South
Border apprehensions hit record low in dramatic turnaround from Biden era
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The southern border has largely gone quiet.
United States Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks posted to X on Friday that southwest border apprehensions hit a monthly record low in July, with only 4,399 apprehensions. For the third month in a row, there have been zero releases.
This is the new all-time record low, beating the prior record low of 6,070 in June.
BORDER CROSSINGS PLUMMET TO HISTORIC LOWS; TRUMP’S ENFORCEMENT POLICIES YIELD BIG RESULTS
A military member watches at the southern border. (Reuters )
In July, it averages out to 141 apprehensions per day at the southern border. At the height of the Biden-era crisis, there were 10,000-plus apprehensions on some days in December 2023.
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The high number of crossings resulted in an intense strain on resources in small border communities for years, as agents struggled to keep up with the demand while also dealing with responsibilities at the legal ports of entry.
In addition, many migrants were bused at the request of some Republican leaders to Democratic-run areas like New York City.
‘TRUMP EFFECT’ TOUTED AS SOUTHERN BORDER NUMBERS STAY LOW, INCLUDING NEW RECORD
The southwest border apprehensions hit a monthly record low in July, with only 4,399 apprehensions. (Border image: Getty / Trump image: AP)
During the Biden administration, the record high was December 2023, with 249,785 apprehensions, the majority of which were released into the U.S. The nosedive in numbers is seen as a major victory by Republicans and the Trump administration.
“The border is secure again — as it should be. Strong policies equal quiet borders,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, posted to X.
At the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, troops were deployed to the border, and the CBP One app that was commonly used for people crossing illegally to claim asylum was shuttered.
NEW DATA REVEALS BORDER CROSSINGS REACH RECORD LOWS AMID TRUMP ADMIN’S CRACKDOWN
The U.S. southern border near El Paso, Texas. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
The app was replaced with CBP Home, which is used for people to self-deport. The Department of Homeland Security has been touting for months an offer to give people $1,000 and free travel outside the U.S. if they have not committed other crimes. Deportation efforts are now underway throughout the U.S., as the administration is honing in on areas with sanctuary policies, with push back from Democratic officials at different levels of Congress.
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Still, border and immigration enforcement is expected to get a resources boost with the recent passage of the Trump-backed spending bill, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Billions were allocated for border security efforts, including to pay back states for costs incurred during the Biden administration, and ICE is now beginning recruitment for thousands more agents they’ve been given the budget to hire.
Atlanta, GA
As FIFA World Cup nears, some MARTA riders raise safety concerns after recent attacks on transit system
Multiple recent attacks on MARTA have some riders questioning how safe they will feel using Atlanta’s public transit system as the city prepares to welcome thousands of visitors for the FIFA World Cup.
The tournament is expected to bring an unprecedented influx of travelers to metro Atlanta, putting additional attention on MARTA’s ability to safely move residents and visitors throughout the region.
Many Atlantans rely on MARTA every day as their primary mode of transportation.
“I ride the system every day to go to work and other places,” MARTA rider Joshua Hudson told CBS News Atlanta.
“It is kind of unsafe on the weekends, but weekdays it’s pretty fine,” rider Kimiya Sawanat said.
Concerns about transit safety intensified after a woman was fatally stabbed aboard a MARTA train on May 30. The attack prompted some riders to question what additional steps MARTA can take to prevent violence, particularly as the city prepares for major international events.
Several riders told CBS News Atlanta they would like to see more police officers stationed throughout the system, especially at high-traffic stations. While they acknowledged concerns about safety, many said they believe MARTA can strengthen its security strategies ahead of the World Cup.
“We have been on the trains when the Braves play, and it is packed, but this is going to be a different level. It is almost like the Olympics all over again,” Hudson said.
MARTA officials said the agency plans to enhance security during the World Cup by utilizing its Emergency Response Center, deploying its mobile command vehicle and increasing officer presence at stations. MARTA also expects support from law enforcement agencies across the region.
“I’m concerned but not worried,” Hudson said. “I think it will be a good time, but we just have to do public safety.”
Augusta, GA
Five Augusta Women’s Tennis Players Honored on PBC All-Academic Team – Augusta University
AUGUSTA, GA — The Peach Belt Conference has revealed the 2026 Women’s Tennis All-Academic Team, previously known as the Team of Academic Distinction. Maria Gento, Andrea Gonzalez, Julieta Palma, Giovana Patrocino, and Camila Taborga from Augusta women’s tennis earned spots on the team. The teams are part of the PBC’s larger initiative to celebrate the academic achievements of PBC student-athletes.
