International
Immigrants in Denver are afraid to take their children to school because of the raids
Migrant parents in the Denver area, the capital of Colorado, fear sending their children to school in the face of the new massive raids, while their school district undertook the first judicial fight in the country against the Trump Government to remove immigration agents from the classrooms.
Since February 5, Pedro and María, a Colombian couple, stopped taking their children to school in Aurora, east of Denver.
“We find blocked streets, armed agents in our neighborhood and people screaming and crying. They didn’t let us get to school,” the migrants told EFE.
“Since then, my children have not returned because they fear separating from us,” says Pedro, who, although he is a legal resident in the United States, prefers not to reveal his full name.
About a hundred alleged members of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua were arrested in the raid on April 5 in Aurora, a city east of Denver that was the epicenter of a national debate on security and immigration during the last presidential campaign.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids on apartment complexes in the area intensified the sense of vulnerability among immigrants, including those with legal presence.
“Before we knew we had to take care of ourselves, but we never stopped taking children to school. Now it’s different. ICE can enter schools, and I don’t know if they’re going to stop me or my children. I’m afraid they’ll separate us,” Pedro confesses.
The fear of raids not only affects the mobility of immigrants, but also generates profound mental, emotional and economic consequences.
According to the American Council on Immigration (AIC), about 16.7 million people in the US live in families where at least one parent is undocumented, including six million child U.S. citizens. In the event of detention, these families can lose between 40% and 90% of their income within six months.
Last week, Denver Public Schools (DPS) sued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in an attempt to curb the presence of immigration agents inside and outside educational centers.
“Parents enroll their children in public schools with the confidence that they will be educated without fear of migratory operations within those institutions,” says the lawsuit.
The DPS demands guarantees so that students can attend classes without fear, since uncertainty is affecting school attendance and, therefore, the financing of the districts.
“The fear of school rounding is generating irregular and unpredictable attendance, with a direct impact on funds and school resource planning,” the legal document warns.
For weeks, Pedro and María have stopped attending community events and religious services.
“News and social networks increase anxiety. They say there was a raid here or that they are going to cut food benefits. I don’t know what’s going to happen. One wants to get ahead, but now I’m not sure my children have a good future,” María laments.
According to a report by the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), one in three Latino students in the US suffers from anxiety or depression due to the fear of immigration operations. Experts warn that this situation impacts the academic performance and emotional well-being of minors.
Meanwhile, Aurora Public Schools (APS) have implemented new security measures and expanded their communication system with parents, which could motivate Pedro and María to allow their children back to school.
However, the situation remains fragile. In some schools in the Denver metropolitan area, absenteeism has reached 80%, which could compromise school funds if students do not complete state exams.
“I don’t want my children to live in fear. I can’t give up. Like us, thousands of immigrants face uncertainty every day, but we continue to cling to the hope of a better future,” says Pedro.
International
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Japanese police arrested a man on Thursday after he rammed his car into a group of seven schoolchildren in an apparent deliberate attack in the city of Osaka.
The children, who were on their way home from school, sustained injuries and were taken to the hospital. All seven remained conscious, according to local authorities.
An Osaka police officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the suspect is a 28-year-old man from Tokyo. The officer shared statements the man made after his arrest: “I was fed up with everything, so I decided to kill people by driving into several elementary school children,” the suspect reportedly said.
The man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
The injured children, aged between seven and eight, included a seven-year-old girl who suffered a fractured jaw. The six other children—all boys—suffered minor injuries such as bruises and scratches and were undergoing medical evaluation.
Witnesses described the car as “zigzagging” before hitting the children. One witness told Nippon TV that a girl was “covered in blood” and the others appeared to have scratches.
Another witness said the driver, who was wearing a face mask, looked to be in shock when school staff pulled him from the vehicle.
Violent crimes are rare in Japan, though serious incidents do occur from time to time. In 2008, Tomohiro Kato drove a two-ton truck into pedestrians in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, then fatally stabbed several victims. Seven people were killed in that attack.
Internacionales
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
May Day protests in France were marked by a heavy police presence and clashes between demonstrators and law enforcement in several cities.
In Paris, Lyon, and Nantes, thousands took to the streets to demand better wages, fairer working conditions, and to voice their dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
While the majority of the demonstrations remained peaceful, isolated confrontations broke out in some areas. Protesters threw objects at the police, prompting the use of tear gas and resulting in several arrests.
Videos showing police crackdowns circulated widely on social media, drawing criticism from labor unions and human rights advocates, who denounced the authorities’ response to the protests.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
Man arrested after deliberately driving into seven children in Osaka
Clashes erupt during may day protests across France amid calls for better wages
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
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