Mexican-American Mormons bad blood with drug cartels

Mexico&nbsp;alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La&nbsp;Linea"<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-calls-for-war-on-cartels-as-mormons-murdered-in-mexico-260206"> massacred nine&nbsp;Mormon</a>&nbsp;women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted.

The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States.

Eight other children managed to escape, six of them wounded. The case has caused a shock on both sides of the border and prompted US President Donald Trump to call for a "war" on Mexican cartels.

The head of the Mexican military's joint chiefs of staff, Homero Mendoza, said authorities now believe the massacre was perpetrated by&nbsp;La&nbsp;Linea&nbsp;(The Line), a drug cartel based in Chihuahua.

He said investigations indicated the&nbsp;group&nbsp;had sent a squadron to the lawless mountain region where the attack occurred to fend off potential incursions by a rival gang, Los Salazar, which is based in Sonora, after recent clashes between the two.

But relatives rejected a case of mistaken identity, saying they believe their family was deliberately targeted.

"I have to emphasize there was no duelling cartels and there was no crossfire that our family were caught up in. They were murdered -- massacred -- solely by one acting cartel from Chihuahua," family member Lafe Langford Jr. told AFP.

Adran LeBaron, the father and grandfather of some of the victims, said that according to two of the surviving children, their aunt exited her SUV, arms raised in surrender, only to be mowed down with gunfire.

"So where is the mistaken identity? There was no mistake here," he told Mexican TV network Televisa.

The two families involved, the LeBarons and Langfords, have been targeted by criminal groups in the past.

Benjamin LeBaron, the founder of a crime-fighting&nbsp;group&nbsp;called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of his 16-year-old brother, who was released after the family refused to pay a ransom.

The families are part of a large&nbsp;group&nbsp;of US Mormons who emigrated to&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;in the late 19th century, fleeing persecution for their traditions, including polygamy.

As they prepared to hold a funeral Thursday for their slain loved ones, details continued to pour in on the eight surviving children's harrowing ordeal.

Lafe Langford told CNN that after riddling the cars with bullets and setting one of them alight, the gunmen pulled survivors from one of the cars and told them to flee.

Realizing their shot and bleeding siblings would not make it far, two adolescent children helped others to hide in the brush. One then went for help, he said.

"The details that are coming from them are just -- they're just hard to hear, the heroic actions, the loneliness they felt in those mountains for hours and hours all shot up and wounded, carrying each other in their arms. And just the effort by these six children to survive and come home to their father," he said.

"I mean, what they went through, what they experienced, I don't -- we don't have the capacity just to imagine what these children went through."

The victims ranged in age from eight months to 12 years.

Another child, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive on the floor of one of the cars, where her mother had put her when the shooting began.

An eight-year-old girl was also missing for more than 10 hours, before being found unharmed several kilometres&nbsp;away.

Information on the case remains murky.

Authorities had initially blamed a different criminal&nbsp;group&nbsp;active in the region, Los Jaguares, but had moved beyond that theory by Wednesday.

Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said investigators found more than 200 .223 calibre bullet casings manufactured by American gunmaker Remington at the scene.

That type of round is commonly used in military-style assault rifles.

He said&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;and the United States would soon launch a bilateral program "to control arms trafficking from the US to&nbsp;Mexico."

He added that 70 per cent of the guns linked to crimes in&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;come from the United States.

The attack has highlighted the lawlessness in much of the border region, the scene of frequent turf wars between cartels fighting over lucrative drug trafficking routes into the United States.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;"will share information" with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the ongoing probe.

Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La Linea" massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted.

Mexico alleged Wednesday that a drug cartel called "La Linea" massacred nine Mormon women and children in a case of mistaken identity, but devastated relatives insisted their loved ones were deliberately targeted. The three women and six children, who had dual US-Mexican citizenship, were killed in a hail of bullets Monday as they drove on a rural road between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Eight other children managed to escape, six of them wounded. The case has caused a shock on both sides of the border and prompted US President Donald Trump to call for a "war" on Mexican cartels. The head of the Mexican military's joint chiefs of staff, Homero Mendoza, said authorities now believe the massacre was perpetrated by La Linea (The Line), a drug cartel based in Chihuahua. He said investigations indicated the group had sent a squadron to the lawless mountain region where the attack occurred to fend off potential incursions by a rival gang, Los Salazar, which is based in Sonora, after recent clashes between the two. But relatives rejected a case of mistaken identity, saying they believe their family was deliberately targeted. "I have to emphasize there was no duelling cartels and there was no crossfire that our family were caught up in. They were murdered -- massacred -- solely by one acting cartel from Chihuahua," family member Lafe Langford Jr. told AFP. Adran LeBaron, the father and grandfather of some of the victims, said that according to two of the surviving children, their aunt exited her SUV, arms raised in surrender, only to be mowed down with gunfire. "So where is the mistaken identity? There was no mistake here," he told Mexican TV network Televisa. The two families involved, the LeBarons and Langfords, have been targeted by criminal groups in the past. Benjamin LeBaron, the founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of his 16-year-old brother, who was released after the family refused to pay a ransom. The families are part of a large group of US Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century, fleeing persecution for their traditions, including polygamy. As they prepared to hold a funeral Thursday for their slain loved ones, details continued to pour in on the eight surviving children's harrowing ordeal. Lafe Langford told CNN that after riddling the cars with bullets and setting one of them alight, the gunmen pulled survivors from one of the cars and told them to flee. Realizing their shot and bleeding siblings would not make it far, two adolescent children helped others to hide in the brush. One then went for help, he said. "The details that are coming from them are just -- they're just hard to hear, the heroic actions, the loneliness they felt in those mountains for hours and hours all shot up and wounded, carrying each other in their arms. And just the effort by these six children to survive and come home to their father," he said. "I mean, what they went through, what they experienced, I don't -- we don't have the capacity just to imagine what these children went through." The victims ranged in age from eight months to 12 years. Another child, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive on the floor of one of the cars, where her mother had put her when the shooting began. An eight-year-old girl was also missing for more than 10 hours, before being found unharmed several kilometres away. Information on the case remains murky. Authorities had initially blamed a different criminal group active in the region, Los Jaguares, but had moved beyond that theory by Wednesday. Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said investigators found more than 200 .223 calibre bullet casings manufactured by American gunmaker Remington at the scene. That type of round is commonly used in military-style assault rifles. He said Mexico and the United States would soon launch a bilateral program "to control arms trafficking from the US to Mexico." He added that 70 per cent of the guns linked to crimes in Mexico come from the United States. The attack has highlighted the lawlessness in much of the border region, the scene of frequent turf wars between cartels fighting over lucrative drug trafficking routes into the United States. Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said Mexico "will share information" with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the ongoing probe.

Mexico probes narco group 'La Linea' in Mormon murders

The massacre of nine women and children in northern Mexico could test breakaway Mormon families' attachment to communities that for decades have been a haven for a way of life shunned by the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Faith in Mexico shaken for 'true believer' Mormon communities

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;remains: a&nbsp;trove&nbsp;of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants&nbsp;found&nbsp;in central&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-probes-narco-group-la-linea-in-mormon-murders-260430">Mexico</a>.

Moreover, they believe they have made the first-ever find of a&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;trap set by humans, who would have used it to capture the&nbsp;huge&nbsp;herbivores more than 14,000 years ago, said&nbsp;Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH).

"This is the largest find of its kind ever made," the institute said in a statement.

The skeletal remains were&nbsp;found&nbsp;in Tultepec, near the site where President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government is building a new airport for&nbsp;Mexico City.

Some bore signs that the animals had been hunted, leading experts to conclude that they had&nbsp;found&nbsp;"the world's first&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;trap," it said.

"Mammoths lived here for thousands of years. The herds grew, reproduced, died, were hunted... They lived alongside other species, including horses and camels," archaeologist Luis Cordoba told journalists.

Researchers said at least five&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;herds lived in the area of the find.

Mexico&nbsp;has been the scene of surprising&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;discoveries before.

In the 1970s, workers building the&nbsp;Mexico City&nbsp;subway&nbsp;found&nbsp;a&nbsp;mammoth&nbsp;skeleton while digging on the capital's north side.

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of mammoth remains: a trove of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants found in central Mexico.

Archaeologists said Wednesday they have made the largest-ever discovery of mammoth remains: a trove of 800 bones from at least 14 of the extinct giants found in central Mexico. Moreover, they believe they have made the first-ever find of a mammoth trap set by humans, who would have used it to capture the huge herbivores more than 14,000 years ago, said Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). "This is the largest find of its kind ever made," the institute said in a statement. The skeletal remains were found in Tultepec, near the site where President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's government is building a new airport for Mexico City. Some bore signs that the animals had been hunted, leading experts to conclude that they had found "the world's first mammoth trap," it said. "Mammoths lived here for thousands of years. The herds grew, reproduced, died, were hunted... They lived alongside other species, including horses and camels," archaeologist Luis Cordoba told journalists. Researchers said at least five mammoth herds lived in the area of the find. Mexico has been the scene of surprising mammoth discoveries before. In the 1970s, workers building the Mexico City subway found a mammoth skeleton while digging on the capital's north side.

Huge trove of mammoth skeletons found in Mexico

9 US Citizens Were Killed in an Ambush in Mexico. Watch video to know more.

9 US Citizens Were Killed in an Ambush in Mexico

President <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-administration-begins-formal-exit-from-paris-climate-pact-259963">Donald&nbsp;Trump</a>&nbsp;offered Tuesday to help&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area&nbsp;and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war"&nbsp;on&nbsp;the drug&nbsp;cartels.

Gunmen ambushed the members of the LeBaron family,&nbsp;a large clan of&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;who emigrated to&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;in the late 19th century,&nbsp;on&nbsp;a rural road Monday between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States.

Three women and six children were killed, including two twin babies, said relatives and Mexican officials. Six children were also wounded in the attack, which left the family's three cars riddled with bullets and badly charred.

"If&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing &amp; able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively,"&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;wrote in a tweet.

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A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these.....
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1191708046126399488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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He praised Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking, but said "the&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army!

"This is the time for&nbsp;Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage&nbsp;WAR&nbsp;on&nbsp;the drug&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;and wipe them off the face of the earth."

Lopez Obrador&nbsp;said he would accept "all necessary cooperation" to get justice for the victims, all of whom lived&nbsp;on&nbsp;the Mexican side but had dual nationality.

But the left-wing populist, who has declared an end to&nbsp;Mexico's "drug wars," said he was not looking for a new one.

"We don't agree (with&nbsp;Trump)&nbsp;on&nbsp;that," he told a news conference. "War&nbsp;is synonymous with irrationality."

He later tweeted that he had thanked&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;for his support in a phone call.

The White House said the presidents had spoken about the "growing violent behavior" of drugs&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;and other criminal gangs.

"President&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;made clear that the United States condemns these senseless acts of violence that took the lives of nine American citizens and offered&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;assistance to ensure the perpetrators face justice," said spokesman&nbsp;Hogan Gidley.&nbsp;

Devastated members of the LeBaron family took to social media to call for people's prayers and condemn the lawless violence gripping much of the border region.

"It was a massacre," Julian LeBaron, an activist who has denounced criminal groups in the area, told Mexican radio network Formula.

He said the women were&nbsp;on&nbsp;their way to the airport with their children when their SUVs were attacked.

Several children managed to escape and return home&nbsp;on&nbsp;foot, he added.

Another, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive beneath her mother's body.

An eight-year-old girl was also left missing for about 24 hours, before being found several kilometers away, unharmed.

Relatives said the children were all deeply traumatized. Five wounded children were airlifted for medical treatment in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said the family may have been mistakenly targeted or caught in the crossfire in turf wars between rival drug&nbsp;cartels. LeBaron, however, said the family believes they were deliberately attacked.

The LeBaron community are descendants of&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;who fled the United States in the late 1800s after being persecuted for their traditions, including polygamy. Many are dual US-Mexican citizens.

One former member is George Romney, father of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was born in 1907 in Colonia Dublan in Chihuahua state, according to the US network NBC.

Mitt Romney said&nbsp;on&nbsp;Twitter he was "heartbroken for the victims of the horrific attacks."

It is not the first time the LeBaron family has been targeted. Julian LeBaron's brother Benjamin, founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of their 16-year-old brother.

The murder came after the&nbsp;Mormons&nbsp;refused to pay the ransom. The young LeBaron was eventually released.

The region around the 3,145-kilometer&nbsp;US-Mexican border is plagued by violent crime.

Trump, who is battling to build the border wall that was his signature campaign pledge, regularly tells&nbsp;Mexico&nbsp;to do more to fight drug trafficking and illegal migration across the frontier.

Lopez Obrador typically responds that the United States needs to crack down&nbsp;on&nbsp;illegal firearms trafficking, which generates an estimated $127 million in profits a year for the American gun industry.

Mexico&nbsp;has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006.

Many experts blame the "drug wars" for spiraling violence, as fragmented&nbsp;cartels&nbsp;battle each other and the army.

Lopez Obrador has struggled to rein in the violence since taking office in December 2018. This year appears&nbsp;on&nbsp;track to set a new murder record in&nbsp;Mexico, with 25,890 so far.

President Donald Trump offered Tuesday to help Mexico hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war" on the drug cartels.

