International News Briefs for Wednesday, January 28, 2026
HAVANA TIMES – We bring you some of the top international news stories compiled by Democracy Now on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
Congressmember Ilhan Omar Attacked at Town Hall in Minneapolis
Jan 28, 2026
Democratic Congressmember Ilhan Omar was attacked at a town hall in Minneapolis Tuesday night. A man who had been sitting in the front row rushed at Congressmember Omar and sprayed her with a strong-smelling liquid. This is Congressmember Omar just before she was attacked.
Rep. Ilhan Omar: “And DHS Secretary Kristi Noem must resign or face impeachment.”
Congressmember Omar insisted that she continue with the town hall after the attack. Authorities arrested the attacker, 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak. We’ll play excerpts from the town hall later in the show.
Just hours before she was assaulted, President Trump openly mocked Congressmember Omar during a rally in Iowa.
President Donald Trump: “They have to show that they can love our country. They have to be proud, not like Ilhan Omar. Did you see what — did you see that wise guy? You know, she’s always talking about, ‘The Constitution provides me with the following. You know, the Constitution’ — she comes from a country that’s a disaster.”
It comes just days after Democratic Congressmember Maxwell Frost was assaulted at the Sundance Film Festival by a man who was heard making racial slurs.
CBP Report: Two Federal Officials Fired Weapons at Alex Pretti in Fatal Shooting
Jan 28, 2026
A review by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s internal watchdog office directly contradicts the Trump’s administration’s claims about the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti. The CBP’s report confirms that two federal immigration officers fatally shot Pretti as they wrestled him to the ground, and that he did not take out his gun. That’s despite claims by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who said Pretti had been “brandishing” a weapon. Now sources tell CNN that authorities had details on Pretti a week before he was fatally shot. In a separate encounter, Pretti had suffered a broken rib when a group of federal officers tackled him while he was trying to protect protesters from being arrested.
It comes as House Democratic leaders are threatening to launch impeachment proceedings if Noem isn’t fired. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Congressmembers Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar said in a statement, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” President Trump has rejected calls to fire Noem, saying that she’s doing “a very good job.”
Meanwhile, a federal judge in Minnesota ordered the head of ICE, Todd Lyons, to appear in court on Friday and explain why he should not be held in contempt for violating court orders about the immigration crackdown. The judge, Patrick Schiltz, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, said that Lyons must appear in court because “the extent of ICE’s violation of court orders is likewise extraordinary.” It comes as dozens of cities filed an amicus brief in federal court to stop the Trump administration’s surge of ICE agents into Minneapolis.
Meanwhile, FBI Director Kash Patel announced a criminal probe into group chats used by Minneapolis protesters on the Signal messaging app. In Minneapolis, local businesses on the block where Pretti was shot and killed by federal agents have opened their doors to protesters and are continuing to operate donation hubs for the community.
Michael Wilson: “Because people are willing to come spend their hard-earned money with me, the least I can do is open up my doors when there’s gas outside. Least I can do is let my bathrooms be public. Least I can do is have water up here ready for y’all. So, if you need solace, if you need heat, if you need electricity, our job as business — our job as small business owners is to embrace the community that’s coming to spend money with you, under all circumstances.”
Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Admin from Deporting Liam Ramos and His Father
Jan 28, 2026
Image Credit: Columbia Heights Public Schools
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrian Conejo. Liam was detained with his father in Minnesota after the boy came from preschool last week. 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. Liam and his father are currently detained at ICE’s South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, which has faced mounting reports of worsening conditions for immigrant families jailed there. Liam’s father has filed a lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump officials. Liam and his father had come to the U.S. in 2024 from Ecuador to seek asylum.
5-Year-Old Girl Deported to Honduras Despite Being U.S. Citizen
Jan 28, 2026
Image Credit: Claudia Mendoza
A 5-year-old girl and U.S. citizen was deported to Honduras with her mother earlier this month. Génesis Ester Gutiérrez Castellanos lived in Austin, Texas, with her mom and family, where she was in kindergarten. Génesis and her mother were reportedly detained in a hotel 80 miles from their home for nearly a week, without access to a lawyer or a hearing before a judge prior to their deportation, with their family not knowing their whereabouts for days. The mother, Karen, came to the United States in 2018. She had applied for protections in the U.S. as a survivor of domestic violence. Her daughter Génesis was born in the United States.
