Friday, September 27, 2024
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Former El Salvador president to confess new crime

by the El Reportero’s wire services

 

Former Salvadorean President Antonio Saca, imprisoned for embezzling US$301 million during his term, is confessing on Friday a bribe in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Saca, who was president for the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance party, agreed to a new abbreviated process with the Attorney General’s Office and is making his confession before the Ninth Court of Instruction, which already sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

The founder of the ruling Great Alliance for National Unity party will confess that he paid about US$10,000 to an employee of the First Civil Chamber in exchange for information on his trial for illicit enrichment.

Judicial sources state that Saca negotiated two years in prison for confessing this crime, which would be added to the 10 years he is already serving in La Esperanza prison, better known as Mariona.

Former First Lady Ana Ligia de Saca also sought to confess the money laundering crime in exchange for passing the process free, but the Attorney General’s Office requires him to return US$17 million and the defense denies he has them.

 

Brazil negotiates free trade agreement with Mexico

The Brazilian government announced on Tuesday that it had begun negotiations for a free trade agreement with Mexico, a pact that would be between the two biggest economies in Latin America.

The two countries began formal talks this week and it is hoped that the South American country will be able to increase trade with Mexico, mainly in agricultural products, Marcos Troyjo, special secretary for Foreign Trade and International Affairs at Brazil’s Ministry of Economy, told reporters.

He explained that the exchanges are part of his government’s efforts to open up its economy and be able to negotiate with all countries.

The announcement comes after a free trade agreement between the two countries for the import of automobiles and auto parts came into force in mid-March.

The decree was signed in 2002 and since March there have been no barriers to trade in this sector.

Brazil certified another automotive agreement with Argentina, which provides for free trade in vehicles from 2029.

At the end of August, Brazil, as a member of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), endorsed a free trade pact with the European Free Trade Association, made up of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

This year Mercosur and the European Union reached a free trade agreement after 20 years of negotiations, although it has yet to be corroborated in the congresses of the committed nations.

 

Mexican Senate to Approve Law against False Invoices

The Mexican Senate will vote next Tuesday on a reform of the law that toughens sanctions against ghost companies and the sale and use of false invoices to evade the treasury, spokesmen for that chamber announced today.

By equating this illicit within organized crime and considering it as a national security offense for threatening the country’s financial stability, senators satisfy one of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s demands.

So far the opinion has been approved only by Morena senators and their allies of the Workers Party and Social Encounter, which are the majority, but the important thing is that it be endorsed by all members.

The proposal establishes that tax fraud in general is considered organized crime, so those who are accused of this crime will have informal pretrial detention.

Leaders of the Nicaraguan peasant movement visit SF Bay Area

Compiled by the El Reportero’s staff

 

Nicaraguan Human Rights Advocates from The Movimiento Campesino de Nicaragua will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area on their way to The Human Rights Conference at the Organization of the Americas (OAS) to inform and update the community about the human rights crisis in Nicaragua.

The leaders of the Movimiento Campesino de Nicaragua have been on the upfront of the resistance movement for more than seven years in opposition to law 840, which mandates the appropriation of farmworkers and indigenous lands for the construction of an interoceanic canal.

During the civil uprising of April 2018, the Movimiento Campesino supported the protests and many of its leaders were illegally arrested and sentenced to 256 years in prison but were recently released under an amnesty for crimes they never committed. At the moment the national leader of the movement is Medardo Mairena, who himself was sentenced to 256 years for his political involvement against the regime of Daniel Ortega.

After a press conference on Thursday, Sept. 12, a memorial mass (in memory of the victims of the regime’s violence) will take place at 6 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m.- cultural event and a forum and photo exhibition on the actuality of the Nicaraguan Human Rights crisis. Translation will be provided. The event will take place at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 3215 Cesar Chavez, SF.

Medardo Mairena, National Leader of the Movimiento Campesino de Nicaragua will be the keynote speaker at a protest/demonstration on Friday, Sept. 13 at 5:30 p.m., at the corner of 24th and Mission Streets.

 

The John Santos Sextet at the Mitchell Park Community Center

Afro-Cuban-Puerto Rican cultural music activist, John Santos, will be performing with Giovanni Hidalgo and the special presentation of saxophonist Melecio Magdaluyo.

John is known as a keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame steeped in Cuban and Puerto Rican folkloric traditions as well as salsa and Latin jazz. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Mission District amidst an extended family of Puerto Rican musicians, he’s been at the center of the Bay Area’s Latin music scene for nearly four decades, and was one of SFJAZZ’s first four Resident Artistic Directors in 2013.

On Sept. 13, from 8 to 10:30 p.m., at Mitchell Park Community Center, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, Calif. For more info call 650-305-0701.

