Politics
Biden Offers Protected Status to Afghans Already in the United States
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is permitting Afghans who’ve been residing in the US to stay within the nation legally for a minimum of one other 18 months, an try to offer them extra stability as gaining everlasting residency may take years.
The profit, referred to as momentary protected standing, can be prolonged to greater than 74,000 Afghans who have been dwelling in the US as of March 15, in line with the Division of Homeland Safety, which makes such designations. Most instantly, it can have an effect on roughly 2,000 Afghans who weren’t amongst these evacuated throughout the tumultuous U.S. navy pullout from their nation final yr. Every applicant has to move a background test.
This system doesn’t present a path to a inexperienced card or citizenship, which many advocates say is warranted for Afghans who have been dropped at the nation after risking their lives to help American forces. Many served as fight interpreters, as drivers and in different supportive roles over the twenty years that U.S. troops fought of their nation.
Most Afghans who have been evacuated to the US final yr have already been granted one other standing, referred to as humanitarian parole, which permits them to remain for 2 years. However many have had hassle navigating an immigration system that U.S. officers concede was unprepared to assist them. The method to reapply for humanitarian parole after two years might be cumbersome for candidates , however momentary protected standing is ceaselessly prolonged for designated nations by the Division of Homeland Safety.
Wednesday’s designation seems to be an acknowledgment that it’ll take years for Afghan evacuees to achieve everlasting residency by way of the clogged U.S. immigration system.
Reporting From Afghanistan
“Our nation’s ethical obligation to our Afghan allies and buddies calls for the soundness that solely a pathway to everlasting residence can present,” Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, the president of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, mentioned on Wednesday.
Advocates have lobbied Congress to move a regulation, the Afghan Adjustment Act, which might supply Afghans in the US a fast-track path to everlasting residency and citizenship. Some have expressed concern {that a} momentary standing designation, just like the one issued on Wednesday, would damage the possibilities of the laws passing.
“We’re frightened that this designation announcement can be conflated with an Afghan Adjustment Act, and folks will really feel like that’s not wanted,” mentioned Naomi Steinberg, the vp for coverage and advocacy at HIAS, a nonprofit group that has been serving to Afghans resettle in the US.
Amongst these already within the nation, the Homeland Safety Division has estimated that about 40 % will qualify for particular immigrant visas due to their work for the US in Afghanistan. Such visas would allow them to finally obtain a inexperienced card and citizenship. Nevertheless, the abrupt arrival of huge numbers of evacuees has created processing backlogs.
The momentary standing is meant for individuals from nations which have suffered by way of pure disasters or different pressing conditions, permitting them to stay and work in the US for a particular interval, which is commonly prolonged.
The designation introduced on Wednesday doesn’t handle the destiny of tens of 1000’s of Afghans — together with human rights activists {and professional} girls — who stay of their house nation or in neighboring nations, fearing retaliation from a Taliban authorities that has been trying to find individuals who promoted democratic values or assisted the American navy mission.
The Biden administration has confronted a barrage of criticism over its dealing with of Afghan refugees; the designation for Afghanistan got here solely after the administration supplied momentary protected standing to Ukrainians who have been already in the US.
Whereas advocates applauded the designation for Ukraine, which got here on the identical day Canada and the European Union made comparable humanitarian gestures to help tens of millions of Ukrainians final week, they questioned why the Biden administration has not supplied momentary standing to individuals from different war-torn nations, together with Cameroon and Ethiopia.
Like a lot within the U.S. immigration system, the momentary protected standing program faces its personal backlogs. In line with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Providers, which handles this system, it takes a mean of six months to course of purposes. And regardless that the announcement for Afghans got here on Wednesday, individuals can’t apply till the federal government locations an official discover within the Federal Register, a course of that may take weeks in some circumstances.
“Good coverage goes to fall flat if it could actually’t really be carried out in a means that enables individuals to learn,” mentioned Lisa Parisio, the director of advocacy for Catholic Authorized Immigration Community Inc.
With Wednesday’s announcement, there at the moment are 13 nations with momentary protected standing. On the finish of September, there have been almost 300,000 purposes pending.
Greater than 400,000 individuals are presently beneath this system, together with immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela. The safety is granted for six to 18 months, and the Homeland Safety Division should prolong a rustic’s designation on a recurring foundation. Every time a rustic is recertified, recipients reapply and move a safety test.
Teams that favor limiting immigration have criticized this system, in impact since 1990, for basically permitting individuals to stay completely in the US. Certainly, lots of them have been right here for many years.
