Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska has declined US First Lady Jill Biden's invitation to attend Thursday's (March 7) State of the Union address. Another invitee, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison, has also decided to forego one of Washington's most dignified events.&nbsp;

<h2>A plan spoiled</h2>

As per a Washington Post report citing officials familiar with the event's planning, the intent was to seat the two women on either side of Jill Biden.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israel-hamas-war-us-airdrops-fresh-round-of-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza-36800-meals-delivered-697053">Israel-Hamas war: US airdrops fresh round of humanitarian aid to Gaza; 36,800 meals delivered</a>

Reportedly, this arrangement would have symbolised resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin and provided a powerful backdrop to President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress.

<h2>Why did they cancel?</h2>

The potential presence of Navalnaya is believed to have been a cause of discomfort to the Ukrainians. This is because Navalny's past statements regarding Crimea being part of Russia have clouded his legacy in Ukraine.

Despite Navalny later supporting Ukraine's internationally recognised borders, many Ukrainians continue to view the Kremlin critic as out of step with their goals.

A White House official cited "schedule conflicts" as the reason for Zelenska’s decision and said that the seating arrangement is typically finalised near the end of the planning process.

Navalnaya also declined the invitation, citing fatigue following her husband's recent death.&nbsp;

Her spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said, "I think everyone forgets the circumstances against which the events unfolded."

"Yulia's husband died two weeks ago. She's been travelling all this time. Today is the first day she's been home at all. Like any human being, she needs time to recover, and so while she very much appreciates the invitation, she needs to recover at least a little now," she added.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/love-you-more-and-more-alexei-navalnys-last-message-for-his-wife-from-jail-691011">‘Love you more and more,’ Navalny’s last message for his wife Yulia. Who is she?</a>

This year, guests may include the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia, the first person born via in-vitro fertilisation in the United States, and families of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip.

As of now, there is only confirmation of one guest, Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman who was forced to seek an abortion outside of Texas after a near-total ban in the state. The abortion was made necessary by a fetal genetic condition.

<h2>Biden and Ukraine</h2>

Ukraine is currently lobbying House Republicans to support President Joe Biden's request for $60 billion in aid.&nbsp;

In his address, Biden is expected to urge House Republicans to pass the Ukraine funding quickly.

The government of President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly been seeking to avoid being seen as too closely aligned with Biden to prevent further politicisation of the war effort.&nbsp;

As per the report, this could also be because of the possibility that Republican Donald Trump may replace him in the White House after the November elections.

(With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska has declined US First Lady Jill Biden's invitation to attend Thursday's (March 7) State of the Union address. Another invitee, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison, has also decided to forego one of Washington's most dignified events.

Ukraine's first lady Olena Zelenska has declined US First Lady Jill Biden's invitation to attend Thursday's (March 7) State of the Union address. Another invitee, Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who died in an Arctic prison, has also decided to forego one of Washington's most dignified events. A plan spoiled As per a Washington Post report citing officials familiar with the event's planning, the intent was to seat the two women on either side of Jill Biden. Also read | Israel-Hamas war: US airdrops fresh round of humanitarian aid to Gaza; 36,800 meals delivered Reportedly, this arrangement would have symbolised resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin and provided a powerful backdrop to President Biden’s address to a joint session of Congress. Why did they cancel? The potential presence of Navalnaya is believed to have been a cause of discomfort to the Ukrainians. This is because Navalny's past statements regarding Crimea being part of Russia have clouded his legacy in Ukraine. Despite Navalny later supporting Ukraine's internationally recognised borders, many Ukrainians continue to view the Kremlin critic as out of step with their goals. A White House official cited "schedule conflicts" as the reason for Zelenska’s decision and said that the seating arrangement is typically finalised near the end of the planning process. Navalnaya also declined the invitation, citing fatigue following her husband's recent death. Her spokesperson Kira Yarmysh said, "I think everyone forgets the circumstances against which the events unfolded." "Yulia's husband died two weeks ago. She's been travelling all this time. Today is the first day she's been home at all. Like any human being, she needs time to recover, and so while she very much appreciates the invitation, she needs to recover at least a little now," she added. Also read | ‘Love you more and more,’ Navalny’s last message for his wife Yulia. Who is she? This year, guests may include the parents of Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia, the first person born via in-vitro fertilisation in the United States, and families of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip. As of now, there is only confirmation of one guest, Kate Cox, a Dallas-area woman who was forced to seek an abortion outside of Texas after a near-total ban in the state. The abortion was made necessary by a fetal genetic condition. Biden and Ukraine Ukraine is currently lobbying House Republicans to support President Joe Biden's request for $60 billion in aid. In his address, Biden is expected to urge House Republicans to pass the Ukraine funding quickly. The government of President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly been seeking to avoid being seen as too closely aligned with Biden to prevent further politicisation of the war effort. As per the report, this could also be because of the possibility that Republican Donald Trump may replace him in the White House after the November elections. (With inputs from agencies)

