LOS FRESNOS, United: Behind metal fences topped with barbed wire, men play volleyball and basketball at a detention center in Texas, passing time as they wait to hear if they will be allowed to stay in the United States.
They are among more than 1,000 men housed at this former naval base in the US city of Los Fresnos, just a few miles from the Mexican border, which they all crossed illegally.
Tens of thousands of people walk into America every week through informal crossing points along the 3,000-kilometer frontier, bringing hopes and dreams from Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Most of them turn themselves in and request asylum.
Families are usually released quickly on the promise of appearing before an immigration judge in the future.
But single men and women end up in centers like this one.
Miguel Vergara, director of the local Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, said the US government has designated the Port Isabel Detention Center as a place where certain groups of migrants are kept.
“Individuals who pose a national security risk, a danger to public safety, who undermined our border control efforts, or (who) crossed into the United States recently,” he told reporters on Monday.
Last week, President Joe Biden, seeking to address an issue many see as a liability five months out from his presidential election contest with Donald Trump, announced an executive order intended to stem the flow of people coming into the country.
The order will allow the border to be effectively shut to asylum claimants once 2,500 people have been processed in a day.
It also makes it easier to deport people, a key demand on the US right, with Trump and others saying — without evidence — that criminals are swarming the country.
Port Isabel holds only men. When they arrive at the facility, they are sent to holding cells with cream-colored walls and thick doors.
On the walls of the cells, which can hold between 10 and 20 people, information is posted in 15 languages.
The men remain in these cells for a maximum of 12 hours before being classified and given a color to wear: blue uniform for first-time migrants, orange for those with some kind of criminal record and red for those considered dangerous.
After a medical check-up and any necessary treatment, the men are taken according to uniform color to what will become their new homes for as long as they are at the facility.
In the housing areas, detainees have access to ATMs which can be used to deposit any money they have, or for relatives to send them cash, which they can use in the facility’s vending machines.
Outside the center, which shimmers in the heat of the vast Rio Grande Valley, signs prohibit hitchhiking.
Cameras watch from all angles, generating the displays on a bank of monitors inside an air-conditioned control room, where guards can also see almost every corner of the facility.
No one is supposed to stay in a place like this for more than 90 days, but administrators admit that can easily slip as cases go to appeal.
Officials say they understand that confinement can be frustrating for these men, and say they do what they can to alleviate boredom.
Activities on offer include music classes often taught by a volunteer among the migrants.
Other men use their time to learn or improve the English they hope one day to use to get a better job in America.
One enterprising group of migrants offers haircuts.
There are movie nights, sometimes with films in the languages of the people detained.
Detainees are encouraged to take part in outdoor activities, but the hours can be curtailed by the punishing Texas sun.
Some people paint, producing art that represents their hope for a new life — a mural of the Liberty Bell on the library wall stands testament to the dreams of one occupant.
Migrants have access to private cubicles where they can speak with an immigration officer as they make their case to be allowed to stay.
The response will come in writing; if it is negative, the detainee can appeal to a judge, who has a court at the detention center.
Further appeals are possible all the way to the US Supreme Court.
A definitive “no” results in deportation. Those who are granted asylum leave within 48 hours.
Anyone who wants to give up on the process can request a return to their home country.
Biden’s announcement last week did nothing to slow the number of people arriving here, officials say.
On Monday, the facility had around 170 spaces, but, says Vergara, he expects it will be full again soon.
“Migration... is shifting kind of toward the west, so it has perhaps diminished a bit, but it is only a matter of time before the facilities in the west get full and their detainees begin to get transferred down this way,” he said.
Color-coded migrants wait for answers in Texas heat
https://arab.news/mytfn
Color-coded migrants wait for answers in Texas heat
- Tens of thousands of people walk into America every week through informal crossing points along the 3,000-kilometer frontier
- Families are usually released quickly on the promise of appearing before an immigration judge in the future
Angry Macron blasts media over reporting of Israel comments
- A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels
A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels with a tirade against those who he accused of distorting remarks made in a closed-door cabinet meeting and showing a “lack of professionalism” in their work.
