A sheriff is accusing the federal government of victimizing Americans after an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration" target="_blank" rel="noopener">illegal immigrant</a> was arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl in Florida.
Marvin Dionel Perez Lopez was accused by police earlier this month of forcing the girl into his van and sexually assaulting her in Lake Worth, Florida. He faces charges of kidnapping, sexually assaulting a minor, sexual assault of a victim under 12 years old, and resisting an officer without violence, <a href="https://cbs12.com/news/local/lake-worth-man-arrested-for-kidnapping-sexually-assaulting-minor-marvin-dionel-perez-lopez-white-van-k-9-unit-saturday-captive-florida-may-6-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according</a> to CBS 12.
According to Palm Beach Police, Lopez, a Guatemalan national, illegally crossed into the United States in January where he was apprehended by Border Patrol. He was then released into the country with a court date four years into the future in 2027.
&#8220;Here&#8217;s a Guatemalan, who came into the country illegally, was stopped by [Border Patrol], released, and made his way to South Florida. And now he commits a crime where he held an 11-year-old girl against her will and sexually assaulted her,” Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said.
“We grabbed him. He&#8217;s confessed to the crime. So he&#8217;s gonna get tried for a capital crime before he even remotely thinks he&#8217;s gonna get deported. He&#8217;s gonna do the time here first,&#8221; Bradshaw added. “The federal government is victimizing the people who live in this country by letting these people in here.”
The police report on the arrest said that the girl’s mother started banging on the van door causing Lopez to run away, CBS 12 reported. She later went to Lopez&#8217;s home and called the police after he reportedly asked for forgiveness. When police arrived to question him, they said he escaped out a window and ran into an alleyway before he was eventually arrested.
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As reports of violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants have continued to make headlines, Republicans have demanded that President Joe Biden close down the border.
Earlier this week, Jose Ibarra, the illegal immigrant accused of murdering 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, was officially <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/laken-riley-murder-suspect-indictment/story?id=110032937" target="_blank" rel="noopener">indicted</a> with felony murder and malice murder. Ibarra had been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/man-arrested-for-murder-of-georgia-nursing-student-was-illegal-immigrant-report" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> into the United States after being apprehended illegally crossing the border in September 2022. Riley was out on a run on the campus of the University of Georgia when she was murdered. Ibarra was later arrested and accused of beating and choking her to death.

Surge Of Migrants Overwhelms Border Crossings

Sheriff Accuses Federal Gov Of ‘Victimizing’ Americans After Illegal Immigrant Charged With Sexually Assaulting Child

Border Patrol

Florida

Guatemala

Illegal Immigration

Joe Biden

Sexual Assault

Southern Border

U.S.

An illegal immigrant from Guatemala accused of child molestation was released from prison last month by authorities in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/rhode-island" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rhode Island</a> before federal immigration officials could take him into custody.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-boston-apprehends-guatemalan-citizen-arrested-locally-first-degree-child" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> on Friday that they had arrested a 22-year-old illegal immigrant wanted on domestic assault and first-degree child molestation on April 10. The arrest came hours after the Sixth District Court of Rhode Island had ordered him released onto the streets of Providence before ICE could take him into custody.
Providence is a sanctuary city and ignored the detainer that had been placed on the illegal immigrant by ICE.
“This unlawfully present individual was arrested locally on first degree child molestation charges and was released back into the community despite an immigration detainer,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons. “We believe it is in the interest of the community that jurisdictions honor our immigration detainers so that ICE can take direct custody of individuals like this who pose a threat to residents.”
“ERO Boston hopes to cooperate with our local partners in Rhode Island to help make safer neighborhoods for everyone in the state and throughout New England,” Lyons added.
According to ICE, the illegal immigrant, who was not named, illegally entered the United States around Nogales, Arizona, where he was apprehended by Border Patrol in November 2018. He would have been around 16-years-old at the time and he was released into the country and given a court date.
Four years later, the Providence Police Department issued a warrant for his arrest on sexual assault and child molestation charges on November 21, 2022. He was not arrested until February 28, 2024 when police nabbed him on domestic assault charges in addition to the previous charges.
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After the arrest, ICE placed an immigration detainer on him, but he was released on April 10 by a Rhode Island court.
“Later that day, ERO Boston deportation officers in Rhode Island arrested him without incident in Providence. He will be held in ICE custody pending a future hearing before a Department of Justice immigration judge,” ICE said.
In recent weeks, ICE has been drawing attention to the release of illegal immigrants charged with serious crimes in New England, The Daily Caller <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/05/03/blue-state-releases-child-molester-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Last month, a 26-year-old Honduran <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2024/04/19/illegal-alien-sexual-assault-minor-ice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">accused</a> first-degree sexual assault of a minor was released by Connecticut authorities who ignored an immigration detainer placed on him by ICE.

