The Department of Defense is deploying Crisis Response Forces to the U.S.-Mexico border to make sure one of its key asylum policies is enforced, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced Friday.
The task forces are part of the Department of Defense&#8217;s mission to support the CBP, which has faced difficulty this year with large migrant caravans flooding the border. “At peak of the crisis in May 2019, there were more than 4,800 aliens crossing the border daily – representing an average of more than three apprehensions per minute,&#8221; the CBP <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/thousands-of-foreigners-sent-back-to-mexico-under-trump-policy-have-given-up-asylum-claims">said</a>.
Under the new plan, more than 150 troops will be shifted from their standby location in Louisiana to the southern border, <a href="https://www.abc57.com/news/trump-administration-to-send-approximately-160-troops-to-southern-border-as-it-awaits-asylum-policy-ruling">CNN reported</a>. About 80 will go to the Paso del Norte port of entry in Texas and another 80 will go to the San Ysidro port of entry in California. All will arrive before Sunday and will be in place for two weeks.
The Trump administration&#8217;s move comes after a federal appeals court last week blocked the so-called &#8220;Remain in Mexico&#8221; policy, which requires foreigners to wait in Mexico until their court hearings to enter the U.S. take place. Before the rule, foreigners were simply stopped at the border, given a court date, then released into America under a policy known, unofficially, as &#8220;catch and release.&#8221;
After the ruling, foreigners gathered at some locations along the border, CNN said. &#8220;But while the ruling has been temporarily paused, senior agency officials told reporters Friday that last week&#8217;s events prompted concerns about personnel safety. Several ports of entry were closed or partially closed last week.&#8221;
&#8220;Based on the pending &#8230; decision, continued concern of large groups attempting to forcibly enter through (ports of entry), and COVID-19 containment and mitigation concerns, CBP has activated the crisis response force,&#8221; the official said.
In January, the Trump administration began sending Mexicans who enter the United States illegally deep into the country’s interior in an effort to solve the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) started to fly illegal aliens from Tucson, Ariz., to Guadalajara, more than 1,000 miles away.
“Officials say the migrants being returned are all Mexican nationals from non-border Mexican states who typically have either recently illegally entered the U.S., or who had gone through the court system but were ruled to be deportable by an immigration judge,” <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-mexican-migrants-mexico-border-crisis">Fox News</a> reported.
<blockquote>DHS says it plans to run two flights a week starting at the end of January and expects to return about 250 migrants a week. Officials say the move has been requested by the Mexican government, with which the U.S. has been working for months to stem the border crisis — which peaked in May but still concerns officials.</blockquote>
“This is another example of the Trump Administration working with the Government of Mexico to address the ongoing border security crisis,” DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift told Fox News. “Mexico has been a great partner in stopping illegal migration before they reach our border and in standing up the Migrant Protection Protocol which has allowed us to provide court dates to more than 55,000 individuals.”
The administration, in December, set in place a <a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2019-25137.pdf">rule</a> that stems from new “Asylum Cooperative Agreements” (ACA) with Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.
Under the new agreements, the three Central American countries are required to stop foreigners from attempting to get to the U.S.-Mexico border. Should a country fail to do so, and foreigners are eventually apprehended at the U.S. border, the U.S. government can send the foreigners back to the country from which they immigrated. The move follows a rise in “caravans,” huge groups of Central Americans crossing numerous borders to get to the United States.

TOPSHOT-GUATEMALA-HONDURAS-US-MIGRATION

U.S. Military Dispatches Crisis Response Units To Mexican Border

Illegal Immigration

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Immigration activists from the pro-immigration group, RAICES (the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services) interrupted former Vice President Joe Biden as he tried to make his closing statement during Wednesday night&#8217;s debate, screaming about &#8220;three million deported&#8221; and &#8220;kids in cages&#8221; &#8212; two immigration issues most often pinned on President Donald Trump, but which originated in the Obama Administration.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
WATCH: Protesters interrupt the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a> as the debate nears end. <a href="https://t.co/pybqj99BKE">pic.twitter.com/pybqj99BKE</a>
&mdash; MSNBC (@MSNBC) <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC/status/1230345722500976640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“You deported 3 million people!&#8221; they yelled.
The protesters were escorted out of the arena, but RAICES took to Twitter immediately to elaborate on what happened, and how disrupting the Democratic debate had been part of a pre-arranged protest.
&#8220;BREAKING,&#8221; the group tweeted. &#8220;We are interrupting @JoeBiden at the #DemDebate chanting #DontLookAway and #NoKidsInCages,&#8221; the group tweeted. &#8220;We need a Democratic candidate to adopt the #MigrantJusticePlatform and commit themselves to improve the lives of migrants and refugees!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BREAKING: We are interrupting <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JoeBiden</a> at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a> chanting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DontLookAway?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DontLookAway</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NoKidsInCages?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NoKidsInCages</a>. We need a Democratic candidate to adopt the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MigrantJusticePlatform?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MigrantJusticePlatform</a> and commit themselves to improve the lives of migrants and refugees! <a href="https://t.co/AfnRR2QxcS">https://t.co/AfnRR2QxcS</a>
&mdash; RAICES Action (@RAICESACTION) <a href="https://twitter.com/RAICESACTION/status/1230340748811198466?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&nbsp;
RAICES and other pro-immigration groups are targeting Biden likely on behalf of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), though unofficially, of course. They&#8217;ve been interrupting Biden&#8217;s rallies and appearances in both Nevada and <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1197743291539841024">South Carolina</a>, trying to drive home that the Obama Administration&#8217;s immigration policies aren&#8217;t that much different from the Trump Administration&#8217;s &#8212; a key issue with Nevada&#8217;s fastest-growing voter demographic, Hispanics.
Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, the group commissioned street artists to erect public displays of &#8220;kids in cages&#8221; (pictured in RAICES&#8217; tweet above) to remind voters of Biden&#8217;s &#8220;complicity&#8221; in ICE raids, imprisonment, family separations, and deportations.
“The horrors at our border and throughout our immigration system are too often ignored by the public and politicians,” RAICES&#8217; &#8220;chief advocacy officer&#8221; said in a statement at the time, defending the displays. “We’re asking people in Iowa and across the country: Don’t look away from the terrors enacted in your name. This anti-immigrant crackdown has to end.”
&#8220;As you might have seen, we just interrupted the Democratic debate,&#8221; one of the protesters later told media, <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/joe-bidens-closing-remarks-interrupted-protesters-raices-chanting-no-kids-cages-1488166">according to Newsweek</a>, &#8220;and the biggest reason why we did that and we interrupted Biden is because for the last three debates, there has been absolutely no questions about immigration.&#8221;
&#8220;We decided to interrupt,&#8221; the protester added. &#8220;We&#8217;re not sorry. The immigration debate today was the last issue they talked about and they didn&#8217;t even have time to talk about it. This is not okay.&#8221;
RAICES advocates for a complete moratorium on both Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations and deportations, and believes the United States-Mexico border should be open and &#8220;demilitarized.&#8221; They&#8217;re one of the few organizations, though, that are as dedicated to attacking the Obama Administration, which deported more than 3 million people, 1.7 million of whom had no criminal record other than immigration violations, over these issues as they are the Trump Administration which has, so far, deported fewer than one million.
Biden tried to defray the criticism in an interview with Univision late last year, calling the Obama Administration&#8217;s focus on deportations a &#8220;big mistake.&#8221;
&#8220;The point is there were too many,&#8221; Biden said. &#8220;I saw the pain in the eyes of so many people who saw their families being deported. I know what it&#8217;s like to lose family members. It was painful.&#8221;

Joe Biden

WATCH: Immigration Activists Disrupt Joe Biden At Debate, Chant About ‘Kids In Cages’

On Wednesday, Daily Wire Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer, a constitutional attorney by training who also frequently opines on issues pertaining to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-border-wall-nice-interior-enforcement-nicer-josh-hammer">immigration enforcement</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-federal-government-has-no-more-important-josh-hammer">border security</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEglbpSPJ2o&amp;feature=youtu.be">joined</a> &#8220;Tipping Point with Liz Wheeler&#8221; on One America News Network to discuss the latest immigration- and crime-related craziness to emerge from the sanctuary jurisdiction that is the state of California.
&#8220;Since California became a sanctuary state in 2017, the number of inmates with immigration detainers being arrested again after being released from jail has jumped, according to a new report from Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes,&#8221; Los Angeles&#8217; local CBS affiliate <a href="https://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/02/04/oc-sheriff-sb-54-sanctuary-state-law-repeat-crimes-increase-undocumented-immigrants/">reported</a> earlier this week. &#8220;According to Barnes, more than 1,500 inmates released in 2019 had ICE detainers, a request from the federal agency for notification that a particular inmate has been released. Of those inmates, 238 were re-arrested in Orange County for new crimes, including assault and battery, rape, and robbery.&#8221;
&#8220;The rate of recidivism for those with ICE detainers is up from 2018, when 123 were arrested again for new crimes, out of more than 1,800 such inmates, according to the report,&#8221; the outlet continued.
Hammer has been previously outspoken on the topic of sanctuary cities, opining in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-why-no-one-pointing-out-sanctuary-cities-josh-hammer">Daily Wire op-ed</a> last summer that the majority of sanctuary jurisdictions blatantly violate the text of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1373">8 U.S.C. § 1373(a)</a>, which reads: &#8220;Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal, State, or local law, a Federal, State, or local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the [Department of Homeland Security] information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual.&#8221;
&#8220;The Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, as applied to § 1373(a), therefore prohibits state and local governments from shielding a removable illegal alien from ICE when ICE issues a detainer request on the alien,&#8221; Hammer wrote.
Joining Wheeler, Hammer decried the <a href="https://cis.org/Camarota/NonCitizens-Committed-Disproportionate-Share-Federal-Crimes-201116">disproportionately high rate of crime</a> for illegal aliens in America before making a similar legal point that he made in the Daily Wire op-ed. He accused sanctuary jurisdictions of adopting similar logic to that of the old Confederacy:
<blockquote>Very few people in the conservative punditry class are making this point, but my reading of federal law is that laws like California&#8217;s are blatantly illegal. If you look at title eight of the United States Code, section 1373, subsection (a), it says very clearly that no federal, state, or local government can &#8220;prohibit&#8221; or &#8220;restrict&#8221; sending any information to the Department of Homeland Security, which of course includes [Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)]. Put another way, when ICE requests detainer information, these states cannot just refuse it. That is literally against the United States Code. And of course, that law is promulgated directly pursuant to the Supremacy Clause of <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/articlevi">Article VI of the Constitution</a>.
Liz your high school viewers might recall from civics class in high school: This was the entire so-called &#8220;nullification crisis&#8221; of the 1830s, with John C. Calhoun in South Carolina. And it&#8217;s the reason why, in my personal writings on this topic going back months, I always refer to the sanctuary jurisdictions as &#8220;neo-Confederate,&#8221; because it&#8217;s literally what&#8217;s going on here. They are adopting John C. Calhoun-esque, defying-federal law, Confederacy-style public policy and legal argumentation.</blockquote>
WATCH:
<iframe title="Orange County Pushes Back On Sanctuary State Policies" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pEglbpSPJ2o?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Hammer OANN 2.05.19

