El gobernador Pedro Pierluisi se prepara para dar el mensaje de la situación del estado del país, en el Capitolio en San Juan (Puerto Rico). Foto de: Thais Llorca
San Juan.- El gobernador de Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, informó este jueves que desde el 23 de mayo próximo se extenderá la cobertura de la aseguradora pública de salud Plan Vital a mujeres embarazadas con estatus migratorio desconocido en la isla.
Ante ello, los migrantes dominicanos en Puerto Rico tendrán acceso al Centro de Inmunología y clínicas de vacunación junto al resto de la población, así como a los servicios de los Centros 330 que brindan atención médica alrededor de la isla, dijo el gobernador en un comunicado.
Pierluisi dio el anuncio el miércoles junto al expelotero dominicano David Ortiz, en la inauguración de La Casa del Inmigrante en Barrio Obrero, sector en San Juan donde reside una gran comunidad de dominicanos.
Alianzas para la Protección de los Derechos Humanos de los Migrantes en Puerto Rico
«Hoy reafirmamos nuestros lazos de hermandad y espíritu de colaboración en busca del progreso y el bienestar común de toda nuestra gente», resaltó Pierluisi.
«La comunidad dominicana en Puerto Rico forma parte integral de la familia puertorriqueña. Nuestros pueblos comparten los mismos retos y trabajamos juntos en la búsqueda de la prosperidad que aspiramos», agregó.
Se estima que unos 100.000 dominicanos residen en Puerto Rico, representando la mayor colonia de extranjeros en la isla caribeña.
Pierluisi dijo además que continuará con el desarrollo de alianzas que permitan visibilizar los agravios que sufren las personas migrantes, especialmente en áreas como la violencia de género, la trata humana y la explotación.
El gobierno de Pierluisi, a través de la Oficina de Ayuda a la Persona Extranjera del Departamento de Estado, estableció comunicación con el Cuerpo Consular de Puerto Rico para apoyar cualquier gestión que garantice el respeto de sus derechos humanos.
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryson Stott, left, and Brandon Marsh, right, dump water and candy on Whit Merrifield after winning a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants, Monday, May 6, 2024, in Philadelphia. Photo by: Matt Rourke
PHILADELPHIA.— The Phillies are hot, that much is certain, with Bryce Harper and Zack Wheeler powering and pitching the team to the best record in baseball and a recent home winning streak that nearly matched the franchise record.
Hot, yes. But sexy, too?
Well, no team has been quite as alluring to the packed crowds at Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies. Just ask them.
Brandon Marsh, the outfielder with the Rip Van Winkle whiskers, was mic’d up for an ESPN Sunday night game when he was relayed a fan question from social media by the broadcast booth: If you had to start a rock band, who would you take from the team and what’s the band name?
Marsh rattled off catcher Garrett Stubbs, slugger Kyle Schwarber and outfielder Cristian Pache as his fellow band members, then as he hustled off the field after making a catch, blurted out the name that has since launched a blossoming business of the catchphrase T-shirts.
“Stay Loose and Sexy, baby,” Marsh said.
Marsh said he has his own band shirt — which he has yet to reveal — and the Phillies have reveled this week in the attention the fictional name has stirred.
Stubbs — the backup catcher/clubhouse DJ/ Bud box hat fashionista — wants in as guitarist and backup singer. Of note, he does not play guitar or sing much more than on team karaoke nights.
“Pretty electric from Marshy,” Stubbs said.
Taking center stage as an MLB headline act, the Phillies are about as plugged in to playing good baseball as a team can be these days. Just take a look at their greatest hits — such as Harper’s three-run homer in a Monday win over San Francisco. For an encore? Harper smashed a grand slam the next night against Toronto.
“As a team, any given night, everyone’s going to do their job,” Harper said. “We’re not really worried about our numbers as individuals. We’re just going out there trying to win the games we need to. No matter who comes through at the right time or who comes through each night.”
Want consistent hitting? Third baseman Alec Bohm this week just wrapped up an 18-game hitting streak. Perfect pitching? Ranger Suárez — with a 6-0 record and 1.77 ERA — takes the mound Friday for the start of a three-game series in Miami.
