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#NationalPetDay: Adopt an Unlikely Companion

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Tuesday marks National Pet Day, which celebrates four-legged friends around the country and raises awareness about animals in shelters in need of forever homes.

Popular dog breeds such as the schnauzer and golden retriever are most likely to be adopted, along with tabby cats and gray cats, a Priceonomics study found

But according to a PetFinder survey, "less adoptable" animals spend nearly four times longer in a shelter than the average pet. The wait time can be years.

Common Shelter Breeds
The American pit bull terrier and the Chihuahua are the two most common dog breeds found in animal shelters, with thousands available for adoption, according to PetFinder.

Although pit bulls have a reputation for being aggressive, with proper training, these loyal companions are gentle, patient and fun-loving dogs.

Chihuahuas, which have been appearing more frequently in shelters due to their pop culture popularity in the early 2000s, are extremely loyal and love people.

Senior Pets
Often overlooked for wiggly puppies and furry kittens, older pets can spend years living in shelters. Many senior pets are already potty trained, know basic commands and have fewer needs than their younger counterparts.

They're generally calmer than puppies and kittens and adapt faster to family environments and first-time pet owners, according to the Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Older pets are also less likely to damage your home or keep you up at night.

Rabbits
When most people consider adopting a pet, dogs and cats are traditionally the most popular choice. According to SaveABunny, a nonprofit rabbit rescue, rabbits are the third most common type of animals euthanized at shelters. They make great companions, but require a different type of work and attention than cats and dogs. Before making the decision to bring home a long-eared friend, be sure to know what to expect.

Unlike cats and dogs, rabbits require a specific indoor, caged environment. The ASPCA suggests having as large a space for your rabbit as possible, with room for a litter box with hay and plenty of food. Rabbits are very clean by nature, and will do their best to keep their living quarters clean. If the litter box is changed daily, you're rabbit's home will be odor-free.

Rabbits have powerful hind legs designed for running and jumping. They need plenty of out-of-cage exercise time to run and jump in a safe area, either inside or outside the house, according to the ASPCA. Thousands of rabbits are available for adoption through PetFinder.com, so hop to it!

Reptiles
The number of people who own reptiles has doubled over the past 10 years, according to an American Pet Products Association report cited in Animal Sheltering Magazine. As a result, shelters are seeing a large number of reptiles abandoned by owners who find themselves unprepared.

It's important to research the type of reptile you plan to adopt. Familiarize yourself with the animal's required living environment and make sure you can accommodate the reptile when it's fully grown.

Though specific care depends on the type of animal, home environment is an important factor for all reptiles. These pets are cold blooded and require specific temperatures and lighting, according to Pets at Home's guidelines

For a good family pet, Reptiles Magazine suggests the bearded dragon and a variety of gecko species.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

Teen Syrian Refugee Caught in Rip Currents

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A local family is pleading for the safe return of their only son, currently being searched for in the waters off Mission Beach.

Mohammed Mostafa, 17, is thought to have been swept away by strong rip currents Sunday evening.

Mohammed and his family are refugees from Syria. His family fled the country, trying to escape the violence almost three months ago.

Mohammed's father told NBC 7 Monday night, his son is a student at El Cajon Valley High School and has four sisters. They moved to El Cajon from Syria in January hoping for a new life--one without violence and turmoil.

"I just asked for a safe place for my family as well," said Mohammed’s father, Husan.

Mohammed and four other friends came to the beach Sunday evening. He, along with two friends, went into waist-deep water. Those two had to be rescued by lifeguards after powerful rip currents.

"There's a very strong relationship between them and they're very upset with what's happened to Mohammed right now," said Husan.

Crews searched for hours Sunday night, and again on Monday, but there's still no sign of Mohammed.  

His family spoke to NBC 7 and shared photos of Mohammed in hopes of getting the public's help with locating their son.

"I just care about my Mohammed to be back with his mom and his dad and his family. That's all I'm thinking about," said Mohammed’s father, Husan.

Around 1 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard suspended their search. San Diego Lifeguards continue the search Tuesday morning.

But this is now considered a recovery, instead of a rescue effort.

7-Year-Old Who Saw School Shooting: 'I Was a Brave Girl'

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A 7-year-old girl recounted the horrifying shooting that sent she and her classmates scrambling in a special needs classroom in San Bernardino Monday and left her teacher and a classmate dead.

"It was scary," said Brooklyn Hughes. "I was a brave girl."

Brooklyn ran from the room as the shots rang out at North Park Elementary School in the Southern California community at 10:27 a.m.

"I ran as fast as I can, and I lost a shoe," she said, pointing to her soiled sock.

Brooklyn was one of 600 students evacuated from the school after Cedric Charles Anderson walked into her room and began firing at teacher Karen Elaine Smith as two students stood behind her.

"First he shoot the wall...shoot the projector and we was running," Brooklyn said.

The horrifying shooting was an apparent murder-suicide in which children were "unfortunately involved," police said.

