Latest news with #U.S.StateDepartment
Newsweek
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Triple Murderer Among Americans Repatriated From Venezuela in Prisoner Swap
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Trump administration has long insisted that America should not be a haven for criminals. Last week, it brought one home. Dahud Hanid Ortiz — a Venezuelan-born American citizen and former U.S. Marine convicted of a brutal triple murder in Spain — was among 10 Americans repatriated from Venezuela in a high-profile prisoner exchange between the White House and the South American government. Ortiz was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the triple homicide that took place in Madrid in 2016, according to Venezuelan court documents and Spanish media, which also reported that Spain had sought his extradition. However, the Venezuelan Constitution bans the extradition of its citizens, so he was tried in Venezuela, which allows prosecutions for crimes committed abroad. Why It Matters Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for the return of dozens of Venezuelan migrants who had been deported in March by the United States to El Salvador under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, officials said. Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown,... Venezuela on Friday released 10 jailed U.S. citizens and permanent residents in exchange for getting home scores of migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador months ago under the Trump administration's immigration crackdown, officials said. More U.S. State Department The Venezuelans had been held in the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT — a massive prison built to detain alleged gang members as part of President Bukele's war on gangs. Trump had invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, a wartime law, to swiftly deport the men, accusing them of ties to the violent Tren de Aragua street gang. However, the administration did not provide evidence to back up those claims. What To Know In a bitter irony, while the Trump administration has championed the deportation of migrants accused of minor crimes and condemned countries for sheltering fugitives, it repatriated Ortiz as part of a deal it billed as a humanitarian breakthrough. "We delivered murderers for you," Venezuelan minister Diosdado Cabello told the deportees aboard their flight home. "They were in hell. Today they are in Venezuela." Spanish media reports first identified one of the men as Ortiz, 51, as a fugitive wanted in Spain for one of Madrid's most shocking crimes in recent memory — the murders of two Cuban women and an Ecuadorian man in a law office. Investigators say Ortiz, driven by jealousy over his ex-partner, stalked her and her new boyfriend, hacked her devices, and planted microphones before traveling to Madrid and killing three innocent people he mistakenly thought were connected to her. A State Department photo shows some of the 10 Americans freed from Venezuela returning to the U.S. this month. Dahud Hanid Ortiz is at center right, holding a small flag. A State Department photo shows some of the 10 Americans freed from Venezuela returning to the U.S. this month. Dahud Hanid Ortiz is at center right, holding a small flag. U.S. State Department According to a 2021 report of Infobae, Ortiz used a combat knife and an iron bar to stab and bludgeon lawyer Elisa Consuegra Gálvez, secretary Maritza Osorio Riverón, and client John Pepe Castillo Vega, then set the office on fire and left fake cartel calling cards to mislead investigators. After fleeing to Germany and then to Venezuela, he lived under false names until his 2018 arrest by Venezuelan intelligence agents. Venezuelan authorities initially believed Ortiz was an American spy and tortured him before acknowledging Spain's extradition request, El País reported. The Venezuelan Supreme Court denied extradition in 2019, promising he would face trial locally — a trial that never happened. The Trump administration has not clarified how Ortiz came to be listed as a "wrongfully detained" American. When Newsweek reached out to the State Department for comment on Wednesday morning, a spokesperson declined to comment on the specific case of Ortiz: "We were able to secure the release of all Americans detained in Venezuela; many of whom reported being subjected to torture and other harsh conditions." A Troubled Past Dahud Hanid Ortiz was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, in 1970 but later renounced his Venezuelan citizenship to become an American and eventually also acquired German nationality, Infobae reported. He served in the Marines, deploying to Iraq and Korea, and was awarded the Purple Heart before being dishonorably discharged in 2011 for falsifying documents, fraud and theft to obtain benefits and promotions. Fluent in Spanish, English, German and Russian, Ortiz settled in Germany after his discharge and began a relationship with German doctor Irina Trippel. But his behavior became increasingly controlling and abusive, according to Spanish investigators. When Trippel left him for Peruvian attorney Víctor Salas, Ortiz stalked her obsessively, hacked her phone and computer, and even planted listening devices in her home, Spanish media reported. His fixation escalated until he traveled to Madrid in June 2016 and murdered three people in what investigators called a meticulously planned but tragically misdirected act of vengeance. What People Are Saying U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X about the prisoner exchange: "Thanks to POTUS's leadership, ten Americans who were detained in Venezuela are on their way to freedom. I want to thank my team at the State Department & especially President Nayib Bukele for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees, plus the release of Venezuelan political prisoners." The Venezuelan government, in a statement on Friday afternoon: "Venezuela has paid a high price to secure the freedom of these compatriots, through an exchange with the authorities of the United States of America of a group of U.S. citizens who were at the disposal of the justice system, for their proven involvement in serious crimes against the peace, independence, and security of the Nation." What Happens Next According to El País, there are suspicions that Ortiz falsified evidence to present himself not as a murderer, but as a political prisoner or a U.S. spy, in order to be included in the prisoner exchange.
