Former Mexican judge arrested over 2014 case of 43 missing students
Over a decade after 43 students from a rural teaching college vanished in southern Mexico, a new arrest has stirred fresh scrutiny and reopened old wounds. On Thursday, Mexican authorities detained now-retired judge, 79-year-old Lambertina Galeana Marín, over missing evidence in the case.
The arrest is related to the 'disappearance of recordings from cameras' placed in the Palace of Justice in Iguala, in the Mexican State of Guerrero, where the students were last seen.
Marín served as the president of the Superior Court of Justice of Guerrero at the time of the case. Arrest warrants were issued in August of 2022 for military commanders, police officers, and 'five administrative and judicial authorities from the state of Guerrero,' though at the time, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) did not identify the individuals allegedly involved.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum spoke about Marin's arrest in Friday morning press conference. She said that the special prosecutor's office is investigating why videos related to the case were erased, an issue she noted families of those who disappeared in 2014 have been raising for a long time.
Sheinbaum replaced Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2024, who left the presidency without fulfilling a key pledge to uncover the truth regarding the 2014 disappearances of 43 students.
The case of the missing students has long gripped Mexico. The students, all males at the local Ayotzinapa Rural Teachers' College, were traveling through the southwestern city of Iguala on September 26, 2014 when their bus was stopped by local police and military forces. Exactly what transpired after that interaction is still unknown, but photos from the scene show a bullet-riddled bus.
A government report from 2022 concluded that the vanished students were victims of 'state sponsored crime.' In 2023, a report from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico found that Mexico's Armed Forces did not provide all the information requested by an independent panel investigating the disappearance. That same year, experts on that panel looking into the case quit, citing 'lack of information,' 'secrecy' and 'hidden evidence' surrounding their investigative efforts.
For grieving families, the arrest reinforces suspicions of a possible cover-up related to the 2014 disappearances. Felipe de la Cruz, one of the Ayotzinapa parents and spokesperson for the group of parents of the disappeared, told CNN on Thursday that a 'pact of silence continues to reign' in the area.
'For us, it is very important that first of all, the investigation continues, and that work continues to be done,' de la Cruz added.
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Politico
35 minutes ago
- Politico
Major escalations in LA as Newsom, Trump fight over Guard troops
Presented by Californians for Energy Independence DRIVING THE DAY — Gov. Gavin Newsom plans to file a lawsuit early this morning to challenge President Donald Trump's move to deploy the National Guard in Los Angeles, his office confirmed. But that was hardly the only provocation over the weekend. Newsom bristled at the Trump administration's threat to arrest California officials if they get in the way of his crackdown on immigration protests and civil unrest in Los Angeles. 'Arrest me. Let's just get it over with, tough guy. I don't give a damn … Tom, arrest me. Let's go,' Newsom told MSNBC as he recoiled at the statements from President Donald Trump and his border czar, Tom Homan. The tension in Los Angeles County is only growing as protests enter their fourth day and immigration agents continue to conduct raids. FIRE WITH FIRE — Newsom had tried to avoid skirmishing with Trump over immigration. But the governor now finds himself locked in an increasingly incendiary power struggle with the president as he fights for control of the state's National Guard. Trump's move to commandeer control of the troops to thwart protests over ICE raids in LA is exceedingly rare in modern American political history. Not since the civil rights era of 1965 has a U.S. president deployed the National Guard without a governor's consent. COURT CHALLENGE INCOMING … Democrats — including blue-state governors — were shell-shocked by Trump's sweeping assertion of federal executive powers. Newsom called the move an 'illegal act' and vowed, in an interview on MSNBC Sunday night, to file a lawsuit 'very early' today. 'He's exacerbated the conditions,' Newsom said. 'He's lit the proverbial match, he's putting fuel on this fire ever since he announced he's taking over the National Guard.' While Democratic officials said the protests were largely peaceful, there were instances of rioting. Videos posted on social media Sunday evening showed multiple Waymo vehicles on fire. In an AP video, protesters blocked off a major roadway, many of them waving Mexican flags and holding signs as traffic came to a standstill. 'Governor Gavin Newscum and 'Mayor' Bass should apologize to the people of Los Angeles for the absolutely horrible job that they have done, and this now includes the ongoing L.A. riots,' Trump posted on Truth Social. NEWSOM WARNS OF FASCISM … Newsom on Sunday suggested Trump's actions were steps toward fascism. 'These are the acts of a dictator, not a President,' Newsom posted on X. He accused Trump of deliberately inciting violence in LA so he could send the military into a major American city. Newsom urged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday to back down as demonstrators clashed with law enforcement. 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It's Monday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. You can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@ and bjones@ or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej. WHERE'S GAVIN? In Los Angeles, meeting with local leaders and law enforcement. STATE CAPITOL LEADER LIMÓN? — State Sen. Monique Limón's allies say she is closing in on the votes necessary to succeed Senate leader Mike McGuire, and edging out her top competition, Senate Majority Leader Lena Gonzalez, several people with direct knowledge of the race told Playbook. But several senators and people briefed on the matter said they hadn't seen evidence of Limón securing the votes. Like McGuire, Limón would be a relative short-timer in the post. She has represented Santa Barbara in the Legislature since 2016, and her final term ends in 2028. 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Newsweek
