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'It's a great victory': Memphis Spanish-language reporter Manuel Duran wins political asylum case

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Manuel Duran, the Memphis Spanish-language reporter whose arrest at a 2018 immigration protest led to more than 465 days behind bars and sparked international attention, lawsuits and protests in Memphis, has won his political asylum case.
For years, Duran had faced the threat of deportation to his native El Salvador and had argued that if he were deported, he could be killed.
Duran had been free on bond since 2019 and continued to work for his online news outlet, Memphis Noticias. The Wednesday decision by a Memphis Immigration Court judge now means Duran has a clear path toward long-term legal status in the United States.

“I feel happy,” Duran, 46, said in a Spanish-language interview Thursday. “It’s a great victory and what can I tell you — I’m grateful for the work of the team of lawyers that represented me.”
Duran’s legal team comprised attorneys from the Southern Poverty Law Center and Advocates for Immigration Rights; the number of attorneys combined with widespread support of Duran gave the Memphis Noticias reporter a distinct advantage, his attorneys said.
Of the evidence presented to Judge David Russo in immigration court, it was Duran’s personal testimony that was most influential, said Gracie Willis, an attorney with SPLC.
“Manuel is a storyteller,” Willis said. “He talked about having been attacked, being stalked, being issued threats, his home being shot at . . . all of these really terrifying and threatening things that he really narrowly escaped by fleeing to the United States.”
Casey Bryant, the executive director of Advocates for Immigrant Rights, said Russo characterized Duran’s case as a perfect example of why political asylum laws exist.
“Because of his reporting prior to coming to the United States in 2006, the government threatened him in many, many ways on many, many different occasions,” Bryant said. “And it’s even more dangerous in El Salvador now, for journalists.”
The government of Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele has been accused of conducting secret talks with gangsters and taking hostile actions against journalists, including infecting their phones with spyware.

There was no guarantee that Duran would win his case — between 2001 and the present, 69% of asylum claims were denied in the Memphis Immigration Court, according to data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. Denial rates vary widely from judge to judge, with some judges in Memphis and across the U.S. at times denying about 100% of cases in a given year.
The transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden doesn’t necessarily mean that unauthorized immigrants facing deportation have a greater chance of winning an asylum case.
But newer policies under the Biden administration, Bryant said, mean there is “a greater willingness from the government not to pursue and the prosecution and removal of immigrants.”
An arrest at a protest
The story of Duran’s arrest and detention began on April 3, 2018. A group of activists planned a protest outside the criminal justice center at 201 Poplar to call attention to local authorities’ cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
Memphis police issued warnings for individuals in the streets to return to the sidewalk, though few complied initially.
Duran was doing a live internet broadcast of the protest when police started making arrests. He was the only journalist arrested in front of the criminal justice center, even as other journalists were documenting the melee in the street.
Prior to his arrest, Duran had been working in Memphis for years for Spanish-language radio stations and for his own online news outlet serving the Hispanic population. Despite his limited English, he had landed interviews with high-profile Memphians, including Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland.

Who is Manuel Duran?:A look at the arrested Memphis-based reporter facing deportation
Previous coverage:New federal lawsuit in Manuel Duran case targets Memphis, Shelby County governments
Prosecutor Amy Weirich quickly announced that her office was dropping charges against Duran.
But U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Duran shortly thereafter.
The reason: According to ICE, Duran had entered the United States illegally years earlier and missed an immigration court date in 2007. The court had issued a deportation order in his absence.
He spent time in detention centers including LaSalle in Louisiana and the Etowah County jail in Alabama, which had made headlines for its poor conditions.
A wide range of organizations advocated for his release. His fiancee, Melisa Valdez and her father, Daniel Valdez, led protests on his behalf and drove hundreds of miles to visit him.
In 2019 Duran won a breakthrough: An immigration judge ordered that he could be set free on bond while his asylum case was pending. Duran was back in Memphis shortly thereafter, and resumed his work through Memphis Noticias while his case continued to wind through immigration court.
Hearing grants Duran asylum
The nation’s immigration courts are extremely backlogged, and years passed before Duran had his appearance this week before an immigration judge.
The support Duran received over the last four years was out of the ordinary. Most bids for asylum go unnoticed. There is no right to an attorney in the immigration court system. Many immigrants go into a final asylum hearing with no attorney at all, facing off against an experienced government prosecutor who argues for their deportation. Not surprisingly, they often lose.
His attorneys say legal representation was one of the key factors in Duran’s success.
“This was like, six, seven attorneys over the course of four years. Not everybody has access to this level of representation,” said Willis. “If this is what it takes for someone like Manuel, numerous factors that are not available to everybody — that to me indicts the system a little bit.”
Duran says he would like to dedicate this legal victory to immigrants who have been detained or are currently detained. “The conditions in the detention center aren’t right. These people shouldn’t be detained in these centers.”
And he said he also would like to dedicate the victory to journalists who have been persecuted for doing their jobs by the Salvadoran president. “And I encourage them to keep going.”
Duran said he plans to keep working. “I think it’s going to be very important for me to continue my work, maybe now with a bit more confidence and freedom.” He said he loves doing his work and wants to keep helping his community and developing his career.
Minutes after hanging up the phone with a reporter Thursday, Duran began a Facebook Live broadcast from a job fair for the charity Goodwill Industries. He interviewed a Spanish-speaking staffer with Goodwill who highlighted benefits for new employees, including a $1,000 signing bonus. Duran encouraged people to come apply for jobs. Then he closed the broadcast:
“Thank you for trusting Memphis Noticias.”
Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal and can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.
Investigative reporter Daniel Connolly welcomes tips and comments from the public. Reach him at 529-5296, daniel.connolly@commercialappeal.com, or on Twitter at @danielconnolly.
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Ruud van Nistelrooy makes next job decision as Man Utd plan coaching appointment

