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Miami Herald
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Florida International University finalizes agreement to assist ICE
Florida International University Police has finalized its agreement to assist U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which will deputize members of its staff to act as federal immigration officials. FIU is among 13 Florida university police departments that now have a finalized 287(g) agreement signed both by the university and ICE. All 13 universities have signed on to ICE's 'Task Force Model,' the most expansive version of the 287(g) agreement. It gives trained officers the authority to enforce federal immigration law — including the ability to arrest individuals for immigration violations and access federal databases. The other universities with finalized 287(g) agreements are: Florida A&M UniversityFlorida Gulf Coast UniversityFlorida Polytechnic UniversityFlorida SouthWestern State CollegeFlorida State UniversityNew College of FloridaNorthwest Florida State CollegeTallahassee Community CollegeUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of FloridaUniversity of North FloridaUniversity of West Florida The decision to enter FIU into the agreement was made by the university police chief, Alexander Casas. He said he felt it was in the best interest of the university and its students to formalize a relationship with ICE, giving FIU police more control over how immigration enforcement is handled on campus. FIU President Jeanette Nuñez told faculty during a meeting that she supported Casas' decision. It is not legally required for university police to enter 287(g) agreements. However, Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly encouraged all law enforcement agencies in Florida to sign on. With the addition of these university police departments, Florida now has more finalized 287(g) agreements than any other state, followed by Texas. A total of 306 agencies nationwide have signed on. FIU Police will soon have more authority In an interview with the Miami Herald in June — before the agreement was finalized — Casas said immigration enforcement is clearly a law enforcement priority at both the state and national level. He said he chose to sign on to support that priority, likening immigration to any other enforcement issue, such as 'a traffic initiative, fentanyl, [or] human trafficking.' Although FIU police officers have not yet begun the required 50-hour online training — and there is no set timeline for when it will begin — Casas confirmed that once trained, officers will be able to make arrests if they have probable cause. Casas acknowledged that determining probable cause for immigration enforcement 'really is a case-by-case thing, because the devil is in the details.' 'The judicial standard, which is what we have to adhere to,' he said, 'is you have to have a set of facts that would make a reasonable person believe that a crime occurred and that this person committed that crime.' FIU's relationship with ICE FIU police and ICE had not previously operated under a formal agreement, but they have collaborated in the past. Casas said that if ICE came onto campus with a judicial warrant, his officers would assist in locating the individual and ensuring that the interaction remained calm and safe. Casas said he can only recall two times in his 14-year tenure at FIU when ICE agents came onto campus. Historically, if FIU officers discovered that someone they were investigating had an immigration issue, they would notify ICE and allow federal agents to handle it. But officers did not have access to immigration databases or the authority to act independently. 'If this is going to be something that may happen more frequently,' Casas said, 'it's a good idea to have it codified, to be very clear, to establish indemnity and you know, who's responsible for what.' 'Rather than, 'Hey, do me a favor. Can you help me out?' And if it doesn't turn out right? 'Oh, well, no, you're responsible. No, you're responsible,'' he added. Once trained, FIU officers will gain access to a federal immigration database. This will allow them to check a person's visa status or see if there is a deportation order, even if there is no existing warrant in the state's criminal system. Previously, if an FIU officer ran a criminal history check, which Casas said his officers always did, a persons' immigration status or visa status would not show up unless they had a warrant for arrest. 'It wouldn't show up if they were just undocumented, if they were completely under the radar,' said Casas. Casas has emphasized that the new agreement is primarily about clarifying responsibilities, not about radically changing the department's behavior. FIU will decide how many officers to train, and the agreement does not mandate that police participate in every ICE operation. 'The only thing I can see different now is they may say, hey, go do it, and we can. We don't have to just assist,' Casas said. In some cases, he said, FIU officers could follow through on deportation orders without ICE being physically present — for instance, by transporting someone to a detention facility. Controversy on campus Since its establishment in 1996, civil rights advocates and researchers have documented that the 287 (g) program often targets individuals with little or no criminal history and strains the relationship between police and immigrant communities. Maintaining trust with students has long been a goal of Casas. In May, he has addressed the topic publicly at a town hall and at a faculty senate meeting. Still, opposition to the agreement at FIU and other universities has been vocal and growing. Students and faculty have organized protests, rallies, social media campaigns, and public meetings to demand that their police departments withdraw from the agreement. Read more: Faculty at FIU continue to urge campus police to get out of ICE agreement Dariel Gomez, a senior at FIU, has been vocal in his opposition to the agreement and is concerned that students may be falsely arrested and end up at the new detention facility in the Everglades known as 'Alligator Alcatraz.' 'We have not been reassured that this won't be happening,' said Gomez. This week, a DACA recipient, now in his early 30s, who has been in the United States for twenty years, was detained at Alligator Alcatraz. Read more: DACA recipient detained at Alligator Alcatraz, attorney says. 'We don't know why' But Casas, whose family is from Cuba, has given students and faculty some reassurance. 'Our approach is just usually a little more understanding of our community,' he said.
