International
President of Mexico meets with U.S. Congressmen
March 20 |
The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, held a meeting of several hours this Sunday with a delegation of 12 Republican and Democratic legislators from the United States.
Through his social networks, the head of state said that “several issues were discussed with mutual respect and for the benefit of our peoples”.
AMLO was accompanied by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, and the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, who told the press that there was total agreement between the parties to jointly address addictions with a comprehensive strategy.
Ebrard stressed that the legislators told them that they want cooperation, collaboration and joint work to address the issue, a position of respect that is not related to the interferenceist criteria expressed by Republican legislators who proposed to entrust the U.S. Army with the fight against Mexican cartels.
On the other hand, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Marcelo Ebrard, and the Secretary of Security and Citizen Protection, Rosa Icela Rodríguez, offered a brief balance of the meeting in which they emphasized that there was “total agreement” to go together in the fight against addictions with an integral strategy.
Ebrard pointed out that there was no discussion of the positions of Republican legislators and politicians who have proposed that U.S. soldiers enter national territory to fight drug traffickers.
In turn, Rosa Icela Rodríguez stressed that the drug and violence problem “has to be solved jointly (…) in a comprehensive manner”, because “we are allies, we are neighbors, we are partners and in some areas we are also family”.
He added that the Mexican side is concerned about the illegal trafficking of arms from the U.S. entering Mexico and fueling the problem of violence, while the U.S. side is concerned about the consumption of fentanyl and other drugs.
He recalled that President López Obrador has insisted on “dealing with the problem not only in a punitive way, but also in a social way, also looking at everything related to the prevention of addictions through media campaigns”.
Another member of the Mexican Cabinet, the Secretary of National Defense, Major General Luis Crescencio Sandoval, explained all the works to be carried out on the northern border to improve customs control and reduce illegal drug and arms trafficking without hindering binational trade.
Ebrard pointed out that the recent kidnappings of Americans were not discussed, although the legislators were interested in the fact that the Mexican security cabinet meets daily to review the situation in the country.
He also appreciated that the U.S. legislators took away a good impression from the meeting and assured that binational cooperation will grow, which is a strategic interest of Mexico.
International
79-Year-Old ICE Detainee Faces Hearing as Family Warns His Health Is Rapidly Deteriorating
Paul John Bojerski, a 79-year-old man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida, will face a hearing before an immigration judge on Tuesday as his family warns that his health has sharply deteriorated due to detention conditions.
Bojerski was arrested on October 30 during a mandatory ICE appointment in Orlando. Although he has lived in the United States for more than seven decades, he never obtained U.S. citizenship. Born in a refugee camp in Germany after World War II, he legally immigrated with his family in 1952 at the age of five and has lived since then in the city of Sanford.
According to the Orlando Sentinel, his record includes criminal convictions from the 1960s and 1970s, which led to a deportation order that authorities did not carry out at the time.
In July, ICE warned him that he had to leave the country voluntarily. He was instructed to return on October 30 with a travel plan, but was unable to do so because he has no passport and no country willing to receive him. As a result, he was arrested and transported for eight hours to the detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” located in the middle of the Everglades west of Miami.
Immigrant rights organizations have denounced “inhumane” conditions at that facility, which opened in July, reporting issues such as spoiled food, lack of medical care, limited access to drinking water, mosquito infestations, and difficulty contacting the outside world.
His family says Bojerski has lost mobility since being detained. He previously walked unassisted, but now uses a wheelchair, has been left without his usual treatment for chronic back problems, and reportedly fell to the floor of his cell without receiving help for hours.
He is currently being held at the Krome detention center in Miami, where a judge will determine on Tuesday whether he can be released on bond.
International
Trump: “I Don’t Rule Out Anything” When Asked About Troops for Venezuela
U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that he may speak at some point with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and did not rule out the possibility of sending American troops to the South American nation.
Trump’s remarks come amid heightened tensions over the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean aimed at combating drug trafficking. Venezuela views the operation as a step toward toppling Maduro, whom Washington accuses of leading a “terrorist” organization involved in narcotics trafficking.
“At some point, I will talk to him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Maduro “has not been good for the United States,” he added.
When asked whether he ruled out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela, Trump replied, “No, I don’t rule it out. I don’t rule out anything.”
“We have to take care of Venezuela,” he continued. “They have sent hundreds of thousands of people from their prisons into our country.”
International
Armed Civilians Block Roads in Michoacán Amid Operation Targeting Criminal Leader
Armed civilians blocked several highways in the western Mexican state of Michoacán on Monday in response to a security operation targeting a criminal leader, just a week after President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government reinforced the presence of federal forces in the region.
The federal deployment was increased following the early November shooting death of Carlos Manzo, mayor of the municipality of Uruapan. His killing sparked protests and widespread demands for justice.
Michoacán is home to major drug trafficking groups such as the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and La Nueva Familia Michoacana—both designated as “foreign terrorist organizations” by U.S. President Donald Trump in February.
“Following an operation to apprehend a priority target (a criminal leader), armed civilians set up roadblocks and burned vehicles at various highway points in La Piedad, Zamora, and Pátzcuaro,” the Michoacán Public Security Secretariat reported on X.
“Our Civil Guard is already clearing the roads; two suspected individuals were killed,” the agency added, without specifying the intended target of the operation.
Organized crime groups in Mexico frequently block roads to prevent the capture of their leaders or to hinder law enforcement activities.
The blockades also occurred just hours before a new state public security secretary took office. José Antonio Cruz—a former official of the local prosecutor’s office and former National Guard executive—assumed the position, replacing Juan Carlos Oseguera.
The killing of Mayor Manzo during a public Day of the Dead event on November 1 triggered protests throughout Michoacán. During demonstrations held Saturday in Mexico City, participants also demanded justice for the crime.
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