial and the U.S. White House have something in common: the willingness to sow fear and enact cruelty onto a population deemed criminal or expendable.This sixth issue of Central America Monthly focuses on a single question: What is really happening in the world's most publicized prison system? Eviden
Two Years of Siege at the Guatemalan Electoral Tribunal
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 47: Five months before new magistrates are chosen, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Guatemala has been raided yet again amid arrests, a guilty plea, and accusations of bribery. Next year, the top seats at the TSE, high courts, and other crucial institutions are up for grabs.In Costa Rica, President Rodrigo Chaves skirts an effort by the Legislative Assembly t
The Deportation of Mario Guevara: Where Attacks on Immigrants and Journalists Collide
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 46: Salvadoran-born journalist Mario Guevara is set to be deported today, Friday, after his arrest in June, while covering protests in Georgia against the immigration raids of Trump’s first months. He was the only known journalist detained by ICE on U.S. soil.This special October episode of Central America in Minutes was written by Yuliana Ramazzini and edited by Ro
From Pregnancy to Murder Charge: Living Under a Total Abortion Ban
Ep. 45, SPECIAL with LATINO USA: She was in labor, fainted, and woke up in handcuffs.In El Salvador, nearly 200 women have been incarcerated in the last 26 years after having obstetric emergencies, like miscarriages and stillbirths. Maria Hinojosa and producer Monica Morales-Garcia travel to the country to speak with women who have been incarcerated under El Salvador's anti-abortion laws, some of
End of TPS Exposes Over 50,000 Hondurans, Nicaraguans to Deportation
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 44: On September 8, Temporary Protected Status for Hondurans and Nicaraguans came to an end, leaving more than 50,000 immigrants, who have been in the United States for over two decades, at risk of deportation.The Guatemalan Constitutional Court refused to grant provisional parole to publisher Jose Rubén Zamora, bouncing the decision of whether he will continue in p
Six Threats to the Election in Honduras
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 43: With under three months until election day in Honduras, alarm bells are sounding: lawfare and institutional capture threaten the credibility of the process amid efforts to veto civil society as electoral monitors. The chief campaign finance auditor has no budget.In a country where political violence has stained elections for the better part of two decades, four
No Right to a Funeral in Nicaragua
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 42: Recent accusations by U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi about an “air bridge” for Venezuelan drug traffickers in Guatemala and neighboring countries draws sparring between the Guatemalan president and attorney general over who is really leading interdiction efforts.In Nicaragua, an opposition leader detained for more than a month is announced dead in custody an
DEA Hits Costa Rica Ex-Intelligence Chief with Narco Charges
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 41: A former magistrate and security chief was arrested by Costa Rican authorities and the DEA in their first extradition on drug trafficking charges. U.S. authorities also accuse him of informing the Rodrigo Chaves administration in 2023 of his ability to “guarantee the entry of cocaine into the country.”In El Salvador, as Nayib Bukele names an Army captain as mini
Sweeping Conviction Punishes Guatemalan Children’s Home Fire
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 40: In Guatemala, six officials were sentenced to prison for the gruesome 2017 death of 41 girls in a fire in the Hogar Seguro children’s home. Abuses and inhumane conditions leading up to the fire compounded with officials’ apathy to rescue them, stirring indignation in Guatemala over state complicity.The U.S. State Department claimed in its annual report that ther
One Week Watching Bukele on Prime Time TV
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 39: El Salvador’s Canal 10 has been transformed into a vehicle for institutional propaganda. Since its relaunch in 2020, the public television channel has been remade from a cultural station into a mouthpiece for President Nayib Bukele — a space without dissent, without opposition, without debate.This extended August episode of Central America in Minutes was produce
Bukele, Maduro, and Trump See Opportunity in Prisoner Swap
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 38: A prisoner exchange between the United States, El Salvador, and Venezuela sends 252 men deported by the Trump administration and imprisoned in Salvadoran megaprison CECOT back to Venezuela, in exchange for 10 U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.A new investigation by InSight Crime reports that at least 23 environmentalists were killed in the country between 2023
El Salvador: No Country for Human Rights
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 37: Cristosal, a leading human rights organization in Central America, announces that it is closing operations in El Salvador under threat of political arrest and administrative harassment under a “Russia-style” Foreign Agents Law that dealt a frontal blow to civil society.In Nicaragua, three days before the anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution, the regime renam