President Donald Trump offered Tuesday to help Mexico hunt the killers of nine Mormon women and children shot dead in a lawless border area and said the United States stood ready to back its southern neighbor in a "war" on the drug cartels. Gunmen ambushed the members of the LeBaron family, a large clan of Mormons who emigrated to Mexico in the late 19th century, on a rural road Monday between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, which border the United States. Three women and six children were killed, including two twin babies, said relatives and Mexican officials. Six children were also wounded in the attack, which left the family's three cars riddled with bullets and badly charred. "If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these monsters, the United States stands ready, willing & able to get involved and do the job quickly and effectively," Trump wrote in a tweet. A wonderful family and friends from Utah got caught between two vicious drug cartels, who were shooting at each other, with the result being many great American people killed, including young children, and some missing. If Mexico needs or requests help in cleaning out these..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2019 × He praised Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador for prioritizing the fight against drug trafficking, but said "the cartels have become so large and powerful that you sometimes need an army to defeat an army! "This is the time for Mexico, with the help of the United States, to wage WAR on the drug cartels and wipe them off the face of the earth." Lopez Obrador said he would accept "all necessary cooperation" to get justice for the victims, all of whom lived on the Mexican side but had dual nationality. But the left-wing populist, who has declared an end to Mexico's "drug wars," said he was not looking for a new one. "We don't agree (with Trump) on that," he told a news conference. "War is synonymous with irrationality." He later tweeted that he had thanked Trump for his support in a phone call. The White House said the presidents had spoken about the "growing violent behavior" of drugs cartels and other criminal gangs. "President Trump made clear that the United States condemns these senseless acts of violence that took the lives of nine American citizens and offered Mexico assistance to ensure the perpetrators face justice," said spokesman Hogan Gidley. Devastated members of the LeBaron family took to social media to call for people's prayers and condemn the lawless violence gripping much of the border region. "It was a massacre," Julian LeBaron, an activist who has denounced criminal groups in the area, told Mexican radio network Formula. He said the women were on their way to the airport with their children when their SUVs were attacked. Several children managed to escape and return home on foot, he added. Another, a three-month-old baby, was found wounded but alive beneath her mother's body. An eight-year-old girl was also left missing for about 24 hours, before being found several kilometers away, unharmed. Relatives said the children were all deeply traumatized. Five wounded children were airlifted for medical treatment in Phoenix, Arizona. Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said the family may have been mistakenly targeted or caught in the crossfire in turf wars between rival drug cartels. LeBaron, however, said the family believes they were deliberately attacked. The LeBaron community are descendants of Mormons who fled the United States in the late 1800s after being persecuted for their traditions, including polygamy. Many are dual US-Mexican citizens. One former member is George Romney, father of 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who was born in 1907 in Colonia Dublan in Chihuahua state, according to the US network NBC. Mitt Romney said on Twitter he was "heartbroken for the victims of the horrific attacks." It is not the first time the LeBaron family has been targeted. Julian LeBaron's brother Benjamin, founder of a crime-fighting group called SOS Chihuahua, was assassinated in 2009 after he led protests over the kidnapping of their 16-year-old brother. The murder came after the Mormons refused to pay the ransom. The young LeBaron was eventually released. The region around the 3,145-kilometer US-Mexican border is plagued by violent crime. Trump, who is battling to build the border wall that was his signature campaign pledge, regularly tells Mexico to do more to fight drug trafficking and illegal migration across the frontier. Lopez Obrador typically responds that the United States needs to crack down on illegal firearms trafficking, which generates an estimated $127 million in profits a year for the American gun industry. Mexico has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug trafficking in 2006. Many experts blame the "drug wars" for spiraling violence, as fragmented cartels battle each other and the army. Lopez Obrador has struggled to rein in the violence since taking office in December 2018. This year appears on track to set a new murder record in Mexico, with 25,890 so far.

Trump calls for 'war' on cartels as Mormons murdered in Mexico

Mexico City came alive on Friday (November 01) to celebrate the dead with a Day of the Dead celebration complete a with massive offering dedicated to iconic deceased Mexicans in the capital city's main square - the Zocalo.

Day of the Dead altars take over Mexico City's main square

Day of the Dead: Mexico's colourful cult festival

Across The World, There Are Plenty Of Ways In Which Different Cultures Remember The Dead.

Gravitas: How does the world remember the dead?

Mexicans celebrate the continuity of life after death. Skeletons fill Mexican streets in lead up to Day of the Dead celebrations.

Day of the Dead parades across Mexico

Lewis Hamilton won the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/lewis-hamilton-in-no-hurry-to-win-formula-one-title-in-mexico-255719">Mexican Grand Prix </a>for Mercedes after a first-lap scare on Sunday but the Briton will have to wait another week to wrap up his sixth Formula One world championship.

Hamilton's 10th win of the season and 83rd of his career was also a 100th for Mercedes as a constructor.

The victory stretched his lead over third-placed Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas to 74 points, making the title a mere formality that will surely be secured in Texas next weekend.

"We came here thinking we were on the back foot, knowing it was a difficult race for us, but we pulled through," said Hamilton, who had not finished on the podium in Mexico for the past two years despite taking his 2017 and 2018 titles there.

"I had quite a bit of damage on my car so the race was quite a bit of a struggle," said Hamilton, referring to the consequences of an opening lap clash with Red Bull's Max Verstappen that he described as 'hair-raising'.

"I don't mind (not taking the title in Mexico).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/valtteri-bottas-wins-japanese-grand-prix-for-mercedes-255605">Bottas</a> now has to win in Austin with the fastest lap to stay in the mathematical reckoning while Hamilton need score only four points, an eighth-place,&nbsp;&nbsp;to be sure of the title whatever his teammate does.

Ferrari's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/sebastian-vettel-ends-long-wait-for-victory-with-singapore-triumph-251252">Sebastian Vettel </a>was a close second with team mate Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position and set the fastest lap but was undone by a two-stop strategy and a problem pitstop, fourth.

Hamilton made his car's hard tyres last for 48 laps to the finish on a one-stop strategy despite questioning the wisdom of that approach.

Without regular race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington for the first time in seven years, Hamilton suggested he had pitted too early,&nbsp;&nbsp;with chief strategist James Vowles having to reassure him over the radio that the win was possible.

Bottas, who crashed heavily in qualifying and started sixth after a lengthy car rebuild, said he could not have done much more on a slow-burning afternoon that was all about tyre management.

"I enjoyed it, considering yesterday. It's a good result," he said.

Mercedes have already secured the constructors' title for the sixth year in a row, and are also sure of an unprecedented sixth successive championship double.

Both Mercedes drivers lost out at the start, with Vettel squeezing out Hamilton, who had lined up third behind the two Ferraris but had to take avoiding action.

Four-times champion Vettel apologised to Hamilton, saying he had not seen him in his mirrors and was trying to get into Leclerc's slipstream for a tow down the straight.

Hamilton tracked across the grass runoff, wrestling with the steering wheel to prevent a race-wrecking spin, and returned in fifth place with Bottas losing a place to seventh.

As Leclerc led Vettel away, Red Bull's British-born Thai rookie Alexander Albon made the most of the mayhem to catapult himself into third place.

Verstappen, who was stripped of a pole on Saturday after failing to slow for warning flags, dropped to the back after contact with Bottas left the 22-year-old limping back to the pits on a wheel rim after a right rear puncture.

The Dutchman, winner in Mexico for the past two years, carved his way back through the field to sixth at the chequered flag with Albon fifth.

"Lewis was just cruising for most of the second stint up to the point where the pack was arriving, and then I guess he had enough tyres left," said Vettel of an afternoon on which he overruled the team on strategy and stayed out.

"It was a good race, but here and there maybe with a strategy we could have been a bit sharper."

Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Racing Point, to cheers from the sellout crowd.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo was eighth for Renault with Frenchman Pierre Gasly ninth for Toro Rosso and German driver Nico Hulkenberg taking the final point for Renault.

Russian Daniil Kvyat finished ninth on the track but was handed a 10-second time penalty after colliding with Hulkenberg and sending him spinning into the wall.

Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Grand Prix for Mercedes after a first-lap scare on Sunday but the Briton will have to wait another week to wrap up his sixth Formula One world championship.

Lewis Hamilton won the Mexican Grand Prix for Mercedes after a first-lap scare on Sunday but the Briton will have to wait another week to wrap up his sixth Formula One world championship. Hamilton's 10th win of the season and 83rd of his career was also a 100th for Mercedes as a constructor. The victory stretched his lead over third-placed Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas to 74 points, making the title a mere formality that will surely be secured in Texas next weekend. "We came here thinking we were on the back foot, knowing it was a difficult race for us, but we pulled through," said Hamilton, who had not finished on the podium in Mexico for the past two years despite taking his 2017 and 2018 titles there. "I had quite a bit of damage on my car so the race was quite a bit of a struggle," said Hamilton, referring to the consequences of an opening lap clash with Red Bull's Max Verstappen that he described as 'hair-raising'. "I don't mind (not taking the title in Mexico). Bottas now has to win in Austin with the fastest lap to stay in the mathematical reckoning while Hamilton need score only four points, an eighth-place, to be sure of the title whatever his teammate does. Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel was a close second with team mate Charles Leclerc, who started from pole position and set the fastest lap but was undone by a two-stop strategy and a problem pitstop, fourth. Hamilton made his car's hard tyres last for 48 laps to the finish on a one-stop strategy despite questioning the wisdom of that approach. Without regular race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington for the first time in seven years, Hamilton suggested he had pitted too early, with chief strategist James Vowles having to reassure him over the radio that the win was possible. Bottas, who crashed heavily in qualifying and started sixth after a lengthy car rebuild, said he could not have done much more on a slow-burning afternoon that was all about tyre management. "I enjoyed it, considering yesterday. It's a good result," he said. Mercedes have already secured the constructors' title for the sixth year in a row, and are also sure of an unprecedented sixth successive championship double. Both Mercedes drivers lost out at the start, with Vettel squeezing out Hamilton, who had lined up third behind the two Ferraris but had to take avoiding action. Four-times champion Vettel apologised to Hamilton, saying he had not seen him in his mirrors and was trying to get into Leclerc's slipstream for a tow down the straight. Hamilton tracked across the grass runoff, wrestling with the steering wheel to prevent a race-wrecking spin, and returned in fifth place with Bottas losing a place to seventh. As Leclerc led Vettel away, Red Bull's British-born Thai rookie Alexander Albon made the most of the mayhem to catapult himself into third place. Verstappen, who was stripped of a pole on Saturday after failing to slow for warning flags, dropped to the back after contact with Bottas left the 22-year-old limping back to the pits on a wheel rim after a right rear puncture. The Dutchman, winner in Mexico for the past two years, carved his way back through the field to sixth at the chequered flag with Albon fifth. "Lewis was just cruising for most of the second stint up to the point where the pack was arriving, and then I guess he had enough tyres left," said Vettel of an afternoon on which he overruled the team on strategy and stayed out. "It was a good race, but here and there maybe with a strategy we could have been a bit sharper." Mexican Sergio Perez was seventh for Racing Point, to cheers from the sellout crowd. Australian Daniel Ricciardo was eighth for Renault with Frenchman Pierre Gasly ninth for Toro Rosso and German driver Nico Hulkenberg taking the final point for Renault. Russian Daniil Kvyat finished ninth on the track but was handed a 10-second time penalty after colliding with Hulkenberg and sending him spinning into the wall.

F-1: Lewis Hamilton wins Mexico Grand Prix

For three minutes on Saturday, Mayra Miranda emotionally hugged her daughters whom she had not seen for three years since she was deported from the United States&nbsp;back to Mexico.

Her daughters stayed with their grandparents in the United States, while she lives in Ciudad Juarez.

"They (US authorities) don't know the pain they cause people with deportation. It marks your life. It damages not only children but parents and siblings," Miranda said.

Daniela Torres asked for days off work to travel from the Mexican city of Torreon, located more than 800 kilometres away to see her relatives. Her brother and a cousin live in the United States but they cannot see each other.

Undocumented migrants were at an event with hundreds of other families with mixed immigration status who were reunited with relatives in a "hugs not wall" meeting arranged by an El Paso, Texas-based advocacy group, Border Network for Human Rights.

At the event on the border, more than 300 other families all donned blue shirts, while their counterparts from the Juarez, Mexico side wore white shirts to ensure no one tried to slip across. The brief reunions are approved by US&nbsp;government agencies since participants stay on the riverbed that marks the frontier. 
 
"In the midst of walls, children in jails, rejecting refugees, to have refugee camps in Juarez, in the midst of that attack, we have an event today where families are meeting mid-river, defying walls, defying unfair migration policies. That's the meaning of today's event", said Fernando Garcia, the Director of the Border Network for Human Rights.

After speeches from the organisers, both sides rushed together for three minutes of tearful hugs, embraces and excited face-to-face conversations.

Those moments were fleeting however and they separated again amid tears and sadness hoping their paths will someday cross again.

For three minutes on Saturday, Mayra Miranda emotionally hugged her daughters whom she had not seen for three years since she was deported from the United States back to Mexico.

For three minutes on Saturday, Mayra Miranda emotionally hugged her daughters whom she had not seen for three years since she was deported from the United States back to Mexico. Her daughters stayed with their grandparents in the United States, while she lives in Ciudad Juarez. "They (US authorities) don't know the pain they cause people with deportation. It marks your life. It damages not only children but parents and siblings," Miranda said. Daniela Torres asked for days off work to travel from the Mexican city of Torreon, located more than 800 kilometres away to see her relatives. Her brother and a cousin live in the United States but they cannot see each other. Undocumented migrants were at an event with hundreds of other families with mixed immigration status who were reunited with relatives in a "hugs not wall" meeting arranged by an El Paso, Texas-based advocacy group, Border Network for Human Rights. At the event on the border, more than 300 other families all donned blue shirts, while their counterparts from the Juarez, Mexico side wore white shirts to ensure no one tried to slip across. The brief reunions are approved by US government agencies since participants stay on the riverbed that marks the frontier. "In the midst of walls, children in jails, rejecting refugees, to have refugee camps in Juarez, in the midst of that attack, we have an event today where families are meeting mid-river, defying walls, defying unfair migration policies. That's the meaning of today's event", said Fernando Garcia, the Director of the Border Network for Human Rights. After speeches from the organisers, both sides rushed together for three minutes of tearful hugs, embraces and excited face-to-face conversations. Those moments were fleeting however and they separated again amid tears and sadness hoping their paths will someday cross again.

Families reunited in 'Hugs Not Walls' event at United States-Mexico border

Donald Trump has made building a barrier to stop migrants on the US-Mexico border a central plank of his presidency, but on Wednesday, he came up with a puzzling new twist to the initiative: a wall in Colorado.

The problem? Colorado lies well within the United States, though its large southern neighbour New Mexico does border Mexico.