37 minutes ago
- Newsweek
The 1600: Hot Trump Summer
The Insider's Track Good morning, We've discussed now a couple times how the resistance to Trump 2.0 has been relatively muted, particularly over his signature domestic policy of mass deportations. What I failed to take into account is how quickly the dam can break on these kinds of things. There were some isolated instances of confrontations with federal law enforcement over the last few weeks, like the Newark mayor getting arrested outside an ICE jail, or clashes here in NYC where ICE has been arresting migrants at their mandated court hearings. But those incidents gave way to full-blown riots over the weekend in Los Angeles, which is now reeling after three straight days of violence that started as protests against ICE workplace raids and quickly devolved from there, with people throwing cinderblocks at federal agents and setting cars on fire, and police responding with tear gas and rubber bullets. President Trump, never one to miss a political opportunity right in front of his eyes, immediately called in the National Guard and put the Marines on standby, saying the LAPD was unable to get things under control on its own. Governor Gavin Newsom and LA Mayor Karen Bass, who somehow still has her job after her epic botching of the Palisades fire response earlier this year, shot back that Trump was needlessly inflaming the situation. Important to note here that everyone is getting exactly what they want. Trump is coming off one of the worst news cycles of his second term, with his most prominent surrogate (and one of the handful of people who can make his life harder) going scorched earth and reminding voters that the coalition that carried Trump to victory is much more tenuous than it looks. If you were creating an optimal political scenario to bury that news, it would be hard to beat the images of masked men on dirtbikes waving Mexican flags as they circle a flaming Hyundai in the middle of a Dem-controlled city, as cops look on. Remember, Trump's mass deportation policy is broadly popular. A CBS poll last week had it at 54% approval, and it's probably higher now. The White House wants this fight. Trump is known to harbor regrets about not acting with more force during the "mostly peaceful" BLM protests in the summer of 2020 that turned violent, and now he's creating the conditions for a re-do. The fact that the opposition are waving flags from other countries on the streets of American cities is just the icing on the cake. Bass, who has no future in national politics but is probably gunning for an MSNBC show or some other consolation prize, can look tough as she stands next to Newsom, who is preparing to run for POTUS and finally has his opportunity to take on Trump directly. "Donald Trump needs to pull back," Newsom told an MS reporter who he invited into his command center last night. "He needs to stand down." When asked about "border czar" Tom Homan threatening to arrest California politicians who obstruct federal law enforcement, the governor retorted: "He's a tough guy. Why doesn't he do that? He knows where to find me." I have an increasingly bad feeling about how this plays out. The unrest in the summer of 2020 came out of nowhere, fueled more by the pandemic than George Floyd's death if we're being honest, and caught Trump off guard then. He didn't know how to handle it, and ended up looking weak. He's not going to make that mistake again. Plus, the political winds have changed direction since then. Americans, as a rule, do not like disorder. Trump, who ran on a law and order campaign message, probably has the wind at his back if these protests spread—even if he is the one to escalate. Notable: the memo that authorized the National Guard never mentions LA, but just anywhere protests "are occurring or are likely to occur." He's setting the table for a clash between federal and state law enforcement. Blue-state pols like Newsom will see this as a battle worth having to burnish their anti-Trump cred. The media will mostly run cover for Newsom, et al., while the real information wars play out on algorithmic social feeds. It's gonna be a hot summer, folks. The Rundown President Donald Trump called for more troops to enter Los Angeles amid rioting that stemmed from protests against immigration enforcement. The president is deploying 2,000 California National Guard troops to L.A. to quell turmoil on the streets, despite opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom. "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" Trump said early Monday. Read more. Also happening: Trump-Musk fallout: President Donald Trump made clear in an interview with NBC News that Elon Musk will face "very serious consequences" if the tech billionaire starts to fund Democrats in the wake of the fallout between the two former allies. Trump added that Musk had been "disrespectful to the office of the President" and that he was "too busy doing other things" with no intention of speaking with Musk. Read more. President Donald Trump made clear in an interview with NBC News that Elon Musk will face "very serious consequences" if the tech billionaire starts to fund Democrats in the wake of the fallout between the two former allies. Trump added that Musk had been "disrespectful to the office of the President" and that he was "too busy doing other things" with no intention of speaking with Musk. Read more. Dems bouncing back: Democrats have faced less than impressive polling since President Donald Trump's win in November, but new polling suggests the party's popularity might be on an upward trajectory again. A new YouGov survey puts them 2 points ahead of Republicans—their biggest lead since August. Read more. This is a preview of The 1600—Tap here to get this newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Unlawful assembly declared in downtown LA as protests escalate
