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'American Border': Life at the US-Mexico border
Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz previews a newsletter covering life at the U.S.-Mexico border called "American Border" just before the new Trump admin.
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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tuniu Announces Unaudited First Quarter 2025 Financial Results
NANJING, China, June 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tuniu Corporation (NASDAQ: TOUR) ("Tuniu" or the "Company"), a leading online leisure travel company in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025. "We are pleased to kick off the year with steady growth momentum," said Mr. Donald Dunde Yu, Tuniu's founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "In the first quarter, revenues from our core packaged tour products business increased by 19.3% year-over-year. We continued to leverage our core advantages in product development and supply chain to enhance both quality and cost-effectiveness. In addition, we continued to optimize both online and offline sales channels to ensure that our high-quality products and services reach more customers. Looking ahead, we remain committed to innovation through combining technology with industry insights to deliver more convenient, efficient, and transparent travel solutions for our customers." First Quarter 2025 Results Net revenues were RMB117.5 million (US$16.2 million[1]) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 8.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. Revenues from packaged tours were RMB99.0 million (US$13.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 19.3% from the corresponding period in 2024. The increase was primarily due to the growth of organized tours. Other revenues were RMB18.5 million (US$2.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 25.8% from the corresponding period in 2024. The decrease was primarily due to the decrease in the commission fees received from other travel-related products. [1] The conversion of Renminbi ("RMB") into United States dollars ("US$") is based on the exchange rate of US$1.00=RMB 7.2567 on March 31, 2025 as set forth in H.10 statistical release of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board and available at Cost of revenues was RMB48.2 million (US$6.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 85.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. As a percentage of net revenues, cost of revenues was 41.0% in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 24.0% in the corresponding period in 2024. Gross profit was RMB69.3 million (US$9.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 15.5% from the corresponding period in 2024. Operating expenses were RMB80.1 million (US$11.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 14.9% from the corresponding period in 2024. Research and product development expenses were RMB14.5 million (US$2.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 11.5%. The increase was primarily due to the increase in research and product development personnel related expenses. Research and product development expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 12.4% in the first quarter of 2025. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB43.2 million (US$6.0 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 17.3%. The increase was primarily due to the increase in sales and marketing personnel related expenses and promotion expenses. Sales and marketing expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 36.8% in the first quarter of 2025. General and administrative expenses were RMB22.8 million (US$3.1 million) in the first quarter of 2025, representing a year-over-year increase of 11.1%. The increase was primarily due to the impairment of property and equipment, net recorded in the first quarter of 2025. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues were 19.4% in the first quarter of 2025. Loss from operations was RMB10.8 million (US$1.5 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to an income from operations of RMB12.3 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP[2] loss from operations, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB5.3 million (US$0.7 million) in the first quarter of 2025. [2] The section below entitled "About Non-GAAP Financial Measures" provides information about the use of Non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, and the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release reconciles Non-GAAP financial information with the Company's financial results under GAAP. Net loss was RMB5.4 million (US$0.7 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a net income of RMB21.9 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net income, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB0.1 million (US$16.4 thousand) in the first quarter of 2025. Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation was RMB4.7 million (US$0.6 million) in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation of RMB13.9 million in the first quarter of 2024. Non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation, which excluded share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net, was RMB0.8 million (US$0.1 million) in the first quarter of 2025. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term investments and long-term deposits of RMB1.2 billion (US$167.2 million). Business Outlook For the second quarter of 2025, Tuniu expects to generate RMB131.0 million to RMB136.8 million of net revenues, which represents a 12% to 17% increase year-over-year compared with net revenues in the corresponding period in 2024. This forecast reflects Tuniu's current and preliminary view on the industry and its operations, which is subject to change. Share Repurchase Update In March 2024, the Company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to US$ 10 million worth of its ordinary shares or American depositary shares ("ADSs") representing ordinary shares. As of May 31, 2025, the Company had repurchased an aggregate of approximately 9.5 million ADSs for approximately US$9.0 million from the open market under the share repurchase program. Conference Call Information Tuniu's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 am U.S. Eastern Time, on June 12, 2025, (8:00 pm, Beijing/Hong Kong Time, on June 12, 2025) to discuss the first quarter 2025 financial results. To participate in the conference call, please dial the following numbers: United States 1-888-346-8982 Hong Kong 852-301-84992 Mainland China 4001-201203 International 1-412-902-4272 Conference ID: Tuniu 1Q 2025 Earnings Conference Call A telephone replay will be available one hour after the end of the conference call through June 19, 2025. The dial-in details are as follows: United States 1-877-344-7529 International 1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code: 4581400 Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at About Tuniu Tuniu (Nasdaq: TOUR) is a leading online leisure travel company in China that offers integrated travel service with a large selection of packaged tours, including organized and self-guided tours, as well as travel-related services for leisure travelers through its website and mobile platform. Tuniu provides one-stop leisure travel solutions and a compelling customer experience through its online platform and offline service network, including a dedicated team of professional customer service representatives, 24/7 call centers, extensive networks of offline retail stores and self-operated local tour operators. For more information, please visit Safe Harbor Statement This press release contains forward-looking statements made under the "safe harbor" provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Tuniu may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with or furnished to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Any statements that are not historical facts, including statements about Tuniu's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include, but are not limited to the following: Tuniu's goals and strategies; the growth of the online leisure travel market in China; the demand for Tuniu's products and services; its relationships with customers and travel suppliers; Tuniu's ability to offer competitive travel products and services; Tuniu's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; competition in the online travel industry in China; government policies and regulations relating to Tuniu's structure, business and industry; the impact of health epidemics on Tuniu's business operations, the travel industry and the economy of China and elsewhere generally; and the general economic and business condition in China and elsewhere. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is current as of the date of the press release, and Tuniu does not undertake any obligation to update such information, except as required under applicable law. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures To supplement the Company's unaudited consolidated financial results presented in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"), the Company has provided non-GAAP information related to income/(loss) from operations, net income/(loss), net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, amortization of acquired intangible assets and impairment of property and equipment, net. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial measure is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We believe that the non-GAAP financial measures used in this press release are useful for understanding and assessing underlying business performance and operating trends, and management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our financial performance and when planning and forecasting future periods. This non-GAAP financial measure is not defined under U.S. GAAP and is not presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The non-GAAP financial measure has limitations as an analytical tool. Further, this non-GAAP measure may differ from the non-GAAP information used by other companies, including peer companies, and therefore its comparability may be limited. The Company compensates for these limitations by reconciling the non-GAAP financial measure to the nearest U.S. GAAP performance measure, all of which should be considered when evaluating performance. Tuniu encourages investors and others to review its financial information in its entirety and not rely on a single financial measure. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release. (Financial Tables Follow) Tuniu Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) December 31, 2024 March 31, 2025 March 31, 2025 RMB RMB US$ ASSETSCurrent assetsCash and cash equivalents 465,004489,89667,509 Restricted cash 26,06110,6481,467 Short-term investments 432,823554,19976,371 Accounts receivable, net 43,31337,1555,120 Amounts due from related parties 7521,311181 Prepayments and other current assets 235,443192,29026,498 Total current assets 1,203,3961,285,499177,146 Non-current assetsLong-term investments 534,041349,29048,133 Property and equipment, net 32,84928,8473,975 Intangible assets, net 22,21021,3812,946 Land use right, net 88,46787,95212,120 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 9,2668,6791,196 Other non-current assets 19,20819,0862,630 Total non-current assets 706,041515,23571,000 Total assets 1,909,4371,800,734248,146 LIABILITIES, REDEEMABLE NONCONTROLLING INTERESTS AND EQUITYCurrent liabilitiesShort-term borrowings 36365 Accounts and notes payable 290,112305,41642,087 Amounts due to related parties 3,1214,592633 Salary and welfare payable 23,14816,9712,339 Taxes payable 5,0602,559353 Advances from customers 247,151159,38521,964 Operating lease liabilities, current 2,9943,070423 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 322,034339,80746,824 Total current liabilities 893,656831,836114,628 Non-current liabilitiesOperating lease liabilities, non-current 1,6801,574217 Deferred tax liabilities 5,1514,964684 Total non-current liabilities 6,8316,538901 Total liabilities 900,487838,374115,529 EquityOrdinary shares 24924934 Less: Treasury stock (329,668)(342,050)(47,136) Additional paid-in capital 9,146,9289,118,3631,256,544 Accumulated other comprehensive income 313,460312,59943,077 Accumulated deficit (8,050,378)(8,055,076)(1,110,018) Total Tuniu Corporation shareholders' equity 1,080,5911,034,085142,501 Noncontrolling interests (71,641)(71,725)(9,884) Total equity 1,008,950962,360132,617 Total liabilities and equity 1,909,4371,800,734248,146 Tuniu Corporation Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income/(Loss) (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Quarter Ended Quarter Ended March 31, 2024 December 31, 2024 March 31, 2025 March 31, 2025 RMB RMB RMB US$ RevenuesPackaged tours 82,95175,44098,96913,638 Others 25,00727,29218,5472,556 Net revenues 107,958102,732117,51616,194 Cost of revenues (25,913)(32,935)(48,169)(6,638) Gross profit 82,04569,79769,3479,556 Operating expensesResearch and product development (13,024)(13,325)(14,528)(2,002) Sales and marketing (36,824)(42,697)(43,188)(5,951) General and administrative (20,479)(26,841)(22,755)(3,136) Other operating income 58236932645 Total operating expenses (69,745)(82,494)(80,145)(11,044) Income/(loss) from operations 12,300(12,697)(10,798)(1,488) Other income/(expenses)Interest and investment income/(loss), net 10,041(5,609)7,8291,079 Interest expense (613)(612)(551)(76) Foreign exchange losses, net (568)(6,102)(1,521)(210) Other income/(loss), net 1,27949(364)(50) Income/(loss) before income tax expense 22,439(24,971)(5,405)(745) Income tax benefit/(expense) 64(283)(52)(7) Equity in (loss)/income of affiliates (604)18810514 Net income/(loss) 21,899(25,066)(5,352)(738) Net income/(loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests 7,988(859)(654)(90) Net income/(loss) attributable to ordinary shareholders of Tuniu Corporation 13,911(24,207)(4,698)(648) Net income/(loss) 21,899(25,066)(5,352)(738) Other comprehensive income/(loss):Foreign currency translation adjustment, net of nil tax 2,0348,568(861)(119) Comprehensive income/(loss) 23,933(16,498)(6,213)(857) Net income/(loss) per ordinary share attributable to ordinary shareholders - basic and diluted 0.04(0.07)(0.01)(0.001) Net income/(loss) per ADS - basic and diluted* 0.12(0.21)(0.03)(0.004) Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing basic income/(loss) per share 371,516,251354,106,851348,847,377348,847,377 Weighted average number of ordinary shares used in computing diluted income/(loss) per share 373,365,967354,106,851348,847,377348,847,377 Share-based compensation expenses included are as follows:Cost of revenues 6566659 Research and product development 6566659 Sales and marketing 3132314 General and administrative 4,8301,2531,230169 Total 4,9911,4171,391191 *Each ADS represents three of the Company's ordinary shares. Reconciliations of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results (All amounts in thousands, except per share information) Quarter Ended March 31, 2025 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result Loss from operations (10,798)1,3917643,316(5,327) Net (loss)/income (5,352)1,3917643,316119 Net (loss)/income attributable to ordinary shareholders (4,698)1,3917643,316773 Quarter Ended December 31, 2024 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result (Loss)/income from operations (12,697)1,41776415,6415,125 Net loss (25,066)1,41776415,641(7,244) Net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders (24,207)1,41776415,641(6,385) Quarter Ended March 31, 2024 GAAP Result Share-based Amortization of acquired Impairment Non-GAAP Compensation intangible assets of property and equipment, net Result Income from operations 12,3004,991828-18,119 Net income 21,8994,991828-27,718 Net income attributable to ordinary shareholders 13,9114,991828-19,730 View original content: SOURCE Tuniu Corporation