"You know why we are going to win New Mexico? Because they want safety on their border," Trump said during a speech in Pittsburgh.

"And we are building a wall on the border of New Mexico, and we are building a wall in Colorado," he continued. "We are building a beautiful wall, a big one that really works, that you can't get over, you can't get under."

"And we are building a wall in Texas, and we are not building a wall in Kansas, but they get the benefit of the walls that we just mentioned," he added.

Building a wall on the southern border with Mexico was one of the signature promises of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but Congress has refused to pay for its construction.

Politicians and social media users reacted to Trump's comment with bafflement and mockery.

"Well, this is awkward... Colorado doesn't border Mexico," tweeted the state's Governor Jared Polis.

"Good thing Colorado now offers free full-day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography."

Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy tweeted a map showing a new international border drawn around New Mexico and a line obscuring the first half of the state's name so that it reads: Mexico.

Trump later tweeted he had spoken of building a wall in Colorado "kiddingly", and "referred to people in the very packed auditorium, from Colorado &amp; Kansas, getting the benefit of the Border Wall!"

&nbsp;

Donald Trump has made building a barrier to stop migrants on the US-Mexico border a central plank of his presidency, but on Wednesday, he came up with a puzzling new twist to the initiative: a wall in Colorado.

Donald Trump has made building a barrier to stop migrants on the US-Mexico border a central plank of his presidency, but on Wednesday, he came up with a puzzling new twist to the initiative: a wall in Colorado. The problem? Colorado lies well within the United States, though its large southern neighbour New Mexico does border Mexico. "You know why we are going to win New Mexico? Because they want safety on their border," Trump said during a speech in Pittsburgh. "And we are building a wall on the border of New Mexico, and we are building a wall in Colorado," he continued. "We are building a beautiful wall, a big one that really works, that you can't get over, you can't get under." "And we are building a wall in Texas, and we are not building a wall in Kansas, but they get the benefit of the walls that we just mentioned," he added. Building a wall on the southern border with Mexico was one of the signature promises of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, but Congress has refused to pay for its construction. Politicians and social media users reacted to Trump's comment with bafflement and mockery. "Well, this is awkward... Colorado doesn't border Mexico," tweeted the state's Governor Jared Polis. "Good thing Colorado now offers free full-day kindergarten so our kids can learn basic geography." Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy tweeted a map showing a new international border drawn around New Mexico and a line obscuring the first half of the state's name so that it reads: Mexico. Trump later tweeted he had spoken of building a wall in Colorado "kiddingly", and "referred to people in the very packed auditorium, from Colorado & Kansas, getting the benefit of the Border Wall!"

Trump says building a wall... in Colorado

The mug shot-style photo of Ovidio Guzman that appeared as he was apprehended oozed defiance. Chin jutting out, eyes trained on the camera, the handsome youth bore a strong resemblance to his infamous father, jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

He had reason to be cocksure. In response to his capture in an upscale neighbourhood, hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen, guns blazing, were pouring into Culiacan, briefly taking the modern city of about a million people near Mexico’s Pacific coast hostage.

Within hours they had pried him loose from authorities.

It was like nothing Mexico had seen before, a military-style operation that outfoxed and outnumbered security forces, leaving the city shocked and smouldering. The show of strength dashed hopes the cartel was seriously weakened by the life sentence the elder Guzman received in the United States this year.

Not only were the new generation of Guzmans, collectively known as Los Chapitos, keeping alive their family's near-mythical outlaw reputation, they were doing it with a brazenness akin to open warfare.

"We're facing a new generation of organized crime that doesn't respect civilians," Cristobal Castaneda, head of Sinaloa state security, told Reuters after the attacks.

Four surviving sons of El Chapo were already regulars in Culiacan's nightclubs and restaurants, despite US&nbsp;indictments against them, before last Thursday's dramatic act of armed insurrection.

A concrete monument in the parking lot of a Culiacan supermarket marks the spot where a fifth son was gunned down in 2008.

None of the four are older than their mid-thirties. They have already survived kidnappings, arrest attempts and cartel infighting to establish themselves as the city's most prominent traffickers, with the support of cartel elders.

Thursday's attacks showed they were capable of taking on the Mexican army, state police and National Guard. Using a mixture of firepower, speed, discipline and the underlying threat of mass civilian deaths, they won.

Castaneda pointed to how over several hours gunmen stormed into businesses and sprayed police with bullets in crowded areas, on a scale unprecedented in the country’s long-running drug war. Remarkably, the government says just 13 people were killed, including a soldier and several cartel gunmen.

Finally, a humbled Mexican government was forced to order Ovidio's release, opting against a bloodier confrontation that officials later said could have claimed hundreds of lives.

For many, Ovidio's newfound celebrity elevated him, along with his brothers, to the status of Sinaloa Cartel heavyweights, with Ovidio's exploits placing just him a few notches below his father in the pantheon of bandits who outsmarted the government.

A so-called narcocorrido – a style of song about the drug trade set to upbeat tuba and accordion rhythms – was released by Sunday, lionizing Ovidio as a "beast" and proclaiming that "the government was mistaken/they don’t know who they messed with.”

Despite the high profile antics, it is unclear exactly how much influence the Guzmans have over the cartel their father helped found decades ago, however.

Los Chapitos control drug sales in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, including a growing trade in methamphetamine, according to one official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Earlier this year, a fentanyl laboratory was found in the city, suggesting that the Guzmans also have their eye on the lucrative US&nbsp;opiate business.

But the cartel’s bigger interests are still believed to be handled by El Chapo's former partner, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a discrete capo in his early 70s who has never been arrested.

The businesses Zambada handles move billions of dollars, US&nbsp;authorities say, and are diversified across many sectors in dozens of countries, including even niche markets like wildlife and timber smuggling.

Edgardo Buscaglia, an organized crime expert at Columbia University, agrees that Zambada probably still controls the cartel. He described the new generation as more reckless, but certainly not as powerful.

In recent years, the relationship between the family and Zambada has been fraught, with his son testifying against El Chapo at his US&nbsp;trial. In turn, the defense argued Zambada was the real head of the cartel, not El Chapo.

However, Zambada, who is said to be Ovidio's godfather, apparently supported the assault to release him. A statement issued on Tuesday under the cartel's C.D.S insignia was intended as a show of unity between the factions, Buscaglia said.

In one crackly recording circulating online, purportedly of internal Sinaloa Cartel radio communications on Thursday, a supposed gunman celebrates that Zambada was supporting the battle to release Ovidio.

Thursday's antics showed Ovidio commanded sufficient loyalty in the organization for fighters to risk their lives to save him, Buscaglia said. And despite the cartel's head-on fight with the state to release him, he predicted Los Chapitos were smart enough avoid sustained confrontation with security forces.

"They know they would lose in the long term," he said.

Narco princes

Up until last week, Ivan Archivaldo, estimated to be 35, and Jesus Alfredo were El Chapo’s better-known sons. Locals say both could be spotted in the city’s trendy nightclubs and restaurants clustered around Culiacan’s upscale Tres Rios neighbourhood, where Ovidio was briefly detained by a force of about 35 soldiers.

Far from hiding in safehouses, they and their friends are known to enjoy tearing through Culiacan’s nearby hills in souped-up all-terrain vehicles, two people said. Two dealerships that sell high-end models are located in the city.

"Yeah, a lot of people here know who they are and see them out and about," said a young clerk at a clothing shop, asking that her name not be used for fear of reprisals.

In 2017, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo were believed to be behind an attack on then-rival Damaso Lopez, a high-level Sinaloa Cartel leader once rumored to be El Chapo’s successor, in the dusty town of Villa Juarez just outside Culiacan.

"It was crazy. The shootout lasted more than two hours. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta," said a local witness, mimicking the sound of gunfire and pointing to where bullet holes remain visible. Two people died, including a pregnant woman.

More than a decade ago, Ivan Archivaldo was arrested and jailed, but he was released in 2008 due to what a judge called a lack of evidence. That same year, El Chapo’s eldest son, Edgar Guzman, was gunned down in a supermarket parking lot in Culiacan, the spot now marked by a stone cross.

Following the footsteps of El Chapo, who staged two spectacular prison breaks and eluded capture multiple times, Ivan Archivaldo dodged an imminent arrest in 2014 by dressing as a waiter and fleeing through the kitchen of a high-end seafood restaurant in Culiacan, government sources told Mexico's Milenio newspaper.

"It will always be like this," Ivan Archivaldo said in an interview published last year in Belgian magazine Knack, when asked if there was a war between the cartel and the state.

"It is the government's job to fight us, by mandate, they have to fight drug cartels," he said, adding: “There’s a lot of people who protect me and my family.”

The mug shot-style photo of Ovidio Guzman that appeared as he was apprehended oozed defiance. Chin jutting out, eyes trained on the camera, the handsome youth bore a strong resemblance to his infamous father, jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.

The mug shot-style photo of Ovidio Guzman that appeared as he was apprehended oozed defiance. Chin jutting out, eyes trained on the camera, the handsome youth bore a strong resemblance to his infamous father, jailed drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He had reason to be cocksure. In response to his capture in an upscale neighbourhood, hundreds of heavily-armed Sinaloa Cartel henchmen, guns blazing, were pouring into Culiacan, briefly taking the modern city of about a million people near Mexico’s Pacific coast hostage. Within hours they had pried him loose from authorities. It was like nothing Mexico had seen before, a military-style operation that outfoxed and outnumbered security forces, leaving the city shocked and smouldering. The show of strength dashed hopes the cartel was seriously weakened by the life sentence the elder Guzman received in the United States this year. Not only were the new generation of Guzmans, collectively known as Los Chapitos, keeping alive their family's near-mythical outlaw reputation, they were doing it with a brazenness akin to open warfare. "We're facing a new generation of organized crime that doesn't respect civilians," Cristobal Castaneda, head of Sinaloa state security, told Reuters after the attacks. Four surviving sons of El Chapo were already regulars in Culiacan's nightclubs and restaurants, despite US indictments against them, before last Thursday's dramatic act of armed insurrection. A concrete monument in the parking lot of a Culiacan supermarket marks the spot where a fifth son was gunned down in 2008. None of the four are older than their mid-thirties. They have already survived kidnappings, arrest attempts and cartel infighting to establish themselves as the city's most prominent traffickers, with the support of cartel elders. Thursday's attacks showed they were capable of taking on the Mexican army, state police and National Guard. Using a mixture of firepower, speed, discipline and the underlying threat of mass civilian deaths, they won. Castaneda pointed to how over several hours gunmen stormed into businesses and sprayed police with bullets in crowded areas, on a scale unprecedented in the country’s long-running drug war. Remarkably, the government says just 13 people were killed, including a soldier and several cartel gunmen. Finally, a humbled Mexican government was forced to order Ovidio's release, opting against a bloodier confrontation that officials later said could have claimed hundreds of lives. For many, Ovidio's newfound celebrity elevated him, along with his brothers, to the status of Sinaloa Cartel heavyweights, with Ovidio's exploits placing just him a few notches below his father in the pantheon of bandits who outsmarted the government. A so-called narcocorrido – a style of song about the drug trade set to upbeat tuba and accordion rhythms – was released by Sunday, lionizing Ovidio as a "beast" and proclaiming that "the government was mistaken/they don’t know who they messed with.” Despite the high profile antics, it is unclear exactly how much influence the Guzmans have over the cartel their father helped found decades ago, however. Los Chapitos control drug sales in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa, including a growing trade in methamphetamine, according to one official who spoke on condition of anonymity. Earlier this year, a fentanyl laboratory was found in the city, suggesting that the Guzmans also have their eye on the lucrative US opiate business. But the cartel’s bigger interests are still believed to be handled by El Chapo's former partner, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, a discrete capo in his early 70s who has never been arrested. The businesses Zambada handles move billions of dollars, US authorities say, and are diversified across many sectors in dozens of countries, including even niche markets like wildlife and timber smuggling. Edgardo Buscaglia, an organized crime expert at Columbia University, agrees that Zambada probably still controls the cartel. He described the new generation as more reckless, but certainly not as powerful. In recent years, the relationship between the family and Zambada has been fraught, with his son testifying against El Chapo at his US trial. In turn, the defense argued Zambada was the real head of the cartel, not El Chapo. However, Zambada, who is said to be Ovidio's godfather, apparently supported the assault to release him. A statement issued on Tuesday under the cartel's C.D.S insignia was intended as a show of unity between the factions, Buscaglia said. In one crackly recording circulating online, purportedly of internal Sinaloa Cartel radio communications on Thursday, a supposed gunman celebrates that Zambada was supporting the battle to release Ovidio. Thursday's antics showed Ovidio commanded sufficient loyalty in the organization for fighters to risk their lives to save him, Buscaglia said. And despite the cartel's head-on fight with the state to release him, he predicted Los Chapitos were smart enough avoid sustained confrontation with security forces. "They know they would lose in the long term," he said. Narco princes Up until last week, Ivan Archivaldo, estimated to be 35, and Jesus Alfredo were El Chapo’s better-known sons. Locals say both could be spotted in the city’s trendy nightclubs and restaurants clustered around Culiacan’s upscale Tres Rios neighbourhood, where Ovidio was briefly detained by a force of about 35 soldiers. Far from hiding in safehouses, they and their friends are known to enjoy tearing through Culiacan’s nearby hills in souped-up all-terrain vehicles, two people said. Two dealerships that sell high-end models are located in the city. "Yeah, a lot of people here know who they are and see them out and about," said a young clerk at a clothing shop, asking that her name not be used for fear of reprisals. In 2017, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo were believed to be behind an attack on then-rival Damaso Lopez, a high-level Sinaloa Cartel leader once rumored to be El Chapo’s successor, in the dusty town of Villa Juarez just outside Culiacan. "It was crazy. The shootout lasted more than two hours. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta," said a local witness, mimicking the sound of gunfire and pointing to where bullet holes remain visible. Two people died, including a pregnant woman. More than a decade ago, Ivan Archivaldo was arrested and jailed, but he was released in 2008 due to what a judge called a lack of evidence. That same year, El Chapo’s eldest son, Edgar Guzman, was gunned down in a supermarket parking lot in Culiacan, the spot now marked by a stone cross. Following the footsteps of El Chapo, who staged two spectacular prison breaks and eluded capture multiple times, Ivan Archivaldo dodged an imminent arrest in 2014 by dressing as a waiter and fleeing through the kitchen of a high-end seafood restaurant in Culiacan, government sources told Mexico's Milenio newspaper. "It will always be like this," Ivan Archivaldo said in an interview published last year in Belgian magazine Knack, when asked if there was a war between the cartel and the state. "It is the government's job to fight us, by mandate, they have to fight drug cartels," he said, adding: “There’s a lot of people who protect me and my family.”

