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15 Oct, 7 tweets, 2 min read
The Trump administration has made it harder for people fleeing violence and persecution to obtain asylum in the United States.

We obtained new documents showing an early version of the controversial Migrant Protection Protocols policy.
americanoversight.org/document/cbp-r…
Under MPP, which DHS announced in January 2019 and the Supreme Court ruled could continue in March 2020, asylum-seekers are forced to wait in Mexico while their cases proceed, forcing them to stay in dangerous locations, with limited access to attorneys & case info.
In a February 2017 presentation from the “U.S. Customs and Border Protections Migration Crisis Action Team,” a slide showed that CBP was planning to develop guidance for implementation of 235 (b)(2)(c).
235 (b)(2)(c) provides that undocumented immigrants arriving by land from a contiguous territory generally may be returned, as a matter of enforcement discretion, to the territory from which they are arriving pending a removal proceeding.
In addition, the presentation noted that DHS would collaborate with DOJ to establish "port courts" and "soft-sided" expansion plans, which most likely refer to the "tent courts" that have become infamous for their poor conditions.
Previously, we obtained records showing how while devising MPP, the administration scrapped a question asking migrants whether they feared being returned to Mexico, requiring them to bring up such a fear on their own.
buzzfeednews.com/article/hameda…
Learn more about our ongoing investigation into MPP and other barriers to receiving asylum implemented by the Trump administration here:
americanoversight.org/investigation/…

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More from @weareoversight

American Oversight Profile picture
16 Oct
As the weather cools, many experts predict Covid-19 cases will begin to rise — and as the pandemic continues, we are still investigating the government’s response to it.

For #FOIAFriday, we’re highlighting our Covid-19 Oversight Hub and what we’ve uncovered so far. Image
First, the Covid-19 outbreak at the White House. Earlier this month, President Trump tested positive for Covid-19. After 3 days at Walter Reed, Trump — still contagious— returned to the White House, where lax safety measures had recently led to an outbreak. Image
Questions remain about that outbreak, from how it began to how the administration is tracing those infected, and about how forthcoming the government has been about the president’s condition and when he first contracted the virus.
Read 14 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
16 Oct
New: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s rush to release Hillary Clinton’s emails before Election Day appears to violate the Hatch Act. Career State employees may be at risk.

We called for an immediate investigation into Pompeo’s rush to release the emails.
americanoversight.org/american-overs…
We asked the State Dept. Inspector General and the Office of Special Counsel to investigate if Secretary Mike Pompeo has ordered any State employees to take actions that violate the Hatch Act.
On October 8, President Trump publicly criticized Pompeo for not ensuring that Hillary Clinton’s emails were released. The next day, Pompeo said that State would work to release more info from the emails “before the election,” strongly suggesting his intent to sway voters.
Read 5 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Oct
New: We are suing Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger and other state officials for failing to respond to dozens of open records requests related to voting rights and this election.
americanoversight.org/american-overs…
Although early voting only just began this week, reports are already describing hours of waiting in line and issues with poll pad check-in computers. These follow the disastrous delays that plagued the June 2020 primary election.
In the last year, we made public records requests to Raffensberger’s office for emails related to the Absentee Ballot Task Force, communications with organizations that have a history of voter suppression efforts, records related to complications w/ the primary elections & more.
Read 5 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
14 Oct
New: Two sets of documents we obtained show federal agencies approved and/or were aware of President Trump’s tweets prior to him publishing them.

The records provide a unique look into the workings of the president’s Twitter account.
The first set shows DHS officials approved a tweet sent from President Trump’s personal Twitter account regarding the so-called migrant caravan on April 30, 2018.
americanoversight.org/document/cbp-r…
In an email titled “Urgent: [redacted],” an executive secretary at DHS requested “clearance ASAP, since White House deadline is 1:45 pm.”

That email was then forwarded to a group that included Stephen Miller, Chad Wolf, and others.
Read 11 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
13 Oct
On April 7, Wisconsin held primary elections as the state was under pandemic lockdowns.

Wisconsin required voters with absentee ballots to include a copy of a photo ID and for the absentee ballots themselves to be signed by a witness.
On March 31, Assistant Majority Leader Mary Felzkowski sent a constituent an email that showed the problems with the witness requirement: “I have heard a lot of creative solutions here. If you have someone willing to come over, you can sign it on one side of a window or door….
"and then put the ballot on through the door or window, and have the witness sign with their own pen. If someone doesn't have a person in their life that can come over, please let me know and we can maybe help find someone to witness.”
Read 4 tweets
American Oversight Profile picture
9 Oct
The Trump administration separated children from parents as a deliberately cruel measure to attempt to deter future migrants.

For #FOIAFriday, we’re highlighting our extensive timeline of the administration’s communications about family separation.
americanoversight.org/a-timeline-of-…
In particular, we’re drawing attention to the role of former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. While Nielsen has tried to distance herself from the policy, documents we uncovered through FOIA show her involvement.
On March 3, 2017, Reuters reported that the administration was considering a family-separation proposal. An unidentified person emailed the story to the DHS budget director: “I would be truly grateful if you could tell me this isn’t being seriously considered.”
Read 14 tweets

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