WATCH: Hammer On ‘Tipping Point With Liz Wheeler’: Sanctuary Cities Are ‘Neo-Confederate’

California

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Far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) made false claims about the six new countries that the Trump administration announced on Friday were going to have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-admin-adds-new-travel-restrictions-for-six-countries">new travel restrictions imposed upon them</a>, suggesting that the countries were selected due to &#8220;anti-Muslim hate&#8221; despite the fact the majority of those impacted with the new ban are non-Muslim.
In a statement, the Trump administration said [emphasis added to highlight the newly added countries]:
<blockquote>Today, following the recommendations provided by Members of his Cabinet and his advisors, President Donald J. Trump has issued a proclamation maintaining entry restrictions on certain nationals of Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia; suspending the overseas issuance of immigrant visas for certain nationals of Burma (Myanmar), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, and Nigeria; and suspending participation in the “Visa Lottery” for certain nationals of Sudan and Tanzania. The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel.</blockquote>
Omar, who has a well-documented history of anti-Semitic comments, responded by writing: &#8220;This is a monument to anti-Muslim hate. This president does not believe in freedom of religion. He does not believe in the rule of law. And he does not believe in our Constitution. We will fight this with all we have.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is a monument to anti-Muslim hate. 
This president does not believe in freedom of religion. He does not believe in the rule of law. And he does not believe in our Constitution.
We will fight this with all we have. <a href="https://t.co/oT0WD3FcLN">https://t.co/oT0WD3FcLN</a>
&mdash; Rep. Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ilhan/status/1223353489750941699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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However, a review of the six countries added to the list shows that half of them have more Christians than Muslims and that the majority, 53.33%, of those impacted by the ban are non-Muslim, according to <a href="https://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projection-table/2020/number/all/">estimates</a> from the Pew Research Center on the religious demographics for each country.
<ul>
<li>Eritrea:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 4,230,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 2,460,000</li>
<li>Total population: 6,730,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Kyrgyzstan:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 620,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 5,540,000</li>
<li>Total population: 6,190,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Burma (Myanmar):
<ul>
<li>Christians: 4,040,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 2,200,000</li>
<li>Buddhists: 41,440,000</li>
<li>Total population: 51,910,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Nigeria:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 96,080,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 104,650,000</li>
<li>Total population: 204,690,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Sudan:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 2,280,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 38,430,000</li>
<li>Total population: 42,360,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Tanzania:
<ul>
<li>Christians: 38,740,000</li>
<li>Muslims: 20,950,000</li>
<li>Total population: 61,440,000</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
This is not the first time that Omar has made false statements about the administration&#8217;s travel ban list, as she has falsely claimed on numerous occasions that the original ban is a &#8220;Muslim ban,&#8221; despite the fact that over 80% of the Muslim-majority nations worldwide are not impacted by the ban.
Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf said, “The top responsibility of the President and the Department of Homeland Security is the safety and security of the American people, and these new vetting criteria accomplish that goal and are raising the bar for global security. It is logical and essential to thoroughly screen and vet everyone seeking to travel or immigrate to the United States. However, there are some countries from whom the U.S. does not receive the necessary information about its travelers and, as a result, pose a national security or public safety risk that warrants tailored travel restrictions.”
Wolf continued, “DHS has refined its robust security standards, including enhanced screening and vetting capabilities, that allow us to better identify terrorists and criminals attempting to enter the United States. These screening and vetting capabilities are most effective when foreign governments contribute to our ability to verify a traveler’s identity and assess whether they pose a national security or public safety risk. For a small number of countries that lack either the will or the capability to adhere to these criteria, certain travel restrictions have become necessary to mitigate potential threats. The new, additional restrictions are not blanket restrictions. These tailored restrictions will make the U.S. safer and more secure. And countries that make the necessary improvements will have their restrictions removed accordingly, as was done in 2018.”
In a statement, DHS outlined why the six countries were added to the list:
<blockquote>Burma: Burma has begun to engage with the United States on a variety of identity-management and information-sharing issues, but it does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Eritrea: Eritrea does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyzstan does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Nigeria: Nigeria does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Immigrants, except as Special Immigrants whose eligibility is based on having provided assistance to the U.S. Government.
Sudan: Sudan generally does not comply with our identity management performance metrics and presents a high risk, relative to other countries in the world, of terrorist travel to the United States.
Suspension of entry for Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c).
Tanzania: Tanzania does not comply with the established identity-management and information-sharing criteria assessed by the performance metrics.
Suspension of entry for Diversity Immigrants, as described in section 203(c) of the INA, 8 U.S.C. 1153(c).</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> signed a proclamation issuing tailored travel restrictions on 6 countries that currently fail to meet the minimum US security standards set by this Administration. Through this action, we are raising the baseline of security around the world. <a href="https://t.co/lrlXZDvqB2">https://t.co/lrlXZDvqB2</a>
&mdash; Acting Secretary Chad Wolf (@DHS_Wolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHS_Wolf/status/1223375563328577549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Ilhan Omar

Omar Makes False Claims About New Countries Added To Travel Ban List

Fake News

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As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-considering-dramatic-expansion-of-terrorist-nations-added-to-travel-ban-list">previewed weeks ago</a> and as has also been rumored for much of this current week, the Trump administration on Friday imposed travel restrictions on six new countries.
&#8220;President Donald Trump is expected to reveal an expansion of his controversial travel ban on Friday, the same day he could be acquitted in his impeachment trial and just days ahead of the president’s annual State of the Union address,&#8221; Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/30/trump-travel-ban-expansion-109659">reported</a> yesterday. &#8220;The expected announcement — confirmed by two people familiar with the matter — had initially been planned for this past Monday to coincide with the three-year anniversary of the original order, which restricted travel from several majority-Muslim nations.&#8221;
On Friday afternoon, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-imposes-new-travel-restrictions-on-six-countries-11580500874?emailToken=ee9c4d96fd7222587f6a95ea5366a1faJTb2EUg+d0M9bUrQCrIOQzQ91WSepUbYHQgY9Wk%2F8tABR%2F6914m7UCcOGLZysxL+RosZfgYd3Lb8J2OSgyyjyduSEnQYimX%2FldifLfWwadKmtNJ7tcwwfsnO5mS8469GWPrBhircuAoxdsFvkggkYQ%3D%3D&amp;reflink=article_whatsapp_share&amp;fbclid=IwAR03FzpEH7xWpUAx8Zyh0wkm5hGE__rlQ_gQW9NIAzsU5wuLbIvKnm8_tAc">confirmed the news</a>. The six new countries to have various types of travel restrictions imposed upon them are Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Sudan, and Tanzania.
&#8220;Citizens from Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan won’t be allowed to apply for visas to immigrate to the U.S. under the policy, which the Trump administration said was designed to tighten security for countries that don’t comply with the U.S. minimum security standards or cooperate to prevent illegal immigration,&#8221; the Journal reports. &#8220;Two other countries, Sudan and Tanzania, will be barred from participating in the diversity visa lottery, which randomly awards green cards to 50,000 immigrants from underrepresented countries annually. Many of the recipients are from African countries.&#8221;
Specifically, Nigeria, Eritrea, Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan will have the issuance suspended of all visas that might lead to permanent residency, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-ban/trump-to-expand-travel-ban-to-six-additional-countries-u-s-official-idUSKBN1ZU2WD">Reuters</a>.
Overall, &#8220;[t]he six countries [added today] will join a list of seven nations, most of them Muslim-majority, that faced significant travel restrictions under President Trump’s original travel ban, issued in 2017,&#8221; the Journal continues. Those original seven nations were Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Venezuela, and North Korea.
That original travel ban was ultimately upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the attention-grabbing 2018 case of <a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-965_h315.pdf">Trump v. Hawaii</a>.
&#8220;By its plain language, [8 U.S.C.] §1182(f) grants the president broad discretion to suspend the entry of aliens into the United States,&#8221; Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for a bare 5–4 Court majority. &#8220;The president lawfully exercised that discretion based on his findings — following a worldwide, multi-agency review — that entry of the covered aliens would be detrimental to the national interest. And plaintiffs’ attempts to identify a conflict with other provisions in the [Immigration and Nationality Act], and their appeal to the statute’s purposes and legislative history, fail to overcome the clear statutory language.&#8221;
The addition of countries with Trump administration-imposed travel restrictions placed upon them surely has a political element, and can likely be viewed as an attempt by the president to help shore up his base in the lead-up to November&#8217;s election. But the primary rationale seems to be a more emotionally detached attempt to buttress homeland security.
“These countries for the most part want to be helpful, want to do the right thing,” said Chad Wolf, acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, according to the Journal. “But for a variety of reasons, they failed to meet those requirements we laid out.”

