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Alligator Alcatraz isn't meant for minors. A 15 year old ended up there anyway

Alligator Alcatraz isn't meant for minors. A 15 year old ended up there anyway

Miami Herald6 days ago
In the rush to open a detention camp in the Florida Everglades for 'some of the most vicious' migrants illegally in the country, state and federal officers detained a 15-year-old boy with no criminal record and sent him in handcuffs to Alligator Alcatraz, the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Times have learned.
The teenager, a Mexican national whose name is Alexis, was a passenger in a vehicle stopped in Tampa by Florida Highway Patrol troopers and later handed over to federal immigration authorities on July 1. His father spoke to the Herald/Times and said his son spent three days in the tents and chain-link pens at the pop-up detention center, making him one of the first immigrant detainees shuttled to site.
State and federal officials initially deflected questions or denied that Alexis had been locked up at the facility. But on Wednesday, the DeSantis administration acknowledged that they had in fact held the teenager at Alligator Alcatraz, and said that he lied about his age when stopped by law enforcement.
'While at Alligator Alcatraz, an individual disclosed they had misrepresented their age upon arrest to ICE. Immediate action was taken to separate and remove the detainee in accordance with federal protocols,' said Stephanie Hartman, a spokeswoman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the site.
Alexis, whom the Herald/Times is identifying only by his first name because he is a minor, was transferred out of Alligator Alcatraz on July 4. He is now in the custody of the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and being held at a shelter for migrant children.
The state maintains no minors will be held at Alligator Alcatraz, but the boy's detention shows how wide a net the DeSantis and Trump administrations have cast in their zeal to round up undocumented immigrants — and the haste with which state and federal authorities have acted to send detainees to a facility billed as a game-changer in the effort to speed up deportations.
Alexis' father, Ignacio, says he is trying to reunite with his son — a kid who likes to watch Dragon Ball Z cartoons and play basketball. Ignacio, whose full name is being withheld by the Herald/Times because he is undocumented and concerned about being deported, says it is hard to see his son's clothes, shoes and toys around the house while he is away.
'When you're apart from your kids, you miss them. If you don't see them, you feel their absence,' said Ignacio, who said his son followed him to Florida two years ago after he fled his hometown in Chiapas, Mexico due to violence. Ignacio said he came to the United States in 2018 with a work visa that he overstayed.
'I am pleading with God that we can be reunited,' Ignacio said.
Detained in Tampa
Alexis' journey to Alligator Alcatraz began with a decision to tag along with friends who were on a July 1 trip to Tampa, his dad said.
It's not clear why, but at some point, Florida Highway Patrol pulled their vehicle over. Troopers then called immigration authorities. Ignacio said his son told officers he was an adult because he feared that if he disclosed he was a minor he would be separated from the group. 'It was because of fear.'
Alexandra Manrique Alfonso, an immigration attorney who has since spoken with Alexis, said he was put in handcuffs and transferred to a detention center that the boy described as having tents, bunk beds and cells surrounded with chain-linked fencing. The 15-year-old told her he had been housed with adults.
