2019-08-01: News Headlines

Staff (2019-08-01). Democrats' Divisions Test Biden's Front-Runner Strength. truthdig.com DETROIT—The ideological divisions gripping the Democratic Party intensified on Wednesday as presidential candidates waged an acrimonious battle over health care, immigration and race that tested the strength of early front-runner Joe Biden's candidacy. | The former vice president was repeatedly forced to defend his decades-old political record against pointed attacks from his younger, diverse rivals, who charged that Biden's eight-year relationship with President Barack Obama was not reason enough to earn the Democratic nomination. | The attacks on Biden in the second presidential debate were most vivid com…

David Bacon (2019-08-01). On the Line: Crossing Over; Turning Back. progressive.org Mexico has deployed 6,000 troops to patrol the crossing points and strategic smuggling routes across the country—just one more barrier immigrants fleeing violence in Central America have to face.

Fight Back (2019-08-01). 'Never Again is Now' protest shuts down ICE in Minneapolis. fightbacknews.org Minneapolis, MN – A few hundred protesters blocked off all roads outside of the Whipple Federal Building here at a 'Never Again is Now' protest July 30, shutting down business as usual to demand that the government close the concentration camps at the U.S.-México border. | Hundreds of cars were blocked from leaving the building where Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is housed for several hours at the end of the work day. At the end of the action around 30 people were cited and released by Hennepin County cops. | The protest was organized by Jewish community members opposed to the camps at the U…

Andrew Korybko (2019-08-01). Is India Preparing to Unleash "Weapons of Mass Migration" in Kashmir? asia-pacificresearch.com

teleSUR (2019-08-01). Israeli Forces Kill Palestinian Man at Gaza Border. telesurenglish.net A Palestinian man was killed on Thursday morning while attempting to carry out an operation to break the siege on the Gaza region, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported. | RELATED: | Palestine Energy Initiative: Use Biomass to be Self-Sufficient | According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the operation was carried out by Hani Abu Salah, a Palestinian man in his twenties from the Gaza region. | The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced shortly after the attack that thre…

San Francisco-Bay Area Veterans For Peace (2019-08-01). Vigil to Expose Monsanto. indybay.org Union Square, Downtown San Francisco. Bordered by Geary Blvd. and Post Street; and Powell and Stockton Street.

Curt Wechsler (2019-08-01). No Concentration Camps! No Fascist USA! Trump/Pence Must Go! indybay.org Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) | 630 Sansome Street, San Francisco | This event is part of 30 Days of Action to Close the Camps…

Norma Smith (2019-08-01). Poetry to Close the Camps. indybay.org 630 Sansome St (Immigration and Customs Enforcement HQ)…

WSWS (2019-08-01). Body of Steve Caniàßo, killed in police raid, found in France's Loire River. wsws.org Prime Minister Edouard Philippe shamelessly declared that "no link" could be established between the police raid and Caniàßo's death.

WSWS (2019-08-01). Trump administration continuing family separations at US-Mexico border despite court order. wsws.org Just over a year after a district court ordered Customs and Border Protection to cease its policy of family separations at the Mexico-US border, the ACLU reports that children continue to be wrenched from their families.

Leon Kunstenaar (2019-08-01). Actions Against ICE Are Ongoing. indybay.org Block party to abolish Ice ends month of many anti-ICE events. | Photos and text: Leon Kunstenaar…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-08-01). Julian Castro, Cory Booker Not Allowing Biden to Avoid Responsibility for Obama Administration Immigration Policies. commondreams.org "One of us has learned the lessons of the past, and one of us hasn't." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/castro_kills.png

Editor (2019-07-31). Food security vs. 'border security'. workers.org As the whole world knows by now, Trump has launched major racist attacks on four congress members known as the "Squad" over the past couple of weeks. He ordered the women to "go back where they came from." Trump targeted the four because of their courageous and outspoken public criticism . . . | Continue reading Food security vs. 'border security' at Workers.org

Staff (2019-07-31). "We Don't Want Another President Obama": Activist Urges Democrats to Reframe Immigration Debate. democracynow.org Democratic candidates also sparred on immigration policy, from decriminalizing border crossing to providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants. We hear excerpts of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Plus we speak to Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer for RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.

