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Ali Bradley and Devan Markham

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TEMPE, Ariz.(NewsNation) Three law enforcement officials at the southern border are running for Congress, hoping their decades of experience can lead to better immigration policies.

The border battle has been playing out in their backyards for years now and they have been vocal, but with migrant encounter numbers surging once again and law enforcement bracing for the end of Title 42, Terrell County Texas Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland, Retired ICE/HSI Special Agent Victor Avila and Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb are gearing up to take the fight to the halls of Congress.

Theyve told NewsNation that theyre frustrated with the lack of support from the Biden administration in what theyre calling a border crisis.

Weve lived it. Weve seen it. We know what works and what doesnt work, Thaddeus Cleveland said.

And these men dont plan to play political games, they said theyre out for change.

I think carrying that badge of honor, if you will, what weve done to protect lives, to protect the innocent, will continue on a bigger scale, Cleveland said.

Cleveland has been living and breathing border protection for nearly three decades, but the retired Border Patrol chief has been vocal about the issues as sheriff, talking exclusively with NewsNation about what a run for Congress might look like.

I really feel like were not being represented like we need to be represented in Washington, D.C. And due to that, Ive launched an exploratory committee for the 23rd congressional district, Cleveland said.

Republican Tony Gonzales is currently the representative for that district, which happens to be the largest in Texas. The district has been the epicenter of the immigration crisis as Del Rio, Eagle Pass and part of El Paso are all within District 23.

U.S. Customs and Border Protections latest report showed migrant encounters were currently on pace to beat last years nationwide encounters record of more than 2.7 million.

Im a big, big believer in law and order and public safety. Im for legal immigration, I want people to come to this country legally. But theres a right way in the right path to do that, Victor Avila said.

Avila was also on the frontlines, as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigation special agent who saw a different side of the border literally. He worked in Mexico, investigating the cartels.

Like Cleveland, Avila is vying for Gonzales 23rd district seat.

I was always frustrated in my career, like, why is there somebody like me, there in D.C. that knows making these incredible decisions that affect everybody? Well, I want to be that person, Avila said.

In Arizona, another sheriff is throwing his hat in the run for Congress.

Washington needs a new sheriff in town, Lamb said in his campaign video.

For the last seven years, Mark Lamb has been Pinal Countys sheriff, and now, hes running for Arizona Independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinemas seat.

I think all Americans should consider this the fight of their lives. Clearly, this is a fight that Im in. But Im honored to take it upon myself on behalf of the people of Arizona, on behalf of my family, Lamb said.

Lamb created multiple specialized units to target human and drug smuggling running rampant in his county, which sits roughly 50 miles from the border.

He said he would work to implement similar programs on a national level.

The border crisis is affecting all of us, regardless of what party you are. All of these issues that were dealing with as a country are affecting all of us equally. And we need somebody thats going to go fight for that a proven conservative fight or somebody thats been doing it for a while, Lamb said.

All three candidates confirmed to NewsNation that they feel designating cartels as terrorist organizations, as many Republican lawmakers are pushing for, is needed and a step in the right direction to fight the flow of fentanyl.

Devan Markham contributed to this report.

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Border crisis sparks new wave of congressional candidates - NewsNation Now

New York Citys welfare agency failed to process more than three-fourths of all food stamp applications filed in December within a 30-day timeframe mandated by state law, a top official in Mayor Adams administration said Wednesday.

Jill Berry, first deputy commissioner of the Department of Social Services, disclosed the food stamp timeliness rate during a City Council hearing, showing her agency processed just 19.2% of all applications submitted in the last month of 2022 within 30 days.

A sign alerting customers about SNAP food stamps benefits is displayed at a Brooklyn grocery store on Dec. 5, 2019. (Scott Heins/Getty Images)

Since the December low, Berry testified that her agency has rebounded.

In February, the latest month for which data is available, her agencys Human Resources Administration processed 49.9% of food stamp applications within the 30-day window, she testified.

While on the right track, Berry said, We still have ways to go.

That is not where we want to be, she told Council members of the February rate, but it is a huge amount of progress since December, and we are continuing to make progress.

Adams preliminary management report, released in February, set as a goal for the administration to achieve a 90.6% food stamp processing timeliness rate by July 1, the end of this fiscal year. By comparison, the food stamp processing rate as of this past October was 42.3%, according to the preliminary management report.

Mayor Eric Adams (Luiz C. Ribeiro/for New York Daily News)

The administrations incremental progress comes as food stamp application processing has emerged as a crisis for the citys most vulnerable residents.

Due to the processing delays, thousands of low-income New Yorkers have had to wait for months on end to receive their food stamps, officially called SNAP benefits. The benefits, which are typically uploaded on debit cards, can award a household of three upward of $740 to spend on groceries.

As first reported by the Daily News, a group of local SNAP recipients filed a class action lawsuit against the Adams administration in January, alleging it is violating state and federal laws by failing to process their benefits on time. In the suit, they recounted stories of having to skip meals or only eat potatoes for days due to the processing delays.

