Three illegal aliens held against their will in a Texas hotel room by smugglers were saved by Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents and the Laredo Police Department Tuesday.
The illegal aliens, who were believed to be from Mexico, contacted the front desk about their situation, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) press release Wednesday.
The smugglers asked family members of the falsely imprisoned to pay money in order for the illegal aliens to be released.
Once police saved the illegal aliens, they were accordingly processed. It is unclear about the smugglers’ whereabouts and origins.
Human smuggling at the southern border is a recurring problem, according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) report.
“They have no concern for humanity, none; it’s a money business,” Jack Staton, acting special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security Investigations in El Paso, Texas, said in the ICE report. “They look at people as merchandise, as a way to make money.”
It is common for smugglers to kidnap, rape, and...
Louisiana officials denied two of America's largest banks an opportunity to be involved in a project worth hundreds of millions of dollars on Thursday because of their decision to align with left-wing activists and the Democratic party in pushing for gun control.
"The State Bond Commission refused to allow Citigroup and Bank of America to work as underwriters on the interstate highway financing deal," The Virginia Pilotreported.
The effort, led by two Republicans — Attorney General Jeff Landry and Treasurer John Schroder — came in response to decisions from both banks to enact "policies restricting gun sales and manufacturing by their commercial customers."
Lousiana government officials made it clear that they would not tolerate bullying tactics intended to harm American's Second Amendment rights after far-left activists pushed heavily for gun control earlier this year.
"You're in the banking business," Republican Rep. Blake Miguez told the banks. "Why have you all decided to enter the policymaking business?"
"I personally believe the policies of these banks are an infringement on the rights of Louisiana citizens," Schroder said. "As a veteran and former member of law enforcement, I take the Second Amendment very seriously.
"If you have zero respect for the U.S. Constitution, then you don’t...
The U.S. Air Force's X-37B miniature space plane has winged past 340 days in orbit performing secretive duties during the program's fifth flight.
The robotic craft's latest mission, known as Orbital Test Vehicle-5 (OTV-5), kicked off on Sept. 7, 2017, with a launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
As usual, Air Force officials have revealed few details about OTV-5. But we do know that one payload flying aboard the X-37B this time around is the Advanced Structurally Embedded Thermal Spreader, or ASETS-11. Developed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, this cargo is testing experimental electronics and oscillating heat pipes for long durations in the space environment.
The classified X-37B program "fleet" consists of two known reusable vehicles, both of which were built by Boeing. Looking like a miniature version of NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter, the military space plane is 29 feet (8.8 meters) long and 9.6 feet (2.9 m) tall, with a wingspan of nearly 15 feet (4.6 m).
The X-37B has a payload bay about the size of a pickup-truck bed, which can be outfitted with a robotic arm. The space plane has a launch weight of 11,000 lbs. (4,990 kilograms) and is powered on orbit by gallium-arsenide solar cells with lithium-ion batteries.
- Each X-37B mission has set a new flight-duration record for the program:
- OTV-1 began April 22, 2010, and concluded on Dec. 3, 2010, after 224 days in orbit.
- OTV-2 began March 5, 2011, and concluded on June 16, 2012, after 468 days on orbit.
- OTV-3 chalked up nearly 675 days in orbit before finally coming down on Oct. 17, 2014.
- OTV-4 conducted on-orbit experiments for 718 days during its mission, extending the total number of days spent in space for the OTV program to 2,085 days.
How long OTV-5 will stay aloft is unknown. Whenever it comes down, the robotic vehicle is likely to land at ...
