Libya Asks U.S. to Set Up Military Base Against Russia

(Bloomberg) – Libya’s security chief called on the U.S. to set up a base in the North African country to counter Russia’s expanding influence in Africa.

Fathi Bashagha, the interior minister for the Tripoli-based administration, said his government proposed hosting a base after Secretary of Defense Mark Esper laid out plans to scale back the U.S. military presence on the continent and re-focus deployments globally on confronting Russia and China. Bashagha’s government has been engaged in a months-long battle with forces trying to seize the capital led by eastern strongman Khalifa Haftar, who’s backed by Russian mercenaries.

“The redeployment is not clear to us,” Bashagha said, speaking in a phone interview with Bloomberg on Friday. “But we hope that the redeployment includes Libya so it doesn’t leave space that Russia can exploit.”

The oil-rich nation across the Mediterranean from Europe has been one of the main stages for Russia’s push for influence over the past year. More than a thousand mercenaries deployed by a confidant of President Vladimir Putin have backed Haftar’s offensive to capture the capital from the internationally recognized government.

Bashagha warned that Russia’s backing of Haftar was part of a broader push for influence.

“The Russians aren’t in Libya just for Haftar,” he said. “They have a big strategy in Libya and Africa.”

Gate to Africa

Esper’s plan to pull troops from Africa provoked criticism in Congress, with 11 lawmakers led by House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Anthony Brown, a Democrat, noting in a letter last month that Russia and China were investing in the continent to strengthen their influence. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a top ally of President Donald Trump, was among a bipartisan group of lawmakers who confronted Esper on the sidelines of a security conference in Munich and said they wouldn’t back the plan, NBC reported on Tuesday.

In late January, Esper said the U.S. wouldn’t withdraw all of its troops from Africa, but acknowledged a review is under way to account for a new strategy that makes countering Russia and China the priority. The U.S. has about 6,000 troops in Africa, including those guarding diplomatic facilities, according to a defense official.

“Libya is important in the Mediterranean: it has oil wealth and a 1,900-kilometer coast and ports which allow Russia to view it as the gate to Africa,” Bashagha said. “If the U.S. asks for a base, as the Libyan government we wouldn’t mind – for fighting terrorism, organized crime and keeping foreign countries that intervene at a distance. An American base would lead to stability.”

Benghazi Attack

The U.S. hasn’t had forces in Libya since last April, when it withdrew them as Haftar’s forces marched toward the capital. The country has been in turmoil since a 2011 U.S.-led and NATO-backed uprising ousted long-time autocrat Moammer al-Qaddafi. The following year, a jihadist-led mob attacked the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, killing the American ambassador, Christopher Stevens. In a 2016 interview with Fox News, then-President Barack Obama said that failing to plan for the aftermath of Qaddafi’s ouster was the worst mistake of his presidency.

“We hope that the U.S. can move on from this regretful incident,” Bashagha said of the attack on the embassy. “All Libyans regret it. It wasn’t the Libyan people but a small group of criminals that did it.”

Since April, control of the country has been divided between Haftar’s forces, who are also backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, and the UN-recognized government, which gets military support from Turkey. The war prompted the U.S. to withdraw a counter terrorism contingent from Tripoli that had been assisting in the fight against Islamic State militants in Africa.

Bashagha warned that arms pouring into the country despite a United Nations arms embargo could find their way to neighboring Egypt, where weapons smuggled out of Libya have reached Islamic State militants in Sinai and the neighboring Palestinian Gaza Strip.

https://news.yahoo.com/libya-asks-u-set-military-152133277.html

Greyhound to stop allowing Border Patrol immigration checks on buses

Greyhound will no longer allow Border Patrol agents to conduct immigration checks on buses without a warrant, the company announced Friday.

“Our primary concern is the safety of our customers and team members, and we are confident these changes will lead to an improved experience for all parties involved," Greyhound said in a statement. "We plan to begin the implementation of these changes immediately."

The announcement comes a week after the Associated Press published an internal memo from the nation’s largest bus company showing agents are being prevented from boarding buses despite Greyhound denying that was the case.

Greyhound had been pressured by civil rights groups to stop allowing Border Patrol agents on buses, including the American Civil Liberties Union.

“We are pleased to see Greyhound clearly communicate that it does not consent to racial profiling and harassment on its buses,” Andrea Flores, deputy director of policy for the ACLU’s Equality Division, told the Associated Press. “Greyhound is sending a message that it prioritizes the communities it serves.”

