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Saturday, October 5, 2024

Doubts Harris-Biden tweak to migrant parole program will lead to deportations

 A top House Republican dismissed the significance of the Harris-Biden administration’s Friday tweak to a migrant parole program, barring more than 500,000 migrants from four nations from extending their temporary legal status. 

The change, announced by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, will force migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela enrolled in the program to self deport or face removal proceedings after their two-year parole terms expire.

However, some will be able to remain in the US by simply enrolling in different federal programs offering legal status – leading to doubts about the consequences of the sudden change. 

A GOP-led House committee expressed doubt that the Harris-Biden administration would seek to deport migrants that stay in the US past their parole term.David McGlynn

“This move is yet another optics-driven smokescreen from the Biden-Harris administration,” Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, told The Post. 

“There are numerous other ways these inadmissible aliens could be — and likely will be — allowed to stay, including through applying for asylum or Temporary Protected Status,” the congressman said. “Even if they don’t, however, given ICE’s low enforcement rates under this administration, most simply will not be priorities for removal.”

Under the controversial mass parole program, migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela (CHNV) who meet certain criteria have been allowed to fly into US ports of entry, where they receive work permits and authorization to remain in the country for two years. 

Until Friday, migrants could apply to extend their parole terms.

“As initially stated in the Federal Register notices, a grant of parole under these processes was for a temporary period of up to two years,” a US Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson said in a statement.

More than 500,000 migrants have been admitted into the country through the parole program.AP

“This two-year period was intended to enable individuals to seek humanitarian relief or other immigration benefits for which they may be eligible, and to work and contribute to the United States,” the statement continued. “Those who do not have pending immigration benefits or who have not been granted an immigration benefit during their two-year parole period will need to depart the United States prior to the expiration of their authorized parole period or may be placed in removal proceedings after the period of parole expires.”

The CHNV parole program, which has been plagued by rampant fraud, will continue to accept new applications for temporary legal status. 

The most recent Department of Homeland documents provided to Green’s committee indicate that there were some 1.6 million migrants waiting for approval to fly into the US via the parole program as of October 2023. 

The program was halted for about a month earlier this year after an internal review found that thousands of sponsors for the migrants were listing fake social security numbers or phone numbers and using the same physical address for thousands of parole applications.  

“Some 100 addresses were listed on over 19,000 forms,” the USCIS review found, and “many applications were submitted by the same IP address.”

The program will continue to accept new applications from the four countries.AP

The House homeland security panel chairman told The Post that he has serious doubts that the Harris-Biden administration can even keep track of when parole terms are up for migrants in the CHNV program — let alone deport them.  

“Remember, a recent DHS Inspector General report found that the Biden-Harris administration still has no plan to remove the 77,000 Afghan nationals who were paroled in 2021 and 2022, and no effective process for monitoring parole expiration,” Green said. “So, it is hard to believe the Biden-Harris administration has a plan to remove a far greater number of inadmissible Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan nationals paroled into the country at their direction.”

https://nypost.com/2024/10/04/us-news/harris-biden-admin-orders-migrants-from-four-countries-to-self-deport-after-parole-expires/

Biden refused to board British naval ship in '21 due to ‘too many steps’: Boris Johnson

 President Biden refused to visit the British Navy’s new flagship aircraft carrier because of the amount of steps — and took “a bit of shine” to Boris Johnson’s wife during his 2021 visit, the former UK prime minister claimed in his upcoming autobiography.

The president and Johnson met ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall, where the British government had “proudly stationed” its massive $4.3 billion warship, The HMS Prince of Wales, Johnson wrote in his new book, “Unleashed.”

Johnson and his aides had wondered before Biden’s first presidential trip abroad whether the US leader, then 78, was “really as elderly-seeming as his detractors sometimes said,” according to an excerpt from Johnson’s book obtained by The Telegraph.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden during their meeting in Cornwell in June 2021.EPA

“His staff told us that he would not in fact be boarding our vast aircraft carrier — which we had proudly stationed in the bay — because it had so many steps; and we wondered what that meant about his physical fitness,” Johnson said.

Biden did, however, seem spry enough to joke with Johnson’s new wife, then-33-year-old Carrie, whom he appeared to “take a bit of shine” to, the former prime minister wrote.

Biden, who attended the summit with his wife Jill, said both he and Johnson had “married above ourselves” — and joked he and Carrie sneak off for a walk alone.