After Alexis' arrest, Ignacio didn't hear from his son for three days. He only learned Alexis had been detained when one of his son's friends called from Alligator Alcatraz. Eventually his son called, too, and that's when Ignacio told him to tell state workers that he is a minor.
'I told him to tell the truth,' the father said.
To help confirm his age, the father sent a copy of Alexis' birth certificate via a message on WhatsApp, a third-party messaging app, he said. He told his son to ask for permission to use his phone so he could show the proof to the people in charge at the facility. The boy was transferred out of the detention center on July 4 after his age was confirmed.
'This is one of many issues with illegal immigration: individuals are in the country without basic, verifiable identification documentation,' Hartman, the state spokeswoman, told the Herald/Times.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement and the Florida Highway Patrol did not respond to questions about the case. Officials from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement directed reporters to Florida officials.
Safeguards
Word spread quickly among detainees at Alligator Alcatraz that a minor had been held inside the facility. Attorneys heard about it, too, and began to ask questions.
Manrique Alfonso, the director of the Children's Legal Program at Americans for Immigrant Justice, first heard about Alexis' case on July 10. She interviewed him on July 11 during a video call. The teenager spoke to her from a shelter for migrant children. During the interview, she asked him to describe the facility. She shared her screen, and showed him a picture of Alligator Alcatraz, which he identified as the place where he had been temporarily held.
On July 1, the day before the first detainees arrived at the detention center, President Donald Trump said during a visit that the facility would soon house 'some of the most vicious people on the planet.'
Records reviewed last week by the Herald/Times show that, like Alexis, hundreds of detainees who were slated to be sent to Alligator Alcatraz or were already there had no criminal convictions or pending charges.
'The case is important to highlight to ensure that there is oversight and safeguards in place because an adult facility is not a place for a child,' Manrique Alfonso said in an interview.
Manrique Alfonso has talked with Alexis' father and has offered to represent his son. She said she is scheduled to meet with the boy in person on Thursday.
The state did not respond with specifics when asked what steps are being taken to ensure children are not held at the facility, only saying 'minors are not detained at Alligator Alcatraz.'
When the Herald/Times first contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the Division of Emergency Management on Monday about Alexis' detention at Alligator Alcatraz, they deflected or denied that a minor had been sent to the site.
'This is inaccurate. You have bad info,' Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an email to the Herald/Times.
It wasn't until Wednesday, when reporters said they'd confirmed he'd been held there, that the state acknowledged the story was true.
Now, more than two weeks after Alexis left home, Ignacio is working to be reunited with his son. He told the Herald/Times he has submitted paperwork and is trying to schedule an appointment for a paternity test.
'All I can say is that I am very sad,' he said. 'It is very sad that a lot of families are being separated.'
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Investigation of a Broward mover found fraud, extortion and forgery, state says
Investigation of a Broward mover found fraud, extortion and forgery, state says

