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Two Cuban nationals fall to their knees in silent prayer as two more scale the 30-foot-high U.S.-Mexico border fence in San Luis, Ariz. They tell me political and economic nightmares in Cuba have steadily wiped out any hope of a secure and rewarding life there. They dream of relatives, a good job and living happily ever after in Miami and Houston if they can qualify for asylum in America.

That was late last month. What happened next was something Ive rarely seen in more than 40 years of photojournalism along the border.

Over the past eight presidential administrations, what much of my photography revealed was that once an undocumented immigrant leaped onto U.S. soil, he or she sprinted full speed in pursuit of what they hoped would be a better life. In 1979, when I began my long-range, newspaper documentary about causes and consequences of undocumented immigration, I saw out-of-control anarchy along the border between the Tijuana River Estuary and Otay Mountain. Year after year, millions of people successfully made their way to el otro lado the other side and ran head over heels away from the U.S. Border Patrol. Now 42 years later, I find the never-ending story of migration for survival is essentially unchanged save for one significant difference.

Unauthorized immigrants are now running head over heels toward the Border Patrol in a most unlikely pattern of controlled anarchy.

A group of Brazilian nationals walk quickly along the U.S-Mexico border fence south of Yuma. The fence here is inside the U.S. but theyre headed for gate just ahead where they will wait for the U.S. Border Patrol and ask for asylum.

(Don Bartletti)

U.S. Border Patrol apprehension statistics show that from the 1970s to the 1990s, the San Diego sector was the portal through which more people illegally passed than across any political boundary in the world. In the ensuing decades, the San Diego-Tijuana boundary has morphed into the least likely sector to be breached along the 1,500-mile frontier with Mexico. Consequently, thousands of Central American migrants who arrived in the infamous caravans in 2018, and later in smaller groups, are camping against the Tijuana side of the fence and in shelters and rooming houses in anticipation of asylum hearings.

Now a new route has opened up. Hundreds of people a day are getting off the bus at the Mexico border town of San Luis Rio Colorado, 20 miles south of Yuma, Ariz., where unauthorized access to the United States is a slam dunk; its so easy it makes a mockery of former President Donald Trumps new 30-foot-high border fence.

The number of apprehensions has risen so quickly in recent months that Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declared a formal state of emergency on April 20. He wanted up to 250 National Guard members to help support other law enforcement agencies at the border. I didnt see any soldiers or Humvees, but there were Yuma County sheriffs deputies assisting women and children into the paddy wagon.

On this ragged corner of Arizona, I contend its unlikely that any electronic fence, steel fence or phalanx of law enforcement officials will halt a migration thats as old as humanity and as unstoppable as the wind. This isnt my moral or political rant. Its brutal pragmatism.

The shadow of the U.S.-Mexico border fence shines on the Colorado River levee where a group of Cuban and Venezuelan nationals surrender to U.S. Border Patrol agents. All said that political and economic conditions in their home countries forced them to flee and they wanted to apply for asylum in the U.S.

(Don Bartletti)

Casual conversation with Border Patrol officers hinted that their mission in San Luis has gone from stopping unauthorized entry to providing private transportation, shelter and meals for every man, woman and child who breezed into Arizona on the prevailing south wind. One Border Patrol agent quipped, I got into this business for law enforcement. Now Im a babysitter.

The southwest boundary of Arizona is in the middle of the Colorado River, but the new fence sits on the riverbank about a hundred yards or more inside the state. I presume its location is a compromise to an engineering challenge of putting up a fence in a river bottom. The same conundrum exists along the Rio Grande in Texas; however, in Arizona, a migrant doesnt need an expensive smuggler with a boat, as the tail end of the mighty Colorado River is all but bone-dry this time of the year.

Three children from the DeCarvalho family peer through the 30-ft-high U.S.-Mexico border fence. The Brazilian family of 6 walked through an unsecured gap in the U.S. the border at San Luis Rio Colorado, Mexico and trekked 2-miles before surrendering here to the U.S. Border Patrol.

(Don Bartletti)

The fence location created a virtual back door in the sand between Sonora, Mexico, and Arizona. And its wide open, 24/7. There are surveillance towers at regular intervals that give the Border Patrol a clear view of everything that moves, but video evidence of newcomers is little more than an alert to dispatch yet another pickup truck, Sprinter van or bus.

I spent four days in San Luis during April and May of this year. As was the case over my long career with the San Diego Union and Los Angeles Times, I didnt carry an agenda or a political opinion. I came as an observer with my camera as witness. What I focused on this time was unlike anything Id seen over the past decades of documenting the southern frontier of the United States.

I got a tip from a veteran photojournalist friend, Jimmy Dorantes, who was born a few yards from the fence in Calexico, and who has spent as long as I have reporting on the borderland. We stood on the river levee and waited for migrants to arrive. Behind us, a field of verdant alfalfa was abloom with tiny purple flowers. In front of us was 30-foot stalks of rust-colored steel topped with coiled razor wire.

