International

USA: “In the coming days, weeks,” Panama could deport Venezuelans to a third country

“In the coming days, weeks at the latest,” Panama could begin the air deportation of Venezuelans who cross the Darién jungle, the natural border with Colombia, to third countries, as part of the agreement between the Panamanian Government and the United States signed on July 1, the US Regional Internal Security attaché, Marlen Piñeiro, assured EFE on Wednesday.

“Yes, we have approached several countries and we think that in the coming days, weeks at the latest, we will have ways to return Venezuelans to third countries where they will be safe,” said Piñeiro in an interview, who has so far been the representative of the US authorities during the deportation flights carried out by Panama since last August.

Asked if she could advance with which countries they are holding talks, she said that “not yet”: “But we have talked to several,” she acknowledged.

The agreement, signed on the first day of the new Administration of President José Raúl Mulino, contemplates the repatriation by air and based on Panamanian laws of irregular migrants who have arrived in Panama after crossing the border jungle.

The migrants

The United States finances the flights with an initial amount of 6 million dollars, of which more than 1.1 million dollars have already been used on 20 flights, the last one this morning, to countries such as Colombia, Ecuador and India, and which affected about 800 migrants.

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Since the flights began, there has been a drastic reduction in the number of Colombians and Ecuadorians crossing the Darién, of 65% and 92%, respectively, according to a statement by the US authorities.

But the vast majority of migrants crossing the jungle are Venezuelans who could not be deported given the suspension, since the end of July, of diplomatic relations between Panama and Venezuela as a result of the crisis triggered after the elections.

The data from the Panamanian authorities are resounding: of the more than 263,000 migrants who crossed the Darién until the end of September, the last month with the complete figures, 67% were Venezuelans, while in 2023, when the historical record of people who had crossed this jungle, with more than 520,000, 63% also came from Venezuela.

Generalized drop in the number of migrants due to the Darién

But despite the fact that there are no deportation flights for Venezuelans, the data also indicate a generalized drop in the number of migrants, with 274,444 irregular travelers who until October 13 had arrived in Panama, 36.5% less than the 432,211 registered in the same period of 2023.

“We think it’s due to the good work that this administration has done in Panama. We also think it has to do with the proclamation made by President (American Joe) Biden on our own border in June. Those two things (had their reason), which was that people thought twice (before) coming through the irregular road,” the official stressed.

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The deportations

Piñeiro also confirmed that although it had initially been said that deportations would be voluntary, “so far all the deportations that have occurred have been involuntary deportations or expulsions, consistent with Panamanian law.”

In addition, there have been complaints from migrants, as EFE testified in the Lajas Blancas migratory reception center in Darién, that family separations occurred by the immigration authorities of Panama, in particular cases in which the Colombian husband was deported, while the Venezuelan mother was allowed to continue her journey to North America.

The regional internal security attaché assured that she had no “recode of that.”

“If there is any allegation about that, we would explore it. However, I always repeat that it is Panamanian law and if Panamanian law decides that someone should be deported, for example it is possible that they have had a criminal (history), they are eligible to be deported under Panamanian law,” he said.

However, he noted that most migrants who enter through the Darién and are deported have no criminal record, but are deported for having entered Panama irregularly.

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Increase in destination countries

US authorities detailed that in addition to the charter flights already made to Colombia, Ecuador and India, four irregular migrants were returned on commercial flights to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey, but Piñeiro said that they hope to expand the nationalities.

“I can confirm that we are talking to all the countries where migrants are entering. To clarify, Panama is talking to the countries where migrants are entering to return them under Panamanian law,” he said.

According to data until October revealed by the Panamanian authorities, the main countries of origin of the migrants crossing the Darién are, in this order, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, China, Haiti, India, Peru, Vietnam and Bangladesh.

Piñeiro, although born in the United States, is the daughter of Cubans with ancestors of Spanish origin, so she says she is aware of migration, a sector in which she has also worked for the last 37 years.

That is why, he emphasizes, he asks migrants to opt for “the legal routes” of migration, because sometimes “people think they do not qualify, but yes, there are work paths, there are family routes,” while with the irregular option they put themselves in danger.

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“There is a lot of risk in the Darién, not only of violence, money, exploitation, the scars that are caused to children are scars that remain for life, it is not worth it,” he said.

International

Luigi Mangione Pleads Guilty to Killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson

Luigi Mangione admitted Friday to fatally shooting Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurance group in the United States, during an appearance before a federal judge.

The case shocked the U.S. business community and dates back to December 2024, when Mangione opened fire on Thompson, 50, on a Manhattan street. Prosecutors have described the attack as being motivated by Mangione’s opposition to the U.S. health insurance system.

“On the morning of December 4, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione said as he pleaded guilty to a federal stalking charge related to his pursuit of the executive.

Mangione, 28, is scheduled to be sentenced on December 18, and prosecutors have indicated that they will seek a life sentence.

In addition to the federal charges related to stalking Thompson, Mangione also faces a murder case brought by the state of New York.

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Following his guilty plea in federal court, Mangione’s defense asked a state court to dismiss the state charges, arguing that prosecuting him again for the same conduct would violate protections against double jeopardy.

“We have just filed our motion in state court to explain why the charges should be dismissed under New York’s protections against double jeopardy,” Mangione’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo, said Friday.

Both the federal and state cases could result in a life sentence. Two other federal charges that initially carried the possibility of the death penalty were dismissed by a judge earlier this year.

International

ICE Plan to Equip Agents With Electric Shock Gloves Raises Abuse Concerns

Plans to equip U.S. immigration agents with gloves capable of delivering electric shocks are raising concerns over potential abuses by a law enforcement agency that critics accuse of using excessive force and providing inadequate training to its personnel.

The plan involves the potential purchase of electric-shock gloves for agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency primarily responsible for carrying out President Donald Trump’s campaign to deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost criticized the proposal on X, arguing that the agency has already faced accusations of excessive force during immigration enforcement operations.

“As if assaulting and shooting people in the streets wasn’t enough,” Frost wrote. He also criticized the reported $20 million potential expenditure on the devices and called for greater restrictions on ICE.

The agency has faced growing scrutiny following a series of deadly shootings during immigration enforcement operations. Among the incidents were the deaths of two U.S. citizens in Minnesota in January who were participating in protests against the agency.

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Critics have focused on the tactics used by ICE agents when detaining immigrants, as well as allegations that training standards for newly recruited personnel have been lowered.

According to a procurement plan first reported by the Associated Press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, could spend between $10 million and $20 million on the devices.

The gloves are described by the agency as tools intended for “distraction and de-escalation,” rather than lethal weapons. The system, known as GLOVE, stands for “Generated Low-Output Voltage Emitter.”

The device is manufactured by Compliant Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that describes its products as advanced non-lethal tools designed to protect and assist law enforcement and other personnel.

The proposal comes amid an intensifying national debate over ICE’s enforcement methods and the use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

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International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

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Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.