AZMEX UPDATE 8 OCT 2017
Note: Local interest mostly.
New U.S. consul says cross-border exchanges are a top priority
By Kendal Blust
Nogales International Oct 6, 2017 (0)
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/new-u-s-consul-says-cross-border-exchanges-are-a/article_782dd36c-aa22-11e7-9585-fb1f02a48c70.html
Virginia Staab took the helm at the U.S. Consulate in Nogales, Sonora in August.
Photo by Kendal Blust
Two months into her post in Nogales, Sonora, the U.S. government's top representative in northern Sonora said she's ready to tackle priorities ranging from facilitating cross-border cultural exchange and economic opportunities, to improving the daily lives of people on both sides of what she called an "amazingly impressive" community.
"I have three years here, but it passes really fast, quite honestly, so I'm anxious to get going," U.S. Consul General Virginia Staab said Tuesday, noting that as she works to strengthen relationships between the United States and Mexico during that three-year assignment, one of her most important jobs is to listen.
"The basis of our job is to get out and talk to people, all kinds of people," she said. That includes students, government leaders, business owners and mothers, who know the most pressing issues in the communities where she works.
"There's no substitute for hearing it from the people who live here's mouths," she said.
Staab, who took the helm at the U.S. Consulate in Nogales, Sonora, at the beginning of August, joined the foreign service 15 years ago, she said, after the trauma of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 pushed her to do "something a little bit more soul enriching."
So in 2003, she left her job at a law firm in San Francisco and accepted a post in Bogota, Colombia, where she was stationed until 2006. While there, Staab met her husband, a fellow diplomat, and the couple has since been stationed with their two children, a 10-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son, at various posts in Europe and Latin America.
Most recently, Staab served as the director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in Guatemala, which she enjoyed enough to offer to extend her stay for an extra year – unless she was assigned to the post in Nogales, Sonora, she said.
"It felt like winning the lottery," she said of the assignment to Nogales. "It was my very first choice … and we're just extremely happy to be here, my family and I."
Immigration concerns
As she gets her feet under her in her new role, Staab said, she has spent much of her time visiting communities throughout the Nogales consular district to better understand the Arizona-Sonora border region.
"Certainly there is a lot of nervousness and trepidation about especially the Dreamers and things like that," she said, noting that visas and the U.S. immigration system are foremost in the minds of many people she talks to.
As for concerns about the fate of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, who were left dangling after President Trump announced the coming end of the Obama-era protections for young immigrants last month, "that conversation is ongoing," she said, calling much of what people hear about U.S. policy "a window into an internal dialogue" that has not yet been resolved.
In part, Staab's role as a consul is deciphering for others the way the U.S. government works and "to explain, what does it mean when the pres. says X or Y? How does it all work?" she said. "It's not over when any one group says it's over. It's still ongoing."
On the issue of immigration, Staab said she's hopeful that there will be an "equitable resolution," adding that while there is disagreement on what comprehensive immigration reform should look like, it is widely accepted that change is needed.
"As the president says, we've never had a closer friend than Mexico, and that will continue," she said, noting that in matters of trade, the economy and immigration, it is important to maintain and strengthen the connections between the two countries, a fact that is especially apparent in border communities.
Crossing borders
To that end, facilitating speedier and more streamlined border crossings is one of her priorities, Staab said, calling crossing the border a "monumental task" for people on both sides.
"So one of our first efforts is working with local government and local entities to improve Mariposa (Port of Entry)," she said. "It's such an amazing facility. It's huge, it has such potential, and (we want to use it) to the fullest of its potential, because that will increase commerce."
While security cannot be compromised, Staab added, she wants to bring all the players to the table to find solutions that reduce redundancy, increase traffic flow and draw more economic opportunities to area, which she said is widely seen as a top interest for the United States. She pointed to the ongoing process to build a new, larger consulate in Nogales, Sonora, which will be twice as large in both size and staff when it's completed in about two years, as evidence of Nogales' prominence.
"It's an extremely important area. The amount of immigration and transportation and business and exchanges, the amount that goes on here is just incredible," she said. "And we want to broadcast what it's really like."
end
Monday, October 9, 2017
Friday, October 6, 2017
AZMEX I3 1=6-10-17
AZMEX I3 6 OCT 2017
Note: Time for a wall along the Colorado River?
California to become a 'sanctuary state' in 2018
BY TARYN LUNA
tluna@sacbee.com
OCTOBER 05, 2017 11:01 AM
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article177212866.html
Gov. Jerry Brown placed new limitations on state and local law enforcement's ability to help the federal government enforce immigration violations by signing California's controversial "sanctuary state" bill into law on Thursday.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León introduced Senate Bill 54 weeks after the 2016 election to stifle President Donald Trump's campaign pledge to ramp up deportations and prevent the federal government from using California police officers to accomplish his goal.
SB 54 was among nearly a dozen immigration-related bills that Brown signed on Thursday. Others prohibit landlords from reporting their undocumented renters, bar employers from authorizing workplace raids by federal immigration enforcement officials, and allow students whose parents are deported to continue attending California schools.
The measure, a hallmark of the state's so-called "resistance" to the White House, became a deeply controversial topic and prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to campaign against it alongside the California State Sheriffs' Association.
After publicly questioning the legislation, Brown intervened and demanded a 12-fold increase in the types of prior convictions that exclude immigrants from most protections under the bill – from 65 different serious and violent felonies to over 800 crimes, including some misdemeanors. Brown's amendments also gave federal immigration agents access to interview immigrants in jails and exempted the California Department of Corrections from the measure, among other major changes.
In a signing statement, Brown noted the changes he demanded. "These are uncertain times for undocumented citizens and their families, and this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear every day," Brown said.
Before the amendments were revealed to the public, some advocates for the undocumented community complained that the changes drastically weakened the bill. In the end, the groups applauded the measure as a positive step forward.
De León defended the final version of the bill, saying it still accomplished his initial objective to prevent California resources and police from being "commandeered" for Trump's policies.
"California's local law enforcement cannot be commandeered and used by the Trump Administration to tear families apart, undermine our safety, and wreak havoc on our economy," de Leon said at a news conference in Los Angeles, where activists behind him chanted "Sí, se puede."
De León denounced Trump and criticized his policies as "racist and xenophobic."
"I know Trump supporters don't get this from their news outlets or blogs, but immigrants commit far fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens. That is a fact, not fake news," he said.
Former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco politician who carried an anti-deportation California law known as the Trust Act, said advocates got "sucker punched" and acquiesced to make the best of it without breaking bridges with Brown and de León.
"It's not what it was promised to be," Ammiano said. "That happens in Sacramento, but that doesn't mean it's OK. It has Jerry Brown's hesitant fingers on it and the pro tem's office attempting to live with it. We all know that there are carve outs in it that should not be acceptable."
Ammiano said the bill doesn't go far enough to protect vulnerable immigrants from Trump.
"What do you need?" Ammiano said. "He pardoned (former Arizona Sheriff Joe) Arpaio. He rescinded DACA. What does it take from the governor and pro tem to know this is super inefficient and it's betraying a lot of people?"
As a result of the amendments, the California Police Chiefs Association went from opposing the bill to neutral. The sheriffs' organization remained against SB 54 and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had publicly urged Brown to veto it.
Here's some of the things local and state law enforcement cannot do under the bill:
▪ Inquire about an individual's immigration status.
▪ Detain someone on a hold request for the federal government, unless there's a felony warrant or the person has been convicted of one of the more than 800 crimes.
▪ Arrest someone for a civil immigration warrant alone.
▪ Be deputized as immigration agents.
▪ Participate in border patrol activities.
▪ Participate in joint task forces with the federal government if the primary purpose is immigration enforcement.
▪ Notify the federal government of someone's release or transfer someone to federal custody, unless there's a federal warrant or the person has been convicted of one of the more than 800 crimes listed in a revised Trust Act.
end
Taryn Luna: 916-326-5545, @TarynLuna
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article177212866.html#storylink=cpy
Reminder:
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
Friday 10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
end
Note: Time for a wall along the Colorado River?
California to become a 'sanctuary state' in 2018
BY TARYN LUNA
tluna@sacbee.com
OCTOBER 05, 2017 11:01 AM
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article177212866.html
Gov. Jerry Brown placed new limitations on state and local law enforcement's ability to help the federal government enforce immigration violations by signing California's controversial "sanctuary state" bill into law on Thursday.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León introduced Senate Bill 54 weeks after the 2016 election to stifle President Donald Trump's campaign pledge to ramp up deportations and prevent the federal government from using California police officers to accomplish his goal.
SB 54 was among nearly a dozen immigration-related bills that Brown signed on Thursday. Others prohibit landlords from reporting their undocumented renters, bar employers from authorizing workplace raids by federal immigration enforcement officials, and allow students whose parents are deported to continue attending California schools.
The measure, a hallmark of the state's so-called "resistance" to the White House, became a deeply controversial topic and prompted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to campaign against it alongside the California State Sheriffs' Association.
After publicly questioning the legislation, Brown intervened and demanded a 12-fold increase in the types of prior convictions that exclude immigrants from most protections under the bill – from 65 different serious and violent felonies to over 800 crimes, including some misdemeanors. Brown's amendments also gave federal immigration agents access to interview immigrants in jails and exempted the California Department of Corrections from the measure, among other major changes.
In a signing statement, Brown noted the changes he demanded. "These are uncertain times for undocumented citizens and their families, and this bill strikes a balance that will protect public safety, while bringing a measure of comfort to those families who are now living in fear every day," Brown said.
Before the amendments were revealed to the public, some advocates for the undocumented community complained that the changes drastically weakened the bill. In the end, the groups applauded the measure as a positive step forward.
De León defended the final version of the bill, saying it still accomplished his initial objective to prevent California resources and police from being "commandeered" for Trump's policies.
"California's local law enforcement cannot be commandeered and used by the Trump Administration to tear families apart, undermine our safety, and wreak havoc on our economy," de Leon said at a news conference in Los Angeles, where activists behind him chanted "Sí, se puede."
De León denounced Trump and criticized his policies as "racist and xenophobic."
"I know Trump supporters don't get this from their news outlets or blogs, but immigrants commit far fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens. That is a fact, not fake news," he said.
Former Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco politician who carried an anti-deportation California law known as the Trust Act, said advocates got "sucker punched" and acquiesced to make the best of it without breaking bridges with Brown and de León.
"It's not what it was promised to be," Ammiano said. "That happens in Sacramento, but that doesn't mean it's OK. It has Jerry Brown's hesitant fingers on it and the pro tem's office attempting to live with it. We all know that there are carve outs in it that should not be acceptable."
Ammiano said the bill doesn't go far enough to protect vulnerable immigrants from Trump.
"What do you need?" Ammiano said. "He pardoned (former Arizona Sheriff Joe) Arpaio. He rescinded DACA. What does it take from the governor and pro tem to know this is super inefficient and it's betraying a lot of people?"
As a result of the amendments, the California Police Chiefs Association went from opposing the bill to neutral. The sheriffs' organization remained against SB 54 and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had publicly urged Brown to veto it.
Here's some of the things local and state law enforcement cannot do under the bill:
▪ Inquire about an individual's immigration status.
▪ Detain someone on a hold request for the federal government, unless there's a felony warrant or the person has been convicted of one of the more than 800 crimes.
▪ Arrest someone for a civil immigration warrant alone.
▪ Be deputized as immigration agents.
▪ Participate in border patrol activities.
▪ Participate in joint task forces with the federal government if the primary purpose is immigration enforcement.
▪ Notify the federal government of someone's release or transfer someone to federal custody, unless there's a federal warrant or the person has been convicted of one of the more than 800 crimes listed in a revised Trust Act.
end
Taryn Luna: 916-326-5545, @TarynLuna
Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article177212866.html#storylink=cpy
Reminder:
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
Friday 10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
end
Thursday, October 5, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 5-10-17
AZMEX UPDATE 5 OCT 2017
New Tucson Sector Chief of CBP
Wednesday, October 4th 2017, 5:50 pm MST
Wednesday, October 4th 2017, 6:57 pm MST
By Kevin Adger, Reporter
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/36524574/new-tucson-sector-chief-of-cbp
NOGALES, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
There's a new top agent in charge at the Tucson Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Chief Rudolfo Karisch took over officially on August 20. He has been with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than 31 years, coming to Arizona from Texas.
Wednesday, Oct. 4, he spoke with the local media for the first time at the Tucson sector headquarters on Swan and Golf Links.
"This is an enormous area compared to where I came from, lots of challenges especially the terrain out here with the mountains but I believe it's important for the community to know what we are doing," said new Tucson Sector Chief Rudolfo Karisch.
Tucson News Now spoke with him about concerns the Nogales border community has.
"The more west you get, they get into more problems with drug runners and illegals in that tearing up their country tearing up the water line and tearing up the fences," said Karisch. "I often say this and it's something that's painful of us to hear but we have the appetite in this country if we want to stop drug flow we have to reduce the appetite for drugs but we throw every available piece of technology - aircraft, and agents whether they be on foot, ATV, or horses to patrol these areas."
Nogales Mayor John Doyle would talk to the chief about community involvement.
"We are trying to see how we can work together for the agents to be more on the community to get their families involved," said Mayor Doyle.
For those whose main concern is border security, Chief Karisch has some plans in place to address that.
"I have liked the operations from some areas because of limitations of where stations are built," said Chief Karisch. "I think we're a little too far from the border. We need to actually get closer, but I will be making those adjustments as we move forward."
END
Note: Santa Cruz county be tough on crime. "were designated non-dangerous offenses" "to be served concurrently"
thx
Fifth home invasion suspect sentenced to prison
• Nogales International
• Oct 3, 2017 Updated Oct 3, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/fifth-home-invasion-suspect-sentenced-to-prison/article_517ede8e-a84f-11e7-a593-a7feff7ec6e1.html
A fifth suspect in a violent home invasion at a Nogales home last January was sentenced to five years in state prison earlier this month for his involvement in the incident.
Isaac Chaparro, who previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree burglary, both Class 2 felony offenses,
was sentenced Sept. 5 by Pima County Superior Judge James E. Marner to five years in prison for each offense, to be served concurrently (at the same time).
He was given credit for 574 days already spent in jail.
Marner served as a visiting judge in the case, which is in the jurisdiction of Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
Because the crimes were designated non-dangerous offenses, Chaparro will be eligible for parole after completing 85 percent of his sentence.
Several other charges, including aggravated assault with a weapon, were dismissed as part of his plea deal.
According to his pre-sentence report, Chaparro told a probation officer during an interview on Aug. 28 that he was "not in my five senses"
when he and three others broke into a home on West Wise Street on Jan. 28, 2016 to steal marijuana.
"I know if I was, I wouldn't have done it," he said. "I feel bad not being with my kids. I feel bad for the victims."
The assailants, dressed in tactical gear and armed with long rifles and handguns, forced their way into the residence and confronted several people,
including a man holding a 2-month-old infant, who was hit on the head with the muzzle of a gun after he refused to put the baby down.
While searching the home for drugs, which they didn't find,
one of the suspects – who informants later identified as Chaparro – fired his weapon after he unexpectedly encountered someone barricaded in a bedroom in the back of the home.
Chaparro, 24, was arrested on Feb. 9, 2016 in Tucson, where he was staying with his sister, two days after police arrested his brother, Juan Ricardo Chaparro, and two others.
After his arrest, the pre-sentence report states, Chaparro allegedly agreed to speak with officers without the presence of an attorney.
However, the interview was cut short after officers realized he "was more interested in learning what information law enforcement had on the case" than cooperating with the investigation.
Despite acknowledging his involvement in the burglary, Chaparro blamed his arrest on those he claimed ratted him out to police.
"I'm here because the people the police interviewed told them I was involved. They all put the blame on me," he told the probation officer.
"Now I know who my friends are. I manned up and said what I did, they didn't.
They said they were high and the police believed them and they got away with it."
He added that there were roughly 10 people involved in the assault, though only seven were arrested in the end.
Asked what sentence he thought the court should impose, Chaparro told the probation officer that after being locked up for "22 months, 23 hours in lockdown,"
which he said afforded him the opportunity to become sober, he hoped the judge would give him a second chance.
"I ask for a second opportunity, we all make mistakes," he said. "I know I can come out ahead in life. I thought a lot and I know I can do good."
However, one of the victims told the court that she lost her home after the incident because the person she was renting from ended the lease after being questioned by police,
and she's struggled to get back on her feet.
She added that though she has known many of the defendants since they were children, she felt a prison sentence of three-to-seven years wasn't enough.
"I trust justice will be done as it should be," she said.
Four of Chaparro's co-defendants have been sentenced.
Gabriel Maldonado was sentenced on July 17 by Judge Thomas Fink to five years in state prison for one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree burglary.
Fink also sentenced Miguel Huerta Zuniga in March to 10 years for burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Armando Ruiz Valencia and Joe Leneer Valencia, who were identified by informants as the people who planned the Jan. 28 home invasion
based on false information that there were 300 pounds of marijuana being stored in the home,
were sentenced in November 2016 to six and 2.5 years in prison, respectively.