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Caught between tariffs and China, Mexico adapts to an unpredictable US
MONTERREY: The factory in northern Mexico was built to supply Americans. Just a few hours from Texas, about 80% of its air conditioners and refrigeration units are sent to the United States. President Donald Trump's tariffs threatened to upend its whole business -- at least until the company devised a plan. Before the tariffs took effect in March, only about 40% of its exports traded under the rules of a pact Trump signed in his first term. But when Trump agreed to suspend tariffs on any Mexican goods that fell under the agreement, the company's leaders saw ways to adapt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dukung Orang Terkasih Menghadapi Limfoma: Mulai Di Sini Limfoma Baca Undo They sought out Mexican suppliers for products bound for the United States. They analysed which products already complied with the pact's rules but had not yet been certified as such. And they reconsidered projects that involved bringing in imports from outside North America. "When you're on a plane and there's turbulence, you get really scared and you hold onto your seat," said Xavier Casas, who oversees the factory for the company Danfoss, in the Mexican city of Apodaca. "But, you know, 99% of the time, the plane is going to land." Live Events Today, virtually all Danfoss products shipped from Mexico to the United States comply with the trade deal, called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. Efforts are underway, Casas said, to make some components in Apodaca, where the Danfoss factory is, instead of in China -- another way to mitigate the impact of punishing U.S. tariffs. "Until now, Mexico's trade strategy was still closely tied to Asia. Bringing in supplies from there was financially viable because of the low costs: Instead of thinking how to manufacture things here, I'd import them," Casas said. "But the current situation is pushing us to think, 'Hey, why not?'" While the United States and China have recently announced steps to defuse an all-out trade war, experts say it is unclear whether the truce, which is not yet final, will crumble or hold. Although exact details are unknown, the deal could mean some tariffs on Chinese products are lower and others significantly higher. Analysts also think it is unlikely that U.S. tariffs will return to their 2024 levels as long as Trump is in office -- and possibly even well beyond his term. Countries and companies around Latin America have faced a similar problem, caught between Asia's cheap supply lines and the lucrative market of the United States. Brazil and Colombia, countries with two of the region's biggest economies, are among those that have moved closer to China since Trump's second term began. But many Mexican companies have rushed to align with the United States, despite the pain of moving away from China, which sells 11 times as much to Mexico as it buys. Some executives even see the tariffs as an incentive to reduce their dependence on China and other Asian suppliers, which could strengthen manufacturing in North America overall. "The game has changed," said Ryan Last, a lawyer with Troutman Pepper Locke, an international law firm helping manufacturers understand and react to U.S. tariffs. "There's this long-term adaptation where companies are thinking of investing in the U.S. or shifting their supply chain to more domestic North American content." Two top officials at the Mexican Economy Ministry, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to endanger trade negotiations with the United States, said more exporters wanted to show that their products were mostly manufactured in North America, with