Miami Herald

time5 hours ago

  • Miami Herald

Investigation of a Broward mover found fraud, extortion and forgery, state says

Extortion. Fraud. Forgery. A car chase. It's not the latest Martin Scorcese gangster flick. The plots are customer narratives in a 69-page state complaint against the 25 companies owned by Fort Lauderdale-based mover Shawn Thompson. Much of what's said about Thompson's moving companies in the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services administrative complaint has been said elsewhere: Miami Herald stories, emails to the Herald from customers, an Orlando TV station investigation, the Better Business Bureau website, Reddit threads, other online consumer complaints, even lawsuits won by former Thompson customers in Miami-Dade and Orange counties. None of those carries the teeth of an administrative fine of up to $5,000 for each violation of Florida statutes. And the Agriculture Department accused Thompson's companies of 23 violations in the June 9 version of the complaint first filed earlier in 2025. The investigation found customers with their own version of stories: a low estimate drawing the customer in for the punch of a bloated invoice while possessions are still on the truck. Pay in cash or certified funds or watch the furniture taken to an undisclosed location and get charged a daily storage fee — even if the original estimate included 30-day free storage. And, sometimes, that followed moves Thompson's companies aren't licensed to make. A check of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services website shows none have held state licenses since July 6, 2024. The agency denied renewal while conducting the investigation that resulted in the administrative complaint filed on June 9. None of the companies run by Shawn Thompson through associates or Thompson Nation Holdings have held federal licenses. They rely on customers not checking. Next Door Relocation's website advertises 'services across any state in the United States,' but also shows U.S. Department of Transportation No. 4003308. The USDOT says No. 4003308, Next Door Relocation, is 'not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.' The phone number on Next Door's entry is Shawn Thompson's number. After Thompson and his attorney received the administrative complaint on June 13 by certified mail, Thompson had 21 days to file an Election of Rights to request an informal hearing or a formal hearing before an administrative law judge. Requesting a formal hearing requires filing a disputing of material facts alleged in the complaint. Not filing the Election of Rights on time is a waiver of hearing rights and, according to the Agriculture Department, 'may result in the issuance of a Final Order without any further notice that may impose up to the maximum penalties...' Thompson repeatedly has requested the Miami Herald not call, text or email him for response on stories about his moving companies. What follows comes from the administrative complaint: Customer A.S. The move: 1,115 miles, to start Aug. 10-14, 2020. The movers eventually showed up on Aug. 16, a day after A.S. needed to be out of his home. Thompson-owned company used: Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC, 3635 Park Central Blvd., Suite 2, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? No. The complaint notes that U.S. Department of Transportation's SAFER says Fresh Start, USDOT No. 336032, is 'not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.' The estimate: $1,300, $200 deposit with $770 cash due at pickup (in cash) and $330 cash due at drop-off. A.S. had been told $550 would be due at pickup and $550 due at the finish. Also, state law says movers must accept at least two forms of payment. The money demand: After pickup and before drop-off, A.S. was told to pay an extra $1,500 in addition to the $330 or the movers 'would not come and instead would throw ... belongings in storage.' On Aug. 27, a company employee said the customer would have to pay an extra $3,400 on top of the $330. Extra details: A.S. had to call 911 during pickup when 'after taking a few items, the movers said that the goods exceeded the amount of space and they would not take any other item.' When the movers threatened to leave unless they got $3,400, A.S. called local police. Police talked the movers down to a $810 'shuttle service' fee. Customer B.W. The move: 23 miles on Nov. 14, 2020. Thompson-owned company used: Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $800. B.W. paid a $200 deposit by credit card. The money demand: Shawn Thompson personally demanded another $2,100 in cash — movers must accept at least two forms of payment — before unloading. Extra details: A freezer and a new $1,300 slipcover were damaged. The invoice claimed B.W. paid the $2,100 by credit card. Customer D.D. The move: 80 miles in January 2021. Thompson-owned company used: Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $712.89. Customer