Brooklyn's classmate, 8-year-old Jonathan Martinez, died before getting to the operating room after he was struck by gunfire. A 9-year-old student was also hit by gunfire, but was in stable condition at Loma Linda University Medical Center, authorities said.

Kleigh Hughes, Brooklyn's mom, was among the hundreds of parents scrambling to get to the school to find out if their children were safe.

She said her friend told her about the shooting, but she never could have imagined the gunfire erupted in her daughter's room.

"It was terrifying because we couldn't get any real information and once we got here it was a lot of disorganization," Hughes said. "I didn't know what to do. I felt numb and scared. I could only imagine how she felt, being in there."

Once she had her daughter back in her arms, she said she felt utterly relieved.

"No one will ever understand how important it is for you to be able to see your kid's face, especially when something like this happens," Hughes said. "I'm just going to make sure I kiss my baby every day before she leaves for school and just pray to God every day that she makes it home safely."

Her daughter said she saw blood go across the room but the child didn't see her teacher get shot.

Both Hughes and her daughter said Smith was a good teacher.



Photo Credit: KNBC-TV

Investigators Update San Bernardino Shooting

United Shares Slide Amid PR Nightmare

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Shares in United Continental stock fell more than a percent Tuesday amid an uproar over a bloodied passenger seen on video being dragged off an at-capacity flight in Chicago.

Earlier Tuesday, the shares were among the worst performers in the S&P 500.

CNBC reported that stock had climbed Monday despite widespread outrage on the internet over the video, which prompted an apology from CEO Oscar Munoz for having to "re-accomodate customers."

Munoz issued a second apology in a statement Tuesday, saying that a "thorough review" of the situation and their policies will take place, the results of which will be shared by Apr. 30.



Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, File

Residential Project Planned Near Fashion Valley Mall

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If you think traffic is already congested around Fashion Valley Mall things could be getting tighter soon.

The City Planning Commission is reviewing details of a proposed development that could bring more people to the area.

In the 7000 block of Friars Road just across the street from Nordstrom, in Fashion Valley Mall, is the space where a local development company wants to put new apartments and condos.

It is a sizable project.

But some area travelers and residents fear, with it, will come an equally large traffic headache.

Take a lunch hour, weekend night, or Christmas shopping trip to Fashion Valley Mall and you get a taste of the traffic snarl.

"It’s really congested especially in this little area you get a lot of people getting off the highways and try to go to each mall,” Mission Valley resident Barbara Darden said.

"We kind of travel on off time hours like now we are eating dinner at eight almost, nine o'clock at night,” Barbara’s husband Douglas said.

Landcap Investment bought three office buildings on the opposite side of Friars Road at Via de La Moda entrance to the mall.

Renderings, submitted to San Diego's planning commission show a 249-unit, 8-story apartment building plus, a 70-unit, 9-story luxury condominium tower.

"The more people you have. the more accidents you have. I don't think it is going to be such a great idea,” Douglas said.

NBC 7 reached out to Landcap Investments but no one was available to answer our questions. The Website narrative doesn't address potential traffic problems. There is no mention of a traffic study or whether a Friars road expansion is in the works.

"There are so many businesses and so many stores and shops that it's just going to be real congested on top of the congestion,” Barbara said.

The City Council will eventually need to approve the project. It is currently at the planning commission stage.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

Families Seeking Asylum Held Indefinitely at Pa. ICE Center

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At an ICE family detention center in Pennsylvania, one 10-year-old girl’s medical records tell two different stories. 

The Berks County Residential Center’s contracted psychologist held several check-ins with the child and her mother while they were detained between December 2015 and May 2016. In his notes, the psychologist described a woman who could not discipline her daughter and a girl who threw tantrums when she didn’t get her way. He wrote that he "politely reminded" the mom that she could "set boundaries." 

As to the child's bedwetting, he suggested that she visit a urologist, just in case. But he wrote, "the impression she left on me and the interpreter was that her enuresis was related to nothing more than laziness." 

While at Berks, the girl's condition dramatically worsened. She visited an adult urologist during the last month of her stay and never saw a pediatrician.

She was hospitalized in mid-March, 10 months after her release. She has potassium in her urine, and her doctors told her that her disease is incurable. A transplant would prove too difficult, and both her kidneys are failing. 

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"Now, she has permanent damage," said Bridget Cambria, one of the pro-bono lawyers who represent detainees at Berks. 

For 14 families, all without criminal records, life at Berks County Residential Center has become a long-term reality. In phone interviews, three current detainees told NBC they've grown tired of an education system that barely teaches, a medical unit that doesn't meet their needs, a cafeteria with inedible food, and a staff with no comprehension of their culture. But mostly, they're sick of lingering in limbo. 

“I think the bottom line is the facility’s not meant for people to be there for 18 months,” Cambria said. “It’s not a place where you live.”

She and her associates, who are based in Reading, Pennsylvania, connected NBC with the mothers, who spoke under the condition that they remain anonymous for fear of retaliation from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the facility’s staff, and their abusers back home. 

