All posts by nedhamson

Activist, writer, researcher, addicted to sharing information and facts.

More on termination of TPS for El Salvador

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Here is some additional information about the decision by the Trump administration today to cancel Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador.

The full text of the announcement by Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen M. Nielsen is here.  Beyond the fact that TPS is terminated by her decision, there are a few other important points in the announcement.   First, the statement throws the ball back into Congress’ lap:

Only Congress can legislate a permanent solution addressing the lack of an enduring lawful immigration status of those currently protected by TPS who have lived and worked in the United States for many years. The 18-month delayed termination will allow Congress time to craft a potential legislative solution.

In many ways, the Trump administration’s action directly parallels the steps it took with DACA.    Trump and DHS cancelled both programs, but with an effective date many months away.   The administration then said “Congress can fix any problem if it needs to be fixed.”      Do not blame the administration. Blame Congress if there needs to be any permanent fix.”  The Salvadoran Foreign Ministry vowed to work with allies in Congress to get a legislative fix to the end of TPS.   While there are currently bills introduced in Congress which would offer green cards to TPS beneficiaries, it is not clear that there is sufficient political support to pass them.

Second, the announcement creates an 18 month grace period until September 19, 2018 for TPS holders to leave:

To allow for an orderly transition, the effective date of the termination of TPS for El Salvador will be delayed 18 months to provide time for individuals with TPS to arrange for their departure or to seek an alternative lawful immigration status in the United States, if eligible. Salvadorans in the United States who benefited from TPS may still receive other protections under our immigration system for which they are eligible. 

The 18 months will also provide time for El Salvador to prepare for the return and reintegration of its citizens. During this timeframe, DHS will work with the Department of State and the Government of El Salvador to help educate relevant stakeholders and facilitate an orderly transition. In addition to materials posted online, DHS components will participate in outreach activities such as teleconferences, town halls and roundtables to ensure that affected populations have a full and accurate understanding of their rights and obligations.

In El Salvador, the government seized on the grace period as a form of victory.   President Salvador Sanchez Ceren issued a statement which characterized the 18 month grace period as an  “extension” (prórroga) of TPS for Salvadorans recognizing their important contributions as a work force in the US.  The FMLN  called the grace period a prórroga and labelled it an “achievement” of the government.   The president and his party were widely chastised on social media for such a characterization of the cancellation of the program.

@DebateconNacho Dígale a la diputada del @FMLNoficial que pare ya de mentir y engañar a la gente; prorroga no hay, son 18 meses periodo de transición, para que los que tienen trámites a medias los terminen, el TPS se acabó

— RodrigoMayoraRe (@RodrigoMayora) January 9, 2018

The Salvadoran Foreign Ministry tried to pat itself on the back  by asserting that the 18 month grace period before Salvadorans with TPS must leave was the longest the US government had ever created when terminating the status for a given country.

Meanwhile, various ARENA politicians blamed the loss of TPS on the FMLN, asserting that the left wing party poorly managed the relationship with the US and was irresponsable in its statements about Washington’s role in the world.

Third, Salvadorans with TPS are required to re-register with the US government in order to get the benefit of the grace period:

Salvadorans with TPS will be required to re-register for TPS and apply for Employment Authorization Documents in order to legally work in the United States until the termination of El Salvador’s TPS designation becomes effective Sept. 9, 2019.

It should be noted that re-registering in this fashion will help DHS to have an up-to-date address list when it comes time to deport people in 2019. 

Here is some of today’s coverage from newspapers in metropolitan areas where large concentrations of Salvadorans currently live:

http://ift.tt/2AAc414

Who speaks for the Fatemiyoun?

BBC Persian made a splash when it reported last week that about 2,000 Afghans had died in Syria fighting on behalf of Assad as part of the Fatemiyoun Brigade, a proxy militia organized by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. The number, an outdated figure whose accuracy we might discuss in a different blog post, was attributed to a Fatemiyoun “cultural official,” a man named Sayed Zuhair Mujahed.

Who is this Mujahed? Is he really a Fatemiyoun “official”?

The short answer is that he appears to be too outspoken to hold a formal post with the tightly run Fatemiyoun ship, though he has served with the outfit in Syria and still maintains an association with it, which allows him to speak informally for the group and its fighters.

In Fatemiyoun parlance, “cultural” activities include three broad functions:

  • Public relations for the group: Includes public statements, producing propaganda films and songs, documenting the war in photos and video, etc.;
  • Services for active-duty fighters: Includes organizing religious events at regional bases in Syria, organizing tours for singers of religious songs to the frontline, managing commemoration ceremonies of Shiite imams, etc.; and
  • Services for dead and out-of-commission fighters: Includes managing burial ceremonies for fighters, holding anniversaries for dead commanders and events for fighters’ families.

The current cultural deputy for Fatemiyoun is an Iranian cleric called Hojjat Ganabadinezhad, a cleric who is a key member of Astan-e Qods-e Razavi, the powerful charitable trust headed by Ibrahim Raisi, the hardline cleric and politician who is a member of the Assembly of Experts and ran against Rouhani in the 2017 elections. The trust manages the Imam Reza shrine, Iran’s most revered Shia holy site.