This is an event organized by Earthwise.

 

Cine Latino brings the best in Latino films on 2019

In just a couple of weeks Cine+Mas SF presents the 11th San Francisco Latino Film Festival with over 90 films including shorts, features, and documentaries. There are 12 documentary features, 14 narrative features, and nine shorts programs to choose from. Most features are San Francisco premieres with a few US and West Coast premieres in the mix.

Most films only screen once. Screenings take place at the Alamo Drafthouse, the Opera Plaza Theaters and the Roxie Theater where we will be opening. Additional screenings at the ATA and Eastside Cultural Center.

A beautiful biopic about Carlos Acosta, a legendary ballet dancer from Cuba who became the first black principal dancer with the Royal Ballet of London. The film is directed by Catalan filmmaker Iciar Bollain (Event The Rain, The Olive Tree).

The 11th San Francisco Latino Film Festival presented by Cine+Mas SF runs from Sept. 20-29. Opening Night at Roxie Theater.

Environmental film section, guest filmmakers at most screenings- feature docs and shorts. Premieres with filmmakers in town: Tattoo of Revenge, Quinceañera, Bathroom Stalls & Parking Lots, Bring Me an Avocado; Carlos Almaraz Playing with Fire (Richard Montoya, director).

Provocative documentaries; Decade of Fire– when local government plays a role in gentrification; Councilwoman– in the year of the woman see a Dominican immigrant, hotel housekeeper run for political office; a profile on Carlos Almaraz – prolific Mexican-American artist made a mark on the art world and put a spotlight on Chicano art.

Fun documentaries like Amigo, Skate and Santa Lives in My Town. Skateboarding in Cuba and guys that make a living as Santa Claus in Argentina.

Sept. 20-27 Roxie Theater

Sept. 20-22 at ATA.

Sept. 20 Opening Night Party at Amado’s 998 (Valencia & 21st St.)

Sept. 21 at Alamo Drafthouse

Sept. 24 at Opera Plaza Cinemas

Sept. 28 Eastside Cultural Center (Oakland)

Sept. 29 Closing Night Party (TBD).

Raquenel releases new single If You Don’t Like What I Am

The talented actress and singer surprises with ranchera music

 

by the El Reportero’s news services

 

The renowned and talented vocalist and actress Raquenel releases a new and simple video “If You Don’t Like What I Am” at the mariachi beat.

After a successful career in the world of music, theater and television, Raquenel, María Raquenel, whose real name is María Raquenel Portillo Jiménez, ventures into the genre with her single that premiered on Sept. 4 on all digital platforms.

Characterized by its unique vocal skills, Raquenel shows again the unique and intoned nuances of her powerful and seductive voice in a genre that has not yet been able to spread or promote female talent.

If You Don’t Like What I Am, it is authored by Enrique Coqui Navarro and produced by renowned producer and music programmer Eduardo León and the Morena Music record label. The theme, according to Raquenel, “is a song that is not only personal to me and the insecurities that I have overcome in my life, but also aims to promote acceptance and self-esteem, especially in the world we live in, which is increasingly superficial and more antagonistic against people who do not meet certain physical standards dictated by society, ”concluded Raquenel.

Currently, Raquenel continues to work on more themes of the same musical cut and on September 14 he will be performing at The Space in Las Vegas for the Divas Mexicanas show next to Carmen Jara.

 

Mexican impressionist artist Francisco Toledo dies at 79

The famous Mexican artist known for incorporating pre-Columbian techniques, images of shamanist animals and political iconoclasm into his work, and who was a prolific cultural philanthropist in his native Oaxaca, died on September 5. He was 79 years old.

The president of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, announced the death on Thursday on Twitter, calling Mr. Toledo “a true defender of the nature, customs and traditions of our people.” No further details were given.

The paintings, drawings, prints, collages, tapestries and ceramics of Mr. Toledo were largely inspired by his indigenous Zapotec heritage prior to the Spanish conquest of the 16th century. Insects like grasshoppers and animals like alligators, monkeys and tapirs, which Mr. Toledo found in his childhood, appear in his works as symbols and metaphors of everything from sex and fertility to a dying natural landscape.

Toledo first emerged in the world of international art in the 1960s, but his celebrity flourished especially in Oaxaca, where he was “El Maestro”, considered a legend for his strong cultural patronage, his prolific production and his aversion to fame That only increased it. His paintings, prints, drawings, sculptures, tapestries, ceramics and vibrant and often funny photographs are based on his indigenous Zapotec heritage, as well as American expressionism. In reviewing his watercolors in the March 1987 edition of Artforum, Ronny Cohen wrote: “Only a sensibility in tune with the magical aspects of art […] can produce the fantasy of such an unforced and irrepressible character”.

