US prosecutors won't seek death penalty for son of Mexican drug cartel leader ‘El Chapo'
Federal prosecutors won't seek the death penalty for the son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin 'El Chapo' if he's convicted of multiple charges in Chicago.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros filed a one-sentence notice Friday saying he would not seek the death penalty against Joaquin Guzman Lopez. The notice did not offer any explanation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
13 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Immigration officers intensify arrests in courthouse hallways on a fast track to deportation
SEATTLE (AP) — A transgender woman who says she was raped by Mexican cartel members told an immigration judge in Oregon that she wanted her asylum case to continue. A Venezuelan man bluntly told a judge in Seattle, 'They will kill me if I go back to my country.' A man and his cousin said they feared for their lives should they return to Haiti. Many asylum-seekers, like these three, dutifully appeared at routine hearings before being arrested outside courtrooms last week, a practice that has jolted immigration courts across the country as the White House works toward its promise of mass deportations. The large-scale arrests that began in May have unleashed fear among asylum-seekers and immigrants accustomed to remaining free while judges grind through a backlog of 3.6 million cases, typically taking years to reach a decision. Now they must consider whether to show up and possibly be detained and deported, or skip their hearings and forfeit their bids to remain in the country. The playbook has become familiar. A judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings. Moments later, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers — often masked — arrest the person in the hallway and put them on a fast track to deportation, called 'expedited removal.' President Donald Trump sharply expanded fast-track authority in January, allowing immigration officers to deport someone without first seeing a judge. Although fast-track deportations can be put on hold by filing a new asylum claim, people can be swiftly removed if they fail an initial screening. 'People are more likely to give up' The transgender woman from Mexico, identified in court filings as O-J-M, was arrested outside the courtroom after a judge granted the government's request to dismiss her case. She said in a court filing that she crossed the border in September 2023, two years after being raped by cartel members because of her gender, and had regularly checked in at ICE offices, as instructed. O-J-M was taken to an ICE facility in Portland before being sent to a detention center in Tacoma, Washington, where attorney Kathleen Pritchard said in court filings she was unable to schedule a nonrecorded legal phone call for days. 'It's an attempt to disappear people,' said Jordan Cunnings, one of O-J-M's attorneys and legal director of the nonprofit Innovation Law Lab. 'If you're subject to this horrible disappearance suddenly, and you can't get in touch with your attorney, you're away from friends and family, you're away from your community support network, that's when people are more likely to give up and not be able to fight their cases.' O-J-M was eligible for fast-track deportation because she was in the United States less than two years, but that was put on hold when she expressed fear of returning to Mexico, according to a declaration filed with the court by ICE deportation officer Chatham McCutcheon. She will remain in the United States at least until her initial screening interview for asylum, which had not been scheduled at the time of the court filing, the officer said. The administration is 'manipulating the court system in bad faith to then initiate expedited removal proceedings,' said Isa Peña, director of strategy for the Innovation Law Lab. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not respond to questions about the number of cases dismissed since last month and the number of arrests made at or near immigration courts. It said in a statement that most people who entered the U.S. illegally within the past two years are subject to expedited removals. 'If they have a valid credible fear claim, they will continue in immigration proceedings, but if no valid claim is found, aliens will be subject to a swift deportation,' the statement said. The Justice Department's Executive Office for Immigration Review, which runs the immigration courts, declined to comment. ICE has used increasingly aggressive tactics in Los Angeles and elsewhere while under orders from Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, to increase immigration arrests to at least 3,000 a day. Tension in the hallways In Seattle, a Venezuelan man sat in a small waiting room, surrounded by others clutching yellow folders while a half-dozen masked, plainclothes ICE officers lined the halls. Protesters held signs in Spanish, including one that read, 'Keep faith that love and justice will prevail in your favor,' and peppered officers with insults, saying their actions were immoral. Judge Kenneth Sogabe granted the government's request to dismiss the Venezuelan man's deportation case, despite his objections that he and his wife faced death threats back home. 'I want my case to be analyzed and heard. I do not agree with my case being dismissed,' the man said through an interpreter. Sogabe, a former Defense Department attorney who became a judge in 2021, told the man that Department of Homeland Security lawyers could dismiss a case it brought but he could appeal within 30 days. He could also file an asylum claim. 