Texas Gov. Greg Abbott pushes back against New York, Washington D.C. mayors over busing scheme
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is pushing back against complaints made by Democratic mayors who are complaining about Texas busing illegal immigrants to the so-called sanctuary cities of New York City and Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser claimed that Abbott is “tricking” foreign nationals who’ve entered the U.S. illegally by transporting them to Washington, D.C. New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Abbott a “coward,” saying, “our country is home of the free, land of the brave. We do not become cowards and send people away who are looking for help.” But Abbott responded to both separately, saying their criticisms were misdirected and should instead be focused on President Joe Biden’s border policies. Texas has so far bused 5,500 people to Washington, D.C., only, Abbott clarified. ] “Texas has not bused any migrants to New York. Instead, it is President Biden who has flown planeloads of migrants to New York,” Abbott said. “Mayor Adams should address his frustration with migrants to the root cause: Joe Biden. “Mayor Adams’ problem is not with Texas,” he emphasized. “It is with President Biden’s refusal to stop this border crisis and secure our southern border. President Biden’s open border policies created this ongoing humanitarian crisis, allowing record-high illegal crossings and deadly drugs like fentanyl to flood into our state. A crisis that has overrun and overwhelmed our border towns and communities across our state, whose requests for help have gone ignored and unanswered by the Biden Administration.” Washington, D.C., doesn’t have the resources to deal with the roughly 100 people arriving a day, and its homeless shelters are full, Bowser says. But Texas is dealing with between 2,000 and 3,000 people arriving a day, Abbott said. After Bowser criticized Abbott, Adams held a news conference saying the influx of people was “a real burden on New Yorkers as we’re trying to do the right thing. We already have an overburdened shelter system, so now we’re talking about food, clothing, school. This is going to impact our schools because we do not turn away individuals because they are undocumented. There’s just a whole host of things that this is going to produce, and that’s why we need help.” The Center Square has previously reported that many people coming from other countries are coming because they say they’ve been told by the Biden administration that they will be granted asylum, even though they may not qualify for it according to U.S. immigration law. One Venezuelan man who was released into the U.S. illegally by the Biden administration told CNBC News that he was “in a good place” living in Venezuela, and he wouldn’t have “gone through that journey” to enter the U.S. illegally if he knew he would have ended up on the streets in Washington, D.C. Abbott’s spokesperson Renea Eze told The Center Square, “President Biden’s open border policies have created an ongoing humanitarian crisis, with record-high illegal crossings and deadly drugs like fentanyl flooding into our state. … With our nation’s capital now experiencing a fraction of the disaster created by President Biden’s reckless open border policies that our state faces every single day, maybe he’ll finally do his job and secure the border.” Abbott launched Operation Lone Star last March to thwart criminal activity coming through the Texas/Mexico border, including the smuggling and trafficking of people, drugs, and weapons. Multiple officers in law enforcement are also actively working to prevent, detect, and interdict transnational criminal behavior occurring between ports of entry. Since OLS launched, Texas’ multi-agency effort has led to the apprehension of more than 284,000 foreign nationals entering Texas illegally, the arrest of more than 17,400 people, and the issuance of more than 14,800 felony charges. New York City and Washington, D.C. are also not dealing with the level of cartel-related crime that Texas is, Abbott said. Most recently, members of Tactical Air Control Party Texas and the Texas National Guard eradicated a drug smuggling operation in a 30,000-acre area, for example. Roughly a dozen TACP airmen were responsible for interdicting more than 350 foreign nationals who’d illegally entered Texas, 34 human smugglers, and more than 800 pounds of marijuana during the course of their several-month operation. The soldiers worked through limited cell phone reception in the remote area, the governor’s office said, which impeded their ability to communicate and relay tactical information to mission partners, Border Patrol, and DPS. But, using cutting-edge technology from the Texas Military Department, his office said, airmen were able to create their own communication network using satellites. This allowed them to coordinate and respond to illegal activity along the border within minutes. “What these airmen have been able to accomplish in five months is remarkable,” U.S. Air Force Capt. Andres Cepeda said. “At the end of the day, this is our community, and we are effecting change, taking drugs off the street and stopping human trafficking. It feels awesome.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
