“Mom, I thought I wouldn’t see you again”
In constant fear of being detained, Luz has lived in the country for 17 years, where she has built a life, pays taxes and has an American citizen daughter. Despite official assurances that only criminals are targeted in ICE operations, reports and images show indiscriminate arrests. The absence of a legal path to regularization and the climate of persecution are transforming the daily lives of thousands of families, who now live between invisibility and the fear of deportation.
Luz lives with her husband and young daughter in a suburb of Washington DC. Every day, fear accompanies her. The testimony, shared anonymously, is a raw portrait of the reality of thousands of undocumented migrants in the United States under the administration of Donald Trump.
“I’m afraid to leave the house. I’m afraid of being detained. I’m afraid that, just because they see me as a Latina woman, I’ll be taken away.”
Luz’s daughter was born in the USA and is an American citizen. But that doesn’t protect the parents, both of whom are Mexican and undocumented.
“I’m completely undocumented. I don’t have status in this country. And unfortunately, for legal reasons, there’s no way to get it. There’s not even a path.”
The immigration policy led by Tom Homan, Trump’s border adviser, aims to deport everyone in the country illegally.
“We’re not sweeping neighborhoods. We’re not looking for non-criminals. But if we find them during operations, they will be arrested.”
However, what is seen on the streets contradicts this statement. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents, without warrants and wearing vests that read “POLICE”, have made arrests in Latino neighborhoods. In one of the cases filmed, three men were handcuffed and taken away in unmarked cars because they were unable to prove, at the time, that they had the legal right to be in the country.
Luz arrived in the United States at the age of 16 and crossed the border illegally.
“My goal has always been to become a better version of myself, to learn English.”
Today, he speaks fluently and contributes to society. They have identification, access to healthcare and pay taxes.
“It’s important for people to know that, even though we are here illegally, we are able to interact and be part of the community. My father migrated to give us education, food, clothing, a safe home. I’m very grateful for that.”
Luz’s story is common among the stories of economic migrants seeking a better life. But the current climate in the United States has made this life unsustainable.
“Last week, I had to pick up my daughter from school. I was late. When I arrived, she was crying. She said to me, ‘Mom, I thought you had been taken. I thought I wouldn’t see you again.'”
The Trump administration argues that being in the country illegally is cheating the system. Critics of the new policy argue that there should be an amnesty for non-criminals already integrated into society. But this hypothesis is not on the table.
Meanwhile, Luz and thousands like her live in constant fear. “I’ve never felt this way before. Fear is with me all the time.”
A warning in the Netherlands
The Red Cross is issuing an urgent alert about the critical situation in the reception of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands. The lack of national coordination and structural financing by the government is leaving hundreds of people without shelter, with families already sleeping on the streets or in cars.
Katya Pechura, who fled the war in Ukraine with her two children, arrived in Amersfoort after a 35-hour bus journey. But he couldn’t get into the local shelter.
“I remember being on the street, next to the town hall. It was raining, I was scared. I didn’t know what to do. It was horrible.”
She spent her first night in a hostel and was advised to contact the Red Cross. The answer is an alert to the difficulties of many.
“People arrive with suitcases, with children on their arms, at our offices and shelters, asking for help and saying they have nowhere to stay. But the Red Cross can’t solve this, it’s up to the government.”
Daniëlle Brouwer, Red Cross representative in the Netherlands, says the lack of coordinated response from the government is worsening the crisis.
“The municipalities rightly point to the national government. But it hasn’t taken the lead for a long time. It doesn’t even know where these people are staying.”
The situation is so precarious that, even when they find shelter, refugees live in far from ideal conditions. Katya and her children are staying in an industrial park, where they were only supposed to stay for a few days, but they have already been living there for two and a half weeks.
“I’m very happy to have my little corner, my apartment, my room.”
The crisis in the reception of Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands reveals serious structural flaws and raises questions about the State’s responsibility in protecting those fleeing war.
Synthetic drug worries the UK
Study reveals that more than 10% of liquids seized in secondary schools contain ‘spice’, a highly addictive and dangerous substance. Social networks such as TikTok and Instagram make it easier to promote them.
Kelly (not her real name) is the mother of a teenage victim of bullying. Colleagues forced him to inhale using a vape with ‘spice’. He ended up fainting outside the school.
“He said he was hallucinating, that he felt like he was in water. Since then, his anxiety has increased, he is afraid to leave the house and he hasn’t been to school for over a year.”
Kelly calls on all parents to pay attention to what their children are consuming.
