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A direct link exists between criminal organizations and illegal immigration, former federal prosecutor Josh Jones says.

Jones, now senior fellow in border security at Texas Public Policy Foundation, joins The Daily Signal Podcast to discuss his recent report, Joined at the Hip: Organized Crime and Illegal Immigration. Jones explains how gangs and other criminal groups in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala lead illegal immigrants to the border and often exploit the migrants for their own profit.

Also on todays show, we read your letters to the editor and share a good news story about a foster child who was adopted by his teacher.

Listen to the podcast below or read the lightly edited transcript.

Virginia Allen: I am joined by Josh Jones, a senior fellow in border security at the Texas Public Policy Foundation and a former prosecutor with the US Department of Justice. Mr. Jones, thank you so much for being here.

Josh Jones: Thank you for having me, Virginia.

Allen: Today, we are talking about a subject that is on the minds of many, many Americans, and that is immigration, illegal immigration. And you have just recently authored a study called Joined at the Hip: Organized Crime and Illegal Immigration. So lets begin by talking about what role criminal organizations and gangs do play in illegal immigration.

Jones: Sure. So theres a distinction between transnational gangs and transnational criminal organizations. The transnational gangs, or what we refer to as transnational gangs, are gains that come out primarily of El Salvador, and MS-13 and 18th Street are the two primary gangs.

Those gangs control territory in what we call the Northern Triangle countries, which are Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. And oftentimes the reason that migrants join these caravans or move up toward the United States using a smuggler is because of the violence caused by the transnational gangs in their home countries.

Then, as you move into Mexico, obviously there are cartels, or what we call transnational criminal organizations. And these are much larger, much more complex criminal organizations that function more like businesses or corporations. They too control territory throughout Mexico.

As migrant caravans come north, they tax the traffickers to move the caravans through their territory. And oftentimes theres some interplay, too, at the U.S. border, where the transnational criminal organizations will use the migrant caravans to further their drug trafficking operations getting into the United States.

So, basically, every step of the way from the southwest border down to the Northern Triangle, youre pretty much on territory either controlled by gangs or by cartels.

Allen: So, these individuals in countries that you mentionedEl Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemalatheyre wanting to leave their country because of the violence. But then in turn, the same individuals who are responsible for furthering that violence are also the ones that are really, deeply entrenched in a part of this process of individuals migrating and getting across the border illegally, correct?

Jones: That is correct. And its not just violence, its economic opportunity. They see economic opportunity in the United States that they dont have down there, but those two things are intertwined in Central Americathe economic opportunity, or the lack thereof, and the violence or the lack of security in those countries.

Allen: How do local law enforcement and government officials interact with these criminal groups, with these gangs? I mean, do they have any power to stop the violence? Do they try to engage to stop the violence?

Jones: In Latin America, the criminal justice systems are not very well-developed. Theyre far behind what we have here in the United States.

And oftentimes corruption is a huge, huge problem down there, particularly when were talking about those countries, particularly in Honduras and Mexico, and to a lesser extent, also in Guatemala and El Salvador.

So the criminal justice systems really are not capable of controlling the violent crime that the gangs perpetrate down there. And in El Salvador, for example, instead of trying to take enforcement action against MS-13, the government actually negotiates with the gangs in order to reduce violence. Its not a great scenario. Its not a great long-term solution to a crime problem.

Allen: Wow. You mentioned that economic impact, but talk a little bit more about how that organized crime does directly impact the economic opportunity of a single mom or a family thats just trying to make ends meet.

Jones:Sure. So, as I said, these gangs control territory in the Northern Triangle countries, and what theyll do in their territory is actually tax the people who are trying to live there.

So in addition to being taxed by their federal governments down there, theyre also taxed by the gangs that control their territories. And the economic development is way behind what we have here in the United States, so the job markets really not there to support the populations down there.

