The Anchor - January 30 2017

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THE

VOLUME 90 | ISSUE XIV

ANCHOR

© The Anchor 2016

RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE, MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2017

Trump clashes with courts over immigration ban O

Shane Inman Managing Editor

n Friday afternoon President Donald Trump signed an executive order barring entry into the United States for immigrants and refugees from seven countries. The order, which took effect immediately, suspends the “immigrant and nonimmigrant entry” of citizens of Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen for 90 days. In addition, admission of refugees from anywhere, not only the seven countries listed, is to be halted for 120 days. Furthermore, the order declares refugees from Syria as being “detrimental to the interests of the United States,” and halts their admission indefinitely.

The move quickly drew fire from around the nation as people decried the order as unconstitutional and unamerican. By Friday night, protests had formed in airports around the country. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton weighed in on Twitter, stating “I stand with the people gathered across the country tonight defending our values & our

Constitution. This is not who we are.”

“The order is illegal,” writes David Bier, a contributor to the New York Times, citing a congressional prohibition against banning immigrants based on nationality. Even as this response built in fervor, numerous reports emerged of both refugees and green cardholding immigrants—who had been on planes when the executive order was signed—being detained upon landing. “They’re literally pouring in by the minute,” said director of the International Refugee Assistance Project Becca Heller. Among those detained were many who are permanent residents of the US who were only temporarily abroad to visit relatives, study, vacation, and the like.

Though Trump assured the American people that officials “were totally prepared,” and that “[the order]’s working out very nicely,” methods of enforcement at airports around the nation appears to vary significantly. Some detainees were kept for a

matter of hours before being released, while others remain in custody at the time of writing, and some were forcibly sent back to their home countries.

Lawyers from the American Civil Liberties Union leapt into action, filing suits against the order on behalf of detained clients, some of whom were in the process of being deported even as the court proceedings were carried out. On Saturday, a Boston court ruled that two Iranian nationals—who are university professors in Massachusetts—were

Photo courtesy of Louisa D’Ovidio to be released from detention, a Virginia would likely cause judge ordered a halt to “substantial and irreparable any deportations of legal injury to refugees, residents, and a Seattle visa-holders, and other judge granted a stay of individuals,” applies to removal for two individuals. everyone detained by Trump’s ban. Shortly before 9 p.m. on Saturday evening, Judge Ann Donnelly, a federal judge of Brooklyn, NY, issued a ruling which temporarily blocked all deportations which would result from Trump’s executive action. The ACLU states that Donnelly’s order, which argues that deportation

The Department of Homeland Security stated that they “prohibited travel will remain prohibited, and the U.S. government retains its right to revoke visas at any time,” a claim which points to yet more legal battles in the future.

Governor Raimondo reaches out to Trump on infrastructure Evan C. White Anchor Contributor

G

overnor Gina Raimondo has submitted five infrastructure proposals to the National Governors Association in hopes of being added into the Trump Administration’s federal infrastructure plan.

David Ortiz, the press secretary for the Governor, has confirmed that included in the plan are: the rehabilitation of Quonset State Airport, a list of

bridges for repair in 2017, a watermain replacement for Providence Water and reconstruction of the route 6/10 connector and the 6/10 northbound interchange. This comes on the heels of news that Rhode Island was not listed in the initial infrastructure proposals made by the Trump Administration. A slideshow released by the McClatchy Newspaper Group, shows of 50 major infrastructure projects purportedly being given

top billing by the current administration. The list itself contains only one project in New England, being a refurbishment of MBTA Green Line in Boston, Mass. This has prompted some to speculate the lack of northeastern infrastructure was due to partisan motives. Lindsay Wise and Steve Vockrodt of the McClatchy Group wrote in response to the speculation, saying, “Chicago had a pair of projects in it, a city in a Democratic-leaning state

and where President Barack Obama started his political career.”

President Trump has yet to have Elaine Chao, his pick for Secretary of Transportation, confirmed by congress, giving Raimondo and the NGA time to prepare a final proposal for Rhode Island. According to Ortiz the proposals sent to the NGA are preliminary, stating, “It is not necessarily the list we will submit when the

formal process occurs.” Mr. Ortiz concluded by saying, “Governor Raimondo will do everything in her power to make sure Rhode Island gets our fair share of federal transportation dollars.”

President Trump had stated during the campaign that he would be willing to spend up to one trillion dollars for the rebuilding of U.S. infrastructure and Raimondo hopes Rhode Island will be part of that process.

NEWS 3 | A&L 6 | OPINIONS 11 | SPORTS 15 Rhode Island College’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1928


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