a Better Bubble™

Aggregator

D.C. Attorney General Opens Investigation Into Republican Governors’ Shipping of Immigrants to the Capital

2 years 8 months ago

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they’re published.

This article is co-published with The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan local newsroom that informs and engages with Texans. Sign up for The Brief Weekly to get up to speed on their essential coverage of Texas issues.

District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine has opened an investigation into whether southern border state governors misled immigrants as part of what he called a “political stunt” to transport them to Washington.

Racine told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune his office is examining whether immigrants were deceived by trip organizers before boarding buses for Washington, including several hundred who were bused from Texas under instructions from Gov. Greg Abbott and dropped near the official residence of Vice President Kamala Harris. Racine’s office has the authority to bring misdemeanor criminal charges or to file civil fraud cases.

Racine said that in interviews with his investigators, arriving immigrants “have talked persuasively about being misled, with talk about promised services.” He offered no specifics about the inquiry, including whether it is being handled by his office’s criminal or civil divisions. The attorney general’s office declined to answer further questions.

Various state and federal laws could apply to transporting immigrants across state lines. Racine’s office could look into whether anyone committed fraud by falsely promising jobs or services, whether there were civil rights violations or whether officials misused taxpayers’ money.

Racine’s investigation comes after weeks of escalating tensions between some Republican governors and the Biden administration over immigration policy. In April, Abbott began busing to Washington immigrants who had been processed and released by federal immigration officials, and he later expanded the initiative to New York and Chicago. To date, more than 12,000 immigrants have been relocated from border towns.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has followed Abbott’s lead and bused 2,170 immigrants to Washington on 60 buses, according to Ducey’s spokesperson, C.J. Karamargin. Most of them, he said, had said they hoped to relocate to New York, New Jersey or Florida.

Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is seeking reelection, turbocharged the issue and moved it to the forefront of a national debate on Biden’s immigration policies. He sent two charter flights to Martha’s Vineyard carrying Venezuelan immigrants who had arrived in Texas. Local officials in Texas have said they were not consulted.

The immigrants and their advocates said that passengers on the charter flights had been told they would be given jobs and support. A sheriff in Texas has opened a criminal investigation into whether Florida officials violated the law by recruiting the migrants from a Texas shelter.

Racine’s involvement ratchets up the pressure on the governors over their actions.

Elected as a Democrat, Racine criticized the Republican governors for using “people as props. That’s what they’ve done with the immigrants.”

Racine’s office can prosecute certain misdemeanors, and felonies are handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. But its highest profile work has been bringing civil fraud lawsuits against nonprofits and businesses. In May, it reached a $750,000 settlement in a lawsuit against former President Donald Trump’s inaugural committee, alleging that it had abused donors’ funds by overpaying for rentals at the Trump International Hotel.

The governors have said they have done nothing wrong in transporting immigrants to “sanctuary cities” that may be better equipped to care for them. They say they want the rest of the nation to share the burden of what they call the Biden administration’s open border policies.

Abbott, who is also campaigning for reelection, said that he had had immigrants bused from Texas to Harris’ residence in D.C. to call attention to border security, saying on Twitter, “We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job and secure the border.”

In a statement to ProPublica and the Tribune, Abbott’s press secretary, Renae Eze, denied that any trickery has been involved in Texas’ migrant transportation program, which has now sent 8,200 people to Washington on over 195 buses, 3,200 to New York City on over 60 buses and 920 to Chicago on over 15 buses.

“These Democrat elites in our nation’s capital know nothing about Texas’ busing operations. These migrants willingly chose to go to Washington, D.C., having signed a voluntary consent waiver available in multiple languages upon boarding that they agreed on the destination. And they were processed and released by the federal government, who dumped them in small Texas border towns,” she wrote.

DeSantis’ office did not respond, but the governor has said he intends to transport more immigrants out of Florida. Ducey’s spokesperson said Arizona is working with a regional health center to ensure that immigrants are well-treated and get to their final desired destinations. Ducey has said he will continue busing migrants to Washington until he leaves office in January.

Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, an advocacy group, said that some immigrants who were sent from Texas to Harris’ residence in Washington have told his team they were misled about their final destination. The immigrants believed they were bound for Union Station, the city’s central transportation hub, where many hoped to connect with family or trains and buses to other locations. Instead, he said, they were dropped off at about 6 a.m. in an unfamiliar spot, where a church group quickly organized to pick them up.

“I think they are being tricked and being used,” Garcia said.

Since the spring, buses have arrived almost daily at Union Station, where immigrants can now seek support from a new city Office of Migrant Services. So far, Texas taxpayers have spent about $14 million on migrant transportation, according to state records. Buses into Washington have continued in recent days, with several additional arrivals at the vice president’s residence.

Meanwhile, Florida procurement records suggest that the state transportation agency intends to continue using charter air services to transport immigrants out of the state until June 30. The vendor chosen for the charter flights is run by a state Republican donor.

The U.S. Treasury Department’s inspector general is examining Florida’s use of money from COVID-19 funds to finance its migrant transportation program, Politico reported. DeSantis’s office says it used the money properly.