In Mexico, El Chapo's sons add brash new chapter to crime family

The residents of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-admits-bungled-arrest-of-el-chapos-son-after-mayhem-256973">Mexican city overwhelmed late last week</a> by a small army of drug cartel gunmen spent the weekend picking up the pieces of their bullet-riddled homes and businesses.

While many struggled to make sense of how easily dozens of gunmen poured into the city to thwart the attempted arrest of Ovidio Guzman, a son of jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, others busied themselves with the cleanup.

Just off the entrance of a local seafood restaurant that found itself at the heart of Thursday's hours-long siege in the city's Tres Rios neighbourhood, workers scrubbed away the dried blood from the steps.

The workers said the spot marked the final resting place of cartel gunmen following what officials described as 14 separate, armed attacks launched by the Sinaloa Cartel's convoys of pickup trucks against Mexico's outmatched military at different points in the city.

Upon finding out authorities sought to capture Ovidio Guzman and extradite him to the United States, the cartel strategically erected 19 blockades backed up by heavily-armed gunmen during a roughly four-hour stretch in the afternoon that prevented additional military and police from responding as terrorized locals scurried for cover.

One of the most intense firefights took place on the block behind the restaurant where local residents said several military vehicles had stopped along with a nondescript building with tall, white walls, in a bid to extract El Chapo's son from a residence inside.

The walls were covered with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fierce-gun-battles-as-el-chapos-son-arrested-in-mexico-256591">hundreds of bullet holes</a> as if the building had broken out in a rash.

The soldiers in the vehicles came under heavy fire from a hill across an adjacent drainage canal, and several homes in between were caught in the crossfire.

"The walls are all full of holes," said Jose Manuel Murrieta, whose home is located just below the hill where he said gunmen had taken up positions to fire upon the military vehicles.

He pointed out, with fingers covered in paint from the repairs he had started, where his mattress was now covered by a blanket of glass.

An avocado tree in the lush garden outside his bedroom had been split open by bullets and Murrieta estimated that he had already found around 500 bullet casings nearby.

He spotted another on the ground, squatted down to pick it up and then handed it over like it was a souvenir.

Like other local residents, he wonders about the possible infiltration of the cartel into local and state police but said there is no doubt that the cartel proved itself to be the stronger force, at least for one violent afternoon last week.

And then his face turned angry and he pursed his lips. "It's infuriating," he said, "because you have to ask yourself, 'Who's really in charge?'"

The residents of the Mexican city overwhelmed late last week by a small army of drug cartel gunmen spent the weekend picking up the pieces of their bullet-riddled homes and businesses.

The residents of the Mexican city overwhelmed late last week by a small army of drug cartel gunmen spent the weekend picking up the pieces of their bullet-riddled homes and businesses. While many struggled to make sense of how easily dozens of gunmen poured into the city to thwart the attempted arrest of Ovidio Guzman, a son of jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, others busied themselves with the cleanup. Just off the entrance of a local seafood restaurant that found itself at the heart of Thursday's hours-long siege in the city's Tres Rios neighbourhood, workers scrubbed away the dried blood from the steps. The workers said the spot marked the final resting place of cartel gunmen following what officials described as 14 separate, armed attacks launched by the Sinaloa Cartel's convoys of pickup trucks against Mexico's outmatched military at different points in the city. Upon finding out authorities sought to capture Ovidio Guzman and extradite him to the United States, the cartel strategically erected 19 blockades backed up by heavily-armed gunmen during a roughly four-hour stretch in the afternoon that prevented additional military and police from responding as terrorized locals scurried for cover. One of the most intense firefights took place on the block behind the restaurant where local residents said several military vehicles had stopped along with a nondescript building with tall, white walls, in a bid to extract El Chapo's son from a residence inside. The walls were covered with hundreds of bullet holes as if the building had broken out in a rash. The soldiers in the vehicles came under heavy fire from a hill across an adjacent drainage canal, and several homes in between were caught in the crossfire. "The walls are all full of holes," said Jose Manuel Murrieta, whose home is located just below the hill where he said gunmen had taken up positions to fire upon the military vehicles. He pointed out, with fingers covered in paint from the repairs he had started, where his mattress was now covered by a blanket of glass. An avocado tree in the lush garden outside his bedroom had been split open by bullets and Murrieta estimated that he had already found around 500 bullet casings nearby. He spotted another on the ground, squatted down to pick it up and then handed it over like it was a souvenir. Like other local residents, he wonders about the possible infiltration of the cartel into local and state police but said there is no doubt that the cartel proved itself to be the stronger force, at least for one violent afternoon last week. And then his face turned angry and he pursed his lips. "It's infuriating," he said, "because you have to ask yourself, 'Who's really in charge?'"

Grim cleanup underway in Mexican city rocked by cartel onslaught

Neighbourhood ravaged in pursuit of Ovidio Guzman, son of El Chapo

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would.

Their arrival at the Guatemala-Mexico border on October 19, 2018, was a harbinger of the drama to come: defying the Mexican riot police sent to stop them, they forced their way through a series of barricades and flooded onto the border bridge, camping out until the authorities relented and let them cross.

Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence at home, they banded together in hopes of finding safety in numbers against the dangers of the journey, including criminal gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants.

The images made an impact around the world: carrying their meagre belongings on their backs, many migrants pressed small children to their chests or held them by the hand. They hitched rides when they could, but often just walked in a giant sea of humanity, many in plastic shoes or flip-flops.

Honduran migrant Lizeth Garcia, 23, says she has mixed feelings when she looks back on the trek, which she made with her husband, Mauricio, and their then-one-year-old son.

"People helped us a lot along the way, in Guatemala, in Mexico. I would ask for food for my baby, and they would always help," she told AFP from Norfolk, Virginia, where she now works as a cleaner, wearing an ankle monitor while her asylum case works its way through court.

But there are bad memories, too.

"We slept in the street, for a really long time," she said.

By the time they reached the border, her son had developed severe pneumonia and was vomiting blood. He had to be hospitalized.

"My baby almost died on me in Tijuana," Mexico, she said.

Now, she and her husband are expecting their second child in two months' time. If all goes according to plan, he will be born a US citizen.

'Migrant 'invasion'&nbsp;

Gearing up for crucial midterm elections in the United States that November, President Donald Trump immediately pounced, firing up his conservative base with the rhetoric that helped get him elected in 2016.

He sent nearly 6,000 troops to the border, calling the caravan an "invasion" and warning it was full of "gang members" and "criminals."

It was not the first caravan of its kind. Activists have been organizing similar ones since 2010 to raise awareness of migrants' plight.

But it was by far the biggest, swelling to as many as 7,000 people, according to the United Nations.

It inspired numerous other caravans and seemed for a time as if it would change the face of migration in the Americas.

Arguably, it did -- though not in the way many people expected.

"At the time, people were saying, 'We're seeing a change in the migrant experience,'" said Leticia Calderon, an expert on migration at Mexico's Mora Institute.

"But in the end, it didn't create a new pattern of migration like many people thought it would."

'Mexico is the wall'&nbsp;

What there has been, instead, is a major crackdown on migration in all the countries involved.

Trump got Mexico to dramatically restrict the surge of Central Americans crossing its territory.

At the time of the caravan, Mexico looked set to soften its migration policy.

Incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- a leftist elected in a landslide that July -- talked of giving migrants opportunities and safeguarding their rights.

But then Trump threatened last May to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if the government did not curb undocumented migration.

Fearing an economic crisis, Lopez Obrador acquiesced.

His government struck a deal to avert the tariffs, promising to send 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the southern border. It has deployed many more: 12,000 Guardsmen to the southern border and 15,000 to the north.

It has also taken back more than 50,000 asylum-seekers while their cases are processed in the United States, under a policy known as "Remain in Mexico."

In a sign of how much things have changed, Mexican authorities swiftly and forcefully broke up a new caravan of 2,000 migrants earlier this month.

"Mexico has turned into a great wall," said Ruben Hernandez-Leon, a sociologist and migration expert at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA).

Using US aid for leverage, Trump has also struck deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras requiring each to take in asylum-seekers from third countries who enter their territory.

Such policies make it unlikely for now that there will be another caravan like the one that set out on October 13, 2018, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and trekked more than 4,300 kilometres (2,600 miles) to the US border.

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would.

A year ago, thousands of Central American men, women and children chasing the American dream arrived in Mexico in a massive caravan that has left a lasting legacy -- just not the one people generally thought it would. Their arrival at the Guatemala-Mexico border on October 19, 2018, was a harbinger of the drama to come: defying the Mexican riot police sent to stop them, they forced their way through a series of barricades and flooded onto the border bridge, camping out until the authorities relented and let them cross. Fleeing chronic poverty and brutal gang violence at home, they banded together in hopes of finding safety in numbers against the dangers of the journey, including criminal gangs that regularly extort, kidnap and kill migrants. The images made an impact around the world: carrying their meagre belongings on their backs, many migrants pressed small children to their chests or held them by the hand. They hitched rides when they could, but often just walked in a giant sea of humanity, many in plastic shoes or flip-flops. Honduran migrant Lizeth Garcia, 23, says she has mixed feelings when she looks back on the trek, which she made with her husband, Mauricio, and their then-one-year-old son. "People helped us a lot along the way, in Guatemala, in Mexico. I would ask for food for my baby, and they would always help," she told AFP from Norfolk, Virginia, where she now works as a cleaner, wearing an ankle monitor while her asylum case works its way through court. But there are bad memories, too. "We slept in the street, for a really long time," she said. By the time they reached the border, her son had developed severe pneumonia and was vomiting blood. He had to be hospitalized. "My baby almost died on me in Tijuana," Mexico, she said. Now, she and her husband are expecting their second child in two months' time. If all goes according to plan, he will be born a US citizen. 'Migrant 'invasion' Gearing up for crucial midterm elections in the United States that November, President Donald Trump immediately pounced, firing up his conservative base with the rhetoric that helped get him elected in 2016. He sent nearly 6,000 troops to the border, calling the caravan an "invasion" and warning it was full of "gang members" and "criminals." It was not the first caravan of its kind. Activists have been organizing similar ones since 2010 to raise awareness of migrants' plight. But it was by far the biggest, swelling to as many as 7,000 people, according to the United Nations. It inspired numerous other caravans and seemed for a time as if it would change the face of migration in the Americas. Arguably, it did -- though not in the way many people expected. "At the time, people were saying, 'We're seeing a change in the migrant experience,'" said Leticia Calderon, an expert on migration at Mexico's Mora Institute. "But in the end, it didn't create a new pattern of migration like many people thought it would." 'Mexico is the wall' What there has been, instead, is a major crackdown on migration in all the countries involved. Trump got Mexico to dramatically restrict the surge of Central Americans crossing its territory. At the time of the caravan, Mexico looked set to soften its migration policy. Incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador -- a leftist elected in a landslide that July -- talked of giving migrants opportunities and safeguarding their rights. But then Trump threatened last May to impose steep tariffs on Mexico if the government did not curb undocumented migration. Fearing an economic crisis, Lopez Obrador acquiesced. His government struck a deal to avert the tariffs, promising to send 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the southern border. It has deployed many more: 12,000 Guardsmen to the southern border and 15,000 to the north. It has also taken back more than 50,000 asylum-seekers while their cases are processed in the United States, under a policy known as "Remain in Mexico." In a sign of how much things have changed, Mexican authorities swiftly and forcefully broke up a new caravan of 2,000 migrants earlier this month. "Mexico has turned into a great wall," said Ruben Hernandez-Leon, a sociologist and migration expert at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Using US aid for leverage, Trump has also struck deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras requiring each to take in asylum-seekers from third countries who enter their territory. Such policies make it unlikely for now that there will be another caravan like the one that set out on October 13, 2018, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras and trekked more than 4,300 kilometres (2,600 miles) to the US border.

One year on, migrant caravan leaves unexpected legacy

Mexican officials on Friday admitted they had bungled the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/cartel-gunmen-terrorise-mexican-city-free-el-chapos-son-256671">arrest of kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son</a>, who they let go during shootouts with drug gangs in the streets of a major city, but the president insisted his security strategy was working.

Cartel gunmen surrounded around 35 police and national guards in the northwestern city of Culiacan on Thursday and made them free Ovidio Guzman, one of the jailed drug lord's dozen or so children after his brief detention set off widespread gun battles and a jailbreak that stunned the country.

The chaos in Culiacan, a bastion of Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, turned up the pressure on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December promising to pacify a country weary of more than a decade of gang violence and murders.

Security forces were attempting to enforce a federal judge's arrest warrant against the younger Guzman for his extradition, drawing a fierce response, the government said.

In the end, Lopez Obrador came under heavy criticism on social media and from security experts, who said that authorities risked encouraging copycat actions by caving into the gang and that the retreat from a major city created the impression that the cartel, not the state, was in control.

His own officials said the operation in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state and home to nearly a million people, had not been planned as well as it should have been.

"It was done hastily, the consequences were not considered, the riskiest part wasn't taken into account," Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval told a news conference in Culiacan, alongside Security Minister Alfonso Durazo, who called the attempt to capture the Guzman son a "failure."

Durazo admitted he and the military top brass were not aware ahead of time of the mission to take into custody the alleged trafficker, calling it a bureaucratic error.

But the president defended the government's response.

"Capturing a criminal can't be worth more than people's lives," he said, adding that officials "did well" to free Ovidio Guzman. "We don't want dead people, we don't want war," said Lopez Obrador, a veteran leftist who has advocated a less confrontational approach to tackling the gangs.

