International News Briefs for Monday, February 2, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Monday, February 2, 2026.
Federal Judge Denies Request by Minnesota Officials to Temporarily Block Surge of Immigration Agents
Feb 02, 2026
A federal judge in Minnesota denied a request by state officials to temporarily block the surge of 3,000 federal immigration agents that led to the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Federal Judge Kate Menendez, who was appointed by President Joe Biden, said in her ruling, “A proclamation that Operation Metro Surge has simply gone ‘so far on the other side of the line’ is a thin reed on which to base a preliminary injunction.” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey denounced the ruling, saying, “This decision doesn’t change what people here have lived through — fear, disruption, and harm caused by a federal operation that never belonged in Minneapolis in the first place.” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on X, calling the ruling “a huge legal win” for the Trump administration.
Meanwhile, ProPublica identified the two federal immigration agents in Alex Pretti’s fatal shooting: 43-year-old Jesus Ochoa and 35-year-old Raymundo Gutierrez. CBP has refused to release their names and has disclosed little information about Pretti’s killing.
It comes as Minnesota Public Radio is reporting that the police chief in the city of St. Peter intervened to prevent federal immigration agents from detaining a local resident who is a U.S. citizen. The woman was tracking and recording federal agents in her car. In a video she shared with Minnesota Public Radio, federal agents chased the woman and then got out in front of her, forcing her out of her car with guns drawn. The agents then pinned her down and handcuffed her before detaining her. She was later released when the local police chief got involved. It’s the first time a police department in Minnesota intervened in federal immigration activity since the surge of federal agents began in Minnesota two months ago.
Former CNN Anchor Don Lemon and Independent Journalist Georgia Fort Released from Federal Custody
Feb 02, 2026
Image Credit: Georgia Fort (photo right)
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort were arrested last week on federal charges for reporting on a peaceful protest inside a St. Paul church where a top ICE official serves as a pastor. A federal grand jury indicted Fort and Lemon for interrupting church service and depriving congregants of their religious freedom. Lemon and Fort maintain that they were not participating in the protest but were reporting as journalists. Lemon and Fort were released from federal custody on Friday and vowed to fight the charges and keep reporting. Here’s Georgia Fort speaking shortly after she was released.
Georgia Fort: “I would challenge every journalist in America to ask themselves how it felt to them today to see their colleagues be arrested for reporting the news. And if any of them say that it made them fearful, it made them concerned, it made them second guess going out tomorrow and covering what’s happening in their communities, then, yeah, I would say that that was probably the intent.”
We’ll speak with Georgia Fort later in the broadcast.
5-Year-Old Liam Conejo Ramos and His Father Reunited with Family Members in Minnesota
Feb 02, 2026
In more related news, 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father reunited with family members in Minnesota on Sunday after they were released from an ICE family detention center in Texas amid mounting pressure from activists and elected officials. Congressmember Joaquin Castro shared footage on social media as he welcomed Liam and his father, Adrian Conejo, outside ICE’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley and flew with them home to Minneapolis. Liam and his father were detained in a suburb of Minneapolis last month. Images of Liam went viral after he was picked up by federal agents while still wearing his Spider-Man backpack and a blue hat with bunny ears. Castro visited Liam and his father inside Dilley last week as protests intensified demanding Liam’s release, as well as the release of all immigrant families detained in Dilley, where children and their parents led a protest last weekend over inhumane conditions. Congressmember Ilhan Omar later posted a photo with Liam and his father, with a caption that read in part, “Liam is home now.”
According to The Marshall Project, the Trump administration detains around 170 immigrant children per day, compared to 25 children a day under President Joe Biden.
More Than 300 Anti-ICE Protests Held Across the Country
Feb 02, 2026
Tens of thousands of people took to the streets this weekend as nationwide protests continue against Trump’s immigration crackdown and escalating militarization. More than 300 anti-ICE protests were held across the United States on Friday, including in Minneapolis; New York; Washington, D.C.; Tucson, Arizona; and dozens of other cities. Chants of “Abolish ICE!” and “No ICE, no KKK, no fascist U.S.A.!” echoed across the country. Thousands of others also participated in a nationwide general strike on Friday. This is a protester in San Francisco, California.
Protester: “I hope what happens is that more people will wake up. It’s true that peaceful protest, nonviolent protest, is what brings down dictatorships. It’s a huge sacrifice for that, but that’s what we need to do. And people need to wake up to this.”
NYT: Former Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith
Feb 02, 2026
Reports have emerged of demoted Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino allegedly making offensive remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen. That’s according to The New York Times, which said Bovino’s comments were made during a phone call with Minnesota prosecutors earlier this month. Bovino reportedly mocked Rosen for observing Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, and used the term “chosen people” in a sarcastic way. The call reportedly came as Bovino attempted to pressure Rosen to more harshly criminally prosecute protesters Bovino accused of allegedly obstructing federal agents from enforcing Trump’s mass immigration raids. Rosen was absent from the call, and Bovino complained he’d been hard to reach because of Shabbat. This comes as details have emerged of Bovino being compared to a Confederate general in an email sent to him by a colleague in 2018. At the time, two Border Patrol agents sued Bovino, accusing him of discrimination and obstructing the promotion of Black and Latino agents within Customs and Border Protection.
Chicago Orders Local Law Enforcement to Probe Illegal Activity by Federal Immigration Agents
Feb 02, 2026
The city of Chicago has ordered local law enforcement to investigate and document reports of illegal activity conducted by federal immigration agents. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson issued the executive order this weekend as tensions continue to rise with the Trump administration over federal immigration operations. Johnson wrote on social media, “Nobody is above the law. With today’s order, we are putting ICE on notice in our city. Chicago is leading the way as the first city to create infrastructure for holding ICE and CBP agents accountable for crimes against our communities.”
