(CALIFORNIA) — Populations of an invasive species of disease-carrying mosquitoes are continuing to spread throughout Northern California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, according to health officials.
Aedes aegypti — known for its capability to transmit diseases such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika — were detected in San Jose near Kelley Park, the County of Santa Clara Vector Control District announced on Friday.
This is the first time A. aegypti was found in that particular area of San Jose, Taylor Kelly, the scientific-technical services manager of the Santa Clara County Mosquito and Vector Control District, told ABC News.
“This year in particular, we’ve had so many detections throughout new parts of the county,” Kelly said.
In the U.S., A. aegypti is typically found in the South, Southwest and Puerto Rico. It is also commonly found in tropical and subtropical areas of the world, including countries in Africa, Asia and southern Europe, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The species was first detected in California in 2013 and has been detected throughout 27 counties since — especially in Southern California and the Central Valley, according to the California Department of Public Health. Earlier this month, Los Angeles County reported its first case of locally acquired dengue for the 2025 mosquito season — with A. aegypti the likely culprit, Kelly said.
Populations have been spreading steadily throughout Northern California since the spring, according to health officials. A. aegypti, in particular, has the ability to “move with people,” whether it be following them into their car or home or breeding in extremely small containers.
In Santa Clara County, it appears A. aegypti has become established, Kelly said.
“I do think it’s something that residents are going to be notice because of the nuisance biting,” she said.
The species has been linked to local transmission of the dengue virus in California, according to the California Department of Health.
Climate change may be playing a role in the spread of mosquito populations and vector-borne diseases all over the world, as the insects thrive in warm and humid conditions, according to the World Mosquito Program. Mosquitoes have been discovered in Iceland for the first time, leaving Antarctica as the only region in the world where the insect does not reside.
In California, climate has likely played a “very important role,” but other factors have likely facilitated the spread in the Bay Area, such as a developed resistance to insecticides, Kelly said.
A. aegypti is characterized by the white bands on its legs, white spots on the body and stripes on the upper body. They are “aggressive daytime biters,” according to Santa Clara County.
In addition, A. aegypti can lay eggs in container-like flowerpots, pet bowls and backyards, which can exacerbate the spread, officials said, urging residents to dump any standing water in their yards and scrub out containers that could catch rainfall.
“Everybody should dump and drain any standing water on their property at least once a week,” Kelly said.
The species can pose as a “top public health threat,” said Roberto Barrera, lead entomologist at the CDC’s Dengue Branch.
“These tiny troublemakers are responsible for spreading viruses that affect millions of people,” Barrera said in a statement.
California health officials have encouraged residents to report bites that happen during the day immediately and to document and send photos of mosquitoes that have black and white stripes.
(NEW YORK) — Over 20 “ill-prepared” hikers were rescued from New Hampshire’s Mount Washington after they were trapped in “full winter conditions” without the proper gear, with some developing hypothermia, according to the Mount Washington Cog Railway.
The hikers, who were rescued on Saturday by railway officials, had reached the mountain’s 6,288-foot summit, but “most had no idea that summit services would be unavailable and that the state park was closed for the season,” Andy Vilaine, the assistant general manager for the Mount Washington Cog Railway, said in a statement on Saturday.
The train was heading to the summit as normal when crew members discovered “several distressed hikers,” Vilaine said in a statement to ABC News.
The hikers told the train officials they “didn’t think they would be able to hike back down,” with Vilaine agreeing after “assessing some of their conditions and outward appearance,” he said.
Many of the hikers were showing the “beginning signs of hypothermia” due to their “poor choice of clothing, including non-waterproof layers and sneakers,” Vilaine told ABC News.
Some of the hikers even admitted it was “their first hike ever,” Vilaine said.
Near the summit, temperatures on Saturday reached roughly between 15 to 18 degrees, with a wind chill anywhere between minus 5 and zero degrees, Vilaine said.
Train crew members created space “anywhere we could” for the hikers, with some even placed in locomotive cabs “with the heat on full-blast so they could start to reverse the effects of hypothermia,” Vilaine said.
“Had we not been able to assist the hikers with the one-way ride, there is little doubt in my mind that several more complex rescue efforts may have needed to be undertaken,” Vilaine told ABC News.
After the hikers were rescued, New Hampshire State Parks released a statement on Sunday urging those hiking in the winter conditions to be responsible as “multiple people have arrived at the summit the last few days very unprepared for winter and required assistance.”