Staff (2019-07-31). The Inconvenient Truth About Migration the Media Brush Off. truthdig.com Washington Post ( 4/16/19) | Journalists routinely dehumanize human beings crossing the southern border by comparing them to natural disasters like a " flood" or " deluge." But while migration has always been a natu…

United Nations (2019-07-31). Wednesday's Daily Brief: World Breastfeeding Week kickoff, Second Ebola death on DR Congo's eastern border,‚ÄØUN chief lauds climate activist Thunberg, Afghan bus attack, and outgoing UN agriculture chief hands over reigns. un.org Our main stories today cover: ‚ÄØWorld Breastfeeding Week kickoff, Ebola on DR Congo side of Rwandan border, 15-year-old Greta Thunberg to said to UN climate summit, UN chief condemns deadly Afghan bus attack and UN agriculture agency chief marks last day.

teleSUR (2019-07-31). 81 Venezuelans Return Home From Ecuador With Gov't Program. telesurenglish.net A total of 81 Venezuelans returned from Ecuador Tuesday, as part of the 'Return to the Homeland' program that has been promoted by President Nicolas Maduro's administration. | RELATED: | 180 Venezuelans Return Home from Peru | According to the Venezuelans returning their decision is mainly based on the unfulfilled expectations when migrating, lack of opportunities in the host countries, suffering from xenophobia and/or not having the resources to return by their own means. | The migrants were residing…

Staff (2019-07-31). On Direct Action and Trump's Immigration Agenda. truthout.org | | We are nearing the tail end of the latest round of reports of (and subsequent righteous uproar at) the ongoing crisis at the U.S./Mexico border and all things immigration. At different points over the last several weeks, folks have wondered aloud online about where was the immigrant rights movement? What could be done? | Speaking for myself, it's been difficult to produce a convenient answer (or even an inconvenient one that will work). I have felt pena ajena when I see that the only action step for people is to do…

Staff (2019-07-31). "We Don't Want Another Obama": Immigration Activist Urges Democrats to Be Bold. truthout.org | | Democratic candidates sparred on immigration policy, from decriminalizing border crossing to providing healthcare to undocumented immigrants. We hear excerpts of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, as well as Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Plus we speak to Erika Andiola, chief advocacy officer for RAICES, the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services. | TRANSCRIPT: | JUAN GONZÁLEZ: We're also joined by Erika Andiola of RAICES. Erika, I wanted to…

Rachel Hodes (2019-07-31). Abolishing ICE means ending an immigration system that terrorizes people. peoplesworld.org As I stepped inside the Cannon House Office Building on a Tuesday in July, I felt like I was taking a step towards a more just world. The night before, when I told my mother I planned to participate in a "Never Again" protest as part of #JewsAgainstICE, she had one question: "What exactly are …

United Nations (2019-07-31). UN working 'intensively' to stop Ebola in eastern DR Congo, following second case in major border town. un.org Senior UN officials tasked with controlling the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have responded to Tuesday's confirmation of a second case of Ebola in Goma, a major trading town in the vast country's restive east, near the border with neighbouring Rwanda, which resulted in the death of the patient.

United Nations (2019-07-31). Migration and the climate crisis: the UN's search for solutions. un.org Throughout human history, migration and climate have always been connected, but in the modern era, the impacts of the man-made climate crisis are likely to extensively change the patterns of human settlement.

Rachel Hodes (2019-07-31). What 'Abolish ICE' Really Means. commondreams.org www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/ice_5.jpeg

Staff (2019-07-31). 2nd Democratic Debate, Pt 1: Battle Over Medicare for All and Fixing Immigration (2/3). therealnews.com The debate allowed candidates to show how support for Medicare for All and humanity at the U.S. border are key issues in 2020. With guests Kimberly Moffit and Jeet Heer, hosted by Marc Steiner…

The Canary (2019-07-31). Failure to hold Irish reunification vote after no-deal Brexit 'unthinkable'. thecanary.co A failure to hold a vote on Irish reunification in the event of a no-deal Brexit is "unthinkable", Sinn Féin has told Boris Johnson.Party president Mary Lou McDonald and senior colleagues pressed the case for a border poll during a bilateral meeting with the prime minister at Stormont.Under the terms of the Good Friday peace accord of 1998, the incumbent Northern Ireland secretary must call a referendum on ending partition if there is evidence of a shift of public opinion in the region in favour of Irish unity.Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald and deputy leader Michelle O'Neill after speaking to…

