Page 4 - aruba-today-20221219

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 19 deceMber 2022

People line up inside the migrant welcome center across from the bus station in Brownsville, Texas,
on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. A sign advises airline travelers not to bring their firearm through
Associated Press the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint on,
July 28, 2022, during a media event about traveling with
Texas border cities plan for cold, busy firearms at the Brownsville-South Padre Island International
Airport in Brownsville, Texas.
end to Title 4 Associated Press

By GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO, city access to additional lo- try. ...We are not asking for TSA raising fines after
MORGAN LEE and ACACIA cal and state resources for direction we are asking for finding record guns in
CORONADO building shelters and other resources.”
county officials have been carry-ons
ASSOCIATED PRESS urgently needed aid. Samaniego said city and
EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Samaniego said the or-
Texas border cities were der came one day after working closely with NGOs
preparing Sunday for a El Paso officials sent Texas to provide temporary hous- By DEE-ANN DURBIN
surge of as many as 5,000 Gov. Greg Abbott a letter ing for migrants while they AP Business Writer
new migrants a day across requesting humanitarian are processed and given The Transportation Security Administration is raising
the U.S.-Mexico border as assistance for the region, sponsors, as well help in the fine for people caught with a gun in their carry-on
pandemic-era immigration adding that the request relocating them to bigger bag after intercepting a record number of firearms at
restrictions expire this week, was for resources to help cities where they can be security checkpoints this year.
setting in motion plans tend to and relocate the flown or bussed to their final The TSA said Friday it’s raising the maximum fine to
for providing emergency newly arriving migrants, not destinations. $14,950. Previously it was $13,910.
housing, food and other es- additional security forces. City and county officials will TSA officers have found 6,301 firearms in carry-on bags
sentials. Samaniego said he has re- join forces with NGOs at a so far this year, surpassing the previous record of 5,972
El Paso County Judge Ri- ceived no response to the one-stop emergency com- detected in 2021. The numbers have been increasing
cardo Samaniego told The request and plans to issue a mand center beginning steadily over the last decade; in 2012, 1,549 firearms
Associated Press the region, similar county-wide emer- Wednesday, Samaniego were detected at security checkpoints.
home to one of the busi- gency declaration speci- said. Similar command cen- Eighty-eight percent of the guns found this year were
est border crossings in the fying the kind of help the ters have been established loaded, the TSA said.
country, was coordinating area needs if the city does previously for COVID-19 Firearm possession laws vary by location, but guns are
housing and relocation ef- not get state aid soon. response and following never allowed in carry-on bags at any airport security
forts with NGOs and other The City of El Paso an- the deadly 2019 Walmart checkpoint, even if a passenger has a concealed-
cities, as well as calling on nounced Wednesday it shooting in El Paso. Abbott weapon permit. Passengers transporting firearms must
the state and federal gov- received a new $6 mil- has committed billions of do so in a locked case in checked baggage. They
ernment for humanitarian lion commitment from the dollars to “Operation Lone also must declare them to the airline, the TSA said.
help as they prepare for an Federal Emergency Man- Star,” an unprecedented At a congressional hearing earlier this year, some law-
onslaught of new arrivals agement Agency, but Sa- border security effort that makers and airport administrators called for higher
once public health rule Title maniego said the area is has included bussing mi- fines, gun safety classes for violators and other mea-
42 ends on Wednesday. still short millions of dollars grants to so-called sanctu- sures. They said the maximum fines were rarely im-
The rule has been used to it needs to house and pro- ary cities like New York, Los posed and clearly weren’t working as a deterrent.
deter more than 2.5 mil- vide food and aid to the Angeles and Washington, But other lawmakers said most of the passengers who
lion migrants from crossing new arrivals. He urged the D.C., as well as a massive get caught simply forgot they were carrying a gun,
since March 2020. state and federal govern- presence of state troopers and higher fines won’t stop that problem.
Temperatures in the region ments to provide the addi- and National Guard along When the TSA finds a gun, it generally checks to see if
were set to drop below tional money. the Texas-Mexico border. it was stolen or involved in a previous crime. The agen-
freezing this week, and on “The strategy is in place, Additionally, the Repub- cy may also confiscate the gun.
Sunday people wrapped we know how to do this, lican Texas governor has In addition to the fine __ an amount determined by
in Red Cross blankets were all we need is the resourc- pushed continued efforts the TSA based on the circumstances of each case
seen walking near the air- es,” Samaniego said. “We to build former President __ the TSA will revoke PreCheck eligibility for at least
port. do not need someone to Donald Trump’s wall using five years for anyone caught with a gun at a secu-
On Saturday, El Paso Mayor determine how it is being mostly private land along rity checkpoint. Passengers may also be arrested for a
Oscar Leeser issued a state done or how it is going to the Texas-Mexico border firearms violation depending on the state or local laws
of emergency declaration be done. We are one of and crowdsourcing funds in the airport’s location.q
allowing the Texas border the safest cities in the coun- to help pay for it.q