China extradition bill debate postponed as protesters swarm Hong Kong streets - CNN

The city's legislative council was due to hold the second reading of the bill on Wednesday morning local time. The bill has been met with widespread opposition, including from the city's traditionally conservative business community, and prompted more than 1 million of the city's 7.4 million population to take to the streets in protest on Sunday, according to organizers.

In a statement on its website, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen said Wednesday's meeting would be "changed to a later time to be determined by him."

The decision to postpone the debate came as tens of thousands of protesters once again took to the streets of central Hong Kong in scenes reminiscent of the 2014 democracy demonstrations known as the Umbrella Movement.

Protesters began arriving outside the Legislative Council buildings on Tuesday night, where they were greeted by a heavy police presence and bag searches. By Wednesday morning, tens of thousands of mainly young people had arrived in the area, blocking streets and bringing central Hong Kong to a standstill.

Up to 5,000 police in riot gear have been deployed to guard the building. On Wednesday morning, police fired a water canon on a protester and used pepper spray on others. Protesters were seen wearing helmets, goggles and heavy-duty workman's gloves, and pulling bricks from the sidewalks.

Hundreds of businesses, parents and teachers called for a boycott of works and school on Wednesday to show their opposition to the bill.

Although Hong Kong is part of China, it has separate laws that follow the UK system and no capital punishment, unlike mainland China. Many people fear that the proposed extradition law means they could be taken from Hong Kong by Chinese authorities for political or inadvertent business offenses.

'Hong Kong people are furious'

Wednesday's protests come only three days after a mostly peaceful march in central Hong Kong. Police estimated 240,000 people attended on Sunday, while organizers put the number at 1.03 million -- the latter figure would make it the city's largest protest since the former British colony was handed back to China in 1997.

Despite the mass demonstrations, Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam has refused to withdraw the extradition bill, saying it is needed to plug loopholes to prevent the city from becoming a haven for mainland fugitives.

On Monday, she said safeguards had been added to the bill to protect human rights and had received no instruction from Beijing to push it forward. Hong Kong's lawmakers had planned to dedicate 66 hours across five days to debating the bill.

"Hong Kong people are furious," senior Democratic Party lawmaker James To said Tuesday. "Our chief executive just ignored the people's voice, despite the peaceful rally of a million Hong Kong people."

Sunny Chan, an 18-year-old protestor on the streets Wednesday, said she was "angry" that the government failed to pay attention to Sunday's protests. "We choose to come out today and stand in the front and protest and try to protect my freedom," she said.

Protestor Marco Leung, 23, said there would be no difference between Hong Kong and China if the law was passed. "We are not China," Leung said. "Police should protect the citizens, not the government."

CNN's Ben Westcott and James Griffiths contributed to this report from Hong Kong.

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2019-06-12 06:56:00Z
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Hong Kong braces for more protests over proposed extradition law - NBC News

Hong Kong was bracing for more demonstrations and strikes Tuesday night over plans for a law that would allow extraditions to mainland China.

The planned protests come three days after as many as 1 million people took to the streets against the bill.

June 11, 201901:03

Hong Kong is a former British colony that was returned to Chinese rule in 1997. It has since been governed as a semi-autonomous region under the principle of "one country, two systems." In theory this should allow Hong Kong to retain its own economic and administrative system, free from interference by Beijing until 2047.

Backers say the proposed extradition law is needed to stop Hong Kong becoming a haven for fugitives. But some critics feel it is the latest step in China seeking to erode Hong Kong's freedoms.

What is the new law?

Hong Kong does not currently have an agreement to extradite suspected criminals to China. The "Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation (Amendment) Bill 2019" would change that.

The bill was prompted after a man in Hong Kong was accused of murdering his girlfriend in Taiwan but could not be extradited because there was no legal framework in place.