He was recognized with the Princess of Asturias Award, the National Science and Art Award (1998) and the Right Livelihood Award (2005).

Toledo has works in the Museums of Modern Art in Mexico, Paris, New York and Philadelphia, in the New York Public Library, the Tate Gallery in London and the Kunstnaneshus in Oslo, to name a few.

Beginning of U.S. Slavery

by Walter E. Williams

 

The New York Times has begun a major initiative, the “1619 Project,” to observe the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery. It aims to reframe American history so that slavery and the contributions of black Americans explain who we are as a nation. Nikole Hannah-Jones, staff writer for The New York Times Magazine wrote the lead article, “America Wasn’t a Democracy, Until Black Americans Made It One.” She writes, “Without the idealistic, strenuous and patriotic efforts of black Americans, our democracy today would most likely look very different — it might not be a democracy at all.”

There are several challenges one can make about Hannah-Jones’ article, but I’m going to focus on the article’s most serious error, namely that the nation’s founders intended for us to be a democracy. That error is shared by too many Americans. The word democracy appears nowhere in the two most fundamental founding documents of our nation — the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Instead of a democracy, the Constitution’s Article IV, Section 4, declares, “The United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government.” Think about it and ask yourself whether our Pledge of Allegiance says to “the democracy for which it stands” or to “the republic for which it stands.” Is Julia Ward Howe’s popular Civil War song titled “The Battle Hymn of the Democracy” or “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”?

The founders had utter contempt for democracy. James Madison, the acknowledged father of the Constitution, wrote in Federalist Paper No. 10, that in a pure democracy “there is nothing to check the inducement to sacrifice the weaker party or the obnoxious individual.” At the 1787 Constitutional Convention, delegate Edmund Randolph said, “that in tracing these evils to their origin every man had found it in the turbulence and follies of democracy.” John Adams said: “Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There was never a democracy yet that did not commit suicide.” U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall observed, “Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos.”

The U.S. Constitution is replete with anti-majority rule, undemocratic provisions. One provision, heavily criticized, is the Electoral College. In their wisdom, the framers gave us the Electoral College so that in presidential elections, heavily populated states could not run roughshod over sparsely populated states. In order to amend the Constitution, it requires a two-thirds vote of both Houses, or two-thirds of state legislatures, to propose an amendment, and requires three-fourths of state legislatures for ratification. Part of the reason for having a bicameral Congress is that it places another obstacle to majority rule. Fifty-one senators can block the wishes of 435 representatives and 49 senators. The president, with a veto, can thwart the will of all 535 members of Congress. It takes a two-thirds vote, not just a majority, of both houses of Congress to override a presidential veto.

In addition to not understanding our Constitution, Hannah-Jones’ article, like in most discussions of black history, fails to acknowledge that black Americans have made the greatest gains, over some of the highest hurdles in the shortest span of time than any other racial group in mankind’s history. The evidence: If black Americans were thought of as a nation with our own gross domestic product, we’d rank among the 20 wealthiest nations. It was a black American, Gen. Colin Powell, who headed the world’s mightiest military. A few black Americans are among the world’s wealthiest. Black Americans are among the world’s most famous personalities.

The significance of this is that in 1865, neither a slave nor a slave owner would have believed that such progress would be possible in less than a century and a half, if ever. As such, it speaks to the intestinal fortitude of a people. Just as importantly, it speaks to the greatness of a nation within which such progress was possible, progress that would have been impossible anywhere else. The challenge before us is how those gains can be extended to a large percentage of black people for whom they appear elusive.

Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University.

 

VICTORY! Court rules Gov’t must refund millions in red light camera fines

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR;

 

Dear readers:

 

This article comes to fit me perfectly, since it is what I have said to so many people, that they can fight and win a ticket issued by a red light camera, for being unconstitutional. And why is that? some would question me. I always responded: because the Constitution of the United States – the Sixth Amendment, I believe – says that you, the accused, have the right to confront the accuser at the witness stand. In this case, when you’re given a red light ticket by a camera, then, how can you confront your accuser? Bingo! You win the case. This is the victory Matt Agorist is writing about in the article below. – Marvin Ramírez.

Tens of millions may soon be refunded to drivers who’ve been extorted through the city’s unconstitutional red light camera system

by Matt Agorist

 

Take away the political corruption, bribery scandals, increased accidents, and police state issues with Red Light Cameras and we are still left with a system that is rooted in the removal of due process. After the corporatist red light camera industry spread through the nation like a cancer for more than a decade, people are finally beginning to realize their inherently despotic nature. Kind of.