So theyre kind of in a situation where its really hard to find jobs, and for those who can find jobs, they are taxed by the local street gangs. So oftentimes the reason to come to the United States is just, A, to avoid gangs, and B, to come to a place where they can actually find a job.

Allen: Wow. What happens if those individuals cant pay the taxes that are demanded of them, of these gangs?

Jones: Its oftentimes that the gangs resort to violence. They resort to extortion, kidnapping. They do wherever they can to squeeze money out of the people in their territory.

And another thing, too, that I think in El Salvador, and I think also in Honduras, the biggest part of their gross domestic product is actually remittances coming from the United States.

So theyll have family members in the United States that have migrated either legally or illegally, and the migrants will send money down to their family members in El Salvador, and oftentimes thats money used to pay the local gangs so that the gangs will leave them alone.

Allen: Yeah, yeah. So I want to understand a little bit more about kind of the journey that these individuals take as theyre seeking to get to the U.S. You mentioned this in your piece, but could you explain a bit about the difference between smuggling and trafficking? And do we know percentage wise how many illegal immigrants are being smuggled over the border versus trafficked over?

Jones: So when I use those words, in this case, the immigrants that move by smuggling or by hiring smugglers are those who will pay, theyre typically a very small organization, trafficking organization, that theyll pay anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000, usually to be moved from Central America up into the United States.

And the people that are paying the smugglers have connections throughout that route, so they can make it possible. And these days, they can almost guarantee entry, especially if its an undocumented child coming across, because the Biden administration is letting all the undocumented children aliens come into the U.S.

A trafficker, on the other hand, typically is moving people involuntarily. And so they would be your sex traffickers, the people who are in the business of forced labor. And so they are oftentimes more intertwined with the criminal organizations along that route, particularly in Mexico.

Allen: OK. And for those arriving at the border right now, were seeing that thousands of migrants are arriving at our southern border daily right now, how many of those people used a criminal organization to get them to the border, worked with a criminal organization?

Jones: Well, in a way, theyre all criminal organizations. The smugglers are moving people into the country illegally and theyre profiting from it. So in a sense, they are criminal organizations as well. And most of them are being smuggled across.

Most of them are hiring trafficking organizations to use their connections to smuggle them up to the border, and then to instruct them on how to best get across the border, which sometimes involves just coming in and crossing the bridge and claiming asylum, and sometimes it means trying to go across the Rio Grande River, or sometimes it means just going through open desert.

Allen: And how much are these individuals paying the smuggling groups to get them across? Is there some exchange of goods, services?

Jones: Usually if were talking about a smuggling group, its a flat fee, and weve heard that that fee can run anywhere between $2,000 or $3,000, up to $10,000, and that normally the price fluctuates by where the migrant is originating.

So if a migrant comes from outside Central America, oftentimes migrants from Asia trying to get to the United States will first come to Central America or South America, and then be moved up, move themselves up in a caravan or by using a smuggler.

If youre Asian, youre paying over $10,000. Youre paying upwards of $20,000 or $30,000. If youre Central American, where, obviously, they probably cant afford that, theyre paying much less.

And kind of the dark side of it too is that when migrants cant pay, thats when the smugglers or the traffickers find other ways of making money off of them, which is where sex trafficking comes in or forced labor comes out.

Allen: OK. I know in your study you also talk a little bit about how these individuals are often used for drug trafficking. Could you explain that?

Jones: Sure. There are some scenarios that weve heard kind of anecdotally from drug traffickers themselves or from people who have seen this or have experienced this, the Border Patrol guys.

At times when theres a very large migrant caravan moving up through a cartels territory, theyll instruct the caravan to go in one direction, and the [Customs and Border Protection] in that area is going to be directed toward the caravan coming up in one area, and then theyll move drug shipments in an opposite area, in a different area where they know that the Border Patrol officers are not going to be there.

