News

Blocked from Europe, refugees settle in Morocco

27, December 2017

Blocked from Europe, refugees settle in Morocco 0

Unable to reach Europe in search of a better life, Aliou Ndiaye settled in Morocco instead, giving up on his original goal like thousands of other sub-Saharan African refugees.

“Everyone has the right to go to another country to try their luck,” the 31-year-old former fish exporter from Senegal told AFP.

“Lots of people are trying to reach Europe, but some end up staying to make a living.”

Seven out of 10 West Africa-born refugees stay on the continent, according to a December study by the Moroccan think tank OCP Policy Center.

Discouraged by the danger of passing through countries such as Libya and by harsh policies aimed at preventing migrants going to Europe, many settle in “transit” countries including Morocco.

Ndiaye said he gave up after he realized reaching Spain was “too hard”.

He took on several informal jobs and finally set himself up as a street vendor in Rabat, where he expects to remain.

Refugee vendors sell cell phones on a sidewalk in the Moroccan capital Rabat on December 19, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

 

His story illustrates a trend that has gained increasing attention from Moroccan politicians, civil society and researchers.

Morocco has turned from a transit country into a host country for refugees, according to the government’s High Commission for Planning.

“The Moroccan authorities have switched from a security approach, which criminalized illegal immigration, to a discourse of integration,” said Mehdi Alioua, former head of a group that helped migrants.

He said the new approach involves moving refugees from border regions to the country’s big cities, taking them further from their ultimate goal — reaching Europe.

That has meant that many stay on in Morocco.

Rabat has become home to many sub-Saharan Africans who work at informal markets in the capital, while others, still hoping to make it to Europe, live in informal camps near bus stations and eke out a living by begging.

(Source: AFP)


US First Lady orders White House tree from 1800s to be removed

27, December 2017

US First Lady orders White House tree from 1800s to be removed 0

US First Lady Melania Trump has ordered the removal of an iconic tree that former President Andrew Jackson planted in 1828 in honor of his late wife.

Melania, the wife of incumbent US President Donald Trump, ordered on Tuesday that the 200-year-old Jackson Magnolia tree be cut down later this week, citing a safety hazard after reviewing historical documents and a relevant report made by specialists.

Some experts said the tree located on the west side of the White House had decayed to a point where it could no longer be safely preserved.

The Southern Magnolia tree planted by President Andrew Jackson after his inauguration in 1829 extends from the ground floor of the White House and pasts the second-level executive residence. (Photo by AP)

 

“The overall architecture and structure of the tree is greatly compromised and the tree is completely dependent on the artificial support,” read documents obtained by the CNN.

“Without the extensive cabling system, the tree would have fallen years ago. Presently, and very concerning, the cabling system is failing on the east trunk, as a cable has pulled through the very thin layer of wood that remains. It is difficult to predict when and how many more will fail,” they noted. “We understand this is a historic tree, and all measures have been used to save it to this point in time. While we cannot comment on the need to preserve the tree as long as it stands, we believe eventually, the tree will fail.”

The Southern Magnolia tree bears an identification plaque to President Andrew Jackson, who planted the tree at the White House. (Photo by AP)

 

Stephanie Grisham, Trump’s spokeswoman, said in an interview with the Associated Press that Melania had discussed options with White House staff and reviewed an analysis by the US National Arboretum before deeming that the tree was a safety risk.

“After reviewing the reports, [Melania Trump] trusted that every effort had been made to preserve the historic tree, and was concerned about the safety of visitors and members of the press who are often standing right in front of the tree during Marine One lifts,” Grisham said.

The spokeswoman said a “large portion” of the tree will be removed, and that the wood and seedlings from the tree will be preserved for the future.

Another Jackson Magnolia is expected to be planted in its place.

The Jackson Magnolia is the oldest tree on the White House grounds and has appeared in the background for numerous historical events, also featuring on the $20 bill from 1928 to 1998.

The tree was the former president’s tribute to his wife, Rachel Jackson, who died days after the election.

