International
Migrants on the Mexican border accuse Texan guards of firing rubber and gas bullets
Migrants waiting at the northern border of Mexico to cross to the United States denounced on Monday that the attacks of the Texas National Guard (USA) are on the rise, which they accuse of shooting rubber and pepper spray bullets, even if they are on the Mexican side.
Foreigners stranded in Ciudad Juárez told EFE that they feel “cornered” because on the US side the Texas National Guard shoots them, while on the Mexican side they face the risk that organized crime will kidnap them or that the National Institute of Migration (INM) will stop them.
Among them is the Venezuelan Francisco Galicia, who has been working in Juárez for a year, but has not gotten an appointment with the US authorities to apply for asylum, so he decided to cross the Rio Bravo at gate 40, where Texan agents have attacked him with pepper spray bullets.
“The policemen from around El Paso (USA) have guns with pepper spray, right now they also gave it to the Army (the Texas National Guard) and right now we can’t get there because they shoot us. They are balls that if they burst into one’s body, it stings his face burns, one drowns, the children drown,” Galicia said.
The Venezuelan indicated that Texan agents “even threar tear gas bombs,” but they still prefer to take risks because migrants are also afraid of kidnappers in Mexico.
“They ask for up to $2,000 or $3,000. Even one’s mother can sell her house so that they can release it to one, to be able to pay for freedom,” said the South American.
The actions of the Texas authorities occur despite the fact that the president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said last week that the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, has been “moderate” recently because he previously had a “very aggressive” policy against migrants and Mexicans.
They also happen in the midst of growing operations to stop migrants in the United States and Mexico, where in the first quarter of 2024 alone, irregular migration intercepted by the Mexican Government grew by about 200% per year to almost 360,000.
López Obrador and the president of the United States, Joe Biden, agreed at the end of April to “work together to immediately implement concrete measures in order to significantly reduce irregular border crossings and at the same time protect human rights.”
Elizaul Campos, from Venezuela, denounced that he has also been the victim of aggressions by the Texan authorities, who are also hostile to minors.
“It doesn’t matter if they have children, they shoot them, they beat women. Here you can see everything, many desperate mothers, many people beaten, you can see everything. The train was turning over, some people were kidnapped, you can see everything, but well (you have to go) forward,” the man said.
He said that, after walking from the homonymous capital of the state of Chihuahua to Ciudad Juárez, they have been in the Rio Bravo for five or six days waiting to pass, they eat once every two days and with limited rations of water due to the risk involved in returning to Mexican stores near the border.
“They insult us, they tell us things, but there is one without being able to say anything, we are here illegally, they say every little while they shoot us, there are many children crying. One was beaten around here and that’s what you don’t want, you tell them to calm down, but they have no compassion for any migrant,” he lamented.
International
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
COVID-19 vaccines prevented an estimated 2,533,000 deaths worldwide between 2020 and 2024, according to an international study led by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy and Stanford University in the United States, published in the journal JAMA Health Forum. Researchers calculated that one death was prevented for every 5,400 doses administered.
The analysis also found that the vaccines saved 14.8 million years of life, equivalent to one year of life gained for every 900 doses given.
The study, coordinated by Professor Stefania Boccia, revealed that 82% of the lives saved were people vaccinated before becoming infected with the virus, and 57% of deaths avoided occurred during the Omicron wave. In addition, 90% of the beneficiaries were adults over 60 years old.
“This is the most comprehensive analysis to date, based on global data and fewer assumptions about the evolution of the pandemic,” explained Boccia and researcher Angelo Maria Pezzullo.
International
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump criticized a federal judge’s ruling on Friday that reinstated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua, stressing that the immigration program was never intended to serve as a “de facto asylum system.”
On Thursday, Judge Trina Thompson extended protections for about 7,000 Nepalese immigrants, whose TPS was set to expire on August 5. The ruling also impacts roughly 51,000 Hondurans and nearly 3,000 Nicaraguans, whose TPS protections were scheduled to end on September 8.
Immigrants covered by TPS had sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), alleging that the program’s termination was driven by “racial animus” and stripped them of protection from deportation.
DHS Deputy Undersecretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement saying the decision to end TPS was part of a mandate to “restore the integrity” of the immigration system and return the program to its original purpose.
“TPS was never conceived as a de facto asylum system; however, that is how previous administrations have used it for decades,” McLaughlin emphasized.
She also criticized Judge Thompson, calling the ruling “another example” of judges “stirring up claims of racism to distract from the facts.”
McLaughlin added that DHS would appeal the decision and take the legal battle to higher courts.
The Trump administration has also terminated TPS protections for approximately 160,000 Ukrainians, 350,000 Venezuelans, and at least half a million Haitians, among other immigrant groups.
International
Trump to build $200M ballroom at the White House by 2028
The U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that it will begin construction in September on a new 8,000-square-meter ballroom at the White House.
The announcement was made by Karoline Leavitt, the administration’s press secretary, during a briefing in which she explained that the expansion responds to the need for a larger venue to host “major events.”
“Other presidents have long wished for a space capable of accommodating large gatherings within the White House complex… President Trump has committed to solving this issue,” Leavitt told reporters.
The project is estimated to cost $200 million, fully funded through donations from Trump himself and other “patriots,” according to a government statement. Construction is scheduled to begin in September and is expected to be completed before Trump’s term ends in 2028.
The Clark Construction Group, a Virginia-based company known for projects such as the Capital One Arena and L’Enfant Plaza in Washington, D.C., has been selected to lead the project.
The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House, expanding the iconic residence with a space designed for state dinners, official ceremonies, and large-scale events.
Study finds COVID-19 vaccines prevented 2.5 million deaths worldwide
Trump administration blasts judge’s ruling reinstating TPS for Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua
Costa Rica faces historic vote on lifting presidential immunity for Rodrigo Chaves
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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