Jeh & Trey Practice Oral Arguments

Jeh Johnson & Trey Gowdy Practice Oral Arguments.

Now, the only question is, "For which jurisdiction?"

Do, praytell.

This is sooooooooooo romantic....

#maytheheavensfall

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Cocktails & Popcorn: Looks Like ICE Is Doing More Than Just Deportation - Property Tax Fraud & More

ICE falls under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

ICE does more than just "deport".

DHS has been running the Absentee Voter Fraud investigations.

Former DHS Secretary, Jeh Johnson said this:

Former DHS chief warns immigrants not to open doors for ICE without a warrant

But, the next day, ICE made a visit to 13251 W. Warren Avenue, Dearborn, Michigan, where I have yet to find any Wayne County Property Tax Records....just like "those other" properties I found, but, hey, what do I know?

I know there were no property tax records for the City of Dearborn, either.

I, also, know we may be dealing with the most notorious "Legal Genius" (trademark pending).

I, also, know that I would love to have a carrot-orange smoothie, with a twist of lime.

ICE visit to Dearborn restaurant has residents on alert

http://www.hamidorestaurant.com/

Dearborn — Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered a Middle Eastern restaurant Monday, seeking information from owners, according to ICE and an employee.

Two ICE special agents entered Hamido Restaurant, located at 13251 W. Warren Ave., around 12:30 p.m. Monday and requested that a manager, Kassem Rizk, sign paperwork, he said.

Rizk said the agents wanted all employment records for the restaurant for the last three years. Rizk refused.

“They were very aggressive and wanted me to sign this paper releasing information to them,” he said. “I just told them no.”

There appeared to be no further ICE activity in the area, the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan said.

Rizk said the agent said it was essential he sign the papers so they could conduct their government business. He said the form had generic wording and didn’t have a court order signed by a judge.

“He told me that we were their 10th stop today,” he said. “I don’t know if he was lying to me but I sent them away.”

Rizk said the officer replied, “OK, we’ll be back in a few days.”

Fake employees, anyone?

ICE spokesman Khaalid Walls said special agents with Homeland Security Investigations served an I-9 audit notice today at a Dearborn business. A notice of inspection, an I-9, informs business owners that ICE is going to audit their hiring records to determine whether they are complying with hiring laws. No arrests were made Monday, he said in a statement.

“HSI routinely conducts work site investigations in order to uphold federal law," Walls said. "HSI’s work site enforcement strategy continues to address both employers who knowingly hire unauthorized workers and the workers themselves. These routine efforts are ongoing and not related to other operational activity,” according to the ICE statement.

“... HSI’s work site enforcement investigations often involve additional criminal activity, such as alien smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, document fraud, worker exploitation and/or substandard wage and working conditions.”

State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud spoke with Rizk, saying this is what they feared.

“It’s important to emphasize this isn’t something new,” Hammoud said. “ICE has used this tactic of attacking poor communities like east Dearborn with working immigrants, and we have to be prepared without panicking.”

Hammoud said ICE establishes fear in communities like Dearborn by announcing raids and entering businesses without having to launch full-scale raids.

He, other politicians and advocacy groups launched Know Your Rights efforts on social media, with key rules in multiple languages to keep residents informed.

“People need to know what they have to tell government officials and what they don’t,” Hammoud said. “We, as a community, need to stay strong together and push back against this because it’s for no justifiable reason.

“Dearborn is a beautiful diverse city and we’re strong together because of that,” he said.

Many local organizations issued statements during the weekend saying they are alarmed by anticipated raids by ICE and Department of Homeland Security agents.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan was aware of the Dearborn incident. The nonprofit is working with the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, urging people to know their rights.

“This is the intrusive ICE activity that happens every day,” said Abril Valdes, an ACLU of Michigan Immigrant Rights staff attorney. “Our communities shouldn’t have to live in fear that parents won't come home from work, or kids won't return from school, or a knock at the door could rip a family apart.”

Post by repandylevin.
Elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, shared a know your rights video on  Facebook urging people who may encounter officers to not open the door without a signed judge order, consult an attorney and remain calm.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, issued a community advisory this weekend for immigrant families, warning they may be targeted by ICE this week.

The American Human Rights Council said it was  alarmed by the anticipated raids and see measures being taken “for political expediency and to score points.”

"We are deeply troubled by raids and rumors of raids," said Imad Hamad, AHRC executive director. "Democratic societies cannot operate normally under constant fear and anxiety of massive and disruptive law enforcement activity not connected to safety or the well-being of communities. It's time to stop using immigration as a political football by finding a real solution consistent with democratic values and human rights.”

