1 Trump Administration Issues New Asylum Rule
The Trump administration moved to reverse a decades-old U.S. policy on asylum protections for immigrants. They announced that they will be ending all asylum protections for most migrants who arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration is hoping to slash the number of people seeking refuge in America. The new rule is expected to go into effect today and would cover all would-be refugees seeking asylum and safety in this country. Many expect this ruling to be challenged in court. In the meantime, the plan states that migrants who pass through another country — in this case, Mexico — on their way to the U.S. will be ineligible for asylum. The rule also applies to children who have crossed the border alone. There are some exceptions, including for victims of human trafficking and asylum-seekers who were denied protection in another country.Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said that his country "does not agree with any measure that limits access to asylum." Attorney General William Barr said that the United States is "a generous country but is being completely overwhelmed" by the burdens associated with apprehending and processing hundreds of thousands of migrants at the southern border.
2 Epstein's Cash And Passport Stash Revealed As He Awaits Bail Decision
Accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein is looking to be granted bail in a New York courtroom this week and prosecutors are looking to make sure he doesn't get it. Prosecutor's revealed that Epstein kept an expired passport issued by a foreign country in the name of another person in a safe, along with piles of cash and dozens of diamonds during a hearing on whether the sex offender should be granted bail. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Rossmiller said the feds had learned of the contents of the safe in Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion hours before the hearing in Manhattan Federal Court. Rossmiller cited the passport issued in the 1980s, which listed a residence in Saudi Arabia and featured Epstein’s photo along with a different name, as another example of why he should remain locked up while awaiting trial for alleged sex trafficking of underage girls. Two women who said Mr. Epstein had abused them bolstered the government’s argument, urging the judge to deny him bail. Judge Richard Berman will rule Thursday whether to grant Epstein bail. The judge noted during the two-hour hearing that studies have shown sex offenders are particularly prone to re-offend.
3 Barr Condemns Hate Crimes, Anti-Semitism
Attorney General William Barr and FBI Director Christopher Wray were among those to speak yesterday at an anti-Semitism summit in Washington, D.C., to voice their concern about the rise of hate crimes in the United States. The event focused on harassment and discrimination toward members of the Jewish faith. Barr, Wray, and experts talked about Arabic news clips that showed speakers praising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and the Jewish Holocaust. Barr' speech focused primarily on the surge in anti-Semitism reflected in FBI hate crime data and more-localized reporting from the New York Police Department and elsewhere.Barr said that horrific acts of violence such as the shooting last year in a Pittsburgh synagogue may capture the public’s attention, but that lesser forms of anti-Semitism often happen under the radar and need to be combated across society.