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Trump moves to block asylum applications by migrants – live updates Trump moves to block asylum applications by migrants – live updates
(32 minutes later)
“Beneath the dignity of the office” The author and columnist is now thinking of suing Trump over an alleged rape.
E. Jean Carroll accused him of a sexual attack in a top New York department store in the past, in a revelatory bombshell first published by New York magazine.
The alleged assault occurred long before New York lifted its statute of limitations against rape, but, now, Carroll said she is “thinking about hiring a really smart attorney” to pursue legal action against the president.
“I hadn’t thought about pressing charges, but now people are convincing me that it’s smart,” she told The Daily Beast. “If I get a really smart attorney, we might be able to get around [the statute]. I’ll be exploring it.”
Previously, Carroll appeared on The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell and when she was asked if she planned on filing charges, she said she would not.
“I would find it disrespectful to the women who are down on the border who are being raped around the clock down there without any protection,” Carroll explained.
What the new asylum rule affects
The new rule emerging from the Trump administration today will apply to the initial asylum screening, known as a “credible fear” interview, at which migrants must prove they have credible fears of returning to their home country.
It applies to migrants who are arriving to the US, not those who are already in the country.
Trump administration officials say the changes are meant to close the gap between the initial asylum screening that most people pass and the final decision on asylum that most people do not win.
The treaties countries must have signed, according to the new rule, are the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the 1967 Protocol or the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the AP writes.
But, for example, while Australia, France and Brazil have signed those treaties, so have Afghanistan and Libya, places the US does not consider safe.
Along with the administration’s recent effort to send asylum seekers back over the border , Trump has tried to deny asylum to anyone crossing the border illegally and restrict who can claim asylum, and the attorney general recently tried to keep thousands of asylum seekers detained while their cases play out.
Nearly all of those efforts have been blocked by courts. Meanwhile, conditions have worsened for migrants who make it over the border seeking better lives.
Immigration courts are backlogged by more than 800,000 cases, meaning many people won’t have their asylum claims heard for years despite more judges being hired.
People are generally eligible for asylum in the US if they feared return to their home country because they would be persecuted based on race, religion, nationality or membership in a particular social group.
During the budget year for 2009, there were 35,811 asylum claims, and 8,384 were granted. During 2018 budget year, there were 162,060 claims filed, and 13,168 were granted.
Another Republican steps up on Trump tweets
Another Michigander... https://t.co/ktUhnhENEm
Made in America
In about 20 minutes, Donald Trump is scheduled to host the third annual Made in America product showcase, according to the White House schedule.
I wonder if AOC, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley will be on pedestals there, as they were all, literally, made in America....
AOC hits back
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez to President Trump on Monday: "It’s time to move on from his conception of an America that we have tried to move past for a long time." pic.twitter.com/Gqq49t8CWs
‘Beneath the dignity of the office’
John Kasich steps up.John Kasich steps up.
He ain’t campaigning for the presidency again (at the moment) but he’s the front runner for GOP Voice of Reason. If that’s not an oxymoron - okay maybe I’m just too partisan, there. Dude speaks good sense a lot of the time, like an old-school Republican moderate/endangered species.He ain’t campaigning for the presidency again (at the moment) but he’s the front runner for GOP Voice of Reason. If that’s not an oxymoron - okay maybe I’m just too partisan, there. Dude speaks good sense a lot of the time, like an old-school Republican moderate/endangered species.
What @realDonaldTrump said about Democrat women in Congress is deplorable and beneath the dignity of the office. We all, including Republicans, need to speak out against these kinds of comments that do nothing more than divide us and create deep animosity - maybe even hatred.What @realDonaldTrump said about Democrat women in Congress is deplorable and beneath the dignity of the office. We all, including Republicans, need to speak out against these kinds of comments that do nothing more than divide us and create deep animosity - maybe even hatred.
From Ohio to you:From Ohio to you:
Palm Beach: so small, so wealthy, so...creepyPalm Beach: so small, so wealthy, so...creepy
Here’s the Guardian’s piece by Ed Pilkington on how the Miami Herald exposed a vast criminal network and a government cover-up in relation to Jeffrey Epstein – but there was a deafening silence elsewhere.....Here’s the Guardian’s piece by Ed Pilkington on how the Miami Herald exposed a vast criminal network and a government cover-up in relation to Jeffrey Epstein – but there was a deafening silence elsewhere.....
