International
A deported Colombian says that in the United States they did not respect his rights and received inhuman treatment
Jose Erik Montaña, one of the 201 Colombians deported from the US who arrived in Bogotá this Tuesday on two flights of the Colombian Aerospace Force (FAC), said that in the North American country they did not respect their rights and received inhumane treatment.
“They want (the US Government) to blame their problems on migrants who cannot defend themselves (…) They did not give us rights, they did not tell us anything, they made us sign mandatory documents and it was horrible, it was really inhumane treatment,” Montaña told journalists when arriving at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá on a flight from El Paso (Texas).
Montaña said that he entered the United States last week fleeing the Colombian armed conflict.
His goal was to reunite in that country with his family, but once he got there he was arrested along with a Mexican and other people by the authorities.
“They handcuffed us from the hands to the ankles, the hips, we were like criminals. There were children who had to see their mothers chained as if they were drug addicts, traffickers, when they really were people who wanted a better future for their families,” said Montaña, who after being deported does not know what to do because his whole family is in the United States.
According to the Colombian Foreign Ministry, 201 people, including adults and children, arrived on the two flights, deported by the US government.
On the first flight, coming from El Paso, 91 passengers came, of whom 46 were men and 45 women, while on the second, which arrived from San Diego (California), 110 people were traveling, of them 62 men, 32 women and 16 minors.
“They are Colombians, they are free and dignified and they are in their homeland where they are loved. The migrant is not a criminal, he is a human being who wants to work and progress, live life,” said Colombian President Gustavo Petro, in a message published on the social network X in which he shared photos of citizens getting off the plane.
The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, pointed out that the migrants were received by a delegation of the Presidency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the FAC, Migration Colombia, the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), the Mayor’s Office of Bogotá and the Red Cross.
This is the first of the two aircraft with deportees that are expected to arrive in Bogotá today. According to the Foreign Ministry, the second plane, coming from San Diego, will land “in minutes” at El Dorado airport.
Early in the morning, Colombian President Gustavo Petro published a photo taken inside one of the planes in which the deportees are seen without handcuffs, as requested by the president, who demanded from Washington a “dignified treatment” for them.
Alexander, another of the deported Colombians, told journalists that he had arrived in El Paso 12 days ago requesting asylum, which is why he was deported this Tuesday.
“What we don’t know is why they brought us on a Colombian Air Force plane,” added Alexander, who had migrated looking for “better economic stability” and had crossed to the United States across the border with Mexico.
Although Alexander says that during the time he was detained in the United States they had him in “acceptable conditions”, he revealed that he was handcuffed and tied “by “feet, hands and waist.”
On the return flight to Colombia, he added, he received “excellent treatment.”
The Foreign Ministry said on Monday in a statement that the Government arranged these planes to bring back home “110 compatriots deported from the United States, complying with the protocols established for the dignified return and with guaranteed rights to compatriots who arrive on deportation flights.”
The Colombian president initially rejected on Sunday two planes sent by the United States with deportees, which caused the unprecedented diplomatic crisis with that North American country
Petro’s statement led US President Donald Trump to order the imposition of 25% tariffs on all Colombian products, in addition to other travel and immigration sanctions.
Petro responded with the principle of reciprocity and ordered the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Luis Carlos Reyes, to “raise import tariffs from the US by 25%.”
However, the White House closed the crisis with Colombia over the repatriations of immigrants by assuring late on Sunday that the Government in Bogotá accepted “all the terms of President Trump” in this regard.
That includes “the unrestricted acceptance of all illegal foreigners from Colombia returned from the United States, included in military aircraft, without limitations or delays.”
International
Cardinals seek a “unifier” as they prepare for conclave to elect new pope
Several cardinals who will participate in the conclave to elect Pope Francis’ successor said they are approaching the mission with “apprehension,” “responsibility,” and “hope,” while also beginning to outline the profile of the next pope: a “unifier.”
The 12-year pontificate of the first Latin American pope was marked by reforms and a simple style, which earned him strong opposition from the Church’s most conservative sectors, with his predecessor Benedict XVI as a symbol of that resistance.
“The task before us these days is greater than us, and yet it is a duty we must fulfill,” summarized French Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline during a mass in Rome on Thursday evening.
