House Judiciary Committee Issues Subpoena Over Alleged Trump Offer of Pardon for DHS Officials
The House Judiciary Committee has subpoenaed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding documents tied to Donald Trump’s alleged arrangement to pardon officials who violated the law during the course of carrying out his immigration agenda. Though Trump has denied such an offer took place, and allies of Trump have claimed the comments, which have been revealed in media reports, were said in jest, Democrats have requested to view the records from inside the department. This record request is particularly pertinent with the Judiciary Committee contemplating the initiation of impeachment proceedings.
One such specific instance is a reported April meeting between Trump and acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan in which Trump said he would pardon McAleenan if he broke the law denying migrants their ability to petition for asylum. The subpoena, which was issued to McAleenan, was due by 10:00 AM on September 17th. That deadline was missed and there is no indication McAleenan will comply, thus raising the question of whether the House will find McAleenan in contempt of Congress.
For more information, view the full article from Politico.
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Trump Administration Considers Dramatic Reduction in Number of Refugees Permitted Entrance into the United States
The Trump administration has announced a plan which would greatly decrease a program which admits tens of thousands of refugees fleeing war, persecution, and famine by prohibiting the resettling of refugees from most countries in the United States.
While one top administration official has reportedly suggested reducing the program completely to zero, another proposal reduces the number of refugee submissions by half, to 10,000 to 15,000. Within that cutdown, most of the spots would be reserved for refugees from select countries or groups with special status, such as Iraqis and Afghans working alongside American troops, diplomats, and intelligence workers.
This continues the trend of the Trump administration, under which Trump’s top immigration adviser Stephen Miller capped the program at 30,000 this year, a figure which represents more than a 70% decrease from the Obama administration.
For more information, view the full article from The New York Times.
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