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Guatemalan woman, 22, dies in ICE custody at Texas hospital, marking 8th migrant death since October

A 22-year-old Guatemalan woman in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody died at a Texas hospital over the weekend about a month after undergoing gallbladder surgery, the federal agency announced Monday.

She was the eighth migrant to die in ICE custody since the start of the 2020 fiscal year in October, BuzzFeed News first reported. The same number of migrants died in ICE custody in the entire 2019 fiscal year.

GREEK ISLANDS SEE MORE PROTESTS AGAINST NEW MIGRANT DETENTION CENTERS, OFFICERS INJURED IN VIOLENCE

Maria Celeste Ochoa Yoc de Ramirez had been hospitalized in Fort Worth, Texas, for abdominal pain since Feb. 28. She died Sunday morning at the same hospital. Her cause of death was ruled due to “autoimmune hepatitis, complicated by septic shock and acute liver failure,” ICE said in a news release.

The woman was arrested by Border Patrol agents in September for illegally entering the United States, crossing the Mexican border near Hidalgo, Texas. She was transferred into ICE custody and detained at the El Valle Detention Facility in Raymondville, Texas, the press release said.

Ochoa passed initial asylum screenings. She remained in ICE custody where removal proceedings were initiated with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

Months later, Ochoa was transported to a hospital in Oklahoma on February 7 before undergoing surgery to remove her gallbladder two days later. Ochoa was then transferred to an Oklahoma detention facility on February 10 before returning to the Texas Feb. 13.

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She was held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, until she began experiencing abdominal pain. On February 28, she was brought to Texas Health Downtown Fort Worth, where she remained hospitalized until her death.

ICE has notified the Guatemalan consulate and Ochoa’s next of kin, the press release said.

Brandon Judd: Sanctuary cities like Los Angeles sending ‘wrong message’ by not cooperating with ICE

Los Angeles and other sanctuary cities are sending the “wrong message” by working against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, National Border Patrol President Brandon Judd said Saturday.

Appearing on “Fox & Friends: Weekend,” Judd said immigrants who commit crimes in the United States can be deported if they lack a “legal reason to be here.”

GRANDDAUGHTER OF WOMAN ALLEGEDLY MURDERED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT IN NYC RIPS SANCTUARY CITIES AT TRUMP SPEECH

In a video message on Twitter, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti promised the city was not working with ICE and told residents that — no matter their immigration status — they don’t have to open their door to an ICE agent who doesn’t have a warrant signed by a judge.

“When this mayor says that — ‘Make no mistake: We are not coordinating with ICE’ — that is the wrong message to send,” Judd said.

He told host Griff Jenkins that with the recent addition of members of the elite tactical unit known as BORTAC — which The New York Times labels the “SWAT team of the Border Patrol” — Los Angeles will no longer be a “safe haven.”

The action comes after the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security announced a series of measures designed to crack down on sanctuary cities.

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Judd said he hopes that message also reaches the Central American countries that are the source of much of the illegal immigration.

“Any time … you take people out of the communities that have committed crimes against those communities, it sends that message that we’re not just going to let you free,” Judd said.

Honduras MS-13 leader freed after gunmen storm court building

What is MS-13?

MS-13 is associated with a spate of brutal and violent killings. How did the gang originate, and how widespread are its members?

“El Porky” has slipped from the grasp of Honduran authorities.

Alexander Mendoza, the senior MS-13 gang leader with the swine-related nickname, managed to escape custody this week following a shootout at a courthouse.

Investigators say at least 20 gunmen dressed in military fatigues and police uniforms stormed the building in El Progreso on Thursday, where Mendoza was appearing for a trial hearing on numerous murder charges, according to the BBC. The chaos left four police officers and one of the suspects dead.

Alexander “El Porky” Mendoza, an MS-13 leader, has escaped from police custody in Honduras.
(Honduras Police)

NEW YORK MAN ATTACKED BY MS-13, WHO WAS SET TO TESTIFY AGAINST THEM, FOUND DEAD

Surveillance footage said to be taken from inside the courthouse reportedly showed Mendoza first being escorted in handcuffs by Honduran security forces. Then armed men arrive and are seen forcing people into rooms. A few minutes later, Mendoza, carrying what appears to be a machine gun and pistol, reappears and walks out of the courtroom with no handcuffs in sight, the BBC says.

