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.”
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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
Trump favorite reclaims narrow lead in Honduras presidential vote
TEGUCIGALPA: A right-wing Honduran presidential candidate backed by Donald Trump reclaimed a narrow lead over his rival Thursday on the fourth day of a plodding vote count.
With over 86 percent of the votes counted, the race was still too early to call.
Trump-backed businessman Nasry Asfura was leading with 40.24 percent compared to 39.41 percent for fellow right-winger and TV personality Salvador Nasralla, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
The CNE has come under fire from the US president after announcing Monday that a partial count showed the two men locked in a “technical tie.”
CNE chief Ana Paola Hall said Thursday that the electoral body was entering into the system records that could not be transmitted on election day.
“All of this will complete... the final count to 100 percent,” said Hall, who asked the candidates for patience as the count continues.
“Haste is sometimes the enemy of legitimacy,” she added.
The CNE has vowed that the end result will “scrupulously respect the popular will.”
Trump, who routinely casts doubt on the integrity of elections whose results he disapproves of, accused Honduran authorities of “trying to change” the results, and threatened there would be “hell to pay” if they did.
Late Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau amplified Trump’s message, posting on X that “democracy is on trial” in the Honduran election and calling on all parties to “uphold the independence” of the CNE to ensure transparency.
“The world’s eyes, including ours, are on Honduras,” he added.
Honduras is one of Latin America’s most impoverished and violent countries, and many citizens have fled north to the United States to escape those hardships, including minors fearing forced recruitment by gangs.
On Tuesday, the CNE said ballots were still coming in from remote areas — some only accessible by donkey or boat — and the declaration of a winner may still be days away.
The CNE, which has frequently been accused by parties of political favoritism, legally has one month to announce a winner.
Honduran presidential elections are determined in one round, with a simple plurality needed to win.
- ‘Friend of freedom’ -
Trump supports 67-year-old businessman Asfura, whom he has called a “friend of freedom,” while accusing 72-year-old Nasralla of merely “pretending to be an anti-communist.”
Trump has become increasingly vocal in his support for allies in the region, having threatened to cut aid to Argentina and Honduras if his picks did not win.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a close Trump ally, was victorious in his country’s midterm elections.
Whatever the outcome in Honduras, Sunday’s vote was a clear defeat for ruling leftists.
Honduras’s swing to the right will likely boost US influence in a country that under the last government had increasingly looked to China.
Trump has also granted a pardon to Juan Orlando Hernandez, a former president from Asfura’s National Party who had been serving a 45-year sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.
The 57-year-old lawyer was released Monday in what was widely perceived as more interference.
With over 86 percent of the votes counted, the race was still too early to call.
Trump-backed businessman Nasry Asfura was leading with 40.24 percent compared to 39.41 percent for fellow right-winger and TV personality Salvador Nasralla, according to the National Electoral Council (CNE).
The CNE has come under fire from the US president after announcing Monday that a partial count showed the two men locked in a “technical tie.”
CNE chief Ana Paola Hall said Thursday that the electoral body was entering into the system records that could not be transmitted on election day.
“All of this will complete... the final count to 100 percent,” said Hall, who asked the candidates for patience as the count continues.
“Haste is sometimes the enemy of legitimacy,” she added.
The CNE has vowed that the end result will “scrupulously respect the popular will.”
Trump, who routinely casts doubt on the integrity of elections whose results he disapproves of, accused Honduran authorities of “trying to change” the results, and threatened there would be “hell to pay” if they did.
Late Thursday, US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau amplified Trump’s message, posting on X that “democracy is on trial” in the Honduran election and calling on all parties to “uphold the independence” of the CNE to ensure transparency.
“The world’s eyes, including ours, are on Honduras,” he added.
Honduras is one of Latin America’s most impoverished and violent countries, and many citizens have fled north to the United States to escape those hardships, including minors fearing forced recruitment by gangs.
On Tuesday, the CNE said ballots were still coming in from remote areas — some only accessible by donkey or boat — and the declaration of a winner may still be days away.
The CNE, which has frequently been accused by parties of political favoritism, legally has one month to announce a winner.
Honduran presidential elections are determined in one round, with a simple plurality needed to win.
- ‘Friend of freedom’ -
Trump supports 67-year-old businessman Asfura, whom he has called a “friend of freedom,” while accusing 72-year-old Nasralla of merely “pretending to be an anti-communist.”
Trump has become increasingly vocal in his support for allies in the region, having threatened to cut aid to Argentina and Honduras if his picks did not win.
Argentina’s President Javier Milei, a close Trump ally, was victorious in his country’s midterm elections.
Whatever the outcome in Honduras, Sunday’s vote was a clear defeat for ruling leftists.
Honduras’s swing to the right will likely boost US influence in a country that under the last government had increasingly looked to China.
Trump has also granted a pardon to Juan Orlando Hernandez, a former president from Asfura’s National Party who had been serving a 45-year sentence in the United States for drug trafficking.
The 57-year-old lawyer was released Monday in what was widely perceived as more interference.
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