Suze1

U.S. diplomats in Afghanistan on lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/us-diplomats-in-afghanistan-on-lockdown-amid-coronavirus-outbreak/2021/06/17/9198b936-cfbf-11eb-9b7e-e06f6cfdece8_story.html By Dan Lamoth and Missy Ryan June 17, 2021 at 8:21 p.m. EDT Staff members at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan are on lockdown after an outbreak of coronavirus cases, U.S. officials said Thursday, an episode that has strained medical resources and compounded challenges for U.S. personnel as military forces withdraw. State Department spokesman Ned Price said a local staff member had died and scores more had been infected in a “significant” outbreak at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Price, speaking to reporters in a phone briefing, said the embassy had “adjusted operations to ensure the continued safety, security and health of our staff,” a move that has included requiring employees to confine themselves almost entirely to their quarters within the bunkerlike facility. “We do expect that normal embassy operations will resume once embassy leadership is confident the chain of transmission has been broken,” he said. The outbreak occurs as Afghanistan suffers a devastating spike in coronavirus cases, straining the country’s meager health infrastructure. Cases have risen 2,400 percent in the past month, and fewer than 1 percent of Afghans are fully vaccinated, Reuters reported. According to the American Foreign Service Association, a diplomats union, 114 embassy employees have been infected by the virus. It said several personnel had been airlifted from Afghanistan and that some others were being treated in an “emergency covid-19 ward” at the embassy because military medical facilities were at capacity. “At a time when the U.S. military withdrawal is accelerating, attacks on Afghan and Coalition forces are intensifying and the U.S. is seeking to establish a stable and positive presence in Afghanistan after the withdrawal, the damage to our national security and national interests is potentially grave,” the association said in a statement on its website. ... The situation at the U.S. compound grows more severe after several embassies in Kabul, including the American one, stopped consular services over the past few days, citing the coronavirus outbreak. The decision could stymie the issuance of visas to thousands of Afghan interpreters and other people who have worked for the U.S. government, despite threats by the Taliban.

Covid-19 outbreak hits US Embassy in Afghanistan https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/17/politics/us-embassy-kabul-covid-19-outbreak/index.html?utm_source=twCNN&utm_content=2021-06-17T18%3A45%3A02&utm_term=link&utm_medium=social Updated 11:45 AM ET, Thu June 17, 2021 (CNN) More than 100 people at the US Embassy in Kabul have Covid-19, one person has died, and several have been medically evacuated as a wave of the deadly pandemic hits Afghanistan and the US military withdrawal from the country continues. "COVID-19 is surging in the Mission," an Embassy management noticed dated June 17 said. "114 of our colleagues now have COVID and are in isolation; one has died, and several have been medevaced." ...

Another article on the ruling..... https://www.yahoo.com/news/supreme-court-rules-against-immigrants-143446876.html Supreme Court rules against immigrants with temporary status MARK SHERMAN Mon, June 7, 2021, 10:34 AM WASHINGTON (AP) — A unanimous Supreme Court ruled Monday that thousands of people living in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons are ineligible to apply to become permanent residents. Justice Elena Kagan wrote for the court that federal immigration law prohibits people who entered the country illegally and now have Temporary Protected Status from seeking “green cards” to remain in the country permanently. The designation applies to people who come from countries ravaged by war or disaster. It protects them from deportation and allows them to work legally. There are 400,000 people from 12 countries with TPS status. The outcome in a case involving a couple from El Salvador who have been in the U.S. since the 1990s turned on whether people who entered the country illegally and were given humanitarian protections were ever “admitted” into the United States under immigration law. Kagan wrote that they were not. “The TPS program gives foreign nationals nonimmigrant status, but it does not admit them. So the conferral of TPS does not make an unlawful entrant...eligible" for a green card, she wrote. The House of Representatives already has passed legislation that would make it possible for TPS recipients to become permanent residents, Kagan noted. The bill faces uncertain prospects in the Senate. President Joe Biden has said he supports the change in the law. But his administration, like the Trump administration, argued that current immigration law doesn't permit people who entered the country illegally to apply for permanent residency. ....

Who really knows what will be the situation with you, your wife, America, the world, immigration requirements, etc. in 5-10 years? Her, and your, situation will be what it will be. All you can do now is make your best decision, surrender your green card when you know you will be leaving the US and not returning for quite a while, and apply again if and when you want to live in the US, if ever.

