Latest news with #LosSalazar
Newsweek
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Warning Issued Over Iranians Trying to Enter US: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Federal authorities issued a warning to Border Patrol agents after a leaked memo showed that Iranian nationals may be planning to enter the United States illegally with assistance from Mexican drug cartels. Newsweek has contacted Customs and Border Protection for comment via email outside office hours. Why It Matters A Border Patrol alert issued a week earlier warned that the likelihood of Iranian sleeper cells inside the U.S. was higher than ever. Agents were instructed not to travel alone as a precaution. Iranians have been thrust into the national spotlight in the U.S. following President Donald Trump's recent strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. The U.S. Border Patrol has encountered more than 2,500 Iranian nationals at the southwest border since the beginning of 2021. It remains unknown how many were released into the country under the Biden administration. Migrants walking near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on December 19, 2022. Migrants walking near the U.S.-Mexico border in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on December 19, 2022. Christian Chavez/AP What To Know According to a memo obtained by NewsNation, Border Patrol received intelligence indicating that 35 Iranian nationals planned to cross the border between the Calexico and San Luis ports of entry from July 1 to July 5. Agents patrolling the Calexico-to-San Luis corridor have been ordered to stay alert and be prepared for possible encounters. The warning also suggested that the smuggling operation could be facilitated by powerful cartels, including the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and Los Salazar. Los Salazar is a relatively small armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel, founded by Adán "Don Adán" Salazar Zamorano in the early 2000s. Primarily active in Sonora and parts of Chihuahua, the group specializes in trafficking cocaine across the U.S. border and has been linked to migrant smuggling operations. After Don Adán's 2023 extradition to the U.S., leadership passed to his brother Crispín Salazar Zamorano, who continues to maintain the group's close ties to the sons of "El Chapo" and control key smuggling corridors. The CJNG emerged in 2009 from the Milenio Cartel's splintering and is led by Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, also known as "El Mencho." It controls major drug routes—especially for fentanyl and methamphetamine—throughout Mexico and has established a presence in all 32 federal entities and at least a dozen countries. It is one of Mexico's most powerful and globally networked criminal organizations. On the first day of his second term, Trump signed an executive order designating Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups as terrorist organizations. According to the order, the groups "threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere." What People Are Saying The memo obtained by NewsNation said: "On Sunday, June 29, 2025, HSI Tip Line received information concerning 35 illegal Aliens of Iranian descent who may attempt entry into the U.S. between the Calexico and San Luis Port of Entry between July. 1, 2025 (today) until July. 5, 2025. Tipster advised that Los Salazars and CJNG may be involved."
Int'l Business Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Former DHS Official Says Relatives of 'El Chapo' May Seek U.S. Protections Under Humanitarian Parole Program
A former Department of Homeland Security official says the recent surrender of several relatives of Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán to U.S. authorities may be tied to a humanitarian parole program offered as part of Ovidio Guzmán López's plea agreement—potentially paving the way for more family members to come to the United States in the future. In a recent interview, Oscar Hagelsieb, former head of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, said the 17 members of the Guzmán family who crossed into the United States earlier this month "won't be the last." Hagelsieb also said that, unlike in cases involving figures such as Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada and Rafael Caro Quintero, the relatives of Ovidio "El Ratón" Guzmán are expected to receive several protections typically granted to individuals admitted under humanitarian parole. In an interview with investigative journalist Luis Chaparro, Hagelsieb said negotiations like this don't happen overnight. "The agreement talks began almost a year ago," Hagelsieb said. "They offered protection not only to the sons of El Chapo—they offered it to a lot of people." According to the former DHS official, there was a long-term strategy within the Sinaloa Cartel to protect certain members of the family, particularly El Chapo's younger sons. The plan involved the selective sharing of information, restructuring of the cartel, and family protection. In the interview reported by Infobae México , Hagelsieb also suggested that other key associates of the Sinaloa Cartel—such as the armed wing known as Los Salazar—were reportedly given "permission" to cooperate with U.S. authorities in exchange for protection for their inner circle. According to InSight Crime , Los Salazar functions as an armed wing of Los Chapitos and controls drug and migrant trafficking routes through Sonora and parts of Chihuahua. Its founder, Adán Salazar Zamorano, joined the Sinaloa cartel decades ago as a deputy to Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Humanitarian parole According to the U.S. Department of Justice, humanitarian parole is granted only in exceptional cases, typically for urgent humanitarian reasons or when there is a significant public benefit. Individuals who cooperate with the U.S. government may be eligible for a range of benefits, provided their cooperation is considered both valuable and verifiable. Among these benefits is humanitarian parole itself, which allows legal entry into the country for individuals who would otherwise be deemed inadmissible. In some cases, it also includes relocation to secure areas to protect witnesses and their families. Cooperating individuals may be given new identities to conceal their pasts, along with temporary financial support to help them begin new lives. This support can include housing, education and, in some cases, medical assistance. In certain instances, individuals may also be allowed to retain some assets, as long as those assets are considered clean and not directly tied to criminal activity. As Hagelsieb notes, more of El Chapo's relatives are expected to surrender to U.S. authorities in the coming weeks in hopes of receiving these types of protections. Meanwhile, Ovidio is expected to plead guilty to drug trafficking and money laundering charges during a court hearing in Chicago on July 9. His brother, Joaquín, is reportedly engaged in similar negotiations with U.S. prosecutors. Originally published on Latin Times
