International
Bukele offers his mega-prison in El Salvador for US prisoners, both migrants and Americans
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, and the Salvadoran President, Nayib Bukele, closed an agreement on Monday to deport to El Salvador undocumented migrants of any nationality who have committed crimes in US territory.
According to the head of US diplomacy, at the meeting they agreed that El Salvador accepts “the deportation of illegal foreigners in the United States who are criminals of any nationality, whether from the M-13 or the Aragua Train, and house them in their prisons.”
But Rubio also surprised by explaining that Bukele even offered to “host in his prisons dangerous American criminals” who are imprisoned in the North American country, both those who have citizenship and those who have legal residence in the United States.
“No country has ever made an offer of friendship like this,” Rubio told the press at the hotel in the Salvadoran capital where he is staying.
Rubio explained that this same Monday he spoke about this matter with the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and said that Bukele’s offer is “just a sign of the incredible friend” that he is for the United States.
Bukele is one of Trump’s closest allies in Latin America and the first president of the region whom the Republican called after his return to the White House.
The Salvadoran president declared to the press that the United States is the “most important partner” of El Salvador and claimed that “being in the box of allies of the United States is better” for the country.
Bukele also highlighted his close harmony with the US president: “We do not hide our sympathy (with Trump),” he said.
The Salvadoran president made these statements with Rubio in a brief greeting to the press from a balcony of his residence overlooking Lake Coatepeque, in the Salvadoran town of El Congo (west).
Then, Bukele and Rubio continued with a private meeting that in a first part accompanied the Salvadoran foreign minister, Alexandra Hill Tinoco.
The head of US diplomacy, who is on an international tour of Central America, did not make statements.
The Secretary of State of the United States, Marco Rubio, arrived in El Salvador on Monday to meet with the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, one of the main allies in Latin America of the new Administration of Donald Trump.
The head of US diplomacy landed aboard an Air Force plane at 10:18 local time (16:18 GMT) at El Salvador International Airport, coming from Panama.
El Salvador is the second stop of Rubio’s tour of Central America, focused mainly on containing migration to the United States and counteracting China’s influence in the region.
At the reception to Rubio was his Salvadoran counterpart, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandra Hill Tinojo, with whom he melted into a hug and chatted briefly in a relaxed way, and then got into a vehicle to leave the airport.
The Secretary of State will start his agenda with a visit to the Aeroman aircraft maintenance company, then go to the US Embassy in San Salvador and finally meet with President Bukele.
The Salvadoran president was, in fact, the first in Latin America and the second in the world with whom Trump spoke by phone after being invested as president of the United States.
The Trump Administration sees as an example the security strategy of the Bukele government, which has drastically reduced insecurity in the country with a police hard-handed policy criticized by human rights organizations.
After his stay in Panama and El Salvador, Rubio will visit Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.
Marco Rubio, son of Cuban immigrants, is the first Hispanic Secretary of State in the history of the United States and speaks fluent Spanish.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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