Central America
US homeland security chief signs Costa Rica migration deal
AFP
The United States homeland security secretary on Tuesday signed a deal to address migration in Central America during a visit to Costa Rica.
The country is one of the main transit routes for migrants making their way north in the hope of reaching the US, and the American government has tried to deter people without documents from reaching its southern border with Mexico.
According to the Costa Rican government, the agreement seeks to boost the fight against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, while exploring options to “strengthen current programs for the integration of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.”
Alejandro Mayorkas, the US homeland security secretary, hailed the “historic” agreement — the first of its kind in the region — and spoke of opportunities it would bring to people “to achieve their dreams.”
“We selected Costa Rica as the first partner and friend to sign such an important agreement because of its leadership in the matters that impact the region and, quite frankly, the world,” he said after meeting President Carlos Alvarado.
“This agreement speaks of possibilities. As the president of Costa Rica has addressed and as our president of the United States has addressed, it is all about possibilities and possibilities become realities when we invest.”
Mayorkas arrived in Costa Rica’s capital San Jose after visiting Mexico, where he met with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
The Mexican authorities said there was a need to invest in Central America and generate greater opportunities that prevent migration.
In recent years, the flow of undocumented migrants has increased, while Washington has tightened its immigration policies.
Since taking office in January 2021, US President Joe Biden has pledged a more humane immigration policy and sought to dismantle a controversial Trump-era border program that denies asylum seekers entry to the United States while their case is reviewed.
Officially called the Migrant Protection Protocols, then-president Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” program saw tens of thousands of non-Mexican asylum seekers — mostly from Central America — sent back over the border pending the outcome of their applications.
According to the United Nations, last year almost a million Mexicans and Central Americans fled their countries due to violence, lack of opportunities, climate change the Covid-19 pandemic.
Central America
Nicaragua’s Ortega and Murillo Mourn Pope Francis, Acknowledge ‘Difficult’ Relationship
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, who also serve as co-leaders of the country, expressed their condolences on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, acknowledging that their relationship with the late pontiff had been “difficult” and “troubled.” Nicaragua officially suspended diplomatic ties with the Vatican during his papacy.
“Our relationship, as Nicaraguans who are believers, devoted and faithful to the doctrine of Christ Jesus, was difficult and troubled—unfortunately shaped by adverse and painful circumstances that were not always understood,” Ortega and Murillo wrote in a message of condolence.
“Despite the complexity and hardships, despite the manipulation we all know occurred, despite everything, we kept our hope alive through Christian faith,” they continued. “We understood the distance, and above all, the complicated and strained communication that prevented better relations. We also recognized the confusion caused by strident voices that disrupted any attempt at genuine interaction.”
Pope Francis had previously compared the Ortega regime to communist dictatorships and even to Hitler, a remark that further strained relations between Managua and the Holy See.
Central America
Cardinal Rodríguez to Attend Funeral of Pope Francis: “He Was Very Dear to Me”
Honduran Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez announced on Monday that he will attend the funeral services of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke.
“We will be there throughout the novena and then, God willing, at the burial,” Rodríguez said in a phone interview with HRN Radio in Tegucigalpa, apparently calling from Spain.
He added that the last time he saw Pope Francis was in October 2024, during and at the end of that year’s synod, and that they remained in contact through email. “Sometimes, the Pope would even call me,” said Rodríguez, who was born on December 29, 1942, and was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on February 21, 2001.
Rodríguez expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis, saying: “He was a very dear person to me.”
However, he also shared a message of hope, pointing out that the Holy Father passed away during Easter: “This is a sign. He gave his life completely like the Lord Jesus, and though he died, we believe in faith that he has risen, now with Christ in eternal life.”
Rodríguez, who for ten years coordinated the Vatican’s Council of Cardinals, was one of the eight cardinals selected by Pope Francis to help govern the Catholic Church and reform the Roman Curia.
In January 2023, upon turning 80, Rodríguez stepped down as Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and Pope Francis appointed Spanish priest José Vicente Nácher Tatay as his successor.
Central America
Senator Van Hollen Meets with Deported MS-13 Member in El Salvador; Trump and Bukele React
U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing the state of Maryland, held a meeting in El Salvador with deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Ábrego García, a member of the criminal group classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
“Kilmar Ábrego García, miraculously resurrected from the ‘extermination camps’ and ‘torture chambers,’ now sipping margaritas with Senator Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” wrote President Nayib Bukeleon X (formerly Twitter), sharing photos of Van Hollen, Ábrego García, and a lawyer sitting together at a Salvadoran hotel.
The deported gang member is seen wearing a plaid shirt and a flat-brimmed cap, seated at a table with glasses and coffee cups. The senator also shared images of the meeting on his own social media accounts.
Bukele reaffirmed that Ábrego will remain in El Salvador and will not be returned to the United States.
“Now that his health has been confirmed, he has earned the honor of remaining under the custody of El Salvador,” Bukele added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the senator’s meeting with Ábrego on Truth Social, calling Van Hollen “a fool” for advocating for Ábrego’s return to the U.S.
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