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☆ Dollar firm on safe-haven demand as markets fret over China, banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Kevin Buckland | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The employee of a currency exchange shop counts U.S. dollar banknotes in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico July 27, 2023. The Chinese yuan, however, got some respite after the central bank set a stronger official rate than expected, signalling its discomfort with recent declines. Worries about the global economy flared again after data on Tuesday showed Chinese imports and exports contracting faster than expected in July. U.S. Treasuries also saw a surge in demand from haven-seeking investors, with 10-year yields briefly dipping back below 4%. Reporting by Kevin Buckland; Additional reporting by Brigid Riley; Editing by Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez TOKYO, Treasuries, Ray Attrill, there's, Attrill, Patrick Harker, Raphael Bostic, Michelle Bowman, Bart Wakabayashi, Kevin Buckland, Brigid Riley, Sonali Paul Organizations: REUTERS, New Zealand, U.S, Bank of New York Mellon, US Bancorp, National Australia Bank, People's Bank of, Federal Reserve, Philadelphia Fed, Atlanta Fed, Fed, State Street Bank, Trust, Thomson Locations: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Asia, Rome, China, People's Bank of China, Tokyo

☆ Spurred by rumor, hundreds of migrants mass at US border in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Migrants gather near the border to request asylum in the United States after rumours spread that it would allow them to enter the United States, according to local media, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico August 7, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezCIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Hundreds of migrants gathered alongside the U.S. border in the northern Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez late on Monday, after false rumors spread via social media and word-of-mouth that the U.S. would allow entry to a mass group. About 1,000 people clustered around the border just opposite the Texas city of El Paso - some peering through the slats of the border wall while others sat alongside an industrial train line headed to the United States. "You can just see how many people want to pass ... for our families, for our future," said Venezuelan migrant Johan Ramirez. Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez, Additional reporting by Lizbeth Diaz, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon, Editing by Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez CIUDAD, Johan Ramirez, We've, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Lizbeth Diaz, Daina Beth Solomon, Sandra Maler Organizations: Migrants, REUTERS, Jose Luis Gonzalez CIUDAD JUAREZ, Ciudad Juarez, U.S, Customs, Thomson Locations: United States, Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, U.S, Mexican, Ciudad, Texas, El Paso, Venezuelan

☆ Drought-stricken Mexico is flying planes into clouds to make it rain
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

In July, the country kicked off the latest phase of a cloud seeding project that aims to artificially stimulate rainfall. However, some scientists remain very cautious about the effectiveness of cloud seeding and warn that it is not a solution to drought. Jose Luis Gonzalez/ReutersMexico contends that its current cloud seeding project, which it has been running since December 2020, has had a positive impact. “But is the rain from cloud seeding or is it not from cloud seeding? Cloud seeding “should be considered only as one element” in a much broader strategy, wrote García and Martínez.

Persons: Roelef, Bruintjes, Jose Luis Gonzalez, ”, Fernando García García, Guillermo Montero Martínez Organizations: CNN, Ministry of Agriculture, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Startup, Reuters, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development Locations: Mexico, United States, China, Coyame, Chihuahua, Reuters Mexico, Wyoming, Idaho

[1/5] Boards displaying the exchange rate of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar are pictured outside exchange houses in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico July 27, 2023. But emergence of the phenomenon known as the "super peso" means those dollars no longer go as far as they did. "The purchasing power of remittances has deteriorated due to peso appreciation," said Carlos Serrano, chief economist at bank BBVA Mexico. "You can see it hitting lower-income families ... in states that bring in most remittances." Georgina Cardenas, 34, said the $1,200 a month she receives from her builder husband in the United States "used to be enough for my two children" and other expenses.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, Adriana Sanchez, Sanchez, it's, Andres Manuel Lopez, Carlos Serrano, Pablo Lopez Sarabia, Manuel, there's, Veronica, They're, Georgina Cardenas, Lizbeth Diaz, Noe Torres, Dave Graham, Aurora Ellis Organizations: U.S ., REUTERS, BBVA Mexico, Reuters, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Thomson Locations: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, TLAXCALA, United States, Asia, Tlaxcala, Mexico City, U.S, California

☆ Shooter who killed 23 at Texas Walmart awaits federal sentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Activists take part in a tribute to the victims of the August 3, 2019 Walmart shooting in El Paso, at Ponder Park in El Paso, Texas, U.S., August 3, 2021. Crusius pleaded guilty in February to 90 counts including 23 counts of hate crime resulting in death under a plea agreement that allowed him to avoid the federal death penalty. Even with the plea agreement, the judge conducted proceedings where witnesses poured out their emotions, expressing hatred for the shooter while revealing their own personal grief. Just before the assault, the shooter posted on the internet a manifesto that declared, "This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. At the time of the guilty plea in February, Spencer told reporters, "There are no winners in this case.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, David Guaderrama, Patrick Crusius, Crusius, Genesis Davila, Thomas Hoffman, Alexander Hoffman, Prosecutors, Joe Spencer, Spencer, Daniel Trotta, Mark Porter Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, U.S, District, Dallas Morning News, AK, Thomson Locations: El Paso, El Paso , Texas, U.S, Texas, Hell, Dallas, Carlsbad , California

