June 12, 2018

"Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday made it all but impossible for asylum seekers to gain entry into the United States by citing fears of domestic abuse or gang violence..."

"... in a ruling that could have a broad effect on the flow of migrants from Central America. Mr. Sessions’s decision in a closely watched domestic violence case is the latest turn in a long-running debate over what constitutes a need for asylum. He reversed an immigration appeals court ruling that granted it to a Salvadoran woman who said she had been sexually, emotionally and physically abused by her husband.... Asylum claims have expanded too broadly to include victims of 'private violence,' like domestic violence or gangs, Mr. Sessions wrote.... 'The prototypical refugee flees her home country because the government has persecuted her,' Mr. Sessions wrote in his ruling... 'An alien may suffer threats and violence in a foreign country for any number of reasons relating to her social, economic, family or other personal circumstances... Yet the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune.... Generally, claims by aliens pertaining to domestic violence or gang violence perpetrated by nongovernmental actors will not qualify for asylum.'"

The NYT reports.

I'm not sure what the NYT was trying to do by serving up this image in the middle of that article:



It was an ad for "luxury vehicles for older drivers" (which I didn't click into). But that image! Look at that hyper-privileged white woman! I guess she's older... older, blonder... more relaxed. More relaxed than the women who are sexually, emotionally, and physically abused by nongovernmental men in Central America. What is she watching so calmly on that TV that's large enough to annoy the driver but too small to be comfortable to watch at leg's length? It looks like an ad for a car, perhaps an ad with a lady like her watching an ad for a car like hers and ladies inside cars watching ladies inside cars ad infinitum. And who is that man, so staunchly serving, in white gloves with rigidly extended arms? He can't be assisting all the women of the world whose men happen to be brutes. He's got only this one languid woman to cosset and squire about — this woman named America.

58 comments:

rhhardin said...

I'd assume she's watching a soap opera.

Darrell said...

She's prepping for her next meeting. I was going to say "client," but you hemmed me in by saying that her name is America.

Mike said...

She appears to be sitting in a booster seat watching an iPad. All she needs is a juice box and a pesky sibling next to her for it be just like the backseat of my Chevy Silverado Texas Edition.

Temujin said...

I think the ad is meant for women in Manhattan, San Francisco, LA, Seattle, Boston, Atlanta who view themselves as successful. Not those in Madison, Ann Arbor, Charlottesville, Berkeley. Successful women in Dallas would always prefer to drive themselves.

Rusty said...

It's an Ad!
It doesn't mean anything!
You don't have to buy it or buy into it it!
Turn the page.

FIDO said...

I can't speak for the mind of a woman, but I can speak to how women APPEAR to think. And this just has it all: ancar the size of an apartment, having a manly supermodel driver, HAVING a supermodel figure, not being required to do ANYTHING, including respect the needs of the driver (who has no voice), not a Cheerio or juice box in sight, and being able to put ones feet up in a vehicle which is so modish that nobody else has a model like this.

Obviously the marketers missed the mark when it comes to trailblazer law profs, but I can see a Dowd, a Kardashian, or any girl who actually had a daddy pay for a MTV Sweet Sixteen extravaganza wanting one.

David Begley said...

Sessions strictly construes the statute. Glad to see he’s doing something.

gilbar said...

IF you're sitting like that; wearing your seat and shoulder belts...
In an Accident, Aren't you going to slide Right under them ?

Seems like a good way to die

traditionalguy said...

The ad is showing how the rich divorced women want to live. But that is not threatening, since that life style only costs a million a year or so. It is sustainable.

The world's big players have to throw around hundreds of millions seeking security. They pay the Banks 3% interest to hold cash reserves for them available in emergencies. That AlaWede Saudi guy found out just how insecure owning 10 Billion dollars in corrupt money can be these days.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I want to ask all the nice Lutheran and Episcopal ladies in my FB feed sharing sob stories about families ripped apart at the border, domestic violence victims being sent back to Brazil, etc, if we owe safe harbor to every person experiencing difficulty in the world. If this one, why not that one? But I'm the asshole if I ask, so I just scroll past.

Mike Sylwester said...

When Congress wrote the law, Congress did not intend for the US Government to grant asylum to victims of domestic or neighborhood violence.

The Trump Administration is enforcing the law that Congress wrote.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

I am sorry to suggest that large parts of the rest of the world might be, pardon me, shitholes, but has anyone thought through the implications of extending asylum to every woman worldwide who lives in a culture where men hitting them is acceptable?

FIDO said...

but has anyone thought through the implications of extending asylum to every woman worldwide who lives in a culture where men hitting them is acceptable?