Protesters flood the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday.Dale de la Rey / AFP - Getty Images

"It is a very important objective and the city's commitment to the global community to ensure that Hong Kong does not become a haven for fugitives," a statement from the Hong Kong government said Monday.

Beijing supports the new legislation but Carrie Lam, Hong Kong's chief executive, who is appointed by committee and approved by China, says she has received no instruction from the government in Beijing.

"We are still doing it out of our clear conscience and our commitment to Hong Kong. We want Hong Kong to fare well," she said.

Lam has attempted to calm any fears by introducing what she says are several safeguards to the bill.

These include the government having final say on any extradition request, even if it's approved by the courts, as well as guaranteeing certain human-rights protections mirroring standards set by the United Nations.

"We will only surrender a fugitive requested by a requesting party when these guarantees are being fully met," the chief executive said.

Why are some people opposed to it?

Some critics see the law as the latest example of Hong Kong, a relatively untrammeled financial hub, being drawn under the influence of an increasingly authoritarian China.

They believe it will increase the risk of Hong Kongers who are critical of the mainland being sucked into a system that cracks down on dissent with impunity.

Since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013, China has engaged in "increasing repression" of its people, including systematic abuses against minorities, arbitrary detentions of human-rights defenders, and the development of the world's largest mass-surveillance program, Human Rights Watch said.

June 4, 201907:51

In 2014 the so-called Umbrella Revolution saw months of protests by people demanding universal suffrage, and a year later tensions intensified after several booksellers who had been critical of Beijing vanished and resurfaced in custody on the mainland.

"The proposed changes to the extradition laws will put anyone in Hong Kong doing work related to the mainland at risk," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. "No one will be safe, including activists, human rights lawyers, journalists, and social workers."

Tim Summers, a senior consulting fellow at the London think tank Chatham House, believes it is debatable the degree to which the new law is a sign of Beijing's meddling.

But nevertheless he says the protests are a sign of how emotive the issue has become for many in this city. There are also more legitimate concerns, he adds, about how the bill is being rushed through the legislature.

"There is an emotional sense that this is a fundamental threat to Hong Kong's way of life," said Summers, who's based in the city. "When you have hundreds of thousands of people in the streets, that's a pretty good statement of how Hong Kong politics feels very different to anywhere else in China."

What's happening with the protests?

On Sunday, as many as 1 million people took to the streets to protest the new law. If this estimate by organizers is correct, it would represent one-seventh of the city's population.

It was the biggest demonstration at least since Chinese rule resumed 22 years ago.

It was largely peaceful but there was a minority involved in "running battles" with police outside the city's legislative and administrative headquarters, according to the South China Morning Post newspaper.

Video showed demonstrators dismantling metal fences, and officers responding with pepper spray. Several police and demonstrators were injured.

Police gather at the rally early Monday.Philip Fong / AFP - Getty Images

Because Hong Kong residents cannot elect their leader — Lam was appointed by 1,200 representatives and approved by Beijing — many see protest as the main way of making their voices heard.

Despite the widespread display of unease, however, there appears to be little sign of the bill being changed or postponed. It will debated by lawmakers Wednesday and likely passed at some point during the summer.

In response, an online petition has called for 50,000 people to surround the legislature building at 10 p.m. Tuesday and remain there until Wednesday.

Thousands of businesses and teachers look set to strike Wednesday and perhaps even for the rest of the week.

The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong also called on the government not to pass the bill "hurriedly" and urged all Christians to pray for the former colony.

Alexander Smith

Alexander Smith is a London-based senior reporter for NBC News Digital.

Reuters contributed.

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2019-06-11 13:58:00Z
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Nizar Zakka: Iran frees detained Lebanese businessman - Al Jazeera English

Beirut, Lebanon: Lebanese citizen and permanent United States resident Nizar Zakka, who was imprisoned for years in Iran, has been freed and is on his way back to his native Lebanon, officials confirmed.