MixCollage-04-May-2024-03-13-PM-1525

ICE Responds After Sanctuary City Releases Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Child Molestation

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Rhode Island

Sanctuary Cities

Sex Crimes

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the arrest of 26 illegal immigrant sexual predators during a three-day operation in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles</a> last week. 
The operation, carried out by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, <a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ero-los-angeles-arrests-26-convicted-sexual-predators-local-2-day-operation#:~:text=%22The%20outcome%20of%20this%20operation,Los%20Angeles%20FOD%20Thomas%20Giles." target="_blank" rel="noopener">was conducted</a> from December 18-20. The crimes committed by the illegal immigrants included crimes against children by individuals from Mexico, El Salvador, and Guatemala. 
&#8220;The outcome of this operation exemplifies the professionalism, dedication and commitment of ERO Los Angeles officers to public safety,&#8221; said ERO Los Angeles FOD Thomas Giles. “Removing these individuals and the threats they represent from our communities is our mission, and we will continue to safely and effectively enforce the immigration laws of our nation.&#8221;
The arrests take place as illegal crossings at the border under President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-serious-challenge-illegal-border-crossings-surge-in-november-to-record-high" target="_blank" rel="noopener">continue to set records</a>, including nearly 250,000 crossings in November. CBP numbers <a href="https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/national-media-release/cbp-releases-november-2023-monthly-update">released last week</a> show that they recorded 242,418 encounters last month, the highest November <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/22/news/242000-migrants-tried-to-cross-into-us-over-southern-border-in-november/">ever</a> and the third highest monthly total overall.
ICE highlighted three individuals taken into custody during the operation, including a 19-year-old from El Salvador convicted of felony sexual forcible oral copulation of a minor over 14 years old and battery by restraint
A 40-year-old from Mexico who was convicted for a felony lewd acts with a child and continuous sexual abuse was also picked up during the operation. A 35-year-old from Guatemala, convicted of felony child molestation in an inhabited dwelling, was also arrested by ICE for removal. 
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ICE noted that in fiscal year 2022, it had arrested 46,396 foreign nationals with criminal history, including  individuals with 8,164 sex and sexual assault offenses. The other crimes included 21,531 assault offenses, 5,554 weapons offenses, 1,501 homicide-related offenses, and 1,114 kidnapping offenses.
Last month, 37-year-old Saulo Cardona Ferreira, an illegal immigrant from Brazil convicted of raping a child, was<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-immigrant-raped-a-five-year-old-in-brazil-ice-caught-him-in-marthas-vineyard" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> arrested</a> by ICE in Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.
“This undocumented Brazilian national represented a significant threat to the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard. He sexually assaulted a five-year-old child in his homeland and then ran from authorities when held accountable for his actions,” ICE said in a statement. 
Illegal crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border have remained high in December, with reporters <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nbc-reporter-stunned-by-number-of-illegal-border-crossings-crowds-have-never-been-this-large-during-my-reporting">being stunned</a> at the number of people entering into the U.S. through Mexico.