“Make sure you know what’s inside the vape. I had no idea what ‘spice’ was, I had to look it up online.”
An investigation conducted by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom revealed that 13% of vape liquids seized in 114 English secondary schools contained ‘spice’, a synthetic drug known for its potency and unpredictable effects. The study, which analyzed around 2,000 samples collected by police, warns of a “new and emerging threat” that is putting children at risk.
The drug, often confused with THC (the psychoactive component of cannabis), is sold illegally through platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook.
The researchers discovered that the presence of ‘spice’ is significantly greater on social networks with younger audiences: 67.5% of the products analyzed on TikTok contained the substance, on Instagram it is 54.2% and on Facebook the number drops to 12%. Professor Chris Pudney, responsible for the study, warns of the risks.
“Young people find themselves in very risky situations, they can be coerced, abused or involved in crimes.”
Ease of access and low cost are factors that contribute to the dissemination of the drug. While a legitimate vape with THC can cost around 70 euros in the USA, where it is legal, ‘spice’ can be purchased for just 6 euros.
Support organizations such as the Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation confirm the increase in cases of fainting in schools due to the consumption of adulterated vapes.
“There is enough evidence to consider this an emerging threat. Spice is much more potent than young people realize, and they are at a critical stage of brain and physical development.”
Despite the warnings, the University of Bath accuses social networks of failing to respond to the problem. and asks Ofcom, the British regulatory body, to implement a specific inspection program against the sale of drugs online.
It has 600 thousand followers on Spotify and it doesn’t exist, how Artificial Intelligence entered music
The rise of AI-powered music is transforming the industry. While some artists are concerned with authenticity, others explore new creative possibilities.
“I hear a singer. I hear lyrics, something about a war. I hear a bass player, I hear a drummer. Do none of them exist?” None exist, but the group is a hit on Spotify. Every month, it has more than 600 thousand listeners. A legion of fans that continues to grow, as does the number of songs by the fake band. Behind this success is a computer.
Max Tiel is co-founder of the Thunderboom Foundation, a non-profit innovation lab for the music industry. It supports several cooperative and responsible projects with the aim of ensuring that technologies add positive value to the music industry.
“I think this is very bad. On the one hand, because it is a non-existent band pretending to be a band of flesh and blood. On the other hand, because this music is based on many works by human artists who have not received recognition or payment for it.”
Despite the concerns, Tiel and his foundation do not completely reject the use of AI. Instead, they are looking for ways to help musicians take advantage of technology. One example is organist Jeroen Ermens, who uses AI to improvise solos on stage.
“The system quickly records what I played, analyzes it, connects it to a database and, based on that, generates something new. I never know what will happen. When I start playing, I know it will maintain more or less the same style. But that’s it. I don’t know what the result will be.”
AI’s ability to learn from mistakes and continually improve raises an inevitable question: can it replace human musicians? For Max Tiel, AI may be suitable for anonymous instrumental music, but it will hardly replace the human presence at a festival.
Mystery revealed: who owns the tiny shops that enchanted Malmö?
For nearly a decade, mysterious little rat shops have been popping up on the streets of Malmö, Sweden, enchanting residents and tourists alike with their meticulous detail and irresistible charm. Now, the secret behind these urban works of art has finally been revealed.
The first store appeared in 2016, with the name “Il Topolino”, accompanied by a miniature delicatessen. Since then, these buildings have become a local attraction, provoking curiosity and admiration. Who would be responsible for these rat stores? And what were they for?
Recently, the mystery deepened, the stores all disappeared.
“They must have been around here, at knee height: little, tiny rat shops. I have the photographs, but what happened to the buildings.”
The search attracted curious onlookers and ended at the Malmö City Museum. There were all the small shops that disappeared from the streets and there was also Elin Westerholm, the artist who, in secret, created these charming miniatures. Elin works as a television props designer. At night, he builds these miniatures in collaboration with his artistic partner, Lupus Nensén.
“I love animals and Paris. That’s how our miniature worlds were born: a little mouse life, a little Montmartre.”
Each house is a work of art: from miniature publishing houses to record stores, all with an attention to detail that impresses.
“It’s really incredible. How cute and if you look at the details, there’s even a little sign saying you can pay by card.”
Anonymouse, the name of the project, has finally been revealed, but the magic remains. The miniatures continue to live in the museum, and there is hope that new ones will appear on the streets soon.
shows the different perspectives and cultural diversity in reports from more than 40 SIC partner television stations. Saturday, at 3:30 pm, on SIC Notícias.
