DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Nicaragua's Miss Universe franchise owner accused of conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Miss Australia Moraya Wilson, Miss Puerto Rico Karla Guilfu, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Thailand Anntonia Porsild and Miss Colombia Camila Avella the top five finalists, take part in the 72nd Miss Universe pageant in San Salvador November 18, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDec 2 (Reuters) - Nicaraguan police late on Friday charged the owner of the local Miss Universe franchise with conspiracy, money laundering and spreading fake news, just weeks after the Central American nation's first victory in the pageant. Authorities have accused Karen Celebertti, director of the Miss Nicaragua franchise, her husband and son with conspiracy against the government, according to a statement issued by the national police. Celebertti's local Miss Universe organization has been used to "turn pageants into political traps and political ambushes, financed by foreign agents," the police statement said. Nicaragua's Sheynnis Palacios won the title of Miss Universe on Nov. 18, becoming the first Central American to wear the crown.

Persons: Moraya Wilson, Miss Puerto Rico Karla Guilfu, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios, Miss Thailand Anntonia Porsild, Colombia Camila Avella, Jose Cabezas, Karen Celebertti, Celebertti, Nicaragua's Sheynnis Palacios, Palacios, Ismael Lopez, Toby Chopra Organizations: Miss, Miss Nicaragua, 72nd Miss Universe, REUTERS, Nicaraguan police, Miss Universe, Central American, Reuters, Authorities, Central, Nicaraguans, Police, Inter, American, Human Rights, Thomson Locations: Miss Puerto, Miss Thailand, San Salvador, Miss Nicaragua, Nicaragua, Central American, New York

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaraguan police said Friday they want to arrest the director of the Miss Nicaragua pageant, accusing her of intentionally rigging contests so that anti-government beauty queens would win the pageants as part of a plot to overthrow the government. It all started Nov. 18, when Miss Nicaragua, Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition. Ortega claimed the protests were an attempted coup with foreign backing, aiming for his overthrow. It didn't help that many ordinary Nicaraguans — who are largely forbidden to protest or carry the national flag in marches — took advantage of the Miss Universe win as a rare opportunity to celebrate in the streets. Palacios, who became the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe, has not commented on the situation.

Persons: Karen Celebertti, James Bond, Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios, Daniel Ortega, Palacios, Ortega, Nicaraguans, Celebertti “, Celebertti, ”, —, “, Palacio's, Lady Rosario Murillo, Palacios ’, ” Murillo Organizations: MEXICO CITY, —, Miss, Facebook, National Police, Sandinista, Jesuit University of Central, Nicaraguan Locations: MEXICO, Miss Nicaragua, Jesuit University of Central America, Nicaragua

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Lawyer Isabel Lazo’s jobs are being systematically canceled by Nicaragua’s increasingly repressive government. Lazo worked at a university before the government of President Daniel Ortega closed it. The couple lives in the northern city of Somoto, where Isabel Lazo now works for a European-backed NGO. Lazo said Thursday she is worried that it's only a matter of time for the group where she now works. She has wanted to emigrate for some time, but she helps her family by giving them some of what little money she earns.

Persons: Isabel Lazo’s, Nicaragua’s, Lazo, Daniel Ortega, Elizabeth Zechmeister, Guillermo Lazo, Ortega, Isabel Lazo, ”, ” Lazo, Rosemary Miranda, Miranda, ” Miranda Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Democracy, University of Northern, Roman Catholic, Nicaraguan, Cross, Jesuit, University of Central Locations: MEXICO, “, Americas, University of Northern Nicaragua, Somoto, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nicaraguan, University of Central America, Managua