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The center is run by county employees and contractors who advocates say lack fundamental aptitudes for their jobs. The children at Berks could be better served in the open, where more qualified and diverse individuals would see to their needs.

When the 10-year-old girl continually had nighttime accidents at Berks, not all medical professionals missed her warning signs.

One of the lawyers brought in someone from the outside to re-assess her. Kathryn S. Miller, a registered clinical social worker and play therapist-supervisor, noticed how close the family was -- how when the mother began to cry, her daughter quickly handed her a tissue and later affectionately plucked a piece of lint from her shirt. Miller asked them why they had left El Salvador, and they told her about the gang activity that had forced them to run. They had often heard gunshots around their home, and their neighbors would be robbed or disappear.

In Miller’s notes, she wrote that the girl said gang members would “do bad things, and that’s why I’m so scared.” One had broken into her house to hide from the police. When he was in her home, she had been afraid for her life and her loved ones.

While Berks' psychologist questioned whether the child had wished to flee El Salvador in the first place, Miller thought she had post-traumatic stress disorder. That didn’t necessarily explain the bedwetting, though, so she recommended a “comprehensive physical examination by a pediatrician who specializes in the care of children in order to determine the root cause of her chronic enuresis and develop a plan for treating this condition.”

The psychologist declined comment to NBC on his work at Berks and directed contact through ICE, which has not granted an interview with him.

Tucked among the backroads of Leesport, Pennsylvania, Berks County Residential Center exclusively hosts immigrant parents and children as they wait to learn their fate. It is one of three ICE facilities that hold families; the other two are used for short-term detention in Texas. It’s hidden, and locals might be surprised to find out it’s even there.

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At the two-floor center that holds up to 96 people, stark white walls surround detainees day and night in dorm-style rooms that, for some, become their home for years.

“It’s such a creepy place,” said Karen Hoffmann, a legal advocate for immigrants at Berks.

Beginning in November 2015, over two dozen immigrant families filed habeas corpus lawsuits that collectively comprise Castro v. Department of Homeland Security. Fourteen of the families are still at Berks. In the case, detainees who had failed their credible fear interviews for asylum decried the U.S. immigration system because of its lack of external review and asked for another chance to remain in the United States. The American Civil Liberties Union spearheaded the suit and has pushed it all the way to the Supreme Court.

All of the families involved in Castro were detained after crossing the southern border. Their confidential interview and habeas documents indicate that they were primarily asked “yes” or “no” questions, sometimes not even in their native languages, and they were often cut off mid-sentence during the interview process, according to their attorneys. After they had failed their interviews, immigration judges rubber-stamped those decisions during five-minute hearings. All of the immigrants were assigned to expedited removal and put in detention while awaiting deportation.

The asylum interviews took place under President Barack Obama's administration. Our former commander in chief cracked down on undocumented families after the 2014 immigration crisis, when women and children flocked to the United States seeking refuge from violence in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala.

Since taking office, President Donald Trump has revamped expedited removal to apply to undocumented residents who have lived in the United States for up to two years, a dramatic extension of the policy.

“This is what Trump wants to do,” said Reading-based immigration attorney Jackie Kline. “He wants to expand expedited removal so that every single person who touches U.S. soil, at an airport, at a border, every one of them is put into expedited removal, every one of them is put into a detention center until their case is over. So they’re already taking this Castro [case] and just blowing it up.”

In the early 2010s, a majority of asylum cases were granted, but numbers plunged after 2014. Last year, more than 56 percent of cases were denied, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Given Trump’s platform, they may continue to drop.

Both Obama and Trump said that undocumented criminals were their priority for deportation, but none of the immigrants in the Castro case have a criminal record, according to Hoffmann. 

“Help us," begged one detainee from El Salvador. "We’re paying for a crime. We’re not criminals. We’re single mothers searching for refuge.”

The Third Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia ruled against the immigrant families in August, refusing them the capacity to challenge their deportation. That decision meant that “enemy combatants in Guantanamo who are not even on U.S. soil have more rights than asylum seekers,” Kline said.

“How can that be, that people that you say are terrorists, who are trying to blow up the United States, who haven’t even touched U.S. soil, have more rights to court procedure than a mom and child who are fleeing for their lives?” she asked.

The Supreme Court is expected to decide if it will hear the case in mid- to late-April. If it does hear Castro, the detainees’ attorneys hope their clients will be set free until the scheduled court date, which could be set for years from now. If they win the case, they will be able to re-interview for asylum.

But if the appeal is denied in the next few weeks, all of the families will most likely be deported.

Since the lawsuit was filed almost a year and a half ago, ICE has maintained that everyone involved must remain in detention until a final ruling, according to the families’ attorneys. Still, about half have been released because of medical issues or outside pressure, upon the discretion of ICE officials. The rest wonder why their illnesses — diabetes, or their children’s ever-declining weight, or crippling depression — do not qualify them for discharge.

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While the families wait to learn the Supreme Court’s decision, their kids are growing up in confinement, and advocates say the center is not equipped for years-long stays.