It’s not clear how Mendoza was freed, but a shootout between the gunmen and security forces then erupted outside the building.

Mendoza and 11 of the gunmen fled in vehicles that were waiting at the scene. The vehicles and weapons were later found abandoned nearby – along with the body of the suspect who was killed in the raid, the BBC reported, citing local media.

Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is now offering an $80,000 reward for information leading to Mendoza’s arrest.

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“We’re going to recapture this man and arrest those who helped him escape,” Deputy Minister of Security Luis Suazo added.

Prior to his current trial, Mendoza had been sentenced to 20 years in jail in 2018 for money laundering and illicit association.

Truck carrying migrants in Mexico overturns; 1 reported dead, 81 hurt

A truck filled with Central American migrants flipped over while traveling on a Mexican highway Tuesday, killing one and injuring 81 others.

The deadly accident occurred near San Andres Tuxtla, 320 miles south of Mexico City on Carretera Federal 180 highway, Reuters reported.

“The majority were from Guatemala and others were Hondurans,” Mexico’s National Guard said in a statement.

Migrants are treated by first responders following a crash on a highway in San Andres Tuxtla, Veracruz state, Mexico on Tuesday. (Tamara Corro/Reuters TV via REUTERS)

Migrants are treated by first responders following a crash on a highway in San Andres Tuxtla, Veracruz state, Mexico on Tuesday. (Tamara Corro/Reuters TV via REUTERS)

A Reuters photo of the site showed a white commercial truck overturned in a ditch with the driver’s window crushed. Most of the injured migrants were taken to two hospitals.

A temporary shelter was established to treat others injured, Veracruz’s civil protection agency said in a statement.

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The incident comes as migrants continue to try and evade Mexican authorities on their journey to the United States. Mexico has stepped up immigration enforcement amid pressure from the Trump administration to prevent migrants from reaching the southern border.

Caravan in Mexico broken up by national guardsmen, immigration agents

Mexican security forces and immigration agents put hundreds of Central Americans who crossed into the country early Thursday on buses to be processed and possibly sent back to their home countries amid a wave of migrants passing through in an effort to reach the United States.

The national guardsmen, dressed in riot gear, advanced on migrants who were stopped at a crossroads, prompting the migrants to kneel and chant “we want to pass.”

Authorities awaited the caravan outside the community of Frontera Hidalgo, near Ciudad Hidalgo, where the migrants had crossed the Suchiate River at dawn.

CARAVAN MIGRANTS CROSS MEXICO RIVER, THROW ROCKS AT COUNTRY’S NATIONAL GUARD IN RESPONSE TO TEAR GAS

Mexican National Guardsmen block the passage of migrants on the highway leading to Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday. Hundreds of Central American migrants crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico from Guatemala Thursday after a days-long standoff with security forces. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican National Guardsmen block the passage of migrants on the highway leading to Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday. Hundreds of Central American migrants crossed the Suchiate River into Mexico from Guatemala Thursday after a days-long standoff with security forces. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Many were escorted onto buses without resistance. Women cradling small children or holding kids’ hands wept as they walked toward the buses.

Jose Luis Morales, a Salvadoran de facto spokesman for the caravan, said the migrants wanted to negotiate to be allowed to pass peacefully. Federal officials arrived and a dialogue was opened.

He said afterward that authorities’ initial proposal was that they turn themselves in for detention while being processed for refuge — what he called “always the same policy.” Instead, they planned to stay put until Friday, Morales said.

Mexican National Guards detain migrants near Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Mexican National Guards detain migrants near Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The crackdown comes as Mexico has vowed to help the Trump administration stem the flow of migrants, who inundated American border officials at the southern border in large numbers in 2018. Trump previously threatened Mexico with escalating tariffs if it did not take an active role in halting the surge of migrants.

In previous caravans, Mexican authorities have allowed caravans to walk for a while, seemingly to tire them out, before blocking their path. Migrants and Mexican authorities clashed earlier this week as they tried crossing the Suchiate River.