WASHINGTON (AP) — As record numbers of migrants surge at the southern U.S. border, many seeking asylum, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has told Congress the country's “broken” immigration system is in need of a top-to-bottom update. It comes as Mayorkas, the face of the administration’s immigration policy, bears down the threat of impeachment proceedings from House Republicans over what they view as failed border policies. “We’re at a point for three years we’ve been saying, ‘When are we going to secure the country? On Wednesday, House Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP senators behind closed doors that he needs real border security changes as part of Biden's broader war funding package. During recent hearings, Mayorkas told Congress the administration is working to manage the situation, even as Congress has failed to update the immigration system for decades.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, “ We’re, ”, Republican Sen, James Lankford of, “, we’ve, Vladimir Putin's, Vanessa Cárdenas, Biden's, Thom Tillis, Mike Johnson, Chuck Schumer, Johnson, Mitch McConnell, ” “, ‘ We’re, ’ ” Schumer, they’ve, Donald Trump, Mayorkas, Sen, Alex Padilla, Dick Durbin of, Elliot Spagat, Seung Min Kim Organizations: WASHINGTON, Homeland, Republicans, House Republicans, Republican, Democrats, Eisenhower, Cato Institute, Congress, Defense Department, GOP, Associated Press, COVID, Capitol, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Press Locations: U.S, Ukraine, Israel, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Congress, North Carolina, Alex Padilla of California, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua's increasingly isolated and repressive government thought it had scored a rare public relations victory last week when Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios won the Miss Universe competition. Ordinary Nicaraguans — who are largely forbidden to protest or carry the national flag in marches — took advantage of the Saturday night Miss Universe win as a rare opportunity to celebrate in the streets. Palacios' victory — along with photos she posted on Facebook in 2018 of herself participating in the protests — overjoyed Nicaragua's opposition. Thousands have fled into exile since Nicaraguan security forces violently put down mass anti-government protests in 2018. Palacios, who became the first Nicaraguan to win Miss Universe, has not commented on the situation.

Persons: —, Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios, Daniel Ortega's, Palacios, Nicaraguans —, Nicaragua's, Silvio Báez, ” Báez, Lady Rosario Murillo, “, ” Murillo, Ortega, Ortega's Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Miss Nicaragua, Miss, Sandinista, Facebook, Jesuit University of Central, Nicaraguan Locations: MEXICO, North Korea, Jesuit University of Central America, Nicaragua, America, Caribbean

BAJO CHIQUITO, Panama (AP) — Rain-swollen rivers only briefly slowed the otherwise uninterrupted flow of migrants through this jungle-covered border area separating Colombia and Panama and by midweek another 2,000 bedraggled migrants stumbled out of the Darien jungle. That efficiency combined with the unrelenting economic factors pushing migrants to leave countries like Venezuela, whose citizens account for the majority of them, have resulted in more than 400,000 migrants crossing the Darien this year. They made the crossing from Colombia in 2 ½ days, but Morales described it as “horrible.”“I don’t wish it for anyone. Morales said she saw three dead migrants along the way, including a woman who had apparently drowned in a river. In April, the U.S., Panama and Colombia announced a campaign to slow migration through the Darien jungle, but migrants’ numbers have only grown forcing the Biden administration to seek other options.

Persons: Alejandro Mayorkas, Kimberly Morales, Morales, ”, ” Morales, Biden, Gabriela Quijada, dizzily, “, Carliomar, …, ” Peña, Peña Organizations: U.S, . Homeland, Chiquito, Panama “, Colombian, U.S . Homeland Security Department, Bajo Chiquito Wednesday Locations: CHIQUITO, Panama, Colombia, Darien, Bajo Chiquito, Venezuela, Mexico, States, Costa Rica, Caracas, Panamanian, U.S, Latin America, United States, Bajo, Margarita, Merida

☆ As Mexico cracks down on migrants, AMLO gains leverage with Washington
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( David Shortell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

And right now that leverage is around migration,” said Andrew Selee, the president of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Members of the Mexican National Guard stand on the border between Mexico and Guatemala to prevent the crossing of migrant caravans on October 21, 2022. “The Mexico southern border pretty much was the US southern border,” Meyer said. “What we are looking for is to reach an agreement to confront the migration phenomenon by addressing the causes,” López Obrador said at a news conference. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to travel to Mexico this week along with other cabinet secretaries and meet with López Obrador.

