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A28 u.s. news
Diasabra 29 Mei 2021

California giving $116 million to people who get virus shots

(AP) — California is giv- The state will give $50 gift June 15, which would mean ority, he said. our lower-income, minor-
ing away the country’s cards either for general use 2 million more people are ity populations where we
largest pot of vaccine or for specific grocery stores vaccinated. With Memorial Day com- intend them to work if we
prize money — $116.5 mil- to the next 2 million people ing and the state’s reopening don’t at the same time lower
lion — in an attempt to get who get shots, including Money for the prizes will about two weeks later, it’s those barriers — whether it’s
millions more inoculated those at the school where come from the state’s disas- a “good time to incentivize digital or transportation or
before the most populous Newsom spoke. ter response account, which people,” Pan said. language,” Bibbins-Domin-
state fully reopens next will be reimbursed by federal go said. “We’re at a point in
month. Newsom, a freshman Dem- coronavirus relief money, Newsom’s office said the the pandemic where access
ocrat facing a likely recall said Amelia Matier, a New- program would be aimed should not be the issue.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom on election in the fall, defended som spokeswoman. at reaching people in com-
Thursday announced the the spending as smart policy munities hardest hit by the Newsom pointed to a “Get
prizes, which include $1.5 aimed at ensuring more than When asked if the expense is pandemic — mainly low-in- Out the Vaccine” program
million each for 10 Califor- 70% of eligible people are worth it, the governor replied come, Black and Latino peo- the state is running with 70
nians, the largest single award inoculated before the state that the “cost of not getting ple — but it wasn’t clear if community-based organiza-
offered in any state. fully reopens businesses and vaccinated is exponentially, the state is pursuing any new tions. It features about 2,000
relaxes social distancing and incalculably higher.” initiatives to vaccinate those workers in vulnerable com-
The goal is to motivate masking rules on June 15. populations. munities, encouraging their
roughly 12 million people That California is turning to peers to make a plan to get
who are eligible but not yet On that day, a drawing will be cash prizes to encourage vac- Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domin- vaccinated. Those workers
vaccinated, though the more held to award 10 vaccinated cinations marks a major turn- go, an epidemiologist at the will now share details of the
than 20 million Californians people the top prize. Another around from earlier this year, University of California, San prize money, he said.
already partially or fully vac- 30 people will win $50,000 when residents clamored for Francisco, noted cash and
cinated also are in the run- each, with those drawings shots. Some drove or waited prize incentives often don’t California uses a “vaccine
ning for the most valuable starting June 4. in line for hours, and others address the most important equity metric” to track vac-
prizes. found ways to get into line challenge of reaching poorer cination progress that splits
Anyone 12 and older who has when they weren’t eligible. communities. zip codes into four groups
“We’re putting aside more re- received at least one shot will from least to most healthy,
sources than any other state be eligible. The state will use State Sen. Richard Pan, a Surveys have shown unvac- based on a number of fac-
in America, and we’re mak- its immunization database to doctor and staunch advocate cinated Latinos are twice as tors. Nearly half of people in
ing available the largest prizes automatically enter people for vaccines, said it makes likely as whites to want a vac- the least advantaged neigh-
of any state in America for into the drawings, though it’s sense that demand dropped cine but may be unable to get borhoods still haven’t been
those that seek to get vacci- still exploring how to include off after early adopters eager time off work, live far from vaccinated, according to the
nated,” Newsom announced those vaccinated at federal fa- to get the vaccine had their a vaccination site, or fear state.
at an East Los Angeles high cilities, such as veterans hos- chance. While some Cali- they’ll be charged for a shot,
school where people were pitals. fornians will never get the she said. By contrast, less than a quar-
being vaccinated in the gym- shot, many hung back to see ter of people in the most ad-
nasium. Newsom said he hopes to the effect, and others simply “These types of strategies vantaged areas haven’t been
give out all the gift cards by didn’t consider the shot a pri- don’t work in sometimes vaccinated.

US to expedite immigration cases of families on border

(AP) — Families arriv- dockets aimed at quickly who arrive in families are still ment. were decided in the Trump
ing at the U.S. border deciding these cases in the subject to them, as is nearly administration’s family unit
with Mexico will have immigration courts, which every single adult. Last week, The Border Patrol had more dockets, according to statis-
their cases fast-tracked are notoriously backlogged the administration took steps than 170,000 encounters in tics from the Justice Depart-
in immigration court, the and can take years to resolve to ease the rules and agreed to April, its highest tally since ment’s Executive Office for
Biden administration said cases. eventually allow 250 people a March 2001, including Immigration Review, which
Friday, less than two weeks day through border crossings 50,000 with people traveling runs immigration courts.
after it said it was easing The latest iteration, which to seek refuge in the United in families. Many are repeat
pandemic-related restric- the administration is call- States. crossers because getting ex- Aaron Reichlin-Melnick,
tions on seeking asylum. ing a “dedicated docket,” lets pelled carries no legal conse- policy counsel at American
judges grant continuances But immigrant advocates quences. Immigration Council, said
Under the plan, families “for good cause,” according said creating dockets to speed the new plan appears to give
stopped on the border start- to instructions they received. asylum seekers through the Friday’s announcement gives judges more discretion to
ing Friday could be placed in It calls the 300-day timeline courts isn’t fair and in the families at the border a high- grant continuances in fami-
expedited proceedings aimed “an internal goal.” past has created delays for er priority than other cases in lies’ cases but he’s concerned
at determining whether they other migrants already wait- an immigration court system because many asylum seek-
can remain in the United The announcement comes ing years for their cases to be with about 1.3 million pend- ers placed in these special
States. Immigration judges as President Joe Biden is un- heard. ing cases. Attorney General dockets during the last two
would generally decide these der mounting pressure to lift Merrick Garland said the administrations wound up
cases within 300 days of an pandemic-related restrictions Eleanor Acer, senior director effort aligns with his goal of representing themselves in
initial hearing in 10 cities in- on seeking asylum at the bor- for refugee protection at Hu- immigration courts deciding court.
cluding New York, Los Ange- der that were put in place man Rights First, urged the cases “promptly and fairly.”
les and border communities by the Trump administra- Biden administration to roll “We are very skeptical about
such as El Paso, Texas, and tion in March 2020. Under back Trump administration The National Association yet another attempt to create
San Diego, the Departments the rules, citizens of Mexico, measures that make it dif- of Immigration Judges is a ‘rocket docket’ and contin-
of Justice and Homeland Se- Guatemala, Honduras and ficult for Central American studying the proposal, said ued to believe rushed justice
curity said in a statement. El Salvador are typically ex- migrants fleeing violence to Dana Marks, an immigration is no justice at all,” he said.
pelled to Mexico within two qualify for humanitarian pro- judge and the group’s execu-
It isn’t the first time U.S. hours without any opportu- tection in the United States. tive vice president. She said In addition to New York, Los
officials have sought to ex- nity to seek asylum or other “U.S. asylum proceedings the group was not consulted Angeles, San Diego and El
pedite the immigration humanitarian protections. cannot be considered fair about the plan. Paso, the docket is being in-
cases of families arriving on when the Biden administra- troduced in Denver; Detroit;
the southwest border. The Biden exempted unaccom- tion continues to blatantly Immigrants were issued de- Miami, Newark, New Jersey;
Trump and Obama admin- panied children but about violate U.S. refugee laws and portation orders in more than San Francisco; and Seattle.
istrations previously created one of every three people treaties,” she said in a state- 90 percent of the cases that