VP Mike Pence Visits ICE Headquarters In Washington DC

ICE Arrests Over Two Dozen Illegal Immigrant Sexual Predators In Los Angeles

California

El Salvador

Los Angeles

Mexico

The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/department-of-justice" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Department of Justice</a> issued indictments Friday against dozens of alleged drug traffickers with ties to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mexico" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mexico</a>’s Sinaloa Cartel, including the three sons of former Sinaloa head Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera.
The indictments charge 28 people with crimes ranging from drug trafficking to machine gun possession to money laundering. None of the defendants are located in the United States; 23 are based in Mexico, four are based in China, and one is based in Guatemala.
“Today, the Justice Department is announcing significant enforcement actions against the largest, most violent, and most prolific fentanyl trafficking operation in the world — run by the Sinaloa Cartel, and fueled by Chinese precursor chemical and pharmaceutical companies,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/us-attorney-announces-charges-against-leadership-sinaloa-cartel-and-25-other-defendants" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Families and communities across our country are being devastated by the fentanyl epidemic. Today’s actions demonstrate the comprehensive approach the Justice Department is taking to disrupt fentanyl trafficking and save American lives.”
The Guzman sons are high-up leaders in the Sinaloa organization, arguably the most powerful drug cartel in Mexico. One of the men, Ovidio Guzmán, also known as “el raton,” was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/06/americas/el-chapo-son-arrest-mexico-prison-intl/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">arrested</a> by Mexican authorities in January during an assault on a Sinaloa stronghold. Twenty-nine people died in the operation.
The Department of Treasury announced sanctions targeting fentanyl trafficking as well on Friday. The department slapped sanctions on two Chinese entities and five people based in China and Guatemala with sanctions in a crackdown on fentanyl precursor manufacturing and selling.
“Illicit fentanyl is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Americans each year,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in a <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1413#:~:text=WASHINGTON%20%E2%80%93%20Today%2C%20the%20U.S.%20Department,the%20production%20of%20illicit%20fentanyl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Treasury, as part of the whole-of-government effort to respond to this crisis, will continue to vigorously apply our tools to prevent the transfer of precursor chemicals and machinery necessary to produce this drug.”
In fiscal year 2022, Customs and Border Protection <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fentanyl-gun-smuggling-us-mexico-border-deal-rcna75782" target="_blank" rel="noopener">confiscated</a> over 50,000 pounds of fentanyl from attempted drug traffickers and others. Drug smuggling over the border is <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fentanyl-seizures-rise-u-s-mexico-border-heres-why/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spiking</a> amid an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration that has continued to escalate over the past two years.
Most of the fentanyl made in Mexico is manufactured from precursor chemicals shipped in from China. Chinese drug makers sell the precursors to cartels and drug labs in Mexico. The chemicals are then made into fentanyl and typically crafted into pills that resemble other, legal drugs, such as OxyContin.
The Biden administration&#8217;s crackdown on the drug trade over the U.S. southern border comes as Republicans have been calling for stiffer resistance to cartels operating south of the U.S. border. Some lawmakers have suggested the cartels be declared terrorist organizations and said they warrant a response from the U.S. military.

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman

DOJ Unveils Charges Against ‘El Chapo’ Sons, 25 Others In Crackdown On Fentanyl Trade

China

Crime

Department of Justice

Treasury Department

World

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, a conservative, reportedly survived a shooting attack on his entourage Saturday afternoon.
&#8220;Shots fired at the presidential delegation in the village of La Laguna de Jacaltenango, Huehuetenango,&#8221; radio station Sonora es la Noticia (SN) <a href="https://twitter.com/ArnulfoAgustinG/status/1553475100116221954">reported</a>. &#8220;There are wounded but President Alejandro Giammattei is unharmed and safe.&#8221;
Giammattei, a former prisons director, won the country&#8217;s presidential race in 2019 against former fist lady Sandra Torres.
This is a breaking news story; refresh the page for updates.

Key Speakers At The International Religious Freedom Summit

Conservative President Of Latin American Nation Survives Shooting Attack, Spanish Media Reports

Conservative President Of Guatemala Survives Shooting Attack, Spanish Media Reports

