INTERNACIONAL
US escalation with Maduro halts deportation flights to Venezuela
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Recent U.S. military escalations involving Venezuela have halted flights carrying unlawful migrants from the United States back to the South American country, Venezuela’s foreign ministry said, prompting criticism from anti-intervention voices.
President Donald Trump warned pilots Saturday that the airspace «above and surrounding» Venezuela should be «closed in its entirety» as his administration weighs potential strikes on targets in and around Caracas.
«Through this action, the United States government has unilaterally suspended the Venezuelan migrant flights that were being carried out regularly and weekly as part of the repatriation of Venezuelans through the Plan Vuelta a la Patria (Return to the Homeland Plan),» the ministry said in a statement.
The deportation flights had been one of the only areas of cooperation between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelan officials say nearly 14,000 nationals have been returned on twice-weekly charter flights in recent months.
The deportation flights had been one of the only areas of cooperation between Washington and the government of Nicolás Maduro. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
VENEZUELA AGREES TO RESUME DEPORTATION FLIGHTS IN RESPONSE TO PRESSURE FROM TRUMP
At the same time, the Trump administration has continued moving forward with plans to end temporary protected status for roughly 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.
«Genius. Enough with this immigration enforcement nonsense. Let’s get back to True MAGA — neocon wars that exacerbate and cause migration crises. About darn time,» said Curt Mills, executive editor of The American Conservative, criticizing the shift toward military action.
So far, U.S. strikes have targeted alleged narco-traffickers operating in the Caribbean near Venezuela. But officials have signaled that operations could expand to land-based targets as Washington increases pressure on Maduro to relinquish power.
VENEZUELA WILL FACE ‘SEVERE, AND ESCALATING SANCTIONS’ IF IT DOESN’T ACCEPT ITS CITIZENS, RUBIO SAYS
Dozens of U.S. bombers have deployed to the region alongside the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, underscoring the scale of the buildup. With U.S. bombers and the Ford already positioned in the region, much of the world is waiting to see whether Trump will green-light the next phase of strikes against Venezuelan targets.
Venezuelan migrants repatriated from the U.S. gesture seen upon arrival at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, Venezuela, April 4, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
Venezuelan migrants flown from Guantanamo Bay via Honduras walk up a ladder after arriving on a deportation flight at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia, La Guaira State, Venezuela, February 20, 2025. (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)
Trump confirmed he spoke with Maduro by phone recently.
«I wouldn’t say it went well or badly. It was a phone call,» he told reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday.
Trump presented Maduro with an ultimatum — step down or face potential U.S. military action. Maduro, the Miami Herald reported, sought global amnesty for himself, demanded to retain control of the military and resisted an immediate exit from power.
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Restraint-minded foreign policy analysts have sounded the alarm against a regime-change-driven intervention in Venezuela, arguing such a move could make migration patterns worse.
«Escalatory dynamics could trigger regional instability and hostility, with migration flows among the most predictable consequences,» a report by Stimson Center analysts Evan Cooper and Alessandro Perri claimed. «Absent a credible transition structure inside Venezuela, external pressure is far more likely to deepen chaos — driving more Venezuelans to flee — than to produce political change.»
Analysts in the libertarian foreign-policy space have issued similar warnings.
Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, argued that «U.S. militarized pressure on Venezuela is far more likely to worsen instability than to produce meaningful political change,» adding that history shows «coercion in Venezuela leads to unpredictable outcomes and episodes of mass flight.»
«Escalation without a stable political alternative inside Venezuela risks accelerating the very migration pressures Washington is trying to contain,» said George A. López, a senior analyst at the Quincy Institute.
venezuelan political crisis,immigration,homeland security
INTERNACIONAL
Crece la tensión entre España y EE.UU.: la tajante respuesta de Pedro Sánchez ante la amenaza de Trump de cortar las relaciones comerciales
El presidente del Gobierno español, Pedro Sánchez, eligió un mensaje contundente para enfrentar la presión de Donald Trump: “No a la guerra”.
Así, el mandatario español se plantó ante el enojo del expresidente estadounidense, que reclamó el uso de las bases militares de Rota y Morón para lanzar ataques contra Irán y recibió una negativa rotunda desde Madrid.
Leé también: Guerra de Medio Oriente: dos bandos y 13 países involucrados en un conflicto que jaquea al mundo
El miércoles, Sánchez habló desde el palacio de la Moncloa y dejó clara la postura de su gobierno: “La posición del Gobierno de España se resume en cuatro palabras: no a la guerra”.
La declaración llegó después de que Trump acusara a España de comportarse “de manera terrible” en medio de la crisis con Irán.
Desde la Casa Blanca, la respuesta de Trump no tardó en llegar. El exmandatario calificó a España como un “aliado terrible” y amenazó con suspender el comercio bilateral, tildando la decisión española de “hostil”. La respuesta de Pedro Sánchez a Dfonald Trump: «No a la guerra». (Foto:REUTERS/Yves Herman).
“No vamos a ser cómplices de algo que es malo para el mundo y que también es contrario a nuestros valores e intereses, simplemente por el miedo a las represalias de alguno”, retrucó Sánchez, endureciendo el tono frente a Washington.