Millions more damaged and man hating POC with actual credible grievances in competition with the Feminist sisterhood who have three hour discussions about how once she 'split the bill' and was 'forced' (she lacked a spine) to pay for half of his steak while he paid for half of her salad.

One the one hand, having Third World women calling bullshit on the Female oppression narrative is a positive, but more damaged man hating women is a negative so I'll side with Sessions, thanks.

Clyde said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Clyde said...

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
I am sorry to suggest that large parts of the rest of the world might be, pardon me, shitholes, but has anyone thought through the implications of extending asylum to every woman worldwide who lives in a culture where men hitting them is acceptable?


The implication is that China would no longer have the world's largest population; we would.

There are currently three Chinese for each and every American.

Virgil Hilts said...

Its irritating that she would be watching a small screen at that distance rather than holding an iPad -- might as well watch it on your apple watch. Whole idea of built-in TVs in cars seems stupid and outdated. She does "seem" older but only because of context; our 28 year old daughters would not choose that life style, but our 48 year old exes might. Might seem like an effective ad since we are discussing it, but even after reading Ann's comments and writing this I cannot remember/have no idea what the ad was for.

Ray - SoCal said...

Basically Sessions is going back to the pre Obama meaning.

http://www.breitbart.com/2018-elections/2018/06/11/progressives-enraged-ag-sessions-reform-asylum-law/

tcrosse said...

Driving Miss Daisy.

Rob said...

Those are latex gloves, and the driver will soon pull over to give the woman a gynecological examination, right in the thoughtfully appointed car. It’s a new Uber offering, UberV.

Sebastian said...

Wait, so in one post we hear complaints about women being unfairly erased, and in another we hear complaints about women being unfairly catered to.

Pray tell, dear progs, what's a deplorable man to think and do?

Bill R said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bill R said...

She may look privileged but she's really a victim "an inessential blank space, her humanity and concerns easily erased."

Roger Sweeny said...

Congress can always change the law to include domestic violence, etc. If Democrats think that's a winning issue--or something that justice requires--run on it, and if you win, change the law.

Sebastian said...

Using domestic abuse to claim and grant asylum is an abuse of asylum law.

buwaya said...

A lady and her coachman.

The Spanish term, cochero, is exactly that, coachman.

The layout there is not ideal, but I think you could indeed sell that in the upmarket brands, for dealing with third-world traffic. If you are going to be stuck in traffic for an hour or two, and it is unavoidable even for the wealthy, one might as well be comfortable.

The family always had a cochero, and my sister still does.
This is an affordable indulgence in a third world country.
Well, much more affordable anyway.
Darn useful to have a cochero.

The fellow is very sharp.
He used to work as a limo driver in Kuwait.
Working for my sister is in the way of being a retirement job.
He moonlights as an Uber driver.

buwaya said...

The American haut-bourgeois female attitude, that modern one where they so often see themselves as victims, would be profoundly different if all the wealthy girls and women had grown up with servants.

Nearly all servants serve women, that is, they do womens work at womens bidding.

Michael K said...

Blogger David Begley said...
Sessions strictly construes the statute. Glad to see he’s doing something.


Do you suppose he's waking up ? Watch out when the sleeping giant awakens.

Gahrie said...

I would love for Sessions to come out with a statement that read:

"No one has a right to emigrate to the United States. Through the grace and charity of the American people we allow millions of people to legally emigrate to the United States. Millions more take unfair and selfish advantage of our goodwill to come here illegally. Those who come here legally are welcome and cherished. Those who come here illegally disrespect us and the rule of law. They must return home and seek to enter the US respectfully and legally."

Anonymous said...

Pants: I want to ask all the nice Lutheran and Episcopal ladies in my FB feed sharing sob stories about families ripped apart at the border, domestic violence victims being sent back to Brazil, etc, if we owe safe harbor to every person experiencing difficulty in the world. If this one, why not that one? But I'm the asshole if I ask, so I just scroll past.

The problem with those nice ladies is that they exist in a social environment where their characteristic virtues (compassion, sympathy) don't have their proper scope, and have become the servants of their characteristic vices (vanity and ignorance).

They do wonderful things volunteering to help out their neighbors in need. But God help us all when when they're let loose in any kind of government-funded charity racket without adult supervision.

ALP said...

Regarding the car: my mother (78), having had hip replacement and both knees partially replaced, would be able to take a road trip in the vehicle pictured. It appears to allow for shifting your leg positions, which she tells me is the issue. As it stands now, short trips of 15-30 minutes are all she can tolerate without having to stretch out her knees.

SDaly said...