D.D. paid a $200 deposit with the remaining amount to be paid at delivery 'cash only.' Florida law says movers must accept at least two forms of payment. The money demand: The movers told D.D. to pay $1,028 instead of $512.89 before unloading. The customer got together $900 by credit card cash and cash transfer. Extra details: The movers didn't bring all the furniture inside nor did they reassemble two beds as the estimate said they would. When D.D. saw several damaged items, she didn't sign the part of the contract where the customer states there were no damaged items. But Thompson or a Thompson Nation Holdings representative, 'without authority, signed (D.D.'s) name to the contract/bill of labor.' Customer S.B. The move: 60 miles on Feb. 22, 2021. Thompson-owned company used: Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $600 for one truck and three movers. The money demand: Only two movers showed up and demanded S.B. pay an extra $500 before unloading at the delivery point. Extra details: 'S.B. got into the moving truck, which held her household goods, and was hit by one of (Thompson Nation's) movers. A neighbor called the police, who told [the customer] that their hands were tied. S.B. feared for her safety because (the) mover was glaring at her, knew where she lived and where her bedroom was located. Consequently, S.B. did not file charges against him. She had to seek medical assistance for the injuries...' Only a petrified wood dining table escaped damage. Customer J.G. The move: 77 miles on June 18, 2021. Thompson-owned company used: Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $460 for one truck and three movers. J.G. paid Shawn Thompson $300 via Venmo as a deposit. The remaining $160 was to be paid at delivery 'cash only,' an illegal payment form requirement. The money demand: Upon showing up for the move several hours late, movers immediately told J.G. the remaining amount wouldn't be $160 but $436. J.G. paid that. They charged an extra $100 for overnight storage that wouldn't have been necessary had they arrived on time. At the new house, they demanded $905 to unload 'or they would leave.' Extra details: When the truck arrived at J.G.'s new home, it 'ran over J.G.'s and her neighbor's mailboxes.' Police were called about the upcharge, but they just told the movers 'their math was wrong.' Customer J.B. The move: Unstated distance on July 1, 2022. Thompson-owned company used: Small Move Movers, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Unclear from the complaint, which doesn't state whether it's an intrastate move or an interstate move. The estimate: $3,861. The money demand: Small Move's movers demanded J.B. pay $9,874 to get her things off the truck. Extra details: She paid, but 'noticed that all the items delivered were damaged and that some were still missing.' Nicolette Gonzalez (Gonzalez's name has been in public records and media reports as the plaintiff who successfully sued Thompson in Miami-Dade County) The move: Miami to Gainesville, July 23, 2022. Thompson-owned company used: Small Move Movers, 3635 Park Central Blvd. North, Pompano Beach. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $1,146. Gonzalez paid $330 to Thompson via Zelle. The money demand: They hit Gonzalez with a $4,719 invoice upon arrival in Gainesville. The movers 'threatened and mocked Gonzalez and told her that if she did not pay the invoice amount, they were going to withhold her belongings and break them.' Extra details: The movers arrived two hours late, then took 12 hours to get to Gainesville, telling Gonzalez they took on an emergency job. Gonzalez sued Small Move, Thompson Nation Holdings and Shawn Thompson in Miami-Dade civil court and won a judgment of $7,691 plus attorneys fees and an injunction against the three entities. Thompson has appealed. Judge Michael Barket wrote that by Thompson's own deposition words, he 'extorted Ms. Gonzalez by accepting only payment of the inflated invoice and discounted inflated invoice. Without question, then, Mr. Thompson was a direct participant in this unfair, deceptive, and fraudulent scheme.' Customer S.K. The move: 1 mile on Dec. 22, 2022. Thompson-owned company used: All American Relocation and Storage, 6742 NW 17th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $450. The money demand: Movers told S.K. she now owed $790.40 or they would keep S.K.'s property and charge storage fees. The estimate included 30 days of free storage. Extra details: She paid the $790, but movers still 'did not unload her belongings inside the home, but instead, the movers dumped all the boxes near the garage. Movers also damaged the dresser and the main door to the home.' Customer B.B. The move: Florida to North Carolina, delivery for March 17, 2023. Thompson-owned company used: Next Door Relocation, 6742 NW 17th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Licensed for move: No. The U.S. Department