A litany of falsehoods and misleading headlines from the media has hounded President Trump from even before his inauguration. Many of these false claims range from the trivial to the dire. Here are some of the more egregious assertions put forth by the media.
1. Trump touted improved employment numbers as a “great day” for George Floyd
A favorite ploy by many in the media is to take Trump’s statements out of context then mock and deride him for it. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/06/politics/trump-george-floyd-maine/index.html">The way CNN misconstrued his statements</a> on George Floyd is just another example:
<blockquote>President Donald Trump showed his breathtaking disconnect from the pain and tumult that has unfolded in this country after George Floyd&#8217;s death, declaring Friday that new economic numbers and nationwide protests against racism and police brutality had made it &#8220;a great day&#8221; for Floyd.</blockquote>
In fact, what Trump said was far more dignified, as a fact-check by <a href="https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/did-trump-say-he-hoped-george-floyd">The Dispatch</a> revealed. Here&#8217;s what Trump actually said:
<blockquote>Trump: Equal justice under the law must mean that every American receives equal treatment in every encounter with law enforcement, regardless of race, color, gender, or creed. They have to receive fair treatment from law enforcement. They have to receive it. We all saw what happened last week. We can’t let that happen. Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying, &#8220;This is a great thing that’s happening for our country.&#8221; This is a great day for him. It’s a great day for everybody. This is a great day for everybody. This is a great, great day in terms of equality. It’s really what our Constitution requires and it’s what our country is all about.</blockquote>
Context counts. What Trump said about Floyd was both generous and honorable and not at all some dismissive, self-serving remark.
2. Trump declared COVID-19 a hoax
Earlier this year, many news sites ran headlines stating that Trump had declared COVID-19 a hoax. <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/28/trump-says-the-coronavirus-is-the-democrats-new-hoax.html">CNBC ran with it</a> and even stated the following:
<blockquote>President Trump says that Democrats are using the virulent coronavirus as a &#8220;hoax&#8221; to damage him and his administration.</blockquote>
A media avalanche ensued, insisting that Trump considered the pandemic a hoax.
Amid the onslaught, <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-coronavirus-rally-remark/">Snopes</a> offered surprising clarity on the matter given the site’s general bias toward the left. Trump had only insisted that the Democrats&#8217; criticism of his response was, in fact, a hoax.
&#8220;In context, Trump did not say … that the virus itself was a hoax,&#8221; Snopes concluded. &#8220;He instead said that Democrats’ criticism of his administration’s response to it was a hoax.&#8221;
3. Trump claimed all Mexicans are drug dealers, rapists, and criminals
In 2016, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-37230916/drug-dealers-criminals-rapists-what-trump-thinks-of-mexicans">The BBC</a> ran a headline claiming that Trump considered all Mexicans criminals in some form or another. The content of the piece featured a heavily edited video featuring curated sound bytes from Trump during his campaign seemingly supporting the headline’s claim. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/16/theyre-rapists-presidents-trump-campaign-launch-speech-two-years-later-annotated/">Other media outlets</a> ran with it as well.
As documented by <a href="https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2016/aug/08/tim-kaine/tim-kaine-falsely-says-trump-said-all-mexicans-are/">Politifact</a>, Trump actually stated the following:
<blockquote>Trump: When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you… They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.</blockquote>
Too broad a generalization on his part? Inaccurate even? Perhaps, but in no way was Trump declaring that all Mexicans were rapists and criminals. That was just yet another specious attempt at spin by the media. He made a point of saying that he assumes some are &#8220;good people.&#8221;
Trump’s condemnation of “rapists” followed multiple reports, like this <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/facing-risk-rape-migrant-women-prepare-birth-control">tragic PBS report</a> from 2014, on the horrific treatment of women and girls at the hands of “coyote” guides as they immigrate to America.
4. Trump referred to undocumented immigrants as “animals”
