Border-crossing arrests show decline

TUCSON, Ariz. — Arrests for illegal border crossings have dropped more than 40% during the three weeks that asylum processing has been suspended, the Homeland Security Department said Wednesday.

The figures announced Wednesday by the Department of Homeland Security show that the Border Patrol’s average daily arrests over a seven-day period have fallen below 2,400, down more than 40% from before President Joe Biden’s proclamation took effect June 5.

That’s still above the 1,500 mark needed to resume asylum processing, but Homeland Security says it marks the lowest number since Jan. 17, 2021, just before Biden took office.

“These actions are changing the calculus for those considering crossing the border,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Wednesday during his visit to the Tucson, Ariz., sector.

Immigration advocates have sued to stop the restrictions.

Oregon wildfire prompts evacuations

A wildfire in Oregon’s high desert, near the popular vacation destination of Bend, grew rapidly Wednesday, and officials urged the continued evacuation of hundreds of homes in the area.

The wind-driven Darlene 3 wildfire was just outside city limits of La Pine and grew to nearly 4 square miles.

Firefighters were able to build a defense around the fire overnight, and fire managers listed the blaze at 30% contained Wednesday.

The concern, however, was stronger winds forecast for later Wednesday, which again could fan the fire.

Evacuation alerts were sent to 1,100 homes and businesses Tuesday, said Lt. Jayson Janes of the Deschutes County sheriff’s office. Those orders remained in effect Wednesday, Central Oregon Fire Info said.

It was not known whether any structures had burned.

The fire is among the latest dangerous ones in the United States. In New Mexico, thousands fled their homes last week as two fast-moving wildfires approached the village of Ruidoso.

Search and rescue crews cleared more properties this week in nearby areas. Authorities confirmed Wednesday during a public meeting that 1,300 structures were searched and that no human remains were found.

Mayor Lynn Crawford also said the list of residents who had been unaccounted for was now at zero.

In central California, a new group of three large wildfires and several smaller ones covered nearly 11 square miles in rural eastern Fresno County, with 20% containment. The Fresno June Lightning Complex was ignited in rugged foothills as remnants of Tropical Storm Alberto flowed across the state Monday afternoon.

Boeing mechanic files claims for layoff

SEATTLE — A mechanic for a Boeing subcontractor claims he was fired after complaining about poor repair work on planes in a Boeing factory near Seattle. Boeing says the man’s concerns did not raise safety issues.

Lawyers for the mechanic, Richard Cuevas, said Wednesday he saw “substandard manufacturing and maintenance processes” during work on several Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

Cuevas worked for a firm that was hired by Spirit AeroSystems to repair Boeing planes and was fired in March after raising concerns with Spirit and Boeing, according to his lawyers, Debra Katz and Lisa Banks.

Katz and Banks accused Spirit of “routinely cutting corners” on the work on pressure bulkheads and accused Boeing of allowing “shoddy work” to continue.

“Engineering analysis determined that the issues raised did not present a safety concern and were addressed,” Boeing said in a statement.

The company said it is reviewing documents Cuevas filed with federal agencies “and will thoroughly investigate any new claim. We are not involved in personnel decisions of subcontractors.”

Spirit AeroSystems management “is aware of the allegations and looking into the matter,” company spokesperson Joe Buccino said.

Ex-mayor’s bribe conviction overturned

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court overturned Wednesday the bribery conviction of a former Indiana mayor, the latest in a series of decisions narrowing the scope of federal public corruption law.

The high court’s 6-3 opinion along ideological lines found the law criminalizes bribes given before an official act, not rewards handed out after.

The high court sided with James Snyder, a Republican who was convicted of taking $13,000 from a trucking company after prosecutors said he steered about $1 million worth of city contracts to the company.

The Justice Department claimed the law was clearly meant to cover gifts “corruptly” given to public officials as rewards for favored treatment.

Kavanaugh, writing for the high court majority, disagreed, finding that interpretation would “subject 19 million public officials to a new regulatory regime,” though he said a gratuity could be unethical or illegal under other laws.

“Snyder’s absurd and atextual reading of the statute is one that only today’s court could love,” Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson said in a dissent joined by her liberal colleagues.