SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Border Report’s California, El Paso region and South Texas correspondents share the top stories from along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Here are the headlines for April 9 from the Border Report team.
Lawmakers want border-wall construction to stop for safety of border communities
Four members of Congress have sent the leaders of three federal agency a letter demanding that border wall construction stop during this COVID-19 pandemic, saying it puts border communities at “grave risks.” The letter came after advocacy groups, such as the Texas Civil Rights Project, have been calling for weeks for border wall construction in the Southwest to halt, and have even circulated a petition. However, advocates say rather than slow down, border wall construction and federal attempts to acquire borderland is actually speeding up during this coronavirus crisis. Read Sandra Sanchez’s report.
Learn about COVID-19’s effects along southern border through series of webinars
The Center for U.S – Mexican Studies on the campus of UCSD is staging a number of webinars to educate border communities about how COVID-19 is effecting the border’s economy and immigration. Webinar is scheduled for this Friday morning. It will feature a panel of experts who will pass on their take on what’s going on with the virus. Read Salvador Rivera’s report.
BREAKING: 10 dead in Juarez as coronavirus outbreak worse than previously reported
COVID-19 fatalities doubled overnight in Juarez, Mexico, as authorities south of the border admitted they had been slow in reporting the true scope of the epidemic. Juarez on Thursday reported six confirmed and four suspected coronavirus deaths, when just a day before they had stated only four people had died as a result of the disease. Likewise, the city is now reporting 26 COVID-19 cases, but officials said the total number of infections could be 10 times as large. Read Julian Resendiz’s report.
