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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 29 OcTOber 2019
Feds: Brothers with

alleged Hezbollah

ties are 'dangerous'

By AMY FORLITI other communities around
Associated Press the world."
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Fed- Prosecutors painted Usa-
eral prosecutors say two ma Hamade as a "violent,
brothers charged with drunken, gun-toting thug"
conspiring to export drone who threatened to kill a
parts and technology from government witness and
the U.S. to Iranian-backed his family by cutting him "to
Hezbollah militia in Leba- pieces" and once bragged
non are "dangerous" and that he cut off his garden-
should remain in custody er's arms and bashed his
while they await trial, ac- gardener's skull after an
cording to a court docu- apparent theft.
In this Feb. 19, 2019 file photo, children line up to enter a tent at the Homestead Temporary Shelter ment filed Monday. The witness told authorities
for Unaccompanied Children in Homestead, Fla. Usama and Issam Hamade that he had regular con-
Associated Press
are charged with conspir- tact with Usama Hamade
Florida child migrant detention facility acy to violate U.S. export from 2009 to 2011, and that
laws. Usama Hamade is he and his wife went to Leb-
shuts down also charged with smug- anon with Usama Hamade
gling. Prosecutors say that in 2010. When they arrived
from 2009 to 2013, the Leb- in Beirut, the witness said,
MIAMI (AP) — The Trump would retain access to the ico border. anese brothers repeatedly a group of armed men in
administration announced site in case the number of As Homeland Security sec- acquired sophisticated darkened limos separated
Monday that it is shutting child migrants rises. retary, Kelly first revealed technology for drones then him from his wife and drove
down one of the largest U.S. A court filing earlier this the U.S. government was illegally exported them to them with lights and sirens
facilities for child migrants, year alleged the govern- considering separating Hezbollah, which the U.S. to a flat that Usama called
which had come under in- ment was holding migrant families who were migrat- considers a terrorist organi- his Beirut home.
tense criticism because of children in "prison-like con- ing to deter others consid- zation. The witness said Usama told
its regimented conditions ditions" for months, allowing ering traveling north. The Hamades were ar- him the Hamade broth-
and the contractor's ties to limited phone calls and or- This year, the facility under- rested in February 2018 in ers were both members of
a freshly departed White dering them to follow strict went a massive expansion South Africa and were re- Hezbollah, and both broth-
House official. rules or face prolonged de- from 1,350 to 2,350 beds. cently extradited to the ers had pictures of Hezbol-
The U.S. Department of tention. In April, federal officials an- U.S. They will appear in a lah leader Hassan Nasral-
Health and Human Servic- Democratic presidential nounced the capacity was federal court in Minnesota lah in their homes. Usama
es said in a statement that hopefuls turned the Miami- growing to hold 3,200 chil- on Tuesday for a hearing Hamade also had firearms
it has reduced bed capac- area facility into a cam- dren because of a surge of to determine whether they around the flat and fired
ity from 1,200 to zero and paign stop this summer, migrants crossing the U.S.- will be released pending tri- shots into the sky. Usama
the contract with Compre- when about 2,500 teens Mexico border. al. A third defendant, Samir Hamade also filmed the in-
hensive Health Services Inc. were held there. They at- Three months after leaving Ahmed Berro, remains at side of his apartment and
is set to end on Nov. 30. tacked the administration the Trump administration in large. posted the video to Face-
About 2,000 workers will be for holding children in a January, Kelly was spotted An attorney for Issam book. A Hezbollah flag is
let go in the coming days. cramped detention center by protesters touring the fa- Hamade said in a court visible, as well as an assault
The Homestead, Florida, run by a private company cility east of the Everglades filing that his client was a rifle propped against the
facility emptied out in Au- tied to former White House in a golf cart. Authorities member of the Lebanese nightstand, prosecutors
gust but had remained op- Chief of Staff John Kelly. confirmed he had visited Armed Forces, not Hezbol- said.
erational in case there was The Homestead facility, a the site on April 4, on be- lah. An attorney for Usama Prosecutors said that as he
no room at shelters for teen former Labor Department half of Caliburn Internation- Hamade made no com- was fighting extradition to
migrants who cross the U.S.- Job Corps site, also was al Corp., which owns the ment ahead of Tuesday's the U.S., Usama Hamade
Mexico border and end up used during the Obama contractor Comprehensive hearing. said Nasrallah is a spiritual
in government custody. administration to hold up Health Services. Five days According to an indict- leader and there is noth-
Health and Human Ser- to 800 migrants from June later, that company was ment, the parts included ing nefarious about the
vices said the decision to 2016 to April 2017. awarded a no-bid con- inertial measurement units, photograph. Hamade also
eliminate beds was to "en- It reopened in March 2018, tract for $341 million citing which can be used to said Hezbollah is a political
sure fiscal prudence." Last but the contractor was an immediate need to in- track an aircraft's position, party, not a terrorist organi-
month, Jonathan Hayes, di- then backed by a private crease bed capacity. and digital compasses, zation.
rector of the department's equity company Kelly had The company later pub- which can be paired with Prosecutors called that
Office of Refugee Resettle- advised as a board mem- licly announced Kelly had the inertial measurement "preposterous," saying
ment, said the facility was ber in the months before joined the board. units for drone guidance one of the drone parts
costing $720,000 a day to joining the Trump adminis- Caliburn has in its executive systems. The parts also in- acquired is only useful in
run even when no children tration. The facility held as suite a high-ranking military cluded a jet engine and 20 military applications. They
were left there. many as 140 children who officer who advised Presi- piston engines. say Skype calls between
In a letter to Congress, the were separated from their dent Donald Trump in his Prosecutors wrote that He- Usama Hamade and an
administration informed parents last year as part of first months in office and a zbollah has used drones for undercover agent show
lawmakers that the facility a "zero-tolerance" policy former Department of De- many years and that the Hamade said he would be
was transitioning to "warm that separated thousands fense principal deputy in- brothers "present a danger proud to be placed on the
status" with no beds but of families at the U.S.-Mex- spector general.q to the United States, and to U.S. terror list.q