Trump administration’s immigration policies push out foreign doctors
WASHINGTON — Amid a nationwide shortage of about 65,000 healthcare physicians, the Trump administration’s immigration policies are preventing foreign doctors from filling in gaps in hospitals. The disruption stems from a pair of Trump administration policies that took effect in January; the policies froze visa extensions, work permits, and green cards for citizens of 39 countries and people with Palestinian Authority travel documents.
The first policy paused the issuance of immigrant visas. A separate policy froze the processing of immigration benefits for those already in the country, such as work permit renewals, H-1B visa extensions, and green card processing. This crackdown follows a December travel ban in which President Donald Trump extended travel restrictions to 39 countries.
The Department of Homeland Security said that decisions on immigration cases for people from these “high-risk countries” were placed on hold to ensure they go through a thorough and detailed screening process.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, foreign doctors currently make up 25% of doctors practicing in the U.S. Some physicians have been pulled off of their jobs after the government failed to renew and process their work permits.
CEO of the American Medical Association John Whyte wrote a letter to the secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State urging an exception for physicians, as their removal puts patients at risk. Whyte wrote that 900 patients did not receive care in rural areas due to the removal of physicians.
US rescues Air Force officers shot down in Iran
TEHRAN, Iran — On Friday, two U.S. fighter jets were reportedly shot down by Iranian forces, marking the first time U.S. airplanes have been struck amid the U.S., Iran, and Israel conflict. The first plane was a F-15E Strike Eagle with two pilots and the second an A-10 Warthog with one pilot.
U.S. military helicopters rescued the first pilot seven hours after they were struck down on Saturday. U.S. officials reported the second pilot hid on a 7,000-foot ridge and made contact with U.S. forces using an encrypted radio. After a diversion from the CIA drove off Iranian forces that attempted to get near the pilot’s position, the White House and Pentagon ordered an urgent rescue mission. The spokesperson for the Iranian military’s central command, Ebrahim Zolfaghari, said the U.S. rescue mission took place at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan.
After the pilot was rescued, two transport planes carrying those involved in the rescue mission broke down at an Iranian base. U.S. forces decided to fly in three new planes to transport the military personnel and blow up the disabled aircraft.
The A-10 Warthog was struck by Iranian fire; the pilot was able to get the aircraft to Kuwaiti airspace and eject himself.
Diesel prices reach all-time high in California
SAN DIEGO — On Sunday, diesel prices reached a record high in California, with the state average reaching $7.67 per gallon. The same day, the average price for a gallon of diesel in San Diego County reached $7.65 — the highest-ever recorded price in the county. These price increases come as a result of the continuing war in Iran and California state-imposed taxes.
The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is now $4.11. One year ago, the national average price for the same gallon of gas was $3.26. National and state increases in gasoline and diesel prices have been attributed to an uptick in crude oil prices. According to AAA, a barrel of crude oil now costs over $100 per barrel in the U.S., as opposed to an average of $79.74 per barrel one month ago.
The U.S.-led war in Iran has caused this increase in crude oil prices. Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, a passageway for roughly 25% of the globe’s seaborne oil, according to the International Energy Agency. In response to the U.S. and Israel’s strikes, Iran closed the strait to trade with the U.S.
President Donald Trump has changed his deadline for Iran multiple times since the beginning of the conflict, threatening to bomb the nation’s energy infrastructure if the passageway is not reopened for trading with the U.S. In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump threatened again to lead major strikes in Iran on Tuesday if the strait is not opened by that date.
Reuters reports that Iran is unlikely to reopen the strait in the coming weeks, as U.S. intelligence found that control of the strait provides a strategic advantage for Iran to pressure the U.S. into ending the war. According to the same report, energy prices in the U.S. will continue to climb until the strait is reopened.
Trump signs executive order to pay all DHS workers
WASHINGTON — On Friday, amid the longest partial government shutdown in U.S. history, President Donald Trump signed a memo directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay all of its employees. The partial shutdown, which began on Feb. 14, has forced workers in the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and more agencies to work without pay for almost seven weeks.
This follows Trump’s order last week to distribute back pay to 50,000 TSA agents for missed paychecks during the partial shutdown. The new memo issued this week asserted that funding would draw on a “reasonable and logical nexus” of DHS operations. Reuters reports that this leaves legal questions surrounding the distribution of funding to the DHS unclear.
The current government shutdown only affects the DHS. It began as a result of Democrats’ calls for reforms to ICE operations in the wake of the deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. Since the shutdown began, the Senate has passed a measure to fund the entire DHS, with the exception of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol. The Senate-approved plan would leave those two agencies to be funded exclusively by new, separate legislation that could take months for Congress to draft and approve.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged House Republicans to pass the measure in a statement on Thursday.
“The deep division and dysfunction among House Republicans is needlessly extending the DHS shutdown and hurting federal workers who are missing another paycheck,” Schumer said.
Both the House and Senate will return to session the week of April 13. The House is expected to continue discussion and eventually vote on the Senate-approved measure, which would reopen the government if passed.
