DACA

On this edition of Political Rewind, immigration takes center stage in Washington this week.  Outrage over the Department of Justice policy of separating children from parents at the border is growing and it’s spreading across partisan lines. 

Listener Nury Castillo-Crawford of Gwinnett County got in touch with On Second Thought after hearing a interview on mental health issues within immigrant communities. The guest on the show was an immigrant shielded from immigration through the federal DACA program. Nury wrote a book this year about her own experiences coming to this country as a young child from Peru. The children's book is called "3,585 Miles to be an American Girl".

In a bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Alabama and six other states recently filed a lawsuit against it. The Obama-era program protects about 700,000 young immigrants from deportation. In Georgia, there are roughly 24,000 DREAMers, a term that describes undocumented immigrants whose family brought them to the United States as children, and who have grown up in the U.S. 

With no decisive action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, young immigrants in the United States face an uncertain future. It takes toll on their mental health.

In a bid to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, Alabama and six other states recently filed a lawsuit against it. The Obama-era program protects about 700,000 young immigrants from deportation.

In Georgia, there are roughly 24,000 DREAMers, a term that describes undocumented immigrants whose family brought them to the United States as children, and who have grown up in the U.S. 

On this edition of Political Rewind, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms calls for the resignations of almost everyone in city leadership.  Will the move help the city begin moving past a corruption scandal and help Bottoms separate herself from her predecessor?  National Guard troops amass on the US-Mexico border under orders of President Trump, who says he will not negotiate on a long-term DACA solution, while here in Georgia, the issue is top of mind for Republican candidates for office.   A leading immigration lawyer joins us to discuss what's happening.  Plus, Democrats seeking to oust

The race for governor of Georgia has turned into a sprint now that the 2018 general assembly has concluded its business. What ammunition did the session give to candidates for Georgia’s top offices? Our panel weighs in.

In less than two weeks, a critical program for many immigrants in the U.S. illegally expires. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, shields immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children from being deported. The program’s future is still unclear. Emory University professor Marie Marquardt has been watching this closely.

We continued our look at Historically Black Colleges and Universities with Atlanta Journal Constitution reporters Eric Stirgus and Ernie Suggs. They recently rolled out a Re:Race series called “HBCUs: A Threatened Heritage.” The project looks at the enrollment numbers, finances, and the overall future of HBCUs in America. We also heard from some alumni and current HBCU students in Atlanta.

On March 1st, Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources will open its second annual Coyote Challenge.

On this edition of Political Rewind, the U.S. Senate shoots down Senator David Perdue’s plan to dramatically curtail legal immigration and it fails to find common ground on any immigration reform measure.  

On this edition of Political Rewind, three Georgians take center stage in controversies now swirling on Capitol Hill.  FBI Director Chris Wray contradicts the White House story on when administration officials learned that Rob Porter was suspected of abusing his two former wives.  Will Chief of State John Kelly get the boot over concerns about what he knew and when?  Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue faces fire for a proposal to substitute food stamps for government-selected food boxes, but what's really behind the idea?  Also, David Perdue is in the spotlight as he pushes his plan to curt

On this edition of Political Rewind, Georgia’s senior United State Senator Johnny Isakson joins us just hours after the White House authorized release of the controversial memo purporting to show political bias in the FBI investigation of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.  We ask Isakson for his thoughts.  Plus, where does he stand on a compromise to protect DACA immigrants and build Trump’s wall, and what about another looming government shutdown next week?

Panelists:

AJC Lead Political Writer Jim Galloway

On this edition of Political Rewind, big issues bubbling up at the state capitol: legislators renew their interest in state oversight of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and a  possible return of paper balloting across Georgia.  

On this edition of Political Rewind, Georgia Senator David Perdue puts himself front and center in one of the biggest controversies of the Trump presidency.  What does Perdue gain or lose by defending the president?  Plus, as members of Congress jockey over extending DACA and building a border wall, the deadline for passing a government spending bill hangs in the balance.  If there is a government shutdown this weekend, who will get the blame?  Then, a coalition of faith-based organizations put a controversial religious liberty bill back in play at the state capital.  What’s likely to happe

Last week, a federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration's plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. It’s unclear if legislative efforts to extend the program will be successful. Under DACA, some 800,000 young immigrants, often referred to as "Dreamers," can legally live and work in the U.S. One of those Dreamers is Valentina Emilia Garcia Gonzalez, who moved from Uruguay to Gwinnett County. She told us how the DACA program has helped her.

U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore has been accused of sexual misconduct by five women. Many high ranking Republicans have called on him to drop out of the race. But one state poll says Moore enjoys support by many Alabama evangelicals. This could be part of a bigger picture. In 2011, the Public Religion Research Institute found only 30 percent of white evangelicals thought elected officials who commit an immoral act could still fulfill their public duties. In 2016, that number had more than doubled, to 72 percent. We talk with Dan Cox,  Director of Research for PRRI.

On Tuesday, the former head of Atlanta-based Equifax apologized many times during a hearing before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee  about the company’s massive data breach. The hack exposed more than 145 million people to possible ID theft. We check in with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Tamar Hallerman, who’s been following the Equifax scandal from Washington.

Earlier this month President Trump rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy (DACA), a program that allows undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children to remain here. The changes impact 24,000 DACA recipients here in Georgia. But the action also includes a grace period as long as people apply by October 5.

When DACA was rescinded applicants whose status was set to expire in the next 6 months were given one last chance to apply. But the October 5 deadline is fast approaching for DACA recipients like Maria Meraz from Eatonton.