When Gabby Fajardo and her son Gerard, five, sneaked across the US-Mexico border near Brownsville, Texas, last month, they could have continued their journey into the US undetected.
They turned themselves over to authorities, however, hoping for a fresh shot at asylum after an initial application was rejected.
Instead of hearing her claim, Ms Fajardo said border agents took her to an overcrowded detention centre in Donna, Texas.
She and her son were then put on a plane to San Diego, California, 2,500 kilometres away, and deported to Tijuana, Mexico.
She initially thought she was being allowed to remain in the US to await her asylum claim.
"I was very happy and excited because I thought we were going to be processed, they were going to bring us in front of a judge, and we were all happy, everyone was happy," Ms Fajardo told The National.
“Then, when we saw we were going to get on a bus to continue on our way, I read a sign that said ‘currency exchange’ and I got scared because the currency exchange places are only on the border. Then I saw the wall. And I started to cry.”
Ms Fajardo is one of thousands of asylum seekers who have illegally crossed the border from Mexico into the US since Joe Biden became president in January, creating his first major crisis and one that critics have been quick to pounce on.
In March, Customs and Border Protections (CBP) agents apprehended more than 170,000 people along the southern border. That number was expected to be similar again in April, continuing an upward trend dating back to late last year.
This spike has created a challenge for the Biden administration which has struggled to set up emergency sites to deal with the migrants, many of them young children and teens.
In March, the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, bordering much of south-eastern Texas, stopped accepting returning migrants with young families who had crossed into the US due to the many dangers they could face upon return, including extortion, kidnapping and murder.
As a result, the US has started flying people to places bordering other Mexican states that have not instituted such a policy.
“They tell them that they're being paroled into the United States, that they're being processed and they don't tell them that they are being sent back to Mexico,” said Erika Pinheiro, litigation and policy director of Al Otro Lado, a law firm that helps migrants and which is representing Ms Fajardo.
“A lot of people that we encounter here say they don't even know what country they're in … they're just so disoriented.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration imposed Title 42, a programme that allows the US government to expel people who have recently been in a country where a communicable disease was present. According to WHO data, Mexico has recorded more than 2.3 million Covid-19 cases.
To the dismay of many Democratic supporters, the Biden administration has continued using the programme to prevent people from entering the country.
"Biden has kept the policy and actually done some things to make it even worse, and that's unfortunately the situation that Gabby was caught up in," Ms Pinheiro told The National.
Tijuana struggling to keep up
With no family or connections in Tijuana, Ms Fajardo and her son ended up at an overcrowded shelter.
“It was a blessing from God just to have a roof over our heads because it’s very hard to be somewhere that you don’t know, that’s not yours, that’s not your country, where you feel uncomfortable,” she said.
The thousands of migrants being deported into Tijuana face increasingly perilous and squalid conditions. With camps now full, many end up on the street.
“Of all this population of expelled, deported people that are arriving, very [problematic] conditions are increasing,” said Jose Luis Perez Canchola, the immigration liaison for the city of Tijuana.
A CBP spokesman acknowledged that migrants picked up in the Rio Grande Valley were being processed at other places along the border, but he would not comment on how many or frequent the flights were.
"Several Border Patrol sectors have seen an increase in encounters. In order to process individuals as safely and expeditiously as possible, other sectors along the south-west border are assisting by processing these subjects at their facilities," the officer told The National.
Mr Perez Canchola has been involved in migrant issues since the 1970s and he said what’s happening in Tijuana is as bad as anything he has ever seen.
“This type of immigration is more dramatic, [the people are] more vulnerable, because it involves whole families, children travelling alone to escape the violence of the security crisis,” he said.
“There are also assaults here, battered women, assaulted women, migrants have been kidnapped. This has created a very complicated situation.”
Thanks to help from friends, Ms Fajardo and her son managed to return to Matamoros, Mexico, where she has a support network, while she awaits news of her asylum claim.
Sara Ruthven of The National provided Spanish-English translation for this piece
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-cylinder%202-litre%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E252%20brake%20horsepower%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E352Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh146%2C700%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Meydan race card
6pm Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
6.35Dubai Trophy – Conditions(TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
1,800m
7.10pm Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m ,400m
7.45pm Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
8.20pm Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
8.55pm Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
9.30pm Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETelr%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELaunch%20year%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202014%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E65%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20and%20payments%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enearly%20%2430%20million%20so%20far%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Racecard
5.25pm: Etihad Museum – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,200m
6pm: Al Shindaga Museum – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (Dirt) 1,200m
6.35pm: Poet Al Oqaili – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
7.10pm: Majlis Ghurfat Al Sheif – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
7.45pm: Hatta – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,400m
8.20pm: Al Fahidi – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.55pm: Zabeel Trophy – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (T) 1,600m
9.30pm: Coins Museum – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10.05pm: Al Quoz Creative – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
SNAPSHOT
While Huawei did launch the first smartphone with a 50MP image sensor in its P40 series in 2020, Oppo in 2014 introduced the Find 7, which was capable of taking 50MP images: this was done using a combination of a 13MP sensor and software that resulted in shots seemingly taken from a 50MP camera.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5