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☆ Losing Hope, Venezuelans Vow to Leave Their Country if Maduro Wins
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Julie Turkewitz | Adriana Loureiro Fernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A young opposition activist planning to trek through seven countries and a perilous jungle to reach the United States. For thousands of Venezuelans, the decision to remain or flee their homeland depends on a single date: July 28. If the country’s authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, declares victory, they say they will go. “Everyone says the same thing,” said Leonela Colmenares, 28, the opposition activist. “If Maduro wins, they are leaving.”

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, ”, Leonela Colmenares Locations: United States

☆ Why a fair election in Venezuela could influence the fate of millions of migrants – and Joe Biden
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-14 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

A 27-year-old single mother from Valencia, Alvarez left Venezuela in 2017 when her son Gabriel was only one. We are all abroad: uncles, aunts, cousins… only my mom and my dad, and one of my brothers remain in Venezuela,” Alvarez told CNN. Alvarez and many other migrants in Bogota, think similarly: “Maduro can only win the election if he steals it. Gaby Oraa/ReutersWhat it means for AmericaIt’s the fate of migrants like Alvarez and millions of others like her that are making this such a closely watched election. Dib estimates that up to two million more migrants could be on the move by next year.

Persons: Barrio Hugo Chavez, Maria Alvarez, Alvarez, Gabriel, haven’t, … I’ve, …, ” Alvarez, “, ”, Christian Monterrosa, Nicolas Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez, Maduro, Maria Corina Machado, Gonzalez, Laura Dib, I’d, Endel Gonzalez, Gaby Oraa, Joe Biden, Jose Raul Mulino, Brandon Bell, Biden, Jorge Rodriguez, Washington, ” Dib, there’s Organizations: CNN, Barrio, United Nations, Venezuela –, Getty, US State Department, Venezuelan, Carter Center, UN, Washington Office, Latin America, US Customs, Border Patrol, Democratic, Migrants, State Department Locations: Venezuela, Bogota, Colombia, Municipal, Valencia, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, El Paso , Texas, Ciudad Juarez , Chihuahua, Mexico, AFP, Washington, Caracas, Maduro, Maracaibo, Carabobo State, United States, Panama, Central America, Northern Mexico, Peru, Rio Grande, China, Russia, Iran, Trump

☆ They Fled Oppression at Home, but It Followed Them Abroad
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The line outside the Venezuelan Consulate in Madrid stretched down the block. Pregnant women, families with small children, older people and those with disabilities arrived as early as 4 a.m. — five hours before the office opened — trying to register to vote in Venezuela’s highly anticipated presidential election. Adriana Rodríguez, 47, who left Venezuela in 2018, showed up at 8 a.m., two days in a row. Both times, she waited four hours before reaching the front of the line, only to be turned away, she said, always with the same explanation: “They could not register any more people.”With Venezuela’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, trailing badly in polls ahead of the July 28 vote, the government has imposed stringent rules making registering to vote nearly impossible for millions of Venezuelans living abroad, including in the United States, Spain and Latin American countries.

Persons: Venezuela’s, Adriana Rodríguez, Nicolás Locations: Venezuelan, Madrid, Venezuela, United States, Spain

☆ 5,000 Miles, 8 Countries: The Path to the U.S. Through One Family’s Eyes
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-08 | by ( Luis Ferré-Sadurní | Juan Arredondo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +21 min

With three children and a dog, the Aguilar Ortega family trekked through the jungle, hopped freight trains and toured Times Square. Millions of Venezuelans like the Aguilar Ortega family have fled economic misery and political repression in their homeland as it descended into turmoil. “The kids want to go to New York,” Mr. Aguilar said in Spanish as he stood by his tent in Mexico City. Mr. Aguilar created hiding places for their cash, using toenail clippers to cut small openings into Hayli’s jacket and Josué’s pants. She called Ms. Ortega to check in, and learned of the family’s setup.

