Ditto, grandparents on one side and great grandparents on another. I hear you.
Refugee/Migrant Crisis
- Thread starter Tecumsehsbones
- Start date
Florida prepares to build 2nd immigration detention centre to join ’Alligator Alcatraz’
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”
The site would add to the capacity at the state’s first detention facility, built at an isolated airfield in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Already, state officials have inked more than $245 million in contracts for that facility, which officially opened July 1.
Florida plans to build a second detention centre at a Florida National Guard training centre called Camp Blanding, about 43 kilometers southwest of downtown Jacksonville, though DeSantis has said the state is waiting for federal officials to ramp up deportations from the South Florida facility before building out the Camp Blanding site.
“We look forward to the increased cadence,” of deportations, DeSantis said last month, calling the state “ready, willing and able” to expand its operations.
Civil rights advocates and environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the Everglades facility, where detainees allege they’ve been forced to go without adequate food and medical care, and been barred from meeting with their attorneys, held without any charges and unable to get a federal immigration court to hear their cases.
President Donald Trump has touted the facility’s harshness and remoteness as fit for the “worst of the worst,” while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the South Florida detention centre can serve as a model for other state-run holding facilities for immigrants.
Plans for the ‘North Detention Facility’
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency that built the Everglades facility, has awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency response weather station and two lightning sirens for what’s been dubbed the “North Detention Facility,” according to records in the state’s public contract database. The equipment will help enable “real-time weather monitoring and safety alerting for staff.”
The contract comes as the state approaches the peak of hurricane season, and as heavy rains and extreme heat have pounded parts of Florida. Immigrant advocates and environmentalists have raised a host of concerns about the Everglades facility, a remote compound of heavy-duty tents and trailers that state workers and contractors assembled in a matter of days.
Last week, FDEM released a heavily redacted draft emergency evacuation plan for what the document called the “South Florida Detention Facility.” Entire sections related to detainee transportation, evacuation and relocation procedures were blacked out, under a Florida law that allows state agencies to make their emergency plans confidential. Despite multiple public records requests by The Associated Press, the department has not produced other evacuation plans, environmental impact studies or agency analyses for the facility.
Questioned by reporters on July 25, FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie defended the emergency response agency’s plans for the makeshift facility, which he says is built to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which packs winds of up to 110 mph.
“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” Guthrie said.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Associated Press
Associated Press
Kate Payne
Published Aug 05, 2025 • 2 minute read
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”
The site would add to the capacity at the state’s first detention facility, built at an isolated airfield in the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz.” Already, state officials have inked more than $245 million in contracts for that facility, which officially opened July 1.
Florida plans to build a second detention centre at a Florida National Guard training centre called Camp Blanding, about 43 kilometers southwest of downtown Jacksonville, though DeSantis has said the state is waiting for federal officials to ramp up deportations from the South Florida facility before building out the Camp Blanding site.
“We look forward to the increased cadence,” of deportations, DeSantis said last month, calling the state “ready, willing and able” to expand its operations.
Civil rights advocates and environmental groups have filed lawsuits against the Everglades facility, where detainees allege they’ve been forced to go without adequate food and medical care, and been barred from meeting with their attorneys, held without any charges and unable to get a federal immigration court to hear their cases.
President Donald Trump has touted the facility’s harshness and remoteness as fit for the “worst of the worst,” while Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said the South Florida detention centre can serve as a model for other state-run holding facilities for immigrants.
Plans for the ‘North Detention Facility’
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, the state agency that built the Everglades facility, has awarded a $39,000 contract for a portable emergency response weather station and two lightning sirens for what’s been dubbed the “North Detention Facility,” according to records in the state’s public contract database. The equipment will help enable “real-time weather monitoring and safety alerting for staff.”
The contract comes as the state approaches the peak of hurricane season, and as heavy rains and extreme heat have pounded parts of Florida. Immigrant advocates and environmentalists have raised a host of concerns about the Everglades facility, a remote compound of heavy-duty tents and trailers that state workers and contractors assembled in a matter of days.
Last week, FDEM released a heavily redacted draft emergency evacuation plan for what the document called the “South Florida Detention Facility.” Entire sections related to detainee transportation, evacuation and relocation procedures were blacked out, under a Florida law that allows state agencies to make their emergency plans confidential. Despite multiple public records requests by The Associated Press, the department has not produced other evacuation plans, environmental impact studies or agency analyses for the facility.
Questioned by reporters on July 25, FDEM executive director Kevin Guthrie defended the emergency response agency’s plans for the makeshift facility, which he says is built to withstand a Category 2 hurricane, which packs winds of up to 110 mph.
“I promise you that the hurricane guys have got the hurricane stuff covered,” Guthrie said.
Florida prepares to build 2nd immigration detention centre to join ’Alligator Alcatraz’
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention centre.
Parole board denies Cuban dangerous offender's bid for release
Dangerous offender Guillermo Valle-Quintero, who emigrated from Cuba in 1997, cannot be deported unless granted full parole, according to parole board
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
OTTAWA — Canada’s parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Guillermo Valle-Quintero, currently serving an indeterminate sentence for inflicting years of terrifying abuse upon two women, was denied release at a Parole Board of Canada hearing last month. The board listed his “significant number of violent offences committed persistently against a former intimate partner” as the main factor for his denial.