"ICE is committed to ensuring that residents at the Center are provided a safe, secure and humane environment as they go through the immigration process, which also includes those who remain at the Center for extended periods of time," officials said in a statement.

In August, some of the mothers went on a hunger strike to demand their release, so fed up with the system that they were willing to forgo basic nutrition for weeks. Many of them are still at Berks. Amnesty International USA launched a campaign in March to free four children who all have Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and who have been in detention for over 500 days.

One of the mothers in the Castro case is from Honduras and has a 3-year-old son. When they crossed the border, he was only 22 months old. After getting picked up and transferred from Karnes County Residential Center in Texas, they have spent 18 months at Berks while her parents and siblings wait for them on the outside.

“Half of his life has been locked up,” she told NBC. “He’s learned everything here.”

She said that the children aren’t allowed to run around, and that her son spends all his time by her side, always monitored and controlled. Staffers tell her that he should be seated, and that he has no need to run and explore, she said.

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The Berks Resident Handbook, which was included as evidence in a court case, says that children under 10 "are expected to be under the direct supervision of their parent at all times" unless there's an organized activity, or they're in school. Kids over 10 can get free movement passes, if their parents agree.

ICE officials said in a statement to NBC that "similar to other child care facilities and schools" detainees are allowed to run in the center's recreational areas. 

School-aged children attend classes during the morning and early afternoon, for five hours each day, according to ICE. While they study, their moms wipe down almost the entire facility — the kitchen, lobby, phone areas, bathrooms, practically everything but the ICE offices.

“Once you drop your kids off, out comes the cleaning cart and you start cleaning,” Cambria said.

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Though the work program is technically voluntary and pays one dollar a day, mothers take part because if they are assigned to the kitchen shift, they’re given juices and ice cream for their kids, who they say won’t eat most of the other food in the cafeteria because it's gross. Menus from May and June 2016 show that residents had access to rice, beans and tortillas, but main courses tended more toward carb-loaded American favorites like pizza, chicken tenders, and hot pockets.

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In class, three teachers and two assistants cover five subjects -- including physical education -- for all grade levels. In a statement to NBC, ICE wrote that "the curriculum is individualized for students based on their learning profiles and academic needs." In practice, kids are doled out worksheets or handed books for self-study.

Some detainees and their representatives indicated that the education is inadequate. When Hoffmann, the legal advocate, visited an 11-year-old at Berks, the girl asked if they could watch “Barbie: Princess Charm School.” It was what they were doing in class, she said.

Most kids "really want to go to school and really want to learn," said Kline, one of the attorneys. "And then here’s this school where they are doing worksheets and no one’s teaching them anything." 

Loulou, a young Syrian woman who was detained with her father for six months when she was 15 and 16 before being granted asylum, has deferred an offer of admission from Rutgers University, where she plans to study mathematics, to work for a year. She asked to use her nickname without her last name because members of her family are still waiting to come to the United States.

Loulou said that while at Berks, she didn't feel discriminated against by her teachers, but she added, “I never learned anything new.” All of the assignments were “primary school level,” and her instructors struggled to teach her. They would give her a vocabulary list each day that she would have to define, “and that was basically it” for language arts, she said.

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Sometimes, when the English teacher taught her math, she would just read from a textbook. If she had any questions about a problem, she was told to skip it.

Loulou thinks the Berks education would hold back most people. When she was released two years ago and attended public high school, she said, “I had to work really hard to catch up with everybody else.”

Art projects are popular among the teachers. On the walls near the visitation area, crafty assignments for the season ask the children to describe where they hope to travel in the summer, or what they want for Christmas in December. For St. Patrick’s Day this year, the attorneys said the kids had to fill out prompts about why they were lucky.

”What they want to write is ‘I’m lucky because... I’m not. I’m stuck in this place, and I can’t leave,’” Cambria said.

Some children ask their advocates for supplementary books. Before Donald Trump was elected, a 12-year-old boy requested a copy of "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" in Spanish, Hoffmann said. The kid's mother complained in Flores v. Holder, another case that involved Berks, that her son "gets bored" in class. Inn a June 2016 declaration, Joshua G. Reid, ICE assistant field office director in Philadelphia, responded by saying that the boy had been moved from the third- to sixth-grade classroom to a seventh- to tenth-grade level, where he appeared to be "challenged, yet doing well."

One of the mothers from El Salvador has a 16-year-old son, and they’ve both been at Berks for 18 months. He was excited to come to the United States, where he could study English and take classes in all different subjects. 

“He says, ‘Mom, I want to leave here so I can learn more,’” she told NBC. 

Her son has slept next to her for a year and a half, through puberty. While other teenagers occasionally circle through Berks, he is usually the only boy his age. 

“He looks out the window and asks, ‘When will I get to leave through that door?’ And I can’t answer him because I don’t know,” she said.

Now, he has gotten so depressed that he skips lunch and takes a nap between classes. He doesn’t like the cafeteria food, and like many of the other kids, he longs for dishes that reflect the cuisine from his country.