Another hiker was rescued from Mount Washington on Sunday after he was “caught in a windblown snow with a dying light and cellphone near the summit,” according to the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department.
The 20-year-old hiker from Rhode Island was “on the upper reaches of the Tuckerman Ravine Trail,” which is approximately 0.3 miles below the mountain’s summit, when he alerted rescuers that his headlamp and cellphone were “rapidly dying,” the fish and game department said in a press release on Monday.
The hiker was “found to have done some research on his hike, but was absolutely unprepared for the conditions that he encountered,” the department said. The 20-year-old was found uninjured and “thanked the rescuers multiple times in the aftermath of this event,” the department said.
“This situation could have had a very bad outcome, and everyone involved recognized that fact,” the department said.
Officials emphasized that hikers must bring “everything needed to hike in winter conditions,” or to simply “just hike another day.”
“It’s literally a life or death situation if they go up there unprepared,” Lt. Mark Ober with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department told Manchester, New Hampshire, ABC affiliate WMUR.
Cris Hazzard, a professional hiking guide and author, known as “The Hiking Guy,” previously told ABC News that several minutes of “homework” before embarking on an outdoor excursion — including checking the website of the trail or park or downloading an app like AllTrails — can help hikers avoid challenging conditions or become aware of specific closures.
This ABC News graphic shows the forecast for Hurricane Melissa as of Oct. 27, 2025. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Melissa, now a powerful Category 5 storm, will slam into Jamaica on Monday as the worst storm the island has ever seen.
Here is Melissa’s forecasted path:
Melissa is expected to make landfall in central or western Jamaica late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, likely as a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. Most of the destruction will unfold from noon on Monday to noon on Tuesday.
Tropical storm-force winds are already underway and will steadily increase throughout the day. Winds are expected to reach hurricane strength by Monday night and will last through Tuesday afternoon.
The rain and storm surge will be even more dangerous than the wind for some. Melissa is moving very slowly, so it will bring a deluge of rain to Jamaica, with totals forecast to reach 15 to 30 inches and even up to 40 inches in localized areas. This will spark catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding on Monday and Tuesday.
Storm surge will decimate parts of the southern coast with water surging up to 13 feet above ground level.
Next, the heavy rain will move to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where 8 to 16 inches of rainfall is possible. Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are also in the forecast.
Melissa will then hit southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning as a major hurricane, dumping 10 to 20 inches of rain and leading to catastrophic flooding and numerous landslides.
On Wednesday, the southeastern Bahamas will see rain totals of 4 to 8 inches, hurricane-force winds and life-threatening storm surge.
Melissa may still be a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday night or Friday morning when it passes near or over Bermuda.
(NEW YORK) — At least one person was killed and six others wounded in a shooting Saturday night at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, according to authorities.
Chester County District Attorney Chris de Barrena-Sarobe said in a Sunday morning news conference that the shooting occurred outside the university’s International Cultural Center during homecoming celebrations following a football game.
“This is a devastating night,” Barrena-Sarobe said. “It was a chaotic scene and people fled in every direction.”
One person was detained and was in possession of a firearm, Barrena-Sarobe said, adding that it was possible that there might be another shooter. Officials do not believe that the incident was a planned mass shooting, the district attorney said.
“We are investigating with the full power of federal, state and local law enforcement,” Barrena-Sarobe said.
The Chester County District Attorney’s Office said in an initial statement on social media early on Sunday that law enforcement was “investigating the shooting at Lincoln University” and had identified seven gunshot victims.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said in a post to X that he was briefed on the shooting and offered his support to the university.
Lincoln University, a historically Black university, is located in the southeastern part of Pennsylvania.
(LUMBERTON, N.C) — At least two people were killed and seven others are in critical condition after a mass shooting took place early Saturday at a large party in North Carolina, according to officials.
A total of 13 people were shot in the incident just outside of Maxton, according to the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office.
Over 150 people ran from the scene of the shooting before law enforcement arrived, according to the sheriff’s office.
The shooting was an isolated incident and there is no current threat to the community, according to the sheriff’s office.
“We are asking that anyone with information regarding this incident or anyone that was at the scene when the shooting occurred, to make contact with Sheriff’s Investigators by calling 910-671-3100 or email sheriff.wilkins@robesoncountysonc.gov,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — As New York City voters head to the polls to decide the next mayor, the Democratic frontrunner and his policy proposals have been thrust into the national spotlight.
