At Least 20 People Killed After Cartel Shootout Near Southern Border

A caravan of gunmen in pickup trucks launched a military-style attack on Saturday in the northern Mexican town of Villa Unión, less than 50 miles away from Eagle Pass, Texas, Mexican government officials said. The gunmen shot at government municipal offices and other buildings, and footage from the attack showed smoke rising from the city amid the hour-long firefight.

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Derek Maltz Joins the Tennessee Star Report to Talk Cartels, Corruption, and Accountability

In a special interview Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined by Crom Carmichael in-studio as they both welcomed Derek Maltz who was in charge of the US DOJ DEA/Special OPs division up until 2014.

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Despite Strict Gun Control Laws, Evidence Proves It’s Failing in Mexico

Live from music row Wednesday morning on The Tennessee Star Report with Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Leahy was joined in studio by all-star panelists, Crom Carmichael and Norm Partin to speak about Beto O’Rourke’s recent calls for gun-grabbing in the United States.

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Mexico Has Deployed 15,000 Troops to the Border, Is Now Detaining Illegal Migrants

by Matt M. Miller   Mexico has deployed 15,000 soldiers and National Guardsmen at the U.S.-Mexico border and is detaining migrants who attempt to illegally cross. The Mexican government’s actions aim to meet President Donald Trump’s demands that the country help slow the influx of migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico, AFP reports. “We have a total deployment, between the National Guard and army units, of 14,000, almost 15,000 men in the north of the country,” Mexican Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said at a press conference. Sandoval confirmed the governing is now detaining migrants at the border, AFP reports. “Given that (undocumented) migration is not a crime but rather an administrative violation, we simply detain them and turn them over to the authorities” at the National Migration Institute, he continued. Earlier this month, Mexico committed to deploying 6,000 National Guardsmen to its southern border to control immigration, but only a fraction have actually been deployed, according to the New York Times. Trump gave Mexico an ultimatum last month, threatening to place a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports starting on June 10 unless illegal immigration from Mexico into the U.S. was stopped. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador expressed…

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Rep. Green Calls for ‘Permanent Solution to the Border Crisis’

  U.S. Rep. Dr. Mark Green (R-TN-07) on Monday called for a “permanent solution to the border crisis.” Green, a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, made his statement in regard to both the Senate and House, which reportedly are working on bills simultaneously to bring humanitarian relief to the ongoing border crisis. According to both a press release and a tweet, Green said, “Whatever Congress passes must include a permanent solution to the border crisis. We must fix our legal loopholes. Via the president’s emergency declaration, we are getting the physical wall built. But we need to build a legal wall by fixing the loopholes.” Whatever Congress passes must include a permanent solution to the border crisis. We must fix our legal loopholes. Via the president's emergency declaration, we are getting the physical wall built. But we need to build a legal wall by fixing the loopholes. https://t.co/bPr4wduKTC — Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) June 24, 2019 The report that Green referenced was from The Hill, which said President Donald Trump’s $4.5 billion border spending request is facing obstacles in differences between the Senate and House versions. The bills are similar on the amount of funding but differ on…

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Mexico Ratifies Trump’s Trade Agreement

by Shelby Talcott   The Mexican Senate overwhelmingly voted to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Wednesday, making it the first country to do so. U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the deal Nov. 30, 2018, but it was not ratified by any country until Wednesday. Trump helped make and sign the agreement in 2018. USMCA includes rules that call for about 40% of automobile parts be produced by workers who earn a minimum of $16 an hour and more requirements that the parts be made in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, The Washington Post reported. Trump replaced NAFTA with USMCA in an effort to get better deals for U.S. workers. Mexican senators voted 114-4 to ratify USMCA. The treaty only needed a simple majority to pass, according to WaPo. Trudeau also wants to move forward with decisions on the trade deal, but will probably wait until the Trump administration agrees on a deal with Democrats, WaPo reported. The United States is having the most difficult time out of the three countries, as Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hasn’t given a date for the vote. House Democrats are also pushing…

