Por Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

Florida cerrará su controvertido centro de detención para migrantes Alligator Alcatraz a principios de junio, según reportaron The New York Times y WFOR, afiliada de CNN, citando fuentes.

Este martes, se informó a los proveedores del lugar que los detenidos serán trasladados “a comienzos de” junio y que el centro será desmantelado en las semanas siguientes, dijeron a The New York Times tres personas familiarizadas con las operaciones del centro.

WFOR informó detalles similares sobre los avisos entregados a los contratistas estatales que operan el centro, citando a cuatro fuentes familiarizadas con el anuncio.

Si bien el centro, ubicado en lo profundo de los Everglades de Florida, ha sido presentado por los republicanos como una herramienta valiosa en la política migratoria restrictiva del presidente Donald Trump, el cierre se produce tras casi un año de litigios, crecientes costos operativos y denuncias de condiciones inhumanas.

La semana pasada, el Times informó que Florida estaba en conversaciones con el Gobierno de Trump para cerrar el centro, cuya operación le ha costado millones de dólares al estado.

El gobernador Ron DeSantis reconoció las conversaciones la semana pasada y dijo que el centro siempre tuvo la intención de ser temporal.

“Si apagamos las luces mañana, podremos decir que cumplió su propósito”, dijo DeSantis el jueves.

El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) reiteró a CNN este martes que “cualquier informe de que el DHS está presionando al estado para que cese las operaciones en Alligator Alcatraz es falso”.

“Florida sigue siendo un socio valioso para impulsar la agenda migratoria del presidente Trump, y el DHS aprecia su apoyo. El DHS evalúa continuamente las necesidades y los requisitos de detención para garantizar que cumplan con los requisitos operativos más recientes”, dijo la agencia.

CNN ha solicitado comentarios a la División de Gestión de Emergencias de Florida y a la oficina de DeSantis, pero no ha recibido respuesta.

No está claro de inmediato adónde serán trasladados los detenidos. El lugar albergaba a casi 1.400 personas a comienzos de abril, según datos del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés). DeSantis indicó la semana pasada que, si el centro cerraba, los detenidos podrían ser trasladados a instalaciones del DHS y el pequeño aeropuerto que ha albergado Alligator Alcatraz volvería a sus operaciones normales.

El centro, ubicado a menos de 80 kilómetros al oeste del resort de Trump en Miami Beach, fue inaugurado por el estado el verano pasado tras ser construido rápidamente en la pista del Aeropuerto de Entrenamiento y Transición Dade-Collier. La apertura provocó una reacción inmediata de legisladores demócratas, grupos defensores de los derechos de los inmigrantes, ambientalistas y grupos tribales cuyas tierras rodean el centro.

Demócratas que visitaron el centro el verano pasado describieron a cientos de migrantes confinados en jaulas y sometidos a un calor sofocante, infestaciones de insectos y comidas escasas. Aunque las familias de los detenidos también han expresado alarma, funcionarios de ICE han defendido el centro, afirmando que ofrece estándares de detención más altos que muchas prisiones de Estados Unidos.

Alligator Alcatraz ha superado en los tribunales amenazas previas de cierre. El mes pasado, un tribunal de apelaciones anuló la orden de un tribunal inferior que exigía a los funcionarios estatales cerrar y des

By Lauren Fox, Ellis Kim, CNN

(CNN) — Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards denied having any inappropriate relationship with staff and told CNN in an interview Tuesday that an investigation by the House Ethics Committee will eventually clear him of any wrongdoing.

“No,” Edwards told CNN when asked if he had any inappropriate relationship with staff. He later said, “I think you’re gonna find that when Ethics completes their investigation that the facts will have caught up with all the gossip and the rumor.”

CNN reported last month that the ethics panel is investigating allegations of sexual harassment against the North Carolina congressman. Sources told CNN that one witness who contacted the committee described witnessing improper behavior, but CNN did not know at the time the precise nature of the improper behavior, nor was it clear whether the committee had corroborated any of the allegations.

At the time, Edwards said in a statement to CNN, “I welcome any investigation, given the professionalism my staff has demonstrated and my commitment to serving the people of Western NC. Given the current political environment we are facing in our nation, it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”

Axios reported earlier this month that the ethics committee’s probe into Edwards was prompted in part by the congressman’s conduct toward two female staffers. The outlet cited sources who said they witnessed “inappropriate” conduct by the congressman toward the two female staffers.

