International
Migrants from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela are left in limbo in Mexico due to US measures.
Migrants from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba are in limbo on the border of Mexico after the decision of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, not to extend temporary permits for these nationalities and the promise of the former president (2017-2021) and Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to eliminate the ‘humanitarian parole’.
The immigration restrictions, imposed as the US presidential elections approach on November 5, affect Ciudad Juárez, the epicenter of the humanitarian migration crisis in Mexico.
In the face of the elections and the change in migration policy, “there are still many people who are surely expectant, attentive to the international political dynamic,” said Jesús Enrique Valenzuela, general coordinator of the State Population Council (COESPO).
“Even, we must say, this type of situation that occurs both in Mexico and in the United States and that, in some way, could affect migration policy, because of course they somehow impact the flow of people,” he told EFE.
Without permission to migrate
The Biden Government announced on October 4 that it will not allow people from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti and Venezuela who arrived in the country with a program known as ‘humanitarian speech’ to extend the migration benefit for more than two years.
More than half a million people of these four nationalities have entered the country under the program, which began in October 2022 for Venezuelans and extended to the other three nationalities in February 2023.
The decision, announced less than a month before the November 5 elections, came amid criticism from Trump, who said in September that, if he returned to the White House, he would end up with the benefit.
This has left migrants who are stranded in Mexico “very worried”, such as Nicaraguan Lionel Martín Olivas.
“I left my country because I am politically persecuted and in that fact I would no longer be able to return to my country and, if they do not let me into the United States either, then it hurts me a lot because it would be in the air, I would not know what to do anymore. And, like everything, one is thinking about reaching the United States to get ahead,” he said.
Humanitarian permits for migrants
Humanitarian permits, implemented by the current Administration, allowed migrants from these countries to apply for temporary protection in the United States due to the crises in their home nations, but Trump maintained that this measure is “an invitation to uncontrolled immigration.”
Migrants who left these countries in the hope of seeking asylum in the United States now feel that their journey was in vain.
“It seems unfair to me because one spends so much work to get here and one is applying, that is, to pass legally. One is no longer going through the wall or anything like that and it seems unfair to me that you want to close the application to so many people that we want to pass legally,” said Darlenis, originally from Venezuela.
The Government of Mexico reported 200,289 Venezuelans “in an irregular migration situation” in the first half of 2024, 215% more than reported in the same period of the previous year, so Venezuela is the main country of origin of irregular migrants in Mexico, where they represent more than one in four.
Migration is one of the pillars of Trump’s campaign, who has also promised to reinstate other more restrictive policies, such as the construction of the border wall and the re-establishment of the ‘Stay in Mexico’ program, which forces asylum seekers to wait in this country.
International
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Friday that any Mexican detained in the United States should be “immediately” returned to Mexico. Her remarks come in the wake of the opening of a new migrant detention center in Florida earlier this week.
Speaking during her daily press conference, known as La Mañanera del Pueblo, Sheinbaum emphasized that so far, no Mexican national has been held in the facility, which has already sparked controversy and has been nicknamed “the Alcatraz of the Alligators.”
She also criticized the new fiscal law signed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, passed by Congress just a day earlier. The law, which Trump dubbed the “great and beautiful tax reform,” includes significant tax cuts and sweeping reductions in public policies, reallocating billions toward national security and defense—including $170 billion to enhance border security, deportations, and the expansion of detention centers.
“We do not agree with a punitive approach to migration. Migration must be addressed through its structural causes, with cooperation for development,” Sheinbaum asserted.
The Mexican president labeled the Trump administration’s view of migrants as criminals as “inhumane,” and warned that such policies ultimately harm the U.S. economy. She pointed to the mass deportation of agricultural workers as an example of how these actions are already backfiring.
“These are hardworking people—people of good will—who contribute more to the U.S. economy than they do to Mexico’s,” Sheinbaum said, announcing that her government will strengthen support programs to ensure that affected migrants can return home safely and reintegrate into the workforce.
International
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Friday that the country is expecting the deportation of boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. so he can face legal proceedings in Mexico, following his arrest in the United States and confirmation by Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR) of an arrest warrant for organized crime and arms trafficking.
“This is an arrest warrant stemming from an investigation that began in 2019 and was granted by a judge in 2023 (…). We are expecting his deportation so he can serve his sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum stated during her daily press briefing.
The president said she was unaware of the case until speaking with Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, who confirmed an investigation linked to organized crime. She also noted that authorities had been unable to execute the warrant earlier because Chávez Jr. had spent most of his time in the United States. “His deportation to Mexico is now being pursued,” she added.
Sheinbaum said there is no confirmed date yet for the boxer’s return to the country, as the process involves “specific protocols” that the FGR is currently handling.
Her statement follows the announcement by U.S. authorities on Thursday of Chávez Jr.’s arrest. The boxer, son of Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez, is accused of involvement in organized crime and arms trafficking allegedly tied to the Sinaloa Cartel.
“This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate, wanted for trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” said Tricia McLaughlin, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in an official statement.
International
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
The heatwave sweeping across Europe — accompanied by wildfires in countries such as Greece and Turkey — is “just the beginning” of a summer season expected to see extreme conditions lasting through September, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned.
In a statement, the IFRC stressed the urgent need for governments and communities to shift from a reactive to a preventive approach to safeguard lives.
The organization reported that wildfires in the Turkish region of Izmir, on the country’s western coast, have already claimed at least two lives and forced the evacuation of 50,000 people. Meanwhile, on the Greek island of Crete, around 5,000 residents and tourists have also had to flee due to encroaching fires.
Smaller-scale evacuations and wildfires are also being reported in other countries, including eastern Germany and North Macedonia, with Red Cross volunteers actively involved in firefighting and relief operations.
“Heatwaves and wildfires — increasingly frequent and deadly — are no longer isolated events. They are becoming the new reality for millions,” said Birgitte Bischoff, IFRC’s Regional Director for Europe.
Mexico’s president blasts ‘Inhumane’ U.S. migration law
Julio César Chávez Jr. faces charges in Mexico after U.S. arrest
Europe faces a summer of heatwaves and wildfires, Red Cross warns
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