As reported by Carol Morello in the Washington Post:
“A cable sent to consular officials worldwide Wednesday provided a narrow definition of close family: a parent, spouse, child, an adult son or daughter, son-in-law, daughter-in-law or sibling, as well as stepfamily relationships.
However, it explicitly excluded other family relationships: grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, fiances and other “extended” family relations.
. . . .
It was not clear how the State Department came up with its narrow definition of family, which was quickly criticized by some advocates and lawyers.
“Defining close family to exclude grandparents, cousins, and other relatives defies common sense,” said Johnathan Smith, legal director of Muslim Advocates, a civil rights group that plans to send monitors to Dulles Airport Thursday night.
Cornell University Law School professor Stephen Yale-Loehr, who has written volumes of legal books on immigration law, said more than half of all refugees have no close family ties in the United States. Among past refugees who would be barred from entering today, he said, are the Lost Boys of Sudan and children orphaned by famine and war.”
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Wow! These Dudes just can’t help themselves. Mean-spirited, unreasonable administration of immigration and refugee laws is just in their blood.
Of course, as a grandparent 7x over about to connect with all of them over the next several weeks, I’m insulted. And, I’m sure that all the grandparents we know who essentially provide free full or part time child care for the grandchildren so the parents can work are pretty surprised to find out that they have been “booted” from the family unit!
And the Supremes “reward” for cutting Trump some slack — a poke in the eyes with a sharp stick.
Full employment for lawyers!
PWS
06-29-17
This drives me nuts. “Family” is a subjective term and is defined in many different ways across cultures (I’m an anthropologist). I come from a culture in which your cousins are your siblings, and aunts/uncles hold the same responsibility to their nieces/nephews as their children. Most households around the world are also inter-generational– grandparents and extended relatives living and working together. This makes sense economically, both in home countries and the countries to which they would be resettling.
I agree, Jenn!
The Trump Administration never misses a chance to take a slap at other cultures. But, as we know, even in the US, plenty of “family units” include grandparents. Like, for example, the Obamas. Also, believe Mrs. Trump’s parents accompanied her to the White House, although I don’t know if they are still there.
Thanks for the comment.
Best,
P
Grandma Got Run Over by a Trump Deer! Sing along at
Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer – YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfSb6J4jhcU
G
Trump is prioritizing doing stuff most Americans don’t want, carelessly, and badly. Lies about it repeatedly, just like a lot of his other ”pointless” lies. But Flooding the Zone with lies about everything works as shiny objects for the media a/k/a “enemies of the people”, to follow. Mainstream Media cannot compete within the 140 character limit World with the Tweetmeister!
And Trump’s Tweets have reached the compulsive weenie wagger we judges often found in our prisons doing details there. Beyond Weiner’s Carlos Danger, which were not mean spirited. Feels like Uncle Donny’s Christmas visit has already lasted way too long. Having to change the sheets daily because Uncle Don is an incontinent tweeter got old early.
As Yogi Berra said about playing RF late in his career and late afternoon sun, but regarding Trump Time: “It gets late early out there”.
G
Yogi Berra video “It gets late early out there”. at http://nationalpost.com/sports/baseball/mlb/yogi-berras-best-quotes-some-of-the-late-yankees-legends-famous-philosophy/wcm/354bfa6d-0132-4d91-bc0b-9e78d522c50b