Trump Uses ICE To Scare

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The Supreme Court ruled today that Trump can mass fire people at Federal agencies, and dismantle agencies. The justices’ order is technically only temporary, guiding how the administration can proceed while the challenge to Trump’s plans continues. But in practice, it means he is free to pursue his restructuring plans, even if judges later determine that they exceed presidential power. Even though he will be able to do a lot of damage quickly, I happily read into that that this is not settled; there will be more appeals.

But in another story in the NY Times, it is reported that numerous liberal foundations are quietly raising $250 million to help civil groups push back against President Trump. Apparently, the scale of the collaborative undertaking has turned heads in the tightly networked world of philanthropy. Recipients of the money would be nonpartisan nonprofits, not politicians. “The ultimate beneficiaries could include groups or individuals that file lawsuits against the government, provide security and safety for activists, or underwrite news media organizations or nonprofits seen as essential to the functions of democracy.” This effort is shrouded in secrecy, lest word gets out about the indiviuals and organizations involved, which could lead to retribution from Trump. Here is more information.

I was appalled to read today about the large scale actions of ICE in a park in Los Angeles.

cnn

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Multiple reports say that ICE agents in tactical gear, along with National Guard, swarmed McCarthur Park in LA, marching in formation in a frightening and “egregious show of force,” according to LA Mayor Bass. Tanks and mounted troops took over the park where children were enjoying their time at a day camp. It appears no one was apprehended and the purpose is unknown— except that it is most certainly was done to scare LA residents. To add to this horrible story, FOX News was ebedded with the military. McCarthur Park is the hub of the most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Here is Mayor Bass talking to reporters.

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The cities in this country who have the most immigrants have to be forceful in pushing back, and so far they have been. Los Angeles, New York, Chicago have strong governors that will take stands against Trump. LA and Chicago have strong mayors, NYC does not at the moment, but we have an election in November and may get one. I imagine these states will play a big role in the resistance in the next year.

Democratic Senators introduced a bill that would prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks and be required to display badges numbers. My interpretation of the reasons why the Trump administration is having them wear masks is to instill fear, and when the day comes that these raids are designated unconstitutional, the people doing the raids will not be discoverable. Called the “visible act,” it was introduced by Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey.

“Members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials,” Padilla said in a statement published with the proposed law. “This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing confusion, fear and mistrust, especially in communities already subjected to heightened immigration scrutiny. It also increases risks for law enforcement personnel by creating uncertainty in high-stress situations, particularly when individuals cannot distinguish real officers from impersonators.”

Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE defends the masks saying that his officers and their families have received death threats.

A letter to Todd Lyons was sent yesterday, signed by 14 Senators:

“Storming courthouses, grabbing students off the street, raiding places of work, and sweeping through restaurants at prime dining hours are in and of themselves tactics clearly designed to engender fear and sow chaos in the population,” the letter states. “Doing so in plainclothes, with no identification of their name or agency, while wearing a mask designed to obscure the agent’s face, represents a clear attempt to compound that fear and chaos – and to avoid accountability for agents’ actions.”

Here is the letter:

Trump’s immigration plans are the backbone of his administration and his ideology. They terrify me—and I’m about as safe as it comes, an older white woman.

I couldn’t think of a drawing to do that reflected what I wrote about today, so I just drew the below after writing all of the above. What I do here at Seeing Things is bring you a bit of news that I have read, some observations. Sometimes it is accompanied by a cartoon idea. Today it didn’t rise to that.

Have a good Tuesday evening, see you tomorrow. Thanks for being here, I am so appreciative.