Daily Archives: August 28, 2019

2019-08-28: News Headlines

Staff (2019-08-28). Orwellian Surveillance of Tohono O'odham Nation — A Test Case for Entire US Border? therealnews.com Will Parrish tells the story of how Israeli surveillance techniques originally developed to control Palestinians are now being used on Indigenous land near the border to control migrants, and could be expanded to the entire nation…

Mark Gruenberg (2019-08-28). As hurricane approaches Puerto Rico, Trump transfers funding to border cages. peoplesworld.org WASHINGTON—With Hurricane Dorian poised to smash into Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and then Florida, GOP President Donald Trump's decision to transfer disaster relief money and Coast Guard funds from those uses to — among other things — to build migrant detention camps in the Southwest has sparked outrage. The catch is that there's …

Joel Whitney (2019-08-28). How the U.S. Sowed the Seeds of Its Border Crisis. truthdig.com More than a few accusatory fingers point at the previous Democratic administration for enabling the violence that sent Hondurans into flight.

Staff (2019-08-28). Trump Reportedly Moving to Deport Kids With Cancer and Deadly Illnesses. truthout.org | | The Trump administration has reportedly ended a program which allowed immigrants with serious illnesses to temporarily remain in the U.S., a move by the White House that rights advocates decried as " a death sentence" for children receiving treatment for c…

R.R. (2019-08-28). Emergency Palantir Mass Mobilization to Stop ICE Terror. indybay.org An angry group of activists mobilized on August 23 at the headquarters of Palantir Technologies in Palo Alto. Just 3 days earlier Palantir renewed its ICE Investigative Case Management contract that enables ICE to track the every move of undocumented immigrants until 2022; protesters responded quickly and loudly. | Photos by Jack Owicki, Pro Bono Photo. Please credit the photographer.

Staff (2019-08-28). Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Near Libya. truthout.org | | At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leade…

WSWS (2019-08-28). New US public charge rule may deter immigrants from vaccinating children. wsws.org Fear of being denied permanent residency for using social services is already causing immigrant parents to avoid accessing essential medical services for their children.

WSWS (2019-08-28). Breaking: FBI raids UAW President Gary Jones' home, as workers vote to strike at GM, Ford and Chrysler. wsws.org The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Internal Revenue Service raided the home of United Auto Workers President Gary Jones and other UAW sites Wednesday morning, in a major escalation of the years-long US federal investigation into corruption and bribery of UAW leaders.

WSWS (2019-08-28). Australian Labor Party accuses government of "losing control" of borders. wsws.org Shadow home affairs minister Kristina Keneally condemned the government for allowing asylum seekers to arrive by plane.

Staff (2019-08-28). "We're in a Crisis of Deaths": Migrant Death Toll Tops 900 in Mediterranean as 40 Die Off Libya. democracynow.org At least 40 refugees and migrants are feared dead off of the coast of Libya after a boat carrying dozens of people en route to Europe capsized Tuesday morning in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Libyan coast guard, some 65 migrants and refugees, mostly from Sudan, were rescued with the help of local fishermen. With Tuesday's tragedy, the number of migrants and refugees who have lost their lives this year in the Mediterranean en route to Europe is up to 900. Meanwhile, far-right European leaders like Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini continue to criminalize refugees and migrants, as well as humanitar…

Jake Johnson, staff writer (2019-08-28). As Tropical Storm Dorian Barrels Toward Puerto Rico, Trump Shifting $155 Million in Disaster Aid Funds to Migrant Detention. commondreams.org "The money that could be used to help Puerto Rico will instead be used to detain more children and parents in concentration camps." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/puerto_rico_dorian.jpg

Jovanna Garcia Soto (2019-08-28). Violence Against Indigenous Hondurans Shows Us What Fuels Migration. commondreams.org People carry the coffin of indigenous leader and environmental activist Berta Caceres, Tegucigalpa, Honduras, March 3, 2016. (Photo: CNS/EPA/Stringer) | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/views-article/thumbs/screen_shot_2019-08-28_at_11.32.17_am.png

Staff (2019-08-27). Trump Is Politicizing the Power of Immigration Judges. therealnews.com Trump's administration is trying to decertify the immigration judge's union, speed up trials, and make it easy to overturn their decisions. TRNN discusses the memo quoting a white supremacist website that was sent to immigration judges…

