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The crisis is something that emanates from years of ignoring the needs in these countries that are south of the border, said Rep. Al Green, R-Houston.

Houston Rep. Al Green says he sees both a crisis and a challenge in the recent surge along the Texas-Mexico border.

The challenge, the Democrat said, is trying to do what they can to help families, particularly the thousands of migrant children.

Immigration experts say the current border surge is primarily composed of migrants from Central America, as opposed to Mexico.

The crisis is something that emanates from years of ignoring the needs in these countries that are south of the border, he said on Inside Texas Politics. This President [Biden] has said that he needs $4 billion to get to the root cause of these problems. I think he probably needs more than $4 billion to be quite candid.

The congressman said hes been to Central America and has seen the deep-rooted problems first-hand.

Bill aims to make it easier to receive a protective order

State Rep. Victoria Neave said the 2019 Texas legislative session was transformative for sexual assault victims.

The Democrat told Inside Texas Politics that her legislation, the Lavinia Masters Act, has helped decreased the rape kit backlog by 80%.

She's aiming for the same success in 2021, though she knows it wont be easy with other top legislative issues, including the pandemic, winter storm power crisis, and massive Texas budget shortfall.

This session, the Democrat is leading the effort for more funding.

Neave has introduced legislation that would lengthen the statute of limitations to report workplace sexual harassment. Another of her bills, HB 39, would make it easier for people to receive protective orders.

State senator explains why he's pushing for election reform

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt scoffs at suggestions that the spate of election reform bills being debated in Austin are an attempt to disenfranchise Democratic voters.

There is no need for that, he says, because the GOP not only won in Texas during the 2020 election, they won big.

We had record turnout, highest level and also the best percentages of turnout in 30 years. So, these criticisms arent based in fact, he said on Inside Texas Politics.

Bettencourt, R-Houston, filed seven bills this session related to election reform.

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Inside Texas Politics: Congressman believes it will take more than $4 billion to solve border crisis - KCENTV.com

Former president of sheriff's association calls out border activity

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Conchise County Sheriff Mark J. Dannels released a letter Friday, March 19, through the Arizona Sheriff's Association alleging "theatrical politics" at fault in Washington, D.C., are of "complete disinterest to sheriffs."

"Nowhere else in the civilized world would we tolerate literally thousands of children (emphasis children) unaccompanied by a parent coming to an international border for refuge," Dannels reminds the public. "This would be correctly viewed as an international humanitarian crisis."

The current conditions on the Arizona-Mexico border seem to be impacting public safety within the area and constitute a humanitarian crisis. Close proximity to this activity directly impacts homes, communities, citizens and the way of life.

Dannels recognizes the shortcomings of local authorities admitting, "Our federal partners, at no fault of theirs, are completely ill-equipped to care for these children. Anywhere else in the world massive resources would be summoned to the border and relevant policies/politics would be under scrutiny. Yet, here today we have a posture that appears to tacitly encourage this, and we remain immersed in politics rather than solutions. We urgently need solutions, not politics."

Undocumented migration into America is not a harmless activity because migrants are obligated to interact with transnational criminal organizations (TCO's) to be shepherded to the border. Entering the country undetected typically requires interaction with coyotes which tend to criminally, sexually and financially take advantage of desperate individuals.

"To encourage this activity through policies and political rhetoric is not compassionate public policy. In fact, it is exactly the opposite," claims Dannels. "We are learning about a record number of undocumented persons swarming the border and being taken into custody by federal law enforcement. This is potentially a small fraction of those coming into the country. In Cochise County, Arizona they have a sophisticated camera system along migrant routes across the border. These cameras detect significantly more traffic than our federal partners report capturing."

TCOs profiteer nearly as much from trafficking humans as they do from drugs. Estimates are this may be a multi-billion-dollar enterprise for smugglers. There are vast desert/mountain areas to be traversed in a harsh environment incentivizing refugees to "trust" TCO's.

"Our estimates are that only about 28% of the people crossing illegally are taken into custody. While the scope of the known crisis is enormous, we believe it may be underreported by close to 300%," points out Dannels. "While some will argue these are good people simply coming here for a better life, to not acknowledge that among them are dangerous criminals and persons who potentially pose national security concerns is either ignorant or willfully disingenuous. How is this not to be considered a crisis?"

Every year, sheriffs find hundreds of bodies in remote areas of border counties. Many will never be identified and what befell them will never be known. Tragically, a family somewhere will never know what happened to a loved one.