materials mostly sourced from the region. Data shared by the ministry show that about 87% of Mexican exports are now free of U.S. tariffs -- only a slight decrease compared with last year. (Even products that may comply with the trade deal, such as cars or steel, have been hit by some of Trump's tariffs.) "I was expecting all these numbers to plummet because of the uncertainty," said Aristeo López, an international trade expert and former Mexican diplomat who acted as lead negotiator for parts of the USMCA deal. "But," he added, "there's not been such a negative impact on Mexican exports." Víctor Gamas, a customs broker for an agency that works on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, said many of his customers were retooling their supply chains. This year, Gamas said, he visited an American manufacturer of acrylic products at that company's plant in Nogales, northern Mexico. The company was racing to substitute imports from Vietnam and China for supplies made in Mexico, he noted. Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs have persuaded some exporters to take preemptive measures. A director of manufacturing at an American factory in Monterrey said that his team had stopped buying a key electronic component from a Mexico-based Chinese company, just in case the United States started targeting Chinese suppliers in the region. Trump, said the director, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly about his company's practices, had forced businesses to think differently -- and to act against even hypothetical risks. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum , has encouraged such changes. She has pushed what she calls Plan Mexico : an ambitious, long-term strategy meant to revitalise manufacturing; substitute imports; and balance the trade deficit with countries that do not have trade deals with Mexico, including China. Because many Chinese goods sold to Mexico are reworked for sale onward to the United States, the mismatch in the trade balance between China and Mexico had created little political tension in Mexico until recently. But with Trump's ascent, China has loomed over more trade issues. "With China, we have relations on many issues -- and obviously, with the United States, we have the trade agreement, which is very important," Sheinbaum said Wednesday. In January, days before Trump returned to the White House, Sheinbaum said that strengthening the USMCA was "the only way" the region could "compete with Asian countries, particularly China." If North America could manufacture 10% of the imports it otherwise receives from China, Sheinbaum's finance minister said at the time, the gross domestic product of Mexico would grow by 1.2%, that of the United States by 0.8% and Canada's by 0.2%. The border state of Nuevo León, where about 4,500 foreign companies have factories and offices, has tried to seize the moment. Monterrey, its capital, has for years advertised to investors as an alternative to China. "I don't want a company to come and bring everything with it," said Emmanuel Loo, Nuevo León's acting economy secretary, whose team has been helping manufacturers find local suppliers. "No, I want a company to come and buy everything locally." Manuel Montoya, the director of the Nuevo León automotive cluster, a group that includes about 120 vehicle manufacturers, said that Mexico would still need to source many materials, particularly electronic goods, from China. But he said even that could change in the following years if local providers found ways to make them. "What's the strategy that our companies have been following? Try to be North American," Montoya said. "If you still have something that you bring from Asia, forget about it already."