Another mother from El Salvador, who has a 7-year-old son, said that adolescents often get desperate, grabbing ropes and threatening to hang themselves, or wishing they would die.

“It’s not just, that kids spend their childhoods locked in four walls,” she said.

The counselors, childcare professionals who watch over detainees, are supposed to look out for their well being. But, according to the attorneys and some immigrant mothers, they lack essential qualifications, like Spanish fluency and cultural understanding, and their misconceptions can sometimes turn into racism.

“The dynamic at Berks is very weird, because it’s this rural, mostly white county…with this immigration detention center,” said Hoffmann. “And so you can see the people that work there are from the local area. A lot of them have certain political ideas and treat them accordingly.”

“You always hear comments about how we should go back to our country and how we’re not from here. How we’re illegals,” one of the mothers said. “We’re not from here, but we came here just asking for help.” 

One counselor often talked about his support for Trump during the campaign, according to an internal declaration that a former detainee filed against him. When the woman asked him to stop saying that Trump “will make sure all immigrants get out of this country,” he “started picking the hairs out of his beard and throwing them at me,” she wrote in the complaint, which was sent directly to the facility's executive director, Diane Edwards.

She also accused him of telling her daughter that “he only liked white women because Latinas were very ugly and that we did not like to take showers.”

That same Saturday, he approached her daughter and two other children. “He asked the girls to let their hair down and to start dancing” to hard rock, she wrote, and whoever danced the best would be rewarded with candy.

“I don’t like to see anyone getting my child to do anything with her body in exchange of candy,” the former detainee wrote. “I wonder, if right in front of us he will ask them to dance for candy, what else would he ask them to do when the moms [are] not around?”

The complaint was filed in November, and attorneys were told that there would be an investigation. When they followed up in January, they did not receive a response.

“He’s taking care of children,” Hoffmann said. “They sit on his lap.”

In a separate ChildLine report, a 6-year-old boy told Miller, the Pennsylvania social worker, that he had witnessed the same counselor refuse to help a 16-year-old detainee carry a 13-year-old, who had collapsed from lack of oxygen, to the medical center. ChildLine is the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services' (PDHS) child protective services program that sorts tips and sends them to a relevant investigative body. 

NBC asked to speak to the counselor, who as of March still worked at Berks, but ICE has yet to grant the request. Officials would not confirm whether he is still employed by them, or whether they have ever looked into his behavior. ICE said in a statement that they "are committed to ensuring that residents at the Center are treated in a safe, secure and humane manner" and "allegations of possible misconduct are thoroughly reviewed and investigated."

The mothers also criticized the staff’s routine bed checks, which take place every 15 minutes in compliance with the facility’s agreement with PDHS.

According to Reid's declaration for Flores v. Holder, last summer his team was in negotiations with PDHS to change the frequency of bed checks to once per hour. ICE declined to discuss "matters of pending litigation" with NBC and the detainees say the policy has yet to be revised. Because of the constant nighttime intrusions, they’re always exhausted. 

“The kids are suffering a lot,” said one of the mothers from El Salvador. “They don’t sleep, because every 15 minutes they [staffers] open the door and shine lights on them.” 

In January, during a room check in the early morning, one detainee saw a staff member approach her daughter's bed. The move triggered her PTSD, and she screamed four or five times out of fear that her child would be attacked. When she visited the Berks psychologist, he wrote in his notes that "she acknowledged that she loudly screamed repeatedly, and indicated that she was 'ashamed' of her behavior." 

Some mothers worry that they’re failing their children. When the mom from Honduras’ infant was shaking with a high fever, she tried to go to the medical wing to get him help (detainees aren’t allowed to keep most medication, including aspirin, in their rooms). She was told to return in the morning, but when she showed up before 7 a.m., the medical staff said they couldn’t see her son until 4 p.m., during walk-in hours.

ICE officials confirmed that Berks holds walk-in hours from 9-10 a.m. and 4-5 p.m. daily but disputed mothers' allegations that they didn't have true access to around the clock care. They said that residents with urgent needs "will receive treatment at the medical clinic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." 

“I felt incompetent because I couldn’t take care of my child,” said the mother from Honduras. “It hurt me that he had to wait all day when the check-up only took five minutes.” 

Cambria said that the only thing the Berks moms care about is their children. 

“It’s their whole life,” she added. “And they put them in this place where the place’s whole job is to take away the ability to be a parent. You can’t cook. You don’t decide when your kid wakes up, when they go to sleep. How they learn. What they learn, what they read, what they see. Everything’s taken from them.” 

Many of the mothers have refused deportation because they fear their children will be hurt or killed if they return home. They’re willing to endure a drawn out court process even if it means staying indefinitely in detention, putting their lives on pause.

“I want to keep fighting, for my son,” one said.



Photo Credit: ALDEA
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PICS: Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters

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Billy Bob Thornton & the Boxmasters delivered a 'goliath' blues/rockabilly set at the Belly Up on April 4.

