Hal Rogers didn't vote on Vote 28 Waters of the United States in the Freedom Index for the 115th Congress.
The New American Magazine explained Vote 28 as follows:
"28 Waters of the United States. During consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2), Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced an amendment to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's 2015 'Waters of the United States' rule. On the floor of the House, Banks called this rule 'the poster child of government overreach during the Obama administration,' noting that it gives 'unelected bureaucrats at the EPA the power to broadly interpret what is a navigable waterway' under the Clean Water Act--so broadly that 'even a puddle in a farm's drainage ditch could be subjected to Federal regulation.'
"The House adopted Banks' amendment on May 18, 2018 by a vote of 238 to 173 (Roll Call 203). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because both federal water regulations and the EPA are unconstitutional, and if the rule were allowed to stand, activities such as farming and real estate development would be greatly hampered, since farmers and developers would be subject to increased unconstitutional permit requirements and fines concerning their treatment of almost any body of water, no matter how small."
HAL ROGERS DID NOT VOTE ON VOTE 28 WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS. WHY? PROBABLY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS REGULATE PUDDLES IN FARMERS' DRAINAGE DITCHES. NEXT TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP KY-05 PLANS TO VOTE ON ALL THE ROLL CALL VOTES.
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 24 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote in that House Resolution where he voted in favor of the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909) which authorizes $75 million a year through fiscal year 2028 for the Justice Department's Secure Our Schools grant program, as follows:
"24 School Violence. The STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (H.R. 4909) would authorize $75 million a year through fiscal year 2028 for the Justice Department's Secure Our Schools grant program. SOS is a grant program of the Justice Department's Office of Community Oriented Policing services, which has been instrumental in laying the foundations for nationalizing local police by providing federal 'assistance' in the form of funds, equipment, training, and development of guidelines to local law-enforcement agencies.
"In a podcast interview with Conservative Review, Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said the 'STOP School Violence Act was bad enough for nationalizing defense of our schools,' but he further revealed, 'There is money in that bill that is going to go to gun control groups, It literally says in there you can give it to the 501-C3s, and then it also says in there it can't go to train anybody on gun safety. It's got to go for all the liberal sort of agendas.'
"The House passed H.R. 4909 on March 14, 2018 by a vote of 407 to 10 (Roll Call 106). We have assigned pluses to the nays because school safety is not a proper function of the federal government, and no action the federal government has ever taken would actually make schools safe. School safety should be addressed at the local level. Furthermore, the nationalizing of local police and school security as well as any other gun-control measures contained in the bill, are all strictly unconstitutional."
HAL ROGERS IS CERTAINLY GENEROUS WITH OTHER PEOPLES' MONEY--WITH YOUR MONEY, AND GENEROUS WITH GIVING YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO NATIONALIZING DEFENSE OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND TO GUN CONTROL GROUPS, AND ALL THE LIBERAL SORTS OF AGENDAS. HAL ROGERS IS NO FRIEND OF FREEDOM. THIS TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP FOR CONGRESS KY-05, A FRIEND OF FREEDOM, WHO WOULD NOT BE VOTING FOR GIVING YOUR TAX MONEY TO NATIONALIZING DEFENSE OF OUR SCHOOLS, AND TO GUN CONTROL GROUPS, AND ALL THE LIBERAL SORTS OF AGENDAS.
Hal Rogers didn't vote on Vote 29 Experimental Drugs in the Freedom Index for the 115th Congress.
The New American Magazine explained Vote 29 as follows:
"29 Experimental Drugs. This bill (S. 204) would allow patients with life-threatening diseases or conditions who are not participating in clinical trials to seek access to experimental and investigational drugs directly from a drug manufacturer, without approval by the Food and Drug Administration. It would require that in order for the patient to be eligible, the patient must first try all approved treatment options and be unable to participate in a clinical trial. Only drugs that have completed phase I clinical trials, that have not been approved or licensed for any use, and that are currently under an active FDA application or are undergoing clinical trials would be eligible for use under the bill's provisions.
"The House passed S. 204 on May 22, 2018 by a vote of 250 to 169 (Roll Call 214). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the federal government, under the Constitution, has not been given authority over what medical procedures U.S. citizens choose to engage in. If a person wants to try an 'unapproved' treatment, he should be able to do so with no interference from the government. In fact, since the Constitution gives the federal government no authority whatsoever over any aspect of healthcare, the FDA should not even exist. Any law that lessens government overreach into the person medical decisions of citizens is a step in the right direction."
