Tell Congress to Support Dialogue in Nicaragua, not Impose More Sanctions
House Resolution 981 calls on the U.S. government to more aggressively employ the Magnitsky Act as a means to sanction individual members of the Nicaraguan government, while also condemning violence in Nicaragua. The stated goal is to support democracy, but the text of the resolution is not based on a balanced accounting of what has transpired in the country over the last three months.
Haiti Protests: More than Gas Prices
Update: Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned today (Saturday, July 14). Details here.
Here are those missing documents from the DOJ's July 3rd Press Release
Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III celebrated Independence Day by issuing a press release touting his decision to rescind 24 guidance documents related to juvenile justice, immigration, school safety, and racial discrimination.
When reporters and lawyers went to work searching for these documents on agency websites, several had already been removed.
Is Rap More Dangerous Than Rape?
Last month, a priest in Kenya, Father Paul Ogalo started his year-long suspension, his offense: rapping during Mass.
Immigration: In the wake of Trump's executive order, we still have a lot of work to do!
Last Wednesday Trump signed an executive order to end the policy of separating children from families at the border. The order still mandates that children be put in detention with family members, and does not apply to the over 2,300 children who have already been separated in recent weeks - in total, over 10,000 children are currently in detention. Some of these children may never see their parents again.
Guidance for Jeff Sessions and other news
Yesterday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services released a Policy Memorandum offering guidance for border officers in dealing with asylum cases, in accordance with Jeff Sessions’ ruling that domestic violence and gang violence will no longer constitute credible fears for asylum applications.
Update on Nicaragua: The National Dialogue is back on...for now
Following fighting between the Nicaraguan government and protestors in mid-April during which nearly 50 people were killed in four days, the National Dialogue was set up as a means to discuss the conflict and work toward justice for the victims of the violence. At the table are the government, representatives of the national university system, labor unions, and the opposition Civic Alliance for Justice and Democracy, composed of students from the April 19th Movement, the Superior Council of Private Enterprises, and representatives of "civil society" organizations.
The Gospel According to Sanders
Yesterday, Sarah Sanders stood at the White House podium in her most realistic 'person-suit' and defended the Trump administration’s family separation policy, saying, “It is very biblical to enforce the law, that is actually repeated a number of times throughout the Bible.”
What the media is getting wrong about violence in Nicaragua
The situation in Nicaragua seems to worsen with every day, and the framing of the conflict in international media has worsened with it.
287(g) and the Community
In an effort to become more effective advocates on questions related to immigration, several team members at the Quixote Center have joined Sanctuary DMV as trained acompañantes. Accompaniment involves showing up to support our immigrant neighbors when they must engage with government authorities - or even private contractors - to comply with their immigration proceedings.
Update on Nicaragua: Interview about Situation in Masaya
Over the last week there has been an increase in violence in Nicaragua. In Masaya several people were killed, government buildings burned, a market ransacked, and ongoing blockades of the roads leading into the city. Much of the media attention about the ongoing political crisis in Nicaragua has ignored the conflicts in cities outside of Managua, or focused solely on accusations of excessive force by the police.