The city of New Orleans is now on the hook to repay more than 200,000 drivers who’ve fallen victim to the city’s entirely unconstitutional red light camera system. Drivers who’ve gotten one of the expensive $110-$150 tickets between the years 2008 and 2010 are now due a refund — plus interest — according to a recent court ruling.

According to WWL:

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal this week upheld an earlier judgment against that city that tickets issued to more than 200,000 drivers are invalid because they were handled by the Department of Public Works instead of the police department.

Ad hoc Judge Robert Burns ruled against the city in 2017 as several similar lawsuits that were consolidated into a class action. The city quickly appealed, arguing that it was within its right to assign tickets to a City Hall agency rather than the NOPD.

But a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit – Chief Judge James McKay III, Judge Paula Jones and Judge Dale Atkins – issued a ruling Wednesday that city’s home rule charter states that “a traffic bureau within the NOPD shall be responsible for enforcing the street regulations of the city.”

Those who’ve been extorted by the unconstitutional red light camera systems should not get their hopes too high, however. The corrupt city officials of New Orleans have a history of breaking the law, ignoring judgments, and refusing to pay them.

However, because these funds are due to individuals and not corporations, Judge Burns ruled that the city “shall immediately refund” the fines and fees to plaintiffs. We shall see.

The reason this is “kind of” a victory is that the money is coming back into the hands of those who were extorted (which is a win) but it is being done so because of a bureaucratic error, not because government had an awakening to the unconstitutional nature of such ventures. Other municipalities like New Miami, Ohio, however, have actually made similar judgments based on the unconstitutionality of red light cameras.

As TFTP reported at the time, after they woke up to the fact that their due process had been entirely removed by Optotraffic — a private vendor allowed to extort citizens with the blessing of New Miami politicians — the people fought back in the form of a class action lawsuit.

As the newspaper reported, a group of three lawyers had filed suit in 2013, arguing that New Miami’s automated ticketing ordinance gave vehicle owners no realistic opportunity to defend themselves against the demand for a payment of up to $180 that arrived in the mail. Optotraffic, a private vendor, sent the tickets to motorists passing through the less-than-one-square-mile town on US 127, a major highway that links Cincinnati with points north.

During that period of Optotraffic extortion, the city robbed drivers of $3,066,523.00. In 2017, after Butler County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael A. Oster Jr.’s ruling, the city was forced to pay back all of it.

“If the government has created an unconstitutional law/ordinance that has taken people’s money without affording them the necessary due process protections, should not justice demand, and the law require, restitution of that money to the people?” Oster asked at the opening of his ruling. “Once the complexities of the law are analyzed, the answer is simple: Yes.”

The city attempted to fight the ruling of the state’s second highest court for more than a year. However, the case was so cut and dry that the Ohio Supreme Court chose not to intervene.

This ruling set by the court is a precedent that should be used by towns across the United States to give people their money back who’ve been extorted by these due process-removing red light camera companies.

 

Herbs for reducing inflammation naturally

by Zoey Sky

 

The human body protects itself against infections and wounds via a bodily function called inflammation. However, various conditions can cause this condition to remain elevated, which can lead to tissue damage. Thankfully, herbal remedies like ginger and turmeric can naturally reduce inflammation.

There are different non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that can help minimize inflammation in the body. However, they aren’t 100 percent effective. These drugs are also associated with many side effects, such as:

  • Appetite loss
  • Constipation
  • Diarrhea
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Rash
  • Vomiting

NSAIDs can also cause severe side effects like bleeding, kidney failure, and ulcers.

Science-backed benefits of anti-inflammatory herbs

Instead of risking your health with NSAIDs, you can take herbal remedies that contain natural anti-inflammatory compounds.

Ginger

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a tropical plant that is commonly used in traditional medicine because of its anti-inflammatory properties. According to a study published in the journal Pain Medicine, many of ginger’s constituents can reduce the production of cytokines and the activity of cyclooxygenase enzymes that promote inflammation. Ginger’s anti-inflammatory can also help address some conditions, like arthritis and pain.

You can purchase either fresh or dried ginger root. Ginger is also sold in the form of capsules, tablets, or teas. (Related: Mullein: This versatile herbal remedy has many amazing health benefits, from reducing swelling to treating inflammatory diseases.)

Green tea

Green tea is made from the leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Studies have revealed that the beverage offers many benefits, like promoting weight loss. It is believed that green tea’s anti-inflammatory properties are behind some of these specific health benefits.

A separate study published in the journal Life Sciences showed that a component of green tea could disrupt processes that cause inflammation in individuals with arthritis. Multiple studies have also shown that green tea can also address inflammation in those with metabolic disorders.

Green tea can be consumed as either a hot or cold drink. You can also purchase capsules, creams, and tablets that contain green tea.