"We're doing really well in our strategy," he said.

The violent reaction to Guzman's apprehension in a wealthy area of Culiacan was on a scale rarely seen during Mexico's long drug wars.

Sandoval said he had reports of at least eight people killed, including five suspected gang members, in Culiacan, where schools were closed on Friday after the ordeal.

More than 200 soldiers were being sent to reinforce the city on Friday evening, a spokeswoman for the security ministry said. 
 
Who's in control?

One Facebook user stumbled on two dead bodies in the street near an abandoned truck, suggesting the death toll may yet rise in the city, where the government said gunmen staged 14 attacks on the armed forces and 19 roadblocks where vehicles burned.

Footage of Thursday's chaos on social media showed panicked residents fleeing and high calibre gunfire ringing out across town. People cowered in shopping centres and supermarkets and black plumes of smoke rose across the skyline.

Chaos continued into the night after a large group of inmates also escaped from the city prison.

On Friday, cars navigated burnt-out vehicles that partially blocked streets.

Gladys McCormick, a security analyst at Syracuse University in the United States, said the latest news from Mexico read like that of a country in "the throes of war."

"What is incontrovertible is that the Sinaloa Cartel won yesterday's battle," she added. "Not only did they get the government to release Ovidio, they demonstrated to the citizens of Culiacan as well as the rest of Mexico who is in control."

Durazo said the government's decision to free Guzman "involved absolutely no negotiation."

Still, questions about how the release was handled continued circulating after defence minister Sandoval said nine security personnel were "held and freed without injury."

Meanwhile, Jose Luis Gonzalez Meza, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/fierce-gun-battles-as-el-chapos-son-arrested-in-mexico-256591">a lawyer for the Guzman family</a>, thanked Lopez Obrador for the government's actions.

"We have a humane president, a Christian president who in the end decided not to hurt Ovidio," he told a news conference.

Blaming others

Lopez Obrador rejected the suggestion the government had showed weakness in releasing the younger Guzman, describing this view as "conjecture" put about by his adversaries to hurt him.

A trenchant critic of past administrations, Lopez Obrador said previous government strategies had turned Mexico into a "graveyard" and that his critics wanted him to continue with it.

He argues that authorities should focus more on the root causes of drug violence, such as poverty and a lack of jobs.

To boost security, Lopez Obrador has created a new National Guard, but thousands of that militarised police force's members have instead been sent to contain illegal immigration through Mexico at the behest of US&nbsp;President Donald Trump.

He has also sought to underline his command of law and order by chairing security cabinet meetings every weekday at 6 a.m.

Still, the murder tally in Mexico this year is on track to surpass last year's record total of more than 29,000.

Thursday's events followed the massacre of more than a dozen police in western Mexico earlier this week and the killing of 14 suspected gangsters by the army a day later.

Lopez Obrador said police swooped on the Culiacan house to capture Ovidio Guzman, contradicting the initial version put out by the government, which was that officers had come under fire from the building while passing, then found Guzman inside.

The elder Guzman escaped from prison in Mexico twice, in 2001 and 2015. Under the previous administration, security forces captured him twice in Sinaloa, in 2014 and 2016.

The previous government extradited him to the United States on the eve of Trump's accession. He was found guilty in a US&nbsp;court in February of smuggling tons of drugs and sentenced to life in prison.

The US&nbsp;Department of Justice unveiled an indictment against Ovidio and one of his brothers in February, charging them with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the United States.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration declined to comment.

Mexican officials on Friday admitted they had bungled the arrest of kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, who they let go during shootouts with drug gangs in the streets of a major city, but the president insisted his security strategy was working.

Mexican officials on Friday admitted they had bungled the arrest of kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, who they let go during shootouts with drug gangs in the streets of a major city, but the president insisted his security strategy was working. Cartel gunmen surrounded around 35 police and national guards in the northwestern city of Culiacan on Thursday and made them free Ovidio Guzman, one of the jailed drug lord's dozen or so children after his brief detention set off widespread gun battles and a jailbreak that stunned the country. The chaos in Culiacan, a bastion of Guzman's Sinaloa Cartel, turned up the pressure on President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December promising to pacify a country weary of more than a decade of gang violence and murders. Security forces were attempting to enforce a federal judge's arrest warrant against the younger Guzman for his extradition, drawing a fierce response, the government said. In the end, Lopez Obrador came under heavy criticism on social media and from security experts, who said that authorities risked encouraging copycat actions by caving into the gang and that the retreat from a major city created the impression that the cartel, not the state, was in control. His own officials said the operation in Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state and home to nearly a million people, had not been planned as well as it should have been. "It was done hastily, the consequences were not considered, the riskiest part wasn't taken into account," Defence Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval told a news conference in Culiacan, alongside Security Minister Alfonso Durazo, who called the attempt to capture the Guzman son a "failure." Durazo admitted he and the military top brass were not aware ahead of time of the mission to take into custody the alleged trafficker, calling it a bureaucratic error. But the president defended the government's response. "Capturing a criminal can't be worth more than people's lives," he said, adding that officials "did well" to free Ovidio Guzman. "We don't want dead people, we don't want war," said Lopez Obrador, a veteran leftist who has advocated a less confrontational approach to tackling the gangs. "We're doing really well in our strategy," he said. The violent reaction to Guzman's apprehension in a wealthy area of Culiacan was on a scale rarely seen during Mexico's long drug wars. Sandoval said he had reports of at least eight people killed, including five suspected gang members, in Culiacan, where schools were closed on Friday after the ordeal. More than 200 soldiers were being sent to reinforce the city on Friday evening, a spokeswoman for the security ministry said. Who's in control? One Facebook user stumbled on two dead bodies in the street near an abandoned truck, suggesting the death toll may yet rise in the city, where the government said gunmen staged 14 attacks on the armed forces and 19 roadblocks where vehicles burned. Footage of Thursday's chaos on social media showed panicked residents fleeing and high calibre gunfire ringing out across town. People cowered in shopping centres and supermarkets and black plumes of smoke rose across the skyline. Chaos continued into the night after a large group of inmates also escaped from the city prison. On Friday, cars navigated burnt-out vehicles that partially blocked streets. Gladys McCormick, a security analyst at Syracuse University in the United States, said the latest news from Mexico read like that of a country in "the throes of war." "What is incontrovertible is that the Sinaloa Cartel won yesterday's battle," she added. "Not only did they get the government to release Ovidio, they demonstrated to the citizens of Culiacan as well as the rest of Mexico who is in control." Durazo said the government's decision to free Guzman "involved absolutely no negotiation." Still, questions about how the release was handled continued circulating after defence minister Sandoval said nine security personnel were "held and freed without injury." Meanwhile, Jose Luis Gonzalez Meza, a lawyer for the Guzman family, thanked Lopez Obrador for the government's actions. "We have a humane president, a Christian president who in the end decided not to hurt Ovidio," he told a news conference. Blaming others Lopez Obrador rejected the suggestion the government had showed weakness in releasing the younger Guzman, describing this view as "conjecture" put about by his adversaries to hurt him. A trenchant critic of past administrations, Lopez Obrador said previous government strategies had turned Mexico into a "graveyard" and that his critics wanted him to continue with it. He argues that authorities should focus more on the root causes of drug violence, such as poverty and a lack of jobs. To boost security, Lopez Obrador has created a new National Guard, but thousands of that militarised police force's members have instead been sent to contain illegal immigration through Mexico at the behest of US President Donald Trump. He has also sought to underline his command of law and order by chairing security cabinet meetings every weekday at 6 a.m. Still, the murder tally in Mexico this year is on track to surpass last year's record total of more than 29,000. Thursday's events followed the massacre of more than a dozen police in western Mexico earlier this week and the killing of 14 suspected gangsters by the army a day later. Lopez Obrador said police swooped on the Culiacan house to capture Ovidio Guzman, contradicting the initial version put out by the government, which was that officers had come under fire from the building while passing, then found Guzman inside. The elder Guzman escaped from prison in Mexico twice, in 2001 and 2015. Under the previous administration, security forces captured him twice in Sinaloa, in 2014 and 2016. The previous government extradited him to the United States on the eve of Trump's accession. He was found guilty in a US court in February of smuggling tons of drugs and sentenced to life in prison. The US Department of Justice unveiled an indictment against Ovidio and one of his brothers in February, charging them with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana in the United States. The US Drug Enforcement Administration declined to comment.

Mexico admits bungled arrest of El Chapo's son after mayhem

Mexico's president faced a firestorm of criticism Friday as his security forces acknowledged they arrested kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, then released him when his cartel responded with an all-out gun battle.

Admitting his troops carried out a "badly planned" operation, Defense Minister Luis Sandoval said they briefly arrested Ovidio Guzman -- one of several sons running the Sinaloa drug cartel since their father was extradited to the US in 2017 -- but released him after being overpowered.

"It was a badly planned strategy," Sandoval told a news conference in Culiacan, the western city of 750,000 people that was turned into an urban war zone Thursday.

"The task force acted too hastily," he added, saying soldiers "improvised" by trying to obtain an arrest warrant midway through.

He added the authorities never "formally detained" Guzman, 28, one of at least nine children "El Chapo" fathered with three wives.

The six hours of clashes left one civilian and seven soldiers dead, and three police wounded, officials said after an emergency cabinet meeting in Culiacan, the state capital of Sinaloa, the Guzmans's bastion.

Stinging criticism&nbsp;

Heavily armed cartel gunmen surrounded the house where Guzman was being held Thursday afternoon and launched a massive machine-gun assault on various parts of the city, sending terrified residents fleeing for safety and leaving the streets strewn with blazing vehicles.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the decision to free Guzman.

"I support the decisions that were made. The situation turned very difficult and many citizens' lives were at risk," he told a separate news conference.

"You can't fight fire with fire," added the leftist leader, who said Mexico was acting on a US request for Guzman's extradition, which it received in September 2018.

But the incident turned what was already a difficult week on the security front -- with two other gun battles that killed 28 people -- into a total nightmare for the leftist leader.

"This is a disaster any way you look at it," tweeted security analyst Alejandro Hope.

"What happened yesterday is that the drug cartels are more powerful than the Mexican government. They can bring it to its knees. That's not good," anti-narcotics expert Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told AFP.

In Congress, members of the conservative National Action Party called on Lopez Obrador and his security cabinet to step down.

"Resign!" they chanted on the floor of the lower house.

Security Minister Alfonso Durazo denied officials had negotiated Guzman's release with his cartel.

Murky facts&nbsp;

The government also faced criticism for its murky communications.

Durazo initially said the gun battle erupted when soldiers on a routine patrol happened upon Guzman.

Lopez Obrador, however, called it a planned operation carried out with an arrest warrant. Sandoval said there was no warrant.

The government, which initially released only hazy details, took around 18 hours to admit publicly that it had captured and released Guzman.

"El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison last July in New York for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century.

However, his cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico.

His extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brothers waged war with cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada for control.

But the situation has stabilized into a reluctant truce.

The Guzman brothers have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel.

Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, has struggled to rein in the brutal violence racking Mexico.

The country has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006.

Many experts blame the "drug war" for spiralling violence, as fragmented cartels battle each other and the army.

This year appears on track to set a new homicide record, with 23,063 murders as of August.

Mexico's president faced a firestorm of criticism Friday as his security forces acknowledged they arrested kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, then released him when his cartel responded with an all-out gun battle.

Mexico's president faced a firestorm of criticism Friday as his security forces acknowledged they arrested kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's son, then released him when his cartel responded with an all-out gun battle. Admitting his troops carried out a "badly planned" operation, Defense Minister Luis Sandoval said they briefly arrested Ovidio Guzman -- one of several sons running the Sinaloa drug cartel since their father was extradited to the US in 2017 -- but released him after being overpowered. "It was a badly planned strategy," Sandoval told a news conference in Culiacan, the western city of 750,000 people that was turned into an urban war zone Thursday. "The task force acted too hastily," he added, saying soldiers "improvised" by trying to obtain an arrest warrant midway through. He added the authorities never "formally detained" Guzman, 28, one of at least nine children "El Chapo" fathered with three wives. The six hours of clashes left one civilian and seven soldiers dead, and three police wounded, officials said after an emergency cabinet meeting in Culiacan, the state capital of Sinaloa, the Guzmans's bastion. Stinging criticism Heavily armed cartel gunmen surrounded the house where Guzman was being held Thursday afternoon and launched a massive machine-gun assault on various parts of the city, sending terrified residents fleeing for safety and leaving the streets strewn with blazing vehicles. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador defended the decision to free Guzman. "I support the decisions that were made. The situation turned very difficult and many citizens' lives were at risk," he told a separate news conference. "You can't fight fire with fire," added the leftist leader, who said Mexico was acting on a US request for Guzman's extradition, which it received in September 2018. But the incident turned what was already a difficult week on the security front -- with two other gun battles that killed 28 people -- into a total nightmare for the leftist leader. "This is a disaster any way you look at it," tweeted security analyst Alejandro Hope. "What happened yesterday is that the drug cartels are more powerful than the Mexican government. They can bring it to its knees. That's not good," anti-narcotics expert Mike Vigil, former head of international operations for the US Drug Enforcement Administration, told AFP. In Congress, members of the conservative National Action Party called on Lopez Obrador and his security cabinet to step down. "Resign!" they chanted on the floor of the lower house. Security Minister Alfonso Durazo denied officials had negotiated Guzman's release with his cartel. Murky facts The government also faced criticism for its murky communications. Durazo initially said the gun battle erupted when soldiers on a routine patrol happened upon Guzman. Lopez Obrador, however, called it a planned operation carried out with an arrest warrant. Sandoval said there was no warrant. The government, which initially released only hazy details, took around 18 hours to admit publicly that it had captured and released Guzman. "El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison last July in New York for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century. However, his cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico. His extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brothers waged war with cartel co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada for control. But the situation has stabilized into a reluctant truce. The Guzman brothers have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel. Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, has struggled to rein in the brutal violence racking Mexico. The country has registered more than 250,000 murders since the government controversially deployed the army to fight drug cartels in 2006. Many experts blame the "drug war" for spiralling violence, as fragmented cartels battle each other and the army. This year appears on track to set a new homicide record, with 23,063 murders as of August.