Donald Trump v. Ron DeSantis: Young conservatives debate GOP’s future
When former President Donald Trump took the stage before a crowd of more than 5,000 young conservative activists in Tampa this weekend, he received the rock star’s welcome he’s grown accustomed to over the seven years in which he’s reshaped the Republican Party. One night earlier, it was Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who had the crowd on its feet as he headlined the day’s program at Turning Point USA’s annual Student Action Summit. “To be honest, it’s like choosing between your favorite child,” said Leo Milik, 19, who lives in Barrington, Illinois, when asked whom he’d like to see as the party’s next nominee. Milik, wearing a “Trump was Right” baseball cap, said both Republicans “have their pros, they have their cons.” For now, he said, he’s leaning toward Trump. That sentiment reflects the soul searching underway inside the GOP as an invisible primary for the 2024 presidential nomination begins to take shape, dominated at least for the moment by Trump and DeSantis. There’s little doubt that Trump is moving closer to announcing a third presidential campaign. But there’s genuine debate over whether he’s the party’s best candidate to take on President Joe Biden, who is otherwise seen as a vulnerable incumbent heading into the next campaign, weighed down by soaring inflation, sinking popularity, and questions about his capacity to manage the U.S. into his 80s. This summer’s hearings by the House committee investigating the deadly January 6 insurrection have only amplified the GOP’s anxiety about Trump. A pair of weekend editorials in the New York Post and Wall Street Journal — publications owned by the often Trump-friendly Rupert Murdoch — underscored the impact, castigating the former president for refusing to call off the mob of his supporters as they stormed the U.S. Capitol to halt the peaceful transfer of power. “As a matter of principle, as a matter of character, Trump has proven himself unworthy to be this country’s chief executive again,” wrote the New York Post. But inside the Tampa Convention Center, mentions of January 6 elicited cheers as a who’s who of Trump’s “MAGA movement” took the stage in a room that had the feel of a Las Vegas nightclub. Young attendees dressed in sparkly heels and candy-colored cowboy boots danced under laser lights to a DJ before the program began. Speakers were introduced with WWE-style videos, elaborate pyrotechnics, and smoke displays. Throughout the venue, ring lights were placed strategically in front of logoed backdrops for flattering photo ops. Outside, a small group of neo-Nazis briefly waved swastika flags. The top draw was Trump, who again teased his future plans. “I ran twice. I won twice and did much better the second time … and now we may just have to do it again,” he said to thundering cheers and chants of “Take it back!” During his speech, Trump appeared intent to address criticism from some corners of the party that he is too focused on relitigating the 2020 election, telling the crowd he wanted to talk about “some of the really big issues.” But he quickly returned to familiar grievances, labeling himself the most persecuted politician in the nation’s history as he inched ever closer to announcing a run. “If I renounced my beliefs, if I agreed to stay silent, if I stayed home, if I announced that I was not going to run for office, the persecution of Donald Trump would immediately stop,” he said. “But that’s what they want me to do. And you know what? There’s no chance I do that.” DeSantis, who often insists he is focused solely on reelection as governor, headlined Friday night’s program in an appearance that strongly suggested his ambitions extend beyond the state. He welcomed the crowd to the “free state of Florida” and highlighted the anti-COVID mitigation policies that made him a conservative hero during the height of the pandemic. And he bragged about his efforts to bar discussions of race and sexual orientation in Florida classrooms, as well as his battles with Disney. “We’ve accomplished an awful lot in the state of Florida. But we have only begun to fight,” he said. “Because we are on a mission to keep the state of Florida free and to save our great country.” An unscientific straw poll of attendees at the event found that 78.7% would vote for Trump in a GOP primary, with DeSantis coming in second with 19%. No other potential candidate came in above 1 percent. And many were indeed all in on a Trump 2024 run. “I love the idea; I absolutely do,” said Ryan Malone, 33, who recently moved from New York to Florida. While he is a big fan of DeSantis, he argued that Trump is best positioned to turn the country around from what he sees as Biden’s litany of failures. “I think that he would get more done,” he said. “Again, I love DeSantis; he’s my 1A, right? But I do think that if