International
Mulino: If the situation in Venezuela worsens, migration will grow “in a very short time”
The president of Panama, José Raúl Mulino, warned on Thursday that if the “political situation” of Venezuela “worsens” after this Sunday’s elections, they must be prepared, because the flow of migrants through the Darién, the border jungle with Colombia used as a migratory route, will increase “in a very short time.”
“We are three days away from the solution or the worsening of the political situation in Venezuela. I advocate a democratic solution that respects the will of the people. If that turns out to be the case, I feel that we will have an improvement in the condition, because Venezuela is 66% of migrants. That country contributes a significant share of people to the transit,” the president of Panama said at his weekly press conference.
And he explained: “If the situation (in Venezuela after the elections) improves, it can be deduced that much fewer people will want to venture into that risk of transit through that jungle (of the Darién). If the political situation worsens, in another scenario, let’s prepare because that (the migratory flow) will increase in a very short time.”
According to Mulino, this Sunday’s elections in the South American country “would already be one of the last chances (opportunities) of Venezuela to open up to a democratic and peaceful world (so that) the people (find the) solution that they consider most appropriate.”
Last Thursday – also at that press conference he plans to offer every week – the Panamanian president said that “well-conducted” elections in Venezuela will possibly reduce the flow of migration through the Darién jungle, since most of the passers-by who go through it are from that South American country.
Venezuela will have its elections on July 28, in which ten candidates will participate, including President Nicolás Maduro, who seeks his re-election, and the main leader of the opposition and the polls, Edmundo González Urrutia, instead of the disqualified María Corina Machado.
Panama is trying to reduce migration through that dangerous jungle and since Mulino’s arrival in power, several measures have been taken, such as the installation of “perimeter barriers” (barred fences) in some points of Darién to close unauthorized passages and “channel” the flow, in addition to the signing of an agreement with the United States to return migrants who cross that jungle by plane.
So far this year, more than 216,000 migrants have crossed the dangerous Darién jungle, most of them Venezuelans, who seek to reach the United States or Canada in search of better living conditions, while in all of 2023 there were more than 520,000, an unprecedented figure, according to official data from Panama.
International
Mexico Arrests CJNG Leader “El Jardinero” in Nayarit
Mexican authorities arrested Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero,” on Monday during a naval operation in the western state of Nayarit, delivering another major blow to the Cártel Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG).
Flores was considered one of the top regional leaders within the cartel and had reportedly overseen criminal operations along Mexico’s Pacific coast. Security analysts viewed him as a potential successor to slain drug kingpin Nemesio Oseguera.
The arrest was carried out by Mexico’s Navy Special Forces in a planned operation, according to Security Minister Omar García Harfuch.
The United States Department of the Treasury had previously identified Flores as a “significant foreign narcotics trafficker,” while U.S. authorities offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his capture and extradition.
A U.S. grand jury indicted Flores in 2021 on charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine and heroin.
His capture comes months after the reported death of “El Mencho,” an operation that Mexican authorities considered a priority due to the cartel leader’s alleged involvement in a 2020 assassination attempt against García Harfuch.
International
Suspect Armed With Shotgun and Knives Detained at White House Correspondents Dinner
U.S. authorities confirmed Saturday that the suspect who stormed into the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Donald Trump was attending acted alone, adding that there is no ongoing threat to the public following the incident, which left one Secret Service agent injured.
Acting Metropolitan Police Department chief Jeff Carroll said during a press conference that the suspect was carrying “a shotgun, a handgun, and multiple knives” when he attempted to pass through a Secret Service security checkpoint inside the hotel lobby at approximately 8:36 p.m. local time.
“At this point, everything indicates that this was a lone actor, a lone gunman,” Carroll stated, adding that investigators have found no preliminary evidence suggesting the involvement of additional suspects.
During the exchange of gunfire inside the hotel corridors, the suspect was not struck by bullets but was subdued by law enforcement officers and later transported to a hospital for medical evaluation.
A member of the United States Secret Service Uniformed Division was shot during the incident, though the bullet was stopped by the officer’s ballistic vest, preventing serious injuries. The agent was taken to a hospital and is reportedly “in good spirits,” according to Carroll.
The shooting prompted the immediate evacuation of President Trump, Melania Trump, and several senior officials attending the event after multiple gunshots were heard outside the hotel’s main ballroom.
International
U.S. allows Venezuela to fund Maduro and Cilia Flores’ legal defense
Until now, the U.S. administration had blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the legal fees of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who is also jailed and facing drug trafficking charges, due to international sanctions imposed on Venezuela.
The couple’s legal team had relied on that argument in an attempt to have the indictment dismissed, claiming that preventing a defendant from accessing counsel of their choice violates rights guaranteed under the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
However, the U.S. Treasury Department will now allow “defense attorneys to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” New York prosecutor Jay Clayton wrote in a letter dated Friday to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case.
According to the letter, the funds must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuelan oil sales regulated in the United States.
Since Maduro’s removal from power in early January, former Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has served as Venezuela’s interim leader.
The United States effectively controls Venezuelan crude exports, with revenues deposited into special accounts supervised by Washington.
Court documents filed on Friday show that the defense acknowledged the sanctions exemption and, for now, withdrew its motion seeking dismissal of the charges.
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