A few meters away, Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich admitted to journalists that he approaches the conclave “with a certain apprehension,” but also with “great hope.”
“We feel very small. We must make decisions for the entire Church, so please pray for us,” added the Jesuit cardinal, who was a close advisor to the Argentine pontiff.
He estimated that the conclave would “probably” begin on May 5 or 6, after the nine-day mourning period at the Vatican known as the Novendiales.
International
Trump and Zelensky hold “very productive” meeting in Rome during Pope’s funeral
Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky held a “very productive” meeting, according to the White House, this Saturday in Rome on the sidelines of Pope Francis’ funeral.
No specific details about their conversation were disclosed, but the White House promised to release more information later. Zelensky’s chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, described the 15-minute discussion at St. Peter’s Basilica as “constructive.”
This was the first meeting between the U.S. and Ukrainian presidents since their heated exchange in Washington on February 28, when Trump and his Vice President JD Vance verbally confronted Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Dozens of heads of state, government leaders, and senior officials gathered in Rome on Saturday for Pope Francis’ funeral, creating opportunities for multiple diplomatic meetings.
The Ukrainian presidency stated that Trump and Zelensky “agreed to continue” their talks later Saturday in the Italian capital and shared photos of both leaders seated face-to-face, also engaging in conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The U.S. president said on Friday that a deal between Ukraine and Russia is “very close,” without providing details, following discussions between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Vladimir Putin in Moscow about the possibility of launching “direct negotiations” between the two sides.
International
A magnitude 6 earthquake shakes the province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador, bordering Colombia
A magnitude 6 earthquake was recorded this Friday in the coastal province of Esmeraldas, bordering Colombia, causing damage to several infrastructures and leaving, so far, 20 people injured.
According to the Geophysical Institute of the National Polytechnic School, the earthquake occurred at 06:44 local time (11:44 GMT) at 1.03 degrees south latitude and 79.69 degrees west longitude.
According to the source, the tremor occurred at a depth of 30 kilometers and 9.31 kilometers from Esmeraldas, capital of the homonymous province.
According to the National Secretariat of Risk Management (SNGR), the affected people had head injuries and bruises.
While the SNGR continues with the verification of affectations, it indicated that 80% of the electricity service and 80% of the telecommunications that were affected, are gradually restored.
Among the affected public buildings are the ECU 911 due to a fall of masonry; the Vargas Torres University, which has cracks; the Los Militares building where the front collapsed and the Prefecture building, among others.
The SNGR reported that the earthquake was felt with strong intensity in seven municipalities of the province of Esmeraldas and moderately in the provinces of Guayas and Manabí, while mildly in Carchi, Cotopaxi, Imbabura, Los Ríos, Pichincha, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas and Tungurahua.
About twenty minutes after the earthquake in Esmeraldas, one of magnitude 4.1 was reported in the coastal province of Guayas, located in the southeast of the country, without damage or victims having been reported so far.
The President of Ecuador, Daniel Noboa, ordered the displacement of all his ministers to Esmeraldas, in order to coordinate actions after the magnitude 6 earthquake recorded this Friday.
“I have arranged for the immediate deployment of all ministers in the province of Esmeraldas to coordinate the installation of shelters, delivery of humanitarian aid kits and assistance in everything our people need,” Noboa wrote on his social network account X.
The province of Esmeraldas was one of the most affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake recorded on April 16, 2016, which left more than 670 dead, thousands affected, as well as millions of material losses.
This earthquake also hit the province of Manabí, located, like Esmeraldas, on the coast of the Andean country, but also affected other areas and was felt strongly, even in the Ecuadorian capital.
Ecuador is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire or Belt, which concentrates some of the most important subduction areas (sinking of tectonic plates) in the world and is the scene of strong seismic activity.
In addition to Ecuador, the Horseshoe-shaped Belt comprises a large number of countries such as Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Cardinals seek a “unifier” as they prepare for conclave to elect new pope
Trump and Zelensky hold “very productive” meeting in Rome during Pope’s funeral
A magnitude 6 earthquake shakes the province of Esmeraldas in Ecuador, bordering Colombia
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