Dozens of Anti-ICE Protesters Arrested in Manhattan After Occupying Lobby of Hilton Hotel
Jan 28, 2026
Here in New York, dozens of demonstrators were arrested in Manhattan Tuesday after they occupied the lobby of a Hilton hotel where federal immigration agents are believed to be staying. More than 100 people rushed into the hotel, chanting anti-ICE slogans. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani praised the protesters. In a statement, Mamdani’s spokesperson said, ”ICE is a rogue agency that has repeatedly carried out cruel, inhumane and lawless raids and arrests of American citizens.” Democracy Now! was at the protest.
Rev. Micah Bucey: “My name is Reverend Micah Bucey. I’m the senior minister at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. We are here to say ‘no more deportations, no more murders, abolish ICE.’ The bottom line is ‘abolish ICE.’ And from there, we are moving toward collective liberation. I’m banking on being arrested, because it’s time that every citizen risks arrest. Everyone who is able to be out here doing this, we all have our part to play. Not everyone can do what I’m doing today.”
ICE Agents to Join U.S. Delegation to the Winter Olympics in Italy
Jan 28, 2026
ICE agents will join the U.S. delegation to the Winter Olympics in Italy next month. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are expected to attend the start of the games. Milan’s Mayor Giuseppe Sala said that ICE would not be welcome in his city, telling an Italian radio station, “This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips.” This is Pierfrancesco Majorino, the head of Italy’s center-left opposition party.
Pierfrancesco Majorino: “I believe this is truly very bad news. We don’t want Trump’s thuggish squad here, people who kill civilian citizens. We don’t need them. I don’t understand what they’re even doing here. And so we think that the government and all institutions together should say, ‘We don’t want you.’”
CNN: Trump Admin Planning to Establish a CIA Presence in Venezuela
Jan 28, 2026
The Trump administration is reportedly planning to establish a permanent CIA presence on the ground in Venezuela following the abduction of President Nicolás Maduro. That’s according to CNN, which spoke to several anonymous sources who outlined talks between the State Department and the CIA have weighed short- and long-term schemes to foster U.S. influence in Venezuela. One source told CNN, “State plants the flag but CIA is really the influence.” CIA officers were in Venezuela in the months leading up to the U.S. military strike targeting Maduro and his wife. The agency covertly installed a small team inside Venezuela in August to surveil Maduro, providing key intelligence for the attack on Caracas earlier this month. One CIA source reportedly operated within the Maduro government.
Families of Two Trinidadian Men Killed in U.S. Strikes Sue Trump Administration
Jan 28, 2026
Image Credit: U.S. Southern Command
The families of two men from Trinidad killed in an October U.S. missile strike in the Caribbean are suing the Trump administration for wrongful death and extrajudicial killing. Chad Joseph, who was 26, and 41-year-old Rishi Samaroo were killed in one of the 36 strikes the U.S. government has launched against boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean since September. At least 125 people have been killed in these strikes.
Trump: “Cuba Will Be Failing Pretty Soon”
Jan 28, 2026
President Trump is continuing his threats against Cuba, saying Tuesday the island nation has not received any more oil or money from Venezuela since the United States abducted Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro. The aid was a lifeline for Cuba, which has been devastated by decades of harsh U.S. economic sanctions. This comes as Politico reports Trump is considering imposing a total blockade on all oil imports to Cuba. These were Trump’s remarks on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump: “Cuba will be failing pretty soon. Cuba is really a nation that’s very close to failing. You know, they got their money from Venezuela. They got the oil from Venezuela. They’re not getting that anymore.”
This comes as Mexico has canceled its oil shipments to Cuba. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed the move on Tuesday, saying the decision was not made in response to U.S. pressure.
President Claudia Sheinbaum: “It is a sovereign decision, and Pemex makes its choice. And also, as we have said, Mexico’s decision to sell or give oil to Cuba for humanitarian reasons has to do with a sovereign decision that has been in place for many years. It is not recent.”
Justice Department to Finish Releasing Epstein Files Soon
Jan 28, 2026
The Justice Department says they will finish reviewing and publishing files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein soon, but did not provide a specific timeline. The DOJ has released over 100,000 pages so far — that’s less than 1% of the Epstein files.
South Carolina Measles Outbreak Reaches Nearly 800 Cases
Jan 28, 2026
South Carolina has reported nearly 800 measles cases — the largest outbreak in the United States since the disease was declared eliminated nearly two decades ago. The state’s health department said at least 18 people have been hospitalized for complications of measles. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has upended immunization policies in the U.S. as he and his allies have spread misinformation on vaccines.