“There won’t be many people, probably, at the ballpark,” manager Rob Thomson said. “You’ve got to internally create your own energy. We have a good group of people that can do that. Stubbs, Marsh, they tend to bring that every day.”
Some of the super stats tell the story.
The Phillies are 26-12 and their .684 winning percentage was tops in baseball entering Thursday’s games.
They won 11 straight home games before Wednesday’s loss to Toronto, one shy of matching the Citizens Bank Park record. They have won 11 of 13 games overall and 26 of their last 36. Harper has hit three times this season with the bases loaded — and has two grand slams. They are 22-1 when leading after six innings and 23-0 when leading after the eighth.
Philadelphia’s biggest accomplishment, though, just might be this: They are leading — yes, leading — the NL East by two games over the Atlanta Braves.
Phillies: Building Momentum for Postseason Glory
Philadelphia Phillies’ Brandon Marsh, right, celebrates with J.T. Realmuto, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, April 26, 2024, in San Diego. Photo by: Brandon Sloter
Philadelphia Phillies’ Brandon Marsh, right, celebrates with J.T. Realmuto, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Friday, April 26, 2024, in San Diego. Photo by: Brandon Sloter
Philadelphia Phillies’ Bryce Harper, right, reacts past Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk after hitting a grand slam during the fourth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 7, 2024, in Philadelphia. Photo by: Matt Slocum
The Phillies ended each of the last two seasons among baseball’s best. Led by a homer-happy, bat-spiking offense, the Phillies lost the 2022 World Series in six games to the Houston Astros. Last season, the Phillies took a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 of the NL Championship Series before losing the final two games at home to the Arizona Diamondbacks and bowed out.
What’s not forgotten in Philly is the long climb it took for the Phillies to reach October.
They were 25-30 at the end of last May. The Phillies opened 2022 at 22-29 when they fired manager Joe Girardi and promoted Thomson. Slow starts and sizzling Junes — 18-8 last year; 19-8 in 2022 — had become the norm for the Phillies.
This year’s team does have unfinished business in the postseason. The first World Series championship since 2008 remains the ultimate goal. But a great wire-to-wire regular season and even the division title that has eluded them is on the table this year.
Anchored by Wheeler and Suárez, the Phillies boast the best rotation in baseball. One hiccup is two-time All-Star shortstop Trea Turner will miss at least six weeks with a strained left hamstring. Turner had started all 30 games this season and was hitting .343 with two homers, 10 doubles, nine RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Without him, the Phillies are still 4-1.
“I think what happened the last two years at the end is really motivating for this group,” Thomson said. “It’s not just Bryce that’s competitive. I think the entire room is competitive. They feed off of each other that way. These guys, they come to play every day. They are tough. And they have fun at the same time. It’s just a really good group, a special group.”
On the stat sheet, the Phillies are better than those ’22 and ’23 teams.
That won’t matter much come October. But if Harper again goes on a late-season tear and Wheeler keeps shutting teams down, the Phillies are primed to make another World Series run.
Well, they can just as long as they remember to stay loose and sexy, baby.
A couple carry their possessions out as police move in to clear an encampment in Philadelphia. Photograph: Matt Rourke/AP
PHILADELPHIA.— Philadelphia police have cleared out a homeless encampment in a city neighborhood where drug use has been pervasive for years, but homeless advocates and others have raised concerns about how it was done.
The effort, which the city called an “encampment resolution,” started around 7 a.m. Wednesday in the Kensington neighborhood and was completed by 10 a.m. People who lived there, along with their tents and other structures, were moved from the sidewalk along a two-block stretch.
Homeless Advocates Express Concerns Over Kensington Encampment Clearing
City outreach workers had connected 55 encampment residents to housing services in the 30-day period leading up to the clearing, officials said, and four people had been connected to drug and alcohol treatment. It wasn’t clear how many people had been living in the area that was cleared.
The sweep was the most visible action that Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration has taken since she assumed the post in January, as it seeks to end the open-air drug market that has plagued the neighborhood.
City officials said the clearing was done without incident and no arrests were made, but advocates for the homeless and others questioned both the process and what would happen to the displaced residents. Officials had said the clearing would be led by outreach teams, but no city social service workers were on the scene when police began moving out residents.
