Octopus Overlords

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 10:32 am

Defiant wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 9:18 am US Border Patrol Only Fed Pork Sandwiches To Muslim Detainee For Nearly A Week

Texas, it figures. People wonder if there is evil in the world - you need look no further.

Over time, Asif began working as a semi-truck driver for his cousin, and one recent job assignment took him all the way to south Texas.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:16 pm And arguably the only state that would put Ted Cruz into office. There is a reason they chose Dealey Plaza...

NEW: US officials made list of reporters, lawyers, activists to question at the border, according to documents obtained by @nbcsandiego and interviews with people on the list. https://on.msnbc.com/2ELuTT8

The number of people taken into custody along the Mexico border jumped an additional 31 percent last month as an unprecedented mass migration of families from Central America pushes unauthorized crossings to the highest levels in a decade, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection figures released Tuesday.

Last month, the shortest of the year, was the busiest February at the border since 2007, officials said, with authorities detaining 76,103 migrants, up from 58,207 in January. The percentage of migrants who arrived as part of a family group also reached a new peak, with 40,325 parents and children taken into custody, a 67 percent leap from the previous month.

“The system is well beyond capacity and remains at a breaking point,” Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan, the nation’s top border security official, told reporters Tuesday afternoon.
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The February statistics are the clearest indication yet that unauthorized migration remains on a sharp upward trajectory after a historic low point in 2017. Department of Homeland Security officials are bracing for an even bigger surge this spring.
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A backlog of more than 800,000 pending cases in U.S. immigration courts and court-imposed limits on the government’s ability to quickly detain and deport the family groups have become “the most significant factors affecting border security,” McAleenan said.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:19 am

Last month, the shortest of the year, was the busiest February at the border since 2007

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:48 am

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Thu Mar 07, 2019 2:19 am

Last month, the shortest of the year, was the busiest February at the border since 2007

When comparing a specific February to other Februaries, noting that February is shorter than other months is irrelevant. You could argue that the later comparison to January makes the comment relevant, but then the "shortest month" comment should be in that comparison sentence, not in the February to Februaries comparison sentence.

I hate that shit.

In a legal blow to the Trump administration, a federal judge ruled Friday that all migrant families separated during the government’s border crackdown should be included in a class-action lawsuit. But he stopped short of immediately ordering the Justice Department to track them all down.

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw in California said the universe of separated families should extend beyond the 2,700-plus children taken from their parents last spring, and include families forced apart as early as July 1, 2017, and the months afterward, when the Trump administration was denying that it had a policy of separating families.

Sabraw said a government watchdog report in January that potentially thousands more families were separated than the Trump administration had admitted publicly compelled the court to look into the matter.
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The ruling dramatically expands the scope of the class-action lawsuit that compelled the Trump administration to reunite the separated families and prolongs a political tangle for the president that had been nearing its end.

Sabraw said he would hear arguments later this month to decide whether to require the Trump administration to locate the rest of the families. But he said “the Court has an obligation to resolve that question,” especially for parents who may have been deported without their children, and although it “may be burdensome, it clearly can be done.”

President Donald Trump on Monday will ask the U.S. Congress for an additional $8.6 billion to help pay for his promised wall on the U.S-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, officials familiar with his 2020 budget request told Reuters.
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Broadly speaking on the budget, Kudlow told Fox, “The president is proposing roughly a 5 percent across-the-board reduction in domestic spending accounts.”

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2019 1:21 pm Reuters

President Donald Trump on Monday will ask the U.S. Congress for an additional $8.6 billion to help pay for his promised wall on the U.S-Mexico border to combat illegal immigration and drug trafficking, officials familiar with his 2020 budget request told Reuters.
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Broadly speaking on the budget, Kudlow told Fox, “The president is proposing roughly a 5 percent across-the-board reduction in domestic spending accounts.”

Instead, recruiters are selling clients in Guatemala on the journey with presentations akin to the benign pitch of a travel agency. They offer a range of price points at different levels of passenger comfort, according to U.S. and Guatemalan officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive details about smuggling networks’ operations.

Customers paying as little as $2,500 are typically made to ride in trucks or stand in cattle cars, while others buying packages for $7,000 or more get premium bus service. Children generally travel free, because those who arrive at the U.S. border with a minor only need to be guided to the edge, not smuggled across it.

The express journey is typically financed by migrants’ relatives already working in the United States or with microloans that leverage homes and property as collateral, in some cases with notarized documents that allow the smuggling organizations to collect unpaid debts. In an especially worrisome sign for U.S. officials, the price of the journey has been dropping in recent months as the rapid bus routes allow smugglers to cut costs and boost volume.

