International

Former Ecuadorian vice-president awaits response to asylum request in Mexico

Photo: @evoespueblo

December 27 |

The former vice president of Ecuador, Jorge Glas, who on Wednesday will have his pre-release hearing, is awaiting a response from the Government of Mexico to his request for diplomatic asylum, his lawyer said Tuesday.

Glas, alleging that he felt his safety was at risk, entered the Mexican embassy in Quito on December 17, as a guest, and three days later formally requested diplomatic asylum.

The former Ecuadorian vice-president (2013-2018), who was already imprisoned for five years and four months for corruption cases, made the decision to take refuge in the diplomatic mission after the Prosecutor’s Office requested him for proceedings in the investigation of a case called “Reconstruction”.

Sonia Vera, lawyer of the former vice-president, denounced that her client suffers from “a bloody legal and political persecution” by the prosecutor Diana Salazar, of whom the correísmo has requested an impeachment for alleged “breach of duties”.

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The lawyer pointed out that there is no deadline for Mexico to issue a response to the asylum request, but indicated that in similar cases the process took about a month.

Vera, on the other hand, confirmed that this Wednesday at 15:00 local time (20:00 GMT) the pre-release hearing for her client will be held.

After being five years and four months in jail, Glas is in a regime of semi-liberty.

The lawyer mentioned that the former vice president, sentenced to eight years for bribery and six for illicit association linked to the Odebrecht bribery scandal, has served 60 percent of his sentence.

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.