International

1,500 migrants set off from southern Mexico seeking work and refuge in the U.S.

About 1,500 migrants began the year by walking in a group from southern Mexico with the intention of heading north before Donald Trump assumes the presidency of the United States. This comes despite the fact that recent caravans were disbanded without leaving the state of Chiapas, the border region with Guatemala.

The migrants, mostly Venezuelans but also from countries such as Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru, and Ecuador, departed early Thursday from Tapachula, considered the capital of Mexico’s southern border.

For many, getting closer to the U.S. border remains the goal. Others, in light of Trump’s threats of mass deportations and border closures, hope to reach areas where they can find work, given the scarce employment opportunities in Tapachula, where violence tied to organized crime has surged.

Venezuelan migrant Giscarlis Colmenares had spent nearly three months trying to get an appointment on the CBPOne platform to enter the U.S. legally and apply for asylum. After failing, she decided to join the caravan, with the primary goal of finding employment.

Internacionales

Erik Prince Backs Ecuador’s Daniel Noboa in Fight Against Crime and “Narcoterrorism”

Erik Prince, the founder of the private security firm Blackwater (now called Academi), expressed his support for Daniel Noboa, the president and re-election candidate in Ecuador, and stated that he hopes to continue working together in the fight against crime.

“I hope Ecuador chooses law and order. We are here to help, to combat gangs, and to provide the tools for the government to restore law and order, peace, and prosperity,” said the former U.S. military member, who arrived in Guayaquil to participate in an operation alongside the Ministers of the Interior, John Reimberg, and Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo.

Prince did not hold back in his criticism of left-wing governments, such as Venezuela, which he described as a “narco-state with mass drug processing,” while also linking the party Revolución Ciudadana, of which the Correista Luisa González is a member (and who faces Noboa in the second electoral round), as an “ally of Nicolás Maduro.”

Minister Loffredo had already announced on Tuesday that a team from Prince would arrive in the country in the coming days to provide “advisory and training” to security forces, as part of the “strategic alliance” that President Noboa agreed upon with the Blackwater founder to fight against “narcoterrorism,” details of which have not been disclosed.

International

Javier Milei vows to work ‘side by side’ with the U.S. on trade rules

Determined to work “side by side” with the United States, Argentine President Javier Milei announced in Mar-a-Lagothat his government will modify trade regulations to meet the requirements of Donald Trump’s newly imposed tariffs.

Milei arrived in Florida amid the trade war triggered by the latest round of tariff hikes announced by the Republican leader. While many countries are considering retaliation, Milei’s ultraliberal Argentina has opted to adapt instead.

“Argentina will move forward in adjusting its regulations to comply with the reciprocal tariff proposal drafted by President Trump,” Milei stated at the Gala of American Patriots, organized by the Make America Clean Again (MACA) Foundation and the We Fund the Blue NGO, according to his office.

He further explained that Argentina has already met nine out of the 16 necessary requirements and has instructed his administration to comply with the remaining ones in order to resolve trade asymmetries with the U.S. in a short time frame.

International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”