7/4/19
NATIONAL
ISSUES
(Including Emails & Twitter)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
Or use StampsLicked to
have messages hand-delivered to our own legislators: https://stampslicked.org/
White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
CONTINUED IMMIGRATION ATROCITIES: As the awareness grows of the Trump
administration-made humanitarian crisis, there are many ways we can help. Past Rogan’s List suggestions are still appropriate to work
on: http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/06/62519-nationalissues-deplorable.html and http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/06/62719-please-note-that-rogans-list.html
and http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/07/7219-nationalissues-addresses-district.html Here are more:
IMMIGRANT DETENTION CAMPS: Public pressure is continuing on
the government to do something about the horrific conditions of the immigrant
detention camps, and now the government’s own inspector general is confirming
what we have known to be true. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/02/us/politics/border-center-migrant-detention.html and https://www.npr.org/2019/07/02/738179391/dhs-inspector-general-finds-dangerous-overcrowding-in-border-patrol-facilities
On Tuesday, a coalition of immigrant rights groups organized a series of
national demonstrations. Activists in Boston, San Francisco, and other cities
blocked streets and engaged in civil disobedience. https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/07/02/protest/OuNM4jlpelhNw0GlwcLEYL/story.html?, and https://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2019/07/02/close-the-camps-protests-san-francisco-bay-area/. Now that the issue has
hit a central nerve, we must keep the issue in the spotlight. One simple way to
do this is to order
and display a free Close the Camps sticker from MoveOn. Let’s also read the report from the inspector general’s office and spread the
information through our social media networks.
PROTEST ICE SUPPORT “NEVER AGAIN IS NOW”: “We
Jews know in our ancestral memory what the precursors to ethnic cleansing look
like. They look like roundups and mass deportations. They look like detention
camps where ‘undesirables’ are concentrated and segregated away from the
general population—also known as concentration camps. They look like
dehumanizing conditions were vulnerable people die of exposure and medical
neglect. They look like what is happening to undocumented people, asylum
seekers, and refugees in America today,” writes one of 36 Jews who was arrested
on June 30 protesting at an ICE detention center in New Jersey.
https://forward.com/opinion/426881/i-was-one-of-36-jews-arrested-protesting-ice-never-again-is-now/ Let’s
visit Never Again’s website and check out their downloadable toolkit, join or
organize an event (they’ll coach you through it!), or just sign up to stay
connected: https://www.neveragainaction.com/
CONGRESSIONAL BILL ON “ASSISTANCE” TO BORDER CAMPS: While we are pleased that both
Democratic presidential candidates and primarily Democratic Congressional
delegations are visiting some of these detention centers and publicly
describing the conditions as they are, https://thehill.com/latino/451379-dem-outrage-grows-over-conditions-at-border-detention-centers
, we still need
to hold Democrats responsible for caving to Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell and voting for an aid package that puts few checks on the care and
oversight mandates in these facilities. Let’s find out how our Senators and Representatives voted and let any who voted yes
know that we hold them personally responsible for the conditions that these
people are facing.
IMMIGRATION
- ICE: Deloitte Government &
Public Services, a branch of Deloitte Consulting LLP, continues to contract
with ICE, despite protests from its employees last summer (https://nyti.ms/2LaMrtV, https://bit.ly/2NwE81d). McKinsey & Company, a fellow consulting firm, ended its work with
ICE almost a year ago, after Customs & Border Patrol and ICE's family
separation practices became public. Let's call on Deloitte CEO Dan
Helfrich to finally end its contracts with ICE: Email: dhelfrich@deloitte.com, Phone: (571) 882-8308. Sleeping
Giants has an email template/call script we can use here.
ARTISTIC UPRISING AGAINST IMMIGRANT DETENTION AT EL PASO
BORDER: Performing
Artist and Playwright Eve Ensler is calling other artists to join in a vigil at
the El Paso Border on July 5th. https://news.artnet.com/art-world/eve-ensler-artistic-uprising-el-paso-1588960?fbclidWe can find out more at onebillionrising.org/artisticuprising
MIGRANT
DETENTION LOCATIONS: United
We Dream has posted an amazing resource for us to use in finding out
where migrants are being held in detention nationwide, complete with
information like the address (and a local map), who and how many are being held
and for how long, who is paying and how much is being spent per person,
etc.: https://closethecamps.us/ This site offers resources, like posters, a
great deal of information about ICE and the CBB, and the capacity to find or
initiate an action near us. Many “close the camps” actions occurred on
Tuesday, but we must organize actions everywhere and all the time until these
camps are closed! Let’s use and circulate this tool!