The remarks attributed to Macron that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as the state was created by the world body angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also sparked strong reactions in France.
His comments were quoted by two participants who spoke to AFP after the meeting and asked not to be named.
“Mr Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN,” Macron told ministers, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
Netanyahu accused Macron of a “distressing distortion of history” and “disrespect.” In France, the speaker of the upper house Senate, Gerard Larcher, said he was “astounded” by the remarks and accused the president of showing his “ignorance” of history.
“I would like you to allow me to recall a few rules,” Macron solemnly told reporters at the start of his news conference on Thursday.
“I must tell you how astonished I was to read so many comments, comments on comments, reactions, including from political leaders, foreign or French, to remarks that I made without seeking to know what exactly I said.”
Macron attacked “ministers,” “journalists” and “commentators” for the ensuing controversy, denying his remarks “as they were reported,” arguing his words were taken out of context.
“I believe I say enough about the situation in the Middle East not to need a ventriloquist,” he added.
He called on ministers to “show respect for the rules and functions so as not to circulate false information” and on journalists “to treat the remarks reported with the necessary precautions.”
After come critics in France questioned whether Macron had been casting doubt on Israel’s right to exist, the president said that “there is no ambiguity” in the position of France.
But the Association of the Presidential Press (APP), which groups together reporters covering the head of state, said Macron had “seriously questioned the ethics of the press, which investigates and cross-checks its sources rigorously.”
“Our work cannot be limited to repeating official statements. The definition of journalism cannot be a presidential prerogative,” it said.
With heavy sarcasm, Greens MP Benjamin Lucas said on X: “That’s right, journalists, why don’t you simply and blindly reproduce the official press releases? Why bother searching, by cross-checking sources, to seek the truth?“
But after a controversy that has dogged Macron all week some supporters applauded his reactions.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where the president retains leeway after the inconclusive outcome to summer legislative elections and appointment of a right-wing government left the centrist looking increasingly isolated.
“The voice of France in the world deserves better than the distortion of the truth. Those who engage in this are playing a very dangerous game for the country,” said pro-Macron MP Mathieu Lefevre.
Female entrepreneurs carve out a niche for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan
- 800 women in Herat province alone received business licenses in the past three years
- Most female-run businesses are in the apparel, handicraft, food and packaging sectors
KABUL: Barred from schools, restricted in public places and not allowed to work in most jobs, women in Afghanistan’s western Herat province are turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.
The employment rate has dropped significantly across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021 and their administration was hit with a host of international sanctions.
The situation is further aggravated by restrictions the Taliban have steadily imposed on women’s participation in the public sector, their secondary and higher education, and movement.
“The unemployed class is increasing, the education system is currently blocked, most women and girls are unemployed and stay at home, underage marriages have increased, and the economy is down,” said Shafiqa Barak, director of Afghan Barak, a clothing company based in Herat.
She is among an increasing number of businesswomen for whom entrepreneurship is a way to obtain some empowerment and independence.
As women have been absent from so many aspects of public life, Barak told Arab News that being professionally active was essential.
“Afghan Bark company has created work opportunities for 18 women ... creating jobs and creating work opportunities is today one of the basic needs of women in Afghanistan,” she said.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation, where there is no other way to improve my morale and earn income, gives me the best feeling because I make several families happy and help several women and girls get out of despair.”
She is not alone. Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat told Arab News that the number of women obtaining business licenses was increasing, with 800 permits received over the past three years.
These female-led businesses are in sectors such as apparel, carpet weaving, miniature painting, food production, processing and packaging.
“Most of them have licenses from the municipality, and some have licenses from the Department of Commerce,” she said.
“Overall, the Islamic Emirate is ready to support women in the private sector, including women’s participation in international exhibitions outside Afghanistan.”
With women only allowed to work as long as they work for women and among women, navigating the restrictions is not easy. It is further complicated by the sanctions that are in place and the fragile Afghan economy.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation not only gives me a sense of power and empowerment, but also an opportunity to prove that women are capable to overcome challenges and excel in different professional fields,” said Parisa Elhami, who runs Watan Collection, a fashion brand in Herat which currently employs 15 women.