Zakka is set to return to Beirut on Tuesday, alongside Lebanon's General Security Chief Abbas Ibrahim, who accompanied the former prisoner on a government jet.

Ibrahim told Reuters news agency the release was not based on a wider prisoner swap. He also denied information disseminated by semi-official Fars News Agency, which reported that Zakka would be transferred to Hezbollah.

General Security confirmed Zakka's imminent return and said he was set to meet Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace.

Zakka, an information technology expert, disappeared in Tehran while attending a state-sponsored conference in September 2015.

According to a statement by his lawyer, Zakka was last seen leaving his hotel in a taxi to the airport to return to Beirut. But he never boarded his flight. In November 2015, Iranian state television announced Zakka was in Iranian custody and accused of espionage.

The statement claimed that Zakka, who graduated from the Riverside Military Academy of Gainesville in Georgia, had "deep links" with US military and intelligence agencies.

In 2016, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of $4.2m for espionage.

Release campaign

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In the statement published on Iran's Mizan News Agency on Tuesday, Iran judiciary spokesperson Gholam Hussein Esmaeili said Zakka's release was in line with Iran's Constitution, which allows for the conditional release of prisoners sentenced up to 10 years, if they had served at least a third of the sentence and shown good behaviour.

The spokesperson also mentioned key ally Hezbollah's request to expedite his release. The conditions of Zakka's release were not specified.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Aoun have yet to comment on the developments. However, Aoun's office told Al Jazeera that an official statement will be made upon Zakka's arrival in Beirut. 

Zakka was held at Tehran's Evin prison, a facility established in 1972. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other rights groups have reported allegations of torture and ill-treatment there, including solitary confinement and denial of access to medical care.

Zakka's family and friends, who have been campaigning for his release, have claimed he went on hunger strike numerous times and was tortured.

Sarah Fallah, a Lebanese lawyer who represented Zakka, told HRW in March 2016 that Iranian authorities refused to let her visit her client.

Over the past four years, Zakka's family members have repeatedly called on the Lebanese government to negotiate for his release.

The US government has also been vocal in calling for Zakka's release. Both the Congress and the Senate passed resolutions in 2017 calling for the unconditional release of US citizens and residents held in Iran, including the Lebanese national.

More recently, in December 2018, then-US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley endorsed and republished a letter by several families of held US nationals and residents in Iran, including Zakka's relatives.

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2019-06-11 12:38:00Z
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Hong Kong Braces for More Extradition Protests - The New York Times

HONG KONG — Protesters in Hong Kong, angered by the government’s refusal to back down on a contentious bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, are preparing more actions this week as lawmakers resume debate on the legislation and accelerate the final vote.

Lawmakers are likely to vote on the bill by the end of next week, the head of Hong Kong’s legislature said, despite mass protests over the weekend opposing the legislation and demanding that it be delayed.

The decision, announced Tuesday by the president of the Legislative Council, Andrew Leung, was set to further inflame tensions in Hong Kong, a semiautonomous Chinese territory, after hundreds of thousands of people turned out on Sunday for one of the largest protests in the city’s recent history.

The demonstration on Sunday was largely peaceful, though some protesters clashed with police officers in the early hours of Monday. On Tuesday, the city’s police force said the public should express their demands peacefully, and The South China Morning Post, a local newspaper, reported that thousands of additional officers had been mobilized.

At a briefing with reporters, police officials said they were prepared to deal with unrest. “The force will not tolerate any kind of violence or the incitement of the use of violence,” said Kong Wing-cheung, a police spokesman.

[Why are people protesting in Hong Kong? Catch up here.]

Mr. Leung, the president of the legislature, said he expected the bill to go to a vote on June 20 after a total of more than 60 hours of debate, adding that “the case is pressing and has to be handled as soon as possible.” The measure is likely to pass in the local legislature, where pro-Beijing lawmakers hold 43 of 70 seats.

