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Roundtable: A New Approach At The Border

Border Angels Executive Director Dulce Garcia speaks in support of asylum-seekers at the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry on Oct. 21, 2020.
Matthew Bowler
Border Angels Executive Director Dulce Garcia speaks in support of asylum-seekers at the San Ysidro Port-of-Entry on Oct. 21, 2020.
President Joe Biden takes steps to undo some of former President Trump's controversial immigration policies, California's public schools experience a significant drop in enrollment during COVID-19 and a San Diego Congressman joins a bipartisan effort to deal with climate change.

Immigration Under President Biden

A flurry of executive actions by President Joe Biden aims to upend former President Trump’s immigration policy. At least one effort, a pause of deportations, is already being challenged in court. Former KPBS immigration reporter Jean Guerrero, in a column for the New York Times this week, dives into how some of our current immigration policy goes back to the Obama era, making it a more complex issue than simply erasing Trump’s work.

RELATED: As Work Stops, Opponents Of The Border Wall Chart A New Path Forward

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The Big Drop In K-12 Enrollment

California’s public schools are experiencing a drastic drop in enrollment during COVID-19. CalMatters education reporter Ricardo Cano recently detailed the numbers, which show 150,000 students have stopped attending statewide. That’s five times the usual annual decline. A trend like this, when much of school funding is tied to enrollment, presents an even greater challenge for schools trying to navigate distance learning, the digital divide, and the effects of learning-loss among those who struggle with being out of the classroom.

RELATED: North County Parents Are Getting Certified To Substitute Teach

A Bipartisan Approach To Climate

The Green New Deal has become the primary cause for liberals hoping to take bold, sweeping action to address climate change. But under the radar, San Diego congressman Scott Peters has been working to address the problem in a bipartisan way. The recent column by The San Diego Union-Tribune's Michael Smolens examines Peters’ efforts amid the backdrop of President Joe Biden signing a series of executive orders on climate change. At the global level, the Doomsday Clock was held at 1 second to midnight this week, a symbol that there might yet be some hope that a new political dynamic can turn things around.

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RELATED: Students Ask San Diego School Board’s Help In Halting New Oil Drilling Permits

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