Calvin Trillin (2019-07-30). Go Back Where You Came From: A Coincidence. thenation.com Go Back Where You Came From: A Coincidence…

Staff (2019-07-30). Four Immigrants Have Died at Stewart ICE Jail in Georgia. Advocates Want It Shut Down. democracynow.org A 44-year-old immigrant from Mexico died last week at Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest immigration jails in the United States and one that has been plagued by allegations of neglect and abuse for years. Pedro Arriago-Santoya was the fourth person to die at Stewart in just two years and the seventh person to die while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since October. An immigration judge had ordered Arriago-Santoya be deported in June. Instead, he was transferred to Stewart on July 10 as his removal proceedings continued. Two weeks later he was pronounced dead at a Georgia hospital.

Joshua Cho (2019-07-30). Media Downplay Climate Disruption's Ever-Growing Role in Driving Migration. fair.org Washington Post ( 4/16/19) | Journalists routinely dehumanize human beings crossing the southern border by comparing them to natural disasters like a " flood" or " deluge." But while migration has always been a natural…

Albert Bender (2019-07-30). Standing room only at Nashville immigrant and refugee rights forum. peoplesworld.org "I am a woman. I am a Mexican. My family lives in fear every single day"- Veronica Zavaleta NASHVILLE — Veronica Zavaleta, a homeowner, a business owner, mother, and immigrant gave a moving account of her feelings of terror at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her narrative was given at a public …

Larissa Pham (2019-07-30). Chia-Chia Lin's Haunting Immigrant Novel. thenation.com Chia-Chia Lin's Haunting Immigrant Novel…

Bryan Ellis (2019-07-29). Protesters in Bradenton defend the rights of immigrants and refugees. liberationnews.org On Sunday, seventeen people gathered at the Manatee County Courthouse in downtown Bradenton to demand an end to US concentration camps for refugees and mass deportations of immigrants.

Staff (2019-07-29). Baltimore Residents: Trump's Attacks on the City Are Rooted in "Racism and White Supremacy" democracynow.org President Trump is facing widespread outrage after describing Baltimore as a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" in tweets attacking Congressmember Elijah Cummings, one of the most prominent African-American lawmakers in Washington. Trump tweeted that Cummings's district is "considered the Worst in the USA," and said "no human being would want to live there." Trump's initial tweets came after Fox News ran a story about Baltimore and after Cummings criticized the conditions of immigration jails along the Mexican border. Officials across Baltimore and Maryland denounced the president's remarks, and The Balti…

Staff (2019-07-29). Headlines for July 29, 2019. democracynow.org Baltimore Pushes Back After Trump Calls City "Rodent Infested Mess" and Attacks Rep. Cummings, Gunman Kills 3, Injures 15 at Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, Shooting at Brownsville, Brooklyn, Block Party Kills 1, Injures 11, SCOTUS OKs Trump Plan to Use Military Funds for Border Wall, U.S. and Guatemala Sign Controversial Immigration Deal Despite Widespread Opposition, Dir. of National Intelligence Dan Coats Resigns, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Threatens Glenn Greenwald with Imprisonment, Miners Raid Tribe in Brazil, Killing Leader as Amazon Suffers Mass Deforestation by Illegal Loggers, Russian…

ACLU (2019-07-29). Supreme Court Order No 'Big Victory' For Trump's Border Wall. The Fight Continues. aclu.org The Supreme Court has not yet decided the case, or given Trump's abuse of emergency powers the stamp of approval. | Late Friday evening, the Supreme Court gave the Trump administration a temporary green light to begin construction of the border wall using military funds Congress denied. The order, while temporary and limited to specific wall projects where fencing already exists, threatens to permanently damage border communities, the environment, and our Constitution's separation of powers. | But it's not the "big victory" President Trump q…

Max Blumenthal (2019-07-28). How Joe Biden's privatization plans helped doom Latin America and fuel the migration crisis. thegrayzone.com On the campaign trail, Joe Biden has boasted of his role in transforming Colombia and Central America through ambitious economic…

