Company helping immigrants in detention ordered to pay $811M+ in lawsuit alleging deceptive tactics
A company that provides services for immigrants in federal detention has been ordered to pay more than $811 million in restitution and penalties in a lawsuit alleging it used deceptive and abusive tactics.
Smugglers are bringing migrants to a remote Arizona border crossing, overwhelming US agents
The U.S. Border Patrol says it is overwhelmed by a shift in human smuggling routes, with hundreds of migrants from faraway countries like Senegal, Bangladesh and China being dropped in a remote desert area in Arizona.
Congressional watchdog describes border wall harm, says agencies should work together to ease damage
Congress' official watchdog says in a report that the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border under former President Donald Trump toppled untold numbers of saguaro cactuses in Arizona, put endangered ocelots at risk in Texas and disturbed Native American burial grounds.
The Biden administration guaranteed attorney access for all migrant screenings. Most donโt have it
As the Biden administration prepared to launch speedy asylum screenings at the border this spring, authorities pledged a key difference from a Trump-era version of the policy: Migrants would be guaranteed access to legal representation.
38 rescued, 11 dead as US searches waters after boat capsizes near Puerto Rico
Haitians are fleeing in greater numbers to the neighboring Dominican Republic, where they step onto rickety wooden boats as they attempt to reach Puerto Rico โ a trip in which 11 Haitian women drowned this week, with dozens of other migrants believed missing.
Investigation of journalists by Customs unit is under review
An internal review has been launched into the actions of a special Customs and Border Protection unit that used sensitive government databases intended to track terrorists to investigate as many as 20 U.S.-based journalists, including an Associated Press reporter.
Over 4,000 migrants, many kids, crowded into Texas facility
Migrants are processed at the intake area of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility, the main detention center for unaccompanied children in the Rio Grande Valley, in Donna, Texas, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Oscar Escamilla, acting executive officer of the U.S. Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley, said 250 to 300 kids enter daily and far fewer leave. Border Patrol agents asked them if they had a contact in the U.S. and allowed the child to call that person. The Border Patrol generally is not supposed to detain children for more than three days, but Health and Human Services lacks space. More than 2,000 kids have been at the Donna facility for more than 72 hours, including 39 for more than 15 days.
Biden is on his heels amid a migrant surge at Mexico border
The Biden administration is facing growing questions about why it wasn't more prepared for an influx of migrants at the southern border. Since Bidenโs inauguration, the U.S. has seen a dramatic spike in the number of people encountered by border officials. But Isacson added that the bottleneck was also affected by the lack of cooperation by the Trump administration with the Biden transition. AdThe Biden administration announced on Feb. 2 it would no longer uphold the Trump administration policy of automatically deporting unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. The president and other administration officials in recent days have stepped up efforts to urge migrants not to come.
US govt seizes over 10M phony N95 masks in COVID-19 probe
They have no utility whatsoever,โ Homeland Security Secretary Ali Mayorkas said of the fake masks. Homeland Security officials would not say which states the phony masks were sent to, but said criminal charges would be forthcoming. The company delivered some 2 billion N95 masks in 2020 as the pandemic intensified, but in the earlier months, when masks were in short supply, fraudsters took advantage. But phony masks have already made it to front-line workers in other cases. Over the past year there has been more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement resulting in the seizure of millions of fake masks.
Government investigating massive counterfeit N95 mask scam
This December 2020 image provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shows a counterfeit N95 surgical mask that was seized by ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Federal investigators are probing a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities, and government agencies and expect the number to rise significantly in coming weeks. (ICE via AP)WASHINGTON โ Federal authorities are investigating a massive counterfeit N95 mask operation in which fake 3M masks were sold in at least five states to hospitals, medical facilities and government agencies. Nearly a year into the pandemic, fraud remains a major problem as scammers seek to exploit hospitals and desperate and weary Americans. There have been already more than 1,250 raids by law enforcement that resulted in the seizure of 10 million counterfeit 3M masks alone.
Birth on a riverbank: Woman's ordeal shows risks at border
Merรญn gave birth to her daughter next to the Rio Grande, attended to by two Border Patrol agents, showing how lives routinely end up at risk at the U.S.-Mexico border. Mother and child were hospitalized for three days, then processed at a Border Patrol station before being released to Catholic Charities. โThereโs so many women in great danger,โ said Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. The Border Patrol blames smugglers for using people in medical distress as decoys, drawing attention from others trying to sneak into the country. The Border Patrol defends how it treats immigrants and the medical care they receive.