In most cases, upon crossing the border the migrants express a fear of persecution if deported back home, the first step in seeking U.S. asylum. Some arrive with detailed stories of gang threats, violence and police inaction, and documents to back their claims.

But many other Guatemalans appear to be heading north for jobs in a humming U.S. economy that is facing labor shortages. In November, Guatemala became the leading source of unauthorized migration to the United States, surpassing Mexico for the first time.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:23 pm They are getting stopped at the border, so the system is working. Building a wall does not solve this.

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:15 pm I wasn't accusing you of favoring a wall. My point is probably the best policy is not to freak out, but let them wait in line like everybody else.

Jaymann wrote:I wasn't accusing you of favoring a wall. My point is probably the best policy is not to freak out, but let them wait in line like everybody else.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday endorsed the U.S. government’s authority to detain immigrants awaiting deportation anytime - potentially even years - after they have completed prison terms for criminal convictions, handing President Donald Trump a victory as he pursues hardline immigration policies.

The court ruled 5-4 along ideological lines, with its conservative justices in the majority and its liberal justices dissenting, that federal authorities could pick up such immigrants and place them into indefinite detention anytime, not just immediately after they finish their prison sentences.

The ruling, authored by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, left open the possibility that some individual immigrants could challenge their detention. These immigrants potentially could argue that the use of the 1996 federal law involved in the case, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, against them long after finishing their sentences would violate their due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.

The law states the government can detain convicted immigrants “when the alien is released” from criminal detention. Civil rights lawyers argued that the language of the law shows that it applies only immediately after immigrants are released. The Trump administration said the government should have the power to detain such immigrants anytime.

It is not the court’s job, Alito wrote, to impose a time limit for when immigrants can be detained after serving a prison sentence. Alito noted that the court has said in the past that “an official’s crucial duties are better carried out late than never.”

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:21 pm

Jaymann wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2019 5:15 pm I wasn't accusing you of favoring a wall. My point is probably the best policy is not to freak out, but let them wait in line like everybody else.

The current administration has taken multiple steps to increase the wait, exacerbating the situation. It's clear that the current administration would prefer to decrease the number of people entering the country, illegal or otherwise.

If only there was some way to get additional resources to the border to handle the immigration situation. Some sort of emergency funding, maybe. Someone should ask the president if he is aware of anything that could be done.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:01 pm I don't understand.

So you're saying there isn't a backlog, with fewer resources for judges and processing than ever before, and it's all just a smokescreen because of your anecdote?

Or there is, but your mom-in-law is special?

What are you saying Jeff? I'm sure it's clear in your head, but I could use some clarification.

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:18 pm It's probably a different ask to get permanent residency for the mother of a naturalized US citizen than to get asylum for someone standing at the border.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:38 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:18 pm It's probably a different ask to get permanent residency for the mother of a naturalized US citizen than to get asylum for someone standing at the border.

Sure. I have no idea. Is that what Jeff was saying? Was he just making a statement? "My mom-in-law got into the country 3 months sooner the estimated time." Why is he quoting my comment? Is it related in some way?

That's good news, congratulations Jeff. I hope your mom-in-law likes it in the US.

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Tue Mar 19, 2019 3:38 pm That's good news, congratulations Jeff. I hope your mom-in-law likes it in the US.

LawBeefaroni wrote:Jeff is just an eternal optimist and he couldn't resist dropping some good news in such a gloomy-gus of a thread.

President Donald Trump's decision to send troops to the southern border and funding transfers following the declaration of a national emergency pose an "unacceptable risk to Marine Corps combat readiness and solvency," the Marine Corps commandant warned this week.

An internal memo sent this week by Marine Corps Gen. Robert Neller to Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan listed "unplanned/unbudgeted southwest border operations" and "border security funding transfers" alongside Hurricanes Florence and Michael as "negative factors" putting readiness at risk, the Los Angeles Times first reported.

The four-star general explained that due to a number of unexpected costs, referred to as "negative impacts," the Marines will be forced to cancel or limit their participation in a number of previously planned activities, including training exercises in at least five countries.

He warned that the cancelled training exercises will "degrade the combat readiness and effectiveness of the Marine Corps," adding that "Marines rely on the hard, realistic training provided by these events to develop the individual and collective skills necessary to prepare for high-end combat."
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Border security is listed among several factors, such as new housing allowances and civilian pay raises, that could trigger a budget shortfall for the Marine Corps, but it is noteworthy that the commandant identified a presidential priority as a detriment to the service.