Passport on the desk of an American businessman

BREAKING: Trump Admin Adds New Travel Restrictions For Six Countries

Immigrants

John Roberts

Judicial Branch

Judiciary

Lawsuit

Supreme Court

The hotly anticipated immigration tale, &#8220;American Dirt,&#8221; is in deep trouble after its celebrity backers suddenly turned on the book and its author, Jeanine Cummins, calling it racist &#8212; and worse.
&#8220;American Dirt,&#8221; <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/1/22/21075629/american-dirt-controversy-explained-jeanine-cummins-oprah-flatiron">Vox reports</a>, is the fictional account of a a woman forced to travel with illegal immigrants after escaping from drug lords in Mexico: &#8216;It tells the story of a mother and son, Lydia and Luca, fleeing their home in Acapulco, Mexico, for the US after the rest of their family is murdered by a drug cartel. Lydia is a bookstore owner who never thought of herself as having anything in common with the migrants she sees on the news, but after she comes up with the plan of disguising herself by posing as a migrant, she realizes that it won’t really be a disguise: It’s who she is now.&#8221;
The book&#8217;s author, Cummins, earned a seven figure advance to write the novel, and publishers were so convinced it would be a bestseller that they ordered a first printing of more than half a million copies. Celebrities endorsed it and Oprah Winfrey made it her &#8220;Book Club&#8221; pick for the month of January, thus ensuring it would be a best-seller.
The woke narrative &#8212; an accessible description of the hardships faced by those who try to immigrate to the United States illegally &#8212; was supposed to make Americans stop and think about the Trump administration&#8217;s immigration policies. The authors note encourages people moved by the book to take action to confront their privilege and bias.
&#8220;At worst, we perceive [illegal immigrants] as an invading mob of resource-draining criminals, and, at best, a sort of helpless, impoverished, faceless brown mass, clamoring for help at our doorstep,” Cummins writes in her note. “We seldom think of them as our fellow human beings.”
But this week, everything changed for Cummins and &#8220;American Dirt,&#8221; after a review accused Cummins of penning &#8220;trauma porn&#8221; and of a form of &#8220;cultural appropriation&#8221; &#8212; telling the story of Mexican immigrants while being white.
Cummins says she is at least partly Puerto Rican but, for the most part, identifies as white. Her husband is an illegal immigrant, but from Ireland, not Mexico. And she defended her decision to write a book about illegal immigration by positioning herself as a &#8220;white savior,&#8221; according to her critics.
“I worried that, as a nonmigrant and non-Mexican, I had no business writing a book set almost entirely in Mexico, set entirely among migrants. I wished someone slightly browner than me would write it,” Cummins said in an interview. “But then, I thought, If you’re a person who has the capacity to be a bridge, why not be a bridge?”
She claims to have spent hundreds of hours traveling with migrants and studying them, but that&#8217;s not enough for her woke critics, who say she can&#8217;t get a sense of how immigrants actually feel because she&#8217;s in no danger of becoming one.
“American Dirt fails to convey any Mexican sensibility,&#8221; one critic says. &#8220;It aspires to be Día de los Muertos but it, instead, embodies Halloween.”
Worse still, Cummins portrays the United States as a shining beacon on a hill &#8212; a safe place &#8212; and the woke progressives want to be clear: it is no such thing.
“Mexicanas get raped in the USA too,” the same critic writes. “You know better, you know how dangerous the United States of America is, and you still chose to frame this place as a sanctuary. It’s not.”
The criticism goes on. And on. And on. And it ranges from concerns that there was &#8220;border chic&#8221; barbed wire on the centerpieces at &#8220;American Dirt&#8217;s&#8221; book release party, to concerns that writers of color would never be offered a seven-figure advance. Even Salma Hayek, who expressed excitement at the book&#8217;s premise was forced to retract &#8212; or &#8220;correct&#8221; &#8212; her positive statements.
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So happy <a href="https://twitter.com/salmahayek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@salmahayek</a> reflected and corrected her support of this book. I hope others do too. <a href="https://t.co/iTzV3N3f1I">pic.twitter.com/iTzV3N3f1I</a>
&mdash; Rosy Cordero (@SocialRosy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SocialRosy/status/1220865540161331200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
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It&#8217;s hard work being a social justice warrior.

Border Patrol truck

Oprah Book Club Selection, Woke Immigration Tale ‘American Dirt,’ Slammed As Racist

Oprah Winfrey

Racism

The Trump administration secured a crucial victory in the United States Supreme Court on Monday when the court ruled in favor of allowing the administration to proceed with denying green cards and citizenship to foreign nationals who receive welfare benefits from the American taxpayer.
The Daily Caller News Foundation <a href="https://dailycaller.com/2020/01/27/public-charge-rule-supreme-court/">reported</a>:
<blockquote>The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) dictates that foreign nationals should not receive green cards if they are “likely at any time to become a public charge.” At issue in Monday’s case is the definition of “public charge.” In recent years, the term was defined as a person primarily dependent on a cash assistance program.
The Trump administration promulgated a new rule in August 2019 that expands the definition to include those likely to use non-cash benefit programs like Medicaid, food stamps, or housing benefits for a period of months. The rule does not apply to humanitarian migrants like refugees or asylum-seekers.</blockquote>
The ruling lifts a nationwide injunction placed on imposed by Democrat-appointed Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge George Daniels.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham responded to the win by saying, “Today’s stay from the Supreme Court is a massive win for American taxpayers, American workers, and the American Constitution. This decision allows the government to implement regulations effectuating longstanding federal law that newcomers to this country must be financially self-sufficient and not a ‘public charge’ on our country and its citizens.”
Immigration reporter Neil Munro <a href="https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/01/27/supreme-court-allows-rule-excluding-poor-old-migrants/">noted</a> that this was a win for &#8220;Americans employees, whose wages are being suppressed, and housing costs are rising amid the business-backed inflow of roughly 1 million immigrant workers, consumers, and renters each year.&#8221;
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) said in a statement:
<blockquote>“In a well-deserved blow to an activist judge in the Southern District of New York, today the Supreme Court lifted a nationwide injunction on President Trump’s common sense, long overdue &#8216;public charge&#8217; rule, allowing it to go in effect during the course of litigation. This is a massive victory for the Trump administration, the American people, and most importantly, preserves the public interest component of an immigration system constantly under attack by special interest judges. The rule will correct expensive and politically-driven loopholes, and uphold the clearly expressed intent of Congress that immigrants to the United States be self-reliant. That means putting back in place screening criteria that identifies and selects prospective immigrants who will be less likely to depend on government programs and become public charges. The interest of the American people is best served when immigrants selected for admission into the United States can demonstrate they are capable of providing for themselves and their dependents. While lower court litigation continues, the rule takes effect immediately. Given that the arguments against public charge are meritless, it is likely this rule change is permanent.”</blockquote>
Far-left Democrats reacted in anger over the ruling.
Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) wrote on Twitter: &#8220;This is shameful. America shouldn’t have a wealth test for admission. It’s a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing &amp; made a life. The American Dream isn’t a private club with a cover charge &#8211; it’s the possibility of remaking your future.&#8221;
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This is shameful. America shouldn’t have a wealth test for admission. It’s a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing &amp; made a life.
The American Dream isn’t a private club with a cover charge &#8211; it’s the possibility of remaking your future. <a href="https://t.co/qKm7BuUhXI">https://t.co/qKm7BuUhXI</a>
&mdash; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) <a href="https://twitter.com/AOC/status/1221883795672129540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who is currently one the Democrat front-runners seeking the party&#8217;s nomination in the presidential race, responded: &#8220;My father came to America at 17 without a nickel, speaking no English. He grew up to be the proudest American you ever saw. Trump&#8217;s policy is disgraceful. It is not what America is about. We will defeat him and end his demonization of immigrants and the poor.&#8221;
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My father came to America at 17 without a nickel, speaking no English. He grew up to be the proudest American you ever saw. Trump&#39;s policy is disgraceful. It is not what America is about. We will defeat him and end his demonization of immigrants and the poor. <a href="https://t.co/MibtwOTzEL">https://t.co/MibtwOTzEL</a>
&mdash; Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) <a href="https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/1221872540177567744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Far-left transgender activist Charlotte Clymer wrote: &#8220;America has just erected a paywall. This is astoundingly cruel.&#8221;
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America has just erected a paywall. This is astoundingly cruel. <a href="https://t.co/PiN2FQKlL1">https://t.co/PiN2FQKlL1</a>
&mdash; Charlotte Clymer🏳️‍🌈 (@cmclymer) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmclymer/status/1221865680426934273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 27, 2020</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-TRUMP-WALL

Trump Administration Gets Crucial Immigration Win In Supreme Court. Far-Left Explodes.

On Friday, freshman Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who is very outspoken on the 21s century geopolitical threat <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/end-forever-wars-and-face-chinas-threat-11574634656">posed by China</a>, raised with leading Trump administration officials the possibility of restricting or temporarily outright cutting off travel with the country due to the coronavirus that recently emanated from there.
Hawley &#8220;sent a letter Friday to the heads of four government agencies to ask whether the Trump administration was considering any potential Chinese travel ban to prevent an American outbreak of the coronavirus,&#8221; National Review <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/coronavirus-outbreak-josh-hawley-asks-trump-administration-for-possible-china-travel-ban/">reported</a>.
Specifically, Hawley tweeted: &#8220;As deadly #coronavirus spreads, this morning I’ve written to the Secretary of State and others to ask whether temporary travel restrictions from affected areas in China may be necessary, and if they are, when American travelers will be notified. Public safety must be #1 priority.&#8221;
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As deadly <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#coronavirus</a> spreads, this morning I’ve written to the Secretary of State and others to ask whether temporary travel restrictions from affected areas in China may be necessary, and if they are, when American travelers will be notified. Public safety must be #1 priority
&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1220726263956021248?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The tweet accompanied a <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2020-01/Hawley-Letter-Coronavirus-Departments-Health-Homeland-Security-State-Transportation-Travel.pdf">letter</a> that Hawley sent on Friday to four Cabinet secretaries or acting secretaries: Alex Azar of the Department of Health and Human Services, Chad Wolf of the Department of Homeland Security, Elaine Chao of the Department of Transportation, and Mike Pompeo of the State Department.
Hawley&#8217;s letter concludes by asking four questions of the Cabinet secretaries:
<ol>
<li>Does the federal government have in place procedures and evaluative criteria to guide decisions about restrictions on air travel in the event of disease outbreaks such as this one?</li>
<li>Given the rate at which public health officials are capable of gaining insight into the severity of such an outbreak, can you offer guidance as to when and how the federal government would decide to implement travel restrictions in the event that an outbreak like this one merited them?</li>
<li>Have you begun exploring the means by which the federal government might continue to assist China and the international community in containing this outbreak in the event of restrictions on commercial air travel? If not, why not?</li>
<li>In the event that federal officials make a preliminary determination to rule out restrictions on air travel, will you commit to inform the public that such a determination has been made in the interests of transparency and appropriate public scrutiny?</li>
</ol>
&#8220;The virus, which, causes pneumonia-like symptoms, is related to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, a virus that originated in China and killed hundreds of people in 2002 and 2003,&#8221; National Review also noted.
Since the virus&#8217;s breakout, China has quarantined the entire city of Wuhan in an attempt to staunch the virus&#8217;s pernicious spread.
Conservative commentator Daniel Horowitz, of Blaze Media, <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/will-trump-consider-suspending-travel-china-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/">wrote</a> today in support of a Chinese travel ban: &#8220;One would expect that the first course of action of the government would be to prevent Chinese from traveling here or Americans from traveling to China and returning, or at least to impose a travel ban on parts of China. That is the first step to ensuring that the disease doesn’t spread like wildfire in our country. Yet, as with epidemics of the past, there doesn’t seem to be any imminent warning of suspending travel.&#8221;
Taking a somewhat different approach, Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/walsh-the-media-wants-you-to-panic-over-the-coronavirus-dont-fall-for-it-here-are-the-real-facts">chalked up</a> the coronavirus as much ado about nothing: &#8220;I don’t mean to spoil the twist ending, but here’s how to protect yourself from the coronavirus if you live in America: Do nothing special at all. Carry on with your life. Wash your hands. Avoid ingesting the bodily fluids of strangers, as much as possible. Do all of the normal things you would do to maintain a healthy life. Media reports indicate that face masks are an &#8216;<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wuhan-coronavirus-face-masks-not-entirely-effective-2020-1" data-reader-unique-id="14">ineffective&#8217;</a> way of preventing the spread of the virus. What the reports forget to mention is that it would be a sign of delusional paranoia if a person in the United States went around wearing a mask for fear of a disease that almost nobody in this hemisphere actually has.&#8221;

Cargo containers with China and united States flag in the harbor.