Turmeric

The roots of Curcuma longa is harvested, dried, and powdered to produce a spice called turmeric. This spice contains curcumin, a chemical that may have anti-inflammatory properties.

The curcumin content of turmeric isn’t very high. It’s only about three percent, by weight. The majority of studies on turmeric use extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages that often exceed one gram per day.

It can be difficult to reach these levels just using turmeric as a spice when preparing food. To reap the full effects of turmeric, you need to take a supplement with a significant amount of curcumin. Curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream, but it helps to consume black pepper with turmeric.

Black pepper contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by a whopping 2,000 percent. Effective curcumin supplements contain piperine, which significantly boosts their effectiveness.

According to a study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food, turmeric can help minimize inflammation and discomfort experienced by individuals with arthritis. It is believed that curcumin also helps limit the production of cytokines, the molecules that cause inflammation.

You can purchase turmeric in the form of capsules, extracts, pastes, tablets, and teas.

Keep in mind that studies about anti-inflammatory herbs often use highly concentrated forms of these natural remedies. Researchers also isolate certain compounds, like curcumin from turmeric. The effects may differ when taking different forms of the remedy, such as teas or capsules.

Precautions when using herbal remedies

Always consult a physician before you start taking herbal remedies to address inflammatory conditions, especially since these remedies may interact with certain medication.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health considers ginger, green tea, and turmeric generally safe. However, these herbal remedies may cause potential side effects, such as:

  • Abdominal discomfort
  • Diarrhea
  • Gas
  • Gastrointestinal problems
  • Heartburn
  • Liver problems
  • Sleep problems

If you have been diagnosed with certain inflammatory health conditions, consuming herbal remedies like ginger, green tea, or turmeric can help reduce inflammation.

Activists fight on several fronts against Trump government’s “public charge” regulations

Pro-immigrant experts argue that families should evaluate whether or not they abandon certain benefits, as this could be unnecessary and counterproductive

 

by Pilar Marrero

Ethnic Media Services

 

Immigrants who fear using certain public services because of a new “public charge” rule change issued by the Trump administration should not rush into leaving their families without assistance because, in the long run, this could be counterproductive to the family’s health and even legal status, activists and attorneys said Thursday.

The sweeping rule change, scheduled to take effect Oct. 15, will allow the government to consider the use of food stamps, housing subsidies and Medicaid to claim that an immigrant is a public charge on his or her application for residency or change of visa.

“We recommend talking to an immigration attorney, preferably from a community organization, before deciding whether to use or stop using any public service,” said Amanda Lugg, director of the African Services Committee, a human services organization based in Harlem, New York.

Lugg, like other health leaders, has begun training her staff to advise the community on what steps to take for the new changes.  In the face of the tremendous fear expressed by so many immigrants regarding this change, she recommends that they evaluate very carefully whether or not it is in their best interest to stop using services that can be crucial to maintaining the health of their families.

“If you have a medical condition and not have health insurance, or are disabled by chronic illness, the best thing you can do for you and your family is to regain health, find a job, and get ahead,” Lugg said. “By the time you have to apply for your green card, the government of this country may have changed or the public charge regulations may no longer exist.”

While battling the new regulation, activists have launched an educational campaign to counter fear in the affected community.

During a teleconference organized by Ethnic Media Services and the National Immigration Law Center’s (NILC) Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign, health care leaders and legal experts agreed that the regulation “has the potential to cause enormous damage to the health of immigrant and minority communities.”

They indicated, however, that the community should not act hastily in abandoning public programs, although they reported that unfortunately this began to happen even before the regulation was officially announced.

“Since the preliminary regulation was announced last year, our staff at health centers were able to feel the fear of the community and see customers returning their WIC checks or wanting their names removed from our databases,” said Lisa David, president of   Public Health Solutions in New York City, an organization that provides social services to vulnerable communities.

WIC, a food program for women and children, is not even included in the rule announced on Aug. 12, but every time the issue of public charge was in the news or a step in that direction was announced, “the number of people requesting the help dropped in our clinics.”

The activists emphasized that many programs are not included in the rule and that, in any case, it is not retroactive, it does not apply to those who applied for a change of visa or residence before October 15 of this year or to Medicaid, SNAP or Section 8 benefits received before that date.

They also recalled that none of this will affect people who already have legal residency who seek citizenship, naturalized asylum seekers, or survivors of domestic violence or crimes who have received a T or U visa, for example.

The final “public charge” regulation was announced on August 12 by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and it expands the programs and factors that will be considered when deciding whether an applicant for a visa or green card has been or may become a public charge.

“Previously, only cash assistance programs counted in defining who could be a public charge,” explained Connie Choi, Director of NILC’s Immigrant Family Protection Campaign. “The new rule now includes the use of other programs such as SNAP, Section 8 (housing subsidies) and Medicaid, among other factors such as health, age, income, and so on.”