Sin mencionar a Trump, Sánchez acusó a “los dirigentes que son incapaces” de “mejorar la vida de la gente” de usar el “humo de la guerra para ocultar su fracaso y llenar de paso los bolsillos de unos pocos”.
Un nuevo capítulo en la relación Sánchez-Trump
El enfrentamiento entre Sánchez y Trump no es nuevo. Ya hubo roces por la negativa española a elevar el gasto en defensa al 5% del PBI, como exigía el magnate estadounidense a los socios de la OTAN, y por las diferencias sobre la ofensiva israelí en Gaza.
En este contexto, el ministro de Relaciones Exteriores de Israel aprovechó el respaldo de Irán a la postura española para lanzar una crítica en redes sociales: “¿Eso es estar en el ‘lado correcto’ de la historia?”, escribió en X.
El presidente de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, acusó a España de comportarse como un «aliado terrible» y amenazó con suspender el comercio entre ambos países. (Foto: AP/Mark Schiefelbein).
El fantasma de Irak y la política interna española
La postura de Sánchez conecta con su electorado de izquierda, a menos de un año de las elecciones generales y en medio de escándalos de corrupción que golpean a su entorno.
El “No a la guerra” revive el lema de las masivas protestas en España contra la invasión de Irak en 2003, cuando el entonces presidente José María Aznar (PP) se alineó con Estados Unidos.
Muchos españoles vincularon esa decisión con los atentados de marzo de 2004, que dejaron 192 muertos y precipitaron la llegada de los socialistas al poder.
Leé también: Irán: el hijo del ayatollah asesinado Alí Jamenei fue elegido como el nuevo líder supremo
Según dijo Sánchez, lejos de conseguir sus propósitos, la guerra de Irak “desencadenó la mayor oleada de inseguridad que ha sufrido nuestro continente desde la caída del muro de Berlín”.
“La guerra de Irak generó un aumento drástico del terrorismo yihadista, una grave crisis migratoria en el Mediterráneo oriental y un incremento generalizado de precios de la energía”, evocó.
Desde la oposición, el líder del Partido Popular, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, pidió “respeto” a Trump, pero acusó a Sánchez de usar la política exterior para “intereses partidarios”.
En tanto, el diario El País advirtió en su editorial que Sánchez debería “evitar la tentación de enrocarse y de utilizar la amplísima animadversión que existe hacia Trump en la sociedad española para ganar popularidad”.
Europa, dividida y bajo presión
La reacción europea ante la crisis mostró fisuras. El primer ministro alemán, Friedrich Merz, aseguró desde la Casa Blanca que intentaban “convencer” a Madrid de aumentar el gasto militar, algo que generó “sorpresa” en el gobierno español, según el canciller José Manuel Albares.
Sin embargo, la Comisión Europea salió a respaldar a España frente a las amenazas de Trump. “Nos solidarizamos totalmente con todos los Estados miembros y todos sus ciudadanos y, a través de nuestra política comercial común, estamos preparados para actuar si es necesario para salvaguardar los intereses de la UE”, advirtió el portavoz Olof Gill.
Leé también: Crece la tensión por la guerra: Irán lanzó un misil hacia Turquía, pero fue interceptado por el sistema de defensa de la OTAN
Mientras tanto, Alemania, Francia y Reino Unido mantuvieron cautela sobre la operación militar estadounidense-israelí en Irán.
Francia y Reino Unido defendieron a Chipre, amenazada por la extensión del conflicto, pero eso no frenó las críticas de Trump al primer ministro británico, Keir Starmer, a quien acusó de “no ser Churchill”.
“El accionar de la UE ante los ataques a Irán no ha sido muy coherente”, analizó Ángel Saz Carranza, director del centro EsadeGeo. Y agregó: “No parece imposible que Estados Unidos haya pedido alineación europea a cambio de seguir apoyando con Ucrania”.
Donald Trump, Pedro Sánchez, España, Estados Unidos, Irán, Medio Oriente
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Israel’s military said Wednesday that one of its F-35I «Adir» stealth fighter jets shot down an Iranian Air Force Yak-130, marking the first time the advanced aircraft has downed a manned fighter in combat.
«The historic shootdown over the Tehran skies is a testament to the strength of the Israeli Air Force and to your personal determination,» said Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, the commander of the Israeli air force.
«The war continues – return home safely. Get some rest,» he told the pilots. «The next mission is already waiting for you.»
The F-35I is Israel’s customized version of the U.S.-made F-35 Lightning II, a fifth-generation stealth fighter that anchors the country’s air fleet.
An Israeli air force F-35I Adir multirole fighter aircraft flies over the Negev Desert after taking off from a military base en route to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023. (Yuri Cortez/AFP via Getty Images)
According to the F-35 program’s official website, Israel became the first country to select the aircraft through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales process, signing a letter of agreement in October 2010.
The site says the Israeli air force gave the jet the Hebrew name «Adir,» meaning «Mighty One,» and received its first F-35 on June 22, 2016.
