International

Venezuela says that none of the US deportees has links to the Aragua Train

Venezuela denied on Wednesday that there are people linked to the transnational criminal organization Tren de Aragua – born in a prison in the Caribbean country – among the 190 deportees from the United States who arrived on Monday on two flights to Caracas, as previously communicated by Washington, according to the Administration of Nicolás Maduro.

“There is not a single one (…) with a history of being linked to the Aragua Train, (…) only 17 of those who came have (…) some pending account with the Justice,” said the head of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello, in his weekly television program broadcast by the state channel VTV.

He indicated that most of the cases of those 17 people were recorded about facts between 2010 and 2018.

Cabello assured that the deported Venezuelans were received “as human beings” at the Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, which serves Caracas, where “the first thing they did was sing the national anthem” and then give their testimonies.

“Some told us (…) ‘thank you for getting us out of hell’,” said the also first vice president of the Chavista United Socialist Party (PSUV), and added that the oldest of the deportees is 32 years old.

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On the other hand, he pointed out that the compatriots also told “how much they paid the coyotes (human traffickers)” and “who they were”.

On Monday, before the arrival of the flights, the Venezuelan Communication portfolio reported that the US government notified it that “some people” traveling back “are allegedly linked to criminal activities, or would be involved in the actions” of the Aragua Train.

At the end of January, US President Donald Trump sent his special representative Richard Grenell to Caracas, where he met with Maduro – invested by the Chavista National Assembly (AN, Parliament) for a third term, after his questioned re-election in 2024 – after which the release of six Americans detained in the country was announced and that Venezuela would accept deported migrants.

International

Maduro urges UN to intervene for venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador

Nicolás Maduro, who was sworn in for a third term in January following his controversial re-election, urged United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk to intervene on behalf of Venezuelan migrants detained in El Salvador after being deported from the United States.

During a broadcast on the state-run Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Maduro claimed these Venezuelans were “kidnapped”, forcibly disappeared, and held in “concentration camps.”

He also criticized U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for failing to release the list of migrants deported on March 16, who were allegedly accused of belonging to the transnational gang Tren de Aragua, which originated in a Venezuelan prison.

“Reports say there are 238 Venezuelans kidnapped in prisons, in concentration camps, in El Salvador. A week after they were taken and thrown into these camps, neither the U.S. government nor Nayib Bukele have published the list of those they have kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro stated, calling it a “forced disappearance.”

International

Canada updates U.S. travel advisory amid immigration policy changes

In a coordinated action with several European allies, Canada has updated its travel advisory for citizens visiting the United States, citing changes in immigration policies and law enforcement under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Finland have issued similar warnings, highlighting stricter border screenings, tighter visa restrictions, and new federal guidelines that particularly affect transgender and non-binary travelers.

These advisories reflect growing diplomatic concerns over how the recent U.S. policy shifts are impacting foreign visitors, especially tourists and long-term travelers. Additionally, this marks a rare instance in which multiple NATO allies publicly warn their citizens about travel to the United States.

International

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to meet with Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum on friday

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem will meet with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum next Friday.

According to statements made to Fox News, the Trump administration official will travel this week to El Salvador, Colombia, and Mexico.

On Wednesday, Noem is scheduled to meet with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, with whom she will tour the mega-prison built to detain gang members in the country.

On Thursday, she will visit Colombia, where she will hold talks with President Gustavo Petro and top law enforcement officials.

On Friday, Noem will be in Mexico, where she is expected to meet with President Claudia Sheinbaum and Foreign Affairs Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente.