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A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 4 February 2025
Rubio views a deportation flight in Panama as Trump prioritizes an

immigration crackdown

By MATTHEW LEE and JUAN Rubio has not spoken pub-
ZAMORANO licly about any plans to shut
Associated Press down USAID.
PANAMA CITY (AP) — U.S. Monday’s deportation
Secretary of State Marco flight came as Trump has
Rubio viewed a deporta- been threatening action
tion flight carrying 43 mi- against nations that will
grants before it took off not accept flights of their
from Panama on Mon- nationals from the United
day as President Donald States, and he briefly hit
Trump’s administration pri- Colombia with penalties
oritizes stopping people last week for initially refus-
from making the journey to ing to accept two flights.
the United States. Panama has been more
On his second and final day cooperative and has al-
in Panama City on a five- lowed flights of third-coun-
nation trip to Central Amer- try deportees to land and
ica, Rubio turned his focus sent migrants back be-
from the Panama Canal fore they reach the United
and Chinese influence to States. Panamanian Presi-
the issue the Republican dent José Raúl Mulino re-
president has championed affirmed that position and
most: immigration. agreed Sunday to with-
Rubio was on the tarmac Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with Frank Alexis Abrego, Panama’s Minister of Public Security, draw from China’s Belt and
for the departure of the right, arrives to watch people board a repatriation flight bound for Colombia at Albrook Airport in Road development and
flight, which was carrying 32 Panama City, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. infrastructure initiative after
men and 11 women back Associated Press Rubio warned him to re-
to Colombia after they had in flights and tickets. Salvador, where migration of those were not immedi- duce China’s role in canal
crossed the Darien Gap “Mass migration is one of will again be a top agenda ately available. operations or face Ameri-
and were stopped in Pan- the great tragedies in the item. His trip comes amid While Rubio was out of the can retaliation.
ama. It’s unusual for a sec- modern era,” Rubio said, a sweeping freeze in U.S. country, staffers of the U.S. Panamanian immigration
retary of state to personally speaking afterward in a foreign assistance and Agency for International officials say they have car-
witness such a law enforce- nearby building. “It impacts stop-work orders that have Development were instruct- ried out 44 deportation
ment operation, especially countries throughout the shut down U.S.-funded pro- ed on Monday to stay out of flights carrying nearly 2,000
in front of cameras. world. grams targeting illegal mi- the agency’s Washington migrants since signing an
The State Department said We recognize that many of gration and crime in Cen- headquarters after billion- agreement with the U.S.
such deportations send a the people who seek mass tral American countries. aire Elon Musk announced for financial support when
strong message of deter- migration are often victims The State Department said Trump had agreed with him Mulino entered office last
rence and that the U.S. has and victimized along the Sunday that Rubio had ap- to shut the agency. Thou- July. The majority of those
provided Panama with fi- way, and it’s not good for proved waivers for certain sands of USAID employees flown home have been
nancial assistance to the anyone.” critical programs in coun- already had been laid off Colombians, followed by
tune of almost $2.7 million Rubio then traveled to El tries he is visiting, but details and programs shut down. Ecuadorians.q

Another car bomb in a northern Syria city kills at least 19, mostly

women

By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and OMAR ALBAM city are a threat to Syria’s efforts to bring
Associated Press about post-war security and economic re-
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Another car covery.
bomb exploded on the outskirts of a city Manbij in northeastern Aleppo province
in northern Syria on Monday, killing at continues to see violence two months af-
least 19 people and leaving over a dozen ter the fall of President Bashar Assad in an
wounded, hospital workers and emergen- insurgent offensive.
cy responders said. Turkish-backed factions known as the Syr-
Eighteen women and one man were killed, ian National Army have clashed with the
a nurse at the local hospital, Mohammad U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democrat-
Ahmad, told The Associated Press. Anoth- ic Forces. The factions took the city from
er 15 women were wounded, some in criti- the SDF in early December during the in-
cal condition, according to the local civil surgency.
defense. Not long after accusations against the
No group immediately claimed respon- SDF surfaced on social media, the SDF in a
In this photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, sibility for the blast that occurred next to statement condemned Monday’s attack
which has been authenticated based on its contents and other a vehicle carrying agricultural workers on and accused Ankara-backed groups of
AP reporting, Syrian White Helmet civil defense workers inspect the outskirts of Manbij. possibly being involved with the aim of
the area of a car bomb attack that killed least 15 people and It was the seventh car bombing in Manbij causing more strife in Syria.
wounded dozens, the local Syrian civil defense reported, on the
outskirts of the city of Manbij, Syria, Monday. Feb. 3, 2025. in over a month, said Munir Mustafa, the The statement said the SDF will communi-
Associated Press deputy director of civil defense, warn- cate with Syria’s new interim government
ing that the attacks near Syria’s second in Damascus to investigate.q