Trump and Bukele Leave Venezuelans in CECOT in Legal Limbo
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 36: In correspondence with U.N. enforced disappearance investigators, the Salvadoran government claimed the jurisdiction and ultimate fate of the 238 Venezuelans imprisoned in CECOT falls on the U.S. government — even as the Trump administration has claimed the opposite.As the U.S. government cancels TPS deportation protections for Nicaraguans and Hondurans, Daniel
Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador: The Trifecta of Exile
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 35: For the first time in decades, a growing number of political exiles are fleeing El Salvador. In Guatemala, the justice system is the spearhead of attacks against those pursuing corruption. Following the murder of a Nicaraguan exile, the U.N. denounces a “high risk of life and physical safety” for dissidents beyond Nicaraguan borders.This special July episode of
Trump Strikes New Third-Country Asylum Deals in Honduras, Guatemala
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 34: In a regional tour, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced agreements for Guatemala and Honduras to receive third-country asylum claims, and in Panama, to pay for flights to continue deporting migrants, including from Venezuela and Colombia.In Costa Rica, investigators examine whether a Nicaraguan government-backed hit squad is targeting exiles on the heels of the
Chiquita Banana Strike Leaders Arrested in Panama
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 33: The Panamanian government arrested Secretary General of the Banana Industry Workers Union Fransisco Smith four days after an agreement was announced between union leaders, the National Assembly and President Raúl Mulino to amend social security reforms driving the country into nation-wide protest.This episode of Central America in Minutes was written by Edward G
Honduras Copy-Pastes Bukele’s CECOT Marketing
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 32: In El Salvador, three top military officers are convicted for the emblematic 1982 murder of four Dutch journalists, marking the first conviction of high-ranking military officials in the country for crimes committed during the civil war.In Honduras, digital outlet Contracorriente reports that the Xiomara Castro administration has launched a media campaign during
The Rise of Rosario Murillo, Co-Dictator of Nicaragua
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 31: Rosario Murillo holds the reins in Nicaragua. By their own decree, she and Daniel Ortega are now “co-presidents” ruling without the separation of powers, not even on paper. Three moments help explain Murillo’s rise — but just how durable is her newfound power?This special June episode of Central America in Minutes was written and narrated by Roman Gressier with
Prosecutors Encircle Defiant Costa Rican President
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 30: In Costa Rica, evidence collected by the press and prosecutors of Rodrigo Chaves rigging a public-relations contract leads the Supreme Court to discuss the possible removal of his immunity — an unprecedented corruption probe against a sitting president.In Honduras, President Xiomara Castro will be interim defense minister after ruling-party presidential candidat
Bukele and Guatemalan AG Compare Notes on Lawfare
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 29: The attorneys general of El Salvador and Guatemala meet and agree to increase cooperation, in the most public show of support from the Bukele regime for Consuelo Porras. Weeks after Guatemalan prosecutors threatened to launch an investigation into USAID funding to independent media, the Salvadoran legislature approves a Foreign Agents Law to choke off internatio
Bukele Re-Ups Old Plans to Tax NGOs as Foreign Agents
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 28: In El Salvador, Nayib Bukele sends the Military Police to disperse families in front of his personal residence, as they pleaded not to be evicted from their homes. As the regime arrests another lawyer accompanying families threatened by displacement, Bukele claims international interference against his government, reactivating a 2021 plan to place high taxes on
Over 1,000 Days without Freedom for Guatemala’s Top Journalist
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 27: Even if Jose Rubén Zamora, who is 68 years old, successfully defends himself at retrial in the original case against him, he looks set to face years of legal challenges as the hydra of spurious accusations against Guatemala’s former top publisher continues to grow.On April 21, the Bernardo Arévalo administration said they are finishing chalking up a journalist-p
In Bukele’s El Salvador, Defying Court Orders Is an Old Tune
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 26: It may have come as a surprise in the U.S. when Trump and Bukele shrugged off a court order to bring back wrongfully deported immigrant Kilmar Ábrego. In El Salvador, presidential non-compliance has been business as usual since 2020.El Faro is on vacation for Holy Week. Today, in a shorter episode, we share the perspectives of two Salvadoran columnists from our
Seven Years of Nicaraguan Repression in UN Hot Seat
