News Roundup: Here's What You Missed
By Justine Quintana
1. ICE Arrests and Imprisons DREAMer and DACA Recipient
Daniel Ramirez Medina, 23, was arrested in his home of Des Moines, Wash. by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (I.C.E.) last week. A briefing held on Feb. 16 stated Ramirez’s tattoos were cause to believe he might be part of a gang. One reads “La Paz," which translates to “Peace,” and another “BCS,” which stands for “Baja California Sur,” — Ramirez’s place of birth. A vigil has been maintained by his supporters outside the Northwest Detention Center where he is being held. His lawyer says he is not part of a gang. Ramirez has been in the U.S. since age 7. Lorena Gonzalez, Seattle council member, says of Ramirez's hearing that will take place on Friday Feb. 17, “…We’re all on pins and needles here in Seattle, in Washington state, not just for Daniel, but, again, for the 750,000 DREAMers that live across the country.” This is the first case of a DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, being arrested under a Trump administration according to Gonzalez.
- Source: Democracy Now
2. The Damages of Southern California Storms
Rain hit Southern California early Friday morning and has left a trail of destruction and transit delays in its path. Flooding shut down the 5 freeway in the San Fernando Valley and 110 freeway in South L.A., forcing drivers to take alternative routes. Metrolink riders expected 30 minute to one hour delays due to trains running at slower speeds for safety measures. Duarte residents experienced major flooding along with mudslides with no apparent damage to homes. Two cars were swallowed by a sinkhole in Studio City with one passenger being rescued and the other of the other car escaping just before it fell into the sinkhole. A power-outage hit over 78,000 residents across L.A.
- Source: The Los Angeles Times
3. Trump Gains Trademark Protection in China
President Trump had been unsuccessfully fighting in court to gain trademark protection for construction in China for the last decade. That is until November of last year when the trademark was awarded to Trump and officially registered this week after a three month period for objections ended. While Trump already has numerous other trademarks in China, this new construction trademark is an example of many more to come so long as he continues to gain permission in China.
- Source: CNN
4. Illegally Crossing Over Into Arms of Canadian Police
Due to fear of what may happen to their cases in the U.S., many are now choosing to be arrested by illegally entering the Canadian border. From remote areas of New York, individuals and even families are crossing into the Quebec province, often through snowy parts by foot or taxi. "Once that we do all our checks and that we can confirm that they're not a threat to national security, we hand them over to [the Canadian Border Service Agency], who then start the immigration process," says Cpl. Camille Habel a Spokesperson with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
- Source: NPR
5. New Continent Discovered Under Water
While Australia and New Zealand have always been considered to make up the continent of Australia, researchers have now discovered New Zealand lays upon a separate 1.8 million-square-mile continent crust. Including New Caledonia along with other islands and territories, "Zealandia," is located in the southwest Pacific Ocean. The identification of Zealandia as a geological continent, rather than a collection of continental islands, fragments, and slices, more correctly represents the geology of this part of Earth ... [and] provides a fresh context in which to investigate processes of continental rifting, thinning, and breakup,” said authors of the Geological Society of America.
- Source: The Huffington Post