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A28 u.s. news
Diasabra 16 Juli 2022

Dettelbach becomes head of ATF, 1st confirmed chief in years

munity.” rector when President Barack
Obama nominated him in
Dettelbach is a former fed- January 2013 and left the role
eral prosecutor who served as in 2015.
U.S. attorney in Ohio from
2009 to 2016 and has run in Earlier this year, the Biden
the past for attorney general administration removed the
of Ohio. He worked in sev- agency’s acting director, Mar-
eral other positions in the vin Richardson, from his po-
Justice Department and was sition and replaced him with
involved in the prosecution the U.S. attorney in Arizona,
of a man who firebombed Gary Restaino. Restaino has
an Ohio courthouse. He also juggled both jobs as Dettel-
served as the chairman of the bach’s nomination waded
civil rights subcommittee as its way through the Senate.
part of the attorney general’s Richardson has been the
advisory committee under agency’s deputy director.
former attorneys general Eric
Holder and Loretta Lynch. Dettelbach’s confirmation
was immediately hailed by
Biden had to withdraw the advocates who highlighted
nomination of his first ATF his experience as a prosecu-
nominee, gun control advo- tor and his work with law en-
(AP) — The U.S. Senate tion. bust implementation” of the cate David Chipman, after it forcement.
on Tuesday confirmed widest ranging gun violence stalled for months because of
Steve Dettelbach, a for- Dettelbach was confirmed by bill Congress has passed in opposition from Republicans “Steve Dettelbach’s bipar-
mer federal prosecutor, the Senate in a 48-46 vote. decades and other action to and some Democrats in the tisan confirmation vote is a
to run the federal Bureau He’s racked up endorsements drive down violent crime. Senate. watershed victory for the gun
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fire- from law enforcement offi- safety movement and further
arms and Explosives, mak- cials, former Justice Depart- “We have so much more to Both Republican and Demo- proof that the Senate logjam
ing him the agency’s first ment officials who worked do,” Biden said in a state- cratic administrations had around this life-or-death is-
confirmed director since for both Republican and ment. “I will continue to call long failed to get nominees sue is finally breaking,” said
2015. Democratic administrations on Congress to build on this for the ATF position through John Feinblatt, president of
and victims of violence. Two momentum and ban assault the politically fraught process Everytown for Gun Safety.
Dettelbach takes the reins Republican lawmakers, Sens. weapons, expand background since the director’s position
of the agency as the Biden Susan Collins of Maine and checks, and pass safe storage was made confirmable in His nomination had been
administration and the Jus- Rob Portman of Ohio, voted laws.” 2006. Since then, only one staunchly opposed by gun
tice Department are fighting to confirm Dettelbach. nominee, former U.S. At- rights groups, including Gun
to combat a surge in violent Biden called Dettelbach an torney B. Todd Jones, has Owners of America, which
crime, gun violence and mass President Joe Biden hailed ”extraordinarily qualified and been confirmed. Jones made wrote a letter Tuesday to
shootings that has touched Dettelbach’s confirmation decorated career prosecutor it through the Senate in 2013 Senate leaders urging them
both big cities and small rural and said Dettelbach “will play with strong support across but only after a six-month to vote against him.
communities across the na- a leading role in ensuring ro- the law enforcement com- struggle. Jones was acting di-

Asylum wait lists at US border frustrate, confuse migrants

(AP) — Opaque waiting lists spike in border crossings has become migrants and communicating with shelter in Ciudad Acuña that they
at the Mexico border to gain a a political flashpoint for Biden, with U.S. authorities, CBP Commissioner wanted 26 families at the border
chance at obtaining asylum in Republicans saying he’s not doing Chris Magnus said in a recent inter- crossing with Del Rio, Texas, false
the United States have persisted enough to stop them. At a meeting view. word spread that Magaly Pérez, di-
under President Joe Biden, lead- with Biden in Washington on Tues- rector of the San Antonio Commu-
ing many migrants to give up day, Mexican President Andres Man- “Is it a perfect system? Certainly not, nity Center, was managing a list.
and cross illegally or languish for uel López Obrador spoke of chal- but that has been a very important
months in border towns. lenges that were brutally underscored part of the equation, these relation- “The next day we had 100 people at
by 53 migrants who died last month ships,” Magnus said. the door,” Pérez said. “The day after
U.S. preparations in late April to end after being abandoned in a sweltering that we had 300 people. It spun out
pandemic-related limits on asylum tractor-trailer in San Antonio. When U.S. authorities told a small of control.”
led to the latest round of registering
names. In Tijuana, an online registry U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
run by advocacy group Al Otro Lado tion began taking 70 asylum-seekers a
soared to about 50,000. In Piedras day in San Diego in late April — half
Negras, a migrant services center’s chosen by Al Otro Lado, which prior-
list ballooned to 2,000 before being itizes how long migrants have waited,
halted. and half by Border Angels, which se-
lected from Tijuana migrant shelters.
Waiting lists were widely used un-
der former President Donald Trump The Biden administration says it
to deal with an increase in migrants prioritizes the most “vulnerable”
from Mexico and Central America — which may include LGTBQ mi-
coming to the border, starting with grants, those with severe medical
large caravans in 2018. Circumstanc- conditions or those facing imminent
es are different now, but the process physical danger in Mexico — but the
is similarly confusing. Migrants often criteria is vague and mysterious for
don’t know how to sign up or that many.
lists even exist.
Nongovernmental organizations
The latest chaotic episodes come as a play a “critical role,” helping select