Latest news with #U.S.CustomsandBorderProtection
5 hours ago
- Politics
Makeup artist is one of the US deportees sent from El Salvador to Venezuela, congressman says
WASHINGTON -- Andry Hernández Romero, a makeup artist from Venezuela who was deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration and held in a notorious mega-prison, was among the scores of migrants sent back to Venezuela in a three-nation exchange Friday, a California congressman said. Rep. Robert Garcia posted on social media Friday night: 'We have been in touch with Andry Hernández Romero's legal team and they have confirmed he is out of CECOT and back in Venezuela. We are grateful he is alive and are engaged with both the State Department and his team.' Romero, a gay man, fled Venezuela last summer and sought asylum in the U.S. He used a U.S. Customs and Border Protection phone app to arrange an appointment at a U.S. border crossing in San Diego. That's where he was asked about his tattoos. U.S. immigration authorities use a series of 'gang identifiers' to help them spot members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Romero, who is in his early 20s, has a crown tattooed on each wrist. One is next to the word 'Mom.' The other next to 'Dad.' The crowns, according to his lawyer, also pay homage to his hometown's Christmastime 'Three Kings' festival, and to his work in beauty pageants, where crowns are common. Romero, who insisted he has no ties to Tren, was taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and transferred to a California detention center. He was eventually flown to the Salvadoran mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center
CBS News
3 days ago
- CBS News
Egyptian locust discovered among luggage at Detroit Metro, CBP officials say
An Egyptian locust was found earlier this year among the luggage of a traveler arriving at Detroit Metropolitan Airport, prompting a reminder and alert from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Office of Field Operations. While the locust incident happened in March, the CPB related the details and a photo in a social media post on July 10. CBP agriculture experts working at Detroit Metro found the live Egyptian locust (Anacridium aegyptium) in a traveler's luggage from Albania. "Exotic locusts present a serious threat to U.S. agriculture due to them feeding on a variety of plants, including crops like grapevines, citrus trees, deciduous orchard trees, and vegetables," the report said. CBP's agriculture specialists work to prevent the introduction of harmful exotic species, diseases and potential agricultural bioterrorism. The agency says known prohibited items are destroyed, unknown pests are sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for further investigation. This is not the first time that agriculture specialists have found unwelcome insects at DTW. The CBP has previously issued reports for cases that include a non-native burrowing grasshopper in the luggage of a passenger arriving from Kenya found in 2024, and six giant African snails found in the suitcase of a traveler arriving from Ghana in 2023. "Most importers and passengers unintentionally bring these threats to the United States. Unfortunately, certain bad actors engage in agro-terrorism. Agro-terrorism specifically targets a component of agriculture or the food supply," the agency said.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Man tried to ship guns, thousands of rounds of ammo from Port of Miami to Haiti: feds
An X-ray scan of a cargo container bound for Haiti from the Port of Miami uncovered a cache of undeclared firearms and thousands of rounds of ammunition — now the man who attempted to ship them is in federal custody. Per a federal complaint, Williamson Dossous was arrested on Sunday just before boarding a flight to Haiti. He faces charges of smuggling goods and illegally exporting firearms and ammunition. The charges stem from a Jan. 16 inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection of a cargo container headed to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. Agents discovered firearms and ammunition concealed in bundles of clothing and wrapped in aluminum foil. The shipment had been labeled as 'household goods and personal effects.' READ MORE: New tactics, routes arm Haitian gangs. Florida a key to illicit flow of guns and ammo Investigators with the Department of Homeland Security say Dossous didn't purchase any of the weapons himself — a common tactic used to avoid leaving a paper trail. In March, federal agents interviewed a woman who bought two of the firearms 37 days before the seizure. She said she was a friend of Dossous and that he had driven her to purchase the guns for protection. Afterward, she left them in his car during a family emergency and never got them back. She claimed Dossous ignored her calls and left town. Two other guns were traced to Dossous's son, who purchased them 122 days before the seizure. A third came from a patient at a chiropractic clinic where Dossous is listed as corporate secretary. That woman said she didn't know how Dossous ended up with the gun, but had heard it was seized during the shipping attempt. Another weapon was bought by another acquaintance, who claimed it had been in a vehicle during a December 2024 car accident and hadn't seen it since. He admitted knowing Dossous as someone who frequently shipped goods to Haiti. Flight records show the two traveled together to Cap-Haïtien in July 2023. In a June 13 interview, Dossous told investigators he has shipped containers to Haiti for over 20 years, averaging two or three per year. He denied any knowledge of firearms in the January shipment. But around a week later, a confidential source provided authorities with a recorded phone call in which