International News Briefs for Tuesday, April 22, 2025
HAVANA TIMES – Here are some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on, Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
House Democrats Visit El Salvador to Press for Release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Apr 22, 2025
A group of four Democratic lawmakers arrived in El Salvador Monday to continue to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland father who was detained at the Terrorism Confinement Center mega-prison known as CECOT, where he was transferred in what the Trump administration admitted was an “administrative error.” The delegation was led by Democratic Representatives Yassamin Ansari of Arizona, Maxine Dexter of Oregon, Maxwell Alejandro Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California. The group spoke from the capital San Salvador yesterday. This is Congressmember Frost.
Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost: “This isn’t just about him. This is also about every single person in the United States. The Constitution applies to all people in our country. Due process applies to all people in our country. It’s one of the things that sets our country apart from other places across the entire world. And so, we’re worried, of course. We demand the release of Abrego Garcia, but we’re also worried about our own constituents.”
The Trump administration now says Abrego Garcia was moved into another prison in El Salvador.
Relatives Fight U.S. Attempts to Transfer Venezuelan Immigrants to El Salvador Prison
Apr 22, 2025
The relatives of Venezuelan immigrants jailed at the Bluebonnet ICE detention center in Texas are fighting for their release after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expelling them to El Salvador’s mega-prison under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. This is the brother of 28-year-old Yonathan Betancourt, one of the men at risk of being sent to CECOT.
Juan Betancourt: “My fear is that they might unjustly take him there, because my brother is not a criminal. He just has tattoos. He’s a barber, and tattoos are an art for young people, as well as coloring their hair. He has no criminal record, neither in Venezuela nor in the United States, thank God.”
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Colorado may extend a temporary restraining order preventing Trump officials from sending two Venezuelan asylum seekers to El Salvador. The men are currently jailed at the Aurora ICE Processing Center. One of the men came to the U.S. fleeing political persecution, while the other left Venezuela after two of his relatives were killed by members of the Tren de Aragua gang. But the Trump administration is now accusing them, without evidence, of being members of that gang. One of the asylum seekers has a single tattoo depicting his niece’s name; the other has tattoos that include his mother’s name, his birth year and a character from the board game Monopoly.
ICE Denies Mahmoud Khalil’s Request to Join His Wife for Birth of Their First Child
Apr 22, 2025
Image Credit: Reuters/Caitlin Ochs
Here in New York, a group of students and alumni chained themselves to the gates of Columbia University on Monday, demanding the release of Palestinian student activists Mahmoud Khalil and Mohsen Mahdawi. The two are in ICE jails and fighting deportation proceedings after they helped organize campus protests in solidarity with Gaza.
On Monday Mahmoud Khalil’s wife, Dr. Noor Abdalla, gave birth to the couple’s first child in New York while her husband remained imprisoned at a Louisiana ICE detention center over a thousand miles away. ICE denied Khalil’s request to be present at the birth. In a statement, Abdalla wrote, “My son and I should not be navigating his first days on earth without Mahmoud. ICE and the Trump administration have stolen these precious moments from our family in an attempt to silence Mahmoud’s support for Palestinian freedom.” Noor Abdalla is a U.S. citizen; Mahmoud Khalil is a U.S. green card holder.
“The War Must Stop”: Detained Palestinian Green Card Holder Mohsen Mahdawi Calls for End to Gaza War
Apr 22, 2025
Vermont Senator Peter Welch met Monday with detained Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi, a green card holder from Palestine who was arrested in Vermont when he appeared for what he was told would be a naturalization test. Ahead of his arrest, Mahdawi helped lead campus protests against Israel’s war on Gaza. Senator Welch, who’s calling for Mahdawi’s release, published a brief interview with Mahdawi recorded inside the Northwest State Correctional Facility.
Mohsen Mahdawi: “I want to tell everyone that I feel so loved and so supported. And I am here in good hands. I am centered. I am clear. I am grounded. And I don’t want you to worry about me. I want you to continue working for the democracy of this country and for humanity. The war must stop.”
