Latest news with #detainees
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
His Family Has Spent Months Trying To Free Him From CECOT. They Finally Reunited.
When U.S. officials disappeared hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to an infamous megaprison in El Salvador in March, many of the detainees' family members wondered if they would ever see their loved ones again. El Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, is known for its extremely harsh conditions — and for never letting its prisoners go free. But on Friday evening, some of these families were reunited as the result of a prisoner swap that returned 252 men in CECOT to Venezuela, in exchange for Venezuela releasing 10 Americans it had seized. Earlier that day, rumors of the swap began trickling through the community of CECOT family members, who had spent months fighting to bring their loved ones home. Some received phone calls from the Venezuelan government and spread the word to others through an unofficial phone tree. Those who could make the trip traveled to Maiquetia, where the detainees were expected to arrive. Those who couldn't travel anxiously searched for photos or videos of the plane landing, hoping to catch a glimpse of their loved ones disembarking. For months, CECOT detainees had been held incommunicado with no access to their families or lawyers. The only proof of life some family members received was when they were able to spot their loved one on propaganda materials released by government officials. A little after 9 p.m. local time Friday, Ydalys Chirinos-Polanco texted HuffPost a photo of her beaming next to her 25-year-old son, Ysqueibel Yonaiquer Peñaloza Chirinos. They posed behind a sign that read in Spanish: 'Welcome to your country Venezuela. You don't know how long we've waited for this moment. God bless you always.' Chirinos also shared a video of her son surrounded by family, clamoring to hug and kiss him. In a voice memo to HuffPost, Chirinos expressed gratitude for a 'wonderful joy' and 'beautiful miracle.' 'My son is with me again. Thank you, thank you, my god, thank you,' she said in Spanish. Peñaloza is one of many former CECOT detainees who came to the U.S. legally and had pending asylum claims when U.S. officials abruptly flew them to El Salvador in March. He came to the U.S. through a pre-scheduled appointment on CBP One, the cellphone app used by the Biden administration to process asylum seekers. Peñaloza had a legal right to make a case in immigration court as to why he should stay in the U.S. But before he could exercise that right, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a wartime authority last used in World War II, and claimed that a gang called Tren de Aragua was essentially an invading army working with the Venezuelan government. The Trump administration claimed that the Venezuelans it sent to CECOT were Tren de Aragua members, but has provided little evidence beyond common tattoos to support these allegations. 'He left Venezuela for a better future and it turned into a nightmare,' Chirinos told The Independent. Peñaloza and the other men were flown to CECOT in defiance of a court order and held indefinitely without charge. The U.S. government paid the Salvadoran government millions of dollars to detain them. Once forcibly removed from the U.S., government officials began asking immigration judges to dismiss their pending immigration cases, citing the fact that they were no longer present in the U.S. Peñaloza, who was one of at least 60 CECOT detainees with pending asylum claims, had his case dismissed while he was detained in El Salvador. Margaret Cargioli, a lawyer with Immigrant Defenders Law Center, was prepared to argue his case in court without him, but the judge canceled the hearing ahead of time. 'While the Trump administration disappears human beings to countries around the world without due process, it will take all of us, from all over the world, to help free the human beings callously sent to dangerous places such as CECOT and prevent others from experiencing the same cruel fate,' Cargioli said in a statement on Friday. Related... Trump Sent Them To Hell. Now He's Erasing Them Altogether. Prisoner Swap Will Return Trump's CECOT Detainees To Venezuela Lawyers Are Sounding The Alarm About Trump Disappearing People Solve the daily Crossword
Reuters
a day ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Rubio says 10 Americans detained in Venezuela have been released
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that 10 Americans detained in Venezuela have been released. "I want to thank my team at the @StateDep & especially President @nayibbukele for helping secure an agreement for the release of all of our American detainees, plus the release of Venezuelan political prisoners," Rubio said in a post on X. El Salvador's government would send detained Venezuelans home in exchange for Americans held in Venezuela, two U.S. government officials earlier told Reuters.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
4th detainee who escaped Newark ICE facility arrested in Los Angeles, FBI says
