A raid at a sex and human trafficking operation in San Antonio operated by members of Tren de Aragua gang (TdA) resulted in at least 140 illegal immigrants being arrested, authorities said Monday.

The raid was part of a joint operation between the Texas Department of Public Safety and federal and local authorities, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott said.

On Monday, a regional Homeland Security Task Force was created to combat transnational criminal organizations. The aim of the task force is to dismantle drug cartels, foreign terrorist organizations, and criminal networks responsible for crimes like human trafficking, drug smuggling, and money laundering.

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Source: https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-raid-targeting-tren-de-aragua-gang-leads-arrest-140-illegal-immigrants?fbclid=IwY2xjawOJyN1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeoyxFpjaVz1_6FnS_n8llBWjkLVVKxRw_igOI2Ud_c87DKCQREnp8_Vd9UD4_aem_5vVosFvTIb2YBYbqA37hTQ

The post Texas raid targeting Tren de Aragua gang leads to arrest of 140 illegal immigrants first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

San Antonio: The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer on Monday in San Antonio, Texas, city officials said, in one of the most deadly recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border.

A San Antonio fire department official said they found “stacks of bodies” and no signs of water in the truck, which was found next to railroad tracks in a remote area on the city’s southern outskirts.

Sixteen other people found inside the trailer were transported to hospitals for heat stroke and exhaustion, including four minors, but no children were among the dead, the department said.

“The patients that we saw were hot to the touch, they were suffering from heat stroke, exhaustion,” San Antonio fire chief Charles Hood told a news conference. “It was a refrigerated tractor-trailer but there was no visible working A/C unit on that rig.”

Temperatures in San Antonio, which is about 160 miles (250 km) from the Mexican border, swelled to a high of 103 degrees Fahrenheit (39.4 degrees Celsius) on Monday with high humidity.

The city’s police chief William McManus said a person who worked in a nearby building heard a cry for help and came out to investigate. The worker found the trailer doors partially opened and looked inside and found a number of dead bodies.

McManus said this was the largest incident of its kind in the city and said three people were in custody following the incident, though their involvement is not yet clear.

A spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that its Homeland Security Investigations division was investigating “an alleged human smuggling event” in coordination with local police.

The deaths once again highlight the challenge of controlling migrant crossings at the US-Mexico border, which have reached record highs.

The issue has proven difficult for US President Joe Biden, a Democrat who came into office in January 2021 pledging to reverse some of the hardline immigration policies of his Republican predecessor Donald Trump. Republicans have criticized Biden’s border strategy ahead of the midterm Congressional elections in November.

Mexico’s foreign minister Marcelo Ebrard called the suffocation of the migrants in the truck the “tragedy in Texas” on Twitter and said consular officials would go to the hospitals where victims had been taken to help “however possible.”

A spokesman for the Honduran foreign ministry told Reuters the country’s consulates in Houston and Dallas would be investigating the incident. Ebrard said two Guatemalans were hospitalized and Guatemala’s foreign ministry said on Twitter that consular officials were going to the hospital “to verify if there are two Guatemalan minors there and what condition they are in.”

The I-35 highway near where the truck was found runs through San Antonio from the Mexican border and is a popular smuggling corridor because of the large volume of truck traffic, according to Jack Staton, a former senior official with ICE’s investigative unit who retired in December.

In July 2017, 10 migrants died after being transported in a tractor-trailer that was discovered by San Antonio police in a Wal-Mart parking lot. The driver, James Matthew Bradley, Jr., was sentenced the following year to life in prison for his role in the smuggling operation.

Staton said migrants have regularly been intercepted in the area since the 2017 incident. “It was only a matter of time before a tragedy like this was going to happen again,” he said.

(Reuters)

Source: https://thewire.in/world/texas-46-found-dead-in-truck-along-us-mexico-border-human-smuggling-angle-suspected

The post Texas: 46 Found Dead in Truck Along US-Mexico Border; Human Smuggling Angle Suspected first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Valerie, a Congolese woman, fled her war-torn country with her family and is now trying to create a new life here.

“We left the Congo because there weren’t any resources for us…my son has really liked it here. I’ve liked it here, as well. It’s for this reason I’ve come here to figure out my life, to improve my life,” she said in French.

