Latest news with #Villatoro
New York Post
3 days ago
- New York Post
Long Island tops New York in dog attacks on postal workers, racking up 83 bites: ‘You're always afraid'
See Spot — run! Dogs took a bite of postal workers on Long Island more than 80 times last year — leading New York in canine encounters by a lengthy margin, new data from the US Postal Service found. Nassau and Suffolk counties' mail carriers were used as chew toys by man's best friend 83 times along their routes — accounting for more than 25% of all dog attacks (322) reported statewide in 2024. Nassau and Suffolk counties' mail carriers were chewed on by man's best friend 83 times along their routes — accounting for more than 25% of all dog bites reported statewide last year. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'Every day, all day, you have to be very observant out there around you, especially the dogs,' Diana Villatoro, a 57-year-old mail carrier from Franklin Square, told Newsday. Long Island saw more than triple the number of attacks than those in Rochester, the city with the most incidents in the state, which logged 23, according to the data. Meanwhile, the entire Big Apple also paled in comparison, combining for just 54 bites. Nassau recorded 43 attacks and Suffolk 40 last year, the Postal Service found. Hempstead, Bay Shore and Amityville logged four dog bites each last year — the most among Long Island's nearly 60 communities, the data show. Villatoro, whose route is based in Hicksville, encounters about 30 dogs each day along her travels. Bitten by a stray Doberman about 15 years ago, Villatoro said she needed stitches and a series of rabies shots — and remains traumatized from the incident. New York City only saw 54 dog bites in 2024 compared to 43 coming from Nassau County, and another 40 attacks occurring in Suffolk County, according to data from the US Postal Service. Bloomberg via Getty Images 'You're always afraid that you're going to get bit,' she told the outlet. The numbers were released as part of the Postal Service's annual dog bite awareness campaign, launched to highlight the dangers of the job — especially during warmer months when more canines are out on the prowl. Postal officials warn that if a carrier feels unsafe around a certain pup, mail delivery to that address could be suspended. As part of the campaign, postal officials are also urging pet owners to keep their canines inside or securely restrained when mail is being delivered. Strict safety protocols have already been in place for years though to try and prevent attacks, including barring mail carriers from wearing earbuds, requiring them to carry non-lethal dog repellent, and flagging addresses with known aggressive dogs using bright orange warning cards. 'You never know what a dog is thinking even if an owner says it doesn't bite,' Hicksville Postmaster Annette D'Amato said. 'My first priority is to make sure my carriers are safe.'
Saudi Gazette
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
El Salvador says it shares gang intel with the US
SAN SALVADOR — El Salvador says it shares intelligence with the United States about gang members wanted by the Central American nation and provides 'complete records' on them before formally requesting their deportation. 'We raise our hands and say, 'Look, this guy,'' the country's Security and Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro said in an exclusive interview with CNN. Asked if that meant the country specified which individuals it wanted deported, he said, 'Yes ... it's not random.' Villatoro's comments come after the Trump administration deported more than 270 men to El Salvador, accusing them of being members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang or Salvadorans tied to the MS-13 gang. US officials later admitted that one of those deported – Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland-based sheet metal worker and father of three – was removed from the US in an 'administrative error.' He is now in El Salvador's notorious high security prison Cecot, despite a 2019 ruling by an immigration judge that was meant to protect him from deportation due to death threats from a gang targeting his family's pupusa business. The case has sparked a broad debate over due process in the deportations. While the Trump administration has alleged Garcia Abrego was a member of MS-13, his attorneys and family have rejected those claims and insist his detention is unjust. Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, told CNN Wednesday her family is 'very hurt' by her husband's deportation. 'My kids ask daily, 'When is Dad coming home?'' she said, adding that her family has not heard from the Trump administration. The Salvadoran government has not commented on individual cases, including Abrego Garcia's. But Villatoro said that Salvadorans deported from the US who are placed directly into the country's prison system are those with pending criminal records in El Salvador. Villatoro told CNN the Salvadoran government reviews each deportation flight arriving from the US and immediately checks the names of passengers against its gang database. 'We checked all of them. And if we found someone who we are very sure that he is a member of any gang in El Salvador, we capture them and put them in jail,' he said. He also addressed cases where individuals claim innocence, saying: 'It's very common that some people say, 'Oh, he's innocent.' But the problem is: your background talks for you, right? You can say, 'I'm not a member' — OK, but what happened with your criminal record?' While Salvadoran officials won't publicly comment on individual deportees, two government officials told CNN they have 'further evidence of (Kilmar) Abrego Garcia's criminal ties and actions' in El Salvador — though they declined to provide CNN evidence. Abrego Garcia's legal team has flatly rejected that claim. 