Latest news with #Immokalee
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man Rushed to Help 9-Year-Old Shark Attack Victim. Days Later, ICE Arrests Him and Says He's in the Country Illegally
Just three days after he helped save a 9-year-old girl from a shark attack, 31-year-old Luis Alvarez was arrested for allegedly driving without a valid driver's license He is now facing potential deportation, according to news reports, and ICE says he's been in the country illegally since 2022 "He's a real decent guy," a colleague who also assisted in the rescue said of AlvarezA man who helped rescue a 9-year-old girl from a shark attack is now in the custody of immigration officials — and potentially facing punishment including deportation — according to authorities and local news reports. Earlier this month, 31-year-old Luis Alvarez was one of three men who came to help the young girl, Leah Lendel, after she was bitten by a shark while vacationing with her family. He is currently being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he was arrested earlier this month for allegedly driving without a license, Fox affiliate WFTX and the Fort Myers News-Press initially reported. On Saturday, June 14, at 1:37 a.m. local time, Alvarez was pulled over after an officer said he was driving without headlights in Immokalee, Fla., according to an arrest report reviewed by PEOPLE. Alvarez, who was born in Nicaragua, per the arrest report, presented the officer with a picture of his U.S. Employment Authorization Document on his phone when asked to present his driver's license. But a records check conducted by the officer showed that Alvarez had never been issued a U.S. driver's license. Alvarez told the officer he'd been in the country for two and a half years, according to the report. He was then arrested by the Collier County Sheriff's Office for allegedly driving without a valid driver's license, according to the report and court records. A spokesperson for the Collier County Jail confirms to PEOPLE that Alvarez is being held by ICE. An ICE spokesperson says Alvarez entered the country illegally in December 2022 — despite showing police a work authorization document, according to his arrest report — and was subsequently taken into custody this month as part of a partnership between local police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Bail is set at $150. Alvarez will appear in court on July 9. He was previously arrested four times in Lee County for not having a driver's license, the News-Press reported. He either paid fines or had adjudication withheld by judges, the most recent of which issued a D6 license suspension on June 23, according to the outlet. The News-Press also reported that Alvarez was represented by attorney Jose Calvo last year. Calvo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Just days before his arrest, Alvarez was celebrated for his response to the shark attack. The Boca Grande County Fire Department, Lee County Sheriff's Department and emergency services responded to a call about a "potential shark bite" around 12 p.m. local time on June 11 in Boca Grande, Fla., Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser previously said in a video statement. Jay Lendel, the father of the victim, Leah, said that emergency responses arrived in about three minutes. Nearby construction workers including Alvarez also came over to assist the family. Alfonso Tello, who was at the scene, told Gulf Coast News that when he got in the water to help, he saw what appeared to be an 8-foot-long shark. "We saw the little girl coming out of the water with no hand," Tello said, adding, "Everybody was in shock." Leah's family and the construction workers were able to get her to Shore Lane. She was then airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent an emergency, six-hour surgery to repair her hand. The young girl's mom later confirmed to Gulf Coast News on June 12 that "doctors were able to put her hand back together." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One of the workers who responded told WFTX about the big role his colleague, Alvarez, played in the rescue. "He jumped in that area to bring her out when I was assisting Leah," Raynel Lugo told the outlet. "He went deep underwater, not even caring about the shark. He went really deep. He probably faced the shark." Added Lugo, according to WFTX. "He's a real decent guy." Read the original article on People
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man Rushed to Help 9-Year-Old Shark Attack Victim. Days Later, ICE Arrests Him and Says He's in the Country Illegally
