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WATCH: Eye-popping illegal immigration stat prompts senator’s demand to ‘redouble’ deportations
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Testimony from a policy analyst at a libertarian think tank was unexpectedly highlighted by immigration hawks after he delivered an opening statement at a House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing featuring controversial Fairfax County prosecutor Stephen Descano.
The hearing, chaired by Rep. Thomas McClintock, R-Calif., examined several examples of allegedly lax prosecutions by Descano involving illegal immigrants with prior rap sheets — including a Sierra Leone national accused of murdering a young woman at a bus stop on U.S. 1.
In his opening remarks, Cato Institute immigration expert David Bier testified that the «way to fix Fairfax» is not to continue the «mass deportation» agenda of President Donald Trump.
«The first step would be to give up on the mass deportation fantasy,» Bier said.
SOROS-BACKED PROSECUTOR SET FOR CAPITOL HILL GRILLING AS SANCTUARY POLICIES FACE RECKONING
Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney Stephen Descano, center, listens to testimony during a hearing before a House Judiciary Subcommittee. (Tom Williams/CQ via Getty Images)
«About 1-in-5 Fairfax residents is someone who could be deported or who lives with them — It would destroy neighborhoods, rip Americans away from their spouses, parents, friends, families, customers, employees, employers, nurses, nannies, and teachers.»
While Bier later added that he believes noncitizens who harm Americans should be deported, his earlier statement drew the attention of several immigration hawks, including Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah.
Lee borrowed Bier’s logic to prove immigration hardliners’ point that mass deportation is the right solution:
«On the contrary: 20% of a wealthy DC suburb being illegal immigrants means we should redouble our efforts to deport them all,» Lee said.
Bier responded to Lee’s comments in a lengthy statement to Fox News Digital, arguing the Utah Republican failed to explain why mass deportation would benefit Americans in Fairfax County.
«What was the senator’s explanation for [his] statement? The senator never says why it would benefit the country to harm Fairfax County and the Americans who live there, so there’s nothing to rebut,» Bier said.
FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS VIEW LEGAL IMMIGRATION AS HELPFUL, FAVOR DEPORTING THOSE WHO ARE HERE ILLEGALLY
Cato Institute analyst David Bier testifies before Congress. (Graeme Sloan/Getty Images)
«The senator is wrong to characterize the 20% as all illegal immigrants since half of them are just people who live with illegal immigrants, which is precisely my point.»
«Mass deportation would harm those Americans and many others by ripping them away from their spouses, parents, children, friends, family, employees, employers, customers, nurses, nannies, and teachers,» the immigration expert added.
Bier said mass deportation becomes more expensive and impractical as the population of illegal immigrants grows, meaning continuing on the current course will harm Americans.
«I would ask the senator: how many Americans would have to be hurt by mass deportation before he would reconsider his views?»
Reached for additional comment, Lee spokesman Billy Gribbin told Fox News Digital that the Utahn «believes in enforcing US law and deporting illegal immigrants — not making excuses for criminals who hurt Americans.»
Fox News Digital also asked DHS about the apparent statistical admission, and an agency spokesperson blamed Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s «reckless sanctuary policies» for making Fairfax and the rest of the Old Dominion a «hotbed for illegal alien criminals.»
«The stories of the victims and facts speak for themselves. The sanctuary politicians of Fairfax County have blood on their hands,» the spokesperson said.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin added separately that half the murders recorded recently in Fairfax were allegedly perpetrated by «illegals who shouldn’t have been in our country to begin with.»
«We have politicians who want to protect the criminals, President Trump is still protecting all of our neighborhoods,» Mullin said.
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Bier’s 1-in-5 statistic was also cited in a CATO document footnoted to the K Street firm Migration Policy Institute. MPI’s data showed an estimated 102,000-person «unauthorized» population in Fairfax — which has a census count of about 1.2 million as of 2020.
The top «countries-of-birth» on MPI’s list in that regard were El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, Bolivia and Peru, while only 4% combined was recorded from Canada, Europe and Oceania.
illegal immigrants, deportation, immigrant rights, sanctuary cities, markwayne mullin, virginia, politics
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Maduro ally deported to US over alleged billion-dollar corruption scheme tied to oil, food program
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A close ally of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been deported by Venezuela to the United States, according to Venezuelan officials, to face federal charges accusing him of orchestrating a sweeping money laundering and bribery scheme tied to Venezuela’s state-run food program and oil industry.
