INTERNACIONAL
Pope Leo places former illegal immigrant in charge of red state diocese
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A large Roman Catholic diocese pushed back at criticism Friday after Pope Leo XIV appointed a former illegal immigrant as a bishop amid heightened tensions between the Vatican and Washington over refugees and ICE enforcement.
Leo nominated Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala as bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, which covers all of West Virginia. Menjivar-Ayala originally arrived in San Ysidro, California, smuggled in a car trunk after making several prior attempts as a teenager to flee guerrilla war-torn El Salvador.
The bishop has also been critical of increased immigration enforcement measures, calling them a human rights concern and responding directly to critiques of the church from fellow Catholics in the Trump administration like border czar Thomas Homan.
After commentary piled up on social media Friday, Wheeling diocese spokesman Tim Bishop told Fox News Digital Menjivar-Ayala’s appointment is a blessing to West Virginians, praising the clergyman’s pastoral work and service.
POPE LEO SAYS COUNTRIES HAVE RIGHT TO CONTROL THEIR BORDERS, ADVOCATES FOR HUMANE TREATMENT OF MIGRANTS
Bishop Evelio Menjivar-Ayala walks at the front of the procession of the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees in Washington. (Sarah Voisin/Getty Images)
«Bishop Evelio came [to America] some time ago looking for a better life and better opportunities, and thank God he did because he will shepherd the faith of our diocese,» Bishop said.
«Any insinuation that the Holy Father made this or any other appointment in any way to increase vitriol or insinuate that it gets back at the president of the United States is absurd,» Bishop added, noting he was not speaking for Leo.
The Roman Catholic Church «worries about the lamb, not the elephant or the donkey,» he said.
Meanwhile, «Letters from Leo» publisher and former DNC delegate Christopher Hale tweeted the bishop is a «remarkable choice» by Leo to lead a «state that is over 90% White and voted for President Trump by 42 points.»
Media outlets in the United States and France highlighted the appointment in light of Leo’s reported aversion to Trump’s immigration enforcement policies.
At a 2025 forum, Menjivar-Ayala said criticism of the Catholic Church’s stance toward immigration enforcement is not a question for him to answer but for those officials to discern how they are living the Gospel after he was asked about Homan’s comments that bishops at a national conference in Baltimore were «wrong» in rebuking illegal immigration enforcement.
US CATHOLIC BISHOPS PRESIDENT SAYS DEPORTATIONS INSTILLING ‘FEAR’ IN ‘WIDESPREAD MANNER’: ‘CONCERNS US ALL’
«The question is for them, for those who claim to be Catholic but are not seeing the face of Christ in the migrants,» Menjivar-Ayala said, according to World Catholic Report, which also said the newly minted West Virginian advised caution about characterizing illegal immigration as similar to murder and theft.
Menjivar-Ayala tried as many as three times as a teenager to flee to the U.S. but was caught each time, including once by Mexican authorities who imprisoned him.
Amid guerrilla warfare and extreme poverty in his home country in the 1980s, Menjivar-Ayala was first deported to Guatemala by Mexican authorities who caught him in the border town of Tijuana, according to an interview with U.S. Catholic. He then attempted to travel through the Guatemalan jungle on a second attempt but returned home on his own.
MIAMI CATHOLIC CHARITIES LOSES $11M CONTRACT PROVIDING CARE FOR MIGRANT CHILDREN UNDER TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Finally, Menjivar-Ayala was successful after a bribe was paid to secure his release from a Mexican prison in Chiapas, and an elderly American smuggled him and three others through the San Ysidro border checkpoint while they were crammed in the trunk of the man’s car, according to The Washington Post.
Menjivar-Ayala told U.S. Catholic he found odd janitorial jobs but eventually relocated to Hyattsville, Maryland, near extended family, where he cleaned a UPS site.
It was there in Prince George’s County where he first began working as a youth minister and was able to obtain a green card for legal residence through what he said was an extant religious visa policy.
The Washington Post characterized Leo’s move Friday as another effort to «elevate» American clergy relevant to tension points with the Trump administration.
President Donald Trump has lambasted Leo — born Robert Prevost in Illinois — and quipped that he much prefers his «brother [Louis who] is MAGA all the way.»