Photo Credit: Connie Bolger

Teenage Driver Plunges into Backyard Pool in Santa Clara

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A dozy driver mishandled a turn early Tuesday and plowed into a backyard pool in Santa Clara, according to fire officials.

The bizarre crash happened around 3 a.m. near Warburton Avenue and Calabazas Boulevard when the 19-year-old driver said he lost control of his sedan, smashed through metal and wooden fences and then plunged into the deep end of the backyard pool, Santa Clara fire officials said.

The teenage driver, who was administered a field sobriety test and passed, was not injured in the crash, but the car was completely submerged.

The panicked driver tried to save his waterlogged belongings, but his efforts were unsuccessful, according to witness Alex Costal-Levy.

"He seemed pretty worried, understandably, because his car was in a pool," Costal-Levy said.

In order to fish the car from the pool, a towing crew attached cables to the rear end of the car and slowly managed to pull it out of the water.

Sections of two fences were destroyed and some patio furniture was tossed into the water, but it appears the pool did not suffer major damage.

"That was one lucky pool," Costal-Levy said. "(The crash) could have caused more damage."

The homeowner was not inside of the house at the time of the crash, and it is unclear if they are even aware of what transpired in the backyard.



Photo Credit: Santa Clara Fire Department
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Fireworks Explode in Downtown San Diego

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Someone launched fireworks into the air in downtown San Diego early Tuesday.

Several people called San Diego police at approximately 5 a.m. reporting the sound of shots fired.

The location was 4th Avenue and Beech Street.

An NBC 7 photojournalist was in the area and captured several fireworks exploding nearby.

It's illegal for residents to set off fireworks in the City and County of San Diego.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this breaking story. Details may change as more information becomes available.

CHP Investigates Death of Driver Near SR-94, I-805

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California Highway Patrol Officers are investigating the death of a driver near a highway interchange east of downtown San Diego.

CHP officers responded to westbound State Route 94 at northbound Interstate 805 just after 6 a.m. Tuesday.

They found the body of a driver in a car parked along the right shoulder of the connector.

A Sig Alert was issued before 7:30 a.m.

CHP officers closed the westbound SR-94 connector to northbound I-805.

Traffic was being diverted to southbound I-805.

No further details have been released.



Photo Credit: NBC 7

County Approves Grant to Probe Childhood Lead Poisoning

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The San Diego County Board of Supervisors approved a public health grant Tuesday focusing on the prevention of lead poisoning in children.

Although not new, the grant is getting more attention after reports of unusually high levels of lead has been found in the water at several local schools.

Children who fall ill and test positive for high levels of lead could qualify for help from this grant.

The funds come from the state and today the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency asked supervisors for permission to accept the money.

Children are usually recommended to the program by a physician. HHSA receives the positive test results and the child is assigned a case manager.

The case manager then helps track down how the child was contaminated.

”We will go into their homes try to really get a sense of what is the exposure causing that high lead level, and whether it is house paint, or imported candy or other sources,” said Sayone Thihalolipavan, Deputy Public Health Officer. “We will try to explore whatever we can and really work with that family over time to make sure that their lead levels go down.”

The grant provides nearly $1.3 million over three years.

“If any student ws exposed to lead contaminated water at school, we ask that if they are concerned that they work with their medical provider to get tested for lead poisoning,” Thihalolipavan said. “If they have high enough levels then, that meet the requirements of the state grant, we would work with the families to figure out what the root causes were.”

In order to qualify for the grant, the positive lead test results must reflect more than 14 microliters per deciliter of lead.



Photo Credit: Chris Chan

Cement Truck Crashes in Carmel Valley

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A cement truck crashed in Carmel Valley Tuesday, causing traffic congestion in the community, officials said. 

The rollover crash happened around 12 p.m. at Carmel Mountain Road and Equestrian Ridge Court, southeast of State Route 56. For unknown reasons, the driver lost control and the large truck ended up landing on its side, police said.

At this point, there is no word on whether the driver was hurt in the crash.

The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said motorists should avoid the area for now and find an alternate route while police investigate the accident.

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this breaking story. Details may change as more information becomes available.



Photo Credit: Getty Images/File
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Spicer Compares Hitler to Assad in WH Flub

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White House press secretary Sean Spicer stoked outrage Tuesday when he compared Adolf Hitler to Syrian President Bashar Assad favorably, saying Hitler did not "sink to the level of using chemical weapons" during World War II. Spicer's comments came on the first day of Passover. 

Man Seen Leaving Cabrillo Tide Pools with Abalone: Rangers

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U.S. Park Rangers are asking for the public's help in finding a man last seen leaving Cabrillo National Monument with a live abalone. 

An upset park visitor spotted the man on Sunday at approximately 2:30 p.m. carrying the abalone and then putting it into a cooler bag. 

It is illegal to remove animals, shells and rocks from the park, as all wildlife in the park is protected.