Dossous discussed the shipment and law enforcement's interest in collecting his DNA. He is heard saying: 'They going to get my fingerprints on them [guns] because I touched them… I was there when he was doing the stuff… I know about the guns, I touched the guns.' Authorities verified the voice as Dossous's and confirmed the phone number belonged to his girlfriend, with a billing address matching his residence. Investigators also confirmed Dossous did not hold the export license required to legally ship firearms and ammunition overseas. Following his arrest at the airport, Dossous reportedly overheard agents discussing another smuggling case and spontaneously said: 'I know my prints are going to be on the guns because I touched them. I'm not going to lie about that.' Dossous appeared before Magistrate Judge Lisette M. Reid on Monday, where she set his bond at $300,000, which he posted and has since been released on various conditions including handing over his passport.
USA Today
5 days ago
- USA Today
Is it legal to use a burner phone to cross US borders?
A burner phone might be one way to avoid having your personal data scrutinized when crossing U.S. borders, even if you're not hiding anything. Travelers are reportedly facing higher rates of inspections when attempting to enter the country as U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents follow directives to bolster national security. Any traveler – whether a citizen or visitor – can be subject to an inspection, which is meant to verify their identity and assess any risk of crime or contraband, according to the agency. During the more common basic search, agents are legally allowed to search information stored directly on electronic devices, including photos and deleted folders, without a warrant. For those applying for a visa, social media profiles have to be made public in order to be examined by the Department of Homeland Security. CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham previously told USA TODAY, the agency "follows strict policies and directives when it comes to searching electronic media." However, more reports of detainments and deportations during what legal experts are calling a period of "more aggressive" enforcement and questioning at the border are worrying some travelers, who fear that certain content on their phone could get them in trouble. In April, several major Canadian institutions advised their staff to only take a burner phone if they need to travel to the U.S. CBP did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment. Travelers, even U.S. citizens, are facing newfound fears over more thorough vetting at borders, along with what some legal experts call "a chilling effect" on our freedom of expression. To limit what can be looked at during border searches, they may be considering packing a burner phone with them instead of their regular one. Under this idea, travelers would leave their primary phone at home and bring a secondary phone with minimal personal information stored on it instead. This device would be exclusively "a travel phone, and has very limited functionality," said Esha Bhandari, deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project. She added, "We've heard anecdotally that some travelers may be wanting to do that more." Here's what people should know about traveling with a burner phone. Is it illegal to travel with a burner phone? No, it's not illegal to use a travel phone, even if it seems suspicious to have a nearly empty phone. "At the outset, there's no legal barrier to traveling with certain digital information," Bhandari said. Basically, this means your phone doesn't have to contain all your information to enter the country. In fact, one of the government's legal defenses asserting these searches aren't an invasion of privacy is that travelers can control what they have on their devices, according to Bhandari. Some courts have had sidebar discussions that it's akin to having the contents of your luggage searched. "So the government itself acknowledges that if travelers can control what they bring, then that must mean that you can travel without a device that has your everyday things on it, right?" she said. Legal organizations like the ACLU and Electronic Frontier Foundation have argued that our devices store much more information than that, making these searches more intrusive. Should I travel with a burner phone? Each traveler needs to make their own risk assessment to determine whether it's beneficial to travel with a secondary device, according to Bhandari. Some people who carry sensitive work or personal information on their phone may find it worthwhile, while others who already have a separate work phone can leave one at home, she continued. "For other travelers, having a separate device may not be feasible, but they can still choose what data to physically retain on their device before they travel." Keep in mind that your rights at the border can vary depending on your immigration status, so the outcome could vary. So while U.S. citizens and legal residents must still be allowed into the country, visitors and non-visa holders could be turned away. "No traveler is obligated to have all their personal information on them," Bhandari said. "But I think, unfortunately, in the current environment, travelers do have to be aware of that risk." Despite your immigration status, if you refuse to have your phone searched, agents have the authority to confiscate it for weeks or even months. Other tips for privacy at US borders If you're still on the fence about traveling with a burner phone, here's what Bhandari recommends during border searches:
USA Today
6 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump almost died a year ago. That moment changed the direction of America.