FINING OF IMMIGRANTS: In its
unceasing effort to frighten immigrants, the Trump administration is seeking to
fine some immigrants, who are in the United States illegally, for "failing
to depart the U.S. as previously agreed." In the past month, the
Department of Homeland Security sent out notices across the country to targeted
individuals ordering them to pay fines of up to nearly $500,000, the amount
charged a woman who has been in sanctuary in an Ohio church for two
years: https://www.npr.org/2019/07/02/738059913/trump-administration-sends-out-notices-of-500-000-fines-for-those-in-u-s-illegal We
should point out the injustice and absurdity of this latest move to the White
House and to the DHS: 202-282-8495 or Kevin K. McAleenan, Acting Secretary of
Homeland Security, Washington, D.C. 20528.
BOND FOR ASYLUM-SEEKERS: Thanks
to US District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, Attorney General William Barr
will not, for the time being, be able to deny bond hearings to asylum seekers;
finding Barr’s plan unconstitutional, she wrote “these Plaintiffs and many
members of their class face the real and imminent threat of bondless and
indefinite detention absent the relief they seek": https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/451456-federal-judge-blocks-barr-order-on-indefinite-detention-for-asylum Let’s
tell Barr what we think of the idea of holding asylum seekers indefinitely in
US concentration camps: 202-514- 2000 or 202-353-1555 or DOJ, 950 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW, Washington DC 20530-0001.
IMMIGRATION JUSTICE: Some
Members of Congress have visited the border to see for themselves the
conditions that the US is forcing asylum-seekers to live under. Every. Single.
Member of Congress should be doing this, because how can they legislate
properly if they don’t have a handle on the problem? RAICES, an
immigrant and refugee aid organization, is making it easy for us to tell our
lawmakers that we want them to visit the border—let’s do so here: https://www.raicestexas.org/visit-the-border
TALKING POINTS FOR CALLS TO
CONGRESS ABOUT TREATMENT OF IMMIGRANTS:
If we are looking for talking points to guide us when calling our
Congress members about the cruel and inhumane treatment of aspiring asylum
seekers and immigrants, we can refer to this list from Families
Belong Together Long Island when we make our calls: 1) Express our disappointment
with the vote for border aid and that lacked any oversight of the spending and
any protections for children, 2) Demand that no chid be held at processing
centers over 72hrs, 3) Demand that no child be held in a detention facility
over 20 days, 4) Demand that children have ready access to appropriate
pediatric care, food, water and sanitary conditions both at border facilities
and detention centers, 5) Demand that children not be separated from parents or
relatives unless a certified child welfare expert determines that keeping them
together poses a genuine threat to the child, 6) Demand that our reps call out
the secret separation of thousands of children separated during the year before
zero tolerance was announced that have never been reunited as the crime against
humanity that it is and demand accountability for the crime that this was, and
7) Demand that Congressional Representatives be allowed immediate access to any
facility at any time.
DEFUND ICE AND CBP: The
appropriations process for FY 2020 is underway in Congress. Trump has requested
billions in funding for ICE, CBP, a wall, family separation, human cages and
deprivation, and raids on communities. Only Congress can appropriate the funds.
Only Congress can withhold them. Let’s contact our US Representative
and also the House Appropriations Committee (202-225-2771;
https://appropriations.house.gov/contact) and
tell them to: 1) Cut
funding for ICE and CBP to pre-Trump FY16 levels, and 2) Support an amendment to cut $387
million for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations—we don’t want ICE to have a
slush fund for terrorizing communities.
(h/t
Indivisible)
4TH
OF JULY ON THE MALL: Now that Trump has chosen to
hijack the celebration of the 4th of July on the mall with an overly
expensive one hour show of force and ego, we need to question the cost and
concern ourselves with what is not being done with money that was already
appropriated for other issues. “The National Park Service is diverting nearly
$2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve
parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s
Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals
familiar with the arrangement. Trump administration officials have consistently
refused to say how much taxpayers will have to pay for the expanded celebration
on the Mall this year, which the president has dubbed the “Salute to America.”
