Trump Administration Takes Action on Venezuela, Alberta, and Immigration
WASHINGTON D.C. – The Trump administration took several significant actions this week, impacting Venezuela, relations with Canada, and immigration policy.
In Venezuela, President Donald Trump ordered the immediate reopening of commercial airspace, weeks after U.S. military forces reportedly toppled Nicolás Maduro, according to The Guardian. Speaking at the White House during his cabinet's first meeting of the year, Trump said he had just concluded a telephone conversation with Venezuela's acting president. The order allows direct flights from the U.S. to Venezuela, as major oil companies are already on the ground to assess potential operations. In tandem with this move, Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez signed into law a reform bill that will pave the way for increased privatization in the country's nationalized oil sector, fulfilling a key demand from President Trump, according to Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, relations between the U.S. and Canada were under scrutiny after reports surfaced that officials from the Trump administration had met with Alberta separatists. Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that he expects the United States to respect the country's sovereignty following these reports, according to Al Jazeera. The Financial Times reported that U.S. State Department officials held meetings with the Alberta Prosperity Project (APP), a group advocating for a referendum on Alberta's potential secession from Canada. Speaking in Ottawa on Thursday, Carney hailed new trade deals and reiterated his expectation that the U.S. would respect Canadian sovereignty.
In immigration news, Congressman Joaquin Castro visited five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos and his father at the Dilley detention center in Texas, The Guardian reported. Castro shared a photograph on social media of Liam resting in his father's arms, adding that he told Liam how much his family, his school, and the country loves him and is praying for him. Liam became a symbol of the wide reach of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in Minneapolis last week when he was detained on his way home from preschool.
Finally, a controversial Trump administration deal to relocate deportees from the U.S. to Palau faced an uncertain future after the senate voted to block the deal, according to The Guardian. The plan to resettle third-country nationals from the U.S. to the Pacific nation has drawn sharp opposition from the country's traditional leaders and lawmakers.
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