The push for immigration reform, and what you can do
With a Friday deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security approaching, Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer on Sunday to a deal to keep the agency running, says The New York Times.
Democrats have demanded new restrictions on immigration enforcement as a condition for a new spending bill, after federal immigration officers killed two American citizens in Minnesota last month.
Among the 10 reform demands that Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, N.Y., and Chuck Schumer, N.Y., released last Wednesday are judicial warrants, no masks, displaying ID, body cameras, and a stop to racial profiling.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday that legal observers and officials in Minnesota say they’ve received a growing number of reports of federal agents impersonating construction workers, delivery drivers and in some cases anti-ICE activists.
A separate AP article focuses on people being held for extended periods in detention centers amid ‘dire’ conditions.
Here are some expert suggestions of specific reforms Congress could enact beyond Democrats’ current demands, compiled by the nonprofit law and policy journal Just Security.
“You have enormous power” to push back against ICE and Border Patrol abuses, says Robert Reich, economist, professor, author and secretary of Labor under President Clinton. Among his suggestions:
CoreCivic, formerly the Corrections Corporation of America, is the biggest owner and operator of ICE and Border Patrol detention centers and has a record of abusing detainees, Reich says.
“You and I are paying CoreCivic through our tax dollars. You can demand that our senators and representatives in Congress not fund the Department of Homeland Security until these abuses stop.”
“You may own CoreCivic indirectly” and can withdraw your savings from institutional investors, such as Black Rock and Vanguard, that are financing it.
You can tell the Democratic Governors Association, which has been accepting donations from CoreCivic, to stop.
You can write to CoreCivic.
You can boycott corporations that enable CoreCivic, ICE and the Border Patrol. Reich links to a long list.
To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Or you can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators.
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