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Hayes joins hunt for McConnell in attempt to end shutdown

WASHINGTON – Followed by a phalanx of journalists, Rep. Jahana Hayes joined a group of House Democratic freshmen Wednesday who went on the hunt for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to pressure him to hold votes on Democratic bills that would end the shutdown. They did not find McConnell, but even if they had, there’s little evidence they would succeeded in ending a 26-day stalemate.

Posted inPolitics

Trading immigration deal for border wall appears unpopular way to end shutdown

WASHINGTON – As it was the last time the federal government closed, protection for young immigrants known as “Dreamers” has been raised as a possible bargaining chip in a deal to end the partial shutdown. But as Democrats and Republicans alike panned a large-scale immigration deal for President Trump’s wall as the solution to a shutdown, it appears an elusive solution.

Posted inMoney

End to federal shutdown elusive, impact will grow in CT

Terence Ward has worked for the U.S. Justice Department for 28 years and plans to continue to do so, but after next Friday, he and all 22 employees of the federal public defender’s office in the state will work without pay if the government shutdown continues. Ward is one of about 1,500 federal employees in the state affected by the shutdown, which isn’t likely to end soon and whose impact in Connecticut will grow with time.

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Immigrant crackdown targets Vietnamese who’ve lived in U.S. for years

The Trump administration is pressuring Vietnam to uphold a 2008 agreement and take back refugees who came to the United States before 1995. Many Vietnamese who came to the United States before 1995, some of them fleeing the Vietnam War, have lived in a gray area of immigration law. If they had a criminal record, they could not attain legal status, but they could not be deported either.

Posted inPolitics

CT GOP candidates weigh Trump’s plan for immigration crackdown

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump plans to announce a sweeping border crackdown this week, days before the mid-term elections, in a “red meat” speech aimed at firing up the GOP base. While that speech may help GOP candidates in other states, a tough approach to immigration is likely to provide less of a boost to Republican candidates in Connecticut,  although some embrace the plan.

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