International
Nicolás Maduro says that “the truth has triumphed” in Venezuela and begins a “new stage”
The leader of Chavismo, Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third consecutive term in Venezuela, said this Sunday that “the truth has triumphed” and that a “new stage” begins in the country, where the political crisis increased after his questioned inauguration on Friday, when the largest opposition coalition denounced the consummation of a “coup d’état”.
However, he said that the South American nation is “in peace, in democracy” and “in full exercise” of its sovereignty, after “the Venezuelan people” – he said – have “triumphed in perfect popular-military-police fusion.”
“Peace, stability, the Constitution, democracy and truth have triumphed, and Nicolás Maduro Moros is president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, sworn in for the period 2025-2031,” he said on Telegram.
In addition, he assured that the country will “build the peace of the righteous” and “the new democracy”, which, he added, will be “revolutionary”.
Maduro was proclaimed winner of the presidential elections of last July 28 by the National Electoral Council (CNE), controlled by Chavismo, based on results that are still unknown in a broken way, despite the fact that the official schedule approved for the celebration of these votes contemplated their publication.
The main opposition alliance – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – accused Maduro of consummating a “coup d’état”, by assuring that its leader, former ambassador Edmundo González Urrutia, was the winner of those elections, which he supports with 85.18% of the voting records that he claims to have gathered thanks to witnesses and table members.
Much of the international community also rejects Maduro’s controversial third term, including the United States, the European Union (EU) and Latin American countries, such as Peru and Paraguay, which denied legitimacy to the Chavista inauguration.
For his part, González Urrutia, who claims to be the winner of the elections, said on Friday that he is “very close” to his country, “ready for safe entry,” and stressed that Maduro “has violated the Constitution and the sovereign will of Venezuelans expressed on July 28” and “proclaims himself dictator.”
Internacionales
Jalisco’s grim discovery: drug cartel mass grave found in construction site
A mass grave was discovered in a residential area under construction in the municipality of Zapopan, part of the metropolitan area of Guadalajara, the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco.
“After analyzing the recovered remains, they correspond to 34 individuals,” said a state official during a press conference. Jalisco has one of the highest numbers of missing persons in Mexico, largely due to the activity of drug cartels.
As of May 31, official data shows that Jalisco has recorded 15,683 missing persons, according to the state prosecutor’s office. Authorities attribute most of these cases to criminal organizations, which often bury or cremate their victims clandestinely.
“The construction company notified us at the end of February after discovering some remains,” explained the official, González, adding that excavation efforts have been ongoing since then.
The Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) operates in the region and was designated as a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. Washington has accused CJNG and the Sinaloa cartel of being the main sources of fentanyl trafficking, a synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of overdose deaths in the U.S.
Mexico has accumulated more than 127,000 missing persons, most of them since 2006, when the federal government launched a heavily criticized military-led anti-drug offensive.
International
U.S. targets families of sanctioned drug traffickers with new Visa restrictions
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Thursday a new visa restriction policy targeting the family members and close associates of individuals sanctioned for drug trafficking, as part of efforts to combat the spread of fentanyl.
Overdoses from this synthetic opioid remain the leading cause of death among Americans aged 18 to 44. According to official sources, more than 220 overdose deaths are reported daily in 2024, and over 40% of Americans know someone who has died from opioid-related causes.
“Today, I am announcing a new visa restriction policy (…) which will apply to close family members and personal or business associates of individuals sanctioned for drug trafficking,” Rubio said in a statement.
International
White House claims challenged as most ICE arrests in LA involve non-criminals
Nearly seven out of ten people arrested during immigration raids in Los Angeles from June 1 to June 10 had no criminal record, contradicting White House claims that the raids targeted “criminals,” according to an analysis published Wednesday by the Los Angeles Times.
Around 722 individuals were detained in the Los Angeles metropolitan area during the first ten days of June, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) initiated the raids, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project of the University of California Berkeley School of Law.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during this period had no criminal record, and 58% had never been charged with any crime.
These figures contradict the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which said in a statement Tuesday that since June 6, ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) launched an operation “to remove the worst criminal illegal aliens.”
DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin warned that the arrests are part of President Donald Trump’s promise to secure the border by deporting criminals, including drug traffickers in Los Angeles, without providing further details.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass criticized last week in a CNN interview that although the White House said it would target violent criminals, the raids had focused on workers.
“This wasn’t a drug den, it was a Home Depot,” Bass said, questioning the locations where raids were conducted.
Activists have also denounced the raids for targeting vulnerable workers who are easy to detain.
The Los Angeles Times analysis found that the average age of those arrested was 38, mostly men. Nearly 48% were Mexican, 16% Guatemalan, and 8% Salvadoran.
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Jalisco’s grim discovery: drug cartel mass grave found in construction site
U.S. targets families of sanctioned drug traffickers with new Visa restrictions
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