RT (2019-08-27). Racy Instagram model says moderator is demanding $2.5K a month to keep her pics online. rt.com Instagram model Amouranth, who's attracted some 1.6 million followers with her borderline erotic snaps, has found herself in the middle of a mystery extortion plot — and she says the blackmailer is an Instagram employee. | When social media starlet Kaitlyn Siragusa, known as Amouranth on Instagram and Twitch, was first notified that Instagram had removed a post for violating the platform's rules, she saw nothing out of the ordinary, given her typical pulse-raising content. But days later, she received a chilling email. A person claiming to work for Cognizant — a company hired to police content guide…

Ted Rall (2019-08-27). Freedom of the Press? Not in the U.S. counterpunch.org The United States ranks 48th among nations for press freedom, according to Reporters Without Borders. Since few other countries have the equivalent of our First Amendment, learning that we rank below Botswana and Slovenia may come as a surprise. Mostly the organization pins this dismal state of affairs on Trump's attacks on the news media. More

United Nations (2019-08-27). Football is 'refuge for those who have left everything'; UN initiative aims to bolster well-being of refugee, migrant children in Peru. un.org Sport brings people together "regardless of conditions or flags", a senior United Nations official in Perú said on Tuesday referring to a new initiative launched over this past weekend to promote the well-being of children and youth in Lima's refugee and migrant communities through football.

Harry Blain (2019-08-27). Should We Fight a War on White Terrorism? counterpunch.org Although its precise scale is hard to measure, violent white supremacy is clearly a problem in the United States. From El Paso to Pittsburgh, the fears and fantasies of an immigrant invasion, a liberal Jewish betrayal, and a righteous race war have motivated surgically targeted slaughter. With law enforcement — especially the Federal Bureau of More

unitedEditor (2019-08-26). The End of the Greater Middle East Project: The Case of Kurdistan. uwidata.com Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 presidential elections has had dire implications for the American "Greater Middle East" project which has guided US foreign policy in the Middle East since it was first put forward in 2003. Trump's reorientation toward internal US problems (migration, economy, protectionism), the emergence of new geopolitical rivals (China and Iran) …

Janine Jackson (2019-08-26). 'It's an Attempt to Impose a White Nationalist Vision of What America Is' – CounterSpin interview with Sasha Abramsky on new attack on immigrants. fair.org Janine Jackson interviewed author Sasha Abramsky about Trump's new attack on immigrants for the August 23, 2019, episode of CounterSpin. This is a lightly edited transcript. | Media…

Fight Back (2019-08-26). Protesters block traffic at MN State Fair, demand end to police crimes. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On August 24, protesters shut down a light rail train, blocked traffic and shut down the main entrance to the Minnesota State Fair. The protesters demanded justice for victims of killer cops, an end to ICE raids, concentration camps and family separation, and an end to deadly U.S. interventions and blockades against foreign countries. Trump supporters and racists heckled, filmed and attacked the protesters, but failed to block the protesters' message, and no serious injuries occurred. | This was the fifth annual protest of the Minnesota State Fair. The initial protest was in response to the murder…

United Nations (2019-08-26). Monday's Daily Brief: UN chief talks climate action at G7, WFP official visits camp in Central African Republic, Deadly violence at Lesvos migrant centre, Security Council meets on AU-UN Darfur mission. un.org A recap of Monday's stories: UN chief urges more action from G7 leaders to tackle 'climate emergency'; WFP official visits camp for displaced in Central African Republic, UN refugee agency calls on Greece to keep young migrants safe after deadly incident at Lesvos reception centre; and Security Council considers work of AU-UN Mission in Sudan's Darfur region.

Staff (2019-08-26). Headlines for August 26, 2019. democracynow.org World Leaders Pledge Amazon Help as Trump Sends Mixed Signals About China at G7 Summit, Iran's Foreign Minister Zarif Makes Surprise Appearance at G7 to Hold Talks with European Officials, Protesters Call Out G7 Leaders over Corporate Ties, Climate Inaction and Inequality, Wildfires Continue to Consume Amazon as Public Outrage Grows, Police Deploy Water Cannons, Fire a Live Warning Shot at Hong Kong Protesters, Attacks in Lebanon, Syria and Iraq Add to Mounting Tensions in Middle East, EU Countries Say They Will Relocate Migrants Stranded on Ship After 2-Week Standoff, 200,000 Rohingya Refugees March for "Genocid…

Will Parrish (2019-08-25). The U.S. Border Patrol and an Israeli Military Contractor Are Putting a Native American Reservation Under "Persistent Surveillance" theintercept.com Elbit Systems, which touts its products as "field-proven" on Palestinians, was contracted to build a high-tech surveillance system on Tohono O'odham land.

