International
A judge in the United States stops the deportation to El Salvador of a hundred Venezuelans
About 100 Venezuelan immigrants detained in Colorado cannot be deported to El Salvador after a judge ruled on Tuesday that the federal government cannot expel two of them without first reviewing their cases or giving them the opportunity for a hearing before a judge.
Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney ruled in favor of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represents the two Venezuelans, aged 25 and 32, who were not identified.
The opinion affects the plan of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to deport to El Salvador about 100 Venezuelan men currently housed in the detention center of the private company GEO in Aurora, east of Denver.
“For the first time in months we can breathe a sigh of relief,” said Laura Lunn, a lawyer for the Rocky Mountain Immigrant Defense Network, after the decision.
“Our community has been disproportionately attacked by the Department of Homeland Security and we have already lost too many neighbors, parents, partners and friends to this anarchy,” the lawyer said.
In a hearing on Monday before Sweeney, federal government lawyers argued that a judicial restriction “would hinder the government’s ability to enforce immigration laws,” including “arresting, detaining and expelling foreigners who are illegally in the country and who may pose a danger to society.”
The judge dismissed that position, stressing that ACLU showed that immigrants “run the risk of being deported, perhaps unfairly” and that “they would suffer irreparable damage” if they were imprisoned in El Salvador.
According to court documents, both Venezuelans crossed the Mexican-American border in Texas “a few years ago,” as did about 40,000 of their compatriots from 2022 to 2024, who also arrived in Colorado.
In her order, Judge Sweeney forbade the federal government to move the two men to El Salvador and ordered them to stay in Colorado.
If transferred, they and other Venezuelans would have the right to request a judicial review and to receive legal information “in a language they understand”, that is, in this case, Spanish.
Sweeney also stated that ACLU showed that its representatives would probably “suffer irreparable damage in the absence of a precautionary measure”, so he decided in favor of the ACLU “for the benefit of the public interest”.
In addition, he questioned the possible use of the Foreign Enemies Law to deport Venezuelans, although government lawyers told the judge on Monday that that law was not being used in this case.
Lawyer Lunn emphasized that the lawsuit in favor of Venezuelans does not ask for them to be released or granted asylum, but that their right to due process before a judge is guaranteed.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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