International
Mexico to give temporary visas to Central Americans to work in public works
May 23 |
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced this Monday that his government will grant one-year temporary visas to Central Americans to work in the country’s public works, such as the Mayan Train, one of the most emblematic constructions of his administration.
“This week I am going to present a program for our Central American brothers with the purpose that they can have temporary visas to work in public works in Mexico, that they can be legally in our country with temporary work visas,” informed the president in his daily press conference.
“Wages are also increasing in our country, in the Mayan Train operators, drivers, workers, are already earning better, because there is more demand for employment, so companies are paying more. These are attractive salaries to come, work for 15 days and return,” he explained.
Last Saturday, López Obrador continued, he received a letter from his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, congratulating him for the work done on the immigration issue and expressing his commitment to invest more in Central America and the Caribbean.
“We are working together,” the Mexican president assured about this type of immigration policies, which he said still need to be “fine-tuned”.
“It is not right to be rejecting migrants when there is a need for labor force. If not, how will there be growth? There are places in the United States where there are no workers,” he added.
López Obrador admitted that the public works promoted during his six-year term, among which the Mayan Train and the inter-oceanic corridor of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec stand out, are also in need of labor.
“We need many ironworkers, welders, even engineers, professionals,” he stressed.
For the Mayan Train, which will run through the southern region of Mexico and is scheduled to be inaugurated next December, he added that the government is sending drivers or mechanics to Europe for training.
The public works, which López Obrador has turned into the flagship projects of his Administration, have been surrounded by controversy due to the role of the Armed Forces in their construction and management, framed in a series of strategies that have boosted the militarization of the country.
The environmental impact and the impact on the indigenous communities that the Mayan Train will have has also been criticized, effects that the Government has denied.
Regarding potential workers coming from Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, from where many migrants arrive to Mexico in search of crossing to the United States, López Obrador did not clarify the procedure they will have to follow to obtain a temporary work visa.
International
Federal immigration agents kill man in Minneapolis, sparking protests and outrage
Federal immigration agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis man during an operation on Saturday, authorities confirmed, sparking new protests and deepening outrage over federal immigration enforcement in the city.
The victim, identified as Alex Jeffrey Pretti, was a U.S. citizen and intensive care nurse who worked at a Veterans Affairs hospital and was widely respected in his community, according to colleagues and news reports.
Officials said the shooting occurred during a targeted immigration raid in south Minneapolis. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described the incident as an act of self-defense by agents who believed the man posed a threat.
However, videos reviewed by multiple outlets and eyewitnesses show Pretti holding a phone and not displaying a weapon before being pepper-sprayed, tackled by agents and then shot multiple times, raising serious questions about the official account.
The killing comes amid a broader federal immigration enforcement operation in the city and follows another controversial shooting in early January in which Renée Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, was fatally shot by an ICE agent, leading to widespread protests and criticism of federal tactics.
International
Delcy Rodríguez seeks political agreements after Maduro’s ouster
Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, on Saturday called for “reaching agreements” with the opposition to achieve “peace” in the country, which the United States says it now controls following the military operation that removed President Nicolás Maduro from power.
Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro’s vice president, assumed interim leadership after the leftist leader was captured on January 3 during a military incursion that left nearly 100 people dead.
In her first public statements since taking office, Rodríguez signaled a shift in the strained relationship between Caracas and Washington, while also committing to the release of a “significant number” of political prisoners.
“There can be no political or partisan differences when it comes to the peace of Venezuela,” Rodríguez said during an address in the coastal state of La Guaira, broadcast on state television VTV.
“From our differences, we must speak to one another with respect. From our differences, we must meet and reach agreements,” she added.
The day before, Rodríguez instructed the head of Parliament — her brother Jorge Rodríguez — to convene talks with various political sectors in the country aimed at achieving “concrete and immediate results.”
International
Bogotá and Quito Seek Dialogue After Tariffs and Power Cut Escalate Tensions
Bogotá and Quito will hold an emergency bilateral summit next week amid recent developments that have strained relations between the two countries.
Tensions escalated this week after Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa unexpectedly announced a 30% tariff on Colombian imports. Colombia responded with a reciprocal measure, imposing the same tariff on around 20 Ecuadorian products and suspending electricity exports to Ecuador.
Aware that electricity imports are critical to easing Ecuador’s recent energy crises, Quito further imposed a 30% tariff on the transportation of Colombian oil through its territory.
However, recent statements from the Ecuadorian government suggest that dialogue between the two sides has intensified in recent hours. Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gabriela Sommerfeld, confirmed that active conversations are under way.
In Colombia, segments of the business sector have welcomed the prospect of negotiations. The National Business Council (Consejo Gremial Nacional, CGN), for instance, urged both governments to restore commercial relations, warning that the dispute “puts jobs and regional economic stability at risk.”
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