Mexico seeks return of 14 nationals held at US ‘Alligator Alcatraz' facility
'The facility is completely sealed off—no sunlight, lights on 24 hours a day. They don't know if it's day or night,' their father said. 'Obviously, my sons are desperate to get out of this situation.'The facility, located about 37 miles from Miami in a dense subtropical wetland known for its population of alligators, crocodiles, and pythons, has drawn attention for its harsh conditions. US officials have reportedly used the facility's remote and intimidating environment to demonstrate a tougher stance on immigration under President Donald Trump's administration. Since Trump took office on January 20, a total of 73,533 people have been returned to Mexico, 67,008 of them Mexican nationals, according to Sheinbaum.The US Department of Homeland Security has not commented on the brothers' case. Meanwhile, Mexico's consul in Orlando, Juan Sabines, stated in a video shared Monday that the brothers remain in 'legal limbo,' as their appointed lawyer does not have access to their case file, and no judge has been assigned yet. - EndsMust Watch
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Business Standard
19 hours ago
- Business Standard
US, Mexico sign accord to combat Tijuana River sewage flowing across border
The United States and Mexico have signed an agreement outlining specific steps and a new timetable to clean up the longstanding problem of the Tijuana River pouring sewage across the border and polluting California beaches, officials from both countries announced Thursday. Billions of gallons of sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana have polluted the Pacific Ocean off neighboring Southern California, closing beaches and sickening Navy SEALs who train in the water. That's despite multiple efforts and millions of dollars that have been poured into addressing the problem over decades, including under the first Trump administration. There is a great commitment by the two countries to strengthen cooperation, Mexico's Environmental Secretary Alicia Brcena said Thursday after meeting with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Mexico City for the signing of the memorandum of understanding. The accord comes three months after Zeldin flew to San Diego to meet with Mexican officials and visit the border. I smelled what a lot of residents in the community lived through and have to deal with," he said Thursday. "I saw the degradation of the Tijuana River valley. I heard about the beaches that were closed. I met with the Navy Seals, who have had their training impacted. It was a powerful visit all around for me. Under the agreement, Mexico will complete its allocation of $93 million toward infrastructure projects, including adhering to a specific schedule for priority projects spanning through 2027. The 120-mile-long (195-kilometer) Tijuana River runs near the coast in Mexico and crosses into Southern California, where it flows through Navy-owned land and out to the Pacific. As Tijuana's wastewater treatment plants have aged, its population and industry -- including the manufacturing plants, known as maquiladoras that make US goods have boomed. At the same time, there has been an increase in the amount of toxins that have made their way into the river and into San Diego County since 2018, more than 100 billion gallons of raw sewage laden with industrial chemicals and trash. The pollution has sickened not only swimmers, surfers and lifeguards but also schoolchildren, Border Patrol agents and others who do not even go in the water. Scientists say the sewage is vaporized when it foams up and enters the air people breathe. California beaches near the border have been closed more often than not over the past four years. The communities along the Tijuana River have suffered this public health crisis for far too long, said Kristan Culbert, associate director of California river conservation at American Rivers, in a statement Thursday. Since 2020, more than $653 million in funds have been allocated to address the issue, but the crisis has continued largely because of delays by the Mexican government, Zeldin has said. Zeldin said this agreement factors in population growth, operation and maintenance costs, and other variables that would make this solution durable and long term. He praised the new administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office last October, for its willingness to address the issue. Sheinbaum said earlier Thursday that her government would expand a wastewater treatment plant that would reduce the contamination reaching the coast. There are other actions that were signed that we have to complete, that we're going to get done in the next year for the entire Tijuana sanitation system, for the entire metropolitan Tijuana area," she said. Sheinbaum said the United States also has to make investments in the binational problem. Referring to another agreement to send more water to the US to reduce Mexico's water debt in the Rio Grande, Sheinbaum said the Tijuana River agreement is a good example of how when our technical teams sit down, they can resolve a problem that seemed unsolvable. The US has agreed to complete the expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant next month. The agreement also stipulates that Mexico this year divert 10 million gallons per day of treated sewage away from the shore. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
News18
20 hours ago
- News18
US and Mexico sign accord to combat Tijuana River sewage flowing across border