Kirsten Berg contributed research.

by Marilyn W. Thompson and Perla Trevizo

University Of Illinois Foundation Releases Annual Financial And Endowment Report

2 years 8 months ago
URBANA, IL. — For the fifth consecutive year, the University of Illinois Foundation reports new business topping $400 million. That figure and other Fiscal Year 2022 data from the Foundation and the University of Illinois System were announced today at the 87th Annual Business Meeting of the University of Illinois Foundation, an event that shares and celebrates the impact of private support for the U of I System. The Foundation posted $371.5 million for cash* gifts and $467.7 million for new business** in FY22—the fifth year running new business exceeded $400 million. This year’s new business figure is the second highest in history, second only to 2018 which recorded $498.5 million. Alumni and friends contributed $257.5 million of the new business total, illustrating their continued commitment and unwavering support for the University of Illinois. The largest percentage of cash gifts reported in FY22—74 percent or $275 million—was designated

Continue Reading

Mega Millions And Powerball Jackpots Approach Combined $1 Billion

2 years 8 months ago
CHICAGO - Illinois Lottery players have two chances to become a mega-millionaire this weekend as the multi-state lottery games, Mega Millions and Powerball, approach a combined jackpot of $1 billion. The Mega Millions jackpot for tonight’s drawing now stands at $494 million- the second-largest jackpot of 2022, while the Powerball jackpot for Saturday night’s drawing is an estimated $454 million - the game’s largest since April 2022. Just two months ago, a $1.34 billion Mega Millions jackpot, which marked the third largest lottery prize in U.S. history, was won with a single ticket purchased at the Speedway gas station in Des Plaines. In addition to the historic billion-dollar jackpot, four other Illinois residents have won prizes of $1 million or more with Mega Millions and five players have won prizes of $1 million or more with Powerball so far this year. In total, Mega Millions and Powerball players have purchased over 4.5 million winning tickets and won nearly

Continue Reading

Governor Pritzker Proclaims October 15, 2022 Move Over Day In Illinois

2 years 8 months ago
CHICAGO – The Illinois State Police (ISP) joins law enforcement agencies across the nation in the campaign to recognize October 15, 2022 as “Slow Down, Move Over Day.” Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued a proclamation designating October 15, 2022 as Move Over Day in Illinois, which aligns Illinois’ law designed to promote safe driving behavior and encourage motorists to move over for all vehicles stopped on the side of the roadway. “This ‘Slow Down, Move Over Day,’ I am thinking about emergency responders, like Chicago Firefighter Lieutenant Scott Gillen, who lost their lives while saving others,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These deaths are as tragic as they are preventable. And this day—and every day—I remind the great people of Illinois to support our first responders and our fellow motorists by slowing down and moving over.” ISP is committed to reducing traffic crash fatalities and limiting the risk of

Continue Reading

Duckworth, Van Hollen Meet Ukrainian Soldier Receiving Treatment At Medical Center Orthotics And Prosthetics In Silver Spring

2 years 8 months ago
WASHINGTON, DC — Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) met this week with Ukrainian Soldier Oleksandr Chaika, who is receiving care at Medical Center Orthotics and Prosthetics (MCOP) in Silver Spring, Maryland. Duckworth and Van Hollen toured MCOP, met with Oleksandr and highlighted the continued need for U.S. support for the people of Ukraine. Photos from the meeting are available here . Oleksandr, a Ukrainian athlete, choreographer, acrobatics coach and teacher, joined the Ukrainian military shortly after Putin began his unjustifiable war on Ukraine. Oleksandr was deployed to the Luhansk region where he lost his leg to an explosive. Oleksandr has now received a prosthetic leg as part of MCOP’s Operation Renew to serve Ukrainian military personnel. “It was an honor to meet with Oleksandr—not just to be able to thank him for his sacrifices during Putin’s unjustifiable war, but also to speak

Continue Reading

Judge Tosses Missouri Voter ID Lawsuit

2 years 8 months ago
This story originally appeared in the Missouri Independent. A Missouri judge dismissed a lawsuit Thursday that argued a new law requiring Missourians present a government-issued photo ID to vote is unconstitutional.
Rebecca Rivas

Brunswick Stew: A Heaping Bowl of Goodness

2 years 8 months ago

Healthy and Hearty Brunswick Stew is a southern thing. Even so, my mother never made it. I was introduced to the stew by Debra, my Virginia-reared daughter-in-law. If you’ve even cooked the meat and vegetable combo, you know it’s most often includes shredded pork and chicken, baby limas, corn, potatoes, and tomatoes. Some versions are... 

Read More »

The post Brunswick Stew: A Heaping Bowl of Goodness appeared first on Good Food St. Louis.

Jean Carnahan

St. Louis Mayor to Join Reparations Event This Weekend

2 years 8 months ago
This story originally appeared in the Missouri Independent. Reparations is often something people hear about in an international setting — such as ongoing reparations that are paid to Holocaust survivors or reparations South Africa paid to apartheid victims.
Rebecca Rivas