'In the absence of transparency or due process for Kilmar, such vague accusations should not carry weight, especially when they contradict a US immigration judge's determination that he was credible and warranted protection from removal to El Salvador,' the team said in a statement to CNN. 'The government of El Salvador has not provided any convictions or substantiated evidence to support its claims, and it is deeply concerning that these unverified allegations are being used to retroactively justify a deportation that violated court orders,' the statement continued. The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily paused a court-imposed midnight deadline to return Abrego Garcia to the US, agreeing to a request from President Donald Trump that will give the justices more time to consider the case. It's unclear what is influencing the US decision to block his return. Villatoro insisted that El Salvador actively shares its information with US law enforcement and that deportations are based on detailed records. He said the country has kept extensive files on suspected gang members for years, including those believed to be living in the US and elsewhere. 'We know their background — how many times they were captured for homicide, for drugs, for weapons,' he said. 'This is not about random deportations — this is based on the full record.' Villatoro, who has served in President Nayib Bukele's cabinet since the beginning of his term, is considered one of the architects of his country's anti-gang strategy. The Cecot jail where Abrego Garcia is being held houses both convicted criminals and those still going through El Salvador's court system. With constitutional rights suspended under El Salvador's yearslong state of emergency, some innocent people have been detained by mistake, Salvadoran president Bukele previously admitted. Several thousand of them have already been released. CNN visited Cecot on Tuesday — the first US news organization to be allowed inside since the latest deportation flight. Prison director Belarmino Garcia told CNN that the population has grown significantly since the network's previous visit six months ago. Officials did not allow CNN into the sector holding the deportees. Last year, the prison director estimated the inmate population was between 10,000 and 20,000. He now says it's approaching the prison's 40,000-inmate maximum — but declined to provide a specific figure, citing security concerns. Villatoro said the government is prepared to expand the facility, or even construct a second Cecot-like maximum-security prison, if needed. 'We have enough land to build even another (Cecot),' he said. — CNN
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds move to drop criminal case against man they previously called a major gang leader
Federal prosecutors have abruptly abandoned the criminal case against a Virginia man portrayed by the Justice Department as a major leader of the brutal Central American gang MS-13. Authorities moved Wednesday to dismiss their prosecution of Henrry Villatoro Santos, whose arrest was celebrated by President Donald Trump, the attorney general and head of the FBI. Instead, the Trump administration seems poised to seek Villatoro's quick deportation, despite holding up his arrest as a triumph for the president's crackdown on violent transnational gangs. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin all appeared before TV cameras during a rare press conference at the FBI's Manassas, Virginia, office last month to tout the arrest of Villatoro, who officials described as one of the gang's most senior bosses in the U.S. Trump called him 'a major leader of MS-13" in a social media post. He's "one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13," Bondi claimed, adding that he is "very dangerous" and responsible for "very violent crimes" by the gang. Patel also played it big: 'We took down this morning a top leader of MS-13,' he said. 'That is not done easily.' Youngkin described Villatoro as 'one of the top leaders of MS-13, living here.' Later that day, Villatoro, 24, appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was charged with illegal possession of a 9-millimeter handgun. 'You're going to see a lot more charges on him,' Bondi predicted on Fox News that night, calling Villatoro 'one of the worst of the worst.' Yet, with far less fanfare Wednesday, the Justice Department moved to drop the criminal case, saying simply that the government 'no longer wishes to pursue the instant prosecution at this time.' DOJ spokespeople had no immediate comment on the decision. Instead, it appears the Trump administration intends to seek the alleged gang leader's immediate deportation. Muhammad Elsayed, his attorney, in a self-described 'unusual' motion, asked the magistrate judge who locked up Villatoro not to let the government drop the criminal case yet. Doing so, the lawyer said, might result in a quick deportation of the kind the Trump administration deployed against hundreds of Venezuelan nationals last month, devoid of the due process that the Supreme Court ruled this week was essential. Villatoro's attorney noted the array of high profile figures who had trumpeted the arrest. Even more head-scratching: The judge who ordered Villatoro detained pending trial agreed to keep him incarcerated because of the apparent strength of the government's criminal case and the likelihood that a conviction would have resulted in a lengthy sentence.
