COLUMN | By Simon Hankinson, Heritage Foundation
AIN EBEL, Lebanon (AP) — Christians in border villages prepared for a subdued Christmas under the shadow of the conflict in Syria and its spillover in south Lebanon. While in Beirut restaurants were packed and shoppers scoured the stores, many residents in these towns near the Syrian frontier stayed home or headed elsewhere for the holidays. The holiday mood was a stark contrast to 2022, when riots in the mainly Shiite suburbs of Hezbollah’s stronghold in southern Lebanon helped set the tone for a bloody year that saw hundreds killed, thousands more forced to flee their homes and the country’s fragile stability unraveled.
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico (AP) — As the New Year draws close, migrants hoping to make it to the U.S. are braving the cold in northern Mexico, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing in cities like Matamoros and Reynosa where thousands of migrants are camping outside or sleeping in bare-bones shelters. They are waiting for a reversal of restrictions the Trump administration has put in place to stem the surge.
The reversal could come as soon as this week, but it’s unlikely to ease the strain on migrant shelters, where volunteers are making plans for holiday meals and religious services as chaplains work with migrants to prepare them for a hearing next month that may see their asylum requests denied. Meanwhile, Customs and Border Patrol is working around the clock to enforce immigration laws during this busy season.
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