A group of Cuban and Venezuelan nationals walk towards U.S. Border Patrol agents at the border fence in San Luis, Arizona south of Yuma. All surrendered peacefully and voiced that they wanted to apply for asylum in the U.S.

(Don Bartletti)

Without exaggeration, the elevated levee could have been a playhouse stage for the drama that was about to unfold. But this wasnt a performance. No one was pretending. Each person in the international ensemble would follow a life-changing script that no doubt had been rehearsed in their dreams many, many times.

Escape from the slow death from poverty in their failing countries would bring hundreds and hundreds to this place where none of the men, women or children would miss their cue.

Lots of people from South America told me their first flight out of the homeland was to Cancun, Mexico, with a second to Tijuana. Their arrival along the fence line in San Luis was in large part based on the timetables of buses making the 31/2-hour run from Tijuana. I found a used ticket in the dirt with a 9 a.m. departure from Tijuana that would have put the traveler in San Luis Rio Colorado under the broiling midday sun.

It was 94 degrees on Saturday, May 1, when 50 Brazilians, Venezuelans, Cubans and Haitians stepped through that open door and began the last leg of their long journey. The distance between the final two gates was a 2-mile walk on a gray gravel road threaded between the levee and the fence. Adults towed wheeled luggage and children of all ages.

U.S. Border Patrol agent R. Arriola records the data from the passport of one of 50 undocumented immigrants waiting in the shade of the border fence. They all illegally crossed from Mexico and trekked 2 miles along the fenceline that parallels the Colorado River and surrendered. Agent Arriola quipped, I got into this business for law enforcement. Now Im a baby sitter. The Border Patrol has been so overwhelmed with hundreds of undocumented immigrants people a day from throughout Latin American that Yuma County sheriffs and National Guard members are helping out.

(Don Bartletti)

One guy told me a smuggler helped him memorize the route. No te puedes perder. You cant miss it. Others learned it through social media and the continent-wide network of fellow travelers who emboldened them to attempt the journey on their own.

The Border Patrol refers to the end station as the 21st Street Gate. I call it the Zigzag Gate for its interruption in the sweeping fence line along the riverbank. Its a ginormous, hinged double door that spans the width of the levee, a landmark destined for migrant folklore as the Holy Grail or the gateway to Oz. Its the gate to a dream come true or a dreadful nightmare. Ive attended immigration court hearings, and not every plea for asylum had a fairy tale ending. A couple of grown men had watery eyes while scanning the horizon through the steel pickets.

Of the hundreds who huddled against the fence during my recent reporting, I saw only these four athletic Cubanos scale the fortress-sized barrier. However, someone who came before them may have snipped the coil of razor wire on top, tempting them to go off script for a spontaneous, once-in-a-lifetime final leap.

When they landed on the freedom side of the gate, they didnt bolt across the emerald-green field. They waited pensively for the U.S. Border Patrol van to roll up and whisk them toward an uncertain future. COVID-19 face masks absorbed the tears.

Minutes before being arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol, Venezuelan national Francisco Gonzalez, 59, buries his face in his grandsons infant onesie sent by his daughter in Memphis, Tennessee. The garment is printed with the message, I Just Arrived But Im Already the Boss. Gonzalez, his sister and daughter-in-law surrendered at the border fence in San Luis, Arizona south of Yuma. All said that political and economic conditions in Venezuela forced them to flee and they wanted to apply for asylum in the U.S.

(Don Bartletti)

Bartletti was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography for his six-part Los Angeles Times photo essay Enriques Journey The Boy Left Behind. He has been a resident of North San Diego County for 60 years.

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Controlled anarchy on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona - The San Diego Union-Tribune

TORONTO, May 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- With summer fast approaching and people spending more time outside amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Abell Pest Control sees an increase in tick activity across the country and the potential for an increase in the spread of Lyme disease.

We are seeing a record number of tick inquiries coming into Abell over the past year, said John Abell, President, Abell Pest Control. The number of tick calls has increased by more than 1000% and we want people to take extra precautions in parks and wooded areas to protect themselves from ticks and reduce the transmission of Lyme disease.

May is Lyme Disease Awareness month in Canada. Lyme disease is spread through the bite of infected ticks and is becoming more common in Canada. Since 2009, reported cases of Lyme disease in Canada have increased 14-fold according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. Several provinces are considered hotspots including Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.

The best prognosis for Lyme disease is achieved when it is diagnosed and treated early, but many people dont recall a tick bite and may be unaware of their risk. Prevention is the best strategy to avoid Lyme and its potentially serious complications, including those affecting the heart and nervous system. Dr. Melanie Wills, Director, G. Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab, University of Guelph.Lyme Disease Statistics

Lyme is the most prevalent vector-borne infection in the northern hemisphere

While tick populations tend to gravitate to wooded or bushy areas with tall grasses, they are also found around homes in shrubs or leaf piles around the house and parks and trails.