Josh Hawley Proposes Possible China Travel Ban In Response To Coronavirus

China

Health

Health Care

Josh Hawley

In its latest annual <a href="http://www.islamophobia.org/reports/228-2018-civil-rights-report-bias-incident-data.html">hate crimes report</a>, the <a href="https://www.adl.org/education/resources/profiles/the-council-on-american-islamic-relations-cair">Council on American-Islamic Relations</a> (CAIR) vilified U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials as the nation’s greatest perpetrators of anti-Muslim discrimination. So, when as many as 60 Iranian and Iranian-American travelers were delayed for hours earlier this month at the U.S.-Canada border, CAIR was quick to accuse the federal agency of living up to its purported reputation. Has the U.S. government decided to make life difficult for Iranians living in America, as CAIR contends? Or are the nonprofit’s actions part of an enduring campaign to subvert U.S. border security?
In response to a January 2 air strike which <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nytimes.com/2020/01/10/opinion/soleimani-iran-tom-cotton.amp.html">killed</a> Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) <a href="https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/ntas/alerts/20_0104_ntas_bulletin.pdf">published</a> a bulletin warning that Hezbollah and other Iranian loyalists could carry out homeland-based plots by targeting “critical infrastructure.” New York Governor Andrew Cuomo deployed the national guard to protect public transportation, while <a href="https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-01-03/us-cities-on-alert-after-killing-of-iran-leader-qassem-suleiman">government officials</a> in California, Washington, and Massachusetts ordered increased police patrols or warned citizens to remain extra vigilant.
Meanwhile, the Peace Arch Border Crossing in Blaine, Washington became congested on January 4 after as many as 60 Iranian natives were allegedly selected for additional screening and detained, in some cases, for several hours. The travelers, who were returning from a pop concert in Vancouver, put a <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article238985213.html">strain</a> on CBP resources as customs agents struggled to keep up with the sudden increase in cross-border traffic. However, CAIR officials explicitly alleged that delays and mistreatment were premised solely on national heritage.
Soon after, CAIR’s Washington chapter issued a <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-wa-assisting-iranian-americans-detained-at-us-border-300981286.html">press release</a> accusing CBP officials of treating Iranians and Iranian-Americans to prolonged interrogations at the U.S.–Canada border. “A source at CBP reported that the [DHS] has issued a national order to CBP to ‘report’ and detain anyone with Iranian heritage entering the country who is deemed potentially suspicious or ‘adversarial,’ regardless of citizenship status,” CAIR wrote.
CBP <a href="https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/us-border-protection-denies-reports-that-iranian-americans-were-detained-at-washington-canada-border/281-e276b43b-21a1-46d3-8de7-f1e700b0016a">rejected</a> these allegations. &#8220;Social media posts that CBP is detaining Iranian-Americans and refusing their entry into the U.S. because of their country of origin are false. Reports that DHS/CBP has issued a related directive are also false,” said CBP spokesperson Michael Friel.
So far, CAIR has failed to produce any evidence supporting its discrimination claims. Instead, the nonprofit denigrated CBP personnel based on the testimony of frustrated tourists who experienced delays while crossing an international border during a period of heightened geopolitical tension.
What can’t be known about the recent cross-border controversy, because it falls beyond the public purview, is whether there was specific intelligence from the Terrorist Screening Center that indicated a need to conduct a more robust screening operation at the Peace Arch crossing. It is telling that <a href="https://www.thenorthernlight.com/stories/order-to-detain-iranian-american-travelers-likely-originated-in-blaine-say-lawyers,9173">no other enhanced security measures</a> were enforced at other U.S. entry points around the same time.
Even public knowledge of the threats posed by Shi’ite Islamism suggests that it was credible national security risks, and not uninformed profiling, that guided CBP’s actions. The agency must contend with Hezbollah’s elite external operations unit, known as the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO), whose members have been <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/07/iran-has-terrorists-embedded-inside-the-united-states-and-across-our-border/">trained</a> to &#8220;maintain ostensibly normal lives” until they are activated to serve the Iranian regime&#8217;s interests.
<a href="https://thefederalist.com/2020/01/07/iran-has-terrorists-embedded-inside-the-united-states-and-across-our-border/">FBI reports</a> indicate that Canada serves as a staging area for future homeland attacks. Ali Kourani, a Hezbollah sleeper agent <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/hizballah-operative-sentenced-40-years-prison-covert-terrorist-activities-behalf-hizballah-s">convicted</a> in 2019 of planning attacks in the U.S., <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/14/hezbollah-isnt-just-in-beirut-its-in-new-york-too-canada-united-states-jfk-toronto-pearson-airports-ali-kourani-iran/">told </a>FBI agents that IJO is “even more active in Canada than they were in the United States.” Kourani’s Iranian handlers discussed the strategic advantages of cultivating familial ties to Canada, so that “it wouldn’t appear suspicious or odd if he were to make travel to Canada with some regularity or frequency.”
Iran is a country that is regularly <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/u-s-state-department-iran-remains-world-s-worst-state-sponsor-of-terrorism-/30248755.html">cited</a> as a state sponsor of terrorism, with a track <a href="https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/14/hezbollah-isnt-just-in-beirut-its-in-new-york-too-canada-united-states-jfk-toronto-pearson-airports-ali-kourani-iran/">record</a> of penetrating U.S. borders. For instance, between 1995 and 2000, Lebanese immigrant Mohammed Youssef Hammoud oversaw a vast “<a href="https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/mohamad-youssef-hammoud-sentenced-30-years-terrorism-financing-case">criminal enterprise</a>” in Charlotte, North Carolina, which accumulated millions of dollars in capital intended for Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon.
In 2011, Soleimani’s Quds Force was implicated in a clandestine <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/">plot</a> to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. and bomb the Saudi embassy in Washington D.C. Then there is Alexei Saab, a New Jersey resident charged in September with a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/manhattan-us-attorney-announces-indictment-new-jersey-man-terrorist-activities-behalf">nine-count indictment</a> for surveilling targets on behalf of IJO, probing for “soft spots” throughout New York City.
CAIR’s position on screening for terrorists, however, has been to <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_to_announce_complete_victory_in_constitutional_challenge_to_federal_terror_watchlist">undermine</a> the process wherever possible. Indeed, the organization exerts a great deal of <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cair-asks-federal-court-in-mich-to-prohibit-fbi-border-agents-from-interrogating-muslim-travelers-about-religious-beliefs-and-practices-300858541.html">effort</a> challenging the government’s immigration and border security policies.
In September, CAIR proclaimed “complete victory” in a <a href="https://www.cair.com/cair_to_announce_complete_victory_in_constitutional_challenge_to_federal_terror_watchlist">lawsuit</a> that challenged the constitutionality of the <a href="https://apnews.com/f8abc66af1a64cc7a5f4fba0420cfc54">terrorist watch list</a>, a security protocol that subjects implicated airline passengers and border transients to additional screening. (Fewer than 0.5% of watch list suspects are U.S. citizens or legal residents.) For more than a year, CAIR filed lawsuits and amicus briefs that <a href="https://www.cair.com/fighting_the_unconstitutional_muslim_ban">stalled</a> Trump administration efforts to implement a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-proclamation-enhancing-vetting-capabilities-processes-detecting-attempted-entry-united-states-terrorists-public-safety-threats/">travel ban</a> affecting visitors from select high-risk countries
CAIR has even directed Muslim Americans who are detained by customs officials to <a href="https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wtsp.com/amp/article/news/politics/muslim-rights-groups-urge-passengers-to-refuse-secondary-questioning/67-395025140">obstruct</a> the screening process whenever possible, perhaps explaining the delays experienced at the Peace Arch Border Crossing. “Whether you wait an hour or four hours, remain silent until they let you out,” advised CAIR-Florida executive director Hassan Shibly.
National-level law enforcement efforts must be led by consulting relevant intelligence <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/law-enforcement-guard-iran-retaliation-u-s-after-commander-killed-n1109826">sources</a>. Given the geopolitical context, the enhanced security posture at the U.S.-Canada border can be attributed to due diligence, and not some nefarious desire to pester Iranian-Americans. Yet, CAIR is far too eager to paint American security personnel as aggressors. CBP was merely taking reasonable precautions in the face of escalating hostility from a rogue nation that has spent decades building powerful Islamist infrastructure across North America.
&nbsp;
David Firester is a writer for Islamism in Politics, a project of the <a href="https://www.meforum.org">Middle East Forum</a>. He is the founder and CEO of TRAC Intelligence, LLC, an Adjunct Lecturer at Hunter College, and a former U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst.