Children under the age of 21 who use Medicaid as well as pregnant women and new mothers who access this health program are exempt from the rule.

Meanwhile, these groups are battling legally and politically against Donald Trump’s government to minimize the effect of the new “public charge” regulation, delay or impede its implementation.

There are now half a dozen lawsuits against the rule, and a lawsuit filed by NILC on August 15, just three days after the final rule was issued, requests the suspension of the rule based on constitutional violations and damage to the public health system.

“The regulation would dramatically reform our nation’s legal immigration system, adding a wealth requirement focused on racial animus,” the activist said. “To pass this test, only a family of four making more than $65,000 annual income would be safe. We estimate that 26 million families will be affected.”

Los Angeles Congresswoman Judy Chu said the executive rule contradicts previous U.S. Congressional decisions not to include non-cash services in the public charge immigration test and pointed out that this is one more of the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrants.

“This regulation puts a price tag on entry into this country, and at the same time it will make it harder for immigrant families to progress in this country,” Chu said. “It is ironic that the goal is to separate families, since immigrants ask for less public aid if they have families to support them. Staying together has been and continues to be a guarantee of success for immigrant families. ”

Chu has introduced a bill (HR 4422) with 92 co-sponsors that would prevent the use of federal funds to implement this regulation.

Thu Quach of Public Health Solutions, an Asian and Pacific community-focused health organization based in Oakland, said all the work the groups are doing to educate the community, including providing immigration legal advice, “takes resources away from health care.”

“All of this diverts resources that would have to be used in patient care and has an effect on the health system, the community and the organization,” Quach said.

Migration to US reduced by 56% between May and August: Foreign Affairs Secretary

Mexican National Guard played a key role in ‘a successful deployment’

 

The government reduced migration through Mexico to the United States border by 56% between May and August, Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday.

Ebrard told reporters at the presidential press conference that the reduction in the number of migrants “is a result of diverse measures that the government has taken in compliance with Mexican immigration law.”

They include the deployment of the National Guard to step up enforcement against undocumented migrants, a measure to which Mexico agreed in June as part of a deal with the United States to end a threat to impose tariffs on all Mexican goods.

The number of people detained by the U.S. at its southern border dropped from 144,266 in May to 63,989 in August, according to information presented to reporters.

Ebrard said that 25,451 National Guardsmen have been deployed to the north and south of the country to stem the flow of undocumented migrants, highlighting that there have only been seven official complaints about their operation.

“The National Guard has participated in a very distinguished way…We only have seven complaints at the [National] Human Rights Commission. In other words, it’s a successful deployment,” he said.

Ebrard said that 2,186 migrants traveling in semi-trailers towards the northern border have been “rescued” and that more than 1,000 people have been charged with human trafficking or people smuggling offenses.

The foreign secretary also spoke about the implementation of Mexico’s development plan in Central America.

With limited resources, Mexico has shown that jobs can be created in countries such as Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, Ebrard said. Job creation “is better than any other policy” to reduce migration, he added.

President López Obrador pledged in July to give US $90 million a year in development aid to the three Northern Triangle countries of Central America, where Mexico is supporting reforestation programs that are expected to generate tens of thousands of jobs.

López Obrador has consistently argued that stimulating economic and social development in Central America and southern Mexico is the best way to reduce migration to the United States.

Ebrard, who will discuss Mexico’s efforts to curb migration with United States officials in Washington D.C. next week, said the government is committed to supporting development in the region long term.

“Mexico will continue this strategy. I don’t expect a [new] tariff threat because there is a [migration] reduction of 56 percent. We urge the government of the United States to support Mexico’s [development] strategy,” he said.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, President Trump thanked Mexico, the Mexican government and the “great president of Mexico for helping us” to reduce migration.

“They’re helping us in a very big way. Far bigger than anybody thought even possible,” he said.

As part of the bilateral agreement struck in June, Mexico also agreed to accept the return of all asylum seekers that passed through the country as they await the outcome of their claims in the United States.

Official U.S. data on illegal crossings at the Mexico-United States border will be released next week, acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said.

Source: Notimex (sp), Milenio (sp). 

 

AMLO celebrates sweeping away the corruption of the past 30 years

Five presidents used their time in office to loot the wealth, charges Mexico’s López Obrador

 

President López Obrador has declared that there is “zero corruption” in the federal government as a result of his dedication to “sweeping away” what has developed over the past 30 years.

Speaking at an event on Friday at the Matehuala Rural Hospital in San Luis Potosí, López Obrador railed against his predecessors, declaring that the past five presidents from Carlos Salinas de Gortari to Enrique Peña Nieto used their time in office to loot the country’s wealth.

