FORTE MAG

A Colombian congresswoman whose conservative party is closely aligned with the right-wing ideologies of US President Donald Trump says her son was detained last month by ICE agents amid the US crackdown on immigration.

Ángela Vergara says she decided to go public with the case last week in part because her son has not yet been allowed to return to Colombia despite having requested voluntary departure, but also to raise awareness about the harsh conditions Colombian immigrants are facing in the US.

The case has sparked a debate online, with critics questioning why Vergara, a member of a party that often backs Trump, came out in defense of immigrants only after her son's detention.

Vergara has pushed back against the criticism, insisting that she has never supported immigration policies that she says violate human rights.

"This isn't a political issue; it's really a human rights issue," she told CNN. "Being a conservative politician doesn't mean I agree with human rights violations in Colombia or anywhere else in the world."

ICE detention

Vergara says her son Rafael, 23, has been locked up for more than 20 days at the River Correctional Detention Center in Louisiana, in what she describes as "inhumane conditions." She says he is being held along with a number of Colombians waiting for a repatriation flight home.

"He told me that he was with 70 people in a cell, that they had gone 12 hours the day before without drinking water, (and) everyone was sick," Vergara recounted to CNN.

The congresswoman said Rafael had been detained by ICE agents after a routine inspection while driving a commercial cargo truck in Louisiana.

She insists Rafael has been living in the US legally with a work permit and paying into social security. She says he applied for asylum a year after arriving in 2022 and was awaiting an asylum hearing scheduled for 2028.

CNN has reached out to the US Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, for more information.

After learning of her son's arrest, Vergara said the family requested his voluntary return to Colombia, thinking it would be the quickest way to resolve the matter. But more than 20 days after his arrest, she says her son remains in detention.

She attributes the delay to a "bottleneck" in the repatriation process that has left thousands of Colombians stranded in the US waiting for a limited number of flights.

Colombia signed an agreement earlier this month to resume repatriation flights from the US. Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio said that approximately one flight per week would be carried out over the next few months.

Advertisement

Vergara says she has asked the Colombian government to expedite transfers and increase the frequency of humanitarian flights.

Controversy over ideology

Vergara's Conservative Party maintains many positions that are more aligned with the American right than with Colombia's left-wing government led by President Gustavo Petro and has often expressed support for the Republican Party in the US.

In 2024, the Colombian Conservatives "celebrated" the electoral victories of Trump and his fellow Republicans in the House and Senate.

Last year, when the Trump administration decertified Colombia as a partner in the fight against drug trafficking, the partycondemned,not Trump, but Colombia's president for criticizing the US leader. It issued a statement pledging to support the US drug fighting measures.

In September, after the killing of prominent US conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Vergaraexpressed condolencesand support for the activist, saying, "His departure represents a loss for those of us who firmly defend life, family, and freedom."

Still, despite sharing some views with the American right, Vergara insists she doesn't support inhumane immigration policies.

"I have always demanded due process and humane treatment for Colombians, both inside and outside the country," she recently wrote on X.

Vergara says her conversative leanings have caused people to make false assumptions about her.

This week, she denied being a member of the group "Latinas for Trump," as many people online have alleged. She also denied that she celebrated the deportations of Latinos or called for a US invasion of Colombia.

On Tuesday, social media users and some news outlets shared a video of a woman dancing in a MAGA hat, whom they incorrectly identified as Vergara.

The video was also shared by Petro, who later took down his post after Vergara denied it was her in it.

In his post, Petro had also addressed the detention of Vergara's son and asked the Colombian Embassy in Washington to provide him with consular assistance: "No matter the paradox, the Colombian embassy in the US must help … this Colombian congresswoman to recover her son."

CNN has reached out to the Colombian presidency for comment on the matter.

Vergara told CNN she thought it was positive that Petro addressed the issue but insisted that he needs to respond to her request for humanitarian flights.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

Demonstration under the slogan "Olympics - No Thanks" on the day of the Winter Olympics closing ceremony, in Verona

VERONA, Italy, Feb 22 (Reuters) - Hundreds of people marched through the streets of Verona a few hours before the Olympics closing ‌ceremony to protest against housing costs and environmental concerns linked to ‌the Winter Games.

The rally, "Olympics? No thanks", was organised by university groups and associations that oppose hosting ​an event they say disrupts forests, pours concrete onto fragile land and deepens social inequality.

"We are here to defend our territory from speculation... and from the impossible cost of attending events," said Giannina Dal Bosco, a 76‑year‑old activist.

Tickets for the ceremony ‌were priced from 950 ⁠euros ($1,120) to a top level of 2,900 euros. It started at 8:30 p.m. (1930 GMT) inside Verona's ancient Roman arena.