assassination

Shooting

South America

Speaking on Fox Business Thursday, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) bashed Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to Guatemala earlier this month, remarking that he couldn’t recall a “more disastrous series of meetings” for an American vice-president or vice-president. He added that when Harris warned the Guatemalan people not to attempt to come to the United States, they wouldn’t listen to her, as she had spent her presidential campaign saying that the United States would welcome immigrants.
Rubio stated, “I do not remember, certainly not in my years of watching American politics, a more disastrous series of meetings and a visit, a foreign visit, than Kamala Harris’ to Guatemala. I can’t remember a more disastrous episode for a vice-president or for a president, for that matter.”
“But I think it’s unfortunate; they campaigned for months on they’re going to be totally different from Trump, and no matter what she says and they say now the perception is out there in much of Central America that the United States under Joe Biden is very lax,” he added. “And that’s an incentive for people to take this journey. It’s a dangerous journey; they shouldn’t do it, but they’re not going to listen to Kamala Harris when she says, ‘Don’t come.’ They’ve got a year and a half of her running for president saying we’re not going to turn anyone away.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
I can’t remember a more disastrous foreign trip for an American official than the <a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a> visit to Central America <a href="https://t.co/m1dI80fv8z">pic.twitter.com/m1dI80fv8z</a>
&mdash; Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/marcorubio/status/1405525706533076992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
On Harris’ trip to Guatemala, where she <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-57387350">appeared at a news conference</a> with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammatte, she warned Guatemalans thinking of immigrating to the United States,  &#8220;Do not come. Do not come. The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders.&#8221; She added: &#8220;If you come to our border, you will be turned back.&#8221;
In 2015, while serving as California&#8217;s Attorney General, Harris told KCBS-TV, &#8220;An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal. … I&#8217;m a career prosecutor. I&#8217;ve personally prosecuted everything from low-level offenses to homicides. Unfortunately, I know what crime looks like. I know what a criminal looks like who&#8217;s committing a crime. An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal,” as <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/what-kamala-harris-has-said-about-immigration-before-leading-white-house-border-response-1578550">Newsweek</a> reported. Newsweek added, “During the 2019 Democratic primary debate, Harris was asked if an immigrant should be deported if their only offense is being undocumented, to which she responded by saying, &#8216;No, they should not be deported.’”
Harris wrote in her 2019 book, “The Truths We Hold,&#8221; &#8220;A wall on the border with Mexico was a total waste of taxpayer money. I am a strong believer in border security—but experts agree that a wall will not secure our border.&#8221;
She also wrote in the book, “But there was a bigger reason to oppose the border wall. A useless wall on the southern border would be nothing more than a symbol, a monument standing in opposition to not just everything I value, but to the fundamental values upon which this country was built. The Statue of Liberty is the monument that defines to the world who we are. Emma Lazarus&#8217;s words — ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free’ — speak true to our true character: a generous country that respects and embraces those who have made the difficult journey to our shores, often fleeing harm. How could I vote to build what would be little more than a monument, designed to send the cold, hard message ‘KEEP OUT’?”

Senate Hearing Examines Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Movement

‘They’re Not Going To Listen To Kamala Harris’: Rubio Slams Kamala Over Guatemalan Immigrants

Kamala Harris

Marco Rubio

After receiving criticism for not traveling to the southern U.S.-Mexico border in order to address the surge of migration, Vice President Kamala Harris said Wednesday that she plans to go to Guatemala and Mexico to trace the &#8220;root causes&#8221; of the immigration crisis sometime soon.
She still has no plans, however, to travel to the United States-Mexico border.
At a <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1382344936134213632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1382344936134213632%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fadministration%2F548175-harris-to-visit-mexico-and-guatemala-soon">virtual roundtable</a> with different specialists in the area, Harris told reporters, &#8220;Our focus is to deal with the root causes, and I’m looking forward to traveling, hopefully as my first trip to the Northern Triangle stopping in Mexico and then going to Guatemala sometime soon.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;These are issues that are not going to be addressed overnight&#8230;our focus is to deal with the root causes,&quot; Vice Pres. Harris says about migrant surge at the border, adding she plans to travel to Mexico and Guatemala. <a href="https://t.co/Wpn0Nh7Apr">https://t.co/Wpn0Nh7Apr</a> <a href="https://t.co/HgDuvdD8kC">pic.twitter.com/HgDuvdD8kC</a>
&mdash; This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1382344936134213632?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 14, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
At the end of last month, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-has-no-immediate-plans-to-visit-border-will-focus-on-diplomacy-amid-migrant-crisis">The Daily Wire</a> reported that Harris had no plans to visit the United States-Mexico border after President Joe Biden gave her the job of handling what became known as the &#8220;child migrant crisis.&#8221; Harris instead planned to use &#8220;diplomacy&#8221; to handle the issue.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-has-no-immediate-plans-to-visit-border-will-focus-on-diplomacy-amid-migrant-crisis">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>Like her boss, President Joe Biden, Harris has no plans to see the situation on the southern border firsthand.
“Vice President Kamala Harris won’t be on the ground at the Southwest border anytime soon as she leads efforts to address a rise in migrants trying to enter the country,” The Associated Press reported. “Harris has no plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border region ‘in the near future,’ spokeswoman Symone Sanders said Friday.”
“The vice president is not doing the border,” Sanders said.
Instead, Sanders added, Harris will receive briefings from Mexican and Central American officials, though, as of last Friday, she had not met with anyone about the issue.
“You can expect she will be speaking with leaders from the region in the near future,” Sanders said.</blockquote>
Earlier this month, Harris notably went to California without visiting the border. Instead, the vice president decided to join Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom at a water treatment facility where she gave a short speech on &#8220;water equity.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-harris-in-charge-of-border-crisis-visits-water-plant-near-san-francisco-vaccine-site-in-chicago">The Daily Wire</a> reported:
<blockquote>Although Harris did not discuss the child migrant crisis, the federal government is considering at least two more temporary detention facilities inside the state of California to hold the ever-increasing number of unaccompanied minors being captured at the United States-Mexico border, also according to the L.A. Times. The situation is so dire that California’s state government is polling foster families, looking for extra beds, per Fox News.
Some California families report they are being asked to house as many as 26 migrant children at a time.</blockquote>
Harris again clarified on Wednesday that she will be in charge of looking into the root issues of migration, while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will lead efforts at the United States border with Mexico. She said that it is important to not only address the &#8220;symptoms&#8221; of the problem, but also the causes.
&#8220;It will not be obvious overnight,&#8221; Harris said. &#8220;The work we have to do is going to require a commitment that is continuous that we institutionalize with our partners, and that is the work that I am prepared to do which is to begin that process of meaningful work knowing that we’re going to have to have a long term strategy and it will take some time to see the benefits of that work.&#8221;
According to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/08/985296354/almost-19-000-migrant-children-stopped-at-u-s-border-in-march-most-ever-in-a-mon">NPR</a> reporting, the number of migrants met at the U.S.-Mexico border last month was the highest in at least 15 years as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took in almost 172,000 people.

