International

Pope urges governments to stop sending migrants back to Libya

AFP

Pope Francis on Sunday urged governments to stop returning migrants to countries like Libya where they are sent to detention centres rife with abuse, and prioritise saving lives of those crossing the Mediterranean.

The pontiff’s message comes as Italy sees an increase in migrant arrivals from Libya, and the debate within a divided EU shifts to migrants entering the bloc’s eastern borders with Belarus.

“I express my closeness to the thousands of migrants, refugees and also others in need of protection in Libya,” Francis said in a heartfelt message following his Sunday Angelus prayer on Saint Peter’s Square in the Vatican.

“I don’t forget you ever. I hear your cry and pray for you,” he said.

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“So many of these men, women and children are subject to an inhumane violence,” the pope said. “Yet again I exhort the international community to keep their promises and find common, concrete and lasting solutions, to manage the migrant flows in Libya and all the Mediterranean.”

Governments must stop returning migrants to “non-secure countries” like Libya, the 84-year-old pontiff said.

He urged them to prioritise saving lives in the Mediterranean, offer safe disembarkations at ports and guarantee migrants “alternatives to detention” and access to asylum.

– Arrivals increase –

Italy and the European Union have for years financed, trained and equipped the Libyan coastguard to intercept migrants heading for Europe on makeshift boats.

Those intercepted at sea and returned to Libya are placed in detention centres in deplorable conditions.

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Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told Parliament Wednesday that arrivals to Italy from the Mediterranean had doubled thus far this year to 50,500 versus 26,000 in the same year-ago period.

About 1,106 people died this year attempting the crossing, he said.

On Sunday, migrant rescue hotline Alarm Phone said two inflatable boats in the Mediterranean carrying 60 and 68 people, respectively, needed urgent intervention.

Doctors Without Borders, meanwhile, said its Geo Barents charity vessel had rescued another 95 people Saturday night, bringing the total of rescued migrants onboard to 296.

The Aita Mari rescue vessel operated by Spanish search and rescue agency Salvamento Maritimo and carrying more than 100 migrants is also seeking a safe port to disembark, Italian news agency AGI reported Sunday.

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On Saturday, the 406 migrants rescued in various operations by German rescue charity Sea-Watch began disembarking after Italy allowed it to dock at the Sicilian port of Pozzallo.

A two-day summit of EU leaders that ended Friday revealed continued rifts between countries on migrant issues. A number of EU member states, including Poland and Lithuania, called for the bloc to finance barriers to stem the thousands of migrants seeking access to Europe via Belarus.

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.