Trump supposedly referring to undocumented immigrants as “animals” is easily one of the more egregious examples of the media misleading the American public. It’s a lie that continues to hound the president as well. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/05/16/trump-calls-undocumented-immigrants-animals-echoing/617762002/">USA Today</a> even went so far as to not only mislead its readers about the alleged claim, but used it to compare Trump to Adolf Hitler, slave owners, and the Hutus during the Rwandan genocide:
<blockquote>“These aren&#8217;t people. These are animals.&#8221; That&#8217;s how President Trump described undocumented immigrants during a White House meeting…Trump&#8217;s not the first to use such rhetoric: Adolf Hitler justified the Holocaust by saying Jews weren&#8217;t people but rats, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/03/29/134956180/criminals-see-their-victims-as-less-than-human">as NPR notes</a>. In the Rwandan genocide, Tutsis were called not people, but cockroaches [by the Hutus], and slaveowners justified slavery by calling their slaves not people, but animals.</blockquote>
In fact, Trump was specifically referring to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13">MS-13</a>, one of the most brutal, murderous criminal gangs in the entire world, in an exchange with Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims as detailed by <a href="https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-animals-hitler/">Snopes</a>:
<blockquote>According to a White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-california-sanctuary-state-roundtable/">transcript</a>, Mims referred to &#8220;bad guys&#8221; and specifically named the violent criminal gang MS-13 immediately before President Trump’s &#8220;animals&#8221; remarks…</blockquote>
Trump even clarified his statement a day later, though it seemingly fell on deaf ears. “I’m referring to the MS-13 gangs that are coming in,” said Trump.
5. The infamous photo of kids in cages
One of the more glaring problems with headlines or stories that end up being false is that the redactions later offered rarely achieve the same level of attention as the initial claim. In effect, the misleading claims hold true for many, especially when confirmation bias is so pernicious in today’s climate and fact-checking is at a premium.
<a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2019/07/071019-obama-era-photo.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618&amp;h=410&amp;crop=1">An infamous photo of kids</a> amassed in a border detention center circulated by House Democrats in 2018 is a glaring case in point. In fact, the photo was <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/the-lying-about-donald-trump-is-now-completely-out-of-control/">taken in 2014 during Obama’s administration</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Continuing to prove that Dems are only playing politics with the border crisis, House Democrats promoted a hearing on “kids in cages” with a photo taken in 2014. 
As in, during the Obama Administration. 
Don’t bother looking for their tweet &#8211; it’s been deleted. <a href="https://t.co/tXWvMNpYYH">pic.twitter.com/tXWvMNpYYH</a>
&mdash; Tim Murtaugh &#8211; Download the Trump 2020 app today! (@TimMurtaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/TimMurtaugh/status/1148718350014570502?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
6. Trump called white nationalists “very fine people”
In 2017, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/08/trump-defends-white-nationalist-protesters-some-very-fine-people-on-both-sides/537012/">The Atlantic</a> insisted that Trump supported white nationalism after the violence in Charlottesville. The piece opened with the following line:
“President Trump defended the white nationalists who protested in Charlottesville on Tuesday, saying they included ‘some very fine people,’ while expressing sympathy for their demonstration against the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.”
Of course, missing from The Atlantic’s piece was full context of the four-word phrase as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/896420822780444672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E896420822780444672%7Ctwgr%5E&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Ftrump-never-called-neo-nazis-fine-people-michael-j-knowles">Trump’s tweet</a> that morning condemning hatred and violence and calling for unity:
“We ALL must be united &amp; condemn all that hate stands for. There is no place for this kind of violence in America. Lets come together as one!”
As the transcript of the exchange reveals, Trump was arguing that the demonstration involved far greater complexities than what was being reported. The rally was not inherently “white nationalist,” containing many people there to protest the removal of tributes to America’s complex history. Fringe elements on the Right were indeed present, as were violent radicals on the Left, but Trump made a point of distinguishing between those there to promote patriotist and those there to spread hatred.