Protests against immigration raids in Los Angeles escalated on Sunday as US President Donald Trump called to "bring in the troops". Rising unrest saw a major freeway blocked and a row of self-driving cars set on fire as law enforcement used tear gas, rubber bullets and flash bangs to control the crowd. Police called downtown LA an "unlawful assembly" area at 23:15 local time on Sunday (07:15 BST on Monday) after three days of protests and dozens of arrests. Demonstrations began outside the Federal Building, in downtown LA, on Friday after it emerged Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were carrying out raids across the city. California Governor Gavin Newsom, along with the LA mayor Karen Bass, said in separate comments on Saturday that they believed local police could handle the protests. But on Saturday night, after two days of clashes between demonstrators and immigration authorities, Trump went against Newsom's wishes and ordered the deployment of 2,000 National Guard. On Sunday morning, the first group of troops began arriving in the city, staging outside a detention centre where illegal immigrants are taken once detained. Newsom called Trump's decision to deploy soldiers "illegal" and "immoral" and threatened to sue the administration. "Donald Trump has created the conditions you see on your TV tonight... he's putting fuel on this fire," he said in an interview with MSNBC on Sunday evening as tensions flared. "[It's] an unconstitutional act, and we're going to test that theory with a lawsuit tomorrow," Newsom added. Typically, a state's National Guard force is activated at the request of the governor. In this case, Trump has circumvented that step by invoking a specific provision of the US Code of Armed Services titled 10 U.S.C. 12406, which lists three circumstances under which the president can "federalise" the National Guard. Pockets of the city were thrown into chaos on Sunday night, with repeated bangs heard as police faced off with protesters. Many of those involved were carrying Mexican flags or signs deriding federal immigration authorities, who arrested 118 unauthorised immigrants across LA on Friday - according to CBS, which cited information from ICE. Follow live coverage of the protests Everything we know about what's happened in LA How LA erupted over rumours of immigration raid at a hardware store British photographer injured by 'plastic bullet' in LA protests Trump's intervention in LA is a political fight he is eager to have A row of self-driving Waymo vehicles - that serve as taxis in LA - had their tyres slashed, windows smashed and exteriors spray painted before they were torched by protesters. Multiple patrol vehicles blocking a highway were damaged when protesters hurled objects - including E-scooters - at them. Fires were started across the city as protesters lit large fireworks. Several businesses reported looting late in the night, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said. Many downtown streets were littered with debris, glass, cinder blocks and burn marks. Buildings were covered in new graffiti, much of which contained graphic language against immigration enforcement. In one particularly chaotic scene, a van driving erratically veered into a large group of protesters and appeared to hit several people. The driver, who was shirtless, was later arrested and police said he would face multiple charges. The same day, an Australian news reporter was filmed being struck by what appeared to be a rubber bullet fired by law enforcement. And a British photographer underwent emergency surgery after being struck in the leg by another non-lethal bullet. The BBC has asked the LAPD for comment. Police said they made 27 arrests, on top of the 29 on Saturday. Separately, at least 60 people were taken in at related protests in San Francisco. On his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Trump called for an end to the protests. In one post, he wrote: "Looking really bad in L.A. BRING IN THE TROOPS!!!" It is unclear which troops Trump was referring to as National Guard soldiers have already arrived, following his instruction. On Saturday evening, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth threatened to activate the US Marine Corps if protests persisted. He posted on X: "Under President Trump, violence & destruction against federal agents & federal facilities will NOT be tolerated. It's COMMON SENSE. The @DeptofDefense is mobilizing the National Guard IMMEDIATELY to support federal law enforcement in Los Angeles. And, if violence continues, active duty Marines at Camp Pendleton will also be mobilized - they are on high alert." Jose Barrera, the national vice president of the League of United Latin American citizens (LULAC), told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the White House wanted "to create civic unrest" in LA. Barrera said there was "no need" for Trump to deploy the National Guard when there are 17,000 police personnel in the city. He says deploying the troops "increases tensions" and confrontation, which set a "dangerous precedent". In a statement, the White House said that Trump "rightfully stepped in to restore law and order because of Gavin Newsom's feckless leadership and his refusal to stop the violent attacks on American law enforcement".