 

 

Source: Presstv



Suspect in Douala shooting that killed three arrested in Soa

26, December 2017

Suspect in Douala shooting that killed three arrested in Soa 0

Gendarmerie elements supported by soldiers from the Rapid Intervention Battalion unit have arrested Constable Takem Wamba suspected of having shot his colleague and two other people, including a young lady presented as his girlfriend. The carnage took place in Douala on December 24, 2017.

Constable Takem was arrested in Soa, a small town located less than 20 km from Yaoundé precisely in the Mefou and Afamba Division in the Central Region, where he had taken refuge. The alleged murderer had time to commit his crime and moved from Douala to Soa in Yaoundé- a distance of more than 250 km.

Mr. Takem Wamba travelled between Douala and Yaoundé with a pistol, including a Kalashnikov and other ammunition on a motorway riddled with mixed road checks of police and gendarmes. The suspect will be presented to a judge on Thursday.

By Sama Ernest


President Trump’s ally accuses cabinet members of plotting a coup

26, December 2017

President Trump’s ally accuses cabinet members of plotting a coup 0

Some people within the US President Donald Trump’s cabinet have discussed removing their boss from power, a close ally of the Republican president claims.

Roger Stone, a long-time associate of Trump, said during an interview over the weekend that the rebels were plotting to out Trump by invoking the 25th Amendment of the US constitution.

“I have sources,” Stone told C-SPAN. “And yes, I believe there are some who have had this discussion. This is both outside the cabinet and in.”

“There is a plan afoot that is broader than just the cabinet. The 25th Amendment requires a majority of the cabinet and the vice president [to remove the president],” he added, noting that he would “probably report that fully at some point.”

The 25th Amendment defines outlines for the transition of power in case the president is unable or unfit to serve.

Since ratification, the amendment has been invoked six times, with the most far-reaching use being in 1973, when then President Richard Nixon nominated Representative Gerald Ford to replace then Vice President Spiro T. Agnew, who had resigned.

Continuing his wild statements, Stone said removing Trump was a fallback plan for “the establishment.”

“And I have always thought this is plan B for the two party duopoly that has run this country into the ground,” he argued.

“This is not a conspiracy theory… There are members of the cabinet who have had this discussion. Let me just leave it at that,” the conservative lobbyist continued.

Trump and his team are currently under investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who has been appointed to see into reports that the president has “colluded” with Russia before and after winning last year’s election.

While millions of people have signed various online petitions calling for Trump’s removal, the prospect of an impeaching seems far-flung given that Republicans maintain majority in both chambers of Congress.

 

Source: Presstv


Congo-Kinshasa: 9 soldiers killed in 2 militia attacks

26, December 2017

Congo-Kinshasa: 9 soldiers killed in 2 militia attacks 0

A suspected rebel militia group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has killed at least nine military forces during two separate attacks in the country’s volatile east.

The Congolese army said the fatalities took place in the eastern province of South Kivu over the past four days, accusing Mai Mai Mazembe militiamen from the Nande ethnic group of being responsible for both attacks.

“The army recorded a loss of nine soldiers in two ambushes in the Baraka operational zone” in South Kivu, an unnamed military official told AFP.

A lieutenant was killed on Sunday in the village of Lweba, seven kilometers from the Baraka district, the official said, adding that the other deaths came in an attack two days earlier.

“Our hospital received the bodies of eight soldiers killed by bullets on Friday,” said a hospital source in Lulimba, a village 60 kilometers south of Baraka.

Dozens of armed groups have been active in the eastern DR Congo ever since a war there in 1998, and the Congolese army, joined by United Nations troops, is on the offensive against rebel groups.

Seeking safety, tens of thousands of people have escaped to neighboring Zambia, where they are facing “hugely underfunded” aid operations, according to UN figures.

Congo has also been facing numerous problems over the past few decades such as grinding poverty and crumbling infrastructure.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila Kabange addresses the 72nd Session of the United Nations General assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on September 23, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

 

Political crisis has exacerbated in the African country as President Joseph Kabila is still in power despite his second and final term as president officially ending in December 2016.

Under the DR Congo’s constitution, Kabila is banned from seeking a third term. However, Kabila is authorized to stay in office until his successor is elected.