One banner read: "Fewer ⁠Games for the few, more homes for everyone."

Francesca, 34, who travelled from Vicenza, about 60 km (40 miles) away, said the landscape had been "disfigured" by new Olympic structures.

Advertisement

"They built ​concrete ​monstrosities like the bobsleigh track, which will ​serve no purpose," she said. "Public money ‌has been wasted that could have been used for hydrogeological safety and housing plans."

Several protesters wore keffiyeh scarves and waved Palestinian flags.

Protesters marched for around two hours outside the security perimeter, from the 16th‑century Porta Palio to the 19th‑century Arsenal Square.

They briefly stopped at the point closest to the red zone, unsuccessfully ‌asking to be allowed inside. Before the march ​moved on, activists painted the words "FIVE CIRCLES, A ​THOUSAND DEBTS" in large letters ​on the road.

Verona's mayor Damiano Tommasi said high‑profile events such ‌as the Olympics always carried the ​risk of people seeking ​visibility and trying to exploit the moment, and that it was appropriate to deploy a heightened level of security.

A much larger demonstration — drawing nearly ​10,000 people — took place ‌in Milan on the first day of the Games and later ​turned violent.

($1 = 0.8482 euros)

(Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Writing by Giselda Vagnoni; ​Editing by Ed Osmond and Alison Williams)

COPENHAGEN, Feb 22 (Reuters) - ‌Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Sunday "no ‌thanks" to U.S. President Donald Trump's idea of sending a hospital ship ​to Greenland, a territory that Trump has repeatedly said he wishes to take over.

Trump said on Saturday on social media he was working with Louisiana Governor and special envoy to Greenland, ‌Jeff Landry, to send ⁠a hospital boat to Greenland.

"President Trump's idea of sending an American hospital ship here to Greenland ⁠has been noted. But we have a public healthcare system where treatment is free for citizens. It is a deliberate choice," ​Nielsen ​said in a post on ​Facebook.

Advertisement

Nielsen said Greenland remained open ‌to dialogue and cooperation, also with the U.S.

"But talk to us instead of just making more or less random outbursts on social media," he said.

Greenland, Denmark and the U.S. late last month launched diplomatic talks to resolve the crisis between ‌the parties, following months of tension ​within the NATO defence alliance over ​Trump's threats against ​the Arctic territory.

Trump's post on the ship came ‌hours after Denmark's Joint Arctic ​Command said it ​had evacuated a crew member who required urgent medical treatment from a U.S. submarine in Greenlandic waters, seven ​nautical miles outside ‌of Greenland's capital, Nuuk. It was unclear if the ​post had any connection to the evacuation.

(Reporting by Stine ​Jacobsen, editing by Louise Rasmussen)

The nature of the injury wasn't immediately clear, with Curtis Jones taking the German star's place in the lineup.

Wirtz was seen on the pitch at City Ground in discussions with Liverpool staff prior to kickoff before walking away down the tunnel.

After Wirtz was ruled out, longtime Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports: "It's a big blow. He's been the one knitting everything together."

Advertisement

Wirtz has been excellent for Liverpool in recent weeks after initially struggling following a record-breaking summer move from Bayer Leverkusen.

The 22-year-old has scored five of his six total goals since the turn of the year.

Liverpool still managed to secure a 1-0 win at the City Ground thanks to a late goal from Alexis Mac Allister.

West Ham United's Valentin Castellanos shoots against Chelsea.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> James Milner celebrates Brighton's win against Brentford.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester City at Old Trafford on Jan. 17.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Manchester City's Rayan Cherki celebrates after scoring his team's second goal against Nottingham Forest on Dec. 27.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Manchester United's Patrick Dorgu celebrates after scoring the opening goal against Newcastle on Dec. 26.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Liverpool's Ryan Gravenberch celebrates scoring his team's second goal in a 2-0 win over Aston Villa at Anfield on Nov. 1. The victory ended a four-game losing streak in Premier League games for the defending champions.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri (right) and Burnley's Florentino Luis battle for possession of the ball at Turf Moor. Arsenal won the Nov. 1 match, 2-0, to stay six points above Manchester City atop the Premier League table.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Erling Haaland of Manchester City competes for a header whilst under pressure from Sepp van den Berg and Kristoffer Ajer of Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium on Oct. 5, 2025. Man City won the match, 1-0.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

Best Premier League action, scenes and drama from 2025-26 season

West Ham United's Valentin Castellanos shoots against Chelsea.

The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast.Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Florian Wirtz injury: Liverpool star ruled out vs. Nottingham Forest