Benjamin Enrique Berardinelli Manjarrez sits in a sidewalk caf\u00e9 in Madrid, where spring is slowly giving way to the heat of summer. He is 33 years old, Colombian, and has only been here for a few weeks \u2013 arriving via Italy, stranded in Spain. His journey was originally supposed to lead in a different direction: to the United States. \u201cMy first plan was to go to the U.S. Like many other Latin Americans, I dreamed of the American dream \u2013 of a better life and the chance to earn money,\u201d he says. \u201cThere, you can earn enough in a single day to pay a month\u2019s rent in Colombia.\u201d But then Donald Trump became president again \u2013 and with him returned a policy that not only closes borders but also redirects lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Berardinelli had planned to cross through Mexico, illegally. But Trump\u2019s tightened immigration policies forced him to turn back. \u201cMany of my Colombian friends say they want to go back. They don\u2019t feel safe anymore, they\u2019re afraid of ICE and the police,\u201d he says. His wife and nearly three-year-old son remained in Bogot\u00e1. In Spain, he will not be eligible to apply for a residence permit for people in an \u201cirregular situation\u201d for another two years at the earliest. And yet he says: \u201cThe U.S. has become too dangerous. The American dream is over. Now Europe is our goal.\u201d Spain is no coincidence \u2013 it\u2019s a crossroads. Same language, similar culture, visa-free short stays \u2013 for many Latinos, Madrid is not just the geographic but also the psychological alternative to the U.S. border. The numbers reflect that: In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Spain registered 23,724 asylum applications from Venezuelans \u2013 a 54 percent increase compared to the previous year. And that, says Ana Mar\u00eda Diez, is just the beginning. Diez is president of the international Coalition for Venezuela. \u201cMany people are now afraid to go to the U.S. \u2013 because of Trump\u2019s xenophobic and anti-rights rhetoric. They\u2019re giving up the American dream and hoping for the European one \u2013 and that usually starts in Spain.\u201d Coalition for Venezuela<\/em>. \u201eViele haben jetzt Angst, in die USA zu gehen \u2013 wegen Trumps fremdenfeindlicher und antirechtlicher Rhetorik. Sie geben den amerikanischen Traum auf und hoffen auf den europ\u00e4ischen \u2013 und der beginnt meistens in Spanien.\u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Mexico, the number of people deported from the U.S. has risen to nearly 39,000. And the trend is not ending. The U.S. Supreme Court has now allowed the Trump administration to terminate deportation protection programs for about 350,000 Venezuelans. The political message is clear \u2013 protection now comes with an expiration date, and only for those who fit the mold. In a confidential conversation, a Venezuelan lawyer who had arrived in Madrid three days earlier said that he too had originally planned to go to the U.S. \u201cUnder Biden, it was difficult \u2013 but possible. Now with Trump, it\u2019s almost impossible,\u201d says the 40-year-old. He had previously applied for asylum in Austria \u2013 unsuccessfully. He then returned to Venezuela, hoping to eventually make it to the U.S. Then came the news that a friend of his had drowned trying to make the journey. That changed everything. Now he\u2019s hoping to benefit from a Spanish law that allows descendants of Spanish emigrants to apply for citizenship. He wants to bring his wife and two children. He has little money. \u201cI don\u2019t know where I\u2019ll sleep in the next few weeks. I hope I can find a small black-market job during tourist season. Forty or fifty euros a day \u2013 that would be something. Madrid is very expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n People already living in the U.S. are also seeking a way out to Europe. \u201cEveryone wants to go to Spain now,\u201d says immigration attorney M\u00e1chelin D\u00edaz. Her office has seen a surge in inquiries from Latinos with residency permits or good jobs in the U.S. who are now looking for protection or a new economic opportunity in Europe. But Spain\u2019s system is overwhelmed. With tighter border controls in Italy and Greece, many are entering through the Canary Islands \u2013 overcrowding the intake centers. D\u00edaz says: \u201cIt can take up to a year to get your first appointment \u2013 and then several more months before a decision is made.\u201d While the Spanish government has reformed immigration law to speed up the process, the fundamental issue remains. In 2024, Spain had an asylum approval rate of just 18.5 percent \u2013 far below the EU average of 42 percent. Colombians and Cubans are especially affected. \u201cEven though we know these countries lack real democracy, authorities often say people come only for economic reasons \u2013 not because they need protection.\u201d\nOne story that exemplifies the new climate is that of Alexander Jose Salazar Ramirez. The 34-year-old Venezuelan had been living in Peru since 2018, politically persecuted \u2013 a case for the UN refugee agency. In 2023, he was selected for a resettlement program in the U.S. His flight was booked \u2013 February 13, 2025, Chicago. \u201cI had all the documents. I sold everything, quit my job, gave up my apartment,\u201d he says. But one week before departure came the news: flight canceled \u2013 by order of the president. Ramirez has been stuck ever since. Returning to Venezuela is not an option \u2013 he would face prison. \u201cI\u2019ve been denouncing human rights violations in Venezuela. I\u2019m a target. And I don\u2019t feel safe here either.\u201d He\u2019s considering Spain \u2013 but can\u2019t afford the ticket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ana Mar\u00eda Diez is now calling for Spain, the UN, and the U.S. to jointly develop a structured resettlement program for people like Ramirez. \u201cOtherwise, these people are left stuck \u2013 with no alternatives,\u201d she says. The Spanish government has announced plans to take in a large portion of the Latinos deported from the U.S. \u2013 but no details have been released yet. \u201cThe recent decisions in the U.S. have sadly shaken the entire South American region,\u201d Diez says. \u201cOther countries are already following suit \u2013 even Argentina, which used to be a safe haven. Now the barriers are rising there too. And that will drive even more people into exile.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, a bitter realization remains \u2013 the American dream has lost its power, not only in the hearts of those who once believed in it, but also in the global reality it helped shape. What was once hope is now uncertainty. What was once a destination is now a stopover \u2013 on an uncertain journey through a Europe that is also struggling. The world is rearranging itself. Only one thing seems certain: no one dreams unconditionally of America anymore.<\/p>\n Benjamin Enrique Berardinelli Manjarrez sitzt in einem Stra\u00dfencaf\u00e9 in Madrid, wo der Fr\u00fchling langsam in die Glut des Sommers \u00fcbergeht. Er ist 33 Jahre alt, Kolumbianer, und erst seit wenigen Wochen hier \u2013 angekommen \u00fcber Italien, gestrandet in Spanien. Seine Reise h\u00e4tte urspr\u00fcnglich in eine andere Richtung gef\u00fchrt: in die Vereinigten Staaten. \u201eMein erster Plan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2621,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[41,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trump-s-world","category-world-news"],"yoast_head":"\n