HAL ROGERS DID NOT VOTE ON VOTE 29 EXPERIMENTAL DRUGS IN THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS. WHY? PROBABLY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT IT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER PATIENTS WITH LIFE THREATENING DISEASES OR CONDITIONS WHO ARE NOT PARTICIPATING IN CLINICAL TRIALS TO HAVE ACCESS TO EXPERIMENTAL AND INVESTIGATIONAL DRUGS DIRECTLY FROM A DRUG MANUFACTURER, WITHOUT APPROVAL BY THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION. VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP KY-05 FOR CONGRESS, BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP, AS A CONGRESSMAN, PLANS TO VOTE ON ALL THE ROLL CALL VOTES
Hal Rogers didn't vote on Vote 28 Waters of the United States in the Freedom Index for the 115th Congress.
The New American Magazine explained Vote 28 as follows:
"28 Waters of the United States. During consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2), Representative Jim Banks (R-Ind.) introduced an amendment to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency's 2015 'Waters of the United States' rule. On the floor of the House, Banks called this rule 'the poster child of government overreach during the Obama administration,' noting that it gives 'unelected bureaucrats at the EPA the power to broadly interpret what is a navigable waterway' under the Clean Water Act--so broadly that 'even a puddle in a farm's drainage ditch could be subjected to Federal regulation.'
"The House adopted Banks' amendment on May 18, 2018 by a vote of 238 to 173 (Roll Call 203). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because both federal water regulations and the EPA are unconstitutional, and if the rule were allowed to stand, activities such as farming and real estate development would be greatly hampered, since farmers and developers would be subject to increased unconstitutional permit requirements and fines concerning their treatment of almost any body of water, no matter how small."
HAL ROGERS DID NOT VOTE ON VOTE 28 WATERS OF THE UNITED STATES IN THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS. WHY? PROBABLY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER FEDERAL BUREAUCRATS REGULATE PUDDLES IN FARMERS' DRAINAGE DITCHES. NEXT TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP KY-05 PLANS TO VOTE ON ALL THE ROLL CALL VOTES.
Hal Rogers didn't vote on Vote 27 Raw Milk in the Freedom Index for the 115th Congress.
The New American Magazine explained Vote 27 as follows:
"27 Raw Milk. During consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2), Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) introduced an amendment to prohibit federal interference in the interstate transportation of unpasteurized milk and milk products between states that allow for the distribution of such products for direct human consumption.
"The House rejected Massie's amendment on May 18, 2018 by a vote of 79 to 331 (Roll Call 201). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because the U.S. Constitution does not give the federal government any authority over what foods a person chooses to consume. In other words, it is illegal for the federal government to make raw milk illegal. While the federal government does have authority to 'regulate Commerce . . . among the several States,' there is no reason for federal interference in a scenario such as this, where a product is legally sold in each of the states in question. Massie's amendment would have limited federal overreach and should have been supported.'
HAL ROGERS DID NOT VOTE ON VOTE 27 RAW MILK IN THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS. WHY? PROBABLY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER WE SELL RAW MILK ACROSS STATE LINES, AND NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER WE BUY RAW MILK FROM ACROSS STATE LINES. NEXT TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP KY-05 PLANS TO VOTE ON ALL THE ROLL CALL VOTES.
Hal Rogers didn't vote on Vote 26 Agricultural Crop Subsidies in the Freedom Index for the 115th Congress.
The New American Magazine explained Vote 26 as follows:
"26 Agricultural Crop Subsidies. During consideration of the farm bill (H.R. 2), Representative Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) introduced an amendment that would have phased out agricultural crop subsidies by fiscal year 2030.
"The House rejected McClintock's amendment on May 17, 2018 by a vote of 34 to 380 (Roll Call 194). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because no warrant for the appropriation of crop subsidies is found in the Constitution and subsidies disrupt the free market economy."
