Rita's Current Events Blog!

Earlier this year a bill was proposed, Assembly Bill 302. This bill would require community colleges to open up their parking lots and shower facilities to their homeless college students This would assist hundreds of students who are living in their cars. But hope for this bill passing is now gone. Assemblyman Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, is the sponsor of this bill and he put it aside because he believed that it did not address the actual issue that students face currently. Berman and Gov.Newsom  are leaving this for reconsideration next year to further assess how to both assist homeless students and please school administrators. The Community College League of California, called the bill an unfunded mandate that could end up being costly. They believe that the bill would create more problems than solve the current situation. Multiple different demographics of students agree that that this bill would help tremendously. They testify their stories of living in their cars, circli...

Trump recently visited California, the country's most populous state, and believed that homeless people ruined the "prestige" of cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco. This stance originated in the concept of being sympathetic towards real estate investors and people's property value or quality of life. Under this administration the federal government is trying to put a foot in city policy concerning housing. Officials are considering "razing" homeless camps and refurbishing government buildings. Comment: If Trump is sympathetic towards people's quality of life, then shouldn't he also sympathize with the homeless people's lives? People who are actually experiencing and poor quality of life. In reality the federal government does not have much of a foothole when it comes to homelessness. It takes multiple organizations and departments. Article

The ICE raid that recently occurred in Mississippi last month left sadness, anxiety, and a dent in the agricultural community. The raid created an immense amount of distress that it eventually led to 300 people being released out of the 680 that were arrested within 24 hours of the raid, keep in mind that this included people who had no criminal record. The effects of these raids are not beneficial and here are the reasons why. America's agricultural business is deeply dependent on undocumented employees, they make up almost 20% of the sector. Very few Americans would be willing to the dangerous and rigorous jobs that these undocumented people are doing. When the raid happened it left businesses anxious because they lost many workers. Businesses who employ undocumented workers will be prosecuted as well. Businesses are not benefiting from these raids and deportations. Large scale detainments result in families being separated. Many of these unauthorized immigrant workers have c...

Department of Homeland Security New Ruling: The Department of Homeland Security made a new ruling mid-August about the public charge grounds of inadmissibility concerning immigrants who are seeking adjustment of status or entrance into the United States. These exceptions to this new ruling are asylees and refugees. According to USCIS 8CF 212.2(a) , "public charge" means an individual who could likely become primary dependent on government funds. Programs similar to Section 8 housing vouchers, federal housing/rental assistance, SNAP, SSI, and MediCaid in some instances, will not be provided to the person. In deciding who gets to receive the benefits or not USCIS considers the individuals' age, health, family status, education/skills, financial status, and their assets.  The consequences of this new ruling are mostly look down. USCIS's denial rates of adjustment of status applications will increase. This in return will create more of an inefficient immigrati...