Below are excerpts from the contentious August 2017 <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/full-text-trump-comments-white-supremacists-alt-left-transcript-241662">exchange</a> in which Trump made his “some very fine people” comment:
<blockquote>Trump:I will tell you something. I watched those very closely, much more closely than you people watched it. And you had, you had a group on one side that was bad. And you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. And nobody wants to say that, but I’ll say it right now. You had a group – you had a group on the other side that came charging in without a permit, and they were very, very violent.
Reporter: Do you think what you call the “alt-left” is the same as neo-Nazis?
Trump: Those people – all of those people, excuse me – I’ve condemned neo-Nazis. I’ve condemned many different groups, but not all of those people were neo-Nazis, believe me. Not all of those people were white supremacists by any stretch.
Reporter:Well, white nationalists –
Trump: Those people were also there, because they wanted to protest the taking down of a statue Robert E. Lee. So – excuse me – and you take a look at some of the groups and you see, and you’d know it if you were honest reporters, which in many cases you’re not. Many of those people were there to protest the taking down of the statue of Robert E. Lee. So this week, it’s Robert E. Lee, I noticed that Stonewall Jackson’s coming down. I wonder, is it George Washington next week? And is it Thomas Jefferson the week after. You know, you really do have to ask yourself, where does it stop? […]
Reporter: Mr. President, are you putting what you’re calling the alt-left and white supremacists on the same moral plane?
Trump: I’m not putting anybody on a moral plane. What I’m saying is this: You had a group on one side and you had a group on the other, and they came at each other with clubs — and it was vicious and it was horrible. And it was a horrible thing to watch. But there is another side. There was a group on this side. You can call them the left — you just called them the left — that came violently attacking the other group. So you can say what you want, but that’s the way it is. &#8230;
Reporter: The neo-Nazis started this. They showed up in Charlottesville to protest —
Trump: Excuse me, excuse me. They didn’t put themselves — and you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. You had people in that group. Excuse me, excuse me. I saw the same pictures as you did. You had people in that group that were there to protest the taking down of, to them, a very, very important statue and the renaming of a park from Robert E. Lee to another name.</blockquote>
7. Trump is to blame for the looting and violence during the BLM protests 
In another case, of fantastically spurious reasoning, CNN’s David Gergen insisted that Trump’s supposedly constant “race-baiting” inspired the looting and violence during the recent BLM protests. Writing for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank offered a similar wild assessment, as reported by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/06/02/the-lying-about-donald-trump-is-now-completely-out-of-control/">New York Post</a>:
<blockquote>CNN political analyst David Gergen said Tuesday that Trump’s referrals to himself as ‘the president of law and order’ functioned as &#8220;race-baiting&#8221; and, in turn, &#8220;would deliberately incite violence.&#8221;…Liberal Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote Monday that the riots and destruction we’re seeing &#8220;are the wages of Trump’s hate-filled incumbency.&#8221;</blockquote>
These were nothing more than caustic, inflammatory remarks devoid of any real substance or logic on the part of Gergen and Milbank. At best, the comments were built upon previous lies made against Trump. Much of the reason why Trump is painted as some race-baiting hate monger is due, in no small part, to the incessant falsehoods the media promulgates about him as the examples above demonstrate.
Trump has made his fair share of comments that deserve criticism from the media. But the reality is the establishment media has largely thrown off all pretense of objectivity in its coverage of him, and at times even knowingly promoted false narratives. And it&#8217;s not just Trump. Many mainstream outlets have allowed themselves to devolve into petty, dogmatic activism with little regard for the truth or the division and destructive consequences that result from their actions.
Given all the bogus claims and misleading reports targeting one side of the aisle, it should come as no surprise that trust in the media has eroded. A <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/1597/confidence-institutions.aspx">Gallup&#8217;s survey</a> found that by 2019, confidence in newspapers had plummeted from 51% in 1979 to just 23%, while confidence in televised news was even worse: down from 46% in 1993 to just 18% in 2019.