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That decision failed to pay off, however, with the Red Devils sacking Moyes after just 10 months in charge.
After the current West Ham boss came Van Gaal, who arrived with big things expected due to his past success at the likes of Barcelona and Ajax.
Giggs was hoping to get the Red Devils job himself, which was why he stayed, but both ended up leaving nearly six years ago.
When Jose Mourinho took over, he opted to maintain his close relationship with Rui Faria – who had previously worked under him at clubs such as Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Fair departed in the summer of 2018, though, with Michael Carrick then given a place on Mourinho’s bench.
Carrick stayed to work under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the Norwegian also regularly picking up the thoughts of Phelan and Kieran McKenna throughout his spell in the dugout.
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High cholesterol: Blood pressure drug linked to significant reduction in good cholesterol

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“Though they’re commonly used to treat different forms of heart disease, beta-blockers can significantly reduce HDL levels.”
Among the beta-blockers that cause this are Corgard (nadolol), Inderal (propranolol), Tenormin (atenolol), Zebeta (bisoprolol).
These drugs are widely used in the treatment of angina, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, heart attack and high blood pressure.
But despite concerns about their effect on cholesterol, scientists stress that the benefits of beta-blockers far outweigh the risks.
VeryWell Health adds: “If your beta-blocker affects your cholesterol significantly, your doctor may lower your dose or switch you to a different medication.”
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Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez not on same page over Saudi Arabia GP after missile attack

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However, after a four-hour meeting between race officials and the teams, it was confirmed the race would go ahead despite the attack. It had been reported that a number of the competing drivers were concerned for their safety following the nearby explosion.
Despite this, an agreement was finally reached to race at 2:30am local time, after team chiefs left the lengthy meeting to confirm: “We will be racing.” A statement from Formula 1 confirmed Sunday’s race would go ahead as planned. It read: “Formula 1 has been in close contact with the relevant authorities following the situation that took place today. The authorities have confirmed that the event can continue as planned and we will remain in close contact with them and all the teams and closely monitor the situation.”
Unsurprisingly, there were a number of mixed views on whether the race should go ahead, and this is clearly apparent in the Red Bull setup. This comes after advisor Helmut Marko revealed that drivers Verstappen and Perez are not on the same page when it comes to racing.
JUST IN: F1 drivers ‘had concerns’ about Saudi Arabia GP as new details emerge after missile attack
On the issue, Marko told Sky Germany: “Max is a bit more relaxed about it. Perez is a little bit scared, but when you live in Mexico City there’s not much more security. We have the pandemic, we have the war in Europe and now we have a missile attack 20 kilometres away. This is no longer normal or pleasant.”
Ahead of tomorrow’s race though, the Austrian advisor is firmly on the side of Verstappen and the race officials, supporting the idea of the race taking place. He commented: “I really think it’s the right thing to do. As I said, these drone attacks are common, I think. They have a very good defence system. Why this one didn’t work remains to be seen. It’s not the first drone, after all. But it’s the first one to strike on such a scale.”
The attack took place during Friday’s first practice session, and it was Red Bull’s star man Verstappen who was one of the first to realise something was wrong after reporting on his team radio that he could ‘smell burning’. Initially, the Dutchman thought the smell was coming from either his or one of his rival’s cars, however it then became clear that an explosion had taken place just a few miles from the track.
Giving an insight into Verstappen’s initial worries, Marko said: “Max radioed us, he thought his car had caught fire because there was an intense burning smell. We were informed a drone had been sent from Yemen. The Saudis have a defence system and for some reason the drone was not intercepted.”
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