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☆ Illegal border crossings in December surged to highest of Biden's presidency
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON — A surge in Cuban and Nicaraguan arrivals at the U.S. border with Mexico in December led to the highest number of illegal border crossings recorded during any month of Joe Biden’s presidency, authorities said Friday. The extraordinary influx came shortly before Biden introduced measures on Jan. 5 to deter Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans. U.S. authorities stopped migrants 251,487 times along the Mexican border in December, up 7% from 234,896 times in November and up 40% from 179,253 times in December 2021, Customs and Border Protection said. Cubans were stopped nearly 43,000 times in December, up 23% from November and more than quintuple the same period a year earlier. Nicaraguans were stopped more than 35,000 times, up 3% from November and more than double from December 2021.

☆ Firms use Google ads to entice small businesses to pay for help the gov't provides free
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Jesselyn Cook | Jesselyn Cook Is An Investigative Tech Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Several draw in unwitting customers like Talbot through Google ads that outrank the legitimate SAM.gov page, illustrating the ease of buying visibility on the world’s largest search engine. Google removed the ads for a number of these sites in response to an inquiry for this article but subsequently reversed its decision. “We have strict ads policies that govern the types of ads and advertisers we allow on our platforms,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said in a statement. But the Small Business Administration urges people not to spend their precious resources on these services when so many free alternatives exist. She expects new, prominently displayed Google ads to play a part in the problem.

☆ U.S. border arrests drop in January after new Biden restrictions -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Ted Hesson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Border Patrol agents have arrested an average of about 4,000 migrants per day in January, three U.S. officials told Reuters this week. At the current pace, border arrests could be the lowest since February 2021, a month after Biden took office. In December, border patrol agents made more than 221,000 arrests at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data released on Friday. Biden, a Democrat who intends to seek reelection in 2024, earlier this month expanded COVID-related restrictions that allow migrants caught at the U.S.-Mexico border to be rapidly expelled back to Mexico. Several U.S. officials said border arrests typically dip around the end of the year due to holidays, which likely contributed to the January drop-off.

☆ A Carnival cruise to the Bahamas became a 'cruise to nowhere' after inclement weather kept passengers stuck onboard the entire trip
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Windy weather forced a Carnival cruise ship to cancel its only planned port stop earlier this month. Passengers onboard received partial refunds and compensation for the unexpected cancellation. Passenger Kat O'Donnell told Insider the decision was disappointing. "It was the first time either one of us have ever gone out of the country," she told Insider. The Carnival Sunshine cruise ship docked in South Carolina in March 2020.

REUTERS/Jacob GarciaCIUDAD JUAREZ/MEXICO CITY, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Migrants on Mexico's northern border on Wednesday began entering the United States using a mobile app designed to facilitate the process of applying for asylum, although several quickly reported difficulties in using the system. Castellanos, who spoke as he was lining up to enter Laredo, Texas, from Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, recommended migrants avoid taking risks to cross and to use the app instead. To receive a U.S. appointment, migrants first must go to a border entry point in Mexico determined by the app. Some migrants told Reuters the app only had appointments far from where they currently are. Reporting by Jose Luis Gonzalez in Ciudad Juarez and Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City, additional reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington; editing by Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Venezuelans describe dangers and desperation amid U.S. asylum changes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Albinson Linares | Noticias Telemundo | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

MEXICO CITY — Mariantonela Orellana spent nine days in the dangerous Darien Gap jungle in the Colombia-Panama border, and she described her nightmarish ordeal. Now back in Mexico, migrants wrestle with whether to try to stay in Mexico, keep trying to seek asylum in the U.S. or return to Venezuela. According to Department of Homeland Security data, the flow of Venezuelan migrants to the U.S. increased by almost four times compared to the year prior. Mexican authorities approved 61% of asylum applications from January to November, including at least 90% of approvals for Hondurans and Venezuelans. “I left Venezuela because the discrimination against the LGBT community is terrible; we are trampled on and attacked every day.