The visitor snapped a photo of the man that day and shared them with park rangers. Superintendent Andrea Compton said she was “very appreciative of the reported violation by the park visitor and encourages visitors to report violations to park staff."

The suspect is described as a man in his 40s or 50s last seen wearing a wide-brimmed hat, white shorts and white gloves. 

Because of the declining number of species - like abalone - the park designated the Tidepool Protection Education and Restoration Program in 1996. The area is a safe space for intertidal flora and fauna to recover. 

Anyone with information is asked to call the Investigative Services Branch at 888-653-0009, text 202-379-4561 or call Ranger Bonnie Phillips 619-557-5450, ext. 4586.



Photo Credit: Investigative Services Branch, Cabrillo National Monument, National Park Service

Toddler Hit by Car in Escondido Dies: PD

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A toddler has succumbed to her injuries after a driver parking her car struck the young girl, Escondido police said. 

The incident happened at approximately 12:42 p.m. Tuesday in an alley north of 4th Street and Orange. The location is just east of Interstate 15 and south of State Route 78, a few blocks away from the Civic Center Plaza Shopping Center and the California Center for the Arts, Escondido. 

The one year and eight month old girl and her 10-year-old sister were playing in the alley at the time, the family told NBC 7. 

A 33-year-old female Escondido resident was driving west in the alley between 3rd and 4th Avenue from Orange Street at the time of the crash, police said, according to witness statements and physical evidence 

She began to park her car when she noticed a child - a 10-year-old girl - on the right side of the roadway. Police say the 10-year-old was trying to get the attention of the driver, to let her know there was another child nearby. 

At the same time, the toddler ran across the alley to the driver's left, where the crash occurred, police said. 

"I don't know if she did or not see my little sister, but she hit her with the car," said 10-year-old Karine Chavez, the victim's sister. "I think she was freaking out because she just a little child, I can tell that she was scared."

The toddler suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to Palomar Medical Center. The 10-year-old was not injured. 

Alcohol or drugs are not a factor in the collision. 

An investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the department's Anonymous Tip Line at 760-743-TIPS (8477).

No other information was available.

Please refresh this page for updates on this breaking story. Details may change as more information becomes available.



Photo Credit: NBC 7 San Diego
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Free Easter Egg Hunts in San Diego

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In celebration of Easter, several communities across San Diego County will host free egg hunts. Here's a look at a dozen of those events that you can hop on over to with the family this weekend. Don't forget to bring your own basket.

Saturday, April 15

Poway Easter Egg Hunt
8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Poway Community Park
Living Way Church will host Poway's annual Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday at Poway Community Park. The half-hour egg hunts, divided by age, will be as follows: 9:30 a.m. for age 3; 10 a.m. for age 4; 10:30 a.m. for age 5; 11 a.m. for age 6; 11:30 a.m. for ages 7-8; 12 p.m. for ages 9-10. Festivities will also include a fun zone, free arts and crafts, and the chance to take a photo with not one but two Easter bunnies: Benny and Bonnie. Parking at Poway Community Park is limited; additional parking can be found at City Hall (13325 Civic Center Drive); the Boys And Girls Club (12988 Bowron Road); and the Tarascan parking lot (across the street from Taco Bell).

Santee Spring Eggstravaganza
9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Santee Lakes
Bring the whole family out to Santee Lakes on Saturday for the community's 14th Annual Eggstravaganza, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event, which goes down at Lake 5, features lots of egg hunts for kids ages 8 and younger, plus crafts, carnival and pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting and more. Admission is free but tickets for activities, including the egg hunts, start at $1. Parking is $10; a free shuttle service will drop attendees off right at the festival

Carmel Valley Spring Egg Hunt
9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Carmel Valley Community Park
Carmel Valley Community Park will be filled with colorful eggs for this hunt Saturday, open to children up to age 12. Egg hunts are broken up by age groups and last about a half-hour each throughout the morning. The community event will also include arts and craft, prizes, jumpy houses and photos with the Easter Bunny. The event is free.

Annual Spring Egg Hunt in Encinitas
10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Encinitas Community Park
On Saturday, at Encinitas Community Park, a whopping 20,000 eggs up will be up for grabs during the annual Spring Egg Hunt. Egg hunt times are at 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. -- broken up by ages (4 and under and 5 and up). The event will also feature entertainment and free children's activities hosted by the City of Encinitas Parks and Recreation Department. Parking is limited at the park; if you can't find a spot there try parking at the Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas north parking lot off of Devonshire Drive.

Rancho Bernardo Easter Egg Hunt
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Existence Church in Rancho Bernardo
Hop around in bounce houses and strike pose with the Easter Bunny at the Rancho Bernardo Easter Egg Hunt hosted by Existence Church located at 10960 Via Frontera. The event is free; egg hunts divided by age group -- starting with the littlest hunters -- are at 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

Oceanside Easter Egg Hunts
10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Mance Buchanon Park and Balderrama Park
Oceanside will host free Easter Egg Hunts at two locations on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.: Mance Buchanon Park (425 College Blvd.) and Balderrama Park (709 San Diego St.). At Mance Buchanon Park, attendees can make their way through four egg hunt areas and try to win prizes. Food vendors will be on-hand, too, plus a fire engine that the kids can tour. A magic show tops off that free family-friendly event. The Balderrama Park egg hunt includes prizes, too, and a cameo from the Easter Bunny. Egg hunts there are broken up into age groups: ages2 to 4; ages 5 to 6; ages 7 to 8; ages 9 to 11.