The long-awaited election to replace Kabila has been postponed until December 23, 2018. The delay in holding an election has flared up violence in the country.

 

Source: Presstv


US omits Paul Biya for crimes against humanity and corruption in President Trump’s executive order

26, December 2017

US omits Paul Biya for crimes against humanity and corruption in President Trump’s executive order 0

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act (Public Law 114-328) (the “Act”), section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 U.S.C. 1182(f)) (INA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,

I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the prevalence and severity of human rights abuse and corruption that have their source, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States, such as those committed or directed by persons listed in the Annex to this order, have reached such scope and gravity that they threaten the stability of international political and economic systems. Human rights abuse and corruption undermine the values that form an essential foundation of stable, secure, and functioning societies; have devastating impacts on individuals; weaken democratic institutions; degrade the rule of law; perpetuate violent conflicts; facilitate the activities of dangerous persons; and undermine economic markets. The United States seeks to impose tangible and significant consequences on those who commit serious human rights abuse or engage in corruption, as well as to protect the financial system of the United States from abuse by these same persons.

I therefore determine that serious human rights abuse and corruption around the world constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.

I hereby determine and order:

Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in:

(i) the persons listed in the Annex to this order;

(ii) any foreign person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General:

(A) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse;

(B) to be a current or former government official, or a person acting for or on behalf of such an official, who is responsible for or complicit in, or has directly or indirectly engaged in:

(1) corruption, including the misappropriation of state assets, the expropriation of private assets for personal gain, corruption related to government contracts or the extraction of natural resources, or bribery; or

(2) the transfer or the facilitation of the transfer of the proceeds of corruption;

(C) to be or have been a leader or official of:

(1) an entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, any of the activities described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section relating to the leader’s or official’s tenure; or

(2) an entity whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order as a result of activities related to the leader’s or official’s tenure; or

(D) to have attempted to engage in any of the activities described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section; and

(iii) any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General:

(A) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of:

(1) any activity described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section that is conducted by a foreign person;

(2) any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(3) any entity, including any government entity, that has engaged in, or whose members have engaged in, any of the activities described in subsections (ii)(A), (ii)(B)(1), or (ii)(B)(2) of this section, where the activity is conducted by a foreign person;

(B) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(C) to have attempted to engage in any of the activities described in subsections (iii)(A) or (B) of this section.

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the effective date of this order.

Sec. 2. The unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of aliens determined to meet one or more of the criteria in section 1 of this order would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, and the entry of such persons into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, is hereby suspended. Such persons shall be treated as persons covered by section 1 of Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions).

Sec. 3. I hereby determine that the making of donations of the types of articles specified in section 203(b)(2) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(2)) by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order would seriously impair my ability to deal with the national emergency declared in this order, and I hereby prohibit such donations as provided by section 1 of this order.

Sec. 4. The prohibitions in section 1 include:

(a) the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; and

(b) the receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person.

Sec. 5. (a) Any transaction that evades or avoids, has the purpose of evading or avoiding, causes a violation of, or attempts to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

(b) Any conspiracy formed to violate any of the prohibitions set forth in this order is prohibited.

Sec. 6. For the purposes of this order:

(a) the term “person” means an individual or entity;

(b) the term “entity” means a partnership, association, trust, joint venture, corporation, group, subgroup, or other organization; and

(c) the term “United States person” means any United States citizen, permanent resident alien, entity organized under the laws of the United States or any jurisdiction within the United States (including foreign branches), or any person in the United States.

Sec. 7. For those persons whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order who might have a constitutional presence in the United States, I find that because of the ability to transfer funds or other assets instantaneously, prior notice to such persons of measures to be taken pursuant to this order would render those measures ineffectual. I therefore determine that for these measures to be effective in addressing the national emergency declared in this order, there need be no prior notice of a listing or determination made pursuant to this order.

Sec. 8. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to take such actions, including adopting rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to me by IEEPA and the Act as may be necessary to implement this order and section 1263(a) of the Act with respect to the determinations provided for therein. The Secretary of the Treasury may, consistent with applicable law, redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States. All agencies shall take all appropriate measures within their authority to implement this order.