Alex Nain Saab Moran, 55, of Colombia, a former minister of industry and national production under the Maduro regime, appeared in federal court in Miami Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. The Justice Department said Saab is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Prosecutors allege Saab led a yearslong scheme beginning around 2015 to defraud a humanitarian program intended to provide food to impoverished Venezuelans.
He and his co-conspirators later allegedly sold billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuelan state-owned oil while circumventing U.S. sanctions, according to the Justice Department. Authorities say the proceeds were routed through U.S. bank accounts in an effort to conceal the transactions and further advance the scheme.
MADURO ALLY ALEX SAAB ARRESTED IN JOINT US-VENEZUELAN OPERATION, OFFICIAL SAYS
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (L) speaks to supporters next to Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab during a rally in Caracas on January 23, 2024. (GABRIELA ORAA/AFP via Getty Images)
«Alex Saab allegedly used American banks to launder hundreds of millions of dollars stolen from a Venezuelan food program meant for the poor and proceeds from the illegal sale of Venezuelan oil,» Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said in a statement. «This is unacceptable. The Criminal Division will not allow foreign actors to exploit the American financial system and use it as a safe haven for the proceeds of their corruption.»
Beginning around 2015, Saab and his associates allegedly paid bribes to Venezuelan government officials to secure contracts tied to the country’s CLAP welfare program, which was intended to purchase and distribute food to vulnerable and impoverished Venezuelans.
Instead of delivering the promised food supplies, prosecutors allege the group used shell companies, fraudulent invoices and falsified shipping records to embezzle hundreds of millions of dollars from the program for their own personal gain.
TREASURY TARGETS OIL TRADERS, TANKERS ACCUSED OF HELPING MADURO EVADE U.S. SANCTIONS
Businessman Alex Saab walks through Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Tuesday, Feb. 20, 2024. (Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Around 2019, as sweeping U.S. sanctions crippled Venezuela’s oil exports and placed severe strain on the country’s finances, including its ability to pay Saab and his associates under the CLAP program, Saab and his partners allegedly exploited their corrupt ties to government officials to gain access to billions of dollars’ worth of oil owned by Venezuela’s state-run oil company.
Officials allege the group sold the oil under false pretenses and used the profits to sustain and expand the original food fraud scheme.
Saab and his associates reportedly laundered the allegedly stolen funds through U.S. bank accounts in an effort to conceal the money trail, giving American authorities jurisdiction to prosecute the case.
«When illicit proceeds are moved through the United States financial system, our courts have jurisdiction and our prosecutors will act,» U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) shakes hands with Colombian-born businessman Alex Saab in Caracas on January 15, 2024. (FEDERICO PARRA/AFP)
Saab was previously indicted in the U.S. in 2019 and extradited from Cabo Verde in 2021. He was pardoned by President Biden in 2023 as part of a prisoner swap, though prosecutors say the new case involves alleged conduct not covered by that pardon.
A Miami-based attorney for Saab declined to comment to The Associated Press.
If convicted, Saab faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The government is also seeking forfeiture of any property or proceeds allegedly obtained through the alleged criminal activity.
The case was investigated by a U.S. Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which includes the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
venezuelan political crisis, colombia, saab, nicolas maduro, sanctions, crime world
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Abuso sexual y violencia en guarderías francesas: afirman que hay más de 80 centros investigados en París
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Ricky Pineda, el niño descalzo que venció la pobreza y se convirtió en el primer médico indígena nicaragüense en EE.UU.
Ricky Leopoldo Pineda, nacido en la comunidad indígena de Amak, territorio Mayangna Sauni Bu, dentro de la Reserva de Biósfera Bosawás, en Nicaragua, se convirtió en el primer médico de su etnia y el primero en ejercer en un hospital de Estados Unidos.
A los veintiséis años, Pineda se convirtió en el orgullo de los suyos en un territorio olvidado por el Estado nicaragüense y marcado por la precariedad sanitaria, según lo documentó Voz de América, el periódico 100% Noticias y otros medios locales que documentaron la emotiva historia de este joven.
