International
Sheinbaum proposes to leave the “dialogue” with Trump through the media
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum asked on Monday to leave the “dialogue” through the media with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who over the weekend suggested that his country annex Mexico, to which she accused of receiving American “subsidies”.
“I think we’re going to leave this dialogue through the media for a while. Obviously, Mexico is a free, sovereign, independent country, because we all know that and so we always have to defend it,” the president said during her morning press conference.
With this “dialogue” with Trump, Sheinbaum referred to the series of statements that the next US president has made in recent days regarding Mexico, the last ones during an interview published on Sunday by the NBC network where he assured that his country subsidizes Mexicans and Canada, and suggested annexing them as state 51 and 52.
Border trade policy
Trump said that the United States is subsidizing Mexico and Canada with the current trade policy, and assured that the increase in tariffs “appropriately” will improve the economy, but he cannot guarantee that it will not have an impact on American families.
“We are subsidizing Mexico and Canada and many other countries around the world. All I want is to have a level and fair ground, quickly,” he said in the interview, the first with a television since the November 5 elections, in which he imposed on the Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In this regard, Sheinbaum said that the subsidy refers to the increase in exports made from Mexico to the United States and that are now more than imports.
“But yesterday I raised, at the event we had in Nuevo Laredo, that the only way to compete with other regions is to maintain and strengthen the trade treaty,” he emphasized.
He also said that both countries should not be seen as competition but as “complement”.
“President Trump was the one who signed the T-MEC and the United States has had a lot of benefits from the treaty, so I’m going to talk, there will be time to be able to talk about these benefits. So, I’ll leave it there,” he concluded.
Budget for mass deportations
Sheinbaum also assured that “not much more budget is required” to face the mass deportations and other restrictive immigration policies that Trump promises and that he plans to bring his migration plan into dialogue.
The Mexican ruler argued that the National Institute of Migration (INM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) have enough resources to deal with deportations and the migratory flow when Trump takes office on January 20.
“Not much more budget is required, we are working on strengthening the Institute, it is not so much the budget as some internal reorganization, because the Institute fulfills several functions and everything is concentrated in the same place since the Institute was formed, so we are working on it,” he said.
The country is concerned about Trump’s promises of mass deportations from the United States, where Mexicans are about half of the 11 million undocumented people and their remittances represent almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP), which this year would receive an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
Concern about Trump’s immigration plan continues
The president will head the National Security Council this Tuesday in the port of Acapulco with all the governors of the country, with whom she hopes to put together an immigration plan in the face of mass deportations and other Trump policies.
Although the daily detention of migrants on the border of the United States with Mexico has fallen by 75% since December 2023, according to the Mexican Government, irregular migration through Mexico rose by 193% year-on-year in the first half of the year to exceed 712,000 people, according to the Migration Policy Unit.
In addition, Sheinbaum valued the appointment of Christopher Landau, former ambassador to Mexico (2019-2021), as “number two” of the US State Department, as announced on Sunday by President-elect Trump.
“Yesterday the (former) ambassador Landau, who knows Mexico very well, was appointed by President Trump as, let’s say, the simile would be undersecretary of the State Department, which is good,” the president said during her morning press conference.
The Mexican ruler acknowledged that Landau as ambassador to Mexico during Trump’s first presidency did “a good job,” and assured that she “knows the country very well,” which could be positive on issues such as migration.
International
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
A truck loaded with explosives exploded on Saturday near a police station in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, close to the Venezuelan border, leaving 14 people injured in an attack that occurred six days before president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella’s inauguration.
The blast took place in the early hours of the morning and was allegedly carried out by members of the National Liberation Army (ELN), who detonated a vehicle packed with explosives. According to the latest report from the Colombian Army, the attack injured 11 police officers and three civilians.
The explosion involved around 15 explosive devices, and two of the wounded officers are in critical condition and “fighting for their lives,” said William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, the region where the attack occurred.
