International
Ecuador seeks Mexican Embassy entry in Quito to arrest glas, amidst asylum request
The Ecuadorian government has requested permission from Mexico to enter its embassy in Quito and arrest Jorge Glas, who served as vice president during Rafael Correa’s presidential term (2007-2017) and has been residing in the diplomatic mission since December awaiting a response to his asylum request.
Ecuador’s government has asked Mexico to allow the apprehension of Glas within its embassy in Quito because granting him asylum would “render void all commitments acquired in international instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption,” as confirmed by sources from the Foreign Ministry to EFE.
In the document, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry asks Mexican Ambassador Raquel Serur for consent “for law enforcement (police), under the authority of the Ministry of the Interior, to enter the premises of the diplomatic mission and carry out the arrest of Mr. Jorge David Glas Espinen, as ordered by the National Court of Justice of Ecuador.”
Before making this request, Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Gabriela Sommerfeld had previously stated that if Mexico granted asylum, President Daniel Noboa’s government would not provide Glas with safe passage to leave the country without detention.
Glas, who was released at the end of 2022 after serving five years in prison for two convictions of bribery and illicit association, faces charges of embezzlement in the “Reconstruction” case in the coastal province of Manabí following the 2016 earthquake.
Arrival at the Mexican Embassy
In mid-December 2023, Glas, who considers himself innocent and a victim of ‘lawfare,’ arrived at the Mexican Embassy in Quito, before a detention order was issued against him.
In early January, a judge ordered his provisional detention for the Manabí reconstruction case.
The investigation by the Prosecutor’s Office revealed alleged misuse of public funds benefiting third parties, individuals, and legal entities who were contractors and supervisors of the contracts signed.
Glas spent five years and four months in prison after being sentenced to eight years for bribery in the “Bribery” case and six years for illicit association related to the Odebrecht bribery scandal.
Glas’s Background
The former vice president, who served during part of Correa’s term and the early months of Lenín Moreno’s presidency (2017-2021), has stated that he will seek to overturn his case after Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court annulled evidence from Odebrecht’s computer system.
Glas’s asylum request echoes the case of former Correa-era minister María de los Ángeles Duarte, also convicted in the “Bribery” case, who resided with her underage son in the residence of the Argentine ambassador for nearly two and a half years while awaiting a resolution to her asylum request from the Argentine government.
At the end of 2022, Argentina’s government under President Alberto Fernández granted her asylum, but Ecuador’s conservative government under President Guillermo Lasso denied her safe passage, leading the former minister to leave Ecuador unnoticed until reaching Venezuela.
This sparked a diplomatic standoff between Argentina and Ecuador, resulting in reciprocal expulsions of ambassadors and a delay of up to four months in appointing new mission heads.
International
Trump announces 17-nation alliance in the Americas to “destroy” drug cartels
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the creation of a 17-nation alliance across the Americas aimed at dismantling drug cartels, during a regional summit held at his golf club in Doral.
Speaking to a group of allied leaders at the Shield of the Americas Summit, Trump said the initiative would rely on military force to eliminate powerful criminal networks operating throughout the hemisphere.
“The heart of our agreement is the commitment to use lethal military force to destroy these sinister cartels and terrorist networks. Once and for all, we will put an end to them,” Trump told the assembled heads of state.
The Republican leader argued that large portions of territory in the Western Hemisphere have fallen under the control of transnational gangs and pledged U.S. support to governments seeking to confront them. He even suggested the potential use of highly precise missiles against cartel leaders.
Before making the announcement, Trump greeted the roughly twelve leaders attending the summit, including close allies such as Javier Milei, Daniel Noboa and Nayib Bukele, whom he described as a “great president.”
The meeting forms part of Trump’s broader regional strategy inspired by his reinterpretation of the Monroe Doctrine, which seeks to reinforce Washington’s influence in the Americas, strengthen security cooperation and counter the growing presence of powers such as China.
Trump pointed to recent U.S. actions in the region as examples of his administration’s approach, including the operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro earlier this year.
The summit also takes place amid escalating international tensions following the conflict launched last week by the United States and Israel against Iran.
International
Trump replaces Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with Senator Markwayne Mullin
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday the departure of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security, one of the key architects of the administration’s policy of deporting undocumented immigrants.
Noem, who has been assigned a new role as a “special envoy” to Latin America, will be replaced starting March 31 by Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin, the president said in a message posted on his social media platform Truth Social.
According to media reports, Trump made the decision after Noem’s recent hearings in Congress, during which she faced tough questions regarding the awarding of a major public contract.
International
Young Woman Will Represent Mexico at 2026 World Cup Opener, Says President Sheinbaum
Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, announced Thursday that the young Mexican woman who proves to have the best ball control skills will receive her personal ticket to the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico City.
The left-wing leader had previously said she would not attend the tournament’s opening game on June 11 in the Mexican capital and instead planned to give away the ticket number 00001, reserved for her by FIFA.
During her morning press conference, Sheinbaum explained that women between 16 and 25 years old can participate by submitting a video through an official platform.
“What do they have to do? Keep the ball in the air for one minute,” she said, referring to the soccer juggling challenge that will determine the winner.
Among the judges selecting the winner will be Mexican striker Charlyn Corral, the world’s top female scorer who set a ball-control record in 2005, and professional referee Katia Itzel García.
Sheinbaum also revealed that she plans to watch the opening match during a large public gathering with giant screens in the Zócalo, located in the historic center near the presidential palace.
“Very few people will be able to attend the opening. So I will watch it here with the people, and a young woman will represent me and the people of Mexico,” the president said.
Sheinbaum has previously commented on the high cost of World Cup tickets, as well as the difficulty of obtaining them in a metropolitan area with more than 20 million inhabitants.
In the 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by United States, Mexico, and Canada, Mexico will stage 13 matches in Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.
The opening match will take place at the legendary Estadio Azteca, which previously hosted World Cup opening ceremonies in 1970 and 1986, occasions when the presidents in attendance were famously booed by the crowd.
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