In order to be eligible for the PBC All-Academic Team, student-athletes must meet the following requirements:
1) Participate in at least half of his/her team’s events and be either a starter or significant contributor
2) Achieved a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) and
3) Student-Athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically
Transfer students are immediately eligible once they meet the above requirements. The Peach Belt Conference sports communications professionals oversee the program.
| PBC WOMEN’S TENNIS ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NAME | INSTITUTION | YEAR | HOMETOWN | GPA | MAJOR (MINOR) |
| Maria Gento Sanchez | Augusta | Junior | Santander, Spain | 3.90 | Biology |
| Andrea Gonzalez Sanchez | Augusta | Junior | Saltillo, Mexico | 3.90 | Business Administration- Supply Chain Management |
| Julieta Palma | Augusta | Junior | Cordoba, Argentina | 3.75 | Business Administration-Finance |
| Giovanna Piedemonte Patrocino | Augusta | Junior | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 3.56 | Psychology |
| Camila Taborga | Augusta | Junior | La Paz, Bolivia | 3.52 | Psychology |
| Sofia Lauretti | Columbus State | Redshirt Sophomore | Roma, Italy | 4.00 | Marketing |
| Maria Markosov | Columbus State | Junior | Bradenton, Fla. | 3.78 | Biology |
| Laura Pesickova | Columbus State | Senior | Milevsko, Czezh Republic | 3.75 | International Business |
| Monika Temkova | Columbus State | Junior | Skopje, Macedonia | 3.78 | Psychology |
| Eryka Kruk | Flagler | Senior | Minsk, Belarus | 3.83 | Business |
| Ornella Lomenzo | Flagler | Sophomore | Brussels, Belgium | 3.64 | Business |
| Elena Ondobo | Flagler | Sophomore | Brussels, Belgium | 3.85 | Business |
| Laura Almagro | GCSU | Senior | Marbella, Spain | 3.57 | Exercise Science |
| Rachel Black | GCSU | Sophomore | Valdosta, Ga. | 3.80 | Biology (Business Administration) |
| Natalie Kirka | GCSU | Sophomore | Marietta, Ga. | 3.76 | Mathematics (Business Administration) |
| Mabry Bowron | Georgia Southwestern | Sophomore | Cumming, Ga. | 3.66 | Psychology |
| EmmaRae Smith | Georgia Southwestern | Sophomore | Thomasville, Ga. | 4.00 | Psychology |
| Evelyn Altmaier | Lander | Senior | Kempen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany | 4.00 | Business Administration |
| Thilda Danielsson | Lander | Sophomore | Ahus, Sweden | 4,00 | Business Administration |
| Bailee Martin | Lander | Senior | Perth, Australia | 3.77 | Business Administration |
| Maria Jose Zarza | Lander | Junior | Asuncion, Paraquay | 3.83 | Business Administration |
| Ainhoa Meili Fernandez del Moral | Middle Georgia | Senior | Bilbao, Spain | 3.74 | Sport Management |
| Irina Furtuna | Middle Georgia | Junior | Rome, Italy | 3.50 | Psychology |
| Lucile Gence | Middle Georgia | Sophomore | Paris, France | 3.62 | Business Administration |
| Agustina Olivero | Middle Georgia | Senior | Montevideo, Uruguay | 3.90 | Mathematics |
| Victoria Niox-Chateau | North Georgia | Junior | Boulogne-Billancourt, France | 3.88 | Management |
| Anastasiia Opolska | North Georgia | Senior | Stebnyk, Ukraine | 3.73 | Marketing |
WASHINGTON (7News) — The Catholic archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy, on Wednesday removed a well-known priest as an exorcist of the archdiocese after he made public comments suggesting that UFO sightings were the work of demons.
McElroy said the archdiocese also was cutting ties with the St. Michael Center for Spiritual Renewal, a Washington-based nonprofit headed by the priest, Monsignor Stephen Rossetti.
The archbishop said Rossetti’s statements “linking UFOs to demonic presence and the Center’s recent use of social media gravely undermine the Church’s very precise teaching on the devil, demons and exorcism.”
“There’s a danger here,” Rossetti said in a May 29 video posted on his Facebook page addressing UFO sightings and the existence of aliens. “As an exorcist I wanted to raise that danger. And that is that demons like to hide. … They don’t want us to know what they’re doing because they’re more effective when we don’t realize it.”
“They can kind of get into your head, you know, and manipulate things in the world to influence us to do evil.”
“It’s my personal belief that probably many if not most of these UFO sightings are in fact demons,” Rossetti added.
Rossetti also said that people can be good Catholics and believe there’s life on other planets, though he does not personally believe life exists elsewhere.
In a statement posted on the St. Michael Center website, Rossetti said he was saddened by the action of the archdiocese.
“I ask forgiveness for any ways that I have not been faithful to the teachings of the Church’s Magisterium, particularly in the cited video on ‘aliens and the demonic,’” he said. “I believe it is of the utmost importance to be obedient to the Church and I will continue to endeavor to subject all that I do and the Center to be thus obedient.”
Rossetti, who has over 148,000 followers on Instagram, is a prominent psychologist as well as an exorcist. His center has specialized in offering spiritual healing for priests troubled by various difficulties.
In 2023, he told The Associated Press there was increasing and renewed appetite for information about demonic possession and exorcism.
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