The two individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the
sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the transfer of the Park Service funds
Tuesday.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/white-house-gives-tickets-to-trumps-july-fourth-extravaganza-to-gop-donors/2019/07/02/9109a566-9ce0-11e9-b27f-ed2942f73d70_story.html?utm_term=.7207f17640b0&wpisrc=nl_most&wpmm= and https://www.npr.org/2019/07/02/737144875/tanks-flyovers-and-heightened-security-trumps-fourth-of-july-ups-taxpayer-cost
and https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/03/politics/fact-check-trump-on-cost-of-july-4-salute-to-america/index.html And, if this gathering turns
into a political rally, ethics rules will be breached: https://www.newsweek.com/trump-july-4-parade-military-ethics-parade-1447245 Several TV stations have already decided not
to air this. We can choose not to watch his political takeover of our
holiday. Let’s support our National parks that had no choice in supplying funds
for this event. Take a day to visit a park or historical place nearest us: https://www.nps.gov/carto/app/#!/parks
PBS CONTINUES ITS “A CAPITOL FOURTH” TRADITION: Totally separate, and starting later
than Trump’s extravaganza, tonight, July 4th, is PBS’ A Capitol Fourth is
continuing its 39-year tradition of being
Washington, D.C.’s America’s celebration. Both PBS and Carole King (one
of the performers and a national icon in her own right), clearly state that A
Captiol Fourth has nothing to do with Trump’s even earlier in the evening. https://deadline.com/2019/07/carole-king-capitol-fourth-performance-donald-trump-fourth-of-july-1202641307/
and https://wtop.com/fourth-of-july/2019/05/a-capitol-fourth-will-go-on-separate-from-trumps-planned-july-4-celebration/ Let’s watch this heartwarming American
tradition. Starts at 8EST on PBS.
TRUMP TAX LAW: Not surprisingly, under the new tax
law, individual taxpayers paid $90 million more to the IRS and businesses paid
$91 million less. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/american-taxpayers-paid-nearly-100-billion-more-to-irs-under-trump-tax-law-194900782.html?
Since the promised jobs never materialized from these tax advantages, let’s ask
our MoCs what they are planning to do to change this disparity.
CENSUS/CITIZENSHIP QUESTION: At last we have some
very good news: following the recent Supreme Court ruling, thanks to the ACLU,
the Trump administration will be moving ahead with printing the census form
without the citizenship question which is a significant victory:
https://apnews.com/9193a30c38c345a88997020b6b958d9f However, afterwards, Trump once again changed his
mind and said it was back on the table and he wants it on the census. ACLU had a response: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/451655-aclu-threatens-legal-action-if-trump-admin-attempts-to-add-census
If we are able, let’s make a donation to the ACLU in gratitude:
PUBLIC COMMENT NEEDED (Corrected Link): From one of our own: Comments
and actions week ending July 7, 2019 includes more Alaska, Drinking water,
Nuclear weapons, LCBTQ health, Redefining how the government measures things -
poverty rates, pollution index. LGBTQ and Trans rights, RoundUp, HUD targeting
undocumented residents:
ELECTION/VOTING
VOTING: Voter ID laws can be confusing and
intimidating. Vote Riders helps people navigate the system so that they are
empowered to vote. Let’s volunteer to provide assistance to voters who
need help with voter ID: https://www.voteriders.org/get-involved/volunteer
VOTING RIGHTS: Gerrymandering undermines
democracy, and the GOP has been using it extensively to consolidate power
since 2010. Let's not forget that Democrats gerrymander too, though, which
corrodes democracy as well
(https://www.npr.org/2019/07/03/737754949/to-gerrymander-or-not-to-gerrymander-thats-the-question-for-democrats). Fixing
this problem means ending all gerrymandering, and since national demographic
trends show growing support for a more progressive society/government, we don't
have to cheat to win (unlike the GOP!). Let's fight for democracy
and a better society, simultaneously, by opposing gerrymandering and
supporting fair redistricting efforts like those of the National Democratic
Redistricting Committee: https://democraticredistricting.com/get-involved/
STATE
SPECIFIC ISSUES
CA: UNFAIR BAIL: “Advocates
say that one of the most effective ways of reuniting children and families is
to pay their bail. The minimum bail to rescue a
guest of our concentration camp system starts at $1500 a head per federal law and has no upper limit, reaching
as high as $250,000. Under Trump, both immigration court
judges and ICE
officials are increasingly denying bond requests altogether, or setting them
at amounts in excess
of $10,000,
deliberately making them unaffordable for many immigrant families.” https://indivisibleventura.org/2019/07/02/tues-7-2-immigration-judges-and-ice-are-deliberately-using-high-bail-to-fill-up-jails-tell-our-legislators-to-stop-this-abuse-and-and-have-a-sale-on-bail/
Let’s ask our legislators to lower minimum bail from $1500 to $100 and to
recycle that $1500 into a maximum bail cap.
