In case anyone has any doubts, I want you to understand that in ICE detention centers there is no medical care. I have heard first hand accounts from detainees themselves. If you're unclear as to why - allow me to answer that. It's because they are purging the weak from the "herd" (much as they did with Africans on slave ships). They only want able bodied people for the slave force (ooh - space force/slave force - only 2 letters difference).
From ACLU:
Death of Moises Tino-Lopez, Age 23
Medical Condition: 2 major seizures in 9 days while in immigration detention; second seizure so serious that officers moved Moises onto a mattress on the floor.
Response: Officers reported each seizure to nurse. Moises wasn't seen by a doctor nor taken for testing to determine a cause.
Outcome: 4 hours after his second seizure, Moises was found unresponsive. He never regained consciousness.
I understand the that we need more prominent Americans to speak up. I wish they would join together and do that.
That said, we need to refrain from denigrating the only positive leaders we have.
For example Obama has not been sitting on his ass doing nothing. He has devoted considerable post presidential effort towards turning around state legislatures, which is critical work.
The GOP is doing everything they can to destroy his memory and dismantle his work. They want him to fail in our eyes.
They’ve nearly succeeded in doing that to elizabeth Warren.
They slime progressive leaders’ by saturating the media with negativity about those who have been heroes.
They feed the collective conscience with criticisms. They did that to HIllary.
Their strategy is to break us by destroying our leaders and allies.
If we become exhausted or overwhelmed, we need to focus our anger squarely on the perpetrators not our allies and helpers.
Laura my citizenship and passport is Canadian. I hold a U.S. conditional green card based on marriage that expires in September unless I file to remove conditions which I've already done. My situation isn't scary just worrying. My father just became a U.S. citizen, but I don't really have an interest in doing the same.
I have been almost out of the loop for the past three days only to read Elizabeth Warren's report on the detention horrors. I feel like the wind waa knocked out of me. Traveling from Oregon to Alaska during this time period I had a strangely synchronjstic opportunity to find an almost choreographed exchange of airport travelers on either side of my husband and myself get up and walk away and another set of travelors (a mother and her 16 year old daughter asked to sit by us.
Interestingly, they were also traveling to Juneau, lived on my nearby childhood island home, knew my sister in law, brother, and nieces family members we were staying with.
They were Muslim, immigrants from Afganistan, and the older son in the family was interning in Washington DC. hoping to major in political science in college and devote his life towards helping those in the same situation as his own immigrant family.
They had lived in the US for 10 years and were still very scared to be traveling in there unparalled times. Literally traveling across America from DC to San Francisco, Seattle to Juneau in 24 hours to race back to their new home and away from TSA and security checks for fear something might happen to them, too.
Here I am now, in this place I love so much with 18 family members gathering for a huge potluck dinner, yet my heart filled with complex emotions about love of home, family, state and the pioneer spirit my family share growing up into Statehood with our once intense pride, patriotism, sense of cultural and national identity suddenly feeling so conflicted about everything we once held dear as Americans.
I can only believe with all my heart, with tears filling my eyes as I think of Sima and Soson, my new Afgan friends and so many countless more facing this time in history with us.
I could only think this time in history, as this is not who we are, this is not how we treat others, families, children, human beings wanting a home too.
We are better than this, we can reach out, make connection, share our hearts, help one another and stand up for what we believe in. We just have to.
I appreciate all of the information, Natalie, Laura, Lynn, Zoron, Jeanne and Anita and others; as just this one Internet visit brought me access to all that can happen with just a few days without news.
Heart warriors, indeed!
Thank you.
.
Want to tell Laura F. and Lynnventura how grateful I am to you both for the work you do on this issue. You are on the front lines. You have kept us informed, up on where we can protest and donate, and I know you have been working hard even when your own hearts are breaking.
And all of you who have protested, volunteered, donated, or even just held these families in your heart-- you have my gratitude.
Yesterday was an amazing day of protest for the families.
There were protests in EVERY SINGLE state yesterday including conservative communities like Appalachia and Wyoming.
Here is the front page story in the Boston Globe. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/06/30/hundreds-thousands-march-across-protest-family-separation-policy/duMl12y3KbkuvXZ1D6InyL/story.html
At Trump's golf resort where he was staying in NJ they gathered: ‘‘Do you know where our children are?’’ one protester’s sign there asked.
Those protests sent a message. And many news stories about the separations keep emerging because we the people won't let up on our cries for those families.
I loved the signs that they highlighted in the article:
‘‘No more children in cages’’ and ‘‘What’s next? Concentration camps?’’ "Abolish ICE now!"
If ICE continues to take on an SS/ gestapo- like reputation, it will affect people's willingness to work for them.
One story that emerged gave me the feeling that the for-profit organizations who are building these facilities have adoption services in mind. There is a shadow group (just psychically thinking about this) who want to sell some of these kids. It's a lucrative business. And I wonder if it is legal since the parents left their kids behind to go back. We have to keep the pressure up until every single child is accounted for.