In previous major encampment clearings in the neighborhood, police did not lead the operations, and outreach workers instead spent hours on the day of the eviction offering residents assistance, such as giving them rides to treatment and shelter sites and helping them store their possessions.
San Juan.- La aerolínea JetBlue agregará desde octubre próximo seis vuelos directos desde Estados Unidos, México, Colombia, República Dominicana y la isla caribeña de Santa Cruz a los tres principales aeropuertos internacionales de Puerto Rico, se informó en un comunicado este miércoles.
Los viajes a los aeropuertos de San Juan, Aguadilla y Ponce serán desde las ciudades de Providence, Rhode Island; Westchester County, Nueva York; Santiago, República Dominicana; Medellín, Colombia; Cancún, México, y Santa Cruz, en las Islas Vírgenes, según se detalló en un comunicado de prensa.
Inicio de los Nuevos Vuelos desde Providence y Westchester County
Los vuelos desde Providence y Westchester County arrancarán el 27 de octubre, y al día siguiente el de Santiago y Cancún. El de Cancún viajará tres veces en semana.
Mientras, los de Medellín iniciarán el 29 de octubre y serán cuatro veces semanales, y el de Santa Cruz empezará el 12 de diciembre una sola vez en semana.
«JetBlue ha sido una parte de la comunidad puertorriqueña durante más de veinte años, y estamos emocionados de profundizar nuestras raíces con esta expansión», dijo Marty St. George, presidente de JetBlue, en la nota.
«Nuestra historia en las últimas décadas en esta vibrante comunidad ha sido nuestro motor, no solo para aumentar nuestro servicio, sino también para fortalecer nuestras relaciones y presencia en la región», agregó.
La expansión de la línea aérea tendrá un impacto de alrededor de 89 millones de dólares a la economía local y añadirá 273.000 asientos disponibles al inventario actual.
«Este anuncio resalta el compromiso de la aerolínea con nuestro mercado, al tiempo que valida y apoya la visión y planes estratégicos de nuestra administración para continuar impulsando el crecimiento de la industria turística en Puerto Rico», sostuvo el gobernador de Puerto Rico, Pedro Pierluisi, en el comunicado.
Además de los seis vuelos ya mencionados, JetBlue también iniciará el 22 de julio el plan JetBlue Mint, con ruta entre el Aeropuerto Internacional John F. Kennedy de Nueva York y el Aeropuerto Internacional Luis Muñoz Marín de San Juan.
El servicio incluye asientos completamente reclinables, comidas confeccionadas al estilo restaurante, y opciones de viaje adicionales.
Para celebrar el anuncio de las nuevas rutas, algunos pasajes y servicios estarán disponibles a la venta en línea a una tarifa especial por tiempo limitado.
Narcan nasal spray is available at IDEA Exchange Pinellas, an anonymous needle exchange in St. Petersburg, Florida. The medication is used to revive someone during an opioid overdose and is available as an over-the-counter treatment, but it doesn’t reverse the effects of xylazine. (Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times)
Pennsylvania will make the animal sedative xylazine a controlled substance
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will sign legislation to criminalize the misuse of a powerful animal tranquilizer called xylazine that is showing up in supplies of illicit drugs and contributing to a growing number of human overdose deaths, his office said Wednesday.
Xylazine, which is being mixed into fentanyl and other illicit opioids, will remain legal for its intended use by veterinarians.
The bill received approval from the state House of Representatives and the Senate in the past week.
Under the bill, xylazine will be listed as a “schedule III” drug under Pennsylvania’s controlled substance law, formalizing an order that Shapiro issued last year when Pennsylvania joined a growing list of states that were moving to restrict access to xylazine.
Xylazine is a prescription sedative used by veterinarians to safely handle and treat farm animals, wildlife, zoo animals and household pets such as cats and dogs.
Officials say the pain-relieving, muscle-relaxing drug, sometimes referred to as “tranq,” is often abused by being added to fentanyl and heroin. It was detected in 3,000 U.S. drug deaths in 2021, according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.
The illicit use of schedule III drugs carries a penalty of imprisonment of up to five years. The law would require that the drug be stored safely when used professionally, to prevent theft or improper access.
Xylazine can cause breathing and heart rates to fall to dangerous levels when used in humans. When injected it can cause large open sores and infections, sometimes leading to amputation.
