By DIDI TANG

WASHINGTON (AP) — An immigration judge on Wednesday granted asylum to a Chinese national who he said had a “well founded fear” of persecution if sent back to China after exposing human rights abuses there.

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Guan Heng, 38, applied for asylum after arriving in the U.S. illegally in 2021. He has been in custody since being swept up in an immigration enforcement operation in August as part of a mass deportation campaign by the Trump administration.

The Department of Homeland Security initially sought to deport Guan to Uganda, but dropped the plan in December after his plight raised public concerns and attracted attention on Capitol Hill.

Guan in 2020 secretly filmed detention facilities in Xinjiang, adding to a body of evidence of what activists say are widespread rights abuses in the Chinese region, where as many as 1 million members of ethnic minorities, especially the Uyghurs, have been locked up.

During Wednesday’s hearing in Napanoch, New York, Guan was asked if his intention in filming the detention facilities and then releasing the video a few days before arriving in the U.S. was to give him grounds to apply for asylum. He said that was not his goal.

“I sympathized with the Uyghurs who were persecuted,” Guan, speaking by video link from the Broome County Correctional Facility, told the court through a translator.

Guan knew he had to leave China if he wanted to publish the footage, he told The Associated Press in a recent interview. He went first to Hong Kong and from there to Ecuador, where Chinese tourists could travel without a visa, and then to the Bahamas. He released most of his video footage on YouTube before taking a boat to Florida in October 2021.

Guan told the judge he didn’t know whether he would survive the boat trip and wanted to make sure the footage would be seen. After the video was released, police in China questioned his father three times, Guan said.

The Chinese government has denied allegations of rights abuses in Xinjiang, saying it runs vocational training programs to help local residents learn employable skills while rooting out radical thoughts, and has silenced dissenting views through a range of coercive means.

Guan’s lawyer, Chen Chuangchuang, said in his closing statement that the case is a “textbook example of why asylum should exist” and that the U.S. has both a “moral and legal responsibility” to grant Guan asylum.

In making his ruling, Judge Charles Ouslander told Guan the court found him to be a credible witness and that he had established his legal eligibility for asylum. He said Guan was right to fear retaliation if sent back, noting that the Chinese government had questioned his family and inquired about Guan’s whereabouts and his past activities.

It was an increasingly rare successful outcome for an asylum seeker since President Donald Trump returned to office. The asylum approval rate dropped to 10% in 2025, down from 28% between 2010 and 2024, according to federal data compiled by Mobile Pathways, a California-based nonprofit that helps immigrants navigate the U.S. legal system.

Guan, however, was not immediately released because the lawyer for the Department of Homeland Security said the department reserves the right to appeal. It has 30 days to do so, but Ouslander urged DHS to make its decision soon, noting that Guan has already been detained for about five months.

By MATTHEW DALY

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Wednesday took a step toward rolling back a rule that limits smokestack emissions that burden downwind areas in neighboring states.

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The so-called “good neighbor” rule is one of dozens of regulations that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has targeted for reconsideration or repeal. The Supreme Court ruled in 2024 that the EPA could not enforce the rule, which is intended to block coal-fired power plants and other industrial sites from adding significantly to air pollution across state lines.

The EPA said Wednesday it is proposing to approve plans by eight states to regulate ozone air pollution as they see fit. If finalized, the states “would no longer need to worry about another ‘Good Neighbor Plan’” subject to approval by the federal government, the agency said.

The affected states are Alabama, Arizona, Kentucky, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico and Tennessee. Under President Joe Biden, the EPA disapproved or proposed disapproval of ozone plans submitted by all those states. The state-specific plans did not sufficiently control ozone emissions that travel across state lines, the Biden-era agency said.

Zeldin said Wednesday that under President Donald Trump, the EPA is committed to advancing what Zeldin called “cooperative federalism” that allows states to decide for themselves how to attain air pollution goals.

“Today, we are taking an important step to undo a Biden administration rule that treated our state partners unfairly,” Zeldin said in a statement. If finalized, the EPA plan will ensure that “these states will be able to advance cleaner air now for their communities, instead of waiting for overly burdensome federal requirements years from now,” he said.

Zeldin criticized what he said was the Biden-era agency’s “heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all, federal mandate” to address air pollution from smog-forming ozone.

Under the proposal announced Wednesday, “EPA finds that the eight (state plans) have adequate data demonstrating these states are not interfering with ozone attainment” required by National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the agency said. The action also indicates EPA’s intent to withdraw proposed error corrections for state plans submitted by Iowa and Kansas.

In the near future, EPA intends to take a separate action to address “interstate transport” obligations for the remaining states covered in the final, Biden-era “Good Neighbor Plan,” the agency said.

Environmental groups said the EPA proposal would reward states for being bad neighbors. Air pollution from heavily industrialized Midwestern states such as Indiana and Ohio frequently reaches East Coast states such as Connecticut and Delaware.

“Once again, Donald Trump and Lee Zeldin are choosing to protect aging, dirty and expensive coal plants and other industrial polluters over strong federal clean air protections that address interstate pollution problems,” said Zachary Fabish, a Sierra Club lawyer.

“Letting states off the hook while their pollution continues harming air quality in neighboring states is dangerous,” Fabish said, and will make “Americans sicker and pay more for energy while doing so.”

EPA will accept public comment for at least 30 days after the rule is published in the Federal Register.

By STEVEN SLOAN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Elizabeth Kautz says she now carries her passport around the Minneapolis suburb where she’s been the mayor since 1995.

