International
The US ambassador says goodbye to Mexico without regretting “anything” despite bilateral tension
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The US ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, said goodbye on Monday with a last message in which he assured that he “does not regret anything”, amid bilateral tensions over Washington’s criticism of judicial reform and the production of fentanyl in the country.
“I don’t regret anything. I’m leaving better, feeling that we have a strong and good job, which should be carried out between the two countries more frequently,” he said at a final press conference before leaving the position of ambassador, which he held since 2021 when Democratic President Joe Biden appointed him.
“In more than three years and more than 120 visits, I toured the 32 states of Mexico (…) Our countries have lived a historical cooperation consolidating North America as the main economic power,” he stressed.
The president-elect of the United States, the Republican Donald Trump, who will take office on January 20, has announced as his candidate for ambassador of the country to Mexico the retired colonel Ronald Johnson, a position for which he must be approved by the US Senate.
Salazar, 69, began his stay in Mexico showing great closeness to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), but over time the relationship became tense until he ended with direct criticism of the Mexican government’s security policy and the judicial reform that the popular election of judges seeks.
The ambassador commented on the controversy surrounding fentanyl, causing a public health crisis due to a wave of overdose deaths in the United States, and that Washington considers to be produced in Mexico and China, so he has redoubled the calls to these countries to fight its production.
“I know what happens, that there is fentanyl in Mexico and I also know that it is produced here,” he said.
However, he indicated that it is “a debate, which occurs or does not occur, does not lead us where we have to go” and called on the Mexican government to maintain collaboration with the United States on this matter.
After Salazar’s departure, the business manager, Mark Johnson, is in charge of the US embassy in Mexico.
Regarding the proposals for mass deportations and tightening of Trump’s immigration policies, the outgoing ambassador acknowledged that there will be “changes” and “fear” among the migrant population in the United States.
It is estimated that about half of the 11 million undocumented people in the United States are Mexicans.
Last week, the president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, proposed that this month there be a meeting between the foreign ministers of Latin America to address the challenges of migration before Trump’s arrival at the White House.
Sheinbaum, who has said she is prepared to receive the deported Mexicans, has reiterated “the insistence on the United States that repatriation be made to the different countries of origin,” instead of expelling them all to Mexico.
International
Venezuelan official urges migrant youths to come back and build the “future we deserve”
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The President of Venezuela’s National Assembly (AN, Parliament), the chavista Jorge Rodríguez, invited all migrant youths to return to the country and, as he said, help build the “prosperous homeland” during a speech on Wednesday before hundreds of supporters who were commemorating Youth Day.
“We extend a hand to all the young people, anywhere in the world, and we tell them, come back sisters, come back brothers, this is your land, this is your homeland, we welcome you with open arms,” said Rodríguez in a speech outside the Legislative Palace in Caracas, where the demonstration concluded.
Rodríguez urged young people to return with their knowledge and strength to help build the “prosperous homeland” and the future they deserve.
“Here we want you, here we love you (…) come on, we are waiting for you to build together the homeland we deserve, the future we deserve,” he said, recalling that 190 migrants deported from the United States arrived in Venezuela on Monday, who, as he stated, came from “sadness, persecution, and shame.”
International
Colombian president appoints new minister of Labor amid government crisis
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Colombian President Gustavo Petro appointed a new Minister of Labor on Wednesday, following the resignation of the former head of the ministry amid the ongoing internal government crisis, which has seen the departure of seven ministers and high-ranking officials.
The appointed minister is Antonio Sanguino, a sociologist and former senator from the centrist Green Party, who will face the main challenge of advancing the labor reform through Congress. This reform is one of Petro’s key political initiatives, as he promised to support the most vulnerable after being elected as the country’s first left-wing president.
“Antonio takes on the responsibility of implementing the pension reform and advancing the labor reform for the dignity of Colombian workers,” Petro stated on X, previously known as Twitter.
With this appointment, Petro begins to restructure the cabinet, which was left weakened by a series of irrevocable resignations from five ministers and one senior official, following internal tensions that became public over a week ago during an unprecedented live broadcast of a private ministerial meeting, where Petro demanded accountability and received criticism in return.
International
Mexico’s president rejects DEA interference after Terry Dale’s nomination
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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum stated on Wednesday that she “will not allow interference” from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) following the nomination of Terry Dale as the new director of the agency, with whom she has had prior interactions in Mexico.
“We will not allow interference or violations of sovereignty. What exists is coordination and collaboration with U.S. government agencies, the State Department, and all U.S. government Secretariats, with the White House and President Donald Trump himself,” she expressed.
The Mexican president responded in her morning conference to questions about the nomination of Dale, announced by Trump on Tuesday. Trump has labeled Mexico’s drug cartels as terrorists and warned of possible bombings on Mexican territory and covert operations with U.S. troops.
Dale worked for 21 years with the DEA, with missions in Colombia, Afghanistan, and Mexico, and now, as Secretary of Security for Virginia, he leads 11 state security agencies with over 19,000 employees, as outlined by the Republican leader on Truth Social.
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