Latest news with #MigrationPolicyInstitute
Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
DHS is posting Americana paintings and migrant mugshots. The art world is not happy.
The American artist died in 2012, but when his family saw how his work was being used by the Trump administration, they were aghast. Kinkade was deeply committed to humanitarian causes, a spokesperson for the Kinkade Family Foundation said, and made paintings that offered a sense of dignity and hope, especially to those denied basic human rights. That felt starkly in contrast with DHS's mass deportation campaign and its social media account depicting immigrants as criminals. Advertisement 'Like many of you, we were deeply troubled to see this image used to promote division and xenophobia associated with the ideals of DHS, as this is antithetical to our mission,' the foundation said in a statement it posted online. 'We stand firmly with our communities who have been threatened and targeted by DHS.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The painting was one of three that DHS posted on social media in July, depicting idealized images of American life. The others include 19th-century painter John Gast's controversial 'American Progress' and contemporary artist Morgan Weistling's 'A Prayer for a New Life.' Weistling, the only of the artists still alive, has also spoken out against DHS's use of his painting. The images, bookended by posts cheering the administration's deportation campaign, have been widely shared by conservatives and sparked alarm among the artists, their families, and some historians, who see their use as part of an effort to rewrite the past with an exclusionary view of American history. Advertisement 'There's one side that's being presented as irredeemable criminals with no shade of gray allowed in, so people shouldn't have any reservation about the treatment of these people or use of very punitive measures because it's a caricature,' said Natalia Banulescu-Bogdan, deputy director of the international program at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. 'Then, on the other side, here are the heroes.' Tricia McLaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson, said the agency is honoring artwork that 'celebrates America's heritage and history.' 'If the media needs a history lesson on the brave men and women who blazed the trails and forged this republic from the sweat of their brow, we are happy to send them a history textbook,' she added. 'This administration is unapologetically proud of American history and American heritage.' As of Tuesday morning, the Gast post had 16.7 million views on X, the Weistling post had 19.3 million views, and the Kinkade post had 16.8 million views. The paintings have been shared by far-right activist Jack Posobiec; right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson; former GOP representatives Matt Gaetz (Florida), Madison Cawthorn (North Carolina), and Mayra Flores (Texas); the Nevada GOP; and others. 'Beautiful,' Johnson wrote as he shared the Kinkade post. The use of the paintings in official government communications comes amid a broader effort by the Trump administration to reshape the country's arts and cultural landscape. That has included a major overhaul of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, drastic cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and a March executive order to 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness.' Advertisement DHS's social media feed is showcasing work by American artists — while also sending chilling and at times mocking messages to undocumented immigrants. The agency recently posted a meme of a skeleton lifting a barbell with the message: 'My body is a machine that turns ICE funding into mass deportations.' The account also posted an image of alligators wearing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement hats with the caption 'Coming soon,' as it teased the arrival of 'Alligator Alcatraz,' the detention facility Governor Ron DeSantis, Republican of Florida, ordered constructed in the Everglades. DHS posted Kinkade's 'Morning Pledge' on July 1. Much of Kinkade's work is centered around themes of home, family, and religion, and it has appealed to and been associated with conservative values. But the Kinkade Family Foundation, which preserves and promotes the painter's archives and charitable giving, said it did not authorize the use of his artwork and sent a cease-and-desist letter to DHS after learning it had used the image. A spokesperson for the artist's foundation said Kinkade's intent with the painting was to express his desire for a place where 'basic human rights are granted regardless of where we come from or who we may be.' Online, the organization shared a message stating its support for those targeted by DHS, 'especially our immigrant, BIPOC, undocumented, LGBTQ+, and disabled relatives and neighbors.' The foundation said it made multiple attempts to reach out to the agency, which still had not responded as of Monday. DHS did not respond to the Kinkade family's complaints in its statement to The Post. Advertisement Two weeks after sharing that painting, DHS posted one by Weistling depicting a couple holding a baby with a wagon in the background, along with the caption 'Remember your Homeland's Heritage.' The agency said the painting was titled 'New Life in a New Land,' though its actual name is 'A Prayer for a New Life.' Weistling's website said the 2020 painting portrays two parents praying to God for the baby's 'fragile life on their perilous journey.' Weistling did not respond to an interview request. But on his official website, he posted: 'Attention: The recent DHS post on social media using a painting of mine that I painted a few years ago was used without my permission.'