Border Wall As House Investigates $400 Million Contract

FIRESTER: CAIR’s Fight To Undermine U.S. Border Security Continues

Border Wall

CAIR

Canada

Iran

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

Muslims

National Security

It turns out that an Iranian student who was recently denied entry upon his arrival in the U.S. and was subsequently deported has some pretty shady ties, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official who <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iranian-student-whose-deportation-spurred-dem-outcry-has-family-ties-to-irgc-hezbollah-dhs-official">spoke to Fox News</a>. That the deported student has such problematic links — to Iran&#8217;s murderous Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Iranian regime&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-defund-lebanon-and-do-it-yesterday">Lebanon-based Hezbollah proxy</a>, in particular — ought to serve as a wakeup call for the Democratic Party officials, left-wing activists, and open-borders advocates who trotted out the normal hue and cry upon the student&#8217;s denial and deportation.
&#8220;An Iranian student who was denied entry to the United States on arrival and deported this week, amid objections from top Democrats and left-wing activists, has family ties to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah, a Department of Homeland Security official told Fox News,&#8221; the outlet <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iranian-student-whose-deportation-spurred-dem-outcry-has-family-ties-to-irgc-hezbollah-dhs-official">reported</a>.
&#8220;Mohammad Shahab Dehghani Hossein was denied entry to the U.S. and detained on Sunday when he arrived on a student visa at Boston Logan International Airport,&#8221; Fox News continued. &#8220;His detention sparked outrage from activists, who flooded the airport demanding his release. It also drew objections from Northeastern University, where [Hossein Abadi] was due to be enrolled, and the American Civil Liberties Union.&#8221;
Some very prominent Democrats, such as 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), responded indignantly. Warren, taking up Hossein Abadi&#8217;s cause, casually accused President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration of &#8220;xenophobia[a].&#8221;
&#8220;Shahab Dehghani is an Iranian student with a valid F1 visa, returning to finish his education,&#8221; Warren tweeted. &#8220;[U.S. Customs and Border Protection] already held him overnight. His deportation must be halted, and we must fight the Trump administration&#8217;s xenophobic policies.&#8221;
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Shahab Dehghani is an Iranian student with a valid F1 visa, returning to finish his education. CBP already held him overnight. His deportation must be halted, and we must fight the Trump administration&#39;s xenophobic policies. <a href="https://t.co/ZCKVo5fwvM">https://t.co/ZCKVo5fwvM</a>
&mdash; Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) <a href="https://twitter.com/ewarren/status/1219457019729588224?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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A judge in Massachusetts had initially stayed Hossein Abadi&#8217;s deportation, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) then promptly executed his deportation. CBP issued a statement on the incident, as <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/01/22/iranian-student-bound-northeastern-removed-us-despite-court-order">reported</a> by Insider Higher Ed.
&#8220;Every applicant for admission is subject to inspection upon arrival in the United States,&#8221; CBP said. &#8220;The issuance of a visa or participation in the visa waiver program does not guarantee entry to the United States. Upon arrival at Logan Airport on Sunday, January 19, [Hossein Abadi] was deemed inadmissible and processed for expedited removal and return to his place of departure. During today’s hearing, the court ruled that the matter is now moot as the subject was never admitted into the United States, the subject is no longer in custody, and the court does not have jurisdiction to order his return.&#8221;
Hossein Abadi had first applied for a U.S. visa in 2018 and &#8220;[h]is visa was granted approximately a week ago,&#8221; Insider Higher Ed reported. But the DHS official who spoke to Fox News told the outlet that &#8220;the case was more complicated than some were letting on, and that there were legitimate reasons for rejecting [Hossein Abadi]&#8221; — in other words, his ties to the IRGC and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, the Iran-funded and -trained proxy militia that has <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/lebanon-is-gone">all but overrun Lebanon</a>, is uniquely poised to cause immense trouble for Israel. As I explained last month in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-defund-lebanon-and-do-it-yesterday">Daily Wire op-ed</a> calling for the full defunding of all U.S. taxpayer foreign aid to Lebanon:
<blockquote>Bear in mind that Hezbollah currently maintains scores of Iranian-funded, <a href="https://www.idf.il/en/minisites/hezbollah/hezbollahs-precision-guided-missile-project/">precision-guided missiles</a> currently stationed in southern Lebanon and aimed straight at the hearts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Israel’s next war — and it is a matter of when, not if — with Hezbollah is going to be a <a href="http://www.thetower.org/article/the-new-hezbollah-israels-next-war-will-be-a-godawful-mess/">long, bloody mess</a>. And foreign aid to Israel aside, the U.S. taxpayer presently also funds the horrifically wrong side of that inevitable war.</blockquote>

Deported Iranian Student Linked To IRGC And Hezbollah, DHS Says

Radical Islam

Radical Islamic Terror

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Political observers in the year 2020 know that, for the Democratic Party and the broader political Left alike, intersectionality often reigns supreme. For those still wondering what exactly &#8220;intersectionality&#8221; is, Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro has produced a helpful explanatory video on the topic:
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&#8220;Intersectionality is a form of identity politics in which the value of your opinion depends on how many victim groups you belong to,&#8221; Shapiro <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ben-shapiro-what-intersectionality-jacob-airey">explained</a>. &#8220;At the bottom of the totem pole is the person everybody loves to hate: The straight, white male. And who’s at the top? Well, it’s very hard to say, because new groups claim victim status all the time. No one can keep track.&#8221;
Alas, it should come as no surprise that contemporary Democrats would rally around what is perhaps one of the most readily identifiable sub-identity groups boasting immense &#8220;intersectional&#8221; street credibility: The transgender illegal alien.
&#8220;House Democrats plan to call on a key immigration agency to release all transgender people who are currently being detained, arguing that the U.S. has failed to follow guidelines to protect individuals who face more perilous conditions in detention than other migrants,&#8221; The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/477954-lawmakers-to-call-on-ice-to-release-all-transgender-detainees">reported</a> yesterday.
The outlet then reported on the precise contents of the early copy of the letter it obtained. The letter will be sent to Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Matthew Albence. Per <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/477954-lawmakers-to-call-on-ice-to-release-all-transgender-detainees">The Hill</a>, the letter reads, in relevant part:
<blockquote>We write to demand the release of all transgender people currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Transgender migrants and asylum seekers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment, solitary confinement, physical assault, and medical neglect. These inhumane conditions and systematic abuses are evidenced in countless reports and accounts by formally detained people.</blockquote>
According to the outlet, the letter cites research from left-wing organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign, Amnesty International, and the Center for American Progress in order to argue that &#8220;due to their gender identity, transgender migrants are more likely to face &#8216;the pervasive use of solitary confinement&#8217; and that they are &#8217;97 times more likely to be sexually victimized&#8217; compared to &#8216;their cis-gender and straight counterparts in detention.'&#8221;
The effort is being led by Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL), who TheBlaze <a href="https://www.theblaze.com/news/house-democrats-want-ice-to-release-all-transgender-detainees">notes</a> is of the belief that ICE is actually required to release all transgender detainees. In order to advance that claim, the letter cites a 2015 ICE memo and the Department of Homeland Security&#8217;s 2020 appropriations bill.
&#8220;Quigley&#8217;s office is working to get lawmakers&#8217; signatures on the letter and expects to send it to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and ICE Director Matt Albence later this week,&#8221; the Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/house-democrats-to-ask-ice-to-release-all-transgender-immigrants-in-custody">reports</a>.
The year 2019 was a busy year for ICE, especially over the first six months. Record numbers of illegal aliens seemed to flood over America&#8217;s porous southern border on a seemingly monthly basis, although the tide has stemmed over the <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/month-decline-unauthorized-border-crossings-nearing-million/story?id=66134521">past few months</a>. As the 2020 election heats up, President Donald Trump is continuing to emphasize border security and immigration enforcement as key political priorities.

ICE logo

Jailbreak: House Democrats Call To Release All Transgender ICE Detainees

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Intersectionality

Leftism

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Progressivism

Sexuality

According to a letter sent today to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that was just obtained by The Daily Wire, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott has announced Texas&#8217;s refusal to accept any additional refugees for fiscal year (FY) 2020. The letter was prompted by <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-enhancing-state-local-involvement-refugee-resettlement/">Executive Order 13888</a>, on &#8220;Enhancing State and Local Involvement in Refugee Resettlement,&#8221; which was issued by President Donald Trump on September 26, 2019.
According to the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-enhancing-state-local-involvement-refugee-resettlement/">text</a> of the September executive order, &#8220;[t]he Federal Government consults with State and local governments &#8230; to be respectful of those communities that may not be able to accommodate refugee resettlement.&#8221; Furthermore, &#8220;if either a State or locality has not provided consent to receive refugees under the Program, then refugees should not be resettled within that State or locality,&#8221; and &#8220;the Secretary shall notify the President of such decision.&#8221;
Today, Greg Abbott, governor of the nation&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-at-texas-scorecard-texas-is-a-less-business-friendly-environment-than-you-might-think-its-time-to-fix-that">most iconic red state</a>, has made clear that Texas does not consent.
&#8220;Texas is one of the most welcoming states for refugees seeking to escape dangers abroad,&#8221; Abbott begins. &#8220;Since FY 2010, more refugees have been received in Texas than in any other state. In fact, over that decade, roughly 10% of all refugees resettled in the United States have been placed in Texas. Even today, the process of resettling continues for many of these refugees.&#8221;
&#8220;In addition to accepting refugees all these years, Texas has been left by Congress to deal with disproportionate migration issues resulting from a broken federal immigration system,&#8221; the governor continues. &#8220;In May 2019, for example, around 100,000 migrants were apprehended crossing this state&#8217;s southern border. In June 2019, individuals from 52 different countries were apprehended here. And in FY 2018, the apprehensions included citizens from disparate countries like China, Iran, Kenya, Russia, and Tonga. Texas continues to have to deal with the consequences of an immigration system that Congress has failed to fix.&#8221;
&#8220;At this time, the state and non-profit organizations have a responsibility to dedicate available resources to those who are already here, including refugees, migrants, and the homeless — indeed, all Texans,&#8221; the Republican writes in his denouement. &#8220;As a result, Texas cannot consent to initial refugee resettlement for FY2020. This decision does not deny any refugee access to the United States. Nor does it preclude a refugee from later coming to Texas after initially settling in another state.&#8221;
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&#8220;Texas has carried more than its share in assisting the refugee resettlement process and appreciates that other states are available to help with these efforts,&#8221; Abbott concludes.
Abbott&#8217;s bold stand will please immigration hawks, who have long sounded the alarm on America&#8217;s shoddy, loophole-ridden refugee system and our wholly inadequate vetting capabilities for prospective refugees. As the Center for Immigration Studies&#8217; investigative journalist extraordinaire Todd Bensman <a href="https://cis.org/Bensman/Idiot-Lights-Blinking-Vetting-Failures-Still-Favor-Lying-Terrorist-Migrants">wrote</a> last April: &#8220;Few outside of intelligence and law enforcement circles — and perhaps not even those inside the circles — really know the actual extent of vetting failures that grant legal status to those hiding terrorism involvement. <a href="https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/extreme-vetting-immigrants-estimating-terrorism-vetting-failures" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One tally</a> found an entirely unacceptable 13 cases of vetting failures involving actual terrorists caught or killed between 9/11 and April 2018. But the numbers are undoubtedly higher, accounting for cases where the liars just haven&#8217;t been made public yet or there was strong terrorism intelligence rather than some sort of conviction under terrorism statutes or attack.&#8221;
Abbott&#8217;s move also follows closely on the heels of at least 15 separate Republican governors who have all affirmatively signed onto more refugee resettlement in their states in the aftermath of Executive Order 13888. Immigration hawk Daniel Horowitz recently <a href="https://www.conservativereview.com/news/15-gop-governors-asking-refugee-resettlement-red-states/">excoriated</a> these governors at Conservative Review: &#8220;Except for New England, these are all states carried by Trump, some of them by a very wide margin. Trump won every single county in West Virginia and Oklahoma, for example. Why are conservatives with platforms not talking about this? &#8230; Who needs George Soros when you have GOP governors endorsed by Trump doing his bidding, along with the help of so-called evangelical groups?&#8221;
Governor Abbott will take no shortage of heat for this move, even within the still-reliably Republican Lone Star State. But he should rest well at night, for he has done the right thing for his state.
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Texas Governor Greg Abbott

