International
A sidnappings cause alarm among migrants from the Mexican border with the United States
A swell of kidnappings causes fear among migrants stranded on the northern border of Mexico, where a report by the State Police of Chihuahua revealed that in the last three years they released more than 1,700 undocumented people, who are about a third of the victims of the crime in the country.
Fear has escalated since Gilberto Loya Chávez, Secretary of State Public Security of Chihuahua, a state bordering with Texas (United States), said last week that during this historic migratory wave they have found that number of kidnapped migrants.
Among the victims of kidnapping is Manuel, who arrived at the border of the Mexican Ciudad Juárez with the American El Paso from Ecuador and was detained when he entered Mexico.
“I was kidnapped for 27 days. I had to pay $4,000 to be released in Tapachula (on the southern border of Mexico). And from there I have come walking, working, sleeping in the mountains, in the terminals, eating every two days and only once a day, this is hard,” he said.
The Ecuadorian said that, once they capture the people, the families sell the few belongings they have to pay the ransom.
He also pointed out that the Mexican Government’s restrictions imply more danger for those who migrate.
“Why does the Mexican government make it difficult for us? We are passing by, we are not taking anyone’s job, we are leaving money where we arrived. In Chihuahua they had us on the train for two days, they left us thrown in the desert,” said the migrant.
The situation occurs amid the almost 200% annual increase in irregular migration in the first quarter of 2024, when the Government of Mexico detected more than 360,000 migrants in this situation.
The civil association Stop the Kidnapping reported 772 kidnappings of migrants in 2023, about a third of the national total number of victims of this crime, while in March it recorded a “historical” figure of 521 kidnapped, of which more than half were undocumented.
Rosa Mani Arias, coordinator of the Migrant Service of the civil organization Avara, considered the figure of the Secretary of State Public Security “alarming”, and attributed it to the lack of policies friendly to immigrants, who cross Mexico to avoid the operations of the National Institute of Migration (INM).
“It is very worrying to see hundreds of people who are being violated, deprived of their freedom. Unfortunately, not allowing them to reach the border in a free way is impacting,” the activist said.
He denounced that the Mexican Government exacerbates the vulnerability of this group, which is already fleeing poverty and crime in their countries, and makes them an easy target of kidnapping.
“We have seen that laws or policies are not going to stop migratory flows, they are always looking for a way to reach the border areas and sadly we see this flow so vulnerable, and now this situation of being kidnapped is added,” he added.
He also warned that the unknown number or the ‘black figure’ of those migrants who have suffered a kidnapping, extortion or murder and for whom there is not a complaint is more worrying.
“There may be hundreds or thousands more who are in anonymity, in complete silence, because it is not known in what other areas of the city there are these same dynamics with these people deprived of liberty and we also do not know the final whereabouts of them,” said the activist.
International
Police investigate deaths of Rob Reiner and wife as apparent homicide
The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is investigating the deaths of Hollywood actor and filmmaker Rob Reinerand his wife as an “apparent homicide,” amid a wave of tributes to the director of classics such as When Harry Met Sally.
According to U.S. media reports on Sunday, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner were found dead at their Los Angeles mansion with what appeared to be stab wounds.
Several political figures shared messages of condolence following the reported deaths of the director of A Few Good Menand his wife.
While the LAPD did not officially confirm the identities of the victims, it stated that homicide detectives were dispatched to the Reiner residence.
“At this time, no additional details are available and the investigation into an apparent homicide is ongoing,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement posted on social media.
LAPD Deputy Chief Alan Hamilton told reporters that no arrests have been made and that no individuals are currently being questioned as suspects.
“I’m not going to confirm whether anyone is being questioned at this moment or not. We are going to try to speak with as many family members as we can,” Hamilton said.
CNN reported that a family spokesperson confirmed the deaths of Reiner and his wife.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and former Vice President Kamala Harrisissued statements expressing their condolences.
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
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