Sayed Zuhair Mujahed, on the other hand, is a 34-year-old Iran-born junior cleric of Afghan heritage who served in the Fatemiyoun in Syria, most likely in a cultural role. Although he was born, raised and educated in Iran, the Iranian media still refers to him as an Afghan. And Mujahed has embraced this role, carving his niche as a pro-Afghan, pro-Fatemiyoun spokesperson and advocate in Iranian media.

Sayed Zuhair Mujahed's selfie in Tehran

Sayed Zuhair Mujahed takes a selfie in Tehran

Mujahed refers to himself as a “preacher” and is still a student at a seminary in Mashhad, where he also speaks to the media on Fatemiyoun and Afghan issues.

Mujahed has complained about the mistreatment of Afghans in Iran and how Fatemiyoun veterans and their families are sometimes not given their due. In December 2017, he appeared on a live show alongside Nader Talebzadeh, a TV personality and conservative activist, to criticize Iranian conservatives and conservative media for not doing enough to recognize the sacrifices of Fatemiyoun fighters. In a Facebook post, he recalls the producer reprimanding him for his remarks.

In another social media post, he criticizes Iran’s censorship of books after seeing differences between Afghan and Iranian translations of Zalmay Khalilzad’s book, The Envoy:

I’m reading a PDF translation of the book by [Afghan journalist] Harun Najafizada. Today, I went to a bookstall in Mashhad to buy the book [in hard copy] and only found the translation by Mustafa Ahmadi, which had been corrected. I felt very sorry after reading the two translations. In today’s open world, why are some [quarters] hesitant even about quoting a writer?

There are numerous other instances where his interviews and social media posts indicate a lack of message discipline, deviating from the standard IRGC/Fatemiyoun line. This indicates that although he may still maintain an association with the Fatemiyoun after his Syria tour, he probably does not hold an official post.

However, some outlets, such as conservative-leaning Tasnim News, have identified him as “the designated successor to Fatemiyoun’s cultural deputy.” But Tasnim has also referred to him simply as “an Afghan cleric.” Most recently, Tasnim published his statement disavowing any formal association with the Fatemiyoun after BBC Persian identified him as a Fatemiyoun official.

It is possible that his tour with the Fatemiyoun in Syria and his continued association with Fatemiyoun families have blurred the lines about his actual role, causing some confusion in the media. After all, he can be seen at a lot of Fatemiyoun cultural events in Iran, including at burials, commemorations and events for Fatemiyoun families. These appearances fit within his role as a cleric because clerics are expected to officiate, perform rituals and lead prayers.

But the Fatemiyoun runs a tightly PR coordinated operation. Authorized messages echo across various social and traditional media outlets. Statements often appear verbatim in various media outlets to ensure accuracy. As a lifelong resident of Iran and a cleric, Mujahed probably enjoys some leeway in speaking his mind, but his free-wheeling style hardly squares with Fatemiyoun’s highly scripted approach to PR.

Spotting rip currents

Rip currents are like hidden rivers near the shore that head out to sea. An unexperienced swimmer or surfer can caught in one, panic, and drown. So The Sydney Morning Herald put together a guide on how to spot rips. The mix of video and graphics makes things more clear, as they better represent what people will actually see at the beach. And the overheads for many major beaches in Australia is also helpful. [Thanks, Neville]

ASIA/MIDDLE EAST – The Patriarch of Moscow: Russian intervention in Syria saved Christians from “genocide”

Pants on fire award!

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Moscow – Thanks to Russia’s military intervention in the Syrian conflict, the “genocide” of Christians was stopped. And now, the Russian Orthodox Church will take on the task of supporting the reconstruction of Syrian churches, but also of mosques and historical monuments. This was stated by Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all the Russias, in the traditional television interview broadcast on Rossija channel 1 on Sunday 7 January, the day when Russian Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas. In the interview, focusing on the condition and recent trials the Middle Eastern Christian communities have had to face, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church also reproposed personal memories useful to account for the Russian approach regarding the Middle Eastern events of recent years. “In 2013”, said the Russian Patriarch, “the heads of local Orthodox Churches came to Moscow to celebrate the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, and when they met Vladimir Putin, one of the strongest messages was the request that Russia should accept to take part in the protection of Christians in the Middle East. I am pleased”, Kirill added, “that this happened, and thanks to Russia’s intervention, the genocide of Christians was stopped”. The Head of the Russian Church confirmed the intention of the Patriarchate of Moscow to contribute to the humanitarian aid of Middle Eastern populations, and also to the reconstruction of “places of worship, monasteries, monuments, including Muslim monuments and historical monuments”. Kirill also reread in parallel the recent Syrian events and those related to the fall of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein, emphasizing their impact on the condition of local Christian communities. According to the Russian Patriarch, “already in 2014 it was clear that the conflicts started in Syria were caused by extremist groups that, once they had reached power, they would have eliminated the Christian presence in that Country. This is why Christians actively supported Assad and his government “bearing in mind that with him” the Country had a certain balance of power and, very importantly, people felt safe”. In Iraq, on the contrary, recent events have seen the drastic decline of the native Christian communities, rooted in those territories since apostolic times. “During the regime of Saddam Hussein”, said Patriarch Kirill in this regard “I visited Iraq, including the northern part of Iraq. I was in Mosul, I was visiting the ancient Christian monasteries: There I saw the devotion of the people, and they were all happy to see that Christian churches lived in safety in a Muslim environment… Now there is practically nothing: monasteries destroyed, temples blown up”.