Sec. 9. The Secretary of State is hereby authorized to take such actions, including adopting rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to me by IEEPA, the INA, and the Act as may be necessary to carry out section 2 of this order and, in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the reporting requirement in section 1264(a) of the Act with respect to the reports provided for in section 1264(b)(2) of that Act. The Secretary of State may, consistent with applicable law, redelegate any of these functions to other officers and agencies of the United States consistent with applicable law.

Sec. 10. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, is hereby authorized to determine that circumstances no longer warrant the blocking of the property and interests in property of a person listed in the Annex to this order, and to take necessary action to give effect to that determination.

Sec. 11. The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is hereby authorized to submit recurring and final reports to the Congress on the national emergency declared in this order, consistent with section 401(c) of the NEA (50 U.S.C. 1641(c)) and section 204(c) of IEEPA (50 U.S.C. 1703(c)).

Sec. 12. This order is effective at 12:01 a.m., Eastern Standard Time, December 21, 2017.

Sec. 13. This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 20, 2017.

 

ANNEX

1. Mukhtar Hamid Shah; Date of Birth (DOB) August 11, 1939; alt. DOB November 8, 1939; nationality, Pakistan

2. Angel Rondon Rijo; DOB July 16, 1950; nationality, Dominican Republic

3. Dan Gertler; DOB December 23, 1973; nationality, Israel; alt. nationality, Democratic Republic of the Congo

4. Maung Maung Soe; DOB March 1964; nationality, Burma

5. Yahya Jammeh; DOB May 25, 1965; nationality, The Gambia

6. Sergey Kusiuk; DOB December 1, 1966; nationality, Ukraine; alt. nationality, Russia

7. Benjamin Bol Mel; DOB January 3, 1978; alt. DOB December 24, 1978; nationality, South Sudan; alt. nationality, Sudan

8. Julio Antonio Juárez Ramírez; DOB December 1, 1980; nationality, Guatemala

9. Goulnora Islamovna Karimova; DOB July 8, 1972; nationality, Uzbekistan

10. Slobodan Tesic; DOB December 21, 1958; nationality, Serbia

11. Artem Yuryevich Chayka; DOB September 25, 1975; nationality, Russia

12. Gao Yan; DOB April 1963; nationality, China

13. Roberto Jose Rivas Reyes; DOB July 6, 1954; nationality, Nicaragua

 

Culled from The White House



Cameroonians Pray for Peace on Christmas Day

26, December 2017

Cameroonians Pray for Peace on Christmas Day 0

This Christmas, both Christians and Muslims are praying for peace to return to Cameroon. Until a few years ago, the country never experienced serious violence or unrest; but, the Boko Haram insurgency in the north, the spillover of violence from the Central African Republic and the turmoil in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions have made life difficult for many.

Thirty youths representing churches and mosques are roaming the streets of Cameroon’s capital, urging everyone to pray that peace returns to the trouble spots of this central African state.

Among the singers is Bertrand Bayaga of the Full Gospel mission. He says he does not want more bloodshed in Cameroon.

Bayaga says he is praying for the government to be tactful and tolerant in finding solutions to all problems, because he does not want the country that their forefathers shed their blood for, to achieve its independence and unity, to be divided.

A nationwide prayer campaign was organized by pastor Jean Libom Li Likeng of the evangelical church of Cameroon.

The pastor says he organized the prayers to call on God to urgently come to the help of the Cameroon nation. He says through the massive participation and prayer he witnessed, he is satisfied that the country’s elite and people of God have understood that God is calling them to contribute in bringing peace to Cameroon.

Peace under attack

FILE - Christians breaking fast wtih Muslims at a mosque in Yaounde.

FILE – Christians breaking fast wtih Muslims at a mosque in Yaounde.

At the Yaounde central mosque, Imam Oumarou Issa says he is respecting the call for prayer because peace is under attack.

“Every one of us must apply the command of the almighty God to live in peace, in harmony with the other people everywhere,” he said. “We are and we must be, all of us, without any distinction, ambassadors of peace.”

Cameroon had not experienced any major challenges for decades. In the past few years, however, it has been enveloped by the bloody Boko Haram insurgency in the north, incursions from armed groups based in the C.A.R. and calls for secession from two English-speaking regions where many feel ignored by the country’s French-speaking majority.

