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Welcome to another edition of FT Now! This week saw more important news across the country, so let’s get right to business! First up, the Biden Administration’s Customs and Border Protection revived the ‘catch and release’ policy at the border, which comes in the face of mounting COVID-19 concerns for illegal immigrants in the United States. Next, even more pressure is mounting on President Biden to reverse his day-one executive order canceling the Keystone Pipeline- and it is coming from his own side of the political aisle. Finally, some good news. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has dropped statewide enforcement of COVID-19 mandates, as her state
has seen major progress in its fight against the pandemic. Read below for more!
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| Biden administration’s CBP revives ‘catch and release’ policy at border amid COVID concerns |
| What Happened: |
| The Biden Administration has returned to the controversial ‘catch and release’ policy, as CPB will now begin releasing newly arrived illegal immigrants into U.S. cities amidst a "perfect storm" of difficulties at the border. |
| Why You Should Care: |
| While the return of ‘catch and release’ brings many more issues with illegal immigration overall, such as the likely exploitation of the policy by smugglers, there are also fresh concerns of further spread of COVID-19. Importantly, illegal immigrants do not enter the U.S. with negative COVID tests and CPB does not test them unless they have obvious symptoms. |
| What Happens Next: |
| If CPB does not track the spread of COVID-19 among newly arrived illegal immigrants, there will likely be more difficulties with its spread. |
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| Top Democrat Senator Urges Biden To Reverse On Keystone Pipeline, 14 AGs Threaten Legal Action |
| What Happened: |
| Democrat Senator Joe Manchin, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chairman, urged President Biden to reverse his decision to cancel the Keystone Pipeline. Fourteen attorney generals also strongly criticized the order in a letter to the administration. |
| Why You Should Care: |
| The rebukes by Senator Manchin and the 14 attorney generals show the mounting pushback against President Biden’s decision to cancel the pipeline. He has been criticized in recent weeks for the order, which will kill thousands of jobs. Pipelines are a much safer form of oil transportation than alternatives like shipping by truck or rail, despite the environmental alarms raised by the president. |
| What Happens Next: |
| It is unclear what impact this pushback against President Biden’s decision will have, or if more elected officials will step forward to criticize the pipeline’s cancellation. |
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| Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ proclamation drops enforcement of COVID-19 mandates |
| What Happened: |
| With much better numbers in her state, Governor Kim Reynolds has dropped the enforcement of COVID-19 mandates in Iowa from February 7th through March 7th in a statewide proclamation. |
| Why You Should Care: |
| This is a positive sign for Iowa, which has suffered economically like the rest of the country with COVID measures. Specifically for restaurants and bars, the move by Gov. Reynolds will empower owners to make responsible decisions for themselves concerning health and safety. |
| What Happens Next: |
| Hopefully, the loosening of restrictions will provide a much-needed boost to Iowa’s businesses while maintaining the COVID-safe environment Gov. Reynolds has fostered. |
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Thank you for reading this week’s edition of FT Now.
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