Colombia Activates ‘Escape Clause' to Rule That Curbed Debt
Colombia activated an 'escape clause' to suspend borrowing limits and allow the government to run higher fiscal deficits.
During his presentation of the nation's fiscal plan, Finance Minister German Avila told reporters that not to have taken this move would have endangered macroeconomic stability.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Spain's Telefonica sells its Ecuador unit at $380 million
MADRID (Reuters) -Spanish telecom company Telefonica said late on Friday it had reached an agreement with Luxembourg-based Millicom International to sell 100% of the shares of its Ecuador unit Otecel S.A. for 380 million dollars. The transaction aimed to further reduce the Spanish company's exposure to Latin America, after it recently sold its businesses in Uruguay, Peru and Argentina to focus on Spain, Brazil, Britain and Germany. Telefonica had agreed a month ago to also sell its Uruguayan unit to Millicom, which operates telecom companies all over Latin America under the brand Tigo. The company had to book an accounting loss of 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) during the last quarter from the disposals in Peru and Argentina.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Yahoo
Opinion: Will we stand idly by as a son is torn from his Utah family and deported to one of the world's most inhumane prisons?
The story of the U.D.M.C. family of Holladay, Utah, is as compelling as any refugee story since President Trump's immigration crackdown began on January 23, 2025. That mass expulsion campaign is striking fear in the hearts of millions of immigrants — not just those who come illegally, but also families like the U.D.M.C family, who followed all the rules to enter the U.S. legally. The U.D.M.C family — a father, mother, two sons and a daughter-in-law — are Latter-day Saints from Venezuela, a failing country where living conditions are dire, marked by political instability and economic collapse; where 70% of the population lacks adequate access to food, healthcare, clean water, electricity and educational opportunity. Venezuela is also one of the most violent and corrupt countries in the world. When U.D.M.C and his family took to the streets to protest corruption and election fraud in the Maduro government, police detained them and confiscated their ID cards. Soon they began receiving death threats. A lawyer friend advised them to leave the country or face arrest and imprisonment. In 2019, they fled Venezuela hoping to emigrate to the U.S. The family's path was long and difficult. After living for a few years in neighboring Colombia, they trekked mostly on foot through Guatemala and Honduras to Mexico, reaching Mexico City last year. There, they used U.S. Customs and Border Protection's CBP One mobile app to apply for humanitarian parole and permission to enter the U.S. legally, which was approved. After crossing the Mexican border legally on August 22, 2024, the family traveled to Utah and settled in Holladay, where they were embraced by their neighborhood and local Latter-day Saint congregation. They located housing, obtained work permits, found employment and applied for asylum. They are now self-supporting and law-abiding taxpayers. The family was granted an asylum hearing date in 2028, entitling them to reside in the U.S. legally until their asylum applications are ruled on. The makings of a true American success story? It wasn't to be. Someone was left behind. As the family entered the U.S. last August, their 19-year-old son Uriel David, a young man without any criminal history who speaks no English and suffers health problems, was torn from his family, arrested and detained. He has since been swallowed up in a harrowing saga of human tragedy that is stealing national headlines and rapidly becoming a stain on our national character. Originally detained in San Diego, Uriel David's path has been traced by his family to ICE's El Valle Detention Center in Texas. There, according to the findings of a federal judge in Washington, D.C., in the early morning hours of March 15, 2025, 140 Venezuelans held by the Department of Homeland Security 'were awakened from their cells, taken to a separate room, shackled and informed they were being transferred. To where? That they were not told.' They were loaded onto planes. 'As the planes waited on the tarmac,' the court found, 'many passengers aboard reportedly began to panic and beg officials for more information, but none was provided.' The planes eventually landed in El Salvador, where the detainees were transferred into CECOT, a brutal Salvadoran mega-prison known for torture, beatings and death. Based on video from a news report, Uriel David's family identified him among the detainees transferred to CECOT. New cases are being filed every week in federal courts across the U.S. alleging similar deportations of immigrants spirited away to CECOT or other foreign prisons without notice, hearings or any other semblance of the Fifth Amendment due process rights to which every person in the U.S. is entitled, citizen or noncitizen. In every case so far, courts have found that the Trump administration stripped these detainees of their rights by not allowing them a meaningful opportunity to challenge their removal before being flown to El Salvador. Judges are ordering the government to vindicate the detainees' rights, even if it means returning them to the United States. In some cases, Trump officials blame administrative error for their actions. In other cases, they stonewall, daring the courts to punish them for contempt of court. In one case, a judge ordered a flight of detainees to turn around midair, an order which was ignored. In three other pending cases, federal judges determined that Trump officials expelled people from the country in violation of standing court orders. In one of these cases, federal appeals court judge Roger Gregory wrote, 'We are confronted again with the efforts of the executive branch to set aside the rule of law in pursuit of its goals.' Illegal deportations can never in good conscience be brushed off as mere administrative errors or excusable violations of law. They are matters of life and death. CECOT, where Uriel David is believed to