On the same day as he denounced the excessive spending of the Peña Nieto government on supplies for the presidential plane, the leftist leader accused past presidents of reckless extravagance, claiming that they squandered public money on things such as luxury toilet paper and overseas junkets.

López Obrador also took aim at past governments’ “forgiveness” of the tax debt of large companies and the nation’s wealthy, charging that public coffers were deprived of 400 billion pesos (US $20.5 billion) in revenue during the administrations of Peña Nieto and Felipe Calderón alone.

“A famous bank didn’t pay taxes while farmers, doctors, nurses and workers did,” the president said.

Under his administration, tax debt forgiveness has been eradicated, López Obrador declared using a colorful colloquialism to make his point.

“There is zero corruption” in the cabinet and government departments, the president said, adding that citizens now need to follow his example and put an end to – or “sweep away” – the “cancer” that afflicts Mexico more broadly.

López Obrador cited his government’s crackdown on fuel theft as one of the big challenges it inherited from past administrations, which he claimed tacitly approved the crime and even factored in the revenue losses it caused.

The president claimed that on his watch, petroleum theft has declined 95% from 80,000 barrels per day to 4,000.

As a result, 50 billion pesos (US $2.6 billion) that would have been lost had theft levels remained the same will flow into government coffers, López Obrador said, pointing out that the amount is higher than the entire annual budget of the state of San Luis Potosí.

Source: Milenio (sp) 

 

El Chapo says assets should go to Mexico’s indigenous peoples

Former cartel boss says money belongs to Mexico, not US: lawyer

 

by the El Reportero’s wire services

 

Convicted drug trafficker Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán wants his money to go to Mexico’s indigenous communities, a lawyer for the former Sinaloa Cartel leader said on Wednesday.

José Luis González Meza said that his client told his mother and sisters via telephone that he was aware that the United States was seeking to seize US $14 billion of his assets.

Guzmán “said the money doesn’t belong to the United States but to the government of Mexico,” the lawyer told a press conference.

González added that “El Chapo” expressed his full support for his wealth to be returned to Mexico on the condition that President López Obrador distribute it to indigenous communities.

The announcement of Guzmán’s wish came two and a half months after López Obrador said that his government would seek to seize the former drug lord’s assets.

To that end, the Senate is proposing the creation of a binational commission to negotiate the return of assets seized from Guzmán and any other Mexican criminals who are tried and convicted in the United States.

The president said on Thursday he liked the idea. “. . . it looks good to me. I applaud the announcement.”

González also said yesterday that he is seeking Guzmán’s repatriation to Mexico. He was extradited to the United States in January 2017 and found guilty on trafficking charges in February.

During his 11-week-trial, jurors heard tales of grisly killings, political payoffs, high living and a massive drug-smuggling operation that resulted in huge quantities of cocaine and other drugs crossing Mexico’s northern border.

At a sentencing hearing in July, federal Judge Brian Cogan handed down a prison term of life plus 30 years and ordered the 62-year-old former narco to forfeit US $12.6 billion, an amount that represents the total amount of illegal drugs the jury determined he shipped to the U.S.

Guzmán is now incarcerated is the so-called “Supermax” prison in Florence, Colorado, the United States’ most secure penitentiary.

Source: EFE (sp) 

 

Former Mexican police officers request million-dollar compensation

Thirteen former Mexican policemen implicated in the disappearance of the 43 student teachers of Ayotzinapa, released without charges in an irregular manner, are now demanding millions in compensation, denounced the Governor of Guerrero, Hector Astudillo, on Friday.

Astudillo called on judges to act in accordance with the law and the seriousness of the acts, in the face of the imminent release of another 50 alleged perpetrators.

This Friday it was reported that in Iguala, search teams have recorded the disappearance of 1,200 people since 2010.

The former officers are demanding compensation from the municipality of Iguala of 13 million pesos for lost earnings, revealed Mayor Antonio Jaimes Herrera, who warned that the figure could skyrocket, leaving the city in ruins, if more officers are exonerated.

The release of Gildardo Lopez, ‘El Gil,’ from the Altiplano prison, by decision of Judge Samuel Ventura, has aggravated this chaotic situation, with the expected release of fifty more police officers and civilians who will also demand compensation, search groups emphasized.

Astudillo condemned the exoneration of El Gil, the main suspect in the case, and recognized leader of the United Warriors hitmen, responsible for hundreds murders, and urged the authorities to halt the releases.

 

International child pornography raid shocks Panama

Panamanian society woke up reeling this Thursday after learning of the seizure of alleged child pornography material in five provinces during a raid carried out simultaneously in seven countries.