Opposition lawmakers had expected the vote to take place around the end of the month, based on a regular schedule of meetings. Mr. Leung’s decision to add more sessions in the coming days in order to bring the date of the vote forward quickly drew criticism.

Billy Li, a barrister and representative of the Progressive Lawyers Group, said he was angered by the decision to accelerate the vote after what he described as a record-breaking demonstration on Sunday.

“The Legislative Council, as a body that regulates the government, not only failed to respond to the dissenting voices of the people but rather accelerated the situation,” Mr. Li said. “It is not willing to allow the people to understand the case but is hastily forcing the public to accept it.”

The demonstrations on Wednesday were expected to be smaller than the march held on Sunday, in which up to a million people, or one-seventh of the territory’s population, paraded through the city in an overwhelmingly peaceful protest.

By Tuesday afternoon, various labor groups, businesses and student organizations across the city had announced plans to demonstrate their opposition to the extradition bill. Small businesses, including restaurants and bookstores, said they would close their doors; high school students and as many as 4,000 of their teachers planned a walkout; and a union for bus drivers urged members to drive well below the speed limit.

The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong called the situation “extremely turbulent” and urged the government not to hurriedly pass the extradition bill “before adequately addressing the queries and worries of the legal sector and of the general public.”

An online petition called for 50,000 people to protest outside the Legislative Council on Wednesday, as the legislature prepared for its second debate on the proposed law. On Tuesday, the council said it would restrict access to a nearby area that is typically reserved for demonstrations.

Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said on Monday that she had no intention of withdrawing the extradition bill despite the public outrage.

“We were doing it, and we are still doing it, out of our clear conscience, and our commitment to Hong Kong,” Ms. Lam told reporters.

Hong Kong Leader, Carrie Lam, Says She Won’t Back Down on Extradition Bill

June 10, 2019

Hong Kong March: Vast Protest of Extradition Bill Shows Fear of Eroding Freedoms

June 9, 2019

Fearing China’s Rule, Hong Kong Residents Resist Extradition Plan

June 7, 2019

The bill that has led to the protests would allow Hong Kong to detain and transfer people wanted in countries and territories with which it has no formal extradition agreements, including Taiwan and the Chinese mainland.

Ms. Lam has said the new law is urgently needed to prosecute a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for the murder of his girlfriend. But the authorities in Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by Beijing, say they would not agree to the extradition arrangement because it would treat Taiwan as part of China.

Critics contend that the law would allow virtually anyone in the city to be picked up and detained in mainland China, where judges must follow the orders of the ruling Communist Party. They fear the new law would target not just criminal suspects but political activists as well.

Willy Lam, an expert on Chinese politics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said the decision to accelerate the vote was probably made in the hope that it would bring a quick resolution and prevent public anger from building further.

“The government has good reason to hurry through the legislation in as short a time as possible,” Mr. Lam said. Otherwise, it could face larger groups of residents united by their opposition to the bill, “by which time things might get out of control.”

But the Hong Kong government’s refusal to back down on the legislation or delay deliberations will hurt its credibility in the long term, Mr. Lam said. “It will demonstrate that the administration is out of tune with public opinion.”

Katherine Li contributed reporting.

Follow Tiffany May on Twitter: @nytmay.

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2019-06-11 12:10:09Z
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Iran Frees US Resident Held for Three Years - RealClearPolitics

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Iran has released a U.S. permanent resident and Lebanese citizen charged with spying for the United States, according to his attorney.

Nizar Zakka, a 52-year-old IT expert who lived for years in Washington, D.C., was handed over Tuesday to Lebanese officials in Tehran and is expected to arrive in Beirut within hours.

Zakka was imprisoned in Iran for the past 3 ½ years and faced a 10-year sentence and a $4.2 million fine for allegedly spying -- charges human rights activists and U.S. officials vigorously deny.

His release has been billed as a gesture of goodwill between Iran and Lebanon. It’s unclear what role, if any, U.S. officials played in the negotiations and what Zakka’s release portends for several other Americans who remain behind bars in Iran.