Persons: Aguilar Ortega, trekked, Miles, — Hayli, Samuel, Henry Aguilar, Leivy Ortega, Eric Adams, Biden, Aguilar, Ms, Ortega, Donna, ” Mr, ”, COLOMBIA Samuel, Hayli, Nicolás Maduro, It’s, Mr, selfies, “, Josué, Donna meandered, patted, Aguilar Ortegas, Aguilar’s, weren’t, “ It’s, Rafael García, “ Papi, Ortega’s, Floyd Bennett, Simón, Floyd Bennett Field, “ I’ve, I’m, Maria Cardona, ” Ms, Cardona, Amy Swan, Ray Swan, Swan Organizations: New York Times, U.S ., The Times, GAP, MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, Central America, CIUDAD, Times, United, Venezuela’s, Roman Catholic Church, New York, La Guardia Airport, Delta, Roosevelt, Queens, Honda, Facebook Locations: Mexico City, Latin America, Venezuelan, New York City, New York, U.S, United States, Venezuela, “, COLOMBIA, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, la, ”, ” PANAMA, MEXICO, Guatemala, Mexico, earshot, Central, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, CIUDAD JUÁREZ, Ciudad Juárez, Texas, Juárez, Mexican, Rio Grande . Texas, Rio Grande, Cuba, Haiti, El Paso , Texas, El Paso, PASO , TEXAS, York, La, Michigan, Santa Claus, Manhattan, Spanish, MANHATTAN, BROOKLYN, Brooklyn, Simón Bolivar, Spain, Jamaica, MIDDLETOWN, CONN, Middletown, Conn, Connecticut

☆ Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia: Meet the quiet, bird-loving grandfather taking on strongman Maduro in Venezuela’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

But most analysts agree Gonzalez represents the best chance that Venezuela’s political opposition has had to dislodge Maduro from power since 2013. But amnesty for outgoing officials could be on the table, Gonzalez told CNN en Español. “Edmundo is a public servant, he knows there cannot be any revenge [against the government],” Eickhoff told CNN. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Venezuela's new opposition candidate, feeds birds at his home in Caracas on Wednesday, April 24. “It’s time for the big Venezuelan family to come together once more,” he told CNN en Español.

Persons: Hugo Chavez, Nicolas Maduro, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, Gonzalez, – Maria Corina Machado, Corina Yoris –, “, ”, Maduro, Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Reuters Gonzalez, he’s, CNN En, Juan Guaido, ” Gonzalez, ” Gonzalez’s, Mariana, –, Jesus Vargas, won’t, Sadio Garavini, Tullio, Chavez, “ Edmundo, he’ll, ” Garavini, George Eickhoff, Konrad Adenauer, ” Eickhoff, Machado, Edmundo, Gaby Oraa, Venezuela's, Gonzalez’s Organizations: CNN, Democratic, Maduro, European Union, Reuters, “, Wednesday, Bloomberg, Getty, Real Madrid football Locations: Venezuela, Venezuela’s, Venezuelan, Algeria, Argentina, United States, Barbados, Washington, Caracas, Hague, German, Spain

☆ Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Vote: What to Know
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Genevieve Glatsky | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

For the past 25 years Venezuela’s government has been controlled by Chavismo, the socialist movement that began with the democratic election of Hugo Chávez in 1998 and has since grown more authoritarian. When Mr. Chávez died in 2013 his protégé Nicolás Maduro narrowly won the presidency. Venezuela’s economy imploded nearly a decade ago, prompting one of the world’s largest displacements in Latin American history. The flow of Venezuelans and other migrants to the United States has become a dominant theme in the U.S. presidential campaign. This is the first Venezuelan election in more than a decade in which an opposition candidate has a reasonable — if slim and improbable — chance at winning.

Persons: Hugo Chávez, Chávez, Nicolás Maduro Organizations: Chavismo, U.S Locations: United States

☆ Venezuela expands military buildup at Guyana border in ‘dangerous game,’ says report
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Venezuela continues to build up military infrastructure and hardware close to the border with Guyana as President Nicolas Maduro and his supporters scale up their threats to annex an oil-rich piece of Guyanese land. Guyana had called the move a step towards annexation and an “existential” threat as the specter of armed conflict loomed over the region. Using satellite imagery and social media, CSIS found that the expansion of Anacoco Island’s military base has continued. Maduro could ‘fall victim to own rhetoric’The threats to Guyana have concerned its partners. “Thus, one of the most concerning possibilities is that Maduro will fall victim to his own rhetoric.

