International
The Netherlands plans to reintroduce border controls in November to curb migration
The Dutch Government agreed on Friday on a package of “emergency measures” to “relieve the pressure” on the asylum system, by which it plans to reintroduce border controls from the end of November to return to Germany and Belgium irregular migrants and refugees who have requested asylum in another European country.
The Dutch cabinet, a four-party coalition that includes the radical right of Geert Wilders, considers that the Netherlands is “in an asylum crisis” and the current regime is “unsustainable,” which makes it “necessary to act immediately with a package of measures to relieve and reduce the pressure on the asylum system.”
“From the end of November, border controls will be carried out based on article 25 of the Schengen Borders Code.
Irregular migrants, including asylum seekers who have already applied for asylum in other European countries, will be returned to Germany and Belgium,” the government said in a letter to Parliament.
The Executive will present “as soon as possible” a new rule, the “Law of Emergency Measures for Asylum,” and its entry into force “will be immediately after its publication” in the Official Gazette.
“The accommodation capacity is overwhelmed, requests cannot be processed on time, generating long waiting lists, and some of the applicants cause great inconvenience. People entitled to protection cannot advance in the process, and some asylum seekers who do not have the right to stay do not leave the country,” the cabinet argued.
Temporary asylum
The government will eliminate the indefinite residence permit for refugees and reduce the duration of the temporary leave to three years, instead of five, “thus generating awareness that it is temporary,” said Prime Minister Dick Schoof, who promised that “entries will decrease and exits will increase,” since the possibility of regrouping adult children or an unmarried couple will also be ended.
Likewise, next year, it will enable 50 to 100 additional cells for “the detention of foreigners,” which will be “intended for asylum seekers who have exhausted their process or are in an illegal situation, to be deported to their country of origin.”
Syria, key
The asylum policy for Syria, a country at war since 2011, will “be significantly tightened,” warned the cabinet, which will temporarily limit the refugees that the Netherlands will receive as part of the resettlement agreements under the UN framework to a maximum of 200.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will publish a report before the end of the year identifying “safe areas” in Syria, and asylum seekers from those areas will no longer be eligible for asylum and must return to the Arab country, while the possibility of revoking the residence permit of refugees already legally settled is evaluated.
Wilders’ PVV and the Christian Democratic party NSC, the two partners with the most differences within the coalition, have agreed on these measures in meetings they have held in recent weeks, and on Wednesday they have been joined by the other two partners, the liberals of the VVD and the party of farmers BBB, who have given their approval to the agreed package of measures.
Wilders has had to renounce the application of a controversial national emergency law, with which he intended to suspend part of the Aliens Law and jump to Parliament to apply a heavy hand with refugees, but even so, he now hopes that these “extreme” measures will please his electorate, to whom he has promised “the strictest asylum regime in history” in the Netherlands.
International
Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation
Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of 10 people on Saturday in the central state of Zacatecas, a region that was heavily affected by organized crime violence just a few years ago.
The victims were found in different municipalities across the state, which experienced a surge in violence between 2021 and 2022 as rival criminal groups fought for control of key drug trafficking routes.
Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas state government, said on social media that the bodies were located in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco, and Sain Alto.
Authorities have not yet disclosed the causes of death or identified those responsible for the killings.
Reyes said security forces have launched a coordinated operation to locate those behind the crimes and strengthen the police presence in the affected areas as the investigation continues.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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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