The incident comes amid Colombia’s worst wave of violence in the past decade, with armed groups expanding their presence in several areas of the country.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly terrorist attack carried out in Cúcuta against our National Police. Terrorism will not intimidate Colombia or break the determination of Colombians to live in peace and security,” De la Espriella said in a post on X.
The conservative lawyer, who has been described as a far-right figure, will take office on August 7, replacing Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s first left-wing president. The inauguration ceremony will be held in Cali, the country’s third-largest city and a frequent target of attacks by armed groups.
The United Nations condemned what it described as an “indiscriminate attack” that caused not only injuries but also “fear and distress among the population.”
De la Espriella has repeatedly warned about an alleged plot against his life. Meanwhile, President Gustavo Petro, who is currently visiting Cuba, has not commented on the attack. During his visit, Petro met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel to discuss what Havana describes as the United States’ “policy of suffocation” toward the island.
International
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
The arrival of around 60,000 migrants from Morocco to Spain’s Ceuta enclave triggered a major European Union crisis on Friday, after Madrid described the situation as an “attack” on its territorial integrity.
At least 34 people died while attempting to reach the Spanish territory, according to local authorities.
Hundreds of migrants had begun arriving in Ceuta earlier in the week, either by swimming across the border or climbing security fences. Most of those who entered were young men and teenagers.
However, the situation escalated dramatically early Thursday morning, when the number of arrivals surged within a few hours, reaching nearly 60,000 people. According to the Spanish government, the vast majority of them — around 48,000 migrants — had returned to Morocco by Friday evening.
The episode represents one of the most serious migration crises faced by the autonomous city of Ceuta, which has a population of around 84,000 residents, in recent years.
Several European countries responded strongly to the crisis, with Italy announcing the temporary suspension of the Schengen free movement agreement with Spain, a measure supported by Finland and Denmark.
“The temporary suspension of Schengen with Spain is a necessary decision to protect the security of our citizens and defend Europe’s borders,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in a post on X.
Italy’s Interior Ministry confirmed that the country had tightened controls on maritime and air entry points from Spain, but clarified that the measure would not affect Spanish or European citizens traveling to Italy.
The additional checks will specifically target non-European citizens arriving from Spain, according to the ministry.
The measure will remain in effect for one month starting Saturday, authorities said.
Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares responded to the Italian announcement through a statement on X, as European governments continued discussions over the consequences of the migration crisis.
International
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday announced legislation to establish a federal anti-corruption office aimed at strengthening oversight of the executive branch and preventing future presidents from using the White House for personal financial gain.
Schumer said the proposal was prompted by what he described as President Donald Trump’s misuse of the presidencyto benefit his family’s business interests.
“In just 18 months, the Trump family has made more than $4 billion by exploiting the influence of the presidency,” Schumer alleged.
The New York senator also argued that the alleged corruption has had direct economic consequences for American households.
“The same corrupt practices Trump is using to pocket billions of dollars are also forcing Americans to pay, on average, $3,100 more each year because of the rising cost of living,” he said.
The legislation was introduced alongside Democratic Senators Alex Padilla, Jeff Merkley, and Andy Kim.
According to Schumer, the bill has two primary objectives: “First, to return money to the American people. Second, to ensure that no one can ever steal from them again.”
He added that the proposal would create legal mechanisms allowing citizens to seek the recovery of funds allegedly obtained through government corruption.
“The fact that Trump stole money from the American people does not make it his. Americans deserve to get that money back,” Schumer said.
Under the proposed legislation, any U.S. citizen—as well as state attorneys general acting on behalf of their residents—would be authorized to file civil lawsuits to recover funds allegedly acquired through corrupt practices by public officials.
“Our bill would empower any individual, including a state attorney general acting on behalf of the people of that state, to bring legal action to recover money stolen from the public through government corruption,” Schumer said.
The measure is expected to face debate in Congress, where Republicans and Democrats remain deeply divided over executive accountability and the scope of presidential powers.
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
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