Latest news with #undocumentedMigrants
Arab News
a day ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Italy boosts legal work visas, as union says policy falls short
Meloni has sought to reduce the number of undocumented migrants to Italy For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport
New York Times
5 days ago
- New York Times
Two Men Are Sentenced in Smuggling Deaths of 53 Migrants in Texas
Two men were sentenced on Friday for their roles in the deaths of 53 undocumented migrants, six of whom were children, in what prosecutors said was one of the deadliest migrant smuggling cases in recent years along the country's southern border. The defendants, Armando Gonzales-Ortega, 55, and Felipe Orduna-Torres, 30, were found guilty in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in March of conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants resulting in death and related charges. Mr. Orduna-Torres was sentenced on Friday to life in prison and Mr. Gonzales-Ortega was sentenced to 83 years in prison. Three years ago to the day — June 27, 2022 — a worker for a paving company followed the sounds of screaming along a road on the outskirts of San Antonio and found a trailer full of migrants, many of whom were lifeless and some gasping for air. The tractor-trailer was abandoned in a debris-filled area between train tracks and salvage yards on a day when the temperature reached more than 100 degrees. The trailer did not have air-conditioning and migrants tried to claw their way out. Those who died were 'essentially cooking alive,' prosecutors said. Eleven people survived. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
More Americans now favor providing undocumented migrants pathway to legal status over deportation, poll finds
More Americans now favor providing undocumented migrants a pathway to legal status over deportation, a new poll finds. The sentiment was backed by 64 percent of those surveyed and that percentage has increased since President Donald Trump entered office, according to the Quinnipiac University poll of registered voters, while 31 percent said they preferred deportation. Respondents were asked for their preference out of the two options 'if [they] had to choose.' Six months ago, the same poll found that 55 percent favored providing undocumented migrants with a pathway to legal status in the U.S. Among Democrats, 89 percent chose to offer legal status compared to 31 percent of Republicans, who favored deportation. It comes as the Trump administration has launched a sweeping anti-immigration agenda, aiming to carry out what it says is the largest mass-deportation operation in America's history. The administration has cranked up the pressure on federal agencies and increased arrest and deportation targets. As a result, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been in the spotlight as they carry out raids across the country. In total, 59 percent of those polled said they disapprove of the way the president is handling deportations, while 39 percent said they approve. And 56 percent of voters disapprove of how ICE is doing its job, according to the poll, while 39 percent said they approved. The vast majority of Democrats disapprove (89 percent) while Republicans largely approve (77 percent). On how the president is handling immigration issues as a whole, 57 percent of Americans said they disapprove, compared to 41 percent who approve. Only 7 percent of Democrats approve, compared to 86 percent of Republicans. More than 56,000 people are being held in immigration detention, the highest level in years and what may be an all-time record. There were 56, 397 people in immigrant detention as over June 15, according to a Syracuse University database. with roughly 59,000 immigrants behind bars — or 140 percent of the agency's ostensible capacity to hold them.
The Independent
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Vice mayor who called ICE ‘the biggest gang there is' and for ‘cholos' to defend their territory should resign, cop union says
The vice mayor of a small city in California who called on the criminal 'cholos' of Los Angeles to stand up to raids on undocumented migrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents is facing calls to resign, with the local police union calling her actions 'shameful.' In a clip posted to Instagram and then swiftly deleted, Cynthia Gonzalez, Vice Mayor of Cudahy, said: 'I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles – 18th Street, Florencia Where's the leadership at? 'Because you guys are all about territory and, 'This is 18th Street, this is Florencia.' You guys tag everything up, claiming hood and now that your hood's being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain't a peep out of you.' Gonzalez appeared to be referring to ICE but does not name them in the video. She continued: 'It's everyone else who's not about the gang life that's out there protesting and speaking up. We're out there fighting our turf, protecting our turf, protecting our people, and, like, where you at? 'Dude they're running amok all up on your streets, on your streets and in your city and, peep, when the big gang guns come in nothing but, like, quiet and we're out here, the regular ones that have never been jumped in out here calling things out and trying to organize. 'So don't be trying to claim no block, no nothing if you're not showing up right now trying to, like, help out and organize. I don't want to hear a peep out of you once they're gone, trying to claim that this is my block. This was not your block. You weren't even here helping out. So whoever is the leadership over there just f***ing get your members in order.' The L.A. Police Protective League (LAPPL) has reacted angrily and demanded Gonzalez's resignation. 'The 18th Street and Florencia street gangs are notoriously dangerous Los Angeles-based criminal enterprises,' it said in a statement. 'Both gangs have a known history of murdering police officers. In 1998, an 18th Street gang member murdered LAPD Officer Filberto Cuesta. Recently, several Florencia gang members were convicted of the 2022 murder of LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos. 'What Ms Gonzalez urged and taunted these specific gangs to do in her social media post puts police officers and other law enforcement professionals at greater risk. Her actions are deplorable and potentially illegal. She should resign and she should be prosecuted if what she called for broke the law.' The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also responded to the video, reposting it on Tuesday evening with a statement calling Gonzalez 'despicable' and alleging that she was calling on the gangs 'to commit violence against our brave ICE law enforcement.' 'This kind of garbage has led to a more than 500 percent increase in assaults against our ICE law enforcement officers. Secretary [Kristi] Noem has been clear: If you assault a federal officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' the DHS said. The FBI has stated that it cannot currently confirm or deny whether an investigation into Gonzalez is underway. Still, spokesperson Laura Eimiller noted: 'Generally speaking, of course, the FBI condemns any calls for violence or targeting of law enforcement with violence.' The Independent has contacted Gonzalez for comment, but she has so far refused all media requests pertaining to the video. The City of Cudahy did issue a brief statement of its own in which it said: 'The comments made by the Vice Mayor reflect her personal views and do not represent the views or official position of the City of Cudahy. The City will not be providing further comment.' The Los Angeles Times has since quoted an attorney representing Gonzalez as saying that 'any suggestion that she advocated for violence is categorically false and without merit,' putting them at odds with the LAPPL and DHS in their interpretation of her words. The attorney continued: 'In her post, Dr Gonzalez issued a challenge to the Latino community: join the thousands of Angelenos already peacefully organizing in response to ongoing enforcement actions. 'Importantly, Dr Gonzalez in no way encouraged anyone to engage in violence.' Gonzalez's controversial video comes after weeks of controversy caused by federal raids on migrants in downtown Los Angeles, which saw local people hit the streets to protest and President Donald Trump call in the National Guard and deploy active-duty Marines to support local law enforcement against the wishes of California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass. Two weeks ago, Gonzalez joined other L.A. County mayors at a press conference hosted by Bass at City Hall to address ICE's actions.
The Independent
20-06-2025
- The Independent
Watch: Woman ‘hauling mattresses' arrested after police find 25 migrants hiding in truck
This is the moment Texas police discovered over two dozen undocumented migrants 'crammed' into a truck during a crash investigation. After being stopped over a minor crash, Silvia Patricia Santamaria, told Department of Public Safety troopers she was driving to Houston after picking up two mattresses in Alton. Body cam shows the trooper relaying the information to another officer, appearing to be suspicious of her story. The officers then find 25 illegal immigrants they described as being 'crammed inside a small corner of the box truck', hiding behind mattresses: 12 males, 12 females, and one 11-year-old child. All were given a medical evaluation before being referred to US Border Patrol. Santamaria was arrested and charged with 25 counts of smuggling.
