🔥⚖️ Former Los Zetas Plaza Boss Pleads Guilty to Massive Drug Trafficking in US
⚖️🚨 Civil Rights Groups Sue to Block Migrant Transfers to Guantanamo Bay Amid Abuse Claims ✈️🚫 Lawsuit Challenges Trump's Termination of Humanitarian Parole for Migrants from War-Torn Nations
✈️🚨 Trump Administration Sends Migrants to Guantanamo Bay, Raising Legal and Human Rights Concerns
By Gerardo del Valle, ProPublica; Perla Trevizo, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica; Mica Rosenberg, ProPublica.— The Trump administration has transferred another group of migrants to Guantanamo Bay, including individuals from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Egypt, and Vietnam. This follows the recent deportation of 178 Venezuelans from the U.S. naval base in Cuba, where many had been detained under allegations of gang affiliation.
Angela Sequera, the mother of Venezuelan detainee Yoiker Sequera, spoke out about her fears after learning her son had been held at Guantanamo for two weeks without charges beyond illegal entry. Immigration records reviewed by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune indicate that many detainees had no criminal history, contradicting DHS claims that nearly half were gang members. Immigrant rights groups have filed lawsuits demanding legal access to detainees, while DHS maintains the base will continue to "temporarily house" migrants before removal. Advocates warn that the lack of transparency raises due process concerns.
Key Data Points:
Trump administration continues sending migrants to Guantanamo Bay, now including individuals from multiple countries.
DHS claims nearly half of detainees are affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang but provides no evidence.
Records show some detainees have no criminal background apart from illegal entry.
Families report lack of communication and legal access for detainees.
Immigrant rights groups file lawsuits to challenge the detentions.
DHS states Guantanamo will remain a "temporary housing" site for deportation processing.🚨🏠 Colony Ridge Wife Defends Husband, Neighbors After ICE Raids: ‘It’s a Lie’
By Eileen Grench & Céilí Doyle, Houston Landing.— Alejandrina Morales is fighting to clear her husband’s name after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Erik Payán Ibarra and 117 others in a Colony Ridge raid. Gov. Greg Abbott and Trump’s border czar claimed the operation targeted criminals and undocumented immigrants, but Morales insists Payán is a hardworking business owner with no criminal ties.
Payán, 51, owns Payan Tire Shop in Colony Ridge, Texas. ICE confirmed that he was detained during a worksite enforcement audit but has not been charged with a crime. Despite allegations that arrested individuals had criminal backgrounds, federal records show Payán’s past charges were dismissed in 2020.
Morales is demanding justice, refuting claims that Colony Ridge harbors criminals. Payán’s immigration court hearing is set for March 20 in Conroe, Texas as his family struggles without its primary provider.
⚖️🚨 Civil Rights Groups Sue to Block Migrant Transfers to Guantanamo Bay Amid Abuse Claims
By John Hanna, The Associated Press.— Civil rights attorneys have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to prevent 10 migrants from being transferred to Guantanamo Bay, citing inhumane conditions and due process violations. The plaintiffs—migrants from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan—say they were fleeing violence and persecution, yet face indefinite detention in a facility notorious for past human rights abuses.
Statements from former Guantanamo detainees describe overcrowded, windowless cells with 24-hour lighting, lack of medical care, and verbal and physical abuse. One migrant, Raul David Garcia, said conditions were so harsh that he attempted suicide. Another, Jonathan Alviares Armas, reported detainees being tied to chairs for hours as punishment.
Attorneys argue the transfers violate the Fifth Amendment and U.S. immigration law, calling the facility legally part of Cuba. The lawsuit follows President Trump’s claim that Guantanamo can hold 30,000 “criminal aliens”, though records suggest many detainees have no serious criminal history.
✈️🚫 Lawsuit Challenges Trump's Termination of Humanitarian Parole for Migrants from War-Torn Nations
By Gisela Salomon, The Associated Press.— A lawsuit filed against the Trump administration seeks to reinstate humanitarian parole programs that allowed 875,000 migrants from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to live in the U.S temporarily. The lawsuit argues that the termination of these programs unfairly punishes migrants who entered legally, many of whom fled war, political persecution, and violence.
Plaintiffs include immigrants and U.S. citizens who sponsored them, such as Dr. Kyle Varner, who helped 79 Venezuelans resettle. The lawsuit, filed by the Justice Action Center and Human Rights First, calls the move an attack on longstanding humanitarian protections.
Upon taking office, Trump ordered the end of these programs, calling them an "abuse of the system." Critics argue that the decision contradicts decades of bipartisan use of parole for urgent humanitarian cases. Some Republicans, including Rep. Maria Salazar of Florida, are pushing to protect affected Venezuelans.
🔥⚖️ Former Los Zetas Plaza Boss Pleads Guilty to Massive Drug Trafficking in US
By Staff Report, The Monitor.— Jaime Gonzalez-Duran, a former Los Zetas commander and plaza boss for Reynosa, Miguel Alemán, and Nuevo Laredo, pleaded guilty in Washington federal court to importing nearly 1,000 pounds of cocaine and 200,000 pounds of marijuana into the United States.
Nicknamed "Hummer," Gonzalez-Duran, 49, was a high-ranking original Los Zetas member overseeing dozens of cartel operatives. Prosecutors revealed he bribed Mexican law enforcement, managed weapons and explosives caches, and carried out violent attacks against rival cartels to maintain drug trafficking routes.
The Department of Justice confirmed Gonzalez-Duran’s plea as part of a long-running effort to dismantle cartel operations. He now faces a minimum of 10 years to life in prison, with sentencing set for June 6.