Just three days after he helped save a 9-year-old girl from a shark attack, 31-year-old Luis Alvarez was arrested for allegedly driving without a valid driver's license He is now facing potential deportation, according to news reports, and ICE says he's been in the country illegally since 2022 "He's a real decent guy," a colleague who also assisted in the rescue said of AlvarezA man who helped rescue a 9-year-old girl from a shark attack is now in the custody of immigration officials — and potentially facing punishment including deportation — according to authorities and local news reports. Earlier this month, 31-year-old Luis Alvarez was one of three men who came to help the young girl, Leah Lendel, after she was bitten by a shark while vacationing with her family. He is currently being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after he was arrested earlier this month for allegedly driving without a license, Fox affiliate WFTX and the Fort Myers News-Press initially reported. On Saturday, June 14, at 1:37 a.m. local time, Alvarez was pulled over after an officer said he was driving without headlights in Immokalee, Fla., according to an arrest report reviewed by PEOPLE. Alvarez, who was born in Nicaragua, per the arrest report, presented the officer with a picture of his U.S. Employment Authorization Document on his phone when asked to present his driver's license. But a records check conducted by the officer showed that Alvarez had never been issued a U.S. driver's license. Alvarez told the officer he'd been in the country for two and a half years, according to the report. He was then arrested by the Collier County Sheriff's Office for allegedly driving without a valid driver's license, according to the report and court records. A spokesperson for the Collier County Jail confirms to PEOPLE that Alvarez is being held by ICE. An ICE spokesperson says Alvarez entered the country illegally in December 2022 — despite showing police a work authorization document, according to his arrest report — and was subsequently taken into custody this month as part of a partnership between local police and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Bail is set at $150. Alvarez will appear in court on July 9. He was previously arrested four times in Lee County for not having a driver's license, the News-Press reported. He either paid fines or had adjudication withheld by judges, the most recent of which issued a D6 license suspension on June 23, according to the outlet. The News-Press also reported that Alvarez was represented by attorney Jose Calvo last year. Calvo did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. Just days before his arrest, Alvarez was celebrated for his response to the shark attack. The Boca Grande County Fire Department, Lee County Sheriff's Department and emergency services responded to a call about a "potential shark bite" around 12 p.m. local time on June 11 in Boca Grande, Fla., Boca Grande Fire Chief C.W. Blosser previously said in a video statement. Jay Lendel, the father of the victim, Leah, said that emergency responses arrived in about three minutes. Nearby construction workers including Alvarez also came over to assist the family. Alfonso Tello, who was at the scene, told Gulf Coast News that when he got in the water to help, he saw what appeared to be an 8-foot-long shark. "We saw the little girl coming out of the water with no hand," Tello said, adding, "Everybody was in shock." Leah's family and the construction workers were able to get her to Shore Lane. She was then airlifted to a nearby hospital and underwent an emergency, six-hour surgery to repair her hand. The young girl's mom later confirmed to Gulf Coast News on June 12 that "doctors were able to put her hand back together." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. One of the workers who responded told WFTX about the big role his colleague, Alvarez, played in the rescue. "He jumped in that area to bring her out when I was assisting Leah," Raynel Lugo told the outlet. "He went deep underwater, not even caring about the shark. He went really deep. He probably faced the shark." Added Lugo, according to WFTX. "He's a real decent guy." Read the original article on People
New York Times
22-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
‘Tasteless, Hideous and Repulsive': Trump Wants You to Eat Inferior Tomatoes
The food critic Craig Claiborne once labeled them 'tasteless, hideous and repulsive.' James Beard called them 'an almost total gastronomic loss.' The New Yorker writer Thomas Whiteside found in 1977 that one survived a six-foot fall onto the floor intact, thus easily exceeding the federal standard for automobile bumpers. The subject of their scorn? The Florida field tomato — which the Trump administration wants us to eat more of by imposing a 21 percent tariff on most Mexican tomatoes starting July 14. The tariff represents a double insult to consumers, assaulting both our taste buds and our pocketbooks. President Trump has told us to make do with fewer (and more expensive) imported pencils and dolls for the greater good of bringing manufacturing back to America. Fine. But tomatoes? The last thing American consumers need is a revitalization of Florida's withering tomato industry. Even some industry leaders admit the mediocrity of Florida field-grown tomatoes. In 2020, when I visited Lipman Family Farms, one of the largest growers of field tomatoes in the United States, its chief executive at the time, Kent Shoemaker, warned me not to expect anything like the fully red vine-ripened tomatoes our grandparents grew. 