International
Migrants want to stay on Mexico’s southern border because of Sheinbaum’s industrial plan
Migrants on the border of Mexico and Guatemala want to work on the Mayan Train, the Interoceanic Corridor and the industries promised by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum to mitigate migration, which would strengthen the area as an industrial pole of Central America, according to officials.
In the largest city of that border, the Mexican Tapachula, foreigners and businessmen expressed to EFE their optimism after the meeting two weeks ago between the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, and Sheinbaum, who proposed bringing the Mayan Train and manufacturing industrial poles to the region.
Denis Olivera Aguirre, secretary of the Promoting Association for the Development of Markets in Tapachula, considered that these works would encourage the arrival of migrants because of the employment that there would be.
“In their countries they are suffering a rather delicate situation of security, of economy. So, seeing a source of work, maybe call more to Guatemala and Mexico, in fact, with the closure that (President) Donald Trump made for the United States, this (site) later will be a source of work,” he commented.
The municipal president of Tapachula, Aarón Yamil Melgar Bravo, recalled in an interview with EFE that Sheinbaum said from his campaign that Tapachula will be the economic capital of the state of Chiapas and Central America.
The mayor explained that there are almost 400 hectares available for industrial projects such as “the completion of the train tracks that connects from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to Puerto Chiapas” to promote trade between the Pacific and the Atlantic, and between North and Central America.
“They will be able to take the containers down and up the ship and lower the containers from the trains and, obviously the other branch of the railway tracks will go to Suchiate (border with Guatemala),” he explained.
Sheinbaum has insisted that to alleviate migration it is necessary to address the causes, after the record of more than 925,000 irregular migrants in Mexico from January to August 2024, above any full year.
“What do we say about migration? That it is not about putting national guards everywhere, but about giving well-paid employment so that people do not have to migrate out of necessity, so one of the objectives is to work with Guatemala to develop that pole on the border,” he said on April 11.
The projects encourage migrants like the Venezuelan Luz Marina, who considered them a “great proposal” and news for migrants interested in working in Mexico after Trump’s restrictions.
“We are in the best position to help Mexico and Guatemala, if we are interested in better working conditions, that they consider our support, there are many who are interested in agreement. There will be from 700, 800 or up to 1,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian migrants and a very good working hand,” he said.
Deivy Gurrola, from Cuba, asked the Mexican authorities to encourage a regular stay for migrants who wish to work on these projects, “that there are factories, that companies be established to be able to find work quickly.”
“I would be interested in being able to work, I could pay rent (rent), support myself here in Mexico, because we do look for a little economy, work that accommodates the price, we would like to work,” she said.
Mexico received more than 24,000 deportees in the first eight weeks of Trump’s new presidency, including 4,567 foreigners, according to the latest update from Sheinbaum, who has promised support to those who decide to stay in the country.
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.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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