The outlet reported that, in response to a request for comment about the investigation, Edwards again said that he welcomed any investigation and that “it comes as no surprise that others with their own political agendas will attempt to raise false accusations in order to create news stories.”

Edwards on Tuesday told CNN he has not spoken with the 10-member ethics panel yet, but that he plans to cooperate with their investigation. He also accused the panel of being unfair “in the media.”

“I can say that if there’s credible evidence against any member of Congress of misconduct, it should be investigated. I feel strongly in this case there’s not been any credible evidence,” he said.

He continued, “I’m disappointed in that Ethics has not been fair in the media, and that the media is guilty of being tabloid media and just spreading gossip, unfounded and often in conflict, but I very look forward to cooperating with the Ethics investigation.”

The congressman told CNN he has spoken with Speaker Mike Johnson but did not detail their conversations.

CNN has reached out to the ethics panel to request comment.

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By Elizabeth Wolfe, CNN

(CNN) — Florida will shutter its controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” migrant detention facility by early June, The New York Times and CNN affiliate WFOR report, citing sources.

Vendors at the site were told Tuesday that detainees will be removed by “the start of” June and the center will be dismantled in the following weeks, three people familiar with the facility’s operations told The New York Times.

WFOR reported similar details about notices given to state contractors who run the facility, citing four sources familiar with the announcement.

Though the facility, embedded deep in the Florida Everglades, has been touted by Republicans as a valuable tool in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, the closure follows nearly a year of legal challenges, mounting operation costs and allegations of inhumane conditions.

Last week, the Times reported Florida was in talks with the Trump administration about shutting down the facility, which has cost the state millions of dollars to run.

Gov. Ron DeSantis acknowledged the talks during remarks last week and said the facility was always intended to be temporary.

“If we shut the lights out tomorrow, we will be able to say it served its purpose,” DeSantis said Thursday.

The Department of Homeland Security reiterated to CNN on Tuesday “any reports that DHS is pressuring the state to cease operations at Alligator Alcatraz are false.”

“Florida continues to be a valuable partner in advancing President Trump’s immigration agenda, and DHS appreciates their support. DHS continuously evaluates detention needs and requirements to ensure they meet the latest operational requirements,” the agency said.

CNN has sought comment from the Florida Division of Emergency Management and DeSantis’ office, but has not received a response.

It is not immediately clear where the detainees will be taken. The site held nearly 1,400 people as of early April, according to ICE data. DeSantis indicated last week that if the program was shuttered, detainees may be placed in DHS facilities and the small airport that has housed “Alligator Alcatraz” would return to normal operations.

The facility, which is less than 50 miles west of Trump’s Miami beach resort, was opened by the state last summer after being speedily erected on the runway of the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport. It invited immediate backlash from Democratic lawmakers, immigrant rights groups, environmentalists and tribal groups whose lands flank the facility.

Democrats who visited the facility last summer described hundreds of migrants confined in cages and subjected to sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. Though detainees’ families have also expressed alarm, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have defended the facility as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons.

“Alligator Alcat

VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. (KEYT) – Shaohua Sun and Yanwen Gu have each pled guilty to felony conspiracy to commit elder abuse in connection with an attempt to scam a local senior citizen for the second time.

Sun surrendered $25,000 representing a full restitution in the case before entering his guilty plea on May 7, 2026, and Gu pled guilty on May 11 of this year noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Previously, both had entered not guilty pleas during an arraignment on their charges on March 23.

On March 18, a local senior citizen received a text telling him to confirm a $350 Apple Store purchase made using his credit card detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

The message included a phone number directing the victim to call "immediately" and once he was on the phone, an unidentified co-conspirator falsely claimed that the senior citizen's local credit union account was linked to potential child sexual abuse content based in Canada shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

The elderly victim was then told to call another number that scammers claimed was for the "Ventura County Credit Union Fraud Department" noted the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

The person on the other line identified herself as "Jade" and told the victim to immediately withdraw $25,000 in cash, meet a person they claimed was an undercover police officer in Ventura, and give the cash to them as "evidence" stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

During the call with the faux fraud department, the victim was given a code phrase to recite to the person they were meeting shared the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Unfortunately, the victim complied with all of the steps and he was left wondering if he had been duped.

