The Ecuadorian government is exploring new prison infrastructure projects inspired by models in El Salvador and other countries, as it nears completion of the first of two prisons initiated under the administration of President Daniel Noboa, according to Interior Minister John Reimberg in an interview with EFE.

“We are already looking at additional prison projects,” said Reimberg, who visited El Salvador in late April alongside Defense Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo to learn about that country’s security and prison policies under President Nayib Bukele.

The two ministers toured multiple correctional facilities, including Bukele’s “mega-prison” for gang members, officially known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), which, according to the Salvadoran government, has a capacity of around 40,000 inmates.

“We were well received there. They shared all the necessary information with us, and we were able to observe not only CECOT but several other prisons and their processes. It was very helpful,” Reimberg explained. “When we move forward with new prison projects, we’ll be incorporating those ideas, among others, here in Ecuador.”

The minister added that the first of Ecuador’s two new prison facilities is expected to be completed within the next two months.

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Recent immigration raids in Los Angeles, led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), have raised alarm among immigrant rights activists, who claim that U.S. citizens of Latino descent are being detained based solely on their appearance, a practice they describe as racial profiling.

Over the course of two weeks, hundreds of individuals have been arrested. Among them are U.S.-born citizens, such as Cary López Alvarado, a nine-months pregnant 23-year-old woman who was detained on June 8 in Hawthorne by masked federal agents.

López was arrested alongside her partner, Brayan Nájera, and her cousin Alberto Sandoval—also a U.S. citizen—and taken to a processing center despite presenting her identification. “You’re from Mexico, right?” one of the agents reportedly asked, according to her account to KTLA. “I said, ‘No, I’m from here, from Los Angeles,’” she recalled.

With chains around her ankles and wrists, she struggled to protect her pregnant belly. After complaining of pain, she was released and taken to a hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy baby girl four days later. Her daughter has yet to meet her father, who was transferred to a detention center in Texas.

“This kind of arrest is outrageous and heartbreaking,” said Luis Carrillo, López’s attorney, who warned the incident could have caused a miscarriage due to extreme stress.

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Protests erupted soon after. On Tuesday, nearly 1,000 people gathered in Pico Rivera demanding justice for Adrián Andrew Martínez, a 20-year-old Walmart employee who was physically assaulted by federal agents. Videos show an officer grabbing him by the neck and slamming him to the ground, despite bystanders shouting that Martínez was a U.S. citizen and an employee of the store.

In another incident on Thursday in Montebello, vendor Javier Ramírez shouted, “I have my passport!” as he was handcuffed outside his business along with an employee. The scene, captured on video, quickly went viral.

Federal authorities have defended the arrests by claiming that individuals were obstructing ICE operations. However, community members and organizations such as CHIRLA, led by director Angélica Salas, condemned the actions, stating that “U.S. citizens are being disappeared because of the color of their skin.”

The operation, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, is expected to continue for up to 60 days, leaving the Latino community in Los Angeles on edge.

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Mexican authorities confiscated more than 300 kilograms of methamphetamine and arrested three individuals, including one linked to the Pacific Cartel, in the border city of Tijuana.

Among those detained is Marco Antonio Cabrera Flores, alias ‘Chepe,’ who was an operator of the criminal cell ‘Los Aquiles,’ affiliated with the ‘Los Mayos’ faction of the Pacific Cartel, according to official sources.

Cabrera Flores was reportedly involved in drug distribution and sales, surveillance activities, contract killings, and managing payrolls for members of the criminal group in Tijuana.

Alongside Cabrera Flores, Biviana Jaqueline Carrillo Gómez was also arrested. Authorities seized three handguns, two magazines, ammunition, two kilograms of cocaine, two kilograms of methamphetamine, and a vehicle. The operation was conducted by the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection (SSPC), the Secretariats of Defense and Navy, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), and the National Guard (GN), in coordination with state government authorities.

In a second operation also in Tijuana, authorities detained Jesús Gilberto Mendoza García, who was transporting 322 kilograms of methamphetamine concealed in 129 containers.

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Mendoza García was apprehended during security patrols in the El Refugio neighborhood of Tijuana after officers noticed a black truck whose driver fled upon spotting authorities. The pursuit ended in a shopping center parking lot.

“Agents ordered the driver to stop and conducted a security inspection, where they found 129 containers holding 322 kilograms of methamphetamine,” the statement said.