Mexico's Sheinbaum urges US to avoid immigration action at LA soccer game
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum addresses the media at the National Palace, in Mexico City, Mexico June 11, 2025. REUTERS/Raquel Cunha/File Photo
MEXICO CITY - Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday urged U.S. authorities not to conduct immigration enforcement targeting attendees of a Gold Cup soccer match in Los Angeles on Saturday, where Mexico's team is due to play the Dominican Republic.
Her comments followed recent raids by immigration authorities in Los Angeles targeting undocumented migrants, under policies associated with the President Donald Trump's administration, which have sparked protests across major cities.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in a now-deleted post to social media, had also promised to be "suited and booted" at the first round of Club World Cup soccer matches, the curtain-raiser event for next year's World Cup.
"We don't believe that at any soccer match there will be any (immigration) action... we call for none to be taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement," Sheinbaum said in her morning press conference.
The CBP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Asked if she would still advise fans to attend Saturday's match at SoFi Stadium, Sheinbaum noted that Mexican consulates in the U.S. have established protocols to assist citizens if detained.
Sheinbaum also addressed viral social media images of demonstrators in Los Angeles holding Mexican flags, dismissing them as "potential provocations."
"Mexico will always promote peace," she said, adding that its nationals in the U.S. were hardworking individuals who do not seek to incite violence.
Mexico will play its next two CONCACAF Gold Cup group stage matches in Arlington, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada. The tournament also features Central American countries with sizable migrant populations in the United States. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
9 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Australia PM Albanese to meet with Trump on G7 sidelines in Canada
FILE PHOTO: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a press conference with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (not pictured) at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia May 15, 2025. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/File Photo SYDNEY - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Canada for talks on the AUKUS defence pact and tariffs, in what will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders. Albanese, who this month said he was looking forward to a "face-to-face" meeting with Trump without saying when it would occur, said he would meet Trump on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 summit, which starts on Sunday. "We do have a meeting scheduled. Obviously, there are issues that the US President is dealing with at the moment, but I expect that we will be able to have a constructive engagement," Albanese said in Seattle on Saturday, according to an official transcript of his remarks. "Obviously, we'll raise tariffs, we'll raise the importance as well of AUKUS, and we will have a discussion as two friends should," Albanese added. Washington's request for Canberra to raise defence spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product from 2% is also expected to feature in the meeting. The confirmation of talks comes after the Pentagon said this week it was reviewing its AUKUS nuclear submarine partnership with Australia and Britain. Australia, which sees the submarines as critical to its defense amid China's expansive military buildup, has said it will work closely with the U.S. on the review. AUKUS, to which Australia has pledged A$368 billion over three decades, was formed in 2021 to address worries about China's growing power. "I look forward to building on the very constructive phone conversations that we've had on the three occasions that we've had the opportunity to talk," Albanese added. A key U.S. security ally, Australia on Saturday welcomed a key U.S. warship to Sydney Harbour ahead of joint war games that will see more than 30,000 personnel from 19 militaries take part in Talisman Sabre, the largest Australian-U.S. war-fighting exercise. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
18 minutes ago
- Straits Times
PSG inspired by Los Angeles as it sets out to build new stadium
Paris St Germain CEO Victoriano Melero and Adrien Frier, the French consul-general in Los Angeles, pose for a picture in Beverly Hills, U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Rory Carroll PSG inspired by Los Angeles as it sets out to build new stadium LOS ANGELES - Paris St Germain is drawing inspiration from the success of new state-of-the-art venues in Los Angeles as the Champions League title winners begin the process of building a new stadium for the team, CEO Victoriano Melero said. PSG has outgrown the 48,000-capacity Parc des Princes, and team officials will spend a year studying potential sites in Massy and Poissy with an eye toward offering a variety of entertainment options, Melero said. "The next challenge is a new stadium," Melero told Reuters in Los Angeles ahead of PSG's Club World Cup match on Sunday in Pasadena. "For one year we're going to go into an analysis and make a choice for our future, and we're inspired by what is going on in the U.S. with sports facilities," he said. "One example here is SoFi Stadium. It's incredible and much more than a sports facility - it really is part of entertainment and shows. So that is what we really want to push to diversify our revenue." SoFi Stadium, a technological marvel that opened in 2020, is home to the NFL's Rams and Chargers and has hosted concerts by artists like Taylor Swift and Beyonce. It will play a key role in next summer's World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. The $5 billion stadium is located in Hollywood Park, a growing commercial and residential area. The 70,000-capacity indoor-outdoor stadium sits next to Intuit Dome, the high-tech NBA arena that opened last year. PSG is looking at Massy, south of Paris, and Poissy, west of the French capital, as potential sites for a new stadium. The team will play Parc des Princes for the foreseeable future while the new stadium is built. U.S. fans and investors have played a vital role in the stunning success of the club both on and off the field, said Adrien Frier, the French consul-general in Los Angeles. "Paris St Germain is what you would call in the tech sector a unicorn, and it's a unicorn that has some American blood in it," he said at a reception honoring the team in Beverly Hills, where the Champions League trophy was on display. PSG has an estimated five million fans in the U.S. and has benefited from its high-profile partnership with Nike's iconic Air Jordan brand. U.S.