Migrants putting strain on cities across the country

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Good morning,

The athleisure trend has officially entered the hallowed halls of Congress.

As of Monday, the Senate will no longer be enforcing its strict business formal dress code.

The news, as expected, has rocked Capitol Hill, with some senators calling for a reversal. But Sen. Chuck Schumer is standing his ground.

As for us, we’re waiting to see which senators will now have the best style on the floor.

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Leila

🗞 TOP STORY: U.S. BORDER CRISIS

The number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is surging once again. The Department of Homeland Security says 7,500 migrants crossed over the border on Sunday alone, nearing the record high we saw right before Title 42 expired this spring.

QUICK REMINDER: Title 42 was part of an emergency health authority that dated back to the pandemic, which allowed U.S. officials to turn away millions of migrants at the border on the grounds of preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Initially, the thinking was that when Title 42 expired, it would open the flood gates for migrants and asylum seekers looking to come to the United States. But the opposite happened: The number of migrants actually plunged.

It turns out that dip was temporary.

BIDEN POLICY CHANGES
The Biden administration initially credited a series of new policies, which made it harder for migrants to seek asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border, and easier for them to seek lawful entry from their home countries.

The numbers are quite stark: Prior to the policy change, nearly 10,000 migrants were apprehended daily.
In July, daily apprehensions dropped to about 4,300.

But, the numbers are now ticking back up to near that record high, putting a strain on cities across the country.

WHAT HAPPENS ONCE MIGRANTS ARRIVE?
It depends where they cross and/or where they are taken once they get here.

In El Paso, Texas, the epicenter of the crisis, about 1,700 migrants entered the US through the city in a 24-hour period over the weekend. That’s almost double what the city had been seeing.
- The mayor says Border Patrol has maxed out its ability to house recent arrivals.
- He says they do not want to release migrants onto the street, but they’re running out of room at shelters.
- The U.S. Customs and Border Protection has "temporarily" suspended operations at a port of entry near El Paso so that the personnel can assist in "processing noncitizens" who have arrived at the border.
In Eagle Pass, Texas, more than 2,200 migrants were captured on video heading toward the area in one night earlier this week.
- Cellphone video recorded in Piedras Negras, the Mexican city across from Eagle Pass, shows a stampede of migrants rushing the border and crossing through the Rio Grande river.
- The mass crossing happened right next to the port of entry in Eagle Pass, which is the legal way to cross.
In California, Border Patrol has been bussing newly arrived migrants to trolley stops around San Diego, and seemingly abandoning them there.
- In some cases, the migrants have been left with no phones, transportation or place to sleep.
- This happens when resources are overwhelmed. All migrants who are released onto the streets have already cleared Customs and Border Protection’s vetting process, according to the agency, to be sure they do not pose a safety risk. It is not known, however, if they all have immigration court dates.
In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has said the migrant crisis “will destroy New York.”
- Nearly 110,000 asylum seekers have reached NYC over the last year.
- The cost of housing, clothing, feeding, and providing health services to tens of thousands of asylum seekers has the Adams administration thinking about limiting the amount of time migrants can stay in a city shelter-- “a move that to some is simply unthinkable for a city with a right-to-shelter law.”
- Adams’ request for federal aid was turned down. He has since proposed billions in cuts to the city budget— from education to hospitals— to help pay for migrant services.
WHAT ABOUT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?
Since May, DHS has removed or returned over 200,000 people, the agency said.

The Biden administration is considering forcing some migrant families who enter the country without authorization to remain near the border in Texas while awaiting asylum screening. The plan would also include ankle bracelets to track migrants’ locations. Texas is fighting that plan.

*Recently arrived migrants wait outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City.*

✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: The federal government is facing a potential shutdown next Saturday.

Immigration is one of the issues some conservative House Republicans say they are willing to shut down the government over. They are demanding more money for border security and new limits on how many asylum seekers can stay in the US (a non-starter for Dems). It comes as more than two dozen GOP governors sent President Biden a new letter asking for more details on the crisis, and where the migrants are ending up.

Bottom line: Without any new comprehensive immigration compromise on the horizon in Congress, this is set to be a major issue in next year’s election.

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 House Republicans set first Biden impeachment inquiry public hearing (ABC)

📌 Trial to start in death of Black man injected with ketamine by EMT during police chokehold (NBC)

📌 Trump moves to put the nail in DeSantis’ campaign coffin (POLITICO)

📌A Krispy Kreme driver left his van open. Bears stole his doughnuts. (WASHINGTON POST)

📌 150 year-old Banyan tree in Maui showing signs of life after wildfire (MO NEWS)

📌 Americans are least likely to care about kids having good manners compared to other countries. Here's what they prioritize instead (CNBC)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 At UN General Assembly, Biden asks world to stand with Ukraine (REUTERS)

📌 Indian government expels a Canadian diplomat after Trudeau says India was involved in killing in Canada (AP)

📌 US gov tells Americans: Don’t travel to these countries (YAHOO NEWS)

📌 Syria protests gain steam, challenging Bashar Assad as he tries to put the civil war behind him (CBS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 Will the Federal Reserve raise interest rates today? (INSIDER)

📌 The Fed’s next challenge: $100 oil (WSJ)

📌 Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents sued by FTX (NYT)

📌 UAW will strike at additional U.S. auto plants if ‘serious progress’ isn’t made by noon Friday (CNBC)

📌 Climate change made Greece and Libya floods more likely, study says (THE GUARDIAN)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes WWE return (CNN)

📌 Disney to nearly double spending on parks, experiences and products to $60 Billion over 10-year period (VARIETY)

📌 Kevin Costner begged to return to ‘Yellowstone’ amid messy divorce (PUCK NEWS)

📌 Shakira, Karol G and Edgar Barrera lead Latin Grammy nominations (NYT)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: SEPTEMBER 20

*The Cosby Show aired on Sept 20th 1984*

1984: "The Cosby Show" premiered on NBC. Reruns were pulled amid accusations against Bill Cosby around 2014. He served prison time from 2018-2021 for sexual assault but was released on a technicality.

1984: “Who's The Boss?' premiered on ABC.
1995: The U.S. House of Representatives voted to end the national speed limit of 55 mph. It allowed the states to decide their own speed limits. Many decided to raise theirs.
2011: Don't Ask, Don't Tell—a U.S. military policy that went into effect during the Clinton administration and mandated that LGBT members of the US Armed Forces were not asked nor talked about their sexual preference—officially ended after nearly 20 years.