Jeffrey Epstein: how US media – with one star exception – whitewashed the storyJeffrey Epstein: how US media – with one star exception – whitewashed the story
Dripping in diamonds and intrigueDripping in diamonds and intrigue
Diamonds, wads of cash and a Saudi “passport”, oh my.. Investigators found the latest cache of diamonds in his Manhattan townhouse.
Diamonds, wads of cash and a Saudi ‘passport’, oh my...
A federal prosecutor on Monday said the evidence against accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is “already significantly strong and getting stronger every single day” since his arrest last week.A federal prosecutor on Monday said the evidence against accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is “already significantly strong and getting stronger every single day” since his arrest last week.
Alex Rossmiller, the prosecutor, at a detention hearing in Manhattan federal court told a judge that multiple witnesses have contacted authorities since Epstein was arrested, and that prosecutors are trying to corroborate their allegation, NBC reports.Alex Rossmiller, the prosecutor, at a detention hearing in Manhattan federal court told a judge that multiple witnesses have contacted authorities since Epstein was arrested, and that prosecutors are trying to corroborate their allegation, NBC reports.
And Rossmiller also said that federal investigators had found in Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse a locked safe containing cash, diamonds and an expired passport from another country that has Epstein’s photograph on it, but with a different name and a stated residence of Saudi Arabia.And Rossmiller also said that federal investigators had found in Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse a locked safe containing cash, diamonds and an expired passport from another country that has Epstein’s photograph on it, but with a different name and a stated residence of Saudi Arabia.
Hearing likely to go ahead on ThursdayHearing likely to go ahead on Thursday
A US judge said he will probably decide on Thursday whether Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier with lots of ties to the elite, charged with sex trafficking underage girls, should remain in jail while awaiting trial or be allowed to live under house arrest at his Manhattan mansion. At a hearing in New York on Monday, US District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan said he will probably announce his decision on July 18 at 9.30AM local time, saying he needs more time to absorb materials that have been submitted, the Associated Press writes.He noted that several people who said they are among Epstein’s victims and opposed bail were in attendance, and that they may speak at the hearing. Epstein, 66, was arrested on July 6 after flying into New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport by private plane from Paris. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a fortress-like jail in lower Manhattan that has been criticized by inmates and lawyers for harsh conditions. Epstein, who was once known for socializing with politicians and royalty, is accused of arranging for girls under the age of 18 to perform nude “massages” and other sex acts, and of paying some girls to recruit others, from at least 2002 to 2005. Prosecutors said a search of Epstein’s home uncovered nude images of underage girls, and they accused him of paying two potential witnesses against him last year in an apparent effort to influence them. He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted. Seeking their client’s release from pre-trial detention, Epstein’s lawyers have said he is willing to pay for armed guards to monitor him round-the-clock at his Upper East Side home. A US judge said he will probably decide on Thursday whether Jeffrey Epstein, the American financier with lots of ties to the elite, charged with sex trafficking underage girls, should remain in jail while awaiting trial or be allowed to live under house arrest at his Manhattan mansion.
At a hearing in New York on Monday, US District Judge Richard Berman in Manhattan said he will probably announce his decision on July 18 at 9.30AM local time, saying he needs more time to absorb materials that have been submitted, the Associated Press writes.
He noted that several people who said they are among Epstein’s victims and opposed bail were in attendance, and that they may speak at the hearing. Epstein, 66, was arrested on July 6 after flying into New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport by private plane from Paris.
He has pleaded not guilty and is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, a fortress-like jail in lower Manhattan that has been criticized by inmates and lawyers for harsh conditions.
Epstein, who was once known for socializing with politicians and royalty, is accused of arranging for girls under the age of 18 to perform nude “massages” and other sex acts, and of paying some girls to recruit others, from at least 2002 to 2005.
Prosecutors said a search of Epstein’s home uncovered nude images of underage girls, and they accused him of paying two potential witnesses against him last year in an apparent effort to influence them.
He faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted.
Seeking their client’s release from pre-trial detention, Epstein’s lawyers have said he is willing to pay for armed guards to monitor him round-the-clock at his Upper East Side home.
We’ll have our own account from our reporter in court shortly.We’ll have our own account from our reporter in court shortly.