284C610C-F56F-472D-BDD2-2B7419A0496C_1_201_a

VP Harris Planning Trip To Mexico, Guatemala ‘To Deal With The Root Causes’ Of Border Crisis

Alejandro Mayorkas

Child Migrant Crisis

On Monday, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei declared a &#8220;state of prevention&#8221; at the Guatemala-Honduras border as new reports emerged about a potential migrant caravan getting ready to come to the country from Honduras.
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/honduras-health-coronavirus-pandemic-guatemala-city-guatemala-933c9840662f61d5ff3ad3bb532a8568">The Associated Press</a> reports,
<blockquote>The emergency decree would restrict open-air gatherings and demonstrations without permits, and will be in effect for two weeks in the five Guatemalan provinces along the border with Honduras.
The government justified the restrictions in a statement, saying “groups of people could put at risk the life, liberty, security, health, access to justice, peace and development” of Guatemalans.</blockquote>
In January, Guatemala reportedly took a similar step and put forth a decree in order to impede a different caravan, stressing that the caravan posed a risk to public health in Guatemala during a pandemic.
AP reports that in January, Guatemalan law enforcement and military personnel used tear gas, batons and shields in order to prohibit a mass of around 2,000 Honduran migrants from continuing at a roadblock.
&#8220;Several caravans of mainly Honduran migrants have tried to cross Guatemala and Mexico to reach the U.S. border, though none has succeeded since 2019,&#8221; according to the outlet.
According to <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/15/migrant-apprehensions-at-u-s-mexico-border-are-surging-again/">data</a> from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection published by the Pew Research Center, &#8220;U.S. Border Patrol apprehended nearly 100,000 migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border in February, the tenth consecutive month of increased apprehensions and a return to levels last seen in mid-2019.&#8221;
Pew Research Center reports, &#8220;Mexican migrants are accounting for a greater share of apprehensions than in the recent past, while Central Americans represent a smaller proportion. Around four-in-ten (42%) of those apprehended at the southwestern border in February were people of Mexican origin, up from 13% in May 2019, the most recent peak month for monthly apprehensions. People from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras accounted for 46% of apprehensions in February, down from 78% in May 2019.&#8221;
Attention has been focused on the conditions of child migrant facilities at the United States&#8217; southern border with Mexico and the high numbers of unaccompanied minors coming to the U.S. The numbers are expected to continue to rise, as well.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/child-migrant-surge-expected-to-last-at-least-another-seven-months-increase-to-25k-children-per-month">The Daily Wire</a> reports that on Monday,
<blockquote>&#8230;Axios reported Customs and Border Protection, which is currently handling the border crisis, believes the numbers are only going to increase, and the overcrowding situation at the border is only going to get worse.
“The Biden administration projects the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border could spiral from more than 16,000 this month to as many as 26,000 in September,” the outlet noted, based on documents leaked to Axios reporters. “The Customs and Border Protection range for September is 22,000 to 26,000. Under any scenario, projections include a peak month that would double the record that stood until this month.”
“To give a sense of how out of hand the crossings are getting,” Axios continued, “the administration projected just a month ago the figure for May would be 13,000. The new estimate is 22,000 to 25,000.”</blockquote>
For migrants, the journey to the United States contains a high risk of danger and potential death, especially for young children who might be traveling alone. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/9-year-old-mexican-girl-drowns-trying-to-cross-border-into-u-s">The Daily Wire reported last week</a> that a 9-year-old girl drowned while trying to get to the U.S. by way of the Rio Grande River.

