SAN DIEGO — An 18-year-old from Riverside County charged with smuggling a Bengal tiger into the United States told a judge Thursday that he bought the animal on the streets of Tijuana, Mexico, where several of the endangered animals have been spotted this year. Luis Eudoro Valencia was charged after border officials said they found the furry cub early Wednesday lying on the floor of a car heading from Mexico to California. Valencia, a U.S. citizen, told the court that he had purchased the tiger for $300 from someone he met in the Mexican border city who was walking a full-size tiger on a leash. The cub was found during an inspection at San Diego’s Otay Mesa border crossing, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service officials took custody of the cub and were working with the San Diego Zoo to care for it. In January, Mexican authorities seized a Bengal tiger in Tijuana after a resident called police to report that a man was walking a tiger … [Read more...] about Bengal tiger cub confiscated from car at California-Mexico border
Mexico
The Massacre of a Mormon Family in Mexico Will Hang Over the 2020 Election
Photo: Herika Martinez/AFP via Getty Images Nine women and children, all with dual U.S.–Mexico citizenship, were brutally murdered in northern Mexico on Monday in the worst attack on Americans there in years. The harrowing act of violence will have significant implications for U.S.–Mexico relations, as well as presidential campaign politics throughout the coming year. The victims, members of an independent Mormon community in northern Mexico, were traveling in three SUVs near the border between the states of Chihuahua and Sonora when they were ambushed by gunmen likely linked to one of Mexico’s notorious drug cartels. The attackers riddled the cars with bullets and set one on fire with a mother and her four children inside. Altogether, four boys, two girls, and three women were killed. Five other children were injured, one critically. Some of the children managed to flee the attack and hid in the bushes while one 13-year-old boy walked six hours back to the Mormon … [Read more...] about The Massacre of a Mormon Family in Mexico Will Hang Over the 2020 Election
Democratic leaders eye US-Mexico-Canada trade vote before the year ends
(CNN)House Democrats look increasingly likely to approve President Donald Trump's revised North American Free Trade Agreement before the end of the year, even as Capitol Hill is consumed with contentious impeachment proceedings. "We're in a good place," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters of the rebranded US-Mexico-Canada Agreement on Thursday. "I'd like to see us get it done this year. That would be my goal. I don't imagine that it would take much more in the Senate to pass." A nine-member working group of Democrats has been quietly negotiating with Trump's top trade official, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, to make changes to strengthen enforcement, ramp up environmental and labor provisions and fix an issue related to pharmaceuticals in the trade deal for months. Republicans in the administration and in Congress have repeatedly called on Democrats in recent weeks to move faster to approve the pact. And movement could come soon: Pelosi on Thursday suggested a deal … [Read more...] about Democratic leaders eye US-Mexico-Canada trade vote before the year ends
Evo Morales Arrives in Mexico, as US Applauds His Resignation as Bolivian President
Updated: Nov. 12, 1:20PM Foreign Minister Marcelo Erbrad had posted a picture of Morales onboard a Mexican air force plane, displaying a Mexican flag across his lap, as it departed La Paz Monday night. "Your life and integrity are safe," Erbrad tweeted. Ya despegó el avión de la Fuerza Aérea Mexicana con Evo Morales a bordo. De acuerdo a las convenciones internacionales vigentes está bajo la protección del de México. Su vida e integridad están a salvo. pic.twitter.com/qLUEfvciux— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) November 12, 2019 Morales requested asylum in Mexico hours after he abruptly resigned from office Sunday in the wake of mass protests over last month's disputed presidential election, which ended with him being declared the winner after partial results had predicted he would face a December runoff against former President Carlos Mesa, his main rival. Late Monday, Morales tweeted he was on his way to Mexico and was "grateful for … [Read more...] about Evo Morales Arrives in Mexico, as US Applauds His Resignation as Bolivian President
A look at the life of a UA student living near the U.S.-Mexico border
Living in a city that straddles two countries is an interesting experience. My hometown of Nogales, Arizona allows me to enrich my life with the cultures of two different nations along with the Sonoran city that shares its name. The population of Nogales, Arizona is around 20,000 people. Nogales, Sonora has a population of around 200,000. The streets in Sonora were full of life every time I visited, which prepared me for a life in the city of Tucson, which is more than double this size where I now attend college at the UA. Being born in a border town allowed me to learn the complex history of these two countries from my mother, who is a first generation citizen, and my Nana, who immigrated to Arizona from Mexico. Like most immigrants, my Nana sought a better future for herself and her family, so she left her home country at the age when I was deciding on which college I wanted to attend. RELATED: DREAMers look for sanctuary at UA Now that I live in Tucson, I travel … [Read more...] about A look at the life of a UA student living near the U.S.-Mexico border