Former House speaker Mike Hubbard released from prison
Former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard has been released from prison after serving more than two years behind bars for a 2016 ethics conviction. The Alabama Department of Corrections said Hubbard was from Limestone Correctional Facility on Sunday, the day his 28-month sentence was set to end. The Republican was one of the state’s most powerful politicians until the ethics conviction ended his political career. The architect of the GOP’s takeover of the Alabama Legislature in 2010, Hubbard was a legislator from Auburn and former chairman of the state Republican Party. He was elected House speaker soon after Republicans won control of the House. Prosecutors accused Hubbard of leveraging his powerful public office to obtain business clients, violating prohibitions against using his office for personal gain and against giving a “thing of value” to an elected official. At his trial, Hubbard’s defense attorneys maintained the contracts were legitimate work and unrelated to his position as House speaker. A jury in 2016 convicted Hubbard of 12 felony charges, but half of those were overturned on appeal. Hubbard had unsuccessfully sought an early release from prison. Prosecutors opposed his request for early release and said his apology was insincere. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby’s lasting legacy
If Alabama is prospering, thank retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. That’s the refrain from the coast to the mountains among those responsible for economic and industrial development. While representing the state in the U.S. Senate for six terms – 36 years – preceded by work as an attorney, roles in state government, and eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives, Shelby earned a reputation as one who can understand the issues, work across the aisle to get things done and look ahead with a clear vision of what the state can achieve in the future. Ask in Huntsville; they’ll tell you his support of space and defense was critical to that entire region. Ask in Montgomery or Tuscaloosa or Lincoln or Huntsville, and they’ll tell you federal dollars for roads and public works made it possible to attract an automotive industry that thrives today in the state’s heartland. Ask at the universities, and they’ll tell you that federal support helps educate today’s students to meet the needs of growing industries. And ask in Mobile and hear the story of phenomenal growth at the port – how it impacts the Port City and then sends goods on trains and interstates and inland waterways to reach the whole Alabama economy. And all of them will tell you that without Richard Shelby, the economy just wouldn’t be what it is today. Business Alabama asked key individuals around the state for their examples of Shelby’s impact. Here’s what they had to say. Chip Cherry President & CEO, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce “Sen. Shelby has been a blessing to us in the sense that he has the ability to see how the different pieces of the puzzle are scattered about and what can be brought together to benefit both the country and the state.” Cherry’s favorite example is at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal, centerpiece of the space and defense work and more recently of the FBI’s Southern headquarters. “He saw the synergies between what was happening at Redstone and what the FBI was doing” and helped bring the FBI. The move “allows for collaboration among federal partners on the same campus,” he said. Shelby, he said, “has been a strong advocate, informing his colleagues of the value of what happens at Redstone and making the case for how investment there benefits the entire country. And that benefits us as a region. “I believe in my heart that he’s more of a statesman than a politician – able to work across party lines to make a case and build consensus. That’s an unusual thing to happen in D.C. these days.” Finis St. John IV Chancellor, University of Alabama System “Sen. Shelby recognized and strongly believed from early on in his career that education and higher education were the ways that the state could advance. He has been a tireless supporter of higher education, research, health care – all of which are integral to our mission at the University of Alabama System. “It’s hard to list all the ways he’s helped advance our mission, but nobody in anyone’s memory has been more important to that.” And why is higher education important to the state’s economy? “It’s the pipeline for the people that execute our economy,” St. John said. “If we do a better job at generating that raw material, then every entity in the state is better off, every business, government, all areas of the economy do better with higher equality results from higher education. “Every time you talk to a business leader right now, the biggest problem they face is workforce. Nobody has enough people, and they don’t have qualified people. Not only are we trying to address that with Alabama students but also by bringing in out-of-state students and then working with government and industry to entice them to stay in Alabama.” Shelby’s influence goes well beyond higher education and research funding, St. John noted. “It hasn’t been piecemeal, but comprehensive.” Shelby was a family friend as St. John was growing up, and he considers the senator “a dear friend, mentor and adviser, whose wisdom I’ve been very fortunate to benefit from for a long time.” Greg Barker President, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama “We’re in a global economy right