Trump has said he has «nothing against» Leo, who has a right to disagree on subjects like the legitimacy and human rights aspects of the Iran conflict and illegal immigration crisis.
POPE LEO XIV STRONGLY SUPPORTS US BISHOPS’ CONDEMNATION OF TRUMP IMMIGRATION RAIDS: ‘EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL’
In 2025, Menjivar-Ayala criticized Trump’s immigration enforcement push in a Catholic Standard column, «This Ordeal is the Passion,» which featured an image of a suspect being detained by federal authorities.
«The Church remembers Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus in a spiritual and sacramental way during Holy Week and the Easter Triduum, but some people actually experience the Passion in a tangible and personal way in their very lives. Among them are members of the immigrant and refugee communities today,» Menjivar-Ayala wrote, referring to the Passion of Christ, Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection.
«Yet, while redemptive suffering is a grace, it would be better still if these injustices and infamies did not happen at all,» the bishop later added, calling for people to speak up in the style of martyred St. Oscar Romero.
He went on to say that the «dark side of anti-immigrant animus» cannot be allowed to take hold and called some recent enforcement behavior a «violation of fundamental human rights,» while also appearing to reference actions taken against the Catholic Church in that regard.
Trump’s Department of Health & Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement recently canceled an $11 million contract with Catholic Charities of Miami that had aided in housing unaccompanied minors, according to the Miami Herald.
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While Trump has not yet been able to meet with Leo, the first American pope has held audiences with Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Obama confidant David Axelrod.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Vatican, White House and DHS for additional comment.
pope leo xiv, roman catholic, immigrant rights, illegal immigrants, tom homan
La Dirección General de Aduanas (DGA) de República Dominicana reportó un incremento en sus ingresos durante los primeros seis meses de 2026, alcanzando RD$129.236 millones (USD 2,209 millones), lo que representa un aumento absoluto de RD$3,290 millones (USD 56.2 millones) respecto al mismo periodo del año anterior.
Este desempeño se produce en un contexto internacional marcado por tensiones geopolíticas que han impactado el comercio exterior, según detalló la entidad recaudadora.
De acuerdo con la información oficial de la DGA, los resultados de junio muestran un nivel de cumplimiento de 100.9% en sus metas de recaudación, con un superávit de RD$218 millones (USD 3.73 millones).
En ese mes, la institución registró ingresos por RD$24,162 millones (US$413 millones), lo que equivale a un crecimiento interanual de 15.4%, es decir, RD$3,225 millones (USD 55.2 millones) adicionales en comparación con junio de 2025. Esta cifra marca un avance relevante para la gestión aduanera dominicana.
Un dato destacado por la institución es que durante el periodo analizado se registró el día de mayor recaudación en la historia de la entidad, con RD$1,880.91 millones (USD 32.1 millones), superando el récord anterior de RD$1,853.72 millones (US$31.7 millones) alcanzado en 2022. Este hecho refuerza la tendencia positiva de los ingresos aduaneros en el país caribeño.
El director de la DGA, Nelson Arroyo, atribuyó estos resultados al compromiso de impulsar medidas para facilitar y agilizar el despacho de mercancías en los principales puertos y aeropuertos del país. Según sus palabras, “este aumento en las recaudaciones de la entidad que dirige es producto del compromiso que asumimos de continuar impulsando iniciativas dirigidas a facilitar y agilizar el despacho de mercancías en los puertos y aeropuertos del país”.
Arroyo precisó que, entre enero y junio de 2026, los contenedores importados bajo el régimen de consumo aumentaron en 1.5% respecto al mismo periodo del año anterior, una variación que consideró relevante dadas las condiciones internacionales adversas.
Por su parte, según la DGA, las tensiones geopolíticas internacionales han condicionado el desempeño del comercio exterior dominicano durante este semestre. A pesar de dicho entorno desafiante, la DGA sostuvo su capacidad recaudatoria y mantuvo la eficiencia en el control aduanero, según las declaraciones recogidas en la comunicación oficial.
