Bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers announces legislation to ease crowding at border facilities
Small Texas border town considered โhot zoneโ for migrant traffic
ROMA, Texas โ A small town in Texas that borders Mexico is an area that is considered a โhot zoneโ for migrant traffic, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. Hundreds of migrants have made their way into Texas by crossing the Rio Grande River from Ciudad Miguel Alemรกn in Tamaulipas, Mexico. In February, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials stated in a news release that agents had apprehended more than 16,000 family units. AdOn Friday, our crews witnessed smugglers crossing over five rafts of anywhere between 12 to 15 migrants packed onto each raft. AdโWe saw cages after cages after cages of little girls and little boys lying side by side, touching each other, covered with reflective emergency blankets.
White House says it's working on access to migrant centers
Republican officials are also blaming the Biden administration for actions they say are leading more people from Central America to seek entry into the United States. โItโs not a crisis, itโs a complete loss of sovereignty down there,โ Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said. AdGraham recently visited the border and said he saw a facility designed to hold 80 children with about 1,000 in it. โIt does not mean that they get to stay in the United States. AdPsaki said the administration is committed to transparency and providing access to those temporary Border Patrol facilities as soon as it can.
EXPLAINER: Why is media access at the border an issue?
WHY HAS MEDIA ACCESS BEEN BLOCKED? The Associated Press, for example, has asked Homeland Security officials for access to Border Patrol facilities at least seven times, without a response. Some of them aren't coming from the professional media but from people with special access. The customs locations are considered much more crowded, and journalists have still not been allowed access to them. He says: โIt is more important than ever that journalists be allowed the necessary access to report accurately and independently on the border patrol's response.โ___David Bauder is the media writer for The Associated Press, based in New York.
Small Texas border town is route to US for migrant children
As soon as the sun sets, at least 100 migrants crossed through the Rio Grande river by smugglers into the United States. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)ROMA, Texas โ As darkness sets on the Rio Grande, U.S. Border Patrol agents hear pumps inflating rafts across the river in Mexico. Roma, a town of 10,000 people with historic buildings and boarded-up storefronts in Texas' Rio Grande Valley, is the latest epicenter of illegal crossings, where growing numbers of families and children are entering the United States to seek asylum. More than 16,000 unaccompanied children were in government custody as of Thursday, including about 5,000 in substandard Customs and Border Protection facilities. A group of Republican senators on Friday visited the Rio Grande Valley, which is the busiest corridor for illegal crossings, and toured a holding facility.
Queer online series meets eager Russian LGBTQ audience
This image released by Fancy Production shows actors Dmitry Simonov as Lyosha and Arsen Khandzhyan as Roma in a scene from the "Here I come" web series in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, July 18, 2020. Fenochka says his web series about queer young people is important for LGBTQ people in Russia, which bans gay "propaganda" among minors. (Fancy Production via AP)MOSCOW โ Russian film director Andrei Fenochka says his online series about queer young people is important for LGBTQ people in a country that bans gay โpropagandaโ among minors. Fenochka's โHere I Comeโ series that debuted last fall is marked as only available to people older than 18 in accordance with Russian law. โIt is important for them to feel that they are not alone, they are not in isolation, they are not banned.
Long-time city of Roma police chief dies after battle with COVID-19
ROMA, Texas โ The City of Roma is celebrating the life of its long-time police chief, Jose H. โBetoโ Garcia, who died after contracting COVID-19. According to an announcement by the city, Garcia died Monday morning following a battle with COVID-19. The City of Roma and our entire community mourn the loss today of Roma Police Chief Jose H. โBetoโ Garcia. Chief Garcia... Posted by City of Roma, Texas on Monday, January 4, 2021Garcia held multiple positions throughout his tenure with the Roma Police Department, including fire chief/fire marshal, emergency management coordinator and director of public safety. โThrough his strong leadership and commitment, Chief Garcia laid the foundation to build a community-oriented police force committed to serving and protecting life and property,โ the City of Roma said on Facebook.
Judge orders Trump administration to stop immediate deportations of unaccompanied immigrant minors
At least 13,000 unaccompanied children had been removed from the country under the order, the ACLU said in a statement. Before the order, children who turned themselves in to Border Patrol after crossing the border were processed by federal agents and then put in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement. The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border reached record levels under the Obama administration in 2014, specifically in the Rio Grande Valley. But the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the administration didnโt properly halt the program. But lawyers for DACA recipients said after a hearing Wednesday that more guidance will be issued next month.
EU presents plan to improve plight of its Roma minority
European Commissioner for Transparency and Values Vera Jourova presents the EU framework on Roma equality and inclusion strategies during an online news conference at the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020. โSimply put, over the last 10 years, we have not done enough to support the Roma population in the EU. A commission report said that โRoma children living in marginalized communities are among the hardest hit by the pandemic. Distance learning has been impossible for too many Roma children living in households without IT facilities or electricity." โThe Roma are Europeโs largest ethnic minority, and in many member states, they constitute a significant part of the population.
A Texas teacher who posted Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ posters in her virtual classroom was placed on leave after parents complained
I guess once that happened I knew that it might be a rocky road, but considering being put on leave? Roma school officials said that several parents and community members filed complaints to the district about the Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ posters. Thousands of parents, students and community members have expressed outrage at the school district for punishing Lifka. Scott Schneider, an Austin lawyer who specializes in education, said the school district was likely employing a scare tactic to discourage her from displaying the posters. I think thats baseless.Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribunes daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
Oscars 2019: Pick your winners!
Awards season is in full swing as the nominations for the 91st annual Academy Awards have been announced. Nominations for best picture, actor, actress and more were announced Tuesday. What or who do you think will win? Do you think anyone or any film was snubbed this year? MOBILE USERS: Click here to view article.