Hundreds of Afghans have utilized for, and been denied, entry to the US by way of humanitarian parole. That standing is meant to permit individuals dealing with emergencies to achieve admission to the nation rapidly and with out a visa, which may take months or years to acquire. Hundreds extra candidates are nonetheless ready to listen to the result of their circumstances whereas dwelling in peril, in line with legal professionals representing them.
Afghans airlifted throughout the pullout spent a number of months on U.S. navy bases earlier than being launched into communities across the nation, the place lots of them stay in motels as nonprofit companies contracted by the federal government, like Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, HIAS and the Worldwide Rescue Committee, attempt to safe housing for them.
Politics
Trump federal election interference case sent back to trial court after SCOTUS ruling
Following the Supreme Court’s historic decision on former President Trump’s immunity claim in the federal election interference case, the matter has been officially returned for a trial.
This is standard court procedure. A month after the Supreme Court’s July 1 decision, the case has been formally remanded to the appeals court, which will then return it to Judge Tanya Chutkan.
“ORDERED, on the court’s own motion, that this case be remanded to the District Court for further proceedings consistent with the Supreme Court’s opinion,” the Aug. 2 filing reads.
JUSTICE ALITO QUESTIONS WHETHER PRESIDENTS WILL HAVE TO FEAR ‘BITTER POLITICAL OPPONENT’ THROWING THEM IN JAIL
In the coming days, Judge Chutkan is expected to establish a schedule for the parties to discuss the application of the SCOTUS ruling in the ongoing prosecution. Open court hearings are anticipated, after which the judge will determine the extent to which the Special Counsel’s evidence can be used in the trial.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled in Trump v. United States that a former president has substantial immunity from prosecution for official acts committed while in office, but not for unofficial acts.
SCOTUS WEIGHS MONUMENTAL CONSTITUTIONAL FIGHT OVER TRUMP IMMUNITY CLAIM
In a 6-3 decision, the Court sent the matter back down to a lower court, as the justices did not apply the ruling to whether or not former President Trump is immune from prosecution regarding actions related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election. The ruling came shortly after a New York jury found Trump guilty on all counts of falsifying business records in the first degree stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s investigation.
Special Counsel Jack Smith charged the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights. Those charges stemmed from Smith’s investigation into whether Trump was involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and any alleged interference in the 2020 election result.
Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges last summer.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
This is a developing story.
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Politics
Unemployment rises again in July, reviving worries of a recession
U.S. job growth slowed sharply last month and the unemployment rate rose to a nearly three-year high of 4.3%, the latest sign of a cooling labor market, the government reported Friday.
Employers added 114,000 jobs in July, well below economists’ projections and down from an average monthly gain of 215,000 in payrolls over the previous 12 months, said the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The jump in the unemployment rate, from 4.1% in June and 3.5% in July 2023, came amid increasing concerns of a weakening economy as high interest rates meant to fight inflation continue to weigh on businesses and consumers. Investors were rattled by Friday’s jobs report, which comes on the heels of a big fall in stocks the day before.
The Federal Reserve signaled on Wednesday that it could cut interest rates at its next meeting in September, but some analysts have said policymakers are already behind the curve and that it’s possible they could even make a move before then.
“The dark storm clouds threatening the economy have moved in from off shore suddenly and are very, very real,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at Fwdbonds, an economic and markets research firm. He warned of an impending recession.
The labor market has been unusually resilient and the unemployment rate remains low by historical standards. But the rapid increase from earlier this year, when the jobless figure was 3.7%, has revived worries of a recession among economists.
The slowdown in hiring last month was broad-based. Job growth was led by hiring in the healthcare sector. There were solid gains in construction and at hotels and restaurants.
But the struggling information sector, including the film industry and publishing, continued to shed jobs. Employment was flat in business and professional services, which include high-paying computer software and engineering firms, and there was little change in finance, retail and manufacturing.
Average hourly earnings of all private-sector jobs were up 8 cents from June, to $35.07, which is 3.6% higher than a year ago — a tad above the rate of inflation.
Politics
'F— the White women': Black activists tied to VP Harris could derail Dem 'unity' message with past rhetoric
A pair of Black female activists, who have met with Vice President Harris several times and previously vowed to get “real serious” about helping her become the next president, could alienate some of the “White women for Kamala” supporters with their past rhetoric as they mobilize ahead of November’s election.
Cora Masters Barry, an appointee of Democrat D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and longtime civil rights activist, and Melanie Campbell, who leads the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, have visited the White House more than 50 times combined during the Biden administration, including nearly a dozen visits with Harris or her staff, a Fox News Digital review found.