Dannels asserts, "Due to what we believe is misdirected policy from Washington, DC undocumented persons are being released into our communities. This is overloading our NGO's and nonprofits. Once released we have an affirmative responsibility to provide some standard of care for these people. Our local community resources are no longer able to provide social services to our own citizens. We have no meaningful assistance from the federal government. The appearance is of washing their hands of a mess they alone created and leaving it to border communities to struggle through. This is completely unacceptable."

The letter states that TCO's are exploiting the migrant crises to ensure the redirection of law enforcement resources away from the importing of illegal drugs into this country. Such claims mirror record amounts of drugs being seized along the border.

"Lets be clear, nothing about the handling of the current flood of migrants to our border is consistent with 'following the science' or CDC guidance," Dannels discusses. "The release of potentially infected undocumented, and most certainly uninsured, migrants into border communities strains our already stressed public health system."

A public health crisis seems to be looming in Yuma County, topping the steadfast public safety and humanitarian crisis. He wonders why there is no outcry from Washington, D.C., lawmakers who saw it necessary to place restrictions on U.S. citizens's movements and activities.

"We are troubled that the current direction from other elected officials and the resultant posture of some in federal law enforcement appears to violate that oath. This should trouble all Americans," finishes Dannels. "Arizonas Border Sheriffs are not interested in the politics of the current crisis or perceived political/ideological victories. We need policies from Washington, DC that discourage rather than incentivize undocumented immigration. We need current laws enforced, not ignored. We need resources to address the public safety, humanitarian, and public health crisis we face. We take this stance not because we hold animus toward anyone. Quite the contrary. We stand firm in our commitment to the rule of law, care for all human beings and love for the communites we serve and call home. Urgent action from our elected officials is absolutely required. The time for politics and partisanship has passed."

His points seem valid and pose a good question: "If COVID-19 is such a health risk, why are numerous people with little-to-no identification being released into the public while Americans can't even leave their homes without an essential obligation?"

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Open letter sent to DC politicians urging action from elected officials - KYMA

Repetitions, platitudes, calming of tensions, all talks about migrants between European officials and representatives of the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), are indeed always similar. Where will migrants go from spring? Will there be new reception centers? Who should bear the burden of the crisis that affected primarily the Una-Sana Canton (USC)? There are still no answers to these questions.

BiH needs to strengthen its capacity in order to manage the migrant crisis. BiH cannot be a country where illegal migrants will stay long. These two opposing views are persistently heard in the European Union (EU) and our country. After Bihac, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs had three meetings in Sarajevo. They passed without concrete plans and solutions.

BiH must develop better and stronger capacities at the state level for migration management. Also, the whole country must take responsibility for that, said Ylva Johansson, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs.

BiH is ready to be a partner, but BiH cannot be the hostage of the migrant crisis and BiH is not ready to be a dormitory for migrants, said Zoran Tegeltija, chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers.

And even though the officials from the Union and one part of the representatives of the authorities in BiH would like for the Republika Srpska (RS) to open reception centers, the others do not want them on RS territory at any cost.

Why did you agree to open the borders, apparently you are more humane, and we are not humane, but how will you respond to EU countries that do not want to accept migrants? What about them, are they democratic countries, are they humane? Europe has produced migrants, let them draw them to themselves, Milorad Dodik, the President of the SNSD stated.

The citizens of USC, as they say, suffer a lot because of the quarrels at the state level, but also because of the unwillingness of the EU to let migrants within its borders. According to the Prime Minister of USC, this canton will continue to bear the burden of the migrant crisis, but not as much as before.

We have clearly determined the quotas, the number of migrants that the USC can handle, the number of camps. Political will must be created to break the migrant route in BiH, and to open camps throughout BiH, said Mustafa Ruznic, the Prime Minister of the USC.

The European Commission recently announced the official position that explains how our country treats migrants could negatively affect its efforts to reach candidate status. BiH is criticized for its inhumanity in its treatment of migrants, and the brutality of the Croatian police is often ignored. Neither the BiH nor the EU approach can be seen as a permanent solution to a problem that will certainly not be taken away by hand and which does not suit migrants, the government, and ultimately the citizens of this country, BHRT writes.

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Even after the Visit of Ylva Johansson, there are no specific Solutions - Sarajevo Times

Refugees and migrants trapped along the Balkans migration route, including some 500 unaccompanied children and 400 children with family who are currently in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are facing increased risks from smugglers, traffickers and border authorities.

