Biden Unveils Plan to Restrict Asylum at U.S.-Mexico Border |
The U.S. Departments of Homeland Security and Justice unveiled plans yesterday to deny asylum (AP) to most migrants who arrive at the border without first applying for asylum in countries traversed along the way. The rules would include exceptions for people with medical emergencies, those facing imminent and extreme threats from violent crime, and children traveling alone. Administration officials expect the restrictions to take effect in May (LA Times), when a policy that denies asylum on pandemic-related grounds is set to end.
Biden administration officials stressed that they have worked to expand pathways for vulnerable migrants to come to the United States, including by allowing some to apply for asylum remotely via a mobile app and introducing humanitarian parole slots for certain nationalities. Still, migrants rights and civil rights advocates criticized the proposal, with some threatening to sue. The Donald Trump administration proposed a similar plan in 2019, but it was blocked in court.
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“Whether this rule can bring order, or preserve meaningful access to asylum, highly depends on whether enough appointments [for interviews] are available at ports of entry and whether they are reachable by the most vulnerable,” the Migration Policy Institute’s Julia Gelatt tweets.
“The mobile app, intended to provide an orderly, streamlined system of processing asylum seekers, has been in use since January, but the system has been overloaded by huge demand and plagued with glitches since tens of thousands of migrants staying in shelters on the Mexican side of the border began using it,” the New York Times’ Miriam Jordan writes.
Ten graphics show how the Biden administration struggled with migrant flows in 2022.
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China, Japan Hold Security Talks |
At the countries’ first senior security dialogue in four years, Japan called on China (Kyodo) to ensure peace and security in Ukraine, Japan’s foreign ministry said. The countries also agreed to improve communication on defense following heightened tensions last week over Japan’s comments about suspected Chinese spy balloons in its airspace.
South Korea: A court ruled (Yonhap) that same-sex couples should have the same health insurance rights as heterosexual couples, the country’s first recognition of same-sex couples’ legal rights.
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Judge Blocks Seizure of Afghan Central Bank Funds by Families of 9/11 Victims |
A New York judge ruled that the Taliban, not the state of Afghanistan or the Afghan people, should be held liable (NYT) for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.
India: New Delhi does not want Group of Twenty (G20) members to discuss new sanctions against Russia during India’s presidency of the bloc, Indian officials told Reuters.
This In Brief discusses whether sanctions are slowing Russia’s war effort. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
Saudi Arabia Moves $1 Billion Into Yemen’s Central Bank |
The deposit is intended to boost (AP) the internationally backed government in Sanaa. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi had promised to deliver the Sanaa government $3 billion in aid in April 2022; it is unclear if the new deposit is part of that pledge. This Backgrounder looks at the war in Yemen.
UK/Syria: A London immigration court upheld a ruling (NYT) that stripped the citizenship of a woman who left the United Kingdom (UK) in 2015 to join the self-proclaimed Islamic State.
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UN: $2.25 Billion Needed for Victims of DRC Displacement |
In the last year, more than six hundred thousand people have been uprooted (Reuters) from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid an upswing in violence linked to the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group, the UN coordinator for the country said. U.S./Kenya/Namibia: U.S. First Lady Jill Biden is visiting Namibia and Kenya (AP) in a five-day trip meant to highlight U.S. efforts to alleviate food insecurity and empower women and youth. |
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China’s Top Diplomat Meets With Putin in Moscow |
Wang Yi has wrapped up a visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said ties between Beijing and Moscow are “reaching new milestones” (CNN). The visit is thought to be a precursor to a meeting between Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this year. This Backgrounder unpacks the China-Russia relationship.
Moldova/Russia: President Putin revoked a 2012 decree (Reuters) that pledged to respect Moldova’s sovereignty when resolving the status of Transnistria, a Moscow-backed separatist region. A Moldovan official said the cancellation was not a total rebuke of that sovereignty.
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Mexico’s Former Top Security Official Convicted in U.S. Drug Case |
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Council on Foreign Relations |
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