[1/2] Activists take part in a tribute to the victims of the August 3, 2019 Walmart shooting in El Paso, at Ponder Park in El Paso, Texas, U.S., August 3, 2021. REUTERS/Jose Luis Gonzalez/File PhotoCompanies Walmart Inc FollowJuly 7 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday sentenced a white supremacist to 90 consecutive life terms in prison for a 2019 shooting in which he killed 23 people and wounded 22 others at a Texas Walmart while targeting Hispanics, the El Paso Times newspaper reported. The shooter still faces Texas state charges that could result in the death penalty. Just before the assault, the shooter posted on the internet a manifesto that declared, "This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas. He's going to be serving 90 consecutive life sentences."

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, David Guaderrama, Patrick Crusius, Genesis Davila, Thomas Hoffman, Alexander Hoffman, Prosecutors, Joe Spencer, Spencer, Daniel Trotta, Brad Brooks, Paul Thomasch Organizations: Walmart, REUTERS, Texas Walmart, El Paso Times, U.S, District, Dallas Morning News, AK, Thomson Locations: El Paso, El Paso , Texas, U.S, Texas, Hell, Dallas, Romanian

☆ Heat wave in Mexico leaves at least 100 dead, authorities say
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/5] Paramedics attend to a person during a day of high temperatures, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico June 27, 2023. A three-week-long heat wave this month strained the energy grid with record demand, forced authorities to suspend classes in some areas and left many Mexicans sweltering. Around 64% of the deaths occurred in northern state of Nuevo Leon bordering Texas. However, some northern cities are still seeing high temperatures. In the state of Sonora, the town of Aconchi saw highs of 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday.

Persons: Jose Luis Gonzalez, Diego Ore, Kylie Madry, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Jose Luis Gonzalez MEXICO CITY, Thomson Locations: Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Texas, Tamaulipas, Veracruz, Sonora, Aconchi

The flight marks a decisive moment for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), the space tourism venture founded by British billionaire Richard Branson in 2004, as it inaugurates commercial service following several years fraught with development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. Virgin Galactic has said it has already booked a backlog of some 800 customers, charging from $250,000 to $450,000 per seat, and envisions eventually building a large enough fleet to accommodate 400 flights annually. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Italy, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, VSS Unity, International Space, Air Force, America, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, Italy, British, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years of fraught by development setbacks. Rounding out the crew was their Virgin Galactic trainer, Colin Bennett, the company's lead "astronaut instructor," and Unity's two pilots, Michael Masucci and Nicola Pecile. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe, Branson, Burt Rutan, Jeff Bezos's, Elon Musk's, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Bezos, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Virgin, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, VSS Unity, America, Galactic, Virgin Galactic Holding Inc, . Virgin, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, Unity, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Los Angeles

Virgin Galactic leases part of the facility. The flight marked a long-delayed breakthrough for Virgin Galactic Holding Inc (SPCE.N), finally inaugurating commercial service after nearly 20 years fraught by development setbacks. Virgin Galactic said Unity topped out its flight at an altitude of nearly 52.9 miles (85.1 km). A final crewed test flight to space was conducted with little fanfare five weeks ago. An earlier prototype of the Virgin Galactic rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another.

The flight, dubbed Galactic 01, comes two years after Branson himself rode along with five other Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc (SPCE.N) personnel for the company's first fully crewed test spaceflight of its rocket plane, VSS Unity. Back then, Virgin Galactic officials said they expected to begin regular commercial operations in 2022 following additional test flights. Virgin Galactic had projected booking its first 1,000 paying customers, charging about $250,000 per seat, by the time commercial service opened. An earlier prototype of Virgin Galactic's rocket plane crashed during a test flight over California's Mojave Desert in 2014, killing one pilot and seriously injuring another. Billionaire rival Jeff Bezos, whose astro-tourist venture Blue Origin has already flown several commercial passenger flights, has disparaged Virgin Galactic as falling short of a true spaceflight experience.