“After more than 1,350 days in captivity in Iran, we have received excellent news: Mr. Nizar Zakka is a free man,” attorney Jason Poblete said in a statement. “Nizar looks forward to reuniting with family and friends. Nizar expresses his sincerest thanks to those who never forgot him.”

“Nizar also wants to remind those who can help that there remain many Americans, [U.S. permanent legal residents], and other foreigners in Iranian prisons,” Poblete added. “Nizar grew close to some of these men; they need help and want to come home.”

During a news conference Tuesday, Iran Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaeeli said Zakka’s release was not politically motivated and came about because Iranian law allows for a “conditional release” of prisoners who serve one-third of their confinement, demonstrate good behavior during that period and pledge not to commit crimes after their release.

“This is a totally judicial process without any political stances or [prisoner] exchange being considered,” Esmaeeli said.

Iran granted Zakka’s freedom amid escalated tensions between it and the United States. Although both Washington and Tehran have tried to tamp down talk of a military clash, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Monday warned the U.S. that it “cannot expect to stay safe” after what he described as an economic war being waged against his nation.

State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus dismissed Zarif’s threats as “typical behavior” from the Iranian government as it struggles to deal with the Trump administration’s campaign of economic and diplomatic pressure.

“We aren’t impressed,” she said during a press briefing Monday. “Iran faces a simple choice: It can either behave like a normal nation or watch its economy crumble.”

Ortagus separately responded to reporters’ questions about Zakka’s impending release, saying only: “We certainly hope these reports that he has been released are accurate.” 

Fars, the Iranian news agency, reported Monday that Zakka was being released out of respect for Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, which the United States regards as a terrorist organization.

Zakka’s family on Thursday issued a statement heralding a breakthrough in negotiations between Iranian and Lebanese officials to release him and offered their “deepest gratitude” to Lebanese President Michael Aoun and Gen. Abbas Ibrahim on their “outstanding efforts to bring Nizar home safely.”

Zakka was arrested on espionage charges in September 2015 after participating in a government-sponsored Tehran conference on women and sustainable development. His family and human rights activists vigorously deny the spying charges and point out that he had been invited to participate in the conference by Shahindokht Molaverdi, Iran’s then-vice president for women and family affairs.

After initial media reports that he would be freed began surfacing last week, a State Department spokesperson welcomed the news but called the negotiations a “matter between Lebanon and Iran.”

However, that statement runs counter to a direct quote from Zarif during a visit to Lebanon in 2016. “What happened with Mr. Zakka is not a problem between Iran and Lebanon, seeing as the problem was the violation of the applicable laws in Iran by a foreigner, and the problem is actually between the United States and Iran,” the Iranian foreign minister said at the time.

Indeed, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been well versed on Zakka’s plight since at least the fall of 2016 when he mentioned his “unlawful detention” by Iran during a speech on the House floor while Pompeo was still a member of Congress.

“His only crime was to bring greater internet access to the women of Iran,” Pompeo said of Zakka at the time.

Since then, Congress has passed at least six different measures calling on Iran to release Zakka and several other imprisoned Americans, including Siamak Namazi and his father, Baquer, both dual U.S.-Iranian nationals; Princeton University graduate student Xiyue Wang; and former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who was last seen on Iran’s Kish Island in 2007 and is the longest held hostage in American history.

Jared Genser, a human rights lawyer who represents the Namazis, said Zakka is a U.S. green-card holder and a Lebanese citizen so the negotiations were between Lebanon and Iran.

“It’s obviously great news for Zakka and his family and came about as a result of the Lebanese government consulting with Iran,” Genser told RCP. “… It’s neither going to help nor hurt efforts to secure the release of the Namazis, my clients.”

In 2017, President Trump included in a speech to the United Nations a demand that Iran release all U.S. prisoners and others unjustly detained there.