FILE - A still image taken from a video shot on Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in front of a road block in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, Cameroon.

FILE – A still image taken from a video shot on Oct. 1, 2017, shows protesters waving Ambazonian flags in front of a road block in the English-speaking city of Bamenda, Cameroon.

Peter Ndzelen, who attended Christmas Day services at the Yaounde cathedral, says he especially hopes the government will engage in sincere dialogue with the secessionists.

“It is good to bring people together, [for them to] express your [their] minds, bring the advantages and disadvantages of one system [of government] or the other and you talk and agree. It is not a taboo. Do not think that the person who is claiming independence or anything is somebody who cannot even change his mind or sit at the table and talk,” he said.

Cameroon is due to hold parliamentary and presidential elections in 2018, with longtime President Paul Biya expected to seek a seventh term.

 

Source: VOA


Southern Cameroons Crisis: Biya regime announces unprecedented, wildly irrational spending binge

26, December 2017

Southern Cameroons Crisis: Biya regime announces unprecedented, wildly irrational spending binge 0

Of the 238.910 billion CFA francs accorded the Ministry of Defense during the recent controversial budgetary session of the National Assembly, 124.212 billion CFA francs will be spent on military hardware to combat the Southern Cameroon Defense Force.

Defense Minister, Jospeh Beti Assomo made the revelation and pointed out that Yaoundé intends to beef up Cameroon armed forces logistical, human, technical and operational aspects to “preserve the territorial integrity of the nation and ensure the safety of citizens and their property”.

“The goal is to win the war in the South West and North West regions” noted Mr. Beti Assomo. The Francophone member of government indicated that “no part of the South West and North West will be neglected and it is the question of providing appropriate answers to these two poles of insecurity in Anglophone Cameroon”.

Culled from Cameroon Intelligence Report


Moscow: Bus drives into pedestrian underpass, kills 5

25, December 2017

Moscow: Bus drives into pedestrian underpass, kills 5 0

Five people were killed when a city bus ploughed into a pedestrian underpass in western Moscow on Monday, traffic police said.

“A bus drove into a pedestrian underpass,” a traffic police spokesman, Artyom Kolesnikov, told AFP.

“According to preliminary information, five people died.”

There were also unconfirmed reports that some 15 people had been injured.

Footage broadcast on national television showed a bus driving down the stairs, running over several pedestrians.

The incident happened on Kutuzovsky Avenue, near the Slavyansky Bulvar metro station in the western part of the Russian capital.

This photo shows the bus which crashed into an underground passage in Moscow. (Photo by RT)

 

It was not immediately clear what caused the accident but Russian news agencies said that the driver had been detained.

The Interfax news agency said investigators were looking into whether the incident had occurred as a result of a technical fault with the bus.

“There are dead and wounded,” tweeted Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin. “We are providing emergency aid,” he said, offering condolences to families of the victims.

(Source: Agencies)


As Trump rages about Immigrants, Cameroonian sisters go to the Ivy League- New York Times

25, December 2017

As Trump rages about Immigrants, Cameroonian sisters go to the Ivy League- New York Times 0

Ten years ago, a family arrived in the Bronx from Yaoundé, Cameroon, not speaking a word of English. This Christmas, they are celebrating a feat that would be impressive for any family: Three of the family’s five daughters have been accepted to Ivy League universities.

In a year in which our nativist president would have you believe that immigrants are, at best, a job-stealing drain and at worst, criminals, rapists and people with AIDS, these three remarkable sisters are worth paying attention to. Not just because they are inspiring — they are — but because they are far better ambassadors for this country and exponents of its ideals than the 45th president.

“We brought the girls to this country because there are better opportunities here,” says Flore Kengmeni, their mother, who works as a nurse. “I don’t know of another country where you can try hard, work hard and get somewhere. Where you are given the opportunity to fulfill your potential.”

“This country is built on immigrants,” Francois de Paul Silatchom, their father, a professor of economics at SUNY, starts to say, before his middle daughter, Ella, a sophomore at Yale, interjects: “Our experience as a family is what America is.”

