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u.s. news Diahuebs 22 september 2022

US Embassy in Cuba to process full immigrant visas in 2023

(AP) — The Biden administration U.S. sooner than conventionally allowed.
said Wednesday that the U.S. Embas-
sy in Cuba will begin processing full Under accords with Cuba, the U.S. has
immigrant visas in early 2023, making committed to ensuring the legal migra-
it easier for Cubans to reunite with tion of at least 20,000 Cubans annually,
family members in the United States. not including immediate relatives of U.S.
citizens.
The embassy in Havana had last pro-
cessed full immigrant visas in 2017. The Attempted border crossings by Cubans
U.S. government will also stop requiring has increased sharply over the past year,
Cubans seeking visas in family preference according to data issued Monday by the
categories to travel to Georgetown, Guy- U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
ana, for their interviews. U.S. officials stopped Cubans who were
trying to enter the U.S. 19,057 times in
Additional government personnel will August, a more than four-fold increase
staff the embassy to handle the visa re- from August 2021.
quests. The added personnel are part of
the commitment stemming from the re- Border crossings have been fueled partly
sumption of the Cuban Family Reunifica- by repeat crossers because there are no
tion Parole program last month. The 2007 legal consequences for getting expelled
program enables U.S. citizens and lawful under a pandemic-era rule known as Title
permanent residents to apply for their 42. That rule denies a right to seek asy-
family members in Cuba to come to the lum.

Ex-cop Lane gets 3 years for role in George Floyd's death

(AP) — A former Minneapolis Chauvin's. the judge ended the proceeding, but worldwide reckoning over racial in-
police officer who was sentenced before the video session ended. Lane justice.
Wednesday to three years in pris- "I gotta register as a predatory of- added: "That's what Chauvin has to
on for aiding and abetting man- fender? What the (expletive) is that?" do. If I have a minimal role, why the Lane is already serving a 2 1/2-year
slaughter in the killing of George Thomas Lane, who pleaded guilty (expletive) do I have to do that?" federal sentence after being convict-
Floyd became angry when he earlier this year to aiding and abet- ed this year of violating Floyd's civil
erroneously thought he might ting second-degree manslaughter, Lane's remarks were in response to rights, and he appeared at Wednes-
have to register as a predatory of- said after his sentencing hearing. The the judge's instruction for Lane to day's hearing via video from the low-
fender, saying his role was "mini- hearing was held remotely via video, register as a predatory offender "if security federal prison camp in Little-
mal" when compared with Derek and Lane made the comment after required by law" — something legal ton, Colorado.
experts told The Associated Press is
fairly standard language in Minnesota As part of his plea agreement in the
criminal cases, but that neither Lane state case, prosecutors dropped a
nor Chauvin would be required to more serious count of aiding and
do. Lane's attorney, Earl Gray, told his abetting second-degree unintentional
client he would look into the matter. murder. They also said they would
seek a sentence of three years and
Floyd, 46, died in May 2020 after that he could serve it at the same time
Chauvin, who is white, pinned him as the federal one, and in federal cus-
to the ground with a knee on Floyd's tody. That state sentence is below the
neck as the Black man repeatedly sentencing guidelines that range be-
said he couldn't breathe. Lane, who tween 41 and 57 months.
is white, held down Floyd's legs. J.
Alexander Kueng, who is Black, knelt Prosecutor Matt Frank said Wednes-
on Floyd's back, and Tou Thao, who day that a lower sentence was appro-
is Hmong American, kept bystand- priate because Lane played a "some-
ers from intervening during the 9 what less culpable role" in Floyd's
1/2-minute restraint. death, adding, "there were moments
when Mr. Lane tried to change what
The killing, captured on bystander was going on that day."
video, sparked protests as part of a

Florida highway covered in Coors Light

beer after semi crash

(AP) — A Florida highway the Florida Highway Patrol was filled with cases of the
had to temporarily close said in a news release. Silver Bullet beer.
Wednesday after a semi-
trailer carrying cases of The pileup began when one Minor injuries were reported
Coors Light crashed and semitrailer clipped another by the occupants of the pick-
turned the roadway into a while changing lanes, offi- up truck, the news release
silver sea of beer cans. cials said. That forced other said.
semis to brake, but one failed
The multi-vehicle crash oc- to stop and collided with a The inside shoulder and trav-
curred shortly after 6 a.m. in pickup truck and another one el lanes were opened to traf-
the southbound lanes of In- of the stopping semis. fic by 8:30 a.m., and the rest
terstate 75 about 30 miles (48 of the roadway was reopened
kilometers) north of Tampa, The semi that failed to stop around noon, troopers said.