International

The Supreme Court of Mexico opens a debate to review the controversial reform of the Judiciary

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) of Mexico opened a controversy this Thursday to decide whether it has the power to review the constitutional reform to the Judiciary of the Federation (PJF), which seeks to elect judges and magistrates by popular vote.

The decision, which was given after a majority vote of eight votes to three, admitted one of the challenges of judges and magistrates against the aforementioned reform, to analyze whether the high court can review the constitutional amendment.

The controversial judicial reform, promoted by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024) and promulgated on September 15, has raised criticism from various international organizations that claim that the rule of law in the country is at risk.

The Plenary of the SCJN agreed to open a dispute of those provided for in the Organic Law of the PJF, originally created to resolve conflicts within said Power.

“For this Plenary, there is no doubt that fraction XVII of article 11 is the ideal way to process a petition such as the one that motivated this consultation, that is, one in which justice makers ask this Court to verify whether the reform of the Constitutional text published on September 15, 2024, is compatible or not with judicial guarantees and principles, including the division of powers, judicial independence, as well as those inherent to the Constitutional Rule of Law,” the judgment points out.

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The aforementioned amendment will cause more than 1,600 judicial positions to be elected by popular vote, in elections, a system that leaves the members of the PJF in a situation of uncertainty.

Can the reform of the Judiciary in Mexico be reviewed?

Prime Minister Piña Hernández, rapporteur Juan Luis González Alcántara, Jorge Mario Pardo Rebolledo, Margarita Ríos Farjat, Alfredo Gutiérrez Ortiz Mena, Luis María Aguilar Morales and Javier Laynez Potisek voted in favor of the project.

While ministers Lenia Batres, Yasmin Esquivel and Loretta Ortiz, related to former President López Obrador, voted against.

Batres defended that the Supreme Court “does not have the power to submit to review changes to the Constitution approved by the Legislative Branch because it would violate the principle of constitutional supremacy, as well as the division of powers and the Constitutional Rule of Law.”

The minister also said that the SCJN “is attempting a coup d’état,” it seeks to act in a tyrannical and despotic way since it intends to give itself the power to revise the Mexican Constitution.

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Sheinbaum supports the reform

The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, defended last Tuesday, during her inauguration, the reform of the Judiciary and pointed out that it is not “authoritarianism” but, in essence, it is democratic.

“How is a decision going to be authoritarian that, in essence, is democratic and allows the people to decide?” the president said during her speech in the Mexican Congress.

He said that the objective is to end corruption in the Judiciary and for this, he recalled, there will be a single call in addition to a selection committee of candidates to ensure that they meet the requirements.

“And who will decide? It will be the people,” he emphasized.

He also took the opportunity to tell the workers of the Judiciary that their rights and salaries “are fully safeguarded.”

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International

White House says Cuba policy unchanged despite sanctioned fuel shipment

The White House said Monday that it has not changed its policy toward Cuba, despite allowing a sanctioned Russian oil tanker to deliver fuel to the island on humanitarian grounds.

U.S. officials emphasized that the decision was made as an exception and does not signal a broader shift in policy.

The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

The clarification comes amid ongoing restrictions related to U.S. sanctions policy, which continue to limit trade and financial flows involving Cuba.

International

Spain to grant citizenship to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López

The Spanish government is expected to grant citizenship this Tuesday to Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lópezthrough an extraordinary procedure known as “carta de naturaleza.”

The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

López is the leader of the Voluntad Popular party and co-founder of the World Liberty Congress, an initiative launched in 2022 alongside figures such as Garry Kasparov and Masih Alinejad.

International

ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

The U.S. “border czar,” Tom Homan, said Sunday that agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will remain deployed at airports until operations return to “100% normal,” as the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) continues.

“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.