6B52770F-46C0-4B77-A4B7-83C262FD4D13_1_201_a

Guatemala Issues Emergency Decree Amid Reports Of New Caravan From Honduras

Over the weekend, a new migrant caravan that had formed in Guatemala, with thousands hoping to make the long and dangerous journey north to the United States border, was halted by security forces before reaching the border with Honduras.
A statement from the Guatemalan president’s office said, “Guatemala’s message is loud and clear: These types of illegal mass movements will not be accepted, that’s why we are working together with the neighboring nations to address this as a regional issue.” According to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-55699540">BBC News</a>, migrants were met with “truncheons and tear gas,” as “Thousands of people were intercepted on a road near the border with Honduras on Sunday.” An estimated 7,000 people are believed to have entered the country in recent days.
While the attitude of the outgoing Trump administration has aligned in recent years with other Central American governments regarding the mass movement of migrants across borders, President-elect Joe Biden has made it clear that his administration will look to reverse his predecessor’s course. Speaking with NBC News, a member of Biden’s team <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-team-to-migrant-caravan-now-isnt-a-good-time-try-coming-later">said</a> “The situation at the border isn’t going to be transformed overnight. There’s help on the way, but now is not the time to make the journey.”
“We have to provide a message that help and hope is on the way, but coming right now does not make sense for their own safety … while we put into place processes that they may be able to access in the future,” the official said.
The incoming Biden administration is being preemptively criticized for their soft stance on the issue of illegal immigration, following <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/biden-prioritize-legal-status-millions-immigrants/507-c4b881b3-06fe-4248-92f4-30fe560e41ac">reports</a> that “Biden will announce legislation his first day in office to provide a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants in the United States illegally,” and his “<a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/nidhiprakash/biden-deportations-immigration-activists">campaign promise</a> to stop all deportations for 100 days.” 
In addition, critics have pointed out that the sudden reemergence of migrant caravans corresponds precisely with Biden’s electoral victory, announcement of upcoming policies, and calls for those considering the journey to “wait.”
There are two primary factors which should concern both sides of the aisle regarding such forms of mass migration from Central America. The first is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. Customs and Border Protection acting Commissioner Mark Morgan attempted to dissuade those considering or attempting the journey, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-team-to-migrant-caravan-now-isnt-a-good-time-try-coming-later">saying</a> that “The dangerous journey both puts you in harm’s way and endangers the lives and health of those in the US and regional countries through the potential spread of Covid-19.” Given Biden’s consistent promises to fight against the spread of the pandemic, enabling such mass movements of people in close proximity seems to counter such goals.
The second factor is the often ignored issue of the physical safety of the migrants. The route north towards the United States border is incredibly dangerous, with <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/least-4-000-migrants-way-u-s-have-died-or-n944046">NBC News</a> reporting in 2018 that “at least 4,000 migrants” had died or gone missing in the last four years. 
“While migrants everywhere face risks, the Mexico route holds the added danger of drug trafficking and gang violence,” the report continues. “More than 37,000 people have gone missing throughout Mexico because of this violence, with the highest number in the border state of Tamaulipas, through which many migrants cross.”
With Biden’s administration openly signaling that United States border and illegal immigration policy is likely to change in 2021, it is highly probable that such dangerous attempts to travel north will continue for those desperate to escape poverty and violence. However, if Biden is truly concerned about COVID-19 or the safety of those making the journey, his policies are likely to achieve the opposite.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Ian Haworth is an Editor and Writer for The Daily Wire. Follow him on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/ighaworth">@ighaworth</a>.

