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U.S. NEWS Friday 10 January 2020

Virginia Dems pledge to let locals move Confederate statues

Associated Press one. In Virginia that version
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — of history has been given
Newly empowered Demo- prominence and authority
cratic leaders in Virginia for far too long," Northam
pledged Thursday to let lo- said.
cal governments remove But as for an imposing,
Confederate monuments, state-owned statue of Lee
but Gov. Ralph Northam that's a centerpiece of a
said he's still weighing what historic street in Richmond
to do with one of the state's — once the capital city of
most prominent ones — a the Confederacy — the
towering statue of Gen. governor said "that's an on-
Robert E. Lee. going discussion."
As Virginia wrestles with its Lee's 21-foot (6-meter) stat-
Civil War legacy, Northam ue rises atop a pedestal
unveiled multiple initiatives nearly twice that tall on a
Thursday that he said were grassy circle along Monu-
aimed at telling a more ac- ment Avenue, a prestigious
curate and inclusive ver- boulevard in the heart of
sion of the state's past. They the city.
include more funding for Monument Avenue, a Na- This June 27, 2017, file photo, shows the Confederate General Robert E. Lee statue that stands in
historic African American tional Historic Landmark, the middle of a traffic circle on Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va.
cemeteries and cultural is also dotted with statues Associated Press
sites and the creation of of Confederate President
new highway markers. Jefferson Davis, generals Democrat who represents protest the city's attempt House Minority Leader Re-
At a news conference with J.E.B. Stuart and Thomas Richmond, said she agrees to move a statue of Lee. publican Del. Todd Gilbert
legislative leaders and "Stonewall" Jackson and that more dialogue is need- The event descended into said his caucus has bigger
state officials, the gover- Confederate naval officer ed about the monument. chaos and a white suprem- priorities than stopping ef-
nor also said he supports Matthew Maury. A statue "Personally, I want to see acist plowed his car into forts to remove Confeder-
removing a statue of Lee of black tennis hero Arthur additional statutes and a crowd, killing a woman ate statues, but warned
that Virginia contributed Ashe, a Richmond native, monuments put up that and injuring dozens more. that Democrats could be
to the U.S. Capitol grounds, was erected there too in would reflect a balanced Some who want to pre- setting themselves up for
and amending an existing 1996. history," she said. serve Confederate monu- headaches down the road.
state law that prohibits lo- Northam's spokeswoman The long-running debate ments say they are works "We could go after Wood-
cal governments from re- Alena Yarmosky declined over whether Confederate of art and say their removal row Wilson before this is
moving Confederate War to elaborate further about monuments are appropri- would amount to erasing over. I mean, he was one
memorials. what conversations are on- ate in public spaces inten- history. Critics say they in- of the biggest racist presi-
"These monuments tell a going about the Lee monu- sified after white suprema- appropriately glorify the dents in U.S. history," Gilbert
particular version of history ment's future. cists converged on Char- state's legacy of racism said. "Where this ends, I
that doesn't include every- Del. Delores McQuinn, a lottesville in 2017, in part to and slavery. don't know."q

U.S. border arrests drop as

focus turns to Mexicans

By ELLIOT SPAGAT his dramatic moves to re- which has so far worked
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The shape immigration policy in closely with the U.S. to ad-
number of people arrested his campaign for a second dress an unprecedented
or stopped entering the term. surge of asylum-seekers,
United States on the Mexi- The Department of Home- many of them Central
co border fell for a seventh land Security plans to send American families.
straight month in Decem- Mexicans to Guatemala The Trump administration
ber, with Mexicans making with an opportunity to seek has begun a host of other
up a larger part of the mix, protection there, a highly enforcement measures,
authorities said Thursday. unusual move among de- including a test in El Paso,
The tally helps explain why veloping nations seeking Texas, to quickly determine
the U.S. has turned more at- ways to curb asylum claims. asylum claims and flights to
tention to Mexican asylum- Monday's announce- deport Mexicans to Gua-
seekers as President Don- ment drew criticism from dalajara to discourage re-
ald Trump seeks to highlight the Mexican government, peat attempts.q