Costa Rica, Honduras buckle under US pressure

Trump has pressured countries to help facilitate deportations, at times under the threat of steep tariffs or sanctions

A group of families including children hailing from Uzbekistan, China, Afghanistan, Russia and more countries landed in Costa Rica’s capital San José on Thursday—the first flight of 135 deportees from other nations Costa Rica agreed to hold in detention facilities for the Trump administration while it organised the return back to their countries.

Additionally, Honduras on Thursday facilitated a handoff of deportees between the US and Venezuela for a flight coming from Guantanamo Bay. Trump has pressured countries to help facilitate deportations, at times under the threat of steep tariffs or sanctions.

Kash Patel as FBI chief

New FBI director Kash Patel, 44, has vowed to “rebuild” trust in the bureau as he becomes the first Indian-American to lead the country’s premier law enforcement agency after being confirmed by the US Senate. Later, Patel got a Bollywood-style welcome from an aide of President Trump—White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino—who shared a morphed video of him dancing to the song ‘Malhari’ from the film ‘Bajirao Mastani’.

South Korea appeals

South Korean officials have asked the Trump administration to exclude their country from plans to impose aggressive tariffs on trade partners, emphasising that Seoul is already applying low duties on US products under the free trade agreement. Deputy Trade Minister Park Jong-won made the request on his visit to Washington this week for meetings with unspecified US officials.

‘Higher risk of wildfires’

The termination of thousands of US Forest Service employees—part of the federal layoffs—mean fewer people and less resources to prevent and fight wildfires, raising the spectre of even more destructive blazes. Workers who maintained trails, removed combustible debris from forests, supported firefighters and secured funds for wildfire mitigation say staffing cuts threaten public safety, especially in the West, where drier, hotter conditions increased wildfire intensity.

135
No. of US deportees in Costa Rica

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