15 police officers detained over alleged killings of cockfighting fans in the Philippines
The missing people were accused of cheating in the hugely popular sport, with their bodies reportedly dumped in a scenic lake with a restive volcano.
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Winnipeg Free Press
30 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Residents still shaken a day after federal authorities march through Los Angeles' MacArthur Park
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hector Velasquez was playing cards with friends at MacArthur Park in Los Angeles early Monday when a young man with a megaphone walked through announcing federal agents were on their way. Another man drove past in a car, shouting out the window, 'Immigration is coming!' The people in Velasquez's group who did not have legal status scattered. Others with U.S. citizenship — like Velasquez — lingered to see what would happen. Two hours later, federal authorities and National Guard troops arrived, with guns and horses. By then, the park that is normally bustling with vendors was mostly empty. Activists had also spread word about the raid on social media. After sweeping through the park, the convoy that included armored vehicles left as suddenly as it had arrived, Velasquez said. He described the scene Tuesday as he once again sat in the park playing cards — this time only with those who were citizens. 'I thought this was like a war,' said Velasquez, who was reminded of his home country of El Salvador. 'Only in war do you see the tanks.' The Department of Homeland Security wouldn't say what the purpose of the operation was, why it ended abruptly, or whether anyone had been arrested. The agency said in an email that it would not comment on 'ongoing enforcement operations.' But local officials said it seemed designed to sow fear. Mayor Karen Bass planned a Tuesday afternoon news conference to outline how Los Angeles will challenge what she says are unlawful immigration raids. Park is a center of immigrant life Immigrants across the Los Angeles area have been on edge for weeks since the Trump administration stepped up arrests at car washes, Home Depot parking lots, immigration courts and a range of businesses. Rumors of an upcoming raid at MacArthur Park had been swirling. The park is in an area home to many Mexican, Central American and other immigrant populations that has been dubbed by local officials as the 'Ellis Island of the West Coast.' Just two miles west of downtown, MacArthur Park has a lake ringed by palm trees, an amphitheater that hosts summer concerts and sports fields where immigrant families line up to play soccer in the evenings and on weekends. A thoroughfare on the east side is often crammed with food stands selling tacos and other delicacies, along with vendors speaking multiple languages and hawking T-shirts, toys, knickknacks and household items. Fernando Rodriguez closed down his variety store near the park on Monday after seeing flyers in the Westlake neighborhood warning of immigration enforcement happening that day. 'You look Latino, they take you. Even if you show papers, they say they're fake,' he said. 'What they're doing is evil.' He was open again Tuesday but said nearby businesses including Peruvian and Thai restaurants have been quiet in the weeks since the federal crackdown began. 'There's no people anymore,' he said, gesturing to the street he said would usually packed with pedestrians on a sunny morning. Group warned of enforcement action Jorge-Mario Cabrera, a spokesperson for the Coalition of Humane Immigrant Rights in Los Angeles, said there had been rumors that there could be an enforcement action around MacArthur Park, and the LA Rapid Response Network had volunteers monitor the area starting at 6 a.m. Monday. The network sends out observers who communicate via the messaging app Signal. Cabrera said the group does not post content to the public at large or run its own website. He said Tuesday that the streets surrounding the park have been unusually empty in recent weeks as many vendors have not been out. He wasn't sure if they left the area because of concerns about stepped-up immigration raids. 'This was a reality show to intimidate Los Angeles,' Cabrera said. 'This was an attempt to show the administration's military might, cause as much chaos as possible, remind Angelenos that the president is in charge and that he can cause terror at any moment's notice.' More than 4,000 California National Guard and hundreds of U.S. Marines have been deployed in Los Angeles since June — against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom. Last week, the military announced about 200 of those troops would be returned to their units to fight wildfires. Trump has pledged to deport millions of immigrants in the United States illegally and shown a willingness to use the nation's military might in ways other U.S. presidents have typically avoided. Melisa Doag, an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who sells jewelry from a stand near the park, said she doesn't plan to stay in the U.S. for much longer given the political climate. She would rather leave on her own terms than be deported, she said. 'I've only been here two years, and they already want to send me back,' Doag said. 'I don't want to be treated as a criminal.' ___ Associated Press journalists Damian Dovarganes in Los Angeles and Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, contributed to this report.
Toronto Star
40 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Judge orders mental evaluation for Venezuelan man convicted of killing Laken Riley
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation of the Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. A judge in November found Jose Ibarra guilty of murder and other crimes in Riley's February 2024 killing and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ibarra is seeking a new trial, and his lawyers asked the judge to order a mental evaluation as part of that process.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Judge orders mental evaluation for Venezuelan man convicted of killing Laken Riley
ATLANTA (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation of the Venezuelan man convicted of killing Georgia nursing student Laken Riley. A judge in November found Jose Ibarra guilty of murder and other crimes in Riley's February 2024 killing and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Ibarra is seeking a new trial, and his lawyers asked the judge to order a mental evaluation as part of that process. Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard's order for a mental evaluation was sent to the state Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Tuesday, according to a letter filed with the court. Riley's killing became part of the national debate about immigration during last year's presidential campaign. Ibarra had entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 and was allowed to stay while he pursued his immigration case, federal immigration authorities said after his arrest. President Donald Trump in January signed into law the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes. Prosecutors said Ibarra encountered Riley while she was running on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22 and killed her during a struggle. Riley, 22, was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing, which also has a campus in Athens, about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Atlanta. In a court filing last month, Ibarra's post-conviction attorneys, James Luttrell and David Douds, said they believe Ibarra suffers from 'congenital deficiency' that could make him 'incapable of preparing a defense and standing trial.' Ibarra 'lacks the mental capacity' to understand the proceedings, and his attorney wrote that he believes that was the case at the time of the killing and at the time of trial. Ibarra, 27, had waived his right to a jury trial, meaning it was up to Athens-Clarke County Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard alone to hear and decide the case. 'A criminal defendant must personally and intelligently participate in the waiver of the constitutional right to a trial by jury,' Luttrell and Douds wrote, noting that Ibarra's trial attorney did not ask for a competency evaluation. Prosecutor Sheila Ross wrote in a court filing responding to the request that there were 'no challenges or concerns' about Ibarra's competency prior to trial and that 'there is nothing in the trial record that would suggest that Defendant was not competent during his trial.' But she wrote that she does not oppose the request for a competency evaluation. Haggard last week filed an order asking the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to evaluate Ibarra with the aid of a Spanish-language interpreter. He asked for findings on whether Ibarra was capable of understanding the pretrial proceedings involving the waiver of his right to a jury trial, as well as the trial itself, and whether he was capable of assisting his attorney to prepare his defense. He also wants to know whether Ibarra understands the post-conviction proceedings and can aid in preparing his defense. Ibarra was convicted on Nov. 20 and his attorneys filed a motion for a new trial on Dec. 2. Under Georgia law, a notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days of a conviction becoming final, which is the date of sentencing or the denial of a motion for a new trial, whichever is later. Therefore, the filing of a motion for a new trial effectively extends the deadline to file an appeal.
