Uzbekistan’s foreign exchange transactions surge 24% in first half of 2025
The total value of foreign currency transactions between banks and individuals in Uzbekistan reached 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months...
Despite warnings from FEMA that offering aid to migrants might violate smuggling laws, shelters along the U.S.-Mexico border continue to receive individuals released by ICE, creating confusion and concern among nonprofits.
Nonprofit shelters operating near the U.S.-Mexico border say they are continuing to house migrants released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), even after being warned by another federal agency that doing so could potentially be considered a criminal offense.
A letter sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in March raised alarm bells for organizations offering humanitarian support, including food, temporary shelter, and transportation. The letter warned of “significant concerns” that such assistance could fall under legal definitions used to prosecute human smugglers, prompting fears among shelter workers that their aid work could expose them to felony charges.
“It was pretty scary. I’m not going to lie,” said Rebecca Solloa, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Laredo. Despite the warning, ICE continued to direct migrants to the Laredo shelter until it was forced to close on April 25 due to financial strain.
Other shelters remain active. The Holding Institute Community in Laredo reports receiving around 20 families weekly from ICE’s family detention facilities in Dilley and Karnes City, Texas. Many of these individuals are arriving from countries far beyond Latin America, including Russia, Iran, Turkey, Iraq, Papua New Guinea, and China, according to Executive Director Michael Smith.
In El Paso, the Annunciation House is hosting five to ten migrants daily, many from Honduras and Venezuela, said Executive Director Ruben Garcia.
Meanwhile, in Phoenix, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) continues to accept migrants released by ICE, despite not receiving FEMA’s letter. A person with direct knowledge of the situation, who requested anonymity, said the released individuals included some from ICE’s Krome Detention Center in Miami, known for overcrowding.
Both FEMA and ICE fall under the Department of Homeland Security, but their conflicting messages have left NGOs unsure how to proceed without risking legal consequences or abandoning their humanitarian mission.
The agencies have yet to clarify how shelters should navigate the conflicting directives, leaving frontline workers facing a difficult choice between compliance and compassion.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations will send an upgraded ‘version 3.0’ free-trade agreement to their heads of government for approval in October, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Saturday after regional talks in Kuala Lumpur.
Germany's export slump since 2021 is largely driven by deep-rooted competitiveness issues, the Bundesbank warned in its latest report, calling for urgent structural reforms.
Israeli researchers have unveiled an artificial intelligence tool that can determine a person’s true biological age from tiny DNA samples with remarkable precision.
Two Harry Potter actresses, Emma Watson and Zoe Wanamaker, have each received a six-month driving ban after separate speeding offences, both sentenced on the same day at a Buckinghamshire court.
The total value of foreign currency transactions between banks and individuals in Uzbekistan reached 14.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first six months of 2025, reflecting a 24% increase year on year.
Syrian security forces are preparing to redeploy to the Druze-majority city of Sweida in the south of the country after a brief ceasefire collapsed, reigniting clashes with Bedouin tribes, according to the Syrian Interior Ministry.
Pope Leo said on Thursday he hopes to travel to Türkiye later this year for the 1,700th anniversary of a major Christian Church summit, in what would be the first foreign trip of his papacy.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced on Thursday that the latest discussions on Cyprus were "constructive" and that progress had been made on several initiatives.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan has called Israel 'a terrorist state', stating that its aggression poses a threat to the entire region.
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