De los ocho hijos de la familia Pineda, Ricky era el tercero. La pobreza y el trabajo en el campo junto a su abuelo y su padre, Leopoldo Pineda Padilla, marcaron su infancia.
Desde los seis años, los niños de la zona acompañan a sus mayores a la montaña y a la siembra. Ricky asistía a la escuela descalzo, con un solo cuaderno, detallan las publicaciones.
La vocación de sacerdote se desvaneció el día en que su madre casi muere en un parto sin asistencia médica. “Muchas campesinas fallecían por muerte materna. Necesitaban a alguien que los ayudara”, explicó Ricky. El último parto de su madre ocurrió en una lancha, en medio de la selva, sin un médico, solo con una partera.
En 2022, la mortalidad materna en Nicaragua fue de 31.4 por cada 100,000 nacimientos. Ese año, 37 mujeres murieron en el país por causas asociadas al embarazo, sobre todo en el centro-norte y la Costa Caribe, según el Ministerio de Salud. La Organización Mundial de la Salud define muerte materna como aquella que ocurre desde la gestación hasta 42 días después del parto.
Una beca permitió a Pineda estudiar Medicina en la Universidad Católica del Trópico Seco (UCATSE) de 2015 a 2022. El obispo Abelardo Mata, entonces director de la universidad, facilitó el acceso a jóvenes sin recursos. El gobierno de Daniel Ortega clausuró la universidad y otras seis en febrero de 2022, alegando inconsistencias financieras.
Desde la mitad de la carrera, Ricky realizó prácticas prehospitalarias en centros de salud rurales. “Fui voluntario de los enfermeros, después estuve tres o cuatro meses en la montaña con las enfermeras. Íbamos a vacunar”. Ejercía de manera independiente, dando consultas privadas y visitando comunidades.
Anexa Alfred, del Mecanismo de Expertos sobre los Derechos de los Pueblos Indígenas, confirmó a Voz de América que las comunidades indígenas en Nicaragua enfrentan condiciones de extrema vulnerabilidad en salud y educación.
A los once años, Ricky dejó Amak para estudiar secundaria en Jinotega. No hablaba español. Una amiga de la familia le dio alojamiento. Aprendió el idioma mientras trabajaba limpiando jardines, enseñando mayangna y realizando otras tareas para costear sus estudios.
El trayecto se repitió en Estados Unidos. Antes de entrar al hospital, trabajó empaquetando productos y en un buffet. Su rutina incluía asistir a conferencias médicas y a la capilla del hospital para orar.
“Una cosa que doblé el esfuerzo es que yo iba las veces que podía a la capilla del hospital a orar para que Dios me diera una oportunidad, tan solo una”.
Obtuvo una beca para una maestría en Epidemiología y Salud Pública y presentó su currículum al UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, en Denver. Tras superar exámenes y cursos, fue contratado en el área de cirugía, con turno completo de ocho horas. El idioma fue otra barrera: “Me esforcé el triple para poder aprender un poco y dar el salto a mi área, que es la medicina”.
En Denver recibió apoyo de otros médicos latinoamericanos, como Kenneth Meza y Daniel Fuenmayor. “Para mí significa muchísimo trabajar como el primer médico indígena de Nicaragua en un hospital tan prestigioso a nivel mundial como lo es UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital. Por encima de todo, la gracia y la gloria se las doy a Dios y a mi gente, que siempre han sido un motor para mí”.
Ricky sueña con especializarse en cirugía general y desarrollar la Fundación Dr. Ricky Bosawás, para apoyar a comunidades indígenas y promover oportunidades educativas para niños y jóvenes nicaragüenses.
“Mi mensaje a los jóvenes es que no tengan miedo de luchar por sus sueños, que sueñen alto y oren mucho a Dios, porque Dios cumple los sueños y nos lleva a lugares que nunca nos imaginamos”, contó a un medio local el joven.
Las luchas de Ricky Pineda llevan el nombre de su familia y de su comunidad, a la espera de que otro niño de Bosawás mire el hospital y piense que, algún día, el volar tan alto como él.
Ricky Pineda,Mayangna,Indígena,Médico,Nicaragua,Bosawás,Denver,UCHealth,Salud,Acuarela
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