The American haut-bourgeois female attitude, that modern one where they so often see themselves as victims, would be profoundly different if all the wealthy girls and women had grown up with servants. Nearly all servants serve women, that is, they do womens work at womens bidding.

No it wouldn't, because there is an impenetrable psychological distance between servants and the served.

The greatest horror for a middle class woman is to think or imagine that her child will grow up to be a servant to others (a real servant, not the Hollywood "personal assistant" type or administrative assistant). In fact most cultures historically divided the servant from the served by the psychological divide of a rigid class / caste. The US didn't have a class system, so race / ethnicity filled the role as the middle class expanded. Continued immigration was needed as "servant" ethnic groups, like the Irish, moved up the economic ladder.

JAORE said...

As it stands now, short trips of 15-30 minutes are all she can tolerate without having to stretch out her knees.

Sorry to hear that ALP. Being confined to just a few miles would be torture to me.

My knees are not that bad (yet). I hobble the first dozen steps or so across a parking lot when exiting a car after a long ride. Riding a motorcycle works well for me. (Yes, I know that may not be optimal for your mom...)

There are some vans (even a few SUVs) where there is an aisle between the front seats for access to the back. You can sit in center-rear and stretch your legs into that aisle. Might give her some relief.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

And the first thing that abused women from the Islamic world think about, when they've managed to secure a place in the United States, is how to get their entire extended family (and it's culture of misogyny and abuse) over here. No thanks.

Drago said...

Has Rosenstein directed Mueller to indict Sessions for doing his job yet?

Jersey Fled said...

Let's see.

The U.S. has 4% of the world's population, but we are supposed to let all,of the world's battered women in. And presumably their children.

How many would that be? (Turning envelope over)

Nine billion people in the world, and half of them women so that's 4.5 billion.

And if we believe the feminists, probably half of them are battered, so let's say 2.25 billion. So U.S. population goes to 2.7 billion.

Hmmm ...

U.S. per capita GDP is about $34,000 per year. I'm guessing none of these battered women have any job skills because, well, they're battered and therefore can't be expected to work. So we have to divide per capita GDP by the thousandfold increase in population which gives me (scribble scribble) our new GDP of $3.40 per person.

Sounds like a plan.

buwaya said...

I speak here of the masters, not the servants.

There is a considerable psychological effect on people, of having grown up with servants. A self confidence, a comfort with initiating and directing things. A sinful pride, perhaps, of seeing oneself as important. Its very hard to see oneself as a victim, unless under egregious oppression.

Some things in Christian culture, indeed, are a bit difficult to comprehend unless one understands the ancient/medieval social systems of masters and servants, of landlords and tenants.

And, moreover, its very unlikely that a woman with servants would be (or could be) egregiously oppressed by her husband. A household with servants holds no secrets, and servants talk. A lot. It is an extended community, not a nuclear family.

And masters speak to servants, and servants to masters.

daskol said...

lol, it's ladies in cars all the way down.

daskol said...

what a country!

Gordon Scott said...

The characteristic feature of asylum is that the subject takes refuge in the first safe place they reach. They don't continue "running" through Honduras, Guatemala and the whole length of Mexico, thence across the US to Richfield, MN, to announce "oh, my husband yells at me. Now please subsidize me, and pay for my children, parents, siblings, and oh yes, my husband to come to the US also, where we can all get EBT...."

The same problem obtains in Europe. "Oh, I am escaping violence, so I'm going to Libya, which currently enrolls folks in slavery!" Of course, Libya is just the place where you get on a boat, go a mile offshore and meet up with the Soros-funded NGO ship (which knew the boat was coming). Then sail across the Med to deposit the "our boat was sinking" rapefugees in an Italian port.

Here's the deal for the Lutheran gals: Tell them they can sponsor a refugee. They must take full responsibility for the refugee and host them in their own home, no subsidies, no EBT, for five years.

Jupiter said...

"I'm not sure what the NYT was trying to do by serving up this image in the middle of that article:"

Let me help you out. They are trying to sell automobiles to older women.

wildswan said...

"As it stands now, short trips of 15-30 minutes are all she can tolerate without having to stretch out her knees."

I've noticed how many fashion trends are kind of silly for young people but great for older people - including Jacuzzi's for that bad back, personal trainers to keep up strength and independence, running shoes for leg and foot problems, massage for cramped muscles, continual reminders to eat good food. And now being able to stretch out your legs in the car for those with a bad knee.

There are these small, in fact mini, therapeutic back massagers which you can run around the cramping muscles at your knee on long trips. I drove from Santa FE to Milwaukee and used one every few hours. https://www.walmart.com/ip/HoMedics-Therapy-Handheld-Personal-Mini-Massager-Blue/17176523


As far as young people obsessed with the same objects without having the same age related physical issues - well, I think Althouse hit it dead on.

