International

The most ranking Hispanic legislator in the US appeals to Latinos to recover Congress

Democrat Pete Aguilar has been the highest-ranking Hispanic legislator in the US Congress since 2023. A position that he says he takes as an honor and from which he works so that his party snatts control of the House from the Republicans with the support of the vote of that community: “Trump chooses division, we chooses collaboration,” he tells EFE.

On November 5, Americans will not only vote for their future president, but also for the renewal of the Lower House, where he presides over the Democratic caucus, and a third of the Senate, in which his formation holds control.

“These are the most important elections we have seen in the last 50 or 60 years. This is our opportunity to get up as a community and ensure that we go forward and not backward. I will do everything in my power to make sure that I do my part,” explains the Californian legislator in an interview in his office.

Legislator says that Latinos play a key role in the US.

The Democrats need to snatch four seats from the Republicans to regain the Lower House. At the presidential level, the fight is fought between Vice President Kamala Harris and former Conservative President Donald Trump (2017-2021).

And in that fight, Latinos play a key role: their number of voters has gone from 27 million in 2016 to the current 36, but in this time their support for Democratic candidates has been significantly reduced, so we must not take their support for granted.

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“The Latino community is not monolithic. We need to understand that they are different, that the first generation can be different from those of the fourth. We have the responsibility to ensure that we communicate effectively and culturally competently to mobilize our voters,” he says.

His strategy, he says, bets on talking about the benefits already achieved and those that could continue to be achieved when the majority is obtained: from discounts on the price of health services to an increase in economic opportunities.

A mandate marked by the blockade

The current division in Congress, with a Republican Lower House and a Democratic Senate, has been characterized by a constant blocking of legislative projects. The rival bench, Aguilar maintains, “is not concerned about a government that works for the people, but about voting no and making Trump happy.”

Among Republican voters, the economy, immigration and violent crime are the main concerns. Health care and Supreme Court appointments prevail among Democrats, according to the non-partisan organization Pew Research Center.

For the legislator they are not opposite priorities. “They are all important. Now, the way in which candidates talk about them is very different. Trump chooses division and we choose collaboration and not chaos, but I have the feeling that the economy will be a driving force in these elections and we must underline what we have done to help it.”

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Aguilar, born in California and with Mexican roots, admits that the reform of the immigration system is another pending issue. “It’s broken and needs to be fixed. I think the Latino community understands the difference between border security and immigration,” he says.

“As president, Harris will work with Congress to address this issue,” says the legislator, confident that the candidate is committed to giving opportunities for immigrants to succeed in the United States.

The current Administration, however, has not been exempt from criticism for imposing measures that restrict the right to asylum on the border with Mexico.

Republicans don’t offer solutions

The 45-year-old legislator urges not to believe the republican rhetoric: “They are more concerned with writing down points politically than with offering solutions. (…) We have to make it very clear that it is important to have a strong border.”

And from the experience given by his position as number three of the Democrats in the Lower House and as a member of the parliamentary committee that investigated Trump for his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, he also warns of the need not to lower his guard in these future elections.

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“I’m afraid I’m going to do the same and we must take precautions to be prepared.” At the moment Harris remains in the lead in voting intentions and gets Trump 2.6 percentage points, according to the average of polls of the FiveThirtyEight website.

The United States could have its first female president. Will there be a Latino in the White House? “I know there will be,” says Aguilar, who assures that he does not aspire to that position. “We need to benefit from our diversity and only then, when people see themselves in those positions of power, will the country have faith in what we do.”

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.