Latest news with #Us-mexico
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump's border wall expansion moves forward in several critical areas: 'Crisis is not yet over'
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem cleared waivers allowing for 36 more miles of border wall construction in Arizona and New Mexico. The waivers curb environmental regulations that the construction would be subjected to legally build more quickly. DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital in a statement that "DHS has been working at a neck-breaking speed to secure our border" and remove "criminal illegal aliens out of our country." The waivers cover several projects, including filling gaps in the Yuma Sector and making developments on the wall in the El Paso Sector, according to a news release. In addition, 24 miles will be part of the Tucson Sonoita Project. Republican Ags Visit Us-mexico Border Wall As Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Clears Expansion Funding These projects already had funds allocated in 2020-21 appropriations for Customs and Border Protection, the release from CBP added. "Today's news is welcome here in Yuma, Arizona, where our community is still grappling with the consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration's four years of open-border policies," Jonathan Lines, a Yuma County Supervisor and Chairman of the Border Security Alliance, stated. Read On The Fox News App "We applaud President Trump's commitment to border security, and we look forward to the completion of the wall across the entire southern border. The border crisis is not yet over, and our federal government must continue to equip the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents with the tools, technologies, and resources necessary to provide adequate national security to keep America safe," Lines added. Trump Admin Shares Border Plans For 2025 And Beyond: 'As Much Wall As We Need' Another waiver was granted in April to build more of the wall in California. With only a few small exceptions, border wall construction was largely halted during the Biden administration as millions of people crossed illegally, including through gaps. The gaps between barriers are also known to be used for cartel activity. Click Here For More Immigration Coverage "Our border has never been safer or more secure, and we have the Trump Administration to thank for that," Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen told Fox News Digital in a statement. "Finishing the wall is exactly what Arizonans voted for, and I'm pleased Secretary Noem is quickly carrying out President Trump's mission to protect our citizens and strengthen our national security. Sanity and the rule of law are being restored in our nation." Critics of further wall construction have largely cited environmental concerns. Border Community Reveals What Trump Admin Still Needs To Accomplish As Crisis Calms Down: 'Undue Burdens' "Waiving environmental, cultural preservation, and good governance laws that protect clean air and clean water, safeguard precious cultural resources, and preserve vibrant ecosystems and biodiversity will only cause further harm to border communities and ecosystems," Earthjustice Associate Legislative Representative Cameron Walkup said in a statement in April after the California waiver. "Rather than rushing to spend tens of billions of dollars to help President Trump build even more wasteful border wall through a budget reconciliation package, Congress should focus on rescinding these waivers and remediating the significant damage that has already been caused by the wall," Walkup article source: Trump's border wall expansion moves forward in several critical areas: 'Crisis is not yet over'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
CIA uses drones to sniff out cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico: US official
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has been conducting surveillance flights with drones over Mexico in partnership with the U.S. neighbor to the south, to gather intelligence on cartels and fentanyl laboratories, according to a senior U.S. official. The Biden administration authorized the use of MQ9 Reaper drones, which the official said are not armed and "not lethal," over Mexico to focus on locating fentanyl labs and cartels. President Donald Trump's administration continued the program, which is being done in coordination with the Mexican government. The intelligence is shared with the Mexican government, which in turn has the authority to act on shutting down any illegal activities associated with the cartels and labs. Hundreds Of Drug-smuggling Tunnels Exist On The Us-mexico Border – Here's How We Close Them "This is not the Pakistan model," a senior U.S. official told Fox News. "It is being done in partnership with the Mexican government." Read On The Fox News App Felipe de Jesus Gallo, the head of Mexico's Criminal Investigation Agency, said last year that since the 1990s "Mexico has been the champion of methamphetamine production, and now fentanyl." He made the statement while speaking at a U.S.-Mexico conference on synthetic drugs in Mexico City. 