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
ICE's go-to charter airline for deportations also flew NCAA teams, Inter Miami and more
Cheers greeted the Memphis men's basketball team as it emerged from an Airbus A320 on the night of March 16. The plane had carried the team from Fort Worth, Texas, to Memphis International Airport, and the flight home was a joyous one. The 16th-ranked Tigers were American Athletic Conference tournament champions and NCAA Tournament-bound. The trophy, topped by a large silver basketball, was buckled into a seat next to head coach Penny Hardaway. Advertisement On the tarmac, cameras flashed. Hardaway gave well-wishers a thumbs-up. Players high-fived fans. Less than 12 hours later, the same Airbus A320 – tail number N281GX – flew from El Paso, Texas, to Tapachula, Mexico. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flight transported 105 men, seven women and one child. Handcuffs, leg irons, and a waist chain likely restrained most adults' wrists and ankles. Guards monitored the cabin. After landing in Tapachula, the sullen passengers filed off the plane, met by Mexican authorities in safety vests. Both flights were operated by Global Crossing Airlines, commonly referred to as GlobalX, a charter company based in Miami. In the last eight months, the company has transported athletic teams from Arkansas, Kentucky, Houston, Kansas, Marquette, Memphis, Miami, North Carolina and St. John's, among others. During March Madness, GlobalX planes carried the Duke men back from the Final Four and the UConn women home after winning the national title. GlobalX also has ferried professional teams, including Inter Miami CF and its star, Lionel Messi. At the same time, GlobalX has operated more than half of ICE deportation flights. The airline regularly shuttles deportees to Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere, sometimes on the same planes that only hours or days earlier carried sports teams. The Trump administration's controversial March 15 deportation of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia and more than 200 others to El Salvador involved three GlobalX planes. Two of them carried college basketball teams in the weeks prior. 'When you get asked to do an NCAA flight, you feel lighter,' said a former GlobalX pilot who spoke on the condition he not be identified. 'If your team wins, you get the honor of transporting the winning team. It's just a feeling of accomplishment. For me doing an ICE flight, I don't want to be dramatic and say it's like a death sentence, but I hated it.' Advertisement The system of chartered ICE flights – referred to as ICE Air – has operated for more than a decade, spanning presidential administrations, immigration policies and airlines. The flights have long drawn criticism from human rights advocates, raising concerns about mistreatment of detainees, safety and a lack of transparency. Less spotlighted has been the crossover between GlobalX's sports charters and ICE Air, as universities and sports organizations unwittingly support a company deeply involved in and profiting from deportation flights. 'They may not have known, but now they do, so now they have a choice to make,' said Ann Skeet, a senior director at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University. 'They need to think about the purpose of their organization and their mission, and whether or not using a charter service that also serves ICE is consistent with their mission.' GlobalX and ICE didn't respond to emailed questions. Only 10 of 20 universities responded to requests for comment from The Athletic about flights their teams took on GlobalX in recent months. The schools willing to speak about the matter said they were unaware that the planes they were on were also used to deport people. Memphis, for one, said in a statement: 'The University of Memphis uses multiple sources to charter athletic flights and have no knowledge of their customer base.' Many schools and coaches declined to address the issue at all; several feared potential retaliation given the Trump administration's targeting of some universities. The first GlobalX revenue flight took off in August 2021. A slogan on the airline's website promised: 'You can't beat the eXperience.' The company soon became a major player in the sports charter business as its fleet expanded to more than a dozen. Past clients include professional basketball and football teams, a national soccer team, a major cricket tournament and an array of college sports teams. 