Page 28 - bon-dia-aruba-20210504

A28 U.s. news
Diamars 4 mei 2021

US begins reuniting some families separated at Mexico border

ahead," Mayorkas told reporters. "We provide relief to all of them, including
have a lot of work still to do, but I am providing them a permanent pathway
proud of the progress we have made to citizenship and care," Gelernt said.
and the reunifications that we have
helped to achieve." The reunifications begin as the
Biden administration confronts the
More than 5,500 children were sepa- third major increase in unaccompa-
rated from their parents during the nied children arriving at the border
Trump administration going back to in seven years. It has made major
July 1, 2017, many of them under a strides moving children from grossly
"zero-tolerance" policy to criminally overcrowded Border Patrol facilities
prosecute any adult who entered the to U.S. Department of Health and
country illegally, according to court Human Services shelters, which are
filings. The Biden administration more suited to longer-term stays un-
is doing its own count going back til children are placed with sponsors
to Trump's inauguration in January in the United States, typically parents
2017 and, according to Brane, be- or close relatives.
lieves more than 1,000 families re-
main separated. The average stay for an unaccompa-
nied child in Border Patrol custody
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The Biden While family separation under "zero- has plummeted to about 20 hours,
administration said Monday that Parents will return to the United tolerance" ended in June 2018 under below the legal limit of 72 hours and
four families that were separat- States on humanitarian parole while court order and shortly after Trump down from 133 hours in late March,
ed at the Mexico border during authorities consider other longer- reversed course, Biden has repeatedly Mayorkas said. There are 677 unac-
Donald Trump's presidency will term forms of legal status, said Mi- assailed the practice as an act of cruel- companied children in Border Patrol
be reunited in the United States chelle Brane, executive director of ty. An executive order on his first day custody, down from more than 5,700
this week in what Homeland Se- the administration's Family Reunifi- in office pledged to reunite families in late March.
curity Secretary Alejandro May- cation Task Force. The children are that were still separated "to the great-
orkas calls "just the beginning" of already in the U.S. est extent possible." Health and Human Services opened
a broader effort. 14 emergency intake centers, raising
Exactly how many families will re- The ACLU is happy for the four fam- capacity to nearly 20,000 beds from
Two of the four families include unite in the United States and in ilies but their reunifications are "just 952 when the Federal Emergency
mothers who were separated from what order is linked to negotiations the tip of the iceberg," said attorney Management Agency was dispatched
their children in late 2017, one Hon- with the American Civil Liberties Lee Gelernt. Among the more than March 13, Mayorkas said. About 400
duran and another Mexican, May- Union to settle a federal lawsuit in 5,500 children known to have been asylum officers from U.S. Citizen-
orkas said, declining to detail their San Diego, but Mayorkas said there separated, more than 1,000 may still ship and Immigration Services have
identities. He described them as were more to come. be apart from their parents and more been assigned as case managers to
children who were 3 years old at the than 400 parents have yet to be locat- speed the release of children to spon-
time and "teenagers who have had to "We continue to work tirelessly to re- ed, he said. sors. As of Thursday, Health and Hu-
live without their parent during their unite many more children with their man Services had 22,557 children in
most formative years." parents in the weeks and months "We need the Biden administration to its care.

Tornadoes cause damage in Mississippi; trees down in Atlanta

YAZOO CITY, Miss. of damage to homes on Elvis several images of funnel not aware of any significant disturbance moved across
(AP) — Multiple torna- Presley Drive, just down the clouds across different parts injuries, but asked residents the area, touching off the
does were reported across street from the home where of the state. to be on guard as falling trees storms over Mississippi, said
Mississippi on Sunday, the famed singer was born. and limbs still posed a threat. Mike Edmonston, National
destroying homes and Presley was born in a two- As the system moved east, Weather Service meteorolo-
uprooting trees before room house in the Tupelo storms damaged homes in a Georgia Power reported gist in Mississippi.
the storm system moved neighborhood but there was Kentucky town early Mon- about 3,000 outages in the
into Atlanta, prompting no indications that the his- day and a tornado watch for southwest part of the city. "The ingredients were just
residents Monday to seek toric home sustained dam- much of the day covered large GreyStone Power reported enough for the development
shelter in Georgia's largest age. It's now a museum. parts of Alabama and Geor- more than 3,000 outages in of severe storms," he said.
city. There were no imme- gia. At one point Monday, a Douglas and southern Fulton Three survey teams from the
diate reports of injuries. But just down the street on tornado warning prompted counites. weather service were prepar-
Elvis Presley Drive, a tornado residents of Atlanta to seek ing to assess the damage in
A line of severe storms rolled tore the roof off the home of shelter. A warm, moist air mass was Mississippi, he said.
through the state Sunday af- Terrille and Chaquilla Pul- in place as an upper-level
ternoon and into the night- liam, they told the Northeast In the southern Kentucky
time hours. Late Sunday, a Mississippi Daily Journal. town of Tompkinsville, a se-
"tornado emergency" was About 10 family members vere storm Monday morn-
declared for Tupelo and sur- took shelter inside the house, ing damaged several homes
rounding areas. Meteorolo- and "we got everybody in- and knocked down trees and
gists urged residents to take side in time," Terrille Pulliam power lines, Fire Chief Kevin
cover. said. Jones said. No injuries were
reported, he said. The Na-
Photos retweeted by the Calhoun County Sheriff tional Weather Service was
National Weather Service Greg Pollan said Calhoun checking to see whether the
in Memphis showed sev- City also "was hit hard to- damage appeared consistent
eral downed trees and power night." with a tornado.
lines. Tupelo Middle School
sustained some damage, as News outlets also reported Atlanta firefighters respond-
well as houses and business- tornados near Yazoo City, ed to multiple calls of trees
es. Byram and Tchula earlier in down, Atlanta Fire Rescue
the day. The National Weath- said in a statement late Mon-
There were multiple reports er Service in Jackson shared day morning. The agency was