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A28 U.S. NEWS
Dialuna 27 September 2021

Nonprofit grants propel prosecutor push on racial injustice

PHILADELPHIA (AP) cific crimes or making diver-
— When Deborah Gon- sion programs more inclu-
zalez took office in Janu- sive. Others are looking at
ary as the district attorney ways to keep juveniles out of
for the Western Judicial the criminal justice system all
District of Georgia, she together.
noticed that too few de-
fendants, especially Black “There was a desire to do
defendants, qualified for more in this moment, to ad-
a program that promised dress the system that contin-
treatment for addiction or ues to allow this to happen.
mental health and not jail. So we started asking if there
is something more we can
Like many court diversion do with this unique moment
programs elsewhere, poten- to reimagine what a just sys-
tial participants in the Athens- tem looks like,” said Jamila
Clarke and Oconee counties Hodge, the former director
programs were being dis- of the Reshaping Prosecution
qualified for certain previ- Program with Vera.
ous charges or police contact.
People living in poverty also In Gonzalez’s district, for
had a hard time qualifying example, about 22% of the
because of weekly program district’s overall population
fees “My philosophy is there is Black. Of the more than
is racial injustice and dispari- 6,800 people charged during
ties of how people are treated promises from the Biden ad- in Georgia, Virginia, Michi- 2019 and 2020, the majority
in this system. And we have Many of the changes enacted ministration for change. gan, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, were Black. Fewer than 150
to be intentional in how we by states following George Missouri, New York and In- were referred to the pretrial
address it,” Gonzalez said. Floyd’s death have centered And now, groups such as Vera diana — most of whom were program, and most came
on policing tactics and not are targeting suburban com- elected in the past two years from a county that is only 5
Through a grant from a na- on racial disparities in the munities to push through on progressive platforms — % percent Black.
tional nonprofit criminal criminal justice system. On a criminal justice changes are looking at programs or
justice advocacy group, Vera national level, bipartisan con- without new laws. policies in their offices that She hopes to double par-
Institute of Justice, and a lo- gressional talks on overhaul- disproportionately affect de- ticipation in her program by
cal organization, People Liv- ing policing practices have Vera awarded 10 prosecu- fendants of color. 2022, and will put in checks
ing in Recovery, Gonzalez is ended without an agreement, tors about $550,000 to help to monitor that the diversity
redesigning the program to bargainers from both parties reduce racial disparities in Some prosecutors are ad- is increasing.
make it more accessible. said this past week, despite prosecution. The prosecutors dressing prosecution of spe-

Texas border crossing where migrants made camp to reopen

DEL RIO, Texas (AP) —
The Texas border crossing
where thousands of Hai-
tian migrants converged
in recent weeks will be
partially reopened late
Saturday afternoon, U.S.
Customs and Border Pro-
tection said.

Federal and local officials said
no migrants remained at the
makeshift encampment as
of Friday, after some of the
nearly 15,000 people were border bridge. a troubled country that some Many migrants face expul- flights from Del Rio with
expelled from the country CBP agents on Saturday left more than a decade ago. sion because they are not 375 Haitian migrants; two
and many others were al- searched the brush along the The number of people at the covered by protections re- flights to Port-au-Prince and
lowed to remain in the U.S., Rio Grande to ensure that no Del Rio encampment peaked cently extended by the Biden two to Cap-Haitien. The de-
at least temporarily, as they one was hiding near the site. last Saturday as migrants administration to the more partment said the flights will
try to seek asylum. Bruno Lozano, the mayor of driven by confusion over the than 100,000 Haitian mi- continue “on a regular basis”
Del Rio, said officials also Biden administration’s poli- grants already in the U.S., as people are expelled under
In a statement, officials said wanted to be sure no other cies and misinformation on citing security concerns and pandemic powers that deny
trade and travel operations large groups of migrants were social media converged at the social unrest in the Western migrants the chance to seek
would resume at the Del Rio making their way to the Del border crossing. Hemisphere’s poorest coun- asylum.
Port of Entry for passenger Rio area to try to set up a sim- try. A devastating 2010 earth-
traffic at 4 p.m. Saturday. It ilar camp. The U.S. and Mexico worked quake forced many from The Trump administration
will be reopened for cargo swiftly, appearing eager to their homeland. enacted the policy, called Ti-
traffic on Monday morn- The Department of Home- end the humanitarian situa- tle 42, in March 2020 to jus-
ing. CBP temporarily closed land Security planned to con- tion that prompted the resig- The U.S. government ex- tify restrictive immigration
the border crossing between tinue flights to Haiti through- nation of the U.S. special en- pelled 2,324 Haitians on 21 policies in an effort to pre-
Del Rio and Ciudad Acuña, out the weekend, ignoring voy to Haiti and widespread flights to Haiti from Sunday vent the spread of the coro-
Mexico, on Sept. 17 after the criticism from Democratic outrage after images emerged through Friday, according to navirus. The Biden admin-
migrants suddenly crossed lawmakers and human rights of border agents maneuver- the Department of Home- istration has used it to justify
into Del Rio and made camp groups who say Haitian mi- ing their horses to forcibly land Security. On Friday, the the deportation of Haitian
around the U.S. side of the grants are being sent back to block and move migrants government operated four migrants.