now, so having somebody like Sen. Shelby, who is a constant advocate for the right federal policies that position the United States for growth and as a good place to do business, that’s paramount.” “He was an aggressive advocate for a wide range of elements that made the U.S. a better place to live and work. That’s where you start,” said Barker, who previously was an executive at Alabama Power. “When you think of business growth and development, you have to have the right infrastructure, and that infrastructure is expensive. It takes federal money to build roads and water systems and everything.” Shelby was particularly good at “making sure Alabama is aware of the federal programs and very competitive to be able to receive federal money and put it to good use for Alabamians.” Shelby, he said, “was a very distinguished and influential U.S. senator, and that put him in a lot of interesting rooms with interesting people – and he was consistently an advocate for Alabama, suggesting that people consider it for future growth for their company.” Barker especially respected the senator’s role in getting roadbuilding funds that enabled the establishment of Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Tuscaloosa County and water system funding that enabled construction of the Honda plant in Talladega County. “I don’t think it’s an exaggeration at all to say that Alabama’s advanced manufacturing success – for the auto industry alone – is due to him.” Greg Canfield Secretary, Alabama Department of Commerce “From my perspective, what’s most impressive about Sen. Shelby’s legacy in Alabama is his impact on Alabama’s economic engines and the infrastructure that drives our economy.” Canfield called out examples across the state – the port with the most container traffic in its history; the universities with
Terri Sewell remembers 2nd anniversary of January 6
On Friday, Congresswoman Terri Sewell commemorated the second Anniversary of the January 6th riot at the United States Capitol Building. Sewell joined some of her Democratic colleagues on the steps of the House of Representatives to commemorate the second anniversary of January 6th. “Two years ago today, Americans watched in horror as former President [Donald] Trump incited a violent and deadly attack on the United States Capitol,” Sewell said in a statement. “The January 6th insurrection was an assault not only on the Capitol Building but on the peaceful transition of power and Democracy itself.” “Today and every day, I am grateful for the heroic officers who put their lives on the line to defend our democracy and who continue to secure the Capitol against ongoing threats,” Sewell continued. “My heart goes out to the families of the fallen officers who joined us on the House steps this morning. I commend the thorough, bipartisan work of the January 6th Committee which brought the facts to light and found that President Trump and his allies engaged in insurrection against the United States and our Constitution. No one is above the law, and we must relentlessly pursue accountability for those involved in orchestrating this attack, including the former President.” “I will never forget the feeling of terror as my colleagues and I laid on the ground trapped in the House Gallery, fearing for our lives and for the survival of our democracy,” Sewell concluded. “As we continue to heal and move forward, know that we are committed to doing all we can to prevent such a heinous attack from ever happening again.” While the facts of what happened on Jan. 6, 2021 are widely known and agreed upon, the partisan interpretation of those events remains heavily disputed. Democrats deny that the 2020 election results were fraudulent and claim that there was a vast conspiracy led by then-President Donald Trump to overthrow the results of the election, that the President and his GOP allies were attempting to subvert democracy, and that the attack on the Capitol building was an “insurrection,” and that Trump, members of his administration and even some Republican members of Congress may have broken the law. Many Republicans claim that Trump and Republican members of Congress did nothing illegal on that day. They claim there were credible reports of election fraud in 2020 and that members of Congress who voted not to certify the Electoral College results simply wanted time to investigate those allegations. They also maintain that the attack on the Capitol was a protest that overstepped its bounds and was not an insurrection. The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol, appointed by then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated in a final report, “Between the election and January 6th, the Trump Campaign sent out hundreds of emails urging President Trump’s supporters to “fight the Liberal MOB” and “join the Trump army.” Users on the same extreme social media platforms used to plan the attack on the Capitol repeatedly shared the “Official Election Defense Fund” donation links in the week following election day. Links to donate were often accompanied by mentions of voter fraud and calls to save the country, mirroring the language of the fundraising emails and the countless discussions being held by the President’s supporters of coming to Washington, DC, on January 6th to ‘Stop the steal.’” “On January 6th, while President Trump was speaking at the Ellipse rally and directing his supporters to march to the Capitol, his Campaign was also sending fundraising emails inflaming people to “fight back,” the report continued. “One email stated, “100 Members of Congress . . . Join them in the FIGHT to DEFEND