Charges are still pending against Juan Ricardo Chaparro and Priscilla Coronado.
end
New Tucson Sector Chief of CBP
Wednesday, October 4th 2017, 5:50 pm MST
Wednesday, October 4th 2017, 6:57 pm MST
By Kevin Adger, Reporter
http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/36524574/new-tucson-sector-chief-of-cbp
NOGALES, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
There's a new top agent in charge at the Tucson Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Chief Rudolfo Karisch took over officially on August 20. He has been with U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more than 31 years, coming to Arizona from Texas.
Wednesday, Oct. 4, he spoke with the local media for the first time at the Tucson sector headquarters on Swan and Golf Links.
"This is an enormous area compared to where I came from, lots of challenges especially the terrain out here with the mountains but I believe it's important for the community to know what we are doing," said new Tucson Sector Chief Rudolfo Karisch.
Tucson News Now spoke with him about concerns the Nogales border community has.
"The more west you get, they get into more problems with drug runners and illegals in that tearing up their country tearing up the water line and tearing up the fences," said Karisch. "I often say this and it's something that's painful of us to hear but we have the appetite in this country if we want to stop drug flow we have to reduce the appetite for drugs but we throw every available piece of technology - aircraft, and agents whether they be on foot, ATV, or horses to patrol these areas."
Nogales Mayor John Doyle would talk to the chief about community involvement.
"We are trying to see how we can work together for the agents to be more on the community to get their families involved," said Mayor Doyle.
For those whose main concern is border security, Chief Karisch has some plans in place to address that.
"I have liked the operations from some areas because of limitations of where stations are built," said Chief Karisch. "I think we're a little too far from the border. We need to actually get closer, but I will be making those adjustments as we move forward."
END
Note: Santa Cruz county be tough on crime. "were designated non-dangerous offenses" "to be served concurrently"
thx
Fifth home invasion suspect sentenced to prison
• Nogales International
• Oct 3, 2017 Updated Oct 3, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/fifth-home-invasion-suspect-sentenced-to-prison/article_517ede8e-a84f-11e7-a593-a7feff7ec6e1.html
A fifth suspect in a violent home invasion at a Nogales home last January was sentenced to five years in state prison earlier this month for his involvement in the incident.
Isaac Chaparro, who previously pleaded guilty to one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree burglary, both Class 2 felony offenses,
was sentenced Sept. 5 by Pima County Superior Judge James E. Marner to five years in prison for each offense, to be served concurrently (at the same time).
He was given credit for 574 days already spent in jail.
Marner served as a visiting judge in the case, which is in the jurisdiction of Santa Cruz County Superior Court.
Because the crimes were designated non-dangerous offenses, Chaparro will be eligible for parole after completing 85 percent of his sentence.
Several other charges, including aggravated assault with a weapon, were dismissed as part of his plea deal.
According to his pre-sentence report, Chaparro told a probation officer during an interview on Aug. 28 that he was "not in my five senses"
when he and three others broke into a home on West Wise Street on Jan. 28, 2016 to steal marijuana.
"I know if I was, I wouldn't have done it," he said. "I feel bad not being with my kids. I feel bad for the victims."
The assailants, dressed in tactical gear and armed with long rifles and handguns, forced their way into the residence and confronted several people,
including a man holding a 2-month-old infant, who was hit on the head with the muzzle of a gun after he refused to put the baby down.
While searching the home for drugs, which they didn't find,
one of the suspects – who informants later identified as Chaparro – fired his weapon after he unexpectedly encountered someone barricaded in a bedroom in the back of the home.
Chaparro, 24, was arrested on Feb. 9, 2016 in Tucson, where he was staying with his sister, two days after police arrested his brother, Juan Ricardo Chaparro, and two others.
After his arrest, the pre-sentence report states, Chaparro allegedly agreed to speak with officers without the presence of an attorney.
However, the interview was cut short after officers realized he "was more interested in learning what information law enforcement had on the case" than cooperating with the investigation.
Despite acknowledging his involvement in the burglary, Chaparro blamed his arrest on those he claimed ratted him out to police.
"I'm here because the people the police interviewed told them I was involved. They all put the blame on me," he told the probation officer.
"Now I know who my friends are. I manned up and said what I did, they didn't.
They said they were high and the police believed them and they got away with it."
He added that there were roughly 10 people involved in the assault, though only seven were arrested in the end.
Asked what sentence he thought the court should impose, Chaparro told the probation officer that after being locked up for "22 months, 23 hours in lockdown,"
which he said afforded him the opportunity to become sober, he hoped the judge would give him a second chance.
"I ask for a second opportunity, we all make mistakes," he said. "I know I can come out ahead in life. I thought a lot and I know I can do good."
However, one of the victims told the court that she lost her home after the incident because the person she was renting from ended the lease after being questioned by police,
and she's struggled to get back on her feet.
She added that though she has known many of the defendants since they were children, she felt a prison sentence of three-to-seven years wasn't enough.
"I trust justice will be done as it should be," she said.
Four of Chaparro's co-defendants have been sentenced.
Gabriel Maldonado was sentenced on July 17 by Judge Thomas Fink to five years in state prison for one count of kidnapping and one count of first-degree burglary.
Fink also sentenced Miguel Huerta Zuniga in March to 10 years for burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
Armando Ruiz Valencia and Joe Leneer Valencia, who were identified by informants as the people who planned the Jan. 28 home invasion
based on false information that there were 300 pounds of marijuana being stored in the home,
were sentenced in November 2016 to six and 2.5 years in prison, respectively.
Charges are still pending against Juan Ricardo Chaparro and Priscilla Coronado.
end
AZMEX CORRUPTION SPECIAL 5-10-17
AZMEX CORRUPTION SPECIAL 5 OCT 2017
Note: "included liberal groups" Ya sure, you betcha. To this date, nobody fired or in jail.
thx
IRS targeted pro-border security groups for illegal scrutiny: Audit
Report says abusive scrutiny went beyond tea party, included liberal groups
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 5, 2017
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/5/irs-targeted-pro-border-security-groups-audit/
The IRS singled out pro-border security groups for intrusive scrutiny along with tea party, conservative, Occupy movement and progressive organizations, the tax agency's inspector general said in a new audit Thursday that says political targeting went even deeper than first suspected.
Dozens of liberal groups were snared by the scrutiny from 2004 through 2013, and so were groups that dealt with specific issues such as immigration, health care or marijuana legalization, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said.
They faced delays in having their nonprofit status applications approved. Many also were subjected to intrusive questions about their political beliefs, donor lists and even their activities at their regular jobs, the audit said.
The targeting wasn't as severe as the tea party, with the number "significantly less" than the conservatives who faced scrutiny, investigators said.
But so-called "Occupy" groups, rank-and-file "progressive" groups, and successors to ACORN, the liberal community organizer, were among those flagged based on names or other triggers, TIGTA said.
Democrats seized on the report as confirmation that there was no political bias in the IRS under the Obama administration, saying the bad behavior was universal.
"This was a case, as I said in the beginning, of gross mismanagement at the IRS, not political targeting," said Rep. Sander Levin, ranking Democrat on the chief tax oversight committee in the House. "But that's not the political narrative the Republicans wanted, so they selectively ignored important facts to skew their 'investigation.'"
Still, Democrats said the report did confirm bungling at the tax agency, which the new audit said stretched back for years, and affected hundreds of groups.
Republicans said that still confirms their suspicions that the agency was operating beyond the law in targeting groups for their political beliefs.
"This report reinforces what government watchdogs and congressional investigators have confirmed time and time again: bureaucrats at the IRS, such as Lois Lerner, arbitrarily and haphazardly administered the tax code and targeted taxpayers based on political ideology," said House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, Texas Republican.
The new audit follows the original 2013 TIGTA report that spotted the illegal targeting of conservative groups, which were pulled out of the usual processing based on conservative-sounding names like including the word "patriot."
Members of Congress asked investigators to go back and see what other inappropriate screens the IRS used, and Thursday's report was the result.
Groups related to the Occupy movement, some health care organizations, medical marijuana advocates, and even groups that wanted a crackdown on illegal immigration — essentially advocating for enforcement of existing law.
The TIGTA report redacted the names of the seven "Border Patrol" groups targeted, and said the IRS was unable to say why it went after them beginning in 2006.
Some 14 groups that were deemed to have sprouted out of the ACORN organization were also snared in the targeting. In those cases, the IRS said, they were targeted because the parent organization had been under federal investigation for years for voter and election fraud.
Nearly half of the ACORN-related groups faced long delays and were asked inappropriate questions.
Those questions may have included names of donors, details on people who attended meetings, demands that group officials disclose their own political leanings and plans, and inquiries about their other work.
In one troubling appendix to the report, the inspector general says the IRS was unable to produce files for eight of the groups investigators were tracking.
Investigators said that inappropriate behavior spanned at least the period from 2004 to 2013, and the agency used more than 250 criteria to single applications out for extra review. Some 17 of those criteria seemed to be centered on politics, the audit said, snaring at least 83 different groups.
By contrast, more than 400 mostly conservative groups were deemed to have been snared by the anti-tea party targeting that spanned 2009 to 2013.
The IRS, in its official response to the report, said the issue was in the past.
"Since the time period covered by the report, the IRS has made significant changes in the way we handle the review process for tax-exempt applications," said Sunita B. Lough, commissioner for the tax-exempt entities division at the IRS.
The commissioner said that includes no longer asking for donor information.
END
Note: "included liberal groups" Ya sure, you betcha. To this date, nobody fired or in jail.
thx
IRS targeted pro-border security groups for illegal scrutiny: Audit
Report says abusive scrutiny went beyond tea party, included liberal groups
By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Thursday, October 5, 2017
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/oct/5/irs-targeted-pro-border-security-groups-audit/
The IRS singled out pro-border security groups for intrusive scrutiny along with tea party, conservative, Occupy movement and progressive organizations, the tax agency's inspector general said in a new audit Thursday that says political targeting went even deeper than first suspected.
Dozens of liberal groups were snared by the scrutiny from 2004 through 2013, and so were groups that dealt with specific issues such as immigration, health care or marijuana legalization, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration said.
They faced delays in having their nonprofit status applications approved. Many also were subjected to intrusive questions about their political beliefs, donor lists and even their activities at their regular jobs, the audit said.
The targeting wasn't as severe as the tea party, with the number "significantly less" than the conservatives who faced scrutiny, investigators said.
But so-called "Occupy" groups, rank-and-file "progressive" groups, and successors to ACORN, the liberal community organizer, were among those flagged based on names or other triggers, TIGTA said.
Democrats seized on the report as confirmation that there was no political bias in the IRS under the Obama administration, saying the bad behavior was universal.
"This was a case, as I said in the beginning, of gross mismanagement at the IRS, not political targeting," said Rep. Sander Levin, ranking Democrat on the chief tax oversight committee in the House. "But that's not the political narrative the Republicans wanted, so they selectively ignored important facts to skew their 'investigation.'"
Still, Democrats said the report did confirm bungling at the tax agency, which the new audit said stretched back for years, and affected hundreds of groups.
Republicans said that still confirms their suspicions that the agency was operating beyond the law in targeting groups for their political beliefs.
"This report reinforces what government watchdogs and congressional investigators have confirmed time and time again: bureaucrats at the IRS, such as Lois Lerner, arbitrarily and haphazardly administered the tax code and targeted taxpayers based on political ideology," said House Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady, Texas Republican.
The new audit follows the original 2013 TIGTA report that spotted the illegal targeting of conservative groups, which were pulled out of the usual processing based on conservative-sounding names like including the word "patriot."
Members of Congress asked investigators to go back and see what other inappropriate screens the IRS used, and Thursday's report was the result.
Groups related to the Occupy movement, some health care organizations, medical marijuana advocates, and even groups that wanted a crackdown on illegal immigration — essentially advocating for enforcement of existing law.
The TIGTA report redacted the names of the seven "Border Patrol" groups targeted, and said the IRS was unable to say why it went after them beginning in 2006.
Some 14 groups that were deemed to have sprouted out of the ACORN organization were also snared in the targeting. In those cases, the IRS said, they were targeted because the parent organization had been under federal investigation for years for voter and election fraud.
Nearly half of the ACORN-related groups faced long delays and were asked inappropriate questions.
Those questions may have included names of donors, details on people who attended meetings, demands that group officials disclose their own political leanings and plans, and inquiries about their other work.
In one troubling appendix to the report, the inspector general says the IRS was unable to produce files for eight of the groups investigators were tracking.
Investigators said that inappropriate behavior spanned at least the period from 2004 to 2013, and the agency used more than 250 criteria to single applications out for extra review. Some 17 of those criteria seemed to be centered on politics, the audit said, snaring at least 83 different groups.
By contrast, more than 400 mostly conservative groups were deemed to have been snared by the anti-tea party targeting that spanned 2009 to 2013.
The IRS, in its official response to the report, said the issue was in the past.
"Since the time period covered by the report, the IRS has made significant changes in the way we handle the review process for tax-exempt applications," said Sunita B. Lough, commissioner for the tax-exempt entities division at the IRS.
The commissioner said that includes no longer asking for donor information.
END
AZMEX I3 4-10-17
AZMEX I3 4 OCT 2017
Federal judge upholds Trump's pardon of Arpaio, dismisses conviction
BY KTAR.COM | OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 11:27 AM
UPDATED: OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 11:41 AM
http://ktar.com/story/1770499/federal-judge-upholds-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio/
PHOENIX — A federal judge upheld President Donald Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Wednesday, dashing the long-shot hopes of some of his critics.
Some Democrats and law firms had called for U.S. Judge Susan Bolton to declare the pardon invalid, though experts had said that was unlikely. The Department of Justice had said it supported the pardon.
Arpaio attorney Jack Wilenchik said efforts by outside advocacy groups were a politically motivated waste of time. "I think the judge appreciates that she has to honor a pardon," Wilenchik said.
Bolton's decision means the conviction against Arpaio was formally dismissed. She was still mulling a request from his attorneys to wipe all her rulings from the record.
The hearing came five weeks after Trump pardoned Arpaio's conviction for disobeying a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.
Trump defended the controversial pardon, saying Arpaio done a "great job for the people of Arizona" and argued that he'd been treated "unbelievable unfairly" by the Obama administration.
"He's done a great job for the people of Arizona. He is very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona," Trump said.
Arpaio's case has cost Maricopa County taxpayers a pretty penny. Earlier this year, it was estimated that court costs in his case would be nearly $100 million.
Last week, the county earmarked $1 million to pay people who were illegally detained by Arpaio's deputies.
END
Note: Si, all democrats.
Phoenix lawmakers urge feds to extend DACA renewal deadline
BY KTAR.COM
OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 5:22 PM
http://ktar.com/story/1770860/phoenix-lawmakers-urge-feds-to-extend-daca-renewal-deadline/
PHOENIX — Several high-ranking officials in Phoenix, including Mayor Greg Stanton, asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to extend the renewal deadline for recipients of the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals program.
Stanton, along with Vice Mayor Laura Pastor, and Councilmembers Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela, sent a letter Wednesday to Elaine C. Duke, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Trump administration ended the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, in September, leaving a six-month window to allow Congress to decide whether it wants to write legislation to protect the so-called DREAMers.
DACA was an Obama-era program that granted temporary work permits to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Recipients of the program had until Oct. 5 to renew their status if it expires before March 5, 2018.
But Stanton, Pastor, Gallego and Valenzuela are urging Duke to extend the deadline, calling the current Oct. 5 deadline "arbitrary and capricious and only serves to impose extreme hardship on the thousands of hard-working DACA recipients in our state who will not be allowed DACA renewals."
The lawmakers also claimed that the "expedited DACA renewal deadline will only hurt Arizona's economy," saying rescinding the program could cost Arizona "more than $1.3 billion each year in lost Gross Domestic Product."
"DACA recipients are young people who contribute so much to the City of Phoenix through their work, entrepreneurial ventures, and artistic expression.
"More importantly, these young women and men — who are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and valued neighbors — stand to be forced out of the only home they've ever known. Phoenix stands with DREAMers in our city, across Arizona and throughout the nation.
"We urge you to act swiftly and use your authority to extend the renewal deadline with input from the public through existing rulemaking procedures," part of the letter read.
Nearly 800,000 young immigrants had been granted a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the U.S. under the program.
Arizona is home to about 4 percent of all DACA recipients nationwide, with about 25,500 young undocumented immigrants in Arizona enrolled in the program, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
In August, Stanton reaffirmed his commitment to the DREAMers, saying that he would stand by them if Trump was to end the program. The Phoenix mayor even donated $10,000 from his campaign funds to help the recipients cover the $495 renewal fee.
A group of senators reintroduced legislation to give those immigrants a path to citizenship in July, but the future of the legislation is unknown.
end
Reminder:
"Mexico decides who enters our country"
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=87134
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
end
Federal judge upholds Trump's pardon of Arpaio, dismisses conviction
BY KTAR.COM | OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 11:27 AM
UPDATED: OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 11:41 AM
http://ktar.com/story/1770499/federal-judge-upholds-trumps-pardon-of-arpaio/
PHOENIX — A federal judge upheld President Donald Trump's pardon of former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio on Wednesday, dashing the long-shot hopes of some of his critics.
