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Migrant center leader hopes Trump doesn't bring back 'remain in Mexico'

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Migrant center leader hopes Trump doesn't bring back 'remain in Mexico'

A Catholic nun who has helped tens of thousands of migrants seek refuge in the U.S. says she hopes President-elect Trump doesn’t reinstate some of the same hard-line immigration policies which were a cornerstone of his first term. 

Sister Norma Pimentel – who runs the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley migrant shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas, and has been praised by the Pope for her humanitarian work – says she wants to work with the incoming administration to help needy migrants get their asylum applications processed so they can work towards a better and more prosperous life, according to Border Report. 

She tells the outlet that she hopes the Trump-Vance administration – elected last week on a platform of clamping down hard on illegal immigration and carrying out America’s largest ever deportation operation – will not force asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for months or even years for their immigration cases to be heard. 

TRUMP’S ‘BORDER CZAR’ WARNS DEM GOVS REJECTING TRUMP DEPORTATION PLAN: ‘GET THE HELL OUT OF THE WAY’

Sister Norma Pimentel runs the Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley migrant shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas, and has been praised by the Pope for her humanitarian work. (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images for Concordia Summit)

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Trump has repeatedly lauded his Migrant Protection Protocols, more commonly referred to as “Remain in Mexico,” for being fundamental in drastically reducing the number of migrants crossing the southern border. Trump is expected to bring the policy back, although it may take some time to launch and will require coordination with the Mexican government.

Pimentel says that allowing the migrants to cross and then be catered for by organizations like hers is safer for the migrants and allows them to access necessities like food and shelter.

“When we went through that in the past, we experienced and we saw a lot of people hurting, suffering tremendously. You know, my hopes are that it doesn’t happen again because it puts people in danger, people that already have an application put in for asylum and they have a right to be in the United States while it processes,” Pimentel told Border Report at her offices at the Basilica of San Juan. 

“Why would they have to wait in Mexico? But whatever they’re given, we would work with them to try to help them in that process, to get that asylum process going.”

At its peak, the former nightclub-turned shelter would process up to 1,500 people per day, but it has now fallen to about 50, per Border Report.

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Pimentel says the Biden administration has largely put a stop to migrants illegally crossing in between ports of entry and if they do sneak across “they get sent back.”

Migrants walk along the highway through Suchiate, Chiapas state in southern Mexico, on Sunday, July 21, 2024, during their journey north toward the U.S. border. ( AP Photo/Edgar H. Clemente)

Of the 2.9 million nationwide encounters in fiscal year 2024, nearly half were at ports of entry, while only 15 percent of nationwide encounters were at ports of entry in fiscal year 2021, according to Homeland Security’s (DHS) website. Illegal border crossings surged under the Biden administration and there have been more than 10.8 million illegal encounters since FY 2021.

TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE LAUNCHES PROBE INTO BIDEN ADMIN ‘PRIORITIES’ ON FEMA HURRICANE RELIEF, MIGRANT SPENDING

Pimentel says that federal funding for non-profits which process migrants could be on the chopping block under the Trump-Vance administration.

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FEMA has been administering hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for non-profits and local communities receiving illegal immigrants during the historic border crisis. The funding this year consists of $650 million, using funding moved over from Customs and Border Protection.

The scheme became a lightning rod for conservatives in the wake of hurricanes in North Carolina and Florida, when DHS requested extra funding from Congress.

She says that God will provide and believes the Rio Grande Valley community will come out to support asylum-seekers.

Sister Norma Pimentel helping migrants off a bus at Brownsville in 2021. (John Moore/Getty Images)

“[The funding] was a blessing. It was good, it was something that helped,” Pimentel told Border Report. “Before that, it was 100% from the community, from all over the United States, supporting efforts like what we do. I think it challenges us to continue to respond and be part of helping humanity be OK.”

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Her humanitarianism, while praised by some, has been criticized by others including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton who has accused Catholic non-governmental organizations of encouraging illegal immigration and operating stash houses for those entering illegally.

Paxton tried to depose Pimentel — as well as the leaders of four other centers that help migrants in Texas — but a judge in Hidalgo County this summer ruled that he does not have the authority to order Pimentel deposed, per Border Report. 

The outlet reports that Pimentel has a close working relationship with DHS and regularly gets called by Border Patrol when they are bringing migrants to her center or have a large group that needs respite care. She said she will work with whoever is necessary to make sure that those who come to the U.S. are treated humanely and with dignity.

Central American migrant families released from a federal detention are seen inside the humanitarian respite center run by Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley in McAllen, Texas, on July 29, 2019.  (Loren Elliott/Reuters)

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“I will be here to respond and to work with whoever is our leaders that want to be able to create something good for people who are in our country and needing our help,” she said.

One of those leaders could be Thomas Homan, who President-elect Trump appointed as his “border czar.”

Homan told “The Story” this week that there will be “no catch and release” under the new administration. 

“There is no fraudulent asylum claims, you’re either going to remain in Mexico or you’re going to be in detention. You won’t come across the border and be released, flown into the city of your choice by the NGO’s at taxpayers’ expense. 

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Los Angeles, Ca

LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

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LADWP begins long-term repairs after West Hollywood water main rupture

Crews worked overnight on what is expected to be a long-term effort to clean up and repair a broken water main that caused extensive damage in West Hollywood on Thursday.

Yellow tape remained in place Friday morning, blocking streets around Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive as crews continued pumping water out of the century-old trunk line.