Ukraine's first lady and Alexei Navalny's wife decline Jill Biden's invitation to State of the Union address

Which &ldquo;Dreamers&rdquo; will be given legal recourse to stay in the U.S., and which ones will be left out?

This is the central question surrounding current debate in Washington over a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The scramble for a solution has taken on greater urgency since the Trump administration announced that DACA would be phased out and ended in March 2018. That deadline is currently on hold due to a federal court ruling &ndash; but a battle in Congress over the Dreamers&rsquo; fate closed the federal government for 69 hours earlier this month.

Some conservatives have balked at the idea of giving &ldquo;amnesty&rdquo; to any lawbreakers whatsoever. However, in a recent proposal, President Donald Trump has offered to provide a path to legalization for 1.8 million Dreamers who either received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or were DACA-eligible.

What would that mean?

Left out of DACA

DACA is an Obama-era program that provided limited rights to undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children and met certain requirements. Since its inception in 2012, DACA provided relief to close to 800,000 young undocumented immigrants. Recipients were temporarily shielded from deportation and provided with work authorization.

However, the Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than 3.6 million unauthorized immigrants entered the U.S. before the age of 18. Their data show that slightly more than 1.8 million unauthorized immigrants met the criteria for applying for DACA.

<iframe class="tc-infographic" frameborder="0" height="550px" id="tc-infographic-230" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/230/0383290ac53a9bb85bf4290bcbe95349d1676be3/site/index.html" style="border: none" width="100%"></iframe>

Why, then, did only about 800,000 actually receive it?

DACA only applied to undocumented immigrants who were younger than 31 as of June 15, 2012 and had come to the U.S. before age 16. They had to be in or have graduated from high school, had to have obtained a general education development certificate, or had to have served in the military. This left out some people.

Anyone with a criminal record of a felony or more than two misdemeanors or who posed &ldquo;a threat to national security or public safety&rdquo; was prohibited from receiving DACA. This left out others.

Additionally, some who were eligible did not apply out of fear that signing up might lead to them or their families being deported. Indeed, after Trump assumed office a number of DACA recipients were arrested and detained.

Trump&rsquo;s proposal: Generous or not?

President Trump&rsquo;s latest immigration proposal states that it would &ldquo;provide legal status for DACA recipients and other DACA-eligible illegal immigrants, adjusting the time-frame to encompass a total population of approximately 1.8 million individuals.&rdquo; The proposal appears to maintain the same requirements that existed for DACA.

Some supporters of the proposal have viewed the relief for that many undocumented immigrants as generous. However, the proposal would limit relief to about only one-half of Dreamers, ignoring the 1.8 million that never registered for DACA.

The Trump legalization plan would also only cover a minority of the total undocumented immigrant population &ndash; about 16 percent. According to the Pew Research Center, the total undocumented population in the United States is more than 11 million.

Ultimately, the Trump proposal would leave roughly 9 million undocumented immigrants subject to deportation.

Millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years would not be eligible for legalization and face possible deportation. People with families &ndash; including U.S. citizen children &ndash; friends, jobs and communities in the United States will be affected.

The fear of removal is real and has had major health and other consequences on immigrant communities and families.

All of this is only part of what Trump&rsquo;s proposal is seeking to do. The proposal calls for great increases in immigration enforcement, including the appropriation of billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. It also calls for increased detention and immigration enforcement and the expansion of expedited removal of noncitizens apprehended in the interior of the country. Moreover, the Trump proposal seeks drastic reductions of family-based immigration and an end to &ldquo;extended-family chain migration&rdquo; as well as elimination of the diversity visa program.

