Death toll from Texas floods rises to 32 from 27, sheriff says
"We have recovered some additional bodies... there's 32 deceased, 18 of those are adults and 14 are children," he said.
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The Guardian
42 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ice ‘politically targeted' farm worker activist Juarez Zeferino, colleagues say
Farm worker activist Alfredo 'Lelo' Juarez Zeferino, 25, was driving his partner to her job on a tulip farm north of Seattle one March morning when they were pulled over by an unmarked car. A plainclothes agent for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) emerged and shattered Juarez Zeferino's front window before handcuffing him, his partner said. The officer drove Juarez Zeferino to a nondescript warehouse – the same one he and other activists had years ago discovered is an unmarked Ice holding facility. After his 25 March detention, dozens gathered outside to demand his release. Instead, he was transferred to the Northwest Ice Processing Center in Tacoma, Washington, where he has been held ever since. Officially, Juarez Zeferino's arrest was based on a deportation order. But the activist's detention comes as the Trump administration has launched an aggressive crackdown against its perceived political enemies, including both immigrants and labor organizers. 'We believe, no question, that he was a target,' said Rosalinda Guillen, veteran farm worker organizer and founder of Community to Community Development, where Juarez Zeferino volunteered. The young organizer has played an instrumental role in securing protections for Washington farm workers, including strengthened statewide heat protections for outdoor laborers mandating water breaks when temperatures top 80F, enshrined in 2023. In 2021, he and other activists also won a law guaranteeing farm workers overtime pay. And in 2019, advocacy from Juarez Zeferino and other campaigners about exploitation in the H-2A guest worker program prompted Washington to create the nation's first-ever oversight committee for foreign workers. 'He's a very humble person, very quiet but yet very determined and willing to go to whatever extent to get victory for his people,' said Edgar Franks, political director of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, an independent farm worker union which Juarez Zeferino helped found. His successful track record has earned him renown in labor and immigrant justice circles across the country. Franks believes it also made him a 'political target' for Trump. 'We just have to look at the record of everybody that has been targeted by the Trump administration, from the students at Columbia to [the detention of immigration activist Jeanette Vizguerra] in Colorado,' he said. 'There's already a track of people that have been targeted to silence them and to make sure that the people that look up to them get silenced.' Reached for comment, the Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, Tricia McLaughlin, said that allegations of Ice politically targeting Juarez Zeferino were 'categorically FALSE', calling him 'an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal from a judge'. 'The only thing that makes someone a target of Ice is if they are in the United States illegally,' she said. She said the activist, whom she called 'Juan Juarez-Ceferino,' refused to comply with Ice during his arrest, and that officers used the 'minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation' and protect themselves. In court, a DHS attorney also said Juarez Zeferino was noncompliant during his arrest, and claimed he was a flight risk because he had previously missed a court hearing. His lawyer Larkin VanDerhoef denied that his client was a flight risk, saying he was unaware of his missed court date. In court, he noted that Juarez Zeferino had received dozens of letters, demonstrating that he is a 'positive force'. He said Juarez Zeferino complied with the officers who arrested him. 'Lelo had opened his window to talk to officers and was asking to see their warrant for his arrest when they smashed his window,' he said, adding that a group of officers from not only Ice, but also border patrol, homeland security investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration worked together to arrest him. Juarez Zeferino's detention has sparked concern among other immigrant workers fighting for better labor conditions, and since his arrest, others have also been detained. In April armed Customs and Border Protection agents raided a Vermont dairy farm and arrested eight immigrant laborers who were involved with a labor rights campaign. Last month, Ice also arrested farm worker leaders in New York. 'This is a good strategy to squelch union organizing as well as farm worker advocacy, but it is horrifying to us that some of the people who make the lowest salaries in our country are being deported even as they provide the necessary workforce to keep our country fed,' said Julie Taylor, executive director of the National Farm Worker Ministry, a faith-based organization which supports farm worker organizing. Juarez Zeferino was arrested on the grounds of a 2018 deportation order. It stemmed from a 2015 traffic stop by Bellingham, Washington, police officers who then turned him over to Ice. After the stop, Juarez Zeferino – then a minor – was detained for less than 24 hours. He later sued Bellingham and its police department saying that his arrest was the result of racial profiling; the city settled for $100,000. The farm worker activist's friends and legal counsel said he was unaware of the deportation order, which was mailed to an address Juarez Zeferino provided but then bounced back to the government. 