the Election . . . This is our last line of defense.” Another email stated, “TODAY will be a historic day in our Nation’s history. Congress will either certify, or object to, the Election results. Every single Patriot from across the Country must step up RIGHT NOW if we’re going to successfully DEFEND the integrity of this Election.” A third email stated, “TODAY. This is our LAST CHANCE . . . The stakes have NEVER been higher. President Trump needs YOU to make a statement and publicly stand with him and FIGHT BACK.” Thirty minutes after the last fundraising email was sent, the Capitol was breached. It was then and only then that TMAGAC fundraisers decided to stop sending emails containing baseless claims of election fraud.” “After raising $250 million dollars on false voter fraud claims, mostly from small-dollar donors, President Trump did not spend it on fighting an election he knew he lost,” the Committee wrote. “Instead, a significant portion of the money was deposited into the Save America account and not used for the purposes the Campaign claimed it would be. President Trump got a war chest with millions of dollars, and the American people were left with the U.S. Capitol under attack.” Republicans largely dismiss the finding of the January 6th committee as a partisan witch hunt. Now that Republicans control the House of Representatives, the Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol is no longer standing. It joined the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth, and the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress as 117th Congress Committees that new Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and the Republican House leadership discontinued. Sewell is in her seventh term representing Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Change in 24-hour notification rule concerns some activists
Some conservative activists have expressed concerns about a proposed rule change in the Alabama House of Representatives rules that would change the amount of time that the public and House members receive before a House Committee can consider a bill. Under the rules used during the last four years, a House committee had to give 24 hours public notice before a bill could be considered in committee. The new rule would change that to just four hours. Some conservative groups have expressed alarm that this will limit the public’s input in the legislative process. Alabama Today spoke with a member of the House off the record about the proposed rule change. The member pointed out that the 24-hour rule was regularly worked around by the House to begin with. While the rule was on the books, how the House actually operated is that a committee chairperson would ask to be recognized on the floor of the House at some point during floor proceedings. The chair would then ask the body for a motion “to suspend the rules” so that the committee could meet and consider legislation. Sometimes those meetings would occur later that day, and sometimes those committee meetings would be held while the body was in session. Sometimes, the committee met immediately. This interpretation of how the House (and the State Senate) functions is correct. Committees often meet inside that 24-hour notice window, often inside a four-hour window, and sometimes with just five minutes’ notice. Capitol Press Corps members would have to pick up their laptops and scramble from the House floor press room to the committee meeting somewhere on the eight floors of the State House building. A motion to suspend the rules so that a committee can meet is a regular occurrence and is usually made by voice vote without opposition. Alabama Today was told that the GOP nominee for the Speaker of the Alabama House, Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter, and the new House Majority Leader, Rep. Scott Stadthagen, have heard the concerns of members and the public and are reportedly concerned about the overuse of the motion to suspend the rules to avoid the notification requirement and the change from 24-hour notice to four hours notice was proposed with the intent of continuing to provide House committees with the flexibility to operate, but while having some real world actual public notice requirements. Members have been asked by the leadership to refrain from speaking publicly on the proposed rules changes so that leadership can more thoroughly explain this and other proposals. Changing the rules of a legislative body is a normal part of the legislative process. Every four years, the Alabama House and Senate review their rules and attempt to update them during the organizational session of the Alabama Legislature at the start of a new quadrennium. The U.S. House of Representatives is about to consider its own new set of House rules for the 118th Congress that differ somewhat from the rules put in place by the 117th Congress. At the federal level, there has been a change in the Speaker of the House from Nancy Pelosi to Kevin McCarthy. In the Alabama House of Representatives, Ledbetter is the presumed Speaker replacement for Rep. Mac McCutcheon, who retired from the Legislature. Since Republicans have a 77 to 28 majority in the Alabama House of Representatives, the Republican choice for Speaker will likely be the new Speaker. State Rep. Chris Pringle is the GOP choice to be the Speaker Pro Tem., replacing Rep. Victor Gaston, who also retired. The House will vote on new leadership and changes to the rules when it meets on Tuesday for the organizational session. To connect with the author of this story, or to comment, email brandonmreporter@gmail.com.