State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani has faced attacks by his opponents, critics, Republicans, and even President Donald Trump, who have lashed out at his progressive agenda with labels such as “radical” and “communist.”
However, when examined, Mamdani’s proposals, such as freezing the rent for some New York tenants, free buses and free child care, are not only feasible but also build off the foundations of previous New York City laws, political analysts told ABC News.
“Everything he has been talking about has been done in various degrees,” Doug Turetsky, the former chief of staff and communications director at New York’s City’s Independent Budget Office, told ABC News. “There is nothing that is new in what he’s proposing, and he’s been clear on how he aims to achieve them.”
Turetsky and others have noted that while Mamdani will likely have his work cut out for him if he wins the election, he has been putting in the work to not only sell his ideas but also draw in key city players to make it a reality.
“There will be challenges for sure, and those expecting buses to be free on January 1, if he gets inaugurated, are going to be disappointed because his plans will take time,” Turetsky said. “But if Mamdani is going to be successful, he’s going to have to work with the right people, and he’s starting to make those inroads.”
Affordability becomes top issue in race Mamdani, a 34-year-old member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA,) who was elected to state office four years ago, stunned the city when he won the Democratic primary in June. He beat out former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was seen as the favorite due to his experience and ties to Democratic leaders.
The assemblyman made the cost of living the centerpiece of his campaign and vowed to give New Yorkers a change of pace following the scandals of Mayor Eric Adams.
“I think that the Democratic Party must always remember what made so many proud to be Democrats, which is a focus on the struggles of working-class Americans across this country,” Mamdani told ABC News’ senior political correspondent Rachel Scott in June.
Christina Greer, an associate professor of politics at Fordham University, told ABC News that Mamdani has kept his ear to the ground and listened to New Yorkers’ concerns, rather than relying on consultants.
“All the messaging is not a messaging for just one group. What’s the racial composition of people worried about rent? It’s everyone,” she said. “The message is clearly something New Yorkers and people across the country have been yearning for.”
How Mamdani’s proposals build off previous plans Mamdani’s campaign and policy proposals have been headlined by three major proposals: freezing the rent for the city’s 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, making buses free and guaranteeing child care for New Yorkers from six weeks until 5-years-old.
The assemblyman said he would use his power to appoint members to the city’s Rent Guidelines Board, which decides rents for those specific units, and that they would keep prices stable during their annual vote.
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who ran against Mamdani in the primary, and, ultimately, crossed-endorsed him in the ranked choice voting ballot, told ABC News that the nominee’s proposals build upon the work that the city has done at addressing New Yorkers’ needs.
“There is evidence we can do it because we have done it,” he said.
From September 2023 to September 2024, the MTA issued a pilot program that made five bus lines that served minority communities free, as part of a state proposal that Mamdani pushed.
A review of the pilot released over the summer found that ridership among those free routes increased, but travel times did not get faster.
Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg also proposed free buses when he ran for a third term in 2009, but the plan was never implemented.
Lander noted that 12 years ago, Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed for universal pre-K for all New York’s 4-year-olds and sought funding from Albany to make it a reality. De Blasio faced huge pushback from Democrats and Republicans alike for his proposal, who argued about the scope and cost of the project.
In 2014, universal pre-K launched in the city and eventually expanded to 3-K seats in select neighborhoods. Other school districts throughout the state and country have launched similar universal pre-K programs.
“The city has already taken bold steps for child care for all 4-year-olds and most 3-year-olds. The next step is 2-year-olds and to keep going,” Lander said, adding that his office has found the pre-K program has helped lower childcare costs for millions of parents across the city and improved the economy.
Lander also noted that the Rent Guidelines Board has frozen rents for rent-stabilized units in the past, with it happening three times during de Blasio’s administration, including during the pandemic.
The comptroller acknowledged that a lot of Mamdani’s proposals will require work and agreements from state leaders, but he pointed out that Mamdani is putting the work to make his case.
“Of course, this is going to take a lot of money, and it will be challenging because of federal cuts,” he said.
Mamdani’s opponents, Cuomo, who is running on a third-party line, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, have argued that the assemblyman’s proposals cannot be realistically done and that he lacks the experience to execute his vision.
“This is not a job for someone who has no management experience to run 300,000 people, no financial experience to run a $115 billion budget,” the former governor said in a debate last week.