BREAKING: Texas Governor Abbott Boldly Rejects Additional Refugee Resettlement

Donald Trump

Greg Abbott

Mike Pompeo

Refugee

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Texas

Saiful Islam emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2003 with a valid work permit and began working as a chef at a restaurant.
Things were going well for about two years, but in 2005, he told the U.K.’s Home Office (the department that handles immigration, security, and legal issues) that  his employer was exploiting him by withholding the bulk of his wages, forcing him to work 18-hour days, and beating him,” The Guardian <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/jan/02/bangladesh-chef-saiful-islam-faces-removal-from-uk-despite-home-office-errors">reported</a>.
The Home Office let him change employers, but the move triggered a host of errors that plagued Islam for more than a decade and now threatens his ability to stay in the country. The Home Office even apologized to Islam and offered him $6,550 in compensation for the issues. Despite all that, a judge denied Islam’s right to remain in the country.
A U.K. court found that “the Home Office wrongly served him with a notice curtailing his visa in 2005, wrongly linked other people’s criminal convictions to him, failed to disclose a full copy of his passport to a court in 2010 and destroyed part of his file,” the Guardian reported.
None of these errors mattered, the judge determined, because issues with a work permit application made in 2008 by Islam’s employer made him ineligible to remain in the U.K.
“The Home Office has treated me worse than a dog. I am a victim of a scandal and of race discrimination. I have lost so many years, I’ve lost my health, I’ve lost so much money. I’ll never get this time back but I’m determined to fight on,” Islam told the outlet.
Islam wasn’t even able to receive his file from the Home Office until 2018, after a lengthy court battle and a ruling demanding the government hand it over.
“As well as initially withholding his file in a previous court case, the Home Office did not provide relevant pages of his passport that proved he had entered the country legally. Instead, officials argued he had entered the country illegally,” the Guardian reported.
Islam finally received an apology from the Home Office in 2019 via email. The message apologized for wrongly labeling Islam as a sex offender due to mixing him up with the criminal records of three other people. Islam has no criminal convictions.
“After investigating the issue it appears documents relating to three individuals were incorrectly placed on your paper file. A number of processes had not been followed which allowed these errors to occur,” the email stated. “Although such errors are not common … we recognise that such issues can have significant impacts.”
Islam is receiving help from the Migrants’ Rights Network. The organization’s chief executive, Fizza Qureshi, told the Guardian: “If Saiful had not persevered with his case for nearly 16 years, he would not have known that the Home Office had mixed up his file and wrongly labelled him a criminal. Alongside the Home Office’s errors, they have also failed to praise Saiful’s actions of reporting an exploitative employer. Instead they have chosen to penalise him by pursuing his removal, despite his innocence and courage. We would urge the Home Office to reconsider his case, and offer him leave so he can utilise his skills as a chef, and allow him to rebuild his life.”

Chef

The UK Government Wrongly Branded Him A Sex Offender. Now They’re Trying To Remove Him From The Country.

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Pro-&#8220;sanctuary state&#8221; California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) has come under fire from left-wing immigrant rights groups for &#8220;choosing to work with ICE.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s deeply disappointing that the governor is choosing to work with ICE,&#8221; said Asian Law Caucus attorney Anoop Prasad, as reported by <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-23/newsom-paroles-immigrant-who-is-immediately-detained-by-ice">The Los Angeles Times</a>.
Newsom&#8217;s &#8220;deeply disappointing&#8221; actions, according to Prasad and other immigrant rights activists, is his decision to allow a paroled immigrant who served two decades behind bars for murder to be handed over to federal immigration authorities, a process Prasad decried as &#8220;unjust and illogical&#8221; and &#8220;tearing apart communities in California.&#8221;
The outrage from immigration rights groups stems from the case of Cambodian refugee Tith Ton, 40, who served 22 years in prison for the murder of a rival gang member.
Upon Newsom approving his parole, Ton was immediately transferred into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Immigration rights groups are demanding that Newsom further expand California&#8217;s &#8220;sanctuary state&#8221; policies by refusing to cooperate with federal authorities in such circumstances.
According to the LA Times, Ton&#8217;s case, as well as other convicts from Southeast Asia facing deportation, drew &#8220;dozens&#8221; of rallyers last month, who gathered on the lawn of the state Capitol to attempt to pressure the state to further thwart federal authorities by ending a corrections policy of notifying them about the release of convicts listed on ICE detainers or arrest warrants.
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Their demand would expand the state&#8217;s already radical &#8220;sanctuary&#8221; policy, the &#8220;Trust Act&#8221; (SB 54), which &#8220;prohibits state and local law enforcement from holding people longer than 48 hours for federal immigration agents — unless they’ve been convicted of certain crimes, most of them serious or violent,&#8221; as the Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-trust-act-sanctuary-state-immigration-20170910-htmlstory.html">explained</a> in 2017.
The revised Trust Act (2017) &#8220;curb[s] state and local agencies from collecting or sharing their personal information and release dates from jail or prison with federal immigration officials.&#8221;
&#8220;Ton was picked up Monday by a private government contractor in what immigrant groups contend is a violation of federal law, his attorney said,&#8221; the Times reports. &#8220;Newsom this year vetoed a bill that would have blocked private companies from picking up paroled immigrants in California.&#8221;
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Asked about the decision to approve the parole and transfer of Ton, Newsom&#8217;s office offered no comment. A corrections department spokesman, however, did respond, succinctly telling the LA Times, &#8220;We followed normal procedure.&#8221;
Prasad says that while in prison Ton turned his life around and has become a substance abuse counselor. Since Newsom approved his parole, he must agree that Ton no longer poses a threat to the community, Prasad maintains.
Newsom has made national headlines in recent days due to a public feud with President Trump. Newsom has attempted to shift the blame for the homeless crisis in California away from the progressive policies Newsom has supported to Trump&#8217;s Department of Housing and Urban Development &#8220;doing nothing&#8221; on the &#8220;housing first&#8221; initiative.
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In spin room at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DemDebate?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DemDebate</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> slams Trump Administration and HUD for doing “nothing” on “housing first,” the priority to solve homelessness. <a href="https://t.co/AQXRHUwZys">pic.twitter.com/AQXRHUwZys</a>
&mdash; Carla Marinucci (@cmarinucci) <a href="https://twitter.com/cmarinucci/status/1207882406612455424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 20, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In response, Trump offered to get the federal government more involved in Newsom&#8217;s state: &#8220;Governor Gavin [Newsom] has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved!&#8221;
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Governor Gavin N has done a really bad job on taking care of the homeless population in California. If he can’t fix the problem, the Federal Govt. will get involved! <a href="https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA">https://t.co/2z8zM37PUA</a>
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1209964406324510720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trumps-christmas-tweets-take-aim-at-nancy-pelosi-gavin-newsom">Trump’s Christmas Tweets Take Aim At Nancy Pelosi, Gavin Newsom</a>

California Governor Gavin Newsom

California Governor Under Fire After Paroled Immigrant Murder Convict Immediately Taken Into ICE Custody

Crime

Gavin Newsom

A new analysis released late last week found that a massive number of seats in the House of Representatives — enough to flip the majority in the House — will be redistributed primarily to Democrat states as a result of the increasing number of legal and illegal immigrants in the U.S. population.
The Center for Immigration Studies (CIS) released the findings from their analysis on how legal and illegal immigration is set to impact the political power structure in Washington, D.C. for the 2020 elections.
Key findings from CIS&#8217;s <a href="https://cis.org/Report/Impact-Legal-and-Illegal-Immigration-Apportionment-Seats-US-House-Representatives-2020">analysis</a> include:
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<blockquote>The presence of all immigrants (naturalized citizens, legal residents, and illegal aliens) and their U.S.-born minor children will redistribute 26 seats in the House in 2020.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>To put this number in perspective, changing the party of 21 members of the current Congress would flip the majority in the U.S. House.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Of the 26 seats that will be lost, 24 are from states that voted for Donald Trump in 2016. Of states that will gain House seats because of immigration, 19 seats will go to the solidly Democratic states of California, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Illinois. Texas is the only solidly Republican state that gains, while Florida is a swing state.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Illegal immigrants and their U.S.-born minor children will redistribute five seats in 2020, with Ohio, Michigan, Alabama, Minnesota, and West Virginia each losing one seat in 2020 that they otherwise would have had. California and Texas will each have two additional seats, and New York will have one additional seat.</blockquote>
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<blockquote>Illegal immigrants alone in the 2020 will redistribute three seats, with Ohio, Alabama, and Minnesota each having one fewer seat than they otherwise would have had, while California, New York, and Texas will have one additional seat.</blockquote>
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The Trump administration fought to include a citizenship question on the 2020 census, which would have likely provided a mild alleviation from the dramatic power shift that is about to occur, but it was <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/12/politics/john-roberts-census-citizenship-supreme-court/index.html">shot down</a> by Chief Justice John Roberts — the same conservative Supreme Court Justice who <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/theapothecary/2012/07/01/the-supreme-courts-john-roberts-changed-his-obamacare-vote-in-may/#71a357e0d701">kept</a> Obamacare from being destroyed in the courts.
CIS found that Democrat-controlled California was &#8220;the biggest winner&#8221; in the political power shift &#8220;as it will gain 11 more congressional seats due to immigrants and their young children.&#8221;
The analysis came at approximately the same time as a new <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/homelessness-is-on-the-rise-in-the-u-s-and-one-state-is-driving-it">report</a> from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which found that the homeless population in California has exploded over the last year and was single-handedly responsible for the increase in the national U.S. homeless population.
A separate <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-12-21/california-population-continues-to-decline-with-state-emigration-a-major-factor">report</a>, also just released, found that California&#8217;s population growth rate has declined to its lowest rate in nearly 120 years as tens of thousands of people are fleeing the state.
The analysis from CIS also found that &#8220;Ohio is the biggest loser from immigration, with three fewer seats due to the presence of immigrants and their U.S.-born children residing in other states. Michigan and Pennsylvania will have two fewer seats, while Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin will each lose one seat.&#8221;

Voting

Immigration Causing Massive Redistribution Of Congressional Seats To Democrat States For 2020, Report Says

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of African migrants attempting to travel into the U.S. through Mexico.
In 2007, the Mexican government started keeping records on migrants from countries in Africa. At that time, The Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/story/2019-12-08/record-number-of-african-migrants-at-u-s-mexico-border">reported</a>, an annual immigration report included 460 migrants from Africa. In 2018, that number was roughly 2,700 and in 2019 it doubled to about 5,800. From the Times:
And that dramatic increase has been mostly left out of U.S. immigration conversations, activists say.
“Even within the immigration movement, you see a lack of visibility of black narratives with what is happening at the border,” said Guerline Jozef, director and co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an organization that helps black migrants from all over the world.
Jozef was initially caught off-guard by the number of black migrants south of the border.
Jozef told the outlet that in 2016 she met with a group of Haitian migrants in Tijuana, which was unusual since Florida was the typical migration route for Caribbean migrants. At the time she met with 12 Haitian migrants. After a month in the area, she counted more than 400 migrants from Haiti and Congo, Cameroon, and Sierra Leone.
“Now, almost four years later, we have thousands and thousands of black migrants,” she told the outlet.
The Times reported that the vast majority of those who travel through Mexico to the U.S. border are from Central America, and that the journey for black migrants from Africa is especially difficult. From the Times:
The journey isn’t easy, many of them are robbed and beaten while traveling north.
On top of these dangers, African migrants face additional obstacles in terms of language and cultural barriers. They also have less access to services from legal aid organizations who do not have staff who speak the same language as the migrants.
They also face racism and discrimination because of the color of their skin, Jozef added.
The migrants from Africa are now unable to even reach the U.S. border, as the Mexican government no longer provides transit visas to travel to the border. This has resulted in the migrants camping out in front of the immigration building in Tijuana “because they literally have nowhere else to go,” immigration lawyer Rebecca Alemayehu told the Times.
Even with the situation at the border and in Mexico, African migrants continue to travel to Mexico to attempt passage into the U.S.
The Congressional Black Caucus had noted the increasing numbers of black migrants and their unique plight, writing in a statement that the number appears to be increasing “as Europe closes its doors to migrants.”
Alemayehu also tole the Times that the migrants can’t simply stay in Mexico because of the dangers they face there.
“A lot of them are getting robbed, beat up and mistreated there,” she told the outlet.