Kevin McCarthy elected the 55th Speaker of the House
Congressman Kevin McCarthy became the 55th Speaker of the House early Saturday on the 15th ballot. McCarthy prevailed 216 to 212 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Six hardline Republican dissidents voted present, lowering the threshold needed to win to just 215 votes. Democratic incumbent Donald McEachin lost his battle with cancer after re-election; thus, the number of Congress members in the body is 434 instead of 435. “You know – my father always told me: It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” McCarthy said in his acceptance speech. “And now we need to finish strong for the American people. If the son of a fireman and grandchild of immigrants can rise to the highest position in the most important legislative body in the world. And if my colleague Hakeem Jeffries, with his life story, can rise to lead his party, then opportunity and democracy still thrive in America.” “As Speaker of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility – our responsibility – is to our country,” McCarthy said. “Two months ago, you voted for a new direction for our country. You embraced our Commitment to America. And now, we are going to keep our commitment to you. It’s a commitment for an economy that is strong – where you can fill up your tank and feed your family, where paychecks grow, not shrink. A commitment for a nation that’s safe – where communities are protected, law enforcement is respected, and criminals are prosecuted. A commitment for a future that is built on freedom – where children come first and are taught to dream big because, in America, dreams can still come true. A commitment for a government that is accountable – where Americans get the answers they want, need, and deserve.” “Our system is built on checks and balances,” McCarthy continued. “It’s time for us to be the check and provide some balance to the President’s policies. There is nothing more important than making it possible for American families to live and enjoy the lives they deserve. That is why we commit to stop wasteful Washington spending to lower the price of groceries, gas, cars, and housing and stop the rising national debt. We pledge to cut the regulatory burden, lower energy costs for families, and create good-paying jobs for workers by unleashing reliable, abundant American-made energy. Our first bill will repeal funding for 87,000 new IRS agents. Because the government should be here to help you, not go after you. We’re going to pass bills to fix the nation’s urgent challenges – from the wide open southern border to America-Last energy policies to woke indoctrination in our schools. We will also address America’s long-term challenges: the debt and the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice on both of these issues.” Alabama Congressman Mike Rogers drew national headlines during the 14th vote when he had to be restrained by incoming National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Rep. Richard Hudson from coming after Rep. Matt Gaetz, who had voted present on the 14th vote and refused to change his vote to in favor of McCarthy. Rogers has called the dissident Republicans who opposed McCarthy and the will of 90% of the House Republican Caucus “legislative terrorists.” Rogers is expected to be the Chairman of the powerful House Armed Services Committee. What punishment will be levied against Rogers, if any, for his outburst on the floor of the House is unknown at this time. Matt Gaetz wrote on Twitter yesterday, “@RepMikeRogersAL and I have a six-year productive, working relationship. We’re going to work together wonderfully going forward. I don’t think there should be any punishment or reprisal just because he had an animated moment. He has my forgiveness.” Rogers responded to Gaetz on Twitter, stating, “@RepMattGaetz and I have a long and productive working relationship, that I am sure will continue. I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt’s kind understanding.” All six of Alabama’s Republican Congressmen were unwavering in their steadfast support of McCarthy on all 15 of the votes in the House of Representatives that have been occurring since the start of the 118th Congress on Tuesday. Congresswoman Terri Sewell, Alabama’s only Democrat in the state’s congressional delegation – voted for Jeffries. Whatever happened between Rogers and Gaetz worked. Republicans were about to adjourn until Monday when Gaetz approached McCarthy and asked that the House hold one more vote. All six of the remaining holdouts flipped to vote present, allowing McCarthy to win on the 15th ballot. The historic drama of the 15 votes for Speaker of the House and McCarthy’s steadfast refusal to stand aside and allow someone else to run for Speaker – something he did in 2015 giving us Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, who was Speaker from 2015 to 2018 – became a selling point for the election of McCarthy. No Speaker has needed a second vote since 1923. Rep. Patrick McHenry, a longtime friend of McCarthy, gave the 15th nominating speech for McCarthy. “He’s relentless. The man does not quit,” McHenry said of McCarthy. President Joe Biden released a statement congratulating McCarthy following the early Saturday vote. “Jill and I congratulate Kevin McCarthy on his election as Speaker of the House,” Biden said. “The American people expect their leaders to govern in a way that puts their needs above all else, and that is what we need to do now. As I said after the midterms, I am prepared to work with Republicans when I can, and voters made clear that they expect Republicans to be prepared to work with me as well. Now that the leadership of the House of Representatives has been decided, it is time for that process to begin.” “Today we learned that my plan to build an economy that works from the bottom up and the middle out has achieved the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years,” Biden continued. “And that we made 2021 and 2022 the best
Matt Gaetz, Freedom Caucus held line on McCarthy speakership over seven bills