President Trump

KHAN: 7 Debunked Claims The Media Has Pushed About Trump

Donald Trump

Illegal Immigration

Immigration

Media Bias

Race

A group of GOP senators are calling on President Trump to suspend issuing new guest worker visas, adding to restrictions the president placed on immigration in April.
Sens. Ted Cruz (TX), Tom Cotton (AR), Chuck Grassley (IA), and Josh Hawley (MO) sent a letter to the president on Thursday urging Trump to place a 60-day freeze on &#8220;all new guest worker visas&#8221; to combat an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/unemployment-claims-rise-by-3-2-million-surpass-33-million-since-outbreak">unprecedented wave</a> of unemployment in the U.S., according to a <a href="https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000171-ee64-dae7-a77b-fff67c060000&amp;nname=playbook&amp;nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&amp;nrid=0000015e-f320-d26d-a7fe-fbf341270000&amp;nlid=630318">copy of the letter</a> obtained by Politico. The senators called for continuing restrictions on nonimmigrant worker visas for up to a year.
&#8220;More than 33 million Americans have filed for unemployment coverage just since mid-March, and approximately one-fifth of the American workforce is currently out of work,&#8221; the letter says. &#8220;The United States admits more than one million nonimmigrant guest workers every year, and there is no reason to admit most such workers when our unemployment is so high.&#8221;
For the year-long suspension, the letter specifically targets H-2B visas, H-1B visas, and the Optional Practical Training program. The visas cover nonagricultural seasonal work such as theme parks and landscaping and specialized positions in fields such as technology development. The OPT program allows foreigners recently graduated from an American university to stay one to three years in the U.S. to gain job experience in their chosen field.
A group of Republicans in the House led by Texas Rep. Lance Gooden sent a similar <a href="https://gooden.house.gov/sites/gooden.house.gov/files/5.7.2020%20-%20Gooden%20Ltter%20to%20POTUS.pdf">letter</a> to the White House on Thursday, additionally calling for Trump to suspend the H-B5 investor visa.
The H-B5 program &#8220;has been overwhelmingly abused by Chinese nationals to buy American citizenship,&#8221; the House letter says. &#8220;This program concentrates vast financial resources into already wealthy parts of the country, which is completely contradictory to the stated justification for the program.&#8221;
If the president heeds the lawmakers’ requests, the new order would build on several others he has issued since January restricting immigration. Trump froze immigration from China on January 31 to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Later orders restricted immigration to the U.S. in a bid to put more Americans back in jobs amid skyrocketing unemployment due to widespread shutdown orders.
&#8220;As we all know, millions of Americans sacrificed their jobs in order to battle the virus and save the lives of our fellow citizens,&#8221; Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-immigration-freeze-will-last-two-months-reveals-new-details">said</a> on April 21 after announcing a ban on European travel weeks earlier. &#8220;We have a solemn duty to ensure these unemployed Americans regain their jobs and their livelihood.&#8221;
&#8220;In order to protect American workers, I will be issuing a temporary suspension of Immigration into the United States,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America re-opens.&#8221;
The ban on European travel was not comprehensive, only covering new green card applicants. The rule exempted all immigrants coming into the country on a temporary basis or those coming to work in the healthcare industry.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.
This piece has been updated to include mention of a similar letter sent to the White House by House GOP Reps. Brian Babin (TX), Mo Brooks (AL), Michael Burgess (TX), Matt Gaetz (FL), Louie Gohmert (TX), Lance Gooden (TX), Paul Gosar (AZ), and Steve King (IA).

