Monthly Archives: March, 2021

(The Center Square) – More than 850 criminals have been encountered at the U.S. border with Mexico this year, including 92 sex offenders and 63 gang members, a U.S. Border Patrol agent tweeted this weekend.

Included among “the copious amounts of groups being encountered” at the Rio Grande Valley, Hastings said, are “a Salvadoran man with a prior conviction for murder” along with 862 criminals, Chief Patrol Agent Brian Hastings tweeted.

Hastings, who is taking to social media to write about the border crisis while the Biden administration has prevented access to the media, has been reporting the types of people who have been apprehended. Among them were five large groups of families, unaccompanied minors, and some adults totaling 539 people, including 93 unaccompanied minors.

Hastings said that so far in 2021, more than 18,000 unaccompanied minors have been encountered by agents at the border. Prior to March 23, over 16,500 of them were in the custody of either Customs and Border Protection or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Biden has received backlash from Texas border Democrats calling on him to reinstate Trump-era policies.

U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Texas, pointing to Border Patrol data, said that among those encountered at the border, 13 percent of unaccompanied minors are under age 12.

“One logical approach to this situation would be to return the older teenagers to their home country and provide funding for an effort supervised by the United Nations to properly care for those teenagers upon their return,” Vela said. “Then, once the pandemic is under control you could phase the program back in so that there would be some semblance of control over the process. I think that this would help relieve the current burden.”

Instead, in response to the surge of illegal immigrants flooding the Texas border, the Biden administration called on federal employees to volunteer for up to 120 days to assist border officials. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management issued a memo on Thursday to the heads of executive departments and agencies asking them to seek staff to volunteer.

Volunteers are needed in Dallas, San Antonio, and Fort Bliss in El Paso. Volunteers would be responsible for making contact with migrant children and coordinating with Border Protection, the American Red Cross, and FEMA.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose congressional district lies along the southern border, shared more photos with CBS News' Face the Nation on Sunday. The photos show unaccompanied minors sitting or laying on the floor with foil blankets in crowded conditions.

“Border Patrol does not want to keep people there longer than 72 hours,” Cuellar told CBS News. “But there’s two issues, two factors coming into play. One, there are so many, there’s a large number of people coming across every single day, groups of over 100 individuals coming into Border Patrol custody, number one. Number two, the flow through, that is through [Health and Human Services], they’re moving and they’re trying to get more shelters open.”

Cuellar said adult illegal immigrants have been “pretty much returned” to Mexico. “Those are being returned, expelled back. Some family units are turned back into Mexico depending on the age of the kids. Thirteen and above are being returned.”

However, Cuellar said that roughly 2,000 people who entered Texas illegally were released into the general population by federal officials under Biden's order without any notices to appear at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement court date in the future.

“They’re supposed to appear, show up, maybe in 60 days, report to an ICE office,” he said. “This is unprecedented.”

(The Center Square) – California’s two U.S. Senators, both Democrats, are calling on President Joe Biden to ban the sale of gasoline-powered cars in the United States.

Sens. Diane Feinstein and Alex Padilla sent a letter to Biden urging him to "follow California's lead and set a date by which all new cars and passenger trucks sold be zero-emission vehicles."

Last September, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who now faces a potential recall election, signed an executive order banning the sale of gasoline-powered cars in California by requiring all new cars and trucks being sold in the state to be zero-emission vehicles by 2035. Currently, electric vehicles account for less than 3 percent of all vehicle sales in the U.S.

"We urge your administration to take advantage of this effort and make real progress in coordination with states, like California, that share your goals to aggressively fight climate change by eliminating harmful pollution from the transportation sector," the senators wrote.

They said they “support aggressive national standards for greenhouse gas emissions, clean transportation technology, and sensible fuel economy for passenger vehicles.”

Feinstein and Padilla asked the Biden administration to require the auto industry to commit to shifting to primarily producing electric vehicles, something some in the industry, like General Motors, has said it “aspires" to do by 2035. Ford has announced its intention to shift its car models in Europe to be solely electric by 2030.

The Environmental Protection Agency said tougher emissions rules "will play an important role in confronting climate change and advancing economic and employment opportunities," and that it was “working with the Department of Transportation, California and other states, the automobile industry, labor, and other stakeholders to consider a range of views on how to set ambitious [emissions] standards."

On Jan. 27, Biden signed an executive order committing the federal government to purchase zero-emission vehicles for the US Postal Service, which is in the process of developing a next generation of delivery vehicles.

In California, one electric auto assembly plant exists, a former GM-Toyota plant in Fremont, California, near San Francisco, which is now being used by Tesla, the world's leading maker of electric cars.

The California senators said "at an absolute minimum" new federal emissions rules should follow California’s lead and agreement with automakers.

However, electric cars are worse for the environment per mile than comparable gasoline-powered cars, according to a report published by the National Bureau of Economic Research. Among its findings, the researchers concluded, “over ninety percent of local environmental externalities from driving an electric vehicle in one state are exported to others, implying that electric vehicles may be subsidized locally, even though they may lead to negative environmental benefits overall.”