☆ How China planted an FBI mole who was discovered only after gutting the CIA's vast spy network
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

At the time, four years after the handover from Britain to China, much of Hong Kong remained a world of neon and noise. "Five years ago, everyone looked down on you if you spoke Mandarin," said a Beijing executive living in Hong Kong. As soon as the Hong Kong Arts Festival ended, the Hong Kong International Film Festival began. In February 2006, Alex Ma, China's mole in the FBI, sent David photos he received from his handlers of five suspected human sources. Born in Hong Kong like Alex, Lee grew up in Hawaii and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

☆ 2 killed in shootout with federal agents near Puerto Rico
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Two suspected drug traffickers were killed early Sunday in a shootout with federal agents off Puerto Rico’s northeast coast, officials said. The chase ended when the suspected drug traffickers shot at the federal agents, who returned fire, Quiñones said. Quiñones said drugs were found aboard the boat and in the water, but no further details were immediately available. The deadly chase comes two months after a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and a suspected drug smuggler died in a shootout off Puerto Rico’s southwest coast. Puerto Rico is a popular transit point for drugs coming out of South America.

Launched in 2020, the app has previously been used to allow people crossing legally at land ports of entry to submit their information beforehand and for non-governmental organizations to request humanitarian entry for certain migrants. U.S. President Joe Biden's administration touts the app as a more regulated, potentially quicker alternative to crossing the border. Rodriguez has been camping in Matamoros, a Mexican border city across from Brownsville, since late November with over a dozen family members, some of whom have already crossed into the United States. Claudia Martinez, a 38-year-old Venezuelan waiting in Tijuana, was unable to access CBP One despite several tries. Reporting by Ted Hesson in Washington and Daina Solomon in Mexico City; Additional reporting by Jackie Botts in Oaxaca City, Lizbeth Diaz in Mexico City and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Aurora EllisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ House Republican files articles of impeachment against DHS Secretary Mayorkas
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Zoë Richards | Zoë Richards Is The Evening Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

In the first week of the new GOP-led House, a Texas Republican has filed articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Rep. Pat Fallon, in a document filed Monday night, accused Mayorkas of "high crimes and misdemeanors" in his role as Homeland Security chief. He has willfully abdicated his duties as Secretary of Homeland Security and actively misled Congress and the American people. To make any progress at our southern border, he must go.”Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, at the Capitol on March 18, 2022. Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., first filed articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in August 2021.

☆ 'They took everyone': Video shows Border Patrol arresting migrants in El Paso
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A group of El Paso residents and volunteers have formed an ad-hoc, “night watch” to monitor U.S. border agents as they arrest migrants sleeping on the city’s streets. In new video filmed by one of those volunteers and obtained by NBC News, migrants sleeping outside a bus station are seen being apprehended by Border Patrol officers on Jan. 4, the week before President Joe Biden arrived in the border city. In the video, several migrants are escorted off a bus by Border Patrol with their hands above their heads. A spokesperson for Customs and Border Protection in El Paso said those arrested had evaded detection when they crossed the border. “We formed a night watch, since the incident with the mother being pulled out.

☆ Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy says DHS is not doing its job in 'securing the border.' His solution? Defund them.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy called on his colleagues to stop funding the DHS. The comments came the same day President Joe Biden visited the border in Texas. In a speech to the House, Roy said Texans were "struggling" and claimed Republicans would seek to strip funding from the DHS this year. DHS has become a favorite target of the GOP, who blame the agency for what they see as missteps at the border. Roy's call also follows a recent trend of Republicans seeking to defund various agencies, such as the FBI.

☆ Biden makes first trip as president to U.S.-Mexico border as administration imposes restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden traveled to El Paso, Texas, on Sunday to assess enforcement operations at the U.S.-Mexico border — his first trip to the border since taking office — just days after his administration announced new restrictions on asylum seekers amid record numbers of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with Customs and Border Protection police on the Bridge of the Americas border crossing with Mexico in El Paso, Texas, on Sunday. Jim Watson / AFP - Getty ImagesDuring his visit to El Paso, Biden assessed enforcement operations at the Bridge of the Americas Port of Entry — the busiest port in El Paso, which recently received $600 million through the bipartisan infrastructure law. Greg Abbott, who handed the president a letter demanding he take further enforcement actions at the border. After his visit, Biden will travel to Mexico City later on Sunday to attend the North American Leaders' Summit.