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Triston Casas ‘living (his) worst nightmare' as he sets goal for return to Red Sox after knee injury
BOSTON — A month and a day after suffering a gruesome knee injury that ended his season after just 29 games, Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas didn't sugarcoat the impact of having a second consecutive year cut short by a significant injury. 'I'm living my worst nightmare right now,' said Casas, on crutches in Boston's clubhouse Tuesday. 'This is the worst-case scenario for any type of player, to go through a recovery that's double digit-months long. But going through it now, I feel like I'm gonna be better as a consequence of it.' Advertisement On May 2, Casas was trying to beat out a dribbler down the first base line when his left foot planted awkwardly on the base line and he immediately crumpled to the ground in pain. Unable to get up, Casas called for a cart and was immediately taken to an area hospital. The diagnosis was a significant one: a full rupture of the patellar tendon in his left knee. Within 48 hours, Casas had surgery and began a rehab process that'll take multiple months. He hopes to ditch his crutches in a couple weeks before starting to do mobility training, likely at the Sox' complex in Fort Myers. He has one goal in mind when it comes to a return date. 'I've heard different amount of months,' Casas said. 'I haven't heard anything over a year though. As of right now, our goal is Opening Day next year. Just gonna take it slow. 'I'm gonna spend the winter in Fort Myers, rehabbing, and until then, just try to stay in a positive mindset. I know there's a lot of healing that's done that's outside of the training table. Just trying to take it one day at a time, be positive and maintaining a good head space is gonna be important as well.' Advertisement Patellar tears are unusual for baseball players and are seen more often in offensive linemen in football. Casas noted that former Red Sox pitcher Garrett Richards, who suffered a similar injury on the Fenway Park field as a member of the Angels in 2014, has provided support from afar. Casas is confident he will be able to make a full recovery in time. 'They're very confident,' Casas said, referencing his medical team. 'I talked to my surgeon and he said it was almost the best-case scenario, just with how everything almost completely detached. Once you're dealing with having to mend back tendons together, you're dealing with microfibers. To have a complete rupture is almost the best-case scenario. They said that I'm gonna make a full recovery." Casas has watched the video of the fateful play and has no regrets. 'I looked at the video and, obviously I didn't mean to kick Ty France,' he said, referencing Minnesota's first baseman. 'That's something playing first base I'd never do. So my foot slipped on that step before. I think I went to a range of motion I wasn't comfortable with and I never came down. Tried to catch myself with that foot after the step after the bag and just didn't. Advertisement 'It's just part of the game. It's part of running hard down the line. It's part of just playing the game how you feel like it should be. I wouldn't have changed anything about it. That was just a move that I've done thousands of times. I can't say I would've done anything differently or I have any regrets about it. It's just onward from here.' On impact, Casas feared his season was over. 'I (knew) pretty much immediately,' he said. 'It felt somebody hit me with a sledgehammer as I was running by ... I knew something happened. I didn't even really wanna move from that laying down position. I just asked our trainer to get me a cart. I knew something wasn't normal. I tried to stay calm, but I knew it was pretty severe.' For now, Casas — on pace with his recovery — is taking his work one day at a time, doing range-of-motion exercises with his hips and quads and getting treatment from the medical staff at Fenway Park. With nearly 10 months to go before Opening Day, he knows there are obstacles ahead of him. Making things more difficult is that the Red Sox have struggled in his absence and enter Tuesday four games under .500 at 29-33. Advertisement 'Physically, it's gonna be the toughest thing that I've gone through so far in my career,' Casas said. 'A lot of anger, a lot of frustration. I had a lot of goals for myself this year that I'm not gonna be able to accomplish. So back to the drawing board. I'll have a full offseason to recover and get back to the caliber of player I hope on being and let's try to attack it next year.' More Red Sox coverage Read the original article on MassLive.
Boston Globe
04-06-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
‘I'm living my worst nightmare right now': Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas eyes 2026 Opening Day for return from injury
