International

Petro on US deportees: First they arrive without wives and then we talk about business

The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said on Tuesday that migrants deported from the United States must arrive in their country without being handcuffed and that once this happens, they will talk about business, while telling his US counterpart, Donald Trump, that his government does not kneel “for the merchandise.”

“Trump thinks we kneel for the merchandise, he thinks we are like him. Watch out! We are different, we are not him, we can understand each other yes, I am not saying no, he has to understand the difference. Progressiveness puts the person above the merchandise. First they arrive without handcuffs and then we talk about business, not the other way around,” Petro said in a council of ministers.

On January 26, Petro did not accept the arrival of two US planes with deported migrants because they were handcuffed.
That triggered a diplomatic crisis that escalated to the point that Trump ordered the imposition of tariffs of 25% on all Colombian products, in addition to other travel and immigration sanctions, and Petro responded with a similar tariff measure.

That same day at night the two governments reached an agreement by which Colombia, according to the White House, accepted “all the terms of President Trump, including the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal foreign immigrants from Colombia returned from the United States, including in military aircraft, without limitations or delays,” but the tension persists in the bilateral relationship.

That is why the Colombian president insisted on Tuesday that his “Government does not kneel” and “follows an international principle”, which is “life” because “Colombia is the heart of the world and therefore must be a world power of life.”

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“Do we kneel before oil, before the power of oil? Don’t we realize what we are? Did we (the Liberator Simón) forget Bolívar, who believed that this was going to be a great power beyond Colombia precisely because we were exuberant? (…) I don’t kneel,” Petro said.

He also invited Latin America to “instead of defending the merchandise”, defend “the person”.

The Trump Administration has launched a campaign against the more than 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, calling them “criminals” and promising to carry out the largest deportation campaign in the history of that country.

International

Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.

During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.

“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.

“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”

Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.

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On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.

International

Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition

he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.

Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.

Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.

The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”

International

Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may

The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.

The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”

The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”

Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.

The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.