The U.S. State Department confirmed on Wednesday it had ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, Texas, prompting Beijing to insist on firm countermeasures unless Washington immediately reverses its decision.
The move comes as political tensions between the world’s two largest economies continue to escalate.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said the directive to close China’s Consulate General Houston had been made to protect American intellectual property and the private information of its citizens.
The Vienna Convention states diplomats must “respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State” and “have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State,” Ortagus continued.
She added that Washington would not tolerate the People’s Republic of China’s violations of U.S. sovereignty and intimidation of our people, just as we have not tolerated the PRC’s unfair trade practices, theft of American jobs, and other egregious behavior.
China has since condemned the decision, warning of firm countermeasures if the U.S. failed to urgently rescind the order.
“The unilateral closure of China’s consulate general in Houston within a short period of time is an unprecedented escalation of its recent actions against China,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a daily news briefing, Associated Press reported.
The U.S. has given China three days to close the consulate in the Texas city, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
Detail of a scarf print from the Beyond Buckskin Boutique. Photo courtesy of shop.beyondbuckskin.com. Download Full Image
Morris said by spearheading innovative partnerships and leveraging resources from ASU, tribes and community organizations, she hopes that Inno-NATIONS will create a “collision community,” causing a ripple effect of economic change in tribal communities.
Both events are free and take place at The Department in downtown Phoenix.
Inno-NATIONS will also launch a three-day pilot cohort with approximately 20 Native American businesses starting in June.
“Beyond Buckskin” features Jessica Metcalfe, a Turtle Mountain Chippewa, Dartmouth graduate and entrepreneur, who grew a small online store into a successful boutique on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
The store promotes and sells Native American-made couture, streetwear, jewelry, and accessories from more than 40 Native American and First Nations artist, employing tribe members from the Turtle Mountain community.
ASU Now spoke to Metcalfe to discuss her work.
Jessica Metcalfe
Question: We’ve seen Native American fashion emerge and evolve. How did you get into the business?
Answer: I was writing my master’s thesis in 2005 and my advisor at the time had told me about some research she had done, which looked at Native American fashion in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. She had wondered if I was interested in picking up where her research left off. I looked into it and found that there were these breadcrumbs, little bits here in there, that something had been going on in the past 60-70 years, but hadn’t been looked at as a collective movement.
Through my doctoral dissertation, what I discovered was that Native American fashion has gone through waves of acknowledgements by the broader public, but what we’re experiencing now is perhaps the biggest wave yet.
You have designers like Patricia Michaels out at New York’s Style Fashion Week and the Native Fashion Now traveling exhibit touring the country, so there’s really a lot of exciting things happening lately. It’s coming from a collective movement. Designers basically grouping together to share costs but also to put together more events to cause a bigger ruckus.
Q: How did you build your online store into a brick-and-mortar business?
A: I first launched a blog in 2009 as an outlet for my dissertation research, and wanted to share it with more people and to also get more stories and experiences. My readers kept asking where could they see and buy these clothes? At that time, there wasn’t an easy way to access functions like a Native American Pow Wow or market in order to do that.
I had established a rapport with designers through my research and writing. They saw what I was doing through the blog and then a question popped into my head. “How would you feel about creating a business together?” There were 11 initial designers who said they needed the space, and I worked with them to sell their goods online. We just now opened our design lab on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. We are creating a system where we can meet demand and maximize a need in Indian Country.
We employ Native Americans from ages 15 to 22. There aren’t a whole lot of opportunities for people that age on the reservation. They either work at the grocery store or the gas station. One of them is interested in film and photography and so they run our photo shoots. Another person is interested in business entrepreneurship, and they get to see how an idea goes from concept to execution.
Q: The subtext is that this isn’t just about fashion but, history, representation and cultural appropriation?
A: Our clothing is just more than just objects. It’s about how the material was gathered, what the colors represent, what stories are being told and how does that tie into our value system. One of the things I often discuss is the Native American headdress. Our leaders wear them as a symbol of their leadership and the dedication to their communities. These stories are a way to share our culture with non-Natives and protect our legacy for future generations.
Q: Why is it important for Native American businesses to branch out into other cultures?
A: Native American people desperately need to diversify their economic opportunities on and off the reservations. Up until recently, people haven’t thought of fashion or art as a viable career path.
A recent study conducted by First Peoples Fund that found a third of all Native American people are practicing or are potential artists. That is a huge resource we already have in Indian Country and we need to tap it and develop it, and push for Natives in various fields to look at themselves as entrepreneurs and launching businesses.
Now, Native American people have an opportunity to make a positive impact in their local communities by reaching people through their art and sharing our culture with the rest of the world.
El joven venezolano Marco Coello, perseguido político del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro, fue detenido por ICE al acudir a su primera entrevista por su caso de asilo en la oficina del Servicio de Inmigración en Miami.
“Marco Coello tiene dos condenas criminales por delitos menores y no abandonó el país como pedía su visa”, informó ICE a Univision Noticias en un comunicado al explicar la detención. Se conoció que el joven será presentado ante un juez de inmigración que decidirá su caso.
Sus abogados desconocen los delitos a los que se refiere ICE.
Se pidió al Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas (USCIS, por su sigla en inglés) que confirmara si Coello tiene un caso abierto de asilo. Una portavoz respondió que la agencia no puede referirse al estatus migratorio de ninguna persona.
Más temprano su madre, Dorys Coello, había confirmado la detención.
Coello, de 20 años, fue arrestado apenas al llegar a su primera entrevista, contó Elizabeth Blandon, la defensora del estudiante y quien lo acompañaba en el momento de la detención junto a un traductor. Fue recluido en un centro de inmigrantes al oeste de Miami conocido como Krome Detention Center.
“Ustedes no tienen idea de lo que han hecho”, dijo la abogada Blandon a los funcionarios de ICE que detenían al joven.
Al entender la traducción de lo que estaba ocurriendo, Coello le dijo a los funcionarios de inmigración: “No me pueden devolver a Venezuela”.
Informes forenses demostraron que el joven sufrió estrés post-traumático luego de las torturas de los cuerpos policiales durante su detención en Venezuela. Este caso fue documentado por distintas organizaciones de derechos humanos, como Human Rights Watch, la ONU y Amnistía Internacional.
