International
Peru militarizes its borders in response to the arrival of migrants
April 27 |
Peruvian President Dina Boluarte decreed on Wednesday a state of emergency on its borders and ordered the deployment of the military to reinforce controls in the face of the arrival of hundreds of migrants, mostly from Chile.
The troops will support surveillance at border crossings with Chile, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia.
In principle, the state of emergency will be in force as of Thursday. However, the executive has not specified its duration nor whether rights will be restricted at the border crossings.
Relying on press reports stating that “those who commit daily assaults, robberies and other criminal acts are foreigners”, Boluarte claimed that his decision is aimed at combating insecurity.
“That is why we have to speak almost in unison of migration and citizen insecurity”, he said.
In this sense, his Minister of Defense, Jorge Chavez, said that the state of emergency has the “purpose” of avoiding “the irregular and illegal entry” of people.
Under the desert sun and cold, hundreds of migrants who left Chile have been crowded for weeks at the border crossing between the Peruvian city of Tacna and the Chilean city of Arica, where the Peruvian authorities are preventing them from passing for lack of a stamped passport and valid visa.
Women, men and children are trapped between Chilean and Peruvian police officers guarding the border crossing, 1,500 km south of Lima.
The Peruvian government cut them off and sent 200 troops to reinforce migration controls, which had already been tightened by Chile.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the majority are Haitians and Venezuelans. The migrants claim that they only intend to cross Peruvian territory to their countries of origin or to the United States, in order to reunite with their families.
“We are between a rock and a hard place, we are doing this because we have our needs, but waiting here for a week, two weeks (…) nobody would want to do that”, said Venezuelan Yosier Canelón to AFP.
UNHCR issued a statement on Wednesday night where it advocated for a humanitarian solution to the situation of migrants on the border with Chile because while “it is the legitimate duty of States to control their borders; it is also important to have regular channels for people in need of international protection, family reunification and other humanitarian issues to access the territory through checkpoints”.
The UN agency welcomed some of the measures announced by Lima, including an “amnesty of fines that will allow 100,000 refugees and migrants in the country to regularize and update their data.”
“Regularization is a lifesaver: regular status is a door to local integration”, he added.
Between Tacna and Arica there has been a daily average of 150 to 200 people.
“They are changing flows, there has been a peak of about 400 people, of different nationalities,” Federico Agusti, UNHCR’s representative in Peru, told AFP on Friday.
Migrants rejected by Peru have improvised camps at an intermediate point, in a sort of geographical limbo between the two countries, and others have returned to Arica.
With the measures announced by Lima “it is going to be more difficult for people to pass (to Peru), and we are going to have a situation of encampment at the border, which is what we have been warning about”, assured Gerardo Espíndola, mayor of Arica, to Biobío radio.
In addition to the state of emergency, Boluarte also announced that those who have entered Peru irregularly in recent years “will have a period of six months to go to the Peruvian authorities to regularize their situation”.
It is estimated that the Venezuelan population in Peru, which represents almost 9 out of 10 foreigners, is close to 1.3 million people, of which one third do not have a migratory permit to stay in the country, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INEI).
International
At Least Eight Dead and 19 Injured in Deadly Bus Crash in Veracruz, Mexico
A tragic bus accident in the eastern state of Veracruz left at least eight people dead and 19 others injured on Wednesday afternoon, according to local authorities.
The vehicle was traveling through the town of Zontecomatlán when it crashed near a ravine, state Civil Protection officials reported late Wednesday night. “Regrettably, the prosecutor’s office has confirmed eight fatalities,” the agency stated in an official release.
Emergency Response and Medical Care Rescue teams worked into the night to assist the survivors. The 19 injured passengers were stabilized at the scene before being transported to hospitals in the nearby municipalities of Chicontepec and Huayacocotla. While the identities of the victims have not yet been released, Mexican press reports indicate the bus was en route from Mexico City to Chicontepec.
A Recurring Issue on Mexican Highways Road accidents involving long-haul passenger buses and freight transport are a frequent occurrence in Mexico. Experts often cite excessive speed, mechanical failure, or driver fatigue as the primary catalysts for these tragedies.
This latest incident follows another major disaster in late November, where 10 people were killed and 20 injured in a similar bus crash in the western state of Michoacán. The recurring nature of these accidents continues to spark national debate regarding the enforcement of stricter safety regulations for commercial transport units.
International
Jair Bolsonaro Hospitalized for Inguinal Hernia Surgery While Serving Sentence for Attempted Coup
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent surgery this Thursday for an inguinal hernia. The procedure took place at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia, according to his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro.
The 70-year-old former leader left prison on Wednesday for the first time since his incarceration in late November to prepare for the operation. “My love has just gone to the surgical center,” Michelle Bolsonaro posted on Instagram, where she has been documenting her accompaniment during his hospitalization.
Surgical Expectations and Health History Medical professionals treating the far-right ex-president (2019-2022) anticipate the operation will last approximately four hours. His recovery period in the hospital is expected to extend between five and seven days.
Dr. Claudio Birolini explained on Wednesday that while the surgery is standardized, it remains complex due to the patient’s history. Bolsonaro continues to suffer from the long-term effects of a 2018 campaign rally stabbing, an injury that required several major abdominal surgeries in the years following the attack.
“There is no such thing as a simple surgery. However, this is a scheduled and standardized procedure, so we expect it to be carried out without major complications,” Dr. Birolini stated.
Potential Additional Procedures Following the hernia repair, the medical team will evaluate whether Bolsonaro can undergo a second procedure: an anesthetic block of the phrenic nerve. This nerve controls the diaphragm, and the intervention would aim to resolve a chronic case of recurrent hiccups that has plagued the former president for years.
Bolsonaro remains under heavy security at the medical facility as he serves his lengthy sentence related to the events surrounding the January 2023 institutional crisis in Brazil.
International
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
President Donald Trump issued an executive order this Monday for the immediate construction of two new warships that will bear his name. These vessels will be the pioneers of what he described as the “Golden Fleet,” a future generation of “Trump-class” battleships that he claimed would be “100 times more powerful” than those currently in service.
The announcement took place at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida. The President indicated that following the initial two ships, the administration aims to commission up to 25 additional vessels. He is scheduled to meet with Florida-based contractors next week to expedite production, criticizing existing defense firms for failing to deliver results efficiently.
This naval expansion is a cornerstone of Trump’s goal to revitalized the American shipbuilding industry and address the strategic gap between the U.S. and competitors like China.
The move comes amid heightened geopolitical tension. Just last week, Trump ordered the seizure of all sanctioned tankers involved with Venezuela’s “ghost fleet” to cripple the country’s crude oil industry. Since December 10, the U.S. military—deployed in the Caribbean under the guise of counter-narcotics operations—has already detained two tankers linked to Venezuelan oil transport.
At Least Eight Dead and 19 Injured in Deadly Bus Crash in Veracruz, Mexico
Jair Bolsonaro Hospitalized for Inguinal Hernia Surgery While Serving Sentence for Attempted Coup
Trump Orders Construction of New ‘Golden Fleet’ to Revitalize U.S. Naval Superiority
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
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