Cuenca adds electric car charging stations; New city hospital opens; Remittances are 6% of GDP; Carnival is a month away; U.S. asylum-seeking couple arrive
Curious -?
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 15/1/2026) Un cubano deportado de EE.UU. a Ecuador (A Cuban deported from the US to Ecuador) – A federal immigration judge in New York granted a request by the Dept of Homeland Security on el 13/1 to
deport Alex RamÃrez González, a Cuban nurse to Ecuador. The decision was made as part of an agreement to cooperate on asylum, also known as the “safe 3d country” mechanism signed by Ecuador and the US. Through this agreement, the US can transfer people requesting asylum to Ecuador (a safe 3d country) to wait or process the procedures for international protection. He and his spouse, Yan Vázquez Hidalgo, worked in a hospital in upstate NY. They were both detained in octubre, 2025 when they went to their immigration hearings.
Sales of hybrid and electric vehicles are surging in Ecuador, reaching 18% of all sales in 2025, up from 13% in 2024. (El Mercurio)
Currently they are in a detention center in Batavia. Also, Vázquez has a hearing el 22/1 when it will be determined if she will be sent to Ecuador or a another 3d country. She went to the US to request asylum from her home country, Cuba. Both are part of the LBGTQ+ community. RamÃrez´s defense argued that he could face discrimination in Ecuador as part of the LBGTQ+ community. US authorities countered that same sex marriages have been legal in Ecuador since 2019, so that there will be legal support to guarantee his rights. <If I was going to be deported from the US, Ecuador would certainly be my first choice for a safe 3d country, even if I didn’t live here.>
(De El Mercurio del jueves, 15/1/2026) Cuenca pone el foco en transporte más limpio (Cuenca focuses on cleaner transportation) – A new charging station was opened at the airport, driven by a private automotive business, in the climate of gradual expansion of less polluting mobility options in Cuenca. This station adds to other public stations such as in the Parque e la Madre, and private locations such as the Supermaxis on Don Bosco and in the Wayra Plaza. Alfredo Aguilar, of EMOV EP, said that sustainable mobility is a priority, given the effects of climate change.
EMOV has bet on electrical mobility for public transport. The first phase will be to electrify one bus line with 8-10 electric buses coming into operation in 2027. The project is also considering buying and installing rapid and slow charging units to guaranteed continuity of service. It is part of a larger sustainability plan financed by a $25 million loan from the German KfW bank which will fund 4 lines of action: electric mobility, increasing bike lanes, implementing public electric bikes, and comprehensive street development.
Electric taxis are being analyzed with a study planned in febrero to see if the current 3,615 cabs in Cuenca cover the current demand. If new taxis are needed, one of those options is that they be electric. But this implies that the charging infrastructure is in place, so charging stations in the Terminal Terrestre and EMOV’s public parking lots are expected. In 2025, electric vehicles represented 18% of the market. This is above the 13% in 2024.
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 17/1/2026) Listo el hospital de El Valle (El Valle hospital ready) – The opening of the $8 million Hospital Municipal de El Valle is scheduled for el 15/2. <I wonder how much of a medical facility you could get for $8 million in the US? A small wing, maybe?> Located in the Guncay sector, it’s the first of 3 rural hospitals in Cuenca to open, and will serve people in El Valle and nearby locations such as Santa Ana, Quingeo, Paccha, and Nulti. In the first stage, the hospital will have 78 employees including 12 resident doctors, 23 specialists, 16 nurses, and administrative and service employees. There is still some work to be done before the opening including installation and testing medical equipment, installing water and sewer service, and road improvements. The other two rural hospitals are in Baños which is planned to open in mayo, and in Ricuarte with a planned opening in junio.
(De El Mercurio del domingo 18/1/2026) Cuenca ordena rutas por colores (Cuenca organizes routes by color) – The city has started a plan to put color coded signs at bus stops and on buses. Each of the 38 lines will have a different color to make it easier for riders to identify the routes. Alfredo Aguilar, of the City Mobility department said that in phase one, 4,184 signs will be put on the buses, then 500 plaques installed at bus stops with 3,966 distinct seals for each line. Each bus stop will also get a QR code which riders can use to get information about the routes and select the one most suitable. With this digital system, you can also get information about the TranvÃa stations, BiciPública stops, parish borders, shopping centers, schools and other points of interest. <I don’t think it will tell you where the best burger in town is and how to get there, though.>
(De El Mercurio del domingo 18/1/2026) Remesas, sin polÃticas para que las sostengan (Remittances, without policies to sustain them) – Remittances sent to Ecuador in 2025 reached historic levels even in the challenging context of the hardening of migration policies in the US. Between enero and septiembre, 2025, $5.737 billion was sent, an increase of 20.7% over the same period in 2024. The increase was a response to defensive behavior by immigrants who sent more money home for fear of deportation and before a 1% tax on remittances that started in 2026. The US counts for 77% of the remittances with $4.388 billion, Spain 2nd with 14.2% or $813 million, and Italy 3d with 2.1% or $123 million.
