International

Mexico and the U.S. agree to keep border crossings open

Photo: @SecBlinken

December 29 |

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Thursday that U.S. officials agreed to keep border crossings and railroad crossings open at their meeting Wednesday to address the migration crisis.

“There is more and more movement on the border, on the bridges, and that is why we have to be vigilant so that the crossings are not closed. This agreement was reached. The railroad crossings and border bridges are already opening, normalizing the situation,” said the president in his usual morning press conference, highlighting the strong trade relationship between the two countries.

“We are already the main trading partners in the world Mexico and the United States, they are our main partners,” he detailed.

Lopez Obrador met Wednesday in Mexico City for more than two hours with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top U.S. officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, to address the sharp increase in migration.

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The U.S. has suspended several legal crossings at the more than 2,000-mile border with Mexico arguing that it seeks to focus on processing undocumented immigrants.

The Mexican president added that both countries also agreed to have regular meetings to address the migration issue.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry said in a statement that there will be a meeting in January next year in Washington, although it did not specify the day.

Blinken’s visit came as the opposition Republican Party pressures U.S. President Joe Biden to crack down on migration in exchange for accepting more support for Ukraine in the U.S. Congress.

Wednesday’s trip was abruptly announced last week after Biden spoke by phone with Lopez Obrador.

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The number of people seeking to enter the United States without authorization soared this month to about 10,000 per day, nearly double the number before the pandemic.

Few migrants are Mexican. For many years, most have come from Central America, ravaged by extreme poverty, rampant violence and poor harvests, worsened by climate change.

There has also been an increase in migrants from Haiti, plagued by gang violence and lack of a functioning government, and Venezuela, where commodities have become scarce after years of economic chaos.

International

U.S. Senate Rejects Budget, Bringing Government Closer to Shutdown Amid DHS Dispute

The U.S. Senate voted on Thursday against a budget proposal in a move aimed at pressuring changes at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following the killing of two civilians during a deployment of immigration agents in Minneapolis.

All Senate Democrats and seven Republican lawmakers voted against the bill, which requires 60 votes to advance, pushing the country closer to a partial government shutdown that would cut funding for several agencies, including the Pentagon and the Department of Health.

The rejection came as Senate leaders and the White House continue negotiations on a separate funding package for DHS that would allow reforms to the agency. Proposed measures include banning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from wearing face coverings and requiring them to use body-worn cameras during operations.

The vote took place just hours after President Donald Trump said he was “close” to reaching an agreement with Democrats and did not believe the federal government would face another shutdown, following last year’s record stoppage.

“I don’t think the Democrats want a shutdown either, so we’ll work in a bipartisan way to avoid it. Hopefully, there will be no government shutdown. We’re working on that right now,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

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International

Trump Says Putin Agreed to One-Week Halt in Attacks on Ukraine Amid Extreme Cold

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he secured a commitment from Russian President Vladimir Putinto halt attacks against Ukraine for one week, citing extreme weather conditions affecting the region.

“Because of the extreme cold (…) I personally asked Putin not to attack Kyiv or other cities and towns for a week. And he agreed. He was very pleasant,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting broadcast by the White House.

Trump acknowledged that several advisers had questioned the decision to make the call.
“A lot of people told me not to waste the call because they wouldn’t agree. And he accepted. And we’re very happy they did, because they don’t need missiles hitting their towns and cities,” the president said.

According to Trump, Ukrainian authorities reacted with surprise to the announcement but welcomed the possibility of a temporary ceasefire.
“It’s extraordinarily cold, record cold (…) They say they’ve never experienced cold like this,” he added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later commented on the announcement, expressing hope that the agreement would be honored.

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International

Storm Kristin Kills Five in Portugal, Leaves Nearly 500,000 Without Power

Storm Kristin, which battered Portugal with heavy rain and strong winds early Wednesday, has left at least five people dead, while nearly half a million residents remained without electricity as of Thursday, according to updated figures from authorities.

The revised death toll was confirmed to AFP by a spokesperson for the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANPEC). On Wednesday, the agency had reported four fatalities.

Meanwhile, E-Redes, the country’s electricity distribution network operator, said that around 450,000 customers were still without power, particularly in central Portugal.

Emergency services responded to approximately 1,500 incidents between midnight and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday, as the storm caused widespread disruptions.

The Portuguese government described Kristin as an “extreme weather event” that inflicted significant damage across several regions of the country. At the height of the storm, as many as 850,000 households and institutions lost electricity during the early hours of Wednesday.

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Several municipalities ordered the closure of schools, many of which remained shut on Thursday due to ongoing adverse conditions.

Ricardo Costa, regional deputy commander of the Leiria Fire Brigade, said residents continue to seek assistance as rainfall persists.
“Even though the rain is not extremely intense, it is causing extensive damage to homes,” he noted.

In Figueira da Foz, a coastal city in central Portugal, strong winds toppled a giant Ferris wheel, underscoring the severity of the storm.