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The United States Supreme Court gives Texas free rein to arrest and expel migrants

The Supreme Court of Justice ruled on Tuesday in favor of the state of Texas allowing it to enter into force of a law that allows the Police to arrest and expel migrants suspected of irregularly entering the United States.

The legislation, known as SB4, may enter into force while the arguments of a lawsuit filed by the Government of President Joe Biden and organizations defending migrants are heard.

The case reached the highest court after a legal battle undertaken by the Biden Administration and advocates of immigrants led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), who allege that the initiative is unconstitutional.

The plaintiffs had asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the measure while the case was being settled in the Fifth Circuit of Appeals. On Monday, Judge Samuel Alito had blocked the law indefinitely, waiting for the plenary to vote on this request.

On Tuesday, the six conservative judges voted in favor of Texas, allowing the law to take effect while a final ruling is given in the case.

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton applauded the high court’s decision in a message in X. “Texas has defeated the emergency motions of the Biden Administration and the ACLU,” and stressed that the law is already in force.

The law, one of the most drastic anti-immigrant measures in the history of the United States, makes it a misdemeanor that a foreigner “enters or attempts to enter the state from a foreign nation” irregularly. The offense becomes a serious crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, if the offender is a repeat offender.

The initiative also allows the state Justice to order the expulsion of people without legal process. Likewise, police officers will be able to arrest any individual they suspect that he entered the country illegally, and will have the discretionary power to expel him to Mexico instead of arresting him.

Initially, the measure promoted by the governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, was supposed to enter into force on March 5, but a federal judge sided with the plaintiffs and banned it.

The Texas prosecutor, Ken Paxton, took the fight to the Fifth Circuit of Appeals where he obtained support, so the plaintiffs went to the Supreme Court to prevent the law from entering into force asking for an emergency motion, which was finally denied.

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Anand Balakrishnan, lead lawyer of the ACLU Immigrant Rights Project, described Tuesday’s decision as “disappointing.”

The lawyer added in a statement that the law “threatens the integrity of our nation’s immigration laws and the fundamental principles of due process” so they will continue to fight until they defeat it.

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International

U.S. strike in Caracas killed 32 cuban security officers, experts say surprise was crucial

Two days after a U.S. military attack on a military complex in Caracas, Havana confirmed that 32 members of its security forces were killed in the operation, some of whom were likely responsible for protecting Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The Venezuelan government also reported that 23 of its own military personnel died during the assault.

Of the Cuban dead, 21 belonged to the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees intelligence services, and 11 were from the Revolutionary Armed Forces. No official information has been released regarding potential injuries.

Experts consulted by AFP agreed that the element of surprise was the key to the success of the U.S. military operation, which was meticulously prepared over months and kept entirely secret. “Cuban intelligence … convinced the Maduro regime and its security agencies that the United States would never attack Venezuelan territory,” explained José Gustavo Arocha, a former Venezuelan army officer and expert at the Center for a Secure Free Society, a U.S. defense think tank.

Fulton Armstrong, a former U.S. intelligence officer and Latin America researcher at American University in Washington, also highlighted the failure to anticipate the attack and to detect U.S. helicopters entering Venezuelan airspace, noting that even a five- to ten-minute warning could have made a significant difference for the guards and for Maduro.

U.S. forces additionally benefited from “incredible” real-time intelligence provided by stealth drones to monitor movements of the Venezuelan leader, according to experts. A highly sophisticated combat team was deployed, and analysts believe the order to “fire to kill” was likely given.

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Paul Hare, former British ambassador to Cuba and Venezuela, added that Cuban intelligence also underestimated the extent of U.S. access to internal cooperation within Venezuela’s security apparatus, contributing to the operation’s success.

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International

Report: Vatican mediation included russian asylum offer ahead of Maduro’s capture

The Vatican reportedly attempted to negotiate an offer of asylum in Russia for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro before his capture by U.S. forces last Saturday, according to The Washington Post.

The U.S. newspaper reported that Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin spoke with U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See Brian Burch about a supposed Russian proposal to grant Maduro asylum. A source familiar with the offer said that what was proposed “was that he would leave and be able to enjoy his money,” and that part of the plan involved Russian President Vladimir Putin guaranteeing Maduro’s security.

Despite these diplomatic efforts, the United States carried out a military operation that resulted in Maduro’s capture and detention, along with his wife Cilia Flores, who are now being held in New York on narcoterrorism charges.

The Washington Post also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump may have invited Maduro to Washington for in-person discussions about safe conduct, an offer that Maduro reportedly declined.

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International

Pope Leo XIV warns of rising “war enthusiasm” in global politics

“War is becoming fashionable again, and war enthusiasm is spreading.” Pope Leo XIV delivered a somber assessment of international politics on Friday, sharply criticizing the growing reliance on force by nations at a time when his country of birth is increasing military displays.

While offering New Year’s greetings to the diplomatic corps, the U.S.-born pope — who also holds Peruvian nationality — delivered one of his strongest speeches to date, denouncing the “worrying weakening of multilateralism” and the emergence of what he described as “war enthusiasm.”

From the outset of his address to ambassadors accredited to the Holy See, delivered in English, the pontiff lamented the rise of a “diplomacy of force, by individuals or groups of allied states,” at the expense of dialogue, warning that such trends threaten the global order established after World War II.

“Peace is no longer sought as a gift or as a good desirable in itself, or as the pursuit of ‘the establishment of an order willed by God, one that entails greater justice among human beings.’ Instead, it is pursued through weapons as a condition for asserting one’s own dominance,” the head of the Catholic Church said, without directly naming any country.

His remarks come amid ongoing conflicts between Ukraine and Russia and in the Gaza Strip, and against a broader international backdrop marked by European concerns over a potential U.S. takeover of Greenland, the autonomous Danish territory, a scenario that could threaten the cohesion of NATO.

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