International

Migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are left in limbo in Mexico due to US measures.

Migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba are in limbo on the border of Mexico after the decision of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, not to extend temporary permits for these nationalities and the promise of the former president (2017-2021) and Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to eliminate the ‘humanitarian parole’.

The immigration restrictions, imposed as the US presidential elections approach on November 5, affect Ciudad Juárez, the epicenter of the humanitarian migration crisis in Mexico.

In the face of the elections and the change in migration policy, “there are still many people who are surely expectant, attentive to the international political dynamic,” said Jesús Enrique Valenzuela, general coordinator of the State Population Council (COESPO).

“Even, we must say, this type of situation that occurs both in Mexico and in the United States and that, in some way, could affect migration policy, because of course they somehow impact the flow of people,” he told EFE.

Without permission to migrate

The Biden Government announced on October 4 that it will not allow people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela who arrived in the country with a program known as ‘humanitarian speech’ to extend the migration benefit for more than two years.

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More than half a million people of these four nationalities have entered the country under the program, which began in October 2022 for Venezuelans and extended to the other three nationalities in February 2023.

The decision, announced less than a month before the November 5 elections, came amid criticism from Trump, who said in September that, if he returned to the White House, he would end up with the benefit.

This has left migrants who are stranded in Mexico “very worried”, such as Nicaraguan Lionel Martín Olivas.

“I left my country because I am politically persecuted and in that fact I would no longer be able to return to my country and, if they do not let me into the United States either, then it hurts me a lot because it would be in the air, I would not know what to do anymore. And, like everything, one is thinking about reaching the United States to get ahead,” he said.

Humanitarian permits for migrants

Humanitarian permits, implemented by the current Administration, allowed migrants from these countries to apply for temporary protection in the United States due to the crises in their home nations, but Trump maintained that this measure is “an invitation to uncontrolled immigration.”

Migrants who left these countries in the hope of seeking asylum in the United States now feel that their journey was in vain.

“It seems unfair to me because one spends so much work to get here and one is applying, that is, to pass legally. One is no longer going through the wall or anything like that and it seems unfair to me that you want to close the application to so many people that we want to pass legally,” said Darlenis, originally from Venezuela.

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The Government of Mexico reported 200,289 Venezuelans “in an irregular migration situation” in the first half of 2024, 215% more than reported in the same period of the previous year, so Venezuela is the main country of origin of irregular migrants in Mexico, where they represent more than one in four.

Migration is one of the pillars of Trump’s campaign, who has also promised to reinstate other more restrictive policies, such as the construction of the border wall and the re-establishment of the ‘Stay in Mexico’ program, which forces asylum seekers to wait in this country.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.