Migrant Caravan

Biden’s Immigration Policies Will Spark The Return Of Migrant Caravans

Migrants

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Thousands of Honduran migrants are heading to the U.S. as boundaries between countries in Central America have been reopened amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/virus-outbreak-honduras-immigration-guatemala-central-america-e57f00bb6f19dc971bcd6502f1db934e">reported</a> Friday that around 2,000 Honduran migrants had entered Guatemala as part of a caravan heading for the U.S. border. Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei said he would detain the migrants and send them back to Honduras, calling the caravan a health threat due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“The order has been given to detain all those who entered illegally, and return them to the border of their country,&#8221; Giammattei said, according to the AP. “We will not allow any foreigner who has used illegal means to enter the country, to think that they have the right to come and infect us and put us at serious risk.”
The migrants were supposed to be registered as they crossed into Guatemala, but the caravan pushed their way past the limited number of Guatemalan police and soldiers and entered the country. The AP reported that a 15-year-old who traveled with his three friends and neighbors was looking to live the “American dream” and hoping to support his 6-month-old son who was back in Honduras.
“There’s no work. The necessity strangles you,” he told the outlet.
The AP reported that at least one migrant had already died within the first hours of the caravan crossing into Guatemala. The person “tried to climb aboard a moving flatbed trailer, but fell under its wheels,” the outlet reported.
Social media chatter planning a new migrant caravan reportedly began weeks ago with the planned departure date set as October 1.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, migrant caravans were fairly prominent in 2018 and 2019 until the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year. In January 2019, The Daily Wire’s Emily Zanotti <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/again-hundreds-hondurans-set-new-migrant-caravan-emily-zanotti">reported</a> that a caravan of nearly 1,000 departed Honduras to reach the U.S. It was just the latest in numerous caravans that had traveled to the U.S. in 2018. Another caravan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/more-new-migrant-caravan-has-formed-and-headed-us-emily-zanotti">formed</a> in March 2015. In October 2018, a migrant caravan <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/migrant-caravan-refuses-offer-mexican-asylum-work-emily-zanotti">refused</a> to accept an offer from the Mexican government to stay and work in that country. In November 2018, a migrant caravan was reportedly planning a “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/migrant-caravan-planning-human-stampede-america-joseph-curl">human stampede</a>” to get President Donald Trump’s attention.
“Some 6,000 migrants have gathered in Tijuana, Mexico, across from San Diego, Calif., in the last couple of weeks. The Trump administration says as many as 10,000 could arrive in the next weeks or months. Most are sleeping in the streets or camped out in makeshift tents,” The Daily Wire’s Joseph Curl reported at the time.
Mexico began cracking down on the caravans in April 2019, arresting “hundreds” of migrants to keep them from continuing north.
“This is the second wave of mass detentions. The first came last week near Mapastepec, after the Mexican government closed a visa office there and demanded the migrant caravans turn around and return home or face arrest and deportation,” Zanotti reported at the time.

Migrant caravan

Another Migrant Caravan Is Heading For The U.S. Border

Immigration

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) blamed United States citizens on Monday for many of the poor conditions in the Northern Triangle countries.
While speaking to a crowd at the College of Charleston in South Carolina, O’Rourke stated that he stands with the people of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras commonly referred to as the Northern Triangle of Central America, while they are experiencing issues that he said the United States is in part responsible for causing.
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The number of Guatemalans, Hondurans, and Salvadorans attempting to cross over America’s southern border and into the country has skyrocketed in recent years as the region is plagued with corruption, drug trafficking, and gang violence. A series of civil wars in the 1980s have left the region with a legacy of violence, which O’Rourke contends is due to American involvement.
“[It is] violence which we are somewhat to blame for — the civil wars that we’ve been involved in, the drug trade that we’ve facilitated, the war on drugs that has militarized and hollowed out their civic institutions from their home countries,” O’Rourke preached to the crowd.
Accordingly, the Northern Triangle countries are consistently <a href="https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/insight-crime-2016-homicide-round-up/">ranked among the most violent</a> countries in the world. In 2015, El Salvador had the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/02/el-salvador-gang-violence-murder-rate-record">highest murder rate</a> of any country not at war, which was attributed to the surge in the country’s gang violence.
The Democratic presidential hopeful, however, didn’t just blame the United States for the region’s high crime and unstable governmental institutions, but also for an ongoing drought in Guatemala which has led to a nationwide famine.
“Guatemala [is] suffering from the greatest droughts in recorded history,” O’Rourke said. “[It is] caused not by God, not by mother nature, but by you and me and all of us and our emissions, our excesses, our inaction in the face of the facts, and the science, and the truth.”
The drought has reportedly contributed to the record number of migrants fleeing Central America with the hopes of resettling in the United States.
While President Donald Trump has made combating the flood of illegal border crossings a keystone of his presidential platform, O’Rourke has not only embraced illegal immigration, but has made it a focus of his 2020 campaign.
Accordingly, O’Rourke has claimed to oppose open borders, but he has repeatedly called for the removal of a physical barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border. He referred to Trump’s request to fund a wall as an “expression of our smallness, our meanness, our fear to the rest of the world.”
In May, the former Texas congressman <a href="https://betoorourke.com/immigration/">unveiled a sweeping policy proposal</a> that would overhaul the U.S. immigration system and create a pathway to citizenship for an estimated 20 million illegal immigrants.
O’Rourke received backlash during his failed 2018 Senate run for not clarifying his positions on a host of related issues, despite immigration and border security being the top issues for voters in Texas. However, his ‘Beto for Texas’ website put forth that the way to improve border safety is to “ensure that we are maximizing the potential from everyone … [and] treating each other with respect and dignity.”