How Mamdani backs up his proposals Mamdani has not been shy about the huge costs and steps it would take to achieve his goals, but he has outlined steps to get through the roadblocks.
The free bus proposal would have to be approved by the MTA, which is run by the state government, and would need an additional $800 million in state funding, according to Mamdani.
Mamdani also estimated that his plan to increase free child care would cost the city $6 billion annually.
He has proposed a 2% tax on New York City residents earning more than $1 million a year, and an increase in the state’s corporate tax rate to 11.5% to pay for his proposals. Both tax changes would need approval from state leaders.
The assemblyman has insisted that Albany leaders would be attentive to the benefits his proposals would bring to the city’s residents and that New York’s wealthiest residents and major corporations would benefit if those affordability solutions were in place.
“Mamdani will have an uphill battle given that he’s going to have to make the case to state leaders who are concerned about spending,” Greer said.
Alexis Grenell, the co-founder of Pythia, a political consulting group, told ABC News that since the primary ended, Mamdani has hit the ground running in neighborhoods to pitch his vision for the city.
Grenell, who has not done any consulting work for the Mamdani campaign, said that the biggest part of Mamdani’s appeal has been his active effort to meet people in person, even opponents, and listen to their concerns as he makes his case.
“He actually does mean it when he says he’s listening, and he’s shown it since the primary,” she said.
Grenell added that Mamdani’s messaging draws a sharp contrast from the messaging of his opponents.
Cuomo has recently increased attacks on Mamdani, attacking his political inexperience and has made controversial comments appearing to reference Mamdani’s background as a Muslim.
The former governor has brushed off criticism of his attacks on Mamdani, citing the assemblyman’s comments about the Israeli government committing genocide in Gaza. During a news conference Thursday, Cuomo brought up Mamdani’s appearance on influencer Hasan Piker’s podcast, noting Piker said in 2019 that “America deserved 9/11.”
Piker later said his remarks were inappropriate and meant to be satire.
Mamdani condemned Piker’s comments as “reprehensible” during a debate last week.
“I don’t think Andrew Cuomo has any ideas beyond his revenge campaign,” Grenell said. “I think a lot of New Yorkers are put off by that.”
Sliwa, the founder of the Guardian Angels, a volunteer crime prevention group, has led a campaign focused on public safety.
“New Yorkers do have public safety concerns, but not as much as the concerns about whether they can afford their rent or even a sandwich,” Grenell said.
Making the case to moderates The experts told ABC News that one of Mamdani’s most effective decisions since he won the primary was to actively reach out to prominent moderate and sometimes conservative New York figures to talk about his vision and hear their thoughts.
Mamdani has spoken with many of the city’s major business leaders, including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, and discussed his proposals, telling reporters that he wants to address their concerns while also tackling affordability.
“I think he is trying to present a more nuanced persona than he was originally perceived as. He was seen as an activist, and he’s coming off more nuanced,” Turetsky said.
Mamdani has had discussions with former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one of the city’s wealthiest business owners and a former Republican. Howard Wolfson, one of Bloomberg’s longtime advisers who was in the meeting, told the New York Times the former mayor and Mamdani ” disagreed on several issues,” but had a good meeting.
“I’ve talked to a lot of people after they have been with him, and in a lot of cases, they found him to be a good listener, asked a lot of questions, and gave smart and serious answers on how he will deliver on those commitments,” Lander said.
One of the biggest endorsements that Mamdani has secured since his primary is from Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat who will be a deciding factor in the state funding.
Hochul has been clear that she does not intend to raise taxes on New Yorkers, but she did say that she shares Mamdani’s commitment to expanded child care and bringing costs down.
“So I think there is a path for us to work collaboratively,” the governor said about Mamdani at an Oct. 16 summit on child care.
“There are policies that are troubling to the business community, I understand that, but the candidate has focused intensely on affordability, and that’s not just a buzzword. It’s a call to find meaningful solutions that start meaningful solutions that start changing people’s lives and their perspectives of their lives immediately. And I look forward to working with him on that,” she added.
The experts said that Mamdani’s outreach has also affected his campaigning on his policies.
The assemblyman has indicated in recent interviews that he is open to other ways to fund his proposals that don’t involve raising taxes if a viable option is available.
Mamdani says he plans to keep the current NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch if elected.
“I do think we have to give politicians room to evolve,” Greer said. “That’s what we’re seeing, the maturation of a candidate.”