HAL ROGERS DID NOT VOTE ON VOTE 26 AGRICULTURAL CROP SUBSIDIES IN THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THE 115TH CONGRESS. WHY? PROBABLY BECAUSE HE BELIEVES THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER WE HAVE CROP SUBSIDIES, AND NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER WE PAY FARMERS NOT TO GROW FOOD, AND NOT IMPORTANT WHETHER WE PAY FARMERS TO GROW MORE FOOD. NEXT TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP KY-05 PLANS TO VOTE ON ALL THE ROLL CALL VOTES.
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 25 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote in that House Resolution where he voted in favor of providing "$1.3 Trillion in discretionary appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018 for federal government operations and services" as follows:
"Omnibus Appropriations. This bill (H.R. 1625) would provide $1.3 trillion in discretionary appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2018 for federal government operations and services. This represents an overall increase in discretionary spending of 12 percent over the 2017 level. The big winner was the Department of Defense, with an increase of 10 per cent over last year's appropriations. Democrat negotiators on this bill successfully fought off many Republican riders, such as a rider that would have permitted the Trump administration to withdraw the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Pro-life Republicans were saddened to learn that the omnibus bill continues the more than $500 million in taxpayer dollars Planned Parenthood receives each year.
"The House passed the omnibus spending bill on March 22, 2018 by a vote of 256 to 167 (Roll Call 127). We have assigned pluses to the nays because with this omnibus bill, members of Congress are failing to address their fiscally and constitutionally irresponsible budgeting and appropriating process that is currently yielding annual federal deficits measured in the hundreds of billions of dollars, as well as minimizing their accountability to the voters by combining all discretionary federal spending for fiscal 2018 into one gigantic 'take it or leave it' bill."
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT? WHAT YOU HAVE HERE IS A SPENDTHRIFT REPUBLICAN CONGRESS WITH HAL ROGERS LEADING THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE. IT'S TIME TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES OF IRRESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT BEFORE WE CRASH INTO A WALL. WE CANNOT SUSTAIN $1.3 TRILLION IN DISCRETIONARY APPROPRIATIONS EVERY YEAR AND REMAIN FREE. KENNETH STEPP LOVES FREEDOM AND WOULD VOTE AGAINST THE OMNIBUS SPENDING BILL (H.R. 1625). THIS TIME ELECT STEPP TO CONGRESS KY-05 AND PUT SOME BRAKES ON WASTEFUL FEDERAL SPENDING FOR FREEDOM AND FOR AMERICA!
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 23 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote in that House Resolution where he voted in favor of authorizing $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association as follows:
"23 World Bank. The World Bank Accountability Act (H.R. 3326) would authorize $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association which ischarges concessional loans known as 'credits' and economic grants to the world's poorest and most underdeveloped countries.
"The House passed H.R. 3326 on January 17, 2018 by a vote of 237 to 184 (Roll Call 24). We have assigned pluses to the nays because authorizing such funds to the WTO's IDA is foreign aid, which is a form of international welfare and completely unconstitutional, and most World Bank 'aid' further enriches plutocrats in Third World countries, at the expense of the poor."
THE REPUBLICANS ARE CERTAINLY GENEROUS WITH OTHER PEOPLES' MONEY--WITH YOUR MONEY, AND GENEROUS WITH GIVING YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO FOREIGN MILITARY DICTATORSHIPS. HAL ROGERS IS NO FRIEND OF FREEDOM. THIS TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP FOR CONGRESS KY-05, A FRIEND OF FREEDOM, WHO WOULD NOT BE VOTING FOR GIVING YOUR TAX MONEY TO THE WORLD BANK TO GIVE IT TO THE WORLD'S POOREST AND MOST UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 23 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote in that House Resolution where he voted in favor of authorizing $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association as follows: "23 World Bank. The World Bank Accountability Act (H.R. 3326) would authorize $3.29 billion in U.S. contributions to the World Bank's International Development Association which ischarges concessional loans known as 'credits' and economic grants to the world's poorest and most underdeveloped countries. "The House passed H.R. 3326 on January 17, 2018 by a vote of 237 to 184 (Roll Call 24). We have assigned pluses to the nays because authorizing such funds to the WTO's IDA is foreign aid, which is a form of international welfare and completely unconstitutional, and most World Bank 'aid' further enriches plutocrats in Third World countries, at the expense of the poor." THE REPUBLICANS ARE CERTAINLY GENEROUS WITH OTHER PEOPLES' MONEY--WITH YOUR MONEY, AND GENEROUS WITH GIVING YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO FOREIGN MILITARY DICTATORSHIPS. HAL ROGERS IS NO FRIEND OF FREEDOM. THIS TIME VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP FOR CONGRESS KY-05, A FRIEND OF FREEDOM, WHO WOULD NOT BE VOTING FOR GIVING YOUR TAX MONEY TO THE WORLD BANK TO GIVE IT TO THE WORLD'S POOREST AND MOST UNDERDEVELOPED COUNTRIES.
