Confirmation Hearings - Secretary of Labor: Andrew Puzder

[tanaqui]

UPDATE: News sites are reporting that Puzder has withdrawn himself from consideration.

Alert for people in MAINE, ALASKA, SOUTH CAROLINA and GEORGIA: Four Republican senators in your states -- Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tim Scott of South Carolina and Johnny Isakson of Georgia -- are holding off on expressing support for Puzder. All four sit on the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions committee which is holding the hearing into Puzder's nomination. Please call them if you can to voice your objections!

Nomination of Andrew Puzder to serve as Secretary of Labor

When: Thursday 16 February 2017 from 10.00am

( Committee Members, what the committee should be concerned about and calling script )

Please use the comments to suggest more reasons why the committee should reject the nomination and to suggest amendments to the calling script.

Housekeeping note: There is a third hearing scheduled for Thursday 16 Feb at 10am, in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, into the nomination of David Friedman to be Ambassador to Israel. I don't feel qualified to comment on the issues around that appointment, so I won't be making a post. If anyone else wants to make a post, please feel free to do so.

DACA recipient arrested and detained by immigration authorities in Seattle

[tanaqui]

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/02/14/24870858/in-seattle-feds-arrest-23-year-old-mexican-immigrant-whos-part-of-obamas-dreamer-program

US Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Daniel Ramirez Medina, a 23-year-old Mexican immigrant who came to the United States as a child and has no criminal record, in Seattle on Friday. According to the report, Ramirez was granted a work permit under the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and his arrest could be the first of its kind under a Trump presidency.

Mr Ramirez has now filed a complaint in federal court against his detention:

According to the lawsuit, Ramirez was asleep at his father's home last Friday morning when ICE agents arrived and arrested the father. When they entered, they asked Ramirez if he was in the country legally, and Ramirez said he had a work permit, the lawsuit stated.

ICE agents took Ramirez to a processing center in Seattle and he again disclosed his DACA work permit, the lawsuit stated.

"It doesn't matter, because you weren't born in this country," one of the agents said, according to the lawsuit.

ICE are now claiming that Mr Ramirez is a "self-admitted gang member" (presumably to cover up how badly they've screwed up here).

The Northwest Immigrants Rights Project, who are supporting Mr Ramirez's complaint, have issued a statement saying they "believe this is an isolated incident and not and indication that ICE is going after DACA recipients." However, it could encourage other ICE offices to disregard DACA approvals.

Governor Jay Inslee, Senator Patty Murray and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal have all taken an interest in the case (see comments in the article linked at the top of the post), so Washington residents can take action by calling their offices to protest Mr Ramirez's detention.

The following organisations are working on DACA issues if you want to make a donation:

Northwest Immigrants Rights Project
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)

(As far as I'm aware, these are all legitimate and highly respected.)

Please feel free to use the comments to suggest more actions/places to donate.