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CONYERS, Dingell, Kildee and Lawrence Urge Fixes to Visa Waiver Program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, four Democratic members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation, U.S. Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Debbie Dingell (MI-12), Daniel T. Kildee (MI-5), and Brenda L. Lawrence (MI-14) cosigned a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson urging the Administration to establish waivers to protect dual nationals from discriminatory travel guidelines, and ensure that no American is treated differently due to their national origin or ancestry.

In the letter, the Members request that the Departments of State and Homeland Security implement their authority under Section 203 of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act to support American interests abroad; establish waivers to protect dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan; and to ensure uninterrupted visa-free travel to VWP countries for American citizens who have visited Iran for family, academic, or tourist related purposes.

Dean of the U.S. House
of Representative
John Conuyers, Jr.

Reps. Conyers, Dingell, Kildee and Lawrence stated, “As Members of Congress we must balance the need to maintain our national security with our responsibility to safeguard the civil rights and liberties of the American people. The recently implemented Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act may cause dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria to be excluded from the Visa Waiver Program. These recent changes to the long-established Visa Waiver Program, which is based on reciprocity, could result in discriminatory impact on U.S. citizens.

“Equal treatment of all American citizens is a central tenet of our national principles, regardless of their birthplace. We will continue to work on legislation, such as the Equal Protection Act of 2016, with our Congressional colleagues on a bipartisan, bicameral basis to ensure that the rights of all Americans are protected, while strengthening the Visa Waiver Program.”

Additionally, Reps. Conyers, Dingell, Kildee and Lawrence are cosponsors of H.R. 4380, the Equal Protection Act of 2016, which was introduced on January 13, 2016 in response to discriminatory changes made in the VWP in December 2015.   If passed, the legislation would strike the dual national provisions to ensure that no one would be discriminated against on the basis of their nationality or ancestry.

Conyers, Dingell, Kildee and Lawrence Letter Urge Fixes to Visa Waiver Program

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CONYERS joins round table discussion with Syrian and Iraqi refugees that have resettled in Southeast Michigan

Today, I joined Department of Homeland SecuritySecretary Jeh Johnson & Rep. Debbie Dingell for a round table discussion with Syrian and Iraqi refugees that have resettled in Southeast Michigan.

Dearborn, Michigan is home to the largest proportion of Arab Americans in the United States. I greatly welcome the opportunity to learn firsthand how we can better address the concerns of newly resettled #refugees.  #DHSinDearborn #RefugeesWelcome

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Child Poverty Has No Borders

This is quite a sensational warning Nancy Pelosi, Democratic House Leadership, has made to protect children because it contradicts the position of Hillary Clinton.

Then again, Secretary Clinton was one of the original architects of the nation's current child welfare system.

Hillary Clinton Defends Call To Deport Child Migrants

Child poverty has no borders but deportation makes a helluva lot of money.

Pelosi warns of 'mortal danger' for immigrants being deported

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned Thursday that the Obama administration's plan to deport scores of newly arrested illegal immigrants could put women and children in “mortal danger" in their home countries.

The California Democrat joined the growing chorus of Democrats questioning the effectiveness of the legal process designed to distinguish legitimate refugees from those who aren't threatened at home.

She's calling for additional legal protections for the immigrants to ensure they aren't returned to spots where they'd face violent conditions or political persecution. 

"The mothers and children — and it's overwhelmingly who we're talking about here — they are the subjects of these proceedings. They are desperately trying to escape violence in their home countries," Pelosi said during a press briefing in the Capitol.

"In the processing of the asylum claims of these women and children and others fleeing … really horrific violence in Central America, the Department of Homeland Security … must ensure that no person is wrongfully deported to face certain persecution or mortal danger. 

"And that's what's happening there."

Pelosi said she has been meeting with the administration on the issue.

More than a dozen House Democrats huddled Thursday afternoon with a pair of top administration officials, DHS Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Cecilia Munoz, director of Obama's Domestic Policy Council.

Aside from Pelosi, the other Democrats at the meeting included Reps. Steny Hoyer (Md.), Luis Gutiérrez (Ill.), John Conyers (Mich.), Xavier Becerra (Calif.) and Bennie Thompson (Miss.). 

The debate revolves around the weekend arrests of 121 illegal immigrants deemed ineligible for asylum status, many of them families who arrived as part of the 2014 southern border surge.

The administration has defended the operation, saying it falls in line with its 2014 guidelines for prioritizing deportation cases, which has focused on criminals and new arrivals.

"As I have said repeatedly, our borders are not open to illegal migration," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said Monday in announcing the arrests. "[I]f you come here illegally, we will send you back consistent with our laws and values."

The move drew fierce pushback from immigrant rights advocates on and off Capitol Hill, who say the legal proceedings for determining asylum status are rigged against the migrants from the start. They're citing difficulties such as age, language and the esoteric nature of the U.S. legal system as barriers to a fair hearing.