U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, was among 20 House members withholding support from new Speaker Kevin McCarthy until the California Republican would commit to bringing seven bills to a vote, as well as agreeing to other concessions. McCarthy, who was elected after 15 rounds of voting, is ranked the second-most politically left member among House Republicans, according to a govtrack.us 2020 analysis. McCarthy agreed to a list of concessions made by conservative members of the Freedom Caucus, including Gaetz, who tweeted, “this is what we’ve been fighting for.” The seven bills include one that would rescind funding for “certain balances made available to the Internal Revenue Service,” including the administration’s plan to hire 87,000 IRS agents to expand tax audits of Americans. Two bills related to abortion: one would prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions; the other would amend Title 18 of the U.S. Code to provide safeguards for children who survive abortions or attempted abortions. Two commit to border security measures: to suspend the illegal “entry of aliens” and require the national criminal background check system to notify U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and relevant state and local agencies whenever an illegal foreign national attempts to receive a firearm. Another bill would prohibit the Secretary of Energy from sending petroleum products from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to China. Another would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act to direct district attorneys and prosecutors’ offices to report to the U.S. Attorney General’s office. Among the concessions agreed to, negotiated by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, include capping spending at 2022 levels for fiscal 2024, establishing a subcommittee to investigate the Justice Department, allowing more Freedom Caucus representatives on the Rules Committee, and returning to a one-member threshold for a motion to vacate the speaker’s office, which is what it was before 2019. Another concession includes the ability for any member of any party to offer amendments on the floor during appropriations, which Congress hasn’t done since May 2016. Roy said he also demanded that members of Congress have at least 72 hours to read bills before they are voted on instead of bills being “rammed through the Rules Committee and sent to the floor,” where they are expected to pass them without knowing what’s in them. Roy told CNN that what the 20 holdouts were able to accomplish was “history because this hasn’t happened in the last 100 years.” McCarthy’s election was the 15th time it took multiple votes to elect a speaker of the House, with the most contentious taking 133 votes over two months. Conservative House members also sought to hold McCarthy accountable for voting with Democrats and against conservative principles. According to Conservative Review, McCarthy earned an F grade for his voting record, which over the last six years shows a history of supporting unlimited spending of taxpayer money, increasing the debt ceiling, voting against funding border security measures, and voting for amnesty for illegal foreign nationals. The analysis evaluated key votes over the last six years, identifying 24 to give him a failing grade. According to CR’s analysis, in 2022, McCarthy voted for the NDAA without requiring the Department of Defense to rescind its COVID-19 vaccine mandate; voted to fund an initial $40 billion in aid to Ukraine without accountability for how the money is spent or stipulations that Ukraine pay it back. He has since voted to send an additional $45 billion to Ukraine while also cutting funding for U.S. border security. He also voted to pass a $1.5 trillion Omnibus bill “funding [Joe] Biden’s vaccine mandates,” and voted to bail out the U.S. Postal Service and “stick Medicare with the bill,” CR notes. In 2020, McCarthy voted for $1.4 trillion in special interest spending in a “so-called COVID relief bill;” to pass the NDAA without Section 230 reforms; and for the “‘gag and vote for it’ small-business-killing coronavirus emergency legislation.” In 2019, McCarthy voted to pass a $555 billion “Christmas minibus spending spree;” to suspend the debt ceiling, cancel budget caps and increase spending by $321 billion. to pass a $19 billion spending bill without funding border security and, according to Conservative Review, to “surrender on the border wall; empower drug cartels and human traffickers;” and to “reduce accountability in Congress by making federal pay mandatory spending.” Republished with the permission of The Center Square.
State investigators to review 2 law enforcement shootings
The state law enforcement agency is investigating two separate fatal shootings by law enforcement officers. Authorities released limited information about the shootings in Gadsden and in Hazel Green, a community in Madison County. The Madison County sheriff’s office said 50-year-old Ray King of Hazel Green was killed Thursday when deputies were responding to a report of gunfire. The office said in a statement that deputies were on patrol when they were advised of alleged gunshots being fired during a domestic dispute outside of one of the houses on the block. Deputies “made contact” with King, who had a gun, the office said in a statement. Deputies fired their weapons, striking King who died at the scene. Authorities did not release any additional information about what happened before the shooting. However, WHNT and WAFF reported that family members said that deputies responded to the wrong house. They said the domestic dispute involved a female family member at a nearby home and not King. The stations did not name the family members. WHNT said the sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to the TV station’s inquiry about the family’s claims. Neighbor Roy Thompson told WHNT that he heard the shots but didn’t learn what happened until Friday. “Ray was a real good guy, would do anything in the world for you and he was a good dad, you know, and he was just a likable person, he really was and I really hate that, you know,” Thompson told the station. A spokesperson for Madison County Schools told news outlets that King had worked as a custodian at New Market School for the last 15 years. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is reviewing the shooting. It is routine for the state agency, or another local law enforcement agency, to review fatal shootings by police officers. The state agency is also reviewing a Friday shooting in Gadsden that killed Cody Stewart, 28. The shooting involved officers with the Gadsden Police Department. Authorities did not release any additional information about what led to the shooting. Republished with the permission of The Associated Press.