South China Morning Post
5 days ago
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
From pho to banh mi to bun cha, the evolution of Hong Kong's Vietnamese food scene
The late US celebrity chef and travel personality Anthony Bourdain was a big fan of Vietnam and its cuisine. He even invited former US President Barack Obama to appear on the Hanoi episode of his food and travel show Parts Unknown in 2016. Like the chef, Hong Kong – known for its love of international cuisines – is not immune to the charms of Vietnam and there are plenty of Vietnamese restaurants to be found in the city. The ties between the two, however, go much deeper than food. More than 200,000 Vietnamese refugees entered Hong Kong between the end of the Vietnam war in 1975 and the 1997 handover of the city from British to Chinese sovereignty. In 1991, Hong Kong had around 64,300 Vietnamese asylum seekers, the highest number ever according to government statistics. The 1998 Hong Kong Yearbook – a government publication covering the year's developments in the city – states that more than 143,000 Vietnamese refugees were resettled to other countries between 1975 and 1998, while more than 70,000 migrants were repatriated home. Bun cha was made famous by former US President Barack Obama's 2016 appearance on Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown. Photo: Pho Viet Authentic Hanoi Cuisine As of 2024, the Migration Policy Institute, a US think tank, estimated that only 12,000 people from the Vietnamese diaspora live in Hong Kong, accounting for 0.16 per cent of the city's total population. Hong Kong, it seems, has mostly served as a transit port for Vietnamese people in their efforts to relocate elsewhere.
Axios
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
ICE raids disrupt Utah restaurants, fuel fear
Utah restaurateurs are feeling the impacts of the Trump administration's ramped-up immigration enforcement efforts, according to local industry leaders who say the policies and policing are interrupting business and fueling fear. Why it matters: The enforcement crackdown threatens to limit operating hours, drive up menu prices or shut down local restaurants. By the numbers: Almost 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in Utah, hailing mostly from Mexico and Central America, according to the Migration Policy Institute's 2019 estimates. Nearly half have resided in the state for more than 15 years, and around 17% of those ages 16 and older work in hospitality services, arts, entertainment or recreation. State of play: Some restaurant owners say their employees have not shown up to work, later finding out they were detained by immigration authorities at home or during traffic stops, Michele Corigliano, executive director of the Salt Lake Area Restaurant Association, which represents independently owned restaurants, told Axios. Corigliano said restaurants rely on immigrant workers to fill tough-to-hire jobs previously occupied by high schoolers and college students. She said immigrants are among the hardest workers, but many fear leaving home amid ongoing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids that have occurred at work sites, as reported by CNN. Zoom out: Labor shortages, coupled with people dining out less frequently and Trump-imposed tariffs, have forced some restaurants to hike prices, she said. What they're saying: "It really has messed up our industry, and our [restaurant] owners are just really suffering because of these policies," she added, noting it is also impacting tourism in the state. Zoom in: Annie Bennett, who owns Annie's Cafe in Bountiful, told ABC 4 last month she's received hoax phone calls from a person posing as a law enforcement agent demanding information about her Latino staff and claiming they planned to raid her business, prompting employees to skip shifts. Between the lines: Agricultural workers are also missing days at work, said Enrique Sanchez, a state director for the American Business Immigration Coalition's Intermountain region, which covers Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho and Arizona. The big picture: Nationwide, some operators are trying to educate their employees about what to do if an ICE raid happens.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Could there be two Dalai Lamas? Spiritual leader's statement portends clash with China
Could there eventually be two Dalai Lamas? The 14th Dalai Lama's announcement in early July that he will reincarnate as Tibetan Buddhism's next spiritual leader reassured worried followers. But the statement also foreshadowed a confrontation with China over who gets to choose his successor – and the chance that parallel efforts could be conducted to do so. Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk upon his death is reincarnated in the body of a child, who must be identified and then trained in Buddhist practice. In his declaration, the 90-year-old Dalai Lama said Gaden Phodrang, the foundation he created to uphold the Dalai Lama tradition, will have sole authority to recognize his successor. 'They should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition,' he said. 'No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter.' Beijing insists that it does. "The reincarnation and succession of the Dalai Lama is inherently an internal affair of China," said Yu Jing, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in India — where the Dalai Lama has lived in exile since 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet — in one of a series of posts about the matter on the social platform X. She described the Nobel Laureate as 'a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion.' Janet Gyatso, a professor of Buddhist studies at Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said that should China opt to pursue its own selection process, it wouldn't be the first time Buddhism has dealt with a dispute over the identity of the reincarnated Dalai Lama. "What they (China) will do is not easy to say," Gyatso said. "But the political stakes are much higher than they've ever been.' A decades-old conflict About 100,000 Tibetans live in exile, the majority of them in India, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank based in Washington, D.C. Nicole Willock, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, said China's rebuke of the Dalai Lama's declaration illustrates an ongoing effort to belittle Tibet into irrelevance. 