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Migrants cross the razor fence placed by the Texas National Guard on the banks of the Rio Grande, in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday. Herika Martinez / AFP - Getty ImagesGuard members, separated from the migrants by the concertina wire, instructed migrants to leave because they were not crossing at a legal entry point. More than a dozen military vehicles as well as Texas' state police vehicles were seen along the border, and Guard members could be heard telling migrants to go to a port of entry. Migrants stand near concertina wire erected by the Texas National Guard at the border in El Paso, Texas on Tuesday. I asked Border Patrol if they had requested this kind of support from the Texas National Guard, and they said they had not.”

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., December 16, 2022. REUTERS/Elizabeth FrantzWASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden met Ecuador President Guillermo Lasso on Monday to discuss efforts to stem the flow of migrants to the United States as the White House faces increased pressure over its immigration policies. Together we've made historic strides on migration," Biden told reporters. "We have talked about migration and migration as a consequence of the economic problems of many countries in Latin America. Lasso visited the White House after former U.S.

[1/2] Hundreds of migrants, mostly from Nicaragua, are released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection near a bus station in downtown El Paso, Texas, U.S. December 13, 2022. REUTERS/Ivan Pierre AguirreDec 17 (Reuters) - The mayor of the Texas border city of El Paso declared a state of emergency on Saturday, citing the hundreds of migrants sleeping on the streets in cold temperatures and the thousands being apprehended every day. Mayor Oscar Leeser, a Democrat, said the emergency declaration would give city authorities the resources and ability to shelter migrants who have crossed the Mexican border. The move comes as El Paso, a Democratic stronghold with a history of welcoming immigrants, has struggled in recent months to deal with tens of thousands of migrants crossing the border with Mexico. Even as government officials move migrants in El Paso to other U.S. cities, local shelters are beyond capacity and migrants have been sleeping on the streets as temperatures dip below freezing.

☆ A brawl broke out between passengers on a luxury cruise ship after a woman fell overboard and died, video shows
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A woman fell overboard a MSC Cruises luxury ship and died early on Thursday morning. Shortly afterwards, passengers on the ship broke into a fight while waiting to disembark the cruise, the Daily Mail reported. The brawl erupted after the woman fell into the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday morning around 5 a.m., per the report. The Italian cruise line said its advanced detection systems immediately alerted them that the woman fell overboard and it then informed passengers that arrival in Florida would be delayed. The US Coast Guard and MSC Cruises did not immediately respond to requests for comment made outside typical working hours.

Title 42 is a part of U.S. law that deals with public health, social welfare and civil rights. Bottom line, a federal judge ordered the Biden administration to stop using Title 42 by Dec. 21, stating that it was "arbitrary and capricious." The administration had tried to stop using Title 42 sooner, but was blocked by a federal court in Louisiana. Why is using Title 42 controversial? So if we're still using Title 42, why are so many people illegally crossing the border now?

☆ Biden administration releases plan for the scheduled lifting of Title 42 next week
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rosa Flores | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —The Department of Homeland Security’s six-pillar plan for the scheduled end of Title 42 next week includes surging resources to the border, increasing processing efficiency, imposing consequences for unlawful entry, bolstering nonprofit capacity, targeting smugglers and working with international partners. The federal government has also added 10 soft-sided facilities to increase Customs and Border Protection holding capacity by over one-third since 2021, the plan states. According to the six-pillar plan, CBP spends 30% less time processing migrants now compared to early last year – which will help mitigate overcrowding of CBP facilities. As the agency expects a surge of migrants with the lifting of Title 42, it plans to impose legal consequences on those who cross unlawfully and don’t have a legal basis to stay in the United States, the plan states. “For noncitizens seeking to evade apprehension, repeat offenders, and those engaging in smuggling efforts, we are increasing referrals for prosecutions,” the plan states.