Pressley brushes off Trump’s tweets — but not his treatment of refugees Pressley brushes off Trump’s tweets – but not his treatment of refugees
That’s the headline in a piece from the Boston Globe last night. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tells her daily newspaper that she doesn’t refer to Trump as president. And that the Squad is a lot bigger than AOC, Ilan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and her. That’s the headline in a piece from the Boston Globe last night. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley tells her daily newspaper that she doesn’t refer to Trump as president. And that the Squad is a lot bigger than AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and her.
Here’s a quote from the piece:Here’s a quote from the piece:
“I never use the word you used — president — to describe him,” she said. “I refer to him as ‘the occupant.’ He simply occupies the space. He embodies zero of the qualities and the principles, the responsibility, the grace, the integrity, the compassion, of someone who would truly embody that office. It’s just another day in the world under this administration.” “I never use the word you used – president – to describe him,” she said. “I refer to him as ‘the occupant.’ He simply occupies the space. He embodies zero of the qualities and the principles, the responsibility, the grace, the integrity, the compassion, of someone who would truly embody that office. It’s just another day in the world under this administration.”
Tlaib just tweeted it out, and AOC retweeted. Squad on fire!Tlaib just tweeted it out, and AOC retweeted. Squad on fire!
AOC has retweeted:AOC has retweeted:
When concerned about Trump policies on tariffs, e.g., GOP Congress has made it clear and known to White House in private and in public. On Trump's grotesque racism and xenophobic attacks, they say nothing, even though they could and should. Their complicity is staggering.When concerned about Trump policies on tariffs, e.g., GOP Congress has made it clear and known to White House in private and in public. On Trump's grotesque racism and xenophobic attacks, they say nothing, even though they could and should. Their complicity is staggering.
“Hallmark language of white supremacists” ‘Hallmark language of white supremacists’
AOC continues hitting back on yesterday’s tweets:AOC continues hitting back on yesterday’s tweets:
It’s important to note that the President’s words yday, telling four American Congresswomen of color “go back to your own country,” is hallmark language of white supremacists.Trump feels comfortable leading the GOP into outright racism, and that should concern all Americans.It’s important to note that the President’s words yday, telling four American Congresswomen of color “go back to your own country,” is hallmark language of white supremacists.Trump feels comfortable leading the GOP into outright racism, and that should concern all Americans.
“Maybe he meant go back to the district they came from...”“Maybe he meant go back to the district they came from...”
Breathtaking, as GOP breaks radio silence on Trump’s racist tweets.Breathtaking, as GOP breaks radio silence on Trump’s racist tweets.
One of the first Republicans in Congress to speak about it: https://t.co/RrfdYSZy9sOne of the first Republicans in Congress to speak about it: https://t.co/RrfdYSZy9s
“They wanted to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE”
The last two tweets in this rant are:
....What does it mean for America to have free Healthcare for Illegal Immigrants, no criminalization of coming into our Country - See how that works for controlling Immigration! They talk about Israel like they’re a bunch of thugs, not victims of the entire region. They wanted...
And:
.....to impeach President Trump on DAY ONE. Make them the face of the future of the Democrat Party, you will destroy the Democrat Party. Their policies will destroy our Country!” @LindseyGrahamSC Need I say more?
Wow.
Trump attacks on “the Squad” continues
He goes on....
....they are Anti-Semitic, they are Anti-America, we don’t need to know anything about them personally, talk about their policies. I think they are American citizens who are duly elected that are running on an agenda that is disgusting, that the American people will reject......
Trump calls progressives “a bunch of Communists”
The president continues his tear on Twitter against the Squad, calling out Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and “this crowd”.
“We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists, they hate Israel, they hate our own Country, they’re calling the guards along our Border (the Border Patrol Agents) Concentration Camp Guards, they accuse people who support Israel as doing it for the Benjamin’s,....
Wait, there’s more....
An American Civil Liberties Union attorney says the new Trump administration rule that bars most Central American migrants from seeking asylum at the US-Mexico border can’t stand.
It is “patently unlawful,” attorney Lee Gelernt says of the rule. If it goes into effect, would effectively eliminate asylum for those at the southern border.
Under the Immigration and Nationality Act governing asylum in the US, anyone can claim asylum at the border regardless of how he or she arrived. There are some exceptions, including whether an asylum seeker passed through a “safe” country first, the AP writes.
AG Bill Barr comments on new Trump asylum policy
Barr just issued the following statement:
“This Rule is a lawful exercise of authority provided by Congress to restrict eligibility for asylum.
“The United States is a generous country but is being completely overwhelmed by the burdens associated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of aliens along the southern border.
