Latest news with #Guatemalan
Ya Biladi
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
Morocco and Algeria allies clash in PARLACEN over Western Sahara issue
The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) recently became the scene of a diplomatic standoff between allies of Morocco and Algeria. During a plenary session held on May 28 in Panama City, José Antonio Zepeda, vice president of PARLACEN's leftist group and representative of Nicaragua, a country with longstanding ties to the so-called «Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)» read out a declaration of support for the «SADR». The text described the entity as the «sole and legitimate representative of the Sahrawi people», claiming it is backed by the African Union and over 80 countries worldwide. The declaration also praised «the diplomatic and political efforts of the Polisario Front, its legitimate political organization», aimed at implementing the 1991 Peace Agreement that calls for a self-determination referendum. It urged the international community to enforce the agreement and allow the Sahrawi people to freely determine their future. The statement, aligned with Algeria's position on the Sahara, drew sharp criticism from Guatemalan lawmakers. On June 12, thirteen PARLACEN members from Guatemala issued a counter-declaration in support of Morocco's territorial integrity. In their response, the MPs expressed «gratitude to the Kingdom of Morocco as a friendly state and strategic partner of PARLACEN, committed to peace, development, and cooperation among nations». They also called on PARLACEN's presidency to ensure that institutional statements reflect the legitimate consensus of all members and are not used to promote individual ideological agendas, in order to preserve the forum's credibility and neutrality. The political tug-of-war between Morocco and Algeria-aligned camps within PARLACEN appears to be escalating. This week, a delegation of Nicaraguan MPs who sit in PARLACEN arrived in Algiers for a visit. On Tuesday, they met with Mohamed Khouane, president of the Foreign Affairs, Community Affairs, and Cooperation Committee of Algeria's National People's Assembly (APN). According to the Nicaraguan delegation, the visit aimed to «initiate political and diplomatic dialogue with the Algerian National People's Assembly». The lawmakers were also received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by the Secretary of State in charge of the Algerian community abroad. Talks reportedly focused on «strengthening friendship and cooperation between Algeria and PARLACEN, with the goal of creating a new dynamic in parliamentary relations and joint initiatives with member states of this regional legislative body», according to a statement by Algerian diplomacy. For context, Algeria's lower house signed a memorandum of understanding with PARLACEN on December 4, 2024, in Panama City. PARLACEN includes six member states: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. Algeria also holds observer status in the Latin American and Caribbean Parliament (Parlatino) since September 2024. Despite Algeria's push, Morocco enjoys significant support within PARLACEN. On May 2, during a visit to Laâyoune, the body's president, Carlos René Hernández, publicly reaffirmed the Moroccan identity of the Sahara.
The Hill
a day ago
- The Hill
Pregnant US citizen detained by Border Patrol agents: ‘We didn't do anything wrong'
(KTLA) – A pregnant U.S. citizen who was detained by federal agents approximately two weeks ago has since given birth to a healthy baby girl, but her boyfriend is now being held out of state and her problems are far from over. Cary López Alvarado told Nexstar's KTLA that she 'tried to remain strong' during the scary ordeal, which took place outside a building where her boyfriend and cousin were doing maintenance work on June 8. She was nine months pregnant at the time. Video taken by López depicts her struggling with a masked agent wearing a Border Patrol uniform asking to see her identification as she was protecting a truck carrying her boyfriend Brayan Nájera and cousin Alberto Sandoval — the latter of whom is also a U.S. citizen. All three of them were eventually detained. Further footage posted on social media shows agents detaining López after they had pinned her truck between a wall. 'They had my boyfriend on the ground already, and they had tackled my cousin down … that's when I was inside the car just banging on the door,' López said. '[I was asking] 'What are you doing? Why are you guys treating us like this? We didn't do anything wrong.'' According to a statement from a Department of Homeland Security representative, López was arrested because she was obstructing agents from accessing a car containing 'two Guatemalan illegal aliens' inside. 'During this incident, agents were assaulted, and an additional subject was taken into custody for pushing an officer,' the statement read. The then-soon-to-be-mother was taken to a processing facility in San Pedro, where, according to her, the agents automatically assumed she was undocumented. '[They said] 'But you're from Mexico, right?' And I'm like 'No, I'm from here,'' López said. '[They asked] … 'Where's here?' and I'm like, 'Here, the U.S., Los Angeles.' 'They put us in chains, so I had a chain from my hands under my belly that went all the way to my legs,' she added. 'Every now and then, I would fix my hands because I felt like I would be putting too much pressure because the chain went under my belly.' López was released after complaining of stomach pain and went straight to a hospital where she started having contractions, which she believes were caused by the stress of what she had gone through. Four days after the incident, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl, but the stress isn't over yet, as the baby's father, Nájera, is said to be detained at a facility in Texas despite López saying he has a spotless record. 'He doesn't have any criminal record or anything,' she said. 'They took him while he was working, and that hurts because he didn't do anything wrong. He was just working and taking care of his family. Why are you treating other people this way when they aren't criminals?' 'The color doesn't matter, the race doesn't matter … at the end of the day, we are all human,' she continued through tears. López's legal team told KTLA that she has not been charged with any crime. In the meantime, she will remain at home with her new baby girl. A GoFundMe has been set up to help López hire an immigration attorney for her boyfriend and to alleviate costs associated with childcare in his absence.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump immigration policies targeting Democratic cities energize organizers, leave others confused
