On the Thursday, Sept. 12, episode of Sundial, WLRN reporter Danny Rivero fills in for host Luis Hernandez:
Federal Response To Hurricane Dorian
A total of 2,500 people are now listed as missing in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian’s devastation. The death toll currently stands at 50 and the number is expected to rise. The path to recovery will be a long and difficult one for Bahamians. Many are coming to the mainland, but the current visa system for individuals seeking refuge in the United States is complicated. Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Miami, representing District 26, which includes Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, joined Sundial to talk about the federal response to Hurricane Dorian as well as her legislative priorities as the new session approaches.
New Immigration Rules
The Supreme Court approved new asylum rules yesterday established by the Trump administration that will directly affect asylum seekers. Under the policy, immigrants seeking asylum in the U.S. must first ask for asylum in the countries they pass through before arriving to the U.S. and if they’re denied asylum in those countries, then they can apply for asylum status in the U.S. Daniel Shoer Roth, a journalist with El Nuevo Herald, has been following immigration policies closely. Elina Santana is a local immigration attorney and a member of the South Florida chapter of immigration lawyers association. They joined Sundial to discuss the new immigration rules.
Old Botany Book
An old botany book was discovered in upstate New York by scientists after 190 years. It describes in beautiful detail drawings and observations of fruits and plants native to Cuba during the 19th century. The mastermind behind the book is Anne Wollstonecraft. She was a botanist in Cuba during that time and the first to document many of the plants native to the island country. Czerne Reid, a lecturer at the University of Florida and a freelancer for National Geographic, reported the findings and she joined Sundial to explain the importance of the book in Cuba’s scientific history.