of Transportation SAFER website says Next Door Relocation, USDOT No. 4003308, 'is not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.' The estimate: $1,266 for 300 cubic ft. B.B. paid a $350 deposit. The money demand: Upon loading the truck on March 14, 2023, and after telling her she was under 300 cubic ft so she could add smaller items, Next Door sent B.B. an invoice for $2,761. B.B. complained and got a new invoice for $2,230. She paid $1,316, so she'd paid $1,666 at this point. Next Door told her $564 remained. The day before delivery, she got sent an invoice with a new total of $2,657. And the movers demanded another $450. Extra details: 'B.B. paid a total of $3,107 for the move and had to sleep on the floor for 10 days because Next Door did not deliver her belongings as originally promised.' Customer R.D. The move: 30 miles on April 6, 2023. Thompson-owned company used: Next Door Relocation, 6742 NW 17th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $426.25. R.D. paid a $200 deposit. The money demand: Movers demanded $5,167 in cash or certified funds. Banks weren't open, so they charged R.D. another $599 for 'hotel/OD' fee. R.D. eventually paid $2,100 in cash and $3,267 by cashier's check. Extra details: The final invoice from Next Door said 'Total Job Volume: 431 cf.,' differing from Next Door's claim that R.D.'s goods filled up a 1,700 cubic foot truck. Among the extra charges was a $900 'long carry/delivery fee' for a 30-mile move. Customer L.G. The move: 181 miles on April 15, 2023. Thompson-owned company used: Next Door Relocation, 6742 NW 17th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $450. L.G. paid a $350 deposit. The estimate misstated Next Door's city as 'Pompano Beach.' The money demand: None because the movers never showed up. Not on April 15, when L.G. was told they would show up at 8 p.m., but had to stay in a hotel. Not on April 16, when she was told someone would be there at noon, then at 2 p.m. But, her $350 deposit wasn't returned. Extra details: L.G. rented a truck and moved herself. She gave up money for nothing, and Next Door got $350 for free. Customer D.Q. and L.Q. The move: 371 miles on April 29 and 30, 2023. Thompson-owned company used: Next Door Relocation, 6742 NW 17th Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $1,194. The couple paid $400 deposit. The money demand: Instead of the remaining $794, movers kept the couple's goods and demanded $14,676. The volume of possessions didn't change from the estimate. The estimate was for three movers. Next Door tried to charge for eight and charged $1,200 over the estimate for the travel time. Among the other add-ons: an 'Origin/destination' fee added ($1,000) and 'Transportation surcharge' of 22% or $2,646. Extra details: Next Door 'refused to negotiate a settlement with (the couple). Their belongings included (his) military history articles and those of his father. (They) had to purchase new items for their children.' Customer T.S. The move: A move within Florida, late in 2023. Thompson-owned company used: One Man One Van, 2814 Silver Star Rd., Suite 219, Orlando. Licensed for move? Yes, as a Thompson Nation Holdings company making a move within Florida. The estimate: $420. The money demand: Movers wouldn't unload T.S.' things without a $2,063 payment. The complaint says they charged four more hours of labor than actually worked. They also added $93 mileage fee, $600 bulky item fee, $249 origin/destination (which applies only for out of state moves) and a $308 transportation surcharge, none of which she was told she'd have to pay. Extra details: The movers 'caused significant damage' the dining room table tabletop, the buffet table and the entertainment center. They also didn't set up the dining room table and television as they said they would. Customer J.C. The move: Florida to Georgia in 2024. Thompson-owned company used: Stellar Relocation, 1701 Acme St., Orlando. Licensed for move? No. The U.S. Department of Transportation SAFER company snapshot of Stellar's USDOT No. 4278397 says Stellar is 'not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.' The estimate: $2,450 for 700 cubic feet The money demand: Movers told J.C. they reached 700 cubic feet with more possessions to load. Once they loaded, J.C. got an invoice for $11,550. Stellar told J.C. he'd need to pay $7,000 cash just to unload the truck. J.C. didn't have that on hand, so movers 'drove off with his belongings on the truck' and told him he'd be charged $250 per day for storage. After 30 days, they'd auction off his possessions. J.C. eventually paid the $7,000. Stellar demanded another $2,900, claiming they were moving 1,600 cubic feet of possessions. Extra details: Before the movers left, J.C. called police. Officers 'tried to reason with (Stellar) but, ultimately, told J.C. that there was nothing they could do.' Stellar's manager told J.C. they couldn't bring his stuff to the delivery destination because it didn't have access for a tractor trailer. J.C. rented two storage bays. 