Justice Department Release Over 3 Million Pages of the Epstein Files
Feb 02, 2026
The Justice Department has released over 3 million pages of the Epstein files. Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche says that the review was over and that it is unlikely anyone else would be prosecuted. The Wall Street Journal reports that the names of 43 survivors were left unredacted in the files that were made public. According to the Journal, more than two dozen names of survivors who were minors are exposed in the filings, along with identifying details that make them readily traceable, including home addresses. The release of the documents sheds more light on the late convicted sex offender’s ties to Hollywood elites, CEOs and government officials. For instance, Epstein had used his contacts to arrange meetings for Steve Bannon with European government leaders. The two men had dinner together often, and Epstein had offered Bannon to stay at his Paris apartment, his Palm Beach house, and use his private plane on multiple occasions. The DOJ also released photos of Brett Ratner, the director of Melania Trump’s Amazon film, with Epstein and several young women. Ratner was accused by six women of sexual impropriety in 2017. We’ll have more on the Epstein files later in the broadcast.
Israeli Forces Partially Reopen Gaza’s Rafah Crossing into Egypt
Feb 02, 2026
In Gaza, Israeli forces will reportedly reopen the Rafah crossing into Egypt for only six hours a day and enforce strict travel restrictions on Palestinians. The Rafah crossing has been shuttered for two years due to Israel’s war and blockade and is being reopened as part of the so-called ceasefire brokered by the Trump administration between Israel and Hamas. Tens of thousands of sick and severely wounded Palestinians, including children, are eagerly waiting to leave Gaza for urgent medical care. Within the new restrictions, 150 people will be allowed to leave Gaza through the southern Rafah crossing, and 50 individuals will be permitted to enter the territory per day, according to Al Jazeera. Gaza health officials estimate over 1,200 Palestinians have died in Gaza while waiting for medical transfer due to Israel’s closure of the Rafah crossing. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports some 12,000 medical staff in Egypt are preparing to receive medical evacuees from Gaza, with hundreds of hospitals and ambulances ready to treat Palestinian patients, among them children who’ve lost limbs in Israeli strikes. This is Mohammed Mahdi from Khan Younis, who is getting ready to evacuate Gaza with a patient.
Mohammed Mahdi: “It feels like a dream, especially as my father — we had lost hope of him receiving treatment, and then they suddenly called us and told him to come to receive treatment and travel. This system, this system is a dream. A dream, I swear.”
This comes as Israeli forces continue their strikes across Gaza, killing at least 30 people, including six children, this weekend, in violation of the ceasefire. Some of the victims were taking shelter in tents. This was reportedly one of the deadliest Israeli airstrikes on Gaza in months.
Iranian Authorities Arrest Oscar-Nominated Screenwriter Mehdi Mahmoudian
Feb 02, 2026
Image Credit: Shota Mizuno / The Yomiuri Shimbun via Reuters Connect
In Iran, authorities arrested Mehdi Mahmoudian, who was nominated for an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay for Jafar Panahi’s acclaimed film “It Was Just an Accident.” The arrest comes after Mahmoudian signed a public statement condemning Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The statement also denounced the crackdown on anti-government protesters, saying, “The mass and systematic killing of citizens who bravely took to the streets to bring an end to an illegitimate regime constitutes an organized state crime against humanity.” Meanwhile, Erfan Soltani, who was reportedly sentenced to death for participating in anti-government protests, was released on bail, according to human rights groups.
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Democrats Flip State Senate Seat and Pick Up Congressional Seat in Texas
Feb 02, 2026
In Texas, Democrats flipped a state Senate seat and picked up an additional congressional seat in a special election. Democrat Christian Menefee won the special election runoff Saturday for Texas’s 18th Congressional District, narrowing Republicans’ majority in the House to just four seats. Meanwhile, in a race for Texas state Senate, Democrat Taylor Rehmet flipped a district that President Trump had won by 17 percentage points in 2024.
President Trump Announces Kennedy Center Will Close for Two Years for Renovations
Feb 02, 2026
President Trump announced that he’s closing the Kennedy Center for two years for renovations. It comes as President Trump’s handpicked board of trustees added his name to the Kennedy Center’s building back in December, leading to a wave of artist boycotts. CNN is reporting that Kennedy Center staff found out about the closure through President Trump’s social media post about the renovation. It comes as the Kennedy Center currently lists no scheduled events to honor Black History Month, after several artists canceled their events to protest President Trump’s takeover.
Bad Bunny Denounces ICE During Grammy Awards Acceptance Speech
Feb 02, 2026
Image Credit: Stewart Cook/CBS via Getty Images
Artists attending the Grammys last night wore anti-ICE pins while others used their victory speeches to speak out against President Trump’s mass raids and deportations. Among them was Bad Bunny, who took home three awards, including album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” making history as the first Spanish-language album to win in that category. Bad Bunny is from Puerto Rico. He’ll be performing in the Super Bowl halftime show next weekend. This is part of his speech at the Grammys last night.
Bad Bunny: “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out. We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans, and we are Americans. Also, I want to say to people, I know it’s tough to know not to hate on these days, and I was thinking, sometime we get contaminados — I don’t know how to say that in English. The hate gets more powerful with more hate. The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love.”
And this is singer-songwriter Billie Eilish, who won for best song of the year.
bq. Billie Eilish: “As grateful as I feel, I honestly don’t feel like I need to say anything, but that no one is illegal on stolen land. And yeah, it’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now. And I just — I feel really hopeful in this room, and I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting. And our voices really do matter, and the people matter.”
After Eilish won her award, Grammys host Trevor Noah said quote: “That is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.” President Trump has threatened to sue Trevor Noah.