African migrangs

Record Number Of African Migrants Heading To U.S. Through Mexico

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On November 24, 2019, Michael Rubens Bloomberg announced his formal entrance into the Democratic Party&#8217;s 2020 presidential primary. To date, he is the latest candidate to enter the primary field.
Michael Bloomberg served three full terms as mayor of New York City, from 2002 through the end of 2013. He was New York City&#8217;s mayoral successor of the failed 2008 Republican presidential candidate and current private attorney for President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani. Bloomberg is also the co-founder, CEO, and majority owner of financial services conglomerate Bloomberg L.P., which is perhaps best known for its flagship Bloomberg Terminal hardware. As of November 2019, Bloomberg&#8217;s net worth was <a href="https://www.forbes.com/profile/michael-bloomberg">estimated</a> at $58 billion dollars, which makes him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world. He has been a prolific donator to various charitable and political causes.
Born in Boston in 1942, Bloomberg has degrees from Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Business School. A registered Democrat earlier in his career, Bloomberg actually ran for and successfully sought the New York City mayoralty office as a registered Republican before re-registering as an independent in the midst of his second mayoral term. He re-registered as a Democrat in 2018. Since joining the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary field, Bloomberg News — an international news outlet operating as a legal subsidiary of Bloomberg L.P. — has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/bloomberg-news-wont-investigate-bloomberg-democrats-its-journalists-go-to-work-on-bloombergs-campaign">announced</a> that it will not journalistically investigate Bloomberg or his fellow 2020 Democratic Party primary campaign rivals.
Electoral History: Bloomberg&#8217;s only experience in elected office is his three terms as New York City mayor. In 2001, shortly following the 9/11 jihadist attacks, Bloomberg sought to replace outgoing Mayor Rudy Giuliani as a fellow Republican and defeated his Democratic opponent, Mark Green, by a 50.3%–47.9% margin. In 2005, Bloomberg once again ran as a Republican and was re-elected by a nearly 20-point margin over his opponent, Fernando Ferrer. In 2009, after having successfully lobbied the New York City Council to change its mayoral two-term limit to a three-term limit, Bloomberg was narrowly elected to a third mayoral term while running as a Republican Party-endorsed registered independent.
On The Issues: Bloomberg&#8217;s general political profile is that of a fiscal and national security centrist, although he positions himself far to the left on social issues — with his <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/05/bloomberg-unveils-expansive-gun-control-plan-076376">anti-gun advocacy</a> perhaps emerging as the political issue with which he has become most closely identified. The latter stages of Bloomberg&#8217;s mayoral tenure were marked by odd flirtations with nanny state-style progressive governance, with the infamous <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2013/03/11/the-new-york-city-soda-ban-explained/">&#8220;soda ban&#8221;</a> as the most prominent example. Furthermore, in terms of hot-button leftist issues, Bloomberg&#8217;s current 2020 presidential campaign is aggressively <a href="https://www.mikebloomberg.com/policies/international-climate-priorities">advertising</a> his commitment to combatting global warming. But on bread-and-butter issues pertaining to fiscal prudence and foreign policy — perhaps especially with respect to Israel and the Middle East — Bloomberg is generally <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-michael-bloomberg-would-have-no-chance-at-the-democratic-presidential-nomination">far more centrist</a> than most of his other primary opponents.
Constitution: Bloomberg&#8217;s career in the financial services industry and his tenure as New York City mayor provide little in the way of concrete guidance as to what he may believe about constitutional interpretation and judicial philosophy. However, following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Bloomberg expressed support for &#8220;chang[ing]&#8221; prevailing constitutional jurisprudence so as to allow for easier mass domestic surveillance. His far-left stances on most cultural issues might also portend a belief in leftist &#8220;living constitutionalism.&#8221; Similarly, his nanny state governing proclivities likely augur in favor of an expansive view of the Constitution&#8217;s Commerce Clause — a provision that has justified decades of progressive economic regulatory overreach, going back to the New Deal.
Economy: Bloomberg has self-described as a fiscal conservative, pointing to his balancing New York City&#8217;s budget as his most supportive data point. Bloomberg may indeed be fiscally conservative to the extent fiscal conservatism means cutting deficits and balancing budgets, but his mayoral tenure and public statements also evince a willingness to raise various taxes toward achieving those ends. Bloomberg is also a firm proponent of free trade and opponent of protectionist policies. Out of all the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, it is possible that no one better personifies the decades-long post-Reagan/Clinton bipartisan neoliberal economic consensus than Bloomberg.
Health Care: Bloomberg&#8217;s nanny state governing tendencies, as best seen with the now-infamous &#8220;soda ban,&#8221; are perhaps most evident in the health care context. Despite his self-identification as a fiscal conservative, then, Bloomberg has long demonstrated a willingness to extend the reach of government to regulate both health care and the health of those citizens under his governing watch. His 2020 presidential campaign now <a href="https://www.mikebloomberg.com/getting-stuff-done">emphasizes</a> the pursuit of universal health care, and how &#8220;expanding Obamacare and Medicare is the best way to achieve universal coverage.&#8221;
Immigration: Bloomberg has previously been very critical of border hawks who call for deportations of illegal aliens, suggesting a personal view that mass amnesty is proper. To that end, he was supportive of the U.S. Senate&#8217;s failed 2007 &#8220;comprehensive immigration reform&#8221; push, which included amnesty for millions of illegal aliens as one of its underlying goals. As mayor of New York City, Bloomberg was fairly lax on immigration enforcement and largely shirked meaningful steps to crack down on illegal immigration plaguing the city. His current campaign <a href="https://www.mikebloomberg.com/getting-stuff-done">website</a> hails Bloomberg&#8217;s erstwhile formation of &#8220;pro-immigration organization New American Economy,&#8221; and he is generally seen as a staunch advocate of large-scale legal immigration.
Foreign Policy: Bloomberg assumed the New York City mayoralty in the near-term aftermath of the 9/11 jihadist attacks, and he is generally considered to be more hawkish on foreign policy and national security matters than most of his 2020 Democratic presidential rivals. He previously supported the PATRIOT Act, was an initial supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and publicly endorsed President George W. Bush&#8217;s re-election campaign at the New York City-hosted Republican National Convention in 2004. Bloomberg is much more pro-Israel than most of his 2020 Democratic rivals: In 2014, when President Barack Obama oversaw a temporary <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/213288-obama-defends-israel-flight-ban">U.S. flight ban</a> to Israel amidst the jihadist rocket fire that rained down on the Jewish state that summer from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-israel-must-destroy-hamas-once-and-all-josh-hammer">Hamas</a>-controlled Gaza Strip, Bloomberg personally <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2014-07-23/why-i-flew-to-israel">flew to Israel</a> solely to demonstrate to his fellow Americans that it was safe to do so. In September 2019, Bloomberg conducted an odd interview on the issue of China, in which he <a href="http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/12/michael-bloomberg-china-pbs-climate-xi-dictator.html">defended</a> Chinese Communist Party strongman Xi Jinping against charges that he is a &#8220;dictator.&#8221;
Abortion: Bloomberg is emphatically pro-abortion.
Guns: Bloomberg&#8217;s anti-gun advocacy is perhaps the single most defining issue of his recent private citizen activism — and perhaps the single most defining issue of his 2020 presidential bid. He is very closely affiliated with and has <a href="https://everytown.org/press/new-gun-violence-prevention-group-everytown-for-gun-safety-unites-mayors-moms-and-millions-of-americans-on-new-paths-to-victory-state-capitols-corporate-responsibility-voter-activation/">helped</a> <a href="https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/bloomberg-gun-violence-moms-demand-action-volunteers">fund</a> Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action, which are both groups deeply hostile to Second Amendment rights. He also co-founded Mayors Against Illegal Guns while he was mayor of New York City. Bloomberg supports <a href="https://www.mikebloomberg.com/policies/gun-safety">“universal” background checks</a>, which often serve as a rhetorical euphemism for the government serving as an intermediary in all private firearms transfers. Bloomberg believes that every gun owner should need a permit before making a gun purchase. He <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/cory-booker-wants-a-ban-on-assault-weapons-and-yes-it-means-putting-gun-owners-in-jail" data-reader-unique-id="49">supports a ban</a> on the undefinable sub-class of firearms referred to as so-called “assault weapons” — a line of thought that, if taken to its logical conclusion, could <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/42837/hammer-kamala-harriss-flirtation-banning-all-semi-josh-hammer" data-reader-unique-id="50">lead to the banning of all semi-automatic firearms in America</a>.

Michael Bloomberg

Where Does Michael Bloomberg Stand On The Issues? Here’s Everything You Need To Know.

