Latest news with #violentcrimes
CTV News
4 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
6 new extortion threats against South Asian community under investigation: EPS
Interim Edmonton Police Chief Devin Laforce talks about a series of violent crimes against the city's South Asian community on July 17, 2025. (CTV News Edmonton) Edmonton police are once again investigating extortion threats and arson against the city's South Asian community. Earlier this week the Edmonton Police Service announced it would hold a town hall meeting for the community next week about threats of violence. On Thursday it held a news conference to provide more information about the investigation. 'It is something that spiked probably a month, six weeks ago,' interim EPS Chief Devin Laforce told reporters. 'I think it's about six (crimes) that are associated to this latest series, and it's just making sure that if there's other crimes out there that we don't know (about), we want to hear about them.' Laforce says one of the latest incidents is arson and the rest are extortions. The incidents are believed to be tangentially related to Project Gaslight, a series of 40 arson, extortion and shootings targeting South Asian homebuilders in 2023 and 2024. 'It seems to be different as far as the players that are involved but some associations and some linkages,' Laforce said. Investigators believe the scheme is being run in a similar way to Project Gaslight with higher ranking gang members ordering younger members to commit the actual crimes. 'It is connected at a higher level, but as far as actual people that are perpetrating those crimes, it is different people, and (it) is young people.' Investigators believe one of the players could be the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The India Counter Terrorism law enforcement agency says the gang's leader, Bishnoi, operates his terror syndicate from jails in different states, in India, and through an associate in Canada. B.C. Premier David Eby has called for the federal government to designate the gang as a terrorist organization in Canada. They also now believe that the incidents are connected to other crimes against South Asian communities in other parts of Canada after initially denying the connection during the Project Gaslight investigation. 'Our very first media release back then, we weren't aware of all of those connections,' Laforce said. 'Once we actually dove deeper, we are seeing connections across the country.' The goal of the town hall is to strengthen the EPS relationship with the community and ensure members feel comfortable reporting the crimes to police. 'Arsons are something police usually get plugged into. They're hard to hide but not extortions. 'We always know there's a certain level of all crime that's unreported. How do we just make sure we can try and maximize the reporting of that crime? 'The more information we have, the easier it is for us to respond.' Kulmit Singh Sangha hosts a radio show for the city's South Asian community. He says business owners who have been targeted are hiring security. 'They are worried. They have young families and they have businesses,' he told CTV News Edmonton. 'When somebody says give this amount of money, it's out of this world.' He hopes police will be able to ease people's fears with the town hall. '(They have) to come up with some sort of strategy, how they can make people feel safe.' And in turn he's hoping police will be able to stop the crimes against his community. 'The main thing is how much cooperation, or how much people give the information back to the police? That's how the police can catch those people. Otherwise, it's very hard for the police to be in every corner.' The town hall will be held on July 28 at 7 p.m. at the Southwood Community League. Capacity is limited and anyone who wishes to attend is encouraged to register online. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Nav Sangha
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. sends deportees convicted of violent crimes to small African country of Eswatini
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it deported a group of men convicted of violent crimes to the small African country of Eswatini, in its latest expansion of deportations to far-flung places that are not deportees' home countries. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the deportees hailed from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen, and had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. The men's criminal records included convictions for murder, homicide and child rape, McLaughlin added. The deported men, McLaughlin said, are "so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back." It's unclear what will immediately happen to the men sent to Eswatini, a landlocked country in southern Africa that was formerly known as Swaziland. The tiny nation is slightly bigger in size than Connecticut, has around 1.2 million residents and is ruled by a king. CBS News reported in early May that the U.S. had asked Eswatini, alongside other countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, to receive deportees who are not their own citizens. The talks are part of a larger, aggressive effort by the Trump administration to persuade as many countries as possible — regardless of their human rights record — to accept citizens of other nations, including criminals. President Trump's administration has already used agreements to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador; migrants from Africa and Asia