Some Democrats and law firms had called for U.S. Judge Susan Bolton to declare the pardon invalid, though experts had said that was unlikely. The Department of Justice had said it supported the pardon.
Arpaio attorney Jack Wilenchik said efforts by outside advocacy groups were a politically motivated waste of time. "I think the judge appreciates that she has to honor a pardon," Wilenchik said.
Bolton's decision means the conviction against Arpaio was formally dismissed. She was still mulling a request from his attorneys to wipe all her rulings from the record.
The hearing came five weeks after Trump pardoned Arpaio's conviction for disobeying a 2011 court order in a racial profiling case to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.
Trump defended the controversial pardon, saying Arpaio done a "great job for the people of Arizona" and argued that he'd been treated "unbelievable unfairly" by the Obama administration.
"He's done a great job for the people of Arizona. He is very strong on borders, very strong on illegal immigration. He is loved in Arizona," Trump said.
Arpaio's case has cost Maricopa County taxpayers a pretty penny. Earlier this year, it was estimated that court costs in his case would be nearly $100 million.
Last week, the county earmarked $1 million to pay people who were illegally detained by Arpaio's deputies.
END
Note: Si, all democrats.
Phoenix lawmakers urge feds to extend DACA renewal deadline
BY KTAR.COM
OCTOBER 4, 2017 AT 5:22 PM
http://ktar.com/story/1770860/phoenix-lawmakers-urge-feds-to-extend-daca-renewal-deadline/
PHOENIX — Several high-ranking officials in Phoenix, including Mayor Greg Stanton, asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to extend the renewal deadline for recipients of the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals program.
Stanton, along with Vice Mayor Laura Pastor, and Councilmembers Kate Gallego and Daniel Valenzuela, sent a letter Wednesday to Elaine C. Duke, acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The Trump administration ended the Deferred Act for Childhood Arrivals program, also known as DACA, in September, leaving a six-month window to allow Congress to decide whether it wants to write legislation to protect the so-called DREAMers.
DACA was an Obama-era program that granted temporary work permits to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children.
Recipients of the program had until Oct. 5 to renew their status if it expires before March 5, 2018.
But Stanton, Pastor, Gallego and Valenzuela are urging Duke to extend the deadline, calling the current Oct. 5 deadline "arbitrary and capricious and only serves to impose extreme hardship on the thousands of hard-working DACA recipients in our state who will not be allowed DACA renewals."
The lawmakers also claimed that the "expedited DACA renewal deadline will only hurt Arizona's economy," saying rescinding the program could cost Arizona "more than $1.3 billion each year in lost Gross Domestic Product."
"DACA recipients are young people who contribute so much to the City of Phoenix through their work, entrepreneurial ventures, and artistic expression.
"More importantly, these young women and men — who are fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, friends and valued neighbors — stand to be forced out of the only home they've ever known. Phoenix stands with DREAMers in our city, across Arizona and throughout the nation.
"We urge you to act swiftly and use your authority to extend the renewal deadline with input from the public through existing rulemaking procedures," part of the letter read.
Nearly 800,000 young immigrants had been granted a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the U.S. under the program.
Arizona is home to about 4 percent of all DACA recipients nationwide, with about 25,500 young undocumented immigrants in Arizona enrolled in the program, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services data.
In August, Stanton reaffirmed his commitment to the DREAMers, saying that he would stand by them if Trump was to end the program. The Phoenix mayor even donated $10,000 from his campaign funds to help the recipients cover the $495 renewal fee.
A group of senators reintroduced legislation to give those immigrants a path to citizenship in July, but the future of the legislation is unknown.
end
Reminder:
"Mexico decides who enters our country"
"the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
Http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=87134
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
end
AZMEX I3 30-9-17
AZMEX I3 30 SEP 2017
Note: Some may remember the chain's management saying they
"will continue to work to earn the trust and patronage of our millions of loyal guests."
( except maybe for Americans?)
Ref: AZMEX I3 15 SEP 2017
Gracias
Group of undocumented immigrants arrested at Motel 6
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 28, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/group-of-undocumented-immigrants-arrested-at-motel/article_15ba3b76-a4a0-11e7-834c-132d2198ceb5.html
The Motel 6 on Mariposa Road in Nogales.
Photo by Jonathan Clark
Nogales police, in collaboration with the U.S. Border Patrol, arrested five undocumented immigrants staying at the local Motel 6.
The bust earlier this month came amid mounting concern over the extent of the national hotel chain's cooperation with federal immigration officials in Arizona, though the company said in a statement that it doesn't believe its employees were involved in the Nogales incident.
According to the police report, which the Nogales Police Department provided to the NI, five NPD officers working the Operation Stonegarden detail responded to the hotel on West Mariposa Road at about 6:24 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13 after receiving a request to assist the Border Patrol. Stonegarden is a federal program in which local police officers earn overtime by supporting federal agencies with immigration enforcement.
In an emailed statement on Sept. 21, the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector public information office said agents from the Nogales Station responded to the motel to assist the Nogales Police Department after a suspicious person call.
"It was reported that a concerned citizen called regarding possible human smuggling that was taking place at the Motel 6," the agency said, adding that "agents apprehended people in connection to a possible human-smuggling case including people who were in the country illegally."
In total, five men and two women were arrested and referred to the Border Patrol.
The incident occurred the same day the Phoenix New Times reported that employees at two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix regularly supplied law enforcement with information about hotel guests. A review of court records found that between February and August, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least 20 people at the two locations, though the New Times believes the number is likely higher.
In a statement issued the following day – after a barrage of negative comments on social media – Motel 6 said the practice was undertaken at the local level "without the knowledge of senior management."
A manager at the Nogales branch directed questions to Motel 6's media hotline. However, the number he provided was incorrect.
The company said based on a preliminary investigation of the incident, it does not believe Motel 6 staff called NPD or immigration officers.
"Local Motel 6 staff did not call the Nogales Police Department, nor were they in contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Additionally, no information was requested nor provided by the property to the authorities," according to a statement provided by corporate spokeswoman Raiza Rehkoff. "The Nogales Police Department arrived at the property on the evening of Sept. 13 and proceeded directly to guest room #217 without any contact with the property staff. Our understanding is that they did so on the basis of an outside, anonymous tip."
Room 217
According to the police report, officers were informed that "possible undocumented aliens (were) being house inside room #217." The report did not mention how police were made aware of this or how they knew what room number the group was staying in.
A supplemental report written by a responding officer states that after he and a fellow officer knocked on the door, a male subject "dressed in dirty/smelly clothing" opened the door.
The officer asked him in English if he had rented the room, but the man allegedly didn't understand. After the officer asked him again in Spanish, the man said no.
"I immediately noticed four additional subjects in the same condition lying on the hotel bed and asked the subjects if they were illegally in the United States," the officer wrote.
The men allegedly told the officer that they had entered the country illegally and were waiting to be picked up. A wants and warrants check revealed none of the men had a criminal record in the United States, according to the report.
Another supplemental report states that while responding to the hotel, one of the officers overheard on the radio that two female subjects believed to be involved in the incident had left the hotel on foot toward North Grand Avenue. The officer then made contact with the women, who said they were at the Motel 6 pool, but the water was too cold, so they decided to walk to Walgreens.
The officer asked to see identification and they both handed over Arizona ID cards, the report states.
Asked if they were renting a room at the motel, the women said yes and confirmed that they were staying in room 217.
"I advised them that undocumented aliens were detained in that room so they were going to be detained," the officer wrote in the report, adding that one of the women said the other had told her the men in the room were her friends.
The women were transported back to Motel 6 and referred to the Border Patrol along with the five men.
Asked how the agency was made aware that there was a group of undocumented immigrants staying at the hotel, the sector's public information office said: "We do not know the identity of the person who called, but we encourage anyone witnessing any suspicious or illegal activity of any (kind) to call either 911 or the United States Border Patrol."
The Border Patrol did not respond to a question asking if Motel 6 shared guest information with the agency.
Since the Phoenix New Times story was published, Motel 6 said the company will review its policies regarding the practice of sharing guest information with law enforcement.
In a statement issued on Sept. 20, the company said: "(W)e are currently in the process of a comprehensive review of our practices and will issue updated, company-wide guidelines soon. As part of this review process, we intend to implement a policy that our locations will not voluntarily furnish guest lists to authorities unless subject to a compulsory process, such as a subpoena or warrant, or under truly extenuating circumstances, such as an imminent threat to public or guest safety."
END
Reminder:
MEXICO: "the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
So, Canada and Mexico can decide who enters their countries, but it is only the USA that cannot control who enters our country?
Gracias, Merci, Thx
Note: Some may remember the chain's management saying they
"will continue to work to earn the trust and patronage of our millions of loyal guests."
( except maybe for Americans?)
Ref: AZMEX I3 15 SEP 2017
Gracias
Group of undocumented immigrants arrested at Motel 6
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 28, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/group-of-undocumented-immigrants-arrested-at-motel/article_15ba3b76-a4a0-11e7-834c-132d2198ceb5.html
The Motel 6 on Mariposa Road in Nogales.
Photo by Jonathan Clark
Nogales police, in collaboration with the U.S. Border Patrol, arrested five undocumented immigrants staying at the local Motel 6.
The bust earlier this month came amid mounting concern over the extent of the national hotel chain's cooperation with federal immigration officials in Arizona, though the company said in a statement that it doesn't believe its employees were involved in the Nogales incident.
According to the police report, which the Nogales Police Department provided to the NI, five NPD officers working the Operation Stonegarden detail responded to the hotel on West Mariposa Road at about 6:24 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 13 after receiving a request to assist the Border Patrol. Stonegarden is a federal program in which local police officers earn overtime by supporting federal agencies with immigration enforcement.
In an emailed statement on Sept. 21, the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector public information office said agents from the Nogales Station responded to the motel to assist the Nogales Police Department after a suspicious person call.
"It was reported that a concerned citizen called regarding possible human smuggling that was taking place at the Motel 6," the agency said, adding that "agents apprehended people in connection to a possible human-smuggling case including people who were in the country illegally."
In total, five men and two women were arrested and referred to the Border Patrol.
The incident occurred the same day the Phoenix New Times reported that employees at two Motel 6 locations in Phoenix regularly supplied law enforcement with information about hotel guests. A review of court records found that between February and August, agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested at least 20 people at the two locations, though the New Times believes the number is likely higher.
In a statement issued the following day – after a barrage of negative comments on social media – Motel 6 said the practice was undertaken at the local level "without the knowledge of senior management."
A manager at the Nogales branch directed questions to Motel 6's media hotline. However, the number he provided was incorrect.
The company said based on a preliminary investigation of the incident, it does not believe Motel 6 staff called NPD or immigration officers.
"Local Motel 6 staff did not call the Nogales Police Department, nor were they in contact with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Additionally, no information was requested nor provided by the property to the authorities," according to a statement provided by corporate spokeswoman Raiza Rehkoff. "The Nogales Police Department arrived at the property on the evening of Sept. 13 and proceeded directly to guest room #217 without any contact with the property staff. Our understanding is that they did so on the basis of an outside, anonymous tip."
Room 217
According to the police report, officers were informed that "possible undocumented aliens (were) being house inside room #217." The report did not mention how police were made aware of this or how they knew what room number the group was staying in.
A supplemental report written by a responding officer states that after he and a fellow officer knocked on the door, a male subject "dressed in dirty/smelly clothing" opened the door.
The officer asked him in English if he had rented the room, but the man allegedly didn't understand. After the officer asked him again in Spanish, the man said no.
"I immediately noticed four additional subjects in the same condition lying on the hotel bed and asked the subjects if they were illegally in the United States," the officer wrote.
The men allegedly told the officer that they had entered the country illegally and were waiting to be picked up. A wants and warrants check revealed none of the men had a criminal record in the United States, according to the report.
Another supplemental report states that while responding to the hotel, one of the officers overheard on the radio that two female subjects believed to be involved in the incident had left the hotel on foot toward North Grand Avenue. The officer then made contact with the women, who said they were at the Motel 6 pool, but the water was too cold, so they decided to walk to Walgreens.
The officer asked to see identification and they both handed over Arizona ID cards, the report states.
Asked if they were renting a room at the motel, the women said yes and confirmed that they were staying in room 217.
"I advised them that undocumented aliens were detained in that room so they were going to be detained," the officer wrote in the report, adding that one of the women said the other had told her the men in the room were her friends.
The women were transported back to Motel 6 and referred to the Border Patrol along with the five men.
Asked how the agency was made aware that there was a group of undocumented immigrants staying at the hotel, the sector's public information office said: "We do not know the identity of the person who called, but we encourage anyone witnessing any suspicious or illegal activity of any (kind) to call either 911 or the United States Border Patrol."
The Border Patrol did not respond to a question asking if Motel 6 shared guest information with the agency.
Since the Phoenix New Times story was published, Motel 6 said the company will review its policies regarding the practice of sharing guest information with law enforcement.
In a statement issued on Sept. 20, the company said: "(W)e are currently in the process of a comprehensive review of our practices and will issue updated, company-wide guidelines soon. As part of this review process, we intend to implement a policy that our locations will not voluntarily furnish guest lists to authorities unless subject to a compulsory process, such as a subpoena or warrant, or under truly extenuating circumstances, such as an imminent threat to public or guest safety."
END
Reminder:
MEXICO: "the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
So, Canada and Mexico can decide who enters their countries, but it is only the USA that cannot control who enters our country?
Gracias, Merci, Thx
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
AZMEX I3 2-10-17
AZMEX I3 2 OCT 2017
Note: Crossing the border legally is still not dangerous. "He can't get a job without documents,"
thx
For Muslim refugees in Mexico, community is hard to find
Madeleine Wattenbarger
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
October 1, 2017
http://theweek.com/articles/727392/muslim-refugees-mexico-community-hard-find
Ali came to the Americas by way of Ecuador in late 2016. He'd just finished a university degree in Malaysia, where he'd earned a scholarship to study construction management. He couldn't return to Saudi Arabia, where he'd lived before, nor to his now-war-torn home of Yemen. He moved to Ecuador because he'd heard he would be able to get residency there. But that hope never came to fruition. Once he arrived, he found he could only stay for six months. So he went then to the United States embassy, to try his luck at getting a student visa.
"I wanted to do a master's program," says Ali, who requested to be identified only by his second name for security. "So I went to the embassy to apply. I paid $30. The girl came and said that they thought I was from Saudi Arabia, but because I was from Yemen, I couldn't get a visa." The first of President Trump's so-called "travel bans" had just gone into effect in the U.S.
It was after all this that Ali traveled to Mexico, with the hopes of continuing on to the U.S. Once in Mexico, Ali was connected with Programa Casa Refugiados, a Mexico City-based non-governmental organization that provides services to asylum seekers and refugees. Programa Casa Refugiados helped him regularize his status as a temporary resident in Mexico and continue his studies in a technical degree program.
Ali is among the refugees to hail from one of the countries affected by Trump's executive order. Many of them are now seeking to settle in Mexico City. What keeps Ali in Mexico is not the danger of crossing the border, but rather the new administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Coming from Muslim-majority countries to Mexico, a deeply Catholic one, and transitioning from Arabic- and English-speaking countries to a Spanish-speaking one, is already an uphill battle for many refugees. Many come to Mexico with the original goal of crossing the northern border into the U.S., where they may have connections through family or friends. But in choosing to stay in Mexico, they can find themselves in an unfamiliar country where they have little social support. Many face unique challenges to integration in Mexican society.
In Mexico, asylum requests have been on the rise since 2011. From 2011 to 2015, the number of asylum requests increased more than threefold, according to statistics from the Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (COMAR), the Mexican government's official body for asylum seekers and refugees.
In 2015, COMAR recognized almost a third of the 3,423 asylum requests received. An overwhelming majority of asylum seekers in Mexico come from the Northern Triangle — the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; according to the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, asylum seekers from the Northern Triangle make up 90 percent of overall requests. The remaining 10 percent or so move from countries including Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon, according to Programa Casa Refugiados.
Mexico City in particular has taken steps to encourage pro-immigrant policy measures. The 2011 Law of Interculturality, Attention to Migrants, and Human Mobility laid out principles for anti-discrimination, hospitality, and migrants' rights, and instituted the Commission of Interculturality and Human Mobility. A recent campaign funded by the U.N. and the Mexico City government papered the city with pro-migrant public-service announcements. Yet the reality remains that resettlement can be grueling. Rather than being a destination in itself, Mexico, to many migrants, remains a country of transit, the final obstacle before either crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally or requesting asylum at the border.
"I imagine people come to Mexico because of being close to the United States," says Vania Ruiz, the lasting solutions coordinator at Programa Casa Refugiados. "Mexico represents a step closer to the U.S., so there may be the possibility of going there eventually."
The U.S. government doesn't release statistics on how many asylum requests are made at the southern border, but many of the asylum seekers that Post-Conviction Relief aids decide to keep going north. Those include migrants not only from Central America, but also from Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa, all crossing Mexico in the hopes of resettling in the U.S. In recent months, Tijuana migrant shelters have been overwhelmed by Haitian asylum seekers awaiting their trial dates. Asylum requests in the U.S. have been consistently rising since 2010; in 2015, about a quarter of the over 83,000 requests were approved.