Some threw rocks at security forces, forcing some families to be separated during the chaos. Authorities shouted that the migrants had two options: go back to Guatemala or turn themselves over to immigration agents.

The majority-Honduran caravan left from San Pedro Sula last week in the hope of of reaching the U.S. to apply for asylum. Aníbal, who declined to give his last name for fear of reprisal from immigration authorities, joined the group from his hometown of Santa Rosa, Guatemala.

EL SALVADOR PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY MUST FIX PROBLEMS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO US IMMIGRATION CRISIS

Migrants sit on the highway leading to Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday, where they are blocked by National Guardsmen. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Migrants sit on the highway leading to Tapachula, Mexico on Thursday, where they are blocked by National Guardsmen. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

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He said he was determined to reach the U.S. no matter what.

“They need to let us pass,” he said, adding that Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador “needs to have a little more compassion … we’re going out of necessity. We’re not going for ambition.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Caravan migrants cross Mexico river, throw rocks at country’s national guard in response to tear gas

Mexican security forces clashed with determined Central American migrants as they waded across a river in Guatemala into Mexico on Monday to continue their journey to the United States.

Tear gas was fired on the migrants, some of whom threw rocks at Mexico’s national guard militarized police, Reuters reported. The scramble of the mostly Honduran caravan led to some parents being separated from their children as they tried to avoid Mexican immigration agents.

Monday’s incident at the Suchiate River, which separates Mexico and Guatemala, underscores the challenges facing Mexican authorities tasked with containing the large group of migrants at the behest of the Trump administration.

The latest group set off from San Pedro Sula, Honduras, last week in hopes of reaching the U.S. southern border to apply for asylum.

CALIFORNIA COUPLE MISSING AFTER TRAVELING TO MEXICO TO COLLECT RENT CHECKS FROM TENANTS: REPORTS

Central American migrants cross the Suchiate River by foot from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Mexico, on Monday. More than a thousand Central American migrants hoping to reach the United States marooned in Guatemala are walking en masse across a river leading to Mexico in an attempt to convince authorities there to allow them passage through the country. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Central American migrants cross the Suchiate River by foot from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Mexico, on Monday. More than a thousand Central American migrants hoping to reach the United States marooned in Guatemala are walking en masse across a river leading to Mexico in an attempt to convince authorities there to allow them passage through the country. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Reuters reported Mexican authorities standing on the banks of the river intent on thwarting the illegal crossing, while hundreds of others ran into Mexico.

“You have two options: You go back to Guatemalan territory or you come with us,” Mexican immigration agents said to migrants who had crossed the river.

“We didn’t come to stay here. We just want to cross to the other side,” said Ingrid, 18, a Honduran migrant. “I don’t want to go back to my country because there is nothing there, just hunger.”

Those caught will be taken to immigration stations and be returned to their home countries if their legal status cannot be resolved. Over the weekend, 2,000 migrants camped out in Guatemala in the town of Tecun Uman, opposite Ciudad Hidalgo on the Mexican side of the border.

EL SALVADOR PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY MUST FIX PROBLEMS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO US IMMIGRATION CRISIS

Central American migrants holding Honduras' national flag stand on the legal border crossing bridge over the Suchiate River that connects Tecun Uman, Guatemala with Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Central American migrants holding Honduras’ national flag stand on the legal border crossing bridge over the Suchiate River that connects Tecun Uman, Guatemala with Ciudad Hidalgo in Mexico. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

At least 4,000 people entered Guatemala from Honduras since Wednesday, according to Guatemalan authorities. The latest caravan comes as the Trump administration has enlisted Central American leaders in taking a more active role in stemming the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Most are fleeing endemic poverty and increasing rates of gang violence.

Denis Contreras, a Honduran who was denied asylum and deported from San Diego, vowed not to give up.

“Here we are, and we’re not going anywhere, and if you throw us out, we’ll return!” he said.