Este miércoles, al conocer la noticia y ante los dos funcionarios, el joven “se sentó, lloró”, cuenta su abogada, quien le repetía constantemente: “Esto no es igual, esto no es Venezuela”.
Más temprano, Ros-Ana Guillén, otra de las abogadas, contó que el bufete había pedido acelerar el proceso. “Siempre llega una notificación, pero en este caso nos llamaron por teléfono y nos dijeron: ‘La semana que viene tenemos disponibilidad a las 8:00 am en la oficina en Downtown Miami'”, dijo.
Sus defensores lo prepararon para la entrevista y lo acompañaron la mañana del 26 de abril, pero al llegar lo detuvieron.
Fue detenido en esa fecha por policías, que lo recluyeron en una prisión y lo torturaron para que inculpara al líder opositor Leopoldo López en la violencia que se generó en esas manifestaciones en el centro de Caracas. Desde entonces fue juzgado en el mismo caso.
Llegó a Miami el 3 de septiembre de 2015 acompañado por su padre, ausentándose de su última audiencia y alegando que en Venezuela sería condenado sinderecho a la defensa. Desde ese día, el joven y su familia se encuentran en Estados Unidos, esperando una respuesta sobre su asilo político.
La tortura
En una entrevista con el canal de noticias CNN, Coello contó su detención. Luego de arrestarlo, en la calle, un grupo de funcionarios –que no se identificaron ni llevaban uniforme– le golpearon, incluso con un extinguidor de incendios. “Me golpeaban en la cara, en el estómago, donde llegaban a darme. Era una furia que tenían que no la controlaban (…) Yo trataba de escaparme, les decía ‘no me peguen’ y me protegía, pero se ponían más agresivos aún”, dijo.
Lo trasladaron hasta una de las sedes del Cuerpo de Investigaciones Científicas, Penales y Criminalísticas (CICPC), lo esposaron y lo arrodillaron con la vista hacia una pared durante unas cinco horas. Entonces lo llevaron a un cuarto aparte: “Me ponen una declaración y me dicen que la firme diciendo que yo era el responsable de todos los hechos que habían pasado (en la Fiscalía), ‘que tú eres el culpable y que Leopoldo López te estaba dirigiendo a ti'”.
“Me pusieron una pistola en la cabeza y me dijeron: ‘Si no lo haces, te vamos a matar'”, contó. “‘Sabemos dónde vive tu familia'”, le decían. “Sabían el nombre de mi papá, de mi mamá, de mi hermana, de mis hermanos y dijeron que iban a arremeter contra ellos si yo no firmaba”. Aún así, el joven se negaba a firmar. Entonces, lo trasladaron a un sótano del mismo edificio.
“Entraron como ocho funcionarios, me envolvieron en una colchoneta y empezaron a entrarme entre batazos, palos de golf, golpes, patadas, me echaban gasolina, me ponían un yesquero (encendedor) y me decían que me iban a prender en fuego”, dijo. “Después de cuatro horas de tortura y que vieron que yo no iba a firmar intentaron lo último, que fue darme unos choques eléctricos”, agregó. Después de eso, lo dejaron detenido.
El largo camino del asilo
El asilo en Estados Unidos puede ser solicitado por cualquier persona que haya sido perseguida a razón de su “raza, religión, nacionalidad, pertenencia a un grupo social en particular u opinión política”, según las reglas del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS por sus siglas en inglés).
Es un proceso que puede durar meses o años, de acuerdo con el camino que decidan las autoridades. Primero se debe llenar una petición de asilo con la forma I-589, “en un plazo de un año a partir de la fecha de su llegada a Estados Unidos”, según DHS.
Una vez que se presenta el formulario y se entrega, el servicio de inmigración notifica que lo recibió y le da curso a la petición de asilo. Luego llaman al solicitante a una primera cita, en la que se realiza la entrevista del miedo creíble.
En este encuentro el funcionario decide dos cosas: si considera que el caso es verídico otorga el asilo en ese momento y se transforma en una petición de asilo afirmativa. Con esto continúa el trámite hasta que conceden el asilo. De lo contrario se convierte en un caso de asilo defensivo y el proceso debe continuar con un juez de inmigración.
Por esta vía los casos suelen retrasarse por el volumen de procesos que debe resolver cada juez.
Solo puede pedir un permiso de trabajo quien haya cumplido 150 días de haber presentado su solicitud completa de asilo. Es el caso de Marco Coello.
Paola Andreína Ramírez Gómez tenía23 años. Como Moreno, falleció el pasado 19 de abril de un disparo en la cabeza en San Cristóbal, en el estado occidental de Táchira. La Fiscalía venezolana confirmó la muerte ocurrida en una plaza de esa ciudad y explicó, sin dar mayores detalles, que la joven transitaba por el lugar cuando fue agredida. Testigos citados por distintos medios aseguran que el disparo fue hecho por los “colectivos”.
El canal de noticias C5N realizó un nuevo spot para celebrar su buena performance en el rating. Según datos de la consultora Ibope la semana pasada pasó al frente entre los canales de noticias de la TV paga.
La presentación destaca que el canal es líder en los segmentos de la mañana, tarde y noche. En la programación durante la primera mañana el canal presenta “Mañanas Argentinas” con Daniela Ballester y Javier Díaz, “Bien temprano” con Mariela Fernández y “Argentina en vivo” con Claudio Rígoli y Agostina Scioli.
“La Tarde”, con Melina Fleiderman y Guillermo Favale y “El Diario” con Pablo Duggan y Julia Mengolini. A la noche “Minuto Uno” con Gustavo Silvestre.
“Porque seguís eligiendo C5N somos líderes absolutos”, puede leerse en el spot.
La semana pasada el canal pasó primero entre los canales de noticias y generales de la TV paga, desde hace meses viene achicándose la brecha entre TN y C5N los canales más vistos del cable. Finalmente el canal del grupo Indalo pasó al frente durante toda la semana.
Según informó la medidora Ibope, durante tres días de la semana que termina, lunes, miércoles y jueves, la emisora del Grupo Indalo derrotó en audiencia a la del Grupo Clarín por 2,67 a 2,50; 2,83 a 2,65, y 2,42 a 2,31 respectivamente.