The following May, Trump withdrew the U.S. form the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal aimed at rolling back Tehran’s nuclear program. Pompeo then announced a new “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, articulating 12 demands, including that Iran end its nuclear weapons and advanced ballistic missile programs, release hostages, stop supporting terrorism and cease its destabilizing activities in the Middle East.

In April two influential Democratic senators, Tim Kaine and Chris Coons, both senior members of the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Trump imploring him to use sanctions relief for countries that want to do business with Iran as leverage to secure the release of Americans unjustly imprisoned there.

Zakka has undergone several hunger strikes during his imprisonment to protest his open-ended detainment.  At one point, his family released an audio recording to this reporter in which Zakka claimed his innocence on the spying charges and explained that he had visited Iran on a visa provided by the Iranian government.

"I came to [Iran] based on the official invitation of its vice president for women and family affairs, who also happened to send me a visa to speak at her conference," he said in a July 2017 audio recording taped from inside Iran's notorious Evin prison. "This is against all international laws, therefore I went on an ongoing hunger strike as of yesterday—and ongoing until my death or freedom."

Last September, Molaverdi, the Iranian official who invited him to the conference, told the Associated Press that the government had “failed” to help Zakka and acknowledged the limits Iran’s civilian government faces when challenging the decisions of its judiciary.

In early April, Omar Zakka, Zakka’s son, met with Pompeo and other senior Trump administration officials in Washington and appealed to Lebanese authorities to help negotiate his father’s release.

The meeting came the same week Pompeo met privately with family members of several Americans detained abroad and urged them not to abandon hope. He reiterated his previous statements that freeing their loved ones remains a priority for President Trump but said paying ransoms was not an option to facilitate their freedom.

The Trump administration has continued to reiterate a policy of not paying ransom after Republicans widely criticized the Obama administration for $1.7 billion in cash payments the U.S. made to Iran in early 2016, $400 million of which was timed to ensure the release of four American hostages.

Zakka and the Namazis were left behind in that exchange, and GOP lawmakers have argued that Iran was motivated to continue detaining them in order to extract more cash out of the U.S.

In a related development, Iran has revoked the press accreditation for the New York Times correspondent based in Tehran without explanation, barring him from working for the past four months, the newspaper reported Tuesday. A  Times editor, however, said there are some signs the issue could soon be resolved.

Susan Crabtree is RealClearPolitics' White House/national political correspondent.

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2019-06-11 12:10:00Z
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Kim Jong Un's Slain Half Brother Accused Of Being A Spy - NPR

A man believed to be Kim Jong-Nam is surrounded by journalists upon his arrival at Beijing's capital airport, in February 2007. AFP/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of the North Korean leader who was killed in a nerve-agent attack allegedly ordered by Pyongyang, had been working with the CIA prior to his death, according to The Wall Street Journal and a new book by a Washington Post reporter.

The Journal, in a story published Monday, cites "a person knowledgeable about the matter" as saying that Kim Jong Nam, who was living in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory of Macau in the years before his death, had "met on several occasions with [CIA] operatives."

Washington Post correspondent Anna Fifield, in a book published Tuesday, makes a similar assertion, citing "someone with knowledge of the intelligence who spoke on condition of anonymity."

Although a link between Kim Jong Nam and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency has been previously rumored, the Journal and the new book offer more concrete evidence and specificity.

The North Korean leader "would have considered [Kim Jong Nam] talking to American spies a treacherous act," Fifield writes in The Great Successor, "But Kim Jong Nam provided information to them, meeting his handlers in Singapore and Malaysia."

In February 2017, Kim Jong Nam was attacked by two women in an airport in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, who smeared VX nerve agent on his face. The women, one an Indonesian national and another from Vietnam, said after their arrest that they had been paid for the attack, which they thought was part of television show prank.

According to the Journal, "Police testified during the trial of the two women that Mr. Kim had spent several days on the resort island of Langkawi, where he met with an unknown Korean-American man at a hotel."

