At a donor’s conference in London Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry pledged roughly $600 million in new aid to help refugees fleeing the civil war in Syria and to prepare for further outmigration to come. That brings the total aid from the U.S. to $5.1 billion, more than any other country. Attendees were mindful that a similar convening last year fell short of its goals—and that no amount of money could make up for the impact of jump-starting the stalled peace talks and bringing an end to the conflict.

The news came at the same time the U.S. government announced it had rejected 30 Syrian refugees seeking to enter the country, and put a hold on hundreds more, citing security concerns. 

Grantees bemoaned news that Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee had formed a task force to challenge the president’s authority to carry out his immigration executive actions. The task force is to be headed by famously anti-immigrant Iowa GOP Rep. Steve King.

Democratic rivals Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders debated ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. Those eager to parse differences or nuances in the candidates’ views on immigration reform did not receive a lot of material to go on.   

Grantee Linda Sarsour co-authored a piece in the Guardian seeking to build on President Obama’s mosque visit this week, urging an end to racial and religious profiling, the surveillance of mosque and hate crimes against Muslims. The authors went on to embrace a wider civil-rights agenda, a further sign of the cross-community collaboration nurtured by the solidarity summit efforts. “We as American Muslim communities must be seen and treated as citizens of our country and not as suspects. We are also part of leading social justice movements calling for an end to police brutality, a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, education reform and welcoming of Syrian refugees.”  

Yet other Muslims took to social media to protest the reviews of Obama’s visit using the social media hashtage #TooLateObama, suggesting they reflected naivete in the face of a cynical political ploy that excused anti-Muslim efforts such as stepped-up drone strikes in places like Yemen, Somalia and Pakistan.

The Justice Dept. announced a review of anti-terrorism laws to assess why they tend to carry harsher penalties for international terrorism than they do for domestic threats.

The federal government took steps to further demilitarize local police forces, reversing a trend that developed in earnest after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Three Massachusetts cities’ police departments were ordered to return grenade launchers, bayonets and armored vehicles.

Slate assessed the value of bringing body cameras to the border patrol.

A dozen states are now considering legislation aimed at banning “sanctuary cities,” measures which would require local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration officials.

The Arizona legislature moved on legislation to toughen sentences for immigrants found to have broken the law while in country illegally.

 

Among other grantee and advocate activities:

--Representatives of the Center for Community Change and the Center for American Progress spoke out on the significance of the Supreme Court’s ultimate decision in US v Texas, the legal challenge to President Obama’s immigration executive actions, and what it would mean for those living in the shadows.

--America’s Voice is referenced in a New York Times op-ed arguing that US v Texas “should have been tossed out of Federal District Court in the first instance. Instead, its stakes are now heightened enormously.”

--Kids in Need of Defense and America’s Voice were among the grantees and advocates holding a call following a House Judiciary Committee hearing on refugees fleeing violence in the Northern Triangle countries of Central America.