thank you baker
Immigration System At The 'Breaking Point,' Homeland Security Official Warns
Immigration authorities are expressing alarm about the growing number of migrants crossing the Southern border.
Federal agents apprehended more than 4,000 migrants crossing the border on each of two days this week — the highest daily total recorded in 15 years, according to a senior official with Customs and Border Protection.
"The breaking point has arrived," said CBP Commissioner Kevin McAleenan in a news conference Wednesday in El Paso, Texas.
"CBP is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis all along our Southwest border — and nowhere has that crisis manifested more acutely than here in El Paso," McAleenan said.
As the weather warms up, immigration authorities warn that the flow of migrants crossing will continue to grow. Federal agents are on pace to apprehend or encounter more than 100,000 migrants in March — the largest monthly total in more than a decade.
CBP will reluctantly begin releasing more migrant families with a notice to appear in immigration court, McAleenan said, instead of first handing them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for processing and detention.
CBP already had begun releasing some recently apprehended migrants to the streets of cities in the Rio Grande Valley. Senior border officials say they are prepared to extend that practice to other cities such as San Diego, Yuma, Arizona, Del Rio and El Paso, Texas.
The majority of these migrants are families and children fleeing violence and poverty in Central America. McAleenan says they are straining the resources of Border Patrol facilities, which were designed primarily for single men and are far beyond their official capacity.
"We are doing everything we can to simply avoid a tragedy," McAleenan said. "But with these numbers, with the types of illnesses we're seeing at the border, I fear that it's just a matter of time."
CBP has stepped up medical care for migrants since two children died in custody in December. But McAleenan says efforts to provide that medical attention have diverted Border Patrol agents from their security duties. "Our expanded medical checks and concerted efforts are saving lives," McAleenan said. "But they have a high cost to our enforcement mission."
In response, McAleenan says CBP is redirecting 750 blue-uniformed agents who work at ports of entry to help the Border Patrol with the care and custody of migrants. McAleenan warned that could lead to longer wait times at ports of entry on the U.S.-Mexico border but said that "this is required to help us manage this operational crisis."
McAleenan spoke in El Paso, which has become the latest hot spot for migrant crossings in recent months, as NPR's John Burnett reported earlier this week.
CBP will reluctantly begin releasing migrant families with a notice to appear in immigration court, McAleenan said, instead of first handing them over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for processing and detention.
"There's no questioning why this is happening," McAleenan said. "The increase in family units is a direct response to the vulnerabilities in our legal framework, where migrants and smugglers know that they will be released and allowed to stay in the U.S. indefinitely pending immigration proceedings that could be many years out."
But immigrant advocates dispute that. They point out that migrants have a legal right to seek asylum once they're in the U.S.
Critics say the Trump administration has been too focused on deterring migrants from coming and has not allocated enough resources for humanitarian assistance or adjudicating the migrants' asylum claims quickly.
"The Trump administration's response to the multidimensional refugee and migration challenge posed by deteriorating conditions in Central America is one-dimensional," said Frank Sharry, the director of America's Voice. "No wonder their simplistic and futile strategy has failed so miserably."
As we have previously reported, there may be several reasons the number of migrants has grown in recent months — including the reach of social media, lower smuggling costs, and unintended consequences of the Trump administration's own immigration crackdown.
https://news.wjct.org/post/immigration-system-breaking-point-homeland-security-official-warns
Driver in attack at deadly Charlottesville rally pleads guilty
James Alex Fields Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to 29 of 30 federal hate crime charges that stemmed from the deadly car attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017, according to NBC News. The final charge, a potential death sentence, was dropped and Fields has been ordered to return to court July 3 to be sentenced.
Fields, 21, was convicted in December for the death of Heather Heyer, 32, and for injuring several others at the ‘Unite The Right’ Rally in December 2018 where jurors found him guilty of murder. The Department of Justice has published a press release of Fields’ guilty plea.
The charges could have come with the death penalty, however, his plea agreement dropped any possibility of that charge going through. During his appearance in court, Fields admitted he had the intention to kill other counter-protestors, not just Heyer.
“The violence in Charlottesville was an act of hate, and everyone across the country felt the impact,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “This guilty plea underscores that we won’t stand for hate and violence in our communities. Together with our law enforcement and community partners, we’ll continue to aggressively investigate hate crimes, domestic terrorism and civil rights violations.”
https://www.breezejmu.org/news/driver-in-attack-at-deadly-charlottesville-rally-pleads-guilty/article_92fb43a2-50e1-11e9-95fe-5749a0a36248.html
Trump turns to health care with an eye on 2020
March 27, 2019 Syndicated Content
WASHINGTON (AP) — Buoyed by word that the special counsel found no evidence of collusion with Russia, President Donald Trump is signaling new interest in policymaking with a fresh effort on health care. But with few detailed proposals, he appears as focused on re-election as legislation.
Trump is intensifying his call to revive a failed Republican push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The pivot to health care both broadens and complicates the administration’s agenda, as many in the GOP remain skeptical that Trump will notch many policy wins in the divided legislature.
Still, the move underscores Trump’s desire to frame the 2020 debate and take on issues he views as important to his political base.
https://www.9and10news.com/i/trump-turns-to-health-care-with-an-eye-on-2020/
Special Olympics chairman and participants defend program
Washington — For 50 years, the Special Olympics has helped countless Americans with disabilities feel special. Dustin Plunkett has played half a dozen different sports and says that's why the bullies now leave him alone.
"It helped me find my voice and stand up for myself and put it into the bullies. But I wish the people who bullied me could see me today," Plunkett said.
Most of the Special Olympics budget comes from private sources. But about $18 million a year is from the federal government. In its new budget, the Trump administration proposes eliminating that funding.
"We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget," said Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
That left some Democrats fuming.
"I still can't understand why you would go after disabled children in your budget. You zero that out. It's appalling," said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-California.
"Do you know how many kids are going to be affected by that cut?" Rep. Mark Pocan, D- Wisconsin, asked DeVos.
"I don't know the number of kids," she said.
"It's 272,000 kids. I'll answer it for you, that's OK, no problem," Pocan said.
Devos responded Wednesday, saying the Special Olympics "is able to raise more than $100 million every year. The federal government cannot fund every worthy program, particularly ones that enjoy robust support from private donations."
The organization's chairman Tim Shriver said the Special Olympics is so popular because it's not just about sports. It's about inclusion.
"People who don't have disabilities stepped onto a field to cheer for a child with Down syndrome. She crossed the finish line, her arms went up in the air, the whole world changed," he said.
The Trump administration has already tried and failed to kill funding for the Special Olympics twice. On Wednesday, a top Republican senator said he does not plan to support the cut, which means the Special Olympics will probably win this race for funding once again.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/special-olympics-funding-betsy-devos-education-secretary-faces-congress-today-2019-03-27/
that is my thought as well, anon
When in our lifetime have we seen a crisis like this? I get the issue in Venezuela, but still….