Allegheny County Election Division Deputy Manager Chet Harhut explains the process of sorting mail-in and absentee ballots in preparations for Pennsylvania's primary election on April 23, at the Elections warehouse in Pittsburgh, April 18, 2024. Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday, May 8, 2024 that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month's primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballot thrown out. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, file)
HARRISBURG, Pa.— Pennsylvania election officials said Wednesday that the number of mail-in ballots rejected for technicalities, like a missing date, saw a significant drop in last month’s primary election after state officials tried anew to help voters avoid mistakes that might get their ballots thrown out.
The success of the mail-in vote could be critical to determining the outcome of November’s presidential election in Pennsylvania when the state is again expected to play a decisive role in the contest between Democratic President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, a Republican.
Pennsylvania’s top election official, Secretary of State Al Schmidt, said counties reported a 13.5% decrease in mail-in ballots that were rejected for reasons the state had tried to address with a redesigned ballot envelope and instructions for voting by mail. That drop was calculated in comparison to the 2023 primary election.
Those reasons included voters writing an incorrect date on the outer “declaration” envelope; forgetting to write a date or put their signature on the outer declaration envelope; or failing to insert their ballot into an inner “secrecy” envelope.
Challenges and Successes in Pennsylvania’s Mail-In Voting
Schmidt credited the redesign with the reduced error rate, and said he didn’t think the drop was a coincidence or the result of a different or better-educated electorate.
“It’s always challenging to determine causality, but I think what we have here is clear and reliable data indicating that there was a decrease in ballots being rejected because of the issues the Department of State sought to address with the redesign of the secrecy envelope and the declaration envelope,” Schmidt said in an interview.
Last month’s primary election was the first use of the redesigned envelope and instructions. The Department of State compared rejection rates to 2023’s primary because the two elections were the only elections where counties had identical rules for which mail-in ballots should be counted and which should be rejected.
Pennsylvania vastly expanded voting by mail in 2019, and lawsuits quickly followed over whether counties should be throwing out ballots with missing or incorrect dates, questionable signatures or missing secrecy envelopes.
Federal courts are still considering litigation over whether it is unconstitutional for counties to throw out a mail-in ballot because of a missing or wrong date.
Meanwhile, Trump’s baseless claims that voting by mail is riddled with fraud have fueled a partisan stalemate in the Legislature over fixing glitches and gray areas in Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting law.
That includes legislation long sought by counties seeking help to more quickly process huge influxes of mail-in ballots during presidential elections and to avoid a repeat of 2020’s drawn-out vote count.
Trump and his allies tried to exploit the days it took after polls closed in Pennsylvania to tabulate more than 2.5 million mail-in ballots to spread baseless conspiracy theories and cast doubt on the legitimacy of the election.
The bill faces long odds in the Republican-controlled Senate, where top Republicans insist that Pennsylvania must toughen in-person voter identification requirements as a companion to any election legislation — a demand Republicans have made since 2021.
Democrats have opposed such a change, saying there is scant record of in-person voting fraud and that it will only prevent some registered voters from voting.
HARRISBURG. — Pennsylvania’s state House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation aimed at regulating how online social media platforms interact with children, although its provisions are similar to those in state laws being blocked in federal courts or in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
The bill passed nearly along party lines, 105-95, with 10 Republicans voting with most Democrats for it and seven Democrats voting with most Republicans against it.
It faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled state Senate, and the nation’s highest court may soon decide whether state-level provisions like the ones in the bill can be enforced.
The bill would require social media platforms to allow users to report“hateful conduct,” such as threats or bullying, and publicize a policy for how they will respond to such reports. It also would require users under 18 to get parental consent and bar the platforms from “data mining” users under 18, or sifting through their user data to find specific information or develop insight into patterns or habits.
Bill Would Require Social Media Platforms to Allow Users to Report «Hateful Conduct
The sponsor, Rep. Brian Munroe, D-Bucks, said the concepts in the bill are nothing new and similar to age-related restrictions that the government has put on movies, driving, drinking alcohol or smoking, or the parental permissions that are required for things like field trips or school sports.