La entidad aduanera también enfatizó la importancia de las estrategias implementadas para mejorar la gestión y el control tributario en las fronteras, aspecto que contribuyó a sostener y elevar los niveles de recaudación. El balance presentado por la institución indica que las metas propuestas para el semestre no solo se cumplieron, sino que se superaron, lo cual refuerza la confianza en los procesos internos adoptados por la administración actual.
Los datos publicados por la DGA reflejan, además, el impacto que las decisiones administrativas y operativas han tenido sobre el flujo de mercancías y el ingreso fiscal. El incremento en la entrada de contenedores, aunque moderado, se percibe como un resultado positivo dadas las circunstancias internacionales que afectan el comercio global. Las autoridades aduaneras han reiterado su intención de seguir fortaleciendo los mecanismos de supervisión y facilitación del comercio, con el propósito de mantener el ritmo de crecimiento observado hasta la fecha.
Apple acusó el viernes a OpenAI de robar secretos sobre productos aún en desarrollo, lo que ha dado pie a un enfrentamiento legal entre dos de las mayores empresas tecnológicas del mundo.
En una demanda presentada ante el Tribunal de Distrito de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito Norte de California, el gigante tecnológico de consumo afirmó que OpenAI, líder en inteligencia artificial que cuenta con una nueva división de hardware, había solicitado a los candidatos a puestos de trabajo de Apple que compartieran detalles sobre proyectos secretos y que llevaran componentes y prototipos de dispositivos a sus entrevistas.
Apple también acusó a un empleado de OpenAI de descargar documentos internos de un ordenador portátil propiedad del fabricante del iPhone.
Según la demanda, OpenAI utilizó la información confidencial para contactar con los socios fabricantes de Apple, llegando incluso a pedirle a uno de ellos que demostrara la técnica de Apple para el acabado de metales en sus dispositivos.
Según la demanda, Apple envió una carta a OpenAI en febrero para expresar su preocupación de que información confidencial pudiera estar llegando a OpenAI de forma indebida. Apple afirmó que OpenAI no respondió.
“El incipiente negocio de hardware de OpenAI se asienta ahora sobre cimientos sumamente inestables, podrido hasta la médula por su dependencia ilegal de secretos comerciales malversados”, escribió Apple en su demanda.
OpenAI no respondió de inmediato a la solicitud de comentarios.
(El New York Times ha demandado a OpenAI y Microsoft, alegando infracción de derechos de autor por contenido informativo relacionado con sistemas de IA. Ambas compañías han negado dichas acusaciones).
La demanda de Apple contra OpenAI agrava el deterioro de la relación entre estos gigantes tecnológicos. Apple se ha mantenido al margen de la IA, incluso mientras otros gigantes tecnológicos invierten cientos de miles de millones de dólares en la creación de modelos de IA y centros de datos, y mientras las empresas emergentes impulsan los límites de esta tecnología.
Para ponerse al día, Apple llegó a un acuerdo con OpenAI en 2024 para utilizar la tecnología de la startup de IA y renovar sus productos, incluido su asistente digital Siri. Sin embargo, OpenAI se mostró decepcionada por la forma en que Apple integró ChatGPT e incluso consideró emprender acciones legales. En enero, Apple anunció su colaboración con Google para impulsar Siri y sus otros productos de IA.
Para colmo de males, OpenAI, que ha presentado de forma confidencial una solicitud para salir a bolsa, está creando por sí misma una nueva familia de productos de hardware.
El año pasado, OpenAI pagó 6.500 millones de dólares para adquirir IO , que en aquel entonces era un estudio de diseño con apenas un año de existencia, fundado por Jony Ive, antiguo jefe de diseño de Apple. Desde entonces, ingenieros y diseñadores han abandonado Apple progresivamente para unirse a OpenAI.
En su demanda del viernes, Apple acusó a Tang Tan, director de hardware de OpenAI y ex ejecutivo de Apple, de instruir a sus nuevos empleados procedentes de Apple sobre cómo eludir los procesos de seguridad de Apple para los empleados que abandonan la empresa.
El señor Tan no respondió de inmediato a la solicitud de comentarios.