2020 Election

Abortion

Bloomberg News

Economy

Foreign Policy

Gun Buybacks

Gun Control

Gun Laws

On Wednesday, a video went viral on social media seemingly showcasing a portion of President Donald Trump&#8217;s new southern border wall failing to do its job. At least one illegal immigrant, using a rope ladder, scales the border wall and takes off before border patrol agents show up on scene, the video appears to show.
Here&#8217;s the video, which has been viewed nearly 8.5 million times:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This is the newly replaced wall along the US/MEXICO border. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TheWall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TheWall</a> <a href="https://t.co/MIrD3HhVsE">pic.twitter.com/MIrD3HhVsE</a>
&mdash; J. Omar Ornelas (@fotornelas) <a href="https://twitter.com/fotornelas/status/1202065077328924672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2019</a></blockquote>
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However, on Thursday, Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) shared a video of a border patrol agent explaining that the illegal immigrant who seemed to successfully cross the border was quickly apprehended by officers, thanks to the design of the wall and other security measures.
&#8220;Yesterday, a video showing someone illegally crossing into the United States over the new border wall went viral,&#8221; Rep. Graves captioned the tweet. &#8220;Today the Border Patrol revealed there was more to the story.&#8221;
&#8220;Spoiler alert: the suspect didn’t get away – and the wall worked as planned,&#8221; the Republican added.
&#8220;Less than 24 hours ago, a video showed up on both Facebook and Twitter showing an individual climbing the border wall. That individual was assisted by the use of a rope ladder and two subjects on the Mexican side,” the officer explains. “In the video clip, the individual makes it over the border wall and begins to run north into the United States.”
“I’m standing in the exact location where this incident took place,” the officer continued. “The border wall systems consists of not only a physical barrier, but also lighting, patrol roads, and detection technology. While the physical barrier serves to slow down illicit traffic, the detection technology alerts our agents as to where and when threats emerge. The patrol roads allow for a rapid response.”
“In this particular incident,&#8221; he said, &#8220;the border wall system worked exactly as designed. The illicit traffic was slowed down. The detection technology alerted our agents. Agents responded, and the subject was apprehended.” 
“That subject turned out to be a 16-year-old Mexican male. All too often, criminal organizations exploit juveniles in this regard,” the agent said. “Through partnerships with the government of Mexico, coordination is currently underway to locate the other two subjects involved in this incident.” 
“Crossing illegally into the United States is a federal crime. Those who violate the law will be held accountable and there are consequences to these actions,&#8221; the officer concluded.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Yesterday, a video showing someone illegally crossing into the United States over the new border wall went viral.
Today the Border Patrol revealed there was more to the story. 
Spoiler alert: the suspect didn’t get away—and the wall worked as planned. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BuildTheWall?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BuildTheWall</a> <a href="https://t.co/oY6ondY4pX">pic.twitter.com/oY6ondY4pX</a>
&mdash; Rep. Sam Graves (@RepSamGraves) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSamGraves/status/1202731880069705728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
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As noted by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/cbp-posts-image-of-child-found-being-used-by-impostor-parent-to-cross-border">Fox News</a> in August, the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers sounded the alarm on so-called &#8220;child recycling&#8221; at the southern border.
&#8220;Administration officials and GOP lawmakers have been trying to bring attention to the problem of child trafficking and &#8216;child recycling&#8217; whereby kids are used by multiple migrants to take advantage of restrictions that limit how long family units can be held in detention before being released into the U.S. while their asylum cases are considered,&#8221; Fox reported.
“Unfortunately we see that all too often now &#8230; adults that are bringing children with them that are not their own to try and take advantage of what they perceive as a loophole in our law that would allow them to be released into the United States,” acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan told the House Oversight Committee in July.
“There are one in five cases, according to ICE, of groups of people coming over with children, saying ‘these are our children’ – when they say that, they get preferential treatment through the asylum process – and then we have later found out they are not even related, so the DNA testing helps us to determine if they’re telling the truth or not,” Rep. Lance Gooden (R-TX) told the outlet.

WATCH: Border Patrol Agent Debunks Viral Video Showing Illegal Immigrant Scaling Trump Wall

The news that the deceased suspect of this morning&#8217;s <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-active-shooter-at-pensacola-naval-air-base-at-least-5-rushed-to-hospital-shooter-confirmed-dead">horrific shooting spree</a> at Naval Air Station Pensacola was a Saudi aviation student here to <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/authorities-identify-pensacola-naval-base-shooter-as-saudi-national">train with the Saudi military</a> ought to serve as a wakeup call for American elected officials.
The suspect appears to have been a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-attacker-at-florida-military-base-was-member-of-saudi-military-was-an-act-of-terrorism-congressman-says">student officer</a> with the Saudi Air Force and, while it is unclear right now which U.S. visa he obtained to arrive here, an <a href="https://twitter.com/RMConservative/status/1203012127952449541">A-2 visa</a> — <a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/other-visa-categories/visas-diplomats.html">described</a> by the U.S. State Department as appropriate for those &#8220;traveling to the United States on behalf of [his/her] national government to engage solely in official activities for that government&#8221; — is perhaps likely . As The Daily Wire has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-active-shooter-at-pensacola-naval-air-base-at-least-5-rushed-to-hospital-shooter-confirmed-dead">reported</a>, there are at least ten victims injured, including three dead.
There is a lot to unpack and unravel here — especially for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-us-must-side-saudi-arabia-against-iranian-josh-hammer">those of us</a> who have generally encouraged closer U.S.-Saudi military ties in order to help deter the far greater Middle East terrorism threat, Iran. This developing story has many moving parts, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ought to be prepared for a Jamal Khashoggi-level public relations blowback when even a stalwart pro-Israel/anti-Iran conservative such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has an <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCNightlyNews/status/1203029174753153025">immediate reaction</a> that the Saudi government &#8220;needs to [financially] make things better for these victims.&#8221; Indeed, it is hard to disagree with the governor.
But the focus here must be on immigration policy. As The Daily Wire&#8217;s Ryan Saavedra already <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-attacker-at-florida-military-base-was-member-of-saudi-military-was-an-act-of-terrorism-congressman-says">reported</a>, hardline conservative Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has opined that today&#8217;s naval base tragedy &#8220;represents a serious failure in the vetting process and in the way in which we invite &#8230; people into our community.&#8221; Gaetz vowed to help &#8220;ensure that we have extreme vetting for the people that come into our country on our bases and in our communities.&#8221;
This is obviously correct. And it is important that this, and not a short-sighted hard diplomatic pivot away from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at a time when the uniquely evil Iranian regime is yet again on the proverbial ropes and facing an increasingly restive population, become the preeminent takeaway from today&#8217;s horrific incident.
Why, as I <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hammer-never-forget-911-we-need-rethink-how-we-josh-hammer">lamented</a> on the most recent anniversary of the 9/11 jihadist attacks, has the U.S. continued to implement an exceedingly generous and lax immigration policy for prospective immigrants from the broader Islamic world? While there will always be dispensations for legal immigration from the Islamic world, why are we not starting from a default baseline level of effectively zero? Our much-ballyhooed &#8220;vetting&#8221; procedures are oftentimes, as was tragically the case today, revealed to be exceedingly inadequate. But hey, in fairness, <a href="https://twitter.com/josh_hammer/status/1203010783958982657">how would we ever have known</a> to keep a close eye on Saudi aviation students? It&#8217;s not like we&#8217;ve had <a href="https://twitter.com/Sultanknish/status/1203014470525542400">previous noteworthy incidents</a>, right?
Policymakers ought to heed the unassailable wisdom of the <a href="https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1213676/m1/6/?q=cornerstone">9/11 Commission Report</a>: &#8220;It is perhaps obvious to state that terrorists cannot plan and carry out attacks in the United States if they are unable to enter the country.&#8221; Heck, does anyone even remember that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, according to former CIA contractor James Mitchell, <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/307362-9-11-mastermind-al-qaeda-to-use-immigration-to-end-us">allegedly believes</a> that &#8220;the &#8216;practical&#8217; way to defeat America [is] through immigration?&#8221;
Immigration policy is national security policy. And that extends to both illegal immigration and legal immigration. Our policymakers ought to not forget that.

US visa, vintage map and passport background

HAMMER: REMINDER: Immigration Policy IS National Security Policy

Florida

Matt Gaetz

Ron DeSantis

Saudi Arabia

Shooting

Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) said on Friday that the individual who opened fire at Naval Air Station Pensacola was a member of the Saudi military and that the attack &#8220;was an act of terrorism.&#8221;
The foreign national attacker killed at least <a href="https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2019/12/06/breaking-active-shooter-reported-base-nas-pensacola/4351773002/">three</a> people and injured several others who were sent to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Gaetz responded to the attack by calling for &#8220;extreme vetting&#8221; of those who are allowed into the United States and who train at U.S. military bases.
&#8220;Major news organizations are now reporting the information that we began to learn earlier this morning that it was a Saudi Arabian military official in Pensacola, in our community for training, who committed these murderous acts and this terrible, terrible violence at NAS Pensacola,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;I think it&#8217;s important for us to know a little bit about why Saudi Arabian officials are in our community.&#8221;
&#8220;Training is a critical part of the mission that we engage in in NAS Pensacola,&#8221; Gaetz continued. &#8220;One way that we leverage that training is to ensure that our allies around the world are capable and familiar with U.S. systems, that they&#8217;re comfortable working with U.S. officers, and that we have an interoperability in our lexicon and in the way we engage in battle.&#8221;
&#8220;This event represents a serious failure in the vetting process and in the way in which we invite these people into our community,&#8221; Gaetz continued. &#8220;So today, as we learn more as the investigation continues to unfold &#8230; I&#8217;m going to be very active in working with the Department of Defense and the Department of State to ensure that we have extreme vetting for the people that come into our country on our bases and in our communities.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
We&#39;re learning a Saudi Arabian military member in Pensacola committed these murders.
I&#39;m working with the <a href="https://twitter.com/DeptofDefense?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DeptofDefense</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/StateDept?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StateDept</a>, and <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DHSgov</a> to ensure there&#39;s extreme vetting for people who come to our country and train on our bases. <a href="https://t.co/LUhSE6UAHO">pic.twitter.com/LUhSE6UAHO</a>
&mdash; Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1203019241626185730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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In a subsequent tweet that featured a video of Gaetz appearing on CNN, Gaetz wrote: &#8220;This was not a murder. This was an act of terrorism.&#8221;
&#8220;If this were a murder, it would typically be investigated by NCIS &#8230; but this was not a murder,&#8221; Gaetz said. &#8220;This was an act of terrorism and as we speak the investigation is being handed over from the NCIS to the FBI, that is the signal that this will now be treated by our government as an act of terrorism, not a murder.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
This was not a murder. This was an act of terrorism. <a href="https://t.co/AJfTQOOE68">pic.twitter.com/AJfTQOOE68</a>
&mdash; Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepMattGaetz/status/1203025382632546305?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The U.S. Navy confirmed on Twitter that the attacker, who was an aviation student, is dead.
Heavy.com <a href="https://heavy.com/news/2019/12/mohammed-saeed-alshamrani/">noted</a> some of the history surrounding the military base, with respect to past incidents involving terrorism:
<blockquote>In the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11, Newsweek reported that three of the hijackers had the addresses on their driver’s licenses listed as being at NAS Pensacola. The article notes that Naval Air Station Pensacola is known as the “Cradle of U.S. Navy Aviation.”
The Navy Times reported in February 2016 that NAS Pensacola officials had increased security measures at the base, after the base had been known was “unusually open” for years.
The Pensacola News Journal reported in September 2019 the “new, top-secret classrooms” had been built on the base to counteract the threat caused by cyber terrorism.</blockquote>
UPDATE: This report has been updated to accurately state that the alleged attacker killed three individuals, not four. The fourth person who was killed was the alleged attacker.

Shooting On Naval Air Station Pensacola Leaves Multiple Dead And Injured

Attacker At Florida Military Base Was Member Of Saudi Military, ‘Was An Act Of Terrorism,’ Congressman Says

U.S. Navy

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