"The system right now for that process, for the application process, is broken," Rep. Joaquín Castro (D-Texas) told MSNBC's Chris Hayes on Wednesday. "The overwhelming majority of these folks are never represented by attorneys at all."

Pelosi on Thursday amplified those concerns.

"The adjudication process has to recognize that not all of these people … have had full access to effective counsel during all stages of the process," she said. "We must address barriers to access to attorneys [and provide] clear explanations of what's happening in their native language, largely Spanish, about their rights in the process, especially their right to appeal.

"We have to study every case separately. … We want to obey our laws, but we also want to, in obeying our laws, make sure that the process is fair to people," Pelosi added.

"We'll be having some conversations with the administration to that effect, some of them today."

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What the President Can Do on Immigration If Congress Fails to Act

With immigration reform legislation stalled, and deportations reaching a crisis level, President Barack Obama asked his new secretary of homeland security, Jeh Johnson, to conduct a review of the agency’s deportation policies in order to identify ways to make the system more humane. While that review process continues, this report provides a roadmap for executive action on immigration by analyzing the scope of the problem, the legal authority underpinning administrative reforms, the various administrative mechanisms available to the president, and the groups of individuals who could still be protected if Congress fails to act. http://americanprogress.org/issues/immigration/report/2014/07/01/93042/what-the-president-can-do-on-immigration-if-congress-fails-to-act/ 

What the President Can Do on Immigration If Congress Fails to Act by Center for American Progress

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Border Children Crisis Complicated By Parents Here Illegally

I bet Child Protective Services is writhing its hands.  These children bring in more than $1,000 a day for care, not counting services and legal.

These children are job creators (i.e. foster care, education, medical, transportation, courts)

Border Children Crisis Complicated By Parents Here Illegally

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson left unclear Thursday what happens to parents illegally in the country when they show up to claim their children who have arrived alone.

Johnson's response demonstrated the delicacy of the issue the administration has on its hands. While officials have openly discussed its response to vulnerable children, talking about how many of those children ultimately get to stay here and how it deals with parents here illegally that are reunited with their children is more difficult.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson (2nd L) speaks as (L-R) Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Executive Associate Director for Enforcement and Removal Operations Tom Homan, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske listen during a media availability June 12, 2014 in Washington, DC on the "ongoing government-wide response to the increased influx of unaccompanied children at the Southwest border.

ALEX WONG / GETTY IMAGES
“I am not encouraging in any way shape or form illegal migration. That’s the message,” Johnson said. The Department of Health and Human Services is required under the law to act in the best interest of the child, Johnson said.

The law that Johnson is referring to is a sweeping anti-trafficking law that aims to prevent children who arrive alone from being returned to serious danger, such as being targeted by drug cartels or to an abusive home. The U.S. also is party to international agreements aimed at protecting children.

About 47,000 children have arrived so far this year and most are from Mexico so they are immediately returned. But those from noncontiguous countries, in this case El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, must be sent to a shelter and attempts made to unite them with a relative or sponsor while they await hearings on whether they should be deported or allowed to stay.

“Our duty is to get the child to a sponsor. While they are with the sponsor they are still subject to removal,” said Mark Greenberg, acting assistant secretary for HHS.

Parents are required to get children to deportation proceedings and cooperate with the removal proceedings, he said.

But a reporter from Telemundo, which is part of NBC, said parents who are not legally in the U.S. don’t know if they are qualified to pick up their children who have followed them to the U.S. and what happens to them if they do.

Some critics have said the crisis of the childrens’ arrivals is “administration made” because Obama granted the deferred deportations to DREAMers and because of the push for immigration reform.

Johnson emphasized that the newly arriving children do not qualify for deferral of deportation as do some young immigrants here illegally, also known as DREAMers, because that only applies to youth who have been living in U.S. continuously since June 15, 2007. Johnson also said the path to citizenship in the Senate-approved immigration reform bill applies to people who have lived here before Dec. 31, 2011.

He reiterated the Obama immigration enforcement policy of focusing deportations on those who have recently crossed the border illegally and those who are caught re-entering after being previously deported. The children would fit in the former category.

Although he learned about the escalating numbers of children arriving at the border before his confirmation hearing, Johnson was it was made more vivid when he visited the McAllen, Texas, processing center on Mother’s Day and asked a 10-year-old girl, ‘Where is your mother.’ ”

“She responded, ‘I don’t have a mother. I’m looking for my father in the United States.’ I returned to Washington the next day determined to do something about this situation,” Johnson said.

In addition to creating the shelter and beefing up processing centers, as reported by NBC Thursday, Johnson listed other efforts to respond to the crisis:

• The American Red Cross is providing blankets and hygiene kits.
• Children are receiving health screenings at the Border Patrol centers, before they are released to shelters.
• Faith-based groups are assisting, for example, Texas Baptist Men provided shower trailers.
• Johnson has met with ambassadors of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador about border security to stem the flow and plans a trip to Guatemala.
• DHS restarted a public affairs campaign to warn of the dangers of sending kids over the border and particularly with smugglers.
• Johnson said he called for a southwest border security plan to address security and fill the gaps.