Donald Trump's near brush with death in July 2024 and the way he handled it with bravery energized not only his base – but also those who had been hesitant to support him. A lot has happened since July 13, 2024. I remember vividly the moment when my husband told me that Donald Trump had been shot at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It was shocking. I didn't believe him. At first we didn't know what had happened or how seriously the former president was hurt. Then those images of Trump with blood streaming down his face and his fist in the air emerged. He said the word 'fight.' Trump was letting us know he was OK. It was the moment that changed everything. Trump's near brush with death and the way he handled it with bravery energized not only his base – but also those who had been hesitant to support him. The momentum shift almost certainly led to then-President Joe Biden finally deciding to drop out of the race. And former Vice President Kamala Harris proved no match for Trump. After the attack, Trump said he believed God spared him to help 'straighten out' the country. Despite the typical Trumpian bravado, there's a lot to be said for what he's done for the country since his reelection. Opinion: Partisan blame game after Texas flood is ugly. How low will Democrats go? Trump is fulfilling his promise to fix the border and the economy Trump ran on securing the border and turning around the inflation-plagued economy. And he's following through. Under Biden's open-border policies, record numbers of migrants crossed illegally, overwhelming border agents for years. Within weeks of Trump taking office, things changed dramatically and border encounters reached historic lows. The numbers speak for themselves. According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in May, the Border Patrol released zero illegal migrants into the country. That's a huge drop from May 2024, when agents released 62,000 migrants along the southern border. Opinion alerts: Get columns from your favorite columnists + expert analysis on top issues, delivered straight to your device through the USA TODAY app. Don't have the app? Download it for free from your app store. Border encounters in general have fallen 93%. In May, the Border Patrol encountered 8,725 illegal migrants at the border, while in May 2024, that number was 117,905. Trump's tough measures on immigration are working. Opinion: With Mamdani, Democrats flirt with full-tilt socialism. But his plan is alarming. The economy also is on the upswing. The stock market is soaring, and the latest jobs report outpaced expectations. Consumers are feeling more confident with inflation falling. If Trump would just lay off the chaotic tariff business, the economy would be going even more gangbusters. Yet, even after Trump announced new tariffs July 9, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite closed at all-time highs. Democrats have tried – and failed – to sink Trump As I reflect on the first anniversary of Trump's near-assassination, I also think about how completely ineffective Democrats have been in their years-long war against the president. Opinion: Finally! Penn will erase trans athlete's records. But are they just biding time? They've impeached Trump (twice). They've made him a federal felon. They've claimed he is Hitler. They said he would end democracy. Nothing Democrats have done or said has worked. And their myopic focus on Trump has led them to neglect defining who they are. Voters have noticed, and Democrats have dealt with record-low approval ratings. A recent poll from Democratic super PAC Unite the Country, obtained by The Hill, shows that voters see the Democratic Party as 'out of touch,' 'woke' and 'weak.' And Trump? He is looking stronger than ever. Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@ or on X, formerly Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