San Diego, Jul 25 (AP) The United States and Mexico have signed an agreement outlining specific steps and a new timetable to clean up the longstanding problem of the Tijuana River pouring sewage across the border and polluting California beaches, officials from both countries announced Thursday. Billions of gallons of sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana have polluted the Pacific Ocean off neighboring Southern California, closing beaches and sickening Navy SEALs who train in the water. That's despite multiple efforts and millions of dollars that have been poured into addressing the problem over decades, including under the first Trump administration. 'There is a great commitment by the two countries to strengthen cooperation," Mexico's Environmental Secretary Alicia Bárcena said Thursday after meeting with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin in Mexico City for the signing of the memorandum of understanding. The accord comes three months after Zeldin flew to San Diego to meet with Mexican officials and visit the border. 'I smelled what a lot of residents in the community lived through and have to deal with," he said Thursday. 'I saw the degradation of the Tijuana River valley. I heard about the beaches that were closed. I met with the Navy Seals, who have had their training impacted. It was a powerful visit all around for me." Under the agreement, Mexico will complete its allocation of $93 million toward infrastructure projects, including adhering to a specific schedule for priority projects spanning through 2027. As Tijuana's wastewater treatment plants have aged, its population and industry — including the manufacturing plants, known as maquiladoras that make U.S. goods — have boomed. At the same time, there has been an increase in the amount of toxins that have made their way into the river and into San Diego County — since 2018, more than 100 billion gallons of raw sewage laden with industrial chemicals and trash. The pollution has sickened not only swimmers, surfers and lifeguards but also schoolchildren, Border Patrol agents and others who do not even go in the water. Scientists say the sewage is vaporized when it foams up and enters the air people breathe. California beaches near the border have been closed more often than not over the past four years. 'The communities along the Tijuana River have suffered this public health crisis for far too long," said Kristan Culbert, associate director of California river conservation at American Rivers, in a statement Thursday. Since 2020, more than $653 million in funds have been allocated to address the issue, but the crisis has continued largely because of delays by the Mexican government, Zeldin has said. Zeldin said this agreement factors in 'population growth, operation and maintenance costs, and other variables that would make this solution durable and long term." He praised the new administration of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who took office last October, for its willingness to address the issue. Sheinbaum said earlier Thursday that her government would expand a wastewater treatment plant that would reduce the contamination reaching the coast. 'There are other actions that were signed that we have to complete, that we're going to get done in the next year for the entire Tijuana sanitation system, for the entire metropolitan Tijuana area," she said. Sheinbaum said the United States also has to make investments in the binational problem. Referring to another agreement to send more water to the U.S. to reduce Mexico's water debt in the Rio Grande, Sheinbaum said the Tijuana River agreement 'is a good example of how when our technical teams sit down, they can resolve a problem that seemed unsolvable." The U.S. has agreed to complete the expansion of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant next month. The agreement also stipulates that Mexico this year divert 10 million gallons per day of treated sewage away from the shore. (AP) AS AS view comments First Published: July 25, 2025, 06:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Trump team plans to revamp ‘broken' H1-B visa lottery system
The Donald Trump administration is planning to revamp the H1-B visa lottery system, aiming to replace it with a more weighted and wage-linked selection process. Accordingly, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a filing on July 17, the administration has proposed the introduction of a "weighted selection process" for the capped category of the system. It has already been submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. The proposed changes aim to give preference to certain applicants based on additional criteria—potentially including wages—thereby benefiting highly-skilled and higher-paid professionals. The H1-B visa lottery system has been a topic of debate between Trump and his supporters and it has often been critcised as 'broken'. Here a look at the new system and how it different from the existing one. Currently, the system is quite simple! Applicants who are eligible for H1-B visa submit their applications, and a computer-run lottery randomly selects the recipients. Each year, about 85,000 H-1B visas are issued, including 20,000 reserved for individuals holding a Master's degree or higher from a U.S. university. However, demand is each passing day. Right now there is no clarity about how the new system will work as DHS has not shared many details publicly yet. However, a study by the Institute for Progress earlier this year found, as reported by HT, that if higher salaries were given priority instead of using a random lottery, the average salary of an H-1B visa holder could rise from around $106,000 to $172,000. That would make things much harder for outsourcing firms who rely on hiring large numbers of lower-wage workers, but could be a big plus for researchers, PhD holders, and senior-level tech professionals, the report also said. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still finalising the draft of the proposed rule, which will go through a public review process before becoming official. If approved, the new system might go live next year.