In other cases, weve heard of the drug trafficking organizations on the border working with the migrants, coming up with the smugglers, where they will allow them to go through, but theyll instruct them to carry backpacks, or mochila is the Spanish word for it.

And the backpacks will be full of methamphetamine, or cocaine, or heroin, and then theyll tell them once they get to the United States, to go to a certain point at a certain time and hand the drugs or the backpacks over to one of the people in the United States.

Allen: Lets talk a little bit about solutions. Right now, we are looking at a crisis at our border. So what actions should the Biden administration take today to keep migrants from entering the country illegally?

Jones: I think the short term, most important thing that the Biden administration can begin to do better is just messaging.

Through the Biden campaign, when he was running for president, he was using words like amnesty, and he was essentially using a vernacular thats going to signal to Central America that if hes elected president, this is going to be time to come up because the gates are going to be open. The borders going to be open.

So that actually started before he became president. Once he becomes president, one of the first things he does is undo a lot of President [Donald] Trumps immigration policy, which in a lot of ways was pretty sensible. And so that furthers that message, echoes that message that the borders open, the gates are open, come on up.

And then [Homeland SecuritySecretaryAlejandro] Mayorkas here, this past Sunday, began to change the messaging a bit by saying, The border is closed. Its not time yet. And they still used the word yet, which would indicate there will be a time in the future when it would be OK for them to come up.

Again, the messaging is just not strong enough, that the border is not in fact open, and that in fact, the border never will be truly open, but in the sense that people will be able to come into the United States unaccounted for. I think that messaging has to become stronger and more consistent from the Biden administration.

And looking kind of forward, one thing that they could do, [President Joe] Biden could do, that they have talked about is create a process for handling asylum claims in Central America so that the migrants dont have to make that very dangerous journey up to the United States to file. They can file asylum from where they are.

Very few asylum claims from Central America get granted, but if theyre in the 5% or 10% that do get granted, then that can be handled where they are. And if they are granted asylum, then they can make that journey up to the United States, knowing that when they get to the border, theyll be allowed to cross.

I think long term, the solution is to work with the Central American countriesand Biden has talked about doing thisto improve security down there, to reform the criminal justice systems, to make it safer to live in those countries, so that fewer people will be wanting to leave to come to the United States.

One thing that I disagree with is kind of the direct payments to the countries. Hes proposed, essentially, a $4 billion point check that hes trying to send to Central American countries, and the problem is that these are very corrupt governments down there.

Allen: Yeah.

Jones: I think a better approach would be to incentivize investment by U.S. corporations down there so that we can try to get kind of capital down into Central America, so that our corporations can create jobs down there and start to build their economy that way.

Allen: Yeah. I was going to ask you about that because, ultimately, it seems like that would be the solution, is to strengthen these nations so that individuals dont want to leave, so that they can support their family, so that they can feel safe, so that they can really provide, have jobs, and the best way to do that, we so often see, is through industry, through creating those economic opportunities.

Jones: I think thats absolutely the long-term solution, is to build up Central America. And again, the Biden administration is talking in the right way in that regard, but I dont think direct payments to corrupt governments is going to get it done.

I think we have to find creative ways of getting U.S. companies to go down there and invest, and to build their resort industry. Tourism is going down in those countries. Those types of things are what will bridge the gap between where we are and where they are in a way that should reduce the problem of illegal immigration from Central America in the future.

Allen: Yeah. So if America continues right now on the trajectory that its on, and thousands of illegal immigrants continue to arrive at our southern border and be released into the country, who, ultimately, are the winners and losers of that scenario?

Jones:Well, the winners are the criminal organizations that either forced them up and/or profit from them along the way.

So the cartels in Mexico that are taxing the caravans as they come north are profiting. The smugglers themselves, obviously, or the traffickers themselves are profiting. The sex trafficking industry is going to profit from it.

Its essentially kind of the worst parts of our society are doing well when we have immigration crises like we have right now.

