Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 22 May 2019
Argentina: Fernández in court for first corruption trial

By ALMUDENA CALATRAVA arated by a glass panel.
Associated Press Outside, dozens of sympa-
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina thizers chanted her name
(AP) — Argentina's former and waved national flags
President Cristina Fernán- in sky-blue and white. In
dez appeared in court separate cases, Fernández
Tuesday for the first in a faces formal investigations
series of corruption trials into allegations of money
ahead of a planned run for laundering and criminal as-
the vice presidency. sociation during her admin-
The trial comes just days istration and that of Nestor
after Fernández surprised Kirchner, her late husband
Argentines by announcing and predecessor.
that she would seek the Although several former
vice presidency, with her Argentine presidents have
former Cabinet chief Alber- faced trials, Fernández is
to Fernández at the top of the only one to do so while
the ticket. having a clear chance of
She had been expected to returning to power.
run directly against conser- The weekend announce-
vative President Mauricio ment that Alberto Fernán-
Macri during the October dez — no relation — would
election. instead lead the ticket
Security agents cordoned Former President Cristina Fernandez speaks with her lawyer Carlos Beraldi inside a federal court- shook up the election race
off the federal courtroom in room in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, May 21, 2019. and forced political parties
Buenos Aires as Fernández Associated Press to rethink their strategies.
arrived to face charges of Analyst Roberto Bacman
heading "an illegal asso- if divisive figure among Ar- cution with only one goal: tened to the charges of the Buenos Aires-based
ciation" for embezzlement gentines. to place a former president against her while she sat Center for Public Opinion
involving public works proj- "A new trial where I should who opposes the current next to her attorney, but Studies said that Fernán-
ects during her 2007-2015 have never been sum- government in the defen- she did not comment. Poli- dez's announcement shift-
presidency. She denies moned is beginning," dant's bench during a pres- ticians, union leaders and ed the spotlight from the tri-
any wrongdoing and she Fernández said on Twitter. idential campaign." human rights leaders sup- al and softened her image
remains a highly popular "This is a new act of perse- At the courtroom, she lis- porting her sat nearby sep- before the judges.q
Mexico studies building new immigration facilities

By MARIA VERZA However, detentions and
Associated Press deportations in Mexico are
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- up 150% so far this year.
ico is studying a change Guillén did not provide
in the way it handles the many details for the plan
migrants who have been that is still being developed.
overwhelming its facili- But he said the idea is to re-
ties near the border with duce the number of immi-
Guatemala, and may try grant detention centers —
to keep more of them in there are now more than
newly constructed volun- 50 — and reserve them for
tary shelters rather than in migrants who are awaiting
detention facilities. deportation.
Tonatiuh Guillén, director The rest, such as those re-
of the National Immigra- questing asylum or holding
tion Institute, told The Asso- regional permits to work or
ciated Press this week that travel in southern Mexico,
migrants requesting asylum would have access to the
or certain other visas would new shelters.
be free to come and go "This proposal speaks to the
from the facilities. He said crisis in Mexico's immigra-
the first such shelter would tion system and mainly in
be built in Chiapas near the the (National Immigration
southern border. In this April 29, 2019 file photo, Rahjit, from India, poses for a photo as he waits with other migrants Institute)," said Abbdel Ca-
Guillén said officials are for a ticket to register their entry into Mexico at an immigration station in Tapachula, Chiapas margo, a researcher at the
looking at a 37-acre (15 state, Mexico. College of the Southern
hectare) property in Tapa- Associated Press Border.
chula. "If everything goes He said that while details
well, in the second half of existence and not control," families with children, in that his main strategy to are unclear, he was wor-
the year we would begin he said. recent months, many of deal with migration is to ried that if the shelters
design and hopefully con- Mexico has been over- whom have travelled in improve conditions in their could become recruitment
struction of the new facility whelmed by the flow of caravans. countries of origin so they centers for workers rather
that is more like a shelter U.S.-bound migrants, es- President Andrés Manuel don't feel compelled to than humanitarian shelters
and not confinement, co- pecially Central American López Obrador has insisted leave. for families.q