“‘Why don’t you and I go down to the beach … and leave this guy here?'” he quipped to Carrie as “Jill Biden rolled her eyes,” Johnson wrote in his memoir.

Biden’s 2021 G7 trip was marked by several embarrassing blunders, including a moment during a roundtable discussion where he corrected Johnson for not introducing “the president of South Africa” — even though Johnson already did so by name.

Johnson said Biden refused to visit the British carrier due to the stairs.PA Images via Getty Images
HMS Prince of Wales returns to Portsmouth Harbour after completing Operational Sea Training Tasks in September 20,2024 in Portsmouth, England.Getty Images
The president bowed out of his reelection race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris amid concerns about his mental and physical capabilities following his disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump in June.

NYC bracing for widespread anti-Israel protests planned on Oct. 7

 The city is bracing for widespread anti-Israel protests planned for the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.

Protests are already expected on Saturday, in the lead up to the anniversary of the devastating terror attack, with events organized for Times Square, outside Google’s Manhattan headquarters and at Court Square Park in Queens.

Many anti-Israel groups are planning demonstrations for Monday, in particular, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), which is orchestrating a nationwide “Week of Rage” on college campuses beginning on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, one of the most outspoken anti-Israel organizations “Within Our Lifetime” (WOL) called on protestors to “flood New York City for Palestine” to mark the anniversary of the assault that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

One of the most outspoken anti-Israel organizations “Within Our Lifetime” called on protestors to “flood New York City for Palestine” to mark the day.Instagram/hcw4pnyc
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Just last week, WOL’s followers amassed in the hundreds for a demonstration outside the Loews Regency New York Hotel where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was staying before addressing the United Nations the following morning.

“On Monday October 7th Flood New York City For Palestine, stand with Gaza and uplift the Palestinian people resisting genocide by any means necessary since 1948,” the group wrote in a post to X. 

“Call out of work and school, take to the streets and join us throughout the day.”

WOL has asked those attending to “confront the forces of imperialism and zionism and let the world know that NYC stands with [Palestinians] heroic struggle in the face of annihilation.”

The protests are expected to be spread out across the city from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. including at Wall Street, City Hall, Washington Square Park, Union Square, Grand Central, Times Square and Columbus Circle.

Law-enforcement sources said cops would be out in full force, including working extra shifts and on their days off, and that some colleges would be doubling up their own security.

Many anti-Israel groups are planning demonstrations for Monday.Instagram/palestinianyouthmovement

The anniversary is likely to exacerbate already inflamed tensions on campuses – further heightened by Iran’s unprecedented missile attack against the Jewish State.

Some New York University students on Friday admitted to The Post that while they don’t know a lot about the issue and don’t have significant ties to the region, they’d be showing up to “experience [the protests] for themselves.”

“I’ll be there. I don’t have family in Gaza and that’s not my family culture but I have friends that have been affected by the war,” one student said.

Demonstrators rally through the streets with signs and Palestinian flags to protest the conflict in Gaza.AFP via Getty Images

“I don’t feel educated enough to know exactly who’s right and wrong in this but if they are fighting for anyone’s freedoms then they are protesting for the right reasons, in my opinion,” said another.

One foreign exchange student at the elite university added that “America is sick right now” and should have a united front.

The NYPD said earlier this week that it was beefing up security at synagogues and mosques ahead of Rosh Hashanah — a two day long holiday marking the Jewish new year that began on Wednesday night.

Mayor Eric Adams announced the extra precautions at a press briefing earlier that day, which the city referred back to when asked about the upcoming protests.

“While we acknowledge that the city will respect and protect people’s right to peacefully protest, there will be a zero tolerance for those who violate the law, impede traffic and damage property while doing so,” Adams said.

Hizzoner said people threatened at their places of work, worships or any place will not be tolerated and stressed that the NYPD is working with law enforcement partners at the city, state and federal levels.

Sensitive locations will have additional cameras to complement the 80,000 cameras in the NYPD Domain Awareness system, officials said.

“There will be many protections that you will see, and there will be many that you will not see. We will have an omnipresence and a real, visible presence of uniform personnel,” Adams added.

https://nypost.com/2024/10/04/us-news/nyc-bracing-for-widespread-anti-israel-protests-planned-for-one-year-anniversary-of-oct-7-terror-attack/