The U.S. refugee resettlement program aims to settle refugees in communities with others of their nationality. As a result, immigrants and refugees with shared origins have formed clusters across the country. Detroit and New York City are home to high concentrations of Arab Americans; Minneapolis is home to a population of over 31,000 Somali immigrants, many of whom arrived as refugees.
In contrast, Mexico hasn't seen significant immigration from Arab countries. The country has a foreign-born population of under 1 percent, compared to the U.S.'s foreign-born population of 13.1 percent, and, as of 2009, the majority of those foreigners originated from the U.S., Canada, Europe, or Latin America.
"There's no one from my country here," Ali says, "and that can be difficult."
The 2010 Mexican census registered 3,740 Muslims nationwide, out of a population of 112 million. Even among Muslims, or people from Arabic-speaking countries, cultures are more diverse than the blanket label suggests. Not all Muslim-majority countries — nor Muslims, nor Arabic speakers — share more than superficial characteristics. Arabic dialects vary wildly between regions, and communication between different dialects can be nearly impossible.
"I've met some Egyptians who I can talk to in Arabic," Ali says. "But I met some Moroccans and Algerians, and I can't understand them." There's a small mosque near the guesthouse where Ali is currently staying, but he doesn't know many Muslims are in Mexico, aside from other refugees he met through the organization giving him aid.
Beyond the difficulties of cultural adjustment, asylum seekers and refugees face an uphill battle in the basic tasks of finding a livelihood in Mexico. Abdi (who also requested his second name be used for security reasons) has been in Mexico City for five months. He's still waiting to hear whether his asylum request will be approved, and he is in limbo until then. He can't get a job without documents, and he can't leave the city until his asylum process ends.
Abdi came from Somalia to start his journey throughout the Americas in Brazil, where he attempted to request asylum with no success.
He traveled by bus and on foot with other migrants from Haiti and Cuba.
They went through Peru and continued through Central America.
In each country, Abdi tried to request asylum, but he encountered problems with documentation.
He arrived in Tapachula, Mexico, in January. Abdi had planned to keep going north, but the day he left detention at the migration center in Tapachula, he heard the same news Ali did: Trump had just signed the travel ban.
Abdi continued on to Mexico City, where he requested asylum at COMAR. According to COMAR policy, asylum seekers should receive a resolution on their status within 45 business days of their request. Several months after filing his request, though, Abdi still hasn't received any notification about his status. Even if he receives his refugee status, Abdi anticipates life in Mexico to be difficult.
"It's better to have an identity than to have nothing," he says. "The community is good and the people are good, but economically it's not very stable."
He's living at a guesthouse with several other refugees, some of whom are in the same situation.
For a while, Abdi tried to apply for jobs, but he found businesses unreceptive to a foreigner with little grasp of Spanish.
"For any job like cleaning or working in a restaurant, they prefer to hire people who are from here.
In terms of survival it's very hard," he says.
Abdi has received aid from Programa Casa Refugiados during his asylum process, but, according to Ruiz, asylum seekers can only receive three months' worth of funding and support. If he doesn't receive refugee status, he'll probably try to go to the U.S. He doesn't know anyone there, but he knows there's a Somali community. Though he doesn't expect a journey to the states to be much easier, it may provide a reprieve from locating aid in Mexico. "Survival is difficult when you're always depending on organizations."
Ali, on the other hand, feels at home in Mexico. He thinks he'll be here for at least three years as he finishes up his schooling. After that, he might stay in Mexico or try to move to Canada. One thing is for certain: He won't be heading to the U.S.
This story originally appeared as For Muslim Refugees in Mexico, a search for community on Pacific Standard, an editorial partner site. Subscribe to the magazine's newsletter and follow Pacific Standard on Twitter to support journalism in the public interest.
END
Note: Crossing the border legally is still not dangerous. "He can't get a job without documents,"
thx
For Muslim refugees in Mexico, community is hard to find
Madeleine Wattenbarger
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
October 1, 2017
http://theweek.com/articles/727392/muslim-refugees-mexico-community-hard-find
Ali came to the Americas by way of Ecuador in late 2016. He'd just finished a university degree in Malaysia, where he'd earned a scholarship to study construction management. He couldn't return to Saudi Arabia, where he'd lived before, nor to his now-war-torn home of Yemen. He moved to Ecuador because he'd heard he would be able to get residency there. But that hope never came to fruition. Once he arrived, he found he could only stay for six months. So he went then to the United States embassy, to try his luck at getting a student visa.
"I wanted to do a master's program," says Ali, who requested to be identified only by his second name for security. "So I went to the embassy to apply. I paid $30. The girl came and said that they thought I was from Saudi Arabia, but because I was from Yemen, I couldn't get a visa." The first of President Trump's so-called "travel bans" had just gone into effect in the U.S.
It was after all this that Ali traveled to Mexico, with the hopes of continuing on to the U.S. Once in Mexico, Ali was connected with Programa Casa Refugiados, a Mexico City-based non-governmental organization that provides services to asylum seekers and refugees. Programa Casa Refugiados helped him regularize his status as a temporary resident in Mexico and continue his studies in a technical degree program.
Ali is among the refugees to hail from one of the countries affected by Trump's executive order. Many of them are now seeking to settle in Mexico City. What keeps Ali in Mexico is not the danger of crossing the border, but rather the new administration's anti-immigrant rhetoric.
Coming from Muslim-majority countries to Mexico, a deeply Catholic one, and transitioning from Arabic- and English-speaking countries to a Spanish-speaking one, is already an uphill battle for many refugees. Many come to Mexico with the original goal of crossing the northern border into the U.S., where they may have connections through family or friends. But in choosing to stay in Mexico, they can find themselves in an unfamiliar country where they have little social support. Many face unique challenges to integration in Mexican society.
In Mexico, asylum requests have been on the rise since 2011. From 2011 to 2015, the number of asylum requests increased more than threefold, according to statistics from the Comisión Mexicana de Ayuda a Refugiados (COMAR), the Mexican government's official body for asylum seekers and refugees.
In 2015, COMAR recognized almost a third of the 3,423 asylum requests received. An overwhelming majority of asylum seekers in Mexico come from the Northern Triangle — the Central American countries of Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; according to the United Nations High Commission of Refugees, asylum seekers from the Northern Triangle make up 90 percent of overall requests. The remaining 10 percent or so move from countries including Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Cameroon, according to Programa Casa Refugiados.
Mexico City in particular has taken steps to encourage pro-immigrant policy measures. The 2011 Law of Interculturality, Attention to Migrants, and Human Mobility laid out principles for anti-discrimination, hospitality, and migrants' rights, and instituted the Commission of Interculturality and Human Mobility. A recent campaign funded by the U.N. and the Mexico City government papered the city with pro-migrant public-service announcements. Yet the reality remains that resettlement can be grueling. Rather than being a destination in itself, Mexico, to many migrants, remains a country of transit, the final obstacle before either crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally or requesting asylum at the border.
"I imagine people come to Mexico because of being close to the United States," says Vania Ruiz, the lasting solutions coordinator at Programa Casa Refugiados. "Mexico represents a step closer to the U.S., so there may be the possibility of going there eventually."
The U.S. government doesn't release statistics on how many asylum requests are made at the southern border, but many of the asylum seekers that Post-Conviction Relief aids decide to keep going north. Those include migrants not only from Central America, but also from Haiti and sub-Saharan Africa, all crossing Mexico in the hopes of resettling in the U.S. In recent months, Tijuana migrant shelters have been overwhelmed by Haitian asylum seekers awaiting their trial dates. Asylum requests in the U.S. have been consistently rising since 2010; in 2015, about a quarter of the over 83,000 requests were approved.
The U.S. refugee resettlement program aims to settle refugees in communities with others of their nationality. As a result, immigrants and refugees with shared origins have formed clusters across the country. Detroit and New York City are home to high concentrations of Arab Americans; Minneapolis is home to a population of over 31,000 Somali immigrants, many of whom arrived as refugees.
In contrast, Mexico hasn't seen significant immigration from Arab countries. The country has a foreign-born population of under 1 percent, compared to the U.S.'s foreign-born population of 13.1 percent, and, as of 2009, the majority of those foreigners originated from the U.S., Canada, Europe, or Latin America.
"There's no one from my country here," Ali says, "and that can be difficult."
The 2010 Mexican census registered 3,740 Muslims nationwide, out of a population of 112 million. Even among Muslims, or people from Arabic-speaking countries, cultures are more diverse than the blanket label suggests. Not all Muslim-majority countries — nor Muslims, nor Arabic speakers — share more than superficial characteristics. Arabic dialects vary wildly between regions, and communication between different dialects can be nearly impossible.
"I've met some Egyptians who I can talk to in Arabic," Ali says. "But I met some Moroccans and Algerians, and I can't understand them." There's a small mosque near the guesthouse where Ali is currently staying, but he doesn't know many Muslims are in Mexico, aside from other refugees he met through the organization giving him aid.
Beyond the difficulties of cultural adjustment, asylum seekers and refugees face an uphill battle in the basic tasks of finding a livelihood in Mexico. Abdi (who also requested his second name be used for security reasons) has been in Mexico City for five months. He's still waiting to hear whether his asylum request will be approved, and he is in limbo until then. He can't get a job without documents, and he can't leave the city until his asylum process ends.
Abdi came from Somalia to start his journey throughout the Americas in Brazil, where he attempted to request asylum with no success.
He traveled by bus and on foot with other migrants from Haiti and Cuba.
They went through Peru and continued through Central America.
In each country, Abdi tried to request asylum, but he encountered problems with documentation.
He arrived in Tapachula, Mexico, in January. Abdi had planned to keep going north, but the day he left detention at the migration center in Tapachula, he heard the same news Ali did: Trump had just signed the travel ban.
Abdi continued on to Mexico City, where he requested asylum at COMAR. According to COMAR policy, asylum seekers should receive a resolution on their status within 45 business days of their request. Several months after filing his request, though, Abdi still hasn't received any notification about his status. Even if he receives his refugee status, Abdi anticipates life in Mexico to be difficult.
"It's better to have an identity than to have nothing," he says. "The community is good and the people are good, but economically it's not very stable."
He's living at a guesthouse with several other refugees, some of whom are in the same situation.
For a while, Abdi tried to apply for jobs, but he found businesses unreceptive to a foreigner with little grasp of Spanish.
"For any job like cleaning or working in a restaurant, they prefer to hire people who are from here.
In terms of survival it's very hard," he says.
Abdi has received aid from Programa Casa Refugiados during his asylum process, but, according to Ruiz, asylum seekers can only receive three months' worth of funding and support. If he doesn't receive refugee status, he'll probably try to go to the U.S. He doesn't know anyone there, but he knows there's a Somali community. Though he doesn't expect a journey to the states to be much easier, it may provide a reprieve from locating aid in Mexico. "Survival is difficult when you're always depending on organizations."
Ali, on the other hand, feels at home in Mexico. He thinks he'll be here for at least three years as he finishes up his schooling. After that, he might stay in Mexico or try to move to Canada. One thing is for certain: He won't be heading to the U.S.
This story originally appeared as For Muslim Refugees in Mexico, a search for community on Pacific Standard, an editorial partner site. Subscribe to the magazine's newsletter and follow Pacific Standard on Twitter to support journalism in the public interest.
END
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 1-10-17
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 1 OCT 2017
Note: of local interest mostly, or anyone else downwind.
thx
IBWC to fight judge's ruling that it partly owns IOI
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 29, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/ibwc-to-fight-judge-s-ruling-that-it-partly-owns/article_e9960e50-a4ac-11e7-966c-5bc2b5b9382d.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
IBWC Assistant Attorney Rebecca Rizzuti addresses the roughly 60 attendees at the quarterly meeting of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum on Thursday, Sept. 21 in Tubac.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
A final resolution to a long-running legal battle between the International Boundary and Water Commission and the City of Nogales over the ownership of a binational sewer line could be prolonged after a lawyer with the federal agency indicated at a public meeting last week that the IBWC plans to appeal a magistrate judge's recommendation that it is a partial owner of the entire line.
"You might wonder why there's a lawyer giving this presentation," quipped Rebecca Rizzuti, assistant attorney with IBWC, her statement met by laughs from the roughly 60 people who attended last Thursday's Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum at the Tubac Community Center.
During the meeting, hosted by an advisory group working with the IBWC, Rizzuti gave a presentation on the history of the Nogales International Sanitation Project, which includes the International Wastewater Treatment Plant and the International Outfall Interceptor, the binational sewer line that carries millions of gallons of waste each day from Ambos Nogales to the treatment plant in Rio Rico, in addition to an update on the lawsuit.
The IBWC is being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality over Clean Water Act violations stemming from contaminants found in the treatment plant and IOI. The IBWC in turn sued the state and City of Nogales alleging that if the pipeline was leaking contaminants into the Nogales Wash, it was the city's responsibility to remedy the problem.
Rizzuti said the problem stems from surcharge that spills out of the manholes in the IOI and occurs when there is a blockage in the system or an abundance of stormwater, as often occurs during the summer monsoon season.
"So stormwater and wastewater will come out of those manholes on occasion and the lawsuit deals with who's responsible for or who's liable for the surcharges that occur along this line," she said. "The state and the city contend it's USIBWC. USIBWC contends the IOI is a city line."
In April, U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro issued a "report and recommendation," which noted that the IBWC is at least a partial owner or operator of the IOI and the agency is aware that wastewater is continuously discharged from the pipeline into the wash in violation of Arizona state statute. The judge ruled that IBWC could not transfer responsibility for the lawsuit to the city, and that since the contaminants weren't coming from the city's system, the problem was out of the government entity's control.
The IBWC filed an objection and on Sept. 20, a district judge adopted Ferraro's recommendation that because the IBWC admits partial ownership, it was liable for the surcharge, Rizzuti said.
Despite the judge's order, she said, the agency's position hasn't changed.
"We disagree," she said, adding that the IBWC will request a remedy. "(A)nd when there is a final order issued, if the IOI is found still to be our responsibility, we are discussing with the Department of Justice an appeal of that finding."
City 'prevails'
Maintenance of the sewer line is the shared responsibility of the City of Nogales and the IBWC as the result of an arrangement dating to 1953. The sanitation project originally consisted of a 7,200-foot sewer line in Mexico, an 8,146-foot pipeline in the United States and a treatment plant about 1.5 miles north of the border.
In 1965, the city requested that IBWC negotiate an agreement with Mexico to enlarge the capacity of the treatment plant, and also asked that the plant be relocated to its present site near the Rio Rico Industrial Park. In 1996, the IBWC took over operation of the treatment plant.
During her presentation, Rizzuti said the city claims the IBWC owns about 78 percent of the IOI, while the IBWC contends that the city owns 100 percent of the line.
Regardless of who owns it, Rizzuti added, the city signed a contract agreeing to operate and maintain the line and to absolve Mexico of any costs associated with its operation and maintenance.
She also argued that Minute 227 of the treaty, which negotiated the extension of the line and relocation of the plant, acknowledges that the relocation was necessary for domestic, and not international, purposes and therefore Mexico and the IBWC share no responsibility for maintaining and operating it.
"We don't manage the IOI, we don't allow connections to it, we don't have anything to do with the domestic operation of the IOI," she said, adding later: "We don't make money off the operation of the IOI. We are not a wastewater treatment system biller."
Speaking by phone Thursday morning, City Attorney Jose Luis Machado said the district judge's ruling was "a step in the right direction for the city."
"We prevailed against IBWC and the litigation between ADEQ and IBWC continues regarding the contaminants coming from Mexico," he said, adding: "It doesn't resolve all the issue because IBWC disagrees with the judge in that position, but the only opinion that matters here is the judge's opinion and he's ruled in favor of the City of Nogales. Until that's appealed and until that's overturned, that is the law of this case – IBWC has an ownership interest in the IOI."
Machado called IBWC's position regarding the ownership of the line "ludicrous," noting that though IBWC tried to argue that it was a partial owner of the original trunkline but not the extension, the judge ruled that the pipeline was one continuous line.
"IBWC's position is that they don't have any authority on the sewer line. If you don't have any authority, then what have you been doing down here the last 50 years?" he asked. "They take responsibility when they want it and they absolve themselves of every responsibility when they want to. Their whole existence is to address sanitation and flood problems of international character and yet they say they can't."
He said city staff is preparing its own presentation regarding the ownership of the IOI and Nogales Wash that will be presented during the October city council meeting.
end
Oomapas repairs water line
Details Posted on Saturday September 30, 2017, Written by Editorial Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97948
Nogales
Directed by Mauro Corrales Bujanda, staff of the Municipal Operator for Drinking Water, Sewer and Sanitation (Oomapas) worked intensely on the immediate repair of a four-inch diameter water line in the Mediterranean Fraccionamiento. (neighborhood)
According to the new policy applied by the Municipal President in the area of citizen care, the drinking water leakage that resulted from the rupture of the four-inch diameter pipe was reported in the Circuito Tierra Street of that colony was solved .
He emphasized that as well as this fault that was attended to promptly, all other problems that are detected or reported, are solved quickly and efficiently, while continuing to provide regular services, such as water delivery by pipes.