to Costa Rica and Panama; and eight convicted criminals from Asian and Latin American countries to conflict-ridden South Sudan. Trump administration officials have persuaded other nations, like Honduras and Kosovo, to accept deportees from other countries, though those agreements have not been fully implemented yet. U.S. officials have approached other nations — including Moldova, Libya and Rwanda — to strike similar deals. Historically, the U.S. has sought to deport unauthorized immigrants to third countries if they hail from nations where it's difficult or impossible to deport them, such as those that limit or entirely reject U.S. deportations. The practice is controversial. Critics say some of the third countries that the Trump administration has turned to — like South Sudan — are unsafe, and deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador has sparked legal and humanitarian concerns since the deportees have been held incommunicado at a notorious mega-prison, despite many of them lacking any apparent criminal record. The administration's campaign to increase deportations to third-party countries gained a major legal victory last month, when the Supreme Court suspended a ruling by a federal judge in Boston that had required the U.S. to give detainees a certain degree of notice and due process before any deportation to a place that was not their country of origin. That now-suspended lower court order had required officials to give detainees and their lawyers notice of the third country the government wanted to remove them to, as well as a chance to contest their deportation, including by raising fears of being harmed or tortured in that nation. Soon after the Supreme Court's orders, the administration issued guidance aimed at expediting deportations to third countries by making it harder for would-be deportees to contest their deportation from the U.S. The directive, authored by acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Todd Lyons, said detainees with final orders of deportation can be deported to third-party countries, without any notice or further proceedings, if those nations make "credible" assurances to the U.S. that they will not persecute or torture the deportees. If those assurances are not received or are not deemed credible, Lyons' memo instructs ICE officials to give detainees 24-hour notice of the agency's intention to deport them to a third country. But the guidance says ICE officials can give just 6 hours of notice in "exigent circumstances," so long as the detainees are given "reasonable means and opportunity" to talk to an attorney. During those notice periods, detainees will have the burden of expressing fear of being harmed in a third country to try to contest their deportation. ICE officials will not affirmatively ask detainees about any potential fears, the Lyons memo says. Trump pushes senators to make $9.4 trillion in spending cuts L.A. Mayor Karen Bass says National Guard deployment in city was "a misuse" of soldiers Mike Johnson breaks from Trump, calls on DOJ to release Epstein files
CBS News
5 days ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Trump administration sends deportees convicted of violent crimes to small African country of Eswatini
The Trump administration on Tuesday said it deported a group of men convicted of violent crimes to the small African country of Eswatini, in its latest expansion of deportations to far-flung places that are not deportees' home countries. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the deportees hailed from Cuba, Jamaica, Laos, Vietnam and Yemen, and had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. The men's criminal records included convictions for murder, homicide and child rape, McLaughlin added. The deported men, McLaughlin said, are "so uniquely barbaric that their home countries refused to take them back." It's unclear what will immediately happen to the men sent to Eswaitini, a landlocked country in southern Africa that was formerly known as Swaziland. The tiny nation is slightly bigger in size than Connecticut, has around 1.2 million residents and is ruled by a king. CBS News reported in early May that the U.S. had asked Eswatini, alongside other countries in Africa, Asia and Europe, to receive deportees who are not their own citizens. The talks are part of a larger, aggressive effort by the Trump administration to persuade as many countries as possible — regardless of their human rights record — to accept citizens of other nations, including criminals. President Trump's administration has already used agreements to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador; migrants from Africa and Asia to Costa Rica and Panama; and eight convicted criminals from Asian and Latin American countries to conflict-ridden South Sudan. Trump administration officials have persuaded other nations, like Honduras and Kosovo, to accept deportees from other countries, though those agreements have not been fully implemented yet. U.S. officials have approached other nations — including Moldova, Libya and Rwanda — to strike similar deals. Historically, the U.S. has sought to deport unauthorized immigrants to third countries if they hail from nations where it's difficult or impossible to deport them, such as those that limit or entirely reject U.S. deportations. The practice is controversial. Critics say some of the third countries that the Trump administration has turned to — like South Sudan — are unsafe, and deportation of Venezuelans to El Salvador has sparked legal and humanitarian