☆ These twin border towns are bracing for a migrant surge when the Title 42 Covid ban ends. The numbers are already rising.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | Gabe Gutierrez | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — On Wednesday morning, as many as a thousand people waited in freezing temperatures on the south side of a metal fence for border agents to open the gate to the United States. Two cities on opposite sides of the border — El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Mexico — are bracing for what could be a historic level of migration later this month when the Covid ban known as Title 42 is finally lifted. But many migrants aren’t waiting for the ban to end, and another surge has already begun. CBP agents are reporting approximately 2,500 migrants crossing into El Paso per day, a number expected to rise when, absent a court-ordered stay, Title 42 ends Dec. 21. Since the Trump administration imposed Title 42 in March 2020, migrants attempting to enter the U.S. to claim asylum have been sent back to Mexico more than 2.4 million times.

Schumer, a New York Democrat who has long pressed the administration to terminate Title 42, is far from alone. Since March 2020, when the authority was invoked, border officials have turned away migrants at the US-Mexico border more than two million times. But just days away from the anticipated end of Title 42, plans are still being sorted out. The Biden administration is also asking Congress for more than $3 billion as it prepares for the end of Title 42, according to a source familiar with the ask. It is not specific to the end of Title 42, the source said.

“The States will suffer irreparable harm absent a stay from the termination of Title 42 for the reasons discussed in the motion,” the states argue in the filing, citing a separate ruling that blocked the end of Title 42 earlier this year. Since March 2020, when the authority was invoked, border officials have turned away migrants at the US-Mexico border more than 2 million times. “Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. The Biden administration is asking Congress for more than $3 billion as it prepares for the end of the Trump-era border policy later this month, according to a source familiar with the ask. It is not specific to the end of Title 42, the source said.

☆ El Paso faced a ‘major surge in illegal crossings’ over the weekend, senior border official says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Priscilla Alvarez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —More than 2,400 migrants crossed into the United States near El Paso, Texas, daily over the weekend, according to a senior Border Patrol official, marking what he described as a “major surge in illegal crossings” in the region. “Over the weekend, the El Paso Sector experienced a major surge in illegal crossings, with a 3-day average of 2,460 daily encounters, primarily through the downtown area of El Paso. We will continue to keep the public informed as the situation evolves,” said acting Chief Patrol Agent Peter Jaquez of the El Paso Sector in a tweet. El Paso city has been monitoring the situation and is in ongoing discussions with federal, state and local partners, according to Laura Cruz Acosta, strategic communications director for the city. The Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that it had deployed additional agents to El Paso amid the surge, claiming that criminal smuggling organizations are behind the influx.

A former U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent accused of kidnapping and repeatedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl in Arizona was caught on police video saying what appears to be a threat against his accuser. “I cannot believe this s---,” Mitchell, who worked for CBP for 10 months and who is the son of two retired Florida police officers, could be heard saying, according to federal court papers. Mitchell worked for the CBP at a border post in Douglas, Arizona, according to the court papers. He tossed her backpack into a dumpster, the court papers state. Although Mitchell denied assaulting the teenager, “DNA recovered from the girl’s genitalia was consistent with Mitchell’s DNA,” the papers state.

☆ UAW calls on automakers to move supply chain out of Xinjiang region
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Police officers patrol in the old city in Kashgar, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China, May 4, 2021. REUTERS/Thomas PeterWASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The United Auto Workers (UAW) union called on automakers to shift their entire supply chain out of China's Xinjiang region after a new report on Tuesday suggests that nearly every major automaker has significant exposure to products made with forced labor. "The time is now for the auto industry to establish high-road supply chain models outside the Uyghur Region that protect labor and human rights and the environment," said UAW President Ray Curry. "In some cases, Uyghur forced labor is apparent at multiple steps" of parts manufacturing, mining, refining, pre-fabrication and assembly, it added. Curry called on the U.S. government to "devote the necessary resources to allow Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to effectively identify and ban the importation of products made with forced labor."