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Mexico Braces for Sudden Influx of Illegal Immigrants Under Trump Deal

by Jason Hopkins   Mexican government officials are bracing to accept more illegal migrants than they likely can handle in order to meet their end of a deal with the Trump administration. As many as 70,000 illegal immigrants in the U.S. are expected to be sent to Juarez in 2019, according to the chief of the Chihuahua State Population Council who spoke to The Washington Post. More than 200 undocumented migrants were booted to the Mexican border town Thursday, doubling the amount from the day before. The number of illegal immigrants sent to Juarez is only expected to keep climbing, with as many as 500 migrants from El Paso, Texas, to begin arriving daily in the next few weeks. The surge of illegal migrants heading out of the U.S. and back to Mexico is a break from past protocol. Mexico has only accepted about 10,000 migrants border-wide in 2019, according to WaPo. However, per an agreement reached with the White House, its government has agreed to accept a dramatically higher number of U.S. asylum seekers, keeping them within Mexican borders while they wait for their claims to be processed in U.S. immigration courts. Mexico has also significantly stepped up immigration…

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The Tennessee Star Report Talks to OANN’s Neil McCabe About Dirty Border Secrets

  On Tuesday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Gill and Leahy talked to One America News Network’s Neil McCabe about the International Boundary and Water Commission’s demeanor towards the We Build the Wall team. McCabe also disclosed how American coyotes help migrants who get immediate legal status go wherever they want to go and receive government subsidies. Near the end of the segment, Gill suggested that it might behoove the team at We Build the Wall to implement a PR strategy preventing opponents from receiving any more ammunition to rail against them. Gill: Neil McCabe from One America News Network is on the line with us as he continues to keep his focus among other things on the build the wall group building that private sector wall on the southern border. And Neil, as the President announces he’s going to start deporting people if the wall’s not up, they’re going to come right back. McCabe:  This revolving door that we set up is absolutely absurd and you know and I think a lot of people don’t appreciate that all of these migrants who are…

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Trump Warns of ‘Phase Two’ If Mexico Deal Doesn’t Adequately Stop Immigration Crisis

by Jason Hopkins   President Donald Trump on Wednesday warned of implementing a “phase two” if the immigration deal with Mexico does not yield satisfactory results. “Now, Mexico is moving 6,000 troops to their southern border. That’s a lot of troops. That’s a lot more — we never even heard of a number like that,” Trump said at the White House alongside Poland President Andrzej Duda. The two leaders met Wednesday for a bilateral meeting. “That’s a lot of troops. But that’s what they want to do because they want to produce. I think Mexico really wants to produce.” The president then made a somewhat ominous warning to the press. “If Mexico does a great job, then you’re not going to have very many people coming up. If they don’t, then we have phase two. Phase two is very tough, but I think they’re going to do a good job,” he said. When asked for clarification on what a “phase two” would entail, Trump repeated it was a “much tougher” phase. The president’s comments follow a major deal reached between U.S. and Mexican officials. In return for the U.S. agreeing not to slap their goods with a 5% tariff, Mexico…

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We Build the Wall Declares End to Standoff With Government Bureaucracy, Which Locks Gate at Private Border Wall

  The private builders of a border wall in New Mexico say their standoff has ended with a government bureaucracy to secure a gate and keep criminals out of the border. We Build the Wall founder Brian Kolfage on Tuesday night posted the last of several updates by press release. He said: The IBWC has decided to close and lock the Border Wall gate we built tonight and every night going forward! They will only be opening the gate at intermittent times during the day as necessary going forward. Further calls to the IBWC are no longer necessary and WeBuildTheWall looks forward to working with them as we continue to secure other segments of the border that they operate on. “Our border wall & gate are secure again and we still have not had a single breach. I want to thank the IBWC for acting swiftly and we look forward to working with you on our future projects!” Kolfage also tweeted. That news was a turnaround from Tuesday morning, when Kolfage announced in a press release that, “yesterday our wall and our nation came under attack by a globalist bureaucracy called the IBWC (International Boundary and Waterway Commission). This group which is half…

