An official in the administration of US President Joe Biden confirmed that the border with Mexico will not become open as of May 11, when restrictions imposed during the term of his predecessor, Donald Trump, will be lifted.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said during a visit to the border town of Brownsville, Texas, that authorities are working to take measures to avert the flow of migrants across the border when the measure known as "Section 42" expires as of Thursday.
In statements to reporters, the minister pointed out that the US authorities will adopt legal pathways for those eligible to enter the country, but will be strict in dealing with others who arrive at the southern border irregularly.
"The message is very clear. We are providing people in need with the relief that our laws allow. The borders are not open, they were not open and they will not be open on May 11," Mayorkas said.
The Biden administration is facing pressure from Republicans who claim that citizens of Latin American countries are flowing across the border, and they expect this to increase once the work of “Article 42” adopted by the authorities in March 2020 ends during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic, and its stated goal was to prevent the infected from crossing. virus to the United States. However, it also allowed immigration officials to return people to where they came from even without accepting their asylum applications to the United States.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said this week, "May 11 is a nightmare that haunts the American people, especially the people of New Mexico and Texas," predicting that "over the next 90 days, you will see between 900,000 and 1.1 million" immigrants crossing the border.
The Biden administration announced Tuesday that it would push an additional 1,500 troops to the border to help monitor and manage the flow of migrants, who will join the 2,500 there, in anticipation of an increase in the flow across the border next Thursday.
Bloomberg: Washington plans to supply half a billion dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan
Bloomberg reported, citing sources, that the United States plans to send $500 million worth of weapons to Taiwan, according to the same urgent scheme used to aid Ukraine militarily.
The agency said in its article: "The Biden administration is preparing an arms package worth $500 million to send to Taiwan, while using fast-track financing mechanisms, as in the supply of weapons to Ukraine."
For the second day in a row, China is sending additional warships to the vicinity of Taiwan
The agency stated that the defense budget, which was adopted in December of last year, provides for the allocation of one million dollars to support Taiwan, but the fast-track financing mechanisms assume that weapons and equipment will be sent from existing stocks according to a presidential decree to reduce these stocks. This would allow the White House to bypass the time-consuming process of contracting and producing weapons.
China considers the island of Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, an integral part of its territory and does not exclude its restoration by force if necessary.
Bloomberg: Washington plans to deploy 100 drones in the Gulf to confront Iran
Bloomberg magazine reported on Saturday that the United States of America plans to deploy 100 additional drone boats in the Gulf Sea to conduct patrols against Iran.
And Bloomberg pointed out that the United States is trying to convince its allies in the Middle East to increase the number of these motorized boats around the Arabian Peninsula to better detect Iranian threats, in a move aimed at protecting vital waterways for global trade and oil trade.
Lieutenant General Brad Cooper, commander of the US Naval Forces at Central Command and commander of the US Fifth Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, said that his country wants to operate 100 unmanned boats by the end of summer, adding that the initial goal of 50 boats was achieved last February.
This comes at a time when Iran seized two oil tankers within one week while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and the Sultanate of Oman.
In addition to Iran, the United States is concerned about China's efforts to expand military and security ties with Gulf Arab states, which have historically relied on the United States for defense needs. China, the largest trading partner for most of those countries and the largest buyer of crude oil from the region, already has a naval base in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa.
Last March, China conducted joint naval exercises with Iran and Russia in the Gulf of Oman.
"You can't compare a rudimentary exercise to the complex, broad integration with the large partners we're leading here," Cooper said, referring to those exercises. He described the US-led naval maneuvers earlier this year as the largest in the region, involving 42 countries, 7,000 people, 35 ships and 30 drone boats.
In turn, Captain Colin Coridan, commander of Task Force 59 responsible for deploying the new drone boats, said that these boats are manufactured by Canadian, Israeli and American companies, and their cost ranges from $800,000 to $3 million. They range in size from slow-moving solar-powered buoys to fast, unmanned boats, which can stay offshore for months without needing to refuel and resupply (the record is 220 days in the Red Sea).
In this regard, a spokesman for the US Navy and coalition forces in Bahrain, Tim Hawkins, said that so far, only Bahrain and Kuwait have announced plans to purchase this type of boat, noting that Iran's seizure of oil tankers is precisely the reason for the importance of "enhanced vision." Provided by drone boat technologies for regional security and stability.
An American F-16 crashes in South Korea
The US military announced that an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight today, Saturday, near a US military base in South Korea.
The US Air Force in South Korea said in a statement that the plane "crashed in a farming area near Osan Air Base at approximately 9:45 am" local time.
The statement added that the pilot jumped with a parachute safely and was transferred to the nearest medical institution, noting that the accident did not result in any civilian casualties.
The military stated that the pilot was participating in a routine training flight, and that an investigation had been opened into the accident.
Osan is the closest US air base to North Korea, located about 64 km from its border.
.jpeg "78 forest fires broke out and thousands were evacuated in western Canada")
78 forest fires broke out and thousands were evacuated in western Canada
High temperatures and winds have ignited 78 wildfires in Alberta, Canada, forcing the evacuation of 13,000 people. "The news could get worse because the province has become a powder box," said an official with the Alberta Wildfire Center.
"We're expecting very hot weather and strong winds, especially in the northern half of the province," said Kristi Tucker, an official with the Alberta Wildfire Center.
High temperatures and winds have ignited 78 wildfires in the western Canadian province of Alberta, forcing local authorities to evacuate 13,000 people from the region.
"Since Friday, more than 13,000 Alberta residents have evacuated," said Kristi Tucker, an official at the Alberta Forest Fire Center.
"The news could get worse because the county has become a powder box," Tucker told a news conference.
"We are expecting very hot weather and very strong winds, especially in the northern half of the province, which is not good because it contributes to more very active bushfires," she said.
"We recommend that firefighters be very careful about their own safety and of course the safety of the communities they protect," she added.
About 80 firefighters are scheduled to arrive Saturday from Ontario (central east) and Quebec (east) to help fight the fires, 19 of which are out of control, according to the same source.
The country's government has said it is ready to provide support, if asked.
There were no immediate reports of deaths.
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