BORDER ARRESTS SKYROCKET IN MAY, AS OFFICIALS DECLARE “FULL-BLOWN” EMERGENCY

Many of the migrants stayed at Travis Park Church in downtown San Antonio before heading to different cities across the country.  (Fox News)

Valerie is one of hundreds of African migrants who arrived in San Antonio last week. City leaders said they weren’t given a heads up and quickly scrambled to accommodate them and quickly recruit several French-speaking volunteers who could serve as translators.

“The City of San Antonio has received more than 200 individuals, mostly families and children. The families were released by the United States Customs and Border Patrol into the country with paperwork directing them to Portland, Maine,” said Interim Assistant City Manager Dr. Colleen Bridger.

The majority of them stayed at Travis Park Church, which regularly hosts asylum seekers.

“I’m not necessarily surprised…we react to changes on the border every day, we just had to figure out that process it didn’t really shake us up too much,” said Gavin Rogers, associate pastor.

It’s not just Congolese migrants arriving in alarming numbers. Border Patrol agents reported arresting more than 500 people from Africa since May 30. The group included nationals from Angola, Cameroon, the Republic of the Congo, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Border Patrol agents in the Del Rio Sector say they’ve arrested more than 500 migrants from Africa since the end of May. (Border Patrol)

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While Border Patrol has previously seen migrants from Africa, this is the first time they have seen such a large group crossing together.

“It really has been a bit of an anomaly for us,” said Del Rio Sector Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz. “I think most of them, you know, obviously are flying to different locations. And then, when they find themselves congregating in a location then they start to formulate a plan just south of the U.S. Mexican border here.”

For years, people from the Congo and neighboring countries have fled to escape political instability and violence. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 4.5 million people from the DRC have been displaced. But the numbers seem to be increasing and officials in border towns are struggling to keep up.

“Some [refugees] may have been traveling for months to get to the Mexico border in search of better opportunities that the U.S. has to offer, the human rights that the U.S. has to offer,” Bonita Sharma, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio’s College of Public Policy, told The Rivard Report.

Unlike most Mexicans and Central Americans, many of the migrants from Africa don’t have roots in America or families who can take them in once they are released from immigration detention. And many speak languages the immigration officials do not.

“Quite often, the individuals from the African continent do not have a permanent address or a sponsor already in the U.S. And so you really just have to pinpoint an immigration court near where they think they are going to ultimately end up and hope that they report themselves in,” said Ortiz.

FOOTAGE SHOWS MIGRANTS WALKING AROUND BORDER WALL TO ENTER US

The city says it will continue to work with Travis Park Church, Catholic Charities, and other non-profit organizations to find long-term resources for these migrants.  (Fox News)

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TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CUTS REFUGEE ADMISSIONS TO 30,000

Over the weekend, the city, along with Catholic Charities, worked with the asylum seekers to figure out their next destination as many arrived without designated host families and cities.

“If we don’t know exactly the best place to send the migrant community like the Congolese. We have to figure out what shelters are available around the nation, where’s the best place for their community to go,” said Rogers.

There was also concern that some of the migrants could carry diseases, as there is currently an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

However, Bridger quickly shut down those rumors, telling local reporters that the migrants go through multiple health screenings.

“It’s a 21-day incubation period so it’s really not possible that, if they were exposed to Ebola in the DRC, that now, six months later, they develop symptoms and infect us,” Bridger said.

By Monday, the majority of the migrants had left on buses, heading to cities where they may have friends or family members. The line outside the city’s Migrant Resource Center downtown had dwindled.

But, if more come, Rogers said they’ll be ready.

“We’re a church always willing to serve our neighbors,” Rogers said. “We’ll continue to do so whether that’s with migrants or the homeless or a new need that will crop up in the future.”

The post Immigration officials see drastic rise in number of African migrants arriving at US-Mexico border first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Countless migrants from the Congo and Angola are continuing to pour into San Antonio, Texas as local officials are expressing their concerns over a lack of resources to handle the situation.

A group of about 350 migrants have arrived so far in the Lone Star State, many of whom are saying they traveled by boat from Africa to Ecuador, then headed north through Central America, Mexico and eventually arrived at the U.S. southern border.

Upon their arrival, immigration authorities said members in the group immediately claimed asylum. The migrants were then bused to San Antonio, where they are currently waiting for further assistance from city and state officials to aid them in reaching their primary destination (which is unknown at this time).

Local news outlets are reporting Travis Park Church and the Frank Garrett Multi-Service Center are assisting in housing the African migrants until a more long-term plan can be put in place.

Another 200 to 300 migrants from the region are expected to arrive in the city at any time.