In a separate memo, Neller explained that the Marines are currently short $1.3 billion for hurricane recovery operations.

"The hurricane season is only three months away, and we have Marines, Sailors, and civilians working in compromised structures," he wrote.

Pentagon plans to take money away from military construction projects to pay for President Trump’s border wall would potentially deal an outsize blow to Puerto Rico and particularly affect a program helping European allies deter Russia, according to a Washington Post analysis.

Under pressure from lawmakers, the Defense Department released a list Monday detailing $12.9 billion in military construction projects that had received money from Congress but had yet to be contracted. That status puts them in a pool of funding that Trump could take for the wall using emergency powers.

The Pentagon hasn’t said which specific projects would be defunded. But it has ruled out taking money from military housing projects or contracts due to award before the end of the fiscal year. When those are stripped out, the refined list decreases to $4.35 billion worth of projects that are actually vulnerable. The Trump administration plans to take up to $3.6 billion, or 83 percent, for the wall, meaning most of the projects on the shorter list could be defunded.

Puerto Rico is the most affected U.S. territory or state, with 10 projects at a value of $403 million on the smaller list, according to The Post’s analysis.

The projects in Puerto Rico that would potentially have their funding taken away include the construction of a school for military children on what was once Ramey Air Force Base and improvements to Camp Santiago, a training facility operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard.

Also on the most-vulnerable list is some $745 million worth of projects for the European Deterrence Initiative and its predecessor program. President Barack Obama launched the program in 2014 to shore up the defenses of European allies after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine.

The Pentagon won't allow its plan to spend $1 billion in to build a 57-mile fence at the southern U.S. border to interfere with military readiness, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan told members of Congress Tuesday, seeking to ease concerns about the controversial shift of appropriated funding made possible by President Trump's declaration of a national emergency.

The Department of Defense is shifting the money from a military personnel account — funds that it says were freed up after some service branches fell short of their recruiting goals.
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But in response, Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., said the move would likely compel Congress to strip the Pentagon of the authority to "reprogram" funds that have been appropriated for specific purposes and programs. That authority is currently provided only in cases where the Pentagon consults with Congress before acting. But in this case, Smith noted, the Defense Department did not ask permission.

"Given a legal order from the commander in chief, we are executing on that order," Shanahan replied. He added that the Pentagon knew there were "downsides, which will hamper us" — including likely losing what he called the privilege of reprogramming funds.

"I appreciate the inherent intra-government complexities of the southwest border situation" Shanahan said in his opening statement. "I also want to emphasize: The funds requested for the border barrier amount to less than one percent of the National Defense topline."

Here's the President of the United States saying he isn't going to shoot undocumented immigrants but shooting undocumented immigrants would be very effective

Smoove_B wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2019 9:17 am

Here's the President of the United States saying he isn't going to shoot undocumented immigrants but shooting undocumented immigrants would be very effective

President Trump said Friday that next week he would close the southern border, or at least large sections of it, if Mexico does not halt illegal immigration into the United States, repeating a threat he has made before but never with a specific timetable.

In a series of tweets and later during appearances before reporters, Trump did not spell out exactly what a border closing would entail but said it could involve halting “all trade” between the two countries — a prospect that would have profound ramifications for the U.S. economy.

Trump blamed Mexico for a growing flow of “illegals” entering the United States and cited two large migrant caravans making their way toward the U.S. border.

“If they don’t stop them, we’re closing the border,” Trump said at an event in Florida. “We’ll close it. And we’ll keep it closed for a long time. I’m not playing games. Mexico has to stop it.”

In another afternoon appearance, he said, “there’s a very good likelihood” that he’ll close the border next week.

The nation’s top border official warned that the U.S. immigration enforcement system along the nation’s southern boundary is at “the breaking point” and said Wednesday that authorities are having to release migrants into the country after cursory background checks because of a crush of asylum-seeking families with children.

Kevin McAleenan, the commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said that for the first time in more than a decade, his agency is “reluctantly” performing direct releases of migrants, meaning they are not turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, they are not detained, they are not given ankle bracelets to track their movements and they are allowed to leave with just a notice to appear in court at a later date.

He said that this is a “negative outcome” but that it is “the only current option we have” because of overcrowding at detention facilities as Central Americans stream to the border knowing they will be able to gain entry with asylum claims.

#BREAKING: Trump cuts off foreign aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras http://hill.cm/vRFkCcU