He decided to file a crime report and on March 19, while detectives were interviewing him regarding his report, "Jade" called back and asked for $50,000 in cash stated the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, detectives believe that the operation was part of a larger, international fraud network and law enforcement set up an operation to stop the scammers by arranging a second meeting in Ventura.

On March 19, Gu approached the elderly victim, accepted his code phrase, and took what she believed was $50,000 in cash detailed the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Ventura Police officers arrested Gu after she attempted to flee the scene on foot and determined that Sun was acting as a lookout for Gu during the exchange and he was also taken into custody at the scene explained the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

Gu is currently scheduled for sentencing on June 9 and Sun is scheduled for sentencing on June 12.

According to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office, under the terms of their respective plea agreements, each face up to four years in custody followed by a two-year grant of formal probation.

Both remain in custody with bail set at $50,000.

"The victim's decision to give us a call and work with our detectives was critical in helping us stop this
scam before additional money was lost," said Ventura Police Chief David Dickey. "These scams are
highly sophisticated and often target older adults. We encourage all community members to

Daniel Dale

La noche del lunes, el presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, se embarcó en una de sus habituales oleadas de publicaciones en redes sociales a altas horas de la noche. Como de costumbre, sus decenas de publicaciones y reposteos estaban llenos de teorías de conspiración desacreditadas y otras afirmaciones tremendamente inexactas, muchas de ellas sobre elecciones presidenciales pasadas y sus oponentes demócratas, notablemente incluyendo al expresidente Barack Obama.

Las publicaciones de Trump continuaron la mañana del martes. Y también sus declaraciones falsas.

A continuación, un breve análisis de verificación de datos de solo algunos de los contenidos que vieron los seguidores de su cuenta Truth Social entre aproximadamente las 10 p.m. del lunes y las 8 a.m., hora de Miami, del martes.

El presidente compartió una publicación en redes sociales de un comentarista pro-Trump que presentaba un supuesto ataque a Obama del senador republicano John Kennedy de Louisiana. Pero la cita de “Kennedy” es completamente imaginaria.

En la cita falsa, “Kennedy” exigía que Obama devolviera US$ 120 millones que se suponía que el expresidente había ganado (pero en realidad no lo hizo) en relación con la ley de atención médica Obamacare. El sitio web de verificación de hechos Lead Stories informó en febrero que la cita falsa “se originó con un editor web de sátira que suele provocar a conservadores para publicar historias falsas” y que la acusación, redactada de forma confusa, contra Obama que la publicación atribuía a Kennedy, —“Asignó dinero bajo sus propias leyes utilizando el prestigio generado por los contribuyentes”— también ha sido atribuida sin fundamento a varios otros personajes públicos, desde el director del FBI Kash Patel hasta los cantantes Vince Gill y Madonna.

Kennedy declaró a la publicación NOTUS luego de la publicación de Trump: “Alguien me dijo que había algo circulando en internet sobre mí acusando al presidente Obama de robar US$ 120 millones o algo así. No dije eso. No conozco la base de eso”.

Las teorías de conspiración falsas sobre Obama han sido desde hace mucho tiempo una constante en los reposteos de Trump en redes sociales. Esta oleada de publicaciones presentó muchas más.

Trump compartió una publicación de una cuenta que usaba el nombre e imagen del fallecido John F. Kennedy Jr. —que decía: “Barack Hussein Obama interceptar las comunicaciones de la Torre Trump durante la elección de 2016 fue un millón de veces peor que cualquier cosa que Nixon haya hecho durante Watergate. Es hora de arrestar al Renegado”. (“Renegado” es el nombre en clave del Servicio Secreto de Obama).

Pero no hay evidencia de que alguien haya interceptado las comunicaciones de la Torre Trump durante la elección de 2016, y mucho menos de que Obama lo haya hecho. En 2017, durante el primer mandato de Trump, el Departamento de Justicia dijo en una presentación ante un tribunal que no tenía registros que respaldaran la afirmación de Trump a principios de ese año sobre que la Torre Trump fue interceptada en 2016.

Durante esta oleada de publicaciones, Trump también compartió otra publicación de conspiración falsa que incluía un enlace a una página web llena de mentiras sobre el Gobierno de Obama. Estas incluían afi