Trump suggests military could fire at caravan if people throw stones
Washington, Nov 02 : President Donald Trump has suggested that the military could fire on the caravan that is heading towards the United States if people throw stones at the soldiers.
Currently, an estimated 5,000-7,000 people from three Latin American countries --El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala -- are marching towards the US through Mexico. Trump has deployed more than 5,000 military personnel on the southwestern border to stop them from entering.
Responding to a question from reporters after he announced changes in the current catch-and-release policy, Trump hoped that the US military does not has to open fire at these illegal immigrants.
"I hope not. I hope not. It's the military. I hope there won't be that," he said.
But, Trump added, anybody throwing stones and rocks, like they did in Mexico, that would be considered as a firearm, because "there's not much difference when you get hit in the face with a rock".
Trump alleged that these immigrants were throwing rocks, viciously, and violently. "You saw that three days ago, really hurting the military. We're not going to put up with that. They want to throw rocks at our military, our military fights back," he said.
"We're going to consider -- and I told them consider it a rifle. When they throw rocks like they did at the Mexico military and police, I say consider it a rifle," he added.
"They broke in to Mexico. And you look at what's happening in Guatemala along with El Salvador and Honduras. It's disgraceful that those countries aren't able to stop this because they should be able to stop it before it starts.
"And the United States pays them a fortune and we're looking at not doing that anymore because why should we be doing that when they do nothing for us?" he asked. PTI LKJ
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Telangana survey flags 89,000 child labourers, highlights caste disparities in employment
Hyderabad: A caste-based survey conducted by the Telangana government for 2024–25 has identified around 89,000 children engaged in labour across the state, with a large share belonging to Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities.
The findings are part of the Socio, Economic, Educational, Employment, Political and Caste (SEEEPC) Survey, which covered about 3.5 crore people across 242 caste groups. According to the report, nearly one per cent of individuals below 18 years are involved in daily wage work. While the percentage appears small, officials noted that the absolute number reflects a serious concern.
The survey found that 11 per cent of identified child labourers belong to the ST Lambadi community, while 14 per cent are from the SC Madiga community. The highest incidence was reported among the ST Kolam group, where 7.2 per cent of minors are engaged in daily wage labour.
The data also revealed wider socio-economic disparities. Nearly half of the Scheduled Caste population is dependent on daily wage work, while only around 5 per cent are employed in the private sector, compared to about 30 per cent among General Castes.
State Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the findings show that SC and ST communities remain three times more backward than General Castes, while Backward Classes are about 2.7 times more disadvantaged.
The report further noted that, on average, 31.3 per cent of people in the 25–65 age group depend on daily wage work. Among communities, the BC-A Odde group recorded the highest share at 55 per cent. In contrast, only 2.6 per cent of OC Brahmins rely on such work.
Several SC and ST communities, including Kolam, Beda, Madiga, Koya, Gond, Yerukulas and Mala Sale, were found to have among the highest proportions of daily wage earners. On the other hand, most General Caste communities and some Backward Class groups such as Goldsmiths and BC-C Christians showed lower dependence on daily wage employment.
The survey also pointed to inequalities in access to formal employment. Communities such as OC Rajus, OC Brahmins and Kapus were found to have a higher presence in private sector jobs, with up to 27 per cent of their population employed in such roles.