Casas ruptured his left patellar tendon running to first base in the second inning of a game against the Twins. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and had surgery two days later. Casas described the injury like being hit with a sledge hammer. 'As of right now, our goal is Opening Day next year,' he said. 'Just going to take it slow.' Advertisement Casas said he would spend the offseason in Fort Myers, Fla., rehabbing with team staff at Fenway South. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Casas played only 63 games in 2024 because of torn rib cartilage in his chest. This season was limited to 29 games. At 25, he's at a career crossroads. 'I had a lot of goals for myself this year that I'm not going to be able to accomplish. So back to the drawing board,' he said. 'I'll have a full off season to recover [and] get back to the caliber of player I hope on being.' Dr. Eric Berkson, the team orthopedist who did the surgery, told Casas that he should make a full recovery. Former major league pitcher Garrett Richards had a similar injury covering first base at Fenway Park while playing for the Angels in 2014. He returned to play in 2015 and pitched for the Red Sox in 2021. Advertisement He contacted Casas and offered advice based on his experience. 'He's been a big help to me mentally, walking me through everything that I was going to feel,' Casas said. 'So I'm really grateful for him and his messages, his kind words to me. He's been awesome.' With his left leg wrapped in a brace, Casas carefully made his way out to the field during batting practice and greeted some fans. He was wearing fingernail polish the same shade of green as the team's new alternate uniforms. 'I'm living my worst nightmare right now,' Casas said. 'This is the worst-case scenario for any type of player to go through a recovery that's double-digits months long. 'But going through it now, I feel like I'm going to be better because of it. It's just part of the game.' Peter Abraham can be reached at
Boston Globe
04-06-2025
- Health
- Boston Globe
Alex Bregman recovery from quad strain moving at ‘warp speed'
'It was the exact same thing, but it's just going really well. So keep plugging along,' Bregman said. 'Obviously, got to respect the injury. But it's been healing extremely fast, and just got to keep making strides every day and hopefully be back sooner than later.' Advertisement Bregman declined to put a timetable on the injury other than to say his recovery has been quicker than was expected. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'We're doing a bunch of stuff every day,' he said. 'We're doing treatment probably 8-10 hours a day. It's going really well.' The Sox were 3-6 in the first nine games without Bregman. Casas persevering Triston Casas described himself as being angry and frustrated by the season-ending knee injury he suffered on May 2, emotions that he has been able to tamp down only recently. 'There's definitely a lot of mental obstacles to go through,' Casas said in his first remarks to reporters since the injury. Casas ruptured his left patellar tendon running to first base in the second inning of a game against the Twins. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and had surgery two days later. Advertisement Casas described the injury like being hit with a sledge hammer. 'As of right now, our goal is Opening Day next year,' he said. 'Just going to take it slow.' Triston Casas is taken off the field on a stretcher after rupturing his left patellar tendon running to first base on May 2. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff Casas said he would spend the offseason in Fort Myers, Fla., rehabbing with team staff at Fenway South. Casas played only 63 games in 2024 because of torn rib cartilage in his chest. This season was limited to 29 games. At 25, he's at a career crossroads. 'I had a lot of goals for myself this year that I'm not going to be able to accomplish. So back to the drawing board,' he said. 'I'll have a full off season to recover [and] get back to the caliber of player I hope on being.' Related : Dr. Eric Berkson , the team orthopedist who did the surgery, told Casas that he should make a full recovery. Former major league pitcher Garrett Richards had a similar injury covering first base at Fenway Park while playing for the Angels in 2014. He returned to play in 2015 and pitched for the Red Sox in 2021. He contacted Casas and offered advice based on his experience. 'He's been a big help to me mentally, walking me through everything that I was going to feel,' Casas said. 'So I'm really grateful for him and his messages, his kind words to me. He's been awesome.' Angels righthander Garrett Richards suffered an injury similar to Triston Casas in 2014 when trying to cover first base at Fenway Park. Barry Chin/Globe Staff With his left leg wrapped in a brace, Casas carefully made his way out to the field during batting practice and greeted some fans. He was wearing fingernail polish the same shade of green as the team's new alternate uniforms. Advertisement 'I'm living my worst nightmare right now,' Casas said. 'This is the worst-case scenario for any type of player to go through a recovery that's double-digits months long. 'But going through it now, I feel like I'm going to be better because of it. It's just part of the game.' Another day, more moves The Sox recalled righthanders Cooper Criswell and Zack Kelly from Triple A Worcester. Righthander Richard Fitts was optioned to Worcester after allowing six runs in the first inning of Nick Burdi was placed on the 15-day injured list with a bruised right foot, the product of a botched play covering first base on Monday . . . Hunter Dobbins will be the rotation after going five innings on Monday. The rookie righthander has a 4.06 ERA in nine games . . . Romy Gonzalez batted cleanup on Tuesday. He's the ninth cleanup hitter the Sox have used in 63 games . . . Kutter Crawford , who has been out all season because of a right knee injury, is dealing with some wrist pain and will be checked out in the coming days. Peter Abraham can be reached at