According to the International Energy Agency, there could be 125 million electric cars in use worldwide by 2030, maybe double that if governments require it.

(The Center Square) – There will soon be a lot more questions about the 2020 election at the Wisconsin Capitol.

Legislative Republicans on Tuesday took the first step toward an official investigation into claims of voter fraud or voter malfeasance.

“Over the past year, year and a half, we’ve heard allegations of improprieties. Specifically, state laws not being followed,” Rep. Joe SanFelippo, R-New Berlin, said.

Sanfelippo is the second in command on the Assembly’s elections committee.

Republican lawmakers have been demanding answers since news broke about questions just what outside political activists Green Bay did for the city’s election office.

That report said the activists all but took over.

“I think it’s in everybody’s best interest to be open and forthcoming in how our elections are administered throughout the state,” Sanfelippo added.

Sanfelippo said he hopes that election managers voluntarily appear before his committee, and answer all of the questions they are asked. But he said lawmakers are ready to issue subpoenas if necessary.

“I can’t honestly see why anyone would not want to answer questions or provide documents,” Sanfelippo explained. “This just gives us the necessary tools to move forward.”

Sanfelippo and other Republicans say their goal with their investigation is to restore trust in Wisconsin’s election system.

(The Center Square) – Violent crimes in Wisconsin numbered 293.2 per every 100,000 residents of the state as of 2019, the 32nd highest rate among the 50 states, according to a new analysis from the website 24/7 Wall St.

The total number of murders in Wisconsin in 2019 came in at 175, according to the 24/7 Wall St. analysis of FBI crime data, while the state’s poverty rate was estimated at 10.4%. The study’s authors pegged Milwaukee as the most dangerous city in the state.

Nationwide, the violent crime rate for 2019 was found to be 366.7 incidents per 100,000 Americans, according to 24/7 Wall St. The violent crimes tracked in the study were aggravated assaults, robberies, sexual assault and murders or non-negligent manslaughters.

The poorest states also tend to have the highest rates of violent incidents, the study’s authors concluded. New England states, which have relatively high incomes and less poverty, were among the safest in the nation, while many lower-income Southern states had the highest violent crime rates, the analysis found.

The most dangerous cities in Hawaii and Alabama could not be pinpointed due to a lack of municipal crime data in those states, according to 24/7 Wall St.

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Violent Crime Rates by State as of 2019

Rank (50=Lowest)StateViolent Crime Rate (per 100,000)Total 2019 MurdersIncarceration Rate (per 100,000)Poverty RateMost Dangerous City50Maine115.22014610.9%Biddeford49New Hampshire152.5331977.3%Manchester48Connecticut183.610424510.0%New Haven47Vermont202.21118210.2%Rutland46New Jersey206.92622109.2%Camden45Virginia208.04264229.9%Portsmouth44Kentucky217.122151616.3%Louisville43Wyoming217.41342810.1%Riverton42Rhode Island221.12515610.8%Woonsocket41Idaho223.83547511.2%Garden City40Utah235.6722068.9%South Salt Lake39Minnesota236.41171769.0%Minneapolis38Iowa266.66029311.2%Council Bluffs37Mississippi277.933263619.6%Laurel36Oregon284.411635311.4%Astoria35North Dakota284.62423110.6%Williston34Hawaii285.5482159.3%--32 (tie)Ohio293.253843013.1%Cleveland32 (tie)Wisconsin293.217537810.4%Milwaukee31Washington293.91982509.8%Tacoma30Nebraska300.9452899.9%Omaha29Pennsylvania306.466935512.0%Scranton28West Virginia316.67838116.0%Huntington27Massachusetts327.61521339.4%Springfield26Georgia340.765450713.3%College Park25New York358.655822413.0%Newburgh24Indiana370.837739911.9%South Bend23North Carolina371.863231313.6%Henderson22Florida378.41,12244412.7%Florida City21Colorado381.02183419.3%Sterling20South Dakota399.01742811.9%Rapid City19Montana404.92744012.6%Helena18Illinois406.983230211.5%Sauk Village17Kansas410.810534211.4%Wichita16Texas418.91,40952913.6%Snyder15Delaware422.64838211.3%Wilmington14Oklahoma431.826663915.2%Muskogee13Michigan437.455638113.0%Muskegon Heights12California441.21,69031011.8%Stockton11Maryland454.15423059.0%Baltimore10Arizona455.336555813.5%Phoenix9Nevada493.814341312.5%North Las Vegas8Missouri495.056842412.9%St. Louis7Alabama510.835841915.5%--6South Carolina511.346435313.8%Greenwood5Louisiana549.354468019.0%Opelousas4Arkansas584.624258616.2%West Memphis3Tennessee595.249838413.9%Memphis2New Mexico832.218131618.2%Gallup1Alaska867.16924410.1%Anchorage

Source: 24/7 Wall St.

