International
Mexico gives $110 a month to Venezuelans deported in the face of an agreement with Maduro
The Mexican Government grants 110 dollars a month for six months to Venezuelan migrants returned to their country under social programs before an agreement signed with President Nicolás Maduro, as revealed on Thursday by Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena.
“It is very important, we have just signed an agreement with Venezuela, with the president, Nicolás Maduro, which is called ‘Return to the Homeland’. We are sending Venezuelans back to their country because we really can’t with these amounts,” Bárcena said at the morning government conference.
The Secretary of Foreign Affairs mentioned that the Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, “has instructed that every migrant” returned to Venezuela “have a support like the one given here” in Mexico, from the Young People Building the Future programs, of professional apprentices, and Sembrando Vida, for peasants.
“So we already have an amount that we are already giving to the migrants who return to Venezuela, we actually give them a card, so that they can join a program,” he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already announced in December the resumption of the repatriations of Venezuelans in Mexico with support under these Mexican programs linked to ‘Vuelta a la patria’.
But now, Bárcena detailed that there are agreements with the Venezuelan Companies Polar and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), as well as Mexican companies in that country, such as Bimbo and Femsa, to accome returned migrants as apprentices.
“We give them six months of a stipend, it is more or less than 110 dollars a month, which is wonderful for them, and then there is an incentive for them to return, we have already managed to repatriate a very significant amount of Venezuelans,” described the diplomat.
The agreement occurs in the face of the growth of irregular migration through Mexico, which rose by 77.2% in 2023 to exceed 782,000 people, of which the main country of origin was Venezuela, with almost 223,000, an annual increase of 131.81%, according to the statistics of the Government’s Migration Policy Unit.
“We have relations with all governments and in this we try to have cooperation because everyone passes through our territory,” López Obrador defended.
International
German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz
The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.
Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.
“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”
The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.
The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.
Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.
“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”
Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”
International
Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation
Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.
The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.
“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.
He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.
For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.
The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.
Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.
International
Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.
Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.
“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.
Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”
Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.
The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.
German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz
Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation
Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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