Judge Orders Reinstatement of Canceled Visas for 133 Foreign Students
Apr 22, 2025
A federal judge in Georgia has temporarily ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the visas of at least 133 foreign students. Judge Victoria Marie Calvert’s order would, for now, block the termination of their student visas while their lawsuit resolves in court. A similar suit challenging Trump’s mass cancellation of student visas has also been filed in New Hampshire. The news site Higher Ed Dive reports the Trump administration has so far terminated the visas of more than 1,550 international students, putting them at risk of deportation. Many of them have been targeted for participating in Gaza solidarity protests on campus, while others have had their visas revoked over past minor offenses like traffic infractions.
UNRWA Chief Condemns Israel’s Use of Aid to Gaza as a “Bargaining Chip and a Weapon of War”
Apr 22, 2025
Israel’s military has killed more Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. Al Jazeera reports Israeli attacks have killed at least 25 Palestinians since dawn, including 11 people who burned to death inside their home in Khan Younis after multiple air attacks triggered a fire. Earlier today, the head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees denounced Israel’s siege of Gaza, which is now in its 51st day. Philippe Lazzarini said nearly 3,000 trucks carrying lifesaving aid and basic supplies are prepared to cross into Gaza. He wrote, “Humanitarian aid is being used as a bargaining chip and a weapon of war.”
Survivors Recount RSF Massacre on Zamzam Camp for Displaced Sudanese
Apr 22, 2025
In Sudan, more details have emerged following a Rapid Support Forces attack on North Darfur’s Zamzam displacement camp last week, with survivors describing mass looting and the burning of homes as bullets rained down on civilians. RSF fighters captured the camp, killing at least 300 people and forcing another 400,000 to flee as they face famine. These are two of the survivors.
Najlaa Ahmed: “There were people who died on this road because of thirst and hunger. Some people just died. Now, I don’t know what’s become of my mother, father, brother, siblings and my grandmother. I came here with strangers. Thank God, I came with them.”
Ahmed Mohamed: “We are in need of everything a human needs, whether flour, rice, pasta, sugar, anything, also blankets and covers to sleep on. We are sleeping on the bare ground.”
RSF fighters have also reportedly placed checkpoints around Zamzam and other displacement camps in Darfur, leaving many without safe shelter or access to food and water. The Trump administration’s cuts to U.S. foreign aid have exacerbated the humanitarian catastrophe, pushing thousands of civilians, including children, to the brink of starvation.
Putin Floats Direct Ceasefire Talks with Zelensky Amid Continued Russian Attacks
Apr 22, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signaled he’s open to ceasefire negotiations with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. It’s the first time since the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion that Putin has said he’s open to bilateral talks with Ukraine. Putin’s remarks came after another night of Russian attacks, including drone strikes on the Black Sea port city of Odesa, which reportedly injured three people and damaged several residences.
Latest U.S. Airstrikes Hit Yemen’s Capital, Marib Governorate and Kamaran Island
Apr 22, 2025
The U.S. military is continuing its attacks on Yemen, a day after Houthi media reported U.S. strikes killed 12 people in a market in the capital, Sana’a. There were more U.S. attacks reported in recent hours in Sana’a, as well as the island of Kamaran in the Red Sea and in Yemen’s central Marib governorate. Houthi fighters claimed to have fired on targets in Israel, as well as on U.S. aircraft carriers in the Red Sea.
Hegseth Blames Press Over Reports of Second Signal Chat in Which He Shared War Plans with Family
Apr 22, 2025
Image Credit: IMAGO/MediaPunch via Reuters
President Trump is backing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after the former Fox News host shared sensitive information about U.S. plans to strike Yemen in a group chat on the Signal app, this time with his wife and brother. It was the second such scandal in recent weeks. Speaking at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll — which this year was sponsored by Amazon, YouTube and Meta — Trump dismissed the reports as “fake news” and a “waste of time.” Secretary Hegseth also spoke to reporters, accusing them of spreading lies.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “This is why we’re fighting hoaxsters. Hoaxsters. This group” —
Reporter: “Secretary” —
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth: “No, no, no. This group right here, full of hoaxsters that peddle anonymous sources from leakers with axes to grind. And then you put it all together as if it’s some news story.”
