International

Migrants fight to return to their countries or stay in Mexico after Trump’s arrival

Migrants on the southern border of Mexico try to return to their countries or obtain a regular status in the country after the restrictions of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, but hundreds cannot return with their own means while the shelters serve them without government support.

The Catholic Church in Tapachula, the largest city on the border with Central America, shared with EFE its concern because it is preparing with its own resources to receive people deported by the Trump Government to the southern border and helping those who seek to return voluntarily to their countries.

Father César Augusto Cañaveral, responsible for the Pastoral Care for Human Mobility, warned of the impact of mass deportations and the response of the Government of Mexico to Trump’s policies.

“In the shelter we have 40% of people who are returning to their countries of origin, between 70 and 80 people who are at the door to be returned,” he said in an interview.

Most, the priest detailed, are people from Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Venezuela who are in Mexico with families who now prefer to return to their countries since Trump returned to the White House on January 20.

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In particular, they have been discouraged by the policies of mass deportations, the “closing” of the border with thousands of deployed soldiers and the elimination of the ‘CBP One’ application of the Office of Customs and Border Protection that allowed to apply for asylum in the United States from southern Mexico.

“They are truncated hopes of no longer wanting to (continue) and another (reason is) because they stopped their migration procedures and have wanted to return and not expose their lives to what we are living in Mexico,” commented the priest.

Migrants also perceive a tightening in politics in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 elements of the National Guard (GN) on the border with the United States after a call on February 3 with Trump to pause 25% tariffs on Mexican products for a month.

“Something has to be done with that president of the United States, who can let us in, we are sad,” Venezuelan Alvani Villasana, who went out in the last caravan in search of reaching Mexico City, told EFE.

In particular, Venezuelans, who account for about a quarter of irregular migration in Mexico, regret that Trump has ended with Temporary Protection Status (TPS) and the ‘CBP One’.

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“We went through the jungle, we went through many things, so that today it comes out with that it has already eliminated the TPS and the ‘CBP One’. What else does it touch us?” he said.

Another Venezuelan, Nancy Soler, arrived at a shelter in Tapachula after living in a camp, but said that these shelters are no longer an option under the surveillance of the authorities.

“We would rather stay here (on the street) than stay there. Imagine I come from Venezuela, crossing seven countries to get here, crossing the jungle, going through work to continue the same, I’m not going to the United States, I’m going to Zacatecas, where they’re waiting for me, but there’s no kind of permit,” he lamented.

Herbert Bermúdez, administrator of the Jesús El Buen Pastor shelter, mentioned that this place is preparing to receive deported migrants with a capacity for 1,200 people.

“If the United States deports them, Mexico awaits them with open arms, it is a very beautiful thing of humanity from the Government, not government money, but there is support from the Government, such as food, mats, which is the most essential, food, a place to rest,” he said.

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International

Florida judge sets 2027 trial in Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against BBC

A federal judge in Florida has scheduled February 2027 for the trial in the lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump against the BBC, in which he is seeking $10 billion in damages for defamation.

Trump accuses the British broadcaster of airing a misleading edit of a speech he delivered on January 6, 2021, which, he says, made it appear that he explicitly urged his supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

The president filed the suit in December in federal court in Florida, alleging defamation and violations of a law governing business practices when the program was broadcast ahead of the 2024 election.

Trump is seeking $5 billion in damages for each of the two claims.

Lawyers for the BBC unsuccessfully asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that Trump had not suffered a “legally recognizable harm,” since the investigative program Panorama, which included the edited footage, aired outside the United States.

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International

Head-of-state diplomacy key to guiding China–U.S. ties, Beijing says

Head-of-state diplomacy plays an irreplaceable strategic guiding role in China–United States relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Thursday during a regular press briefing, when asked about high-level exchanges between the two sides.

Lin added that in a recent phone call, U.S. President Donald Trump once again expressed his intention to visit China in April, while Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated his invitation.

Both sides remain in communication regarding the matter, the spokesperson said.

Lin noted that the essence of China–U.S. economic and trade ties lies in mutual benefit and win-win outcomes.

“Both parties should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, injecting greater certainty and stability into China–U.S. economic and trade cooperation, as well as into the global economy,” he said.

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International

Trump administration to end special immigration operation in Minnesota

The administration of Donald Trump is bringing to a close its special operation targeting illegal immigration in the northern state of Minnesota, border czar Tom Homan announced Thursday, following weeks of unrest and the fatal shootings of two activists by federal agents.

Thousands of federal officers had been deployed to Minnesota in December to carry out large-scale raids against undocumented immigrants.

The operations triggered strong reactions from residents and advocacy groups, leading to daily confrontations and the deaths of two people who were shot by federal agents.

“I proposed, and President Trump agreed, that this special operation should end in Minnesota,” Homan said during a press conference in the state capital, Minneapolis.

“A significant drawdown began this week and will continue into next week,” he added.

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Homan indicated that similar enforcement efforts could be launched in other cities.

“Next week we will redeploy the agents currently here back to their home stations or to other parts of the country where they are needed. But we will continue to enforce immigration laws,” he said.