Atlanta shootings: Robert Long was charged with eight counts of murder on Wednesday for a series of shootings that occurred on Tuesday night. He carried out three separate shootings, one in Cherokee County and two in Atlanta. Eight people were killed, and one was injured. Police found Long headed to Florida to “perhaps carry out additional shootings.”
Significance: Six victims were Asian women. Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise in the country. It is not clear if the shootings were racially motivated, but Long can be charged with a sex-based hate crime if it is determined that he targeted women. Georgia’s law does not require a hate crime to be racially motivated.
Immigration Bills: The House of Representatives passed two bills targeted at aiding immigration on Thursday. The American Dream and Promise Act, previously passed in 2019, gives DREAMers the opportunity to gain permanent residency status and work towards citizenship. Also passed was the Farm Workforce Modernization Act which grants agricultural workers temporary status with a chance at permanent residency. The bills now move to the Senate.
Significance: These bills are a part of President Biden’s proposed immigration plan. Since the beginning of Biden’s term, immigration has greatly increased. This week, there were more than 4,000 unaccompanied children at migrant facilities. With this rise, the U.S. government is planning to send 3,000 migrant teenagers to a convention center in Dallas. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are helping with “receiving, sheltering and transferring [migrant] children.”
