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Guatemala agrees to accept deportees from other countries, in deal with Rubio

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo confirmed that his country is willing to accept migrants of other nationalities being deported from the U.S. under President Donald Trump’s administration.

Arevalo made the announcement during a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. The new agreement declares Guatemala a “safe third country” for deportation, with the U.S. paying for migrants to be eventually returned to their home countries.

“We have agreed to increase by 40% the number of flights of deportees both of our nationality as well as deportees from other nationalities,” Arevalo said, speaking during a news conference with Rubio.

The agreement is similar to but less expansive than the one Rubio reached with El Slavador’s president, Nayib Bukele, on Tuesday. Bukele said his country would accept U.S. deportees of any nationality, including American citizens and legal residents who are imprisoned for violent crimes.

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo cleared the path for his nation’s status as a “safe third country.” (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

“We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” Bukele wrote on X Monday night. “We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK

Rubio said the Salvadoran president “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”

“We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP)

While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele’s offer was significant.

The proposal with El Salvador, known as a “safe third country” agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality.

People are seen boarding a U.S. military aircraft. The White House announced Friday that “deportation flights have begun” in the U.S. (White House)

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Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 5, 2025
El Salvador agrees to take US deportees of any nationality

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has offered for illegal immigrants – of any nationality – facing deportation in the U.S. to be booked in his country’s prison system in exchange for a fee.

This proposal comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Bukele at his lakeside country house outside San Salvador on Monday.

“We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” Bukele wrote on X Monday night. “We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”

Rubio said the Salvadoran president “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”

RUBIO HEADS TO PANAMA, LATIN AMERICA TO PURSUE TRUMP’S ‘GOLDEN AGE’ AGENDA

Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP)

“We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio told reporters, referring to illegal immigrants behind bars in U.S. prisons. “And, he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even though they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents.”

While Bukele did extend the offer to include violent American criminals, it is highly unlikely that part of the offer would actually happen, since it is illegal to deport U.S. citizens. A U.S. official said the Trump administration has no plans to deport American citizens, but noted that Bukele’s offer was significant.

The proposal with El Salvador, known as a “safe third country” agreement, could potentially be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them, and Rubio said Bukele offered to accept detainees of any nationality.

Bukele also said he would take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members in the U.S. illegally, and promised to accept and incarcerate criminal illegal aliens from any country, especially those affiliated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.

Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, argued that the “safe third country” plan would paint the region as the U.S. government’s “backyard to dump the garbage.”

TRUMP ANNOUNCES VENEZUELA WILL TAKE CRIMINAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS BACK

Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Salvador, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP)

Rubio was visiting El Salvador to push for more help in supporting President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan. He arrived in San Salvador shortly after watching a U.S.-funded deportation flight carrying 43 illegal immigrants leave from Panama for Colombia.

The deportation flight had 32 men and 11 women detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department said the deportations send a message of deterrence.

“Mass migration is one of the great tragedies in the modern era,” Rubio said afterward. “It impacts countries throughout the world. We recognize that many of the people who seek mass migration are often victims and victimized along the way, and it’s not good for anyone.”

Rubio is nearly half way done with his Central America tour after Monday’s visit to El Salvador. (AP)

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Rubio’s trip comes during a sweeping freeze on U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders that have shut down taxpayer-funded programs targeting illegal immigration and crime in Central America. The State Department said that the secretary had approved waivers for certain critical programs in countries he is visiting.

The secretary will continue to urge foreign leaders to do more to help the U.S. combat illegal immigration, including in his next stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, which are part of his five-nation Central American tour following the visits to Panama and El Salvador.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

February 4, 2025
Trump agrees to pause Canadian tariffs, Trudeau says

President Donald Trump will pause additional tariffs on Canadian imports for 30 days following a call with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who made some concessions to temporarily stave off the levies.

Trump and Trudeau spoke via phone Monday, hours before additional 25% tariffs were to take effect on Canadian goods coming into the United States. In a post on X, Trudeau said Canada will implement a $1.3 billion border plan and will appoint a fentanyl czar.

In addition, Canada will reinforce its border with new helicopters, technology, personnel and enhanced coordination with American authorities. He added that nearly 10,000 personnel are and will be working on border protection.

TRUMP DEFENDS TARIFFS, ACCUSES CANADA OF BEING ‘VERY ABUSIVE OF THE UNITED STATES’

President Donald Trump (L) talks with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the plenary session of the NATO summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, northeast of London on December 4, 2019. (Nicholas Kamm)

“We will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering,” Trudeau wrote. “I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million.”

“Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together,” he added.

Trump has long said Canada and Mexico have failed to do enough to prevent the flow of illegal migrants and drugs, particularly fentanyl, from those nations into the U.S. In addition, Trump claims the U.S. has subsidized Canada to the tune of $200 million annually.