'The current CCP (Chinese Communist Party) policy under Xi Jinping is to isolate the Dalai Lama as he ages, forcing international corporations and anyone who wants to do business with China to forget about Tibet,' she said. As an example, she cited 'Ghost of the Mountains,' a Disney documentary feature about snow leopards – the national animal of Tibet – which she said makes no mention of Tibet, instead using Chinese terms to refer to it and the Tibetan plateau. China colonized Tibet in the mid-20th century, at a time when African and Asian nations were gaining independence from colonial powers. In 1959, a failed uprising saw the Dalai Lama flee Tibet for northern India, where he set up a government in exile, which China has since refused to recognize. Now, both sides are clashing over who gets to choose the Dalai Lama's successor. 'This is a history that the current PRC (People's Republic of China) regime wants the world to ignore,' Willock said. 'The CCP thinks if they control who the next Dalai Lama is that they will control the narrative on Tibet.' How the Dalai Lama reincarnates The announcement on July 2 by one of the world's most influential religious figures, whose sway extends far beyond Buddhism, offered relief to those puzzled by his previous public musings over whether the tradition of Dalai Lama leadership should endure or defer to a democratically elected authority. It also answered the wishes of followers who've held ever more frequent ceremonies wishing him good health and longevity while calling for his reincarnated return. 'Tibetans really want to have a Dalai Lama,' Gyatso said. The 14th Dalai Lama, born in 1935 as Lhamo Dhondup and enthroned in 1940, is a living example of the Tibetan Buddhist practice of recognizing reincarnations of previous Lamas who continue their work in the new reincarnation. While the faith holds that everyone reincarnates, Gyatso said, only those who are highly enlightened, such as the Dalai Lama, can choose where they will do so. 'They can choose what mother and father they will be born to, in the best conditions to continue their work,' she said. However, once that happens the reincarnation must be pinpointed and recognized as such, a process handled 'by highly evolved monks and specialists,' she said. 'There's a whole bunch of tests and methods done, usually when the child is about 3 or 4 years old.' In his statement, the Dalai Lama said his nonprofit foundation would oversee the succession process in consultation with his closest advisers and leaders of various Tibetan Buddhism traditions. Jose Cabezon, a professor emeritus of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, said the declaration marked the first time the Dalai Lama had been so definitive about the certainty of a 15th Dalai Lama and how that person would be chosen. While offering 'a great sense of relief' to Tibetans, he said, the statement's specificity was also 'a warning to the PRC government not to meddle in this process.' Deciding who the real Dalai Lama is What could happen, Gyatso said, is that two Dalai Lamas may be raised concurrently – one who becomes head of the Tibetan government in exile, and the other who assumes some as yet undefined role in China, which has said it will oversee selection of the Dalai Lama's successor through a timeworn imperial ritual in which names of possible reincarnations are drawn from a golden urn. 'What we're expecting to happen is that they (China) will conduct their own process,' Gyatso said. 'The Tibetans and the rest of the world will decide who they think is the real Dalai Lama.' Should such a scenario unfold, she said, most Tibetans outside China would likely follow the Dalai Lama in exile, while Tibetans inside China would be under enormous political pressure to accept the government-endorsed figurehead. Cabezon said Beijing's insistence on appointing the Dalai Lama's successor is ironic given that the government eschews religion and considers reincarnation to be superstitious. 'Beijing will undoubtedly appoint a 15th Dalai Lama and promote that boy as the 'true' Dalai Lama,' Cabezon said. But he believes that choice 'will have little legitimacy in the eyes of Tibetans.' Could a split have an upside? Gyatso said the Tibetan community 'is very upset' about the potential dichotomy. 'They don't want the confusion of having two Dalai Lamas,' she said. Nonetheless, she said, such a situation might not be without benefit. 'If the Chinese government wants to recognize its own Dalai Lama, let them give him genuine Buddhist training and upbringing, just like the current Dalai Lama got and the next one will,' Gyatso said. 'Let him study Buddhist philosophy and ethics. If they can produce a Dalai Lama with wisdom and the ability to reach a lot of people with the important teachings of Buddhism, that would be great.' The challenge for both, she said, will be producing a leader on the scale of the present Dalai Lama, who has been not only an influential Buddhist leader but respected on the world stage as well, addressing issues such as environmentalism and neuroscience. 'Let's see you both train and educate in the best way,' Gyatso said. 'If they're both great leaders with wisdom, then they won't be in competition; they'll visit and collaborate. That will be the test…. The way we'll know who's really the Dalai Lama is by (seeing) who is able to develop the wisdom and ethical leadership recognized by people all over the world. If we have two of them and they're both great, I'll be happy, because two is better than one.'
