Central America and its migrant flows to the USA.
The Control of Information - how the rich ‘and powerful shape the media and control your mind. By Dr. Judith Brown
"Let us be clear: censorship is cowardice. ... It masks corruption. It is a school of torture: it teaches, and accustoms one to the use of force against an idea, to submit thought to an alien "other." But worst still, censorship destroys criticism, which is the essential ingredient of culture." Pablo Antonio Cuadra
Mexico, Central America, and Cuba.
Central America is the area between the USA in the north, and South America in the South. It is a tapering isthmus of land, that extends about 1,800 km. Mexico is usually considered to be part of North America, but in this report it is included with Central America. Mexico is the third largest country in Latin America after Brazil and Argentina, bordering the USA in the north, and it has Guatemala and Belize on its southern borders. It had an ancient civilisation, developing early systems of agriculture, mathematics, astronomy, and hieroglyphics. Mexico was colonised by the Spanish in the sixteenth century but regained its sovereignty in the nineteenth century. It was later invaded by the Americans and the French, and it has had a fractious relationship with its northern neighbour for a century and a half.
The countries in Central America are Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvadore, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, all were colonised by the Spanish, except for Belize which was part of the British Empire. The southern border of Central America is between Panama and Columbia. The Pacific Ocean is to the west, and the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the isthmus is at its narrowest as it meets South America. Central America is tropical or subtropical, and a hotspot for biodiversity. The Mesoamerican Biological Corridor is a conservation area that connects protected regions across the isthmus.
Central America is in the volcanic region known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, and mountain ranges towards the Pacific Ocean contain many volcanic peaks, some still active. It also has extensive rain forests, humid swamps, and coral beaches; Nicaragua contains the extensive Lake Nicaragua at its southern border with Costa Rica. Of great significance for world trade, a canal was built in Panama by Columbian, French and US interests, completed in 1914, and is now under Panama control. It is 82 km long and passes through the narrowest part of the isthmus, allowing the passage of ships from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea and then on to the Atlantic Ocean.
Historically, this area was inhabited by native tribes including the Aztecs and the Maya, who were largely wiped out by colonisation. A large part of the population in Central America now are descendants of African slaves or of European colonisers. The Spanish conquered this region in the early sixteenth Century, the official language became Spanish, and the Catholic church became the main religion. It is estimated that between 1492-1832, nearly two million Spaniards settled in this region, with the native population used in forced labour and slavery; they were also subjected to forced resettlement. During the early nineteenth century they gained independence from Spain; however, a further 3.5 million Spanish settlers arrived in Latin America in the post-independence era up until 1950.
Clearly this part of the world is dominated by the USA [1] here. There have been issues raised by the current US administration that are particularly pertinent to Central America – for example, migrants crossing the Mexico-USA border, the smuggling of illegal drugs, the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico, and the USA desire to take back control of the Panama Canal.
Mexican politics.
In 2024, Mexico elected Claudia Sheinbaum as president in a landslide victory, the first female Mexican president and the first Jewish president in Latin America. She is a left-leaning politician who has been critical of recent Israeli actions in Gaza [2] here; factors that will make her less popular with the new American administration. She is also a climate scientist, who has written reports for the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) [3] here.
A centre right Mexican politician Gabriel Quadri claims that Mexico is entirely captured by woke ideologies. He states that although the poor do not have time for ideologies, woke is entrenched amongst the more comfortably off, especially gender ideologies; for example, men who state they have transitioned into women are now taking allocated women’s seats in parliament. Women’s groups are not protesting as their rights are being taken over by men. Quadri himself has been labelled as a ‘political agitator against women’ because he referred to trans politicians as male [4] here. The capture of Mexico by gender ideology has been described by other observers, who describe this as a form of colonisation. The Mexican bureaucratic class absorbed this ideology from the USA, and then imposed it on the rest of the Mexican population [5] here. Quadri describes himself as a lone voice, as although others may quietly agree with him, no-one else is speaking out.
Additionally, the Mexican judiciary was recently dismissed, and replaced with a new system of elected judges, which some view as interfering with judicial independence [6] here. There are also changes to the constitution that diminish democratic rights; critics say the new measures weaken checks and balances and eliminate people’s recourse to argue violations of their rights in court [7] here. Some regard the amendments as so onerous that in effect, it is a replacement of the constitution [8] here. Quadri describes new digital ID and facial recognition systems, new laws for regulating social media, and a recent bill was passed that give telecommunications companies increased powers of surveillance. Quadri also claims that drug cartels are closely associated with some senior members of the ruling party [9] here. This claim is supported by the US administration, although denied by Mexico [10] here.