The fact that both of your names are not on the same bill is not totally uncommon. If they refer to a shared asset or expense you will be fine, e.g. if YOU pay one utility at your house, and you spouse owns the place, and pays a different fet of utility bills at the same address, then you are still covered. They will understand that. And whenever you feel uncomfortable, include a short, clear statement explaining the situation. Don't sweat it too much, they can add two and two, with a little help from you.

@luckycat Nailed it! As usual. Would only possibly add: Driver's licenses from each of you showing the same home address (ideally).

Excellent post, Captain! This reflects the number of applications approved, right? Makes me wonder about several stats, including percentages: 1) Number of applications submitted (during several periods - i.e. before and recently) 2) Number of applications that have been fully processed 3) Percentage of applications filed that have been processed 4) Percentage of applications that have been approved (Is enough data even publicly knowable?) Thanks, and keep up the great work (of course).

Coming to the US under a tourist visa or VWP WITH THE INTENTION to adjust status is a visa violation.

If you can't or don't stop people illegally crossing the border... If you let them stay after they clearly violated your immigration laws... If you let them bear-face lie to you, and let them stay anyway.... Then....well....you know...you get what we have....THIS MESS!

Immigration Courts Aren’t Real Courts. Time to Change That. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/08/opinion/sunday/immigration-courts-trump-biden.html Excerpt - "Congress needs to take immigration courts out of the Justice Department and make them independent, similar to other administrative courts that handle bankruptcy, income-tax and veterans’ cases. Immigration judges would then be freed from political influence and be able to run their dockets as they see fit, which could help reduce the backlog and improve the courts’ standing in the public eye."

@VinnyH Yeah. It does make ya think/wonder. Regarding changes in procedure, Hawaii drivers licenses used your SSN as your license number. They finally stopped that too. Probably won't get a new license till we move or some other reason arises.

The Case for Professors of Stupidity Why aren’t there more people studying the science behind stupidity? https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-case-for-professors-of-stupidity Excerpt "On this past International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I reread a bit of Bertrand Russell. In 1933, dismayed at the Nazification of Germany, the philosopher wrote “The Triumph of Stupidity,” attributing the rise of Adolf Hitler to the organized fervor of stupid and brutal people—two qualities, he noted, that “usually go together.” He went on to make one of his most famous observations, that the “fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt...” ....

@flicks1998 Yep, yep! Tons of them. Moved to Legaspi St, in Legaspi Village, Greenbelt 5. Stayed there for 6 years. Really enjoyed our time there. Think of it OFTEN! Sad we can't at least visit. One day...in the not too distant future. Cheers.

Buendia - aka Gil Puyat! Remember it well. smile Office was on the corner of Buendia/Gil Puyat and Chino Roces, and initial condo was right next door. Good times, back then. Now...not so much! Thanks for the memories.

Cancelled - All notarial appointments scheduled for May 1, 2021, through May 31, 2021. ----------------------------------- Health Alert: Cancellation of Notarial Appointments Scheduled in May In response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and the ongoing travel and movement restrictions throughout the country, the U.S. Embassy and Consular Agency in the Philippines have cancelled all notarial appointments scheduled for May 1, 2021, through May 31, 2021. If you need a document notarized urgently, we encourage you to use one of the alternative options listed on our website. Keep in mind that the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) accepts local notarization of Affidavits of Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage. If you are planning to marry in the Philippines, your affidavit does not need to be notarized at the Embassy or Consular Agency. Please visit our notary page for more information. Passport, citizenship, and emergency services for U.S. citizens remain available in both Manila and Cebu. Passport and citizenship appointments already scheduled for the month of May are not affected at this time. There may be delays in our ability to answer routine emails and phone calls. We appreciate your patience as we continue to enforce social distancing and other requirements designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. Actions to Take: Monitor our website for information regarding the future resumption of notary services at the Embassy in Manila and Consular Agency in Cebu. Review the Philippine Department of Health website and the Embassy’s COVID-19 webpage for updated information about conditions in the Philippines. Consult the Philippine’s National Task Force Against COVID-19 social media page for additional information and updates. Assistance: U.S. Embassy in the Philippines: +63(2) 5301-2000 or ACSInfoManila@state.gov State Department – Consular Affairs 888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 Philippines Country Information Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook