International

No increase in border crossings after end of Title 42, say U.S. and Mexico

Photo: EFE

May 12 |

detected a substantial increase in migrant crossings across the common border in the first hours since the lifting of Title 42, the hot deportation policy approved by then-President Donald Trump in 2020.

On the Mexican side, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. stated that the flow of migrants has dropped after a record low due to the end of the Title 42 ban, which expired at midnight Thursday. He added that there have been no confrontations or violence on the border with the United States in recent hours.

According to Ebrad, “the flow is going down today, at least up to this hour we have not had confrontations, situations of violence at the border,” he pointed out during President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s regular press conference.

From the United States, the Undersecretary of Homeland Security, Blas Núñez-Neto, admitted however in a press conference that it is still too early to offer official figures and assured that the authorities remain attentive to any event occurring on the border.

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“We can affirm that we have not seen any substantial increase in migration this morning,” explained the official, who nevertheless said that detention figures in the area remain “high.”

At midnight last night, the U.S. stopped applying Title 42, which allowed for the hot removal of undocumented migrants without the possibility of requesting asylum, after the end of the health emergency due to Covid-19, but instituted other restrictions at the border and began deporting through another regulation known as Title 8.

Nunez-Neto warned that from now on all those who cross the border without regular immigration status “will not be eligible for asylum,” will be removed from the country quickly and may be banned from entering the United States for five years.

However, Mexico announced just this morning that it will not allow more than 1,000 non-Mexican migrants a day to return to its territory.

Ebrard reiterated that “as it was done” even when Title 42 was in effect, which only “received one thousand migrants per day”, this figure will continue. He even assured that the highest number received in a month was 16,000 migrants.

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“Mexico has let them know that in no case could it receive more than a thousand people a day, we do not have the capacity nor would we accept it. That is in effect since Title 42.”

At least 24,000 border patrol agents are guarding the area, in addition to the 1,500 soldiers that the Pentagon will be deploying in a staggered manner over the next few days.

International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”