Over 1,100 incriminating pieces of evidence contained in DVDs, computers and other digital media were seized yesterday during the 13 raids in Chiriqui (west), Los Santos and Cocle (center), Panama Oeste and the capital, according to a Public Ministry statement.

The evidence is currently being subjected to expert analysis to determine its link to events.

Despite the substantial material found, so far only one person has been arrested, reported prosecutors involved in the investigations, without mentioning a name or nationality. At a press conference they noted that the arrest took place in the capital neighborhood of Condado del Rey.

 

THIS NOTICE IS TO NOTIFIED that the following bills will be submitted to qualified voters of San Mateo County for a vote on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 at the Consolidated Election of Municipalities, School Districts and Special Districts.

School District Law Initiatives

 

CABRILLO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Parcel Tax Law initiative ___ (2/3 approval required)

 

“To maintain quality education in Coastside schools without raising taxes; preserve strong academic programs in reading, writing, science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics; keep qualified teachers and staff; prepare students for college and jobs; and maintain the safety and protection of schools; Should an initiative of the Cabrillo Unified School District be adopted in order to renew for eight years its tax that is about to expire of $ 150 on parcels for education, raising approximately $ 1,600,000 annually with independent supervision by citizens, exemptions for older adults other people, and that all funds remain in Coastside schools? ”

 

Yes ________

 

Do not _________

 

REDWOOD CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT Parcel Tax Law Initiative ___ (2/3 approval required)

 

“To maintain the quality of education in Redwood City with local funds that cannot be taken by the State, to attract and retain highly qualified teachers; support the quality of reading and writing programs; maintain science, technology, engineering and math instruction; and reduce class sizes in kindergarten and first grade, should the Redwood City School District property tax initiative be adopted for $ 149 per plot for 12 years, raising $ 3,450,000 annually with citizen oversight, exemptions for older adults, and that all funds remain locally? ”

 

Yes ________

 

Do not _________

 

Also, it is NOTIFIED that the main arguments in favor or against the aforementioned law initiatives may be presented in writing to the Registration and Elections Division, 40 Tower Road, San Mateo, CA 94402. for printing and distribution to voters, pursuant to the provisions of the California Election Code, until 5:00 PM of August 16, 2019. The refutation arguments of the authors of said main arguments can be documented in the same way until 5:00 P.M. of August 26, 2019.

 

Printed arguments submitted to voters will be entitled either “Argument in favor of the Law Initiative ___” or “Argument Against the Initiative of Law ___”, and “Refutation of the Argument in Favor of the Law Initiative ___” or “Refutation of the Argument Against the ___ Law Initiative” respectively.

 

All the arguments related to the aforementioned law initiatives must have attached the following model declaration, which must be signed by each author and proponent, if these were different, of the argument:

 

The undersigned proponent (s) or author (s) of the ___________ (main / rebuttal) argument ___________ (in favor / against) of the Law Initiative ___ on the Ballot of the _____________________________ (name of the election) for the _____________________________ (name of the jurisdiction) to be held on _______________ (date of the election), hereby declares (n) that said argument is true and correct to the best of your knowledge.

 

Signed

 

Date

 

__________________________

 

__________________________

 

__________________________

 

__________________________

 

The main arguments should not have more than 300 words. Only one argument in favor and one argument against each bill will be selected to be printed and distributed to voters. The arguments may not carry more than five signatures.

 

The authors of the main arguments for or against each law initiative can write and present rebuttal arguments that do not exceed 250 words. Authors may authorize in writing any other person or persons to write, present, or sign the rebuttal argument. The refutation arguments may not carry more than five signatures.

 

Likewise, it is NOTIFIED that an inspection period of 10 calendar days will be established for the public review of said arguments. During that period, any registered voter, qualified to vote with respect to the bill, or the election official, may request a court order or injunction that requires that some of the material or all of the material be amended or deleted. The period of revision of the main arguments for or against the initiatives of law on the ballot will begin at 5:00 PM. from August 16, 2019 and will end at 5:00 P.M. on August 26, 2019. The period of revision of the rebuttals to the main arguments in favor or against the bills on the ballot will begin at 5:00 P.M. of August 26, 2019 and will end at 5:00 P.M. of September 5, 2019.

 

Also, it is NOTIFIED that the Voting Ballots by Mail and the Provisional Ballots already marked for the Election to be held on Tuesday, November 5, 2019 will be tabulated in the place indicated below:

 

San Mateo County Registration and Elections Division 40 Tower Road San Mateo, CA 94402

 

Likewise, it is NOTIFIED that in such election the voting places will be open from 7:00 A.M., until 8:00 P.M., on the same day.

 

Dated: August 16, 2019

 

/F/

 

Mark Church Chief Election Officer and Appraiser-Clerk-County Recorder

 

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