'Movers arrived in the same size box truck that they had used when they first came to J.C.'s residence in Florida ... the movers could have easily driven to the agreed upon delivery address.' J.C. had to hire other movers to take his stuff from the storage bays to his new home. Customer A.P. The move: 10 miles to Eustis, Jan 26, 2024. Thompson-owned company used: Todays Move Movers, 2814 Silver Star Rd., No. 219, Orlando after calling Hello Movers for an estimate. Hello's 'personal moving consultant' sent A.P. an email with the number for Todays Move. State records don't show a direct connection between Hello Movers and Todays Move. Licensed for move? Yes. This was a move within Florida by Todays Move, a company under Thompson Nation Holdings. The estimate: $625. A.P. paid $200 via CashApp. The remaining $425 was due on the day of the move. The money demand: Todays Move movers received $425 in cash from A.P. upon arrival for the move. As they reached the Eustis delivery point, A.P. got emailed an invoice for $6,182. And, they said they'd hold her possessions in a warehouse and charge her $220 per day until she paid. A.P. and her husband paid, but an invoice later said she paid only $5,500. Extra details: Todays Move, the complaint said, 'charged A.P. for packing materials and for bulky items. However, all of A.P's belongings were already boxed and put in containers.' Customer E.S. The move: A move within Florida on May 9, 2024. Thompson-owned company used: We Move You, 28 E. Main St., Suite No. 139, Avon Park. 'This address is a virtual mailbox only.' Licensed for move? Yes. It's one of the companies run by Thompson under a fictitious name. The estimate: $1,033. A $400 was paid. E.S. packed his belongings and had them waiting in the garage. The money demand: When movers arrived, E.S. paid $2,940 in cash and $500 via money order. Once movers loaded the truck, E.S. got a new estimate: $7,107. No unloading until they get a wire transfer from E.S. Extras details: The movers left with E.S.'s belongings and refused to tell him where they were taking them. So, the customer's wife followed the truck. The driver 'ran red lights and stop signs and drove erratically' in an attempt to lose E.S.'s spouse and keep the storage location secret. When the drivers called police about the wife, police told them 'she could follow them because they had her stuff and it was a public street.' E.S. eventually paid the full $7,107 and got most of his possessions. Customer P.M. The move: Lakeland, Florida to Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, July 1, 2024. Thompson-owned company used: Todays Move Movers, 2814 Silver Star Rd., No. 219, Orlando. Licensed for move? No. The U.S. Department of Transportation SMS company snapshot of Todays Move, USDOT No. 4176294, says the company is 'no current, for hire, operating authority' for state-to-state moves. The estimate: $1,681 for 432 cubic feet after a 'detailed article list of 14 items, 17 pieces.' P.M. paid $400 deposit via credit card. No one from Todays Move signed the estimate. The money demand: Todays Move demanded $8,997 from P.M. Extra details: Todays Move 'delivered a bed and mattress to a wrong destination, according to P.M. (Todays Move) did not respond to this error or attempt to deliver the items to the correct destination.' Customer T.A. The move: An interstate move in Autumn 2024. Thompson-owned company used: Level Up Relocation, 1701 Acme St., Orlando. Licensed for move? No. The U.S. Department of Transportation's SAFER website says Level Up, USDOT No. 4279151, is 'not authorized to engage in interstate, for-hire operations.' The estimate: $2,398. $1,488 was paid. T.A. gave a detailed list of items that added up to 807 cubic feet. The money demand: After loading, the movers dropped an invoice of $11,043 on T.A., claiming 1800 cubic feet of items. The movers refused to deliver T.A.'s possessions as contracted. Extras details: T.A. reached out to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier, Safety Administration for help. The agency got the movers to 'return most of T.A.'s belongings to her at the delivery destination. She suffered damage to her belongings, and some items were missing.' Company names in the complaint Thompson Nation Holdings, LLC 2 Men, One Truck Movers All American Relocation and Storage All American Relocation and Storage, LLC All American Relocation, LLC All Stars Moving and Storage All Stars Moving and Storage LLC American Relocation and Storage Fresh Start Moving and Storage Fresh Start Moving and Storage, LLC Green Go Moving Level Up Relocation Moving Giants Next Door Relocation, LLC One Man One Truck Moving One Man One Van Moving One Man One Van, LLC Small Move Movers Small Mover Movers, LLC Stellar Relocation Thompson Nation of Movers, Inc. Todays Move Movers Todays Move Movers, LLC Two Man One Truck Movers We Move You

