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A4 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 14 March 2023

Agents stop crowd at Texas border crossing amid asylum woes

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A to Canada ... and when
large group of migrants in they arrived, they were told
Mexico who were poised to it was a lie.”
barge into the U.S. over the The worst thing, Cruz said,
weekend were blocked is that migrants often leave
from crossing a bridge lead- the shelters where they
ing from Ciudad Juarez, are staying to attend such
Mexico, to El Paso, Texas, mass crossing attempts,
a U.S. Customs and Border only to find the shelters full
Protection spokesman said. when they return.
The migrants were “pos- Many of the migrants
ing a potential threat to on Sunday appeared to
make a mass entry,” and be asylum seekers. One
physical barriers were put woman held out what ap-
up to restrict their entry at peared to be an appoint-
the Paso Del Norte Interna- ment slip at the barricade.
tional Bridge on Sunday af- Migrants seeking asylum, a
ternoon, spokesman Roger legal immigration pathway
Maier said in a statement for people fleeing persecu-
to The Associated Press on Cars line up at the Paso del Norte international bridge in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, below, on the tion in their own country,
Monday. border with El Paso, Texas, top, Nov. 8, 2021. have been frustrated by
Barricades also were used Associated Press newly-implemented limits
in El Paso for a short time on those showing up at the
Sunday afternoon at other by their accents. back toward the Mexican lo Cruz, who works with the southwest border, as many
border crossings including Shouting “We want to get side. U.N. migration office in Ciu- Venezuelans do.
the Bridge of Americas and through!,” the migrants ran Traffic was reopened and dad Juarez. There has been frustration
the Stanton-Lerdo bridge, up to the center line of the flowing in both directions as Cruz said there was “a ru- with the U.S. government’s
Maier said. bridge, where U.S. authori- of Sunday evening, Maier mor that they were going CBPOne mobile app for
Video of the scene at the ties had erected concrete said. It wasn’t immediately to let them cross massively, making appointments to
Paso Del Norte bridge on and plastic barriers strung known what caused the particularly people who ar- apply for asylum, which has
Sunday showed hundreds with concertina wire. attempted mass crossing. rived with children.” been overloaded since the
of migrants brush past Mex- The migrants were stopped A message seeking com- Cruz said the rumors are a Biden administration intro-
ican National Guard offi- by the barrier, and re- ment was left with the may- recurrent problem. About a duced it Jan. 12. New ap-
cers on the Mexican side, mained on the Mexican or’s office in El Paso. month ago, messages be- pointments are available
some carrying children on side, shouting “Open up for The rush across the bridge gan circulating “that there each day at 6 a.m., but mi-
their shoulders. Many ap- us!” to the U.S. officers. Af- may have been sparked were going to be buses on grants find themselves sty-
peared to be Venezuelan, ter a time, the migrants ran by false rumors, said Cami- the U.S. side to take them mied by error messages.q

School pulls test question equating politics to race, gender

By MATTHEW BARAKAT class that equated liber- at Fairfax County Public “It’s one thing for adults While the question was
Associated Press als and conservatives with Schools’ Online Campus. to analyze demographic part of an AP class, it was
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) specific racial and gender The multiple-choice ques- trends,” he said. “It’s an- not created by the College
— Virginia’s largest school demographics. tion asked students, “Which other to tell students that Board, which administers
system is removing a test The question appeared on of the following is an accu- their identity defines their the AP program nationally.
question given to a col- a test given to students of rate comparison of liberals political philosophy.” In a tweet, the College
lege-level social studies an AP Government class versus conservatives?” The school system said in a Board said the question “is
The potential answers for statement that the ques- antithetical to the content
“liberals” included “Young, tion will be removed from and format of an AP ques-
white males;” “Middle future tests because it “did tion.”
aged, urban lesbian;” “Col- not meet the division’s high Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome
lege-educated black male expectations.” It also said Earle-Sears weighed in as
professional” and “White, all test questions adminis- well, criticizing the assump-
upper-middle class subur- tered to students in the AP tions the question makes
ban male.” Government Online Cam- about who is liberal and
The potential answers for pus class will now be re- who is conservative. She
“conservatives” included viewed. has frequently bristled at
“East Coast, Ivy League ed- The statement said the outsiders’ political assump-
ucated scientists;” “South- question was “designed to tions about Black women
ern male migrant laborer;” assess 12th graders’ under- that are at odds with her
“Catholic, midwestern mid- standing of American politi- stance as a conservative
dle-aged male” and “West cal ideology.” Republican and military
coast, Hispanic teacher. “ The test is part of an AP, veteran.
Rory Cooper, a Fairfax or Advanced Placement, “Tests like these create di-
County parent and school class that allows high- vision, low morale, fights in
This March 4, 2019 file photo shows Fairfax County Public Schools system critic who posted school students to earn our schools,” she wrote in
in Merrifield, Va. the question on Twitter, said college credit if they score one tweet.q
Associated Press it is offensive. well on a final exam.