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 25: The U.N. Group of Human Rights Experts on Nicaragua names Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo, and dozens of regime officials in a report on crimes against humanity. It’s their second major release in two months, compounding U.N. evidence-gathering on the Ortega-Murillo regime as the 2018 state repression turns seven years old.Days before Nayib Bukele is set to meet
For a Portrait of Bukele, Look to His Prisons
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 24: The key to El Salvador’s prisons, and the Nayib Bukele administration that runs them, are facilities that most observers abroad have never heard of: black boxes where reports of systematic torture have emerged in survivor testimony, disease proliferates and medical care is denied, and at least 375 people have reportedly died in custody.These prisons are a focal
Panama Grants Fugitive President Safe Passage to Nicaragua
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 23: Former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador Ronald Johnson, a friend and promoter of Nayib Bukele, tells the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that “I don’t doubt” that Pegasus could have been used against civil society and U.S. officials during his tenure in El Salvador.The Panama government allows fugitive ex-president Ricardo Martinelli —once famous for using
Bukele and Musk Bond over Attacks on U.S. Judiciary
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 22: Nayib Bukele and Elon Musk propose that U.S. judges ruling against Donald Trump’s agenda be impeached, citing the illegal 2021 removal of the Salvadoran constitutional chamber magistrates as a model to follow. Bukele claims that a judge’s order against recent deportations to Salvadoran prison is a “judicial coup” against Trump.In the Honduran primaries, ruling p
Honduras Plays the Blame Game in Turbulent Primaries
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 21: The Sunday primaries in Honduras await results as civil society monitors criticize delayed ballot delivery and the press reports violations of the chain of custody of ballots by the Army. Ruling party Libre receives the most votes, according to projections.Tension grows between the two main electoral institutions. Minister of Defense Rixi Moncada, who is also th
Just How Close Is Honduras to a China Trade Deal?
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 20: Honduras claims it is closing in on a free-trade deal with China, but negotiations have lagged since late last year. Xiomara Castro is toning down some public references to Chinese cooperation for infrastructure as they play push and pull with Donald Trump.Nicaraguan environmentalist group Fundación del Río filed a complaint with the Supreme Court of Justice aga
Salvadoran Police Re-Arrest Activist Who Sued Director of Prisons for Torture
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 19: Fidel Zavala is a Salvadoran businessman turned human rights activist who sued the director of prisons after attesting to state crimes in prison under the state of exception. He has been re-arrested in El Salvador less than a year into his lawsuit against the director of prisons.Salvadoran unions report 30,000 illegal firings since 2019 to the International Labo
Back to US Prison for Guatemalan Narco-Congressman
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 18: The internationally sanctioned Guatemalan Special Prosecutor Against Impunity threatens to investigate USAID funding to independent media, echoing attacks on the press in El Salvador and Nicaragua.José Ubico, the former president of Guatemala’s congressional National Defense Committee, is sentenced to 18 years in prison in the Eastern District of Texas after ple
Honduran Campesinos Under Siege in Bajo Aguán
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 17: Honduran campesinos repeat calls for President Xiomara Castro to respect a 2022 agreement to end assassinations tied to palm oil monocrop in the Bajo Aguán. Castro has not installed a promised Truth Commission nor propelled a constitutionally mandated agrarian reform.Nicaraguan police and military leaders swear in para-security forces implicated in crimes agains
Nicaragua’s “Angel of Death” Falls from Grace
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 16: Rosario Murillo orders the removal of presidential security advisor Horacio Rocha and interim Supreme Court president Marvin Aguilar as Murillo, the newly minted “co-president” of Nicaragua, prepares to nominate a reduced nine-seat Supreme Court in her image.
Nayib Bukele slates changes to the Salvadoran penal code to make soldiers “agents of authority” when “ac
Bukele Gets Pat on the Back from Trump White House
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 15: With Trump and regional migration carrying the headlines and Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveling in Central America, Nayib Bukele rewrites the constitution in El Salvador and the Guatemalan Supreme Court resumes an internationally condemned probe of Bernardo Arévalo.
Honduras and Colombia try to rally Latin American and Caribbean nations against Trump’s dep
Inter-American Court Condemns Daniel Ortega’s 2011 Reelection
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 14: The Inter-American Court of Human Rights finds the Nicaraguan state guilty of “abusive use of the state apparatus” in allowing Daniel Ortega’s unconstitutional 2011 reelection, setting precedent for the elections in Honduras in 2017 and El Salvador in 2024.