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“Those ICE agents don’t know that I’m the mayor of the city of Burnsville,” Kautz, a Republican who has occasionally diverted from the Trump administration’s views, said Wednesday as the United States Conference of Mayors opened its meeting in Washington. “I could be coming out of a store and be harassed so I need to make sure that I have credentials on me.”

Her comments reflected a sense of frustration and exasperation hanging over the gathering of mayors, which would typically be a venue for leaders to strategize over issues ranging from affordable housing and transit to climate change and addressing urban violence.

But much of that was overshadowed by the fallout from the killing of Alex Jeffrey Pretti by two federal agents in Minneapolis on Saturday, reigniting a national debate over the Trump administration’s aggressive law enforcement tactics, which have often focused on cities.

“There has been no more urgent challenge facing all Americans these past few weeks than the chaos in Minnesota stemming from an unprecedented surge in immigration enforcement,” said Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a Republican who is the conference’s president this year.

Multiple mayors said they appreciated President Donald Trump’s nod this week toward deescalating the federal government’s operation in Minnesota, adding that they agreed with the administration’s goal of deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes.

But they also described a dynamic in which they’re facing pressure from constituents to evict federal agents from their cities — something they can’t do — while struggling to align with federal counterparts.

The surge has had a notable impact even in cities that haven’t faced the brunt of the federal government’s pressure like Minneapolis.

“When trust is lost in how laws are being enforced in one city, we feel the risks to our police officers and to our residents in all cities,” said Leirion Gaylor Baird, the Democratic mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Asked about the mayors’ concerns, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin responded: “Have they seen the plummeting murder rates? It’s not a coincidence when you remove tens of thousands of gang members, murderers and known and suspected terrorists from the country who were here illegally.”

Holt said the White House hasn’t invited the mayors for a meeting while they’re in town this week. Trump has repeatedly put the onus on local officials to cooperate with federal law enforcement, saying Wednesday on social media that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was “PLAYING WITH FIRE” for saying his city won’t enforce federal immigration laws.

Jerry Dryer was the police chief in Fresno, California, for 18 years before he was elected mayor in 2020 as a Republican. He said he wasn’t in Washington to “bash” ICE or the administration and expressed appreciation for Trump’s work to secure the U.S.-Mexico border.

But he criticized the way federal immigration enforcement has been implemented and said ICE was “being rejected” by communities across the U.S. In the process, he warned, trust in law enforcement is in peril.

“In order to gain that trust, we have to police neighborhoods with their permission,” he said. “We cannot be seen as an occupying force when we go into these neighborhoods.”

Jim Hovland, the nonpartisan mayor of Edina, Minnesota, a suburb just south of Minneapolis, described “external forces” that are tearing “at the very fabric of our communities that we’re responsible for shepherding.”

“It’s really hard to figure out how to deal with it,” he said.

For as slow as this offseason has felt for the Minnesota Twins, consider that at this point last year, the Twins had yet to sign Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe or Ty France, their most significant moves of the offseason. All three signings came in February, in the days leading up to spring training.

In just two weeks, the Twins will gather once again in Fort Myers, Fla., but at TwinsFest, the team’s annual fan convention, club officials acknowledged there’s still work to be done this offseason, particularly in the bullpen.

Kody Funderburk #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the seventh inning of game two of a doubleheader at Comerica Park on April 13, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Duane Burleson / Getty Images)

The Twins added first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Victor Caratini in free agency. They also reunited with left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers on a one-year deal.

They have made smaller roster additions, as well, such as a minor trade for reliever Eric Orze. But a bullpen that was stripped down at last year’s trade deadline remains an area of concern.

For president of business and baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Jeremy Zoll, there is time to tweak.

“For better or worse, (they) have a history of adding pieces late,” new executive chair Tom Pohlad said. “I’m sure you are going to continue to see that. We know that we have to continue to improve the bullpen, and we’re going to continue to be opportunistic about creative pieces that can improve this team across the field.”

Zoll acknowledged he and Falvey feel they have the financial flexibility to add players, though many of the top free-agent relievers already have inked deals. He also mentioned trade opportunities and noted he felt the trade market was starting to “open up more as some of the dominoes are falling across the rest of the league.”

“I think that feels like the most obvious opportunity for us to find ways to raise the floor and improve the club, so we’ll keep working on that and figure it out,” Zoll said of adding to the bullpen.

The bullpen became offseason need No. 1 after last year’s trade deadline when their top five relievers — Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louie Varland, Brock Stewart and Danny Coulombe — were sent to contending teams as part of a massive sell off in which the front office shipped off 11 players.

With Rogers now in the mix along with fellow southpaw Kody Funderburk, who should have a leg up on a spot after a strong end to last season, adding a right-hander — or possibly multiple — to join the likes of Cole Sands and Justin Topa seems to be a particular focus.

Aside from trades and free agency, the Twins have been having ongoing conversations about which starting pitchers could be potential bullpen candidates. That’s a path that has produced some of the best Twins relievers in recent years, including Rogers, Duran and Jax. Prospect Connor Prielipp is a name that is often talked about possibility for that.

“I think we’ve shown the ability to build bullpens well in the past in creative ways and different ways,” Zoll said. “They can look like really strong bullpens in a lot of different configurations and how you allocate resources there. So I’m looking forward to working through that.”

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – SEPTEMBER 03: Justin Topa #48 of the Minnesota Twins reacts as he exits the field after pitching to the Chicago White Sox in the ninth inning at Target Field on September 03, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The White Sox defeated the Twins 4-3. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

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