International
ICE under fire for detaining undocumented teen from Florida foster care
Lawmakers and civil rights organizations condemned U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Friday for handcuffing and detaining a 17-year-old Honduran teenager who was living with a foster family in Florida, in what they say is a likely violation of long-standing legal protections.
The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights accused Florida’s Department of Children and Families (DCF) of violating a 30-year-old policy that prohibits the transfer of undocumented minors to immigration authorities.
“Instead of protecting this young person and keeping him safe from harm, the state of Florida did the opposite by calling ICE—who then cruelly removed him from his foster home in shackles and placed him in immigration detention,” said Kelly Albinak Kribs, co-director of the organization, in a statement.
The group referred to a Miami Herald article published Wednesday, reporting that Florida officials contacted ICE to report the teenager, identified only as Henry, who was subsequently taken from his foster family in Pensacola.
Henry and his mother, who has already been deported, had crossed the border into Texas and later traveled to Florida in search of work after falling victim to labor trafficking.
In response to the incident, several lawmakers sent a letter on Friday to DCF Secretary Taylor Hatch, demanding an explanation of the department’s collaboration with ICE, calling the incident “unnecessary and unacceptable.”
“It is morally reprehensible to try to meet deportation quotas by targeting vulnerable children under Florida’s protection,” wrote Representative Fentrice Driskell, who shared the letter co-signed by over a dozen colleagues. “Florida is better than this, even if our government isn’t.”
State Senator Ileana García, co-founder of Latinas for Trump, blamed Stephen Miller, senior adviser to President Trump and architect of anti-immigration policies, for these actions.
“Miller has placed undocumented minors—including many trafficking victims—into the foster care system, using it as a tool to meet weekly deportation quotas,” said García on X. “These children are being picked up from foster homes. This is unacceptable, regardless of anyone’s citizenship status.”
The controversy comes as Florida remains a national leader in enforcing Trump’s immigration policies. Governor Ron DeSantis has promoted 287(g) agreements, requiring all 67 counties to cooperate directly with ICE.
International
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Ecuador’s Armed Forces carried out an operation on Monday — including airstrikes — against illegal mining in the town of Buenos Aires, in the country’s north, Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo reported.
The mountainous, gold-rich area has been a hotspot for illegal mining since 2017, located in the Andean province of Imbabura.
In 2019, former president Lenín Moreno deployed around 2,400 soldiers to the region in an attempt to curb the illegal activity. “The operation began with mortar fire, followed by gunfire and bombing runs by Supertucano aircraft,” Loffredo said in a video released by the Defense Ministry.
He added that the operation would continue on Tuesday with patrols across the area to locate possible members of “irregular armed groups that may have crossed from the Colombian border.”
The Armed Forces stated on X that the intervention focused on the “complete elimination of multiple illegal mining tunnels” in the areas known as Mina Nueva and Mina Vieja.
The operation coincided with the deployment of a military and police convoy into Imbabura, which has been the epicenter of protests against President Daniel Noboa since September 22, following his decision to scrap the diesel subsidy.
International
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Venezuela has announced the closure of its embassy in Norway, just days after opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Venezuelan diplomatic mission provided no explanation for its decision on Monday.
“It is regrettable,” a ministry spokesperson said. “Despite our differences on several issues, Norway wishes to keep the dialogue with Venezuela open and will continue to work in that direction.” The ministry also emphasized that the Nobel Committee operates entirely independently from the Norwegian government.
In its announcement, the Nobel Committee stated that Machado met the criteria established by Alfred Nobel, “embodying the hope for a different future, where the fundamental rights of Venezuelans are heard.”
International
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Thousands of military personnel and civilians in Mexico worked tirelessly on Tuesday to clear roads blocked by the torrential rains of recent days, which have left more than 300 communities cut off across central and eastern regions of the country. Authorities also launched mass fumigation efforts in several affected areas to prevent the spread of dengue fever.
The official death toll remains at 64, though dozens of people are still missing. President Claudia Sheinbaumacknowledged that the government does not yet know the full situation in many of the isolated villages, which range in population from 500 to 1,000 inhabitants.
“The reopening of roads is one of the greatest urgencies,” Sheinbaum said. “It’s essential to guarantee air bridges, food supplies, clean water, and a proper census of the isolated communities so we can determine the condition of every person living there.”
Private construction companies are also assisting the effort with heavy machinery and technical support to help reopen highways and reconnect rural areas.
Armed forces target illegal mines in Northern Ecuador with bombing raids
Caracas shuts embassy in Oslo without explanation following Machado’s Nobel win
Sheinbaum: Urgent to restore access to towns cut off by heavy rains
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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