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson had threatened Greyhound with a lawsuit, alleging the company violated consumer protection laws by facilitating raids. His office released a statement criticizing Greyhound for taking so long to make the decision.

“Today’s announcement from Greyhound confirms what should have been obvious to the company since I contacted them a year ago — it has both the power and the responsibility to stand up for its customers, who suffered for far too long from Greyhound’s indifference to CBP’s suspicion-less bus raids and harassment,” the Democrat said, adding that his office will follow up with Greyhound "to ensure compliance."

Under the Obama administration, Border Patrol began scaling back “transportation checks,” especially along the border between the United States and Canada, after being criticized for “racial profiling.” Agents were told to stay away from bus and train stations unless they had “actionable intelligence” about a person in the country illegally, and that had to be cleared by Border Patrol headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Under President Trump, authority was returned to Border Patrol chiefs in their respective sectors, which has caused a rise in station operations, the agency said.

“The U.S. Border Patrol conducts regular outreach with transportation companies to foster good working relationships,” the Border Patrol said in a statement earlier this month.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/greyhound-to-stop-allowing-border-patrol-immigration-checks-on-buses

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AP Exclusive: Agency memo contradicts Greyhound on bus raids

SEATTLE (AP) — A Customs and Border Protection memo obtained by The Associated Press confirms that bus companies such as Greyhound do not have to allow Border Patrol agents on board to conduct routine checks for immigrants in the country illegally, which is contrary to the company's long insistence that it has no choice but to do so.

Greyhound, the nation's largest bus carrier, has said it does not like the agents coming on board, but it has nevertheless permitted them, claiming federal law demanded it. When provided with the memo by the AP, the company declined to say whether it would change that practice.

Greyhound has faced pressure from the American Civil Liberties Union, immigrant rights activists and Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson to stop allowing sweeps on buses within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of an international border or coastline.

They say the practice is intimidating and discriminatory and has become more common under President Donald Trump. Border Patrol arrests videotaped by other passengers have sparked criticism, and Greyhound faces a lawsuit in California alleging that it violated consumer protection laws by facilitating raids.

Some other bus companies, including Jefferson Lines, which operates in 14 states, and MTRWestern, which operates in the Pacific Northwest, have made clear that they do not consent to agents boarding buses.

The memo obtained by the AP was dated Jan. 28, addressed to all chief patrol agents and signed by then-Border Patrol Chief Carla Provost just before she retired. It confirms the legal position that Greyhound's critics have taken: that the Constitution's Fourth Amendment prevents agents from boarding buses and questioning passengers without a warrant or the consent of the company.

“When transportation checks occur on a bus at non-checkpoint locations, the agent must demonstrate that he or she gained access to the bus with the consent of the company’s owner or one of the company’s employees,” the memo states. An agent's actions while on the bus "would not cause a reasonable person to believe that he or she is unable to terminate the encounter with the agent.”

Border Patrol officials have previously said agents do seek the consent of the bus driver before boarding and questioning passengers. Bill Kingsford, the operations officer for the Border Patrol's Spokane, Washington, sector, said Thursday that before the memo he had never seen that policy in writing.

In response to criticism over the past two years, Greyhound has said that it does not support or “consent” to the bus searches, but that federal law left it no choice. The company said the immigration sweeps make for delays, missed buses and unhappy customers.

Greyhound's parent company, FirstGroup PLC, said last summer: “We are required by federal law to comply with the requests of federal agents. To suggest we have lawful choice in the matter is tendentious and false.”

Greyhound said that it appreciated the Border Patrol “clarifying” its policy. “We were unaware of USBP’s memo clarifying their practices regarding transportation and bus check operations,” the company said. “We are pleased there appears to be greater context about these practices as we have publicly stated we do not consent to these searches and maintain that position."

The statement said it would continue to request guidance from the Border Patrol. "Our goal is to ensure that our passengers and drivers feel safe and secure when riding with us, and we’ll continue to make that our top priority.”

Advocates said the memo could give them additional leverage.

“This puts the pressure on Greyhound,” said Matt Adams, legal director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. “Are you going to stand up and protect your customers or are you going to collaborate with the government and turn over your passengers to the Border Patrol?”

https://www.wacotrib.com/business/wire/ap-exclusive-agency-memo-contradicts-greyhound-on-bus-raids/article_41c54f39-c054-5d43-97d8-035ad30938c0.html