At a Gray Panthers local meeting today, a presentation on immigration brought out a couple notable facts:
Tom Homan, Trump's new head of ICE, also served there previously in the first couple years of Trump.01, when Trump did the Muslim ban and shut down the border. Homan is the president and CEO of a non-government volunteer organization called Border 911, whose mission, their website says, is to shut down the border, keep the vermin out, etc. The presenter says this group organizes civilian border patrols and is a vigilante hate group, "in effect, the Brownshirts."
Anti-abortionist attacks on legal abortion clinics: these have been escalating even in Michigan, where abortion clinics are completely legal. A number of such anti-abortionists have been arrested in recent years and tried in federal court, where they were convicted. But Biden's DOJ and the federal courts delayed sentencing until recently, with Trump's election, the decision came down to simply dismiss the cases.
immigration & abortion rights
Re: immigration & abortion rights
One more thing on immigration:
Michigan's two Democratic Senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, have announced plans to vote for the Laken Riley Act, the new bill which in effect, I guess (I don't know the details), gives Trump the go-ahead with his plans to deal with immigration the way he wants. One feature of it is that it authorizes state attorneys general (for example, of Texas) to overrule federal judges that rule against states as they carry out actions to shut down the border. Renegade states are authorized by the federal gov't to overrule federal law!
Michigan's two Democratic Senators, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, have announced plans to vote for the Laken Riley Act, the new bill which in effect, I guess (I don't know the details), gives Trump the go-ahead with his plans to deal with immigration the way he wants. One feature of it is that it authorizes state attorneys general (for example, of Texas) to overrule federal judges that rule against states as they carry out actions to shut down the border. Renegade states are authorized by the federal gov't to overrule federal law!
Re: immigration & abortion rights
more on Laken Riley: Wikipedia says the Act has two stipulations:
1) the federal DHS is required to detain (and deport) any immigrant charged with or arrested for any theft-related crime (not necessarily convicted, just picked up and possibly charged). Note that in order for DHS to follow this rule, it would require every local jurisdiction to report all theft-related crimes suspected to DHS and also require them to report the nationality status of every single person arrested. This would mean an immense expansion of local, state, and federal cooperation in law enforcement, and the direct supervision by the feds of every local law enforcement body. Right now, I don't think they have anything like that detailed supervisory power. They know generally how many crimes are being committed, but that's about all, I think.
2) It allows states to sue the federal government for violating the detention and removal requirements of the bill. If the feds in DHS are slow to deport someone the sheriff of a Texas county suspects of being Mexican, that sheriff can bring suit against the federal government to force it to obey the Laken Riley Act.
Immigration raids and mass deportations are supposed to begin this week, on Tuesday, in Chicago.
1) the federal DHS is required to detain (and deport) any immigrant charged with or arrested for any theft-related crime (not necessarily convicted, just picked up and possibly charged). Note that in order for DHS to follow this rule, it would require every local jurisdiction to report all theft-related crimes suspected to DHS and also require them to report the nationality status of every single person arrested. This would mean an immense expansion of local, state, and federal cooperation in law enforcement, and the direct supervision by the feds of every local law enforcement body. Right now, I don't think they have anything like that detailed supervisory power. They know generally how many crimes are being committed, but that's about all, I think.
2) It allows states to sue the federal government for violating the detention and removal requirements of the bill. If the feds in DHS are slow to deport someone the sheriff of a Texas county suspects of being Mexican, that sheriff can bring suit against the federal government to force it to obey the Laken Riley Act.
Immigration raids and mass deportations are supposed to begin this week, on Tuesday, in Chicago.
Re: immigration & abortion rights
enactment status of the Laken Riley Act
The House passed Laken Riley on Jan. 7, 264-159. I guess that means about 50 Democrats voted for it. The Senate has not yet had a final vote on the bill, but it's sure to come soon, as the Senate voted 61-35 to close debate on the bill, on January 17 (Friday). It looks like at least 10 Democrats will vote for it.
The House passed Laken Riley on Jan. 7, 264-159. I guess that means about 50 Democrats voted for it. The Senate has not yet had a final vote on the bill, but it's sure to come soon, as the Senate voted 61-35 to close debate on the bill, on January 17 (Friday). It looks like at least 10 Democrats will vote for it.
Re: immigration & abortion rights
i think the crucial thing about laken-riley's impact on the masses is its requirement on local authorities to arrest and deport not only immigrants convicted of serious crimes but also those only CHARGED with crimes. it is this aspect that non-immigrants are most likely to abhor. this obviously violates the right of these arrestees even to have a trial; once charged, they are guilty and soon gone.
i denounced this in the meeting yesterday of detroit postal apwu retirees and also managed to expose that democratic senator gary peters supports the bill along with a number of other democrats. this seemed to shock people but i did not get any direct feedback, only a general warmness.
i denounced this in the meeting yesterday of detroit postal apwu retirees and also managed to expose that democratic senator gary peters supports the bill along with a number of other democrats. this seemed to shock people but i did not get any direct feedback, only a general warmness.