The processing hiccups have been attributed to a sharp uptick in food stamp applications during the pandemic and steep staff shortages in the Human Resources Administration ranks.

In Wednesdays hearing, Berry testified her agency is moving in the right direction because it has been able to fill a significant number of vacancies in recent months. She said there are currently 815 eligibility specialists on the agencys payroll working exclusively with processing of SNAP and other low-income benefits, like cash assistance.

(Shutterstock)

Berrys testimony comes as the mayor and Democrats in the City Council remain at loggerheads over next fiscal years municipal budget.

The mayor has rolled out budget-cutting measures or Programs to Eliminate the Gap, as he calls them that would rein in spending at virtually all city agencies, including the Human Resources Administration. Citing concern about the citys fiscal health driven by the local migrant crisis, the mayors preliminary budget bid also proposed lowering funding levels for the Human Resources Administration.

Council Democrats have vehemently opposed the proposed cuts, arguing the city can afford to fund social safety net programs and care for the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived since last spring.

In tandem with Wednesdays hearing, members of the Councils Progressive Caucus gathered in City Hall Park for a rally against the mayors budgetary vision.

We reject this mayors defunding of our social safety net infrastructure, Brooklyn Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, co-chair of the caucus, said at the rally. He is defunding safety.

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NYC's on-time processing rate for food stamps hit 19% low in ... - New York Daily News

By Greg Heffer, Political Correspondent For Mailonline 14:43 19 Apr 2023, updated 16:32 19 Apr 2023

Rishi Sunak today jibed at Sir Keir Starmer over Welsh Government plans topay young asylum seekers 1,600 a month.

The Prime Minister claimed he was 'stopping the boats' while 'Labour is paying for them' as he highlighted his pledge to end the Channel migrant crisis.

He hit out at proposals by the Welsh Government,a Labour minority administration, to offer migrants a basic income and suggested it would 'incentivise' people smugglers.

Ministers in Cardiff have prompted a row with plans to allow young asylum seekers who settle in Wales access to a two-year basic income pilot designed for care leavers.

Mr Sunak addressed the issue during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons after he was asked whether his own Government would consider 'such a daft idea'.

Tory backbencher Chris Clarkson said: 'It has been reported that the Welsh Labour Government is going to incentivise people smugglers by offering 1,600 of taxpayers' money every month to asylum seekers.

'Can I ask him for an assurance that he will never contemplate such a daft idea?'

The PM replied that justice minister Lord Bellamy and Welsh Secretary David Davies yesterday wrote to the Welsh Government 'confirming that we would not be undertaking their request'.

In a dig at Sir Keir, Mr Sunak added: 'I note that the Labour leader has said that the Welsh Labour Government is his blueprint.

'Labour in Wales are trying to pay illegal migrants 1,600. We are stopping the boats, Labour is paying for them.'

Mr Davies had earlier told the Commons, during Welsh Questions, it was 'extraordinary' to offer universal basic income to asylum seekers.

'The humanitarian response is to disincentivise people from risking their lives by crossing the Channel illegally and arriving here in small boats,' he told MPs.

'And that's why last night I jointly signed a letter which rejected what the Welsh Labour Government are asking for.

'We're not prepared to see the Welsh Labour Government handing out universal basic incomes to people who shouldn't be in this country in the first place.

'And then on top of that to provide them with legal funding and lawyers so that they can challenge the decision being made by the Government.

'These are not the priorities that the Welsh people have.'

Mr Davies and Lord Bellamy wrote toJane Hutt, the Welsh Government's social justice minister, yesterday to state that those enrolled in the pilot scheme would not be entitled to free legal aid.

It came after Welsh ministers had requested legal aid be granted to young people with active asylum claims who might be taking part in the pilot after leaving care.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: 'The basic income pilot scheme is about giving the most vulnerable people in our society a start in life.

'It is disappointing that inaccurate and misleading claims are being used to trivialise these sensitive issues.'

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Rishi Sunak jibes at Keir Starmer over Welsh Government plans to give asylum seekers 1,600 a month - Daily Mail

Walls should be built as a last resort, but if there is no other way to stop illegal immigration, we must be ready to build fences, said Manfred Weber, President of the European Peoples Party (EPP), praising the policies of the center-right Italian government in an interview published in the Italian daily Corriere della Sera on Monday. Contrary to some commentators recollections, in this point, there has never been a dispute between Weber and the Hungarian Prime Minister.

Manfred Weber said the European Union is facing another major migration crisis. He said that the EPP fully supports Rome in its efforts to ensure that no Member State is left alone in the face of the pressure of illegal migration and that the issue is at the forefront of European politics.

Weber added.

Photo: Facebook Frontex

The EPP President stressed that Europe is facing another migration crisis, in which we must be ready to build walls and fences to protect Europes borders. He said that, at the initiative of the EPP, an extraordinary debate would be held in the European Parliament in the coming days on the launch of solidarity measures for Italy, the country most affected by migration, and on the EU funding for the construction of fences to protect not only national borders but also common European borders.