The last of four detainees who escaped from a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark, New Jersey, in June has now been caught. Andres Felipe Pineda Mogollon, 25, was arrested in Los Angeles on Thursday, according to the FBI. He and three others had escaped from the Delaney Hall ICE detention center on June 12. ICE told lawmakers the four detainees escaped through a hole in a wall of the facility. Two were taken back into custody within three days of escaping, and the third was captured on June 17. All four have now been captured. Mogollon was arrested previously on charges of petty larceny and residential burglary. Delaney Hall has been a source of controversy in New Jersey for months. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka claims the ICE facility opened without undergoing necessary inspections or acquiring proper permits, which the Department of Homeland Security denies. On May 9, Baraka and members of New Jersey's congressional delegation, including Rep. LaMonica McIver, went to Delaney Hall to conduct federal oversight and ended up clashing with ICE agents outside. The mayor was arrested and charged with trespassing, but the charge was later dropped. McIver was charged with assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement, and has pleaded not guilty. On June 12, detainees told family members they went without food for 20 hours, then were fed only a small amount. They also reported unhygienic conditions inside, while loved ones said visitation hours were inconsistent. DHS has said they provide high quality services.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Undocumented immigrants are easy to demonize. Punish businesses instead.
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has been a lightning rod for criticism. Detractors have said that the monthlong event, featuring top international soccer teams, puts too much of a burden on some of the world's top players. Others have noted that this year's games in the American host cities have been poorly attended. Some have complained about lightning that has delayed the games. Yet, I recently saw how one of those lightning delays provided a teachable moment about our country's hotly debated immigration policies. It was − for me, anyway − a lesson about putting compassion ahead of our overheated political passions. International soccer provides a lesson in our immigration debate Immigration has dominated our national debate for a long time. On July 1, President Donald Trump paid a visit to Alligator Alcatraz, a new immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades. Immigration hawks seem to love the idea of undocumented immigrants being trapped in a swamp, with any potential escape routes blocked by alligators and pythons. The subtext isn't subtle: If detainees try to escape and get eaten by swamp critters, then they will get what's coming to them. So, it's a bit strange in our current political climate to have thousands of international visitors flock to our country for the Club World Cup while people are protesting in the streets over immigrant detentions and deportations. People are perched on barstools in our country, vigorously debating immigration policy, who have had little personal contact with immigrants. Opinion: Everglades are essential for Florida's survival. Alligator Alcatraz will harm them. They may see people they presume are immigrants trimming the lawns outside their condominiums, busing tables at restaurants or handling other service-oriented jobs. But opportunities for one-on-one interactions are limited. They may not have people with immigrant backgrounds in their circle of friends, or if they do, they consider those individuals to be outliers who aren't representative of their demographic groups. Lightning delay offers an opportunity to bond In June, I went to one of the Club World Cup games in Orlando with a friend. We were among the few in the sparse crowd to watch a match between Ulsan HD, a South Korean team, and Mamelodi Sundowns, a team from South Africa. We deliberately picked a match without bigger name teams involved because we wanted to sample the Club World Cup experience without having to pay a fortune for scalped tickets. Mission accomplished: The announced attendance was 3,412, which seemed to be on the generous side. Despite the sparse crowd, there was electricity in the air. By that, I mean the kickoff was delayed an hour due to lightning in the area. During the delay, fans were asked to shelter in the concourses. To kill time, a group of Mamelodi supporters gathered to sing and dance as one of them played drums. Before long, a crowd had gathered around them. Soon, not only the South Africans, but others in the crowd − including curious Americans and probably a few South Koreans − were clapping and swaying to the beat of the music. It was the kind of moment that just happens when you put people of different cultures together in enclosed spaces. Given enough time, they will start to interact. In those interactions, people start to recognize their shared humanity. The