Con estos números, el canal 5 de noticias pasó a liderar la audiencia, confirmando la supremacía que ya había conseguido hace dos años en el ‘prime time’ matutino.
A tradução deste artigo se encontra no final da versão em inglês
This Friday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 pm, the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center presents the acclaimed Brazilian film “Que Horas Ela Volta?” (The Second Mother), starring famous comedian and Globo actress Regina Casé. The movie portrays the life of Val (Regina Casé), a hardworking live-in maid. Val caters to all of her employers’ needs, as she is appreciative of having a job and a place to live. The one, and perhaps only, happy aspect of the job is her relationship with Fabinho, her employers’ only son, whom she has cared for as her own since Fabinho was a toddler. However, when Val’s daughter Jessica, whom she hasn’t seen in 10 years, decides to move in with Val to pursue her dream of applying to and attending a university, the unspoken but real class barriers that exist within the home are tested, forcing everyone to reconsider what family means.
If you can’t make it to Friday’s screening, you can watch the film on Saturday, Sunday, or next Thursday (Nov. 12) at 7:30 pm at the Film Center.
The first Thursday of every month is referred to as “translation day” at the Edgartown District Courthouse. A translator, usually Maria F. Mello, a Spanish and Portuguese court-certified interpreter from Seekonk, provides translation services for individuals who are not yet proficient in English.
On Thursday, Sept. 3, I spent the day at the Edgartown District Courthouse and met Michelle J. Da Silva, a criminal defense and immigration lawyer. I was very interested in her views regarding the driver’s license dilemma that undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts face. Most of the Brazilians in court that day were confronting the same charge — they had been charged with driving without a license.
Some states, such as Connecticut, have created a driver’s license for undocumented immigrants, one that doesn’t grant the same privileges as an American citizen, or a legally documented immigrant, but that helps ensure public safety and accountability. In Massachusetts, similar initiatives to allow undocumented immigrants to drive legally remain on hold.
Michelle J. Da Silva agreed to an interview in which she shared her views on the matter.
MVTimes: Please tell me about your law practice involving Brazilian nationals.
Michelle J. Da Silva: My practice areas are immigration, criminal defense, and divorce. I would say that 80 percent of my clients are Brazilians, with the remaining being from Spanish-speaking nations.
MVT: To what extent do motor vehicle violations, specifically driving without a license, account for the cases you handle?
MD: Of my criminal defense practice, about 20 percent of cases involve operating without a license and operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
MVT: Is there a typical scenario for the Brazilian national charged with driving without a license?
MD: The typical scenario involves an undocumented immigrant (typically Brazilian in my practice, since I am fluent in Portuguese) who is driving using a “foreign or international license.” Most of the time, the clients are first-time offenders who are frightened by the U.S. legal system because of lack of knowledge and understanding of how the system works. They seek the assistance of an attorney to help them navigate the system.
Many undocumented immigrants are under the mistaken belief that a foreign license gives them the right to drive in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous businesses that provide these “international licenses” (for a fee, of course) and who often prey on these undocumented immigrants’ fears and misinformation about the true validity of these licenses.
After they acquire the license, they have a false sense of security that they are eligible to drive. It is only once they are stopped by the police and issued a citation and summoned into court for driving without a license that they come to realize that they were defrauded.
However, although the minority of the cases, some undocumented immigrants use the international license as an excuse to violate the laws knowingly.
MVT: Please comment on the typical outcome for a first-time offender on the mainland versus what you know of the outcomes on Martha’s Vineyard.
MD: It is important first to note that the law gives the judge discretion in the fine amount, up to $500 for the first offense. A typical outcome in my experience is that a case is dismissed on fine of $300 to $500 for a first offense. The difference on Martha’s Vineyard from the mainland is that most of the unlicensed-operation violations are held on the same day [because it is the only day there is a Portuguese interpreter available], thus allowing much more consistency in the judge’s ruling.
MVT: Based on what you have observed, is the system for issuing driver’s licenses broken?
MD: In my opinion, the system for issuing licenses is not broken; it is that the current laws are not adequate for the times we are living in. The reality is that we do have undocumented immigrants living within our communities, and will continue to have as long as U.S. employers are willing to employ them. It is also true that U.S. employers will continue to employ these individuals if the U.S. labor market cannot produce the quality of workers that come from abroad. Therefore, the first issue that must be addressed is the need for comprehensive immigration reform.
However, because of the current gridlock in Congress and the polarization involved with the topic of immigration, it is unlikely that we will see any immigration reform shortly. Therefore, a better solution would be to provide licenses for these undocumented immigrants, so that not only do we know who is living among us, but we also reduce the burden to our court system.
Also, by allowing these undocumented immigrants to have access to licenses, we would also be protecting our society. Right now, many undocumented immigrants drive without insurance; that endangers the public and other drivers on the road — this occurs not because they want to evade the law, but because without a valid driver’s license, an insurance company will not insure them.
MVT: In general, do your clients think they are fairly treated by the courts?
MD: Yes, I do think that my clients are treated fairly because I fight for their rights.
Overall, I do believe the system works. Undocumented individuals have all the rights afforded to them as those of a native person in this country. However, I think the system works better for those who have private legal representation than those who do not. In my experience, most of my clients have never been involved with the legal system either here in the U.S. or abroad in their home country. This makes going to court a very scary experience, because many of them think that if they go to court they are automatically going to be deported. The undocumented individual’s fear of the legal system is only because of their lack of education about the American justice system. As a private counsel whose practice deals with a large number of undocumented individuals, I find it necessary to provide a basic understanding of the criminal justice system to my clients in order to ease their fears, which in turns makes them much more trusting of the system and reassures them that they are getting a fair treatment when their case is heard.
Michelle Da Silva’s Law Office Contact Information:
Nesta sexta-feira, dia 6 de novembro, às 7:30 da noite, no Martha’s Vineyard Film center, o filme brasileiro “Que Horas Ela Volta” será exibido. O filme tem recebido diversas críticas positivas. A atriz e comediante global Regina Casé faz o papel de Val, uma empregada doméstica que trabalha há anos para uma família que também a concede moradia. Val gosta do emprego por lhe proporcionar um lugar para morar, assim como um salário. Mas talvez o único elemento positivo de seu emprego seja a sua relação com Fabinho, de quem Val cuida como filho desde que ele ainda era um bebê. Porém, quando sua filha Jessica, que Val não vê há dez anos, decide mudar para onde Val mora, para correr atrás de seu sonho de passar no vestibular e cursar faculdade, as barreiras de classes sociais existentes na casa, mas nunca discutidas, começam a serem testadas, forçando todos a reconhecer o que uma família realmente é.