"Mr. Kim traveled to Malaysia in February 2017 to meet his CIA contact, although that may not have been the sole purpose of the trip," the newspaper said, citing its anonymous source.

Fifield writes that on his last trip to Malaysia, Kim Jong Nam was seen on security footage in a hotel elevator "with an Asian-looking man who was reported to be an American intelligence agent." After the attack, the backpack Kim Jong Nam had been carrying was found to contain $120,000 in cash, according to Fifield.

As the first-born son of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il who died in 2011, Kim Jong Nam was once thought to be next in line in the dynastic succession. However, he reportedly fell out of favor with his father.

In his final years, Kim Jong Nam reportedly lived a playboy lifestyle and developed a passion for gambling that was fueled by the many casinos in his adopted home of Macau, known as "Asia's Las Vegas."

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2019-06-11 10:36:00Z
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GOP senators dodge major trade battle with Trump | TheHill - The Hill

Republican lawmakers are exhaling with relief after they narrowly dodged a standoff with President TrumpDonald John TrumpTop Armed Services Republican plots push for 0B defense budget Amash exits House Freedom Caucus in wake of Trump impeachment stance Amash exits House Freedom Caucus in wake of Trump impeachment stance MORE this week over tariffs on imports from Mexico.

The fight over immigration and trade had exacerbated tensions between Trump and members of the GOP Senate, risking a major confrontation between the two sides.

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“Very thankful that the president didn’t move ahead with it, very thankful that Mexico is stepping up and doing more to assist us with the humanitarian crisis,” Sen. Joni ErnstJoni Kay ErnstDems get behind businesswoman challenging Joni Ernst Dems get behind businesswoman challenging Joni Ernst The Hill's Morning Report - Tariff battle looms as Trump jabs 'foolish' Senate GOP MORE (Iowa), a member of the GOP leadership team, said Monday in describing her reaction to Trump’s announcement Friday of a deal.

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger WickerRoger Frederick WickerTrump praises Thad Cochran: 'A real senator with incredible values' Longtime GOP Sen. Thad Cochran dies at 81 Congress: Expand access to physical therapy for underserved communities MORE (R-Miss.) also described himself as “relieved” and praised Trump for “devising a strategy that’s paid off.”

“I hope we can go ahead and get Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi [(D-Calif.)] to take up USMCA and we can celebrate an astounding victory,” he added, referring to the deal with Canada and Mexico to replace the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump had threatened to impose a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports by Monday unless Mexico did more to stop illegal immigration from Central America. He had said the tariffs would rise to 25 percent by October without action.

Trump’s threats had sparked talk among senators about a new disapproval resolution, which some Republicans predicted would have passed.

It’s not entirely clear how the GOP’s distaste for the tariffs and pressure on Trump to relent led to the deal with Mexico. There were significant doubts from members of both parties that when push came to shove, the GOP Senate would really take dramatic action against Trump — especially with opponents of the tariffs almost certain to not have the votes to overturn a Trump veto in the House.

Also unclear is whether Republicans and Trump can avoid future fights on trade, the issue that has consistently pulled them apart.

Sen. John CornynJohn CornynPress: How 'Nervous Nancy' trumped Trump Press: How 'Nervous Nancy' trumped Trump Republicans warn Cuccinelli won't get confirmed by GOP Senate MORE (R-Texas) said it will largely depend on whether the deal with Mexico reduces the flow of illegal migrants.

“The real test is whether that 144,000 number from May, whether it goes down. That will be the best evidence,” he said, citing the number of migrants taken into custody by U.S. Customs and Border Protection last month, a 32 percent increase compared with April.

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Ernst said it will depend on whether Mexico sticks to its pledges. She warned that the tariff threat isn’t entirely off the table and could come back if the border situation fails to improve.

“If Mexico does not step up, I think the president will come back to it,” she said.