Facebook account ‘The New Revolution II’ posted a message on Sunday giving their take on the situation:

It appears that Congolese migrants fleeing their Ebola-stricken country are being sent to San Antonio, Texas after making their way to the U.S. via Ecuador.

They aren’t ‘asylum seekers’ – they had to pass through multiple countries in which they would have been safe before getting here. This is not how the asylum system is supposed to work.

Their claim about Ebola is not unwarranted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently shows a ‘Level 2’ alert for ‘Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo’:

• There is an outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu (Kivu Nord) and Ituri provinces in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come into contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids.
• Travelers should seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes during or after travel.
• CDC has provided recommendations to ensure workers with potential occupational exposure to Ebola are healthy when they return to the United States.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently found one in four Congolese Ebola cases “could be going undetected.” Aljazeera reports:

One-quarter of Ebola infections in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s latest outbreak of the disease may be going undetected.

Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said on Thursday the epidemic was “not out of control, but it is certainly not under control,” with insecurity and community mistrust hampering emergency responders’ efforts.

“We believe we are probably detecting in excess of 75 percent of cases. We may be missing up to a quarter of cases,” Ryan said at a press conference in the Swiss city of Geneva.

“We must get earlier detection of cases, [and] have more exhaustive identification of contacts,” he added.

Apparently more than 2,000 cases – including 1,357 deaths – have been recorded since the outbreak first started last August.

Main Image Credit: News24, iStock

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Source: https://cloverchronicle.com/2019/06/10/hundreds-of-migrants-flee-ebola-stricken-congo-for-san-antonio-texas/

[Disclaimer]

The post Hundreds Of Migrants Flee Ebola-Stricken Congo For San Antonio, Texas first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.

Countless migrants from the Congo and Angola are continuing to pour into San Antonio, Texas as local officials are expressing their concerns over a lack of resources to handle the situation.

A group of about 350 migrants have arrived so far in the Lone Star State, many of whom are saying they traveled by boat from Africa to Ecuador, then headed north through Central America, Mexico and eventually arrived at the U.S. southern border.

Upon their arrival, immigration authorities said members in the group immediately claimed asylum. The migrants were then bused to San Antonio, where they are currently waiting for further assistance from city and state officials to aid them in reaching their primary destination (which is unknown at this time).

Local news outlets are reporting Travis Park Church and the Frank Garrett Multi-Service Center are assisting in housing the African migrants until a more long-term plan can be put in place.

Another 200 to 300 migrants from the region are expected to arrive in the city at any time.

Facebook account ‘The New Revolution II’ posted a message on Sunday giving their take on the situation:

It appears that Congolese migrants fleeing their Ebola-stricken country are being sent to San Antonio, Texas after making their way to the U.S. via Ecuador.

They aren’t ‘asylum seekers’ – they had to pass through multiple countries in which they would have been safe before getting here. This is not how the asylum system is supposed to work.

Their claim about Ebola is not unwarranted.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently shows a ‘Level 2’ alert for ‘Ebola in Democratic Republic of the Congo’:

• There is an outbreak of Ebola in the North Kivu (Kivu Nord) and Ituri provinces in the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Travelers to this area could be infected with Ebola if they come into contact with an infected person’s blood or other body fluids.
• Travelers should seek medical care immediately if they develop fever, headache, body aches, sore throat, diarrhea, weakness, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, or red eyes during or after travel.
• CDC has provided recommendations to ensure workers with potential occupational exposure to Ebola are healthy when they return to the United States.

Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently found one in four Congolese Ebola cases “could be going undetected.” Aljazeera reports:

One-quarter of Ebola infections in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo’s latest outbreak of the disease may be going undetected.Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, said on Thursday the epidemic was “not out of control, but it is certainly not under control,” with insecurity and community mistrust hampering emergency responders’ efforts.“We believe we are probably detecting in excess of 75 percent of cases. We may be missing up to a quarter of cases,” Ryan said at a press conference in the Swiss city of Geneva.“We must get earlier detection of cases, [and] have more exhaustive identification of contacts,” he added.Apparently more than 2,000 cases – including 1,357 deaths – have been recorded since the outbreak first started last August.Main Image Credit: News24, iStock

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Source: https://cloverchronicle.com/2019/06/10/hundreds-of-migrants-flee-ebola-stricken-congo-for-san-antonio-texas/

[Disclaimer]

The post Hundreds Of Migrants Flee Ebola-Stricken Congo For San Antonio, Texas first appeared on Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association.