Ted Cruz

GOP Senators Urge Trump To Build On Immigration Freeze, Block ‘All New Guest Worker Visas’

Coronavirus

Economy

* Warning: Graphic language. *
Robert &#8220;Beto&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke told Vanity Fair in April 2019, shortly after he entered the 2020 presidential race, that &#8220;I&#8217;m just born to be in it.&#8221;
Six months later he was just born to be out of it — polling at less than 1% and running out of cash, he bailed from the race long before the first primary was even held.
But the former Texas congressman, 46, really wants to be back in it. So he took aim at President Trump on Tuesday — on social media.
Beto went on a rant after President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced he would be issuing an executive order barring new immigration, which will apply to people seeking green cards.
&#8220;In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!&#8221; Trump wrote on Twitter.
That set Beto off.
&#8220;An attempt to distract us from his total mismanagement (43,000 of our fellow Americans have died so far &#8212; 20,000 more than next closest country AND we’ve tested little more than 1% of U.S.). But will still have terrible consequences for America. We should take it seriously,&#8221; O&#8217;Rourke wrote on Twitter.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
An attempt to distract us from his total mismanagement (43,000 of our fellow Americans have died so far &#8211; 20,000 more than next closest country AND we’ve tested little more than 1% of U.S.). But will still have terrible consequences for America. We should take it seriously. <a href="https://t.co/aFLKQrXfDO">https://t.co/aFLKQrXfDO</a>
&mdash; Beto O&#39;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1252635260216578050?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
And he went on.
&#8220;So many of the doctors, nurses and cleaning staff in the hospitals that are literally saving this country — despite how badly bungled the President’s leadership has been — are immigrants. They came to this country for a better life and to make us a better America. And they have,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Who the f*** do you think is working on the farms and feed lots, in the packing houses and processing plants at a time where we are struggling to feed ourselves? Who is in the kitchen? Who is picking, preparing, serving the food we eat and cleaning up afterwards?&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
So many of the doctors, nurses and cleaning staff in the hospitals that are literally saving this country — despite how badly bungled the President’s leadership has been — are immigrants. They came to this country for a better life and to make us a better America. And they have.
&mdash; Beto O&#39;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1252635405893197827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Who the fuck do you think is working on the farms and feed lots, in the packing houses and processing plants at a time where we are struggling to feed ourselves? Who is in the kitchen? Who is picking, preparing, serving the food we eat and cleaning up afterwards?
&mdash; Beto O&#39;Rourke (@BetoORourke) <a href="https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1252635545982963712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The rant was not well directed. First, the executive order will last just 60 days and will not affect workers who are entering the country on a temporary basis.
Second, the order applies only to the issuance of new green cards, which grants someone authorization to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis.
And third, O&#8217;Rourke&#8217;s rant implied that only immigrants are &#8220;working on the farms and feed lots, in the packing houses and processing plants,&#8221; as well as &#8220;picking, preparing, serving the food we eat and cleaning up afterwards.&#8221; For the record, plenty of native-born Americans do those jobs.
But forget facts, Beto was on a roll.
&#8220;A stain on our country’s conscience if we let it happen,&#8221; he called Trump&#8217;s order. &#8220;It will break up families, leave asylum seekers to suffer in what will become covid death camps on our southern border, and lead to more hate crimes against immigrants. This is illegal and immoral. Don’t let it happen.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">subscriber</a>.

Polls Tighten In Texas Senate Race Between Beto O&#8217;Rourke And Ted Cruz

‘Who The F*** Do You Think Is Working On The Farms?’ Beto Melts Down Over Trump Barring New Immigrants To U.S.