'When I leave, no immigration officer can detain me, arrest me?' the man asked. 'I can't answer that,' the judge replied. 'I do not have any connection with the enforcement arm.' The man stepped out of the courtroom and was swarmed by officers who handcuffed him and walked him to the elevators. Later that morning, a Haitian man was led away in tears after his case was dismissed. For reasons that were not immediately clear, the government didn't drop its case against the man's cousin, who was released with a new hearing date. The pair entered the United States together last year using an online, Biden-era appointment system called CBP One. Trump ended CBP One and revoked two-year temporary status for those who used it. Alex Baron, a lawyer for the pair, said the arrests were a scare tactic. 'Word gets out and other people just don't come or don't apply for asylum or don't show up to court. And when they don't show up, they get automatic removal orders,' he said. At least seven others were arrested outside the Seattle courtrooms that day. In most cases, they didn't speak English or have money to hire a lawyer. A judge resists In Atlanta, Judge Andrew Hewitt challenged an ICE lawyer who moved to dismiss removal cases against several South and Central Americans last week and put them on a fast track to deportation. Hewitt, a former ICE attorney who was appointed a judge in 2023, was visibly frustrated. He conceded to a Honduran man that the government's reasoning 'seems a bit circular and potentially inefficient' because he could show he's afraid to return to his country and be put right back in immigration court proceedings. The Honduran man hadn't filed an asylum claim and Hewitt eventually signed what he called a 'grossly untimely motion' to dismiss the case, advising the man of his right to appeal. He denied a government request to dismiss the case of a Venezuelan woman who had filed an asylum application and scheduled a hearing for January 2027. Hewitt refused to dismiss the case of a young Ecuadorian woman, telling the government lawyer to put the request in writing for consideration at an August hearing. Immigration officers waited near the building's exit with handcuffs and took her into custody. ___ Rush reported from Portland, Oregon, and Brumback from Atlanta.
Toronto Star
13 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Immigration officers intensify arrests in courthouse hallways on a fast track to deportation
SEATTLE (AP) — A transgender woman who says she was raped by Mexican cartel members told an immigration judge in Oregon that she wanted her asylum case to continue. A Venezuelan man bluntly told a judge in Seattle, 'They will kill me if I go back to my country.' A man and his cousin said they feared for their lives should they return to Haiti. Many asylum-seekers, like these three, dutifully appeared at routine hearings before being arrested outside courtrooms last week, a practice that has jolted immigration courts across the country as the White House works toward its promise of mass deportations.
Toronto Star
15 hours ago
- Toronto Star
The Latest: Protests over immigration raids spread across the US
Protests against immigration enforcement raids have sprung up across the country from Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement. More protests are planned nationwide this week. Here's the latest: Attorneys General coalition condemns the 'unlawful deployment' of National Guard A coalition of 18 Democratic attorneys general on Wednesday condemned the Trump administration for what they called the unlawful deployment of the California National Guard amid the protests in Los Angeles. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'The president's decision to federalize and deploy California's National Guard without the consent of California state leaders is unlawful, unconstitutional, and undemocratic,' the attorneys general said in a statement released by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. They said the Trump administration should be working with local leaders to keep everyone safe, 'not mobilizing the military against the American people.' In their capacity as the chief legal officers of the 18 states, they also expressed support for California Attorney General Rob Bonta's court challenge to Trump's order. 'We oppose any action from this administration that will sow chaos, inflame tensions, and put people's lives at risk — including those of our law-enforcement officers,' they wrote. The statement was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Vermont. Denver police arrested 17 people during protest against immigration raids The hundreds who marched Tuesday evening down thoroughfares in the city, blocking traffic and chanting, were eventually told to disperse by police. Officers used smoke and pepper balls — similar to paintballs but filled with a substance akin to pepper spray — to control the crowd, the Denver Police Department said in a statement Wednesday. