Venezuelan opposition figures sheltered in Argentine embassy flee to U.S.
May 7, 2025
Five members of the Venezuelan opposition were in the U.S. on Tuesday, after having been sheltered for 412 days in the Argentine diplomatic compound in Caracas. On social media, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described their arrival as a “precise operation” carried out by the U.S., though he did not offer additional details.
The Venezuelan attorney general’s office had announced warrants for the arrests of the five opposition officials in March 2024, on the grounds of promoting acts of violence to destabilize the country. In response, Argentine President Javier Milei allowed the group to enter the Argentine ambassador’s residence, where they remained for over a year. It is unclear where the group is now.
All five opposition members–Pedro Urruchurtu, Humberto Villalobos, Claudia Macero, Omar González, and Magalí Meda–had been working to increase voter turnout for opposition candidate Edmundo González ahead of last year’s July elections, in an effort to remove authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro as the head of government. María Corina Machado, the main opposition figure who had been barred from running in the elections, called the rescue an “impeccable and epic operation for the freedom of five heroes of Venezuela.”
(AP News, New York Times, MercoPress, Guardian, X)
More Venezuela
The recent declassification of a memo written by U.S. spy agencies contradicts President Trump’s claim that Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro controls the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, reports the Washington Post. This assertion has been Trump’s justification for invoking the Alien Enemies Act to deport several Venezuelans–whom he alleges are members of TDA and other criminal organizations–to a prison in El Salvador.
Ecuador
The opposition’s request for the country’s electoral court to investigate the results of last month’s elections was dismissed on Tuesday, reports Reuters, leaving the group with no further path to challenge the outcome. Daniel Noboa was widely recognized by international observers as the winner of the second-round elections.
Regional Security
Ana Janaina Nelson and Benjamin Gedan call for the creation of a permanent security institution across Latin America and the Caribbean to fight ever-increasing crime, in particular by organized criminal organizations. (Americas Quarterly)
Panama
Thousands of Panamanians took to the streets to protest a recent deal signed last month that would allow U.S. troops to access strategic air and naval facilities, according to AP News. Panama has been struggling to find common ground with the U.S., following suggestions by President Trump that the U.S. should reclaim control of the Panama Canal and the implementation of 10% tariffs, both of which hurt the country.
In Americas Quarterly, Carlos Ruiz-Hernández argues that Panama’s cooperation with the U.S. demonstrates a profound understanding of the global balance of power by Panamanian President Mulino. “The [Panama] canal is not a weapon to be brandished… it is a global asset,” he writes, saying that “Its security, like its future, depends on anchoring Panama within a framework of neutrality, strategic alignment with trusted partners, and above all, a rules-based international order.”
Argentina
Patricia Bullrich, National Security Minister and key Milei ally, officially quit the PRO party and joined Milei’s La Libertad Avanza in what she called an “act of honesty,” and called PRO party members to join her, reports Buenos Aires Times. Bullrich had been part of the government since December 2023, but had not formally been part of the ruling coalition until now.
“El Eternauta,” the new Argentine science fiction series based on a 1950s graphic novel, is the most-watched non-English series on Netflix worldwide. (Buenos Aires Times)
Colombia
President Gustavo Petro announced he would sign a “letter of intent” to join China’s Belt and Road Initiative during an upcoming visit to Beijing, says La Nación.
Former Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva published a second letter accusing Petro of having a drug addiction, calling for Petro’s removal as the head of government. (El Colombiano)
In response, Petro announced he would be initiating criminal proceedings against Leyva, citing an intent to destabilize his government, says Infobae.
Chile
Increasingly congested shipping lanes are affecting the livelihood of whales in Chile, says the Guardian. Researchers say that an average of five fatal whale strikes occur in Chilean waters each year; in reality, numbers are likely much higher.