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan Senate duo has launched a last-minute push to enact immigration reform before the end of the year. Under the proposal, the boost in border security would include higher salaries for border patrol agents, and increased staffing and other resources for border patrol and border protection. “They have clearly found a successful equation here," the Senate aide said. If they can strike a deal, pro-immigration reform members are hoping to attach their proposal to a bill to keep the government funded that must pass later this month. I’ve been in touch w/ my colleagues & will carefully review their proposal,” Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., tweeted on Monday.

☆ Border crossings are already near record highs, and the end of a Covid ban this month could bring still more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julia-Ainsley-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Julia Ainsley | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Despite new restrictions on asylum-seekers, daily migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have remained near record highs, say three sources familiar with the latest numbers, as the Biden administration braces for a possible extra surge of thousands more per day when Covid restrictions end this month. Policymakers in Washington, as well as officials at the southern border, have long predicted a surge in migrants when the policy is lifted. In October, the U.S. began using Title 42 to turn away Venezuelan border crossers, whose numbers were soaring. When Title 42 lifts, migrants of all nationalities will be able to come into the U.S. to make asylum claims, just as they did before the Covid-19 pandemic. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has previously detailed plans for lifting Title 42 that would allow for a faster asylum process that would move to quickly deport those who do not qualify.

☆ U.S. Blocks Dominican Republic Company’s Sugar Imports Over Alleged Forced Labor
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has blocked imports of sugar and sugar-based products from a Dominican Republic-based company because of its alleged use of forced labor, a move that comes amid a broader crackdown. U.S. Customs will detain raw sugar and sugar-based products produced in the Dominican Republic by Central Romana Corp. after the agency uncovered multiple indicators of forced labor. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. PREVIEWIn 2020, the U.S. put together a task force to go after companies using forced labor, and in recent months has promised aggressive action. “We’re not a one-trick pony,” Mr. Silvers told The Wall Street Journal’s Risk & Compliance Forum earlier this month.

☆ Kevin McCarthy calls for Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas to resign or face impeachment inquiry over 'the collapse of our border'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Citing conditions at the border, McCarthy said he'd investigate Mayorkas if he doesn't step down. Investigations could lead to Mayorkas' impeachment. McCarthy specifically took aim at the coming end of title Title 42 as cause for concern at the border. As a Biden-appointed cabinet member to the Department of Homeland Security, Mayorkas oversees the country's border policy and counter-terrorism measures. "If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign," McCarthy said in a press conference, "House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure.

“Because invalidation of the Title 42 Orders will directly harm the States, they now seek to intervene to offer a defense of the Title 42 policy so that its validity can be resolved on the merits, rather than through strategic surrender,” the states said in their filing Monday. Sullivan cited the Administrative Procedures Act in his ruling, and characterized Title 42 as “arbitrary and capricious.” The Biden administration indicated that it won’t oppose Sullivan’s order in a court filing last week, but requested a temporary delay in lifting Title 42. In his order, Sullivan granted the request with “great reluctance.” Title 42 is set to come to an end on Dec. 20, taking effect on midnight Dec. 21. Lee Gelernt of ACLU, lead lawyer for the plaintiffs seeking to lift Title 42, pushed back against the GOP states seeking to keep the rule in place in a statement to NBC News. The Biden administration has faced pushback from both parties for its handling of Title 42.

[1/2] U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) arrives as House Republicans gather for leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Nov 22 (Reuters) - The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, on Tuesday called on Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to step down, warning that the House may try to impeach him when Republicans take the majority next year. "Our country may never recover from Secretary Mayorkas' dereliction of duty," McCarthy told reporters in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday after speaking with border officials. "If Secretary Mayorkas does not resign, House Republicans will investigate every order, every action and every failure (to) determine whether we can begin (an) impeachment inquiry," he said. He became the first Latino and foreign-born Homeland Security chief when he was confirmed to the role in February 2021.

☆ $450,000 worth of cocaine seized from wheelchair wheels at JFK airport, customs officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Zoe Sottile | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —A traveler at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was arrested after $450,000 worth of cocaine was discovered hidden in the wheels of her wheelchair. The traveler arrived in New York City from the Dominican Republic on November 10, according to a news release from US Customs and Border Protection. Officers noticed the wheels on her wheelchair were not turning and X-rayed the wheelchair. They discovered a white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine in all four wheels, the news release stated. It amounted to a total of 28 pounds of cocaine with an estimated street value of around $450,000.

