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A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 8 May 2023
SUV driver hits crowd at Texas bus stop near border; 7 dead

By VALERIE GONZALEZ and overnight shelter in the city
MICHAEL GONZALEZ and manages the release
Associated Press of thousands of migrants
BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) from federal custody.
— An SUV slammed into Maldonado said the cen-
a crowd Sunday, killing at ter had not received any
least seven people and in- threats before the crash,
juring at least 10 who were but they did afterward.
waiting at a bus stop out- "I've had a couple of peo-
side a migrant shelter in the ple come by the gate and
border city of Brownsville, tell the security guard that
Texas, police said. the reason this happened
Shelter director Victor Mal- was because of us," Maldo-
donado of the Bishop En- nado said.
rique San Pedro Ozanam The shelter can hold 250,
Center said he reviewed but many who arrive leave
the shelter's surveillance the same day. In the last
video on Sunday morning several weeks, an uptick in
after receiving a call about border crossings prompt-
the crash. ed the city to declare an
"What we see in the video A damaged vehicle sits at the site of a deadly collision near a bus stop in Brownsville, Texas, on emergency as local, state
is that this SUV, a Range Sunday, May 7, 2023. and federal resources coor-
Rover, just ran the light that Associated Press dinated enforcement and
was about a 100 feet away people walking on the side- tentional. In order for us to "Then we'll fingerprint him humanitarian response.
and just went through the walk about 30 feet from the find out exactly what hap- and (take a) mug shot, and "In the last two months,
people who were sitting main group were also hit, pened, we have to elimi- then we can find his true we've been getting 250
there in the bus stop," Mal- Maldonado said. Witnesses nate the other two." identity." to 380 a day," Maldonado
donado said. detained the driver as he The driver was taken to Police also retrieved a said. While the shelter of-
The city bus stop is across tried to run away and held the hospital for injuries sus- blood sample and sent it fers migrants transportation
the street from the shelter him until police arrived, he tained when the car rolled to a Texas Department of during the week, they also
and is not marked. There said. over, Sandoval said. There Public Safety lab to test for use the city's public trans-
was no bench, and people Brownsville police investi- were no passengers in the intoxicants. portation.
waiting there were sitting gator Martin Sandoval said car and police didn't im- Brownsville has long been U.S. Rep. Vicente González
along the curb, Maldo- the crash happened about mediately know the driv- an epicenter for migration said Sunday that local offi-
nado said. He said most of 8:30 a.m. and police did ers' name or age, Sandoval across the U.S.-Mexico bor- cials are in communication
the victims were Venezu- not know whether the driv- said on Sunday afternoon. der, and it has become a with the federal govern-
elan men. He said the SUV er intentionally hit people. "He's being very uncooper- key location of interest for ment about the crash.
flipped after running up on "It can be three factors," ative at the hospital, but he next week's end to pan- "We are all extremely sad
the curb and continued Sandoval said. "It could be will be transported to our demic-era border restric- and heart broken to have
moving for about 200 feet intoxication; it could be an city jail as soon as he gets tions known as Title 42. The such a tragedy in our
(about 60 meters). Some accident; or it could be in- released," Sandoval said. Ozanam shelter is the only neighborhood," he said.q

Medicaid expansion for new moms wins approval in Missouri

ously balked at Medicaid tending postpartum Med- Missouri, where abortion is
expansions but which are icaid coverage for new banned except in certain
now joining Democrat- mothers from 60 days to 12 medical emergencies, Sen-
ic states in providing 12 months. "Postpartum health ate President Pro Tem Ca-
months of coverage — in- issues occur far beyond 60 leb Rowden opened this
stead of the typical 60 days days, and I am pleased year's session by saying he
— after women give birth. the Legislature passed this wanted broaden the defi-
"If we want healthy babies, long overdue bill," Alaska nition of "pro-life" policies
we have to have healthy Republican Gov. Mike Dun- — citing longer postpartum
mammas — and that is so leavy said in a statement. Medicaid coverage as one
important," said Republi- Some Republican-led example.
can state Sen. Elaine Gan- states didn't act upon the When the Senate initially
non, one of the sponsors of Medicaid expansion un- passed the legislation ear-
the Missouri legislation. til after the U.S. Supreme lier this year, conservative
The option for longer Med- Court used a Mississippi Republicans attached a
Missouri state Sen. Elaine Gannon speaks to reporters Friday, icaid coverage was made case last June to overturn a provision intended to ex-
May 5, 2023, at her Capitol office in Jefferson City, Mo. possible under a pandemic constitutional right to abor- clude women who get
Associated Press relief law signed by Presi- tion. When Mississippi Gov. elective abortions. But that
By DAVID A. LIEB approval Friday as part of dent Joe Biden in 2021. Tate Reeves, a Republican, was stripped from the final
Associated Press a national push to improve About two-thirds of states signed legislation in March version after other lawmak-
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) maternal health. already have implement- expanding postpartum ers raised concerns that
— Lower-income new The legislation, which now ed 12 months of postpar- Medicaid coverage, he de- an anti-abortion provision
mothers could gain a full goes to Gov. Mike Parson, tum care, according to the scribed it as part of a "new could jeopardize needed
year of Medicaid health- would add Missouri to a Kaiser Family Foundation. pro-life agenda" to help approval from the federal
care coverage in Missouri growing list of Republican- The Alaska Legislature on mothers now that abor- Centers for Medicare &
under legislation given final led states that have previ- Friday passed legislation ex- tion access is restricted. In Medicaid. q