‘OVERDOSE EPIDEMIC’: BIPARTISAN SENATORS TARGET FENTANYL CLASSIFICATION AS LAPSE APPROACHES

Fentanyl seized in Nogales, Arizona. Border agents and officers seized more than 1,900 pounds of the illicit drug in October 2022. (CBP)

“We need to protect Americans, and it is my duty as President to ensure the safety of all,” Trump said Saturday, when he imposed the tariffs. “I made a promise on my Campaign to stop the flood of illegal aliens and drugs from pouring across our Borders, and Americans overwhelmingly voted in favor of it.”

Hours before his call with Trudeau, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she would deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border over tariff threats.

Trump has promised to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian and Mexican goods, as well as a 10% tariff on Canadian energy; and a 10% tariff on all goods entering the U.S. from China. The tariffs on Canada and China were set to go into effect Tuesday at midnight.

Trucks pass over the Blue Water Bridge at the border crossing with the US in Sarnia, Ontario, on February 3, 2025. US President Donald Trump said he will discuss the punishing tariffs he has levied on Canada and Mexico with both countries on Monday, after arguing that Americans may feel economic “pain” from the 25 percent duties but that it will be “worth the price.” (Photo by Geoff Robins / AFP) (Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images) (AP)

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Threats prompted leaders in multiple Canadian provinces to pledge to remove American alcohol from store shelves.

February 3, 2025
Mexico agrees to deploy 10,000 troops to US border in exchange for tariff pause

Mexico has agreed to deploy 10,000 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in exchange for a one-month delay on President Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Monday.

Sheinbaum made the announcement on social media Monday morning, roughly 12 hours before the tariffs were set to take effect. Trump and Sheinbaum spoke on Monday and agreed that Mexico will do more to combat drug trafficking into the U.S., and that the U.S. will step up efforts to block the flow of firearms into Mexico.

Sheinbaum also said officials with the U.S. and Mexico were beginning talks on wider trade and security issues.

Trump confirmed the deal in his own post on Truth Social, describing the call with Sheinbaum as a “very friendly conversation.”

RNC CHAIR, AFTER CRUISING TO RE-ELECTION, VOWS TO BE ‘TIP OF SPEAR’ TO PROTECT TRUMP

Mexican President Claudia Claudia Sheinbaum spoke with President Donald Trump on Monday and came to an agreement regarding tariffs and the U.S.-Mexico border. (Getty Images)

“I just spoke with President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico. It was a very friendly conversation wherein she agreed to immediately supply 10,000 Mexican Soldiers on the Border separating Mexico and the United States. These soldiers will be specifically designated to stop the flow of fentanyl, and illegal migrants into our Country,” Trump wrote.

TRUMP IMPOSES TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM CANADA, MEXICO AND CHINA: ‘NATIONAL EMERGENCY’

“We further agreed to immediately pause the anticipated tariffs for a one month period during which we will have negotiations headed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, and high-level Representatives of Mexico. I look forward to participating in those negotiations, with President Sheinbaum, as we attempt to achieve a ‘deal’ between our two Countries,” he added.

Mexico will send 10,000 national guard troops to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border against drug trafficking and illegal immigration. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)

The deal comes just days after Trump announced 25% tariffs on both Mexico and Canada, as well as 10% tariffs on China. Trump says he spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday, but the pair did not reach an agreement. He says they will speak again later Monday.

The tariffs are set to take effect at midnight on Tuesday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slighted the U.S. by encouraging Canadians to “buy Canada” in response to the tariffs.

Canada Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called on citizens to “buy Canada” in response to Trump’s threat of tariffs. (AP/Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)

“Now is the time to choose products made right here in Canada,” Trudeau wrote on X. “Check the labels. Let’s do our part. Wherever we can, choose Canada.

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During Sunday’s exchange with reporters, Trump also discussed the prospect of cutting off aid to South Africa after its president signed a controversial land seizure measure.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 3, 2025
Panama agrees to end canal deal with China after Rubio visit

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Panama’s president vowed Sunday to end a key development deal with China after meeting with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and after complaints from President Donald Trump that the Latin American country had ceded control over its critical shipping canal to Beijing.

José Raúl Mulino, Panama’s president, said his nation’s sovereignty over the 51-mile waterway, which connects the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, will remain unchanged. But he said he would not renew a 2017 memorandum of understanding to join China’s Belt and Road global development initiative and that Panama would instead look to work more closely with the U.S.

“I think this visit opens the door to build new relations … and try to increase as much as possible U.S. investments in Panama,” Mulino told reporters after meeting with Rubio on his first international trip since being confirmed.

Rubio, who was a senator representing Florida before Trump tapped him to be America’s top diplomat, said his team is ready to push the U.S. agenda.