Persons: Biden, ”, Andrew Selee, Stringer, George W, Bush, Vicente Fox, Maureen Meyer, ” Meyer, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, Donald Trump, López Obrador, Alicia Bárcena, Bárcena, ” López Obrador, Elizabeth Sherwood, Randall, Antony Blinken, ” Selee, Lopez Obrador, “ López, Arturo Sarukhán, López Obrador’s, Critics, Ned Price, Blinken, ” Price, ” Sarukhán, “, ‘ Organizations: Mexico City CNN, Ciudad, Mexican, Institute, Mexican National Guard, Getty, Washington Office, US, Washington, CNN, Bloomberg, United Nations, Refugees, Mexican Supreme, State Department, White Locations: Mexico, Washington, Guatemala, AFP, Central America, Caribbean, America, United States, Honduras, El Salvador, Ecuador, Venezuela, Colombia, El Paso , Texas, Nicaragua, Cuba, Costa Rica, Mexican

The U.S. State Department considers Tamaulipas, where the two cities are located, to be the most dangerous state along the U.S.-Mexico border. Tens of thousands of people a day are competing for 1,450 slots, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). U.S. authorities temporarily suspended CBP One appointments in June in another Tamaulipas border city, Nuevo Laredo, due to "extortion and kidnapping concerns," the official said. Juan Rodriguez, head of the Tamaulipas migrant services agency, said the agency was "attentive" to the issue. Additional reporting by Jackie Botts in Mexico City, Daniel Becerril in Reynosa and Matamoros, and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco.

Persons: Wong, Luis Miranda, Joe Biden's, Biden, Bertha Bermúdez Tapia, Miranda, Olivia Lemus, Lemus, Juan Rodriguez, Laura Gottesdiener, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Beth Solomon, Jackie Botts, Daniel Becerril, Kristina Cooke, Mary Milliken, Suzanne Goldenberg Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, U.S . Department of Homeland Security, U.S . State Department, New Mexico State University, Gulf Cartel, Northeast, U.S . Customs, Border Protection, CBP, DHS, Biden, The U.S . State Department, Carolina, Thomson Locations: U.S, Mexico, New Jersey, REYNOSA, Mexican, Reynosa, Venezuela, Carolina, Matamoros, Tamaulipas, United States, Washington, Nuevo Laredo, Central, Northern Mexico, Chicago, The, Honduran, Venezuelan, New York City, Mexico City, San Francisco

That's in addition to about 242,700 Venezuelans who already qualified for temporary status before Wednesday's announcement. Venezuelans who arrive in the U.S. after July 31 of this year will not be eligible for the protection. The city is currently paying to house about 60,000 newly arrived migrants. But Adams on Wednesday praised the decision to grant protections to Venezuelans and thanked the administration for listening to the city's concerns. The administration also said Wednesday it was also using Defense Department forces to support Homeland Security staff on the border.

Persons: —, Biden, That's, Alejandro Mayorkas, Joe Biden, Kathy Hochul, Eric Adams, Adams, Tom Schmerber, ___ Spagat, Valerie Gonzalez Organizations: WASHINGTON, Democratic, Homeland Security Department, Homeland, New York Gov, Maverick, Defense Department, Homeland Security, National Guard, Customs Locations: American, U.S, Mexico, Venezuela, Latin America, United States, Panama, New York , Massachusetts, Chicago, New York, Eagle, Rio Grande, Texas, Maverick County, —, San Diego, McAllen , Texas

☆ Mexico working with U.S. on refugee plan for migrants in southern Mexico
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, July 26 (Reuters) - Mexico and the United States are working on a plan to process migrants in southern Mexico, encompassing Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans, Mexico's incoming foreign minister Alicia Barcena said on Wednesday. She said Mexico was looking to set up an "international space" offering "multiple services" for migrants from the four countries who remained in Mexico after COVID-era curbs at the U.S. southern border ended in May. Asked about Barcena's comments, a Mexican official told Reuters that talks were still ongoing with the U.S. It would allow qualifying migrants approved for refugee status to enter via the U.S. refugee resettlement program, which is only available to applicants abroad, sources told Reuters. Unlike most migrants who claim asylum after entering the U.S., refugees receive immediate work authorization and government benefits such as housing and employment assistance.

