Home · World · Sep 13 archive
U.S. Pushes for Zero Migrants as Russian Drone Strike Sparks Concerns in Ukraine
Developing
In Short: U.S. peace envoys are meeting with Russian and Ukrainian leaders to revive peace talks, while Washington aims to stop migrants from entering the U.S., even as cartels use tunnels to evade border controls.
U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to revive peace talks, according to reports. Meanwhile, the Biden administration is intensifying efforts to halt the flow of migrants into the U.S., with Stephen Miller, a key architect of former President Trump's immigration policies, directing increased investigations into smuggling networks.
An average of 400 migrants were apprehended daily at the U.S. border in July, according to U.S. Customs and Border Patrol data. Miller's goal is to achieve zero migrants entering the U.S., and he has been in near-daily communication with senior U.S. law enforcement officials, including the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ronald Johnson, to find new ways to stop the influx.
However, the push for zero migrants has led to an increase in alternative methods of passage, such as tunnels. In 2023, there were at least 200 tunnels spanning the border, according to U.S. ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar. These tunnels are faster, safer, and more expensive for migrants, who would otherwise face dangerous routes, experts say.
Cartels charge migrants up to $15,000 each to use tunnels to El Paso, an official familiar with the dynamics said. In May, authorities captured 19 migrants, including three unaccompanied minors, in the San Diego storm water drainage system. A remote surveillance camera spotted the migrants emerging from the system, highlighting the growing use of these underground passages.
What's still developing
- Fox News reporter Stephanie Bennett has the latest on U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as the Trump administration pushes to revive stalled peace negotiations, with discussions focusing on a potential path toward ending the war and broader diplomatic efforts on 'Special Report.' Ukrainian drones struck deep into Russia’s Arctic north Wednesday, sparking a fire at an industrial facility in Novy Urengoy, a city in the heart of Russia’s most important natural-gas producing region.
- A rescuer works at the site of a Russian drone strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, in a picture released on April 30. (Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Civil Administration Serhiy Lysak via Telegram/Handout via Reuters) United24 described Wednesday’s attack as the deepest Ukrainian drone strike inside Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
- Ukrainian defense manufacturer Fire Point appeared to claim involvement, posting: "Guess who covered more than 3,300 km and successfully hit the target." The extraordinary strike comes as Washington makes a renewed push to end the more than four-year war even as Russia and Ukraine intensify long-range attacks on each other.
- Last year, Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations agents also found a tunnel that ran under the Rio Grande from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico into El Paso.
- Rather than pushing back against that framing, Jeffries leaned into it during an appearance on ABC News' This Week.
Sources
- Los Angeles Timeslink