Apple acusó a otro exempleado, Chang Liu, de usar la computadora portátil de Apple de una excompañera para acceder y descargar documentos técnicos mientras trabajaba en OpenAI. Según Apple, Liu le indicó a esa empleada qué información sobre productos no anunciados debía estudiar antes de las entrevistas de trabajo.
Según la demanda, el Sr. Liu también planeaba acceder a documentos internos a través de una computadora portátil propiedad de Apple que no devolvió cuando dejó la empresa.
El señor Liu no respondió de inmediato a la solicitud de comentarios.
Según la demanda, OpenAI engañó a la empresa fabricante a la que se dirigió para obtener información sobre la técnica de acabado de metales, haciéndole creer que tenía el permiso de Apple para verla.
Apple solicita una orden judicial que impida a OpenAI poseer, usar o compartir los secretos comerciales de Apple, así como una orden que obligue a OpenAI a devolver la propiedad intelectual de Apple.
INTERNACIONAL
Michigan Senate hopeful calls AIPAC donations ‘legalized bribery,’ remains silent on other donations
Rep Debbie Dingell says Democrats ‘made a mistake’ ignoring Maine scandal
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., reacts to Democratic Senate hopefuls Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens engaging in a fiery debate, revealing a deep divide over support for Israel and AIPAC. Dingell emphasizes the significance of Israel-related issues for Michigan’s diverse Jewish and Arab American communities.
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Abdul El-Sayed, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, called dinations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) a form of «bribery.»
«Next week, AIPAC is set to spend at least $3,847,990 against me. Why? Because [Haley Stevens] is more committed to the future of a foreign country than keeping your tax dollars here to provide schools and healthcare for you and your kids,» El-Sayed said in a post to X.
«Legalized bribery at its worst.»
The post, which comes a little under a month before a primary against Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., a pro-Israel and establishment candidate, raises questions about foreign interests represented in American elections and whether El-Sayed’s criticisms could be applied to other groups.
JOSH SHAPIRO WARNS THAT ATTACKS ON AIPAC ARE BEING USED TO ‘SILENCE CERTAIN VOTERS’
Michigan Senate Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed has spent his campaign denying he wanted to defund the police, but in an unearthed clip he asked, «Do police really need to use guns?» (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
«Does that apply to PAL PAC and Arab American PAC?» Chuck Ross, an investigative reporter, wrote in a post to X, referring to two pro-palestine groups.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital along those lines.
Israel and its influence in American politics have been key themes for the Michigan Senate primary. Stevens, a member of the House of Representatives, endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has heavily criticized El-Sayed for questioning the U.S.-Israel alliance amid the conflict with Hamas.
«I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and Gaza,» Stevens said at a debate on Tuesday evening.
DEMOCRATS’ CIVIL WAR HEADS TO MICHIGAN WHERE PROGRESSIVES FACE BIGGEST TEST YET IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN
Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan, right, and former Wayne County Health Department Director Abdul El-Sayed are facing off in the August 4, 2026, Democratic Senate primary in the Great Lakes battleground state. ( )
El-Sayed, for his part, has maintained that the Israel lobby has amassed too much power in U.S. elections, preventing candidates from questioning the partnership or under what circumstances the U.S. should withhold its assistance.
«For too long our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC, who has made sure that both Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding,» El-Sayed said on Tuesday.
Notably, El-Sayed has a modest foreign asset.
In response to criticisms that he had yet to release his tax returns, El-Sayed acknowledged that his family had been holding the evaluations abroad, delaying the process.
«Taxes get complicated,» El-Sayed replied when asked about the topic on a recent programming appearance. «My wife and her family own property abroad and getting all those tax forms is a thing.»
DEM CIVIL WAR HITS PRIMARY DEBATE STAGE IN FIERY BATTLEGROUND SHOWDOWN: ‘WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?’
Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, speaks before U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., takes the stage at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026, in Detroit, Michigan. (Sarah Rice/Getty Images)
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As a part of his candidate report disclosures filed on June 2025, El-Sayed has reported a number of holdings. Among them: a salary from Wayne County worth $278,900 and an assortment of other assets totaling a net worth somewhere between $580,000 and $1.7 million.
As a part of that report, his wife reported holding up to $15,000 in real estate in India.
politics, lobbying, senate
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