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A28 u.s. news
Dialuna 25 aPRil 2022

Supreme Court weighs policy for migrants to wait in Mexico

ter. He was perplexed that a his brother, a Catholic priest The issue before the Su-
vast majority of Nicaraguans in New Jersey, while seeking preme Court is whether the
are released in the U.S. to asylum but waits at the Tijua- policy is discretionary and
pursue asylum, including na shelter for his first hearing can be ended, as the Biden
the woman he saved and her in San Diego on May 18. He administration argues, or is
daughter. is disheartened to see others the only way to comply with
at the shelter on their third or what Texas and Missouri say
Nearly 2,200 asylum-seek- fourth hearing. is a congressional command
ers, or 73% of those enrolled “One has to find a way to get not to release the migrants in
through March, are from Ni- across,” said Cardenas, a Co- the United States.
caragua, with nearly all the lombian who had attempted
rest from Colombia, Cuba, twice to enter the U.S. “I’m Without adequate detention
Ecuador and Venezuela. Yet thinking about what to do.” facilities, the states argue the
even among Nicaraguans, administration’s only option
the policy is small in scope. While waiting for hearings, is to make migrants wait in
U.S. authorities stopped Ni- men at the shelter are at- Mexico for asylum hearings
(AP) — When a woman Trump-era policy that will caraguans more than 56,000 tached to smartphones — in the U.S.
gashed her leg in moun- be argued Tuesday before the times from December to reading, watching videos and
tains inhabited by snakes U.S. Supreme Court. March. occasionally calling friends The two sides also disagree
and scorpions, she told and family. A large televi- about whether the way the
Joel Úbeda to take her President Joe Biden halted Criticisms of the policy are sion facing rows of tables administration ended the
5-year-old daughter. Úbe- the “Remain in Mexico” pol- the same under Biden and and plastic chairs helps defeat policy complies with a feder-
da refused to let the moth- icy his first day in office. A Trump: Migrants are terrified boredom. al law that compels agencies
er die, despite the advice judge forced him to reinstate in dangerous Mexican bor- to follow certain rules and
of their smuggler and an- it in December, but barely der cities and it is extremely Many have been robbed and explain their actions.
other migrant in a group 3,000 migrants were enrolled difficult to find lawyers from assaulted in Mexico, making
of seven, and helped carry by the end of March, making Mexico. them too scared to leave the A ruling is expected shortly
her to safety by shining a little impact during a period shelter. Some chat in small after the administration ends
mirror in sunlight to flag when authorities stopped mi- U.S. Homeland Security groups but most keep to another key Trump-era bor-
a U.S. Customs and Bor- grants about 700,000 times at Secretary Alejandro Mayor- themselves, lost in thought. der policy, lifting pandemic-
der Protection helicopter the border. kas, in an October order to related authority to expel
near San Diego. end “Remain in Mexico,” Carlos Humberto Castellano, migrants without a chance
Úbeda, like many migrants at reluctantly conceded that the who repaired cellphones in to seek asylum on May 23.
The motorcycle mechanic, a Tijuana shelter, had never policy caused a drop in weak Colombia and wants to join The decision to end Title 42
who used his house in Ni- heard of the policy, officially asylum claims under Trump family in New York, cried for authority, named for a 1944
caragua as collateral for a called “Migrant Protection but said it did not justify the two days after being returned public health law, is being le-
$6,500 smuggling fee, says Protocols.” It was widely harms. to Tijuana to wait for a court gally challenged by 22 states
the worst day of his life was known under President date in San Diego. It cost him and faces growing division
yet to come. Donald Trump, who en- Emil Cardenas, 27, said he about $6,500 to fly to Mexico within Biden’s Democratic
rolled about 70,000 migrants bloodied his foot and drank and pay a smuggler to cross Party.
Arrested after the encoun- after launching it in 2019 and his urine after running out the border, leaving him in
ter with U.S. agents, Úbeda making it a centerpiece of ef- of water on a three-day hike debt, he said. Due to costs, logistics and
learned two days later that he forts to deter asylum-seekers. in mountains near San Diego strained diplomatic relations,
could not pursue asylum in with a smuggler who took a “I can’t leave (the shelter) Title 42 has been difficult
the United States while living “It’s a frightening experi- $10,000 installment toward because I don’t know what to apply to some nationali-
with a cousin in Miami. In- ence,” Úbeda said after a tele- his fee and stole his passport, could happen,” said Castel- ties, including Nicaraguans,
stead, he would have to wait phone call with his mother to phone and other identifica- lano, 23, recalling that his which explains why the ad-
in the Mexican border city of consider whether to return tion. smuggler took a photo of ministration has favored
Tijuana for hearings in U.S. to Nicaragua to reunite with him. “Getting kidnapped is them for “Remain in Mexi-
immigration court under a her, his wife and his daugh- Cardenas hoped to live near the fear.” co.”

US military drops appeal of Hawaii order to drain fuel tanks

(AP) — The U.S. government on Friday 30 days after it’s safe to do so. The military will
dropped its appeals of a Hawaii order requir- David Henkin, an attorney for Earthjustice which have to stick to this deadline now that it’s dropping
ing it to remove fuel from a massive military is representing the Sierra Club of Hawaii as an in- the appeal, Henkin said.
fuel storage facility that leaked petroleum terested party in the case said his clients would re-
into the Navy’s water system at Pearl Harbor main vigilant to make sure the tanks are promptly The military, with oversight from the state health
last year. defueled. department and the U.S. Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, is currently developing plans to safely
Attorneys for the U.S. Department of Defense no- “It’s a wonderful Earth Day gift to the people of remove the fuel. It’s uncertain how long this will
tified the state and federal courts of its decision. Hawaii and in particular to all the residents of take.
The move comes more than a month after Defense Oahu who depend on safe, clean drinking water
Secretary Lloyd Austin said the military would per- when they turn on their tap,” Henkin said. Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, said in
manently shut down the tanks and drain all of their a statement that the dropping of the lawsuit “paves
fuel. The Navy and the Hawaii Department of Health the way for us to shut down Red Hill this year.”
did not immediately respond to messages seeking
The Hawaii Department of Health, which issued comment.
the order, said the decision regarding the Red Hill
Bulk Fuel Storage Facility was a “step forward.” Henkin said even if Austin were to change his mind
and try to keep the tanks open, the military will
“While today’s announcement is good news, the now face “an enforceable, unimpeachable, unchal-
work continues,” the department said in a state- lengeable order from the Department of Health
ment. It said it would “continue to act expeditious- that they need to follow.”
ly and proactively to oversee the safe defueling and
decommissioning of Red Hill and restoration of The order from the Hawaii Department of Health
the aquifer.” requires the military to remove fuel from the tanks