International
After the new restrictions, fewer migrants can apply for asylum at the U.S. border
After the entry into force of a series of restrictions on the southern border of the United States, the number of migrants who can apply for asylum or some type of protection in the country has been reduced, several officials reported.
The measures, which were activated last week through an executive order of President Joe Biden, prohibit the majority of people who irregularly cross into U.S. territory from accessing this protection.
According to officials, a small group of media, including EFE, indicated the number of migrants who were referred to be deported in a “expedited” way to their countries or expelled to Mexico. This after being stopped at the border has doubled in the last week.
Specifically, from June 5 to 12, “73% of the family units and detained adults were prosecuted for voluntary return or expeditious deportation.”
In comparison, the week before the restrictions came into effect, this figure was 36%.
An official of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated that “the number of arrests in the El Paso sector (Texas) has decreased a little” and that they have seen “early signs that the number of arrests throughout the border is decreasing.”
In turn, he assured that since the restrictions came into feal “the number of adults and family units that are processed and detained for expeditious deportation has doubled.”
When asked about the effect of the restrictions on the number of people who are subject to detention every day at the border, officials assured that it is “very soon” to evaluate it.
However, an official of the Office of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicated that “the number of arrests in the El Paso sector has decreased a little” and that he has seen “early signs that the number of arrests throughout the border is decreasing.”
In the El Paso area, where the authorities built a large processing center with capacity for 2,500 migrants, the “majority” of the people in detention have not been able to apply for asylum, according to an officer of the Border Patrol.
The reason, the officer said, is that they are not expressing that they are afraid of being returned to their countries.
As part of the new measures, people who are stopped crossing irregularly have to express on their own that they are afraid to return to their countries of origin.
The new restrictions eliminated the requirement for the Border Patrol to ask migrants if they were afraid of return. Now they must be the ones who express it to be able to have a “credible fear” interview, the initial filter to be able to access some type of protection in the United States.
The official explained that in different parts of the center, there are posters explaining this change to migrants. EFE could only see one, in the area where the initial data is taken.
The facility, located in the middle of the desert, is composed of several tents and containers and extends for more than 300.00 square feet.
This Thursday, more than 1,321 migrants were detained in this center, according to the official.
It has a capacity for 2,500 people and today there were 1,320. In these facilities, about 700 people work daily, including CBP officials and contractors.
In this center, there are detainees both families and adults who travel alone and unaccompanied minors.
Migrants are detained in dozens of cells, with transparent doors. In each of them, they sleep and spend the day of 15 to 20 people.
Each cell has three toilets and two sinks. There are also several mats that people use to sleep on the floor. They are given an aluminum blanket to cover themselves.
Several human rights organizations filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the new restrictions imposed by Biden.
The organizations argued that the regulations are “categorically inconsistent with the asylum statute promulgated by Congress, which allows immigrants to submit asylum applications “whether they enter or not” through a port of entry.”
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
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Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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