Persons: Alicia Barcena, Barcena, López Obrador, Joe Biden's, Daina Beth Solomon, Dave Graham, Adriana Barrera, Alison Williams Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Reuters, U.S, Thomson Locations: MEXICO, Mexico, United States, U.S, Mexican

REUTERS/Daniel Becerril/File PhotoWASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY, July 2 (Reuters) - U.S. and Mexican officials are discussing a new U.S. refugee program for some non-Mexican asylum seekers waiting in Mexico, four sources said, part of President Joe Biden's attempts to create more legal avenues for migration. The program would likely be open to Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan refugees in Mexico, the sources said. Under another Biden program, Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans can request to enter the U.S. by air if they have U.S. sponsors. The initiative under discussion would be a "Priority Two" refugee program, the sources said, similar to one opened for Afghans in 2021. If the program encourages more migrants to enter Mexico, it could tax the country's already-strained resources for dealing with migrants, the official said.

Persons: Daniel Becerril, Joe Biden's, Biden, Alicia Barcena, Ted Hesson, Dave Graham, Daina Beth Solomon, Kristina Cooke, Mica Rosenberg, Mary Milliken, Grant McCool Organizations: REUTERS, MEXICO CITY, Haitian, Nicaraguan, U.S, Biden, BIDEN, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, WASHINGTON, MEXICO, U.S, Mexican, Cuban, Latin America, Caribbean, America, Washington, Mexico City, San Francisco

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The United States will extend deportation relief and work permits through 2025 for more than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal but will not expand the program to cover additional people, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Tuesday. Biden's Democratic administration is rescinding Trump's earlier decisions as part of the process of extending the relief for immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal. The latest decision by the Biden administration will allow TPS renewals for 239,000 Salvadorans who have resided in the U.S. since 2001. Hundreds of thousands of immigrants from El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua living in the U.S. illegally will not be covered by the TPS extension since they arrived after the cutoff dates. Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; Editing by Mica Rosenberg, Aurora Ellis, Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Donald Trump, rescinding, Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden, Eric Adams, Ted Hesson, Mica Rosenberg, Aurora Ellis, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: U.S . Department of Homeland Security, TPS, Democratic, New York City, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: United States, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Nepal, U.S, Mexico, Washington

☆ Nicaragua dissident Felix Maradiaga and Berta Valle on fighting for justice and family life
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Melissa Mahtani | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Many were accused of treason or involvement in “illicit activities” for having contact with foreign journalists or human rights’ organizations that the Ortega regime views as a threat. He gave me, for example, the name of our international human rights lawyer, Jared Genser, who became my angel through all of this. Both spoke at the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy in May, where Maradiaga was awarded the 2023 Courage Award. Those Nicaraguans who only are asking for the protection of basic human rights and human dignity. “After all this work that we do as human rights defenders, there’s a private life that also has to be taken care of.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Felix Maradiaga, –, Maradiaga, Berta Valle, Berta, I’m, Washington ’, ”, “, Félix, Daniel Ortega –, Ortega, ” Maradiaga, ‘, ’ Maradiaga, Daniel Ortega, Ned Price, ” Price, Valle, Jared Genser, It’s, he’s, “ It’s, Alejandra, ” Valle, Nicaragua –, I’ve, that’s, Pope Francis, Adolf Hitler, Vladimir Kara, Murza, pic.twitter.com, —, there’s Organizations: CNN, State Department, Nicaraguan, Geneva, Human Rights, Democracy, US State Department, Dulles International Airport, UN, Oslo Freedom, Catholic Church, Central American, National Assembly of Locations: United States, Valle, Nicaragua, Washington, Miami, American, Nicaraguan, Oslo, National Assembly of Nicaragua, China, Hong Kong, Venezuela, Cuba, Afghanistan, Ukraine, “

☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

The number of migrants caught crossing the border illegally since Title 42 ended on Friday dropped sharply from highs last week, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official Blas Nunez-Neto said on a call with reporters. Nunez-Neto said migrants crossing illegally "now face tougher consequences at the border, including a minimum five-year bar on reentry and the potential to be criminally prosecuted if they try again." Title 42 allowed U.S. authorities to expel migrants to Mexico or other countries without the chance to request U.S. asylum. The Biden administration has also expanded legal pathways that allow more people to enter the U.S. without crossing illegally, including the CBP One appointments and applications available abroad for humanitarian parole and refugee status. The number of migrants caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally dropped to an average of 5,000 per day since Title 42 ended, down from daily highs of over 10,000 last week, Nunez-Neto said, cautioning that the situation "is very fluid."

Migrants trying to cross the border can… Get appointment at border checkpoint Seek humanitarian parole Cross border illegally Few nationalities qualify. ‘Transit ban’ Almost everybody Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.? ‘Transit ban’ Can you show you’ve already been denied asylum in another country on your way to the U.S.?

☆ Biden to take unprecedented measures to manage the border but concerns remain over end of Title 42
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —The Biden administration is rolling out unprecedented measures intended to levy consequences against migrants who cross the border unlawfully in the wake of Title 42’s expiration this week. But, officials concede, the high number of border arrests in the coming days will still pose a steep challenge. “This is a really unprecedented moment in the Americas,” a senior administration official said Tuesday. But senior administration officials stress the actions are necessary to encourage people to use lawful pathways to come to the US. When asked by CNN Tuesday what measures authorities are taking to drive down in-custody numbers, the senior administration official said officials are working closely with NGOs and have expanded transportation contracts.

☆ US to continue humanitarian program after Title 42 end date - joint statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, May 2 (Reuters) - The United States will continue to accept migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela under a humanitarian program after May 11, when the COVID-19 health policy known as Title 42 is set to end, the U.S. and Mexican governments said on Tuesday. Mexico, for its part, will continue accepting back migrants returned to Mexico on humanitarian grounds, the two countries said in a joint statement. The statement also said the United States would accept some 100,000 people from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras under a family reunification program announced last week, but did not give a time frame for that number. The statement came after Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador met with White House Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall on Tuesday to discuss migration ahead Title 42's impending end. Tuesday's announcement indicates that a humanitarian parole program providing legal migration pathways for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans will continue after Title 42's end.

☆ Mexico's Haitian asylum seekers lack access to basic resources, says IRC
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Sarah Morland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, April 27 (Reuters) - More than nine in 10 Haitians seeking asylum in Mexico lack the resources to cover basic necessities such as food, shelter and medical care, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) aid group said on Thursday. More than seven in 10 said they struggled to access reliable information in Haitian Creole, particularly about legal pathways to migration and their rights in Mexico. Language barriers, as discrimination and lack of space made accessing shelters difficult, the IRC said, causing many migrants to live on the streets or in makeshift camps. IRC Mexico director Rafael Velasquez noted that Mexico played a key role as migrants crossed the country in the hopes of reaching the United States. Although migrants generally consider areas in south and central Mexico relatively safe, this was not the case at the country's northern border, Velasquez added.

☆ Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Miriam Jordan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In adopting the programs for Latin Americans, the Biden administration was responding to widespread criticism over the chaotic situation on the southern border, which last year saw 1.5 million unauthorized crossings. The new parole programs are temporary — most expire after two years, unless they are renewed — but they already are changing the nature of immigrant arrivals. As a result, many have wound up in shelters in cities like New York, which has struggled to accommodate them. Employers with worker shortages are welcoming the arrivals as an important new labor pool. Average weekly apprehensions declined to 46 in late February from 1,231 in early January, when some of the parole measures were announced.