White House HHS Cuts Could Slash Budget by 40%, Eliminate Key Programs
Apr 22, 2025
The Supreme Court appeared poised to uphold the preventive care provision of the Affordable Care Act, as justices heard arguments in a key healthcare case Monday. This comes as the Trump administration is planning to gut public health programs in its new budget, imposing a $40 billion cut to the Department of Health and Human Services. The administration’s proposal, which must be approved by Congress, would also consolidate a number of health department functions under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new “Administration for a Healthy America,” or AHA. Among the proposed cuts are programs addressing gun violence, youth violence prevention, minority health and rural health initiatives. Connecticut Democrat Rosa DeLauro warned the Trump administration’s proposal would “surrender Americans to preventable disease and premature death.”
Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health announced it will pull federal research funding from universities that have any diversity, equity and inclusion programs or are involved in boycotts of Israeli companies.
Harvard Sues Trump Admin for Freezing Federal Funds
Apr 22, 2025
Harvard University is suing the Trump administration after it froze over $2 billion in federal grants for the Ivy League institution. The freeze came after Harvard refused to comply with the White House’s order on eliminating DEI and further suppressing pro-Palestinian protests. Harvard President Alan Garber said the cuts would affect key research on pediatric cancer, veterans’ health, infectious disease, as well as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Garber warned, “The consequences of the government’s overreach will be severe and long-lasting.”
Trump Admin to Start Garnishing Wages on Defaulted Student Loans Next Month
Apr 22, 2025
The Education Department says it will start garnishing wages and Social Security benefits for student loans that are in default starting May 5. The policy shift could affect over 5 million borrowers, with another 4 million at risk of being in default in the coming months. It would be the first time the federal government would collect on the loans since repayments were paused in 2020 during the pandemic.
Trump Administration Mulls “Perks” to Boost Birth Rate While Attacking Medicaid, Child Care
Apr 22, 2025
The New York Times is reporting the Trump administration is soliciting ideas from right-wing think tanks like the Heritage Foundation to help boost the U.S. birth rate. The proposals shared with the White House include a $5,000 cash payment after having a baby, ways to address infertility, and creating a “National Medal of Motherhood” for women who have six or more children. The so-called pronatalist movement is supported by Vice President JD Vance — and Elon Musk, who has 14 children. The push comes even as the White House and the Republican Party are weighing cuts to Medicaid, which covers two out of five U.S. children. Democratic House Whip Katherine Clark responded on social media, “This isn’t complicated: 1) Affordable child care; 2) Paid family leave; 3) Stop trying to slash health care for women and kids.”
Vatican Sets Saturday Funeral for Pope Francis
Apr 22, 2025
The Vatican has announced the funeral for Pope Francis will take place on Saturday in what is expected to be a scaled-down ceremony. The Vatican says Pope Francis’s death Monday at the age of 88 was due to a stroke and heart failure. We’ll have more on Pope Francis — and his legacy as a champion of the environment — after headlines.
Judge Sides with 6 Plaintiffs Challenging Trump’s Anti-Trans Passport Rules
Apr 22, 2025
Back in the United States, a federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction ordering Trump’s State Department to allow six transgender and nonbinary people to obtain U.S. passports with sex designations that match their gender identity. For now, the order only applies to the six plaintiffs, who plan to file a motion that would extend the protections to all impacted trans and nonbinary people. The measure was among a series of anti-trans executive orders issued by President Trump on his first day back in office. The State Department has since suspended the processing of passports for people who indicate their sex as “x” on their applications.
Protesters in London Decry Top Court’s Ruling Attacking Trans and Nonbinary Community
Apr 22, 2025
In London, thousands of transgender and nonbinary people, joined by their allies, gathered in Parliament Square over the weekend, as protests continue following the United Kingdom’s unanimous Supreme Court ruling declaring the definition of a woman does not include trans women, who will no longer be protected under Britain’s Equality Act. This is one of the protesters.
Esmee: “Cis people need to start rallying and understanding that transphobia doesn’t just hurt transgender people. They are policing women. They’re policing femininity. They’re policing how we look. And we can’t allow that.”