He announced that there are other tasks that the various crews do to keep the water distribution networks in good condition, as well as the collection system of black water. (sewage)
According to Mauro Corrales, the instructions of the Municipal President are precise and conclusive, which is why the agency's operational area is working hard to meet all the needs of citizens, as well as the maintenance of water infrastructure.
END
Note: of local interest mostly, or anyone else downwind.
thx
IBWC to fight judge's ruling that it partly owns IOI
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 29, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/ibwc-to-fight-judge-s-ruling-that-it-partly-owns/article_e9960e50-a4ac-11e7-966c-5bc2b5b9382d.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
IBWC Assistant Attorney Rebecca Rizzuti addresses the roughly 60 attendees at the quarterly meeting of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum on Thursday, Sept. 21 in Tubac.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
A final resolution to a long-running legal battle between the International Boundary and Water Commission and the City of Nogales over the ownership of a binational sewer line could be prolonged after a lawyer with the federal agency indicated at a public meeting last week that the IBWC plans to appeal a magistrate judge's recommendation that it is a partial owner of the entire line.
"You might wonder why there's a lawyer giving this presentation," quipped Rebecca Rizzuti, assistant attorney with IBWC, her statement met by laughs from the roughly 60 people who attended last Thursday's Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum at the Tubac Community Center.
During the meeting, hosted by an advisory group working with the IBWC, Rizzuti gave a presentation on the history of the Nogales International Sanitation Project, which includes the International Wastewater Treatment Plant and the International Outfall Interceptor, the binational sewer line that carries millions of gallons of waste each day from Ambos Nogales to the treatment plant in Rio Rico, in addition to an update on the lawsuit.
The IBWC is being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality over Clean Water Act violations stemming from contaminants found in the treatment plant and IOI. The IBWC in turn sued the state and City of Nogales alleging that if the pipeline was leaking contaminants into the Nogales Wash, it was the city's responsibility to remedy the problem.
Rizzuti said the problem stems from surcharge that spills out of the manholes in the IOI and occurs when there is a blockage in the system or an abundance of stormwater, as often occurs during the summer monsoon season.
"So stormwater and wastewater will come out of those manholes on occasion and the lawsuit deals with who's responsible for or who's liable for the surcharges that occur along this line," she said. "The state and the city contend it's USIBWC. USIBWC contends the IOI is a city line."
In April, U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro issued a "report and recommendation," which noted that the IBWC is at least a partial owner or operator of the IOI and the agency is aware that wastewater is continuously discharged from the pipeline into the wash in violation of Arizona state statute. The judge ruled that IBWC could not transfer responsibility for the lawsuit to the city, and that since the contaminants weren't coming from the city's system, the problem was out of the government entity's control.
The IBWC filed an objection and on Sept. 20, a district judge adopted Ferraro's recommendation that because the IBWC admits partial ownership, it was liable for the surcharge, Rizzuti said.
Despite the judge's order, she said, the agency's position hasn't changed.
"We disagree," she said, adding that the IBWC will request a remedy. "(A)nd when there is a final order issued, if the IOI is found still to be our responsibility, we are discussing with the Department of Justice an appeal of that finding."
City 'prevails'
Maintenance of the sewer line is the shared responsibility of the City of Nogales and the IBWC as the result of an arrangement dating to 1953. The sanitation project originally consisted of a 7,200-foot sewer line in Mexico, an 8,146-foot pipeline in the United States and a treatment plant about 1.5 miles north of the border.
In 1965, the city requested that IBWC negotiate an agreement with Mexico to enlarge the capacity of the treatment plant, and also asked that the plant be relocated to its present site near the Rio Rico Industrial Park. In 1996, the IBWC took over operation of the treatment plant.
During her presentation, Rizzuti said the city claims the IBWC owns about 78 percent of the IOI, while the IBWC contends that the city owns 100 percent of the line.
Regardless of who owns it, Rizzuti added, the city signed a contract agreeing to operate and maintain the line and to absolve Mexico of any costs associated with its operation and maintenance.
She also argued that Minute 227 of the treaty, which negotiated the extension of the line and relocation of the plant, acknowledges that the relocation was necessary for domestic, and not international, purposes and therefore Mexico and the IBWC share no responsibility for maintaining and operating it.
"We don't manage the IOI, we don't allow connections to it, we don't have anything to do with the domestic operation of the IOI," she said, adding later: "We don't make money off the operation of the IOI. We are not a wastewater treatment system biller."
Speaking by phone Thursday morning, City Attorney Jose Luis Machado said the district judge's ruling was "a step in the right direction for the city."
"We prevailed against IBWC and the litigation between ADEQ and IBWC continues regarding the contaminants coming from Mexico," he said, adding: "It doesn't resolve all the issue because IBWC disagrees with the judge in that position, but the only opinion that matters here is the judge's opinion and he's ruled in favor of the City of Nogales. Until that's appealed and until that's overturned, that is the law of this case – IBWC has an ownership interest in the IOI."
Machado called IBWC's position regarding the ownership of the line "ludicrous," noting that though IBWC tried to argue that it was a partial owner of the original trunkline but not the extension, the judge ruled that the pipeline was one continuous line.
"IBWC's position is that they don't have any authority on the sewer line. If you don't have any authority, then what have you been doing down here the last 50 years?" he asked. "They take responsibility when they want it and they absolve themselves of every responsibility when they want to. Their whole existence is to address sanitation and flood problems of international character and yet they say they can't."
He said city staff is preparing its own presentation regarding the ownership of the IOI and Nogales Wash that will be presented during the October city council meeting.
end
Oomapas repairs water line
Details Posted on Saturday September 30, 2017, Written by Editorial Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97948
Nogales
Directed by Mauro Corrales Bujanda, staff of the Municipal Operator for Drinking Water, Sewer and Sanitation (Oomapas) worked intensely on the immediate repair of a four-inch diameter water line in the Mediterranean Fraccionamiento. (neighborhood)
According to the new policy applied by the Municipal President in the area of citizen care, the drinking water leakage that resulted from the rupture of the four-inch diameter pipe was reported in the Circuito Tierra Street of that colony was solved .
He emphasized that as well as this fault that was attended to promptly, all other problems that are detected or reported, are solved quickly and efficiently, while continuing to provide regular services, such as water delivery by pipes.
He announced that there are other tasks that the various crews do to keep the water distribution networks in good condition, as well as the collection system of black water. (sewage)
According to Mauro Corrales, the instructions of the Municipal President are precise and conclusive, which is why the agency's operational area is working hard to meet all the needs of citizens, as well as the maintenance of water infrastructure.
END
Tuesday, October 3, 2017
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 1-10-17
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 1 OCT 2017
Note: of local interest mostly, or anyone else downwind.
thx
IBWC to fight judge's ruling that it partly owns IOI
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 29, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/ibwc-to-fight-judge-s-ruling-that-it-partly-owns/article_e9960e50-a4ac-11e7-966c-5bc2b5b9382d.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
IBWC Assistant Attorney Rebecca Rizzuti addresses the roughly 60 attendees at the quarterly meeting of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum on Thursday, Sept. 21 in Tubac.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
A final resolution to a long-running legal battle between the International Boundary and Water Commission and the City of Nogales over the ownership of a binational sewer line could be prolonged after a lawyer with the federal agency indicated at a public meeting last week that the IBWC plans to appeal a magistrate judge's recommendation that it is a partial owner of the entire line.
"You might wonder why there's a lawyer giving this presentation," quipped Rebecca Rizzuti, assistant attorney with IBWC, her statement met by laughs from the roughly 60 people who attended last Thursday's Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum at the Tubac Community Center.
During the meeting, hosted by an advisory group working with the IBWC, Rizzuti gave a presentation on the history of the Nogales International Sanitation Project, which includes the International Wastewater Treatment Plant and the International Outfall Interceptor, the binational sewer line that carries millions of gallons of waste each day from Ambos Nogales to the treatment plant in Rio Rico, in addition to an update on the lawsuit.
The IBWC is being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality over Clean Water Act violations stemming from contaminants found in the treatment plant and IOI. The IBWC in turn sued the state and City of Nogales alleging that if the pipeline was leaking contaminants into the Nogales Wash, it was the city's responsibility to remedy the problem.
Rizzuti said the problem stems from surcharge that spills out of the manholes in the IOI and occurs when there is a blockage in the system or an abundance of stormwater, as often occurs during the summer monsoon season.
"So stormwater and wastewater will come out of those manholes on occasion and the lawsuit deals with who's responsible for or who's liable for the surcharges that occur along this line," she said. "The state and the city contend it's USIBWC. USIBWC contends the IOI is a city line."
In April, U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro issued a "report and recommendation," which noted that the IBWC is at least a partial owner or operator of the IOI and the agency is aware that wastewater is continuously discharged from the pipeline into the wash in violation of Arizona state statute. The judge ruled that IBWC could not transfer responsibility for the lawsuit to the city, and that since the contaminants weren't coming from the city's system, the problem was out of the government entity's control.
The IBWC filed an objection and on Sept. 20, a district judge adopted Ferraro's recommendation that because the IBWC admits partial ownership, it was liable for the surcharge, Rizzuti said.
Despite the judge's order, she said, the agency's position hasn't changed.
"We disagree," she said, adding that the IBWC will request a remedy. "(A)nd when there is a final order issued, if the IOI is found still to be our responsibility, we are discussing with the Department of Justice an appeal of that finding."
City 'prevails'
Maintenance of the sewer line is the shared responsibility of the City of Nogales and the IBWC as the result of an arrangement dating to 1953. The sanitation project originally consisted of a 7,200-foot sewer line in Mexico, an 8,146-foot pipeline in the United States and a treatment plant about 1.5 miles north of the border.
In 1965, the city requested that IBWC negotiate an agreement with Mexico to enlarge the capacity of the treatment plant, and also asked that the plant be relocated to its present site near the Rio Rico Industrial Park. In 1996, the IBWC took over operation of the treatment plant.
During her presentation, Rizzuti said the city claims the IBWC owns about 78 percent of the IOI, while the IBWC contends that the city owns 100 percent of the line.
Regardless of who owns it, Rizzuti added, the city signed a contract agreeing to operate and maintain the line and to absolve Mexico of any costs associated with its operation and maintenance.
She also argued that Minute 227 of the treaty, which negotiated the extension of the line and relocation of the plant, acknowledges that the relocation was necessary for domestic, and not international, purposes and therefore Mexico and the IBWC share no responsibility for maintaining and operating it.
"We don't manage the IOI, we don't allow connections to it, we don't have anything to do with the domestic operation of the IOI," she said, adding later: "We don't make money off the operation of the IOI. We are not a wastewater treatment system biller."
Speaking by phone Thursday morning, City Attorney Jose Luis Machado said the district judge's ruling was "a step in the right direction for the city."
"We prevailed against IBWC and the litigation between ADEQ and IBWC continues regarding the contaminants coming from Mexico," he said, adding: "It doesn't resolve all the issue because IBWC disagrees with the judge in that position, but the only opinion that matters here is the judge's opinion and he's ruled in favor of the City of Nogales. Until that's appealed and until that's overturned, that is the law of this case – IBWC has an ownership interest in the IOI."
Machado called IBWC's position regarding the ownership of the line "ludicrous," noting that though IBWC tried to argue that it was a partial owner of the original trunkline but not the extension, the judge ruled that the pipeline was one continuous line.
"IBWC's position is that they don't have any authority on the sewer line. If you don't have any authority, then what have you been doing down here the last 50 years?" he asked. "They take responsibility when they want it and they absolve themselves of every responsibility when they want to. Their whole existence is to address sanitation and flood problems of international character and yet they say they can't."
He said city staff is preparing its own presentation regarding the ownership of the IOI and Nogales Wash that will be presented during the October city council meeting.
end
Oomapas repairs water line
Details Posted on Saturday September 30, 2017, Written by Editorial Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97948
Nogales
Directed by Mauro Corrales Bujanda, staff of the Municipal Operator for Drinking Water, Sewer and Sanitation (Oomapas) worked intensely on the immediate repair of a four-inch diameter water line in the Mediterranean Fraccionamiento. (neighborhood)
According to the new policy applied by the Municipal President in the area of citizen care, the drinking water leakage that resulted from the rupture of the four-inch diameter pipe was reported in the Circuito Tierra Street of that colony was solved .
He emphasized that as well as this fault that was attended to promptly, all other problems that are detected or reported, are solved quickly and efficiently, while continuing to provide regular services, such as water delivery by pipes.
He announced that there are other tasks that the various crews do to keep the water distribution networks in good condition, as well as the collection system of black water. (sewage)
According to Mauro Corrales, the instructions of the Municipal President are precise and conclusive, which is why the agency's operational area is working hard to meet all the needs of citizens, as well as the maintenance of water infrastructure.
END
Note: of local interest mostly, or anyone else downwind.
thx
IBWC to fight judge's ruling that it partly owns IOI
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International Sep 29, 2017
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/ibwc-to-fight-judge-s-ruling-that-it-partly-owns/article_e9960e50-a4ac-11e7-966c-5bc2b5b9382d.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
IBWC Assistant Attorney Rebecca Rizzuti addresses the roughly 60 attendees at the quarterly meeting of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum on Thursday, Sept. 21 in Tubac.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
A final resolution to a long-running legal battle between the International Boundary and Water Commission and the City of Nogales over the ownership of a binational sewer line could be prolonged after a lawyer with the federal agency indicated at a public meeting last week that the IBWC plans to appeal a magistrate judge's recommendation that it is a partial owner of the entire line.
"You might wonder why there's a lawyer giving this presentation," quipped Rebecca Rizzuti, assistant attorney with IBWC, her statement met by laughs from the roughly 60 people who attended last Thursday's Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum at the Tubac Community Center.
During the meeting, hosted by an advisory group working with the IBWC, Rizzuti gave a presentation on the history of the Nogales International Sanitation Project, which includes the International Wastewater Treatment Plant and the International Outfall Interceptor, the binational sewer line that carries millions of gallons of waste each day from Ambos Nogales to the treatment plant in Rio Rico, in addition to an update on the lawsuit.
The IBWC is being sued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality over Clean Water Act violations stemming from contaminants found in the treatment plant and IOI. The IBWC in turn sued the state and City of Nogales alleging that if the pipeline was leaking contaminants into the Nogales Wash, it was the city's responsibility to remedy the problem.
Rizzuti said the problem stems from surcharge that spills out of the manholes in the IOI and occurs when there is a blockage in the system or an abundance of stormwater, as often occurs during the summer monsoon season.
"So stormwater and wastewater will come out of those manholes on occasion and the lawsuit deals with who's responsible for or who's liable for the surcharges that occur along this line," she said. "The state and the city contend it's USIBWC. USIBWC contends the IOI is a city line."
In April, U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Thomas Ferraro issued a "report and recommendation," which noted that the IBWC is at least a partial owner or operator of the IOI and the agency is aware that wastewater is continuously discharged from the pipeline into the wash in violation of Arizona state statute. The judge ruled that IBWC could not transfer responsibility for the lawsuit to the city, and that since the contaminants weren't coming from the city's system, the problem was out of the government entity's control.
The IBWC filed an objection and on Sept. 20, a district judge adopted Ferraro's recommendation that because the IBWC admits partial ownership, it was liable for the surcharge, Rizzuti said.
Despite the judge's order, she said, the agency's position hasn't changed.
"We disagree," she said, adding that the IBWC will request a remedy. "(A)nd when there is a final order issued, if the IOI is found still to be our responsibility, we are discussing with the Department of Justice an appeal of that finding."
City 'prevails'
Maintenance of the sewer line is the shared responsibility of the City of Nogales and the IBWC as the result of an arrangement dating to 1953. The sanitation project originally consisted of a 7,200-foot sewer line in Mexico, an 8,146-foot pipeline in the United States and a treatment plant about 1.5 miles north of the border.
In 1965, the city requested that IBWC negotiate an agreement with Mexico to enlarge the capacity of the treatment plant, and also asked that the plant be relocated to its present site near the Rio Rico Industrial Park. In 1996, the IBWC took over operation of the treatment plant.
During her presentation, Rizzuti said the city claims the IBWC owns about 78 percent of the IOI, while the IBWC contends that the city owns 100 percent of the line.
Regardless of who owns it, Rizzuti added, the city signed a contract agreeing to operate and maintain the line and to absolve Mexico of any costs associated with its operation and maintenance.
She also argued that Minute 227 of the treaty, which negotiated the extension of the line and relocation of the plant, acknowledges that the relocation was necessary for domestic, and not international, purposes and therefore Mexico and the IBWC share no responsibility for maintaining and operating it.
"We don't manage the IOI, we don't allow connections to it, we don't have anything to do with the domestic operation of the IOI," she said, adding later: "We don't make money off the operation of the IOI. We are not a wastewater treatment system biller."
Speaking by phone Thursday morning, City Attorney Jose Luis Machado said the district judge's ruling was "a step in the right direction for the city."
"We prevailed against IBWC and the litigation between ADEQ and IBWC continues regarding the contaminants coming from Mexico," he said, adding: "It doesn't resolve all the issue because IBWC disagrees with the judge in that position, but the only opinion that matters here is the judge's opinion and he's ruled in favor of the City of Nogales. Until that's appealed and until that's overturned, that is the law of this case – IBWC has an ownership interest in the IOI."