Se você não conseguir ir a sessão de sexta, pode ver o filme no sábado, domingo ou na próxima quinta (12/nov) às 7:30 da noite no Film Center.
A primeira quinta-feira do mês é conhecida como “dia da tradução” na corte de Edgartown. Um tradutor(a), geralmente Maria F. Mello, uma intérprete de português e espanhol certificada pela corte de Seekonk, provê tradução para indivíduos que ainda não são fluentes em inglês.
Na quinta-feira, dia 3 de setembro, eu passei o dia na corte de Edgartown, onde conheci Michelle Da Silva, uma advogada de defesa criminal e imigração. Eu fiquei muito interessada na opinião de Michelle no tocante dilema que imigrantes que não possuem documentação adequada enfrentam quando se trata de uma carteira de motorista no Estado de Massachusetts. A maioria dos brasileiros em corte naquele dia enfrentavam o mesmo problema – eles estavam na corte por dirigem sem uma carteira de habilitação.
Alguns estados, como Connecticut, já criaram carteiras especificas para imigrantes sem documentação adequada para morar nos Estados Unidos, mas não fornecem os mesmos privilégios que americanos desfrutam, ou imigrantes com documentação adequada. Porém, essas carteiras foram criadas para ajudar a garantir segurança pública, assim como prestação de contas.
The Brazilian lawyer Michelle Da Silva.
Michelle J. Da Silva concordou em dar uma entrevista na qual compartilha seu ponto de vista sobre o assunto.
MVTimes: Por favor descreva sua prática de lei que envolve brasileiros.
Michelle J. Da Silva: As minhas áreas de prática são imigração, defesa criminal e divórcio. Eu diria que 80% dos meus clientes são brasileiros, e os demais são clientes de nações cuja língua oficial é o espanhol.
MVT: Até que ponto as violações de trânsito especificamente dirigir sem licença, contabiliza os casos que você lida?
MD: Na minha prática de defesa criminal, cerca de 20% dos casos envolvem dirigir sem carteira de motorista e dirigir sob a influência de álcool ou drogas.
MVT: Existe um cenário típico para o brasileiro acusado de dirigir sem uma carteira de motorista?
MD: O cenário típico envolve um imigrante sem documentação (tipicamente brasileiro, na minha prática, uma vez que eu sou fluente em Português) que está dirigindo usando uma “licença estrangeira ou internacional”. Na maioria das vezes, os clientes são réus primários que estão assustados com o sistema legal americano, por causa da falta de conhecimento e compreensão de como funciona o sistema. Eles procuram a assistência de um advogado para os ajudar a navegar pelo sistema.
Muitos imigrantes sem documentação estão sob a crença equivocada de que uma licença estrangeira lhes dá o direito de conduzir no Estado de Massachusetts. Infelizmente, há empresas sem escrúpulos que fornecem esses “licenças internacionais” (por uma taxa, é claro) e que, frequentemente, aproveitam-se dos medos e desinformação dos imigrantes sem documentos sobre a verdadeira validade dessas licenças.
Depois de adquirir a licença, eles têm uma falsa sensação de segurança de que eles são habilitados para a condução. É somente quando eles são parados pela polícia, recebem uma citação e são convocados ao tribunal por dirigir sem uma licença que eles percebem que foram defraudados.
No entanto, embora na minoria dos casos, alguns imigrantes sem documentos usam a licença internacional como uma desculpa para violar as leis com conhecimento de causa.
MVT: Por favor, comente sobre o resultado típico de um réu primário em outras cidades de Massachuseets e para um réu primário em Martha’s Vineyard.
MD: É importante primeiro notar que a lei dá ao juiz critério para decidir o valor da multa, até US$ 500 para a primeira ofensa. Um resultado típico, na minha experiência, é que um caso é encerrado com uma multa de US$ 300 a US$ 500 para uma primeira ofensa. A diferença em Martha’s Vineyard é que a maioria dos casos de violações sem licença são realizadas no mesmo dia porque é o único dia no qual há um intérprete de português disponível, permitindo assim muito mais consistência na decisão do juiz.
MVT: Baseado no que você tem observado, o sistema de emissão de carteiras de motorista é defeituoso?
MD: Em minha opinião, o sistema de emissão de licenças não está quebrado; é que as leis atuais não são adequadas para os tempos em que estamos vivendo. A realidade é que nós temos imigrantes sem documentos vivendo dentro de nossas comunidades, e continuaremos a ter, enquanto os empregadores dos EUA estiverem dispostos a empregá-los. Também é verdade que os empregadores norte-americanos continuarão a empregar esses indivíduos se o mercado de trabalho dos EUA não pode produzir a qualidade de trabalhadores que vêm do exterior. Portanto, a primeira questão que deve ser abordada é a necessidade de uma reforma abrangente da imigração.
No entanto, por causa do impasse atual no Congresso e da polarização envolvida com o tema da imigração, é pouco provável que vejamos qualquer reforma da imigração em breve. Portanto, a melhor solução seria a de fornecer licenças para estes imigrantes sem documentos, para que possamos não só saber quem está vivendo entre nós, como também reduzir a carga do nosso sistema judicial.
Além disso, ao permitir que esses imigrantes sem documentos tenham acesso a licenças, estaríamos também protegendo a nossa sociedade. Agora, muitos imigrantes sem documentos conduzem sem seguro; o que põe em perigo o público e outros motoristas nas estradas – isso não ocorre por que eles querem fugir da lei, mas porque, sem uma carteira de motorista válida, uma companhia de seguros não vai segurá-los.
MVT: Em geral, os seus clientes acham que são tratados de maneira justa pelos tribunais americanos?
MD: Sim, eu acho que meus clientes são tratados de forma justa porque eu luto pelos direitos deles.
