International
A sidnappings cause alarm among migrants from the Mexican border with the United States
A swell of kidnappings causes fear among migrants stranded on the northern border of Mexico, where a report by the State Police of Chihuahua revealed that in the last three years they released more than 1,700 undocumented people, who are about a third of the victims of the crime in the country.
Fear has escalated since Gilberto Loya Chávez, Secretary of State Public Security of Chihuahua, a state bordering with Texas (United States), said last week that during this historic migratory wave they have found that number of kidnapped migrants.
Among the victims of kidnapping is Manuel, who arrived at the border of the Mexican Ciudad Juárez with the American El Paso from Ecuador and was detained when he entered Mexico.
“I was kidnapped for 27 days. I had to pay $4,000 to be released in Tapachula (on the southern border of Mexico). And from there I have come walking, working, sleeping in the mountains, in the terminals, eating every two days and only once a day, this is hard,” he said.
The Ecuadorian said that, once they capture the people, the families sell the few belongings they have to pay the ransom.
He also pointed out that the Mexican Government’s restrictions imply more danger for those who migrate.
“Why does the Mexican government make it difficult for us? We are passing by, we are not taking anyone’s job, we are leaving money where we arrived. In Chihuahua they had us on the train for two days, they left us thrown in the desert,” said the migrant.
The situation occurs amid the almost 200% annual increase in irregular migration in the first quarter of 2024, when the Government of Mexico detected more than 360,000 migrants in this situation.
The civil association Stop the Kidnapping reported 772 kidnappings of migrants in 2023, about a third of the national total number of victims of this crime, while in March it recorded a “historical” figure of 521 kidnapped, of which more than half were undocumented.
Rosa Mani Arias, coordinator of the Migrant Service of the civil organization Avara, considered the figure of the Secretary of State Public Security “alarming”, and attributed it to the lack of policies friendly to immigrants, who cross Mexico to avoid the operations of the National Institute of Migration (INM).
“It is very worrying to see hundreds of people who are being violated, deprived of their freedom. Unfortunately, not allowing them to reach the border in a free way is impacting,” the activist said.
He denounced that the Mexican Government exacerbates the vulnerability of this group, which is already fleeing poverty and crime in their countries, and makes them an easy target of kidnapping.
“We have seen that laws or policies are not going to stop migratory flows, they are always looking for a way to reach the border areas and sadly we see this flow so vulnerable, and now this situation of being kidnapped is added,” he added.
He also warned that the unknown number or the ‘black figure’ of those migrants who have suffered a kidnapping, extortion or murder and for whom there is not a complaint is more worrying.
“There may be hundreds or thousands more who are in anonymity, in complete silence, because it is not known in what other areas of the city there are these same dynamics with these people deprived of liberty and we also do not know the final whereabouts of them,” said the activist.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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