Democratic Presidential Hopefuls Speak At The Iowa AFL-CIO Convention

WATCH: Beto Blames America For The Drought In Guatemala

2020 Election

Beto O'Rourke

On Thursday, President Donald Trump held a rally in Cincinnati, Ohio. The president’s rally comes on the heels of the most recent Democratic presidential debates that took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.
During his speech, the president criticized the way in which Democratic politicians have allegedly governed the &#8220;inner cities.” He once again condemned the mismanagement of Baltimore, stating that the homicide rate in the city is higher than that of several Central American nations:
<blockquote>While Republicans are working every day to build up our country, the rage-filled Democrat Party is trying to tear America apart. The Democrat Party is now being led by four Left-wing extremists who reject everything that we hold dear. No one has paid a higher price for the far-Left’s destructive agenda than Americans living in our nation&#8217;s inner cities. They have paid a dear price. You see what&#8217;s happening; you see our inner cities. We spend billions and billions and billions for years and years and years, and it&#8217;s stolen money, and it&#8217;s wasted money, and it&#8217;s a shame. For decades, these communities have been run exclusively by Democrat politicians, and it&#8217;s been total one-party control of the inner cities – for a hundred years it&#8217;s been one-party control, and look at them. We can name one after another, but I won&#8217;t do that because I don&#8217;t want to be controversial &#8230;
The homicide rate in Baltimore is significantly higher than El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, I believe it&#8217;s higher than – [asks audience] give me a place that you think is pretty bad. Give me a place – the guy says Afghanistan. I believe it&#8217;s higher than Afghanistan in our country. Think of that. I believe we&#8217;ll check the numbers, and if we&#8217;re wrong, they will tell us tomorrow. It’ll be headlines: &#8220;Trump exaggerated.&#8221; I do believe the rate is higher than Afghanistan, yet Democrats, and they&#8217;ve run it for many years, want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on illegal migrants instead of supporting their own struggling communities.</blockquote>
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In 2018, Baltimore’s homicide rate was 51.3 per 100,000 residents, according to a city <a href="https://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2019/08/01/fact-check-baltimore-murder-rate-higher-than-el-salvador-guatemala-honduras/​">CBS affiliate</a>.
In 2017, the homicide rate stood at 55.8 per 100,000 residents, reports <a href="http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Baltimore-Maryland.html">City Data</a>. In 2015 and 2016, it was 55.4 and 51.4, respectively. Between 2008 and 2014, the city’s homicide rate was significantly lower, averaging 35.2 per 100,000.
According to the <a href="https://www.osac.gov/Content/Report/d1222be6-4e5d-461f-912c-15f4aec90b02">Overseas Security Advisory Council</a> (OSAC), El Salvador’s 2018 homicide rate stood at 50 per 100,000 residents. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, the nation’s homicide rates were 103, 81, and 60, respectively.
From January through November of 2018, Honduras’ homicide rate was approximately 40 per 100,000 residents, according to <a href="https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/insight-crime-2018-homicide-roundup/">InSight Crime</a>. It was 42.8 per 100,000 in 2017.
In Guatemala, the homicide rate was 22.4 per 100,000 residents in 2018, according to <a href="https://www.insightcrime.org/news/analysis/insight-crime-2018-homicide-roundup/">InSight Crime</a>. It was 26.1 per 100,000 in 2017.
President Trump is correct when he suggests that the homicide rate in Baltimore is higher than in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. As for Afghanistan, the president is also correct. According to <a href="http://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.VIOLENCEHOMICIDEv">World Health Organization</a> (WHO) data, as recently as 2016, the homicide rate in Afghanistan was 7.4 per 100,000 residents.

WATCH: Trump Claims Baltimore Homicide Rate Higher Than Central American Countries And Afghanistan

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Donald Trump

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