Beto O'Rourke

Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who served during President Bill Clinton&#8217;s second term in office, appeared on MSNBC on Tuesday amidst the coronavirus pandemic and widespread job losses, and blasted President Trump for closing down the country — to new immigrants. 
“Well, I’m stunned. I really do think that the statue of liberty is weeping. It is un-American,” Albright told <a href="https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/madeleine-albright-on-trump-s-immigration-order-the-statue-of-liberty-is-weeping-82342981853">MSNBC</a> host Andrea Mitchell, who asked the former secretary of state to give her perspective “as an immigrant to this country.”
“I am a grateful American, and I do think that immigrants want to help participate and make a difference,” said Albright. “I think he did it for political reasons, I think he wants to kind of shut down America, which as far as I’m concerned, is un-American.”
During his Fox News opening segment on Tuesday evening, Tucker Carlson slammed Albright and suggested that she was making a livelihood from “selling out the country.”
“She’s now appalled by the notion of cutting immigration during the worst unemployment crisis of our lifetimes,” said Carlson, who played a segment of the former Clinton administration official appearing on MSNBC. 
“Got that? It’s un-American to act in the economic interest of Americans. That’s Madeline Albright’s position,” said Carlson. 
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-immigration-freeze-will-last-two-months-reveals-new-details">The Daily Wire</a> previously reported, the Trump administration has not finalized the draft of the executive order, but the president remarked in a press conference that the ban would apply to new green card applicants, but not to anyone looking to enter the country on a temporary basis. The executive order would apply for two months, and Trump has indicated it could be reassessed or extended after that based on economic factors. 
In response to the press conference, Carlson appeared to put the Trump administration on notice over the substance of the executive order. Although the Fox News host acknowledged that the order could still change, Carlson suggested that Democrats who were panicking over the order, such as Beto O’Rourke, “needn’t have worried.”
“But the ban will not apply to those entering the United States on a temporary basis, and that means this will not affect guest workers. That’s an awful lot of exception,” said Carlson. “Every year, our government hands out 80,000 non-agricultural guest worker visas, as well as 85,000 H1B visas, and hundreds of thousands of Ag-worker visas.”
“The purpose of this title-wave of immigration has nothing to do with what advocates of immigration claim immigration is for,” said Carlson. “There’s only one point in handing out hundreds of thousands of these visas to foreign nationals, and it’s to placate big business.”
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/coronavirus-trump-suspend-immigration/2020/04/21/464e2440-838d-11ea-ae26-989cfce1c7c7_story.html">The Washington Post</a> reports that the executive order has not yet been finalized, but could be signed as early as Wednesday. 
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Democratic National Convention: Day Two

Ex-Clinton Official Slams Trump For Planning To Shut Down Country — To New Immigrants

Bill Clinton

Madeleine Albright

President Donald Trump has provided new details about his proposed executive order to freeze immigration to the United States, the most high-profile move to curb access to the country since the European travel ban was announced last month. 
“As we all know, millions of Americans sacrificed their jobs in order to battle the virus and save the lives of our fellow citizens,” said Trump. “We have a solemn duty to ensure these unemployed Americans regain their jobs and their livelihood.”
“In order to protect American workers, I will be issuing a temporary suspension of Immigration into the United States,” said Trump. “By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America re-opens.”
The president indicated that the immigration freeze will be in place for two months and apply to new green card applicants, but not to anyone seeking to enter the country on a temporary basis. Trump also said he will consider extending the order based on the economic conditions of the country.
“It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labor flown in from abroad,” said Trump. “We must first take care of the American worker.”
According to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/21/trump-immigration-green-card-coronavirus-198498">Politico</a>, a source “familiar with the situation” indicated that the executive order will not apply to healthcare workers seeking green cards or people with “nuclear family members” inside of the United States. 
The specifics of the nuclear family exemption are unclear. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/21/us/politics/coronavirus-trump-immigration-ban.html">The New York Times</a> reports, “American citizens seeking to bring their children or spouses to the United States would still be allowed to do so,” which suggests that the exemption could be limited to them. 
<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/coronavirus-trump-suspend-immigration/2020/04/21/464e2440-838d-11ea-ae26-989cfce1c7c7_story.html">The Washington Post</a> mentions potential exemptions for some immigrant visas, such as nurses who have jobs lined up. The Times reports that green card exemptions will not be made on the basis of job offers. 
The executive order has not yet been finalized, but may be signed as early as Wednesday. 
Trump originally announced the order in a tweet, without any specifics, prompting widespread speculation as to what the immigration freeze could entail. 
“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States,” tweeted Trump on Monday evening. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
“Since the outbreak, the White House has been using the virus to justify increased restrictions on immigration, they’ve basically been working up to this,” said ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega, according to <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2020/04/21/abc-blasts-trumps-xenophobic-immigration-order">Newsbusters</a>. 
“A move like this, though, would be absolutely unprecedented and would essentially shut down the legal immigration system,” said Vega. “And one thing that’s certain, this is definitely going to be challenged in court, opponents are calling this xenophobic.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