(The Center Square) – Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita wants to stop what he thinks is California’s attempt to establish a nationwide climate change policy, and he hopes the U.S. Supreme Court will help.

Rokita, along with 17 other states, filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Thursday, asking the court to overtime an appeals court decision that allows a lawsuit filed by San Francisco and Oakland to remain in state court.

Both cities sued to hold several major fossil fuel companies liable for the costs of global climate change. The cities claim in their lawsuit the companies have broken the common law of public nuisance by producing and selling fossil fuels, Rokita said in a news release.

“Hoosiers should not be ruled by the Left Coast,” Rokita said.

In the brief, Rokita argued federal law gives the companies a right to have the claims heard by a federal court, rather than a state court.

Rokita wrote in the brief that by allowing a case with such national scope to be handled by California state courts, the federal appeals court “thereby excludes other States from the climate-change policymaking process and threatens to undermine the cooperative federalism model our country has long used to address environmental problems.”

Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Wyoming all joined in the brief.

Vice President Kamala Harris tweeted Friday she joined a brief supporting the California cities in their action.

The cities filed suit against ExxonMobil, BP Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Shell in September 2017. The lawsuit asks the companies to fund a sea level rise abatement program used to build sea walls and other structures to protect public and private property within 6 feet of the current sea level.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin residents who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) numbered 710,412 in September of 2020, a 16.9% increase over the number taking part in September 2019, according to newly released data.

The number of SNAP participants in the state in September 2019 was 607,844, according to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service. The data from August and September of 2020 is preliminary and subject to change, the agency said.

For all the states and territories in the analysis, the number of people taking part in SNAP rose by 14% in the September 2019 vs. September 2020 comparison – numbers that contrast participation rates before and after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

SNAP, which is a unit of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, provides nutritional assistance to millions of low-income families and individuals nationwide. The federal government describes SNAP as “the largest program in the domestic hunger safety net.”

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Which States Saw the Biggest Jumps in SNAP Participation?

State / TerritorySeptember 2019August 2020 (Preliminary)September 2020 (Initial)% Change for September 2020 vs. September 2019Rank Based on % Change (Highest to Lowest)Florida2,755,5093,834,5283,886,74741.1%1Georgia1,372,9651,839,3481,874,54136.5%2Maryland612,399833,691795,25529.9%3Louisiana798,536858,9031,012,93526.8%4Iowa309,126302,232376,87621.9%5Kentucky506,778606,216616,16921.6%6Colorado438,326534,175523,09819.3%7Texas3,346,8513,900,4083,962,50318.4%8District of Columbia111,402129,186131,84418.3%9Washington804,663956,647951,09018.2%10Wisconsin607,844704,821710,41216.9%11Virgin Islands21,62324,95725,23516.7%12Hawaii155,293177,083179,20515.4%13North Carolina1,262,5541,456,8911,452,36015.0%14Massachusetts764,203868,410877,11814.8%15Oregon586,111701,881670,77614.4%16California4,004,9174,519,2894,537,28013.3%17Minnesota400,877444,664451,75512.7%18Wyoming24,92828,57228,07212.6%19Indiana574,304637,154646,19312.5%20Nevada421,015468,945470,85711.8%21Arkansas351,199398,219391,98411.6%22New Jersey682,918741,832761,38411.5%23Virginia698,350782,261778,37011.5%24Missouri678,716771,906752,53110.9%25New Mexico450,410493,689491,5129.1%26Oklahoma578,189625,551626,2988.3%27Arizona798,130915,512860,9127.9%28New York2,586,1862,756,1872,789,5337.9%29Illinois1,770,5741,854,0471,904,5247.6%30Michigan1,147,9721,195,9671,223,6116.6%31Pennsylvania1,744,7691,826,6111,852,3916.2%32Alabama719,827751,129756,3145.1%33South Carolina586,163617,334614,9054.9%34Guam43,77346,28645,6154.2%35Kansas198,285207,124205,4513.6%36Delaware122,139120,609126,1973.3%37Connecticut364,474380,909375,8253.1%38Vermont67,20967,72868,4161.8%39Ohio1,381,2451,399,8951,401,2121.4%40Maine155,648161,975157,3001.1%41Alaska85,14788,59786,0071.0%42West Virginia307,638301,459305,262-0.8%43South Dakota79,18678,14978,491-0.9%44Tennessee876,772855,072865,381-1.3%45Idaho142,105143,926139,833-1.6%46Nebraska156,439153,128153,996-1.6%47Utah165,162176,700161,348-2.3%48North Dakota48,07044,73146,731-2.8%49New Hampshire73,50669,57369,787-5.1%50Rhode Island147,857142,035137,892-6.7%51Mississippi443,382399,561411,965-7.1%52Montana106,05385,63696,042-9.4%53TOTAL37,637,71742,481,33942,917,34114.0%

Source: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)