China hawk Marco Rubio, Trump’s top diplomat, plans to make his first official trip to Central America. Co
Biden Extends TPS for El Salvador but not Honduras, Nicaragua
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 13: The Biden administration extends Temporary Protected Status for 232,000 Salvadorans through September 2026, but has not renewed these protections from deportation for recipients from Honduras or Nicaragua.
Per a tally by exiled Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa, 38 former political prisoners have had their asylum claims denied by the United States after promises th
Panama and Honduras Set Red Lines for Trump
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 12: Expecting increased U.S. deportations, Honduran President Xiomara Castro threatens to expel a key Southcom military base. Her Guatemalan counterpart Bernardo Arévalo, meanwhile, says the country is “open” to taking in deportations of other Central American nationals.
After weeks of claiming that the Chinese military controls the Panama Canal and mistreats U.S. b
Argentinian Court Signs International Arrest Warrants for 2018 State Crimes in Nicaragua
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 11: In a major universal jurisdiction trial, an Argentinian judge has requested the arrest of Daniel Ortega, Rosario Murillo, and a battery of top Nicaraguan officials implicated in hundreds of killings and other 2018 state crimes against humanity.
Two-thirds of the big business-friendly Guatemalan Congress approved an anti-monopoly law that was a priority of Presid
2025 Elections: Xiomara Castro’s Big Test
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 10: In 2024, Bernardo Arévalo failed to remove the Guatemalan attorney general from office, the Salvadoran press published evidence that Nayib Bukele’s family is acquiring significant assets, and Central American leaders eyed Donald Trump’s return for political gain.
In 2025, U.S. immigrants’ organizations plan to again turn to religious organizations to fight Trump
With IMF Deal, Bukele Rolls Back Bitcoin Ambitions
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 9: The Salvadoran Court of Accounts planned to let Agriculture Minister Pablo Anliker off the hook for $60 million in Covid-19 fraud while ordering six of his subordinates to repay the money from contracts he signed.
After three years of negotiations, El Salvador secures a $1.4 billion debt refinancing lifeline from the IMF and stands to obtain more from other finan
A Guatemalan Witchhunt Against Journalists
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 8: The Nicaraguan regime tightens border controls, pulls passports, and puts a legal veneer on the cancellation of citizenship to keep a leash on insiders and critics alike.
U.S. congressmen from both parties criticize arbitrary arrests in El Salvador. But Republican Chris Smith cites Joe Biden’s signing-off on Nayib Bukele’s unconstitutional reelection to assert th
Tuberculosis Rocks Salvadoran Prisons
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 7: Top editors of Costa Rica’s leading daily newspaper resign, citing editorial pressures on coverage. Salvadoran authorities raid the home of a radio journalist whose station is critical of Bukele’s mining project.
Guatemalan AG Consuelo Porras picks apart the Public Prosecutor’s Office in a dramatic reshuffling of dozens of staff, and dismantles the special war-cr
Bukele Tightens Grip On Internet
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 6: After the express approval of a new data privacy law in El Salvador, a freshly created State Cybersecurity Agency will order the removal of online content deemed “inadequate” or “inexact” from the internet.
Nayib Bukele declares on X that El Salvador’s watershed 2017 prohibition of metallic mining is “absurd”. In Nicaragua, toxic mining and settler violence agai
Police Crimes Reign Under Honduran State of Exception
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 5: Two years into the Honduran state of exception, reports abound of illegal raids, torture, forced disappearance, and extrajudicial killings. Extortion, the purported reason for the measures, remains unscathed.
In Nicaragua, the Ortega-Murillo regime slates constitutional changes to officialize the position of “co-president”, removing any room for doubt that Rosari
Ortega’s Onslaught Against Catholic Priests Marches On
CENTRAL AMERICA IN MINUTES, Ep. 4: Rodrigo Chaves awards Nayib Bukele Costa Rica’s highest diplomatic honors and receives dozens of Salvadoran soldiers in Costa Rica —which abolished its Army in 1948— before getting permission from the legislature.
Donald Trump taps top Republican foreign policymaker Marco Rubio, a staunch critic of Nicaragua, as secretary of state. He also nominates Florida congr