No geral, eu acredito que o sistema funciona. Indivíduos sem documentos têm todos os direitos concedidos a eles como as de uma pessoa nativa neste país. No entanto, eu acho que o sistema funciona melhor para aqueles que têm representação jurídica de direito privado do que aqueles que não o fazem. Na minha experiência, a maioria dos meus clientes nunca esteve envolvido com o sistema jurídico, seja aqui nos EUA ou no exterior, em seu país de origem. Isso faz com que ir ao tribunal seja uma experiência muito assustadora, porque muitos deles pensam que, se forem ao tribunal, eles serão automaticamente deportados. O medo do indivíduo em situação irregular do sistema jurídico é só por causa de sua falta de educação sobre o sistema de justiça americano. Como uma advogada privada, cuja prática lida com um grande número de pessoas em situação irregular, acho que é necessário fornecer uma compreensão básica do sistema de justiça criminal para os meus clientes, a fim de aliviar seus medos, que por sua vez os torna muito mais confiante no sistema e assegura-lhes que eles estão recebendo um tratamento justo quando seu caso for ouvido.
Informações sobre o escritório da advogada Michelle Da Silva:
SUIFENHE, China (Reuters) – China’s northeast Heilongjiang province which borders Russia has become the new battleground against the coronavirus as authorities reported the highest number of new daily cases in nearly six weeks, driven by infected travellers from overseas.
China fears a rise in imported cases could spark a second wave of COVID-19 and push the country back into a state of near paralysis.
A total of 108 new coronavirus cases were reported in mainland China on Sunday, up from 99 a day earlier and marking the highest number of cases since 143 infections were reported on March 5.
The National Health Commission said 98 of the new cases were imported, a new record. A total of 49 Chinese nationals who entered Heilongjiang province from Russia tested positive.
“Our little town here, we thought it was the safest place,” said a resident of the border city of Suifenhe, who only gave his surname as Zhu.
“Some Chinese citizens they want to come back, but it’s not very sensible, what are you doing coming here for?”
Though the number of daily infections across China have dropped sharply from the height of the epidemic in February, China has seen the daily toll creep higher after hitting a trough on March 12 because of the rise in imported cases.
Chinese cities near the border with Russia are tightening border controls and imposing stricter quarantines in response to influx of infected patients from the country.
Suifenhe last week announced restrictions on movements and gatherings similar to those imposed in Wuhan city, where the coronavirus outbreak first emerged late last year, and extended the closure of its border with Russia.
The land route through the city had become one of few options available for Chinese nationals trying to get into China after Russia stopped all flights to the country.
Suifenhe and Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang, are now mandating 28 days of quarantine for all arrivals from abroad as well as nucleic acid and antibody tests.
Streets in Suifenhe were virtually empty on Sunday evening due to restrictions of movement. Residents said a lot of people had left the city as the number of infected people crossing the border from Russia rose.
“I don’t need to worry,” Zhao Wei, another Suifenhe resident, told Reuters. “If there’s a local transmission, I would, but there’s not a single one. They’re all from the border, but they’ve all been sent to quarantine.”
Reporting by Yew Lun Tian and Huizhong Wu in Suifenhe, Se Young Lee and Lusha Zhang in Beijing; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Michael Perry
It’s always tough to get at exactly why politicians change their positions over time. Often, it reflects political accommodation, preparing for an upcoming campaign. (Case in point: President Bill Clinton signing the Defense of Marriage Act, barring federal recognition of same-sex marriages, in September 1996 — a bill that Biden, along with most Democrats, supported.)
But it’s hard to see what Biden had to gain in 2012 when he stepped out in front of President Barack Obama to announce his support for same-sex marriage. “There’s no political barometer that would have told him to get ahead of the White House on this,” Pete Buttigieg, who is gay and ran for president this year, told us.
But societal views on these kinds of issues were beginning to change. Biden was very much part of that wave — and when it came to the Democratic Party, ahead of much of it.
Tell us more about that moment. Was it just an example of Biden being characteristically loose-lipped — or was it a reflection of a consistent role he played in the administration, as a proponent of L.G.B.T.Q. rights?
Obama and his White House were caught off-guard by this. They were, in fact, angered by the notion that Biden was trying to pre-empt the president on the issue, or even that he was trying to maneuver Obama to — I guess we shouldn’t say come out of the closet on the issue, should we? Well, just did. Biden’s aides initially issued a statement suggesting that he had been misunderstood, but he soon made clear that he wasn’t.
This is one of those cases where he was asked a question, had a view on the question, and answered it.
In this year’s Democratic primary, Biden wasn’t the first choice of most progressives, but he seemed to have generally earned the trust of many L.G.B.T.Q. rights advocates. Would you say there is true excitement there about his candidacy?
Ian Fury, a spokesperson for Noem, said the undisclosed amount was paid to the state of South Dakota by Willis and Reba Johnson’s Foundation, a Tennessee-based nonprofit that donates to various groups, including churches and the National Rifle Association, according to 2018 tax filings. Willis Johnson has donated to GOP campaigns for decades, including at least $550,000 to Trump in 2019 and 2020, filings show.
He also made sure to credit Sinema with cajoling Democrats into that tax-skeptic position after many in her party weighed surtaxes on high earners and pushed for rate increases. Though Sinema’s stayed quiet since Manchin and Schumer announced the deal on Wednesday, Manchin said that he “would like to think she’d be favorable to it.”
“Kyrsten Sinema is a friend of mine, and we work very close together. She has a tremendous, tremendous input in this legislation,” Manchin said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “She basically insisted [on] no tax increases, [we’ve] done that. And she was very, very adamant about that, I agree with her. She was also very instrumental” on prescription drug reform.
Manchin and Sinema were aligned for months last year on pushing back against Democrats’ plans to spend as much as $3.5 trillion. Sinema worked on the prescription drug piece and helped shape the revenue package significantly late last year before Manchin rejected what was once called Build Back Better.
Now they are in different places. Manchin negotiated the deal one-on-one with Majority Leader Schumer while Sinema was caught completely off guard by its announcement, particularly the inclusion of a provision narrowing the so-called carried interest loophole, which brings in $14 billion of the bill’s $739 billion in new revenues.
