We told y’all.
Senate Democrats plan to block a sweeping government funding package after U.S. Border Patrol agents killed a man in Minneapolis on Saturday — and a partial shutdown now looks likely at the end of the week….
Democrats said they could not vote for legislation to continue U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s funding without changes to how the agency operates.
“What’s happening in Minnesota is appalling — and unacceptable in any American city. Democrats sought common sense reforms in the Department of Homeland Security spending bill, but because of Republicans’ refusal to stand up to President Trump, the [Department of Homeland Security] bill is woefully inadequate to rein in the abuses of [Immigration and Customs Enforcement.] I will vote no,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-New York) said in a statement. “Senate Democrats will not provide the votes to proceed to the appropriations bill if the DHS funding bill is included.”
While this may seem like the Democratic Party has finally decided to have some backbone, it’s also important to know that there are other alternatives. For instance, we could pass a law that lets “federal courts review INS decisions, restoring judicial discretion, eliminating mandatory detention and indefinite detention, and eliminating the retroactivity of IIRAIRA that punishes immigrants for minor offenses from long ago.”
We need an official government position similar to a public advocate that has the power to investigate complaints from detention facilities and punish ICE officers who abuse their power. Or what if Congress had to approve any changes in the Department of Homeland Security instead of the president? Of course, if ICE didn’t exist, we wouldn’t need to consider these remedies.
Well, if hindsight is 20/20, what do you call Black people’s foresight?
Today’s Reading List:
In Trump’s Feud With John Lewis, Blacks Perceive a Callous Rival by Yamiche Alcindor
50 Years Later: I’m Still Standing with Selma by John Conyers
ICE officials set quotas to deport more illegal immigrants by Spencer S. Hsu and Andrew Becker
Top Democrat Slams DOJ Terror Guidelines by Kate Snow