Joe Biden walks stretch of U.S.-Mexico border, amid GOP criticism
President Joe Biden walked a muddy stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border and inspected a busy port of entry Sunday on his first trip to the region after two years in office, a visit shadowed by the fraught politics of immigration as Republicans try to blame him for the record numbers of migrants crossing into the country. At his first stop, the president observed as border officers in El Paso demonstrated how they search vehicles for drugs, money, and other contraband. Next, he traveled to a dusty street with abandoned buildings and a small playground. Near the street was a metal border fence that separated the U.S. city from Ciudad Juarez. Biden walked slowly along the border wall, initially joined by two Border Patrol agents. In a sign of the deep tensions over immigration, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, handed Biden a letter upon his arrival in the state that said the “chaos” at the border was a “direct result” of the president’s failure to enforce federal laws. Biden later took the letter out of his jacket pocket during his tour, telling reporters, “I haven’t read it yet.” Asked what he’s learned by seeing the border firsthand and speaking with the officers who work along it, Biden said: “They need a lot of resources. We’re going to get it for them.” Immigration for years has been a serious point of conflict, exposing both the dysfunction of the U.S. system as well as the turmoil within migrants’ home countries that has pushed many to flee. Administration officials have tried to counter Republican criticism by saying Congress should work with them to increase border security funding and overhaul immigration policy. Biden was spending just a few hours in the city, which is currently the biggest corridor for illegal crossings, in large part due to Nicaraguans fleeing repression, crime, and poverty in their country. They are among migrants from four countries who are now subject to quick expulsion under new rules enacted by the Biden administration in the past week that drew strong criticism from immigration advocates. The president also was to visit the El Paso County Migrant Services Center and meet with nonprofits and religious groups that support migrants arriving to the U.S. It was not clear whether he would talk to any migrants. Biden’s announcement on border security and his visit to the border are aimed in part at quelling the political noise and blunting the impact of upcoming investigations into immigration promised by House Republicans. But any enduring solution will require action by the sharply divided Congress, where multiple efforts to enact sweeping changes have failed in recent years. From El Paso, Biden was to continue south to Mexico City, where he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada will gather on Monday and Tuesday for a North American leaders summit. Immigration is among the items on the agenda. In El Paso, where migrants congregate at bus stops and in parks before traveling on, border patrol agents stepped up security before Biden’s visit. “I think they’re trying to send a message that they’re going to more consistently check people’s documented status, and if you have not been processed they are going to pick you up,” said Ruben Garcia of the Annunciation House aid group in El Paso. Migrants and asylum-seekers fleeing violence and persecution have increasingly found that protections in the United States are available primarily to those with money or the savvy to find someone to vouch for them financially. Venezuelan migrant Jose Castillo, who said he traveled without family members for five months from his home on Margarita Island to arrive in El Paso on December 29, said he hoped Biden “will take us into consideration as the human beings we are.” Castillo was among a group of about 30 migrants who gathered for prayers Sunday morning outside the Sacred Heart Catholic Church where many of the newcomers have been camping. “We have suffered a lot since entering the jungle of the Darien Gap and passing through Mexico. It has all been a battle, battle, battle,” he said. “I know that we are here illegally, but please give us a chance.” The numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has risen dramatically during Biden’s first two years in office. There were more than 2.38 million stops during the year that ended Sept. 30, the first time the number topped 2 million. The administration has struggled to clamp down on crossings, reluctant to take hard-line measures that would resemble those of former President Donald Trump’s administration. The policy changes announced this past week are Biden’s biggest move yet to contain illegal border crossings and will turn away tens of thousands of migrants arriving at the border. At the same time, 30,000 migrants per month from Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and Venezuela will get the chance to come to the U.S. legally as long as they travel by plane, get a sponsor and pass background checks. The U.S. will also turn away migrants who do not seek asylum first in a country they traveled through en route to the U.S. Migrants are being asked to complete a form on a phone app so that they can go to a port of entry at a pre-scheduled date and time. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters aboard Air Force One that the administration is trying to “incentivize a safe and orderly way and cut out the smuggling organizations,” saying the policies are “not a ban at all” but an attempt to protect migrants from the trauma that smuggling can create. The changes were welcomed by some, particularly leaders in cities where migrants have been massing. But Biden was excoriated by immigrant advocate groups, which accused him of taking measures modeled after those of the former president. Administration officials disputed that characterization. For all of his international travel over his 50 years in public service, Biden has not spent much time at the U.S.-Mexico border. The only visit that the White House could point to was Biden’s drive