Manchin said he didn’t brief Sinema or anyone else in the Democratic Caucus on his negotiations because of the very real possibility they would fall apart. He said on CNN that when Sinema “looks at the bill and sees the whole spectrum of what we’re doing and all of the energy we’re bringing in, all of the reduction of prices and fighting inflation by bringing prices down, by having more energy, hopefully, she will be positive about it.”
Sinema had no new public comments on Sunday as she studies the bill and waits for the Senate parliamentarian to rule on whether it meets the conditions to evade a GOP filibuster. Sinema’s always been cooler on changing the tax code than Manchin, citing concerns over changing tax policies that might restrict economic growth or competitiveness.
The legislation plows $369 billion into energy production and fighting climate change, $300 billion into deficit reduction, lowers some prescription drug prices and extends Affordable Care Act subsidies through 2024. It claws back revenue by increasing IRS enforcement, narrows the so-called carried interest loophole on investment gains and imposes a 15 percent corporate minimum tax on corporations worth $1 billion or more.
A Joint Committee on Taxation summary found that the bill would slightly increase tax rates on some people earning under $400,000, leading Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) to say that the legislation “will do nothing to bring the economy out of stagnation and recession, but it will raise billions of dollars in taxes on Americans making less than $400,000.”
But Ashley Schapitl, a spokesperson for Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said those families “will not pay one penny in additional taxes under this bill” and said the JCT analysis is not complete because “it doesn’t include the benefits to middle-class families of making health insurance premiums and prescription drugs more affordable. The same goes for clean energy incentives for families.”
Manchin put it even more plainly on “Meet the Press.”
“I agree with my Republican friends that we should not increase taxes. And we did not increase taxes,” he said. “This is an all-American bill.”
The West Virginia Democrat also answered several questions about the second part of a deal: an agreement with Biden, Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi to increase energy production by implementing federal permitting reform. That piece was excluded from the party-line bill because it is likely to run afoul of the strict budget rules on reconciliation bills.
Asked how he can be so sure that will pass later, Manchin offered a warning on Fox News if it doesn’t happen: “There will be consequences.”
Manchin’s urgent push comes ahead of a critical week for the Democratic Party. With Covid infections still infiltrating their 50-seat majority, Democrats are trying to stick a tricky landing ahead of the August recess. Democrats probably need all their members in town to pass the Manchin deal and still need to get the legislation cleared by the Senate parliamentarian.
On the attendance side, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced he would be available for votes this week, a critical boost for Democrats. Provided all Democrats show up this week, they can pass the Manchin-Schumer legislation with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tiebreaking vote, though first they’ll have to all stick together during an unlimited “vote-a-rama” to keep Republicans from gutting the carefully negotiated bill.
Jeremy Corbyn, líder del Partido Laborista de Reino Unido ha acusado a la BBC de “difundir noticias falsas” durante una entrevista con un periodista de esta corporación mediática que le preguntaba de manera insistente sobre los rumores de su posible abandono de la jefatura del partido. El diálogo durante la entrevista fue como sigue:
Periodista: “Existe la información de que usted ha fijado la fecha en que dejará su puesto al frente de los laboristas”.
Jeremy Corbyn: “Esto apareció en IMadeItUpYesterday.com [MeLoInventéAyer.com]”.
Periodista: “¿No hay nada de verdad en ello?”.
Corbyn: “Son completos disparates”.
Periodista: “¿Entonces su futuro como líder laborista sigue completamente intacto? ¿No ha pensado en si usted como líder está dañando al partido?”.
Corbyn: “De verdad me sorprende que la BBC esté difundiendo noticias falsas. Esta noticia no existe”.
BBC: We want to avoid reporting fake news, so please clarify something for us.
El tema de noticias falsas ha cobrado últimamente una gran actualidad. El presidente de EE.UU., Donald Trump, enfrentado a medios nacionales e internacionales por la cobertura negativa que han hecho de su ascenso político, ha planteado este asunto en varias ocasiones, tanto por Twitter, como en su gran rueda de prensa este enero. En particular, Trump ha lanzado sus acusaciones a CNN, BuzzFeed y ‘The New York Times’ entre otros.
¿De dónde vienen los rumores falsos?
El triunfo del Brexit dividió al Partido Laborista, que se ha sumido en una crisis agudizada esta semana, después de que la Cámara Baja del parlamento aprobara la ley que permitirá al Gobierno iniciar el proceso de separación de la UE. Pese a la fuerte oposición dentro del partido, Corbyn apoyó la ley, explicando que la decisión de salir de la UE reside en el pueblo británico y que hay que cumplir su voluntad.
La información sobre la supuesta fecha de renuncia de Corbyn apareció en diciembre en una columna del periodista Adam Boulton en ‘The Sunday Times’. En ella afirmaba, citando una fuente dentro del partido, que Corbyn había confesado que no quería seguir siendo líder del partido después de cumplir 70 años (en mayo de 2019) ni tampoco ejercer este cargo durante las elecciones generales (en 2020).
El alud fue causado por el desborde de tres ríos la medianoche del viernes luego de inclementes lluvias en la región andina. “Un mar de lodo” que se llevó todo por delante, según testigos.
El presidente Juan Manuel Santos, que ha encabezado las tareas de socorro y de reconstrucción, aseguró que las labores de socorro se extenderán el tiempo que sea necesario.
Poco antes, en un mensaje televisado a la Nación tras visitar la zona del desastre, informó que entre las víctimas mortales, al menos 43 eran niños. “Por todos ellos elevamos nuestras oraciones”, dijo, y advirtió que las cifras son “todavía preliminares”.
¿Crónica de una tragedia anunciada?
“Colombia está llena de armeros y mocoas”, declaró José Ignacio Muñoz, quien se desempeñó como director de Corpoamazonía.
Según él, en esa entidad existen muchos estudios y autoridades respectivas han sido informadas en múltiples ocasiones de eventuales tragedias como estas.
“Se dieron incluso respuestas negativas a la solicitud de permisos para establecer viviendas en sitios que son la casa del río, viviendas frágiles. Desafortunadamente no se atendieron”, dijo Muñoz.
En el caso de Mocoa, “la ciudad ha sido víctima de la falta planificación urbana que es usual en casi todas las regiones de Colombia”, explicó Rodrigo Botero, ambientalista.
