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MORNING MESSAGE
Jeff Bryant
Separating refugee and immigrant children from their parents at the border isn’t just a cruel injustice to the families affected; it’s also good business, and the latest enterprise wanting in on the action is a Texas-based charter school chain connected to the operator of detention centers reaping the biggest share of federal government contracts. In developing its collaboration of charter schools with migrant children detention centers, Southwest Key seems to be perverting the idea of an authentic prison-to-school pipeline designed to rescue children from deep injustices and harm. Instead of behaving as a public institution operating altruistically for the benefit of these vulnerable and traumatized children, Southwest Key is following in the pathway of an opportunistic industry.
ACLU Hosts Texas Border Protests
“>ACLU hosts hundreds at ‘Keeping Families Together’ immigration rally in Texas. USA Today:“On Thursday, the American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Texas, along with several pro-immigrant organizations from around Texas, partnered for a protest rally in front of the federal courthouse in Brownsville. The rally brought hundreds from Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, as well as major cities from across the country. Titled “Keeping Families Together,” the rally aimed at keeping the conversation about immigrant rights alive in the national arena. Organizers spoke on behalf of immigrant parents they have met in the last month, including one named Velma from Guatemala. “Donde estan mis hijos?” asked Christina Patino Houle, RGV Equal Voice Network on behalf of the immigrant woman who was detained on May 22 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and separated from her son. The event was the brainchild of Natalie Montelongo, a Brownsville native and national campaign strategist for immigrant rights for the ACLU.”
Both Sides Gird For SCOTUS Fight
The fate of the Supreme Court could ride on these 2 senators. Politico: “Sen. Susan Collins took a notable phone call Thursday as she enters the eye of the Supreme Court confirmation storm: It was White House counsel Don McGahn, sounding out the moderate Maine Republican in what she called a “preliminary discussion” of the high court vacancy. Republicans control the Senate by a single seat and Arizona Sen. John McCain has been absent for months. That means any single GOP senator has enormous sway over President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick. None matter more than Collins and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who also received her own call from McGahn on Thursday. Then on Thursday evening, the two were part of a small group of bipartisan senators to meet directly with the president himself. A year ago, the two moderate Republicans, along with McCain, stopped Obamacare repeal in its tracks while helping to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. Now, as they weigh how to replace the retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, the two are about to be squeezed more than ever — by liberals seeking a Republican to stop the court from outlawing abortion rights, among other potential conservative rulings, and by their fellow Republicans looking for a show of party unity on a hugely consequential vote. But the two senators said Thursday they won’t simply fall in line behind whomever Trump nominates.”
Some ICE Agents Want Agency Abolished
More than a dozen ICE agents call to dissolve agency. The Hill: “More than a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents have signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen calling to eliminate ICE and shift its work to another bureau. At least 19 ICE investigators signed the letter to Nielsen, saying they were concerned that the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration was preventing them from carrying out the agency’s other duties. Investigators “have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross border crimes impacting our communities and national security,” the letter states. The agents who signed the letter are members of Homeland Security Investigations, a section of ICE.”
Riot Police At Portland ICE Protests
Protests at Portland ICE facility draw federal agents in riot gear. CBS: “Department of Homeland Security agents formed a barricade around an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Oregon, after protesters blocked access to the facility. Protesters have been gathering outside the facility for over a week. Trevor Ault of CBS affiliate KOIN-TV.”
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