Persons: Nicolas Maduro, “, ” Ryan Berg Organizations: CNN, Strategic, International Studies, Venezuelan, US Navy, Americas, CSIS Locations: Venezuela, Guyana, Washington, Venezuelan, Essequibo, Punta Barima, arm’s, Essequibo ”, Guyanese, Georgetown, Idaho

☆ Can Elections Force Venezuela’s Authoritarian Leader From Power?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-11 | by ( Julie Turkewitz | Adriana Loureiro Fernandez | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The stakes could hardly be higher. This July, for the first time in more than a decade, Venezuelans will vote in a presidential election with an opposition candidate who has a fighting — if slim and improbable — chance at winning. Amid an economic and democratic crisis that has led more than seven million Venezuelans to abandon the country — considered among the world’s largest displacements — Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian president, has done something few thought he would: allowed an opposition candidate with widespread support to appear on the ballot. Though largely unknown, the challenger is leading in several polls, underscoring how many Venezuelans are hungry for change.

Persons: Maduro

The day Edmundo González was plucked from obscurity and chosen to take on South America’s longest ruling authoritarian leader, technicians were busy making sure his home was not wiretapped. “This was not in our plans,” his wife, Mercedes López de González, said in an interview that day in April in their apartment in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. Not long ago, Mr. González, 74, was a retired diplomat and grandfather of four with no political aspirations. He kept busy writing academic papers, speaking at conferences and taking his grandchildren to haircuts and music lessons. Now, many Venezuelans have placed their hopes in him to end years of repressive rule as he challenges President Nicolás Maduro, who has held power since 2013, in elections scheduled in late July.

Persons: Edmundo González, ”, Mercedes López de González, González, Nicolás Maduro Locations: Caracas, Venezuela

☆ Murders, imprisonment and violence: Threats to press freedom grow in Latin America
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Esteban Campanela | Sol Amaya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

These are just the tip of the iceberg of the challenges faced by many media workers in Latin America, where experts say the status of press freedom is increasingly worrisome. The Prosecutor’s Office confirmed in a press conference that they believed the crime was linked to his journalistic work. Last week, the Mexican president criticized the US State Department’s report on human rights in the world, which refers to concerns over press freedom in Mexico, saying that US authorities should “be respectful”. In a publication in social network X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said US officials are not concerned about the human rights of Cubans and that the United States has its own human rights violations. Nicaragua: Ortega-Murillo regime targets journalismHarassment of the press in Nicaragua has been widely reported on numerous occasions.

Persons: CNNE, Francisco Cobos, ”, Cobos, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, López Obrador, Enrique Peña Nieto, Felipe Calderón, Lourdes Maldonado López, Maldonado López, Séptimo Día, Roberto Figueroa, Xochitl Zamora, Lourdes Maldonado, Maldonado ´, Marco Ugarte, AP López Obrador, Andres Oppenheimer, Javier Milei, Lopez Obrador, Abraham Jimenez, Jimenez, civically, “, Miguel Diaz, Yamil Lage, Jiménez, Bruno Rodríguez, Ortega, Murillo, Juan Lorenzo Hollman Chamorro, Hollman Chamorro, Chamorro, Carlos Fernando Chamorro, Rosario Murillo, … provocateurs, Chávez, Vos, Chavez, ” Edgar López, López, Juan Pablo Lares, Maximiliano Bruzual, Ariana Cubillos, Nicolas, Maduro’s, Yván Gil, ” Jeannine Cruz, Gustavo Petro, Nayib Bukele, Gonzalo Zegarra, Rey Rodríguez, Manuela Castro, Ana María Cañizares, Ivonne, José Álvarez, Elvin Sandoval, Iván, Sarmenti, Español Organizations: CNN, Amnesty International, Protect Journalists, Univision, Televisa, Prosecutor’s, AP, CIA, Canel, Getty, Cuban Foreign, La Prensa, National Police, ”, El, Regional, Democracy, Nicaraguan, State Department, National College of Journalists, Venezuelan, TC Television, Communication, “ Locations: Mexico, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Latin America, Mexican, American, Tamaulipas, McAllen , Texas, Tijuana, Morelos, Tijuana , Mexico, Spain, Cuban, Havana, AFP, United States, Costa Rica, El Confidencial, Managua, NIcaragua, Sur, Washington, Venezuelan, “, Caracas, ”, Ecuador, Guayaquil, America, Argentina, Colombian