Machado called IBWC's position regarding the ownership of the line "ludicrous," noting that though IBWC tried to argue that it was a partial owner of the original trunkline but not the extension, the judge ruled that the pipeline was one continuous line.
"IBWC's position is that they don't have any authority on the sewer line. If you don't have any authority, then what have you been doing down here the last 50 years?" he asked. "They take responsibility when they want it and they absolve themselves of every responsibility when they want to. Their whole existence is to address sanitation and flood problems of international character and yet they say they can't."
He said city staff is preparing its own presentation regarding the ownership of the IOI and Nogales Wash that will be presented during the October city council meeting.
end
Oomapas repairs water line
Details Posted on Saturday September 30, 2017, Written by Editorial Staff / El Diario
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97948
Nogales
Directed by Mauro Corrales Bujanda, staff of the Municipal Operator for Drinking Water, Sewer and Sanitation (Oomapas) worked intensely on the immediate repair of a four-inch diameter water line in the Mediterranean Fraccionamiento. (neighborhood)
According to the new policy applied by the Municipal President in the area of citizen care, the drinking water leakage that resulted from the rupture of the four-inch diameter pipe was reported in the Circuito Tierra Street of that colony was solved .
He emphasized that as well as this fault that was attended to promptly, all other problems that are detected or reported, are solved quickly and efficiently, while continuing to provide regular services, such as water delivery by pipes.
He announced that there are other tasks that the various crews do to keep the water distribution networks in good condition, as well as the collection system of black water. (sewage)
According to Mauro Corrales, the instructions of the Municipal President are precise and conclusive, which is why the agency's operational area is working hard to meet all the needs of citizens, as well as the maintenance of water infrastructure.
END
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 27-9-17
AZMEX UPDATE 27 SEP 2017
Construction of border wall prototypes begins in San Diego
Posted: Sep 26, 2017 7:31 AM MST
Updated: Sep 27, 2017 10:31 AM MST
By CBS News 8 TeamConnect
http://www.cbs8.com/story/36454458/construction-of-border-wall-prototypes-has-begun-cbp
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Construction began in San Diego Tuesday on prototypes for a new border wall between the United States and Mexico, marking the start of a proposed project that served as a bitterly divisive centerpiece in President Donald Trump's ascension to the White House.
Groundbreaking in Otay Mesa for eight proposed versions of the barrier -- four made of concrete, the others from unspecified alternate materials -- took place this morning, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Each structure will be between 18 and 30 feet tall and demonstrate a proposed design for how best to deter illegal crossings of the international line, according to the federal agency.
"We are committed to securing our border, and that includes constructing border walls," CBP acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello said. "Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people. Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border."
Completion of the structures is expected within about 30 days, according to federal officials.
This morning, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an urgency ordinance banning items that could be used as weapons, such as baseball bats, knives and rocks, in areas where the border wall prototypes are being built and giving law enforcement the authority to issue misdemeanor citations to those found to be carrying such items.
"We support the right to peacefully protest, but there is no need to bring weapons," said Ron Lane, the county's deputy chief administrative officer.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob said: "We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to protect the people and keep the peace. This is a divisive time in our nation's history and frankly, we already have a border fence in San Diego, so I'm not sure why we were targeted to build the prototypes, but it is what it is ..."
Late last month, the U.S. government announced that it had awarded contracts to the following contractors for concrete wall prototypes: Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama; Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. of Tempe, Arizona; Texas Sterling Construction Co. of Houston, Texas; and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
The concrete mock-ups will "allow CBP to evaluate the potential for new wall and barrier designs that could complement the wall and barrier designs we have used along the border over the last several years," according to a statement issued by the federal agency.
Three weeks ago, Customs and Border Protection officials announced contract awards for so-called "other materials" prototypes of the proposed border wall. The following companies were selected to build them: Caddell Construction; KWR Construction Inc. of Sierra Vista, Arizona; ELTA North America Inc. of Annapolis Junction, Maryland; and W.G. Yates & Sons.
"Prototypes constructed from alternate materials will serve two important ends," according to a CBP statement. "First, given their robust physical characteristics -- for example, they will be between 18 and 30 feet high -- the `other materials' border-wall prototypes are designed to deter illegal crossings in the area in which they are constructed. Second, they will provide an innovative perspective in the application of new materials, which will allow CBP to evaluate the potential for new wall and barrier designs to complement the current wall and barrier used along the Southwest border."
Last week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit in San Diego against the Trump administration over its plan to begin construction of the wall, acting on behalf of the state and the California Coastal Commission.
"The border between the U.S. and Mexico spans some 2,000 miles -- the list of laws violated by the president's administration in order to build this campaign wall is almost as long," Becerra told reporters then. "The Department of Homeland Security would waive 37 federal statutes, as well as regulations that are related to those statutes, and he would also violate numerous state and local laws here in our great state of California."
The announcement came one day after the San Diego City Council voted 5-3 to pass a resolution opposing the border wall. That resolution stated the edifice would be detrimental to San Diego's environment and tourism.
"The border wall is a stupid idea," Councilman David Alvarez said. "The border can become efficient and safe with investments in infrastructure and technology instead of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars for a wall, which will accomplish nothing."
The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education, for its part, unanimously approved a resolution in April that supported a bill in the state Legislature that would prohibit California from doing business with contractors who help build a wall.
Before the City Council's vote of opposition to the proposed border barrier, dozens of residents lined up to speak on the topic, most of them denouncing it.
Council members Chris Cate, Mark Kersey and Lorie Zapf voted against the resolution, with Zapf saying the resolution only served as "political posturing."
Port of San Diego Vice Chairman Rafael Castellanos was among those who spoke against the border barrier at the council meeting. He said it was important to stand in solidarity with the immigrant community.
"This is not medieval China," he said. "We are not trying to keep out Mongol hordes. This is not a Matt Damon movie. This is a silly federal frolic that may go down in the `Guinness World Book of Records' as the worst pork- barrel project of all time."
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who represents California's border region, also has taken a stand against the project, arguing that there are bigger enforcement problems in the border area, such as tunnels used to smuggle people and drugs into the United States.
In August, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it had secured a waiver that would allow it to bypass environmental regulations to speed up the building process in San Diego and Imperial counties.
END
County bans weapons near border wall prototypes
POSTED 11:57 AM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017,
BY CITY NEWS SERVICE,
UPDATED AT 12:48PM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/09/26/county-bans-weapons-near-border-wall-prototypes/
Construction began Tuesday in Otay Mesa on prototypes for President Trump's border wall.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday banned items that could be used as weapons, such as baseball bats, knives and rocks, in certain areas where border wall prototypes will be built.
With an expectation for protests and demonstrations in response to the border wall construction, county officials unanimously approved the urgency ordinance, which takes effect immediately. The action gives law enforcement the authority to issue misdemeanor citations to those who bring items that could be perceived as weapons to areas authorities deem to face credible threat for violent demonstrations.
"We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to protect the people and keep the peace," county Supervisor Dianne Jacob said.
"This is a divisive time in our nation's history and frankly, we already have a border fence in San Diego, so I'm not sure why we were targeted to build the prototypes, but it is what it is today," Jacob added.
Supervisor Greg Cox said it is important for the county to take precautionary measures since the federal government is moving forward with the "demonstration project."
President Donald Trump's push, via an executive order, for "immediate construction of a physical wall," some portions of which would fall within county lines, has prompted an array of reaction from county and city officials in a region with about 170,000 residents living in the country illegally.
The San Diego City Council passed a resolution last week expressing the city's intent to divest from companies involved in the construction, financing and/or design of the wall.
With construction of wall prototypes nearing, county officials agreed law enforcement needed more authority to keep expected protests peaceful. Prior to restricting any area to the public, though, the county will issue a public notice at least 24 hours in advance.
"We support the right to peacefully protest, but there is no need to bring weapons," said Ron Lane, the county's deputy chief administrative officer.
END
Construction of border wall prototypes begins in San Diego
Posted: Sep 26, 2017 7:31 AM MST
Updated: Sep 27, 2017 10:31 AM MST
By CBS News 8 TeamConnect
http://www.cbs8.com/story/36454458/construction-of-border-wall-prototypes-has-begun-cbp
SAN DIEGO (CNS) - Construction began in San Diego Tuesday on prototypes for a new border wall between the United States and Mexico, marking the start of a proposed project that served as a bitterly divisive centerpiece in President Donald Trump's ascension to the White House.
Groundbreaking in Otay Mesa for eight proposed versions of the barrier -- four made of concrete, the others from unspecified alternate materials -- took place this morning, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Each structure will be between 18 and 30 feet tall and demonstrate a proposed design for how best to deter illegal crossings of the international line, according to the federal agency.
"We are committed to securing our border, and that includes constructing border walls," CBP acting Deputy Commissioner Ronald Vitiello said. "Our multi-pronged strategy to ensure the safety and security of the American people includes barriers, infrastructure, technology and people. Moving forward with the prototypes enables us to continue to incorporate all the tools necessary to secure our border."
Completion of the structures is expected within about 30 days, according to federal officials.
This morning, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an urgency ordinance banning items that could be used as weapons, such as baseball bats, knives and rocks, in areas where the border wall prototypes are being built and giving law enforcement the authority to issue misdemeanor citations to those found to be carrying such items.
"We support the right to peacefully protest, but there is no need to bring weapons," said Ron Lane, the county's deputy chief administrative officer.
Supervisor Dianne Jacob said: "We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to protect the people and keep the peace. This is a divisive time in our nation's history and frankly, we already have a border fence in San Diego, so I'm not sure why we were targeted to build the prototypes, but it is what it is ..."
Late last month, the U.S. government announced that it had awarded contracts to the following contractors for concrete wall prototypes: Caddell Construction Co. of Montgomery, Alabama; Fisher Sand & Gravel Co. of Tempe, Arizona; Texas Sterling Construction Co. of Houston, Texas; and W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Co. of Philadelphia, Mississippi.
The concrete mock-ups will "allow CBP to evaluate the potential for new wall and barrier designs that could complement the wall and barrier designs we have used along the border over the last several years," according to a statement issued by the federal agency.
Three weeks ago, Customs and Border Protection officials announced contract awards for so-called "other materials" prototypes of the proposed border wall. The following companies were selected to build them: Caddell Construction; KWR Construction Inc. of Sierra Vista, Arizona; ELTA North America Inc. of Annapolis Junction, Maryland; and W.G. Yates & Sons.
"Prototypes constructed from alternate materials will serve two important ends," according to a CBP statement. "First, given their robust physical characteristics -- for example, they will be between 18 and 30 feet high -- the `other materials' border-wall prototypes are designed to deter illegal crossings in the area in which they are constructed. Second, they will provide an innovative perspective in the application of new materials, which will allow CBP to evaluate the potential for new wall and barrier designs to complement the current wall and barrier used along the Southwest border."
Last week, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a lawsuit in San Diego against the Trump administration over its plan to begin construction of the wall, acting on behalf of the state and the California Coastal Commission.
"The border between the U.S. and Mexico spans some 2,000 miles -- the list of laws violated by the president's administration in order to build this campaign wall is almost as long," Becerra told reporters then. "The Department of Homeland Security would waive 37 federal statutes, as well as regulations that are related to those statutes, and he would also violate numerous state and local laws here in our great state of California."
The announcement came one day after the San Diego City Council voted 5-3 to pass a resolution opposing the border wall. That resolution stated the edifice would be detrimental to San Diego's environment and tourism.
"The border wall is a stupid idea," Councilman David Alvarez said. "The border can become efficient and safe with investments in infrastructure and technology instead of wasting billions of taxpayer dollars for a wall, which will accomplish nothing."
The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education, for its part, unanimously approved a resolution in April that supported a bill in the state Legislature that would prohibit California from doing business with contractors who help build a wall.
Before the City Council's vote of opposition to the proposed border barrier, dozens of residents lined up to speak on the topic, most of them denouncing it.
Council members Chris Cate, Mark Kersey and Lorie Zapf voted against the resolution, with Zapf saying the resolution only served as "political posturing."
Port of San Diego Vice Chairman Rafael Castellanos was among those who spoke against the border barrier at the council meeting. He said it was important to stand in solidarity with the immigrant community.
"This is not medieval China," he said. "We are not trying to keep out Mongol hordes. This is not a Matt Damon movie. This is a silly federal frolic that may go down in the `Guinness World Book of Records' as the worst pork- barrel project of all time."
Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher, who represents California's border region, also has taken a stand against the project, arguing that there are bigger enforcement problems in the border area, such as tunnels used to smuggle people and drugs into the United States.
In August, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced that it had secured a waiver that would allow it to bypass environmental regulations to speed up the building process in San Diego and Imperial counties.
END
County bans weapons near border wall prototypes
POSTED 11:57 AM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017,
BY CITY NEWS SERVICE,
UPDATED AT 12:48PM, SEPTEMBER 26, 2017
http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/09/26/county-bans-weapons-near-border-wall-prototypes/
Construction began Tuesday in Otay Mesa on prototypes for President Trump's border wall.
SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors Tuesday banned items that could be used as weapons, such as baseball bats, knives and rocks, in certain areas where border wall prototypes will be built.
With an expectation for protests and demonstrations in response to the border wall construction, county officials unanimously approved the urgency ordinance, which takes effect immediately. The action gives law enforcement the authority to issue misdemeanor citations to those who bring items that could be perceived as weapons to areas authorities deem to face credible threat for violent demonstrations.
"We need to make sure our law enforcement agencies have the tools they need to protect the people and keep the peace," county Supervisor Dianne Jacob said.
"This is a divisive time in our nation's history and frankly, we already have a border fence in San Diego, so I'm not sure why we were targeted to build the prototypes, but it is what it is today," Jacob added.
Supervisor Greg Cox said it is important for the county to take precautionary measures since the federal government is moving forward with the "demonstration project."
President Donald Trump's push, via an executive order, for "immediate construction of a physical wall," some portions of which would fall within county lines, has prompted an array of reaction from county and city officials in a region with about 170,000 residents living in the country illegally.
The San Diego City Council passed a resolution last week expressing the city's intent to divest from companies involved in the construction, financing and/or design of the wall.
With construction of wall prototypes nearing, county officials agreed law enforcement needed more authority to keep expected protests peaceful. Prior to restricting any area to the public, though, the county will issue a public notice at least 24 hours in advance.
"We support the right to peacefully protest, but there is no need to bring weapons," said Ron Lane, the county's deputy chief administrative officer.
END
AZMEX I3 27-9-17
AZMEX I3 27 SEP 2017
Note: The mayor is a democrat who posed as a "independent" to get elected.
Phoenix mayor donates $10K to cover DACA application fees
BY KTAR.COM
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 AT 4:37 PM
http://ktar.com/story/1757310/phoenix-mayor-donates-10k-cover-daca-application-fees/
PHOENIX — Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton announced Tuesday that he would donate $10,000 from campaign funds to pay for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal applications.
"Donald Trump's unfortunate, spiteful decision to end the DACA program has put Dreamers here in Phoenix in a terrible position," he said during a press conference.
"These inspiring young women and men, entrepreneurs and leaders … want to contribute to the only home they know here in Phoenix, here in Arizona, here in the United States of America."
Stanton's donation will cover the $495 application fee for about 20 DACA-eligible people.
"It is the least I can do in my position as mayor," he said.
He announced the donation alongside leaders from Mi Familia Vota, a local immigrant rights group, that has been filling out DACA applications at no charge.
Eligible renewal applicants must submit their paperwork by Oct. 5.
"I, as mayor, stand with you and will fight any attempt by this presidential administration to separate our community from their families and their home," Stanton said.
The mayor called Trump's decision "cruel" in the days after it was announced DACA would be rescinded.
"Dreamers make Phoenix and our country stronger," he said. "Their fight is our fight. They are being used as political pawns by Donald Trump. That's just wrong."
END
Reminder:
MEXICO: "the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
So, Canada and Mexico can decide who enters their countries, but it is only the USA that cannot control who enters our country?
Gracias, Merci, Thx
az
Note: The mayor is a democrat who posed as a "independent" to get elected.
Phoenix mayor donates $10K to cover DACA application fees
BY KTAR.COM
SEPTEMBER 26, 2017 AT 4:37 PM
http://ktar.com/story/1757310/phoenix-mayor-donates-10k-cover-daca-application-fees/
PHOENIX — Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton announced Tuesday that he would donate $10,000 from campaign funds to pay for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals renewal applications.
"Donald Trump's unfortunate, spiteful decision to end the DACA program has put Dreamers here in Phoenix in a terrible position," he said during a press conference.
"These inspiring young women and men, entrepreneurs and leaders … want to contribute to the only home they know here in Phoenix, here in Arizona, here in the United States of America."
Stanton's donation will cover the $495 application fee for about 20 DACA-eligible people.
"It is the least I can do in my position as mayor," he said.
He announced the donation alongside leaders from Mi Familia Vota, a local immigrant rights group, that has been filling out DACA applications at no charge.
Eligible renewal applicants must submit their paperwork by Oct. 5.
"I, as mayor, stand with you and will fight any attempt by this presidential administration to separate our community from their families and their home," Stanton said.
