Tag: TEXAS

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-Top News USA

Texas Guv Endorses Trump for 2024 Presidential Run

Addressing the crowd, Trump bashed Biden over his handling of the border, arguing the US now has the “most unsecure border in the history, I believe, really, of the world”…reports Asian Lite News

 Texas Governor Greg Abbott has endorsed Donald Trump for President in 2024 during the latter’s visit to a border town on the US-Mexico border where he slammed US President Joe Biden over his handling of immigration.

“We need Donald J. Trump back as our President of the United States of America,” CNN quoted the Republican Governor as saying at an event with the former president in Edinburg, Texas on Sunday.

Addressing the crowd, Trump bashed Biden over his handling of the border, arguing the US now has the “most unsecure border in the history, I believe, really, of the world”.

Trump, front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, has been ramping up his rhetoric on the campaign trail, promising to conduct the “largest domestic deportation operation in American history” if wins the election next year.

The former President has publicly said he wants to revive many of his first-term immigration policies to restrict both legal and illegal immigration — including reinstating and expanding a travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries and bringing back a Covid-era policy known as Title 42 to further restrict immigration into the country.

Meanwhile, the state of Texas remain locked in a hard-fought legal battle with President Joe Biden’s administration over its efforts to curtain illegal immigration, CNN reported.

In the latest development, Abbott is expected sign a bill that would make it a new state crime to enter Texas illegally and give local law enforcement the power to arrest and order migrants to leave the US.

“Stopping the invasion at our southern border is an urgent national security necessity and one of President Trump’s top priorities. For that reason, he has laid out – in his own speeches and Agenda 47 platform – by far the most detailed program for securing the border, stopping illegal immigration, and removing those who should never have been allowed into our country in the first place,” a spokesperson for the Trump campaign said in a statement to CNN.

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-Top News USA

Trump all set to hold presidential campaign rally in Texas

U.S. President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn before departing from the White House in Washington D.C., the United States, on Oct. 22, 2018.(Xinhua/Ting Shen/IANS)

Trump claimed “he will be arrested on Tuesday” next week as part of a yearlong investigation into a hush-money scheme. He also asked his supporters to protest the move, reported CNN…reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Donald Trump is all set to hold his Presidential campaign rally on Saturday in Waco, Texas, amid the multiple criminal probes going on which threaten his bid for the White House, CNN reported.

The rally at the Waco Regional Airport is very significant for Trump as he sees his chance to return to the White House as the Republican field for the 2024 presidential race begins to take shape. Currently, Trump is facing investigations over a hush money payment, Georgia over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and by Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith over classified documents the FBI found at Mar-A-Lago, his attempts to steal the 2020 election and his role on January 6, 2021, insurrection.

In recent days, the former president has made increasingly bellicose remarks about those probes, including predicting last week his own indictment and arrest in Manhattan – something that has not come to pass — and urging supporters to protest, according to CNN.

Earlier, on Friday, raging against Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg on his Truth Social social media platform Friday, Trump said criminal charges could lead to “potential death and destruction” and “could be catastrophic for our Country.”

“PROSECUTORIAL MISCONDUCT!,” Trump said in another post.

On Thursday, he said Bragg “would rather indict an innocent man and create years of hatred, chaos, and turmoil, than give him his well deserved ‘freedom.’ The whole Country sees what is going on, and they’re not going to take it anymore. They’ve had enough!” as per a report in CNN.

Last week, Trump claimed “he will be arrested on Tuesday” next week as part of a yearlong investigation into a hush-money scheme. He also asked his supporters to protest the move, reported CNN.

“THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. PROTEST, TAKE OUR NATION BACK!,” he thundered in an all-caps message to his followers on Truth Social, his social media platform on Saturday (local time).

According to CNN, meetings have been going on throughout the week between the city, state and federal law enforcement agencies in New York City about how to prepare for a possible indictment of Trump in connection with a yearlong investigation into a hush-money scheme involving adult film actor Stormy Daniels.