Staff (2019-08-24). Trump's Concentration Camps for Children. therealnews.com This week, the Trump Administration declared that immigrant children can be detained indefinitely, and in conditions that can be described as concentration camps. We talk to Sasha Abramsky of The Nation…

Glen Ford (2019-08-24). Blacks don't blame immigrants for the boss's crimes. mronline.org Large proportions of African Americans registered strong opposition to building a wall on the southern border, keeping undocumented people in limbo, and mass deportations. | Source

CounterSpin (2019-08-23). Sasha Abramsky on Trump's New Attack on Immigrants. fair.org Media…

Neri Felipe (2019-08-23). Escuelita àìscar Romero in Philadelphia builds unity in the face of anti-immigrant terror. liberationnews.org The Escuelita àìscar Romero, a program of the Philadelphia branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation which primarily serves recently arrived Central American children, just concluded its first summer camp.

splcenter (2019-08-23). Weekend Read: ICE's deliberate cruelty. splcenter.org Five days after taking office, President Trump signed "Enhancing Public Safety in the Interior of the United States" — an executive order calling for the hiring of thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and the use of state and local police to enforce immigration law.

Fight Back (2019-08-23). Activists demand Minnesota divest from border militarization contractor. fightbacknews.org St. Paul, MN – On August 22, immigrant rights and Palestine solidarity activists presented over 1000 signatures of Minnesota residents petitioning the State Board of Investments (SBI) to divest state pension funds from the Israeli defense contractor Elbit Systems. Elbit sells cluster bombs and weaponized white phosphorus to the Israel Defense Forces, whose indiscriminate use on besieged Gaza has been widely condemned by international organizations. Elbit also manufactures surveillance equipment for the Israeli apartheid wall, and drones used in targeted assassinations of Palestinian political leaders. | Advertisi…

United Nations (2019-08-23). With security improving in DR Congo's Kasai, thousands of refugees head home from Angola. un.org As security has improved in the restive Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), some 8,500 refugees have left the Lóvua settlement in Angola's north-east Lunda Norte province in the past week, hoping to cross the border and return home, according to the UN refugee agency.

Staff (2019-08-23). Sen. Merkley Condemns Trump's War Against Migrant Families as U.S. Moves to Indefinitely Jail Kids. democracynow.org The Trump administration is moving to indefinitely detain migrant children and their families, reversing decades of U.S. policy. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services is expected to issue a new rule today to withdraw from a 1997 federal court settlement known as the Flores agreement, which put a 20-day limit on migrant family detentions. We speak with Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who made headlines last year when he was barred from entering an old Walmart where the government was detaining about 1,500 immigrant children in Brownsville, Texas.

ACLU (2019-08-22). A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing. aclu.org Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…

Norman Stockwell (2019-08-22). 'Anti-alien Hysteria:' Journalist Elizabeth Glendower Evans and the Trial of Sacco and Vanzetti. progressive.org In a case perhaps more relevant now than ever, the trial of the two immigrants became a rallying point for 1920s progressives, labor activists, and human rights advocates around the globe.

Staff (2019-08-22). Headlines for August 22, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Administration Proposes Jailing Migrant Families Indefinitely, Federal Budget Deficit to Top $1 Trillion in 2020, Satellite Data Show Brazilian Amazon Burning at Record Pace, Brazilian President Bolsonaro Blames Environmentalists for Amazon Fires, Wildfires Rage in Alaska, Canary Islands, Siberia and Greenland, Gov. Jay Inslee, Champion of Climate Fight, Drops 2020 Presidential Bid, Activists Disrupt Event Honoring House Speaker Pelosi to Demand Trump's Impeachment, Abdalla Hamdok Sworn In as Sudan's Prime Minister, Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activists Mark Anniversary of Subway Attack, Mexico's Zapatistas Exp…