we’re going to get out of this miserable period that we’re in, Trump is the guy to get us out of this hole.” Still, he worried about what might happen if the two were to run against each other in a GOP primary. “I wouldn’t want to see there be bad blood between the person who’s, like, the true leader of our party and then the person who’s, you know, the second coming,” he said. But his wife, Dr. Mariuxi Viteri Malone, 33, is eager for DeSantis to run. As an immigrant from Ecuador, she said she was offended by Trump’s rhetoric toward Hispanics. “Be nice!” he said. “That’s all you need to do.” Others were more strategic in their thinking. Cameron Lilly, 29, said that he personally likes DeSantis better than Trump but nonetheless thinks another Trump run makes sense for the party. “I think Ron DeSantis right now is wasting the one more chance that Trump has,” said Lilly, who works for a defense contractor in Annapolis, Maryland. “I like DeSantis even a little bit more. But I think if we want to have
Urban Impact puts vision into action for Birmingham’s historic 4th Avenue Business District
Alabama has no rival when it comes to the number of meaningful civil rights sites in the state, and Birmingham boasts multiple locations where world-changing events took place. The borders of the city’s Civil Rights District, now the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, contain the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, and Kelly Ingram Park, to name a few. Each represents a pivotal point in the movement’s fight for equality. The district also includes the Historic 4th Avenue Business District, one of the few remaining Black commercial corridors in the Southeast. “Back in the 1980s, the mayor at the time wanted to make sure we preserved African-American downtown infrastructure and the historical African-American business district,” says Ivan Holloway, Urban Impact’s executive director. “He gathered a few local businessmen and some city councilmen and formed Urban Impact.” Holloway spotlights the importance of the organization’s preservation efforts. “In addition to the more famous civil rights sites, there are many important buildings here,” he says. “The Masonic Temple here was developed and designed by the first accredited African-American architect in the country, Robert Roberson Taylor.” It also housed offices of the NAACP and the Booker T. Washington Library, the first in the city to loan books to Black residents. The district showcases the work of the second accredited Black architect in America, too. “There are very few buildings by these men left standing anywhere, but they are here in Birmingham. One of the first African-American banks is here as well,” Holloway says. Saving more than spaces It may have begun with a push to save actual doors, windows, and walls – protecting places. But Urban Impact is conserving the community’s culture, too. “It allows us to show our place in history in relation to other parts of the city and Birmingham’s overall economy,” Holloway says. “We’re also preserving the memories associated with these spots.” In recent years, Urban Impact’s programming has evolved and expanded to remove barriers and provide increased economic opportunities for burgeoning Black businesses and startups. Its “Become” program is a 12-week training session that teaches basic business concepts and skills to aspiring Black business owners. Additionally, Urban Impact offers help with lease agreements, marketing assistance, and individual counseling for both existing businesses in the district and merchants hoping to locate there. Urban Impact is also a member of the Kiva Hub, a national micro-lending program that provides zero-interest, crowdsourced loans for small businesses. “We’re really proud to be a part of this,” Holloway says. The money flowing from this program – $25,000 total so far – has helped a coffee roaster buy the equipment needed to fill cups and allowed a kids’ shoe company to increase production and outfit more little feet. Urban Impact’s internal lending arm, the Birmingham Community IMPACT Fund, empowers women and minorities – those often underserved by traditional financial institutions – thanks to money raised from partners across the city and the country. Holloway notes the fund is the beginning of Urban Impact’s journey to becoming a certified community development financial institution in the coming years. Full speed ahead Urban Impact is preserving the district’s heritage but also looking squarely ahead for new and better ways to share the story of Birmingham’s Black community. Holloway and his team recognize that telling this story – and telling it well – can be a powerful tool as it seeks to safeguard essential elements of the community’s history while also providing the resources and support needed to foster and sustain success for the current and next generations. This mission is perhaps most evident in the organization’s revitalization initiatives for the district. “We are working with the national Main Street organization’s Urban Main program, which serves small