Politico
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Feds move to drop criminal case against man they previously called a major gang leader
Federal prosecutors have abruptly abandoned the criminal case against a Virginia man portrayed by the Justice Department as a major leader of the brutal Central American gang MS-13. Authorities moved Wednesday to dismiss their prosecution of Henrry Villatoro Santos, whose arrest was celebrated by President Donald Trump, the attorney general and head of the FBI. Instead, the Trump administration seems poised to seek Villatoro's quick deportation, despite holding up his arrest as a triumph for the president's crackdown on violent transnational gangs. Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin all appeared before TV cameras during a rare press conference at the FBI's Manassas, Virginia, office last month to tout the arrest of Villatoro, who officials described as one of the gang's most senior bosses in the U.S. Trump called him 'a major leader of MS-13" in a social media post. He's 'one of the top domestic terrorists in MS-13,' Bondi claimed, adding that he is 'very dangerous' and responsible for 'very violent crimes' by the gang. Patel also played it big: 'We took down this morning a top leader of MS-13,' he said. 'That is not done easily.' Youngkin described Villatoro as 'one of the top leaders of MS-13, living here.' Later that day, Villatoro, 24, appeared in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where he was charged with illegal possession of a 9-millimeter handgun. 'You're going to see a lot more charges on him,' Bondi predicted on Fox News that night, calling Villatoro 'one of the worst of the worst.' Yet, with far less fanfare Wednesday, the Justice Department moved to drop the criminal case, saying simply that the government 'no longer wishes to pursue the instant prosecution at this time.' DOJ spokespeople had no immediate comment on the decision. Instead, it appears the Trump administration intends to seek the alleged gang leader's immediate deportation. Muhammad Elsayed, his attorney, in a self-described ' unusual' motion , asked the magistrate judge who locked up Villatoro not to let the government drop the criminal case yet. Doing so, the lawyer said, might result in a quick deportation of the kind the Trump administration deployed against hundreds of Venezuelan nationals last month, devoid of the due process that the Supreme Court ruled this week was essential. Villatoro's attorney noted the array of high profile figures who had trumpeted the arrest. Even more head-scratching: The judge who ordered Villatoro detained pending trial agreed to keep him incarcerated because of the apparent strength of the government's criminal case and the likelihood that a conviction would have resulted in a lengthy sentence.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
El Salvador says it shares gang intel with the US — and requests specific deportees
El Salvador says it shares intelligence with the United States about gang members wanted by the Central American nation and provides 'complete records' on them before formally requesting their deportation. 'We raise our hands and say, 'Look, this guy,'' the country's Security and Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro said in an exclusive interview with CNN. Asked if that meant the country specified which individuals it wanted deported, he said, 'Yes … it's not random.' Villatoro's comments come after the Trump administration deported more than 270 men to El Salvador, accusing them of being members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang or Salvadorans tied to the MS-13 gang. US officials later admitted that one of those deported – Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland-based sheet metal worker and father of three – was removed from the US in an 'administrative error.' He is now in El Salvador's notorious high security prison Cecot, despite a 2019 ruling by an immigration judge that was meant to protect him from deportation due to death threats from a gang targeting his family's pupusa business. The case has sparked a broad debate over due process in the deportations. While the Trump administration has alleged Garcia Abrego was a member of MS-13, his attorneys and family have rejected those claims and insist his detention is unjust. Abrego Garcia's wife, Jennifer Vasquez Sura, told CNN Wednesday her family is 'very hurt' by her husband's deportation. 'My kids ask daily, 'When is Dad coming home?'' she said, adding that her family has not heard from the Trump administration. The Salvadoran government has not commented on individual cases, including Abrego Garcia's. But Villatoro said that Salvadorans deported from the US who are placed directly into the country's prison system are those with pending criminal records in El Salvador. Villatoro told CNN the Salvadoran government reviews each deportation flight arriving from the US and immediately checks the names of passengers against its gang database. 'We checked all of them. And if we found someone who we are very sure that he is a member of any gang in El Salvador, we capture them and put them in jail,' he said. He also addressed cases where individuals claim innocence, saying: 'It's very common that some people say, 'Oh, he's innocent.' But the problem is: your background talks for you, right? You can say, 'I'm not a member' — OK, but what happened with your criminal record?' While Salvadoran officials won't publicly comment on individual deportees, two government officials told CNN they have 'further evidence of (Kilmar) Abrego Garcia's criminal ties and actions' in El Salvador — though they declined to provide CNN evidence. Abrego Garcia's legal team has flatly rejected that claim. 'In the absence of transparency or due process for Kilmar, such vague accusations should not carry weight, especially when they contradict a US immigration judge's determination that he was credible and warranted protection from removal to El Salvador,' the team said in a statement to CNN. 'The government of El Salvador has not provided any convictions or substantiated evidence to support its claims, and it is deeply concerning that these unverified allegations are being used to retroactively justify a deportation that violated court orders,' the statement continued. The Supreme Court on Monday temporarily paused a court-imposed midnight deadline to return Abrego Garcia to the US, agreeing to a request from President Donald Trump that will give the justices more time to consider the case. It's unclear what is influencing the US decision to block his return. Villatoro insisted that El Salvador actively shares its information with US law enforcement and that deportations are based on detailed records. He said the country has kept extensive files on suspected gang members for years, including those believed to be living in the US and elsewhere. 'We know their background — how many times they were captured for homicide, for drugs, for weapons,' he said. 'This is not about random deportations — this is based on the full record.' Villatoro, who has served in President Nayib Bukele's cabinet since the beginning of his term, is considered one of the architects of his country's anti-gang strategy. The Cecot jail where Abrego Garcia is being held houses both convicted criminals and those still going through El Salvador's court system. With constitutional rights suspended under El Salvador's yearslong state of emergency, some innocent people have been detained by mistake, Salvadoran president Bukele previously admitted. Several thousand of them have already been released. CNN visited Cecot on Tuesday — the first US news organization to be allowed inside since the latest deportation flight. Prison director Belarmino Garcia told CNN that the population has grown significantly since the network's previous visit six months ago. Officials did not allow CNN into the sector holding the deportees. Last year, the prison director estimated the inmate population was between 10,000 and 20,000. He now says it's approaching the prison's 40,000-inmate maximum — but declined to provide a specific figure, citing security concerns. Villatoro said the government is prepared to expand the facility, or even construct a second Cecot-like maximum-security prison, if needed. 'We have enough land to build even another (Cecot),' he said.
