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.
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.
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.
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.
“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
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.
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.
International
One Dead and Nine Injured After Explosion in Southwest Madrid
The incident occurred at around 4:10 p.m. local time in the Carabanchel neighborhood, in the southwest of the Spanish capital, according to a spokesperson for emergency services.
One person, whose identity was not disclosed, was killed, and nine others sustained minor injuries, the spokesperson said.
When asked about the possible cause of the explosion, emergency services did not provide any details.
Images shared by authorities on their official X account show a partial collapse of the building’s façade.
In October 2025, the collapse of a building under renovation in central Madrid left four people dead.
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