-based Arctos Partners holds 12.5% of the shares of the team, with majority owner Qatar Sports Investments owning the remaining 87.5% for a club that is valued at $4.4 billion. Melero said the team's ambitions are only growing. "We wrote the story of the club with that cup," he said, gesturing toward the gleaming trophy. "And right now the next move is to write the story of football with this very young team." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Minnesota shooting suspect told friend in text message he might be dead soon
Minnesota State House member Melissa Hortman (left) and Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman, both Democrats, were shot in their homes - along with their spouses - on June 14, by a gunman posing as a police officer. PHOTOS: EPA-EFE Minnesota shooting suspect told friend in text message he might be dead soon MINNEAPOLIS/NEW YORK/WASHINGTON - The suspect in the deadly shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and wounding of another had links to evangelical ministries and said he was a security expert with experience in the Gaza Strip and Africa, according to his online postings and public records. A manhunt was under way on June 14 for Vance Luther Boelter, 57, who police said is a suspect in the killing of Democratic Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Police said the suspect had been seen earlier on June 14 wearing a light colored cowboy hat, a dark colored long sleeved collared shirt or coat with a dark bag. The FBI offered a reward of up to US$50,000 (S$64,000) for information that could lead to his arrest. Mr David Carlson, 59, told Reuters that he has been sharing a house in Minneapolis with Boelter for a little more than a year and last saw him on June 13 night. Then about 6am on June 14, he received a text from Boelter. "He said that he might be dead soon," said Mr Carlson, who called police. Mr Carlson, who has known Boelter since fourth grade, said Boelter worked for an eye donation center and stayed at the house because it was close to his job. Mr Carlson said he feels betrayed by Boelter and heartbroken for the victims, adding: "His family has got to suffer through this." Boelter was appointed in 2016 to the Governor's Workforce Development Board, state records show. The board "has a responsibility to advise the Governor on Minnesota's workforce system," according to its website. Asked if Boelter knew the lawmakers, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said: "We are still exploring that." "There's certainly some overlap with some public meetings, I will say, with Senator Hoffman and the individual. But we don't know the nature of the relationship or if they actually knew each other," he told reporters. Boelter listed himself as having no political party preference. On a LinkedIn post six years ago, Boelter urged Americans to vote and value the process: "If you believe in prayer, please keep the United States in your prayers." Mr Carlson said Boelter voted for Mr Trump, was a Christian and did not like abortion, though he added that the pair had not talked about the issue for a long time, adding: "He wasn't really angry about politics." In social media accounts, public records and websites reviewed by Reuters, Boelter described himself as a Christian minister, a security expert with experience in the Middle East and Africa, and a former employee of food service companies. Boelter said he was the chief executive of an organisation called the Red Lion Group, based in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He and his wife, Jennifer, also ran a security service called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC; Minnesota corporate records list her as a manager. The company website says it offers only armed guard security services, and Boelter wrote that he had been "involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip." The claims could not be immediately verified. Police were aware of reports that Boelter owned a security company, Mr Evans said. Boelter wrote on LinkedIn a month ago that he was looking for work: "Hi everyone! I'm looking to get back into the US Food Industry and I'm pretty open to positions" in Texas, Minnesota, Florida and the Washington DC area. Non-profit tax filings show that Boelter and his wife ran a Christian ministry organisation called Revoformation. The most recent filing, in 2010, lists Boelter as president. On an archived version of the Revoformation web page from 2011, Boelter said he was ordained in 1993 as a minister, and had been raised in the small town of Sleepy Eye, about 100 miles south-west of Minneapolis. In his biography on that site, Boelter claimed to have made trips to "violent areas in the Gaza Strip and West Bank where suicide bombings were taking place." "He sought out militant Islamists in order to share the gospel and tell them that violence wasn't the answer," the biography says. Boelter said he went to St. Cloud State University, the now-closed Cardinal Stritch University and the Christ for the Nations Institute, a Bible college in Dallas. After firing at police on June 14, the suspect abandoned a vehicle in which officers found a "manifesto" and a list of other legislators and officials, law enforcement officials said. Evans said police were still exploring what could have been the motivation for the shootings, adding: "It would be premature for me at this point to really say exactly what the motivation might be from these writings." Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said the shooting "appears to be a politically motivated assassination." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
