International

The Mexican border warns of the impact if Trump restricts temporary work visas

Activists and migrants warn of the migratory impact on the Mexican border and on the inflation of the United States due to the mass deportations that the future government of Donald Trump could carry out and the possible restrictions on temporary non-agricultural visas that President Joe Biden expanded by more than 64,000.

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced last week this number of additional visas for temporary non-agricultural workers during fiscal year 2025, permits known as H-2B that will be added to the 66,000 that Congress authorizes annually.

The measure addresses the growing demand for labor in sectors such as hospitality, construction, gardening and food processing, among others, which depend on temporary workers to operate during seasonal peaks.

But US media have reported that the program is in danger during the next presidency of Trump, who has warned of using the Army to carry out mass deportations and has announced appointments of officials who wrote the ‘Project 2025’, which proposes to restrict H-2 visas.

This contrasts with the Biden Government, which “is looking for how to resume what happened in the 1940s,” when the United States implemented the Bracero Program to bring temporary Mexican workers, said Emilio Alberto López, professor at the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, a state bordering the United States.

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“The United States, through a macroeconomic crisis, has quite strong inflation, it will also have very strong challenges, and I almost think it goes like in that sense, giving the possibility of these jobs, but basically temporary,” said the internationalist and migration scholar.

Impacted nationalities

Of the 64,000 additional visas, at least 20,000 will be reserved for workers from the three countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, in addition to Haiti, in an effort to offer legal migration alternatives and reduce irregular flows to the United States.

The remainder will be allocated to other regions of the world, with priority given to employers demonstrating an urgent and specific need.

“The Latin race, from the last country in South America to Mexico, all Mexicans, Central Americans, South Americans, are the ones who are raising the economy to the United States,” Venezuelan Milkar Linares, who is stranded in Ciudad Juárez, bordering the US city of El Paso, Texas, told EFE.

Although there is uncertainty about Trump’s measures and the impact on migrants, Linares thinks that in the end the economic reality will prevail.

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“Because it’s hard for an American to move a chair to sit down, open the door to go out and, with all due respect and if they feel offended I’m sorry, but what is in sight doesn’t need glasses,” he said.

Reactions and challenges

Business associations in the United States have applauded Biden’s measure for considering it an important step to ensure the continuity of operations in key sectors.

But Professor López Reyes warned that “these visas have already been criticized by some experts, especially those who work on human trafficking issues, because it is very easy for workers to exploit.”

The US government has promised to implement stricter measures to monitor compliance with labor laws in this program, including more frequent inspections and more severe sanctions for employers who engage in illegal practices.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”

International

Mexico security chief meets DEA director in Washington to boost anti-drug cooperation

Mexico’s Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Omar García Harfuch, met in Washington with the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Terrance Cole, to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal arms flows.

The Mexican official said Monday on social media that he attended the meeting in representation of the Mexican government’s Security Cabinet.

“In Washington, D.C., I represented the Security Cabinet to hold talks with DEA Director Terrance Cole on the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation to combat drug trafficking, curb the flow of weapons into our country, and reduce violence in Mexico through significant arrests,” García Harfuch wrote.

He added that, following instructions from Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, the government will continue strengthening international cooperation on security matters.

For his part, Cole said the meeting focused on cross-border collaboration to tackle drug trafficking and to build safer communities on both sides of the border.

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The meeting comes as Mexico and the United States begin a new round of dialogue on economic and security issues.

Earlier Monday, President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will look for the “best moment” to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, adding that maintaining a good relationship with Washington is a priority for her administration.

International

Venezuela’s foreign minister accuses UN rights chief of “immoral bias”

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil criticized the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, accusing him of having an “immoral bias” and acting as an “echo chamber for falsehoods” regarding the situation in Venezuela.

Gil’s remarks came after Türk stated that his office had not received an official list from Venezuelan authorities detailing the release of political prisoners, nor authorization to carry out visits related to the issue.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights insists on a narrative biased against our country, repeating unfounded accusations while deliberately omitting the impact of unilateral coercive measures on the rights of the Venezuelan people,” Gil said in a message posted on his Telegram channel.

Without directly addressing the question of prisoner releases, the Venezuelan foreign minister also accused Türk of aligning with what he described as the “agenda of extremism in Venezuela.”

Gil added that, despite serious human rights violations occurring in other parts of the world, the UN official has chosen to maintain what he described as an “immoral bias” against Venezuela.

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The criticism is part of a broader dispute between the Venezuelan government and the UN human rights office over reports and investigations concerning the human rights situation in the country.