Mexico admits freeing Chapo's son after 'badly planned' operation

Mexico's week of bloodshed: What is going on?

Mexico frees El Chapo's son amid gunfire. El Chapo was sentenced in the U.S. in July

Mexico frees El Chapo's son amid gunfire

Mexico has deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi, the National Migration Institute (INM) said late in what it described as unprecedented transatlantic deportation.

Unprecedented mass repatriation: Mexico deports 311 Indians

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-the-rise-and-fall-of-el-chapo-236998">"El Chapo" Guzman</a> in an operation that triggered intense fighting.

Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover.

Security Minister Alfonso Durazo confirmed the arrest of a man identifying himself as Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons who assumed partial control of the notorious cartel run by their father until he was extradited to the United States in 2017.

Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police personnel under assault by men armed with heavy weapons.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his security cabinet was holding a meeting and would soon give further details on the situation.

Sources in the Sinaloa state government speaking on condition of anonymity said police officers had been wounded.

They also said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison in Culiacan amid the chaos.

The state government said it was "working to restore calm and order in the face of the high-impact incidents that have occurred in recent hours in various points around Culiacan."

It called on residents to "remain calm, stay off the streets and be very attentive to official advisories on the evolving situation."

The battle broke out in the afternoon near the state prosecutor's office, when masked gunmen blocked traffic and opened fire, causing panicked drivers to abandon their cars in the middle of the street.

The fighting then spread to several other parts of the city.

Gunmen blocked roads and highways around the city into the evening, bringing the capital to a standstill.

"El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison in July for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century.

However, his Sinaloa cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico.

Guzman's extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brother Alfredo waged war with cartel co-founder, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, for control, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

But the situation has since stabilized into a reluctant truce.

Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was rearrested in 2016 after a brazen prison escape, the second of his career.

He is considered the most powerful drug lord since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police shootout in 1993.

After being convicted in a New York court, he is now serving his sentence in the notorious ADX federal maximum security prison in Colorado, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the Rockies."

Ovidio and Alfredo have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel.

Known as "Los Chapitos," or The Little Chapos, the pair were attacked in 2016 in a restaurant in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta.

They survived the attack, which the authorities called an attempted hit by rivals.

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered intense fighting. Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover.

Mexican security forces on Thursday arrested one son of jailed drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman in an operation that triggered intense fighting. Heavy gunfire rocked Culiacan, a city of 750,000 people, in sustained clashes that left blazing vehicles strewn across the street and sent terrified residents running for cover. Security Minister Alfonso Durazo confirmed the arrest of a man identifying himself as Ovidio Guzman, one of the sons who assumed partial control of the notorious cartel run by their father until he was extradited to the United States in 2017. Images carried on Mexican television showed army and police personnel under assault by men armed with heavy weapons. President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his security cabinet was holding a meeting and would soon give further details on the situation. Sources in the Sinaloa state government speaking on condition of anonymity said police officers had been wounded. They also said an unknown number of inmates had escaped from the Aguaruto prison in Culiacan amid the chaos. The state government said it was "working to restore calm and order in the face of the high-impact incidents that have occurred in recent hours in various points around Culiacan." It called on residents to "remain calm, stay off the streets and be very attentive to official advisories on the evolving situation." The battle broke out in the afternoon near the state prosecutor's office, when masked gunmen blocked traffic and opened fire, causing panicked drivers to abandon their cars in the middle of the street. The fighting then spread to several other parts of the city. Gunmen blocked roads and highways around the city into the evening, bringing the capital to a standstill. "El Chapo," 62, was sentenced to life in prison in July for trafficking hundreds of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States over the course of a quarter-century. However, his Sinaloa cartel remains one of the most powerful in Mexico. Guzman's extradition unleashed an initial period of instability in the group, as Ovidio and his brother Alfredo waged war with cartel co-founder, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, for control, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake. But the situation has since stabilized into a reluctant truce. Guzman, whose nickname means "Shorty," was rearrested in 2016 after a brazen prison escape, the second of his career. He is considered the most powerful drug lord since Colombia's Pablo Escobar, who was killed in a police shootout in 1993. After being convicted in a New York court, he is now serving his sentence in the notorious ADX federal maximum security prison in Colorado, nicknamed the "Alcatraz of the Rockies." Ovidio and Alfredo have tried to fill their father's shoes, but anti-narcotics experts portray them as flashy party boys who have little ability to run the business side of the cartel. Known as "Los Chapitos," or The Little Chapos, the pair were attacked in 2016 in a restaurant in the beach town of Puerto Vallarta. They survived the attack, which the authorities called an attempted hit by rivals.

Fierce gun battles as El Chapo's son arrested in Mexico

Mexico has deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi, the National Migration Institute (INM) said late on Wednesday, calling it unprecedented transatlantic deportation.

The move follows a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions/migrants-will-pay-the-price-of-mexicos-tariff-deal-with-trump-226455">deal Mexico struck</a> with the United States in June, vowing to significantly curb US-bound migration in exchange for averting US&nbsp;tariffs on Mexican exports.

"It is unprecedented in INM's history - in either form or the number of people - for a transatlantic air transport like the one carried out on this day," INM said in a statement.

The 310 men and one woman that INM said were in Mexico illegally were sent on a chartered flight, accompanied by federal immigration agents and Mexico's National Guard. They arrived in New Delhi on Friday.

Most of the deportees were from India's northern Punjab state, an Indian official said. Police will run checks if any of them had a criminal history, another official said.

INM said the deportees had been scattered in eight states around Mexico, including in southern Mexico from where many Indian migrants enter the country, hoping to transit to the US&nbsp;border.

The backlog of migrants in southern Mexico has grown as officials have stopped issuing permits for them to cross the country, said Caitlyn Yates, a research coordinator at IBI Consultants who has studied increasing numbers of US-bound Asian and African migrants arriving in Mexico.

"This type of deportation in Mexico is the first of its kind but likely to continue," Yates said.

Mexico has deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi, the National Migration Institute (INM) said late on Wednesday, calling it unprecedented transatlantic deportation.

Mexico has deported over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi, the National Migration Institute (INM) said late on Wednesday, calling it unprecedented transatlantic deportation. The move follows a deal Mexico struck with the United States in June, vowing to significantly curb US-bound migration in exchange for averting US tariffs on Mexican exports. "It is unprecedented in INM's history - in either form or the number of people - for a transatlantic air transport like the one carried out on this day," INM said in a statement. The 310 men and one woman that INM said were in Mexico illegally were sent on a chartered flight, accompanied by federal immigration agents and Mexico's National Guard. They arrived in New Delhi on Friday. Most of the deportees were from India's northern Punjab state, an Indian official said. Police will run checks if any of them had a criminal history, another official said. INM said the deportees had been scattered in eight states around Mexico, including in southern Mexico from where many Indian migrants enter the country, hoping to transit to the US border. The backlog of migrants in southern Mexico has grown as officials have stopped issuing permits for them to cross the country, said Caitlyn Yates, a research coordinator at IBI Consultants who has studied increasing numbers of US-bound Asian and African migrants arriving in Mexico. "This type of deportation in Mexico is the first of its kind but likely to continue," Yates said.

Mexico deports over 300 Indian nationals to New Delhi

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business.

But after months of losses and uncertainty amid the trade war Trump launched, many in the farm sector say they need more detail before they pop the champagne corks.

Shortly after announcing that a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-president-donald-trump-announces-partial-trade-deal-with-china-255358">trade deal had been reached </a>in principle between the world's two leading economies, the president even jokingly suggested on Twitter that farmers "start thinking about getting bigger tractors!"

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CHINA HAS ALREADY BEGUN AGRICULTURAL PURCHASES FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS &amp; RANCHERS!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1183500215241859073?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2019</a></blockquote>
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But on Monday, the country's biggest agricultural federation, the Farm Bureau, told AFP it was awaiting more concrete information on the tentative deal with China, which negotiators are continuing to finalize.

And Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that "while we are glad to see a detente in this seemingly endless trade war, the tangible benefits to American family farmers and ranchers are unclear."

"Over what timeframe will the $50 billion of agricultural purchases -- an amount that is double our peak annual farm exports to China -- take place?" he asked in a statement on Friday.

At their peak in 2012 and 2013, when a drought in the US had sent the prices of agricultural commodities to record levels, exports to China reached no higher than $26 billion.

China's imports of US farm goods fell in 2017 to $19.5 billion, before dropping sharply last year to just over $9 billion after Beijing imposed burdensome taxes on US imports in retaliation for similar US measures.

"From the very beginning of the trade war, farmers have been promised that their patience would be rewarded," Brian Kuehl, co-executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. "To date, the deal they've been promised has not come."

The Trump administration has released $28 billion in financial aid to American farmers to soften the blow from the Chinese tariffs, but there is no mention in the trade deal of China lifting its existing tariffs.

"Farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas and elsewhere will still wake up facing double-digit tariffs into one of America's largest export markets," Kuehl said.

At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where brokers bet on trends in the prices of farm products, the market was far from euphoric.

Soybean prices were up just 0.5 per cent on Monday, even though American producers of oilseed products would be among the first to benefit from a surge in Chinese orders.

China's soybean imports from the US totalled $12 billion in 2017; the Asian giant purchased 57 per cent of all US soybean exports that year.

That total fell to $3 billion in 2018, due to new US tariffs and an epidemic of African swine fever that decimated Chinese herds -- many of them fed by American soybeans.

"The market's muted reaction shows the skepticism about the deal, the idea that, even if it happens, it just shuffles the trade flows" between different countries, said Bill Nelson, a chief economist for agricultural consultancy Doane Advisory Services.

Since the tariffs, China has upped its reliance on Brazil and Argentina for soybean supplies, while Mexico and some European Union members have purchased more of the US's crop.

Nelson said it is not possible to suddenly "materialize another $20 billion of buying interests out of nothing."

To compensate for losses from the African swine fever epidemic, China has greatly boosted its pork orders in recent weeks, while ordering around 3.7 million tons of soybeans during the month of September. &nbsp;

Nelson cautioned that while "that sounds pretty impressive... sales are still lower than what they used to be three or four years ago."

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business.

Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business. But after months of losses and uncertainty amid the trade war Trump launched, many in the farm sector say they need more detail before they pop the champagne corks. Shortly after announcing that a trade deal had been reached in principle between the world's two leading economies, the president even jokingly suggested on Twitter that farmers "start thinking about getting bigger tractors!" CHINA HAS ALREADY BEGUN AGRICULTURAL PURCHASES FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS & RANCHERS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 13, 2019 × But on Monday, the country's biggest agricultural federation, the Farm Bureau, told AFP it was awaiting more concrete information on the tentative deal with China, which negotiators are continuing to finalize. And Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union (NFU), said that "while we are glad to see a detente in this seemingly endless trade war, the tangible benefits to American family farmers and ranchers are unclear." "Over what timeframe will the $50 billion of agricultural purchases -- an amount that is double our peak annual farm exports to China -- take place?" he asked in a statement on Friday. At their peak in 2012 and 2013, when a drought in the US had sent the prices of agricultural commodities to record levels, exports to China reached no higher than $26 billion. China's imports of US farm goods fell in 2017 to $19.5 billion, before dropping sharply last year to just over $9 billion after Beijing imposed burdensome taxes on US imports in retaliation for similar US measures. "From the very beginning of the trade war, farmers have been promised that their patience would be rewarded," Brian Kuehl, co-executive director of Farmers for Free Trade, said in a statement. "To date, the deal they've been promised has not come." The Trump administration has released $28 billion in financial aid to American farmers to soften the blow from the Chinese tariffs, but there is no mention in the trade deal of China lifting its existing tariffs. "Farmers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas and elsewhere will still wake up facing double-digit tariffs into one of America's largest export markets," Kuehl said. At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, where brokers bet on trends in the prices of farm products, the market was far from euphoric. Soybean prices were up just 0.5 per cent on Monday, even though American producers of oilseed products would be among the first to benefit from a surge in Chinese orders. China's soybean imports from the US totalled $12 billion in 2017; the Asian giant purchased 57 per cent of all US soybean exports that year. That total fell to $3 billion in 2018, due to new US tariffs and an epidemic of African swine fever that decimated Chinese herds -- many of them fed by American soybeans. "The market's muted reaction shows the skepticism about the deal, the idea that, even if it happens, it just shuffles the trade flows" between different countries, said Bill Nelson, a chief economist for agricultural consultancy Doane Advisory Services. Since the tariffs, China has upped its reliance on Brazil and Argentina for soybean supplies, while Mexico and some European Union members have purchased more of the US's crop. Nelson said it is not possible to suddenly "materialize another $20 billion of buying interests out of nothing." To compensate for losses from the African swine fever epidemic, China has greatly boosted its pork orders in recent weeks, while ordering around 3.7 million tons of soybeans during the month of September. Nelson cautioned that while "that sounds pretty impressive... sales are still lower than what they used to be three or four years ago."

Trump claims victory in trade war with China, but US farmers want details

Lewis Hamilton said he was in no hurry to win a sixth world championship after the title battle was reduced to a two-horse Mercedes race at the Japanese Grand Prix.

The Formula One circus moves on to Mexico in two weeks' time where Hamilton, enjoying a 64-point lead over Valtteri Bottas, can wrap up a third consecutive drivers' crown if he outscores his teammate by 14 points or more.

More likely is that the battle will be concluded at the subsequent race at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Bottas's victory at Suzuka and Hamilton's third-place clinched a sixth consecutive constructors' championship for Mercedes and left the Finn as the only driver who can catch Hamilton over the final four races of the campaign.

"I think for me it's never been a case of always wanting to rush things," Hamilton told reporters Sunday adding that he expected a tough battle from his teammate over the final few races.

"Valtteri's driven well all year long, he's done a great job today and he will most likely do a very, very solid job these next races, so we still have a battle, the fight continues," he added.