Reduce your chance of being bitten by wearing protective clothing to prevent ticks from attaching to your skin. Wear closed-toed shoes, long sleeve shirts that fit tightly around the wrist, and long-legged pants tucked into your socks or boots. When out hiking or walking, try and stay in the centre of the trail. Wear light-coloured clothes to make spotting ticks easier. Always use insect repellents containing DEET or Icaridin on your skin and clothing, And when you return home put clothes immediately in the dryer on high heat to help kill any ticks that may remain.

The G. Magnotta Lyme Disease Research Lab brings together leading scientists with the goal of combating Lyme and related diseases. Abell Pest Control has established a scholarship in Lyme Disease research. For more information on their work, or to donate, visit:gmagnottafoundation.com.

Abell Pest Control is a North American leader in pest control, hygiene, and disinfection services offering businesses and homeowners effective, safe and dependable services since 1924. To learn more about Abell visit: http://www.abellpestcontrol.com.

For more information contact:Eliana Pasquariello, Abell Pest Control,epasquariello@abellgroup.com

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Tick Related Inquiries and Lyme Disease on the Rise in Canada - GlobeNewswire

Amazon willtake over the exclusive broadcasting rights of the NFL's Thursday Night Football, beginning with the 2022 season.

TheNFLexpandedto a permanent Thursday night game in 2012, airing initially onNBC before moving to CBS and thenFox Sports.

Bloomberg reported a rising costin broadcast rights fees has made it tough for many media companies to justify buying the rights to the Thursday night prime-time games.

As part of the recent long-term media deals,Foxwill continue to produce the National Football Conference package of Sunday afternoon games with a focus onAmerica's Game of the Week, the NFL said.

The deal between Amazon and the NFL was first announced in March.

"These new media deals will provide our fans even greater access to the games they love. We're proud to grow our partnerships with the most innovative media companies in the market,"NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the time. "Along with our recently completed labor agreement with the NFLPA, these distribution agreements bring an unprecedented era of stability to the League and will permit us to continue to grow and improve our game."

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Amazon to take full control of Thursday Night Football staring in 2022 | TheHill - The Hill

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public rally ahead of West Bengal state elections in Calcutta, India, on March 7, 2021.

Bikas Das/The Associated Press

As Indias COVID-19 infections mount in a crushing second wave with more than 19 million cases and counting, there is a growing clamour against media coverage criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modis handling of the pandemic.

In the last week, several reports and editorials published abroad have laid much of the blame for the surge in India on the governments failure to curb political rallies and mass religious gatherings last month. The press has also questioned why authorities were slow to prepare for the second wave despite a national panel warning of a fresh wave.

Searing images of mass cremations and burning funeral pyres spilling into parking areas as bodies pile up have drawn the worlds attention to the severity of the crisis. In India, too, newspapers have been critical of the national and state governments mismanagement, and there is rising resentment from the public and opposition parties on social media.

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A flurry of recent directives from the government seeks to rein in the narrative that members of the ruling party and their supporters see as an attack on its public image. External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reportedly told Indian ambassadors and high commissioners posted around the globe that the one-sided narrative in international media should be countered, according to The Indian Express.

Last week, the Indian high commission in Australia sent a scathing rejoinder to the newspaper The Australian for republishing an article headlined Modi leads India into viral apocalypse, calling it baseless and slanderous.

Back in India, the government issued an emergency order to Twitter to take down more than 50 tweets, including those posted by people from media, opposition party members and filmmakers. A few days later, Facebook temporarily removed posts with the hashtag #ResignModi. An open letter issued by mental-health experts called for restraint from the media in covering the crisis. We are not saying the facts should not be reported. We are saying that hysteria and panic-inducing coverage should be avoided, the letter said.

Media watchers said the effort to weed out critical voices covering the pandemic ties in with the growing curbs on media and digital freedom in India over the past few years. India ranked 142 in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, down from 140 in 2019. It has also been called one of the worlds most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The co-ordinated hate campaigns waged on social networks against journalists who dare to speak or write about subjects that annoy Hindutva followers are terrifying and include calls for the journalists concerned to be murdered, said RSFs statement, referring to the predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India. The campaigns are particularly violent when the targets are women, the statement added.

The government has denied claims of curbs and blamed the low ranking on a Western bias. In reference to the ranking, the Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Prakash Javadekar, tweeted: We will expose, sooner than later, those surveys that tend to portray bad picture about Freedom of Press in India.

