International
Sheinbaum forgets the migratory issue on her first visit to the northern border as president
The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, visited the border this Saturday for the first time since she took office, where she practically forgot about people on mobility and the migratory situation in the northern region of the country.
Despite the fact that in recent days various activists, civil organizations and municipal authorities demanded significant changes in migration policies, the president did not mention a word about it and even avoided the meeting with the press.
Sheinbaum visits the border
The president was received by a large group of supporters at the Rosarito Beach Convention Center, located about 25 kilometers from the Tijuana border, where she offered a speech focused on the presentation of her welfare programs.
During her speech, President Sheinbaum limited herself to saying that, with the Fourth Transformation, “we claim Mexican workers and in particular our brothers who live on the other side of the border, who are heroes and heroines of the homeland.”
“(People) who do not abandon their families, who do not abandon our country, because that is how we Mexicans are, we love each other, we help each other, that is the strength of the people of Mexico,” he said.
Continuity of social programs
On other issues, Sheinbaum took advantage of his visit to the border to reaffirm the continuity of the welfare programs promoted by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
“Thanks to our senators and deputies, who are also servants of the nation and the people, all the programs will continue; the universal pension, support for young people, pension for people with disabilities,” he said.
In addition, he recalled his campaign promises, and anticipated three new welfare programs, “corresponding to the second floor of the transformation”: support for women between 60 and 64 years old, public school students up to the basic secondary level, which implies all public school students up to secondary level; and the home-to-home health care program for older adults.
In addition, he recalled his commitment to install pharmacies in each Banco del Bienestar branch from the second quarter of next year, so that “people can go there to pick up their free medicines.”
“Those are the three main programs, but we are also going to build a million homes throughout the country, in addition to bookkeeping,” he said.
Judicial reform is not authoritarianism
Regarding judicial reform, Sheinbaum said that “on June 1st of next year we will elect the judges, magistrates and ministers of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, because now they say that we are authoritarian, but how are we going to be authoritarian, if what we want is for the people to elect the Judiciary.”
“It is the mandate of the people and the president of the Republic is to fulfill that mandate,” he insisted, amid suspensions by judges, accusations for attacking judicial independence and Sheinbaum’s argument that it is impossible to stop the application of the most recent judicial reform to elect judges
International
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
The United States announced on Wednesday that it will suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 nationalities, marking another move by President Donald Trump’s administration to curb the entry of migrants into the country.
“ The United States is freezing the processing of all visas for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia and Iran,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote on X. According to Fox News, the measure will take effect on January 21 and will remain in force indefinitely.
Based on an internal State Department memorandum obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visa applications under existing law while the agency conducts an in-depth review of screening and vetting procedures. The stated goal is to tighten criteria to prevent the entry of foreigners who could eventually rely on public assistance.
The list of affected countries includes several nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Afghanistan, Russia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Somalia and Yemen, among others. Fox News reported that exemptions to the suspension will be “very limited” and will only be granted once applicants pass an assessment related to the public charge requirement.
Other countries in the Americas subject to the suspension include Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The decision is based on a strict interpretation of the so-called “public charge” clause of U.S. immigration law. A cable sent to U.S. consulates worldwide in November 2025 had already signaled the shift, instructing officials to apply tougher standards when evaluating applicants, taking into account factors such as age, health status, English proficiency, financial situation, history of public assistance, and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
International
Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
A court of Peru’s National Superior Court of Specialized Criminal Justice ordered the definitive dismissal of the criminal proceedings for alleged money laundering and criminal organization against presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori, authorities reported on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.
The ruling was issued by the Tenth National Preparatory Investigation Court in compliance with a previous decision by the Constitutional Court (TC). The decision was confirmed by Fujimori’s attorney, Giuliana Loza, who said on social media platform X that “there was no money laundering nor criminal organization.”
According to the defense, the case was closed for lacking legal grounds and for violating due process. “The proceedings concluded because they lacked a legal basis and constituted clear prosecutorial persecution,” Loza stated.
Judge Wilson Verastegui, whose ruling was reported by local media, said the Constitutional Court determined that the facts alleged in the so-called ‘Cocktails Case’ do not constitute a criminal offense under the principle of legality. The court noted that the crime of illegal financing of political organizations was not in force at the time the alleged acts occurred.
The dismissal also applies to other leaders of the Fuerza Popular party, including Pier Figari, Ana Rosa Herz, Jaime Yoshiyama and José Chlimper, as well as the party itself.
Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former president Alberto Fujimori (1990–2000), had been under investigation for the alleged irregular financing of her 2011 and 2016 presidential campaigns, a case that exposed her to a possible 30-year prison sentence. However, one year ago the National Superior Court annulled the trial and returned the case to the intermediate stage.
Fujimori is currently pursuing her fourth presidential bid, ahead of Peru’s general elections scheduled for April.
International
Colombian Defense Chief Meets U.S. Officials to Advance Bilateral Narcotics Strategy
Colombia’s Minister of Defense, Pedro Sánchez Suárez, is in the United States this Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss bilateral cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking, Colombian officials said, in a visit that comes as ties between Bogotá and Washington begin to ease after a period of diplomatic tension.
The trip is seen as a prelude to a scheduled visit by Colombian President Gustavo Petro to Washington, where he is expected to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for the first time in early February. Sánchez will remain in Washington through Wednesday, according to Colombian government sources.
During his stay, Sánchez is slated to meet with senior U.S. officials, including representatives from the Department of Defense, members of the U.S. Senate, and White House advisors, to outline a joint strategy to “defeat drug trafficking” and expand cooperation on intelligence against transnational crime.
According to a statement from the Colombian Defense Ministry, the agenda will include strengthening collaboration on technology, intelligence sharing, and efforts to disrupt criminal networks that operate across borders. Officials said the discussions will also help set the stage for Petro’s upcoming talks with Trump.
The visit follows a period of strained U.S.–Colombia relations last year, when Washington revoked Petro’s visa and withdrew Colombia’s certification as a key partner in anti-drug efforts — moves that coincided with disagreements over counter-narcotics strategy and broader diplomatic frictions. However, a recent phone call between Petro and Trump, described as cordial by officials, helped lower tensions and reopened channels for dialogue ahead of the presidential meeting.
U.S. to suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries
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Peruvian Court Orders Definitive Dismissal of Money Laundering Case Against Keiko Fujimori
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