☆ Nicaragua withdraws approval of EU ambassador to country
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MEXICO CITY, April 18 (Reuters) - Nicaragua has withdrawn its approval of the European Union's ambassador to the country, the Central American nation's foreign ministry said Tuesday, after an EU statement calling for a "return to the rule of law" in Nicaragua. In a statement, the foreign ministry said the decision was due to the "interventionist, daring and insolent" position from the EU on Nicaragua. Nicaragua's foreign ministry accused the EU of "crimes against humanity," without citing evidence. It said it "will not receive" the EU's nominee for ambassador to the country, Fernando Ponz. Ponz was nominated for the role after Nicaragua declared the previous ambassador to the country, Bettina Muscheidt, "persona non grata" in September.

REUTERS/Marco Bello/File PhotoWASHINGTON, April 10 (Reuters) - The United States and Cuba will hold another round of migration talks on Wednesday, officials said, as the Biden administration braces for the end of COVID-era border restrictions that have blocked Cubans in recent months from crossing into the U.S. from Mexico. This week's meeting "represents a continuation of our long engagement with Cuba on migration matters as neighboring states and is limited to the topic of migration," a U.S. State Department official said on Monday. "Ensuring safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration between Cuba and the United States remains a primary interest of the United States, consistent with our interest in fostering family reunification, and promoting greater respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in Cuba," the State Department official said on condition of anonymity. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested 176 Cubans at the southwest border in February, down from nearly 43,000 in December. The restrictions, known as Title 42, allow U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek U.S. asylum.

☆ Spain offers freed Nicaraguans citizenship after move to make them stateless
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Kevin LamarqueMADRID/MANAGUA, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The Spanish government offered citizenship to more than 200 Nicaraguan political prisoners who were freed and flown to the United States on Thursday, Spain's top diplomat said on Friday. Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares made the announcement to Servimedia news agency, following the surprise release of 222 Nicaraguan prisoners later expelled to the United States. After their release, lawmakers loyal to authoritarian President Daniel Ortega voted to strip them of their Nicaraguan citizenship, which could thwart plans to return home someday. He added that Spain stood ready to receive others, noting that Madrid's decision had been made "after news reports that proceedings had begun to declare them stateless." Spanish authorities will reach out to the prisoners, who were allowed into the United States under a temporary humanitarian visa, so they can formally apply for citizenship.

☆ Factbox: Who was freed in Nicaragua's surprise political prisoners release?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Cristiana Chamorro and Pedro Joaquin ChamorroCristiana Chamorro was placed under house arrest in 2021, just as she was leading Ortega in polls to unseat him as president at elections. Her brother Pedro Joaquin Chamorro was also arrested and jailed the same month, according to newspaper La Prensa. Arturo CruzAn academic who was Nicaragua's ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2009, Cruz was arrested in 2021 after returning to Managua from Washington. Like Mairena, he was arrested in 2021 over accusations of crimes during the 2018 protests. On Thursday, he declined to board the plane to Washington, preferring to stay home instead, one of only two prisoners to do so.

☆ Mexico opposes restart of U.S. 'Remain in Mexico' immigration policy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Kylie Madry | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MEXICO CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The Mexican government said on Monday it is opposed to a possible restart of the U.S. immigration policy known as "Remain in Mexico" which required asylum seekers to wait for U.S. hearings in Mexico. President Joe Biden has sought to end the program, which had been introduced by the Trump administration and is currently suspended. Activists argue the policy, officially called Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), leaves migrants in dangerous border cities where they face threats of kidnapping and extortion. Some 74,000 migrants went through Mexico under the program when former President Donald Trump was in power, the foreign ministry said. Marsha Espinosa, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement to Reuters on Monday that the Biden Administration will keep trying to terminate MPP through the courts.

Search resuls for: "Nicaraguans"

25 mentions found