International
An immigration reform, hard to achieve even with Biden’s victory
Now that Democratic candidate, Joe Biden, has won the U.S. presidential election, an immigration reform that legalizes the status of millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. is the hope.
Biden, who during his election campaign pledged to “secure our values as a nation of immigrants” and to “vigorously pursue policies that will safeguard” America’s security and provide “a fair and equitable system that will help grow and improve” the economy, while securing the country’s values, has succeeded, to some degree, in reassuring the day-to-day lives of these people who live in constant turmoil with President Trump’s frequently stated speech of racism and anti-immigration.
However, it is still premature to think about a path towards legalizing 11 million undocumented immigrants, with significant challenges and setbacks, according to immigration law experts and pro-immigrant activists.
“The scenario doesn’t look good. Because Biden will be working against a Republican-dominated Senate that will try to block any proposal,” attorney Luis Salgado, an immigration law expert, told El Tiempo Latino newspaper.
However, Biden’s immigration plan includes promoting an immigration reform bill in the first 100 days similar to the one approved by the Senate in June 2013 (Initiative S.744), that includes a way to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants who have been living in the United States for a long time, who lack criminal records and who pay taxes.
Just like the Presidency, the Senate’s vote is vital, since it is Senators who pass the bills and who hold the future of immigrants in their hands.
The November 3 election – without definition in Georgia – resulted in 50 Republican and 48 Democratic senators. Should two Republicans lose in Georgia, the Senate would be left with 50-50. The Vice-President would be the tiebreaker. In this case, it would be Democrat Kamala Harris.
Republicans currently have 53 Senators versus 47 Democrats.
While there are certain actions that the President-elect could take immediately upon taking office, there are others that will take longer to negotiate and others that will not even move forward.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
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