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Commentary: President Trump’s Deal with Mexico on Illegal Immigration Proof That Tariffs Work

by Robert Romano   President Donald Trump and the State Department hammered out a deal with Mexico on June 7 that Mexico would do much more to prevent illegal immigrants from crossing the country into the U.S. on the southern border. The last-minute agreement avoided a 5 percent tariff by Trump on goods from Mexico that was set to go into effect on June 10 — and proves that the credible threat of tariffs worked in spite of naysayers who predicted there could be no resolution. The Wall Street Journal editorial board on May 31 confidently predicted, “The first problem here is that Mr. Trump is blaming Mexico for a mess it can’t solve… Perhaps it could better control its border with Guatemala, but the caravans north are often led by gangs that know how to bribe or avoid police.” The Council on Foreign Relations on June 5 complained, “President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico can’t staunch the flow of people from his neighbors to the south.” This is merely a lack of vision. Automatically, Trump’s critics assumed that nothing could be accomplished and therefore nothing should be tried. Also, note all the groveling. They do not put America…

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Mexico Claims Funding for Migrant Caravans Came from Some Accounts in U.S.

  The Mexican government recently claimed that some funding for the “illicit support of migrant caravans” came from individuals within the United States. In a June 6 press release, Mexico’s Finance and Tax Secretariat announced that it has “blocked the bank accounts of various individuals and corporations that allegedly participated in the trafficking of migrants and the illegal organization of migrant caravans.” As Breitbart first reported, the Mexican government identified 26 individuals who made “several questionable financial transactions from the cities of Chiapas and Queretaro during the times that the migrant caravans were moving through those places.” The press release states that “illegal payment for migrant smuggling” came from individuals in El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Cameroon, the United States, and England. Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit froze the accounts of 26 unnamed people for their “probable link with migrant smuggling and illicit support of migrant caravans.” The press release states that complaints have been presented to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office for prosecution. Breitbart points out that the action came at “a time when Mexican officials are meeting with their U.S. counterparts in an attempt to keep the Trump administration from levying tariffs on international commerce as a punitive measure over the…

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Trump Confident New Migrant Pact with Mexico Will Succeed

  President Donald Trump claimed Sunday that Mexico “for many years” has not been cooperative to curb the surge of migrants traveling through it to reach the United States, but believes a new agreement will alleviate the problem. The president warned, however, that “if for some unknown reason” Mexico does not stanch the flow of Central American migrants heading north to the U.S., “we can always go back to our previous, very profitable” imposition of tariffs on Mexican exports sent to the United States. “But I don’t believe that will be necessary,” he added. A deal announced Friday calls for Mexico to dispatch 6,000 troops to its border with Guatemala to halt the flow of migrants, while the U.S. gained new authority to force asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their legal cases in the U.S. are pending. Trump said there is one particular provision of the pact that has yet to be disclosed but will be announced “at the appropriate time.” “There is now going to be great cooperation between Mexico & the USA, something that didn’t exist for decades,” he said on Twitter. “Now I have full confidence, especially after speaking to their President (Andrés Manuel López…

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US, Mexico Reach Deal on Migration, Averting Tariffs

  The United States and Mexico have reached a deal on migration to avert tariffs, but U.S. officials say President Trump retains the authority to impose tariffs if Mexico fails to live up to it. “I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended,” President Donald Trump said Friday on Twitter. “Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States,” Trump said. Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 finance ministers meeting in Japan, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told the Reuters news agency Saturday the U.S.-Mexico immigration deal met President Donald Trump’s objectives of fixing immigration problems on the southern U.S. border, but that tariffs could be imposed if Mexico does not meet U.S. expectations. “Our expectation is that Mexico will do what they’ve committed to do and our expectation is that we won’t need to put tariffs in place,…

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Trump: ‘Not Nearly Enough’ Progress in US-Mexico Migrant Talks

  WASHINGTON — The United States and Mexico hold more talks Thursday about migrant policy as a U.S. deadline looms for Mexico to take more action to control the number of people reaching the border or face tariffs on Mexican goods sent to the U.S. market. If no agreement is reached, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to apply the 5% tariff beginning Monday, with monthly escalations up to as much as 25% by October. “Progress is being made, but not nearly enough!” he tweeted late Wednesday. “The higher the Tariffs go, the higher the number of companies that will move back to the USA!” He added Thursday in comments to reporters, “We’ve told Mexico the tariffs go on, and I mean it too.” Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard, who has led a delegation of negotiators in Washington this week, said after talks ended Wednesday that he remains optimistic the two sides will work out a deal. “What we want to avoid is the impact of the tariffs for the two economies, for the consumers, for the people of both countries,” he told reporters. He said both countries have been able to lay out their positions and that the dialogue…

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Report: Mexico Is Offering Major Concessions to Avoid Trump Tariffs

by Jason Hopkins   The Mexican government is reportedly offering a slate of immigration-related concessions to appease the Trump administration as it seeks to prevent the imposition of tariffs on exports to the U.S. Mexican negotiators are offering to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to its border with Guatemala and enact sweeping changes to its asylum laws, moves that are expected to prevent a significant number of Central Americans from illegally entering the U.S., The Washington Post reported Thursday. President Donald Trump set a June 10 deadline for the Mexican government to demonstrate it would do more to stem illegal immigration from its country, or else face a 5% tariff on all its goods. The threat sparked immediate negotiations between U.S. and Mexican delegations in Washington, D.C. — which are expected to continue for the rest of the week. Mexico, according to two officials who spoke with The Post, agreed to send up to 6,000 National Guard troops to its southern border with Guatemala, a major chokepoint for Central American migrants in their northbound journey to the U.S. That move is expected to immediately yield results in squashing the number of illegal immigrants. Additionally, Mexican negotiators are prepared to…

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Top US, Mexican Officials Meet on Tariffs, Migrant Surge

  Top U.S. and Mexican officials are meeting Wednesday in Washington about President Donald Trump’s threatened 5% tariff on imported products from Mexico if it does not curb the surge of Central American migrants heading north toward the United States. With Trump in Europe for 75th-anniversary commemorations of D-Day, Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are meeting at the White House with Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and other officials. In Ireland, Trump said, “I think Mexico has to step up and if they don’t, tariffs will go on and if they go high, companies are going to move back into the United States.” Trump said Mexico “wants to make a deal,” but that if it cannot stop the migration, “we just won’t be able to do business. It’s a very simple thing. And I think they will stop it… They’ve sent their top people to try and do it. We’ll see what happens today. We should know something.” National security concerns In advance of the talks, a White House official said on condition of anonymity, “Trade and all other aspects of our relationship are critically important, but national security comes first and the White House…

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Trump: ‘More Likely’ Tariffs Will Be Imposed on Mexican Products

  U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that it is “more likely” than not that next week he will impose a new 5% tariff on imported products from Mexico. Trump offered his assessment at a London news conference alongside British Prime Minister Theresa May, even as U.S. and Mexican officials continued talks in Washington about the tariffs and the surge of Central American migrants traveling through Mexico to reach the United States that Trump wants to block. “Mexico should step up and stop this invasion into our country,” Trump said, contending that “millions and millions” of undocumented migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are entering the U.S. to escape poverty and violence in their homelands. “I think Mexico will step up and do what they need to,” Trump said. “I want to see security at our border and great trade.” He said, “We are going to see if we can do something, but I think it’s more likely the tariffs go on [next Monday], and we will probably be talking during the time that the tariffs are on.” Trump has threatened to increase the tariffs monthly in 5% increments if the migration is not curbed. In the U.S., some…

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All About the Wall: The Tennessee Star Report Welcomes Back Neil McCabe from OANN to Speak About New Mexico’s Completion and the Star County Bid