CHICAGO (AP) — To Jose Abel Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant in the Los Angeles area, President Donald Trump's latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn't change much. The 38-year-old garment worker said Trump's doubling down on Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn't spare workers who are simply trying to make rent. 'He just talks,' Garcia said. 'The raids keep happening and it's going to be hard for him to follow through on that because he isn't acting alone.' In recent days Trump has vowed to shift immigration enforcement away from political allies and toward political foes, prioritizing deportations in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and cities at 'the core of the Democrat Power Center.' At the same time, he's reversed course and paused arrests in industries that heavily rely on a foreign-born workforce. Garcia and other immigrants say, either way, fears remain high in their communities, while experts note the Trump administration's pullback on work site immigration enforcement is a lesson other administrations learned long ago. Meanwhile, Democrats and activists insist Trump's moves are calculated and something they'll use as a rallying cry. Escalating political fight California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been locked in a widening dispute with the Trump administration, said the motivation behind singling out Democratic cities is clear. 'Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power,' Newsom posted Monday on X. 'It's illegal and we will not let it stand.' Trump again fixed on New York and Chicago on Monday while pointing to Los Angeles demonstrations against his administration policies, and adding many of 'those people weren't from LA, they were from California.' 'I want to focus on the cities,' he said at the Group of Seven Summit in Canada. The Trump administration has said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least3,000 arrests daily, up from about 650 daily during the first months of Trump's second term. Already, the president and his allies have targeted so-called 'sanctuary jurisdictions' with splashy live-streamed arrests, lawsuits and summoning mayors and governors to testify at the Capitol. 'It's clear that Trump is escalating these attacks on Democratic cities because he's threatened by the mass mobilizations,' said U.S. Rep. Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia, a Chicago Democrat. 'I expect Democrats will push back harder.' In the Los Angeles area, a group of advocates continued community-led patrols to watch for ICE arrests and warn neighbors. Organizer Francisco 'Chavo' Romero said they're also patrolling Metro rail stations and other public transit hubs. 'They double down, we triple down,' he said. Worksite arrests Pulling back on worksite enforcement is new for Trump, but not in recent history. Going after employers on immigration compliance has been a controversial issue, particularly in industries that rely on immigrant labor. For instance, nearly half of those in meatpacking are thought to be born abroad. Under a 1996 immigration law, the Clinton administration investigated hiring practices to weed out employees without proper U.S. work authorization and to punish employers. But it didn't last long. Investigations took months. Workers were afraid to come to work. Some farmers complained their crops were suffering. Elected officials began to intervene. 'It pretty much stopped,' said Doris Meissner, a former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was the predecessor to ICE. Now a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Police Institute, she said other presidential administrations have grappled with the same problem. 'That's always the conundrum: How do you hold the employer accountable?' she said. 'You can go and get the workers and in two weeks there are going to be more workers hired.' Earlier this month, immigration authorities raided an Omaha meat production plant, angering company officials who said they followed the law. Trump's first administration saw the largest workplace sting in a decade with arrests at seven Mississippi chicken plants. That made his shift to pause such operations a surprise. He wrote on Truth Social that the arrests were 'taking very good, long time workers' away and it was hard to replace them. How the pause will play out is unclear. A message left Monday with the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned. Immigrants and activists left baffled Still, Trump's approach confused many. 'On one hand, he will stay away from certain industries and at the same time double down on Chicago,' said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 'I'm not sure how to reconcile those two comments.' He said the group would continue to help immigrants understand their rights in the case of ICE arrests. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Chicago Democrat, accused Trump of trying to silence dissent. In a lengthy post on his Truth Social site about cracking down on Democratic cities, Trump said, without any evidence, that Democrats were using immigrants living in the country without legal status to steal elections. For others, the latest policies were simply another thing to worry about. Jorge Lima, 32, said his immigrant parents from Mexico are only leaving home to go to their jobs as garment workers in California. 'They don't go out anymore,' he said. 'They're afraid but they have to eat.'