Allen: Wow. Mr. Jones, I so appreciate the work that you are doing on this issue. Youre really on the forefront of it. Tell us how our listeners can follow your work and keep up with what you all are doing down there in Texas.

Jones: Sure. So, Im a senior fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, which is the largest state-oriented policy foundation office. Obviously, we do a lot of work that covers the entire country and we do work in Washington, D.C., as well. But the websites http://www.texaspolicy.com.

There are several fellows in addition to me that are doing work in this area. We have livestreams twice a week, and were publishing and getting the word out as much as we can. This is a crisis, and there are reasonable solutions to the crisis.

Allen: Well be sure to link your report, Joined at the Hip: Organized Crime and Illegal Immigration, in todays show notes. But we so, so appreciate your time and all the work that youre doing on this issue.

Jones: Thank you.

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Illegal Immigration Linked With Organized Crime, Border Expert Says - Daily Signal - Daily Signal

First Lady Jill Biden attended a ceremony Wednesday honoring the birthday of Mexican American socialist and labor union icon Cesar Chavez in Delano, California, where Chavez first raised awareness about working conditions for farmers in the late 1960s.

Its an interesting move by Jill Biden since, unlike todays left-wing activists, Chavez was a lifelong advocate for tight borders and vehemently opposed illegal immigration.

He even set up a wet-line, which was a human barrier at the southern border. Thearmed bands of union men, led by Chavez ex-convict cousin Manuel Chavez, would physically attack Mexicans when they tried to cross the border, beating and robbing them as a warning to other illegal workers.

He justified these actions because he wanted to protect working-class, legal American union members from illegal aliens, who were loosening the labor market. It is for this reason that Chavezs birthday is celebrated by some as National Border Control Day.

This puts Jill Biden in an uncomfortable situation, given her husbands disastrous border and immigration policies have created a surge of illegal immigrants at the border, which in turn means an ongoing labor, national security, and human rights catastrophe.

Indeed, President Joe Biden incentivized an unprecedented number of migrants to cross the border from the moment he took office by signing a slew of immigration-related executive orders. The orders ended many Trump-era policies and programs that discouraged illegal immigration.

[Bidens] orders, combined with strong messaging and rhetoric from Biden and other Democrats, that migrants claiming asylum should be allowed into the country, created powerful incentives for migrants, most of them from Central America, to get across the border,writesThe Federalists John Davidson.

It isnt just the border crisis that would have Chavez rolling in his grave. The Biden Administration also backed, and the Democratic House passed, anindentured labor program for illegal farmworkers, tying them to the fields for four to eight years a move with serious humanitarian and labor market consequences.

Biden should feel ashamed, not just on Chavezs birthday, but every time he sits in the oval office with Chavez bust sitting right behind him. The activists legacy should serve as a reminder that the border crisis Biden created will only serve to hurt low-wage earning American workers the exact people Chavez dedicated his life to protecting.

Evita Duffy is an intern at The Federalist and a junior at the University of Chicago, where she studies American History. She loves the Midwest, lumberjack sports, writing, & her family. Follow her on Twitter at @evitaduffy_1

Photo a href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cesar_chavez_crop.jpg>Wikimedia Commons/Photoa href=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jill_Biden_-_48244022622.jpg>Wikimedia Commons/Photo

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Jill Biden Honors Illegal Immigration Opponent Cesar Chavez As Human Rights Disaster Rages At The Border - The Federalist

There is a crisis at the southern border brought about by President Bidens reversal of Trump administration enforcement policies, combined with a resumption of the "catch and release" policy that gives apprehended illegal aliens exactly what they want access to the interior of the country. As my colleague Art Arthur and I have previously written, the parents are active participants in the current unaccompanied alien children (UAC) smuggling scheme.

