International
Migrants defy the alert for rains and cyclones to cross the southern border of Mexico
Migrants defy the alerts of the Mexican authorities for the possible first cyclone of the season and the rains of up to 250 millimeters forecasted in Chiapas, a state bordering Central America, to cross the southern border of Mexico despite the flood of rivers and floods.
Civil Protection authorities of the Government of Chiapas issued an ‘Orange’ alert for the rains in the face of the possible formation of the first tropical storms of the Atlantic season, so some migrants have paused their way, but others do not stop to advance towards the United States.
“We expose ourselves to everything, to rains, to the fact that we are going to get sick, a flu, an annoyance or something of the flu that can affect us a lot, the journey of everything is delayed,” Honduran Gabriel told EFE, who entered Tapachula, the main city of Mexico’s border with Guatemala, with about 10 compatriots.
But, instead of stopping, this migrant and his companions said that they will take advantage of this storm of rain to walk through Chiapas, avoid the Mexican authorities and reach Mexico City, where they will then continue to their final destination, the United States.
“The rain stops us for a moment, by the hand of God we will always continue. At the moment we are looking for a place to pass the rain,” he said.
The situation illustrates the crisis due to the migratory flow in Mexico, where the Government intercepted a record of almost 1.4 million irregular migrants from January to May, an increase of about 650% over the same period last year.
On the other hand, the National Meteorological Service (SMN) has warned of the possible formation between this Tuesday and Wednesday of the first cyclone in the Atlantic season and that it would make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico states.
For days, migrants such as the Venezuelan Carlos Luis Vendible have walked under the rains on the border of Mexico with Guatemala, where the Mexican authorities try to direct them to the shelters and warn of the dangers they will face due to the rainfall.
“Right now I will have to go out to the market to look for work and survive day by day for the food of the people who accompany us, we ask the Government of Mexico to continue to support us,” he told EFE.
But the South American said that the migrants are suspicious of the alerts of Mexican agents to the operations to stop them.
“(We ask) that the Migration police do not bother us so much, sometimes they grab us, humiliate us and insult us, that they are more humanitarian, we are not emigrating because we want to migrate, but because of the difficult economic crisis of our country,” he said.
The man is accompanied by his son, his niece, his partner and other Ecuadorians, who are now stranded in Tapachula to know how they can be regularized.
The Secretary of Municipal Civil Protection, Herbert Antonio Enrique Schroeder Bejarano, asked migrants and locals not to be exposed to the risks and to avoid settling on the banks of the rivers, including the Suchiate, which divides Mexico from Guatemala.
“Everyone has been urged, we are talking to the general population, where they, migrants, also enter. They don’t know what the situation prevails here, the risks and the danger we have,” he said.
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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