International

ICE raids in L.A. accused of racial profiling after detaining U.S.-born latinos

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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International

Two killed in shooting at restaurant near Frankfurt Airport

Two people were shot dead early Tuesday at a restaurant in Raunheim, near Frankfurt Airport, according to local police.

Preliminary findings indicate that an armed individual entered the establishment at around 03:45 local time (02:45 GMT) and opened fire on the victims, who died at the scene from their injuries.

The suspect fled and remains at large, while the motive behind the shooting is still unclear, German media reported. Authorities have launched a large-scale search operation.

International

U.S. counterterrorism chief resigns over opposition to war in Iran

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced Tuesday that he has resigned from his post, citing his opposition to the ongoing war in Iran.

In a post on X, Kent said he could not, “in good conscience,” support the conflict, arguing that Iran did not pose an imminent threat to the United States. He also claimed that the war was driven by pressure from Israel and its lobbying influence in Washington.

In a resignation letter addressed to Donald Trump, Kent alleged that at the start of the current administration, senior Israeli officials and influential figures in U.S. media carried out a disinformation campaign that undermined the “America First” platform and fostered pro-war sentiment aimed at triggering a conflict with Iran.

Kent further stated that he could not support sending a new generation of Americans to “fight and die in a war that provides no benefit to the American people and does not justify the cost in American lives.”

Since the United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on February 28, at least 13 U.S. service members have been killed, while 10 others have been seriously wounded and around 200 have sustained minor injuries, according to a report published by The Wall Street Journal.

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International

German president warns Iran war could spread and disrupt Strait of Hormuz

The president of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, warned Monday that the war involving Iran could expand and further disrupt shipping through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. He urged a swift end to hostilities between Iran, United States and Israel.

Speaking in Panama City during a joint appearance with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino, Steinmeier said available information suggests Iran has significant capacity to disrupt maritime traffic through the key oil route.

“Iran has considerable potential to interfere with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz,” Steinmeier said through an interpreter. “We should therefore reach an end to the hostilities as soon as possible and call on all parties involved to make that happen.”

The remarks came during Steinmeier’s visit to Panama, the first by a German president to the Central American nation.

The German leader described the possibility of the conflict spreading as “very dangerous,” saying recent developments indicate that such a scenario cannot be ruled out.

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Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump urged allied nations to help ensure safe passage for ships through the Strait of Hormuz after Iran moved to block the waterway in response to U.S. strikes. However, several allies—particularly in Europe—have shown little support for the proposal.

“Some are very enthusiastic, others are not, and some are countries we have helped for many years,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “We have protected them from terrible external threats, and they’re not that enthusiastic. And the level of enthusiasm is important to me.”

Meanwhile, Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat, said the Strait of Hormuz falls “outside NATO’s scope” and stressed that “the war involving Iran is not Europe’s war.”