International

Mexico to give temporary visas to Central Americans to work in public works

Photo: EFE

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.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

“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.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

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.

Related Topics:Central Americans Mexico Visas

Up Next

President of Argentina calls for respect of labor rights

Don't Miss

Security council on murder of minors in Colombia concluded

20260330_renta_mh_300x250

International

Mexico leads global cases of enforced disappearances, UN report finds

Mexico accounts for the highest number of urgent actions related to enforced disappearances worldwide, according to the latest report by the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.

The report, released by I(dh)eas, indicates that Mexico has accumulated 819 cases between 2012 and February 2026, representing 38% of the global total.

In the past five months alone, 40 new urgent requests have been recorded — more than one-third of all such actions worldwide during that period.

The report warns that this trend reflects a structural problem, as the urgent action mechanism — originally intended as an exceptional measure — has become routine in Mexico.

Although the Mexican state formally complies with response deadlines, the Committee identified significant shortcomings in the implementation of these measures. These include the lack of comprehensive search plans, delays in key investigative procedures such as video surveillance and phone data analysis, and insufficient inquiries into possible links involving state agents.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

The report also highlights inadequate protection for relatives and individuals involved in search efforts, including cases of reprisals.

Among the most serious incidents documented is the disappearance of a father who had denounced alleged involvement of authorities in his son’s case in the state of Guanajuato.

The accumulation of cases could lead to the application of Article 34 of the Convention, which would allow for the launch of an international investigation into systematic enforced disappearances.

Geographically, the state of Chiapas accounts for 30% of the new urgent actions, many of them linked to collective disappearances of migrants.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

International

Le pape Léon XIV appelle à relancer le dialogue pour une paix au Moyen-Orient

Le pape Léon XIV s’est entretenu par téléphone ce vendredi avec le président d’Israël, Isaac Herzog, soulignant la « nécessité de rouvrir » les canaux de dialogue afin de parvenir à une « paix juste » au Moyen-Orient.

Selon un communiqué du Vatican, les deux dirigeants ont insisté sur l’importance de relancer tous les mécanismes diplomatiques pour mettre fin au conflit en cours et œuvrer en faveur d’une paix durable dans la région.

Le communiqué précise également que les discussions ont porté sur la protection des populations civiles et sur le respect du droit international et humanitaire.

Cet échange intervient dans le contexte de la Semaine sainte, cinq jours après un incident à Jérusalem, où la police israélienne avait empêché le cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa de célébrer la messe du Dimanche des Rameaux au Saint-Sépulcre.

Le lendemain, le secrétaire d’État du Vatican, Pietro Parolin, avait convoqué l’ambassadeur israélien auprès du Saint-Siège, Yaron Sideman, pour exprimer le mécontentement du Vatican face à cet incident qualifié de « regrettable ».

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

Cette situation avait suscité une vive réaction internationale, poussant le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à intervenir pour assurer que le cardinal pourrait accéder au lieu saint.

De son côté, Herzog a confirmé l’échange sur son compte X, indiquant que les discussions ont également porté sur des sujets régionaux, notamment la guerre en Iran et la situation au Liban.

Le pape, d’origine américaine, participe actuellement à sa première Semaine sainte depuis son élection et doit présider ce soir le chemin de croix au Vatican.

International

Devotees in Philippines mark Holy Week with extreme rituals despite rising costs

Despite rising fuel prices driven by the conflict in the Middle East, thousands of devotees in Philippines took part this year in one of the country’s most intense Holy Week traditions.

In the city of San Fernando, located in Pampanga province, dozens of bare-chested penitents with covered faces walked barefoot along dusty streets, whipping their backs with bamboo lashes as part of a ritual that can draw up to 12,000 local and foreign visitors.

Journalists from Agence France-Presse reported seeing participants piercing their skin with glass shards attached to small wooden paddles to ensure bleeding during the ceremony — an act believed to atone for sins and seek divine intervention.

“I do this to pray for the healing of my seven-month-old baby, who is suffering from pneumonia,” said a devotee identified as John David at the start of the procession.

The 49-year-old participant explained that the practice runs in his family. “My grandfather started this, then my father, and now it’s my turn. I have witnessed healing miracles over the years through this act of faith,” he said.

20260330_renta_mh_728x90

Many attendees traveled for hours to witness the climax of the ritual, in which some penitents allow nails, measuring about seven centimeters, to be driven into their hands before being raised on crosses in a reenactment of crucifixion.