“Time and time again, we’ve acted in the best interests of children by looking at the exposure to potentially harmful activities and said, ‘not at that age and not without your parents’ OK,’” Munroe told colleagues during floor debate.
Parents and children are asking for such regulation, Munroe said.
The Washington-based Computer and Communications Industry Association — whose members include Google, owner of YouTube, and Meta, owner of Facebook and Instagram — pointed out that the legislation, called House Bill 2017, has similarities to laws in other states that are being challenged in court.
“While the goal of protecting younger users is commendable, HB2017 risks infringing upon younger users’ ability to access and engage in open online expression and could cut off access to communities of support,” the association said in a statement. “There are also significant data privacy and security concerns associated with the data collection that would be required to verify a user’s age and a parent/legal guardian’s relationship to a minor.”
California-based Meta has said parental supervision tools and other measures already are in place to ensure teens have age-appropriate experiences online, and that algorithms are used to filter out harmful content.
Last year, Utah became the first state to pass laws that require minors to get parental consent before using social media. That law has been challenged in federal court by the trade group NetChoice.
Also, last year, federal judges put on hold an Arkansas law that required parental consent for children to create social media accounts and a California law barring tech companies from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that sprang from legal challenges to state laws in Florida and Texas that seek to regulate Facebook, TikTok, X and other social media platforms.
The details of the two laws vary, but both sought to prevent the social media companies from censoring users based on their viewpoints.
PHILADELPHIA – Today, the City of Philadelphia completed a month-long encampment resolution process in Kensington on the 3000-3100 blocks of Kensington Avenue. A total of 59 people accepted housing and services through the 34-day process, including 19 who came in today, Wednesday, May 8. There will continue to be outreach and engagement teams working on a daily basis to connect individuals to housing and treatment throughout the community. This resolution was part of the City’s continuing efforts in combating the overdose crisis in Philadelphia.
Mayor Parker praised the work of every City worker and agency involved in the effort. Encampment resolutions are not new in Philadelphia; the City has long been addressing encampments that threaten communities’ public health and safety. To date, the City as engaged in over 25 encampment resolutions; 10 have taken place in Kensington.
City’s Efforts in Combating the Kensington Encampment Issue
“We’re proud of all of the City Departments that worked together to resolve the encampment on two blocks in Kensington that were creating a public safety and health threat to the neighborhood,” said Adam Geer, Chief Public Safety Director who briefed the press following the encampment resolution completion. “Throughout the process, no one was arrested, and 59 people came off the streets and into care. That’s in line with Mayor Parker’s vision for the restoration of Kensington and any neighborhood where people are suffering and in need.”
Services Provided
Since Thursday, April 4, City employees from the Office of Homeless Services, Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual DisAbility Services in partnership with neighborhood-based non-profits and social services staff have been working to connect people to treatment, shelter and medical care. The City does not require anyone to accept treatment or housing; it is voluntary.
A total of 59 individuals accepted services during the 30 days. Of those:
55 people connected to housing assistance including three couples.
Housing assistance includes offers of low barrier shelter, recovery focused shelter, safe havens, and respite.
Four people connected to drug and alcohol services.
In addition, the City was able to care for those suffering from wounds even if they did not accept other services. Wounds cared for ranged from minor cuts to serious necrotic wounds and the following patients were seen during extended evening outreach from April 9-May 7:
88 Patients, 12 of which are new patients seen for the first time during extended outreach.
1,242 Wounds treated.
Outreach teams have been engaging people daily, providing services, offering resources since the winter months and will continue to do so. For the first time the City piloted an extended outreach effort that started April 9th and included interagency outreach teams to engage from 4 to 8 p.m. three days a week in addition to their regularly scheduled outreach efforts – 32 of our placements came directly from that effort.
“Our outreach teams are Philadelphia’s unsung heroes, and they all put their heart and soul into every engagement,” said Noelle Foizen, Overdose Response Unit (ORU) Director. “Teams work tirelessly to support each person including addressing anything that could be a barrier to placement such as accessibility, mobility, pets, couples, etc. and work hard to find the right resource in challenging situations where at times they are threatened and harassed. They are brave and strong and represent the best of us and Mayor Parker’s vision to connect people to long term care, treatment and housing opportunities.”