Organizations ranging from the American Immigration Lawyers Association to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund believe that Trump&rsquo;s legalization program for a portion of the undocumented community is not worth the formidable costs.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-path-to-citizenship-for-1-8-million-will-leave-out-nearly-half-of-all-dreamers-90899">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)&nbsp;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Trump proposal seeks drastic reductions of family-based immigration and an end to “extended-family chain migration” as well as elimination of the diversity visa program.

Which “Dreamers” will be given legal recourse to stay in the U.S., and which ones will be left out? This is the central question surrounding current debate in Washington over a group of undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The scramble for a solution has taken on greater urgency since the Trump administration announced that DACA would be phased out and ended in March 2018. That deadline is currently on hold due to a federal court ruling – but a battle in Congress over the Dreamers’ fate closed the federal government for 69 hours earlier this month. Some conservatives have balked at the idea of giving “amnesty” to any lawbreakers whatsoever. However, in a recent proposal, President Donald Trump has offered to provide a path to legalization for 1.8 million Dreamers who either received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals or were DACA-eligible. What would that mean? Left out of DACA DACA is an Obama-era program that provided limited rights to undocumented youth who were brought to the U.S. as children and met certain requirements. Since its inception in 2012, DACA provided relief to close to 800,000 young undocumented immigrants. Recipients were temporarily shielded from deportation and provided with work authorization. However, the Migration Policy Institute estimates that more than 3.6 million unauthorized immigrants entered the U.S. before the age of 18. Their data show that slightly more than 1.8 million unauthorized immigrants met the criteria for applying for DACA. Why, then, did only about 800,000 actually receive it? DACA only applied to undocumented immigrants who were younger than 31 as of June 15, 2012 and had come to the U.S. before age 16. They had to be in or have graduated from high school, had to have obtained a general education development certificate, or had to have served in the military. This left out some people. Anyone with a criminal record of a felony or more than two misdemeanors or who posed “a threat to national security or public safety” was prohibited from receiving DACA. This left out others. Additionally, some who were eligible did not apply out of fear that signing up might lead to them or their families being deported. Indeed, after Trump assumed office a number of DACA recipients were arrested and detained. Trump’s proposal: Generous or not? President Trump’s latest immigration proposal states that it would “provide legal status for DACA recipients and other DACA-eligible illegal immigrants, adjusting the time-frame to encompass a total population of approximately 1.8 million individuals.” The proposal appears to maintain the same requirements that existed for DACA. Some supporters of the proposal have viewed the relief for that many undocumented immigrants as generous. However, the proposal would limit relief to about only one-half of Dreamers, ignoring the 1.8 million that never registered for DACA. The Trump legalization plan would also only cover a minority of the total undocumented immigrant population – about 16 percent. According to the Pew Research Center, the total undocumented population in the United States is more than 11 million. Ultimately, the Trump proposal would leave roughly 9 million undocumented immigrants subject to deportation. Millions of undocumented immigrants who have lived and worked in the U.S. for years would not be eligible for legalization and face possible deportation. People with families – including U.S. citizen children – friends, jobs and communities in the United States will be affected. The fear of removal is real and has had major health and other consequences on immigrant communities and families. All of this is only part of what Trump’s proposal is seeking to do. The proposal calls for great increases in immigration enforcement, including the appropriation of billions of dollars to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. It also calls for increased detention and immigration enforcement and the expansion of expedited removal of noncitizens apprehended in the interior of the country. Moreover, the Trump proposal seeks drastic reductions of family-based immigration and an end to “extended-family chain migration” as well as elimination of the diversity visa program. Organizations ranging from the American Immigration Lawyers Association to the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund believe that Trump’s legalization program for a portion of the undocumented community is not worth the formidable costs. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Trump's State of Union address will leave out nearly half of all Dreamers

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Ukraine's first lady and Alexei Navalny's wife decline Jill Biden's invitation to State of the Union address

Opinion: Trump's State of Union address will leave out nearly half of all Dreamers