ME: FIND A PROTEST, VIGIL OR RALLY AGAINST DETENTION CAMP
CONDITIONS: As we look for ways to speak
out against the terrible conditions in Trump’s Detention Camps and to urge our
Members of Congress to protect immigrant families from further unjust and
inhumane treatment, we can check out Suit Up Maine’s list of protests,
rallies, and vigils in our state and find one that is right for us: https://www.suitupmaine.org/close-the-camps-protests/
MI: IMMIGRATION: It has become clear that more transparency
and accountability is needed throughout our immigration system. The Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, a nonprofit
law office, is asking that we take a first step in doing this in Michigan by
creating an "Immigrant Child Welfare Ombudsperson to monitor and address
the special needs of immigrant children in state and federal custody in
Michigan," (https://bit.ly/2JjXS2X). Let's
contact Governor Whitmer and ask her to establish an ombudperson who can
coordinate with state and federal agencies to not only track immigrant children
who have been separated from their families, but to also provide accountability
for their treatment and living conditions within the state of Michigan: Mail:
P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909. Phone: 517-373-3400, 517-335-7858
(Constituent Services)
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
CONCENTRATION CAMPS:
We know the news coming out of the concentration camps is only going
to get more grim as the days go on:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/02/migrant-detention-center-overcrowding-report-inspector-general Let’s
attend one of the many vigils on July 12thvia Lights for Liberty.
There are now over 440 protests in all 50 states and many other countries:
https://www.lightsforliberty.org/
NATIONAL NETWORK ASSEMBLY: The first
National Network Assembly, made up of hundreds of local grassroots leaders
organizers from around the country is happening in Des Moines, IA, August 22
to 25. https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs/nationalnetworkassembly
There will be workshops, sessions, and meetings in
which participants will strategize, plan, and learn skills to take home to
their groups. The 2019 National Network
Assembly will
strengthen the connective tissue between grassroots groups by bridging multiple
networks and organizations that represent over 1,000
leaders across all 50 states. We can
find more information, register to attend, and donate to the scholarship fund
here: https://www.nationalnetworkassembly.org/
We can use this document to invite others to attend: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKWdGLESqQYFVIa3JXQrtsXO9zrZv7ihCdGfnmSZ0-M/edit
READING/WATCHING
Videos shot by Congressman Joaquin Castro from the El Paso
Border Station - https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/joaquin-castro-immigrant-detention-center-heartbreaking-photos-videos/
What the Texas and Terezin
Camps Have In Common by Mary Dingee Fillmore
- http://maryfillmore.com/what-the-texas-and-terezin-camps-have-in-common/
Read Planned Parenthood's short report about the status
of women's rights to health care in the US. State of Emergency for Women's
Health -https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/state-of-emergency
Glennon Doyle raises $2 million for child immigrants in
48 hours: When blogger and author
Glennon Doyle heard about children suffering in U.S. detention centers, she
turned to her 'army of fierce-hearted strangers." - https://www.today.com/parents/glennon-doyle-raises-1-mil-child-immigrants-24-hours-t157039
What a Pediatrician Saw Inside a
Border Patrol Warehouse - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2019/07/border-patrols-oversight-sick-migrant-children/593224/
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We can stay up-to-date on Congress by checking out their
schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
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