Any indictment of the former President, who is running for re-election in 2024, would mark a historic first and quickly change the political conversation around an already divisive figure. While Trump has an extensive history of civil litigation both before and after taking office, a criminal charge would represent a dramatic escalation of his legal woes as he works to recapture the White House. (ANI)

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Crime India News USA

Texas woman held for hate crime against Indians  

Police said the woman, Esmeralda Upton, was arrested on one charge of “assault bodily injury” and one charge of “terroristic threats.” She was held on a total bond amount of $10,000…reports Asian Lite News

Police in Texas arrested a woman who they said shouted racial abuse at four Indian women in a viral video, telling them to “Go back to India,” in an incident brought to the attention of federal authorities.

“This incident is a hate crime in accordance with Texas laws,” police in Plano, Texas, where the incident occurred, said in a statement on Saturday.

“This incident may also be a hate crime based on federal law, and we are working closely with the FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division on this case.”

In a video of the incident, which was shared on social media and got millions of views, the woman was seen shouting racist comments in a parking lot at a group of four women of Indian origin.

“Go back to India, we don’t want you here,” she said in the video. “I hate you f***ing Indians,” the woman, who identified herself as Mexican-American in the video, added.

The arrest of the woman took place on Thursday. The video of the incident from Wednesday went viral on social media, particularly in India and the United States.

Police said the woman, Esmeralda Upton, was arrested on one charge of “assault bodily injury” and one charge of “terroristic threats.” She was held on a total bond amount of $10,000.

One of the Indian women, Rani Banerjee, said she and three of her friends had just finished dinner at a restaurant when the woman confronted them in the parking lot.

“Suddenly, we heard this woman yelling at us and started coming toward us. We were shocked by the racial slurs that she used and combative attitude,” Banerjee told an ABC News affiliate. Banerjee started recording the incident with her phone.

The video also appears to show Upton hitting the women.

“What was so very scary is she came very close and not only verbally assaulted us but started physically assaulting us. She started hitting me,” Banerjee said.

A representative of Upton could not immediately be reached for comment.

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Education Qatar

Texas A&M University invites new students to campus

The current students who acted as ambassadors of the university participated in various training sessions earlier in the year…reports Asian Lite News

Texas A&M University at Qatar, a Qatar Foundation partner university, welcomed its incoming freshman students during Aggie Life 101, a three-day orientation program.

Aggie Life 101 is a series of seminars, workshops and activities designed to teach students about Texas A&M and its unique traditions, as well as what it takes to succeed at a world-renowned engineering institution.

Students and graduates of Texas A&M University are called “Aggies” and that tradition continues at Texas A&M’s branch campus in Doha. The orientation showcased the opportunities Texas A&M at Qatar offers to students to help them become engineering leaders — from social clubs and activities to transformative educational experiences, such as international service-learning trips, study abroad and undergraduate research.

Dr. Ryan McLawhon ’03, Executive Director of Student Affairs and Academic Services at Texas A&M at Qatar, welcomed the Class of 2026 to campus. He also introduced the Aggie Core Values and the Aggie Code of Honor, two driving principles that set apart an Aggie education.

“Texas A&M is committed to developing engineering leaders in the State of Qatar,” McLawhon said, “not only through the formal engineering education, but also through our comprehensive core curriculum and student life programs. The curriculum at Texas A&M University at Qatar, both inside and outside of the classroom, is strategically designed with Texas A&M’s core values of respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service in mind. We are extremely excited to welcome these new Aggies to Texas A&M at Qatar and to help prepare them to solve society’s future challenges.”

Addressing the students, Student Government Association President Afnan Ahmed said, “The community at Texas A&M at Qatar is like none other. For me it is truly a second home and I’m sure it will be for you too very soon. As a fellow Aggie myself, my one piece of advice to you is to be open and to fully embrace any and all opportunities that come your way, whether that may be academic, extracurricular, exchange trips, and most importantly developing the best relationships with the people around you.” 

The current students who acted as ambassadors of the university participated in various training sessions earlier in the year. Orientation leaders managed the various sessions and also conducted tours of the Texas A&M Engineering Building. This year, several students from the main campus at College Station, Texas, also participated in the Aggie Life 101 sessions at Texas A&M University at Qatar.

