Trump-free Friday politics roundup: Jan. 12

Everyone’s retiring, even more immigrants face an uncertain future, and North Carolina needs to take some map lessons in this week’s politics roundup.

Many immigrants lose protected status

According to the White House, around 200,000 immigrants from El Salvador will now face possible deportation.

This is all because the presidential administration is ending protected status for people from El Salvador that has been in effect since 2001. That’s when President George W. Bush extended temporary protected status (or TPS) for Salvadorans already in the United States, after devastating earthquakes in Central America.

This change will also affect many others living in the U.S. under the TPS program. These include an estimated 46,000 Haitian immigrants, along with 2,550 immigrants from Nicaragua and 1,040 from Sudan.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen M. Nielsen stated that the status will continue for 18 more months, until September 9, 2019. According to a DHS statement, “the 18-month delayed termination will allow Congress time to craft a potential legislative solution” for more permanent status.

TPS immigration has been the subject of much contention. It must be renewed in 18-month increments via expensive permits. Immigrants and fee collectors alike generally favor TPS. However, others say that this is only a stopgap measure, and a sloppy one at that. Certainly, those who want stricter border controls look forward to the end of the program.

DACA is still in action — for now

Like the TPS arrangement, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is another controversial immigration avenue. Established by President Obama in 2012, DACA is specifically for immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as minors. Under the program, these immigrants are able to gain legal status.

DACA recipients (also known as “dreamers”) may work and participate in their community, all without fear of deportation to a country they may not even remember. Like TPS, DACA involves a regular number of visa renewals and check-ins with immigration officers.

Given the hard line against illegal immigration coming from the federal government in general, it comes as no surprise that DACA is practically under siege. In September, the presidential administration moved to end the program, upending the status quo for many dreamers.

However, that same government is full of dissenting opinions and the “checks and balances” inherent in running the U.S. haven’t made it an easy road.

This was brought to the fore on Tuesday, when Federal Judge William Alsup issued a nationwide injunction meant to restart the DACA program. Judge Alsup argued that the DHS already has the ability to grant temporary status. He also contended that the DACA program was established legally, in contrast to claims from the White House.

The White House’s unclear vision

Making matters all the more confusing is the president’s lack of a clear stance on childhood immigrants. In his injunction, Judge Alsup directly quoted the president, who wrote in September: “Does anybody really want to throw out good, education and accomplished young people with jobs, some serving in the military?”

Furthermore, politicians in Congress have expressed optimism about reaching a deal on the much-discussed program.

The temporary injunction is not free-for-all, however. The federal government is not obliged to accept new applications, nor does it have to re-admit DACA recipients who have left the country.

North Carolina needs to redraw its maps

Thanks to “invidious partisan intent”, according to one federal judge, North Carolina politicians will have to re-draw their district maps.

That’s quite a bit more serious than it sounds, given that it involves a widespread and powerful move known as “gerrymandering”. Essentially, gerrymandering is when a political group manipulates district boundaries in order to gain an advantage.

If a given party is in power during redistricting, they might re-draw a district in order to concentrate friendly voters, or to dilute the voting power of their opposing party. This leads to some truly odd-looking districts.

The legal status of gerrymandering is hard to determine. However, a panel of federal judges determined that North Carolina’s most recent congressional map was definitely illegal. This is pretty astounding, given that this is the first time a federal court has stepped in and claimed gerrymandering.

Judge James A. Wynn Jr. issued a 191-page opinion, which included the earlier line about “invidious partisan intent” leveled against Republican state lawmakers. Judge Wynn also wrote that the move was a clear violation of the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause.

Fusion GPS CEO alleges political intrigue

This current iteration of the Russian investigation saga stems from that infamous Russia dossier released in January of last year. While it contains shocking and largely unsubstantiated allegations of very un-presidential conduct, many accepted the dossier as one of the reasons for Mueller’s Russia investigation.

Now, however, the story has become more complicated. On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-California) released a 312-page transcript from a relatively recent hearing. Specifically, this document records a long question and answer session between Senate Judiciary Committee investigators and Glenn Simpson, founder of Fusion GPS in August.

Despite the nondescript name, Fusion GPS is a major political research company. Indeed, Fusion GPS was hired by multiple parties during 2016 to conduct opposition research on the current president. These include The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative website, and Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Christopher Steele, the former British intelligence agent who produced the dossier, was hired by Fusion GPS. Allegedly, he uncovered the more salacious details in the dossier while drawing on his Russian contacts.

Feinstein’s move has created drama within Congress, as well. Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) has said that it “undermines the integrity of the committee’s oversight work” and could damage further investigations. Sen. Grassley has so far refused to release the full transcript of Simpson’s 10-hour interview.

Issa to retire

Representative Darrell Issa (R-California) is the latest in a growing number of Republicans who is bowing out. On Wednesday, he announced that he will not seek re-election this year.

With Issa’s announcement, there are now 31 Republicans who will leave seats open in November. 19 of them are retiring, while 12 are running for higher office.
What’s with the record numbers? Many speculate that it’s in anticipation of a Democratic revival, which daily seems more and more like a reality. Wouldn’t you rather retire with some semblance of dignity intact, rather than suffer a humiliating defeat?

Of course, given the wild nature of U.S. politics, nothing can be certain until after Election Day itself. While news of these retirements may be heartening to Democrats, there is still a long road ahead to reclaiming Congress.

And, finally, your palate cleanser

Yes, we already talked about reading more books last week. But, honestly, this is a book challenge that’s too good to turn down, even if we’re re-hashing territory a bit.

I’m referring specifically to Book Riot’s annual Read Harder challenge. But this isn’t like many other beginning-year reading challenges, however.

Next: Trump-free Friday politics roundup: Jan. 5

This one will genuinely push you out of your comfort zone (or genre) and into new territory. The New York Public Library even has some very helpful reading recommendations for Book Riot’s list. You can also check out 50 DIY Reading Challenges from Book Riot for some more customizable reading greatness.

Between all of those options, I’m sure you can find a way to codify a challenge if you’re so inclined.