The kidnapping of these children (because that's what it is) is being litigated precisely because it's unconstitutional. Undocumented immigrants have constitutional rights (at least they still, who knows how the courts will rule in the future). There is a constitutional right to having your child in your custody unless you have done something to endanger your child, and even then you MUST BE AFFORDED DUE PROCESS AND THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL. A federal district court judge in California has ordered the administration to return all children to their parents with 30 days. I expect this won't happen on time, but at least for now the administration isn't appealing this ruling, which gives me hope.
Still, as Zoron and others have predicted, this is not only awful but will get worse. There's big money in jailing the adults and also big money that goes to resettlement agencies and foster care agencies to house the children. What's happening is a crime against humanity. What happens going forward is up to all of us -- call your congressman, demonstrate, tweet, re-tweet, donate to legal services organizations that provide assistance to immigrants, especially the ones close to the border. Those are on the front-front lines and they are small non-profits thus need resources. RAICES is a good one. Also the ACLU because it's handling all the federal litigation. (FYI -- I don't work for any of these.)
Will this end? I honestly don't see it ending soon. Zoron thinks it will get worse. I'm too close to this to get any clear impressions. But this is a human rights emergency, and the U.S. is becoming a pariah state for what it is doing. Made worse by the fact that none of this in necessary. It's all being done because of sheer cruelty and concocted reasons. There is no immigration emergency except for the one the administration has created.
Jeanne - my pleasure, really.
I've been feeling a lot of despair this week, I'm "low on spoons" and having a rough time. Coming on here to convene with like minds is very much a help. That and a long hike I did with hubby (followed by a decadent Thai meal). I am avoiding Facebook like the plague...
I am going to go to the local action here tomorrow, they have settled on 2 tracks: yellow - for those who want to march and be vocal but not get arrested and/or who are bringing kids; red - for those who want to engage in further acts of civil disobedience and likely get arrested. Thanks to my fatigue, I missed training sessions for the "red" track, so I won't be getting arrested. Several close friends of mine will also be on the "yellow" track. So I will be in good company. I'm too tired to go to the sign-making and meet-up locally tonight. ROSIEHEART - will you be at Chicano Park tomorrow morning? I think I will be among or beside the UU contingent...
I will let everyone know how this event goes. Thanks to all of you for following along on this issue. Going forward I plan to focus on registering voters, phone banking, and helping folks get to polls if needed. I threw one tarot card for this November's elections, and it came up Seven of Wands. I'm beginner level on tarot, but I think that it represents heroism in the face of struggle (?) with a successful outcome (?).
Big hugs and peace to all of you, I value our online community so much!
Hi, I am Rick. I am new here. Laura, can people show up to the protest in Chicano Park? If so, I am 3-4 hours away and there is nothing near me. Is it open arrival? If so, can I help and go on yellow line? I have no signs, but I want to participate.
I have been lurking on this site for a few months now reading everything. I can't hardly take it anymore. It's time I participated as I feeling the need to do something.
Oh, Jeanne, once again, all I have to do is visit here and everything I've missed from being off on a hike or a boat with my Alaskan family reunion, This site reconnects me with what's happening to my universal world family all over the state's, as those of us who grew up in territorial Alaska called the lower 48, and my tribe here.
My emotions are so close to the surface now that my heart and my eyes well up with tears just reading your post, Jeanne;but this time with immense pride in the resistance for inclusion
Here, in Juneau it was the March Against Family Separation:
So proud of all of these marchers, all of this news, all of the joining of heart and hands across America and the world. I remember at the last Predictions Viewing seeing this huge surge and knowing marches would escalate. When it wasn't immediate, i just thought my timing must be off once again.
Thank goodness for goodness, for spiritual warriors and warfare. I am far away in body only but one in spirit.
Love, love, love my tribe.
Michele, thank you for your heart-swelling words.
Rick, thank you for what you wrote: I can hardly take it anymore. It's time I participated , as I'm feeling the need to do something. Your words are healing. Protest marches are SOOOOO uplifting. The days I've spent in recent years were in marches. It is so uplifting to be with a mass of like-minded humanity. You feel sane again. Empowered. You feel community and that's what we need more than anything right now.
If anyone knows of any marches in Massachusetts or within 150 miles coming up, please let me know. I need one. Hell, I'll drive further if need be. A Declaration of Independence march.
Regarding finding a progressive leader -- Give me a leader who can unite everyone and I don't care if he or she says some things I don't like. I just want someone who can unite us all into action. We need to stick together. The GOP wants to divide us. Putin wants to divide us. The oligarchs want to divide us. Divide and conquer.
Elizabeth Warren would be an awesome leader. Look at her record. I'd love to see her with Bernie. Her visit to the detention centers was the most eye opening of all. That's her style. It's called telling the truth. She grew up working class. They both are truth sayers. And There are other good leaders. Kamala Harris, Schiff. Perhaps someone else will emerge.
But understand that the GOP will double down on whoever is a front runner. So we need to unite and not take the bait. We need to overwhelm their negativity by throwing all of our support to our front runner. So you didn't like Hillary and you got Donald Trump. Hillary was status quo. Trump is fascism. Camps. The end of health care, education, social security, and mostly the end of the environment which is global extinction. I wanted Bernie, but I would have taken Hillary any day. And I'll take any progressive any day who can unite us.
Truth will win in the long run.
Here's my mantra -- Progressives unite.