
Rubio Backs Rosa María Payá's Nomination as IACHR Commissioner
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 29 expressed his support for Rosa María Payá Acevedo's candidacy for commissioner of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the main body of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Payá, a Cuban activist and daughter of Oswaldo Payá, a Cuban leader of the Christian Liberation Movement who died in 2012, was
by Rubio in March to be the new head of the IACHR.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Miami's Hispanic Republicans push back on Trump's mass-deportation agenda
In letters, public statements and social media posts, Republican lawmakers from Miami are pushing back on President Donald Trump's mass deportation efforts. And even some of his most loyal Cuban-American backers are joining the chorus. At a bilingual press conference outside of the Federal Detention Center in downtown Miami on Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gimenez said he does not agree with Trump's one-size-fits-all approach to immigration He said cases should be handled on a case by case basis because every immigrant's situation is different. 'We are working hard to express our opinion and let the President and the administration know that there is a better way, a more just way, for the people here in Miami-Dade County. Because they are our neighbors, and productive members of society,' he told reporters. His remarks come as several Cuban-American officials from Miami, at both the state and federal level, have expressed disapproval and fear regarding the Trump administration's immigration enforcement and policies that heavily target Cubans, Venezuelans, and Haitians — all communities with significant populations in South Florida. READ MORE: 'Inhumane:' Latinas for Trump founder condemns White House immigration crackdown Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia, one of Trump's staunchest backers in Tallahassee, blasted Trump's mass deportation policies as 'unacceptable' and 'inhumane.' 'This is not what we voted for,' she wrote in a statement. U.S. Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, also a Republican, has said she is 'heartbroken' amid the uncertainty in her district and warned that recent actions threaten due process. And GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart recently sent a letter to Homeland Security noting he was 'increasingly concerned' with the 'growing cases' of the detentions and possible deportations of people fleeing oppressive regimes. READ MORE: Miami congressman urges Noem not to deport Venezuelan torture victim Gimenez confirmed on Tuesday that he had met recently with Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. 'We told her why we are having issues with what they are doing with Cubans, Venezuelans, Haitians living in Miami-Dade County. That's why you've seen some degree of difference in President Trump's tone,' said Gimenez. Many of the Latino communities in South Florida that helped flip Miami-Dade red, like Cubans and Venezuelans, have been hardest hit by Trump's immigration policies. Under the Trump administration, a countrywide operation to arrest people leaving immigration court has shocked some of Miami's conservative officials. The White House has also moved to end deportation protections and work permits for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans under Temporary Protected Status, rolled back an 18-month extension for Haiti's TPS, and enacted stringent travel restrictions towards Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. It has also stripped protections from over half-a-million Nicaraguans, Venezuelans, and Haitians who legally came to the U.S. through the Biden-era parole program. 'Let's deport criminals, gang members, and people with deportation orders. This is a country of law. But there are also many people who entered because they were almost invited by President Biden... I won't say they have a right — but they have good arguments to stay here in the United States. Because if not they have to return to countries that will oppress them like Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Haiti,' said Gimenez. Amid the City of Miami formalizing a partnership with ICE that will allow its cops to wield limited immigration enforcement powers, Gimenez said that he thought police departments should support ICE when the federal agency needs back up but that it's not their role to enforce immigration laws. Both the Florida and federal governments have pushed for these partnerships. 'I don't think that's their job. That's ICE's job,' said Gimenez.


Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
Elian González breaks silence 25 years later: ‘I'm going through difficult times'
Elian González had some surprising things to say on state television as the Cuban government commemorates the 25th anniversary of his return to the island from Miami. The story of Elian González made international headlines in the early 2000s, heightening tensions between the Cuban exile community and the regime in Havana. González praised the pivotal role of the late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, who ordered mass rallies across the island. What did Elian González say? González said he has no regrets about remaining in Cuba, although he hinted that, like other Cubans, he may be enduring hardship due to the severe economic crisis gripping the country. 'What has never crossed my mind is regretting being in Cuba and growing up with my family. I may be going through difficult times, whatever the problem may be, but Fidel taught me to fight, to push forward,' he said Thursday on state television during an event at the Fidel Castro Ruz Center in Havana. González also expressed his 'gratitude' to the late revolutionary leader 'for giving me a place in the hearts of Cubans.' He added, 'What can never be in doubt is my commitment to the people of Cuba.' According to Cuban state news, González criticized the Cuban Adjustment Act, claiming it was the reason his mother left the island on a perilous sea journey. A victory for Castro's regime? The Cuban government celebrates June 28 each year as the anniversary of Elian González's return, describing him as a child 'kidnapped in Miami by distant relatives in collusion with the Cuban-American mafia.' When he was 6, González was rescued off the coast of the United States after his mother died during a shipwreck of the boat they had taken to flee Cuba. The child survived by clinging to an inner tube. His case drew global attention as a bitter legal and political battle unfolded. In the end, U.S. federal agents raided the Miami home of González's relatives and forcibly removed him under orders from the Department of Justice to return him to his father in Cuba — a move that the Cuban government has since celebrated as a symbolic victory. The Associated Press photo capturing the moment agents found the boy in a closet in his relatives' home became world famous and earned a Pulitzer Prize. The photographer, Alan Diaz, died in 2018. Since his return to Cuba, González's life has been periodically covered by the state-run media, often to highlight Fidel Castro's legacy. In 2023, the 'raft boy' was elected to Cuba's National Assembly as a representative for Cárdenas, the municipality in Matanzas province where he lives. Around that time, González told CNN he hoped to help improve relations between Havana and Washington. 'I think I could be a visible face for the American people and help the people of Cuba and the people of the United States become closer,' he said. 'And not just the people, but that our governments reach an understanding, and remove all the barriers that exist between us.'


Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Judge orders anti-Israel ringleader Mahmoud Khalil to be released on bail
A federal judge on Friday ordered anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil to be released on bail while his immigration and civil cases proceed through the courts, citing the "extraordinary circumstances" of his case. Judge Michael Farbiarz, a Biden appointee, assessed during a hearing in New Jersey that Khalil was not a flight risk or a danger to the community and that his detention was therefore "highly unusual." Khalil's attorneys had said in a letter to the court that his imprisonment in an immigration detention center in Jena, Louisiana, was an "exceedingly rare" decision on the part of the government and amounted to unconstitutional retaliation. Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, was arrested in March outside his apartment at Columbia University and immediately filed a habeas corpus lawsuit challenging his detention. He has asked the court to be released on bail or transferred to an immigration facility in New Jersey, where he would be closer to his family and legal team. An immigration judge found Khalil was removable based on a memo from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that said Khalil's activism on campus was at odds with U.S. foreign policy interests. Rubio cited an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act to justify his finding, and Farbiarz later enjoined the secretary from using that determination. But the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) later added a second reason for keeping Khalil detained and attempting to deport him. The DHS said Khalil allegedly omitted key information from his green card application about groups with which he was affiliated, including the Columbia University Apartheid Divest. Khalil's case has become a lightning rod for anti-Israel protesters and immigration rights advocates. They have argued the Trump administration is retaliating against him for opposing the Israeli government and chilling free speech of those who oppose Israel's offensive in the Gaza Strip and conflict with Iran. The government has countered that Khalil violated immigration law by allegedly signaling support for the terrorist group Hamas through his activism. Department of Justice (DOJ) attorneys argued to the judge that the federal court did not have authority to free Khalil from detention because the second claim, about his green card papers, is pending before an immigration judge. "Khalil remains detained because he is currently charged as removable for fraudulently or willfully misrepresenting material facts on his adjustment of status application," the attorneys wrote in court papers this week. This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.