In Mexico City, two icons of Cuban repression are banished
In Mexico City, two icons of Cuban repression are banished

Boston Globe

time7 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

In Mexico City, two icons of Cuban repression are banished

But for all the radical chic they inspired, and despite the swooning of countless Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Yet even after all these years, they are still celebrated as Advertisement When Castro and Guevara came to power in Cuba in 1959, they quickly consolidated their control through terror. Political opponents were hauled before kangaroo courts and executed at what became known as 'el paredón,' the wall where executions took place. Those they killed, recounted ' At the Havana fortress of La Cabaña, Guevara personally oversaw mass executions. 'A revolutionary must become a cold killing machine motivated by pure hate,' Even after the revolution's early days, This month — July — evokes a particularly On July 13, 1994, more than 70 Cubans crowded onto an old tugboat, the '13 de Marzo,' and set out from Havana under cover of night, desperate to reach Florida. Seven miles off the Cuban coast, they were intercepted by government vessels. The security boats rammed the tug repeatedly, smashed its hull, and trained high-pressure hoses on the passengers — Advertisement The tugboat massacre is only one entry on the long list of A row erupted after the sculpture was removed from the park in Cuauhtémoc last week. Among those complaining was Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, who insisted that the 'historic moment' represented by the statues merited a public tribute of memory. As the Mexican journalist Carlos Bravo Regidor Symbols matter. Statues and monuments help shape a society's collective memory, and to enshrine Castro and Guevara in bronze was to enshrine the lies they told and the suffering they caused. Their sculptures on a bench in the heart of Mexico's capital was a declaration that their partnership was something admirable and worthy of commemoration, perhaps even something to emulate. In reality, it was a partnership in despotism, and it brought misery to millions. Rojo de la Vega's order to cart away the monument was an act of moral hygiene. May the removal of the statues in Mexico City be only a prelude to the removal of their dictatorship in Havana — and to the day when the Cuban people can finally breathe free. Advertisement Jeff Jacoby can be reached at

Heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally cross US border, surround Americans while looking for drug traffickers, gunrunners
Heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally cross US border, surround Americans while looking for drug traffickers, gunrunners

New York Post

time12 hours ago

  • New York Post

Heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally cross US border, surround Americans while looking for drug traffickers, gunrunners

More than a dozen heavily armed Mexican soldiers accidentally crossed over the US border into New Mexico while searching for drug traffickers and gunrunners — and instead surrounded two American volunteers scouring the desert for lost migrants on Monday. Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman, volunteers for the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue that aids in searching for migrants lost in the southern New Mexico desert, came across the 18 confounded soldiers with the Mexican army, according to Border Report. 3 A squad of 18 soldiers with the Mexican military accidentally crossed the border into New Mexico on Monday. Abbey Carpenter The soldiers had no idea they'd crossed the border. They told Carpenter and Holeman that they were looking for drug traffickers and gunrunners and asked what the pair was doing in Mexico, according to the outlet. Carpenter whipped out her phone to show them her GPS tracker, which confirmed that they were in the US. 'I never felt threatened. When I got nervous was when I showed them that they were in the United States, and I had my phone out, and we were documenting they were where they shouldn't be. That's when I got nervous, like, 'Oh, we shouldn't have our phones out, taking pictures of them in US soil,'' she told Border Report. 3 Abbey Carpenter and James Holeman were hiking through the desert in search of migrants on behalf of the humanitarian group Battalion Search and Rescue. KOAT After realizing they'd grossly overshot their destination, the soldiers quickly pivoted south back toward the border, Carpenter said. The border in that part of New Mexico lacks proper delineation and is only marked by a simple wire fence that is easy to open, Coleman told the outlet. 'We were like: 'Ha-ha!' 'Take a picture with me?' 'Blah-blah.' But that's because we knew we were in the US. If we had encountered them in Mexico, it would have been a whole different thing. Threatened? I would say that, just because of our American thinking being on US soil. Nervous? Yeah, bro. We were definitely nervous,' Holeman added. 3 Holeman even asked the squad to take a picture with him, but admitted he was emboldened because he knew he was safe on US territory. James Holeman As an extra precaution, Carpenter recorded the encounter and captured multiple videos of the group, including one photo showing the armed soldiers keeping watch in a white pickup truck with 'Guardia Nacional' pasted on the side. The soldiers' uniforms also had badges of the Mexican flag on their arms alongside other military symbols. Holeman noted that he and Carpenter spotted two Mexico-plated vehicles littered with bullet holes near the Mexican border earlier during their search. For many migrants crossing the border, the final stretch through American deserts can be the most deadly, but the soldiers' presence near the border isn't out of the ordinary. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 National Guard troops to the border to help combat illegal migration and drug trafficking between the two countries.

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