According to news reports, the government has been mulling setting up its own democracy and press freedom rankings. Meanwhile, the U.S. 2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices highlighted a huge number of internet shutdowns in different places across the country 106 in 2019 and 76 times as of Dec. 21, 2020, with the longest shutdown in Jammu and Kashmir when its special status was revoked and the government feared a backlash and unrest. That information blackout was deemed illegal by the Supreme Court.

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The COVID-19 crisis, in many ways, has pushed an overwhelming amount of reporting and visual evidence onto digital platforms in real time, not just from journalists.

Social media is the most powerful platform that citizens have right now. We have been seeing Twitter and WhatsApp become a helpline for people in distress. With the collapse of governance, this kind of people-to-people communication is important and thats what the government is trying to crack down on, said senior journalist Geeta Seshu of the Free Speech Collective, which tracks violations of free speech and protects the right to dissent in India.

In a recent study, Arrest and Detention of Journalists in India 2010-20, Ms. Seshu noted a sharp rise in criminal cases lodged against journalists, with a majority of cases in Bhartiya Janata Party-ruled states. In the past decade, 154 journalists in India were arrested, detained or interrogated, with more than 40 per cent of these instances in 2020. Nine foreign journalists faced deportation or interrogation, or were denied entry into the country. It has contributed to the deterioration in the climate for free speech in India, Ms. Seshu said.

In another study, titled Getting Away with Murder, Ms. Seshu found that journalists, many from small towns working with regional media, paid with their lives for investigative reports on illegal activities. Others were intimidated using violent means. Journalists have been fired upon, blinded by pellet guns, forced to drink liquor laced with urine or urinated upon, kicked, beaten and chased. They have had petrol bombs thrown at their homes and the fuel pipes of their bikes cut, she noted.

Prashant Kanojia is one of them. The former journalist has had several legal cases and complaints filed against him and been to prison twice, spending 80 days in jail last year until he got bail in October. He said he has been targeted for writing articles critical of the political leadership in Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Kanojia, who comes from a Dalit low caste background, says he has a fair number of followers on social media and talks about issues faced by his community.

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The government is afraid that I will provoke them to protest, even though I am not capable of doing that, he told The Globe and Mail. The surprising bit is that the police havent pursued my case after that there hasnt been a single hearing. That shows they have nothing substantial against me and they know the cases wont hold up in court.

During the pandemic, Mr. Modis government has clamped down on news reports that it claims were fake and created panic, calling them seditious and a criminal offence under the Disaster Management Act. It also sought to control media coverage that strayed from official statements.

Last year, the government pushed the Supreme Court to control the coverage of the pandemic. The court said it would not interfere with the free discussion about the pandemic, but direct the media to refer to and publish the official version about the developments.

So far, the digital news media has been freer than the more regulated TV and print news, both dependent on government advertising. An explosion of news sites managed to make a mark in the last four to five years, Ms. Seshu said. But in February, the government laid down a framework to regulate digital media, too.

Mr. Kanojia said his experience has disillusioned him about the profession.

Journalism was always a passion; it never felt like a job. But looking at the current situation its hard to survive. There are few organizations that allow you to write what you want and I dont find myself to be the right fit anywhere, he said.

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He said that is why he moved toward politics, as a member of a party that seeks to uphold constitutional rights.

Journalists shouldnt be seen as a threat but treated as part of the ecosystem, he said.

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As COVID-19 devastates India, Modis government tries to control the narrative - The Globe and Mail

At least six people have been killed in post-election violence in India's West Bengal state, police officials said on Wednesday, after a regional group beat Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party in a bitterly fought contest.

The regional Trinamool Congress (TMC) retained control of the populous eastern state in results declared on Sunday, with Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerging as the main opposition there for the first time. read more

A senior West Bengal police official said the violence had been particularly intense in at least six districts scattered across the state, with homes of some 100 political workers from both sides attacked and vandalised.

"In Cooch Behar district in North Bengal there have been at least 25 separate clashes between TMC and BJP workers ever since the results were declared," the official said, declining to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to media.

Both parties said their workers were being targeted by rivals.

"Our party workers are being hounded out in the rural belts and houses have been torched," said Shisir Bajoria of the BJP, which staged a sit-in protest at its headquarters in the state's capital city, Kolkata.

Subrata Mukherjee, a senior TMC leader, told Reuters that at least two of the party's workers had been killed in recent days. "It was the TMC workers who were on the receiving end," Mukherjee said.

West Bengal has a history of political violence, including flare-ups after elections. After the last general election in 2019, which Modi won convincingly, at least 15 people were killed in clashes.

India's National Human Rights Commission said on Tuesday it would send an investigation team to the state.

TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who was sworn in as West Bengal's chief minister for the third time on Wednesday, said there had been sporadic violence, and blamed the BJP for it.

"I am for peace," Banerjee told reporters. "I will appeal to all sides to contain violence."

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Post-election violence kills six in eastern India - Reuters India