This observation is neither new nor novel. As federal district judge Andrew Hanen noted in 2013 during the Obama-administration-fueled UAC crisis:

This is the fourth case with the same factual situation this Court has had in as many weeks. In all the cases, human traffickers who smuggled minor children were apprehended short of delivering the children to their ultimate destination. In all cases, a parent, if not both parents, of the children was in this country illegally. That parent initiated the conspiracy to smuggle the minors into the country illegally. He or she also funded the conspiracy. In each case, the DHS completed the criminal conspiracy, instead of enforcing the laws of the United States, by delivering the minors into the custody of the parent living illegally in the United States.

Arthur argued that the parents who are most likely already in the country unlawfully are funding the smuggling of their children to the border, and it is long past time for the U.S. government to prosecute them.

In light of the revelation that the Biden administration is not requiring FBI fingerprint background checks on the adult caregivers being hired at emergency Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) sites that house UACs, I will go a step further than Arthur and calling for prosecuting the U.S. government for its complicity in human smuggling.

This is not hyperbole. As Laura Nodolf, the district attorney in Midland, Texas, where HHS opened an emergency site in March, warned about the lack of thorough fingerprint vetting, We truly do not know who the individual is who is providing direct care. She added, Thats placing the children under care of HHS in the path, potentially, of a sex offender. [The Biden administration is] putting these children in a position of becoming potential victims.

These same concerns are applicable to the sponsors to whom HHS subsequently releases UACs after processing. In the absence of thorough vetting, there is no telling how many bad actors are posing at relatives to gain custody of UACs to further the human smuggling operation.

Under U.S. immigration law, human smuggling is a serious offense. An alien who at any time knowingly encouraged, induced, assisted, abetted, or aided any other alien to enter or to try to enter the United States in violation of law is inadmissible. Similarly, an alien is removable if he or she encouraged, induced, assisted, abetted, or aided any other alien to enter or to try to enter the U.S. in violation of the law at time of any entry or within five years of any entry. Thats not all;substantial criminal penalties (prison time and fines) also apply (to citizens or aliens) under section 274 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, depending on the specifics of the alien smuggling.

Whether the Biden administration is hand-delivering UACs to their illegal alien parents or callously exposing UACs to human smugglers themselves, it is irrefutable that the U.S. government has become a key partner in a cruel international human smuggling operation. Consequences should attach to this illegal and harmful behavior.

Here is the original post:
It's Time to Talk About Alien Smuggling and Prosecuting the US Government - Immigration Blog

Staff Report

The responsibilities, of the Office of the Attorney General, are to serve as legal counsel to all boards and agencies of state government, issue legal opinions when requested by the Governor, heads of state agencies, and other officials and agencies as provided by Texas statutes.

The Texas AG sits as an ex-officio member of state committees and commissions and defends challenges to state laws and suits against both state agencies and individual employees of the State.

Many Texans look to the Office of the Attorney General for guidance with disputes and legal issues. The agency receives hundreds of letters, phone calls, and visits each week about crime victims compensation, child support, abuse in nursing homes, possible consumer fraud, and other topics.

To find out more about the Texas Attorney General, visit the official website at https://texasattorneygeneral.gov/.

AG Paxton: Illegal Immigration Costs Texas Taxpayers Over $850Million Each Year

AUSTIN As the border crisis caused by President Bidens policies surges illegal immigration and escalates criminal activity, Attorney General Ken Paxton stands committed to upholding the law and protecting Texans.

In his January lawsuitthat halted the Biden administrations unlawful 100-day freeze on deportations, Attorney General Paxton uncovered hundreds of millions of dollars that Texas taxpayers involuntarily spent onillegalaliens every year:

Texans are hardworking and generous people, but the cost of illegal immigration is an unconscionable burden on the taxpayers of our great state. If we use the minimum estimated costs for services Texas provides to unlawfully present and undocumented aliens, taxpayers are shelling out an estimated $855 million every year, said Attorney General Paxton. Texas will always welcome those who legally immigrate, but we cannot continue forcing taxpayers to foot the bill for individuals who skirt the law and skip the line. I will continue to fight for justice, safety, and prosperity for all Texans.