El alcalde de esa ciudad, José Antonio Castro, dijo al diario El Espectador que a la ciudad, fundada en 1563, “la surcan alrededor de 10 ríos y eso indica que no es el lugar donde debería ubicarse una población”.
“Encontré la mano de un bebé”
Con el lodo aún no totalmente seco, “sigue la labor de búsqueda para encontrar sobrevivientes, aún estamos dentro de la ventana de las 72 horas posteriores a un desastre así”, dijo a AFP un portavoz de la Cruz Roja Colombiana (CRC). Ésta podría cerrarse el lunes.
Además, avanza la identificación de cadáveres que permanecían en el hospital de la ciudad.
En la capital del Putumayo fue un día nublado y de un calor pegajoso. Apenas cayeron algunas gotas este domingo, mientras muchos buscaban a sus seres queridos o trataban de recuperar alguna pertenencia tras perderlo todo.
Tras un sobrevuelo, la Fuerza Aérea no encontró ningún indicio de represamiento en ríos o quebradas, minimizando la posibilidad de una nueva avalancha. Servicios de meteorología estimaban un descenso en las precipitaciones.
“Me fui a buscar a mi sobrina pero no la encontré. Escarbé y escarbé hasta que me encontré fue la mano de un bebé, fue horrible. A ella se la llevó el lodo, ya no la voy a ver”, contó desolada Marta Gómez.
Con los pantalones llenos de barro y junto a su perro, un pastor alemán también embarrado, esta mujer de 38 años esperaba para inscribirse y recibir ayuda gubernamental.
Un desolador panorama la rodeaba: muñecas descabezadas en el lodo, zapatos abandonados de todos los tamaños, gigantes raíces de árboles arrancados, vehículos atascados, gente cargando desde cestas con huevos hasta neveras y muebles desde las casas destruidas.
La mayoría de los barrios afectados son pobres y con población desplazada por el conflicto armado de medio siglo que azota a Colombia.
45.000 afectados
La Cruz Roja estimó en 45.000 los afectados en Mocoa. Gran parte de la población seguía sin energía eléctrica ni agua corriente, aunque el servicio de energía se ha restablecido en un 20% con plantas eléctricas auxiliares.
Santos destacó la necesidad de garantizar agua potable para evitar “una epidemia y una crisis de salud pública aún mayor”, y explicó que se instalarán cuatro plantas potabilizadoras, mientras carrotanques llevarán el líquido diariamente.
Para prevenir infecciones en esa calurosa y húmeda ciudad amazónica, expertos desarrollarán un plan específico y se ha iniciado ya una campaña de vacunación, anunció el gobierno.
El director del Instituto de Medicina Legal, Carlos Valdés, aseguró a la prensa que, para evitar epidemias, los cadáveres sin identificar o que no se reclamen, serán incinerados.
En medio de la tragedia, inescrupulosos buscan aprovecharse de la solidaridad de los colombianos.
“No se están haciendo colectas oficiales en ninguna parte del país. Recomendamos cuidado pues había una alcancía por ahí reuniendo dinero. Esas cosas son muy delicadas”, informó el director de socorro de la Cruz Roja colombiana, César Urueña.
Former Vice President Joe Biden addresses a crowd at the Hyatt Park community center on Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. | Sean Rayford/Getty Images
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Joe Biden on Saturday referred to President Donald Trump as a “clown” after a supporter asked the former vice president whether he would return Trump’s insults.
Biden, who is on the first swing of his 2020 campaign, told about two dozen supporters at a private fundraiser that he didn’t want to get down in the mud with Trump.
Story Continued Below
“There’s so many nicknames I’m inclined to give this guy,” Biden said to laughter in the room. “You can just start with clown.”
Since launching his bid in late April, Trump has given Biden special attention, including referring to him as “Sleepy Joe.”
Biden said that while he planned to respond to Trump if directly attacked, he believed it was part of the president’s strategy to keep dialogue away from the issues.
“On every single issue and on every demeaning thing he says about other people, I have no problem responding directly,” Biden said. “What I’m not going to do is get into what he wants me to do. He wants this to be a mud wrestling match.”
Saturday marked the first of Biden’s two-day swing through South Carolina as part of a larger cross-country tour that will eventually bring him back to a rally in Philadelphia. Biden spoke at a fundraiser in the private home of state Sen. Dick Harpootlian, an attorney and former South Carolina Democratic Party chairman. Earlier in the day, Biden spoke at a rally in Columbia before heading to the private fundraiser where he delivered remarks and took questions from supporters for about 20 minutes. Biden’s campaign is allowing limited media access to all of the candidate’s fundraisers.
Biden highlighted his foreign policy background as he made the case for running.
“I think, whether I’m right or not, I know as much about American foreign policy as anyone around, including even maybe Kissinger. I say that because I’ve been doing it my entire adult life.”
Just then, Biden flubbed on his foreign leaders.
“One I can say is Margaret Thatcher, um, excuse me, Margaret Thatcher – Freudian slip,” Biden said to laughter in the room. “But I knew her too.” He then corrected himself: “The prime minister of Great Britain, Theresa May.”
Biden also told the group he regretted once saying if he were in high school he would have taken Trump around back and “beat the hell out of him.”
“Well guess what? I probably shouldn’t have done that,” Biden said Saturday, “I don’t want to get it down to that level. The presidency is an office that requires some dignity.”
Biden alluded to having private conversations with Trump, adding: “I let him understand what I think about him.”
The former vice president warned that the contest would get nasty quickly, and that he expected his family would be the subject of attacks.
“This guy is going to go after me and my family,” Biden said.
Biden then told a story about his grandchildren playing a role in urging him to run for president. He said one of his grandchildren called a family meeting eight weeks ago and contended that his grandchildren urged him to run after seeing degrading images on him online.
“‘Pop, you have to run Pop,” Biden said one of his grandsons, “Little Hunter” told him, then said his grandson showed him a photo online from Beau Biden’s funeral. “‘Pop, it says: ‘Look at Biden molesting a kid,’” Biden said his grandson told him. “Pop, I know it’s going to be mean, they’re going to say bad things about Daddy.”
“Mommy and Daddy had a divorce and they’re going to really go after that,” Biden continued, in retelling what he said his grandchildren said to him.
“My generic point is they know how tough it’s going to be.”