  On Friday’s Tennessee Star Report with Steve Gill and Michael Patrick Leahy – broadcast on Nashville’s Talk Radio 98.3 and 1510 WLAC weekdays from 5:00 am to 8:00 am – Michael Patrick Leahy spoke with special guest and his former Breitbart colleague, Iraq war veteran and current Army Reserve Sergeant Neil McCabe of One America News Network. Back from the border, Washington-based reporter for One America News Network,  McCabe spoke to the team about the We Build the Wall team in Sunland Park New Mexico, Brian Kolfage’s plan to install his purple heart into the wall which was just completed, and how to get Mexico to stop letting people through to the United States by upping the Trump trade game and stop pretending the Mexican government has anything to do with running Mexico. Leahy: Speaking of Mexico, we are joined on the line here now by our good friend Neil McCabe with OANN. And Neil was on the ground in Sunland Park, New Mexico where the We Build the Wall team was building that wall. Neil welcome! McCabe: Hey guys. Good to be with you. Leahy: So, bring us up to speed on the latest of that wall. I…

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Commentary: The Entitled Uninvited

by Pedro Gonzalez   On a Sunday afternoon in May, Etta Nugent found Marco Cobos, a Mexican national, at her doorstep in Houston after his truck had broken down nearby. Cobos knocked and Nugent, described by friends as “gentle soul” and a “good Christian woman,” answered. When Cobos asked her to help him fix his truck, the septuagenarian politely declined, citing her age. Feeling entitled to a different answer, Cobos forced his way into Nugent’s home and stabbed her in the chest. He proceeded to show himself to kitchen to look for “more knives,” he told prosecutors, while his victim lay grievously wounded. As Nugent attempted to flee, Cobos killed her in her home of 50 years, across the street from St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church where she had worshiped for most of her life. With cash stolen from the house, Cobos drove Nugent’s car to an auto parts store to buy a new battery for his truck. He stopped for food before returning to Nugent’s home, where he ate and lounged for hours, helping himself to Nugent’s credit cards, even paying his phone bill with one of them. Nugent’s horrific fate has become all too common in an America…

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China, Tariffs, Trade, Cost and Prices: An Explainer

by Rick Manning   Stock markets go up and down based upon the latest trade rumors. Predictions of price hikes make headlines, yet the inflation rate remains at the levels, 2.0 percent at last count, desired by the Federal Reserve. What is going on?  And is this even really a trade war with China at all, or is it part of something much bigger?  These are questions that should be asked but are often lost to click-bait headlines.  So, here are a few thumbnail answers that will hopefully help you understand what is going on. Question: Are President Trump’s use of tariffs against China part of a trade war? Those who try to put tariffs on goods made in China into this context are deliberately narrowing the real challenge in the economic relations between the U.S. and China. The tariffs are designed to restructure America’s trade relations with China, but when you examine the key demands from the recent attempts to create a new economic partnership with China, they are mostly focused upon protecting patents, ending forced technology transfers to the Chinese government and stopping Chinese currency manipulation which always puts U.S. goods at a competitive disadvantage with Chinese goods. Traditional trade deals…

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Immigration Talks Already Underway as Mexico Rushes to Stave Off Tariff Threat

by Jason Hopkins   Top Mexican government officials are in the United States as they attempt to dissuade the Trump administration from following though on tariff threats. A high-level delegation of Mexican officials, including Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard and Economy Minister Graciela Marquez, held a press conference in Washington, D.C., on Monday. Speaking from the Mexican embassy, the two leaders publicly called on the U.S. to reach a deal with their government instead of resorting to a tariff war. The press conference and meeting come before the two countries are set to kick off official negotiations Wednesday. Mexican and U.S. delegations will try to reach a deal on the immigration crisis before a White House-imposed deadline quickly approaches. The rush to reach a compromise comes after President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a 5% tax on all goods coming from Mexico beginning June 10, unless their government can prove that it is doing more to stop the record-flow of illegal migration running through its borders. Tariffs on Mexican goods, he added, would increase by 5% every month, with the rate reaching as high as 25% by October if Mexico fails to satisfy U.S. demands. Trump on Sunday continued to hammer the country for its perceived inaction…

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Mexico Says It Will Negotiate with US Over Tariff Threat