Ancient Cameroon stone carvings recovered at South Florida airport
MIAMI โ Customs officers have recovered ancient stone carvings from Cameroon at a South Florida airport, authorities said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Tuesday that officers at Miami International Airport intercepted an air cargo shipment containing โIkom Monoliths.โ The stone sculptures had been exported to the U.S. using fraudulent documents, investigators said. โCBP has a critical role in protecting cultural property and preventing illicit trafficking,โ said Robert Del Toro, the agency's acting port director at MIA. These laws include export controls and national ownership of cultural property. Click here to subscribe to ClickOrlando.comโs Strange Florida newsletter, delivered every Friday.
Gloves linked to forced labor in China stopped at LA port
WASHINGTON โ A shipment of womenโs gloves at a California port has been traced to a factory that uses forced labor of people caught up in a brutal crackdown on ethnic minorities in China, U.S. authorities said Thursday. Overland, a retailer based in Fairfield, Iowa, was seeking to import the gloves and says it has provided proof to Customs that the goods were not made with forced labor and should be released. The administration, which has clashed with China on a range of issues, including trade and the coronavirus outbreak, has also increased enforcement of a U.S. law that bans the importation of goods made with forced labor. Labor and human rights groups say it's impossible to conduct legitimate inspections in Xinjiang because of the oppressive conditions. A bipartisan bill that would declare that all goods manufactured in Xinjiang are the product of forced labor, and therefore banned from the country, passed overwhelmingly last month in the House of Representatives.
US says it will block palm oil from large Malaysian producer
The United States will block shipments of palm oil from a major Malaysian producer that feeds into the supply chains of iconic U.S. food and cosmetic brands. โWe would also encourage U.S. consumers to ask questions about where their products come from.โMalaysia is the worldโs second largest producer of palm oil. Palm oil and its derivatives from FGV, and closely connected Malaysian state-owned Felda, makes its way into the supply chains of major multinationals. They include Nestle, LโOreal, and Unilever, according to the companiesโ most recently published supplier and palm oil mill lists. Under Wednesdayโs order, palm oil products or derivatives traceable to FGV will be detained at U.S. ports.
Spider monkey smuggled into US to live at Brevard Zoo
MELBOURNE, Fla. โ A tiny spider monkey that was confiscated by customs agents at the Mexico-Texas border in June will soon be housed at the Brevard Zoo. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said a 23-year-old Texas man tried to smuggle the monkey into the United States by hiding the animal in the center console of his 2015 Ford F-150 pickup truck. โFinding this monkey is certainly unusual but not a first for our officers at Hidalgo,โ said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Port of Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas. This spider monkey will be coming to the Brevard Zoo on Friday, and officials are hopeful the little guy will be able to fit in with the monkey troop at the zoo since he cannot go back into the wild. The monkey is currently in quarantine at the Dallas Zoo.
$491,280 hidden in furniture seized at Miami airport
MIAMI Customs officers at a Florida airport found nearly a half-million dollars being smuggled out of the United States hidden inside furniture, officials said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Miami International Airport seized $491,280 in unreported U.S. currency last Thursday, the agency said in a news release. Officials didn't say who the money belonged to or whether criminal charges would be filed. Travelers bringing more than $10,000 out of the U.S. must report it to customs officials. Failing to do so can lead to the moneys seizure and forfeiture, as well as potential criminal charges, officials said.
Protesters hit with gas as locals demand feds leave Portland
Federal officers deployed tear gas and fired less-lethal rounds into a crowd of protesters late Thursday. The actions came just hours after the head of the Department of Homeland Security called the protesters violent anarchists. Federal agents, some wearing camouflage and some wearing dark Homeland Security uniforms, used tear gas at least twice to break up crowds late Friday night, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported. Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Friday night she was also suing Homeland Security and the Marshals Service. Federal officers deployed tear gas again just before midnight after a few protesters placed dismantled fencing in front of plywood doors covering the entrance of the federal courthouse.
More than 10,000 assault weapon parts headed to Melbourne home seized by Border Protection
MELBOURNE, Fla. โ Officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated a shipment from China en route to a Melbourne home that contained more than 10,000 assault weapon parts, CBP officials said. In a news release, the CBP said the parts were being โsmuggled into the countryโ on May 22 when officers in Louisville inspected the items arriving from Shenzhen, China. CBP officials said the shipment said it contained 100 steel pin samples, which is a common practice used by smugglers to get contraband into the U.S. โThe importing of any type of munitions is regulated by the ATF,โ Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn said. A machinery team with the CBP Center of Excellence and Expertise appraised the shipment to value $129,600.