Page 6 - aruba-today-20190910

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 10 sepTember 2019

NRA sues

San Francisco over

terrorist declaration

By LISA MARIE PANE the NRA, like all U.S. citizens,
Associated Press is protected by the First
The National Rifle Associa- Amendment.”
tion sued San Francisco on The NRA has been battling
Monday over the city’s re- a number of challenges
cent declaration that the to its operations in recent
gun-rights lobby is a “do- months, including an in-
mestic terrorist organiza- vestigation by the attorney
tion.” general in New York, where
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. Dis- its charter was formed, and
trict Court for the Northern the attorney general in
District of California, ac- Washington, D.C., where
cuses city officials of vio- authorities are questioning
lating the gun lobby’s free whether its operations are
Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan speaks at the White House speech rights for political in violation of its non-profit
in Washington, Monday, Sept. 9, 2019.
Associated Press reasons and says the city is status.
seeking to blacklist anyone There also have been in-
Number of border crossers associated with the NRA. ternal battles over NRA
drops amid Mexican crackdown It asks the court to step in leadership with the group’s
Oliver
“to instruct elected officials then-president,
that freedom of speech North, and its top lobbyist,
By ASTRID GALVAN these numbers can always the border over the past means you cannot silence Chris Cox, stepping down,
Associated Press spike upwards,” he said. two years, making it the or punish those with whom giving gun-rights activists
PHOENIX (AP) — The Trump “History has shown that. third-busiest sector in the you disagree.” pause about the NRA’s
administration said Mon- We’ve seen it happen in the Southwest. So far this year, Last week, the San Fran- ability to hold sway in the
day it saw a 30% drop in past.” The Border Patrol ap- the Yuma sector has seen cisco Board of Supervisors upcoming 2020 presiden-
the number of people ap- prehended just over 50,600 over 51,000 family units. passed a resolution calling tial elections.
prehended at the southern people at the southern bor- That’s compared to just the NRA a “domestic terror- Amid the political strife,
U.S. border from July to Au- der in August, compared over 10,700 the year be- ist organization,” contend- there have been several
gust, amid an aggressive to nearly 72,000 in July and fore— a 316% increase. ing the NRA spreads pro- recent high-profile mass
crackdown by the Mexi- over 132,000 in May, at the In June, border officials paganda that seeks to de- shootings that appear to
can government on mi- peak of illegal border cross- announced they’d built a ceive the public about the be giving gun-control ad-
grants traveling north. ings. Authorities at official temporary, 500-person ca- dangers of gun violence. vocates momentum to
Acting Customs and Border ports of entries also turned pacity tent facility in the The resolution follows some seek restrictions on fire-
Protection Commissioner away 13,300 people in Au- back parking lot of the Bor- recent high-profile shoot- arms. Democrat leaders
Mark Morgan said at the gust, an increase from the der Patrol’s Yuma head- ings, including one in Gilroy, in Congress on Monday
White House that the per- 10,000 turned back in July. quarters. The agency spent California, about 80 miles urged President Donald
centage of border crossers There are about 19,000 just under $15 million for the (129 kilometers) southeast Trump, a favorite of the
who are traveling as fami- people waiting in Mexico setup and services for four of San Francisco, where a NRA, to push Republicans
lies also slid, a welcome to formally request asylum months, including meals, gunman entered a festival to agree to expand back-
change for U.S. authorities in the U.S. laundry and security. with an AK-style long gun, ground checks, and there
who claim adults bring chil- Randy Capps, director of But the number of arrivals killing three people and in- have been efforts to make
dren to the U.S. because research at the Migration there has fallen sharply, juring 17 before killing him- it easier to seize firearms
the government can’t de- Policy Institute, said while and officials are evaluating self. Since that shooting on at least temporarily from
tain them for as long. Mi- the number of apprehen- whether to keep the facil- July 28, there have been at people who are exhibiting
grants traveling in families sions has dropped, it’s still ity running after the four- least three mass shootings mental health issues.
and unaccompanied chil- high compared to August month contract expires — in El Paso, Texas; Dayton, The San Francisco resolu-
dren accounted for 57% in other years. He said the next month. Ohio; and in the West Texas tion also follows moves by
of border arrests in August, spike the U.S. saw in the The administration has de- towns of Odessa and Mid- corporate America in re-
down from 67% in July and spring isn’t necessarily tied pended on Mexico for its land. cent years to cut ties with
72% in May. to the weather but to cha- “Remain in Mexico” pro- “This action is an assault on the NRA and its member-
Morgan credited President os at the border. gram, which sends asylum- all advocacy organizations ship — from Delta Airlines
Donald Trump’s efforts to “The smugglers know when seekers back to Mexico to across the country,” said ceasing discounts for NRA
reduce immigration as there’s chaos they have a wait for U.S. court hearings. William A. Brewer III, the members to last week’s
well as the Mexican gov- lot more options. They can Morgan on Monday said NRA’s lawyer. moves by Walmart, CVS,
ernment’s clampdown on lower prices or make better the U.S. has returned 42,000 “There can be no place Walgreens and Albertsons
migrants traveling north, guarantees,” Capps said. asylum-seekers since the in our society for this man- chains all asking customers
which it says resulted in A majority of immigrants program began earlier ner of behavior by govern- to not openly carry firearms
a 56% reduction in three coming to the U.S. are this year but didn’t con- ment officials. Fortunately, into their stores.q
months. He said the drop Central American families firm reports that many had
has “nothing to do” with who turn themselves in af- been kidnapped , robbed
seasonal trends in which ter crossing the border and or fallen victim to extor-
fewer migrants cross during are fleeing violence and tion in Mexico. Homicides
the hot summer months. poverty. Many seek asylum. in Mexico have soared to
“We are absolutely en- Yuma, Arizona, saw a dra- nearly 35,000 last year, an
couraged by the down- matic spike in the number increase from the peak of
ward trend of apprehen- of families and unaccom- the 2011 cartel violence
sion numbers but we know panied children coming to that left 27,000 dead.q