International
‘Green cards’ for undocumented spouses of Americans: “A hope for many”
María Villanueva and Gustavo Villeda met in 2019 in a church in Silver Spring, a suburb north of the capital of the United States, and although they fell in love and started dating, she was reluctant to marry him because she did not want to “suffer” for a reality that was already familiar to her.
Villeda, born in Guatemala, emigrated to the United States in 2004 irregularly and it is this status – which he has not been able to adjust – that made Villanueva, a Mexican with American nationality, doubt about whether or not to go through the altar.
Today, not only do they live together and got married last summer, but they have a two-month-old child in common.
“I said that I was never going to marry someone who didn’t have papers, out of fear and the anguish that they might separate us,” the 32-year-old explains laughing in an interview with EFE from the dining room of her house in the small town of Laurel (Maryland).
She left Mexico at just 7 years old to reunite with her father – who already lived in the United States – while her husband emigrated as an adult with the expectations that the ‘American dream’ would allow her to send money to a sick daughter she left in Guatemala and who is about to turn 20.
“I haven’t seen her grow up and I don’t want this to happen to me again with him,” he says, looking at his son Alfonso Jesús, who sleeps next to him in the mother’s arms. Both are sitting on the sofa in the living room, presided over by a set of photographs of their wedding hanging on the wall and visible as soon as they enter the small house.
The couple agrees that, once married, the great impediment to trying to fix Gustavo’s papers has been the economic factor. “I suffer from severe migraine, we have needed the money for doctors and we have not been able to allocate it to the (regularization) application,” says María.
But now the situation of uncertainty of this family can change because Villeda is one of the more than half a million migrants eligible to take advantage of the new program, announced last Tuesday by the Government of President Joe Biden, and thus regularize their status in the country.
The measures mainly benefit people married to U.S. citizens – a condition that he fulfills – who will be able to take the first step in the process to obtain a residence permit in the United States.
Gustavo, still assimilating the new opportunity that has been presented to him, assures that the news has reached him “by surprise” and, although he does not know in detail how the process continues, he is optimistic to have “a hope for many” in front of him.
Supported by a legal figure known as ‘parole’, this permit grants those who are already in US territory protection against deportation and allows them to apply for a work permit.
With the labor authorization, which will be valid for three years, migrants who entered the country irregularly and are married to U.S. citizens can apply for residence and, subsequently, citizenship.
To benefit from this formula, the person must have married a U.S. citizen before June 17, 2024 and have lived in the country for at least 10 years.
At the same time, months after this announcement enters into force, the couple does not overlook the fact that next November there will be presidential elections in the country that can change everything.
“We are concerned that all this may come to nothing, that it may be spoiled by a change of government or by disputes between them,” says María, questioning the presumptuous presidential candidates – Joe Biden and Donald Trump-, although she is convinced to “take the risks” and to take advantage of these months before the elections.
“We hope that you respect the families who, like us, are going through this situation and who have been fighting for a reform,” adds the woman, who is a collaborator of CASA, an NGO for defense and assistance to immigration.
Even with all the difficulties in mind, the two agree that there is hope and they are willing to keep looking for it.
International
Authorities Say Teotihuacán Gunman Was Obsessed With Mass Shootings and Extremist Symbolism
Julio César Jasso Ramírez, identified by authorities as the gunman behind the armed attack at the archaeological site of Teotihuacán, had allegedly spent years building a personal narrative shaped by an obsession with historical mass shootings, extremist symbolism, and an increasing detachment from reality.
According to preliminary findings from the Fiscalía General de Justicia del Estado de México, the 27-year-old suspect, originally from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca, acted alone and appeared to have carefully planned the attack.
Investigators also pointed to signs of a severe psychological or psychiatric disorder. One official involved in the case stated that the suspect seemed to live in “his own reality,” disconnected from the world around him.
“I would not speak of a motive; I would speak of psychopathy, a condition, an illness,” the official said while discussing the ongoing investigation.
Authorities reported that Jasso Ramírez was allegedly fixated on mass violence incidents that occurred outside Mexico, particularly in the United States.
Among the items found in his possession were writings, images, and materials reportedly linked to the Columbine High School massacre, the school shooting that took place on April 20, 1999.
The investigation remains ongoing as authorities continue analyzing evidence connected to the suspect’s background and mental state.
International
Iran refuses to reopen strait of Hormuz amid ongoing U.S. Naval blockade
Iran reaffirmed on Wednesday that it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz while the United States maintains its naval blockade against Iranian ports and vessels, amid rising geopolitical tensions in the region.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf warned that reopening the crucial maritime route depends on Washington honoring the ceasefire agreement. According to Qalibaf, Iran considers the deal to be violated due to ongoing U.S. actions.
The Iranian official accused the United States of carrying out a “naval blockade and the hijacking of the global economy,” while also pointing to Israeli military operations in Lebanon as part of the broader conflict affecting the region.
Qalibaf stated that military and economic pressure would not force Iran to change its position. “The United States and Israel failed to achieve their goals through military aggression, and they will not succeed through intimidation. The only path forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation,” he said.
His remarks come amid stalled negotiations between Iran and the United States following direct talks held on April 11 and 12 in Islamabad.
The discussions, led by U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Iranian representatives, have shown little progress in recent days, increasing uncertainty over whether dialogue between the two sides will resume.
U.S. President Donald Trump recently announced an extension of the ceasefire but decided to keep the naval blockade in place, a move Tehran considers incompatible with ongoing negotiations.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps intensified operations in the area by seizing two vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, accusing them of operating without the required permits and escorting them into Iranian territory.
The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most critical oil trade routes, and any prolonged disruption could have significant consequences for global energy markets.
International
Maradona’s daughter accuses medical team of “horrible manipulation” in court
One of the daughters of Diego Maradona testified in court this Tuesday, breaking down in tears as she denounced what she described as “absolute and horrible manipulation” by her father’s medical team, during an emotional hearing in Argentina.
Gianinna Maradona stated that she and her siblings agreed to home hospitalization after doctors presented it as the best option following the neurosurgery Maradona underwent on November 3, 2020.
The football icon died on November 25 of that year, and the ongoing trial seeks to determine whether the conditions of his home care were appropriate.
According to Gianinna, what the family found at the residence where Maradona was recovering did not match what had been promised. She testified that there was no adequate medical equipment, constant monitoring, or even an ambulance available, despite assurances of continuous care.
“The manipulation was absolute and horrible,” she said during the hearing in San Isidro, near Buenos Aires.
She accused members of the medical team, including neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque, psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, and psychologist Carlos Díaz, of misleading the family.
“I trusted these people, and all they did was manipulate us and leave my son without a grandfather,” she added.
Later in her testimony, recalling that six years have passed since her father’s death, she became emotional and said she struggled deeply with grief in the aftermath.
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