International
The first deportees in the Mexican Tijuana are not from Trump’s raids, but from Biden’s
After Donald Trump assumed as president of the United States in his second term, last Monday, dozens of migrants have been deported through the border port of El Chaparral, in the Mexican city of Tijuana, border with California (USA), however, they are people who already remained in detention centers since the administration of the now former President Joe Biden (2021-2025).
This was confirmed on Wednesday by the migrants themselves who shared information with Mexican media and authorities in the state of Baja California, who assured that under Trump’s strict protocols no deportees have yet been presented.
On Tuesday afternoon, the deportation of a hundred Mexican people was documented who told the media that they were arrested in cities such as Denver, Colorado, and Las Vegas, Nevada, because of that it was thought that they could be the first deported by Trump.
But on Wednesday morning some of the deported migrants returned to the border port of El Chaparral, where the offices of the National Institute of Migration (INM) are located, and it was they themselves who assured that they had already “more than a month of detention” in the United States.
A spokesman for the INM, who asked not to identify himself, told the media that these people were part of the hundred who were deported on Tuesday afternoon, so they had returned to request the support of the institution to return to their cities of origin.
The version was confirmed this Wednesday by the secretary of government of the state of Baja California, Alfredo Álvarez, during the press conference offered by the governor, Marina del Pilar Ávila, where he explained that “what was reported is not correct, because the deportations are not derived from the decrees of the new presidency of the United States, that was a regular deportation.”
“This return of Mexicans that was presented even corresponds to the management prior to Trump’s decree, they come with us to claim their repatriation support, since they were detained before this threat arose and, to say that, since the signing of Trump’s decree, the flow of repatriates has not yet been altered.”
The official said that, for the moment, they maintain direct information with the INM, with the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the United States Consulate in Tijuana, which are informing them about the procedures that are being carried out that are not, yet, according to a Trump order.
He stressed that, despite this, the attention provided to these migrants is within the framework of “the comprehensive care given to all deported compatriots,” who are given the options to stay in the “Carmen Serdán” Integrative Center or return to their places of origin.
“The message is clear, in the sense of trying by all means that any deportation of our countrymen is done within a framework of dignity and respect for human rights, it is a message that we have also shared with the US authorities, for when Trump’s measures enter, since for them it will also imply a change of paradigms and procedures,” he said.
This Wednesday, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, rejected the measure of President Trump, who on Tuesday gave free rein to migration raides in schools, colleges and churches in that country, previously considered “protected” places.
The decision came a day after Trump assumed power and emphasized that he will fulfill his campaign promise to carry out the largest campaign of migrant deportations in US history.
In Mexico, Trump’s mass deportations are concerned because Mexicans are about half of the 11 million undocumented in the United States and their remittances represent almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP), which in 2024 received an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
International
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll from recent rains and floods across several central states has risen to 66, while the federal government has activated air bridges and prioritized assistance in 191 isolated communities.
“Unfortunately, 66 people have died, and 75 remain missing,” the president said during her morning press conference. She added that the official death toll will be updated later in a new report.
As of Tuesday, authorities had reported 64 fatalities. Sheinbaum also announced the creation of a public information center to centralize official data on the deceased, missing persons, damaged homes, and cut-off communities.
According to the president, the number of missing persons has decreased thanks to coordination with state authorities.
“Through calls to phone line 079, 103 people who had been reported missing have now been located,” she explained.
Priority Municipalities
The president noted that the federal government has classified 191 communities as ‘priority’, a designation based mainly on the percentage of homes affected.
International
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating two explosions that occurred early Wednesday, one on a road in the southern part of the country and another under a bridge in Guayas province. These incidents follow the car bomb explosion in the coastal city of Guayaquil, also in Guayas, which occurred the day before and left one person dead and 30 injured.
Press reports indicate that one person was injured and several vehicles were damaged in the explosion on the Cuenca-Girón-Pasaje road in the south.
“Besides yesterday’s explosion in Guayaquil, we have received reports of explosives placed on bridges along the Guayaquil-Machala and Machala-Cuenca routes to disrupt traffic,” said Roberto Luque, Minister of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT).
On his X social media account, Luque reported that authorities have been deployed to the sites to assess the damage and determine the current condition of the structures.
“What they haven’t achieved with their call for a strike, some are trying to achieve through terrorism,” he stated, referring to the 24 days of protests organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities (Conaie) against rising diesel prices and other demands.
The protests, called at a national level, have Imbabura province as their epicenter. Roadblocks have also been reported in the northern part of Pichincha province, whose capital is Quito, while activities in the rest of the country continue normally.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
Mexican government prioritizes 191 communities after deadly floods
New road and bridge explosions raise alarm amid indigenous protests in Ecuador
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
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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