☆ New Migrants Get Work Permits. Other Undocumented Immigrants Want Them, Too.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Miriam Jordan | Lydia Depillis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sam Sanchez, a Chicago restaurateur, was incensed when President Biden announced last September that his administration would extend work eligibility to nearly half a million Venezuelans, many of them migrants who had recently crossed the border illegally. What about his undocumented employees like Ruben, a Mexican father of two U.S.-born children who has been in the United States since 1987, and Juan, another Mexican worker, who has trained dozens of new hires at Moe’s Cantina? “It’s offensive that my employees and other immigrants are being leapfrogged by new arrivals,” said Mr. Sanchez, who is on the board of the National Restaurant Association. Having built lives and families since entering the country unlawfully many years ago, they have been waiting for Congress to give them a path to work legally. “For those of us here a long time trying to do everything right, it’s just not fair that we are forgotten,” said Juan, 53, whose last name was withheld out of concern about his immigration status.

Persons: Sam Sanchez, Biden, Ruben, Juan, “, ”, Sanchez, it’s Organizations: National Restaurant Association Locations: Chicago, Mexican, United States, Moe’s

The group is now waiting in Mexico City to get an appointment so they can legally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. They are biding time in Mexico City until they have enough money for a phone so they can use CBP One. Mexico deported only about 429 Venezuelans during the first two months of 2024, meaning nearly all are waiting in Mexico. Many fear that venturing north of Mexico City will get them fleeced or returned to southern Mexico. She said they were robbed by Mexican officials and gangs and returned several times to southern Mexico.

Persons: it's, ” Daniel Ventura, Biden, —, Joe Biden, Andres Manuel López Obrador, ”, López Obrador, Yessica Gutierrez, “, Jose Alberto Uzcategui, Stephanie Brewer, Maria Victoria Colmenares, Colmenares, Alejandro Mayorkas, Torrealba, ___, Gonzalez, Rebecca Santana Organizations: MEXICO CITY, U.S, United, Migrants, Washington Office, CBP, . Homeland, Associated Press, Washington , D.C Locations: MEXICO, U.S, Colombia, Panama, Mexico, “, Darien, Fort Atkinson , Wisconsin, Guatemala, Venezuela, Ecuadorians, United States, Mexico City, Venezuelan, Trujillo, Panamanian, America, The U.S, Tijuana, San Diego, Matamoros, Brownsville , Texas, Nicaragua, Washington ,

☆ Jon Stewart says the Democrats have thrown values out the window in favor of fearmongering about migrants
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Kwan Wei Kevin Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

He also called out Democrats like New York City Mayor Eric Adams for engaging in fearmongering. AdvertisementWhen it comes to the border crisis, both the Republican and Democratic Parties are to blame, says Jon Stewart. Kathy Hochul of New York, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams voicing their support for immigration. Advertisement"We have no more room in this city," Adams said at a press conference in July 2023, per a clip Stewart played on "The Daily Show." Meanwhile, GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump has been celebrating the collapse of the Biden administration's bipartisan immigration bill.

Persons: Stewart, Eric Adams, —, Jon Stewart, didn't, Jon Stewart unpacks, Biden, Trump, Chuck Schumer, Kathy Hochul, Adams, Joe Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Democrats, New York City, Service, Republican, Democratic, Border Patrol Union, Daily, Gov, GOP, Washington Post, ABC, Biden, Trump Locations: New York, New, Southern, Washington, Mexico

A 26-year-old man charged with kidnapping and murdering a nursing student at the University of Georgia in Athens will remain in jail after he was denied bond at a hearing on Saturday, the authorities said. Ms. Riley, a student at nearby Augusta University and a former student at the University of Georgia, had been reported missing by friends after she did not return from a run. Mr. Ibarra, a resident of Athens who is not a U.S. citizen, migrated to the United States from Venezuela, the authorities said. That release, or parole, was a practice the administration used when officials were overwhelmed with high numbers of crossings. Some six million Venezuelans have fled their troubled country, the largest population displacement in Latin America’s modern history.