sections of large cities, those with their own distinct characters and identities,” Holloway says. “It’s a major part of our work right now.” The focus is on the creation of a development plan to not just protect the Civil Rights District’s past, but to better communicate its significance and attract new businesses. “When folks visit Birmingham, what impression do we want them to leave with? What is the experience we want them to have in this part of Birmingham?” Holloway says. Urban Impact is answering these questions right now. “We are forming a comprehensive strategy centered on design, promotion, and organization to create a truly dynamic district,” he says. Some of the steps include giving the area a more cohesive feel, adding signage to illuminate the district’s distinct historical details, and using the built environment to share a richer perspective. “We want people to get what happened here, but what is happening here, too,” Holloway says. “And this is where our relationship with the Alabama Power Foundation began and where its support is proving so valuable.” With the Foundation’s assistance, Urban Impact is hiring a firm with the expertise to put its development vision into action. The plan puts a priority on paying tribute to the district by saving the structures of yesterday, as well as nurturing the businesses up and running today. One example is Green Acres, a popular restaurant that has been drawing throngs of hungry wing-seekers for more than 60 years. But there is equal emphasis on bringing dormant spots back to life. A crucial component calls for offering creative spaces that will entice Black entrepreneurs to open restaurants, shops, galleries, entertainment options, and more in the district, boosting the district’s vitality, prosperity, and quality of life for area residents. “We want more small business here,” Holloway says. “We want younger people looking to start something to come do that here and to be excited about growing here and helping the entire area grow.” He pointed to Urban Impact’s partnership with the Foundation, which he believes will allow the organization to make an even more profound mark. “It is so exciting to have the Foundation as a part of this,” he says. “It really is far-reaching and has a dual purpose: We’re preserving history but bringing the new to this old place, too – filling it with fresh energy,” Holloway says. “When people
AG Steve Marshall joins coalition to issue stern warning to Google
A stern warning has been issued to one tech company regarding the internet, Alabama Republican Attorney General Steve Marshall said. The state’s top law enforcement official has notified Google, telling the tech giant not to block or remove crisis pregnancy centers in the state from online searches for abortion services. Marshall said such action by the company could open Google to investigations into antitrust laws and religious discrimination. “Google accounts for more than 90% of all internet searches in the United States,” Marshall said in a release. “It also holds a dominant position in the market for online advertising. This dominant market position comes with a tremendous responsibility to Google’s users and to the American public. Google once recognized its outsized public duty in its corporate motto, ‘Don’t be evil,’ and its commitment to ‘provide … users with unbiased access to information.’” Marshall said “several national politicians,” unfortunately, are seeking to use Google’s market power “by pressuring the company to discriminate” against pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in search results, online advertising, and other products, such as Google Maps. “If Google fails to resist political pressure from those on the left and bow to their demands to censor or block crisis pregnancy centers, then we will act swiftly to protect American consumers,” Marshall said in the release. In a letter to Google, Marshall and the attorney generals gave a very clear warning. The letter, in part, reads, “If you comply with this inappropriate demand to bias your search results against crisis pregnancy centers, our offices will (1) conduct thorough investigations to determine whether this suppression violates the antitrust laws of the United States and our States; (2) investigate whether Google’s conduct amounts to an unlawful act of religious discrimination under state law; and (3) consider whether additional legislation – such as nondiscrimination rules under common carriage statutes – is necessary to protect consumers and markets.” According to the release, crisis pregnancy centers are charities that are private and show compassion and practical support to women. Those centers, in 2019, provided services to more than 1.8 million people and $266 million in services for little or no cost to women, including ultrasounds, STD testing, pregnancy tests, parenting, and parental education classes. Marshall joined other Republican attorneys general from Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia in penning the letter. Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