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 22 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote against that amendment as follows: "22 Warrantless Surveillance. This bill (S. 139) would reauthorize for six years, through 2023, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) which governs electronic surveillance of foreign terrorism suspects. The bill would require the development of procedures for searching the NSA database that would protect the Fourth Amendment-guaranteed rights of U.S. citizens, while allowing the FBI to access information with an order from the secret FISA Court in certain cases. "The House passed S.139 on January 11, 2018 by a vote of 256 to 164 (Roll Call 16). We have assigned pluses to the nays because FISA, while supposedly but in place to gather intelligence on foreign targets, has been used to spy on U.S. citizens. While the bill does provide provisions to, ostensibly, protect the privacy of U.S. citizens, given the track record of intelligence agencies, it is unlikely that they would actually follow these rules. The FISA Court gives a green light to just about any surveillance request that comes its way, and FISA-approved NSA warrantless surveillance of American citizens has become common knowledge." VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP FOR CONGRESS FOR KY-05. KENNETH STEPP WOULD HAVE VOTED AGAINST S. 139 WHICH WOULD REAUTHORIZE FOR SIX YEARS THE FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE SURVEILLANCE ACT, THROUGH 2023, BUT HAL ROGERS VOTED FOR IT, GETTING A NEGATIVE MARK FROM THE FREEDOM INDEX FOR THAT VOTE. VOTE FOR FREEDOM! VOTE FOR STEPP!
The New American says Hal Rogers voted against Freedom in Vote 21 of the Freedom Index of the 115th Congress. The New American Magazine explains why he got a "minus" for his vote against that amendment as follows:
"21 Warrantless Surveillance. During consideration of the bill (S. 139) reauthorizing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), Representative Justin Amash (R-Mich.) introduced an amendment to end NSA collection of communications data that is neither to nor from and pproved foreign target, but rather communications 'about' a foreign target entirely between American citizens. It would prohibit the FBI and intelligence agencies from searching the NSA database for information on U.S. citizens without first obtaining a warrant, except in certain circumstances. The amendment would also end 'reverse targeting,' in which an American citizen communicating with a foreign target is also subject to surveillance.
"The House rejected Amash's amendment on January 11, 2018 by a vote of 183 to 233 (Roll Call 14). We have assigned pluses to the yeas because this amendment is an attempt to limit NSA surveillance of U.S. citizens. Warrantless surveillance of U.S. citizens is unconstitutional, and NSA surveillance certainly falls under this category. Amash's amendment would require the FBI to obtain a warrant, rather than merely FISA Court approval, in order to access the NSA's database."
VOTE FOR FREEDOM! VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP FOR CONGRESS KY-05. HAL ROGERS VOTED 'NO' AGAINST THE AMENDMENT, BUT CONGRESSMAN KENNETH STEPP WOULD HAVE VOTED 'YES' FOR THE AMENDMENT BECAUSE KENNETH STEPP TREASURES FREEDOM AND OPPOSES WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE OF U.S. CITIZENS.
The Freedom Index rates Hal Rogers at 17%--the worst record among the Kentucky Congressmen, third Vote for 115th Congress. The other Congressmen on the Kentucky Delegation for the third vote were Comer 60 %, Guthrie 40%, Yarmuth 40%, Massie 90%, and Barr 30%. Rogers scored negative ratings in votes 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25; did not vote in votes 26, 27, 28, and 29; and finally one positive Freedom Index vote on Vote No. 30, Appropriations Cuts. Kenneth Stepp agrees with Hal Rogers on Vote 30, a bill (H.R. 3 which would cut nearly $15 billion from previously approved, unspent spending. That spending cut passed in H.R.3 ON June 7, 2018 by a vote of 210 TO 206 (Roll Call 243)
Here are the results of the survey of 1,177 voters:
If the House races were held today, would you vote for the Republican or Democratic candidate in your district?