“You also have a prior history of serious intimate partner violence, and your overall criminal history is lengthy, varied, and violent,” read the parole board’s decision, obtained by the Toronto Sun.
“Furthermore, you have a problematic and concerning supervision history, elevated actuarial risk scores, significant issues with self-control, ongoing institutional behaviour issues relating to self-management deficits, have made no discernible gains through program participation, and not engaged in the process of positive personal change, and have not presented a viable release plan.”
Valle-Quintero, 61, was born and raised in Cuba — where the decision notes he racked up a significant criminal record that included breaking-and-entering, theft and pimping out women.
In 1997, he married a Canadian tourist he met at a resort, and she sponsored his entry to Canada.
Valle-Quintero began cheating on his wife roughly a month after arriving in Canada, described as “volatile relationship” and target of his abuse — leading to charges of attempted murder and forcible confinement after he attempted to strangle his paramour to death in 1998.
Court records indicate Valle-Quintero — one day after being released from jail for domestic assault — ambushed the victim in her car and tied her up, taped up her mouth and nose, covered her head in a plastic bag and shoved her in the trunk of her car.
She managed to escape, and Valle-Quintero was sentenced to 11 years.
Valle-Quintero’s second victim, a 47-year-old bar manager, kept records of his abuse “so that he wouldn’t get away with killing her,” court records say.
Valle-Quintero was declared a dangerous offender in 2015, and is currently serving an indeterminate sentence.
The parole decision indicated Valle-Quintero wished to return to Cuba, either through deportation or an international transfer.
Valle-Quintero would need to be granted full parole before deportation proceedings can take place, the decision said, and be lodged in a halfway house pending due process at the hands of the Canada Border Services Agency.
The parole board also didn’t rule out the possibility of him being granted immigration bail if that process were to go forward.
— With files from Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun files
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
torontosun.com
Dangerous offender Guillermo Valle-Quintero, who emigrated from Cuba in 1997, cannot be deported unless granted full parole, according to parole board
Author of the article:Bryan Passifiume
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 11 hours ago • 2 minute read
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
Guillermo Valle-Quintero
OTTAWA — Canada’s parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Guillermo Valle-Quintero, currently serving an indeterminate sentence for inflicting years of terrifying abuse upon two women, was denied release at a Parole Board of Canada hearing last month. The board listed his “significant number of violent offences committed persistently against a former intimate partner” as the main factor for his denial.
“You also have a prior history of serious intimate partner violence, and your overall criminal history is lengthy, varied, and violent,” read the parole board’s decision, obtained by the Toronto Sun.
“Furthermore, you have a problematic and concerning supervision history, elevated actuarial risk scores, significant issues with self-control, ongoing institutional behaviour issues relating to self-management deficits, have made no discernible gains through program participation, and not engaged in the process of positive personal change, and have not presented a viable release plan.”
Valle-Quintero, 61, was born and raised in Cuba — where the decision notes he racked up a significant criminal record that included breaking-and-entering, theft and pimping out women.
In 1997, he married a Canadian tourist he met at a resort, and she sponsored his entry to Canada.
Valle-Quintero began cheating on his wife roughly a month after arriving in Canada, described as “volatile relationship” and target of his abuse — leading to charges of attempted murder and forcible confinement after he attempted to strangle his paramour to death in 1998.
Court records indicate Valle-Quintero — one day after being released from jail for domestic assault — ambushed the victim in her car and tied her up, taped up her mouth and nose, covered her head in a plastic bag and shoved her in the trunk of her car.
She managed to escape, and Valle-Quintero was sentenced to 11 years.
Valle-Quintero’s second victim, a 47-year-old bar manager, kept records of his abuse “so that he wouldn’t get away with killing her,” court records say.
Valle-Quintero was declared a dangerous offender in 2015, and is currently serving an indeterminate sentence.
The parole decision indicated Valle-Quintero wished to return to Cuba, either through deportation or an international transfer.
Valle-Quintero would need to be granted full parole before deportation proceedings can take place, the decision said, and be lodged in a halfway house pending due process at the hands of the Canada Border Services Agency.
The parole board also didn’t rule out the possibility of him being granted immigration bail if that process were to go forward.
— With files from Sam Pazzano, Toronto Sun files
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
X: @bryanpassifiume
Parole board denies Cuban dangerous offender's bid for release
The parole board has denied early release for a dangerous offender who terrorized two women shortly after emigrating from Cuba to Canada.
Supreme Court of Canada weighs appeal application from Via Rail terror case
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 2 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military troops from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser on the rail plot charge but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences: one count of conspiring to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and two counts of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. Esseghaier was found guilty on all counts.
The two men appealed their convictions. Counsel for Jaser and a court-appointed lawyer for Esseghaier argued the jury at the trial was improperly constituted.
In August 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a fresh trial for the men on the grounds that the jury was chosen incorrectly.