Turkish Minute (2019-07-28). Turkey Mulling (Another) Military Operation in Northeastern Syria. theantimedia.com (TM) — Turkey's top military brass and Defense Minister Hulusi Akar held a security meeting on Thursday and discussed a potential military operation in northeastern Syria, immediately after three days of talks with a US delegation over setting up a safe zone along the Turkish-Syrian border. The Anadolu news agency reported that the meeting took place …

Staff (2019-07-26). Headlines for July 26, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration to Bring Back Federal Executions After 16-Year Hiatus, 44-Year-Old Mexican Immigrant Dies in ICE Custody, Trump Threatens to Impose Travel Ban on Guatemalans, Oklahoma Suspends Plans to Jail 1,600 Migrant Children at Fort Sill, 150 Migrants Feared Dead in Shipwrecks Off Libyan Coast, Five Dead as Europe Swelters Under Record-Setting Heat, "Unprecedented" Wildfires Scorch Over 1 Million Acres of Alaskan Forest, California and Automakers Agree to Fuel Efficiency Targets Opposed by Trump, Rep. Ilhan Omar Introduces Zero Waste Act as Part of Green New Deal, GOP Blocks Election Security Bills as S…

Ryan Gallagher (2019-07-26). We Tested Europe's New Lie Detector for Travelers — and Immediately Triggered a False Positive. theintercept.com 4.5 million euros have been pumped into the virtual policeman project meant to judge the honesty of travelers. An expert calls the technology "not credible."

Staff (2019-07-26). Judge Halts Trump's Asylum Ban That Represents a "Relentless Attack on the Very Idea of Asylum" democracynow.org A federal judge in San Francisco has temporarily blocked President Trump's plan to bar nearly all migrants from seeking asylum in the United States. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of California ordered Trump to continue accepting asylum claims, issuing a preliminary injunction against a rule that would block anyone who passes through a third country before arriving in the U.S. from applying for asylum. The rule would effectively stop people from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala from seeking refuge in the United States. The preliminary injunction came just hours after a federal judge in Washington…

Nausicaa Renner (2019-07-25). As Immigrants Become More Aware of Their Rights, ICE Steps Up Ruses and Surveillance. theintercept.com "ICE's mission is to apprehend people that it believes shouldn't be in our communities and it will go to great lengths to do that, particularly in the face of increased knowledge of rights."

Aaron Maté (2019-07-25). Trump openly terrorizes Central American migrants, whereas Democrats did it quietly. thegrayzone.com Roberto Lovato argues that while Trump's racist anti-immigrant rhetoric is unprecedented, US cruelty towards Central American refugees is longstanding, and…

Ai-jen Poo (2019-07-24). The Soft Power of Héctor Figueroa. progressive.org Wherever working people were hurting, he was ready to organize. From immigrant rights to taxi workers, he believed in the power of everyday people, when organized, to change everything.

Swathi Shanmugasundaram (2019-07-18). John Tanton's Legacy. splcenter.org John Tanton, the racist architect of the modern anti-immigrant movement, has left behind a legacy that spawned more than a dozen nativist organizations, driven an anti-immigrant agenda for four decades, and found friends in the White House.

splcenter (2019-07-17). SPLC sues Trump administration over new rule that makes migrants who pass through other countries ineligible for asylum. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners filed a lawsuit and an emergency motion this week seeking to block a new Trump administration rule that categorically bars asylum for migrants who cross the southern border without applying for and being denied asylum in any country that they pass through on their way to the U.S.

Ricardo Vaz (2019-07-17). Venezuelan Campesinos Released After Security Forces Raid. venezuelanalysis.com A prompt mobilization from popular movements managed to secure their release.

splcenter (2019-07-16). SPLC sues Florida officials over law requiring police to act as ICE agents. splcenter.org The SPLC and its partners sued top Florida officials today over a new state law that requires local police to act as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

splcenter (2019-07-11). Manuel Duran, journalist who reported on ICE, freed from detention. splcenter.org Manuel Duran, an investigative journalist who was detained after reporting on the collusion between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and local law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, was released today from ICE detention and will be reunited with his fiancée.

Paul Dobson (2019-06-10). Venezuela Partially Reopens Colombia Border, Closes Canadian Consulates. venezuelanalysis.com The move comes as a riot over fuel shortages in Merida leaves one dead.