International

Capriles believes that calling Venezuelan migrants criminals is Dantesque

Former Venezuelan governor Henrique Capriles said on Friday that calling Venezuelan migrants criminals is Dantesic, after the United States Government sent more than 100 migrants from the Caribbean country to the Guantánamo naval base in Cuba, according to US media.

“Continuing to affirm that all Venezuelan migrants are criminals of the Aragua Train, is one of the most Dantesque and unfair things that our Venezuelan brothers have to suffer abroad,” said the two-time presidential candidate in X.

Likewise, Capriles said that not all migrants are criminals, “more when most went looking for a better future, because of the crisis generated by the ruling party in more than 25 years.”

“Organizations and family members continue to denounce arbitrariness and abuses. What have been the crimes? What has been the verification criterion? It’s a very delicate situation,” he added.

Capriles indicated that Guantánamo is a high-security military prison, “denounced many times for inhumane treatment,” so he demanded respect for the human rights of Venezuelans.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

“It is unacceptable to qualify all migrants as criminals,” he reiterated.

The United States Government has sent more than 100 migrants, all of them of Venezuelan nationality, to the naval base of Guantánamo, in Cuba, US media reported.

Donald Trump’s Administration has highlighted the sending of these migrants to the island – which began on February 4 – as an example of the US president’s tough-handed policy against irregular migration, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), Kristi Noem, has described them as “the worst of the worst.”

The White House has not given details about the detainees, beyond calling them “criminals” and linking them to the transnational gang of Venezuelan origin Tren de Aragua.

Half of these people, 53 men, are detained in a prison inside the military base, according to The New York Times, which published a list with the names of the migrants.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

EFE contacted the families of four of the migrants who are on the list published by the newspaper, who defend the innocence of their loved ones and denounce that they have not been able to communicate with them for several days now.

Three of them were arrested after presenting to an appointment with the immigration authorities at the southern border, which they got in the CBP ONE application. The fourth went into detention after crossing into the United States irregularly and surrendering to Border Patrol agents.

International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.