Asphalt and soil were also being removed so crews could get a better look at the damaged 36-inch trunk line, a major feeder pipe serving the area.

  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • A sinkhole opened up on a sidewalk in West Hollywood following a water main break
  • Aerial view of flooded Metro buses.
  • Aerial view of flooded streets in West Hollywood.
  • Water floods out of an apartment in West Hollywood
  • A broken water main floods a parking garage in West Hollywood
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Residents stand with luggage and a dog at the entrance to an apartment parking garage as floodwaters from a water main break rush through a West Hollywood street.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • Rushing floodwaters pushes parked cars together on a flooded West Hollywood street after a water main break.
  • A broken water main floods the streets of West Hollywood

“First and foremost is our crews’ safety,” a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesperson said Thursday. “When we excavate, we are going to have to make sure the area is safe before we send crews in to proceed and start the actual repairs on the pipe.”

The water main ruptured around 3 a.m. Thursday, sending thousands of gallons of water rushing through West Hollywood streets, flooding dozens of garages and pushing parked cars into one another.

A Metro bus yard was also flooded, leaving several buses partially submerged.

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The force of the water washed away dirt and gravel supporting the roadway, creating a massive sinkhole on Sunset Boulevard and a smaller one near Palm Avenue, where two people fell in.

“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported Thursday from Palm Avenue.

The two men appeared to be uninjured.

As for the larger trunk line that burst beneath Sunset Boulevard, KTLA’s Carlos Herrera reported it was scheduled for replacement in 2031.

LADWP officials now hope to establish a repair timeline after getting a closer look at the damage Friday. For now, the intersection is expected to remain closed for anywhere from several days to several weeks.

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The cause of the rupture remains under investigation.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

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Arrest made in deadly shooting at 4th of July gathering in Compton; search for 2nd suspect continues

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna gave an update Thursday on several shootings over the Fourth of July weekend that left three people dead and several others injured.

Police arrested Antoine Jones, a 50-year-old man from the Los Angeles area, who they believe is responsible for the murder of a 19-year-old woman and the attempted murder of two additional surviving female victims who were attending a large community block party in Compton.

On July 4 at approximately 11:40 p.m., deputies from the Compton station responded to an apartment complex on the 700 block of West Laurel Street following reports of multiple people being shot.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins, a 19-year-old nursing student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was killed when gunfire broke out at the party.

Meah Bordenave-Jenkins and Eric Washington are pictured in a Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department bulletin. (LASD)

Deputies located Bordenave-Jenkins and the two other women suffering from gunshot wounds outside of the apartment complex.

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“While today’s announcement represents an important step towards justice for Meah and her family, our work is very far from being over,” said LASD Sheriff Robert Luna.

The LASD is also seeking the public’s help in identifying those responsible for the murder of Eric Washington, 37, a beloved community activist and former government staffer, and the attempted murder of another surviving man injured that same night at the same party.

Washington was reportedly killed while trying to deescalate a conflict at the party, his family said. Deputies found victim Washington suffering from a gunshot wound inside the complex.

Investigators later learned that another man had also been shot at some point during the incident.

Bordenave-Jenkins and Washington both died from their injuries. The remaining victims, two women and a man, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and have been released from the hospital. They have not been identified by police.

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Detectives determined the two shootings happened moments apart at the party but appear to be separate and unrelated.

  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • Compton fatal shooting
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration
  • 2 dead, 3 injured at Compton July 4 celebration

Detectives identified Jones as the suspect responsible for Bordenave-Jenkins’ death and the attempted murder of the two surviving women. Authorities located Jones on July 14 in Los Angeles and took him into custody.

The LASD is still searching for the suspect or suspects responsible for the murder of Washington and the attempted murder of the surviving male victim.

“Although today’s arrest is significant, this investigation remains extremely active,” Luna said.

“There were hundreds of people at this gathering,” Luna said. “Somebody knows, somebody saw or somebody heard what happened.”

The LASD also announced they’re searching for a suspect in a separate shooting at a different Fourth of July gathering that occurred in the early morning of July 5.

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At approximately 12:10 a.m., Compton deputies responded to the 2100 block of North Grandee Avenue, where they located a 30-year-old victim, Thaddeus Clark, and a second victim suffering from gunshot wounds at the gathering.

Clark, a father of three, did not survive his injuries, Luna said.

The LASD is urging anyone with information about Clark’s murder and the attempted murder of the surviving victim to contact the LASD Homicide Bureau.

Although these shooting incidents occurred at gatherings less than an hour apart, investigators found no evidence that the two were connected, Luna said.

Luna also announced three suspects have been arrested in connection with a shooting in East L.A. on July 5. It happened as crowds crossed the intersection near Whittier Boulevard and Leonard Avenue during a World Cup match.

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Four people were hit by gunfire, including two men, one woman and a boy. None of the injuries were life-threatening.

The sheriff said the alleged shooter, a 15-year-old known gang member, was arrested. Two female suspects, ages 21 and 38, have been arrested in the Lancaster and Palmdale areas for their alleged roles in luring the primary victim to the location and assisting the shooting suspect in evading arrest.

They’re all facing four counts of attempted murder.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

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Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps cars

A broken water main sent water gushing from an apartment building and turned nearby streets into rivers in West Hollywood early Thursday morning. The break was reported around 3 a.m. near Holloway Drive and Sunset Boulevard. “It’s a rupture of one of the significant mains that goes through here. West Hollywood, as it turns out, […]

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