International

Venezuelan gang members detained in Guantánamo as U.S. tightens immigration policy

Ten members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have been transferred to the U.S. base in Guantánamo, Cuba, the White House announced on Wednesday.

“The first flights arrived at Guantánamo Bay yesterday afternoon from El Paso, Texas, carrying ten members of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua,” said White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt during a press briefing.

Earlier, the Pentagon stated that “10 high-risk illegal foreigners” had been taken to Guantánamo.

“They are currently housed in vacant detention facilities,” the Pentagon said in a statement, without specifying the charges against them.

Last week, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered authorities to prepare Guantánamo to receive up to 30,000 migrants and vowed to deport ‘criminals’ living in the country illegally.

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“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is taking this measure to ensure the secure detention of these individuals until they can be transported to their home country or another appropriate destination,” the Department of Defense said.

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom the United States does not recognize due to alleged election fraud, recently agreed to accept the return of its nationals, including gang members deported from the U.S.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.