  WASHINGTON — Mexico’s foreign minister says he has started negotiating with U.S. officials after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexican products related to the migrant surge at the border. Marcelo Ebrard said on Twitter Friday that he had spoken to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo by phone and said face-to-face talks between the two would take place Wednesday in Washington. “The summit to resolve the U.S. dispute with our country will be on Wednesday in Washington,” Ebrard said. “We will be firm and defend the dignity of Mexico.” Earlier Friday, Mexico’s president responded to the U.S. tariff threats with caution urging “dialogue” over “coercive measures.” “I want to reiterate that we are not going to fall into any provocation, but we are going to be prudent, and we are going to respect the authorities of the United States and President Donald Trump,” said Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. His statement Friday morning followed a two-page letter to Trump made public late Thursday, similar in tone, responding to Trump’s announcement on Twitter earlier in the day that the United States would begin imposing an escalating tax on imports from Mexico. “On June 10th, the…

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FAKE NEWS: Viral ‘What Actually Happened’ Meme Misconstrues Facts Surrounding Mexican Soldiers’ Detainment of U.S. Troops

by Brad Sylvester   A meme posted by the Facebook page Sick of the Slant claimed to portray what “actually happened” when two Americans were detained by Mexican soldiers at the southern border.   Verdict: False The version of events alleged in the meme are contradicted by news reporting and statements from U.S. Northern Command. The meme erroneously states that there were only two Mexican personnel involved in the incident, that the Americans were members of the National Guard and that no weapons were pointed at anyone. Fact Check: On April 13, two American soldiers were sitting in an unmarked vehicle on the American side of the U.S.-Mexico border when a group of Mexican soldiers approached and detained them at gunpoint, according to U.S. officials. The Mexicans may have erroneously believed that the Americans had inadvertently strayed into Mexican territory. The story was first reported by Newsweek on April 19 after it obtained a copy of the incident report. President Donald Trump tweeted about the incident April 24, stating, “Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for drug smugglers on the Border.” Mexico’s Soldiers recently pulled guns on our National Guard Soldiers, probably as a diversionary tactic for…

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Commentary: Brutal ‘Coyotes’ Are Slave-Trading Criminals

by Pedro Gonsalez   Migrant women are so likely to be raped by people smugglers (coyotes) on the way to the U.S.-Mexico border that standard procedure is to ingest birth-control before starting the trek. So common is the brutalization of women by coyotes that in smuggling towns along the way pharmacists are at the ready. In one case a woman with a young daughter was left to die in the desert on the way to the U.S. border by coyotes. The reason? She refused to let them have sex with her daughter. The two of them only survived because Customs and Border Patrol agents found them in time. But there are fates worse than death. It is just as easy for coyotes to sell off their human cargo into what essentially amounts to modern-day slavery. In Ohio, for example, four illegal alien minors were found being forced to work on farms under threat of physical violence and without pay – that is, slavery. They were trafficked illegally into the United States from Guatemala. The victimizers of those Guatemalan children were named as follows: Aroldo Castillo-Serrano, Conrado Salgado Soto, Ana Angelica Pedro, Juan Pablo Duran Jr. Not exactly names common to the Midwest. Elsewhere, a 6-year-old illegal alien…

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Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown Joins Bipartisan Group Introducing Bill Sanctioning China for Opioid Trafficking

Democratic Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown joined a bipartisan group of six Senators Thursday to introduce a bill that would sanction any country involved in the trafficking of illegal opioids into the United States. According to the U.S Department of Justice and Drug Enforcement Administration’s 2018 National Drug Assessment, synthetic opioids, specifically fentanyl, secretly created and trafficked into the United States is “responsible for the ongoing fentanyl epidemic.” The majority of these opioids are produced in China and then trafficked into America through Mexico, making these two countries primarily responsible for the current US epidemic. They noted these drugs are “now the most lethal category of opioids used in the United States…Fentanyl suppliers will continue to experiment with new fentanyl-related substances and adjust supplies in attempts to circumvent new regulations imposed by the United States, China, and Mexico.” Because of this, the highest quality of fentanyl carries the street name: “China White.” S.1044. “A bill to impose sanctions with respect to foreign traffickers of illicit opioids, and for other purposes” intent, per the summary message provided by the bill’s sponsors: This targeted sanctions legislation would give U.S. law enforcement and sanctions officials more tools to combat the trafficking of opioids into the…

