International
Keys to the anti-immigrant law of Texas and states that follow its example
The Texas SB-4 law, considered one of the most drastic anti-immigrant measures in the history of the United States along with the SB-1070 of Arizona of 2010, has raised the tension in the border area of the United States and Mexico and has inspired other states of Republican governments to follow in its footsteps.
In the midst of the complicated legal battle between the state and federal governments, which prevented this measure from entering into force on March 5, uncertainty grows among undocumented immigrants, and also legal immigrants, because it lends itself to racial discrimination.
The measure, promoted by the governor of Texas, Republican Greg Abbott, makes it a misdemeanor that a foreigner “enters or attempts to enter the state from a foreign nation” irregularly. The detained migrant will be accused of a misdemeanor, which carries a penalty of up to six months in prison.
If the offender is a repeat offender, the offense becomes a serious crime, punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
The law allows the state Justice (different from immigration judges) to order the expulsion of the foreigner without legal process. A judge could withdraw the charges if the migrant agrees to return to Mexico.
SB-4 also prohibits any local policy that restricts police officers from questioning a person’s immigration status, even during routine arrests such as at traffic stops, which are promoted in the so-called “immigrant sanctuaries.”
The measure requires local authorities to allocate resources such as prison space, agents and funds to implement the law.
The initiative prohibits the police from arresting immigrants in public or private schools, churches and other places of worship, and medical centers. However, it does not mention university campuses.
-Iowa: The House of Representatives of that state approved a bill on Tuesday. It would allow the police to arrest certain undocumented immigrants and order them to leave the country.
Undocumented immigrants could face up to two years in prison if they enter, attempt to enter or are found in Iowa, after they were denied entry to the United States or had been deported.
The measure is addressed to the desk of Governor Kim Reynolds, who has given her support to the legislation.
– New Hampshire: The Senate of that state approved at the beginning of the month a bill that allows the police to file charges of invasion of private property against people suspected of having illegally entered the United States from Canada. The initiative is currently being discussed in the House of Representatives of that state.
– Tennessee: Last Friday, lawmakers from the Lower House of Tennessee approved a bill that requires police officers to report to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they have come across an undocumented person.
– Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and North Carolina: The legislatures of these states have approved or are discussing bills similar to Texan law. They impose harsh sanctions on the undocumented under the argument that they must act to contain the arrival of migrants.
– Arizona: The governor of that state, Democrat Katie Hobbs, has a measure on her table, dubbed the Arizona Invasion Law. It would criminalize immigrants by authorizing police departments to arrest and arrest foreigners who cross the border illegally.
This project, promoted by the Republicans and expected to veto Hobbs, would also grant immunity to the police and their departments from any legal action against them due to possible incidents that occurred while the law is being applied.
International
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
Six people, including a baby girl about two years old, were killed on Sunday in an armed attack near a tourist beach in southwestern Ecuador, police said. The shooting, carried out with rifles, also left three people wounded.
The incident took place in the coastal town of Puerto López, in the province of Manabí, a popular tourist destination known for whale watching. The attack occurred amid a surge of violence over the weekend that left at least nine people dead nationwide, according to local media reports.
“There are six fatalities and three injured,” Colonel William Acurio, the local police commander, told reporters on Sunday. He confirmed that one of the victims was a baby “approximately two years old.”
Authorities have not released further details about the motive behind the attack or whether arrests have been made.
International
Man accused of killing nine in Paramaribo dies by suicide in police custody
The man who killed nine people, including five children, on Saturday night in Paramaribo died by suicide while in custody, Suriname police confirmed in a statement on Monday.
The suspect, identified by the initials D.A., 43, “hanged himself inside a holding cell at the Keizerstraat police station” in the capital, Paramaribo, according to the official report.
Police said the man sustained leg injuries during his arrest and was taken to a hospital before being transferred to the detention facility on Sunday night. Authorities did not provide further details on the circumstances surrounding his death.
International
Winter storm disrupts holiday travel, forcing 1,500 flight cancellations in the U.S.
Airlines canceled around 1,500 flights across the United States during the peak Christmas travel season after warnings of a severe winter storm and forecasts of heavy snowfall in the Midwest and Northeast. An additional 5,900 flights were delayed due to adverse weather conditions.
More than 40 million Americans were under snowstorm warnings or weather advisories one day after Christmas. Meanwhile, another 30 million people faced flood or storm alerts in California, where an atmospheric river triggered intense rainfall.
New York City was bracing for up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) of snow overnight, which would mark its heaviest snowfall in four years. Cold weather was expected to persist through the weekend in the nation’s largest city. According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, airports in the New York area recorded about 850 flight cancellations.
Six killed, including baby, in armed attack near tourist beach in Ecuador
Man accused of killing nine in Paramaribo dies by suicide in police custody
Winter storm disrupts holiday travel, forcing 1,500 flight cancellations in the U.S.
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
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