Guns from U.S. partly fueling crime rise in Mexico; business group says
MEXICO CITY – The Mexican Employers Confederation expressed alarm at rising rates of violent crime since President Andrés Manuel López Obrador took office in December, and it blames some of the situation on weapons smuggled in from the U.S.
Senate GOP steamrolls Democrats, gets immigration bill out of committee
WASHINGTON - A sharply divided Senate Judiciary Committee pushed through a GOP-backed bill that would force migrants to apply for asylum at facilities outside the U.S., raise the limit on how long immigrant children can be held in detention and add 500 new immigration judges, among other changes.
Senate hears problems, differs on answers to border detention crisis
WASHINGTON - With border apprehensions at their highest level in a decade, all sides at a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing agreed that the situation at immigrant detention facilities has reached crisis levels. But potential solutions remained elusive.
Cruise ships to launch in December, even though port at Rocky Point isn’t ready
PUERTO PEÑASCO, Mexico – The first cruise ship to ply the Sea of Cortez will launch in December, using small tender boats to ferry passengers to and from land while work continues on port facilities.
Advocates vow Supreme Court ruling not last word on border wall funds
WASHINGTON - Immigration advocates are vowing to continue to fight the use of Defense Department funds for construction of a border wall, after the Supreme Court late Friday lifted lower courts' injunction on the funds transfer.
Lawmakers spar over family separations, detention center conditions
WASHINGTON - A House panel grilled administration officials over migrant family separations and conditions at border detention facilities, but the hearing produced more partisan sparks than answers - although both sides agreed that the situation at the border has reached crisis levels.
Puerto Ricans in Valley demand island governor’s resignation over offensive messages
PHOENIX – The publication of offensive messages from Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s private chats has sparked protests in Phoenix and across the U.S.
21st-century druids: No animal sacrifices, but connected to community, history
PHOENIX – Mark Bailey is a 21st century druid, a member of Arizona’s Grove of the Rising Phoenix. He doesn’t sacrifice animals or worship nature, and he has nuanced beliefs about an afterlife. Druids are steeped in more than two millennia of Indo-European history.
New Trump administration rule makes asylum harder for Central Americans
PHOENIX – Migrants heading to the U.S. southern border now face additional hurdles to gain asylum protection from the federal government.
Migrant shelter in Tucson may move to former juvenile detention facility
TUCSON – Leaders of a short-term shelter for migrants seeking asylum are asking Pima County to lease three units of an old juvenile detention facility. The dormitory-style space for about 300 migrants would include a commercial kitchen and laundry.
With ICE sweeps looming, immigration rhetoric heats up on Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON - Immigration rhetoric heated up on Capitol Hill, with.deportation sweeps expected to start in major cities this weekend and footage of migrant families held in what critics call "deplorable" conditions at the border sparking outrage from both sides of the aisle.