be held, is the largest prison in Latin America. It houses up to 40,000 of the most violent criminals — rival gang members whose internecine wars for decades terrorized all of El Salvador, plunging it into the grip of economic and social chaos and triggering mass emigration. Prisoners in CECOT are held for life in an 'exception' to the Salvadoran constitution and without any semblance of real due process. Housed 23.5 hours per day in harsh conditions, they are crowded 80 to 100 per cell. Inmates sleep on rows of metal bunks stacked three high without mattresses, pillows or blankets. CECOT has no rehabilitation, recreation or education programs. Visits by lawyers and family members are strictly banned. No telephone calls are allowed. No cell phone service exists within two kilometers of the prison. The Salvadoran government admits that some inmates are held in CECOT without cause, claiming as an excuse that it is sometimes difficult to determine which inmates are guilty of crimes and which are innocent. In El Salvador, incarceration of innocents is considered the price of law and order. That policy suits the Trump White House fine — it pays El Salvador $6 million a year for the privilege of deporting our immigrants to CECOT. In Uriel David's case, his family has been unable to learn the reason for his detention and deportation. It is possible that a border guard misinterpreted his tattoos as gang-related? No. His tattoos are innocuous: the word 'familia,' his birthdate, his mother's signature, a crown of thorns, two wings and the lucky number '777.' None of these are gang-related. Uriel David has a constitutional right to prove this to an immigration judge before being expelled from the country. Shouldn't that matter? Apparently not to Trump officials. A federal judge recently found that 'significant evidence has come to light indicating that many of those currently entombed in CECOT have no connection to [a] gang and thus languish in a foreign prison on flimsy, even frivolous, accusations.' One thing is certain: no one, including Uriel David, would knowingly agree to be transferred to CECOT. Yet, CECOT is Uriel's life now and for its duration, absent a public outcry loud enough to secure his release. To begin with, his family, their neighbors, our Salt Lake City community and all Americans are entitled to know exactly what happened to him and why. That is not a demand — it is a necessity in a society that considers itself civilized and loyal to a constitution like ours, which protects citizens and noncitizens alike from being held in custody without due process. A nation that tramples individual rights in pursuit of political gain will not last long as a democratic republic. I ask all Utahns: Will we stand idly by while Uriel David is torn from his Utah family and deported to one of the world's most inhumane prisons? A few days ago, the Trump White House brought Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant unlawfully deported to CECOT, back to the U.S. after falsely claiming for months that this was not possible. Obviously, it is possible. The rallying cry should now be: 'YOU BROUGHT BACK KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA — NOW BRING BACK URIEL DAVID!'
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two immigrants came here legally. They were detained anyway, sparking Spokane's mass ICE protest
Jun. 13—It took almost no time for two immigrants to become part of Shelly O'Quinn's family. She was on the cusp of becoming one of their "sponsors" to guide them in the United States as part of the U.S.' asylum program. By all accounts, everything was going right. The two would spend their days working at the Airway Heights Walmart, check in with immigration and make it to every court hearing. It all changed on Wednesday when they received a notice to check in with immigration. But instead of a check-in, the two were picked up by federal authorities. "They are such good young men," O'Quinn said. "They did all of it legally. And they have such a heartbreaking story." O'Quinn, a former Republican Spokane County commissioner, met 21-year-old Cesar Alexander Alvarez Perez and 28-year-old Joswar Slater Rodriguez Torres last year at a church event after they escaped persecution in Venezuela. The two refugees met in Colombia and began the trek to Mexico, but their journey was largely traumatic, O'Quinn said — they were sleeping on roads, were robbed at gunpoint and threatened with machetes. "They got jobs in Mexico. They went to the border every day and applied to get into the U.S.," O'Quinn said. "They finally were accepted and came here legally, in the humanitarian parole program." They both qualified for asylum and were following the legal court process, O'Quinn said. Alvarez Perez qualified for the juvenile asylum process because he came to the U.S. younger than 21. They even had a court hearing scheduled for October, and it left O'Quinn optimistic about where things were headed. In Minneapolis on a work trip, she was stunned when she got the call that chaos had broke out on the streets of Spokane because the men were detained by ICE. Alvarez Perez's sponsor, former city council president Ben Stuckart, had taken the two to their check-in when authorities detained them instead. Stuckart posted a call to action on Facebook, which led residents to swarm the ICE office off West Cataldo Avenue in North Spokane. The protest erupted throughout the evening, with a group of people attempting to stop unmarked law enforcement vehicles from leaving. Federal agents pushed back, sending some protesters' belongings falling to the ground. Others crowded a bus to prevent it from leaving and were ultimately arrested for obstruction and failure to disperse, one of them being Stuckart. While more faced off with police and deputies, law enforcement began throwing canisters of smoke and pepper balls to disperse the crowd. Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown then issued a 9:30 p.m. curfew, calling the decision "the best path forward" for everyone to stay safe. Stuckart eventually posted bail, but he has yet to hear from Alvarez Perez and Rodriguez Torres, he said. O'Quinn, fearing the worst, flew to Seattle on Thursday and plans to attempt a visit with the two transported to Tacoma's immigration detention center. "If I can't see them, the next step is figuring out how I can ... Imagine if your kids were in a detention center with no contacts. It's a scary place," O'Quinn said. "I just imagine the fear they are feeling, and I want them to know someone cares for them." The legal way, no longer Alvarez Perez and Rodriguez Torres came to the United States through a legal program known as the Venezuelan Humanitarian Parole Program, or the "CHNV" program for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. It allows for immigrants facing persecution to legally live and work in the U.S. "under parole." President Donald Trump attempted to terminate the program earlier this year, but a Massachusetts judge issued an injunction to pause the action. On May 30, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the injunction, giving Trump free reign to end the parole program and continue mass immigrant deportations, something he has vowed to do since the start of his presidency. The crackdown on immigration has led ICE to detain people all across the country. On Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a notice to the thousands of immigrants taking part in the program that their legal status has since been terminated, according to reporting from CNN. "This notice informs you that your parole is now terminated. If you do not leave, you may be subject to enforcement actions, including but not limited to detention and removal, without an opportunity to make personal arrangements and return to your country in an orderly manner," the notice says. It's unclear whether Alvarez Perez and Rodriguez Torres received a parole termination notice, O'Quinn said. Either way, she expected it wouldn't affect them because they had another pathway into the U.S. by asylum — but now, even their asylum status is murky. Alvarez-Perez also celebrated his birthday just this week, consequently aging him out of the juvenile asylum program he was part of. "We are a county that allows for due process. I believe they should have the right to due process. They did what they were supposed to do," O'Quinn said. "We are not a country that should be picking up people are who legally here without due process. It's a violation of our rights in the United States." The Supreme Court decision allowing for deportation of those on humanitarian parole is "brutal on its face," according to Spokane civil rights attorney Jeffry Finer. Normally, an injunction would give time for litigation while also preventing undue harm where there is no reasonable remedy, he said, like tearing down a historical building. "There's no way to bring back the building. You can't fix it or reverse it," Finer said. "So if it's going to have irreparable damages, an injunction is the way to litigate the merit and keep the status quo so nobody is harmed if the lawsuit is successful." The dissenting Supreme Court opinion states the court botched the way it protects people during ongoing litigation. Finer said his interpretation of it shows "the risk to the government is small" but "the risk to immigrants is huge" — because once they're deported, there likely won't be a push to bring them back. And there's no telling if the two will be deported, because the jail is "a black hole" of information, Stuckart said. Alvarez Perez and Rodriguez Torres were so desperate to flee, they walked for weeks to find freedom from persecution and remained here with no criminal record, Stuckart added, which tells him no one is exempt from deportations. Immigrants with minor or no criminal records are still being detained across the U.S. despite Trump saying he wants to crack down on immigrants with violent backgrounds. "They don't have years to wait. Once they did get here, these two gentlemen got legal work permits and were working full time and contributing to society with taxes," he said. "I don't know what the difference is between someone who comes in at one point or another point. Take politics out of it. This goes beyond a political lens." Past the politics O'Quinn's family refers to Rodriguez Torres as "Randy," a name he picked himself, because people had trouble pronouncing his name. It's hard for her to look at news reports and court records identifying him as "Joswar," she said. A picture of the two taken at the Barton English School, both smiling ear to ear, is "the smiles they always have on their face," O'Quinn wrote in a text. "I want him to come home," she said Thursday. "Both of them." While Stuckart is a Democrat and O'Quinn was a Republican commissioner, the urge to bring back the men spans the political divide. Stuckart has made contact with Sen. Maria Cantwell's office, and O'Quinn said she reached out to Rep. Michael Baumgartner for help, and he responded promptly by having his staff track information for her on how she could find where the men were taken. "He's actually been very supportive," she said, "And I appreciate that." Baumgartner released a statement Thursday about the protests applauding law enforcement's response and encouraging people to work with federal officials to enforce immigration laws. "We need both secure borders and immigration reform," the statement reads. "Peaceful protest is guaranteed under the Constitution, but there is no excuse for violence or impeding law enforcement officials." His office has not responded for further comment. The stories of Alvarez Perez and Rodriguez Torres deserve to be told, because "they have demonstrated their American values of hard work and integrity," O'Quinn said — they shouldn't become political pawns in a battle with red or blue. Both Republicans and Democrats have vouched for the men, Stuckart said later, calling them "the people you want in our country." Both agree the men did everything they're told to do as immigrants: apply to come into the country legally, get a job and pay taxes. It's the reason O'Quinn believes their detainment doesn't reflect the values of Spokane. "I am grateful for the people who stood up for their rights yesterday," she said. "It tells them that it wasn't Spokane that kicked them out." Editor's note — this story was corrected to reflect the men were not refugees under the U.S. Government but were rather seeking asylum.