AG PaxtonFiles LawsuitDefending States Against Shocking Costsof Illegal Immigration

AUSTIN Attorney General Ken Paxton led a 14-state coalition before the United States Supreme Court in defense of the public charge rule, a federal law prohibiting immigration by aliens who are likely to rely on taxpayer-funded government programs.

Previously, an Illinois county and a left-wing non-profit sued the Trump Administration, challenging the public-charge rule, and the court blocked its enforcement.

The United States Supreme Court agreed to hear a case regarding the rule, but President Biden refused to defend.

Texas sought to defend the rule in the Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and was denied. Subsequently, Texas filed this lawsuit with the Supreme Court.

Texas taxpayers are forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars every year to sustain the services our state must provide to illegal aliens. Without the public-charge rule, our Medicaid budget and other vital services will explode and be spread too thin, costing taxpayers millions more and reducing the quality of service we can provide, said Attorney General Paxton. President Biden failed to work through the administrative rule-making process and left Texas, along with our neighboring states, vulnerable. This is a shameless attempt to unravel common-sense immigration policies favored by a strong majority of Texans, and it cannot stand.

Read a copy of the filing here.

AG Paxtons Law Enforcement Round-Up

The Fugitive Apprehension Unit made several noteworthy arrests last week.

Galveston CountyTodd Francis Swartz was arrested in Galveston on March 19. Swartz had an outstanding warrant for Continued Sexual Abuse of a Child, issued by the Galveston County Justice of the Peace (Precinct 2). Swartz attempted to flee the state to avoid prosecution at the time of his arrest. The Unit made the arrest while working with the Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force.

Smith CountyTomas DeJesus Cardona was arrested in Flint on March 23. Cardona had an outstanding warrant for Aggravated Kidnapping Bodily Injury/Sexual Assault issued by the Longview Police Department. The Unit made this arrest while working with the Joint East Texas Fugitive Task Force, Texas Anti-Gang personnel, Smith County Sheriffs Office K-9-Unit, and the Longview Police Department Narcotics Unit.

Bell CountyMarcus Lynell Earls was arrested in Temple on March 24. Earls had outstanding warrants for six counts of Indecency with Child Sexual Contact and one count of Aggravated Sexual Assault issued by the Victoria County Sheriffs Office. This case originated in Houston and investigative leads traced Earls to the Central Texas area. The Austin Fugitive Unit followed up on the request for assistance, which led law enforcement to several counties, including Williamson and Bell. After a collaborative effort by both Units, Earls was arrested without incident.

Bexar CountyCharly Angel Carillo-Torreswas arrestedin Live Oak on March 24.Carillo-Torres had outstanding warrants issued by the Brownsville Police Department for Capital Murder, Engaging in Organized Criminal Activity, and Burglary of Habitation with Intent to Commit Other Felonies. The Unit made this arrest while working with the United States Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in San Antonio.

Denton CountyLuis Juarez, an illegal alien from Mexico, was arrested in Flower Mound on March 24. Juarez had an outstanding warrant for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child issued by the Little Elm Police Department.

The Unit coordinated with the Department of Homeland Securitys Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) to place an immigration detainer on the suspect based on the violent charges and suspect history within the states. ICE will file the immigration detainer for deportation.

AG Paxton Commends Fifth Circuit for Upholding the TDCJs COVID-19 Safety Measures

AUSTIN Attorney General Ken Paxton commended the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit for ruling in favor of the COVID-19 protective measures implemented by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ).

TDCJ acted promptly and reasonably to combat this virus by relying on the advice of medical professionals, and Attorney General Paxton credits the Fifth Circuit for recognizing the protective actions taken by TDCJ.