Persons: Richard Branson, Joe Skipper, Branson, Walter Villadei, Angelo Landolfi, Pantaleone, Colin Bennett, Michael Masucci, Nicola Pecile, Branson's, Jeff Bezos, Virgin, Shepard rocketship, Jose Luis Gonzalez, Steve Gorman, Will Dunham Organizations: Virgin, Unity, REUTERS, Virgin Galactic, National Research Council, Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc, VSS, Galactic, SpaceX, Origin, Italian Air Force, International Space, Air Force, . Air Force, America, Corporate, NASA, U.S . Air Force, Thomson Locations: New Mexico, U.S, Italy, Mexico, Italian, Branson, Bezos, Los Angeles

☆ Is Mexico doing the US’s ‘dirty work’ when it comes to migration?
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Rafael Romo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the enforcement has been chaotic, sporadic and, in the words of a former top Mexican official, “inefficient.”Tonatiuh Guillén was commissioner of Mexico’s National Migration Institute until 2019. Luis Barron/Eyepix Group/NurPhoto/AP“Mexico became a control territory, [a place of] a severe migration policy, detentions, deterrence, and expulsions. ‘This is not about doing the United States’ dirty work’Mexican President Obrador denies Mexico is doing the US’s bidding when it comes to migration. Two months later, another 47 migrants were found alive crammed inside a truck in Matehuala (San Luis Potosí state), Mexico. Viangly, a Venezuelan migrant, reacts outside an ambulance while firefighters remove injured migrants, mostly Venezuelans, from a National Migration Institute building during a fire in Ciudad Juarez on March 27, 2023.

☆ Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at U.S.-Mexico border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Title 42 dramatically changed who arrived at the borderChart showing that before Title 42 began, most people apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border were Mexican, Guatemalan, Slavadorian or Honduran. Title 42 mostly applied to Mexican migrants Mexicans are the nationality most frequently caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and also made up the largest group of quick Title 42 expulsions. With Title 42 in place, Mexican migrants processed under Title 8 dropped, as most were deported to Mexico under Title 42. Chart showing the breakdown of migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador apprehended under Title 8 and Title 42. All four nationalities began to increase once Title 42 began until Title 42 was expanded to include people from Venezuela in October 2022 and people from Cuba, Haiti and Nicaragua in January 2023.

Two dozen National Guard troops quickly set about stretching coils of barbed wire across the cement base of the bridge where the migrants had been. Under the order known as Title 42, U.S. authorities could quickly turn back migrants without giving them a chance to seek asylum. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Sunday said the number of migrants crossing the border fell by half since the end of Title 42. A Dominican couple under the bridge told Reuters they had just reached Ciudad Juarez and had not heard of it. Reporting by Daina Beth Solomon and Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Editing by Stephen Eisenhammer and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ End of Title 42 immigration policy has brought fewer migrants than expected, but overcrowding concerns remain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-14 | by ( Nouran Salahieh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

David Peinado Romero/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Migrants carry a baby in a suitcase across the Rio Grande on May 10. Gary Coronado/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images Migrants wait to get paid after washing cars at a gas station in Brownsville on May 10. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images Migrants surrender to US Border Patrol agents after crossing the border in Yuma on May 10. Paul Ratje/Reuters Migrants wait to be processed by US Border Patrol agents in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, on April 26. Hudak warned in the filing that without measures to conditionally release some migrants, Border Patrol could have over 45,000 migrants in custody by the end of the month.

☆ Pandemic-related asylum restrictions known as Title 42 expire, straining U.S. immigration system
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

The expired rule, known as Title 42, was in place since March 2020. While Title 42 prevented many from seeking asylum, it carried no legal consequences, encouraging repeat attempts. Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river to turn themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents before Title 42 ends, in Matamoros, Mexico May 10, 2023. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas had already warned of more crowded Border Patrol facilities to come. They were quickly apprehended by Border Patrol agents.

Title 42, which allows U.S. authorities to quickly expel migrants on public health grounds, is set to expire May 11. Migrants expelled from U.S. and sent back to Mexico walk across border bridge in Ciudad Juárez. Photo: José Luis González/Reuters

☆ Migrants risk life and limb to jump Mexico trains in rush to border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jose Luis Gonzalez | Gustavo Graf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

I doubt it,” said Romario Solano, 23, a Venezuelan, while waiting for hours in baking sun near the trash-strewn rail tracks in Huehuetoca. For years, mainly Central Americans have crisscrossed Mexico on cargo trains, dubbing them collectively “La Bestia” (The Beast) due to the risk of injury, even death, if they fell off. The latest wave of people aboard “La Bestia” are largely poor Venezuelans, including families with small children, mostly aiming to reach Ciudad Juarez, opposite the Texan city of El Paso. “There are hundreds of people arriving every day,” said migrant activist Guadalupe Gonzalez last week in the central city of Irapuato, where the train makes a stop. “We hadn’t seen so many migrants passing through here like this before.”During the past month, as many as 700 people were trying to board per day, she said.