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Trump Threatens Southern Border Closing ‘Next Week’

by Evie Fordham   President Donald Trump threatened to close the U.S. southern border in a tweet Friday if Mexico “doesn’t immediately stop” illegal immigration into the U.S. “If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug[h] our Southern Border, I will be CLOSING … the Border, or large sections of the Border, next week,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “This would be so easy for Mexico to do, but they just take our money and ‘talk.’ Besides, we lose so much money with them, especially when you add in drug trafficking etc.), that the Border closing would be a good thing!” The DEMOCRATS have given us the weakest immigration laws anywhere in the World. Mexico has the strongest, & they make more than $100 Billion a year on the U.S. Therefore, CONGRESS MUST CHANGE OUR WEAK IMMIGRATION LAWS NOW, & Mexico must stop illegals from entering the U.S…. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 29, 2019 ….through their country and our Southern Border. Mexico has for many years made a fortune off of the U.S., far greater than Border Costs. If Mexico doesn’t immediately stop ALL illegal immigration coming into the United States throug our…

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Sherrod Brown Breaks from Beto Signialing a Divide on Border Wall

It appears there’s a new buzzword in the ongoing debate over the border wall. Sunday, when asked how he felt about former congressman, and potential 202o presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke’s proposal to destroy all existing barriers on the Mexico-US border, Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown refused to concur with his potential 2020 opponent, citing the need for border security, just not a “long wall.” The term “long wall” seems to be the latest pivot for Democrats who have vehemently opposed President Donald Trump’s planned border wall, yet concede that border security needs to exist. This could be the beginning of the latest divide from within Democratic ranks. While no “long wall” currently extends over the entire length of the 2,000-mile border between Mexico and the U.S., there are almost 600 miles of fences, walls, and other barriers that are currently standing. Some of these barriers go back to the Clinton Administration. The majority of these walls were built specifically in areas with high concentrations of drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal entry and assist the understaffed border security agents. Former congressman O’Rourke has asserted that walls kill more people than they save, noting; We know that walls do not save lives. Walls end lives,…In the last ten years,…

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Mexico Closes Migrant Shelter Near US Border

The city government of Tijuana announced Saturday that it has closed a migrant shelter at a sports complex close to the U.S. border that once held about 6,000 Central Americans who hope to get into the U.S. Officials said all the migrants were being moved to a former concert venue much farther from the border. The city said in a statement the sports complex shelter was closed because of unsanitary conditions. Experts had expressed concerns about unsanitary conditions that had developed at the partly flooded sports complex, where the migrants had been packed into a space adequate for half their numbers. Mud, lice infestations and respiratory infections were rampant. Farther from the border The remaining migrants were taken by bus to the new shelter about 10 miles (15 kilometers) from the border crossing at Otay Mesa and 14 miles (22 kilometers) from San Ysidro, near where people line up to file applications for asylum in the United States. Tijuana officials had said earlier that nobody would be forced to move to the new facility, a large building and concrete patio known as El Barretal that was used for concerts and other events until about six years ago. But they also…

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Commentary: Trump Wins the First Battle of San Ysidro

US-Mexico Border

by George Rasley   More than 5,000 phony asylum-seekers arrived from Central America and elsewhere in Tijuana, Mexico after having been transported from their home countries to the U.S. – Mexico border. Last Sunday, hundreds of them marched through Tijuana to assault the U.S. port of entry at San Ysidro. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said four officers were struck with rocks before they fired tear gas at the migrants trying to rush the San Ysidro Port of Entry. But McAleenan said the officers “were wearing protective gear and did not suffer serious injuries.” According to reporting by NPR, Mexican police officers in riot gear stopped many, but those who continued toward the fence met U.S. border agents, who sprayed some with tear gas. Following the incident, the Mexican Interior Ministry said it will deport hundreds of migrants who attempted to “violently” cross the border. On the U.S. side of the border, ABC 10 News San Diego’s Laura Acevedo reported a group called the San Diego Migrant and Refugee Coalition organized the Sunday rally that eventually turned into a march. About 600 people joined the coalition which is made up of 20 migrant support and social justice groups.…

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