Persons: Jose Antonio Ibarra, Laken Riley, Jeffrey Clark, Riley, Ibarra Organizations: University of Georgia, Augusta University, Border Patrol Locations: Athens, U.S, United States, Venezuela

☆ ICE draft plan would release thousands of immigrants in order to cover budget shortfall
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —Immigration and Customs Enforcement has drafted contingency plans to cut detention capacity and release thousands of immigrants as a result, according to a source familiar with the plan. The draft plan comes as ICE faces a dire budget shortfall amid stalled congressional action on the White House supplemental request. President Joe Biden has repeatedly implored Congress to give him more resources to deal with the situation at the US-Mexico border, assigning blame on Republicans for not doing more. Over recent years, ICE has assisted Customs and Border Protection in its border mission as that agency is also overwhelmed. Homeland Security officials have attributed the decline to ongoing high-level talks between the US and Mexico, which has doubled down on enforcement, but caution that encounters historically drop in January before ticking up again.

Persons: Joe Biden, Mayorkas, ” Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, Troy Miller Organizations: Washington CNN — Immigration, Enforcement, ICE, White, Department of Homeland Security, GOP, impeaching, DHS –, The Washington Post, Administration, Homeland Security, CBP, Protection, Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration, US Border Patrol, DHS Locations: Mexico, Congress, Venezuela

WASHINGTON (AP) — Arrests for illegal crossings on the U.S. border with Mexico fell by half in January from record highs in December to the third lowest month of Joe Biden's presidency, authorities said Tuesday. Border Patrol arrests totaled 124,220 in January, down 50% from 249,735 in December, the highest monthly tally on record. Tucson, Arizona, was again the busiest sector for illegal crossings with 50,565 arrests, down 37% from December, followed by San Diego. Greg Abbott's border enforcement efforts, plummeted 76% from December to 16,712, the lowest since December 2021. The only months of Biden's presidency with fewer border arrests were in June 2023, after pandemic-related asylum restrictions lifted, and February 2021, his first full month in office.

Persons: Joe Biden's, Alejandro Mayorkas, Troy Miller, ” Miller, Greg Abbott's, Mayorkas Organizations: WASHINGTON, White, House Republicans, U.S . Homeland, U.S, U.S . Customs, Protection, Border Patrol, Texas Gov, Associated Press, didn’t Locations: U.S, Mexico, Panama, Darien, United States, Haiti, China, Ecuador, Colombia, Tucson , Arizona, San Diego, Del Rio, Eagle, Texas, Rio Grande Valley

☆ Analysis: Maduro’s immigration card could influence America’s election, not just Venezuela’s
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Let’s get united,” Maduro said. Banning Machado from running for president amounts to a repudiation of the agreement, both the opposition and the United States have claimed. “In response to anti-democratic actions by Maduro representatives, the United States has revoked sanctions relief for Venezuela’s gold sector. Venezuela has recently been cooperating with the United States to reduce illegal immigration by allowing removal flights. It’s also immigration and oil during an election year in the United States.

Persons: Voters don’t, Nicolás Maduro, Joe Biden, Biden, Hugo Chávez, Maduro, ” , Let’s, ” Maduro, María Corina Machado, Machado, Maria Corina Machado, Gaby Oraa, ”, ” Machado, Leopoldo López, Maduro’s, Brian Winter, there’s, “, ” Winter, John Moore, Banning Machado, Matthew Miller, Delcy Rodríguez, “ Maduro, It’s Organizations: CNN, Venezuelan, Voters, Socialist United Party of Venezuela, American, US, Venezuela’s, Justice, National Assembly, Bloomberg, Getty, Americas Quarterly, Immigrants, Border Patrol, Biden, US State Department, Twitter, State Department Locations: Venezuela, United States, Caracas, Madrid, Spain, Rio Grande, Eagle Pass , Texas, Barbados, Maduro, Mexico

When deportation flights from the United States to Venezuela resumed last fall after four years, it was a move meant to show that President Biden was aggressively tackling the record numbers of crossings at the U.S. southern border. The expulsions were also meant to deter other Venezuelans who might be considering the journey. But on Wednesday, for the second week in a row, U.S.-run flights to Venezuela carrying migrants did not depart as planned — a move that seems to be initiated by Venezuela. The Venezuelan government did not respond to repeated requests for comment about whether it was permanently halting the deportation flights, but a social media post by Venezuela’s vice president last month threatened to stop them after the United States reimposed some economic sanctions. Officials at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security confirmed that a flight scheduled last week and another scheduled Wednesday had both been canceled.