True tests lie ahead As the campaign winds down, the experts warned that Mamdani will have to prepare himself for the intense scrutiny that awaits him, not only from those opponents but also from his own supporters.
Although the assemblyman has made it clear that his proposals will take time and are not guaranteed to be implemented the way he has planned, New Yorkers typically don’t give incoming mayors a long honeymoon period, Turetsky said.
“His biggest risk is with some of his most loyal and hyped-up supporters. If he can’t deliver major changes in short order, they might be questioning his commitment to his promises,” Turetsky said.
Grenell said a Mamdani administration will have to deal with Trump, who has labeled him a communist and threatened to take away federal funding if the assemblyman wins.
Mamdani has vocally criticized Trump’s controversial mass deportation actions and federal cuts, but has said he would be willing to work with the president if he wants to tackle the affordability crisis.
Grenell said while Trump’s threats are concerning to many New Yorkers, residents are ultimately looking for a mayor who fights for them, and Mamdani has shown his willingness to counter the president if he does anything to hurt the city.
“They know Trump will weaponize Mamdani for his own brutal attacks on the city, but Mamdani is smart and continues to point that out,” she said. “And he’s been able to still stick to the main point at hand, which is affordability.”
Police officers investigate a U-Haul truck that was involved in an incident outside of Coast Guard Island Alameda on October 23, 2025 in Oakland, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(OAKLAND, Calif.) — Two people were wounded when an “erratic” driver prompted a shooting at Coast Guard Base Alameda, which is located on a small island next to Oakland, California, officials said.
At about 10 p.m. Thursday, a driver was spotted “driving erratically” and apparently trying to use his truck to ram into Coast Guard Base Alameda, the Department of Homeland Security said.
Coast Guard personnel told the driver to stop several times but the driver then allegedly put the truck in reverse and suddenly sped backward toward the Coast Guard security officials, DHS said on Friday.
“Law enforcement officers discharged several rounds of defensive live fire,” which left the truck driver wounded in the stomach and a bystander struck by a fragment, DHS said.
Neither injury was considered life-threatening, DHS said. The truck driver was taken for a mental health evaluation and the bystander has been released from a hospital, DHS said.
No Coast Guard personnel were hurt, DHS said.
Protesters were gathered outside Coast Guard Base Alameda on Thursday after the base said it was planning to host Customs and Border Protection agents there as a place of operations.
President Donald Trump initially said he was sending troops to San Francisco this weekend to clean up crime, but the president said on Thursday he was pulling back on his decision after speaking with San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie on Wednesday night.
“The Federal Government was preparing to ‘surge’ San Francisco, California, on Saturday, but friends of mine who live in the area called last night to ask me not to go forward with the surge in that the Mayor, Daniel Lurie, was making substantial progress,”Trump wrote on his social media platform. “I spoke to Mayor Lurie last night and he asked, very nicely, that I give him a chance to see if he can turn it around.”
ABC News’ Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
New York Attorney General Letitia James stands silently during a press conference on October 21, 2025 in New York City. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
(NORFOLK, Va.) — New York Attorney General Letitia James, appearing in a federal courtroom in Norfolk, Virginia, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of alleged mortgage fraud, after she was indicted earlier this month by President Donald Trump’s handpicked U.S. attorney.
Interim U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan — who Trump appointed just days after calling on the his attorney general to act “NOW!!!” to prosecute James and other political enemies — secured an indictment against James on charges of bank fraud and making false statements to a financial institution.
Halligan was named U.S. attorney by Trump after Trump ousted her predecessor, Erik Siebert, who sources say had expressed doubts internally about bringing cases against James and former FBI Director James Comey.
James, who successfully brought a civil fraud case against Trump last year and leads multiple lawsuits challenging his administration’s policies, was indicted on charges that she committed mortgage fraud related to a home she purchased in 2020.
According to the indictment, James falsely described the property as a second home to get an advantageous mortgage rate, but used it as an “investment property,” rented to a family of three. The indictment alleged James collected thousands of dollars in rent and would have saved $17,837 over the life of the mortgage versus a loan at a higher rate.
“No one is above the law. The charges as alleged in this case represent intentional, criminal acts and tremendous breaches of the public’s trust,” Halligan said in a statement announcing the charges. “The facts and the law in this case are clear, and we will continue following them to ensure that justice is served.”