'We do fly some of the biggest stars in professional sports, in soccer and some of the top – I think 10 of the top 20 college basketball teams for this season,' Ryan Goepel, the company's president and chief financial officer, said during an earnings call in March. Advertisement GlobalX provided four dedicated aircraft for the NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments this year as part of a contract worth at least $5 million, continuing a years-long relationship with the NCAA. March Madness travel is organized through the NCAA's charter program. Third-party brokers usually arrange travel for college teams during the regular season. In response to questions from The Athletic about GlobalX, the NCAA issued a statement that didn't address them: 'The NCAA contracts only with safe and regulated charter plane vendors that maintain specified certifications, high ratings on reliable scales and meet insurance standards. The approval process for vendors is rigorous. We are not aware of any instances of sub-standard service on any charter flights during this championship season.' A promotional video for sports charters on the GlobalX website earlier this year featured gourmet snacks, a grinning flight crew and spacious seats, complete with pillows, blankets and Fiji bottled water. A company brochure described its charter flights as 'the ultimate in flexibility, convenience, and luxury' and 'your ticket to wherever you want, whenever you want.' 'They were great flights, they are all excited about playing and having fun,' a second former GlobalX pilot said of the sports charters. 'That was one part of GlobalX's business model. The other part was the deportations.' Tom Cartwright, an immigration advocate who tracks ICE flights, first noted ICE's use of GlobalX in late 2021. GlobalX announced a five-year contract in August 2024 worth $65 million per year as a subcontractor to CSI Aviation for the flights. Cartwright estimates that from March through May of this year, GlobalX operated 64 percent of total ICE Air flights and 62 percent of deportation flights. Most adult passengers are required to be 'fully restrained' with 'handcuffs, waist chains, and leg irons,' according to the ICE Air Operations handbook. Carry-on items like books aren't allowed. Detainees can't wear belts, hats or shoelaces. 'They're in conditions that you would see in a POW camp,' said the first former GlobalX pilot. Advertisement An Airbus A320 with the tail number N291GX joined the GlobalX fleet last year, and its usage in recent months illustrates the disparate worlds the airline straddles. That plane carried San Diego State, Maryland, Kentucky and Auburn during the NCAA Tournament. In the two months preceding March Madness, N291GX flew dozens of times with flight numbers and destinations that match ICE Air routes. The plane traveled from Alexandria, La., to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, then onto Comayagua, Honduras. The Honduran foreign minister tweeted a photo of the aircraft. ICE later announced that 177 detained migrants from Venezuela had been flown from Guantanamo Bay to Honduras, where a Venezuelan plane picked them up. En un trabajo conjunto, por instrucciones de la Presidenta @XiomaraCastroZ en cooperación con los y la República Bolivariana Venezuela con quienes Honduras tiene relaciones diplomáticas, con la labor de @Sedenahn @riximga @CancilleriaHN se realizan Acciones Humanitarias… — Enrique Reina (@EnriqueReinaHN) February 20, 2025 Another trip deported 157 migrants from El Paso, Texas, to Tapachula, Mexico. Local media reported that passengers had been 'handcuffed and shackled from the waist to the feet and hands.' The plane flew from El Paso to San Pedro Sula, Honduras, using a flight number associated with ICE Air. The airport is a regular destination for deportation flights. The next day, March 17, the same plane carried the San Diego State men's basketball team to Dayton, Ohio, and on March 19, it flew the Maryland men to Seattle. The plane traveled to San Salvador, El Salvador on another trip using a flight number associated with ICE Air, then, a week later, on April 2, ferried the Auburn men's basketball team to San Antonio International Airport for the Final Four, where a mariachi group and dancers in bright dresses greeted them in a hangar. Another GlobalX plane – tail number N278GX – landed in San Salvador on Jan. 29, according to flight records and local media reports. More than 80 deportees were aboard. A reporter for El Diario de Hoy photographed the red wrists of one of the passengers and wrote they 'show signs of having been handcuffed for hours.' Two days later, the Kansas State men's basketball team flew from Manhattan, Kan., to Des Moines, Iowa, aboard the same plane in advance of a game against Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. (In a statement, Kansas State said it has been 'pleased' with GlobalX's 'aircraft and service.') Advertisement Also on Jan. 29, a different GlobalX plane with the tail number N837VA ferried 40 deportees to San Pedro Sula. 