'He wasn't in hiding,' said Franks. 'He was out in the open, doing media and serving on city commissions.' His lawyer VanDerhoef successfully had the order reopened in April this year – just one day before Juarez Zeferino was due to be placed on a deportation flight. But in May, an immigration court judge ruled that she had no jurisdiction to grant bond to Juarez Zeferino – a decision VanDerhoef quickly appealed. VanDerhoef said the judge's ruling was based on an unusual legal interpretation by Tacoma judges, who routinely argue that they lack jurisdiction to issue bonds to immigrants who entered the country without a visa. He signed his client on to a class-action lawsuit focused on the issue. He also filed a motion to terminate the case against his client. In June, a court denied the motion, so the next step will probably be to apply for asylum in the US. 'We're basically weighing what other options he has, what he can apply for,' VanDerhoef said. Aaron Korthuis, an attorney at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, who is representing Juarez Zeferino in the class-action lawsuit, said he did not doubt the activist was a political target. 'A lot of what this administration is doing is attempting to send a message through its arrests [and] through its removals,' he said. 'It shouldn't shock anyone that who they are targeting for arrest is part and parcel of the larger effort to intimidate, exact retribution, and send a message.' VanDerhoef declined to comment on whether or not his client's arrest was politically motivated, but said it was unsurprising that it had sparked concern about Trump's immigration policies among other farm workers. 'The last thing I want to do is cause any more fear or panic that is already high among immigrant communities,' he said. 'But I do think this administration has shown that nothing is off the table when it comes to who they will target and also the tactics they use.' Experts say the Trump administration has violated court norms and ignored court orders in its attacks on immigrants. The president has also made life harder for immigration attorneys, including in a memorandum claiming they engage in 'unscrupulous behavior'. And the sheer number of Ice raids conducted under his administration also makes it harder for such lawyers to do their jobs, said VanDerhoef. In the north-east US, Ice arrests have increased so much that officials are 'running into space issues', said VanDerhoef. The immigration prison where Juarez Zeferino is being held has so far exceeded its capacity that some people have been transferred without warning to facilities in Los Angeles and Alaska. The overcrowding also creates challenges when it comes to representation, VanDerhoef said. These days, visitation rooms are often so overbooked that he and other attorneys are facing 'half a day waits' to meet with their clients. He worries that attorneys cannot keep up with the increase in Ice arrests. 'There are not significantly more lawyers doing this work even though there are significantly more people being detained,' he said. Guillen, the veteran farm worker organizer, first met Juarez Zeferino in 2013, when he he was a 13-year-old who had recently arrived in the US from Mexico. He was so small that he looked more like he was 11, she said, but he was 'a hard worker' and 'fierce'. That year, Juarez Zeferino and about 200 workers on a Washington berry farm walked off the job demanding better working conditions and pay. Over the next four years, they organized work stoppages and boycotts, with Juarez Zeferino – who speaks English, Spanish and his native Mixteco – often serving as a spokesperson. In 2017, the workers were granted a union election, resulting in the formation of Familias Unidas por la Justicia, an independent farm worker union representing hundreds of Indigenous farm workers. It's a 'nightmare' organization for Trump, who doesn't want to see immigrant laborers organized, said Guillen. 'These are communities that normally are marginalized, fighting for their rights and winning,' she said. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Since Juarez Zeferino's arrest, calls for his freedom have met with an outpouring of support, Guillen said. 'All the legislators know him, and there was immediate support for him in letters and calls,' she said. But she wishes Democrats would do more to fight for workers like him, including by trying to stop Ice arrests within Washington. 'Democrats need to be bolder,' she said. Franks agreed, and said workers like Juarez Zeferino should obtain amnesty from Ice. 'Just a couple years ago we were essential workers and the heroes but now we're the terrorists and the criminals,' he said. Asked if she had visited Juarez Zeferino, Guillen said, 'I can't do it.' She worries about his health and wellbeing in the facility. Franks, too, said he was concerned that the 'already skinny' Juarez Zeferino will become malnourished while in detention. But when he has visited the young activist, he said he was 'trying to keep his spirits up'. 'He's still messing around and joking around,' he said. 'And he's like, 'when I get out, we're going to do this, we're going to do that.'' Asked what is on that to-do list, Franks said Juarez Zeferino wants to be reunited with his family. 'And he wants to get back to the struggle,' he said.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Latest 'Tiger King' twist finds 'Doc' Antle facing possible prison sentence for animal trafficking