“One of the main obstacles facing women entrepreneurs is legal and financial complications. Among these obstacles, we can point out the difficulties of obtaining a business license, high business tax costs, restrictions on access to suitable places to operate, and economic fluctuations that affect the sales market,” she told Arab News.
“For me, creating job opportunities for other women means fulfilling social responsibility and realizing the latent potential in society. This also leads to reduction of gender inequality, increasing women's social participation, and strengthening family foundations.”
Harris, Trump to rally voters in key state on same day
- Kamala Harris finds herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel
- While Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza
DEARBORN, United States: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will lead dueling rallies Friday in Michigan, a crucial battleground state where Arab American voters angered by US support for Israel may hold the key to a deadlocked race.
The killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar drew optimism from Vice President Harris for a Gaza ceasefire, but Israel quickly said his death is not the end of over a year of war.
Harris has found herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel, while Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza.
One of those voters in the extremely close race, 51-year-old Marwan Faraj, said he supported Biden but won’t cast a ballot for Harris because of her backing for Israel.
“They have been supporting this ethnic cleansing and genocide since day one, with our tax dollars, and that’s wrong,” said Faraj, who emigrated from Lebanon, referring to Biden and Harris.
The vice president, who replaced Biden on short notice in the race just three months ago, is holding a series of campaign events in Michigan on Friday to try to convince voters to back her.
“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Harris said in reaction to Sinwar’s death, “and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends.”
The Uncommitted movement, a pro-Palestinian group, stopped short of explicitly endorsing Harris earlier this month, but warned “it can get worse” under Trump.
One of the group’s co-founders, Lexi Zeidan, said voters should consider “the better antiwar approach” rather than “who is the better candidate.”
However, Abandon Harris, another group of anti-war voters, has endorsed fringe Green Party candidate Jill Stein, potentially turning her into a spoiler that would help elect Trump in swing states decided by just a few thousand votes.
Harris’s rival in the November 5 election, former president Trump, has yet to react to Sinwar’s killing but has expressed support for the Israeli campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The Republican candidate will also be in Michigan on Friday, for a major campaign rally in auto industry capital Detroit.
According to his campaign team, this will be an opportunity to detail how Michigan families have been hit by inflation under Biden and Harris’s leadership.
The economy, immigration and abortion are among the most hotly debated issues in a particularly tense and close election.
The candidates are racing toward election day with the Democratic vice president narrowly leading her Republican rival nationally and in several crucial swing states, although most polls are within the margin of error.
Harris’s momentum in the polls has plateaued in recent weeks, however, and both candidates have been on a blitz of new and traditional media as they try to win over the small number of undecided voters.
China’s President Xi to attend BRICS summit in Russia
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22 to 24, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
During his visit, Xi will attend the leaders’ meeting, the expert leaders’ dialogues and other activities, and have in-depth exchanges with leaders on the current international situation, Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.
China is ready to work with all parties to promote BRICS cooperation, to usher in a new era of unity and self-reliance in the Global South, and jointly promote peace and development in the world, Mao said.
Floods cause damage, power outages in southeast France after heavy rainfall
- France’s weather authority Meteo France placed six departments south of the city of Lyon on a red flood alert
PARIS: Massive floods caused serious damage and power outages on Friday in parts of France’s mountainous southeast region after days of heavy rain, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.
France’s weather authority Meteo France placed six departments south of the city of Lyon on a red flood alert on Thursday. The alert was downgraded to ‘orange’ on Friday, indicating that water levels would come down again.
“At certain places in the Ardeche region, up to 700 milimeters of water has fallen in 48 hours. That’s more than a year’s rainfall in Paris, so it’s absolutely gigantic,” Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the environment minister, told BFM TV.
French news stations showed cars, traffic signs and cattle being swept away by the floods. The A47 highway close to Lyon was temporarily transformed into a giant stream of water.
The French interior ministry said Paris had dispatched 1,500 additional firefighters to the affected areas.