☆ Video shows border agents, police arresting migrants sleeping outside church shelter in El Paso ahead of Biden's visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

In the week before President Joe Biden’s trip to El Paso, Texas, Customs and Border Protection officers, as well as El Paso city police, began arresting migrants sleeping in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station, according to new footage obtained by NBC News. Immigration advocates say the proximity of the arrests to a church shelter may violate the Department of Homeland Security’s policies. Footage obtained by NBC News shows Customs and Border Protection officers as well as El Paso city police in the streets outside a Catholic church shelter and bus station. A Border Patrol official told NBC News those arrested had not been previously apprehended by Border Patrol when they crossed over from Juarez, Mexico. Biden is expected to tout the plan, which also opens up more pathways for legal migration, in his visit to El Paso on Sunday.

☆ Sen. Tom Cotton says Biden's border trip is 'meaningless' 15 months after criticizing the president for being 'too busy' to travel there
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republicans, including Sen. Tom Cotton, have criticized Biden for not visiting the US-Mexico border. Now that Biden is traveling there, Cotton said the trip will be "meaningless" because of his policies. Now that Biden is traveling to El Paso, Texas on Sunday, Cotton is calling the trip "meaningless." "Visiting the border is meaningless if Biden continues to push policies that invite illegal immigration," the Arkansas Republican tweeted on Thursday. During the news conference, Biden criticized Republicans for rejecting bipartisan efforts in the Senate to put together a comprehensive immigration plan.

☆ Biden heading to El Paso under Republican pressure to visit the border
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden will make his first visit as president to the US-Mexican border on Sunday. He will visit El Paso, Texas, where thousands of migrants have been crossing into the US. Republicans have been pressuring Biden to visit the border and some have said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached for failures there. Biden on Thursday is announcing new enforcement measures to boost border security and reduce the number of unlawful migrant crossings. He will visit El Paso before traveling to Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit.

☆ Biden, ahead of border trip, says 'Republicans haven't been serious about this at all'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

President Joe Biden will make his first visit as president to the US-Mexico border on Sunday. Biden has been under GOP pressure to make the trip, but he says they haven't been serious about the issue. Biden will visit El Paso before traveling to Mexico for the North American Leaders' Summit. Absent congressional action, Biden on Thursday announced new enforcement measures to boost border security and reduce the number of unlawful migrant crossings. Republicans have been pressuring Biden to visit the border and some have said Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas should be impeached for failures there.

☆ U.S. Embassy in Cuba reopening visa and consular services
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

HAVANA — The United States Embassy in Cuba is reopening visa and consular services Wednesday, the first time it has done so since a spate of unexplained health incidents among diplomatic staff in 2017 slashed the American presence in Havana. Cubans are now the second-largest nationality after Mexicans appearing on the border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data shows. Visa and consular services were closed on the island in 2017 after embassy staff were affflicted in a series of health incidents, alleged sonic attacks that remain largely unexplained. While relations have always been tense between Cuba and the U.S., they were heightened following the embassy closure and the Trump administration’s tightening of sanctions on Cuba. Cuban officials have repeatedly expressed optimism about talks with the U.S. and steps to reopen visa services.

Wickr Me, an Amazon-owned encrypted chat platform, stopped accepting new users after Dec. 31 and will shut down completely on Dec. 31 of this year, according to an announcement from the company. In June, an NBC News investigation revealed that Wickr Me had become a go-to product for many people trading child sexual abuse material. The investigation identified 72 court cases from the past five years in which the defendant allegedly used Wickr (as it’s commonly known) to trade child sexual abuse material. In its statement in November, the company explained that it was shutting down Wickr Me to devote more resources and focus toward its business-to-business products, AWS Wickr and Wickr Enterprise. In 2016, one of the first successful prosecutions against someone trading child pornography on the app was reported by the Deseret Morning News.