President Trump And Lebanese PM Hariri Deliver Joint Statements At White House

Trump Says Immigration Freeze Will Last Two Months, Reveals New Details

On Monday, President Trump announced that he will sign an executive order to temporarily halt all immigration to the United States while the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting accusations of xenophobia from the mainstream media.
“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!,&#8221; the president tweeted.
Over at ABC&#8217;s &#8220;Good Morning America,&#8221; both George Stephanopoulos and White House correspondent Cecilia Vega cast a shadow on the president&#8217;s announcement, arguing he has used the virus to justify restricting immigration.
&#8220;Since the outbreak, the White House has been using the virus to justify increased restrictions on immigration, they’ve basically been working up to this,&#8221; Vega said, as <a href="https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/kyle-drennen/2020/04/21/abc-blasts-trumps-xenophobic-immigration-order">reported</a> by Newsbusters.
“A move like this, though, would be absolutely unprecedented and would essentially shut down the legal immigration system,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And one thing that’s certain, this is definitely going to be challenged in court, opponents are calling this xenophobic.&#8221;
Vega&#8217;s words echoed her statements from earlier in the morning when she said that Trump&#8217;s &#8220;unprecedented&#8221; immigration order will surely be challenged in court.
&#8220;Halting immigration, even temporarily like this, would be unprecedented in this country and it sure could be challenged in court,&#8221; she said. &#8220;This morning, the President’s hardline immigration supporters, they are praising the move, but opponents are calling it xenophobic and they point to the number of corona cases already here in the U.S., we’re talking about more than any other cases than any other country in the world. The mayor of L.A. saying Mexico is more worried about the rate of infection coming from the U.S., not vice versa.&#8221;
“But President Trump says this is not just about stopping the spread of infection, he says this is about protecting American jobs,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;And speaking of jobs, according to the Census, one in four doctors in this country and one in five nurses are immigrants.&#8221;
Citing a report from the Washington Examiner, The Daily Wire&#8217;s Ryan Saavedra <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-signing-executive-order-temporarily-suspending-immigration-due-to-coronavirus">noted</a> on Monday night that Americans overwhelmingly support Trump&#8217;s decision to halt immigration during the pandemic.
“A total of 83%, or 5 in 6 people, say they favor a moratorium on immigration through the southwest border amid the pandemic, a new Harvard/Harris poll found,” The Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/majority-of-public-favors-temporary-ban-on-immigration-from-mexico-during-coronavirus-pandemic-poll">reported</a>. “That figure includes 75% of Mexican Americans and 93% of Republican voters.”
On Sunday, the president also said that he would help Mexico and other countries south of the border with needed ventilators.
“And we’re going to fill up the reserves of states, we’re going to work with them so in case this happens again,” Trump said. “But we’re also going to help other countries. I was telling you, the president of Mexico, we’re going to be sending a pretty large quantity to Mexico. They very much need them and to other countries where they need them. I’ve had about six calls with leaders of other countries and they need them.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">subscriber</a>.

