International

New York Police surround the protest of the Columbia University campus

The New York Police deployed a large number of agents on Tuesday night around Columbia University, the epicenter of the protests against the Israeli war in Gaza.

This deployment occurs after the educational authorities claimed that they were “exploring options” after the students occupied one of the buildings of that teaching center last midnight.

According to local media, many of the students who were camped in the West Lawn area to protest Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza spontaneously went to Hamilton Hall to occupy it.

The University had already limited access to the campus to the necessary staff and the students who live there today due to the seizure of the building, of great symbolism because it was also occupied in 1968 in protest against the Vietnam War.

In parallel to the deployment around the camp in Columbia, the Police also started on Tuesday night an eviction device with multiple arrests of students camped at the University of the City of New York (CUNY), which is public.

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The president of the House of Representatives, Republican Michael Johnson, said on Tuesday at a press conference that, if the police are not able to suppress the violent protests at Columbia University, “we need the National Guard.”

Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said at a press conference that the protests in U.S. universities around the war in Gaza have taken an anti-Semitic face that includes the clamor for the destruction of the state of Israel.

The legislator said that if the president of Columbia University, Nemat Shafik, is not able to control the situation in that institution, “it is time for her to resign.”

“The first responsibility of the administration of a university property is the protection and safety of students,” he added. “If someone fails in that obligation, he has totally failed.”

“Columbia is out of control,” Johnson said. “That’s why we demand that the police come and take care of the matter. And if the police are not able (to control the situation) then we need the National Guard.”

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Johnson’s proposal brings to mind the incident in May 1970 at Kent State University, Ohio, when soldiers of the National Guard of that state shot protesters protesting the war in Vietnam, killing four and injuring nine students.

The Columbia protests are in addition to those that hundreds of students in dozens of other universities in the United States have been holding for days because of the war in Gaza.

The demonstrations have in common the rejection of US policy towards Israel and the request that educational centers break relations with the Government and the Israeli private sector.

International

Spain’s irregular migrant population rises to 840,000, study finds

The number of migrants living in Spain without legal residency status continues to rise and has reached 840,000 people, with 91% originating from the Americas, particularly Colombia, Peru and Honduras, according to a report by the Spanish think tank Funcas (Foundation of the Savings Banks).

An estimated 17.2% of the non-EU foreign population living in Spain is in an irregular administrative situation. The estimate is based on the gap between the number of foreign residents effectively living in Spain, according to the National Statistics Institute (INE), and those who hold a residence permit, benefit from international protection, or are in the process of obtaining it.

The data, as of January 1, 2025, point to a notable and sustained increase in irregular migration since 2017, when the estimated figure stood at around 107,000 people, representing 4.2% of the non-EU population residing in Spain.

By origin, migrants from the American continent stand out, totaling around 760,000 people, or 91% of all irregular migrants. Colombians account for nearly 290,000, followed by Peruvians with almost 110,000, and Hondurans with about 90,000. Migrants from Africa (50,000), Asia (15,000) and Europe (14,000) trail far behind.

The figures predate Spain’s latest immigration regulation reform, which came into force in May 2025 and introduces measures to ease access to legal status through residency ties. According to Funcas, the reform would, in principle, tend to reduce the number of migrants in an irregular situation.

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International

Historic snowstorm paralyzes Toronto after 60 centimeters of snow

Toronto, Canada’s largest city and the fourth most populous in North America, was largely paralyzed on Monday after a historic snowstorm dumped up to 60 centimeters of snow and sent temperatures plunging to -15 degrees Celsius, authorities said.

Late Sunday, as the scale of the snowfall became clear, city officials declared a climate emergency, triggering extraordinary measures including parking bans on several major streets to facilitate snow removal operations.

Toronto’s public transit authority reported that while some buses remain immobilized, subway and streetcar services are operating with relative normality, though localized disruptions may occur.

A similar situation is affecting the city’s commuter rail network, which remains operational but is experiencing significant delays on its main routes due to the severe weather conditions.

International

Venezuela frees at least 80 political prisoners, NGO says

At least 80 political prisoners were released on Sunday across Venezuela, human rights group Foro Penal reported, as the broader process of detainee releases continues at a slow pace under the interim government.

Foro Penal’s director, Alfredo Romero, wrote on social media platform X that verified releases took place nationwide and that the figure could rise as more confirmations are completed.

Attorney Gonzalo Himiob, also from Foro Penal, said the excarcelations occurred during the early hours of the day and emphasized that the number is not yet final pending further verification.

The releases are part of a series of steps announced by Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodríguez, who took power after the capture of former President Nicolás Maduro in a U.S. military operation on Jan. 3, 2026. Rodríguez has pledged a significant number of liberations but has been criticized by opposition groups and rights organizations for the slow and nontransparent nature of the process.

So far, the Venezuelan government reports that 626 detainees have been freed since December, though independent counts by human rights groups suggest the number of actual political prisoner releases is lower and that many remain behind bars.

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Families of those still detained have maintained vigils outside prisons, hopeful for further releases even as broader concerns about political imprisonment and due process persist.