‘TAKING IT BACK’: INTERNAL HOUSE GOP MEMO OUTLINES CASE FOR TRUMP TO Y PANAMA CANAL

“Had the pleasure of meeting the incredible @USEmbPAN team during my first embassy meet and greet in my new role as Secretary of State!” Rubio wrote in a post on X. “Thankful for their dedication and ongoing efforts to promoting President Trump’s vision of an America First foreign policy.”

During his visit, Rubio wrote in a post on X that “the United States cannot, and will not, allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue with its effective and growing control over the Panama Canal area.”

Trump has complained that China exerts control over the canal and charges U.S. ships six-figure premiums to cross Panama’s isthmus. The canal was built over several decades by the U.S. and completed in 1914 but handed over to Panama during the Carter administration.

Trump has made regaining ownership of the Panama Canal a priority in his administration. House Republicans introduced a bill for the United States to repurchase the Panama Canal after Trump raised concerns that the critical waterway is under Chinese control.

The bill, named the Panama Canal Repurchase Act, was introduced by Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a member of the Select Committee on China and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“President Trump is right to consider repurchasing the Panama Canal,” Johnson said in a statement. “China’s interest in and presence around the canal is a cause for concern. America must project strength abroad – owning and operating the Panama Canal might be an important step towards a stronger America and a more secure globe.”

HOUSE REPUBLICANS INTRODUCE BILL TO REPURCHASE PANAMA CANAL AFTER TRUMP RAISES CONCERNS OF CHINESE CONTROL

Panama announced it won’t renew the Belt and Road Initiative with China after Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the country. (Reuters)

If it becomes law, the bill would give the president authority to act in coordination with the secretary of state to “initiate and conduct negotiations with appropriate counterparts of the Government of the Republic of Panama to reacquire the Panama Canal.”

CHINA’S INFLUENCE ON PANAMA CANAL POSES ‘ACUTE RISKS TO US NATIONAL SECURITY,’ SEN CRUZ WARNS

President Donald Trump has expressed concern that the Panama Canal is being controlled by China. (Getty Images)

The U.S. Department of State estimates around 72% of all vessels that travel through the Panama Canal are coming from or going to a U.S. port.

Noting the canal’s strategic importance to the United States, Johnson’s office also noted how the waterway is a key transit point for U.S. Coast Guard and Department of Defense vessels.

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Without access to the canal, ships would be forced to travel 8,000 additional miles around South America.

“More than 10,000 ships use the Panama Canal each year, generating billions of dollars of tolls which would economically benefit America,” Johnson’s office said.

While the canal and China’s role in the region topped the agenda, Rubio had other items to raise.

“We also discussed efforts to end the hemisphere’s mass migration crisis and ensure fair competition for U.S. firms,” Rubio added.

Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.

Stepheny Price is writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Story tips and ideas can be sent to [email protected]

February 3, 2025
UCLA star Maya Brady agrees to join upstart Athletes Unlimited Softball League: report

UCLA softball shortstop Maya Brady has committed to playing in the new Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), ESPN reported.

Adding a player of Brady’s caliber and star power is expected to provide a boost to the upstart league that will conduct its inaugural draft this week.

The 23-year-old is the niece of seven-time Super Bowl winner and current FOX Sports lead NFL analyst Tom Brady.

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Maya Brady of the UCLA Bruins during a game against the Stanford Cardinal at Easton Stadium April 2, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

The left-handed UCLA Bruin also plays in the outfield and has received first-team All-American honors twice. Brady was also previously named the Pac-12 Player of the Year and was the Softball America Freshman of the Year in 2020.

UCLA has long boasted one of the top softball programs in the nation, and Brady ranks second on the school’s all-time home run list.

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Former Miami Marlins general manager Kim Ng is spearheading AUSL and was named a senior advisor last year. Ng has said the league will be “Major League Baseball for softball.”

The league will feature four teams playing 30 games in six to eight cities in its first season.

The Bandits, Blaze, Volts and Talons will be the league’s original four teams.

Maya Brady of the UCLA Bruins against the Stanford Cardinal in the third inning at Boyd at Jill Smith Family Stadium April 20, 2024, in Stanford, Calif. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

“Softball is poised for tremendous growth at the professional level, and the AUSL is meeting the moment by creating the action-packed, world-class softball league that this sport has deserved for so long,” Ng said.

“The caliber of players vying to be drafted tomorrow — Olympians, Team USA veterans, All-Americans and NCAA champions — further exemplifies that the world’s best players are here together as a unit of founding members who will make the AUSL the next big thing in women’s sports.”

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UCLA’s Maya Brady celebrates after a home run during the third inning of an NCAA softball Women’s College World Series game against Oklahoma June 6, 2022, in Oklahoma City. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Brady hit 71 home runs with 246 RBIs in 249 games at UCLA.

Last summer, two different four-team softball leagues held games, Women’s Professional Fastpitch and Association of Fastpitch Professionals.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Chantz Martin is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.

January 29, 2025