logo
Trump visits 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Florida wetland

Trump visits 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Florida wetland

NHK14 hours ago
US President Donald Trump has toured a new immigration detention center built in a wetland in Florida, teeming with alligators.
On Tuesday, Trump visited the facility located within an airport.
The complex is dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" after a prison on Alcatraz Island in California that was closed in 1963, as it has been claimed those held there could be attacked by alligators if they escape.
Trump said after touring the site, "I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon."
He also said, "We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation."
Reuters news agency said the facility could house some 5,000 people, with the first of them expected to start arriving as soon as Wednesday.
In May this year, Trump said he was directing the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to "reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ" to house illegal immigrants.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear watchdog after Israel, U.S. strikes
Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear watchdog after Israel, U.S. strikes

Japan Times

time21 minutes ago

  • Japan Times

Iran ends cooperation with U.N. nuclear watchdog after Israel, U.S. strikes

Iran officially suspended its cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog on Wednesday, a move the United States described as "unacceptable." It came after last month's 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel, which saw unprecedented Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and sharply escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to suspend cooperation with the Vienna-based IAEA. State media confirmed on Wednesday that the legislation had now taken effect. The law aims to "ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran" under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), with a particular focus on uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media. Washington, which has been pressing Tehran to resume the negotiations that were interrupted by Israel's resort to military action on June 13, hit out at the Iranian decision. "We'll use the word unacceptable, that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said. The spokesman for U.N. chief Antonio Guterres said the decision was "obviously concerning." Separately, the Pentagon said on Wednesday that U.S. intelligence assessments indicated that the strikes on Iran's nuclear sites set the country's atomic program back by up to two years. "We have degraded their program by one to two years at least — intel assessments inside the (Defense) Department assess that," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told journalists, later adding, "We're thinking probably closer to two years." While IAEA inspectors have had access to Iran's declared nuclear sites, their current status is uncertain amid the suspension. On Sunday, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the inspectors' work had been suspended but denied there had been any threats against them or IAEA chief Rafael Grossi. He said that the "inspectors are in Iran and are safe," but "their activities have been suspended, and they are not allowed to access our sites." 'Deceptive and fraudulent' The new legislation did not specify any exact steps following the suspension. The ISNA news agency cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying that the inspectors now needed approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council to access nuclear sites. Separately, the Mehr news agency cited lawmaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei as saying that Iran would stop allowing IAEA cameras in nuclear facilities, though it was unclear if this was a requirement of the new law. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi speaks at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna on June 23. Grossi's requests to visit Iranian nuclear facilities bombed by Israel and the U.S. last month have been denied. | REUTERS After parliament passed the bill, it was approved by the Guardian Council and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension on Wednesday, according to state television. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal to trigger the "snapback" mechanism and reinstate all U.N. sanctions on Iran. The snapback, set to expire in October, was part of the nuclear accord that collapsed after Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018. Iran began scaling back its commitments a year later. Iranian officials have warned that the mechanism could prompt their withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty. Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, is not an NPT signatory. German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Giese said that Iran's move to suspend cooperation with the IAEA was a "disastrous signal." Since the Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran has sharply criticized the IAEA for its silence and condemned a June 12 U.N. resolution accusing Iran of noncompliance, which Iranian officials say provided a pretext for the attacks. On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari accused Grossi of "preparing the groundwork" for Israel's raids and called for him to be held accountable, citing "deceptive actions and fraudulent reporting." Damage Iran has rejected Grossi's requests to visit bombed sites, saying they smacked of "malign intent." Britain, France and Germany have condemned unspecified "threats" against the IAEA chief. On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said that the vote to halt cooperation reflected public "concern and anger." Israel's 12-day war killed top Iranian military commanders and nuclear scientists and drew waves of retaliatory drone and missile fire. On June 22, Israeli ally the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on Iranian nuclear facilities at Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. More than 900 people were killed in Iran during the conflict, according to the judiciary. Iran's retaliatory attacks killed 28 people in Israel, according to authorities. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has acknowledged "serious" damage to the sites. But in a recent interview with CBS, he said, "One cannot obliterate the technology and science ... through bombings."

Japan Upper House Election Campaign Period Kicks Off
Japan Upper House Election Campaign Period Kicks Off

Yomiuri Shimbun

time32 minutes ago

  • Yomiuri Shimbun

Japan Upper House Election Campaign Period Kicks Off

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—The campaign period for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament, kicked off Thursday. The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will seek to maintain their majority in the Upper House, including seats not contested this time. Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others hope to force the LDP-Komeito pair into a minority, as they did in last year's election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber. Measures to tackle inflation, including a possible reduction of consumption tax, and responses to the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be major issues in the campaigning for the race. A total of 125 seats in the 248-seat upper chamber—75 prefectural constituency seats and 50 proportional representation seats—are up for grabs in this election. Some 520 candidates are expected to throw their hats in the ring, including around 150 women. Excluding by-elections, it is the first time under Japan's modern Constitution that a race for either chamber of parliament is held in the middle of a holiday period of three days or more. Japan celebrates Marine Day, a public holiday, on July 21.

Japan Upper House Election Campaign Period Kicks Off

time2 hours ago

Japan Upper House Election Campaign Period Kicks Off

Tokyo, July 3 (Jiji Press)--The campaign period for the July 20 election for the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of Japan's parliament, kicked off Thursday. The ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito will seek to maintain their majority in the Upper House, including seats not contested this time. Meanwhile, the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others hope to force the LDP-Komeito pair into a minority, as they did in last year's election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber. Measures to tackle inflation, including a possible reduction of consumption tax, and responses to the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to be major issues in the campaigning for the race. A total of 125 seats in the 248-seat upper chamber--75 prefectural constituency seats and 50 proportional representation seats--are up for grabs in this election. Some 520 candidates are expected to throw their hats in the ring, including around 150 women. Excluding by-elections, it is the first time under Japan's modern Constitution that a race for either chamber of parliament is held in the middle of a holiday period of three days or more. Japan celebrates Marine Day, a public holiday, on July 21. [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store