International
Disney suspends venezuelan workers after Supreme Court ruling on TPS
Disney has placed approximately 45 Venezuelan employees at its U.S. parks on unpaid leave following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that authorized President Donald Trump to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuela, a company spokesperson confirmed to EFE on Thursday.
While the workers are currently on unpaid leave, they are still receiving “benefits,” the spokesperson added in an email, as their immigration status remains uncertain.
“As we navigate the complexities of this situation, we have placed affected employees on leave with benefits to ensure they are not violating the law,” the spokesperson stated.
Although Disney did not specify which parks or locations the employees worked at, U.S. media outlets reported that most are based at Walt Disney World in Florida. Nearly half of all Venezuelans in the U.S.—over 300,000 of a total 640,000, according to the Pew Research Center—live in Florida.
“We remain committed to protecting the health, safety, and well-being of all our employees who may be navigating evolving immigration policies and the potential impact on themselves and their families,” the company added.
The move highlights the uncertainty facing nearly 350,000 Venezuelans after Monday’s Supreme Court ruling allowed Trump to proceed with ending TPS for the nationality, though legal challenges are still pending in lower courts.
Trump began seeking to revoke TPS just days after taking office on January 20. At the time, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem described beneficiaries as “misfits” and “criminals.”
The decision disproportionately impacts the immigrant community in Florida, where one in three TPS recipients in the U.S. resides and nearly 60% are Venezuelans, according to a congressional report.
Senator Marco Rubio stated on Wednesday that those losing TPS status may still seek asylum in the United States, and “many of them, if not most, will have very credible claims.”
International
Authorities capture CJNG financial chief in international airport operation
A man identified as the main financial operator of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) was arrested Thursday at Mexico City’s international airport, authorities reported.
The individual, named by Mexican media as Óscar Antonio Álvarez, was apprehended during an operation involving the army, navy, National Guard, police, and the attorney general’s office, according to a joint statement.
Álvarez is considered the primary financial operator of a criminal group originating in Jalisco, and the capture took place at Benito Juárez Airport as he arrived on a flight from Barcelona, Spain.
Authorities stated that Álvarez faces charges of organized crime and money laundering, specifically for receiving and transferring illicit funds. His work with the CJNG reportedly included purchasing properties and managing businesses in the tequila and livestock sectors.
According to El Universal, Álvarez was directly under the command of Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, “El Mencho”, the cartel’s top leader, for whom the U.S. offers a $15 million reward.
The CJNG, which operates throughout Mexico and in various parts of the world, was designated earlier this year as a “foreign terrorist organization” by the U.S. government.
Álvarez was handed over to the federal public prosecutor to determine his legal situation, the report added.
International
Jair Bolsonaro sentenced for leading armed criminal plot after 2022 election loss
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, 70, has been sentenced for leading an armed criminal organization that attempted to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The alleged coup plot, which reportedly included a plan to assassinate Lula, was not carried out due to lack of support from the military leadership.
By a four-to-one vote of the judges overseeing the case, seven co-defendants, including former ministers and military chiefs, were also convicted.
“A criminal armed organization was formed by the defendants, who must be sentenced based on the factual circumstances I consider proven,” said the final judge to cast a vote, Cristiano Zanin.
Bolsonaro, who has been under house arrest since August, did not attend the court hearings, citing health issues.
Reacting on X, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, said: “They call this a trial a process whose outcome everyone already knew before it began.”
One of the first international reactions came from the White House. Former U.S. President Donald Trump called the sentence “very surprising,” while Senator Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, stated that the United States will “respond accordingly” to the “unjust” ruling.
International
Poland invokes NATO Article 4 after russian drone incursion
The violation of Polish airspace by Russian drones on Wednesday triggered the most serious clash between Russia and NATO since the start of the war in Ukraine, prompting Poland to invoke Article 4 of the NATO Treaty, which calls for consultations among allies.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk addressed Parliament on Wednesday, describing an unprecedented “aggression” in which at least 19 Russian drones breached Polish airspace, creating a situation that the Prime Minister described as “the closest to an open conflict since World War II.”
Speaking at the start of an extraordinary Council of Ministers session, Tusk stated that “this is the first time Russian drones have been shot down over the territory of a NATO member state, and that is why all our allies are taking the situation very seriously.”
Although he affirmed that “there is no reason to claim that we are in a state of war,” he labeled the incidents as “a large-scale provocation” and ordered the invocation of NATO’s Article 4 to call for consultations with allied nations.
Tusk also noted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had received “not only expressions of solidarity with Poland but, above all, concrete proposals to support the country’s air defense” during discussions with European leaders throughout the day.
The Polish leader specifically mentioned conversations with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands—Keir Starmer, Giorgia Meloni, Friedrich Merz, and Dick Schoof—along with French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
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Authorities capture CJNG financial chief in international airport operation
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