Cuba not accepting deportations of its nationals, ICE says
MIAMI — The Cuban government has not been accepting deportations of Cuban nationals from the U.S. for more than six months, at a time when tens of thousands are leaving the island to reach the U.S. in the largest exodus since the 1980s Mariel boatlift.
In the fiscal year 2022 that started Oct. 1, 20 Cubans returned voluntarily to the island, but the Cuban government “has not accepted any ICE removals via commercial or charter flights,” a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement told the Miami Herald.
In the same period, more than 46,000 Cubans have arrived at the U.S. border with Mexico, in an exodus driven by a crackdown on dissent and the island’s economic chaos.
In 2017, the Obama administration struck a deal with the government of Cuba to send back Cuban migrants that arrived “illegally” in the U.S. after rescinding a special parole policy known as “wet foot, dry foot” that previously allowed them to stay if they presented themselves at the border seeking asylum.
Deportations took off in the following years but stopped around March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic because of the disruption of international travel. The Cuban government reopened its borders in October 2020, but later suspended flights for six months until November 2021, meaning that its airports have been open during most of the current fiscal year in which it has not accepted deportations.
—Miami Herald
Suspect in 2015 Paris attacks admits others were planned
PARIS — One of the defendants in a trial about the Islamist-motivated terrorist attacks in Paris in 2015 has admitted to plans for further attacks in the French capital.
These were originally intended to take place during the Euro 2016 football championship in France, Mohammed Abrini told a court in Paris on Wednesday.
Abrini accompanied a terrorist cell from Brussels to Paris on Nov. 12, 2015, but returned to the Belgian capital on the eve of the attacks because he had changed his mind about killing people, he said.
The only survivor of the terrorist group, Salah Abdeslam, who is also accused in the Paris trial, testified that he did not detonate his explosive waistcoat because he also changed his mind.
At the end of his testimony, Abrini addressed the victims' relatives.
"This should never have happened, I apologize," he said.
Extremists killed a total of 130 people in the series of attacks on Nov. 13, 2015. Three attackers carried out a massacre in the Bataclan concert hall, while others attacked bars and restaurants.
At the Stade de France, three suicide bombers blew themselves up during an international football match between Germany and France.
—dpa
Deaths of 3 Baltimore firefighters ruled homicides
BALTIMORE — The deaths of three Baltimore firefighters in a January blaze have been classified as homicides, police said, after investigators determined the fire was “incendiary.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Wednesday declared the fire incendiary, a definition that includes fires intentionally set as well as fires that were not intentionally set but resulted directly from other criminal activity, according to a news release from the agency.
A person of interest, captured in photos and videos near the scene of the blaze, has been identified, according to the news release.
“No additional tips from the public are needed,” the release stated. “This remains an ongoing investigation.”
After firefighters entered the vacant home ablaze at in Southwest Baltimore, it collapsed, trapping four of them inside.
Firefighters responded to the fire just before 6 a.m. on Jan. 24. Shortly after, disaster struck. Firefighter/EMT John McMaster was extricated quickly and taken to Shock Trauma for treatment. Two others, paramedic/firefighters Kenneth Lacayo and Kelsey Sadler, were rescued but died shortly thereafter. Lt. Paul Butrim wasn’t rescued until after the blaze had been extinguished. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
—The Baltimore Sun
2 Florida men admit to casting multiple ballots in 2020
Two residents from The Villages confessed to voter fraud charges after filing two ballots in the 2020 presidential election, court records show.
Charles F. Barnes and Jay Ketcik pleaded guilty to casting more than one ballot in an election, a third-degree felony that could have resulted in a maximum five-year prison sentence.
According to the pretrial intervention documents, the prosecution of Barnes, 64, and Ketcik, 63, will be deferred if they abide by a series of court-ordered requirements set by the office of Ocala-based State Attorney Bill Gladson. Court records show the men will avoid further punishment if they regularly meet with a supervising officer, complete 50 hours of community service and attend a 12-week adult civics class, among a handful of other requirements.
In December, Ketcik, along with Joan Halstead and John Rider, who also reside in The Villages, was arrested on voter fraud charges for casting more than one vote during the 2020 election, according to police affidavits. Halstead, 71, and Rider, 61, are still awaiting trial. Both have pleaded not guilty.
That following month Barnes was arrested and taken to Sumter County Jail with similar charges.
State voter records show Barnes and Rider are not affiliated with a political party in Florida. Ketcik and Halstead are registered Republicans. It is unclear if they knew each other.
— Orlando Sentinel