Persons: Biden Organizations: United, U.S . Department of Homeland Security Locations: United States, Venezuela, U.S, Venezuelan

☆ What the border security bill would and wouldn’t do
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The border bill also comes with a big budget – including large amounts of funding for enforcement. New emergency border restrictionsWhat’s proposed: Once illegal border crossings reach a certain threshold, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to exercise a new emergency authority that bars migrants, except unaccompanied minors, from crossing the border between ports of entry. Those who lose their asylum cases in immigration court can appeal to judges on the Board of Immigration Appeals. Video Ad Feedback GOP lawmaker on border bill: This is all gamesmanship 03:56 - Source: CNNGiven the growing chorus of criticism on both sides of the aisle weighing in just a day after its release, this latest border bill may very well be as “dead on arrival” as some lawmakers have claimed. But the bill has picked up some high-profile support from the National Border Patrol Council, the union that represents Border Patrol agents and has endorsed Trump in the past.

Persons: they’ve, That’s, Joe Biden, Donald Trump, —, ”, Muzaffar Chishti, Greg Chen, Chishti, “, Guillermo Arias, What’s, ” Amy Fischer, John Moore, it’s, Biden, Obama, Andrea Flores, ” Ben Johnson, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, Lauren Fox, Morgan Rimmer, Ted Barrett, Clare Foran Organizations: CNN, White, Republican, Institute, American Immigration Lawyers Association, DHS, Department of Homeland Security, Federation for American Immigration Reform, Border Patrol, Getty, Citizenship, Immigration Services, Immigration, Amnesty International, Congress, National Border Patrol Council, Trump, American Locations: Ukraine, Israel, harm’s, Mexico, Jacumba , California, U.S, Rio, El Paso , Texas, Kabul, United States, DACA

“It is necessary to conduct this operation unilaterally and without notifying Venezuelan officials,” reads the 15-page 2018 memo expanding “Operation Money Badger,” an investigation that authorities say targeted dozens of people, including Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Within weeks, senior DEA officials plotted to deploy at least three undercover informants to surreptitiously record top officials suspected of converting Venezuela into a narco state. And “to limit or mitigate the exposure of the unilateral activities,” the document advised DEA officials to protect their informants and curtail in-person meetings with targets. I think they figured they had nothing to lose.”RELEASED BY ACCIDENTThe Operation Money Badger memo was never intended to be made public. The DEA memo authorized three informants to secretly record undercover meetings with the targets.

Persons: –, ”, Nicolás Maduro, Maduro’s, Alex Saab, Wes Tabor, “ We’re, Maduro, “, Biden, ” Maduro, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Joe Biden, ” —, Evan Criddle, William & Mary, there’s, Mike Vigil, Manny Recio, John Costanzo Jr, Costanzo, ” Michael Nadler, Washington –, launderer, Jose Vielma, Hugo Chávez, Vielma’s, Luis Motta, Vielma, Motta, Motta’s, Zach Margulis, Hugo Carvajal, Jennifer Farrar Organizations: MIAMI, The Associated Press, U.S . Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, Justice, AP, CIA, State, Justice Department, U.S, Attorney’s, Democratic, Supreme, William &, Saab, Miami Field Division’s, IRS Locations: Venezuela, United States, U.S, America, Venezuelan, Miami, Manhattan, Russia, China, OPEC, Mexico, Virginia, “, Colombian, New York, Houston, Washington, Investigative@ap.org

☆ One Big Reason Migrants Are Coming in Droves: They Believe They Can Stay
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Miriam Jordan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Today, people from around the globe are streaming across the southern border, most of them just as eager to work. But rather than trying to elude U.S. authorities, the overwhelming majority of migrants seek out border agents, sometimes waiting hours or days in makeshift encampments, to surrender. In fact, it is a crucial step toward being able to apply for asylum — now the surest way for migrants to stay in the United States, even if few will ultimately win their cases. We are living in an era of mass migration — fueled by conflict, climate change, poverty and political repression and encouraged by the proliferation of TikTok and YouTube videos chronicling migrants’ journeys to the United States. Migrants from Africa, Asia and South America are mortgaging their family land, selling their cars or borrowing money from loan sharks to embark on long, often treacherous journeys to reach the United States.

