🤫’22 already nasty

Plus: Scoop - Ending family detention | Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Open in app View in browser   Presented By Facebook   Axios Sneak Peek By the Axios Politics team ·Dec 15, 2021 Welcome back to Sneak. 🚨Breaking: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer moved tonight to confirm a slate of ambassadorial nominees, including Nick Burns for China and Rahm Emanuel for Japan, Axios' Hans Nichols reported. Smart Brevity™ count: 957 words ... 3.5 minutes. Edited by Glen Johnson.     1 big thing: Scoop - Ankle bracelets replace family detention An immigrant child plays in the South Texas Family Residential Center. Photo: Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images   The Biden administration is ending the practice of holding undocumented migrant families in detention centers, turning to remote tracking technology such as ankle bracelets as alternatives, Axios' Stef Kight scoops. Driving the news: As of Friday, the U.S. had zero migrant families in detention facilities, according to internal government data obtained by Axios — with the last and largest facility used for the practice now being slated to hold only single adults. More than 100 migrant family members were removed or released from the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, between Thursday and Friday of last week. That brought the total detained family population to zero, according to the internal data. "ICE has chosen to shift its usage of the Dilley facility to focus on single adults," an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson confirmed to Axios, "consistent with the administration's goals of addressing irregular migration while supporting a system of border management that is orderly, safe and humane." Why it matters: The change marks a significant shift in immigration policy, and the fulfillment of an early call from then-presidential candidate Joe Biden to release families from ICE detention. Republican critics — and even some fellow Democrats from border districts — have complained the administration's promise to be more accommodating to migrants has encouraged a northward flow all year. There were only two other smaller centers designated for families: Karnes County Staging Center in Texas, and Berks Family Staging Center in Pennsylvania. Neither is being used for families anymore, according to the officials. Keep reading.     2. '22 already nasty Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios   Republicans are facing crowded and increasingly nasty gubernatorial primaries in at least six states so far — with candidates sizing each other up over Donald Trump, election conspiracies and COVID-19 mandates, Axios' Alexi McCammond reports. Why it matters: These races are a snapshot of how the GOP is changing in real time ahead of the 2022 midterms. The party infighting threatens its ability to win elections, since the primary battles risk weakening their eventual nominees for the general election. Republicans in Arizona are already worried, CNN reported. It's still early in the 2022 midterm cycle, though, and some Republican officials overseeing governors' races maintain they'll have strong nominees regardless of how the primaries unfold. The Democrats' own disarray has been front and center as they've negotiated over massive infrastructure and social spending bills in Washington. And incumbent Democrats are taking the left's threat of primary challenges more seriously than ever — they started raising money in July to ward off any potential challengers in 2022. The backdrop: Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Idaho have drawn anywhere from two to 12 Republican candidates vying for the governor's mansion. A common theme is at least one Republican who's campaigning heavily on — and, at times, questioning others about — some of former President Trump's greatest concerns: the 2020 election results and the coronavirus pandemic. Keep reading.     3. By the numbers: Winning hashtags Data: Quorum; Chart: Thomas Oide/Axios Posting on social media has increasingly become a part of congressional life, and the tweets, posts and hashtags used by senators and House members this year underscore vast partisan divides. By the numbers: On social media, Republicans have hammered President Biden for record numbers at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a new report from Quorum reviewed by Stef. Meanwhile, Democrats have focused on Biden's legislative priorities — such as the "Build Back Better" agenda and the "For the People" voting rights bill. The only hashtag to make it in the top five for both parties: COVID-19. It was the top hashtag overall for the second year in a row, according to Quorum. In a head-t0-head comparison, congressional Democrats were more active on social media than Republicans this year. What they're saying: Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) was the most frequent tweeter of #bidenbordercrisis, followed closely by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) — both of whom are in border states. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) tweeted #childtaxcredit the most, including it in 87 tweets. Next was Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), at 86. Keep reading.     A message from Facebook Why Facebook supports updated internet regulations, including Section 230     Aaron is one of 40,000 people working on safety and security issues at Facebook. Hear more from Aaron on why Facebook supports updating regulations on the internet's most pressing challenges, including reforming Section 230 to set clear guidelines for all large tech companies.     4. Scoop: Perdue rejected GOP appeals to skip race David Perdue addresses reporters during his campaign launch in Dalton, Ga. Photo: Emma Hurt/Axios   A majority of Georgia's Republican state senators quietly sent former Sen. David Perdue a letter last month asking him not to run for governor, Axios Atlanta's Emma Hurt has learned. Weeks later, Perdue forged ahead and announced his primary challenge to incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp. Why it matters: Trump's campaign against "disloyal" Republicans has set off GOP worries around the country about the risk of dividing, weakening or radicalizing the party, as Lexi noted. Nowhere has the dynamic played out more openly than Georgia. Perdue is arguing Kemp can't win in November because he lacks the support of Trump and his base. Trump was furious after Kemp declined to take steps to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 win in the state. What they're saying: In the letter, 25 of the state Senate's 34 Republicans told Perdue he "made us proud" during his time in the U.S. Senate — but asked him to join them in endorsing Kemp for re-election for the sake of preserving their chances in the November general election. "Our GOP and state must be unified behind our Governor with a positive message to keep Georgia conservative and moving forward," they wrote. Thirty-one state senators had already endorsed Kemp in early September. The intrigue: There was so much concern about the letter becoming public, the senators refrained from sharing an electronic copy. They circulated the text only in paper form. Keep reading. ✍️ Go deeper: You can subscribe to Axios Atlanta and the rest of our growing group of free local newsletters through this link.     5. Pic du jour: Consoler in chief Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images   President Biden was on brand as he toured tornado-stricken Dawson Springs and Mayfield, Kentucky. He greeted some residents while walking through central Mayfield. He spoke with a local child by cellphone. And he met some residents amid the rubble.     A message from Facebook Facebook puts your safety and security front-and-center     Since July, Facebook's safety and security teams have taken action on: 1.8 billion fake accounts. 9.8 million terrorism-related posts. But our work to stop bad actors is never done. Learn more about how we're working to help you connect safely.   🐫 Thanks for reading. We made it through another Hump Day! A reminder your family, friends and colleagues can subscribe to Sneak or any of Axios' other free local and national newsletters through this link. Like this email style and format? 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