Time of India
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- Time of India
US State Department investigating Harvard's participation in exchange visitor program
The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has initiated an investigation into Harvard University's exchange visitor program sponsorship eligibility. This action aligns with the Trump administration's broader efforts to influence U.S. universities, alleging antisemitism and radical ideologies. Simultaneously, the Department of Education is probing several universities for potential national origin discrimination related to DACA scholarships. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Popular in NRI 1. US student visas saw greater diversity in first half of FY2025 The U.S. State Department has opened an investigation into Harvard University 's eligibility as a sponsor in the exchange visitor program , Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, as the Trump administration takes aim at the country's oldest and richest university."To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States," Rubio said. "The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation's interests," he has become a central focus of the administration's broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at U.S. universities, which President Donald Trump says are gripped by antisemitic and "radical left" the earliest actions the administration took against Harvard was the cancellation of hundreds of grants awarded to researchers on the grounds that the school failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students on its Trump administration has since sought to bar international students from attending the school; threatened Harvard's accreditation status; and opened the door to cutting off more funds by finding it violated federal civil rights Department of Education separately on Wednesday said it opened national origin discrimination investigations into the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan, and Western Michigan investigations will determine if the universities are granting scholarships only for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or "undocumented" students, according to the moves come as the Trump administration has pursued wide-ranging efforts to fulfill the president's hardline immigration agenda.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
State Department investigating Harvard's participation in exchange visitor program
(Reuters) -The U.S. State Department has opened an investigation into Harvard University's eligibility as a sponsor in the exchange visitor program, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday, as the Trump administration takes aim at the country's oldest and richest university. "To maintain their privilege to sponsor exchange visitors, sponsors must comply with all regulations, including conducting their programs in a manner that does not undermine the foreign policy objectives or compromise the national security interests of the United States," Rubio said. "The investigation will ensure that State Department programs do not run contrary to our nation's interests," he added. Harvard has become a central focus of the administration's broad campaign to leverage federal funding to force change at U.S. universities, which President Donald Trump says are gripped by antisemitic and "radical left" ideologies. Among the earliest actions the administration took against Harvard was the cancellation of hundreds of grants awarded to researchers on the grounds that the school failed to do enough to address harassment of Jewish students on its campus. The Trump administration has since sought to bar international students from attending the school; threatened Harvard's accreditation status; and opened the door to cutting off more funds by finding it violated federal civil rights law. The Department of Education separately on Wednesday said it opened national origin discrimination investigations into the University of Louisville, the University of Nebraska Omaha, the University of Miami, the University of Michigan, and Western Michigan University. The investigations will determine if the universities are granting scholarships only for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or 'undocumented' students, according to the statement. The moves come as the Trump administration has pursued wide-ranging efforts to fulfill the president's hardline immigration agenda.
Hamilton Spectator
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
A Syrian American man is among members of the Druze community killed in sectarian clashes in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian-American man of the Druze religious minority was killed in southern Syria when he got caught up in sectarian clashes there last week while visiting family members, relatives and officials said Tuesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of U.S citizen Hossam Soraya in the city of Sweida and extended its condolences to his family. His relatives and friends told The Associated Press that Saraya, in his mid-30s from Oklahoma, was killed in an attack last Wednesday. The violence in Sweida provice , where the city of Sweida is the provincial capital, erupted earlier this month between the Druze community , an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and the local Sunni Bedouin tribes, drawing in Syrian government forces, which effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of people were killed — both civilians and combatants — before a ceasefire calmed the fighting, only for clashes to restart days later. The U.N. International Organization for Migration said more than 130,000 people were displaced during the fighting. The fighting threatened Syria's fragile transition and underscored the difficulties the new government faces as it tries to consolidate control over the country, months after Islamist-led insurgents ousted longtime autocrat Bashar Assad last December. Neighboring Israel also intervened, striking Syrian forces — actions Israel said was in defense of the Druze, who are also a significant minority in Israel. A raid by gunmen in military uniform The clashes started as a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and Druze militias. Government forces intervened to stop the hostilities but effectively sided with the Bedouins. On Wednesday, Soraya was abducted with his brother Karim, their father Ghassan and three other relatives from the family home by gunmen who later shot and killed them in a square in Sweida, his friends and relatives said, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals. The gunmen told them they were government forces and assured the women nothing would happen to their men as they took them away, one of Soraya's friends said. The gunmen returned later and threatened the women and children, before leaving without harming them but taking off with gold and other valuables from the house, the friend said. They said they believe government forces were behind the killings but did not elaborate. The Syrian Defense Ministry says Tuesday it was investigating 'shocking and serious violations committed by an unknown group wearing military uniforms' in Sweida, without giving further details. The ministry did not specifically mention Saraya's killing. Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said on Monday he was heartbroken over Saraya's killing. 'We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.' Lankford said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Fellow Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin meanwhile said that he is working with 'partners in the region to learn more.' Trying to reach the family After new of the violence broke out, Saraya's relatives in America could not get a hold of him and other male family members in the Druze-majority city. They were told by remaining relatives in Sweida of the raid and that Saraya and the others were taken away by gunmen. Then, to their horror, they recognized Hossam and the other men from the family in a video posted on social media showing gunmen in military uniform sprayed their relatives with automatic fire as tehy were kneeling on the asphalt in a Sweida roundabout. Another video that surfaced later, shows their relatives being marched off by at least 10 armed men in military uniform, chatting among themselves, smiling and posing for the camera. A life in America Although Hossam had been living in the United States since 2014, he remained engaged in the community back home in Syria. He and his brother co-founded an online school named after their family for Syrians abroad interested in completing their education with their native country's curriculum, with millions scattered around the world after the almost 14-year civil war that erupted in 2011 and ended with Assad's ouster. On the school's social media page, Syrians and Oklahomans paid tribute to Hossam and his family after their deaths were announced. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. The others live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Most Druze in Syria have supported a more diplomatic approach with the new government in Damascus but the clashes in Sweida have left many doubtful of a peaceful coexistence the new leaders in the post-Assad era. ___ Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Toronto Star
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
A Syrian American man is among members of the Druze community killed in sectarian clashes in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian-American man of the Druze religious minority was killed in southern Syria when he got caught up in sectarian clashes there last week while visiting family members, relatives and officials said Tuesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of U.S citizen Hossam Soraya in the city of Sweida and extended its condolences to his family. His relatives and friends told The Associated Press that Saraya, in his mid-30s from Oklahoma, was killed in an attack last Wednesday.
