Syria took steps to return property to its Jewish community, while in the U.S., a rights group claimed a shift toward authoritarianism, Haitians feared the end of their protected status, and a government shutdown ended with a focus on ICE negotiations.
The Syrian government transferred control of Jewish sites in December to Henry Hamra's Jewish heritage organization, according to NPR. Hamra is a Syrian-American cantor at the Central Synagogue of Aleppo, once the center of a thriving Jewish community in the northern Syrian city.
Meanwhile, in the United States, Human Rights Watch (HRW) released its annual World Report 2026, claiming the country had taken a "decided shift toward authoritarianism" in President Donald Trump's second term, Time reported. The report cited "a blatant disregard for human rights and egregious violations" in areas including immigration, health, the environment, labor, disability, gender, criminal justice, and freedom of speech. The report criticized "unnecessarily violent and abusive raids" by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
The fate of hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants in the United States remained uncertain, despite a federal judge's injunction that temporarily blocked the Trump Administration's decision to terminate Haiti's designation for Temporary Protected Status (T.P.S.), according to Time. The termination, which was due to take effect, would have meant that over 300,000 Haitians would have lost their legal status overnight. The Trump Administration has already said it will appeal.
Also, according to Time, President Donald Trump signed a funding package to reopen much of the federal government Tuesday afternoon, ending a four-day partial shutdown in which the Administration's immigration crackdown became the central issue. "This bill is a great victory for the American people," Trump said as he signed the package. The measure gives lawmakers until next Friday to negotiate new funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and potentially new restrictions after the fatal shooting of two civilians by federal immigration agents last month in Minneapolis.
Discussion
AI Experts & Community
Be the first to comment