Central American migrants cross the Suchiate River by foot from Tecun Uman, Guatemala. (AP Photo/Santiago Billy)

Central American migrants cross the Suchiate River by foot from Tecun Uman, Guatemala. (AP Photo/Santiago Billy)

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More than 1,000 migrants chose to give Mexico a try Monday and were taken to a bus to an immigration center for processing. Authorities there said they blocked more than 2,5000 migrants from entering the country on Saturday as they made their way across a bridge over the Suchiate River.

Daisy Perez,42, who was traveling with her two young children, called a relative during a break in the chaos near the river.

“We’re in Mexico, send us money,” she said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Mexico blocks 2,500 migrants from crossing at Guatemala entry point, authorities say

Mexican officials on Saturday closed a section of their border with Guatemala following a push by thousands of migrants to make their way across a bridge over the Suchiate River between the two countries.

About 2,500 migrants of all ages were held up and prevented from crossing or entering the bridge at Mexico’s southern border by Mexican National Guardsmen, Guatemalan authorities estimated, according to The Associated Press.

Mexican authorities reportedly allowed several dozen migrants to enter into Mexico in groups of 20 but warned them against trying to slip away to avoid immigration processing.

Mexico’s National Migration Institute said on Twitter that it had shored up points along the southern border to assure “safe, orderly and regular immigration.”

GUATEMALA’S PRESIDENT SAYS NO DEAL YET WITH US ON SENDING MEXICAN ASYLUM-SEEKERS THERE

Migrants charge on the Mexican National Guardsmen at the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. More than a thousand Central American migrants surged onto the bridge spanning the Suchiate River, that marks the border between both countries, as Mexican security forces attempted to impede their journey north. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Migrants charge on the Mexican National Guardsmen at the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. More than a thousand Central American migrants surged onto the bridge spanning the Suchiate River, that marks the border between both countries, as Mexican security forces attempted to impede their journey north. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

The Trump administration announced in November that it had started sending migrants from Honduras and El Salvador to Guatemala as part of its “safe third country” agreement. President Trump claimed the deal would help ease the immigration crisis at the southern U.S. border.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) mounted a legal challenge to the agreement, claiming that it violated federal law. It said safe countries must meet the standard of providing a “full and fair” procedure for asylum, and Guatemala does not.

“The Trump administration has created a deadly game of musical chairs that leaves desperate refugees without a safe haven, in violation of U.S. and international law,” Katrina Eiland, an attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said. “The administration is illegally trying to turn away asylum seekers and pass the buck to other countries that can’t protect them.”

The federal government claimed that Guatemala meets the “full and fair” standard and began sending migrants to the country. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials previously told Fox News that no migrants would be forced to go to Guatemala, and would instead be given the option of going back to their home country or waiting in Mexico.

HONDURAN MIGRANTS GATHER TO TRY FORMING NEW CARAVAN

Migrants crowd the the bridge spanning the Suchiate River on the border between Guatemala and Mexico in Ciudad Hidalgo, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. More than a thousand Central American migrants surged onto the bridge as Mexican National Guardsmen attempted to impede their journey north. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

Migrants crowd the the bridge spanning the Suchiate River on the border between Guatemala and Mexico in Ciudad Hidalgo, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020. More than a thousand Central American migrants surged onto the bridge as Mexican National Guardsmen attempted to impede their journey north. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

News of the clash on the Suchiate River comes just days after a caravan of hundreds of Honduran migrants began making their way north, on Wednesday.

Past caravans have had an overwhelming effect on the U.S. immigration system, but it’s unlikely this most recent surge will reach the southern border, as Mexican officials remain on high alert and had vowed to block hundreds of mostly Honduran migrants hoping to reach the United States.

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“The truth is, it is going to be impossible for them to reach the United States,” human rights activist Itsmania Platero said. “The Mexican police have a large contingent and they are going to catch all the migrants without documents, and they will be detained and returned to their home countries.”

Fox News’ Adam Shaw and Louis Casiano contributed to this report, as well as The Associated Press.

ACLU launches court challenge against Trump administration’s asylum agreement with Guatemala

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s “safe third country” asylum agreement with Guatemala, which the administration says plays an important role in dealing with the crisis at the southern border.