'They brought me in chains from last night until we arrived here. We're not criminals,' one of the passengers, Dagoberto Portillo, told local media. 'I don't understand the treatment of migrants.' Three days later, the Nebraska men's basketball team traveled aboard the same plane from Lincoln, Neb., to Eugene, Ore. The university said in a statement that the school wasn't 'involved in how that plane was received or procured.' Another GlobalX plane with the tail number N276GX landed at Eduardo Gomes International Airport in Manaus, Brazil, on Jan. 24 with 88 Brazilian deportees. Someone activated the aircraft's emergency exit slides. Photos and videos recorded a chaotic scene where shackled passengers stood on a wing and others roamed the tarmac. Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs derided 'the use of handcuffs and chains' and 'undignified treatment' on the flight. 'The most difficult moment was when the air conditioning broke down in the air, people started to feel sick, some fainted and children were crying,' Kaleb Barbosa, one of the passengers, told the Brazilian media outlet G1. 'The turbines were stopping during the flight; it was desperate, like something out of a movie.' The same plane carried the men's basketball teams from Arkansas and Houston in the previous two months, amid a stream of deportation trips. Those didn't stop. Neither did the sports flights. On May 13, the plane transported the Miami track and field team to the Atlantic Coast Conference outdoor championships in Winston-Salem, N.C. Miami's men's and women's basketball teams and baseball team also have flown GlobalX this year. The university didn't respond to a request for comment. A higher-profile Miami team is featured on GlobalX's Instagram account. The airline shuttled Messi and the rest of Inter Miami CF to preseason matches in Peru and Honduras this year in addition to a match in Kansas City. Inter Miami also didn't respond to a request for comment. Advertisement When Inter Miami arrived at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport in San Pedro Sula on Feb. 8, fire trucks shot arcs of water over the plane with the tail number N281GX. Photographers snapped pictures of players, including Messi, walking down the passenger stairs. Contrast that with a flight that same plane made into San Pedro Sula on Dec. 4. Deportees, some of them with children, were photographed as they walked the tarmac. Behind them was the plane they traveled on, 'GlobalX' written in giant blue letters across its fuselage. 'On the one hand, you have the low-end flights for people, which are basically shackled in the sky,' said Angelina Godoy, director of the University of Washington's Center for Human Rights and author of a 2022 study about ICE Air, 'and then you have the other end, the very high-end flights, with these corporate logos and everything on the plane and the athletes in there looking great … and it's the same damn (plane).' (Graphics: Drew Jordan / The Athletic) (Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; photos: Sarah Stier, Orlando Sierra / Getty Images, Moises Castillo, Larry MacDougal / AP Photo)
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Trump's new travel ban leaves narrow openings for challengers
The Trump administration's travel ban presents a complex case for immigration advocates who have challenged previous efforts by President Trump to close the U.S. to certain foreigners. Trump needed multiple bites at the apple during his first term before the Supreme Court upheld the third version of his so-called Muslim ban in 2018. His latest version is more sweeping, targeting 19 countries instead of seven. It's also more narrow in the exceptions that would allow people to skirt the new restrictions. Trump's Supreme Court-approved travel ban was finally able to win over the courts with the argument it was needed on national security grounds. But his latest travel ban also points to visa overstay rates as a rationale for blocking citizens from U.S. travel. That addition is something that could provide an opening to legal challenges, said experts interviewed by The Hill. 'The rationales that are given in the order go far beyond national security-related justifications,' said Ahilan Arulanantham, co-director of the Center for Immigration Law and Policy (CILP) at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. He noted that when the Supreme Court upheld Trump's first travel ban, 'they were focused almost exclusively on national security-related justifications.' 'These are justifications that are not in any way national security related. They're just immigration policy rationales. … That's definitely an area of potential legal vulnerability.' Trump's travel ban places full restrictions on citizens from 12 countries: Afghanistan, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It also places partial restrictions on seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. For some countries, the Trump administration's latest ban cites faulty 'screening and vetting measures' inhibiting U.S. Embassy staff from reviewing visa candidates. But the executive order repeatedly references countries' visa overstay rates — the percentage at which a country's citizens remain in the U.S. beyond the time period allowed under their visa. 