Staff (2019-08-21). Meet Alvaro Enciso, the Artist Placing Crosses in Sonoran Desert to Memorialize Migrant Deaths. democracynow.org More than 3,000 human remains have been found in the Sonoran Desert, most of them of migrants fleeing their home countries to embark on an uncertain and perilous journey to the United States. On a recent visit to the Arizona borderlands, Democracy Now! accompanied Tucson-based artist Alvaro Enciso into the desert at the site where he placed four unique markers to honor four immigrants killed in a car accident years ago as they fled from Border Patrol. In the past five years, Enciso, who is originally from Colombia, has built and installed over 900 crosses across the treacherous Sonoran Desert in Arizona as part o…

Staff (2019-08-21). Headlines for August 21, 2019. democracynow.org Amazon Wildfires Spark Fears of Environmental Disaster as Sà£o Paulo Goes Dark from Smoke, Trump Expected to End Flores Agreement, Slashing Protections for Child Migrants, CBP Will Not Vaccinate Jailed Migrants as Doctors Say At Least 3 Detained Children Died from Flu, Lawsuits Allege "Torture" in Migrant Jails and Child Abuse in Foster Care, Italy in Turmoil as Prime Minister Resigns, Migrants Disembark from Rescue Ship in Italy After Being Stranded at Sea for 3 Weeks, Trump Cancels Denmark Visit over Refusal to Discuss Selling Greenland, Trump Attacks Tlaib & Omar, Says Jews Are "Disloyal" If They Vote De…

ACLU (2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…

splcenter (2019-08-19). SPLC, allies sue ICE for ignoring medical, mental health and disability needs of detained immigrants. splcenter.org Faour Abdallah Fraihat, who ran a successful construction business for years in California, is currently in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Eric Buerk, member UFCW (2019-08-17). Mississippi raid shows ICE = unionbusters for the capitalist class. liberationnews.org There have also been previous allegations that ICE was serving as a private army for the capitalists.

Camden Goetz (2019-08-17). ICE raids protested in Queens, NY. liberationnews.org "Liberation, not deportation!"

John McDevitt (2019-08-16). Trump uses Medicaid as weapon against disabled immigrants. liberationnews.org The administration's contempt for disabled people is only matched by its virulent racism and anti-immigrant bigotry.

splcenter (2019-08-13). SPLC joins brief opposing Kansas law targeting immigrants. splcenter.org The SPLC and 29 worker and immigrant rights organizations filed an amicus brief today urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold a court decision stating that a Kansas identity theft law cannot be used to turn local law enforcement into immigration agents.

Jeff Abbott (2019-08-13). The Other Americans: In Guatemala, Indigenous Residents Appeal to the President Over Stolen Land. progressive.org With a newly elected leader, hundreds of Mayan Mam families still await restitution—or face migrating north.

Alexa Isais (2019-08-09). Miles protestan en Phoenix por abusos a niños en centros de detención de ICE. liberationnews.org Los eventos en Phoenix, incluido el valiente enfrentamiento con los matones de la policía que conllevó a 16 arrestos, así como la solidaridad tras los arrestos, demuestra la creciente determinación de un movimiento de solidaridad con todos los migrantes y refugiados, no solo aquí en Arizona, sino en todo el país.

Brian Becker (2019-08-09). El Mago Trump: el verdadero propósito del racismo y la xenofobia. liberationnews.org Trump no quiere que estas personas le echen la culpa de su sufrimiento al robo, la avaricia y la corrupción de los súper ricos y los mayores banqueros y jefes corporativos. Se protege a sí mismo y a sus amigos multimillonarios mediante el uso de tácticas fascistas para satanizar a los pueblos "minoritarios," inmigrantes y grupos socialistas.

splcenter (2019-08-08). SPLC statement on Mississippi immigration raids. splcenter.org Southern Poverty Law Center Attorney Julia Solórzano, with the SPLC's Immigrant Justice Project, issued the following statement on today's workplace raids in Mississippi:…

Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-08). Venezuelan Campesinos' March on Miraflores Blocked by Police. venezuelanalysis.com The mobilization marked the one-year anniversary of the Admirable Campesino March.

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.