But in an internal memo to Siebert in September, prosecutors said James purchased the home in Norfolk, Virginia, for her great-niece and immediately allowed her and her children to begin living in the house rent-free, sources told ABC News. Prosecutors met with James’ niece, who stated that she had never signed a lease, had never paid rent for the home, and that James had often sent her money to cover some of the expenses, the memo concluded, according to sources familiar with its contents.
“It’s baseless,” James said of the charges this month. “It’s nothing more than retribution, retribution for doing my job.”
Attorneys representing James filed a motion Thursday signaling their intent to challenge Halligan’s appointment as unlawful. A similar motion challenging Halligan’s appointment was filed in the case against Comey.
James’ defense attorneys also filed a motion to the court to enforce rules prohibiting leaks from prosecutors, after a Monday report by Anna Bower of the online publication “Lawfare” contained Signal text messages exchanged between Halligan and Bower in the days after charges were filed against James.
“In initiating this contact, Ms. Halligan — the lead prosecutor on this case as of the date of this filing — commented on the credibility and general strength of the evidence presented to the grand jury,” the filing states.
James’ lawyers argue in their filing that Halligan’s comments to Bower run afoul of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Code of Federal Regulations, local court rules, the Justice Department Manual, and rules of ethical and professional responsibility.
James’ indictment on Oct. 9 came between the indictments of Comey and former Trump national security adviser John Bolton amid what critics call Trump’s campaign of retribution against his perceived political foes.
Vice President JD Vance has said any such prosecutions are “driven by law and not by politics.”
If convicted, James faces a maximum of up to 30 years in prison per count, up to a $1 million fine on each count, and forfeiture of the property.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia speaks during a rally and prayer vigil for him before he enters a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) field office on August 25, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
(BALTIMORE) — As the Department of Homeland Security continues to seek the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the agency said Friday it had identified a new country of removal that has agreed to accept the wrongly deported Salvador native: the West African nation of Liberia.
In a court notice filed Friday, Department of Justice attorneys said DHS has received “diplomatic assurances regarding the treatment of third-country individuals removed to Liberia from the United States and are making the final necessary arrangements for [Abrego Garcia’s] removal.”
According to the notice, DHS expects “to be able to effectuate removal as soon as October 31.”
Abrego Garcia, who had been living in Maryland with his wife and children, was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution. The Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13, which his family and attorneys deny.
He was brought back to the U.S. in June to face human smuggling charges in Tennessee, to which he has pleaded not guilty. After being released into the custody of his brother in Maryland pending trial, he was again detained by immigration authorities and is currently being held in Pennsylvania, where the government has told his attorneys that it intends to deport him to a country other than El Salvador.
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, who has been overseeing Abrego Garcia’s immigration case in Maryland, has currently banned the government from removing him from the United States.
Friday’s notice comes after the DHS served Abrego Garcia a notice of removal to Ghana that the agency subsequently said was “premature.” Before that, DHS said it was planning to deport Abrego Garcia to Eswatini and Uganda.
In response to Friday’s DHS notice, Abrego Garcia’s attorney said the government “has chosen yet another path that feels designed to inflict maximum hardship.”
“Having struck out with Uganda, Eswatini and Ghana, ICE now seeks to deport our client Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia — a country with which he has no connection, thousands of miles from his family and home in Maryland,” Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg told ABC News. “Costa Rica has agreed to accept him as a refugee, and remains a viable and lawful option.”
According to the DOJ, Liberia is “a thriving democracy” and is “committed to the humane treatment of refugees.”
Tropical outlook for Tropical Storm Melissa. (ABC News)
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to intensify into a major hurricane this weekend and bring catastrophic flash flooding and landslides to parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.
Here’s the latest forecast:
Hurricane conditions are expected to first hit southern Haiti on Saturday and then reach Jamaica on Saturday night or Sunday morning.
Melissa is forecast to strengthen to a major hurricane — a Category 3 or higher — as it brings winds greater than 110 mph to Jamaica from Sunday through at least Tuesday. Extensive damage is forecast due to the length of time Melissa will be hitting the island.
The storm has already led to the death of an elderly man in Haiti who was killed by a downed tree, according to The Associated Press.
Eight to 14 inches of rain could fall from Friday to Sunday night across the southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti and eastern Jamaica, bringing life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.
Depending on the storm’s track, western Jamaica could see an increase in impacts early next week.
After Melissa moves north of Jamaica, it’s expected to cross southern Cuba and the Bahamas as it moves northwest and out into the Atlantic, avoiding the mainland U.S.
