International
A sidnappings cause alarm among migrants from the Mexican border with the United States
A swell of kidnappings causes fear among migrants stranded on the northern border of Mexico, where a report by the State Police of Chihuahua revealed that in the last three years they released more than 1,700 undocumented people, who are about a third of the victims of the crime in the country.
Fear has escalated since Gilberto Loya Chávez, Secretary of State Public Security of Chihuahua, a state bordering with Texas (United States), said last week that during this historic migratory wave they have found that number of kidnapped migrants.
Among the victims of kidnapping is Manuel, who arrived at the border of the Mexican Ciudad Juárez with the American El Paso from Ecuador and was detained when he entered Mexico.
“I was kidnapped for 27 days. I had to pay $4,000 to be released in Tapachula (on the southern border of Mexico). And from there I have come walking, working, sleeping in the mountains, in the terminals, eating every two days and only once a day, this is hard,” he said.
The Ecuadorian said that, once they capture the people, the families sell the few belongings they have to pay the ransom.
He also pointed out that the Mexican Government’s restrictions imply more danger for those who migrate.
“Why does the Mexican government make it difficult for us? We are passing by, we are not taking anyone’s job, we are leaving money where we arrived. In Chihuahua they had us on the train for two days, they left us thrown in the desert,” said the migrant.
The situation occurs amid the almost 200% annual increase in irregular migration in the first quarter of 2024, when the Government of Mexico detected more than 360,000 migrants in this situation.
The civil association Stop the Kidnapping reported 772 kidnappings of migrants in 2023, about a third of the national total number of victims of this crime, while in March it recorded a “historical” figure of 521 kidnapped, of which more than half were undocumented.
Rosa Mani Arias, coordinator of the Migrant Service of the civil organization Avara, considered the figure of the Secretary of State Public Security “alarming”, and attributed it to the lack of policies friendly to immigrants, who cross Mexico to avoid the operations of the National Institute of Migration (INM).
“It is very worrying to see hundreds of people who are being violated, deprived of their freedom. Unfortunately, not allowing them to reach the border in a free way is impacting,” the activist said.
He denounced that the Mexican Government exacerbates the vulnerability of this group, which is already fleeing poverty and crime in their countries, and makes them an easy target of kidnapping.
“We have seen that laws or policies are not going to stop migratory flows, they are always looking for a way to reach the border areas and sadly we see this flow so vulnerable, and now this situation of being kidnapped is added,” he added.
He also warned that the unknown number or the ‘black figure’ of those migrants who have suffered a kidnapping, extortion or murder and for whom there is not a complaint is more worrying.
“There may be hundreds or thousands more who are in anonymity, in complete silence, because it is not known in what other areas of the city there are these same dynamics with these people deprived of liberty and we also do not know the final whereabouts of them,” said the activist.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
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Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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