Ka`u News Briefs Monday, June 26, 2017

A new delta collapse at the lava entry to the ocean in Puna is creating dramatic scenery for tour boat operators.
See story on Punalu`u lava tour boat issue below. Photo from Big Island Video News and seelava.com

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT announced today it will take up the Travel Ban case that has pitted the State of Hawai`i against President Donald Trump who wanted to ban people from six Muslim majority countries from entering the United States for an extended time. The Hawai`i Attorney General succeeded in federal court, which blocked the ban, but the Trump Administration appealed to the higher court. The Supreme Court takes up the issue after its summer holiday.

Hawai`i AG explained the state's case against the Trump Travel Ban
on MSNBC today. Watch.

     The Trump attorneys asked the Supreme Court to allow the ban to be enforced until it rules on the case. However, the office of Hawai`i Attorney General Doug Ching explained: "This morning the United States Supreme Court denied in part and granted in part the Trump Administration’s request to stay the injunctions issued against the travel and refugee bans by the Fourth and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal. 

     "The travel ban and refugee ban remain blocked and will not go into effect for people with a 'bona fide' connection to the United States. If it had gone fully into effect, the travel ban would have prevented nationals of six Muslim-majority countries from entering the United States for 90 days, and the refugee ban would have prevented all refugees from any country from entering the United States for 120 days.

   "In the same order," reported, Hawai`i's AG staff, "the Court also granted discretionary review (called certiorari) to hear arguments regarding the underlying merits of the lower court decisions. These arguments will be focused on the substantive issues considered by both the Fourth and Ninth Circuits, including whether the travel and refugee bans exceeded the Trump Administration’s authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act and whether the Executive Order violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment."

Gosling and parent seen in February have moved on from Pu`u Pua`i.
NPS Photo

     Hawai`i's AG himself said, “The important thing is that by a vote of 6-3, today’s order continues to block implementation of the travel and refugee bans for people with a connection to the United States. This means people such as students accepted to the University of Hawai`i and Dr. Elshikh’s family may still enter the country. Immigration into the United States should not be restricted due to religion or national origin.”

     Chin went on MSNBC and said he will be putting the argument that the Travel Ban is unconstitutional before the Supreme Court. Watch.

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HAWA`I VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK OVERLOOK at Pu'u Pua'i has reopened after being closed since February to protect breeding nēnē (endangered Hawaiian geese) in the area. During the closure, the nēnē parents successfully raised their single gosling and the family has now moved on to their summer grounds.
     It's been a decade since the last gosling was reared in the vicinity, and that nēnē is the grandfather of this year's gosling, according to Kathleen Misajon, wildlife biologist at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park.

Pu`u Pua`i gosling growing up. NPS photo

     "This year's gosling was the fifth generation of the same nēnē family I've monitored over the years. After a 10-year hiatus, it is really exciting to see this female return to a favored family spot," Misajon said.
    In 1952, only 30 nēnē remained statewide. In the 1970s, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park began efforts to save the species from extinction. Today, more than 250 wild birds thrive in the park from sea level to around 8,000 feet. There are more than 2,500 nēnē statewide.
     During the closure, the park's facilities maintenance team made improvements to the popular deck, which overlooks Kīlauea Iki crater and trail. Missing boards were replaced, and the deck was painted prior to the reopening.
     Pu'u Pua'i is a massive reddish-brown cindercone that formed during an eruption at Kīlauea Iki crater in 1959. It is visible from many areas along Crater Rim and Kīlauea Iki trails.

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IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL FISHERMEN and beachgoers are posted at www.bigislandvideonews.com concerning protection of the wharf and boat ramp at Punalu`u. The coverage filmed Sunday by Dave Corrigan shows concern of residents who witnessed the wharf and

Aftermath of heavy machinery at Punalu`u Wharf.
Photo from Big Island Video News

boat ramp area being excavated and jack hammered, leading to their calls for help to government officials, community leaders and the surrounding landowners for help.
     Those who witnessed the construction work said they were told that a tour boat operator was attempting to build a new and larger ramp for his vessel, which would take passengers from Punalu`u to the lava flowing into the ocean in Puna. A recent delta collapse has created dramatic viewing.
     Big Island Video News coverage at Punalu`u includes video taken by the local residents showing a confrontation with the boat owner who worked on the wharf with an excavator. A community meeting at Na`alehu Clubhouse was set for 5:30 p.m., today, Monday.

Heavy equipment image captured by campers at Punalu`u.
Photo by Whitney Cardoza

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CRIMES COMMITTED BY IMMIGRANTS are the focus of a new federal office, according to Sen. Mazie K. Hirono and six other Senators. On Monday, they demanded answers from the Trump Administration on a new office created to focus on publicizing information about the crimes of immigrants. In a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly, the Senators asked for answers about the purpose for creating the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) Office due to concerns the office’s activities could lead to misinformation and potentially illegal discrimination.

     “Given President Trump’s aggressive rhetoric on immigrants and the reported increase in hate crimes in the past year, we are troubled that VOICE could contribute to discrimination and violence against immigrants and those perceived to be immigrants,” wrote the Senators. “In particular, after recent reports that a searchable database launched in conjunction with VOICE included information on children and asylum seekers, we are concerned that personally identifiable information released by VOICE will lead to the direct targeting of individuals, including children.”

      In addition, the Senators expressed their concern that VOICE, in its stated goals, was duplicative of existing resources without creating any real benefits.

      The letter was also signed by Senators Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Cory A. Booker (D-N.J.), Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.), and Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.).

Sen. Mazie Hiorono, interviewed  on MSNBC on Monday about her views
on the Travel Ban.

     National immigration advocates joined the Senators in their concerns.

      “VOICE is a propaganda machine to defame America's immigrants. Report after report has shown that immigrants commit far less and are far less likely to commit crime than native born Americans. We all want to be safe, and those who mean us harm should be dealt with. But this approach is an insult to this nation of immigrants and does not make us safer. We need to heal the wounds of hatred, not fan them,” said Clarissa Martinez de Castro, the National Council of La Raza’s Deputy Vice President, Office of Research, Advocacy and Legislation.

      “The creation of the VOICE office is yet another dangerous and ill-conceived action of this administration that promotes the profiling of immigrants and promotes racism and xenophobia while doing nothing for public safety,” said John C. Yang, president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. “VOICE sounds a clarion call to those who will target their vitriol and violence toward immigrants, legitimizing their hateful actions through fear-mongering government policies.”

     “We hope the Department of Homeland Security takes the safety, privacy and confidentiality concerns of all victims and survivors of gender-based violence, including detained immigrant victims, very seriously and adheres to the VAWA confidentiality protections mandated by Congress,” said Ruth Glenn, Executive Director of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Click here for a copy of the letter.

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Ka‘ū Food Pantry, Tue, June 27, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., St. Jude’s Episcopal Church in Ocean View.

Pāpale (Hat) Workshop, Wed, June 28, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., Kīlauea Visitor Center lānai in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. Participants weave a hat from coconut leaves Free; park entrance fees apply.

Coffee Talk, Fri, June 30, 9:30 – 11 a.m., Kahuku Unit of Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park. An informal conversation on a wide variety of topics. Ka‘ū coffee, tea and pastries available for purchase. Free.

Ocean View Community Development Corp. meeting, Fri, June 30, 5 p.m., Hawaiian Ranchos office.

www.kaucalendar.com

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