Democrat: 51 percent.
Republican: 39 percent.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Republicans are doing their job in Congress?
Disapprove: 66 percent.
Approve: 27 percent.
Do you approve or disapprove of the way Democrats are doing their job in Congress?
Disapprove: 63 percent.
Approve: 30 percent.
Although the mid-term elections are more than three months away, Democrats, who are hoping to retake control of the House, will be cheered by their double-digit lead on the so-called generic ballot," said Peter Brown, the poll's assistant director.
The Quinnipiac poll, taken between Wednesday and Monday, has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.
WHY BE A LOSER? JOIN THE DEMOCRATS TODAY! CALL YOUR LOCAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY COUNTY CHAIRMAN! BE A DEMOCRAT TODAY! KRNNRTH STEPP, THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR U.S. CONGRESS KY-05.
The Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy has been marked by confusion: conflicting statements about the policy’s goals, few details on the separated children held in detention and no clear data on how many remain separated.
The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed that child separations have stopped. “We are not receiving any more referrals as a result of the zero tolerance policy,” an HHS spokesman said in an email to the PBS NewsHour.
This comes more than two weeks after President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ends family separations, but still requires criminal prosecution for illegal entry. The Trump administration said it will detain families together for the duration of their immigration proceedings. Meanwhile, more than 2,000 children are still believed to be separated from their families, among more than 11,000 children who are under HHS’ care.
A federal judge ruled on June 26 that the Trump administration must reunite families separated by the policy within 30 days of the court order, sooner for children younger than 5 years old. That first deadline for the youngest separated minors was July 10. The Trump administration missed that deadline.
HHS Secretary Alex Azar, echoing the sentiments of other agencies heads involved in the process, blamed the country’s existing laws and disputed the notion that the “zero tolerance” policy’s rollout has led to confusion stemming from its implementation.
“Any confusion is due to a broken immigration system and court orders,” Azar told reporters on a July phone call. “It’s not here.”
Numbers matter, and here are a few that you should know about. We will update this post as the numbers change.
11,800
The number of children that have been received by the HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement division.
For now, this is one of the numbers HHS and other agencies are providing in response to requests to better understand how many children have been separated under the “zero tolerance” policy. This number includes all children in the agency’s care, both those who were separated and those who arrived unaccompanied.
The number of children separated from their parents under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy.
Earlier this month, HHS head Alex Azar told reporters on a media call that the latest estimate of children believed to have been separated at the border is “under 3,000.”
Azar said that the “under 3,000” estimate is a “maximum” figure that could include children who were separated from their parents before they arrived at the border. The secretary said officials are reviewing the thousands of case files to get a better understanding of exactly how many children were separated by DHS officials and then transferred into HHS’ care.
This comes nine days after Azar told reporters that 2,047 children had been separated from their parents and remained under the agency’s care.
That was six down from the number provided June 20 when HHS reported 2,053 separated minors in its custody. That was also the last time immigration officials provided a specific break-out number, and based on recent subsequent correspondence with the agency, it appears to no longer be providing this number.
Initially, DHS officials also said that between May 5 and June 9, a total 2,342 children were separated from their parents.
2,551
Of the “under 3,000” children separated from their parents, 2,551 are between ages 5 and 17, according to the latest court update from the federal government.
The government has until July 26 to reunite all eligible minors with their parents. As of July 19, the Trump administration said it has reunited 364 from this group, according to its court filing.
Bob Carey, the former director of the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement, the division currently caring for the children, joins Amna Nawaz to discuss the logistical challenges of reunification.
The government has been under court mandate to provide regular updates on the reunification process for the thousands of separated minors under U.S. custody. Among the other numbers provided to a federal judge on July 19:
At least 1,606 parents may be deemed eligible for reunification with their children:
Of the 1,606 adults, 848 have been cleared for reunification. Another 272 have yet to be interviewed.
222 adults have been released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Another 264 remain in ICE custody.
The U.S. has identified 908 adults that are either ineligible for reunification or their eligibility status is not yet known:
679 adults who require “further evaluation” to fully determine their eligibility for reunification.
2 adults are in local, state or federal custody.
136 adults waived reunification rights during the interview.
91 adults had a criminal record or were “deemed ineligible by ICE.”
