International

Migrants fight to return to their countries or stay in Mexico after Trump’s arrival

Migrants on the southern border of Mexico try to return to their countries or obtain a regular status in the country after the restrictions of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, but hundreds cannot return with their own means while the shelters serve them without government support.

The Catholic Church in Tapachula, the largest city on the border with Central America, shared with EFE its concern because it is preparing with its own resources to receive people deported by the Trump Government to the southern border and helping those who seek to return voluntarily to their countries.

Father César Augusto Cañaveral, responsible for the Pastoral Care for Human Mobility, warned of the impact of mass deportations and the response of the Government of Mexico to Trump’s policies.

“In the shelter we have 40% of people who are returning to their countries of origin, between 70 and 80 people who are at the door to be returned,” he said in an interview.

Most, the priest detailed, are people from Honduras, El Salvador, Colombia and Venezuela who are in Mexico with families who now prefer to return to their countries since Trump returned to the White House on January 20.

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In particular, they have been discouraged by the policies of mass deportations, the “closing” of the border with thousands of deployed soldiers and the elimination of the ‘CBP One’ application of the Office of Customs and Border Protection that allowed to apply for asylum in the United States from southern Mexico.

“They are truncated hopes of no longer wanting to (continue) and another (reason is) because they stopped their migration procedures and have wanted to return and not expose their lives to what we are living in Mexico,” commented the priest.

Migrants also perceive a tightening in politics in Mexico, where President Claudia Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 elements of the National Guard (GN) on the border with the United States after a call on February 3 with Trump to pause 25% tariffs on Mexican products for a month.

“Something has to be done with that president of the United States, who can let us in, we are sad,” Venezuelan Alvani Villasana, who went out in the last caravan in search of reaching Mexico City, told EFE.

In particular, Venezuelans, who account for about a quarter of irregular migration in Mexico, regret that Trump has ended with Temporary Protection Status (TPS) and the ‘CBP One’.

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“We went through the jungle, we went through many things, so that today it comes out with that it has already eliminated the TPS and the ‘CBP One’. What else does it touch us?” he said.

Another Venezuelan, Nancy Soler, arrived at a shelter in Tapachula after living in a camp, but said that these shelters are no longer an option under the surveillance of the authorities.

“We would rather stay here (on the street) than stay there. Imagine I come from Venezuela, crossing seven countries to get here, crossing the jungle, going through work to continue the same, I’m not going to the United States, I’m going to Zacatecas, where they’re waiting for me, but there’s no kind of permit,” he lamented.

Herbert Bermúdez, administrator of the Jesús El Buen Pastor shelter, mentioned that this place is preparing to receive deported migrants with a capacity for 1,200 people.

“If the United States deports them, Mexico awaits them with open arms, it is a very beautiful thing of humanity from the Government, not government money, but there is support from the Government, such as food, mats, which is the most essential, food, a place to rest,” he said.

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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.

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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.

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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.