The mayor called Trump's decision "cruel" in the days after it was announced DACA would be rescinded.
"Dreamers make Phoenix and our country stronger," he said. "Their fight is our fight. They are being used as political pawns by Donald Trump. That's just wrong."
END
Reminder:
MEXICO: "the decisions of who enters Mexico, are made by Mexico and only Mexico"
Luis Videgaray Caso, Mexican Foreign Minister
10 March, 2017
CANADA: "Our rules, our principles and our laws apply to everyone."
Justin Trudeau, boy PM of Canada. 20 Aug. 2017
So, Canada and Mexico can decide who enters their countries, but it is only the USA that cannot control who enters our country?
Gracias, Merci, Thx
az
AZMEX EXTRA 25-9-17
AZMEX EXTRA 25 SEP 2017
Note: The disarming of the peons continues. But not the cartels and their accomplices in govt.
thx
Call for arms exchange for money
Details Posted on Monday September 25, 2017,
Written by Marco A. Flores
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97558
NOGALES SON
Vouchers worth up to three thousand pesos, ( $167.65 USD ) for the citizen who decides to be part of the Campaign of Exchange of Firearms 2017, which was launched in Nogales several municipalities in the north of the state.
According to information provided by the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) through the 45th Military Zone, since September 18, the reception modules have been located in municipalities such as Agua Prieta, Altar, Caborca, Cananea, Sonoyta , Magdalena de Kino, Santa Ana, San Luis Rio Colorado, Puerto Peñasco and Nogales.
The invitation is for citizens in general, to participate in this intensive state project, implemented in coordination with the Government of the State of Sonora, which will be held until November 17, 2017, from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 15:00 hours, through the establishment of the 13 modules mentioned.
In the established modules, the weapons, magazines, cartridges, etc. can be redeemed for vouchers worth up to three thousand pesos for high-powered automatic and semi-automatic firearms, long and short weapons, explosive devices, magazines, cartridges and others.
END
Note: The disarming of the peons continues. But not the cartels and their accomplices in govt.
thx
Call for arms exchange for money
Details Posted on Monday September 25, 2017,
Written by Marco A. Flores
http://www.eldiariodesonora.com.mx/notas.php?nota=97558
NOGALES SON
Vouchers worth up to three thousand pesos, ( $167.65 USD ) for the citizen who decides to be part of the Campaign of Exchange of Firearms 2017, which was launched in Nogales several municipalities in the north of the state.
According to information provided by the Ministry of National Defense (Sedena) through the 45th Military Zone, since September 18, the reception modules have been located in municipalities such as Agua Prieta, Altar, Caborca, Cananea, Sonoyta , Magdalena de Kino, Santa Ana, San Luis Rio Colorado, Puerto Peñasco and Nogales.
The invitation is for citizens in general, to participate in this intensive state project, implemented in coordination with the Government of the State of Sonora, which will be held until November 17, 2017, from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 15:00 hours, through the establishment of the 13 modules mentioned.
In the established modules, the weapons, magazines, cartridges, etc. can be redeemed for vouchers worth up to three thousand pesos for high-powered automatic and semi-automatic firearms, long and short weapons, explosive devices, magazines, cartridges and others.
END
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 26-9-17
AZMEX UPDATE 26 SEP 2017
Note: video at link.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol hosting Citizen's Academy
Tuesday, September 26th 2017, 5:08 am MST
Tuesday, September 26th 2017, 11:40 am MST
By Cynthia Washington, Multimedia Journalist
csonnewsnow.com/story/36452719/tucson-sector-border-patrol-hosting-citizens-academy
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Tucson Sector Border Patrol is looking for people to take part in their Citizen's Academy.
The program starts in October and gives participants a behind-the-scenes look at what agents do daily.
The seven-week course will consist of classes, discussions, scenarios and demonstrations to show participants what agents do to secure the border.
"Although they may not be able to see everything that we do we want to share that bit of national security tasks and what it takes to become an agent and to do the job on a daily basis and some of the challenges agents face on a daily level," said Agent Daniel Hernandez with the Tucson Sector Border Patrol.
The program is free but applicants must be at least 18 years old and meet certain requirements.
Hernandez said this course is a great opportunity for not only people interested in getting a better understanding of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations and how agents conduct enforcement duties, but also for people who are thinking about becoming agents.
For more information, contact the Tucson Station's Public Affairs Office at (520) 748-4773 or go to cbp.gov.
end
Note: video at link.
Tucson Sector Border Patrol hosting Citizen's Academy
Tuesday, September 26th 2017, 5:08 am MST
Tuesday, September 26th 2017, 11:40 am MST
By Cynthia Washington, Multimedia Journalist
csonnewsnow.com/story/36452719/tucson-sector-border-patrol-hosting-citizens-academy
TUCSON, AZ (Tucson News Now) -
Tucson Sector Border Patrol is looking for people to take part in their Citizen's Academy.
The program starts in October and gives participants a behind-the-scenes look at what agents do daily.
The seven-week course will consist of classes, discussions, scenarios and demonstrations to show participants what agents do to secure the border.
"Although they may not be able to see everything that we do we want to share that bit of national security tasks and what it takes to become an agent and to do the job on a daily basis and some of the challenges agents face on a daily level," said Agent Daniel Hernandez with the Tucson Sector Border Patrol.
The program is free but applicants must be at least 18 years old and meet certain requirements.
Hernandez said this course is a great opportunity for not only people interested in getting a better understanding of U.S. Customs and Border Protection operations and how agents conduct enforcement duties, but also for people who are thinking about becoming agents.
For more information, contact the Tucson Station's Public Affairs Office at (520) 748-4773 or go to cbp.gov.
end
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 26-9-17
AZMEX STINKING SPECIAL 26 SEP 2017
Comment: "No we can't" But govt. will manage your health care.
thx
Fixes to breach in cross-border sewer line slowed by red tape
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International 11 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/fixes-to-breach-in-cross-border-sewer-line-slowed-by/article_d379691c-a256-11e7-a215-03da2957c359.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
Ben Lomeli, third from left, a member of the board of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum and the Friends of the Santa Cruz River, discusses improvements to the International Outfall Interceptor.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
IBWC Citizens Forum
Chris Stoller, a staffer at Sen. Jeff Flake's office in Tucson, discusses legislation that was introduced in both houses of Congress that seeks to relieve the City of Nogales' financial responsibility for maintainance of and capitol improvements to the International Outfall Interceptor.
Photo by Arturo Gabaldon
Officials with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) said necessary repairs to fix a broken section of a cross-border sewer line that ruptured north of Nogales in late July have been slow partially because of bureaucratic hurdles the agency has had to overcome after local officials showed an unwillingness to help.
Addressing the board of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum, an advisory group working with the IBWC, Principal Engineer Jose Nuñez said that while crews have identified the scope of the work needed to permanently repair the breach, the City of Nogales and Santa Cruz County have been uncooperative, prolonging the process.
"I know a lot of people are saying, 'Well why is it taking so long to do the repairs?'' Nuñez told the roughly 60 people who attended the group's meeting last Thursday evening at the Tubac Community Center.
In addition to the red tape, Nuñez said, crews also had to wait for water in the creek to recede before being able to assess damages and devise a plan to fix the break. IBWC also needs to obtain permission from Union Pacific to carry out the work, which has been a difficult task, he added.
Proposed repairs include replacing a 50-foot section of the pipe and replacing the manhole where the breach occurred. However, in order to carry out the work, crews will first have to stabilize the banks and procure the needed materials, Nuñez said.
Scope of work
A break was discovered in the International Outfall Interceptor, which carries approximately 10-14 million gallons of wastewater from Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Ariz. to a treatment plant about nine miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border each day, on July 25 after heavy monsoon rains the previous weekend. Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency two days later after testing by state environmental officials found excessive levels of E. coli bacteria in sections of Potrero Creek near the pipeline break.
Raw sewage stopped leaking into Potrero Creek after crews installed a temporary bypass on Aug. 2, effectively rerouting the sewage around Manhole 89 and up to the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment plant just north of the break near Old Tucson Road. It costs $14,000 a day to operate the bypass 24 hours a day, Nuñez said.
The manhole was originally built on dry land but heavy bank erosion led to the manhole shifting into the creek. Once in the riverbed, he said, dead trees and other debris damaged the concrete casing around it, leading it to collapse and subsequently pierce the pipeline.
After the bypass was installed and the water in the creek receded, crews were able to use a camera to inspect the IOI upstream from the break. The video showed significant damage to pipe, and though water prevented the camera from assessing damages in the portion of the pipe downstream from the break, Nuñez said, staff believes it's also damaged.
Proposed repairs include replacing Manhole 89 with a shallow manhole to prevent further damage, and replacing about 50 feet of damaged pipe with a new 30-inch reinforced concrete pipe. Crews also plan to concrete encase the exposed pipe within the wash and the new section downstream of the manhole.
Construction is slated to start Oct. 2 and is estimated to be completed by Oct. 27. However, Nuñez noted that the construction schedule would depend on obtaining the right-of-way from Union Pacific to stabilize the bank and build an earthen berm and a temporary diversion channel to divert water around the work site.
"I think by the time we're going to be finished with this project, it's going to cost anywhere between $1.75 to $2 million," Nuñez said, adding that the hefty costs could have been avoided if the city would have heeded warnings about the state of disrepair of Manhole 89.
Lengthy process
Throughout the months-long process, the IBWC has encountered several roadblocks. Nuñez said the agency asked the city and county to carry out bank stabilization work near the manhole and also construct the temporary diversion channel, but both government entities denied the request. Without stabilizing the bank, he added, it would be too dangerous for crews to begin construction because the creek could collapse.
At first, he said, the two governments said they didn't have the necessary funds to carry out the work. But even after the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs said it would fund 75 percent of the project, the city and county refused to come up with the other 25 percent, he added.
"The response we received from the city was that they couldn't do it. Same response from the county," he said.
The IBWC then approached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out permanent shoring work. Though the Army Corps agreed to carry out the work at no cost to the city or county, the corps needed a local government agency to sponsor the project and continue maintaining the creek after the work was completed. Again, the city and county refused the offer, Nuñez said.
In the end, the IBWC will carry out temporary shoring work. The design was submitted to Union Pacific for review on Sept. 20.
The project has hit another snag after the county said it would reopen Old Tucson Road on Oct. 1 to accommodate truck traffic with the start of the produce season. However, the pumps that are currently running the bypass 24 hours a day are sitting on the roadway, and Nuñez said relocating the pumps would require shutting them off which would lead to sewage spilling into the creek again.
The allegations drew ire from the audience, with many questioning why the city and county were unwilling to play along.
After being prompted by an audience member to address Nuñez's claims, County Manager Jennifer St. John told attendees that the county does not own any part of the sewer line and it would be a liability to get further involved in the project. She added that county staff had already done what was needed to ensure public safety.
"We felt like … we did what the county could do legally," she said. "I don't want to get into a he said she said, an argument or a fight, and that could be what this gets into if we start with all the allegations. Again, we felt that we did what the county needed to do to protect our citizens."
Aside from Councilman Marcelino Varona, Jr., no other representatives from the City of Nogales attended the meeting. Varona did not address Nuñez's allegations that the city was being uncooperative.
The lack of cooperation also frustrated some members of the advisory board, including Ben Lomeli, who noted that finding a permanent fix to the breach was vital to the overall well-being of the Santa Cruz River and county residents.
"We have a physical system that is legally fragmented by jurisdictions and responsibilities so nobody wants to do the whole thing. We need a comprehensive, holistic, sustainable solution," said Lomeli, a member of the Friends of the Santa Cruz River. "(A)ll of us need to work together and stop this 'This is not my responsibility, it's their responsibility.'"
"We were extremely lucky this time. It was only a partial break, it was only a single break even though several areas, segments were exposed," he said, adding later: "We may not be so lucky the next time."
END
Comment: "No we can't" But govt. will manage your health care.
thx
Fixes to breach in cross-border sewer line slowed by red tape
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International 11 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/fixes-to-breach-in-cross-border-sewer-line-slowed-by/article_d379691c-a256-11e7-a215-03da2957c359.html
IBWC Citizens Forum
Ben Lomeli, third from left, a member of the board of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum and the Friends of the Santa Cruz River, discusses improvements to the International Outfall Interceptor.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
IBWC Citizens Forum
Chris Stoller, a staffer at Sen. Jeff Flake's office in Tucson, discusses legislation that was introduced in both houses of Congress that seeks to relieve the City of Nogales' financial responsibility for maintainance of and capitol improvements to the International Outfall Interceptor.
Photo by Arturo Gabaldon
Officials with the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) said necessary repairs to fix a broken section of a cross-border sewer line that ruptured north of Nogales in late July have been slow partially because of bureaucratic hurdles the agency has had to overcome after local officials showed an unwillingness to help.
Addressing the board of the Southeast Arizona Citizens Forum, an advisory group working with the IBWC, Principal Engineer Jose Nuñez said that while crews have identified the scope of the work needed to permanently repair the breach, the City of Nogales and Santa Cruz County have been uncooperative, prolonging the process.
"I know a lot of people are saying, 'Well why is it taking so long to do the repairs?'' Nuñez told the roughly 60 people who attended the group's meeting last Thursday evening at the Tubac Community Center.
In addition to the red tape, Nuñez said, crews also had to wait for water in the creek to recede before being able to assess damages and devise a plan to fix the break. IBWC also needs to obtain permission from Union Pacific to carry out the work, which has been a difficult task, he added.
Proposed repairs include replacing a 50-foot section of the pipe and replacing the manhole where the breach occurred. However, in order to carry out the work, crews will first have to stabilize the banks and procure the needed materials, Nuñez said.
Scope of work
A break was discovered in the International Outfall Interceptor, which carries approximately 10-14 million gallons of wastewater from Nogales, Sonora and Nogales, Ariz. to a treatment plant about nine miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border each day, on July 25 after heavy monsoon rains the previous weekend. Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency two days later after testing by state environmental officials found excessive levels of E. coli bacteria in sections of Potrero Creek near the pipeline break.
Raw sewage stopped leaking into Potrero Creek after crews installed a temporary bypass on Aug. 2, effectively rerouting the sewage around Manhole 89 and up to the Nogales International Wastewater Treatment plant just north of the break near Old Tucson Road. It costs $14,000 a day to operate the bypass 24 hours a day, Nuñez said.
The manhole was originally built on dry land but heavy bank erosion led to the manhole shifting into the creek. Once in the riverbed, he said, dead trees and other debris damaged the concrete casing around it, leading it to collapse and subsequently pierce the pipeline.
After the bypass was installed and the water in the creek receded, crews were able to use a camera to inspect the IOI upstream from the break. The video showed significant damage to pipe, and though water prevented the camera from assessing damages in the portion of the pipe downstream from the break, Nuñez said, staff believes it's also damaged.
Proposed repairs include replacing Manhole 89 with a shallow manhole to prevent further damage, and replacing about 50 feet of damaged pipe with a new 30-inch reinforced concrete pipe. Crews also plan to concrete encase the exposed pipe within the wash and the new section downstream of the manhole.
Construction is slated to start Oct. 2 and is estimated to be completed by Oct. 27. However, Nuñez noted that the construction schedule would depend on obtaining the right-of-way from Union Pacific to stabilize the bank and build an earthen berm and a temporary diversion channel to divert water around the work site.
"I think by the time we're going to be finished with this project, it's going to cost anywhere between $1.75 to $2 million," Nuñez said, adding that the hefty costs could have been avoided if the city would have heeded warnings about the state of disrepair of Manhole 89.
Lengthy process
Throughout the months-long process, the IBWC has encountered several roadblocks. Nuñez said the agency asked the city and county to carry out bank stabilization work near the manhole and also construct the temporary diversion channel, but both government entities denied the request. Without stabilizing the bank, he added, it would be too dangerous for crews to begin construction because the creek could collapse.
At first, he said, the two governments said they didn't have the necessary funds to carry out the work. But even after the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs said it would fund 75 percent of the project, the city and county refused to come up with the other 25 percent, he added.
"The response we received from the city was that they couldn't do it. Same response from the county," he said.
The IBWC then approached the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out permanent shoring work. Though the Army Corps agreed to carry out the work at no cost to the city or county, the corps needed a local government agency to sponsor the project and continue maintaining the creek after the work was completed. Again, the city and county refused the offer, Nuñez said.
In the end, the IBWC will carry out temporary shoring work. The design was submitted to Union Pacific for review on Sept. 20.
The project has hit another snag after the county said it would reopen Old Tucson Road on Oct. 1 to accommodate truck traffic with the start of the produce season. However, the pumps that are currently running the bypass 24 hours a day are sitting on the roadway, and Nuñez said relocating the pumps would require shutting them off which would lead to sewage spilling into the creek again.
The allegations drew ire from the audience, with many questioning why the city and county were unwilling to play along.
After being prompted by an audience member to address Nuñez's claims, County Manager Jennifer St. John told attendees that the county does not own any part of the sewer line and it would be a liability to get further involved in the project. She added that county staff had already done what was needed to ensure public safety.
