Monday, Sept. 20

á           The mass expulsion of refugees in Texas that began with 3,300 Haitian migrants from South America removed over the weekend continued, with federal authorities aiming to process nearly 13,000 Haitian people living in a camp under a bridge connecting Del Rio, Texas, with Ciudad Acuna, Mexico, and then send them to Haiti within seven days. Homeland Security said over 15,000 Haitian nationals have crossed into the United States from Mexico in recent weeks.

á           The State Department announced it plans to double the U.S.Õs refugee admissions cap for the next fiscal year from 62,500 to 125,000 beginning Oct. 1.

á           Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough blocked Senate DemocratsÕ effort to reform immigration laws, saying the DemocratsÕ plan to attach such laws to President Joe BidenÕs $3.5 trillion budget plan was not allowed under Senate rules. This proposal would have allowed millions of immigrants to stay in the U.S. legally.

á           White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients announced the U.S. will ease foreign travel restrictions into the U.S. beginning in November by requiring only that all travellers show proof of vaccination before boarding and proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of the flight.

Tuesday, Sept. 21

á           Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz announced incidents recorded by photo and on video showing border guards on horses chasing migrants wielding whip-like cords were being investigated to make sure the actions were not Òunacceptable.Ó

á           President Joe Biden delivered his first speech as president to the United Nations General Assembly. He called for multilateralism and global diplomatic cooperation in addressing international issues like the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change and cybersecurity.

á           Christine Abizaid, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, told the Senate Homeland Security Committee that she and other top security officials are Òvery concernedÓ about the threat that al-Qaeda poses to the U.S. following the U.S.Õs withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, saying that the war-torn country is in Òa very dynamic environment right nowÓ as the Taliban takes control.

á           The House approved $6.3 billion in emergency assistance to help resettle Afghan refugees in the U.S., as part of a $28.6 billion disaster relief and stopgap government funding bill also passed by the House. Over 120,000 Afghans were evacuated from Kabul International Airport during the U.S. withdrawal from the country.

Wednesday, Sept. 22

á           Biden announced the U.S. will double its purchase of PfizerÕs COVID-19 vaccines for low and middle-income countries, bringing the pledged donation to 1.1 billion doses. Biden referred to this as a Òhistoric commitment.Ó

á           The Justice Department announced it will return to Iraq the 3,500-year-old clay tablet featuring a portion of the Epic of Gilgamesh that was held by craft store chain Hobby Lobby. The Justice Department determined that the tablet was likely stolen around the start of the Gulf War and sold in the U.S. The tablet is just one of an estimated 17,000 artifacts stolen from Iraq in recent decades.

á           Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron released a joint statement announcing that they will meet next month to discuss how to repair their relationship following a diplomatic conflict in which Australia dropped a military submarine contract with France to pursue a more favorable contract with the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

Thursday, Sept. 23

á           The Wall Street Journal reported that a federal judge ordered Facebook to release records of now-closed accounts connected to violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Facebook previously refused to release this information, arguing that it would violate U.S. law barring electronic communications services from disclosing user data. The judge rejected this argument.

á           Special Envoy for Haiti Daniel Foote sent his resignation letter to the State Department in protest against the mass deportations by the U.S. government of Haitians gathered at the U.S. border with Mexico.

á           The House overwhelming approved $1 billion in additional funding for IsraelÕs Iron Dome missile defense system. Only nine representatives voted against the funding.

á           The Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people over the age of 65 as well as younger, high risk and immunocompromised adults. The Centers for Disease Control endorsed the decision the next day.

á           Congressman Andy Levin (D-Mich.) introduced a bill affirming support for the two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict and calling for Òrobust oversightÓ on U.S. aid to Israel to ensure it is not used for human rights violations.

Friday, Sept 24

á           During a visit to the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly told IndiaÕs nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it is Òincumbent on our nations to protect democraciesÓ and that the work needs to be done to achieve Òour vision for democratic principles and institutions.Ó

á           The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol subpoenaed four members of former President Donald TrumpÕs administration: Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, White House advisor Steve Bannon, Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino and Defense Department official Kash Patel. They were instructed to produced materials relevant to the insurrection and appear for depositions.

á           Biden vowed that there would be ÒconsequencesÓ for the border guards on horseback caught aggressively pushing migrants back at the U.S.-Mexico border with whip-like reins. ÒI promise you those people will pay,Ó Biden said. ÒItÕs simply not who we are.Ó

á           The House approved a proposed law guaranteeing the right of pregnant people to get an abortion throughout the U.S., overriding state-level restrictions.

á           In a move to improve the worsening humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the Treasury Department said it issued two general licenses to allow the U.S. government, non-governmental organizations and certain international organizations to engage in transactions with the Taliban or Haqqani Network and to authorize transactions related to the export of food, medicine and other goods.

á           A bipartisan group of seven senators called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to press the Kingdom of Bahrain to end the Òviolent, systemic repressionÓ of its population. Bahrain, which is a U.S. military ally, has been condemned by international human rights groups for imprisoning protesters, journalists and activists following the suppression of a popular uprising against the monarchy in 2011.

Saturday, Sept. 25

á           Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that Òthere are no longer any migrants in the camp underneath the Del Rio International Bridge,Ó where nearly tens of thousands of migrants, many from Haiti, had been camping for the past two weeks in Texas. Mayorkas said more than 12,000 migrants will have the chance to make their case before immigration judges, 8,000 voluntarily returned to Mexico and 2,000 had been expelled.

Sunday, Sept. 26

á           House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would vote on a bipartisan infrastructure bill totaling $1 billion, hours before government funding is scheduled to lapse.