The provinces that received the most money were Guayas with $1.8 billion, Pichincha with $990 million, Azuay with $940 million, and Cañar with $294 million. According to Banco Central de Ecuador data, 75% of remittances went to cover basic necessities such as food, housing, health and education with over 1.7 million families depending on these funds. Researcher Susetty Gómez of the Universidad Técnica de ManabÃ, said this implies that the immediate impact of the money is for consumption and that it doesn’t contribute to productive activities.
In spite of remittances representing close to 6% of the GDP and being one of the main sources of foreign exchange in the country, there is no public policy in Ecuador to channel this money into development. Her suggestion is that the Government should implement policies for financial education for those who receive remittances so they can use these funds for investments. The Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo projected 2025 remittances would reach $7.916 billion while the Banco Central de Ecuador had a more conservative projection of $7.000 billion.
(De El Mercurio del domingo 18/1/2026) Cañar y Azuay con mayores ingresos per cápita (Cañar and Azuay with the highest per capita income) – Remittances have an important part in the economies of various cantons in the country. For economic analyst Luis Tobar, a reduction in these flows would have immediate effects on consumption, commerce, and household purchasing power, especially in small cantons. On a provincial scale, remittances represent a relevant proportion of disposable income. In Cañar it is $1,237 per cápita and in Azuay, it is $1,126 which are about 4 times the national average of $317. <That would go a long way to explaining why Cuenca is a high-income city.> The per capita remittances in Chimborazo are $472, and in Morona Santiago, they are $429. Breaking down the data by canton, the concentration of remittances becomes even greater. Suscal receives $3,675 per person, El Tambo $2,499, Biblián $1,723, and Cañar canton $1,626.
Bored? –
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 17/1/2026) Cuenca se alista para 24a Feria de la Construcción (Cuenca prepares for 24th Construction Fair) – Cuenca will be the host for the 24th Feria de Construcción, Vivienda y Decoración Cuenca 2026 from el 27-29/3 in Quinta Lucrecia. It is organized by the Cámara de la Construcción de Cuenca and will bring together construction companies, suppliers, special brands, and the public. There will be builders, investors, the finance system, and citizens looking to buy or build.
(De El Mercurio del sábado, 17/1/2026) Carnival: toma forma la agenda en los cantones (Carnival: the agenda takes shape in the cantons) – With less than a month to go for Carnaval, cities are fine tuning their agendas to attract tourists and energize local economies. In Gualaceo, the first celebrations will be on los domingos, 1 & 8/2 in the Santiago de Gualaceo and 25 de Junio markets with mote pata, chicha de jora, and cuy con papas festivals. Other events are the traditional Jueves de Compadres on el 12/2; the election of the Carnaval queen on el sábado, 14/2; and the big Carnaval parade on el domingo, 15/2. There will be daytime music shows on the 15 & 16 in the Concha Acústica and the Plaza CÃvica de Gualaceo.
In Paute, the Carnaval celebrations will be combined with the celebration of 166 years of Independence. There will be a parade on el 15/2 through the main streets followed by the first music show on the banks of the RÃo Paute. There will be another show on el lunes, 16/2 with national and international artists who will be named in the next few days. SÃgsig will celebrate traditional events such as the Taita Carnaval, el Lunes Sigseño, and other activities in the Playas de Zhingate and the Plaza 24 de Mayo. The artists for the shows will be revealed next week. Girón is the only city that has determined its Carnaval program with the election of the queen el domingo, 15/2 and a show organized by a private business in El Chorro de Girón featuring Euler Caiceo and other artists.
Cuenca will present its agenda in the first days of febrero, and the artists who will be performing will be announced once their contracts are signed. On el jueves, 12/2, Carnaval de los Mercados de Cuenca will be celebrated <There’ll be plenty of traditional dulces de Carnaval – figs, peaches, etc. stewed in syrup and hornado – roast pig.> as well as the Jueves de Compadres. The Desfile de Carnaval de los Cuatro RÃos de Cuenca parade will be el 14/2 with the route along calle Simón BolÃvar and ending in the Plaza San Francisco where the Festival del Mote Pata Más Grande del Mundo will be held. Representatives of the Guinness Records book will be there to deliver the official reward. <If you really want to spoil an event, you could dive into that huge pool of mote pata, and then piss in the pool.>
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Information in this column, including dates, times and locations, is courtesy of the El Mercurio newspaper. Comments between the carrots, or guillemets (< … >), are the personal opinions of the author and not part of the news translation.