concerns since the deportees have been held incommunicado at a notorious mega-prison, despite many of them lacking any apparent criminal record. The administration's campaign to increase deportations to third-party countries gained a major legal victory last month, when the Supreme Court suspended a ruling by a federal judge in Boston that had required the U.S. to give detainees a certain degree of notice and due process before any deportation to a place that was not their country of origin. That now-suspended lower court order had required officials to give detainees and their lawyers notice of the third country the government wanted to remove them to, as well as a chance to contest their deportation, including by raising fears of being harmed or tortured in that nation. Soon after the Supreme Court's orders, the administration issued guidance aimed at expediting deportations to third countries by making it harder for would-be deportees to contest their deportation from the U.S. The directive, authored by acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director Todd Lyons, said detainees with final orders of deportation can be deported to third-party countries, without any notice or further proceedings, if those nations make "credible" assurances to the U.S. that they will not persecute or torture the deportees. If those assurances are not received or are not deemed credible, Lyons' memo instructs ICE officials to give detainees 24-hour notice of the agency's intention to deport them to a third country. But the guidance says ICE officials can give just 6 hours of notice in "exigent circumstances," so long as the detainees are given "reasonable means and opportunity" to talk to an attorney. During those notice periods, detainees will have the burden of expressing fear of being harmed in a third country to try to contest their deportation. ICE officials will not affirmatively ask detainees about any potential fears, the Lyons memo says.
Washington Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
South Sudan says 8 men deported from the US are now in its custody
JUBA, South Sudan — South Sudanese authorities confirmed on Tuesday that eight men deported from the United States were now in the custody of the government of the African country. Apuk Ayuel, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, told reporters that the eight arrived at Juba International Airport on Saturday following 'standard deportation procedures undertaken' by the U.S. government. The men are 'under the care of the relevant authorities who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being,' she said, without specifying where they are held. U.S. authorities said on Friday that the eight men deported in May and held for weeks at an American military base in Djibouti arrived in South Sudan after the Supreme Court cleared the way for their transfer. The men — from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan are part of a case that had gone to the Supreme Court, which had permitted their removal from the U.S. Administration officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S. The deportations have raised safety and other concerns among some in this country. 'South Sudan is not a dumping ground for criminals,' said Edmund Yakani, a prominent civic leader in the country. South Sudan's government has struggled since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011 to deliver many of the basic services. Years of conflict have left the country heavily reliant on aid that has been hit hard by sweeping cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. Economic hardship has deepened in recent months because of declining oil revenues, with crude exports to Port Sudan affected by civil war in the neighboring country.
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
South Sudan says 8 men deported from the US are now in its custody
South Sudanese authorities confirmed on Tuesday that eight men deported from the United States were now in the custody of the government of the African country. Apuk Ayuel, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, told reporters that the eight arrived at Juba International Airport on Saturday following 'standard deportation procedures undertaken" by the U.S. government. The men are 'under the care of the relevant authorities who are screening them and ensuring their safety and well-being,' she said, without specifying where they are held. U.S. authorities said on Friday that the eight men deported in May and held for weeks at an American military base in Djibouti arrived in South Sudan after the Supreme Court cleared the way for their transfer. The men — from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, Vietnam and South Sudan are part of a case that had gone to the Supreme Court, which had permitted their removal from the U.S. Administration officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S. The deportations have raised safety and other concerns among some in this country. 'South Sudan is not a dumping ground for criminals,' said Edmund Yakani, a prominent civic leader in the country. South Sudan's government has struggled since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011 to deliver many of the basic services. Years of conflict have left the country heavily reliant on aid that has been hit hard by sweeping cuts in U.S. foreign assistance. Economic hardship has deepened in recent months because of declining oil revenues, with crude exports to Port Sudan affected by civil war in the neighboring country.