Hamilton is not expecting an easy time in the rarefied high-altitude air of Mexico which should suit Ferrari, who holds an obvious advantage in straight-line speed.

"I think Mexico is generally our worst race of the year because of the way our car is set up and it's going to be a tough one for us," said a downbeat Hamilton, who was quicker on fresher tyres than second-placed Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages at Suzuka but was unable to barge past.

"The last few (races) have been pretty shocking, even though we've won the title," he said after resurgent Ferrari won in three races out of four up to Japan and out qualified Mercedes comfortably at Suzuka.

"I'm hoping for a better weekend but I think it's going to be very hard to beat the Ferraris with those long straights.&nbsp;

"We have no hope of getting by on those straights, that's for sure but even if you look at the others, the McLarens are picking up some serious speeds on the straights, so are the Red Bulls so I think it will be a tricky one.&nbsp;

"I don't anticipate (the title win) will be Mexico. I think we will be battling for a good few races."

Bottas jumped from third to first with an electric start to win in Japan ahead of Vettel and Hamilton.

With only Bottas now able to overtake Hamilton in the standings, Mercedes clinched an unprecedented sixth successive world championship double of drivers and constructors titles.

Hamilton dedicated the achievement to the team's former non-executive director Niki Lauda, who died in May.

"It definitely feels a little bit different," Hamilton said of the three-time Formula One world champion.&nbsp;

"I wouldn't say as happy as previously because naturally we lost Niki this year and it doesn't feel the same without him.&nbsp;

"Every time I walk into the garage I see Niki's headphones and his cap. I sat and I looked at it today.

"I think the whole team and the whole of Mercedes will probably dedicate this to Niki. I definitely do."

Lewis Hamilton said he was in no hurry to win a sixth world championship after the title battle was reduced to a two-horse Mercedes race at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton said he was in no hurry to win a sixth world championship after the title battle was reduced to a two-horse Mercedes race at the Japanese Grand Prix. The Formula One circus moves on to Mexico in two weeks' time where Hamilton, enjoying a 64-point lead over Valtteri Bottas, can wrap up a third consecutive drivers' crown if he outscores his teammate by 14 points or more. More likely is that the battle will be concluded at the subsequent race at the Grand Prix of the Americas in Austin, Texas. Bottas's victory at Suzuka and Hamilton's third-place clinched a sixth consecutive constructors' championship for Mercedes and left the Finn as the only driver who can catch Hamilton over the final four races of the campaign. "I think for me it's never been a case of always wanting to rush things," Hamilton told reporters Sunday adding that he expected a tough battle from his teammate over the final few races. "Valtteri's driven well all year long, he's done a great job today and he will most likely do a very, very solid job these next races, so we still have a battle, the fight continues," he added. Hamilton is not expecting an easy time in the rarefied high-altitude air of Mexico which should suit Ferrari, who holds an obvious advantage in straight-line speed. "I think Mexico is generally our worst race of the year because of the way our car is set up and it's going to be a tough one for us," said a downbeat Hamilton, who was quicker on fresher tyres than second-placed Sebastian Vettel in the closing stages at Suzuka but was unable to barge past. "The last few (races) have been pretty shocking, even though we've won the title," he said after resurgent Ferrari won in three races out of four up to Japan and out qualified Mercedes comfortably at Suzuka. "I'm hoping for a better weekend but I think it's going to be very hard to beat the Ferraris with those long straights. "We have no hope of getting by on those straights, that's for sure but even if you look at the others, the McLarens are picking up some serious speeds on the straights, so are the Red Bulls so I think it will be a tricky one. "I don't anticipate (the title win) will be Mexico. I think we will be battling for a good few races." Bottas jumped from third to first with an electric start to win in Japan ahead of Vettel and Hamilton. With only Bottas now able to overtake Hamilton in the standings, Mercedes clinched an unprecedented sixth successive world championship double of drivers and constructors titles. Hamilton dedicated the achievement to the team's former non-executive director Niki Lauda, who died in May. "It definitely feels a little bit different," Hamilton said of the three-time Formula One world champion. "I wouldn't say as happy as previously because naturally we lost Niki this year and it doesn't feel the same without him. "Every time I walk into the garage I see Niki's headphones and his cap. I sat and I looked at it today. "I think the whole team and the whole of Mercedes will probably dedicate this to Niki. I definitely do."

Lewis Hamilton in no hurry to win Formula One title in Mexico

A small boat carrying African migrants off the coast of southern Mexico sank Friday, leaving two people dead and one missing, authorities said.

The boat was travelling off the southern border state of Chiapas when it listed to one side, pitching its occupants into the water, the state prosecutor's office said in a statement.

A 39-year-old man was found dead, it added, washed up on the shore. A second body was later located a few hundred metres from the first.&nbsp;

A search operation "managed to rescue eight migrants alive," the prosecutor's office said, adding one person was still missing.

All were from Cameroon, a country that has seen a growing exodus of refugees amid an increasingly violent conflict between its French- and English-speaking communities.

Chiapas is the main crossroads for migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States. They are mostly Central Americans, but in recent years there has been an increasing number of Africans, who often fly to South America and then make long treks overland and by boat.

African migrants in Chiapas regularly stage protests demanding the Mexican authorities allow them to continue their journey toward the United States.

Undocumented migrants regularly use boats to evade the authorities in southern Mexico, where the government has deployed 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the border.

The move is part of its efforts to crack down on irregular migration under a deal to avoid US President Donald Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on Mexican goods.

Under the deal, the Mexican government has deployed another 15,000 National Guardsmen along its northern border and accepted the return of more than 50,000 migrants seeking asylum in the US, who must now wait in Mexico while their claims are processed.

A small boat carrying African migrants off the coast of southern Mexico sank Friday, leaving two people dead and one missing, authorities said. The boat was travelling off the southern border state of Chiapas when it listed to one side, pitching its occupants into the water, the state prosecutor's office said in a statement.

A small boat carrying African migrants off the coast of southern Mexico sank Friday, leaving two people dead and one missing, authorities said. The boat was travelling off the southern border state of Chiapas when it listed to one side, pitching its occupants into the water, the state prosecutor's office said in a statement. A 39-year-old man was found dead, it added, washed up on the shore. A second body was later located a few hundred metres from the first. A search operation "managed to rescue eight migrants alive," the prosecutor's office said, adding one person was still missing. All were from Cameroon, a country that has seen a growing exodus of refugees amid an increasingly violent conflict between its French- and English-speaking communities. Chiapas is the main crossroads for migrants crossing Mexico toward the United States. They are mostly Central Americans, but in recent years there has been an increasing number of Africans, who often fly to South America and then make long treks overland and by boat. African migrants in Chiapas regularly stage protests demanding the Mexican authorities allow them to continue their journey toward the United States. Undocumented migrants regularly use boats to evade the authorities in southern Mexico, where the government has deployed 6,000 National Guardsmen to tighten the border. The move is part of its efforts to crack down on irregular migration under a deal to avoid US President Donald Trump's threat to impose steep tariffs on Mexican goods. Under the deal, the Mexican government has deployed another 15,000 National Guardsmen along its northern border and accepted the return of more than 50,000 migrants seeking asylum in the US, who must now wait in Mexico while their claims are processed.

Two dead as migrant boat sinks off Mexican coast

Acting US homeland security chief Kevin McAleenan has resigned, US President Donald Trump announced late Friday, becoming the latest in a long list of top officials to leave the administration.

"Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down," Trump said in a tweet.

"Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more time with his family and go to the private sector. Congratulations Kevin, on a job well done!"

McAleenan served in the role for only six months, replacing Kirstjen Nielsen, who sat at the helm of the powerful agency for 18 months.

During McAleenan's brief tenure, the Trump administration stepped up efforts to discourage an exodus of migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador by asking Mexico to impede their transit and requiring them to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- meaning either Guatemala or Mexico.

"I want to thank the President for the opportunity to serve alongside the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security," McAleenan said in a tweet.

"With his support, over the last 6 months, we have made tremendous progress mitigating the border security and humanitarian crisis we faced this year, by reducing unlawful crossings, partnering with governments in the region to counter human smugglers and address the causes of migration, and deploy additional border security resources."

Trump said he would announce a new acting homeland security secretary next week, and that there were "many wonderful candidates."

Acting US homeland security chief Kevin McAleenan has resigned, US President Donald Trump announced late Friday, becoming the latest in a long list of top officials to leave the administration.

Acting US homeland security chief Kevin McAleenan has resigned, US President Donald Trump announced late Friday, becoming the latest in a long list of top officials to leave the administration. "Kevin McAleenan has done an outstanding job as Acting Secretary of Homeland Security. We have worked well together with Border Crossings being way down," Trump said in a tweet. "Kevin now, after many years in Government, wants to spend more time with his family and go to the private sector. Congratulations Kevin, on a job well done!" McAleenan served in the role for only six months, replacing Kirstjen Nielsen, who sat at the helm of the powerful agency for 18 months. During McAleenan's brief tenure, the Trump administration stepped up efforts to discourage an exodus of migrants from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador by asking Mexico to impede their transit and requiring them to apply for asylum in the first country they enter -- meaning either Guatemala or Mexico. "I want to thank the President for the opportunity to serve alongside the men and women of the Department of Homeland Security," McAleenan said in a tweet. "With his support, over the last 6 months, we have made tremendous progress mitigating the border security and humanitarian crisis we faced this year, by reducing unlawful crossings, partnering with governments in the region to counter human smugglers and address the causes of migration, and deploy additional border security resources." Trump said he would announce a new acting homeland security secretary next week, and that there were "many wonderful candidates."

Acting US homeland security chief Kevin McAleenan resigns: Trump

Since January, the US&nbsp;government has ordered 13,000 migrants under 18, including more than 400 infants, to wait with their families in Mexico for US immigration court hearings, a Reuters analysis of government data found.

Along the US-Mexico border, babies and toddlers are living in high-crime cities - often in crowded shelters and tents or on the streets - for the weeks or months it takes to get a US&nbsp;asylum hearing.

The risk of violence and illness runs high and is of particular concern for families with young children or those with chronic health conditions, according to interviews with health professionals, migrants, aid workers and advocates.

The children, whose numbers have not been previously reported, are among tens of thousands of migrants returned to Mexico under a Trump administration policy known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). Most are from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador.

US&nbsp;immigration officials did not respond to requests for comment on Reuters'&nbsp;data findings.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, decisions about whether a person is placed in MPP are made by border agents on a case-by-case basis and include consultation with medical professionals. Unaccompanied minors should not be sent back to Mexico, according to the program guidelines, but children can be sent back with their parents.

Trump administration officials have said they are doing everything possible to discourage migrant families from making dangerous journeys to the United States, often in the hands of human smugglers, which they say needlessly put children at risk.

Numbers growing as flu season looms

About one third of the nearly 40,000 migrants in the MPP program as of September 1 were children under 18, according to the latest data available from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees US&nbsp;immigration courts. Of those, Reuters found more than 3,400 under 5 years old and 418 under 1 year old.

The numbers have grown in recent weeks. There are now more than 51,000 people in the MPP program, according to US&nbsp;Customs and Border Protection.

Blanca Aguilar, a 27-year-old mother from Guatemala, is living in a makeshift encampment of around 40 small tents cramped together in the back rooms of a church outside Tijuana, across the border from San Diego. Children can be heard coughing and crying throughout the night, she and other mothers told Reuters during a recent visit.

When one gets sick, they all do, Aguilar said. Her two-year-old son Adrian has had a recurrent cough with wheezing, as well as bouts of diarrhea since they arrived in August.

"He's been sick a lot," she said, adding that she suspects he may be developing asthma.

Another mother at the same shelter, 34-year-old Marla Suniga from Honduras, said her 1-year-old daughter Montserrat recently had a convulsion due to a high fever and had to be taken to a hospital. "She couldn't breathe," she said.

Suniga said she fled violence in her home country but plans to return there because she fears for her daughter`s life in Tijuana.

DHS said it could not comment on individual cases. Mexican officials did not respond to requests for comment on the conditions in migrant shelters.

Reuters was unable to corroborate the diagnoses of the Suniga and Aguilar children. Doctors and nurses visiting shelters and camps in Mexican border towns, however, told Reuters they have seen cases of chickenpox, scabies, respiratory infections, skin rashes, eye infections and gastrointestinal issues among children and adults.

Children under 5, and especially under the age of 2, are at high risk of serious flu complications, according to the US&nbsp;Centers for Disease Control, and the flu season is about to start.

American doctors and nurses volunteering in Tijuana with the Refugee Health Alliance hope to be able to provide flu shots in a few of the shelters there, but the effort is hard to organize, said coordinator Phil Canete. The vaccines need to be stored in cold, regulated conditions, and the Mexican government requires a physician licensed in Mexico to supervise the effort, as well as signed consent for every patient, he said.

The US&nbsp;government has said in guidance documents that migrants with known physical or mental health issues are not candidates for the MPP program. But advocates say it`s not clear what qualifies as a medical exemption from MPP.

Jennifer Jimenez, a 30-year-old Salvadoran, said she arrived at the border in July with 11-year-old twins and her eight-month-old son Jacob, who was born with lungs that had not fully developed.

Although she explained Jacob`s condition to border agents, she said, the agents sent her and her children back to Ciudad Juarez, where the family ended up sleeping on the floor of a crowded shelter.

Recently she managed to find a doctor who noted in Jacob's medical records - seen by Reuters - that living in the shelter had complicated his health care. US&nbsp;officials recently admitted the family to stay with relatives in the United States, a rare occurrence.

Reuters found that fewer than 1% of migrants assigned to MPP have so far been transferred out of the program.

The US&nbsp;government has signed a series of bilateral deals with the governments of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to push more people to seek asylum closer to home. In May, nearly 85,000 family units - parents with kids - were arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, a monthly record. In August, the number of families arrested dropped by 70 per cent&nbsp;after the administration ramped up MPP and other measures to deter migration.