'It's just collective punishment. None of the people who are banned under this proclamation are banned for anything that they did wrong, or any actual individual suspicion that they will do something wrong,' said Adam Bates, a counsel at the International Refugee Assistance Project. 'It's just this kind of collective punishment. 'We don't trust your country. We don't trust your government. We don't trust you based on no other reason than where you were born — not because of anything you did or have done or will do.'' Raha Wala, vice president for strategy and partnerships for the National Immigration Law Center, said those inconsistencies will likely factor in the lawsuit. 'One of the real legal defects of this new, expanded ban is that it's completely arbitrary. You know, folks from Canada have one of the highest visa overstay rates, but they're not on this ban list,' he said. In issuing the new ban, the administration highlighted an Egyptian man arrested in an attack on demonstrators in Boulder, Colo., calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas. The man, Mohamed Soliman, filed for asylum shortly after arrival but overstayed his initial visa. Yet the administration did not include Egypt on its travel ban, which Wala argued shows it is an 'arbitrary and capricious, expanded ban' designed to 'ban or restrict individuals from countries that President Trump, perhaps personally, just doesn't like.' He added that the ban would disproportionately hit 'lots of countries of Black folk, brown folk, Asian folk and Latino folk.' Trump has defended the exclusion of Egypt. 'Egypt has been a country that we deal with very closely. They have things under control. The countries that we have don't have things under control,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office earlier this month. Arulanantham said litigation will likely include a review of visa overstay rates for countries not included in the ban. 'I think it's highly problematic to assume that, 'Oh, because some people from Burundi overstay, therefore we should assume that the others will and ban them all.' It's obviously highly problematic from a moral perspective. It's discriminatory. But if you're going to take that kind of approach that you have to ask the question like, 'OK, well, are these really outlying countries?'' he asked. Trump has already moved to lift protections on citizens from a number of the countries on the travel ban list, such as Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela. Former President Biden designated Temporary Protected Status (TPS) — protections from deportation — for migrants from Afghanistan, Venezuela and Haiti. He also started a parole program that granted entry for two years and work permits to citizens from Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela and Nicaragua if they could secure a U.S.-based financial sponsor. Trump has since scrapped the parole program while terminating TPS for countries now included in the travel ban. Those moves have been challenged in court. In stripping TPS, Trump has argued Afghans, Haitians and Venezuelans no longer merit the temporary refuge the protections give for those fleeing civil unrest or natural disasters. All three countries are currently roiling from various political controversies and are facing severe food insecurity. 'For the purposes of terminating TPS, Afghanistan is a safe, stable, secure country. And for the purpose of banning Afghans from getting visas, Afghanistan is a terrorist-run failed state,' Bates said. 'They're self-contradicting.' State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott defended the ban as a national security measure as well as 'broader action from this administration on a whole host of visa issues.' 'This is a national security imperative,' he said during a briefing earlier this month. 'Do we have the ability to vet people coming in, and this, again, has been that priority from the beginning of this administration. Can we say with confidence that people coming to the United States have been properly vetted? Is there essential authority in these countries that can confirm that? Can we trust what they're telling us?' While immigration advocates felt confident the new travel ban was discriminatory, they hedged on whether any challenge would be successful in court. 'It's certainly possible, it's very possible, the Supreme Court upholds this,' Arulanantham said, noting that such a move would have 'very dramatic impacts on immigrant communities' and separate families. Wala also expressed some doubts. 'I don't want to oversell the case, so to speak,' he said. 'Are we super confident this particular Supreme Court is going to come down the right side of this one? Well, not necessarily, because they upheld what we viewed and still view to be a very unconstitutional ban the prior time.'