"We felt like … we did what the county could do legally," she said. "I don't want to get into a he said she said, an argument or a fight, and that could be what this gets into if we start with all the allegations. Again, we felt that we did what the county needed to do to protect our citizens."
Aside from Councilman Marcelino Varona, Jr., no other representatives from the City of Nogales attended the meeting. Varona did not address Nuñez's allegations that the city was being uncooperative.
The lack of cooperation also frustrated some members of the advisory board, including Ben Lomeli, who noted that finding a permanent fix to the breach was vital to the overall well-being of the Santa Cruz River and county residents.
"We have a physical system that is legally fragmented by jurisdictions and responsibilities so nobody wants to do the whole thing. We need a comprehensive, holistic, sustainable solution," said Lomeli, a member of the Friends of the Santa Cruz River. "(A)ll of us need to work together and stop this 'This is not my responsibility, it's their responsibility.'"
"We were extremely lucky this time. It was only a partial break, it was only a single break even though several areas, segments were exposed," he said, adding later: "We may not be so lucky the next time."
END
AZMEX UPDATE 24-9-17
AZMEX UPDATE 24 SEP 2017
New cartel seeks to seize Chihuahua
By Ernesto Topete | El Heraldo de Chihuahua
Friday, September 22, 2017 in Republic
https://www.tribunadesanluis.com.mx/republica/nuevo-cartel-busca-apoderarse-de-chihuahua
A third drug cartel that has emerged after the cell division of the Sinaloa and Juárez cartels operating in the state capital is what has caused the origin of the other criminal group that is responsible for at least 24 deaths in the last 15 days in the city of Chihuahua, although its emergence has been brewing for weeks.
The victims have been people linked to the purchase and sale of the drug, cocaine and crystal.
César Peniche Espejel, State Attorney General, reiterated that the outbreaks of violence that have occurred in recent days in the city are due to the emergence of a new cartel that seeks to seize control of the sale of drugs, for which it is eliminating it's alleged rivals.
"We have detected a group that is disputing the sale of drugs here in the city of Chihuahua and that is where the source of the conflict is, is a group that has tried to control the market and is trying to eliminate its potential rivals in this task said the state attorney.
Peniche Espejel explained that it is a local group, which already has existed but is made up by breaks between other gangs, which have been identified but they reserve the aliases and names of those responsible.
MASACRES
THIS YEAR
So far this year there have been 612 homicides by gun. In the month of September there have been 128 homicides with firearms, of which 113 were men and 15 women.
With the massacres in the bars "Balconcito", "LTS" and "Todos Santos" on June 30, the state capital registered 50 murders in June, a figure that for Ficosec indicates that the security strategy implemented in Chihuahua is not working as the figure soared with respect to the previous months.
From January to April, the number of intentional homicides increased from 45 to 22, but in May it rebounded to 35. "In the city of Chihuahua, the indicator of intentional homicides is on the rise and in red lights, the strategies of the police authorities are definitely not working "Said Ficosec
end
New cartel seeks to seize Chihuahua
By Ernesto Topete | El Heraldo de Chihuahua
Friday, September 22, 2017 in Republic
https://www.tribunadesanluis.com.mx/republica/nuevo-cartel-busca-apoderarse-de-chihuahua
A third drug cartel that has emerged after the cell division of the Sinaloa and Juárez cartels operating in the state capital is what has caused the origin of the other criminal group that is responsible for at least 24 deaths in the last 15 days in the city of Chihuahua, although its emergence has been brewing for weeks.
The victims have been people linked to the purchase and sale of the drug, cocaine and crystal.
César Peniche Espejel, State Attorney General, reiterated that the outbreaks of violence that have occurred in recent days in the city are due to the emergence of a new cartel that seeks to seize control of the sale of drugs, for which it is eliminating it's alleged rivals.
"We have detected a group that is disputing the sale of drugs here in the city of Chihuahua and that is where the source of the conflict is, is a group that has tried to control the market and is trying to eliminate its potential rivals in this task said the state attorney.
Peniche Espejel explained that it is a local group, which already has existed but is made up by breaks between other gangs, which have been identified but they reserve the aliases and names of those responsible.
MASACRES
THIS YEAR
So far this year there have been 612 homicides by gun. In the month of September there have been 128 homicides with firearms, of which 113 were men and 15 women.
With the massacres in the bars "Balconcito", "LTS" and "Todos Santos" on June 30, the state capital registered 50 murders in June, a figure that for Ficosec indicates that the security strategy implemented in Chihuahua is not working as the figure soared with respect to the previous months.
From January to April, the number of intentional homicides increased from 45 to 22, but in May it rebounded to 35. "In the city of Chihuahua, the indicator of intentional homicides is on the rise and in red lights, the strategies of the police authorities are definitely not working "Said Ficosec
end
Monday, September 25, 2017
AZMEX UPDATE 22-9-17
AZMEX UPDATE 22 SEP 2017
Comment: Maybe some of the many thousands of unemployed Americans might want a job?
Thx
Local trucking firms butting heads with Border Patrol
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International 19 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/local-trucking-firms-butting-heads-with-border-patrol/article_25849d2e-9f2a-11e7-a055-33751a9a6c21.html
Trucking Issues
A group of about 25 trucking and logistics company owners met Wednesday afternoon in Nogales to discuss regulations that are preventing them from using Mexican truck drivers to haul cargo loads within the United States.
Trucking Issues
Jim Watson, Jr. said local trucking and logistics companies want to comply with NAFTA regulations and are seeking a solution to the problem.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
Trucking Issues
Luis Rivera (center) of L&R Trucking discusses obstacles he's faced while applying for visas for his drivers.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
Newly enforced regulations prohibiting Mexican truck drivers from transporting cargo loads picked up at local warehouses to another location within the United States are creating a headache for trucking and logistics companies.
The issue stems from commercial violations of so-called "cabotage" regulations, a provision in the North American Free Trade Agreement that prohibits foreign truck drivers from lugging cargo that originated in the United States to a final destination within the country.
The issue prompted the owners of local trucking and logistic companies to convene a meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss possible solutions to the problem. More than 25 people attended the gathering at WS Trucklines off Old Tucson Road, with most expressing concerns that if the problem isn't fixed, they may have to close their businesses or lay off employees.
"Long story short, if we don't fix this soon, 100 companies will close in Nogales," said Jimmy Watson, Jr., who runs local trucking company JSJ Enterprises with his father Jimmy Watson, Sr.
Watson said that while the regulations have long been in place, they weren't being enforced by local Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 19 checkpoint.
That changed, however, when Patrol Agent in Charge Sabri Dikman took over the Nogales Station in June, Watson said.
Though the group had until Oct. 1 to comply with the regulations, an email from Eric Lee, watch commander at the Nogales Border Patrol Station, to Luis Velasco of Athena Logistic Solutions, which the group provided to the NI, states: "The Chief of Tucson Sector has agreed to give local companies more time to get their operations in compliance before we start enforcing the regulations."
The group now has until Jan. 1, 2018 to come into compliance.
"This is just an aspirin for the headache that is coming," Watson told the group.
Change in attitude
In an emailed statement Thursday morning, the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector public information office said: "Federal immigration regulations and policies provide that foreign commercial truck drivers may qualify for temporary entry with a B-1 visa to pick up or deliver cargo traveling in the stream of international commerce."
B-1 Temporary Business Visitor visas are meant for people who are participating in business activities in the United States. In the case of truck drivers here on a B-1 visa, they must enter the United States with a trailer loaded with foreign merchandise and deliver it to its final destination, remaining in the stream of international commerce.
They cannot, however, unload the cargo locally and then reload their trucks with merchandise stored at warehouses in Nogales and Rio Rico. Doing so would be a violation of cabotage regulations, also known as point-to-point hauling, because it would be considered domestic commerce and would be in direct competition to U.S. truck drivers.
"These regulations do not allow for commercial drivers in the United States on a B-1 visa to carry cargo in violation of cabotage laws, i.e. domestic point-to-point hauling or other purely domestic service or solicitation," the sector's public information office said. "Should a driver engage in such activity, he/she would be engaging in unauthorized employment in the United States in violation of (federal statutes)."
According to a pamphlet distributed by Border Patrol regarding NAFTA regulations that was provided to the NI by the business owners, drivers in violation of employment laws can have their cargo taken, visas cancelled, and will be arrested and placed in deportation proceedings. Companies in violation can also face civil and criminal penalties.
Asked why the change in attitude, the sector's public information office said: "Border Patrol has exercised agent discretion in the enforcement of this law in the past. Reports from Interstate 19 checkpoint indicate numerous drivers transiting through the checkpoint are in violation of cabotage requirements."
Once regulations are enforced, agents at the I-19 checkpoint will check truck drivers' employment status and ask where the cargo loads originated.
Possible solutions
Among them, the businesses represented at Wednesday's meeting have roughly 500 trucks, Watson said. If they're unable to find a solution by the Jan. 1 deadline, it would mean a significant blow to the local economy, he added.
The group brainstormed various ways in which they could come into compliance with federal regulations, including hiring U.S. truck drivers, obtaining H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker visas for their employees and lobbying local, state and federal officials.
However, following through with those suggestions is easier said than done.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of U.S. truck drivers, and the group noted that the older average age of truck drivers on the road means there will be even more vacancies in the coming years.
Watson and others in attendance, including Luis Rivera of L&R Trucking and Salvador Gonzalez Luna of Goza Trucking, said they've run classified advertisements and visited the Santa Cruz County One Stop Career Center, but have been unsuccessful in their search for American drivers.
They said many potential drivers want to work Monday-Friday, drive locally or within the state and be paid in cash, demands that aren't realistic, Gonzalez said. He added that many insurance companies also require that drivers have three years experience, which makes it difficult to attract younger drivers who have recently received their commercial driver's license.
Still, Watson encouraged the group to reach out to the One Stop Center and also sign up to participate in the county job fair next month.
Another obstacle has been obtaining H-2B visas. Isaias Salas, owner of WS Trucklines, and Rivera said despite hiring a lawyer to help them with the application process, they've been denied multiple times. Velasco of Athena Logistic Solutions, who said he applied on his own and received a response from the Department of Labor, encouraged the group to submit the applications themselves before hiring a lawyer.
In addition to seeking American drivers more aggressively and applying for H-2B visas, the group also discussed creating a trucking association, helping to eliminate some of the competition among them, and also working with immigration lawyers and government officials who can help get their needs addressed.
"We're not opposed to the regulations," Gonzalez said. "We want to do things right, but we need help."
Coincidentally, the meeting Wednesday came a day after the Arizona Department of Transportation held a training with Mexican truck drivers in Nogales, Sonora as part of an effort aimed at helping them cross the border more efficiently.
The ADOT effort, which teaches commercial drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they cross through a port of entry, seeks to reduce long lines at the port. It's part of on-going effort to build better relationships between truckers and federal and state transportation inspectors at the Mariposa Port of Entry, which local and state officials believe is crucial to cross-border trade.
END
Comment: Maybe some of the many thousands of unemployed Americans might want a job?
Thx
Local trucking firms butting heads with Border Patrol
By Paulina Pineda
Nogales International 19 hrs ago
http://www.nogalesinternational.com/news/local-trucking-firms-butting-heads-with-border-patrol/article_25849d2e-9f2a-11e7-a055-33751a9a6c21.html
Trucking Issues
A group of about 25 trucking and logistics company owners met Wednesday afternoon in Nogales to discuss regulations that are preventing them from using Mexican truck drivers to haul cargo loads within the United States.
Trucking Issues
Jim Watson, Jr. said local trucking and logistics companies want to comply with NAFTA regulations and are seeking a solution to the problem.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
Trucking Issues
Luis Rivera (center) of L&R Trucking discusses obstacles he's faced while applying for visas for his drivers.
Photo by Paulina Pineda
Newly enforced regulations prohibiting Mexican truck drivers from transporting cargo loads picked up at local warehouses to another location within the United States are creating a headache for trucking and logistics companies.
The issue stems from commercial violations of so-called "cabotage" regulations, a provision in the North American Free Trade Agreement that prohibits foreign truck drivers from lugging cargo that originated in the United States to a final destination within the country.
The issue prompted the owners of local trucking and logistic companies to convene a meeting Wednesday afternoon to discuss possible solutions to the problem. More than 25 people attended the gathering at WS Trucklines off Old Tucson Road, with most expressing concerns that if the problem isn't fixed, they may have to close their businesses or lay off employees.
"Long story short, if we don't fix this soon, 100 companies will close in Nogales," said Jimmy Watson, Jr., who runs local trucking company JSJ Enterprises with his father Jimmy Watson, Sr.
Watson said that while the regulations have long been in place, they weren't being enforced by local Border Patrol agents at the Interstate 19 checkpoint.
That changed, however, when Patrol Agent in Charge Sabri Dikman took over the Nogales Station in June, Watson said.
Though the group had until Oct. 1 to comply with the regulations, an email from Eric Lee, watch commander at the Nogales Border Patrol Station, to Luis Velasco of Athena Logistic Solutions, which the group provided to the NI, states: "The Chief of Tucson Sector has agreed to give local companies more time to get their operations in compliance before we start enforcing the regulations."
The group now has until Jan. 1, 2018 to come into compliance.
"This is just an aspirin for the headache that is coming," Watson told the group.
Change in attitude
In an emailed statement Thursday morning, the Border Patrol's Tucson Sector public information office said: "Federal immigration regulations and policies provide that foreign commercial truck drivers may qualify for temporary entry with a B-1 visa to pick up or deliver cargo traveling in the stream of international commerce."
B-1 Temporary Business Visitor visas are meant for people who are participating in business activities in the United States. In the case of truck drivers here on a B-1 visa, they must enter the United States with a trailer loaded with foreign merchandise and deliver it to its final destination, remaining in the stream of international commerce.
They cannot, however, unload the cargo locally and then reload their trucks with merchandise stored at warehouses in Nogales and Rio Rico. Doing so would be a violation of cabotage regulations, also known as point-to-point hauling, because it would be considered domestic commerce and would be in direct competition to U.S. truck drivers.
"These regulations do not allow for commercial drivers in the United States on a B-1 visa to carry cargo in violation of cabotage laws, i.e. domestic point-to-point hauling or other purely domestic service or solicitation," the sector's public information office said. "Should a driver engage in such activity, he/she would be engaging in unauthorized employment in the United States in violation of (federal statutes)."
According to a pamphlet distributed by Border Patrol regarding NAFTA regulations that was provided to the NI by the business owners, drivers in violation of employment laws can have their cargo taken, visas cancelled, and will be arrested and placed in deportation proceedings. Companies in violation can also face civil and criminal penalties.
Asked why the change in attitude, the sector's public information office said: "Border Patrol has exercised agent discretion in the enforcement of this law in the past. Reports from Interstate 19 checkpoint indicate numerous drivers transiting through the checkpoint are in violation of cabotage requirements."
Once regulations are enforced, agents at the I-19 checkpoint will check truck drivers' employment status and ask where the cargo loads originated.
Possible solutions
Among them, the businesses represented at Wednesday's meeting have roughly 500 trucks, Watson said. If they're unable to find a solution by the Jan. 1 deadline, it would mean a significant blow to the local economy, he added.
The group brainstormed various ways in which they could come into compliance with federal regulations, including hiring U.S. truck drivers, obtaining H-2B Temporary Non-Agricultural Worker visas for their employees and lobbying local, state and federal officials.
However, following through with those suggestions is easier said than done.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of U.S. truck drivers, and the group noted that the older average age of truck drivers on the road means there will be even more vacancies in the coming years.
Watson and others in attendance, including Luis Rivera of L&R Trucking and Salvador Gonzalez Luna of Goza Trucking, said they've run classified advertisements and visited the Santa Cruz County One Stop Career Center, but have been unsuccessful in their search for American drivers.
They said many potential drivers want to work Monday-Friday, drive locally or within the state and be paid in cash, demands that aren't realistic, Gonzalez said. He added that many insurance companies also require that drivers have three years experience, which makes it difficult to attract younger drivers who have recently received their commercial driver's license.
Still, Watson encouraged the group to reach out to the One Stop Center and also sign up to participate in the county job fair next month.
Another obstacle has been obtaining H-2B visas. Isaias Salas, owner of WS Trucklines, and Rivera said despite hiring a lawyer to help them with the application process, they've been denied multiple times. Velasco of Athena Logistic Solutions, who said he applied on his own and received a response from the Department of Labor, encouraged the group to submit the applications themselves before hiring a lawyer.
In addition to seeking American drivers more aggressively and applying for H-2B visas, the group also discussed creating a trucking association, helping to eliminate some of the competition among them, and also working with immigration lawyers and government officials who can help get their needs addressed.
"We're not opposed to the regulations," Gonzalez said. "We want to do things right, but we need help."
Coincidentally, the meeting Wednesday came a day after the Arizona Department of Transportation held a training with Mexican truck drivers in Nogales, Sonora as part of an effort aimed at helping them cross the border more efficiently.
The ADOT effort, which teaches commercial drivers what to expect during safety inspections when they cross through a port of entry, seeks to reduce long lines at the port. It's part of on-going effort to build better relationships between truckers and federal and state transportation inspectors at the Mariposa Port of Entry, which local and state officials believe is crucial to cross-border trade.
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