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Biden protects Palestinian immigrants in the U.S. from deportation, citing Israel-Hamas war
President Biden on Wednesday issued an executive order instructing federal immigration officials to refrain from deporting most Palestinian immigrants in the U.S., saying the months-long war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas has made it too dangerous to send deportees there.
The move, which Democratic lawmakers in Congress had demanded last year, is expected to shield several thousand Palestinians living in the U.S. from deportation, an administration official told CBS News.
In his order, Mr. Biden said the “humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian territories, and primarily Gaza, have significantly deteriorated” since the terrorist attacks by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, and Israel’s military response, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Palestinians.
“While I remain focused on improving the humanitarian situation, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Palestinians who are present in the United States,” Mr. Biden wrote.
Militants affiliated with Hamas, which has governed the Gaza strip since 2007, killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and abducted hundreds during the October attacks, according to the Israeli government. More than 28,000 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its air and land offensive there, according to the local Hamas-controlled health ministry. CBS News has not independently verified these numbers. The Gaza Health Ministry does not differentiate between the deaths of civilians and fighters.
Mr. Biden issued the directive using a little-known presidential program known as Deferred Enforced Departure, which also offers beneficiaries temporary work permits. It’s a program derived from the president’s power to conduct foreign policy that has been used by Republican and Democratic presidents alike.
The deportation relief for Palestians, slated to last for 18 months, won’t apply to those who are not already in the U.S., and certain individuals, such as those convicted of serious crimes or deemed to be public safety threats. Those who return to the Palestinian territories will also be ineligible for the program.
Jake Sullivan, Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, said the move will “provide protections for most Palestinians in the United States.”
DED is one of the ways administrations can protect immigrant groups from deportation without congressional action. The Biden administration has used another, more well-known policy called Temporary Protected Status to offer deportation protections and work permits to hundreds of thousands of migrants from crisis-stricken countries like Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Sudan, Ukraine and Venezuela.
Democrats praised Mr. Biden’s action.
“We applaud this step and hope to see further efforts from the Administration to ensure that diplomacy, peace, and security are prioritized in the Middle East,” Democratic Congresswomen Pramila Jayapal and Jan Schakowsky said in a joint statement.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.