Kaʻū News Briefs, Friday, October 9, 2020

REPEALING THE ALIEN ENEMIES ACT OF 1798 is the goal of legislation introduced by Sen. Mazie Hirono and colleagues this week. The proposed legislation is called The Neighbors Not Enemies Act. 

    The Alien Enemies Act allows the president to target foreign nationals to be "apprehended, restrained, secured and removed" without due process while America is at war. During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt used it to target, incarcerate, and deport Japanese, German, and Italian Americans. In 2016, Donald Trump referenced the Alien Enemies Act during his campaign as justification for his Muslim Ban. 

    Hirono said, "Time and again, Donald Trump has demonized immigrants and minorities as the divider-in-chief. Our nation has not always been fair to immigrants and minorities, but we have a rich diversity – and the stories of immigrants and minorities are interwoven in our country's history. The Neighbors Not Enemies Act would repeal an outdated and offensive law and stop any president from ordering a wrongful action that goes against the Bill of Rights." 
    The legislation was introduced in the House by Representative Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.): "This outdated and xenophobic law is an offense to our values as a nation, which should stand as a refuge for those fleeing violence and persecution. It is a perfect example of outdated immigration laws that are being exploited and abused by this Administration. As the President seeks to expand the Muslim Ban, we must close policy loopholes that he can exploit to cause harm to our neighbors, our country and the values that we hold dear. We must learn from historical mistakes built on fear of the other and embrace a fair and just immigration system by repealing the Alien Enemies Act." 
    David Inoue, Executive Director of the Japanese American Citizens League said, "It is past time for the
repeal of this antiquated law which has been abused to justify the incarceration of Japanese Americans and more recently the Muslim Ban. As we have seen, the courts have been overly deferential to Presidential claims of necessity due to national security, both in 1944 and 2018. It is up to Congress to place a check on the overreaching power of the President and act where the courts have failed the people." 
    Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said, "The so-called Alien Enemies Act was wrong when it was passed in 1798 and it's still wrong now. That antiquated law was used to justify, among other things, discrimination against people in America, particularly Japanese immigrants. It must not be used to support Trump’s misguided Muslim travel ban. We urge Congress to pass the Neighbors Not Enemies Act and remove this vestige of xenophobia from our laws." 
    The bill is endorsed by the Japanese American Citizens League, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Black Alliance for Just Immigration, National Iranian American Council Action, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Minnesota Peace Project, Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, Defending Rights & Dissent, Muslim Public Affairs Council, and Church World Service, UndocuBlack Network, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment, International Refugee Assistance Project, The Sikh Coalition, National Immigration Law Center, Project South, U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, Shoulder to Shoulder, Veterans For Peace chapter 27, Coalition on Human Needs, Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee, and the Conference of Presentation Sisters. 
    Read the bill here.

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THE FIRST COVID-19 DEATH IN KONA occurred Monday, Oct. 5 in Kona Hospital, which, with another death at Hilo Medical Center, bringing Hawaiʻi Island's death toll to 37. According to reporting from multiple outlets, KCH's Marketing and Strategic Planning Director, Judy Donovan, a female patient in her 40s had come into the Emergency Room Monday and subsequently passed away.
    At least 166 people have died in the state, two new today on Oʻahu. At least 20 Hawaiʻi Island deaths are not officially reported by the state.
    See more on COVID, below.

Onset of COVID-19 cases in the last 28 days, by zip code. Gray areas have zero residential addresses. White is zero cases. Yellow is one to 10 cases. Pale orange is 11-30 cases. Medium orange is 31-50 cases. Dark orange is 51-100 cases. Bright red is 101-170 cases. Dark red is 171-300 cases.  Department of Health map

FORTY-FIVE NEW COVID-19 CASES TODAY are reported for Hawaiʻi Island. The state reports 155 new cases today, with 108 on Oʻahu and one in an out-of-state resident.
    Since the pandemic began, there have been 13,300 COVID cases in the state. Department of Health reports 10,651 people of those infected have completed isolation. There are about 2,460 active cases in isolation. There are at least nine people hospitalized on Hawaiʻi Island with the virus.
    Since the pandemic began, Hawaiʻi Island reported 911 cases, Oʻahu 11,896 cases, Maui County 397, and Kauaʻi 59. Thirty-seven victims are residents diagnosed while visiting other places. Statewide, 911 people have been hospitalized since the pandemic began.
    No new cases reported in the last 28 days for two Kaʻū zip codes and one in Volcano. 96772 with Nāʻālehu, Waiʻōhinu, Green Sands, Mark Twain, Discovery Harbour, and South Point; 96785 with Volcano Village; and 96704, which includes Miloliʻi, have had no cases in the last 28 days. In the last 28 days, less than ten active cases have been reported in zip code 96737, with Ocean View; and 96777, which includes Pāhala, Punaluʻu, and Wood Valley. Zip code 96718, shaded gray on the map, is Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, which has few residents and no cases to date.
    In Hilo zip code 96720, 107 cases have been reported in the last 28 days. In Kona zip code 96740, 107 cases have been reported in the last 28 days.
    Hawaiʻi Island police continue enforcement of preventative policies of face coverings, distancing, and gatherings. Civil Defense says, "Know that these policies are mandated and will be enforced. While on patrol, police officers will provide face coverings to people they encounter who do not have one. Mahalo for your help."
    Civil Defense says the number of new cases of coronavirus on this Island "reflects the need and importance of continuing testing throughout the Island as the virus remains a threat. With all accepting kuleana, we can stop the spread of the virus to keep your family, friends, and neighbors safe. With the community's involvement, we can keep Hawaiʻi Safe."
    See the Hawaiʻi County COVID-19 webpage at coronavirus-response-county-of-hawaii-hawaiicountygis.hub.arcgis.com. Request travel exemptions for critical infrastructure and medical travel at survey123.arcgis.com/share/e2f4ce19aa854964a8fd60bec7fbe78c. Report violators of COVID-19 safety protocols or quarantine to non-emergency at 935-3311.
    COVID-19 case count in the U.S. is more than 7,662,798 – about 21 percent of worldwide cases. The death toll is more than 213,739 – about 20 percent of worldwide deaths. Worldwide, there are more than 36.79 million COVID-19 cases. The death toll is more than 1,067,060.