LOS ANGELES, USA: Los Angeles County was under a state of emergency Wednesday, declared over federal immigration raids, in the latest effort to push back on President Donald Trump’s hard-line policies.
The declaration, which is usually issued in times of natural disaster, frees up resources that can be used to help those affected in the county, home to a large number of undocumented migrants and one of the most diverse parts of the United States.
Supporters of the move say broad-based migrant raids being carried out by masked agents are untargeted and focused on people who speak Spanish or appear to be Hispanic.
They claim the fear the raids cause is preventing breadwinners from going to work and creating genuine hardship in immigrant communities, with one recent survey finding average weekly earnings among immigrants down by over 60 percent.
Janice Hahn, one of the county supervisors who voted 4-1 in favor of the declaration on Tuesday, said it was needed in response to “the fear, the pain and the disorder these... raids are causing our community.”
“We have entire families who are destitute because their fathers or mothers were taken from their workplaces.
“I want our immigrant communities to know that we are in this emergency with them, we see them and we understand what they are going through.”
Raids by armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, as well as other officials from agencies under the Department of Homeland Security, sparked uproar in Los Angeles when they unfolded several months ago.
Weeks of unruly protests were met by Trump’s decision to send National Guard soldiers onto the streets of America’s second largest city, a move criticized as heavy-handed and inflammatory by critics.
The raids have spread to other, mostly Democratic-run cities, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon, where the federal government has also tried to send National Guard troops.
Tuesday’s decision by county supervisors opens the door to a later eviction moratorium and other tenant protections for those who have fallen behind on their rent because of the raids.
Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger said she was voting against the proclamation because she feared it would simply prompt costly legal action from the federal government.
“We need real solutions, not symbolic gestures,” she said in a statement after the vote.
“I’ll continue to support targeted, community-centered programs like legal aid and rental assistance that provide meaningful help to vulnerable families while respecting legal limits, protecting County resources, and preserving public trust.”
Los Angeles declares state of emergency over immigration raids
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Los Angeles declares state of emergency over immigration raids
- Supporters of the move say broad-based migrant raids being carried out by masked agents are untargeted and focused on people who speak Spanish or appear to be Hispanic
- The raids have spread to other, mostly Democratic-run cities, including Chicago and Portland, Oregon
UK court jails Christian camp leader for drugging, sexually abusing boys
- Ruben admitted offenses relating to ill-treatment of children and sexual abuse — as well as to drugging his wife, who was volunteering at the camp, in order to avoid detection
LONDON: A court in England on Friday jailed a man for more than 31 years for drugging and sexually abusing young boys at a Christian summer camp he led last summer.
Police say they are now talking to other groups he worked with in the past as part of an ongoing investigation.
Former vet Jon Ruben, 76, was leading the camp last July, said a statement from prosecutors released after Friday’s judgment.
He laced sweets with sedatives and tricked children at the camp into eating them by encouraging them to take part in a game.
“Later on, while the boys were heavily asleep, he went into their dormitory and chose individual boys to sexually abuse them,” said prosecutors.
Volunteers at the camp in Leicestershire, central England, raised the alarm after finding the children still nauseous, drowsy and disoriented the next day.
Eight boys aged between eight and 11 were taken to hospital and Ruben was arrested.
Investigators found syringes and sedatives at the camp location.
On his devices they found indecent images of children as well as evidence he had procured tranquilizer drugs and tried to join an online paedophile network.
Ruben admitted offenses relating to ill-treatment of children and sexual abuse — as well as to drugging his wife, who was volunteering at the camp, in order to avoid detection.
A court in Leicester sentenced him on Friday to a total of 31 years and 10 months behind bars under special provisions for defendants designated by prosecutors as particularly dangerous.
Leicestershire police said the investigation into Ruben was still “very much ongoing.”
Officers are contacting schools and youth organizations in central England with whom Ruben was involved with over the past two decades.
