The Mexican sewage canal dubbed 'immigration purgatory' by people deported from the U.S.
What happens to immigrants when they are kicked out of the U.S.? Some are forced to return to Mexico dragging everything they own to a place that's described as hell on earth. Kyung Lah has their story.
Missing radioactive material found in Mexico
Authorities in Mexico have located a stolen truck that was carrying a cargo of radioactive cobalt 60. What is not known at this point is if all of the material has been recovered. If terrorists get their hands on cobalt 60 they can use it to make a dirty bomb. Brian Todd has late developments.
Anderson discussed this situation with National Security Analyst and former CIA officer Bob Baer.
Defense: Video proves woman's innocence
Yanira Maldonado remained in a Mexican jail after authorities accused her of smuggling marijuana under a bus seat. The Mormon mother of seven has maintained her innocence as media coverage of the case has spread throughout the United States.
On Thursday security camera video was shown inside the Mexican court where a judge will decide by Friday whether or not there is enough evidence to charge the U.S. citizen with drug trafficking.
CNN's Rafael Romo was one of a few journalists shown the security footage. As the couple boarded the bus they were "only carrying two blankets, two bottles of water and a purse," he described. FULL POST
American woman detained in Mexico: 'I'm innocent'
On Wednesday CNN's Rafael Romo spoke with Yanira Maldonado, the Arizona woman imprisoned in Mexico. In the jailhouse interview, Maldonado proclaimed her innocence and wept at the circumstances that have put her behind bars, far from her children and grandchildren.
She was in the country for a relative's funeral and on her way home with her husband Gary when police arrested her on a bus and accused her of smuggling drugs. Authorities claim they found 12 pounds of marijuana under her seat.
Her family believes she was framed because Mexican soldiers at the checkpoint wanted a bribe.
Was jailed U.S. citizen framed in Mexico?
An Arizona mother of seven will be back in court on Wednesday as a judge weighs whether she will go free or remain behind bars in Mexico, her family said.
It's a situation Yanira Maldonado's family said she never imagined when she boarded a bus to head back to the United States last week after attending a family funeral.
Now she's facing drug-smuggling charges after Mexican authorities said they found 12 pounds of marijuana under her bus seat.
Her family vehemently denies the charges and accuses authorities of arresting her to get bribe money.
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Post by: Filed under: Crime & Punishment • Mexico |
Rancher: Mexican border isn't secure
Dan Bell owns a cattle ranch in Nogales, Arizona, that sits right on the border with Mexico. He's been on the property his whole life and has seen firsthand the violence and tragedy that stem from issues with illegal immigration.
"I don't believe there's a day that goes by - either illegal immigrants or somebody smuggling contraband drugs," Bell told CNN's Gary Tuchman. "There's always somebody coming across."
A tall fence lines some of Bells' land, but mostly the only thing dividing the two countries is a rickety barbed wire fence that can easily be climbed; he makes repairs to it himself.
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Post by: Filed under: Immigration • Mexico |
Gun landed former Marine in Mexican prison
A former U.S. Marine is free after spending four months in a Mexican prison. Jon Hammar was held on a questionable gun charge because he crossed the border with his great grandfather's antique shot gun, which was deemed too short by Mexican authorities.
U.S. officials told him it was permitted after he completed the proper paperwork, but he was arrested as soon as he entered the country. He says the purpose of the gun was so he and the friend he was traveling with could hunt while camping. The trip was intended to be a surfing vacation in Costa Rica.
Hammar described the harsh conditions to Anderson Cooper. Other inmates in the prison tried to extort money from his parents. He was then removed from the general population and placed in solitary confinement where he was chained to his bed.
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Post by: Filed under: Crime & Punishment • Mexico |
Former Marine stuck in Mexican prison
Jon Hammar, a former U.S. Marine, has been jailed in Mexico since August. He was arrested on his way to Costa Rica for a surfing vacation because of a gun he brought into the country, which he says he had declared with the proper paperwork. CNN's Gary Tuchman reports.
Father: Mexican guards chain son to bed
Jon Hammar's parents describe where their son, a U.S. veteran, is being detained in Mexico. They're pleading for his release.
Tonight on AC360: Ex-U.S. Marine jailed in Mexico, Florida parents plead for his release
Jon Hammar dreamed of escaping to Costa Rica. As a U.S. Marine he served his country in Iraq and Afghanistan and returned home to battle with post-traumatic stress disorder. After getting treatment, he was ready to start his life over.
Costa Rica was where Hammar, 27, an avid surfer, wanted to find some calm, riding the waves and relaxing. He left with a friend, another former Marine, but their drive from Florida to Costa Rica didn’t go as planned and now he’s facing another battle. The U.S. veteran is behind bars in Mexico, facing gun charges and his family is speaking out tonight on 360, pleading for his release.
Hammer’s parents, Jon Sr. and Olivia, say the trouble centers around the decades-old Sears and Roebuck shotgun he brought along on the trip. It was Hammer’s great grandfather’s gun.
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