Republican lawmakers say it’s time for Congress to act by providing more money to deal with the surge of migrants from Central America and to reform asylum laws, which have contributed to overflowing detention facilities and a growing humanitarian crisis.

“We need to keep moving. That’s on us, too, to make sure that we’re funding border security technology, physical barriers, additional agents, additional beds that are necessary. We’ve got to find a way to come together on that and right now we’re at a stalemate,” said Ernst, a member of the Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over the issue.

A senior Senate Republican aide said the upcoming July 4 recess could provide a useful target date for passing the $4.5 billion in emergency funding the White House requested last month to deal with the border crisis.

That funding bill could be paired with immigration reforms that are being pushed by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey GrahamLindsey Olin GrahamPress: How 'Nervous Nancy' trumped Trump Press: How 'Nervous Nancy' trumped Trump The Hill's Morning Report - Democrats wonder: Can Nadler handle the Trump probe? MORE (S.C.) and Cornyn, a member of the GOP leadership team.

The Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday with acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan on Graham’s proposal to require Central American migrants to apply for asylum from their home countries or from Mexico; hire more immigration judges; and extend the time that children can stay in detention with their families while their asylum claims are processed.

Cornyn is pushing a bill co-sponsored by Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas) that would reform procedures for migrant families detained at the border and increase resources at U.S. ports of entry.

Democratic leaders, however, are reluctant to give Trump a victory on his signature issue: illegal immigration. And high-profile efforts to negotiate a bipartisan immigration deal have already failed since Trump took office.

Democrats rejected adding the $4.5 billion border supplemental spending bill to a disaster relief package that passed the Senate before the Memorial Day recess.

Nevertheless, there is growing pressure on Democrats to reach a deal with Republicans.

The New York Times on Sunday published an editorial urging Congress “to cut the squabbling and pass an emergency relief package.”

 Trump on Monday blasted Democrats as obstructionist and lacking a plan for the border.

“In fact, the Democrats are doing NOTHING, they want Open Borders, which means Illigal Immigration, Drugs and Crime,” he tweeted.

That prompted Senate Minority Leader Charles SchumerCharles (Chuck) Ellis SchumerDemocratic strategist says Republicans are turning immigration debate into 'political football' Trump touts Mexico deal on migrants: Will be 'very successful' Trump touts Mexico deal on migrants: Will be 'very successful' MORE (D-N.Y.) to come to the Senate floor on Monday afternoon to dispute what he called “another bogus claim.”

Schumer insisted that Democrats have a border plan that “would be far more effective at dealing with the actual problem than what President Trump announced on Friday.”

He called for allowing would-be migrants to apply for asylum from their own countries; the United States to provide security assistance to Central American countries to crack down on violent gangs, drug cartels and human traffickers; and to fund an increase of immigration judges at the border so that migrants wouldn’t have to wait so long for their claims to be processed.

Creating a path for migrants to apply for asylum from their own countries and increasing the number of immigration judges are two areas of common ground with Graham’s bill and could provide the starting point for bipartisan negotiations.

Sen. Deb FischerDebra (Deb) Strobel FischerCongress readies for battle over nuclear policy Trump's pursuit of infrastructure deal hits GOP roadblock Why America needs the ability to track enemy missiles from space MORE (Neb.), a member of the Senate GOP leadership team, acknowledged Monday that the economic impact of Trump’s threatened tariffs “would have been a challenge to face.”

She said it’s now up to Congress to pass border security and immigration legislation to take the threat of tariffs away completely.

“Congress needs to step up and do its job and provide funding to address a humanitarian crisis and also address the security of this country,” she said.

Asked about the prospect of Democrats agreeing to anything that could get Trump’s signature, Fischer said “I hope they would.”

“I look forward to working with them,” she said.

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https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/447823-gop-senators-dodge-major-trade-battle-with-trump

2019-06-11 10:00:12Z
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