Tighter border controls and pushbacks, both at the EU border and between EU countries, have led to an increase in violence and other abuses against children and other vulnerable people, Save the Children warned today.

As EU Commissioner Ylva Johansson visits Bosnia and Albania to assess the situation of migrants in the border areas of Croatia and Greece, Save the Children calls on the EU to ensure child protection measures are implemented immediately for all migrant children.

The agency urged that ongoing reforms of the EU migration legislation, especially on the sharing of responsibilities, will address the suffering of children who are in search of safety and, often, reunification with family members already living in Europe.

"Pushbacks of migrants, including unaccompanied minors and families with children, happen not only at the borders of the EU, but also between Member States", said Anita Bay Bundegaard, Director of Save the Children Europe. "It is vital that the EU and its Member States put an end to illegal pushbacks and at the same time prioritise child protection at its borders. The EU needs to implement procedures that guarantee a proper age assessment and ensure the protection of children, and it must allow regular, independent monitoring mechanisms for the reporting of incidents that are accessible by children."

The EU Commisioner is visiting Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the key transit countries on the Balkans migration route. In BiH, hundreds of identified unaccompanied children and children with families are currently sheltered in reception centres, while over 2,300 people, including children, are sleeping rough or in inadequate conditions. According to Save the Children, there may be minors that are not (yet) identified, as proper age assessment procedures are lacking.

"The EU Commission should continue to provide humanitarian support in BiH and demand concrete results from the authorities", Anita Bay Bundegaard added.* "At the same time, the EU and its members must take concrete steps to provide safe and regular pathways to Europe for refugees and migrants, ensure access to asylum and protection services and share the responsibility for the migration crisis."*

As EU institutions and members are reforming EU legislation on migration, they need to address the worst and very widespread consequences of the current rules, including bottlenecks at the EU borders" recommends Anita Bay Bundegaard. "This opportunity should not be missed. Improving the legislation on migration can help avoid more children's suffering and risks of violence, trafficking and exploitation they are currently facing."

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Hundreds of unaccompanied minors and children with families are trapped on Balkans facing pushbacks, trafficking and exploitation - Bosnia and...

The president of the humanitarian organization Merhamet MDD Kenan Vrbanjac and the directors of Merhamets regional committees in BiH visited the migrants in the Lipa camp near Bihac and distributed food and clothing on the occasion of the 108th anniversary of Merhamet. Migrants were given breakfast, fruit, underwear, undershirts and socks. According to Vrbanjc, Merhamet, in coordination with the Red Cross of Una-Sana Canton, regularly helps migrants in the Lipa camp.

With todays action and visit to the Lipa camp, we wanted to mark the 108th anniversary of the founding of the Muslim charity Merhamet. All of Merhamets regional and basic committees throughout BiH are marking this important anniversary with appropriate actions during February, Vrbanjac said.

President of Merhamet emphasized that this humanitarian organization, after the latest escalation of the migrant crisis in BiH, ie in Bihac, has so far provided assistance for migrants in the Lipa camp in the value of more than 100,000 BAM. Merhamet distributed aid to the migrants, which consisted of meals, bottled water, juices, tea, dates, then blankets, underwear, undershirts, socks, raincoats and hygiene products. Vrbanjac pointed out that Merhamet has been involved in helping this population since the beginning of the migrant crisis in BiH.

By preparing meals, distributing clothes, shoes, blankets and hygiene items, Merhamet helped migrants in Una-Sana Canton, Tuzla, Sarajevo and Mostar. Before that, while the migrant wave had not yet hit our country, we were helping migrants in Serbia, even in Croatia. Also, for six years in a row, Merhamet has been helping migrants and Syrian refugees on the Turkish-Syrian border, for which he has so far delivered about 700,000 kilograms of meat. The value of that assistance amounted to more than 7 million KM , Vrbanjac pointed out.

He added that Merhamet, according to its capabilities, will continue to help migrants. He reminded that Merhamet feeds 8,000 socially endangered citizens in its 30 kitchens and their checkpoints every day, and that taking care of migrants is an additional expense for this humanitarian organization. However, as he concluded, Merhamet will not give up on helping the needy who have currently found refuge in Bosnia and Herzegovina, BHRT writes.

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Humanitarian Organization Merhamet distributed Clothes and Food to Migrants - Sarajevo Times