La niña de 3 años fue torturada, abusada y asesinada en Armero Guayabal. Serían varios los responsables. Hasta ahora no hay capturas.
La mamá biológica de la menor Sara Yolima Salazar reapareció y, según testigos, dijo que se vio en la necesidad de entregarla a sus padrinos porque no tenía con qué alimentarla.
La Policía, al parecer, ya tiene en la mira a los responsables y podría haber capturas en las próximas horas.
La directora de Bienestar Familiar, Cristina Plazas, rechazó el crimen y aclaró que la menor no se encontraba al cuidado de dicha institución.
El secretario de Gobierno del Tolima, Ricardo Orozco, dijo por su parte que “al parecer hay negligencia por parte de la Comisaria de familia del municipio Armero Guayabal”.
Las exequias de la menor se efectuaron en la mañana de este lunes. Hubo un homenaje a la pequeña en la capilla de Armero.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder expressed concern over recent criticisms many Democrats have made of President Barack Obama’s immigration policies and warned 2020 candidates about embracing calls to decriminalize border crossings.
Several progressive Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates have condemned the Obama administration recently for deporting scores of illegal immigrants. Holder, who served in Obama’s Cabinet during most of his time in office, defended the policy of deportation saying, “The emphasis … was on people who had criminal records, people who posed … a public safety risk.”
Democratic presidential front-runner Joe Biden also came under fire by debate moderator Jorge Ramos on Thursday for the Obama-era deportations.
“You served as vice president in an administration that deported 3 million people, the most ever in U.S. history,” Ramos said. “Did you do anything to prevent those deportations? … You’ve been asked this question before and refused to answer, so let me try once again: are you prepared to say tonight that you and President Obama made a mistake about deportations? Why should Latinos trust you?”
Biden defended the record and shifted accusation to the Trump administration by suggesting that Obama didn’t “lock people up in cages.” Biden was later interrupted during his closing remarks by protesters chanting, “Three million deportations.” One protester was seen wearing a shirt that said, “No human being is illegal on stolen land.”
Holder rejected the idea that there should be no deportations. “Democrats have to understand that … borders do mean something,” he said in an interview that aired on Saturday.
He was also asked about whether or not he supported the notion floated by some Democrats to decriminalize unauthorized border crossings. “No, I don’t think that’s right … It might send the wrong signal,” he said. Reiterating his point, Holder said that decriminalization would “certainly take a tool away from the Justice Department.”
Holder also addressed that some Democrats’ progressive policy proposals do not offer a realistic possibility for the future of the country, saying, “We need to look for solutions to the problems that we confront that are consistent with who we are as a party … but also the kinds of things that we are going to be able to deliver.”
Holder concluded by saying he hoped the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates would be “realistic” in their proposed policies.
Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass on Sunday to conclude his unprecedented summit of Catholic leaders on clergy sexual abuse.
Giuseppe Lami/AP
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Giuseppe Lami/AP
Pope Francis celebrated a final Mass on Sunday to conclude his unprecedented summit of Catholic leaders on clergy sexual abuse.
Giuseppe Lami/AP
Wrapping up an unprecedented Vatican summit, Pope Francis denounced the abuse of minors and called for an end to the Catholic Church’s long history of covering up the scandal.
In a Mass on Sunday, he made an appeal for an “all-out battle” on clergy sex abuse but offered few specifications, reflecting broader criticisms that the four-day meeting had not produced concrete actions to hold church leaders accountable.
Francis told church leaders that most sexual abuse of minors occurs in the family and talked about abuse in relation to online pornography and sex tourism across the world.
But he added that the universality of abuse “does not diminish” the harm done within the church, and he called those who had abused children “instruments of Satan” and “ravenous wolves.” The presence of abuse within the church, Francis said, is more scandalous because of its incompatibility with the Church’s “moral authority and ethical credibility.”
“Indeed, in the people’s justified anger, the Church sees the reflection of the wrath of God, betrayed and insulted by these deceitful consecrated persons,” the pope said.
Critics called the speech lukewarm, saying that it brought no new intensity or specificity to the issue. Becky Ianni, who was sexually violated by her family priest as a child, says the pope just reiterated points he had previously put forward before.
“He talked about prayer and penance,” Ianni, a board member of Survivors’ Network of Those Abused by Priests, told NPR. “While those are nice sentiments, none of those things are going to protect children right now. And that’s my number one concern as a victim of clergy abuse.”
She says SNAP has asked the pope to take specific actions, including firing bishops or cardinals who cover up abuse and turning over church records to secular authorities.
Anne Barrett Doyle, co-director of BishopAccountability.org, told The New York Times that the pope’s Mass was a “catastrophic misreading” of the grief and anger within the Church.
“As the world’s Catholics cry out for concrete change, the pope instead provides tepid promises, all of which we’ve heard before,” she said.
Francis had invited 190 Catholic bishops and religious superiors for a summit to discuss how the institution would address the clergy sex abuse crisis. It was the first time the pontiff had gathered church leaders from around the world for such a purpose, raising hopes that it might mark a turning point in the institution’s slow track record of responding to the issue. But the Vatican dampened expectations early on, calling the summit a “meeting characterized by prayer and discernment.”
On Sunday, the Vatican announced that it would publish an edict from the pope and rule book on the protection of minors, in addition to forming a task force. Rev. Federico Lombardi, the moderator of the summit, said Vatican leaders would meet Monday to reflect on propositions and needs brought up at the gathering.
Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large of America Magazine, said the summit was a necessary step for the Catholic Church.
“The concrete actions will come later in what’s called a ‘motu proprio,’ which is a document that they said the pope is going to issue later on,” he told NPR. “That will spell out, from what I understand, more rules and regulations. I think this was more of a reflection on what happened, and a kind of encouragement for a change of culture.”
In one concrete step, Francis said he wanted to change church law on child pornography, so that the act would be considered a “grave delict” if it involved children under the age of 18, not just those under 14. That means all cases involving minors would be handled by the Vatican office that processes sex abuse cases.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, a top Vatican sex crimes investigator, said the pope had expressed the need for a “change of heart.”
“This is obviously theological language, but it is a very important language for us,” Scicluna told NPR’s Weekend Edition. “The pope actually put the abuse of kids and the cover-up of that abuse on the same level of gravity.”
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