“This Rule will decrease forum shopping by economic migrants and those who seek to exploit our asylum system to obtain entry to the United States - while ensuring that no-one is removed from the United Staes who is more likely that not to be tortured or persecuted on account of a protected ground.”
Republican radio silence on Trump’s racist tweets
The row goes on about Trump’s tweets about the Squad, which is all part of the ongoing immigration policy fireworks that are squirting rockets in every direction.
For the full report on this, I refer you to our lead news story on the US site this morning. We’ll be touching on it here, too.
Acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, Ken Cuccinelli, talking earlier on CNN, said “No” when asked by Alisyn Camerota if the tweets were racist. But he did call them “political hand grenades.” No kidding.
Republicans silent as Trump renews racist attack on congresswomen
Guatemalan officials expected in Washington
Apparently a meeting between Trump and Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales was canceled amid a court challenge in Guatemala over whether the country could agree to a ‘safe third’ with the US.
Trump administration officials say the changes are meant to close the gap between the initial asylum screening that most people pass and the final decision on asylum that most people do not win.
But immigrant rights groups, religious leaders and humanitarian groups have said the Republican administration’s policies amount to a cruel and calloused effort to keep immigrants out of the country, the AP writes.
Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are poor countries suffering from violence, poverty and, disproportionately to many places, the effects of the climate crisis.
Along with the administration’s recent effort to send asylum seekers back over the border to wait for their legal process to play out, Donald Trump has tried to deny asylum to anyone crossing the border illegally and restrict who can claim asylum, and attorney general William Barr recently tried to keep thousands of asylum seekers detained while their cases play out.
Nearly all of those efforts have been blocked by courts.
Trump administration tries essentially to end asylum protections via the US-Mexico border
The president and the anti-immigration voices in and around the White House constantly buzzing in his ear, urging him to stoke the base and further divide Democrats, while seemingly appealing to Trump’s id, won’t wait for Congress.
There will be some exceptions to the new rule, the AP writes.
If someone has been trafficked, if the country the migrant passed through did not sign one of the major international treaties that govern how refugees are managed (though most Western countries have signed them) or if an asylum-seeker sought protection in a country but was denied.
In those cases, a migrant could still apply for US asylum after crossing the US-Mexico border unlawfully.
But the move is meant is aimed at ending asylum protections. The system was already in chaos after Trump administration crackdowns on asylum.
The new policy is almost certain to face a legal challenge, AP writes.
US law allows refugees to request asylum when they arrive in the US regardless of how they did so, but there is an exception for those who have come through a country considered to be “safe.”
The Immigration and Nationality Act, which governs asylum law, is vague on how a country is determined “safe”, however. It says “pursuant to a bilateral or multilateral agreement.”
The US has such an agreement, known as a safe third country, only with Canada. Under a recent agreement with Mexico, Central American countries were considering a “regional compact” on the issue, but nothing has been decided.
Do take a look back at the Guardian’s Julian Borger on how US foreign policies have contributed to the troubles facing the Central American nations.
Fleeing a hell the US helped create: why Central Americans journey north
The White House is making a further move to crack down on migrants reaching the US via the US-Mexico border.
According to a new rule published in the Federal Register, asylum seekers who pass through another country first will be ineligible for asylum at the US southern border, the Associated Press has just reported.
There was growing speculation about this earlier today, and so it has come to pass.
The rule, expected to go into effect on Tuesday, also applies to children who have crossed the border alone.
We’ll have a lot more on this in a moment....
Good Morning, welcome to our daily live coverage of US politics. There’s a lot going on today as lawmakers try to cram in as much scandal, argument, division and, possibly, even, legislation, with the summer recess looming.
Happy Monday, what’s coming up today?
We need to figure out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids are actually happening, as they were promised to begin yesterday but don’t appear to have and confusion and fear reign. Meanwhile, acting director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service, Ken Cuccinelli, just called Donald Trump’s racist tweets telling The Squad to “go home” to where they came from “political hand grenades”, but said they weren’t racist.
Author E Jean Carroll is considering suing Donald Trump over his alleged sexual assault on her in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room in the past. She had earlier said she was not going down the legal route, out of respect for migrants being raped and exploited at the US-Mexico border.
Jeffrey Epstein, that old ally of the rich and powerful and convicted sex offender, is due back in court in New York today, at 10am ET, as he argues to be allowed to be on house arrest as his latest case proceeds.