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has said that lax US&nbsp;asylum laws encourage people to show up at the border with their children. Before MPP, it was common practice to release arriving families into the United States to wait out their US&nbsp;court hearings – something Trump and others said allowed many migrants to disappear into the country to live illegally.

Immigrant advocacy groups say most released immigrants show up for their court hearings. Some are suing to halt the MPP policy, and a federal appeals court - the 9th US&nbsp;Circuit - is due to rule on the case soon.

'Nothing for them here'

According to the Reuters analysis, thousands of children are awaiting court hearings in border towns where the risk of kidnappings, rapes and assaults is high.

About 5,400 children in the MPP program had their cases assigned to San Diego immigration court, north of Tijuana. Most of the others were assigned to Texas courts: 5,600 to San Antonio and El Paso and 2,000 to Brownsville.

Jimenez, the Salvadoran mother, said that when she heard her family was being sent from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez, known for its high murder rate, "it was like they threw a bucket of cold water on me. ..Mexico isn't a place I trust to go out alone with my three children."

Brownsville is just north of Matamoros, in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, a violent battleground for drug cartels.

Florida resident Helen Perry, a nurse in the US&nbsp;Army Reserve who joined a volunteer aid group headed to Matamoros on Labor Day weekend, told Reuters she saw families camped out in donated tents - each with between 5 to 10 people sleeping inside - a few dozen feet from the border.

One family, with four small children, was curled up under a tree, she said. People lacked access to freshwater and proper restrooms and were bathing in the Rio Grande river, she said.

One baby Perry examined had a chronic eye infection and was beginning to develop scarring, threatening his vision. Another had a fungal rash under his arm so severe it limited his movement.

Perry said she saw breastfeeding mothers so dehydrated that they could not nurse their babies and parents chewing up donated pizza into mush to feed their infants. Some children were showing early signs of malnutrition, she said.

"There is really nothing for them there," Perry said.

Since January, the US government has ordered 13,000 migrants under 18, including more than 400 infants, to wait with their families in Mexico for US immigration court hearings, a Reuters analysis of government data found.

Since January, the US government has ordered 13,000 migrants under 18, including more than 400 infants, to wait with their families in Mexico for US immigration court hearings, a Reuters analysis of government data found. Along the US-Mexico border, babies and toddlers are living in high-crime cities - often in crowded shelters and tents or on the streets - for the weeks or months it takes to get a US asylum hearing. The risk of violence and illness runs high and is of particular concern for families with young children or those with chronic health conditions, according to interviews with health professionals, migrants, aid workers and advocates. The children, whose numbers have not been previously reported, are among tens of thousands of migrants returned to Mexico under a Trump administration policy known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP). Most are from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador. US immigration officials did not respond to requests for comment on Reuters' data findings. According to the Department of Homeland Security, decisions about whether a person is placed in MPP are made by border agents on a case-by-case basis and include consultation with medical professionals. Unaccompanied minors should not be sent back to Mexico, according to the program guidelines, but children can be sent back with their parents. Trump administration officials have said they are doing everything possible to discourage migrant families from making dangerous journeys to the United States, often in the hands of human smugglers, which they say needlessly put children at risk. Numbers growing as flu season looms About one third of the nearly 40,000 migrants in the MPP program as of September 1 were children under 18, according to the latest data available from the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees US immigration courts. Of those, Reuters found more than 3,400 under 5 years old and 418 under 1 year old. The numbers have grown in recent weeks. There are now more than 51,000 people in the MPP program, according to US Customs and Border Protection. Blanca Aguilar, a 27-year-old mother from Guatemala, is living in a makeshift encampment of around 40 small tents cramped together in the back rooms of a church outside Tijuana, across the border from San Diego. Children can be heard coughing and crying throughout the night, she and other mothers told Reuters during a recent visit. When one gets sick, they all do, Aguilar said. Her two-year-old son Adrian has had a recurrent cough with wheezing, as well as bouts of diarrhea since they arrived in August. "He's been sick a lot," she said, adding that she suspects he may be developing asthma. Another mother at the same shelter, 34-year-old Marla Suniga from Honduras, said her 1-year-old daughter Montserrat recently had a convulsion due to a high fever and had to be taken to a hospital. "She couldn't breathe," she said. Suniga said she fled violence in her home country but plans to return there because she fears for her daughter`s life in Tijuana. DHS said it could not comment on individual cases. Mexican officials did not respond to requests for comment on the conditions in migrant shelters. Reuters was unable to corroborate the diagnoses of the Suniga and Aguilar children. Doctors and nurses visiting shelters and camps in Mexican border towns, however, told Reuters they have seen cases of chickenpox, scabies, respiratory infections, skin rashes, eye infections and gastrointestinal issues among children and adults. Children under 5, and especially under the age of 2, are at high risk of serious flu complications, according to the US Centers for Disease Control, and the flu season is about to start. American doctors and nurses volunteering in Tijuana with the Refugee Health Alliance hope to be able to provide flu shots in a few of the shelters there, but the effort is hard to organize, said coordinator Phil Canete. The vaccines need to be stored in cold, regulated conditions, and the Mexican government requires a physician licensed in Mexico to supervise the effort, as well as signed consent for every patient, he said. The US government has said in guidance documents that migrants with known physical or mental health issues are not candidates for the MPP program. But advocates say it`s not clear what qualifies as a medical exemption from MPP. Jennifer Jimenez, a 30-year-old Salvadoran, said she arrived at the border in July with 11-year-old twins and her eight-month-old son Jacob, who was born with lungs that had not fully developed. Although she explained Jacob`s condition to border agents, she said, the agents sent her and her children back to Ciudad Juarez, where the family ended up sleeping on the floor of a crowded shelter. Recently she managed to find a doctor who noted in Jacob's medical records - seen by Reuters - that living in the shelter had complicated his health care. US officials recently admitted the family to stay with relatives in the United States, a rare occurrence. Reuters found that fewer than 1% of migrants assigned to MPP have so far been transferred out of the program. The US government has signed a series of bilateral deals with the governments of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador to push more people to seek asylum closer to home. In May, nearly 85,000 family units - parents with kids - were arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border, a monthly record. In August, the number of families arrested dropped by 70 per cent after the administration ramped up MPP and other measures to deter migration. US President Donald Trump has said that lax US asylum laws encourage people to show up at the border with their children. Before MPP, it was common practice to release arriving families into the United States to wait out their US court hearings – something Trump and others said allowed many migrants to disappear into the country to live illegally. Immigrant advocacy groups say most released immigrants show up for their court hearings. Some are suing to halt the MPP policy, and a federal appeals court - the 9th US Circuit - is due to rule on the case soon. 'Nothing for them here' According to the Reuters analysis, thousands of children are awaiting court hearings in border towns where the risk of kidnappings, rapes and assaults is high. About 5,400 children in the MPP program had their cases assigned to San Diego immigration court, north of Tijuana. Most of the others were assigned to Texas courts: 5,600 to San Antonio and El Paso and 2,000 to Brownsville. Jimenez, the Salvadoran mother, said that when she heard her family was being sent from El Paso to Ciudad Juarez, known for its high murder rate, "it was like they threw a bucket of cold water on me. ..Mexico isn't a place I trust to go out alone with my three children." Brownsville is just north of Matamoros, in Mexico's Tamaulipas state, a violent battleground for drug cartels. Florida resident Helen Perry, a nurse in the US Army Reserve who joined a volunteer aid group headed to Matamoros on Labor Day weekend, told Reuters she saw families camped out in donated tents - each with between 5 to 10 people sleeping inside - a few dozen feet from the border. One family, with four small children, was curled up under a tree, she said. People lacked access to freshwater and proper restrooms and were bathing in the Rio Grande river, she said. One baby Perry examined had a chronic eye infection and was beginning to develop scarring, threatening his vision. Another had a fungal rash under his arm so severe it limited his movement. Perry said she saw breastfeeding mothers so dehydrated that they could not nurse their babies and parents chewing up donated pizza into mush to feed their infants. Some children were showing early signs of malnutrition, she said. "There is really nothing for them there," Perry said.

US migrant policy sends thousands of children including hundreds of babies back to Mexico

Angry farmers stormed a city hall in southern Mexico, seized the mayor and dragged him through town from the back of a pickup truck in protest, officials said Wednesday.

The incident occurred Tuesday when dozens of members of the Tojolabal indigenous community armed with clubs broke into the mayor's office in the town of Las Margaritas in the state of Chiapas.

Witnesses told investigators they tied up the mayor, Jorge Luis Escandon, pushed him outside and tied him to the back of a pickup.

They then dragged him several dozen meters down the street, before police and public employees intervened and freed Escandon, who survived without major injury.

The mayor accused his attackers of trying to extort him.

"Around 50 or 60 people came in three pickup trucks, armed with clubs and looking to kidnap city officials to extort us and get what they've always wanted: to be given money," he told AFP.

"They started struggling, carrying me, tied up one foot and dragged me out of my office to the street," he said.

State prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven said the attackers were demanding more public resources, including direct cash transfers, for their rural community, Santa Rita El Invernadero.

Leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has introduced a policy of providing public assistance in the form of cash payments to beneficiaries, in order to stem corruption by cutting out bureaucratic middlemen.

Eleven people were arrested and a dozen injured in the melee. Chiapas state police were also sent to help restore order in Las Margaritas, a town of 20,000 people near Mexico's border with Guatemala.

This is not the first time farmers from Santa Rita El Invernadero have staged a violent protest. Four months ago they vandalized the town hall, demanding that Escandon fulfill promises he had made during the 2018 campaign.

Angry farmers stormed a city hall in southern Mexico, seized the mayor and dragged him through town from the back of a pickup truck in protest, officials said Wednesday.

Angry farmers stormed a city hall in southern Mexico, seized the mayor and dragged him through town from the back of a pickup truck in protest, officials said Wednesday. The incident occurred Tuesday when dozens of members of the Tojolabal indigenous community armed with clubs broke into the mayor's office in the town of Las Margaritas in the state of Chiapas. Witnesses told investigators they tied up the mayor, Jorge Luis Escandon, pushed him outside and tied him to the back of a pickup. They then dragged him several dozen meters down the street, before police and public employees intervened and freed Escandon, who survived without major injury. The mayor accused his attackers of trying to extort him. "Around 50 or 60 people came in three pickup trucks, armed with clubs and looking to kidnap city officials to extort us and get what they've always wanted: to be given money," he told AFP. "They started struggling, carrying me, tied up one foot and dragged me out of my office to the street," he said. State prosecutor Jorge Luis Llaven said the attackers were demanding more public resources, including direct cash transfers, for their rural community, Santa Rita El Invernadero. Leftist President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has introduced a policy of providing public assistance in the form of cash payments to beneficiaries, in order to stem corruption by cutting out bureaucratic middlemen. Eleven people were arrested and a dozen injured in the melee. Chiapas state police were also sent to help restore order in Las Margaritas, a town of 20,000 people near Mexico's border with Guatemala. This is not the first time farmers from Santa Rita El Invernadero have staged a violent protest. Four months ago they vandalized the town hall, demanding that Escandon fulfill promises he had made during the 2018 campaign.

Mexican mayor tied to truck, dragged through street in protest

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he would send a letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for her support to ratify the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mexico-supreme-court-justice-resigns-over-suspicious-bank-deposits-253619">Mexico, which sends 80 per cent of its exports to the United States</a>, has watched nervously as the process of ratifying the deal has slowed to a seeming near-halt in the US amid election-year politics and President Donald Trump's impeachment battle.

Pelosi, the Democratic opposition leader who holds the keys to the deal's future in the House, has voiced reservations about certain aspects of the trade deal, which Trump is pushing hard to ratify.

She and other Democrats have notably voiced scepticism about measures to protect American workers by requiring better labour conditions in Mexico, a low-cost competitor.

"I'm going to send her (Pelosi) a letter today explaining our position, asking for her support to ratify the agreement in the US House of Representatives," Lopez Obrador told a news conference.

The leaders of the three countries signed the USMCA in November to replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump regularly trashed as the worst trade deal his country ever signed.

The new deal must now be ratified in all three countries' legislatures. Mexico, whose economy has suffered from the uncertainty surrounding relations with its key trading partner, is the only one to do that so far.

Pelosi said last week the House is "on a path to yes" regarding the deal.

"We're trying to find common ground with the president. He always wanted this.&nbsp;We do too," she said.

Lopez Obrador was due to meet Tuesday with a delegation of US House Democrats visiting Mexico City.

He said he would urge Pelosi to seek a "speedy ratification" so that "this important issue, which will benefit all three countries' economies, does not get mixed up with and contaminated by the campaign" for the November 2020 elections in the United States.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he would send a letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for her support to ratify the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Tuesday he would send a letter to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi asking for her support to ratify the new US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA). Mexico, which sends 80 per cent of its exports to the United States, has watched nervously as the process of ratifying the deal has slowed to a seeming near-halt in the US amid election-year politics and President Donald Trump's impeachment battle. Pelosi, the Democratic opposition leader who holds the keys to the deal's future in the House, has voiced reservations about certain aspects of the trade deal, which Trump is pushing hard to ratify. She and other Democrats have notably voiced scepticism about measures to protect American workers by requiring better labour conditions in Mexico, a low-cost competitor. "I'm going to send her (Pelosi) a letter today explaining our position, asking for her support to ratify the agreement in the US House of Representatives," Lopez Obrador told a news conference. The leaders of the three countries signed the USMCA in November to replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which Trump regularly trashed as the worst trade deal his country ever signed. The new deal must now be ratified in all three countries' legislatures. Mexico, whose economy has suffered from the uncertainty surrounding relations with its key trading partner, is the only one to do that so far. Pelosi said last week the House is "on a path to yes" regarding the deal. "We're trying to find common ground with the president. He always wanted this. We do too," she said. Lopez Obrador was due to meet Tuesday with a delegation of US House Democrats visiting Mexico City. He said he would urge Pelosi to seek a "speedy ratification" so that "this important issue, which will benefit all three countries' economies, does not get mixed up with and contaminated by the campaign" for the November 2020 elections in the United States.

Mexico president writes to Pelosi to lobby for trade deal

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