The court update on Friday also said 719 of the parents face a “final order of removal.”
In a July 24 update, the federal government said 463 migrant parents are no longer in the U.S. The filing said these individuals’ cases were “under review” because they may have been deported without their children. This, the government argued, could hinder efforts to reunite separated minors with this group of parents by Thursday’s deadline.
The government may provide more information in another hearing Tuesday.
103
Of the “under 3,000” children separated from their parents, 103 are under age 5, according to the latest numbers in a multi-agency statement from the federal government.
The government missed a court-ordered deadline of July 10 for reunification for the youngest migrants. U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw told the government to continue working on reunifying families. “These are firm deadlines. They’re not aspirational goals,” the judge said Tuesday, declining the government’s request to extend the deadline for reunification.
Of the 103 children eligible for reunification, 57 have been reunited with their parents, while the other 46 remain separated. The government said this is because 22 children were ineligible for reunification because of “safety concerns posed by the adults in question.” The Justice Department said some of the adults had charges or convictions for child cruelty, kidnapping and murder, among other reasons. Another 24 children are also not eligible due to the parents’ circumstances; this could be because the parents have already been deported or are in custody for unspecified “other offenses.”
Late Wednesday, HHS provided a quick update on the reunification status: “We anticipate that, as of the early morning on July 12, we will have reunified all children under age 5 who are eligible under the court order for reunification with parents in the United States.” The government provided a more detailed breakdown of the children Thursday morning.
The American Civil Liberties Union, who brought the original lawsuit that led to the current deadlines, responded to the government’s latest update, saying the administration failed to reunite the dozens of eligible children by the July 10 deadline.
“If in fact 57 children have been reunited because of the lawsuit, we could not be more happy for those families,” Lee Gelernt, deputy director of the ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights Project, said in a statement. “But make no mistake about it: the government missed the deadline even for these 57 children. Accordingly, by the end of the day we will decide what remedies to recommend to the court for the non-compliance.”
The court deadline for the government to provide a list of separated children between the ages of 5 and 17 was today. That list has not been submitted. The judge said in a meeting with both parties on Friday that the government must provide a list that includes the names, ages and locations of all children and adults that fall within that category by 9 a.m. PT Monday.
The court also ordered the government to provide the ACLU with the time, day and location of each family’s reunification at least 12 hours before it occurs.
42,565
This is the number of U.S. Border Patrol arrests for the month of June.
The U.S. Border Patrol released the latest arrest numbers, showing that agents made 42,565 arrests of people crossing at the U.S.-Mexico border during the month of June. This number also includes those defined as “inadmissibles”: people without prior authorization to enter who present themselves at ports of entry, including asylum seekers.
Border Patrol uses the term “apprehensions” to describe those who illegally cross the border between ports of entry.
The data shows a drop in arrests at the border, after a trend of increases across the last three months or more. The official CBP numbers are released on a monthly basis.
The latest, official numbers on border apprehensions. The red line is for fiscal year 2018. Image by U.S. Customs and Border Protection
The drop in arrests could indicate that “zero tolerance” is acting as a deterrent. But other factors could be responsible too. For example, extreme weather patterns have been known to slow the number of people illegally crossing into the U.S.
Michelle Mittelstadt of the Migration Policy Institute argued for taking a long view when looking at immigration data.
“On a topline level … one can use numbers to basically make any argument,” Mittelstadt said. “It’s important, if you want to get an accurate picture of what’s happening at the border, to not just do a comparison of one month to the prior month or one month to the same month a year earlier.”
Border apprehensions for fiscal year 2017 followed a downward trend of lower-than-average arrests since 2007.
The Trump administration has pointed to the numbers of border arrests when defending its policies. During his first month in office, Trump said there was a 40 percent decline in illegal immigration. Some experts attributed that decline to winter weather.
But as months went on, border arrests began to increase. By 2018, the number of illegal crossings inched closer to the levels seen in May 2014 when more than 68,000 arrests were made, amid the surge of Central American families and children showing up at the border.
The peak year for apprehensions at the southwest border, however, was the year 2000 when there were more than 1.6 million apprehensions, Mittelstadt said. These numbers, too, predated the official use of “inadmissibles” in CBP data.
Trump Administration Completes Reunification for Eligible Children Under Age 5: 