Manfred Weber called the European Commissions package of migration measures presented in February premature, stressing that instead of promises repeated for years, the return of illegal immigrants to their countries of origin should be sped up because if an immigrant has no right to protection, he must return to his country of origin.Webers words come as the migratory pressure in Italy is reaching crisis levels. Since the beginning of the year, more than 33,000 people have arrived in the country, compared to less than 9,000 in the same period last year. There are currently more than 117,000 in camps in Italy.

Despite articles in the conservative press speaking about Manfred Webers u-turn regarding border fences against illegal mass migration, the EPP president has never been among the most vocal opponents of such measures. As far back as in 2015, he has defended the Hungarian governments decision to build a border fence against illegal migrants and people smugglers. More recently, Weber has called some European leaders naive for not understanding the need for a security fence on the EUs borders with Belarus.

Instead, the dispute between the EPP leader and Viktor Orbn stems from Webers allegations of populism, nationalism, euroscepticism, the case of George Soros Central European University, and his the EU is always right attitude. From the Hungarian government party, Fideszs point of view, the general complaint against Weber was that he had allowed the EPP to shift strongly to the left, abandoning its Christian conservative outlook and respect for the voice of member states.

The latter complaint seems to have come to haunt Weber when he complains about European Commission or individual Member States not taking a conscious attitude, not listening, are not acting, despite the seriousness of the problem. As Viktor Orbn pointed out in his recent criticism, the EPP has become just another left-wing political grouping in the European structures. Although it is the largest such coalition in the European Parliament, it is now unable and unwilling to present a viable platform for the reform of the EUs broken immigration system. Seven years after the peak of the migrant crisis in 2015, there is not even a hint of a consensus on the effective protection of Europes outer borders, let alone a solution.

Photo: Facebook Frontex

As to Webers calls for solidarity with member states and not letting countries such as Italy battle alone with the consequences of the actions of people smugglers, countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary or Greece have seen little or no financial aid from Brussels in the construction of border fences, the building and maintenance of which costs billions of euros. Solidarity with member-states affected by illegal mass migration have so far been exhausted by either proposals for a migrant distribution mechanism or financing the social care and rescue of those finding their way to Europe through smuggling networks. Both measures have so far incentivized migration rather than being able to stop it, just like the millions donated to groups ferrying migrants from Africa to Europe under the guise of sea rescue.

Despite his declarations, Manfred Weber has missed his one and only chance to forge a consensus within the EPP when he allowed his personal dispute with Viktor Orbn to spiral out of control. Although a politician who clearly understands the dangers of the newly escalating migrant crisis, his words no longer carry enough clout to result in tangible change. Furthermore, allowing the left fringe of the European Peoples Party to own the debate on migration and national sovereignty, he now presides to a political grouping that is in the views of many, part of the problem, rather than the instrument of a solution, as far as the hundreds of thousands of economic migrants landing on Europes shore are concerned.

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Via MTI, Hungary Today. Featured Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnki Sajtiroda/Szecsdi Balzs

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Manfred Weber Calls for Border Protection, Yet Unable to Create ... - Hungary Today

Politics | Business | News | News wrap

ENGLISH NEWS SERVICE (PAP) April 19, 2023

Start your day with a summary of todays top stories from Polands leading news sites.

Rp.pl The newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that the prices of some food stuffs might increase owing to the governments ban on Ukrainian grain and other produce. After talking to economists the paper said consumers might see hikes in the prices of eggs and poultry meat as the cost of animal feed goes up. The paper added that the embargo could also slow down the fall in prices some food stuffs are now experiencing.

TVPInfo.pl Police and prosecutors are working to establish the identity and cause of death of man found dead in a forest on the Belarusian border, the state-owned news broadcaster TVP Info reported. The corpse was found by a group of humanitarian aid volunteers who help people who have crossed the border into Poland. Since the migrant crisis started on the Polish-Belarusian frontier in 2021 a number of people have died trying to get into Poland, usually succumbing to the cold.

TVN24.pl In an interview with television news broadcaster TVN24 acclaimed film director Agnieszka Holland said that the "Holocaust vaccinated against us for a long time against the temptations of nationalism and racism but now that vaccine has run out and left us vulnerable." Holland was speaking on the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. She added that any kind of dehumanisation of people was a "red flag to her".

Wyborcza.pl Civic Coalition (KO), Polands largest opposition grouping, is accelerating its election campaign, the newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza wrote. The paper added that a key feature of its campaign will be the role of Rafal Trzaskowski, the mayor of Warsaw and a high-profile member of KO. The grouping hopes that the mayors presence in the campaign will help it in its quest for victory in this autumns general election. Trzaskowski is a popular politician and lost the 2020 presidential election by under 2 percent.

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Today's news round up in Poland The First News - The First News