Easter in the Courtyard
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., El Cajon
Foothills Christian Church in El Cajon will host its annual Easter in the Courtyard on Saturday which includes an egg hunt boasting 14,000 Easter eggs. Also on the agenda: jumpy houses, carnival games, a shop-and-swap zone and food for sale from Ray's BBQ.

Easter at The Centre
10 a.m. to 1 p.m., The Centre in Escondido
In Escondido, The Centre (1205 Auto Park Way) will host this Easter event on Saturday which includes a 10:30 a.m. egg hunt for kids under 8 in the third level Starlight Terrace and an 11 a.m. egg hunt for kids 8 and older at the first level atrium area. Bonus for adults: “golden eggs” are hidden in The Centre’s 5 Shop Collection locations. The holiday event will also feature photos with the Easter Bunny, free refreshments, live performance painting and cookie decorating. Parking is available on the second and third levels of The Centre’s parking structure. 

Spring Egg Hunt in La Jolla
10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., La Jolla Recreation Center
The La Jolla Recreation Center (615 Prospect St.) will host its annual Spring Egg Hunt from 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday. For $5, attendees can partake in the egg hunt and other activities like arts and crafts and a meet & greet with Peter Rabbit.

La Mesa Easter Egg Hunt
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Grossmont Center
Grossmont Center mall in La Mesa will host this two-hour, free Easter eggstravaganza Saturday featuring an egg hunt, crafts, activities, balloon artists, face painters and costumed characters, including photos with the Easter Bunny. The egg hunt starts at 11 a.m. in the mall's courtyard.

Pacific Beach Spring Egg Hunt
11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Pacific Beach Recreation Center
The Pacific Beach Rec Center will host its Easter Egg Hunt from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, filled with free activities, arts and crafts and more. Here's the egg hunt times/ages breakdown: 1 p.m. for kids ages 2 and under; 1:15 p.m. for ages 3-4; 1:30 p.m. for ages 5-7; 1:45 p.m. for ages 8-10. 2 p.m. for ages 11-12.

Sunday, April 16

Belmont Park’s Easter Bash
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Belmont Park
One of San Diego's largest Easter egg hunts returns Sunday to Mission Beach. More than 12,000 eggs will be hidden across the sands in front of Belmont Park. Kids will be let out in waves to hunt for the colorful eggs, filled with candy, vouchers for single rides at Belmont Park and other goodies. The egg hunt starts at 9 a.m. and costs $5 per child; the event typically sells out. If you can't get into the beachfront egg hunt, stick around for the free 1 p.m. Amusement Park Egg Hunt where you can hop around shops at Belmont Park collecting eggs, while supplies last.



Photo Credit: Getty Images

How Non-Profit Helps Keep Senior Citizens Off Streets

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Will you have enough money for your retirement? NBC7's Liberty Zabala looked into the growing problem of senior citizens becoming homeless in San Diego and what one non-profit is doing to help.

 

White House Says Russia Trying to ‘Cover Up’ Syrian Chemical Weapons Attack

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The White House has accused Russia of trying to "cover up" Syrian president Bashar Assad's role in a chemical weapons attack that left dozens, including children, dead, NBC News reports.

Senior administration officials briefed reporters Tuesday on declassified intelligence that knocks down the Russian-pushed narrative that last week's deadly chemical weapons attack could have been carried out by non-state or terrorist actors.

One administration official called that effort an absolute cover up of Syrian regime culpability, and reinforced the U.S. narrative that the Assad regime was behind the attack and that the gas used was, in fact, sarin.

Russians have a "clear pattern of deflecting blame" from the Assad regime, another administration official said.



Photo Credit: Adam Berry, Getty Images (File)

Teens Catch 13-Foot Python in Florida Neighborhood

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A group of Florida teens wrangled a 13-foot python they found roaming in a Pembroke Pines neighborhood. 

The three boys caught the massive snake in Holly Lake, a residential community on the edge of the Everglades, Pembroke Pines police said in a Facebook post.

The python had burn marks on its skin and may have been trying to escape a brush fire that ignited in the Everglades Wednesday. The "Holiday Fire" charred 6,800 acres through parts of Broward and Northwest Miami-Dade before it was brought under control Sunday.

Police warned residents that brush fires in the Everglades may lead to a rise in wildlife entering nearby residential areas as they try to escape the smoke and flames.

The phython was taken to Everglades Holiday Park to be assessed by professionals.

Officials warned against approaching pythons or other wild animals and said residents should call 911.



Photo Credit: Pembroke Pines Police
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