International
Sheinbaum proposes to leave the “dialogue” with Trump through the media
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum asked on Monday to leave the “dialogue” through the media with the president-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, who over the weekend suggested that his country annex Mexico, to which she accused of receiving American “subsidies”.
“I think we’re going to leave this dialogue through the media for a while. Obviously, Mexico is a free, sovereign, independent country, because we all know that and so we always have to defend it,” the president said during her morning press conference.
With this “dialogue” with Trump, Sheinbaum referred to the series of statements that the next US president has made in recent days regarding Mexico, the last ones during an interview published on Sunday by the NBC network where he assured that his country subsidizes Mexicans and Canada, and suggested annexing them as state 51 and 52.
Border trade policy
Trump said that the United States is subsidizing Mexico and Canada with the current trade policy, and assured that the increase in tariffs “appropriately” will improve the economy, but he cannot guarantee that it will not have an impact on American families.
“We are subsidizing Mexico and Canada and many other countries around the world. All I want is to have a level and fair ground, quickly,” he said in the interview, the first with a television since the November 5 elections, in which he imposed on the Democrat and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In this regard, Sheinbaum said that the subsidy refers to the increase in exports made from Mexico to the United States and that are now more than imports.
“But yesterday I raised, at the event we had in Nuevo Laredo, that the only way to compete with other regions is to maintain and strengthen the trade treaty,” he emphasized.
He also said that both countries should not be seen as competition but as “complement”.
“President Trump was the one who signed the T-MEC and the United States has had a lot of benefits from the treaty, so I’m going to talk, there will be time to be able to talk about these benefits. So, I’ll leave it there,” he concluded.
Budget for mass deportations
Sheinbaum also assured that “not much more budget is required” to face the mass deportations and other restrictive immigration policies that Trump promises and that he plans to bring his migration plan into dialogue.
The Mexican ruler argued that the National Institute of Migration (INM) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) have enough resources to deal with deportations and the migratory flow when Trump takes office on January 20.
“Not much more budget is required, we are working on strengthening the Institute, it is not so much the budget as some internal reorganization, because the Institute fulfills several functions and everything is concentrated in the same place since the Institute was formed, so we are working on it,” he said.
The country is concerned about Trump’s promises of mass deportations from the United States, where Mexicans are about half of the 11 million undocumented people and their remittances represent almost 4% of Mexico’s gross domestic product (GDP), which this year would receive an estimated record of 65 billion dollars.
Concern about Trump’s immigration plan continues
The president will head the National Security Council this Tuesday in the port of Acapulco with all the governors of the country, with whom she hopes to put together an immigration plan in the face of mass deportations and other Trump policies.
Although the daily detention of migrants on the border of the United States with Mexico has fallen by 75% since December 2023, according to the Mexican Government, irregular migration through Mexico rose by 193% year-on-year in the first half of the year to exceed 712,000 people, according to the Migration Policy Unit.
In addition, Sheinbaum valued the appointment of Christopher Landau, former ambassador to Mexico (2019-2021), as “number two” of the US State Department, as announced on Sunday by President-elect Trump.
“Yesterday the (former) ambassador Landau, who knows Mexico very well, was appointed by President Trump as, let’s say, the simile would be undersecretary of the State Department, which is good,” the president said during her morning press conference.
The Mexican ruler acknowledged that Landau as ambassador to Mexico during Trump’s first presidency did “a good job,” and assured that she “knows the country very well,” which could be positive on issues such as migration.
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
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
-
International2 days agoMexico reports 64 dead, 65 missing after devastating central region floods
-
Central America2 days agoGuatemala arrests first escaped gang member after Barrio 18 prison break
-
International5 days agoMaría Corina Machado calls 2025 Nobel Peace prize a victory for venezuelan people
-
International2 days agoVenezuela calls for continued global pressure to secure ‘just peace’ for Palestine
-
International2 days agoPope Leo XIV to skip COP30 in Brazil but plans future visit, Lula confirms
-
International5 days agoNetanyahu says Trump deserved 2025 Nobel Peace prize
-
International4 days agoPeruvian president Jerí leads prison raids to tackle organized crime
-
International4 days agoVenezuela launches ‘Independence 200’ defense plan amid U.S. naval presence
-
Central America2 days agoFraijanes II prison in Guatemala reports gradual escape of 18th Street gang inmates
-
International15 hours agoSheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
-
International2 days agoHeavy rains leave dozens dead in Hidalgo, Puebla, and Veracruz
-
International15 hours agoArmed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
-
International15 hours agoVenezuelan media faces fresh restrictions after reporting on opposition leader’s Nobel win
-
International15 hours agoCaracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win