☆ What Is Title 42? What It Means for Immigration and U.S.-Mexico Border
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Michelle Hackman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

After the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday to keep Title 42 in place for now, some migrants at the Mexico-U. S. border want to wait for more news while others have decided to cross into the U.S. illegally. Photo: Jose Luis Gonzalez/ReutersThe pandemic-era border policy known as Title 42 is expected to end on May 11, the same day the public-health emergency declared for Covid-19 is set to expire. Title 42, first put in place by the Trump administration at the start of the pandemic, allows migrants to be quickly expelled at the southern border without a chance to ask for asylum.

☆ Mexico’s Immigration Chief Indicted Over Detention Center Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Juan Montes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The head of Mexico’s immigration agency, Francisco Garduño, in yellow tie, in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Photo: JOSE LUIS GONZALEZ/REUTERSMEXICO CITY—The head of Mexico’s immigration agency was indicted in connection with a fire at a federal detention center in March that left 40 migrants dead and more than 20 injured in the worst tragedy on record at a government-run migration facility. A judge in the northern border city of Ciudad Juárez, where the fire occurred, on Sunday ordered Francisco Garduño to stand trial on charges of negligence. He has headed Mexico’s immigration agency since mid-2019.

☆ Prosecutors probe Mexico immigration chief over fire that killed 40 migrants
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A view shows migrants camp outside the immigration detention center where several migrants died after a fire broke out at the center, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico April 10, 2023. The fire, which authorities say began after one or more of the migrants set alight mattresses as a protest, claimed the lives of 40 male migrants, most of them from Central America. "Today we discussed the possibility of some being accused of negligence, others of homicide," Lopez Obrador said, noting prosecutors have yet to give more details of the probe. Lopez Obrador said Tuesday the migrants were unable to escape from the facility located near the U.S. border because the person holding the key to their cell was absent. The prosecutors' statement Tuesday accused top immigration officials of failing to "watch over, protect and ensure the safety of the people and facilities in their charge."

☆ Missing key to cell sealed fate of migrants in Mexico fire, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezMEXICO CITY, April 11 (Reuters) - The 40 migrants who died in a fire at a detention center in Mexico last month were unable to escape because the person with the key to their locked cell was absent, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Tuesday. "The door was locked, because the person with the key wasn't there," Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference. Five people so far have been arrested, including private security personnel and agents from Mexico's National Migration Institute, and another arrest warrant is still pending. Hearses carrying the bodies of victims from Guatemala and Honduras were taken to the Ciudad Juarez airport to be repatriated on Tuesday. Reporting by Kylie Madry, Writing by Daina Beth Solomon; Editing by Rosalba O'BrienOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Migrants cried for help in Mexico fire but no one came, survivor recalls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Thick suffocating smoke was filling the cell where he was held with over 60 other migrants in northern Mexico, but there was no way out. "We screamed for them to open the cell door, but no one helped us," Caraballo, 26, said through tears during a phone interview from his hospital bed. He is anxious to get better so he can be fully reunited with his family and start a new life in the United States. Like millions of others, Caraballo and his family fled Venezuela's economic and political crisis, setting off for the United States last October. The young father was the first to be able to cross into the United States, via the government's CBP One scheme which allows some migrants to formally enter the United States, but returned to Mexico in February after his infant daughter fell ill.

☆ Survivor of Mexico detention fire and his family cross into U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Lizbeth Diaz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezEl PASO, April 1 (Reuters) - After her husband survived a fire which killed dozens of migrants at a detention center in northern Mexico, Venezuelan Viangly Infante crossed into the United States on Saturday, in search of new opportunities for her three children. "The storm has passed," Infante, 31, said while holding back tears as she walked to the vehicle which would take her to a migrant center in El Paso. The family had arrived in Ciudad Juarez just before the new year, but only Caraballo managed to cross into the United States. Mexican authorities have shut down the detention center and arrested five people over the migrants' deaths, including INM staff, a private security agent, and a Venezuelan accused of starting the fire. In the days following the fire, the U.S government announced it would aid those affected, with Infante's family the first to receive help.

☆ Asylum seekers cross Rio Bravo into US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Dave Lucas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Migrants cross the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 29, 2023. Dozens of migrants, mostly Venezuelan, crossed the Rio Grande on Wednesday from Mexico...moreMigrants cross the Rio Bravo river with the intention of turning themselves in to U.S. Border Patrol agents, as seen from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico March 29, 2023. Dozens of migrants, mostly Venezuelan, crossed the Rio Grande on Wednesday from Mexico into El Paso, Texas, following the deaths of dozens of migrants in a fire at a detention centre in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. REUTERS/Jose Luis GonzalezClose

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