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Three people were arrested on assault charges, according to Denver police. Other charges included graffiti, unlawfully throwing projectiles and failing to following the police's orders. Mexican president to discuss Kristi Noem's comments accusing her of inciting violence Claudia Sheinbaum said she would discuss the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary's accusation with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau on Wednesday as he visits Mexico. She rejected Noem's comments as 'completely false' the day before, publishing a video of her in her morning press briefing calling for Mexicans to act in peace in the Los Angeles protests. Sheinbaum added more details Wednesday — claiming her opponents had 'completely taken out of context' her previous comments suggesting that Mexicans could protest a tax on remittances proposed by Trump. 'We have never called for a violent demonstration,' she said. 'We are against all violent acts. We've always supported peaceful protests.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW San Antonio Mayor says city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed Mayor Ron Nirenberg said city officials did not ask for the Texas National Guard to be deployed to the city ahead of planned protests Wednesday night and Saturday. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's office said Tuesday night that National Guard troops were 'on standby' in areas where demonstrations are planned. That came came after police in Austin used chemical irritants to disperse several hundred demonstrators Monday near the state Capitol. Wednesday night's protest in San Antonio are scheduled to be near the Alamo, in the heart of the city's downtown. San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he has not been told by either the governor's office or the guard how many troops would be in the city, where they would be positioned or what they will be doing. The governor's office has not publicly released those details. McManus said the city police are ready to handle any security issues with the demonstration. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'We are prepared for a peaceful demonstration, but we are also prepared if something goes south and it turns violent,' McManus said. Immigrant communities are rattled Immigration raids across Southern California are rattling the area's immigrant communities, even among those in the country legally. More than 100 people have been detained since Friday. In Orange County, a day laborer said he started carrying his green card everywhere. And during a news conference Monday, the family members of detained workers in Los Angeles urged officials to uphold the city and the state of California as places of sanctuary for immigrants. ▶Read more about how the raids are affecting immigrant families Protests over immigration raids pop up across the US with more planned Protests that started in Los Angeles have begun to spread across the country, with more planned into the weekend. California National Guard are positioned at the Federal Building on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer) From Seattle and Austin to Chicago and Washington, D.C., marchers have chanted slogans, carried signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and snarled traffic through downtown avenues and outside federal offices. While many have been peaceful, some have resulted in clashes with law enforcement as officers made arrests and used chemical irritants to disperse crowds ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Activists are planning more and even larger demonstrations in the coming days, with 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade through Washington. The Trump administration said it would continue its program of raids and deportations despite the protests. 'ICE will continue to enforce the law,' Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted Tuesday on social media. ▶ Read more about some of the other protests across the country Trump says he's open to using Insurrection Act Trump left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, which authorizes the president to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. It's one of the most extreme emergency powers available to a U.S. president. 'If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see,' he said from the Oval Office. Later the president called protesters 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg ostensibly to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Trump has described Los Angeles in dire terms that Bass and Newsom say are nowhere close to the truth. In a public address Tuesday evening, Newsom called Trump's actions the start of an 'assault' on democracy. Newsom warned people against inciting violence, but urged them to stand up to the president's actions. LA police swiftly enforce downtown curfew as protests against Trump's immigration crackdown continue Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds of demonstrators. Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests Tuesday night. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Hours later, many of the protesters had dispersed, although sporadic confrontations continued that were much smaller than in previous nights. The demonstrations have been mostly concentrated downtown and the curfew covers a 1-square-mile (2.5-square-kilometer) section that includes an area where protests have occurred since Friday in the sprawling city of 4 million. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom asked a court to put an emergency stop to the military helping federal immigration agents, with some guardsmen now standing in protection around agents as they carried out arrests. He said it would only heighten tensions and promote civil unrest. The judge set a hearing for Thursday, giving the administration several days to continue those activities. ▶ Read more about Tuesday night's protests