Close the Camps Silent Protest in NY

ABC Shreds Trump’s ‘Xenophobic’ Immigration Order

ABC News

President Donald Trump announced on Monday night that he is signing an executive order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States as the world continues to grapple with the coronavirus pandemic that originated in China.
Trump tweeted, &#8220;In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!&#8221;
Trump&#8217;s move is supported by the overwhelming majority of the country, according to a recent independent poll.
&#8220;A total of 83%, or 5 in 6 people, say they favor a moratorium on immigration through the southwest border amid the pandemic, a new Harvard/Harris poll found,&#8221; The Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/majority-of-public-favors-temporary-ban-on-immigration-from-mexico-during-coronavirus-pandemic-poll">reported</a>. &#8220;That figure includes 75% of Mexican Americans and 93% of Republican voters.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252418369170501639?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The news comes as the coronavirus pandemic has started to hit Latin America harder in recent weeks.
The worst hit countries in Latin America are:
<ul>
<li>Brazil; 40,000+ cases with 2,500+ deaths</li>
<li>Portugal; 20,800+ cases with 700+ deaths</li>
<li>Peru; 16,000+ cases with 440+ deaths</li>
<li>Chile; 10,500+ cases with 100+ deaths</li>
<li>Ecuador; 10,000+ cases with 500+ deaths</li>
<li>Mexico; 8,500+ cases with 700+ deaths</li>
<li>Panama; 4,500+ cases with 100+ deaths</li>
<li>Colombia; 3,900+ cases with 150+ deaths</li>
<li>Argentina; 3,000+ cases with 140+ deaths</li>
</ul>
The numbers being reported by countries in Latin America are likely significantly lower than the outbreaks that they are currently experiencing due to poor infrastructure and limited resources.
On Sunday, Trump said during a White House Coronavirus Task Force press briefing that the United States would help Mexico and other nations that need ventilators to fight the pandemic.
&#8220;And we’re going to fill up the reserves of states, we’re going to work with them so in case this happens again,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;But we’re also going to help other countries. I was telling you, the president of Mexico, we’re going to be sending a pretty large quantity to Mexico. They very much need them and to other countries where they need them. I’ve had about six calls with leaders of other countries and they need them.&#8221;
Trump made similar remarks on Saturday while speaking about the coronavirus situation in Mexico.
&#8220;And now we’re the king of ventilators,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;We have ventilators, we’re going to be helping other countries very soon. We are going to be helping Mexico. I spoke with the president of Mexico, he’s great, a great guy, and I told him we’re going to be helping him. They desperately in Mexico need ventilators and I told him we’re going to be helping him very substantially. We’re in a position to do that. We’re building now thousands a week and they’re coming in rapidly, and they’re very, very high quality.&#8221;
On the issue of ventilators, Trump hammered the Democrat Party and the media on Monday in a series of tweets for spreading panic last month.
&#8220;Last month all you heard from the Radical Left, Do Nothing Democrats was, &#8216;Ventilators, Ventilators, Ventilators.&#8217; They screamed it loud &amp; clear, &amp; thought they had us cold, even though it was the State’s task,&#8221; Trump tweeted. &#8220;But everyone got their V’s, with many to spare. Now they scream &#8216;Testing, Testing, Testing,&#8217; again playing a very dangerous political game. States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing &#8211; But we will work with the Governors and get it done. This is easy compared to the fast production of thousands of complex Ventilators!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230; “Testing, Testing, Testing,” again playing a very dangerous political game. States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing &#8211; But we will work with the Governors and get it done. This is easy compared to the fast production of thousands of complex Ventilators!
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1252260074782887941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 20, 2020</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The White House Holds Daily Briefing On Coronavirus Pandemic

Trump To Sign Executive Order Temporarily Suspending Immigration Due To Coronavirus

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

Military

Southern Border

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

confederate

Constitution

Department of Homeland Security

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Law Enforcement

Los Angeles

Police

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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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>
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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

Muslim Immigration

Travel Ban

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.
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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

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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>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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

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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:
<iframe title="What Is Intersectionality?" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rc7VUoytoU4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&#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.

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Jailbreak: House Democrats Call To Release All Transgender ICE Detainees

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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

Greg Abbott

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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.

false accusations

Sexual Abuse

United Kingdom

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