Last night, Mayor Parker and the Parker Administration Cabinet, including Police Commissioner Kevin J. Bethel, Director of Public Safety Adam Geer, Managing Director Adam Thiel and others met with more than 250 community members during the Mayor’s One Philly Budget Town Hall stop in Kensington. During the town hall, Mayor Parker used budget figures to outline her broader vision to restore Kensington and other neighborhoods ravaged by drug dealing, including the building of a comprehensive, long-term system of care, treatment and housing for people suffering from addiction to substances, mental health challenges and experiencing homelessness.
“Do I have your permission to develop and implement that Plan for Philadelphia?” the Mayor asked the audience. She received a rousing ovation.
El presidente Joe Biden saluda mientras camina hacia el helicóptero Marine One para partir desde el jardín sur de la Casa Blanca, el 8 de mayo de 2024, en Washington. (Foto: Alex Brandon)
Estados Unidos detuvo un envío de bombas a Israel la semana pasada ante la inminente decisión israelí de lanzar un asalto a gran escala en Rafah, ciudad en el sur de Gaza, en contra de los deseos de Washington, dijo el miércoles el secretario de Defensa, Lloyd Austin.
Se suponía que el envío constaría de 1.800 bombas de 900 kilos (2.000 libras) y 1.700 bombas de 225 kilos (500 libras), según un funcionario que habló bajo condición de anonimato. El foco de preocupación de Estados Unidos fueron los explosivos más grandes y cómo podrían usarse en un entorno urbano denso como Rafah, donde más de 1 millón de civiles se están refugiando después de evacuar otras partes de Gaza en medio de la guerra de Israel contra Hamás.
“Vamos a seguir haciendo lo que sea necesario para garantizar que Israel tenga los medios para defenderse”, dijo Austin. “Pero dicho esto, actualmente estamos revisando algunos envíos de asistencia de seguridad a corto plazo en el contexto de los acontecimientos que se desarrollan en Rafah”.
EE. UU. reevalúa ayuda militar a Israel por posibles violaciones
Históricamente, Estados Unidos ha proporcionado enormes cantidades de ayuda militar a Israel. Eso se aceleró tras el ataque de Hamás el 7 de octubre que mató a unas 1.200 personas en Israel y la captura de unos 250 rehenes. La pausa en el envío de ayuda es la manifestación más llamativa del creciente desacuerdo entre los gobiernos del primer ministro israelí, Benjamin Netanyahu, y del presidente Joe Biden, que ha pedido a Israel que haga mucho más para proteger la vida de civiles inocentes en Gaza.
También se produce cuando la administración Biden debe emitir un veredicto formal, el primero de su tipo, esta semana sobre si los ataques aéreos en Gaza y las restricciones a la entrega de ayuda han violado las leyes internacionales y estadounidenses diseñadas para salvar a los civiles de los horrores de la guerra.
Una decisión contra Israel aumentaría aún más la presión sobre Biden para que frene el flujo de armas y dinero al ejército de Israel.
Los funcionarios estadounidenses se habían negado durante días a comentar sobre detención de envíos, mientras que Biden describió el martes el apoyo de Estados Unidos a Israel como “férreo, incluso cuando no estemos de acuerdo”.
El embajador de Israel ante Naciones Unidas, Gilad Erdan, en una entrevista con el Canal 12 de la televisión israelí, dijo que la decisión de suspender el envío fue “una decisión muy decepcionante, incluso frustrante”. Sugirió que la medida se debió a la presión política sobre Biden por parte del Congreso, las protestas en universidades estadounidenses y las próximas elecciones.
Biden ha enfrentado la presión de algunos de la izquierda y la condena de los críticos de la derecha que dicen que el presidente ha entibiado su apoyo a un aliado esencial en Medio Oriente.
“Si detenemos las armas necesarias para destruir a los enemigos del Estado de Israel en un momento de gran peligro, pagaremos un precio”, expresó el senador Lindsey Graham, republicano por Carolina del Sur, alzando la voz con ira durante un intercambio con Austin. “Esto es obsceno. Es absurdo. Denle a Israel lo que necesita para librar una guerra que no puede permitirse perder”.
El senador independiente Bernie Sanders, de Vermont, aliado de Biden, dijo en un comunicado que la pausa en las grandes bombas debe ser un “primer paso”.