'We have to get the tomato from Immokalee, Fla., to St. Louis, Mo., in February, and your grandma's tomato wouldn't make it,' he explained, adding, 'You have to make choices.' Those choices include breeding tomatoes not for flavor, but to survive disease, insects, shipping and Florida weather from blistering heat to tropical downpours. Some Florida tomato varieties are bred to fit perfectly on a fast-food burger patty. Or, if they are destined for Subway, to look fresh in a display case hours after being sliced. Because high sugar levels in tomatoes attract bacteria and fungi while also reducing size and yield, Florida growers have to deliberately minimize sweetness. Finally, to survive the journey to St. Louis or anywhere else, the fruits are picked while still bright green and rock hard; they turn pink by spending several days or more in a room filled with ethylene gas. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Committee backs ag worker minimum wage bill that mirrors Mills' proposal last year
Workers pick tomatoes at a farm owned and operated by Pacific Tomato Growers on February 19, 2021 in Immokalee, Florida. (Photo by) Lawmakers have endorsed a bill this session that would grant farmworkers in Maine the right to minimum wage and has the potential to finally make it off the governor's desk. The Legislature's Labor Committee voted 6-1 with multiple members absent to endorse LD 589, which would give agricultural workers the right to state minimum wage and mirrors the proposal Gov. Janet Mills put forward last session. Before committee members broke to caucus ahead of the vote, Senate co-chair Mike Tipping (D-Penobscot) said, 'This is the closest we have come and I hope we're in a good place here to finally pass a basic minimum wage for agricultural workers.' There were two bills before the committee this session seeking to guarantee farmworkers the right to state minimum wage, since they are currently excluded from the section of law that provides a wage floor and overtime protections. Legally, they are only entitled to the $7.25 federal minimum wage; however, many farm owners say they pay workers even more than Maine's minimum wage of $14.65 an hour. Earlier this session, the Labor Committee also supported a bill that would allow agricultural employees to talk about wages, working conditions and other employment matters with other employees or the employer. That bill has received initial approval from the Senate, but was tabled in the House of Representatives Tuesday, pending a vote. Farmworker rights have been an ongoing discussion in the state as Mills has vetoed multiple pieces of legislation over her tenure seeking to secure labor protections, including her own bill last session. She said she could no longer support that proposal after the committee reworked the bill to allow farmworkers to bring their own private action against employers for violations. House co-chair Rep. Amy Roeder (D-Bangor) said Tuesday that as a self-described 'idealist,' the legislation doesn't go as far as she would have liked, though ultimately supported the bill. 'I realize in legislation that we have to crawl before we can walk sometimes, but we've been crawling for an awful long time,' Roeder said. When introducing LD 357 this session, Sen. Rick Bennett (R-Oxford) said he was appalled by the governor's actions last year. His bill was identical to the one the Labor Committee supported last year, but this time bolstered with a Republican as the lead sponsor. Though the committee voted unanimously not to support Bennett's bill, Tipping thanked him for following the committee's work last session by introducing this measure. Sen. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Cumberland) originally took a different approach from Bennett with LD 589, which initially removed language that exempted farmworkers from current statute, rather than create a new section of law. However, this was a sticking point for the agricultural industry who worried that any future changes to that section of law could overlook the unique qualities of farming. After amending LD 589 to address those concerns, the proposals had just two key differences. The legislation from Talbot Ross does not include a private right of action, leaving it up to the Department of Labor and the Office of the Maine Attorney General to handle any wage violations. Additionally, the amended version of LD 589 includes language clarifying that the changes that would result from this legislation could not be construed to mean that agricultural workers were losing any existing rights. Tipping highlighted this language before casting his vote in support of the bill, saying that he interprets it to mean that farmworkers won't lose their right to bring private action against an employer for other violations, such as not being paid any wages. Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman said that based on conversations she has had with the governor, Mills seems to be on board with the amended version of LD 589. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