TDCJ took extraordinary measures to protect inmates and staff from COVID-19. I applaud them for their extensive efforts to safeguard inmates health and safety, and I commend the court for recognizing the efficiency of their protocols and the need for flexibility to address changes in our understanding of this virus, said Attorney General Paxton. In light of this global pandemic, I will ensure that Texas will continue to lawfully and professionally implement health safety procedures for those at risk and reliant on the state.

Read a copy of the judgment here.Read a copy of the opinion here.

AG Paxton: Claim Deadline Set for Metals.com, Tower Equity, Chase Metals, and Barrick Capital

AUSTIN Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along withother state regulators and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission,recentlyfiled a joint civil enforcementaction against Metals.com, Tower Equity, Chase Metals, Barrick Capital, and other associated parties for perpetrating a fraudulent precious metals investment scheme. This case allegedly involves 1,600 investors and more than $185 million in customer funds.

My office is fiercely committed to holding fraudsters accountable and pursuing relief and recovery for victims of illegal scams. I will not stand by as companies use deceptive tactics to siphon cash from hardworking Texans, said Attorney General Paxton. Texans who were lied to deserve justice, and they deserve recuperation.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas appointed a Receiver to begin administering the claims process and to distribute the remaining money to defrauded clients.

As part of the process, the Receiver will send correspondence, instructions, and a claims form. Defrauded clients must complete and return their claims forms to the Receiver to participate in the claims process and request a return of the remaining, available money.The deadline to return the claim form is April 30, 2021.

Defrauded clientsshould direct their questions tothe Receiver,KellyCrawford via email atkelly.crawford@solidcounsel.comorby calling214-706-4213.For moreinformation about the claims processplease visitwww.metalsandbarrickcapitalreceivership.com.

TheOffice of the Texas Attorney General can be reached bycalling the Constituent Affairs Division at (512) 463-2100.

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Texas AG Weekly Roundup: Lawsuit filed defending states against shocking costs of illegal immigration Corridor News - San Marcos Corridor News

By TPN, in Algarve, Crime 01-04-2021 01:00:00 0 Comments

At the time of going to press, the PSP had detained three people in the incident. Hugo Marado from the PSP said that there were indications that the detainees were part of a larger group, with officials suspecting a total of 16 people, allegedly from Morocco, although the authorities highlighted that this does not mean that they all arrived on the same vessel.

According to Hugo Marado, it was the three detainees who reported that the group was composed of 16 people, which led the police authorities to raise their alertness, especially in the eastern Algarve.

"Within our patrol we are being especially attentive, but we have no idea of the locations where they can be found," he acknowledged, adding that the case had been reported to the Castro Marim Police and Customs Cooperation Centre.

On 29 March, the authorities detained three people in Vila Real de Santo Antnio, in the district of Faro, who had allegedly landed illegally on a beach in the municipality, after the local Maritime Police detected an abandoned vessel on the beach of Santo Antnio.

The small vessel, detected early in the morning, contained cans for fuel and evidence of food, which led the Maritime Police to report the situation to GNR, PSP and the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF).

According to Hugo Marado, in the middle of the morning, a patrol of the PSP in Vila Real de Santo Antnio spotted three men in the city "with an air of fatigue, disorientation and with wet clothes", with only one of them having documents, but not authorisation to enter Portugal. The three were later detained for illegal entry and permanence in national territory.

We believe that they came on a larger vessel and were then placed on a smaller vessel. It does not seem to us that a vessel like that is capable of making the entire journey, said the authorities.

If confirmed to be illegal immigration from North Africa, this was the seventh landing on the Algarve coast since the end of 2019.

Between December 2019 and December 2020, 97 migrants landed in the Algarve on six vessels, all of them undocumented and allegedly from the same location, the city of El Jadida, in Morocco, located on the country's Atlantic coast, 700 kilometres from the Algarve.

Some of these migrants tried to apply for asylum, but were denied, some are still being processed, and most were ordered to be expelled from the country.

See the article here:
Suspected illegal immigrants missing in Algarve - The Portugal News