“Nuestra influencia es clara”, indicó Sanders. “A lo largo de los años, Estados Unidos ha proporcionado decenas de miles de millones de dólares en ayuda militar a Israel. Ya no podemos ser cómplices de la horrible guerra de Netanyahu contra el pueblo palestino”.
Fotografía cedida por la Oficina del senador demócrata de California, Alex Padilla (c), donde aparece mientras habla junto a sus colegas durante una conferencia de prensa este miércoles en el predio del Capitolio en Washington. EFE/Oficina Alex Padilla
Washington.- Legisladores y activistas, temerosos por lo que una segunda presidencia de Donald Trump pueda significar para los indocumentados, instaron este miércoles al presidente Joe Biden a decretar medidas ejecutivas que protejan a millones de inmigrantes sin estatus, especialmente aquellos que han vivido y aportado a la economía por largo tiempo.
«La amenaza es real», afirmó el senador Cory Booker, demócrata de Nueva Jersey en una conferencia de prensa en el predio del Capitolio. «Trump ha hablado acerca de la deportación de miles y miles de personas que han estado, en su mayoría, aquí por la mayor parte de sus vidas».
El senador Alex Padilla, demócrata de California, urgió a Biden a que «tome acción ejecutiva para proteger a los inmigrantes indocumentados que llevan años esperando una reforma migratoria en este país».
«A pesar de todo lo que los inmigrantes aportan a nuestra economía hemos visto propuestas migratorias en los últimos meses que han dejado atrás a estas comunidades», añadió.
Padilla, Booker, junto con la senadora Catherine Cortez Masto, demócrata de Nevada; el senador Ben Luján, demócrata de Nuevo México, y miembros de la cámara de Representantes, insistieron en que el presidente Biden tiene atribuciones para decretar medidas que amparen a los indocumentados y los extranjeros con diversos tipos de visas temporales.
«Por lo menos un permiso de trabajo sería una bendición para mi. Llevo más de 20 años aquí aportando y esperando un alivio migratorio pero nada. Yo creo que nos merecemos que al menos nos protejan de la deportación a los que no tenemos delitos», dijo a EFE la guatemalteca Alicia Marroquín.
Biden dispuesto a escuchar
Janet Murguía, presidenta de la organización UnidosUS, quien se reunió con el mandatario el miércoles pasado, dijo que «el presidente está dispuesto a tomar acción y pidió propuestas más específicas y vamos a dárselas».
«El presidente tiene hoy, bajo la ley actual, de ofrecer a algunas personas indocumentadas un camino hacia el estatus legal», añadió Murguía. «Permisos de trabajo y estar libres de deportación. Le pedimos al presidente que use su poder para dar alivio a estas familias».
Por su parte Gustavo Torres, el director ejecutivo de la organización CASA, instó al presidente a que «use su poder para actuar», como lo hizo el expresidente Barack Obama (2009-2017) cuando emitió la Acción Diferida Para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA)
«Que use su poder para proveer de estatus de protección temporal y deportaciones diferidas para residentes que han estado aquí por largo tiempo, personas que han estado aquí por más de 10 años», agregó Torres.
Por su parte, el senador Luján dijo que muchas de las personas a las que se refieren estos reclamos «han vivido en el país por años y años, han criado familias, han estudiado en las universidades y escuelas de oficios, han contribuido a nuestra economía».
«Nuestro sistema de inmigración está desbaratado», agregó Luján. «Necesitamos hacer algo para reparar este sistema pero algunos colegas republicanos extremistas están más interesados en ganar puntos políticos que en reparar un sistema desbaratado».
La petición de los legisladores y activistas se une a una solicitud enviada el mes pasado por un grupo de congresistas demócratas que pedían permiso de trabajos para los inmigrantes de larga data.
Otorgar permisos de trabajo a inmigrantes que han vivido en el país por largo tiempo podría aumentar los ingresos fiscales anuales en aproximadamente 13.800 millones de dólares.
Proponen establecer tres nuevos programas que otorgarían permisos de trabajo para cónyuges indocumentados de ciudadanos estadounidenses, para inmigrantes que llegaron siendo niños pero no fueron elegibles para el programa de DACA y para trabajadores que han pagado impuestos durante años.
