NewsHero (beta) Afternoon Update Issue 23
Jan 30, 2020
Welcome to today’s edition of NewsHero for Thursday, January 30, 2020.
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NewsHero Notes
A report released today by the CDC shows that thanks to lower death rates for cancer and overdoses, life expectancy in the U.S. is up for the first time in four years—only by a month, but hey, we’ll take every minute we can get!
The Justice Department is answering the call to combat spam, requesting Tuesday that a federal judge put an end to a scheme that connects hundreds of millions of robocalls across the U.S. every month.
Afternoon Brief
Middle East
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will reportedly visit the UN within two weeks to address the Security Council on his rejection of the new Middle East plan unveiled Tuesday by President Trump. A draft resolution will be submitted to the council at that time.
Human Rights
Following pressure from activists, the World Bank has postponed its decision on granting Tanzania a $500 million loan. Tanzanian civil society groups have urged the loan be stopped over the country's policy of banning pregnant girls and young mothers from attending state school.
2020 Election
Sen. Elizabeth Warren announced Wednesday she has a plan to fight disinformation and to hold big tech companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google accountable for their actions in the wake of the 2016 election. “Disinformation and online foreign interference erode our democracy, and Donald Trump has invited both,” the Democratic presidential candidate said in a tweet.
Advocates Say ‘Assisted Returns’ Just Means ‘Deported’
Asylum-seekers from Brazil subject to ‘remain in Mexico’
MSF mobile clinic services in Guerrero include follow-up for pregnant and post-partum women, family planning services, and psychosocial care. Special attention is paid to survivors of sexual violence. Mexico 2019 © Juan Carlos Tomasi/MSF
According to Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), every year roughly half a million people flee from Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, displaced by violence and unrest. Many embark on a hazardous journey north with hopes of reaching safety in the United States, despite, MSF says, “the Trump administration’s efforts to step up deportations and dismantle legal protections for refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S.”
Since Jan. 18, the Mexican government says it has "assisted returns" of (aka deported) more than 2,300 Central American migrants back to their home countries. Advocates for migrants say “assisted returns” and much of the official language referring to migration in Mexico remains euphemistic.
“Their language often doesn't match reality,” says Eric Olson, a global fellow at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. “There are times when migrants are given no option but to sign ‘voluntary’ departures or are essentially forced to accept ‘assisted returns.’”
Migrants charge on Mexican National Guard troops at the border crossing between Guatemala and Mexico, near Ciudad Hidalgo, Mexico and Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on Jan. 18. Marco Ugarte/AP
In Mexico, asylum-seekers wait in tents, where volunteers provide meals and toiletries. Migrants are left vulnerable to cartel violence, particularly for those who don’t speak Spanish, such as Indigenous migrants and Brazilians.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Wednesday that it is expanding Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) to Brazilian nationals seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. Referred to as the “remain in Mexico” initiative, the policy requires migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to await their court dates on the Mexican side of the border.
“#RemainInMexico is a dangerous & sometimes deadly policy,” the Congressional Hispanic Caucus tweeted Wednesday. “Expanding this program to Brazilian asylum-seekers will be devastating, as these families do not speak Spanish & will be even more vulnerable in Mexico. #DontLookAway from the suffering inflicted by Trump at our border.”
In other policy news, immigrants who receive public assistance, like Medicaid and Social Security (or are deemed likely to be in need of such services) now face becoming “public charges” under a Trump Administration rule the Supreme Court has allowed to temporarily take effect. “Public charges” can legally be denied permanent resident status. The rule has been called a humanitarian catastrophe and an act enabling racist and classist cruelty.
The assumption that those who require government assistance are a burden to the U.S. is misinformed, says an article published by Quartz. Immigrant participation in the workforce is higher than native participation, and according to a 2018 survey, immigrants made up 36% of all employees in fishery and building maintenance, and accounted for more than 24% of the workforce in sectors like construction and food processing.
A misconception about food programs or Medicaid is that they are for unemployed people. Research from the Center on Budget and Policy Priority (CBPP) found that 93% of immigrants receiving any form of government support between 1999 and 2015 were either employed or married to someone who was employed most of the time.
Extra! Extra!
In perhaps the metaphor of the century, a section of Donald Trump’s long-promised border wall between the U.S. and Mexico collapsed during construction, likely because of high winds. Wall critics didn’t waste any time. “Point and laugh everyone, just point and laugh,” immigration advocate Juan Escalante wrote on Twitter, sharing an article about the incident. “Tax $ at work!” At a rally in New Jersey on Tuesday, Trump said once again confidently that Mexico would be “paying for the wall.” We at NewsHero just wish we could sit back and wait for this whole thing to blow over.
Sources:
For 1st time in 4 years, US life expectancy rises—a little - AP News
Justice Department moves to thwart global robocall scheme - CNN
Palestinians push for UN action over Trump Middle East plan - Al Jazeera
Palestinian Leader to Take Trump's Peace Plan to UN Security Council - Voice of America
Mahmoud Abbas to speak at UN Security Council about ‘Deal of the Century’ - Jerusalem Post
World Bank delays vote on $500 million loan for Tanzania after activist pressure over ban on pregnant schoolgirls - CNN
World Bank delays vote on $500m Tanzania loan after public pressure - Financial Times
World Bank Delays Tanzania Loan Decision on Human Rights Concerns - Bloomberg
Elizabeth Warren proposes criminal penalties for spreading voting disinformation online - CNBC
Warren Pledges to Fight Disinformation, but Her Arsenal Is Limited - Wired
Elizabeth Warren wants harsher penalties for sharing disinformation about voting - The Verge
How We’re Helping in Mexico - MSF
Migrants In Mexico Face Crackdown, But Officials Say They're Being ‘Rescued' - NPR
Immigrants who rely on public benefits are actually essential to the US economy - Quartz
DHS expands 'Remain in Mexico' policy to Brazilian citizens - The Hill
Trump’s Immigration Rule Is Cruel And Racist—But It’s Nothing New - New Yorker
Trump border wall between US and Mexico blows over in high winds - The Guardian
Trump Ridiculed After Border Wall Section Blows Over During Construction: ‘Just Point And Laugh’ - Newsweek
Portion of newly built wall on Mexico border collapses - The Hill