Weeks before President Biden and Harris were sworn into office in 2021, Barry and Campbell participated in a public Zoom call in which they made controversial statements about Trump supporters and attacked White voters, specifically White women, which could cause some internal clashes as different coalitions mobilize to try to get Harris into the White House.
‘WE JUST TELL THE TRUTH’: VP HARRIS’ LONGTIME MENTOR REPEATEDLY DEFENDED CONTROVERSIAL OBAMA PASTOR
Approximately 164,000 White women hopped on a Zoom call last week, which was organized by Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts and other female celebrities. The call, titled “White Women: Answer the Call,” reportedly raised millions of dollars for Harris’ campaign and could be a major fundraising force over the next few months.
However, the unearthed comments from the two activists could cause some internal tension for the Harris campaign as they look to mobilize different voting blocs and have called for “Unity.”
“If you claim to stand for unity, you need to do more than just use the word,” Harris recently said.
“We have to change our strategy. We got to get our people. We have to get our – they got their people. They got all the trailer parks all covered,” Barry said during the Zoom. “All them people up in West Virginia and the hills, they’re covered. They got them all the way there to Wall Street.”
“[Trump] did that, and we’re sitting here talking about the White women. F— the white women– excuse me – forget the White women. They’re going to do what the White men tell them to do,” Barry continued, eliciting laughter and clapping from Campbell.
“What they tell themselves,” Campbell interjected.
“They be smiling in their faces, they want to stay in charge,” Barry continued, with Campbell reacting affirmatively in the background. “I don’t care nothing about them, we got to do what we got to do.”
Barry went on to say that the Black community has to “get real serious about organizing to elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States” and that she doesn’t “want no women’s parade.”
“If they have another Women’s March – I’ll go over there and blow it up,” Barry said.
Barry also attacked supporters of then-President Trump, comparing them to the Ku Klux Klan by saying, “I’m not saying everyone who voted for Trump is wearing a white sheet, but they got one in their closet, and it comes out when we start messing with the economic value or the balance of power.”
FLASHBACK: HARRIS FUMED AT AMERICANS FOR SAYING ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ BEFORE ILLEGAL MIGRANTS GOT PROTECTIONS
Barry went on to say at the time that, should Biden win the 2020 election, her group has “got to start organizing to make sure that the next president of the United States is a Black woman.”
“And that’s not going to happen if we don’t reach all of our Black people, because they’re the ones who are going to put her in there,” Barry added. “Those White folks ain’t going to put her in there.”
During the same Zoom call, Campbell was also critical of White women who have cast their votes for Trump, saying “race” and “White privilege” were driving factors and that she didn’t understand how they could support someone who “disrespects you as a woman.”
FLASHBACK: NEW HARRIS CAMPAIGN SENIOR ADVISER MADE SEVERAL INSENSITIVE COMMENTS ABOUT WOMEN, GAY PEOPLE
“Am I surprised? No. Am I frustrated? Yeah – determined that we have to still find a way to get up and deal with it,” Campbell said. “What I’m not interested in doing is what I did, Cora, in 2016 is have these fruitless conversations with my White girlfriends who want to tell me we need to sit down and have a conversation. No we don’t. You need to go talk to your sister. You need to go talk to your cousin.”
“I have no interest in understanding why White folks do what they do. They do what they do because they doing what they do if I was them. They’re fighting to stay in charge and in control. That’s what they’re doing. I ain’t mad at them. What I am is mad at us,” Barry added, referring to the Black community.
Near the end of the Zoom call, Barry said it is a “perfect time” to mobilize Black voters and push their agenda “because there’s a lot of White guilt money out there.”
“I’m gonna take it- put it in my community and radicalize my people so they can come for your job. I’m saying it’s time to act,” she continued.
In addition to Barry’s comments about White women, Fox News Digital previously reported on Barry lavishly praising notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan in 2022 at a private event honoring her late husband, former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.
During Barry’s remarks at the private ceremony, she praised Farrakhan, who has espoused antisemitic rhetoric for decades, including calling Jews “wicked” and comparing them to termites. Barry referred to Farrakhan as a “friend” and “member of the family” while also telling him “I love you more than words will ever say.”
“Minister Farrakhan, we love you more than you love us. You just don’t know it,” she added.
Farrakhan in turn praised Barry, saying, “Praise God for this woman. She is a treasure. A real treasure.”
A spokesperson for both Barry and Campbell defended the comment about White women, previously telling Fox News Digital that the comment was in reference to how White women are not as reliable Democrat voters and that the vice president was not part of the conversation.
Barry, Campbell and the Harris campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment.
Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report.
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