'Our Agents Are Relentless': Feds Shut Down Cross-border Tunnel Used By Mexican Cartels For Smuggling Into Us Experts agree that cartels in Mexico use precursor chemicals from China and India to make the synthetic opioid and smuggle it into the United States, where it causes about 70,000 overdose deaths annually. While fentanyl is not widely abused in Mexico, methamphetamine addiction is commonplace. Gallo said that Mexican cartels have launched industrial-scale production of meth in many states throughout the country and now export the drug around the world. "Believe me, methamphetamine production has become industrialized, it's not just in the mountains anymore," Gallo said. "We now expect to see (drug) laboratories not just in the mountains of Sinaloa and Sonora, but in Hidalgo as well, Puebla, and also in Jalisco." Idf Finds Hezbollah Weapons Cache In Underground Tunnel: Video He was apparently referring to thousands of drug labs detected in previous years in the hills and scrublands around Culiacan, the capital of the northern state of Sinaloa. Those clandestine, rural production sites were often bare-bones, improvised labs covered with tree branches and tarpaulins. Now, the meth trade has become so lucrative and so sophisticated that Mexican meth is exported as far away as Hong Kong or Australia, and the cartels have found ways to avoid detection of their drug money. Fentanyl production is also huge, though because it is a more potent drug, the volume is smaller. Soldiers seized more than a half-million fentanyl pills in Culiacan in 2023, in what the army at the time described as the largest synthetic drug lab found to date. Click To Get The Fox News App Soldiers found almost 630,000 pills that appeared to contain fentanyl, the army said. They also reported seizing 282 pounds of powdered fentanyl and about 220 pounds of suspected methamphetamine. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: CIA uses drones to sniff out cartels and fentanyl labs in Mexico: US official
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Rubio greenlights $7M+ in waivers to keep border security efforts in Mexico alive amid funding freeze
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is using waivers to keep programs in Mexico and related to border security and anti-fentanyl efforts going amid a federal funding freeze – as he seeks to put pressure on Mexico to increase its efforts. A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital on Friday that Rubio has been granting waivers to the administration-wide pause on federal funding for efforts under the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Program. The INL program provides aid to border security agencies in other countries that could pose a threat to the U.S. if narcotics production, organized crime and terrorist activity are allowed to flourish. Mexican Troops Begin Arriving At Us-mexico Border Following Deal Made To Pause Trump-approved Tariffs "INL programs aim to reduce the entry of illegal drugs into the United States and minimize the impact of international crime on the United States and its citizens," the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website says. That includes programs that target fentanyl smuggling. Illicit fentanyl, which can be fatal in tiny doses, is typically made in Mexico using Chinese precursors and then smuggled across the U.S.-Mexico land border. Fentanyl overdoses kill tens of thousands of Americans each year. Rubio recently completed a tour of Latin America, where he secured a number of commitments from foreign governments in terms of border security. The official said that INL programming has been coming back online in those countries since that trip. Read On The Fox News App Reuters reported on Thursday that INL programming in Mexico had been halted, including programs that train Mexican authorities to find and destroy fentanyl labs and to stop precursor chemicals entering Mexico. But the State Department official disputed that, telling Fox News Digital that some Mexican programming has already been granted waivers. Specifically, there has been $5.2M in waivers approved to date for Mexico, with an additional $2.5 million pending resubmission. They said those waivers included funding for law enforcement in Mexico that has supported the extradition of transnational criminal organization members to the U.S. who have exported fentanyl and smuggled migrants into the U.S. Other programs include a wire intercept program and programs that assist with drug trafficking investigations of cartel members. Mexico Agrees To Deploy 10,000 Troops To Us Border In Exchange For Tariff Pause The official said that announcements of those waivers have not been forthcoming because Rubio is hoping to secure additional commitments from Mexico on border security. "A new administration in the US has taken office, and we need increased commitments on the part of Mexico to assure us that they're serious when it comes to stopping the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs," the official said. The official said there have been some waivers so far because the U.S. wants to show it is a reliable partner, but other programs are being reviewed and "we don't want to turn them on yet until we know that our Mexican counterparts are going to promise various actions in return." Click Here For More Immigration Coverage One of the areas that the U.S. wishes to see further action on is the rejection of INL assistance by former President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who the U.S. previously said had refused to participate in a U.S. program to train and equip Mexican police. The new Sheinbaum administration has now approved part of that assistance, officials say, but has not approved the rest, or eliminated an approval system that caused the blockage. Officials believe Rubio's visit will confirm Mexico's commitment and that the announcement of resumption of more INL funding will follow. The push comes amid a migration-focused start by the Trump administration and the State Department. The administration has secured a number of border-related commitments from Mexico and Canada, as well as promises to accept migrants being returned from Venezuela and Colombia. The Associated Press contributed to this article source: Rubio greenlights $7M+ in waivers to keep border security efforts in Mexico alive amid funding freeze
