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City officials in Washington D.C. hardened their opposition to expanding the role of federal law enforcement and military presence in the city, in response to protests. Following repeated calls from city officials, Trump ordered the National Guard to leave the city on Sunday. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said that there was confusion over lines of authority due to so many different agencies policing the protests. Attorney General William Barr had been coordinating the multiplicity of agencies including ICE agents, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons. USA Today
In other national immigration news…
Texas Reps Under Fire For Controversial Statements.
The lieutenant governor in Texas has come under fire for previous comments about immigrants. Four GOP Chairs in the states were condemned for spreading a conspiracy theory that the death of George Floyd was staged to erode black support for President Trump. The Texas Tribune investigated previous Facebook posts by other GOP officials and found some who criticized the George Floyd posts also had a history of making inflammatory remarks. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick previously referred to undocumented immigrants as an “illegal invasion.” Gov. Greg Abbott previously sent fundraising mailings calling to “DEFEND” the Texas border against illegal immigration. Texas Tribune
Immigrants Business Owners Setup Community Patrols
Immigrant business owners in Minneapolis are set up their own neighborhood patrol to keep watch over their businesses at night. Raja Ziadi owns a Morrocan restaurant on Lake Street where many immigrant businesses are. She joined 100 others to keep watch over the Market Global market that houses her restaurant overnight. Two weeks after George Floyd was killed by a Minneapolis police officer, protests have continued in the city, pressuring local city officials to make unprecedented changes and sparking global calls for an end to systemic racism. Several community patrols have been set up in Minneapolis to protect small businesses that have sometimes been damaged in the protests. Sahan Journal
Mexicans Struggle to Bury Loved Ones in Mexico
Mexicans with loved ones who have died from the coronavirus continue to struggle to send them to Mexico to be buried. More than 1,000 Mexican immigrants have died from COVID-19, according to the Mexican government. Returning a body for burial has long been a complicated process, further compounded by the coronavirus pandemic, when many Mexicans who work in the industries hardest hit by the economic impact of the pandemic, are struggling financially. The Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles is encouraging cremation instead of repatriation and burial. This is a hard sell for many Mexicans who are devout Catholics and who are fiercely patriotic. Associated Press
Refugee Admissions Plummet due to Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has meant that the U.S. is on pace to admit the lowest number of refugees on record this fiscal year since the program was created in 1980. Only 8,000 refugees arrivals are expected this year, compared to 30,000 last year, which was low in of itself. Refugee arrivals were suspended on March 19, with the exception of emergency cases. No date has been provided for when admissions will start again. The U.S., “will seek to resume refugee arrivals when it is safe and logistically feasible to do so, subject to any travel restrictions in place at that time,” a spokesperson for the State Department said. CNN