The Crown successfully argued in a subsequent Supreme Court hearing that the convictions should not be overturned on the basis of an error in the jury-selection process that did not deny the men fair trial rights.
With the jury issue settled, the top court remitted the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal to deal with the men’s outstanding challenges of their convictions.
While Esseghaier abandoned his appeal, Jaser persisted.
Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Jaser’s challenge of his conviction and life sentence, prompting him to seek a fresh hearing at the Supreme Court.
In a written submission to the top court to request a hearing, Jaser’s lawyers say there is disagreement across Canada about how to instruct juries in conspiracy cases — a problem they say the court should address.
“Jury instructions on the law of conspiracy are too complex,” the brief says. “The facts of the proposed appeal present this Court with an ideal opportunity to guide trial judges on simplifying and distilling their instructions.”
Jaser’s lawyers also raise questions about the application of the Canada Evidence Act concerning sensitive information and whether “entrapment-like conduct” should be taken into account upon sentencing.
In a response to the Supreme Court, the Crown says Jaser’s application should be dismissed.
“These issues are not novel and were properly rejected by the Court of Appeal,” the Crown’s submission says. “Although the facts giving rise to them are unique, they are specific to the circumstances of the applicant and do not raise any issue of public importance.”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 06, 2025 • Last updated 23 hours ago • 2 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest chapter in a long-running legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military troops from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser on the rail plot charge but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences: one count of conspiring to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and two counts of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. Esseghaier was found guilty on all counts.
The two men appealed their convictions. Counsel for Jaser and a court-appointed lawyer for Esseghaier argued the jury at the trial was improperly constituted.
In August 2019, the Ontario Court of Appeal ordered a fresh trial for the men on the grounds that the jury was chosen incorrectly.
The Crown successfully argued in a subsequent Supreme Court hearing that the convictions should not be overturned on the basis of an error in the jury-selection process that did not deny the men fair trial rights.
With the jury issue settled, the top court remitted the case to the Ontario Court of Appeal to deal with the men’s outstanding challenges of their convictions.
While Esseghaier abandoned his appeal, Jaser persisted.
Last year, the Court of Appeal dismissed Jaser’s challenge of his conviction and life sentence, prompting him to seek a fresh hearing at the Supreme Court.
In a written submission to the top court to request a hearing, Jaser’s lawyers say there is disagreement across Canada about how to instruct juries in conspiracy cases — a problem they say the court should address.
“Jury instructions on the law of conspiracy are too complex,” the brief says. “The facts of the proposed appeal present this Court with an ideal opportunity to guide trial judges on simplifying and distilling their instructions.”
Jaser’s lawyers also raise questions about the application of the Canada Evidence Act concerning sensitive information and whether “entrapment-like conduct” should be taken into account upon sentencing.
In a response to the Supreme Court, the Crown says Jaser’s application should be dismissed.
“These issues are not novel and were properly rejected by the Court of Appeal,” the Crown’s submission says. “Although the facts giving rise to them are unique, they are specific to the circumstances of the applicant and do not raise any issue of public importance.”
Supreme Court of Canada weighs appeal application from Via Rail terror case
The Supreme Court of Canada is set to decide Thursday whether to hear the appeal of Raed Jaser.
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal application arising from Via Rail terror case
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 07, 2025 • 1 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
Chiheb Esseghaier, left, and Raed Jaser are pictured at Toronto’s University Ave. courthouse on Jan. 29, 2015. Photo by PAM DAVIES SKETCH /TORONTO SUN
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest development in a legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser concerning the rail plot charge, but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences.
The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, did not provide reasons for refusing to review Jaser’s case.
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jim Bronskill
Published Aug 07, 2025 • 1 minute read
Raed Jaser tried multiple arguments but Ontario's highest court rightly rejected them all
Chiheb Esseghaier, left, and Raed Jaser are pictured at Toronto’s University Ave. courthouse on Jan. 29, 2015. Photo by PAM DAVIES SKETCH /TORONTO SUN
OTTAWA — The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser, who was convicted of planning to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.
It’s the latest development in a legal saga that began 12 years ago with charges against Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier for plotting attacks, including the planned sabotage of a Via Rail passenger train.
The Crown alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had agreed to kill Canadian citizens to force Canada to remove its military from Afghanistan.
The Crown’s evidence consisted mainly of intercepted communications and the testimony of an undercover U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation agent assigned to befriend Esseghaier.
A jury could not reach a verdict for Jaser concerning the rail plot charge, but found him guilty of three other terrorism-related offences.
The Supreme Court, following its usual practice, did not provide reasons for refusing to review Jaser’s case.
Supreme Court won’t hear appeal application arising from Via Rail terror case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not hear the appeal of Raed Jaser.
Which means "Petitioner failed to make a colourable claim of legal error in the court below."
Appeals aren't party favours. You don't get one just for showing up.
Girl Guides of Canada to suspend U.S. trips over Trump administration policies — CBC News
Girl Guides of Canada is suspending upcoming trips to the United States over concerns the Trump administration's changes at the border could affect some of its members.