lightning delay ended, and everyone went back to their seats. The game began and fans rooted for their respective teams. Later, though, I thought about how many thousands of foreign visitors have traveled to the United States to watch the Club World Cup. Only three of the 32 teams invited are from the United States. Finding the human side in visitors from different cultures Think how many opportunities there have been for Americans to interact with those visiting fans in shops, restaurants, hotels, airports, tourist attractions and the sports stadiums where the games were played. On immigration policy, I consider my politics to be middle of the road. I believe immigrants need to "play by the rules" and not sneak into the country as undocumented migrants. I don't want terrorists or other criminals coming into our country illegally. However, I also believe in due process for people who have been accused of illegal activity, including immigrants. Opinion: It's been a fun and eventful four years at TCPalm. Now, new challenges await ... I also question why our country doesn't commit more resources toward punishing businesses that employ undocumented immigrants, rather than focusing so much on the individual immigrants. They wouldn't have an incentive to come to the United States if our businesses played by the rules. (That's a rhetorical question. The answer has to do with political contributions.) Yet, even Trump recently created a political stir when he suggested maybe it was time to ease up on immigrants who are gainfully employed at farms and service businesses. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. That could have been progress, however temporary, toward a breakthrough moment: Immigrants, as an abstraction, can be easy to demonize. They're real people, however, who need to be treated with dignity and compassion. They certainly don't deserve to be torn limb from limb and consumed by reptiles. If the Club World Cup helps Americans get closer to that understanding, then it was well worth it. Blake Fontenay is the commentary editor for USA TODAY. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What FIFA Club World Cup can teach US about immigrants | Opinion Solve the daily Crossword
Al Mayadeen
4 days ago
- Politics
- Al Mayadeen
Tensions ease in Sweida as all detainees released amid mediation
Local Syrian sources reported early on Monday that all individuals detained by Bedouin tribes and local factions in Sweida have been released, marking a step toward de-escalation in the area. According to the sources, the release was achieved through mediation led by Sheikh al-'Aql Yusuf Jarbou, in coordination with Druze religious figures and tribal elders. Syria's Interior Ministry stated this morning that government forces will intervene immediately to resolve the conflict. In turn, the Syrian Defense Ministry called on all parties in Sweida to cooperate with security forces and exercise restraint. This comes after fierce clashes broke out overnight Monday in southern Syria, leaving at least 37 people dead and at least 100 injured. عشائر ريف دمشق والمنطقة الشرقية يعلنون النفير العام ويتجهون إلى #السويداء دعمًا للبدو في مواجهة الفصائل العسكرية الدرزية #الميادين #سوريا to local sources who spoke to Al Mayadeen, violent confrontations erupted between armed Druze factions from Sweida and Bedouin tribal groups near al-Thalaa military airport and the village bridge of Hazm, located north of Sweida governorate. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that Syria's Ministry of Defense has deployed significant reinforcements to the region. Sources also told Al Mayadeen that armed groups took control of the village of al-Surah in Sweida's countryside following intense clashes, triggering a wave of displacement from the area. Meanwhile, local factions regained control of the village of al-Tayra in western Sweida, as residents in the Khalkhalah area began fleeing toward the city amid fears of escalating battles. اشتباكات عنيفة بين فصائل عسكرية من دروز السويداء وعشائر البدو في مطار الثعلة في محافظة #السويداء#الميادين #سوريا a statement issued on Monday after midnight, the influential Rejal al-Karamah (Men of Dignity) movement, the most prominent Druze group in Sweida, placed direct blame on the Syrian government for the deterioration of security in the governorate. The group warned that the current unrest "threatens civil peace and paves the way for chaos." The movement emphasized that the roots of the crisis lie in "the deliberate absence of the state's role in securing the vital road" connecting Damascus to Sweida and the government's continued disregard for repeated violations and assaults against civilians along this route. However, the Men of Dignity affirmed in their statement that while they are working to prevent further bloodshed, "the principle of self-defense is non-negotiable." The group declared a general mobilization, stressing that they aim to "deter those who violate public safety" and protect civil order, not to seek vengeance. Read more: Druze in Syria call for international protection amid rising violence