The Yak-130 is a Russian-made, two-seat combat training aircraft designed by the Yakovlev Design Bureau, according to United Aircraft Corporation, the state-owned Russian aerospace company that manufactures the jet.
TRUMP ADMIN WARNED LAWMAKERS ISRAEL WAS ‘DETERMINED TO ACT WITH OR WITHOUT US’ BEFORE MASSIVE IRAN STRIKES
A Russian-made Yak-130 subsonic two-seat advanced jet trainer and light attack aircraft maneuvers during a flying display on the third day of the Farnborough International Airshow in Hampshire, England, on July 11, 2012. (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
It made its maiden flight in 1996 and is currently in active production.
Iran’s air force received its first Yak-130 training aircraft in September 2023, according to Press TV, Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster.
IRAN’S DRONE SWARM ATTACKS UNLEASH ‘EXPONENTIAL COSTS’ ON US, PROLONGING WAR: ‘ASYMMETRIC CAPABILITY’
F-4 and F-14 jets from Iran and Russian MiG-29 aircraft perform a demonstration flight at the 9th International Iran AirShow on Kish Island, Hormozgan, Iran, on Nov. 27, 2018. (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
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In November 2023, Brig. Gen. Mahdi Farahi, Iran’s deputy defense minister, told Tasnim, a semi-official Iranian news agency, that plans had been finalized for Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, Mil Mi-28 attack helicopters and Yak-130 trainers to join the country’s armed forces.
Tasnim reported that Iran previously acquired MiG-29 fighter jets from Russia in the 1990s.
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israel,war with iran,middle east
INTERNACIONAL
Gun rights expert says Minnesota Dems tried to block her testimony on firearm bills to ‘avoid’ policy debate
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A Second Amendment expert is accusing Minnesota Democrats of attempting to sideline policy advocates as they push for passage of a pair of gun control bills, arguing the lawmakers are leaning on emotional appeals instead of debating the measures’ real-world impact.
Amy Swearer, a senior legal fellow at Advancing American Freedom who specializes in gun policy, told Fox News Digital in an interview that Democratic members of a Minnesota House panel appeared to arbitrarily reject her written testimony ahead of a key hearing on the bills and resisted allowing her to testify in person. Swearer was ultimately able to testify for about two minutes.
«I think really at the core of it, that’s what they wanted to avoid, to the extent that they could keep this focused on the Annunciation shooting, and to prevent people like myself from coming in and saying, well, first of all, these policies would not have prevented a single death,» Swearer said.
Displays of rifles at the gun show held Sunday at the Stillwater armory. (Jerry Holt/Star Tribune via Getty Images)
Democratic offices of the committee did not respond to multiple requests for comments since Friday.
The hearing included heavy moments during which parents of victims and victims themselves of last year’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis testified in support of the bills. The shooter, who later died by suicide, killed two young children and injured more than two dozen others.
«Parents in our community don’t sleep all the way through the night anymore,» Jackie Flavin, who lost her 10-year-old daughter Harper in the shooting, testified. «Because when we send our children out into the world, we know that there are weapons out there capable of turning an ordinary morning into something unthinkable in seconds.»
In reaction to the mass shooting in Minneapolis at Annunciation Church, students rally at the capitol demanding state and federal lawmakers pass bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. (Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The two bills, as they are currently written, are stalled in committee after receiving a 10-10 tie vote along party lines at the close of the contentious hearing.
Swearer said the committee rejected her written testimony, which included an analysis of multi-victim shootings in the state, because it contained hyperlinks, which was against committee rules. She accused Democrats on the committee of selectively enforcing that rule against her but not against others.
«I want to be clear, that was very emotional. It was difficult. These were grieving people, and understandably so, but that I think very clearly is what the Democrats wanted to focus on, the emotion of it,» Swearer said. «They did not want this to turn into a battle of actual experts on policy.»
The bills were part of a sweeping gun control package introduced by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz in response to the church shooting.
One of the bills would broadly ban future sales of many «semiautomatic military-style assault weapons» by redefining the firearms under state law and would impose new restrictions on current owners of such guns. The other would prohibit the manufacture, sale, transfer, and possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines, which the bill defines as those with more than ten rounds.
Swearer, who was invited to the hearing by the Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus, said the bills were unconstitutional.
NRA SUES CALIFORNIA OVER BAN ON GLOCK-STYLE FIREARMS: ‘VIOLATES THE SECOND AMENDMENT’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a debate at the CBS Broadcast Center Oct. 1, 2024, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«They’re problematic from start to finish,» she said, adding that the first bill was «one of the most restrictive gun bans I have ever seen in terms of the definition.»
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The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus’s director of governor relations, Anna Leamy, also testified against the bills during the hearing and noted that Swearer and other «national experts and everyday Minnesotans» were limited from participating, which Swearer said «goaded» Democrats into allowing her to speak for two minutes.
The National Foundation for Gun Rights said its executive director, Hannah Hill, was also told she could not testify. Committee chairs typically limit witness participation at hearings for time purposes, but those restrictions can spur accusations of selectively suppressing certain voices.
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second amendment,minnesota
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