Hamilton Spectator
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump immigration policies targeting Democratic cities energize organizers, leave others confused
CHICAGO (AP) — To Jose Abel Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant in the Los Angeles area, President Donald Trump's latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn't change much. The 38-year-old garment worker said Trump's doubling down on Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn't spare workers who are simply trying to make rent. 'He just talks,' Garcia said. 'The raids keep happening and it's going to be hard for him to follow through on that because he isn't acting alone.' In recent days Trump has vowed to shift immigration enforcement away from political allies and toward political foes, prioritizing deportations in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and cities at 'the core of the Democrat Power Center.' At the same time, he's reversed course and paused arrests in industries that heavily rely on a foreign-born workforce. Garcia and other immigrants say, either way, fears remain high in their communities, while experts note the Trump administration's pullback on work site immigration enforcement is a lesson other administrations learned long ago. Meanwhile, Democrats and activists insist Trump's moves are calculated and something they'll use as a rallying cry. Escalating political fight California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been locked in a widening dispute with the Trump administration, said the motivation behind singling out Democratic cities is clear. 'Incite violence and chaos in blue states, have an excuse to militarize our cities, demonize his opponents, keep breaking the law and consolidate power,' Newsom posted Monday on X. 'It's illegal and we will not let it stand.' Trump again fixed on New York and Chicago on Monday while pointing to Los Angeles demonstrations against his administration policies, and adding many of 'those people weren't from LA, they were from California.' 'I want to focus on the cities,' he said at the Group of Seven Summit in Canada. The Trump administration has said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers would target at least daily 3,000 arrests, up from about 650 daily during the first months of Trump's second term. Already, the president and his allies have targeted so-called 'sanctuary jurisdictions' with splashy live-streamed arrests , lawsuits and summoning mayors and governors to testify at the Capitol. 'It's clear that Trump is escalating these attacks on Democratic cities because he's threatened by the mass mobilizations ,' U.S. Rep. Jesus 'Chuy' Garcia, a Chicago Democrat. 'I expect Democrats will push back harder.' In the Los Angeles area, a group of advocates continued community-led patrols to watch for ICE arrests and warn neighbors. Organizer Francisco 'Chavo' Romero said they're also patrolling Metro rail stations and other public transit hubs. 'They double down, we triple down,' he said. Worksite arrests Pulling back on worksite enforcement is new for Trump, but not in recent history. Going after employers on immigration compliance has been a controversial issue, particularly in industries that rely immigrant labor. For instance, nearly half of those in meatpacking are thought to be born abroad . Under a 1996 immigration law , the Clinton administration investigated hiring practices to weed out employees without proper U.S. work authorization and to punish employers. But it didn't last long. Investigations took months. Workers were afraid to come to work. Some farmers complained their crops were suffering. Elected officials began to intervene. 'It pretty much stopped,' said Doris Meissner, a former commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which was the predecessor to ICE. Now a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Migration Police Institute, she said other presidential administrations have grappled with the same problem. 'That's always the conundrum: How do you hold the employer accountable?' she said. 'You can go and get the workers and in two weeks there are going to be more workers hired.' Earlier this month, immigration authorities raided an Omaha meat production plant, angering company officials who said they followed the law. Trump's first administration saw the largest workplace sting in a decade with arrests at seven Mississippi chicken plants. That made his shift to pause such operations a surprise. He wrote on Truth Social that the arrests were 'taking very good, long time workers' away and it was hard to replace them. How the pause will play out is unclear. A message left Monday with the Department of Homeland Security was not immediately returned. Immigrants and activists left baffled Still, Trump's approach confused many. 'On one hand, he will stay away from certain industries and at the same time double down on Chicago,' said Lawrence Benito, head of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights. 'I'm not sure how to reconcile those two comments.' He said the group would continue to help immigrants understand their rights in the case of ICE arrests. U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, a Chicago Democrat, accused Trump of trying to silence dissent. In a lengthy post on his Truth Social site about cracking down on Democratic cities, Trump said, without any evidence , that Democrats were using immigrants living in the country without legal status to steal elections. For others, the latest policies were simply another thing to worry about. Jorge Lima, 32, said his immigrant parents from Mexico are only leaving home to go to their jobs as garment workers in California. 'They don't go out anymore,' he said. 'They're afraid but they have to eat.' __ Pineda reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed from Washington. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Trump immigration policies targeting Democratic cities energize organizers, leave others confused
CHICAGO (AP) — To Jose Abel Garcia, a Guatemalan immigrant in the Los Angeles area, President Donald Trump's latest promise to expand deportations in Democratic-led cities doesn't change much. The 38-year-old garment worker said Trump's doubling down on Democratic strongholds while pausing immigration arrests at restaurants, hotels and farms doesn't spare workers who are simply trying to make rent.