That experience is marked by hard work, optimism, resilience and a persistent sense of gratitude even to have the opportunity.

 All three girls admit it wasn’t easy. They recall sitting in class during their first year in America and not understanding what their teachers and classmates were saying. They remember being made fun of, but not really knowing why.

“Everyone spoke so fast and I guess we speak that fast now, too,” says Xaviera, the youngest of the three, who was accepted to Harvard earlier this month.

They turned to books for guidance. Their parents got the girls library cards and made reading mandatory — “Education is the most valuable asset,” the parents say repeatedly when we meet. The sisters were encouraged to read broadly, from “The Magic School Bus” to “ Harry Potter,” and they practiced English as a family in their two-bedroom apartment in the Bronx’s Pelham Parkway neighborhood.

By the end of their first year at their local public schools, the girls had learned enough English to take the state exams, and were excelling in their classes. But their parents were alarmed that they were finishing their homework during the school day and coming home bored. They asked teachers to assign their daughters more homework. But even that wasn’t enough.

“Something was wrong,” Mr. de Paul Silatchom says. “I started looking for schools that would challenge them and keep them busy. At a school fair, we learned about Democracy Prep.”

At Democracy Prep, a public charter school in Harlem where I met them one recent afternoon, the day begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Longer school days, many argue, allow teachers to spend more time on subjects other than math and English, and keep students out of trouble.

Francois de Paul Silatchom, left, poses for a portrait with his daughters (Left to right,) Xaviera, 17, Ella, 19, and Chris, 20, and their mother Flore Kengmeni, center, at their church on the Upper East Side.Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

Through the school’s Korean language program, the sisters were exposed to a culture completely different from their own, which sparked an interest in global affairs for all of them. Civics is a core part of the school’s curriculum, which Xaviera says showed her that, “Regardless of how disadvantaged you are in society, you have an advantage if you understand how our system of government works.”

“I learned so much here,” Ella says of the school. “And between that and our parents, my work ethic — our work ethic — really developed. Our parents required us to do an extracurricular, so sports or choir or whatever and that was for after 5 o’clock. That was normal for us.”

When the oldest, Chris, now a junior at Dartmouth, got into the college in 2014, friends and family were elated, but her parents made it clear that the work wasn’t over.

“The night I got into Dartmouth, Mom asked me, ‘Have you done the dishes?’ Getting in was exciting and I knew she was proud, but it was just a regular day,” Chris says.

“They haven’t ‘arrived,’ as people like to say, just because they are into Ivy League schools,” Mr. de Paul Silatchom says. “It’s a good start and a platform of opportunity.”

When speaking, the sisters transition seamlessly between New York-accented English and French, their first language. The irony that they landed at a school called Democracy Prep after immigrating from one of the world’s least democratic countries is not lost on them.

It’s something they’ve spent a lot of time thinking about as President Trump has rolled out various cruel immigration policies, from his proposed travel ban to, in September, rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA — an Obama-era program that protected the country’s approximately 800,000 undocumented youth raised in the country from being deported.

“It’s scary to see because this is not the country we know,” says Chris, who along with her sisters, became an American citizen in 2016. “America at its core is principled on immigrants. We came to this country to improve our futures and I feel as American as anyone born here.”

“These girls are more American than Cameroonian,” their mother says. “Can you imagine being undocumented? We were very lucky,” Xaviera adds.

Watching videos of immigration agents separating families in recent months has been particularly difficult for Ms. Kengmeni and Mr. de Paul Silatchom. “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for these children who go to school in the morning knowing they might come home at the end of the day to no parents,” Ms. Kengmeni says.

This year, Christmas break involves running around to pack for Chris’s semester abroad and attending three Christmas Masses, but the family is grateful to be all together, even if it’s for just a few days. They know they are the lucky ones.

Forty percent of Fortune 500 companies were founded or co-founded by immigrants or the children of immigrants. Watching Ella, Chris and Xaviera, I’d bet good money that they will join those ranks of these world-class leaders. But the question I find myself asking as I leave their school: Who are the young women the Trump administration is currently keeping out?

Culled from The New York Times



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