Many of these reforms are described positively by journalists who are supportive of Sheinbaum, and post-election polls show that she still has a high popularity rating [11] here. However, Sheinbaun’s position has been made more difficult by the recent closure of the border between Mexico and the USA, and planned 30% trade tariffs imposed on Mexico by the USA from 1 August 2025. Trump has appointed Ron Johnson, a retired army colonel and former CIA officer as the new US ambassador to Mexico. This indicates that the US sees security, not trade, as its major interest [12] here.
Censorship in Mexico.
Looking at the above account of recent political changes in Mexico, surveillance is increasing with more onerous regulation of social media, and the constitution no longer offers the same protection of human rights. Also the criminalisation of some speech, such as calling a trans woman ‘he’ are indicators of a more autocratic form of rule being installed in Mexico, with very little political opposition.
In the Mexican censorship industry, six fact check platforms were located; two of these are foreign newswires, AFP and Reuters. Three belong to media corporations, and one is independent. One of the most prominent platforms is Verificado. It is a member of Latam Chequea that coordinates censorship activities in Latin America and Infotricion that disseminates information from fact checking platforms throughout Latin America. Verificado’s funding sources are vague; it gets states that it gets 55% of its income from ‘grants’ without stating where these are from, however, it is reasonable to assume these are from foundations associated with those of immense wealth. These may be from overseas sources, such as the USA or Europe. Verificado further states it gets 20% of its income from training and consultancy, which may relate to media literacy training. 15% is from editorial services, which may be third party fact checking, and 10% is from advertisements [13] here.
The only Mexican platform that is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN) is El Sabueso (Animal Politico). This platform states that it brings together journalists, designers, programmers and video editors to create content; it is a news website with a fact checking function. It is a third-party fact checker on behalf of Meta, and a member of Latam Chequea. Again, it has vague funding details; 15% of its income is from subscriptions, 25% from commercial content, 20% from donations which may be from overseas foundations or embassies, and 25% from training, consultancy fees and verification, which may include its earnings for third-party fact checking [14] here.
Other sites include Spondeo Media, which is a search engine optimisation company that only fact checks on a Facebook page [15] here, and Escenario Tlaxcara online news site, a member of Latam Chequea whose fact checking is funded by Google [16] here.
Mexican censors have links with American organisations, such as the IFCN, Google and Meta’ However, many references to funding sources are vague but because of the close proximity to the USA it is likely that a substantial amount of the covert funding is from the USA. Clearly, Mexican fact checkers are part of the network of global censors and their censorship activities are being supported by current government activities that are legalising surveillance, censorship, and undermining human and legal rights.
Guatemala, El Salvadore, Honduras, and Nicaragua – US neighbours.
Latin America has long been viewed by the USA as its backyard, and most small countries in Central America have a long history of US interference in their affairs, in the form of covert operations, military occupation, economic sanctions, stealing assets, overthrowing elected governments, coups, invasions, joining in civil wars, and other military interventions. These were often designed to replace elected left wing governments with right wing juntas who met with US approval, or to prop up unpopular presidents who support US interests [17] here. These interferences continue until today, for example, the Nicaraguan government has recently been accused of closing down 5,600 NGOs [18] here. Whilst many criticise this action, NGOs funded by foreign entities, especially hostile foreign entities such as the USA, cause instability. Nicaragua is a small country that hosts a vast number of what are probably foreign-funded soft power organisations, even if some of the work they were doing is needed and valued. The Nicaraguan government may not have acted illogically but may have correctly perceived these entities as unwanted external interference. China is building a new Pacific-Caribbean canal across Nicaragua to rival the Panama Canal, which Nicaraguans hope will improve their countries prosperity. When completed, it may also challenge the US dominance of this country, and also it may lead to a destabilising struggle between China-US power [19] here. In Honduras, a huge corporation-ruled entity called Prospera ZEDE is proposed, funded by Silicon Valley billionaires, but after a change of government in Honduras the new government does not want to proceed. It is an experiment in market-driven governance - if it goes ahead, this part of Honduras will be outside government control. If the current government succeeds in opposing Prospera ZEDE, international banks have the ability to bankrupt Honduras [20] here.
US interference is undoubtedly one of the reasons for instability that rocks these four nations, as their pursuit of sovereignty and self-determination has the consequence of causing internal power struggles, which in turn reduces economic opportunities. These countries all have a significant portion of their populations who are impoverished, they all suffer from corrupt governments, migrant flows, income inequality, violent criminal gangs, and internal strife. In the case of Guatemala its problems include a 36-year-long civil war; it has not yet recovered from the effects of war even though it has ended. Honduras has half of its population living below the poverty line, and Nicaragua’s rulers are imprisoning or expelling any critics of its authoritarian-style rule. Over a century and a half, America has robbed South and especially Central America of its wealth and human potential. This has created challenging living conditions, thus increasing migrant flows from Central America that the American population sees as one of its major political concerns [21] here.
The Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports on these countries are dire, showing risks to journalists, from governments, from police, from the judiciary, and from criminal gangs. Governments of Honduras and Nicaragua own and control almost all of the media, in El Salvadore cyberlaws restrict free expression and allow the removal of information from the internet. In Guatemala legislation criminalises criticism of the government. Journalists in this region are harassed, attacked, imprisoned, and forced into exile.
Relating to the censorship industries, these four countries all have their digital media and social media content moderated, or censored, by AFP. AFP is a third-party fact checker for Facebook; Meta operates in all of these counties, despite their onerous censorship practices. Guatemala has one active fact check platform, El Salvadore has two, Honduras has two, and Nicaragua has one; all of these are members of Latam Chequea. In Guatemala Agencia Ocote has a fact check function named Factica, funded by a number of foundations, some from USA, according to Duke Reporters Lab (DRL). It is organised by a consortium of journalists [22] here.
The platforms in El Salvadore are Infodermia and Voz Publica. Voz Publica is an online news platform that is funded by subscriptions, ‘cooperation projects’ and ‘consultancies’[23] here. Infodermia is a fact checking project funded by the vast American NGO Internews that in turn is funded by the American administration and wealthy philanthropists [24] here. In Nicaragua the fact check platform Delfras del Discurso has no information about itself on its platform, except to outline its censorship methodology [25]here. The two Honduras fact check platforms both are linked to the media corporation OPSA, two of its media outlets El Heraldo and La Prensa have fact checking departments [26] here and [27] here. This is presumably funded by their parent company, which may in turn be owned by ruling politicians.
The governments in these countries already have censorship policies that threaten freedoms and human rights. Facebook must moderate content in line with the wishes of the governments of these four countries or it would be banned; this will be an essential role of their third party fact checker, AFP. It is hard to justify another layer of censorship funded by the powerful and immensely wealthy from a neighbouring state. It is inevitable that in addition to the requirements of local administrations, content is also moderated to meet the expectations of Western funders on key issues such as climate, health, and gender. Additionally, Western funded censorship may favour policies that are in the interest of global governance, rather than of national sovereignty.
Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama.
These three countries are more stable, although all are described as having migrant flows and some issues of corruption. Belize was formerly British Honduras, part of the British Empire, its official language is English, although many Belizeans also speak Spanish. It is a small democratic country with low population density. Costa Rica is considered the most stable country in Central America. The current president Rodrigo Chaves is described as a technocratic populist [28] here. Certainly, on taking office in 2022 he immediately ended Covid restrictions and mandates [29] here and he supports fossil fuel extraction [30] here. Costa Rica is a favoured place for American expats, especially retirees, as it is stable, English is widely spoken, and it has a cheaper cost of living than the USA.
Panama is a stable democracy, however corruption and impunity are serious challenges, affecting the justice system and the highest levels of government [31] here. Currently, one of its most pressing problems are migration flows from South America and Asia, with over half a million migrants passing through its borders annually; this is a huge burden for a small country with a population of only 4.5 million. The current president has pledged to close the migrant passages, which he describes as organised by people trafficking and drug trafficking enterprises, and he is seeking assistance from the US with deportation flights [32] here. Currently, Costa Rica and Panama are accepting deportees from the US, many being migrants from Asian countries. It is not known why these people were not directly transferred to their countries of origin, but Costa Rica and Panama may have accepted deportees in order to avoid tariffs [33] here.
The Panama Canal allows passage of ships from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea, making it an important trade route. The canal was built with the assistance of USA and other countries in the early nineteenth century. The US took control of the canal initially, but it was handed back to Panama in the 1990s. President Trump stated that the canal is now under Chinese control; in practice, for many years two of the five ports in Panama have been managed by a Hong Kong commercial company. After his inauguration, Trump stated that he planned to reimpose US control of the canal; however, Panama has strongly defended its sovereignty; the canal provides an important part of the countries’ income [34] here.
No fact check platforms were found in Belize; six were found in Costa Rica, and two in Panama. Of the six platforms in Costa Rica, one is the ubiquitous AFP, four others belong to media outlets, and one is associated with a university. Doble Check is owned by the Universidad de Costa Rica and is a member of Latam Chequea. It is also a verified signatory of the IFCN [35] here. No information is available on funding. Of the other four fact check platforms, DRL states that one is funded by advertisements, and another is funded by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, a German foundation that regularly funds the censorship industry.