Five years after the true crime documentary 'Tiger King' captivated a country shut down by COVID-19, the final legal troubles for one of its main characters will be resolved Tuesday in a courtroom in South Carolina. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle faces up to 10 years in prison for trafficking in exotic animals and money laundering after pleading guilty in November 2023. Exactly what punishment prosecutors are asking for and any arguments for leniency from Antle's attorneys were kept from the public before Tuesday morning's hearing in federal court in Charleston. Three others who pleaded guilty in his investigation received either probation or a four-month prison sentence. Antle's sentence is the final true-life chapter of the Tiger King saga. The Netflix series debuted in March 2020 near the peak of COVID-19 restrictions. The show centered on dealers and conservationists of big cats, focusing on disputes between Joe Exotic, a collector and private zookeeper from Oklahoma, and Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue in Florida. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 21-year federal prison sentence for trying to hire two different men to kill Baskin. Antle, who owns a private zoo called Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in the first season of the documentary and was the star of the third season. Antle's zoo was known for charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to let people pet and hold baby animals like lions, tigers and monkeys that were so young they were still being bottle-fed. Customers could have photos or videos made. Antle would sometimes ride into tours on an elephant. Myrtle Beach Safari remains open by reservation only, according to its website. Antle has remained out on bail since his arrest in June 2022. Antle's federal charges were brought after the Tiger King series. Prosecutors said he sold or bought cheetahs, lions, tigers and a chimpanzee without the proper paperwork. And they said in a separate scheme, Antle laundered more than $500,000 that an informant told him was being used to get people into the U.S. illegally to work. Antle was used to having large amounts of money he could move around quickly, investigators said. The FBI was listening to Antle's phone calls with the informant as he explained a baby chimpanzee could easily cost $200,000. Private zookeepers can charge hundreds of dollars for photos with docile young primates or other animals, but the profit window is only open for a few years before the growing animals can no longer be safely handled. 'I had to get a monkey, but the people won't take a check. They only take cash. So what do you do?" Antle said according to a transcript of the phone call in court papers. Two of Antle's employees have already been sentenced for their roles in his schemes. Meredith Bybee was given a year of probation for selling a chimpanzee while Andrew 'Omar' Sawyer, who prosecutors said helped Antle launder money, was given two years of probation. Jason Clay, a Texas private zoo owner, pleaded guilty to illegally selling a primate and was sentenced to four months in prison, while charges were dropped against California ranch owner Charles Sammut. Antle was also convicted in 2023 in a Virginia court of four counts of wildlife trafficking over sales of lions and was sentenced to two years of prison suspended 'upon five years of good behavior.' An appeals court overturned two of the convictions, ruling that Virginia law bans the sale of endangered species but not their purchase. Antle was found not guilty of five counts of animal cruelty at that same Virginia trial.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Trump pledges more weapons for Kyiv while sacked ex-Russian minister found dead
Donald Trump has reversed his decision on military assistance for Ukraine and said the US will have to send more weapons as the besieged nation was getting 'hit very hard now'. "We have to," Mr Trump said, speaking to reporters at the White House. "They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons – defensive weapons primarily,' the US president said. This comes as Russian former transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead hours after he was fired unexpectedly by Vladimir Putin. "Today, the body of the former Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Roman Starovoit, was found with a gunshot wound in his personal car," Russia 's investigative committee said in a statement. The committee implied that Starovoit took his own life, news which comes hours after Putin fired Starovoit in an unexpected move as Russia 's transport sector faces challenges. Putin's decree gave no reason for the dismissal of Starovoit after barely a year in the job. Starovoit was appointed transport minister in May 2024 after spending almost five years as governor of the Kursk region bordering Ukraine. Trump reverses decision and sends more weapons to Ukraine days after ordering pause Donald Trump has said the US will have to send more weapons to Ukraine, just days after ordering a pause in critical weapons deliveries to Kyiv. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr Trump said Ukraine was getting hit very hard by Russia and needed to be able to defend itself. The US would be sending primarily defensive weapons, he said. "We have to," Mr Trump said. "They have to be able to defend themselves. They're getting hit very hard now. We're going to send some more weapons — defensive weapons primarily,' the US president said. The latest remarks by Mr Trump appeared to be an abrupt change in posture after the Pentagon announced last week that it would hold back delivering to Ukraine some air defence missiles, precision-guided artillery and other weapons because of what US officials said were concerns that stockpiles have declined too much. The Pentagon has not issued a comment on whether the paused weapons shipments to Ukraine would resume.