Ahmad Afzal, one of the orientation leaders, said that the key skills he learned during the training sessions was communication and problem solving. “It is a lot of work, but I am having fun. Aggie Life 101 helps new students settle into university life. I have been a nervous freshman myself, and I know how stressful that can be, and I am glad to have the opportunity to help make it a little easier for them.”

Maryam Abdul Ghani, an Electrical Engineering freshman said that it was exciting to meet new classmates and upperclassmen during the orientation.

“I am very happy to be here, and to meet other students,” she said. “The orientation sessions have been very informative and the orientation leaders have been very helpful. The campus tour was quite interesting: When you look at it from outside, you can’t fully understand how big and amazing it is once you enter. From classrooms, to state-of-the-art labs, to student and community areas, there is a lot. I am looking forward to starting my journey here.”

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-Top News USA

‘Vulgar, backward’: Mexican President slams Texas Guv’s immigration order

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks at a press conference in Mexico City, Mexico, Dec. 8, 2020. (Photo by Francisco Canedo/Xinhua/IANS)

Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued the executive order on Thursday authorising state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the US-Mexico border.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has described as “vulgar” and “backward” a new immigration order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

“It is an aberration, we do not agree with it. It is extremely vulgar and has no legal basis,” Xinhua news agency quoted Lopez Obrador as saying on Friday.

Abbott issued the executive order on Thursday authorising state forces to apprehend migrants and return them to the US-Mexico border.

Lopez Obrador said the Governor “is not legally allowed to make that decision” because “it has to do with the US federal government”.

He added that Abbott’s statements and actions are framed within the political campaign for state elections in November.

Photo taken on June 27, 2022 shows the scene of an alleged human smuggling mass casualty event in San Antonio, Texas, the United States. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua/IANS)

“They are looking for sensationalism and yellow journalism, they think that way they will gain sympathy,” the President said.

He also criticised the existence of “anti-migrant campaigns with electoral purposes” in the US, which he described as “immoral” and “politicking”.

Abbott’s authorization followed other decisions he’s made on immigration that have generated controversy between Mexico and the US.

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-Top News USA World

19 students killed in a massive gun shooting in Texas

19 students killed in a massive gun shooting in Texas

A gunman killed 18 students and one adult at an elementary school in Texas in a second mass shooting in the US in the last 10 days…reports Asian Lite News

The gunman, identified as Salvador Ramos, first shot his grandmother, who is alive but in critical condition, before hitting Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 83 miles west of San Antonio in Texas, with two assault rifles that he had bought shortly after he turned 18 recently. He was killed by law enforcement officers.

His motive had not been ascertained yet.

A white gunman, also 18, had opened fire at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York on May 14, killing 10 African Americans. He gave himself over to law enforcement. He was motivated by racism and had intended to kill African Americans and chose a grocery frequented by them for his carnage.

“As a nation, we have to ask: When in God’s name we are going to stand up to the gun lobby. When in God’s name we do (that) we all know in our gut needs to be done,” US President Joe Biden in remarks to the nation from the White House. He learnt of the shooting on the flight back from Tokyo.

Biden said of the visit that he was struck by the fact none of these other nations experienced these shootings, with such frequency.

Biden went on to say, with frustration and anger: “Why? They have mental health problems. They have domestic disputes in other countries. They have people who are lost. But these kinds of mass shootings never happen, with the kind of frequency they happen in America. Why? Why are we willing to live with this carnage? Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone?”

Gun control laws introduced in Australia, whose Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was among the leaders Biden met in Tokyo, after a 1996 massacre that left 36 people dead is now cited as the gold standard world over and has been used as a model. It has been discussed in the US as well.

The Tuesday shooting was the 27 school shootings in the US in 2022, according to Education Week, which tracks these incidents. There have been 212 mass shootings this year.

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The Washington Post has said 300,000 school students have been exposed to gun violence at school since the worst of them all, the Columbine school shooting, in 1999 in which 13 people were killed. In some of the worst school massacres 20 first-graders and 6 adults were killed at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut in 2013 and 17 students and staff in 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.

Gun violence is a politically sensitive issue in the United States. Calls for commonsense controls peak after every incident of mass shooting and peter out after a while as the powerful gun lobby pushes back with its army of supporters among lawmakers, policy circles and media.