The agreement was negotiated last year and sees that migrants are sent to a different country than the U.S. to claim asylum. It was one of a number of agreements signed with Central American countries, including El Salvador and Honduras. It works in conjunction with other agreements and programs, such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which send migrants to Mexico to await their immigration hearings.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS SENDING MIGRANTS TO GUATEMALA AS PART OF ‘SAFE THIRD COUNTRY’ AGREEMENT

But the lawsuit, filed by the ACLU along with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies and Human Rights First, claims that the agreement violates federal law. It claims that safe countries must meet the standard of providing a “full and fair” procedure for asylum, and Guatemala does not.

“The Trump administration has created a deadly game of musical chairs that leaves desperate refugees without a safe haven, in violation of U.S. and international law,” said Katrina Eiland, an attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “The administration is illegally trying to turn away asylum seekers and pass the buck to other countries that can’t protect them.”

The lawsuit’s lead plaintiff, identified as U.T., is a gay man from El Salvador who allegedly fled threats from MS-13. According to the lawsuit, he claims to have suffered “homophobic harassment” in Guatemala when he initially crossed through the country, and fears being sent there again.

The U.S. has said before that Guatemala meets the “full and fair” standard and has started sending migrants to the country. DHS officials previously told Fox News that no migrants would be forced to go to Guatemala, instead would be given the option of being sent back to their home countries or waiting in Mexico under MPP.

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said last week that 96 migrants had been sent to the country, but only one had chosen to make an asylum claim while the others went back to their home countries. The U.S. is also underwriting Guatemala’s asylum system, both through funding directly to the country and also via funding to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

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But the legal challenge marks the latest in a constant stream of judicial challenges against the Trump administration’s policies on immigration.

On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked the enforcement of President Trump’s executive order that would allow state and local officials to opt out of accepting refugees.

That decision came a day after the administration appealed to the Supreme Court to lift injunctions on the administration’s “public charge” rule to restrict green cards for immigrants deemed likely to be reliant on welfare.

ACLU launches court challenge against Trump administration’s asylum agreement with Guatemala

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a legal challenge against the Trump administration’s “safe third country” asylum agreement with Guatemala, which the administration says plays an important role in dealing with the crisis at the southern border.

The agreement was negotiated last year and sees that migrants are sent to a different country than the U.S. to claim asylum. It was one of a number of agreements signed with Central American countries, including El Salvador and Honduras. It works in conjunction with other agreements and programs, such as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP), which send migrants to Mexico to await their immigration hearings.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BEGINS SENDING MIGRANTS TO GUATEMALA AS PART OF ‘SAFE THIRD COUNTRY’ AGREEMENT

But the lawsuit, filed by the ACLU along with the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies and Human Rights First, claims that the agreement violates federal law. It claims that safe countries must meet the standard of providing a “full and fair” procedure for asylum, and Guatemala does not.

“The Trump administration has created a deadly game of musical chairs that leaves desperate refugees without a safe haven, in violation of U.S. and international law,” said Katrina Eiland, an attorney with the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project. “The administration is illegally trying to turn away asylum seekers and pass the buck to other countries that can’t protect them.”

The lawsuit’s lead plaintiff, identified as U.T., is a gay man from El Salvador who allegedly fled threats from MS-13. According to the lawsuit, he claims to have suffered “homophobic harassment” in Guatemala when he initially crossed through the country, and fears being sent there again.

The U.S. has said before that Guatemala meets the “full and fair” standard and has started sending migrants to the country. DHS officials previously told Fox News that no migrants would be forced to go to Guatemala, instead would be given the option of being sent back to their home countries or waiting in Mexico under MPP.

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf said last week that 96 migrants had been sent to the country, but only one had chosen to make an asylum claim while the others went back to their home countries. The U.S. is also underwriting Guatemala’s asylum system, both through funding directly to the country and also via funding to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

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But the legal challenge marks the latest in a constant stream of judicial challenges against the Trump administration’s policies on immigration.

On Wednesday, a federal judge blocked the enforcement of President Trump’s executive order that would allow state and local officials to opt out of accepting refugees.

That decision came a day after the administration appealed to the Supreme Court to lift injunctions on the administration’s “public charge” rule to restrict green cards for immigrants deemed likely to be reliant on welfare.