Devin Nunes opens by saying he doesn't want any conspiracy theories but then goes on to talk about "collusion between Democrats and Russia", and a lot of Republicans are following by trying to put forward their own theories.

There is a lot of trying to define some kind of narrative by Republicans but it isn't coming across clearly, I don't see unity in what they believe happened leading up to and concerning the issues outlined in the report such as Russia's influence, perhaps they should wait until their own report and evidence come out so they can attempt to cite facts. During questioning it sounds like they are still involved in investingation and don't have any conclusions to put forward. Mueller even just said he doesn't want to be the subject of an investigation as I'm writing this.

I'm also not sure why there would be questions on this for Mueller when he can't comment on the ongoing DOJ investigation into this.

There was also some crazy attempts to try and characterize the report as being biased and leaning into the things that were damaging to Trump and accusations of omitting material that would be damaging to any other parties or favorable to Trump.

There were a lot of clarifications so far. We have heard Trump say "Russian Hoax," "Witch Hunt," Mueller asserts that Trump was not exonerated and when one rep brought up that exoneration is not a designation of the court, Mueller would not agree that doubt had been eliminated, but again this is focusing on collusion. There doesn't seem to be a concern that interference did happen and what to do about it, only about where blame should and should not be. Nobody is bringing charges but there is a huge attempt to defend Trump and lay blame and despite the argument that exoneration is not a designation, there is an attempt to lay that designation.

@Daredevils2k: Yeah that was the type of clarification that many were expecting from this hearing and there have been many so far.

There was no cut to federal spending.

I'm happy they were able to agree on many things and cooperated.

Maybe I should've put "all of the above"

Inb4 that then

To clarify, yes, referring to distractions from Mueller testifying

Last week the current administration met with the DHS and expressed the desire to significantly reduce the amount of refugees coming in due to "ongoing security concerns and the ability of the US to offer humanitarian protections through the asylum process."

They are finally recognizing the challenges in the situation they have created by banning bail for asylum seekers in April 2019. However, this is yet another story showing how the ban is having only a negative impact, so they should lift it, significantly reducing the taxpayer burden and the burden on DHS employees and border facilities.

To those wondering why was this ban imposed in the first place, it's because William Barr on a whim decided that the board of immigration appeals and the supreme court had "wrongly decided" Matter of X-K, 23 I&N Dec 731 (BIA 2005), '“mandate[s] detention throughout the completion of [removal] proceedings” unless the alien is paroled.' personally overruling the decision to allow said parole.

In addition, they are ignoring resources that could expedite proceedings for asylum seekers, such as engaging the USCIS in handling asylum cases, in which they are already involved and familiar.

Because people legally applying for asylum are not entering the country illegally, and because something can be done to remedy that, saving taxpayers money and reducing the burden on the DHS, and reinstating the path of self sufficiency for asylum seekers.

Anyway at least we can agree that all that is pretty clear and straightforward, but if you want to discuss people that are in the country illegally in another thread that's fine, but this thread is about people that are here legally and going through the legal process, discussing a clear way forward that can be implemented right now by removing the change this administration made when they blocked bail for asylum seekers in April 2019. This would provide relief for those going through the legal process as well as for taxpayers and government workers.

@heirren: I'd like to stay on topic. If you want to create another thread to discuss another topic that's fine, and I'll join in there, I'm open to discussing other topics in other threads.

Here I want to talk about the legal asylum process at the border being altered under this administration. We can discuss illegal immigrants in another thread.

@heirren: No, they're going through the legal process of seeking asylum.

"To obtain asylum through the affirmative asylum process you must be physically present in the United States. You may apply for asylum status regardless of how you arrived in the United States or your current immigration status."

https://www.uscis.gov/humanitarian/refugees-asylum/asylum/obtaining-asylum-united-states

Right now they are being detained at the border instead of being allowed bail. I don't see reports of crimes being committed in the detention centers by detainees, and in the asylum seeking process they are vetted as well, so that would answer your question to whether they have done anything illegal. Imposing the ban on bail means the people who are going through the legal process are impaired, and also costing taxpayers money.

Perhaps this will cause people to attempt to enter through illegal means rather than being detained indefinitely without going forward in the asylum process, so rescinding the ban on bail would be one way to improve things here and reduce illegal immigration, as well as reducing the burden on taxpayers, detention centers, staff, and detainees.

@heirren: Now: Barr has imposed a ban on asylum bail, crowding border facilities and costing taxpayers, as well as limiting the scope of those who can seek asylum. There are also ICE raids that we haven't seen the like of since the 1920s-30s era.

No clue why as this doesn't seem to objectively sacrifices a lot without quantifiably or qualitatively improving anything, and official statements don't seem to give a clue there either. Pence visited those stations and thought throwing more taxpayer money at it could be a solution but that doesn't seem wise. Aside from that these actions don't reflect American values nor do they recognize our heritage.

@taylor12702003: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_political_parties_in_the_United_States

It exists, and there are tons of other parties as well, including racist parties.

@heirren: Rescind Barr's ban on bail for legal asylum seekers, due process for those with warrants instead of deport raids.