☆ Joe Biden's biggest successes and failures in his second year in office
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-31 | by ( Nicole Gaudiano | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

His second year in office was marked by historic legislative achievements despite Democrats' razor-thin majority in Congress. Here are some of the highs and lows from Biden's second year:Success: UkrainePresident Joe Biden talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy outside the White House. Conservative New York Times columnist Bret Stephens in September called the "staggering gains" by Ukrainian forces "a victory for Joe Biden, too." Universal pre-K was included in a sweeping spending plan passed by House Democrats until their Senate colleagues cut that out too. Failure: InflationPresident Joe Biden arrives for an event focused on inflation and the supply chain at the Port of Los Angeles in June.

☆ Colombia, Ecuador agree joint plan to tackle organized crime on border
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Daniel TapiaBOGOTA, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The armed forces of Colombia and Ecuador on Wednesday signed an agreement to implement a plan to contain drug trafficking and organized crime on their shared border, authorities in both countries said. Colombia and Ecuador share a porous border that stretches some 586 kilometers and where criminal gangs and illegal armed groups engage in smuggling and drug trafficking. "Efforts currently under our responsibility to eliminate drug trafficking, environmental crimes, smuggling, and other areas will not decline," General Helder Giraldo, the general commander of Colombia's military, said in another statement. The government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro in November called on countries with which it shares a border to work together on a military offensive against illegal armed groups. As well as Ecuador, Colombia shares a border with Brazil, Venezuela, Peru and Panama.

Frosty diplomatic relations between the United States and the governments of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela have complicated deportations to those countries. The new rules for Cubans, Nicaraguans and Haitians would be modeled on an existing program for Venezuelans launched in October. Mexico has only accepted the expulsion of some nationalities, mostly Mexicans and Central Americans, under Title 42. Two officials said the policy shift for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans could come as soon as this week. Close to half of those arrested were rapidly expelled under the Title 42 policy.

☆ U.S. Bars Imports From Three Companies, Citing Possible Use of Forced Labor
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has barred imports from three companies, including a supplier to Western apparel companies, that the agency says could be using North Korean forced labor. China and Russia are home to the majority of North Korean people working abroad, according to the U.S. The U.S. is leading a growing movement by Western governments to preventing goods made with forced labor from reaching store shelves. U.S. lawmakers in both parties are putting pressure on Customs to tackle forced labor, Mr. Conklin said. North Korean workers labor in dozens of countries, with Pyongyang taking between 70% and 90% of their earnings in many instances, the U.S. said in a 2018 publication.

☆ Trump called himself 'clairvoyant' and claimed that the US is 'dying from within' in a series of Christmas messages
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Donald Trump said that the "USA is dying from within" in a social media post on Christmas Day. Trump made the comment in reference to high numbers of migrants coming to the US at the southern border. He then claimed that those groups were pushing for "a mentally disabled Democrat over the Brilliant, Clairvoyant, and USA LOVING Donald J. "On this very cold but beautiful Christmas Day, look at our Nation NOW on the Southern Border compared to only a short time ago during the Trump Administration," Trump wrote. Trump followed that message with six more posts on Christmas Day, including one ending with: "TODAY, LIKE NEVER BEFORE, WE ARE A NATION IN DECLINE, A FAILING NATION!"

Doug Ducey has agreed to dismantle a makeshift border wall that triggered a lawsuit by the federal government and rankled environmentalists. The agreement comes one week after federal officials filed a lawsuit against Ducey’s administration saying the border project was illegally built on federal land. Protesters spent weeks camping in freezing temperatures along the border wall, and had vowed to stay there until the containers were removed. Karamargin said the assurance from federal officials paved the way for Ducey to agree to remove the shipping containers. The shipping container project cost Arizona at least $82 million, Karamargin said.

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