In Panama, AFP has one fact check platform, and one other platform is owned by a media corporation, TVN Media. Interestingly, on the TVN website are two fact checks relating to the USA and the Panama Canal. One of these relates to a statement alleged to be made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who states that when he was in Panama, he saw a Chinese ship passing through the canal – the fact check states that Rubio only saw a Korean ship and a Greek owned vessel [36] here. Another checks a statement of Trump who stated that American ships are have unfair charges when passing through the canal, but the fact checkers said this was false [37] here. Although it is not known whose statements are accurate, these emphasise the tensions that exist between Panama and the USA over the issue of the Panama Canal. Of course, because of its military might, the USA can occupy the Panama Canal at any time, and Panama can do little to resist.
Comparing the three smallest countries in Central America.
Of the three smallest countries in Central America, Costa Rica and Belize are relatively stable, but El Salvadore suffers corruption, human rights abuses, unemployment and low wages, although violent crime has recently fallen to its lowest level in 50 years. The US has had a large impact on the instability found in El Salvador, for example, its exploitation of workers in the Salvadorean coffee farms [38] here, and its negative impact on the 12 year civil war [39] here. Currently, some claim that US policies have increased harassment and legal threats to the president’s critics, causing them to flee the country [40] here. This includes the use of an El Salvadore mega prison for Latin Americans deported from the USA [41] here. It is unclear how far this interference leads to instability, but it appears to be consistent factor in both Central and South America.
Cuba.
Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean, occupied by Spain until 1898, and thereafter occupied by the USA until 1902. It consists of the largest island in the Caribbean, and other small islands around it. A coup in 1933 overthrew an elected government, followed by a period of military rule and dictatorship lead by Fulgensio Batista, who was strongly supported by the USA. A Cuban revolution in 1959 was led by Fidel Castro, who established communist rule in Cuba, with close links to the Soviet Union until its fall in 1990. Before the revolution, US investors dominated the Cuban economy, controlling 75% of the agricultural land, which was redistributed to the Cuban peasants after the revolution. Many of the Cuban landowners and others who did not support the revolution fled to the USA as refugees, where they were welcomed; the current Secretary of State Marco Rubio descended from Cuban refugees. Within the USA, Cuban refugees are very critical of the Cuban government.
Government censorship in Cuba is impossible to evaluate because of long standing polarisation of opinions around Cuban politics. However, two fact check platforms in Cuba belong to Latam Chequea. One is Arbol Invertido, a cultural magazine; its fact check platform is Cuba Chequea, that states its income is from ‘grants and donations’ with no further details. Although this platform states that it exists on a minimum of resources, but there are seven staff and at least one member attended the GlobalFact12 IFCN Summit in Brazil in June 2025 [42] here. The other is elTOQUE De Facto, that names MEEDAN and the IFCN as funders, and is owned by Mas Voces Foundation, which is organised by Cuban Exiles in the USA. This platform has stories and fact checks that are very critical of the current Cuban administration [43] here.
Discussion.
Whilst the US influence spreads across all of South and Central America and the Caribbean, those that are geographically closer to the USA inevitably feel more impact from American policies. Investments by American billionaires add new styles of colonisation. When countries are put into an acutely defensive position over a long period of time, internal strife becomes an inevitable response. The poverty emanating from instability causes violence and criminality to proliferate. In order to control such populations, leaders often adopt an autocratic style; when their power is challenged internally by soft power organisations such as NGOs and fact check platforms, they are an enemy within.
The censorship industry cannot contribute to stability by deciding on what is, and is not, truth. For example, many fact check platforms and NGOs engage in media literacy training and support comprehensive sex education, which are both dangerous forms of training minds to think in a particular way. Indeed, there are signs that the elites and political rulers of Mexico may already be captured by such brainwashing techniques. Western funded Central American fact checkers may moderate content on political issues, but when they are funded by foreign entities this is foreign interference in local politics and national elections. As global players move towards global governance, fact checkers are likely to persuade local people to give up their sovereignty, freedoms and bodily autonomy because their default position is to support the narratives of those in power.
Conclusion.
The fact check industry has no other function except to censor; it cannot be independent. It is funded by those with immense wealth and power who decide policy, and if fact checkers do not moderate content in a manner that suits their funders, their funding will end, and their jobs will no longer exist. Smaller Central American countries cannot match the military might and pollical strengths of the USA, their powerful neighbour. It is an unequal struggle, one large Goliath, and many small Davids that for many reasons do not unite to resist American pressure. The imposed Western-funded censorship industry is just the latest form of interference in the sovereignty of Cuba, Mexico and Central American nations. It is not just American sovereignty that is under threat from migrant flows. It is the poor of South and Central America that are under threat from their rapacious neighbour, assisted by a global censorship industry that takes away their most important freedom, the right to free expression and uncensored information.