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u.s. news Diahuebs 5 Mei 2022

US quietly expands asylum limits while preparing to end them

(AP) — The Biden admin- cial said. Mexico had already U.S. in or near Yuma, Arizo-
istration has begun expel- begun processing visas for na, and Del Rio, Texas.
ling Cubans and Nicara- Cubans.
guans to Mexico under Last month, Cuba and the
pandemic-related powers Another Mexican official, United States took a tentative
to deny migrants a chance also not authorized to com- step toward thawing relations
to seek asylum, expand- ment publicly, confirmed and resuming joint efforts to
ing use of the rule even as that up to 100 Cubans and 20 address irregular migration
it publicly says it has been Nicaraguans were being ex- during the highest-level talks
trying to unwind it, offi- pelled from San Diego under between the two countries in
cials said Wednesday. Title 42 under an agreement four years.
that runs through May 22.
The U.S. struck an agree- There were no major break-
ment with Mexico to expel The U.S. Department of throughs, but the mere fact
up to 100 Cubans and 20 Ni- Homeland Security did not that the U.S. was holding
caraguans a day from three immediately respond to a re- substantive talks was a sign
locations: San Diego; El Paso, quest for comment. relations might be looking hind the Centers for Disease CDC’s announcement on
Texas; and Rio Grande Valley, better under President Joe Control and Prevention’s April 1. But a federal judge
Texas, according to a U.S. of- Until last week, Mexico Biden after going into deep decision to end the measure in Louisiana ruled last week
ficial with direct knowledge only agreed to take Guate- freeze under his predeces- because it could no longer be that it couldn’t start unwind-
of the effort. malans, Hondurans and El sor, Deputy Foreign Minister justified on grounds of pro- ing Title 42 while it was still
Salvadorans — in addition Carlos Fernandez de Cossio tecting public health. in effect.
The expulsions began April to Mexicans — under Title said Friday.
27 and will end May 22, the 42 authority. Other nation- But the practice of expelling U.S. District Judge Robert
official told The Associated alities are subject to Title 42 “They seem committed. Cubans and Nicaraguans Summerhays strongly criti-
Press on condition of ano- but costs, strained diplomatic They ratified that they are runs counter to the admin- cized the CDC’s decision,
nymity because the agree- ties and other considerations committed to the agreements istration’s public statements suggesting he would try to
ment has not been made often make it difficult to send in place,” Fernandez de Cos- that it was phasing out use of keep Title 42 in effect after
public. They are carried out them back to their home sio said. “So we have no rea- the pandemic powers to pre- May 23. A hearing is sched-
under Title 42 authority, countries. son to mistrust what they’re pare for May 23. The Wash- uled May 13 for oral argu-
which was named for a pub- saying, but time will tell.” ington Post reported earlier ments.
lic health law and used to ex- It’s next to impossible for Wednesday that U.S. and
pel migrants on the grounds the U.S. to expel migrants Nicaraguans were stopped Mexico struck an agreement Marisa Limón, senior direc-
of preventing the spread of to Cuba or Nicaragua due to more than 16,000 times in to do so for Cubans and Ni- tor of advocacy and planning
COVID-19. Title 42 is due poor relations with those gov- March, more than double caraguans. at the Hope Border Institute,
to expire May 23. ernments. That has posed an September’s level. The vast said advocates began learn-
acute challenge for the Biden majority enter in South Tex- The U.S. has expelled mi- ing about expulsions of Cu-
The U.S. and Mexico agreed administration as more peo- as. grants more than 1.8 million bans and Nicaraguans from
April 26 to very limited ex- ple from those countries seek times under Title 42 author- El Paso on Monday and later
pulsions of Cubans and Ni- haven in the United States. Lifting Title 42 has proven ity since March 2020, ef- confirmed the new practice
caraguans, according to a controversial as midterm fectively overriding rights to with U.S. officials.
high-level Mexican official Cubans were stopped by U.S. elections near, even for seek asylum under U.S. law
who spoke on condition of authorities more than 32,000 Biden’s Democratic Party, and international treaty. In Limón said the administra-
anonymity because they were times on the Mexican border amid concerns that the U.S. doing so, migrants are not tion is “trying to get every
not authorized to comment in March, double the number is unprepared for an antici- subject to immigration law, last bit out of Title 42” be-
publicly. It was prompted by in February and more than pated increase in migrants which include rights to seek fore it expires. She called it
higher numbers of migrants five times October’s count, seeking asylum. Authorities protection from persecution “sobering” but consistent
from those two countries according to U.S. Customs stopped migrants more than at home. with the administration’s ef-
coming to the U.S. border. and Border Protection. Nica- 221,000 times in March, the forts to have other countries
ragua eased travel restrictions highest mark in 22 years. The administration said in the Western hemisphere
Mexico also took into ac- from Cuba in November, in court filings that it be- take more responsibility for
count that the U.S. govern- making it easier for Cubans The White House and gan processing more Cen- hosting people fleeing their
ment had started processing to continue by land to the Homeland Security Depart- tral American adults under homes.
visas in Cuba again, the offi- U.S. border. Most enter the ment have publicly stood be- immigration laws after the

Intuit to pay $141M settlement over ‘free’ TurboTax ads

(AP) — The company be- announced Wednesday. tion to nearly 4.4 million tax- ming millions of taxpayers, vertising practices and ex-
hind the TurboTax tax- payers, New York Attorney and we’re putting millions pects minimal impact to its
filing program will pay Under the terms of a settle- General Letitia James said. of dollars back into the pock- business from implementing
$141 million to customers ment signed by the attor- ets of impacted Americans,” the remaining changes going
across the United States neys general of all 50 states, James said her investigation James said in a statement. forward.”
who were deceived by mis- Mountain View, California- into Intuit was sparked by a “This agreement should
leading promises of free based Intuit Inc. will suspend 2019 ProPublica report that serve as a reminder to com- Until last year, Intuit of-
tax-filing services, New TurboTax’s “free, free, free” found the company was us- panies large and small that fered two free versions of
York’s attorney general ad campaign and pay restitu- ing deceptive tactics to steer engaging in these deceptive TurboTax. One was through
low-income tax filers away marketing ploys is illegal.” its participation in the Inter-
from the federally supported nal Revenue Service’s Free
free services for which they “As part of the agreement, File Program, geared toward
qualified — and toward its Intuit admitted no wrongdo- taxpayers earning roughly
own commercial products, ing, agreed to pay $141 mil- $34,000 and members of
instead. lion to put this matter behind the military. Intuit withdrew
it, and made certain commit- from the program in July
“For years, Intuit misled the ments regarding its advertis- 2021, saying in a blog post
most vulnerable among us to ing practices,” representatives that the company could pro-
make a profit. Today, every for Intuit said in a blog post vide more benefits without
state in the nation is holding Wednesday. “Intuit already the program’s limitations.
Intuit accountable for scam- adheres to most of these ad-