Johnson said the crisis brings home the need for comprehensive immigration reform, not only provide resources for border security but also “stability” to immigration laws.

He said his review of immigration enforcement policies requested by President Barack Obama is ongoing and he does see need for improvements.

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Ranking Member Conyers Statement at DHS Oversight Hearing

(WASHINGTON) – Today, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee held a full committee hearing entitled, “Oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.” The sole witness at the hearing, appearing before the Judiciary Committee for the first time since his confirmation to the post, was Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. During his opening remarks, Ranking Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) delivered the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I want to begin by welcoming Secretary Johnson to this Committee.  The Secretary has had a long and distinguished career, both in public service and the private sector. But what I like most is that he is a graduate of Morehouse College which has a special significance for myself and other Members of this body. Before his appointment to DHS, Secretary Johnson served as General Counsel of the Department of Defense, where he oversaw many critical reforms, including ending the discriminatory ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy. Given this background, I can think of no person better equipped to lead DHS and carry out the President’s directive to review our immigration policies to ensure that we are carrying them out ‘in the most humane way possible.’

“Yesterday, the President announced a delay to this review to provide my House colleagues the room they need to pass legislative reforms.  Whether through the Senate bill or several House bills, I am committed to work with them to achieve needed reforms of our system. We all agree that our immigration system is broken, and that only Congress can permanently fix it.  So we should get started on that process right away, before the window for reform closes. Every day that passes without a vote in the House is a day that thousands of families are torn apart; that businesses are deprived of critical skills; and that brilliant entrepreneurs and investors are forced to take their resources and talents elsewhere. Every day that passes is also a day in which we fail to jump-start our economy.  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has concluded that the House and Senate immigration reform bills - S. 744 and H.R. 15 - would decrease the budget deficit by $900 billion over 20 years.

“I stand committed to work with my colleagues for legislative reform.  But if my colleagues won’t act to fix a system we all agree is broken, then I fully support the President doing what he can under current law to improve that system.

“I agree with the President’s call to make our immigration system reflect American values. People who commit serious crimes and pose a danger to the public should be our highest priorities for removal.  Those with strong ties to this country - the spouses of citizens and permanent residents, the parents of citizens and Dreamers, and those who have worked productively in the U.S. for many years - should not be.

“We know the Administration has the authority to set enforcement priorities.  It also has the authority to set detailed guidelines to ensure that those priorities are carried out by deportation officers, trial attorneys, and other enforcement personnel. This authority has been specifically recognized by my Republican colleagues on this Committee, including in a letter sent by current Members to the Clinton Administration urging it to issue guidelines on prosecutorial discretion.

“So far we have heard nothing but excuses for not doing immigration reform.  The Senate bill has too many pages.  The House wants to take its time and do reform step-by-step.  We must secure the border before we can discuss anything else. These are all excuses in my book.

“The newest excuse for not working to reform the system is that Republicans cannot trust the President to enforce the law. Put aside the fact that this administration has set records with respect to enforcement spending, detentions, prosecutions, and removals.  The ‘can’t trust the President’ excuse strikes me as a very odd complaint from a legislative body. If this President is so lawless and Congress is so helpless to stop him, then what’s the point of passing any bill?  How many other issues of national importance do my colleagues think Congress should ignore until they have someone they prefer in the White House?

“It’s time to cut out the excuses and get to work doing the people’s business.  Americans agree that the system is broken and they strongly support comprehensive immigration reform. As the people’s House, it is our duty to stop passing the buck and get to work.”

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Conyers Applauds Nomination of Jeh Johnson to Become Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security

(WASHINGTON) – Today, President Obama announced the nomination of Jeh Johnson to become the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security following the retirement of Janet Napolitano. Mr. Johnson most recently served as the General Counsel for the Department of Defense.  After the nomination was announced, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D-Mich.) issued the following statement:

U.S. Representative
John Conyers, Jr.

“I congratulate Jeh Johnson on his nomination to become the next secretary, and the first African-American secretary, of the Department of Homeland Security, and I applaud President Obama for this outstanding nomination,” said Conyers.

“Mr. Johnson has had a brilliant legal career in private practice, working as a civil and criminal trial lawyer on notable commercial cases, and was elected to be his firm’s first African American partner.  Following this work, Mr. Johnson went into public service, including working as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York prosecuting public corruption cases, serving as General Counsel of the Air Force during the Clinton Administration, and serving as General Counsel for the Department of Defense from 2009 through 2012.

“As a dedicated public servant, and a brilliant legal mind, I commend Jeh Johnson’s nomination, and I hope that the Senate promptly confirms him.”

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