Page 3 - aruba-today-20201119

A3
U.S. NEWS Thursday 19 November 2020

Judge orders U.S. to stop expelling children who cross border

By NOMAAN MERCHANT Opponents of the policy
Associated Press accuse the administration
HOUSTON (AP) — A federal of using the pandemic as a
judge on Wednesday or- pretext to restrict immigra-
dered the Trump adminis- tion and say agents can
tration to stop expelling im- safely screen minors for
migrant children who cross COVID-19 without denying
the southern border alone, protections under federal
halting a policy that has re- anti-trafficking law and a
sulted in thousands of rapid court settlement that gov-
deportations of minors dur- erns the treatment of chil-
ing the coronavirus pan- dren.
demic. U.S. Magistrate Judge G.
U.S. District Judge Emmet Michael Harvey recom-
Sullivan issued a preliminary mended on Sept. 25 that
injunction sought by legal Sullivan grant an injunction
groups suing on behalf of barring expulsions of chil-
children whom the gov- dren, saying the govern-
ernment sought to expel ment was claiming power
before they could request that was "breathtakingly
asylum or other protections broad."
under federal law. Children and parents who
The Trump administration In this Aug. 23, 2019 file photo, immigrants seeking asylum walk at the ICE South Texas Family have been expelled have
has expelled at least 8,800 Residential Center, in Dilley, Texas. reported believing they
unaccompanied children Associated Press would be allowed to re-
since March, when it issued companied by a parent. the use of hotels to detain ers in immigration custody. unite with family in the U.S.,
an emergency declara- The government has ex- children. The emergency declara- only to instead be deport-
tion citing the coronavirus pelled nearly 200,000 peo- The incoming administra- tion was made by Dr. Rob- ed to their countries of ori-
as grounds for barring most ple since March, including tion of President-elect Joe ert Redfield, director of the gin.
people crossing the border adults, and parents and Biden has not directly said Centers for Disease Con- One mother of 12- and
from remaining in the Unit- children traveling together. whether it will keep trying trol and Prevention, and 9-year-olds found out her
ed States. "This policy was sending to expel immigrants under the Justice Department on children had been expelled
Border agents have forced thousands of young chil- public-health authority. Oct. 2 cited the judgment when she received a call
many people to return to dren back to danger with- Biden is expected to roll of "the nation's top public from an official in Honduras
Mexico right away, while out any hearing," said Lee back several Trump admin- health official" in urging Sul- asking her to send a rela-
detaining others in holding Gelernt, a lawyer for the istration policies restricting livan not to stop the expul- tive to collect them.
facilities or hotels, some- American Civil Liberties asylum as part of a broader sion of children. The father of a 1-year-old
times for days or weeks. Union. "Like so many other shift on immigration. The Associated Press re- girl alleged that agents told
Meanwhile, government- Trump administration poli- The Trump administration ported on Oct. 3 that top him and his wife to feed the
funded facilities meant to cies, it was gratuitously cru- has argued in court that it CDC officials resisted is- girl ice in case their temper-
hold children while they are el and unlawful." must expel children who suing the declaration be- atures were checked be-
placed with sponsors have The Justice Department have recently crossed the cause it lacked a public fore boarding a flight. U.S.
thousands of unused beds. did not immediately say border — whether they health basis, but that Vice Immigration and Customs
Sullivan's order bars only whether it would appeal. It had authorization or not President Mike Pence or- Enforcement has denied
the expulsion of children has appealed another fed- — to prevent the infection dered Redfield to move using ice as an artificial
who cross the border unac- eral judge's order barring of border agents and oth- forward anyway. cooling measure.q

State commits to wind energy for 3.2M, eyes onshore sites

By WAYNE PARRY "This is a very exciting mo- build, generate and de-
Associated Press ment in our clean energy liver wind energy to utility
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — revolution in New Jersey," customers? Board officials
New Jersey formally com- said Joseph Fiordaliso, the noted that those cost esti-
mitted itself Wednesday to board's president. mates have not yet been
using offshore wind energy New Jersey wants to be the done and could vary de-
to power 3.2 million homes national leader in offshore pending on what methods
and will study the best ways wind energy and has al- of transmitting power are
to get that electricity from ready taken steps including actually chosen.
ocean turbines to commu- authorizing construction Jeff Tittel, director of the
nities where it is needed. of a facility to build and New Jersey Sierra Club, said
The state Board of Public deploy the huge turbine options include allowing in-
Utilities voted to adopt the blades needed to operate dividual wind farm projects
state's plan to build a trans- windmills. to run their own cables to This Oct. 1, 2020 photo shows windmills at a utility plant in Atlantic
mission system capable of Plans for an offshore wind shore, or constructing a City N.J. On Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, New Jersey committed
handling 7500 megawatts farm off the coast of Atlan- "backbone" running paral- itself to building a transmission system capable of handling
of electricity by 2035. tic City are moving forward. lel to the coastline that nu- enough offshore wind energy to power 3.2 million homes.
It will enter into an agree- A year ago, the state merous wind farms could Associated Press
ment with PJM Intercon- boosted its wind energy plug into. project should answer that jecting power into the grid
nection, a regional grid goal from 3,500 megawatts "It's always been the big question. Today was a win- at substations in Egg Harbor
operator, to study the best to 7,500. question: What's the best win for wind." Township, Howell, Freehold
ways to bring the power to But a big question remains: way to bring that power The board and PJM will and South Brunswick be-
shore and distribute it. how much will it cost to onshore?" Tittel said. "This study the feasibility of in- tween 2028 and 2035.q