☆ CBP agent, suspected smuggler dead in shootout off Puerto Rico coast, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Chantal Da Silva | Chantal Da Silva Is A Breaking News Editor For Nbc News Digital Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent and a suspected smuggler were dead Friday after a shootout off Puerto Rico’s coast, authorities said. Two other CBP agents were also injured in the gunfire, they said. A CBP agent was fatally shot, while one of at least two suspected smugglers also died, CBP spokesman Jeffrey Quiñones said, addressing reporters Thursday. The CBP Air and Marine Operations agency said in a tweet it was a marine interdiction agent who had died. “These are brave members of our Air and Marine Operations within @CBP," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement shared on Twitter by a DHS spokesperson.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans' majority will be smaller than expected, but they're eager to use their new oversight powers and pass a spate of bills to draw contrasts with Democrats and give the Biden administration heartburn. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in Washington on July 21, 2021. A growing number of Republicans say they have their sights set on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bashing his handling of the border surge. LegislationDemocrats still occupy the White House, so any legislation Republicans pass on a partisan basis won’t be signed into law by Biden. But House Republicans say they will waste no time showing the parties’ stark differences as they battle for control of the White House in 2024.

☆ One U.S. Customs Agent Killed, Two Wounded in Shooting off Coast of Puerto Rico
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Adolfo Flores | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The wounded CBP Marine Interdiction agents were airlifted to the Puerto Rico Trauma Center. One U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent was killed and two were wounded Thursday off the coast of Puerto Rico in a shootout with people on a suspected smuggling vessel. A person aboard the vessel also died as a result of the shooting, said Jeffrey Quiñones , a spokesperson for CBP. Another person was arrested, the agency said.

☆ U.S. Official Warns Against Efforts to Defy Forced-Labor Crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Richard Vanderford | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Customs will be closely looking at these supply chains as well, Mr. Silvers said. PREVIEWThe agency, for example, is experimenting with DNA testing technology that could be used on apparel to see if its cotton ultimately can be traced back to Xinjiang, Mr. Silvers said. Despite the toughened requirements under the forced-labor law, the U.S. government is working with businesses to help facilitate legitimate trade, he said. CTPAT membership will now include checks for forced-labor compliance, and companies that participate in the program will get priority treatment, Mr. Silvers said. Mr. Silvers said the U.S. also is working to compile a list of best practices and frequently asked questions to help address concerns from businesses about how enforcement of the forced-labor law will unfold.

☆ The DEA says drug cartels are putting fentanyl in candy to sell to kids. Cartel operatives say it's 'actually the opposite.'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Luis Chaparro | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Two operatives in the Sinaloa Cartel told Insider they're actually trying to do the opposite. But operatives in the Sinaloa Cartel, the Mexican criminal organization behind the biggest shipments of fentanyl to the US, told Insider their intention is actually the opposite. US authorities began their campaign several months before Halloween, warning of alleged attempts by Mexican drug cartels to entice kids into drugs by selling rainbow-colored fentanyl pills and adding fentanyl to Halloween candies. "Rainbow fentanyl — fentanyl pills and powder that come in a variety of bright colors, shapes, and sizes — is a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults," Milgram said. The Sinaloa Cartel operative denied that his organization is targeting kids or young adults in the US as their final users.

☆ What Title 42 is and how it connects to El Paso migrants
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The judge’s order ending Title 42 isn’t scheduled to go into effect until December 21. Is there a connection between Title 42 and what’s been happening in El Paso? At this point there isn’t any known connection between the rise in crossings and the looming end of Title 42. Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters“We’re talking about Title 42 being lifted and what that would do here in the community. “Title 42 was never about public health, and this ruling finally ends the charade of using Title 42 to bar desperate asylum seekers from even getting a hearing,” he said in a statement.

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