Seeing Red said...

All he was missing was his chauffer’s cap.

Seeing Red said...

The American haut-bourgeois female attitude, that modern one where they so often see themselves as victims, would be profoundly different if all the wealthy girls and women had grown up with servants.

Nearly all servants serve women, that is, they do womens work at womens bidding.

They’d just turn into mean girls reeking with entitlement.

Bruce Hayden said...

"Using domestic abuse to claim and grant asylum is an abuse of asylum law"

Which is, of course, the whole point. Somewhere along the way some do gooder leftists, maybe the Luthern church ladies mentioned above, working with the Obama Administration discovered this ruse. It was an subterfuge to get around our immigration laws. And, I fully expect that there are some people meeting with these women right on the other side of our border, telling them to use this ruse if they are ever picked up by Immigration.

buwaya said...

I can't speak to mean girls.
The rich (or so-so rich) girls and women I've known were all very sweet and kind and gracious, with impeccable manners.

The girls might have had a different experience in their own circles, but I wouldn't know. Its a bit difficult for young men to see inside female society.

A lot of this meanness, perhaps, comes from a degree of status anxiety.

bagoh20 said...

I never heard anyone council a victim of domestic abuse with "Move to another country", let alone move to one 1000 miles past the border of your own country. It is an effective strategy, but I would think it only reasonable for someone rich.

bagoh20 said...

Why can't the attorneys counselling these people be charged with defrauding the government? They are telling them to lie, and it can't be that hard to find one to spill the beans on their lawyer with a little questioning.

hombre said...

I can see Sessions’ point and the bureaucratic appeal of his decision, but I’d bet he didn’t clear it with Trump. If I understand the law correctly, Sessions has the power to deal with these matters on a case-by-case basis. Why feed into the “heartless Trump, heartless Repubs” blather in an election year?

Sessions is Trump’s and the Republicans’ biggest liability.

Paul Snively said...

Dr. Althouse: "cars ad infinitum."

Don't you mean "car ad Infiniti?"

Yancey Ward said...

This is the right decision. Allowing asylum under the such claims basically means no one could be turned down regardless of what country they come from- seriously- you couldn't even turn down Swedes under such claims.

Yancey Ward said...

As for the car seating- I would love to have that option, but it would have to be for driving since I am rarely a passenger. Keeping my knees bent for an hour or more is tougher the older I get.

The Godfather said...

If the US grants asylum and everything that goes with it to a Salvadoran woman whose husband abused her, what must the US government do for an American woman whose husband abused her? Give her a free ticket to El Salvador?

Mike Sylwester said...

Roger Sweeny at 8:19 AM
Congress can always change the law to include domestic violence, etc. If Democrats think that's a winning issue--or something that justice requires--run on it, and if you win, change the law.

A few Republicans in Congress should propose a law to grant asylum to all foreigners who claim that they are victims of domestic and neighborhood violence.

Challenge the Democrats in Congress to vote for such a law.

Rabel said...

Here's the car.

There's a video at the bottom which may make you want to slap a Swede. You can get a baby seat to put in place of the computer.

funsize said...

Can any of you think of another country which allows asylum petitions for people in domestic violence situations? My google-fu is weak today. I imagine gang violence could be a legitimate complaint, after all, some countries are nearly overrun by it, with the gangs' influence reaching into the government. That might make moving to a new town less helpful. But domestic violence?

Josephbleau said...

"Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Monday made it all but impossible for asylum seekers to gain entry into the United States by citing fears of domestic abuse or gang violence..."

If Sessions cites fears, how does that make entry to the US all but impossible?

Josephbleau said...

In any case, should not crimes be reported to citizen's own national authority for prosecution? Why is the US able to intervene in the judicial process of other nations?

gilbar said...

As for the car seating- I would love to have that option, but it would have to be for driving since I am rarely a passenger. Keeping my knees bent for an hour or more is tougher the older I get.

Anyone remember Nash seats? The front seats would fold down, and make a bed; handy for salesmen, etc. IF this Volvo (thanx rabel!) had a way to make the front passenger seat fold down into the rear seat, making a comfy bed; I'd think about buying one (i drive alone, and often sleep in my car). My Honda 'claimed' that its front seat would fold down (and it does), but I mean one that would be comfy enough to sleep on (which my honda isn't).

My Parent's '63 Rambler Classic 660 (with the 327 cid v-8!) had Nash seats, and i remember us sleeping in it while camping (when it was too stormy for tents). Both front seats would fold down and it made a queen sized bed.