Persons: — Organizations: Central, U.S . Border Patrol Locations: Mexico, Central America, U.S, Los Angeles, Atlanta, United States, Africa, Asia, South America

☆ How Guyana's big oil boom turned it into the world's fastest-growing economy
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-27 | by ( Anuz Thapa | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Guyana, a tiny South American nation home to more than 800,000 people, made big headlines in December. "What has happened is that it's been exacerbated by the discovery of oil (in Guyana)," said Dr. Terrence Blackman, founder and CEO at Guyana Business Journal. The 2015 oil discovery made Guyana the world's fastest-growing economy, recording the world's highest real GDP growth rate in 2022 and 2023. Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, but that hasn't stopped its economy from collapsing since Maduro took power in 2013. Watch the video above to dive deep into Guyana's oil economy, its ongoing escalation with Venezuela, what the country's oil means for the U.S. and more.

Persons: Nicolás Maduro, it's, Terrence Blackman, hasn't, Maduro, Venezuela doesn't, Valerie Marcel, Gregory Brew Organizations: Guyana Business, New Producers Group, Eurasia Group, U.S Locations: Guyana, American, Venezuela, Essequibo, United States, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. government and nearly 30 conservative world leaders on Saturday condemned the decision of Venezuela’s highest court to block the presidential candidacy of opposition leader María Corina Machado. “The United States is currently reviewing our Venezuela sanctions policy, based on this development and the recent political targeting of democratic opposition candidates and civil society,” U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement. Machado insisted throughout the campaign that she never received official notification of the ban and said voters, not ruling-party loyalists, were the rightful decision-makers of her candidacy. The ruling came more than three months after Maduro and the U.S.-backed opposition reached a deal to work on basic conditions for a fair election. The deal led Washington to ease some economic sanctions on Venezuela's oil, gas and mining sectors.

Persons: María Corina Machado, Biden, Nicolás Maduro, Matthew Miller, Machado, Miller, Justice “, Maduro, ” Gerardo Blyde, Emmanuel Macron, Luis Inácio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro —, Blyde, Maduro’s, Hector Rodríguez, ” Rodríguez, Machado “, Iván Duque, Mauricio Macri, Vicente Fox, Felipe Calderón, ” Organizations: Saturday, U.S . State Department, U.S, Justice, Democratic Initiative of Spain Locations: CARACAS, Venezuela, U.S, United States, Washington, Barbados, France, Brazil, Colombia, Americas, Venezuelan, Spain, Latin America, Iván Duque of Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela's

COLUMBIA, South Carolina (AP) — Bidding to salvage a border deal in Congress that also would unlock money for Ukraine, President Joe Biden offered fresh assurances Saturday night that he would be willing to close the U.S.-Mexico border if lawmakers would only send him a bill to sign. Biden — also eager to disarm GOP criticism of his handling of migration at the border — said at a political event in South Carolina that he would shut down the border ’“right now” if Congress passed the proposed deal. “It’ll also give me as president, the emergency authority to shut down the border until it could get back under control. If that bill were the law today, I’d shut down the border right now and fix it quickly.”The deal being negotiated in Congress would require the U.S. to shutter the border if roughly 5,000 migrants cross illegally on any given day. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesIn a written statement on Friday evening, Biden said the deal would allow him “a new emergency authority” to close the border.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden —, “, Biden, “ It’ll, I’d, Donald Trump, He's, Trump’s admonitions, Deirdre Schifeling, ”, Mike Johnson, Guatemalans, ___ Long Organizations: COLUMBIA, Senate Democrats, Republicans, GOP, America, Biden, House, Democratic, “, American Civil Liberties Union, Border Patrol, Hondurans Locations: South Carolina, Ukraine, U.S, Mexico, Venezuela, Washington

☆ Venezuela Economy Grew 5% in 2023, Will Reach 8% This Year-Maduro
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Mayela ArmasCARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's economy grew more than 5% in 2023 and growth will reach 8% this year, President Nicolas Maduro said on Monday during his annual address to the government-allied legislature. Inflation reached just under 190% last year, according to the central bank, marking an easing from 234% the year before. "In 2024 we will continue the policy of stoking national production, of recovering national income, of recovering income for workers," Maduro told lawmakers. Oil income has previously been battered by low production due to deteriorated infrastructure and lack of investment. A date for the election has not been set, but it is expected in the second half of the year.

Persons: Mayela Armas, Nicolas Maduro, Maduro, PDVSA, Joe Biden, Julia Symmes Cobb, Deisy Buitrago Organizations: Mayela Armas CARACAS, Reuters, United Locations: State, U.S, United States

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