7NEWS
15-07-2025
- Politics
- 7NEWS
THE NEW YORK TIMES: Trump threatens to strip Rosie O'Donnell of US citizenship
President Donald Trump said he was weighing using the power of the government against one of his long-time entertainment world nemeses, comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell, threatening to revoke her citizenship. Shortly before 10am Saturday, Trump said on Truth Social, 'Because of the fact that Rosie O'Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship.' The president called O'Donnell a 'threat to humanity' and said she should stay in Ireland, where she moved to in January after Trump won a second term. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Trump's headline-grabbing provocation about O'Donnell comes at a moment in which his administration is contending with criticism on many fronts: His top law enforcement officials are bitterly feuding over the Jeffrey Epstein saga; there remain unanswered questions about the decision to halt munitions to Ukraine and who authorized it; the homeland security chief is facing intense scrutiny over the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response in Texas; and so on. O'Donnell snapped back at Trump with her own barrage of insults on Instagram. 'The president of the USA has always hated the fact that I see him for who he is — a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself,' she said. 'This is why I moved to Ireland.' She further taunted the president in a subsequent post showing a photo of Trump with Epstein, taken in 1997 in Palm Beach, Florida. 'You want to revoke my citizenship? Go ahead and try, King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan,' she said, referring to the sadistic child-king in Game of Thrones. Experts said the president does not have the power to take away the citizenship of a U.S.-born citizen. Julia Gelatt, associate director of the immigration program at the Migration Policy Institute, said: 'U.S. citizens can relinquish their citizenship voluntarily, and federal courts can strip naturalized citizens of their citizenship if there is proven fraud or misrepresentation or other major cause. But U.S.-born citizens cannot have their citizenship taken away.' Amanda Frost, an expert on citizenship law at the University of Virginia School of Law, cited Supreme Court precedent. 'In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court declared in Afroyim v. Rusk that the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment bars the government from stripping citizenship, stating: 'In our country the people are sovereign and the government cannot sever its relationship to the people by taking away their citizenship,'' she said in an email. Trump's feud with O'Donnell dates to 2006, when she mocked the president on 'The View' for defending a Miss USA contestant roiled in a controversy. She questioned his own moral compass and role as a businessman. Trump, who at the time was best known for his show, 'The Apprentice,' threatened to sue 'The View' over her comments. Soon after, Trump began hurling insults at O'Donnell, calling her 'fat' and 'wacko.' In a 2015 Republican debate on Fox News, one of the moderators said, 'You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.' Trump interjected: 'Only Rosie O'Donnell.' Trump's threat to revoke O'Donnell's citizenship is the latest in a series of statements he has made about political adversaries and celebrities who have criticized him. After billionaire Elon Musk and Trump fought publicly over the president's sprawling domestic policy bill, the president suggested he might be interested in deporting Musk. When asked by a reporter if he would deport Musk, a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in South Africa, Trump responded, 'I don't know. We'll have to take a look.' Trump has repeated baseless claims that Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City, is living in the U.S. without legal status. Trump has threatened to arrest him if he interfered with the federal crackdown on illegal immigration. He's also called for 'major investigations' into celebrities like Bruce Springsteen and Beyoncé, calling their endorsements of Kamala Harris in last year's presidential election 'corrupt and unlawful.'
