Transcripts For KCSM Democracy Now 20171221

His major legislative victory, First Congress negotiates a stopgap spending measure that will not include the dream act. We will speak with Erika Andiola just out of jail, one of seven undocumented immigrants released after six days. She is on Hunger Strike after a sit in at the offices of democratic lawmakers. Were here at senator Schumers Office. We have a simple demand. Either he chooses to send the we are us to jail, where not going to get our names and stay there as long as it takes, where we can stay there for days everyver day that and day that passes is a day closer for us getting to immigration. Amy exclusive chill house interview with awardwinning mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez who is fighting deportation from a texas jail. He can to the us seeking help after reported on mexican military corruption and they threatened his life. It would appear that i would need to enter the United States with bullet holes on the front and back of my body were mutilated, which is what the institutional criminal group, the Mexican Government, generally says. Amy and underreported by the aclu of texas in the intercept. They are taking everybody. Videos show Texas Troopers ripping apart texas families during traffic stops. Yesterday coming in. This is really a record of Deportation Machine of troopers fishing for people on the highways and then turning them into federal immigration officials. Amy all of that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. The Republicancontrolled Congress has approved a massive rewrite of the u. S. Tax code that will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthiest americans, while ending a central pillar of president obamas Signature Healthcare law. The tax bill cleared the senate early wednesday, then house lawmakers approved it 224 to 201. This is President Trump. Pres. Trump these are the people right behind me. They work so long, so hard. It has been an amazing experience, i have to tell you. It hasnt been done and 34 years. But actually, really has not been done because we broke every record. It is the largest i was say but the massive largest tax cut in the history of our country. And reform, but tax cut. Really something special. Amy President Trump reportedly may sign the tax bill at his ritzy private florida resort marolago. Experts estimate trump will personally benefit from a tax cut of up to 15 million a year. Democratic lawmakers have slammed the measure, which experts say will benefit big corporations, multimillionaires, private equity managers, and President Trump and his family, while hurting the elderly, lowincome families, immigrants, people buying Health Insurance, and the island of puerto rico. This is Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer of new york. Now we know theyre popping champagne down pennsylvania avenue. There are only two places where america is popping champagne the white house and the Corporate Board rooms, including trump tower. Otherwise, americans have a lot to regret. Amy the new tax code will slash the Corporate Tax rate from 35 to 21 . President trump has repeatedly claimed the benefits to corporations will trickle down to workers. But a number of corporate giants, including pfizer and cocacola, have said theyll give the windfall from the tax cuts to their shareholders, not to their workers. The tax bill will also repeal the individual Health Insurance mandate, which experts say will cause insurance premiums to skyrocket. The Congressional Budget Office estimates 13 million americans are projected to lose their Health Insurance under the plan. Hundreds of dreamers flooded capitol hill wednesday, many negotiates as stopgap measure that will not include a version of the dream act, which would grant legal status to recipients of the deferred action for childhood arrivals, or daca, program. It appears that congress is moving toward approving a onemonth stopgap that will fund the government into january without resolving key political issues such as immigration. This comes as seven daca recipient and one ally were released from jail wednesday after six days in jail on Hunger Strike. The eight were arrested friday during nonviolent sitin protests inside the offices of senator Chuck Schumer and Florida Republican congressmember carlos curbelo. The activists were demanding the lawmakers commit to voting no on a spending bill this month unless it includes a version of the dream act without concessions for funding for the border wall or enhanced border security. We will speak with Erika Andiola after headlines, one of those daca recipient on Hunger Strike just released from jail. The top democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark warner of virginia took to the senate floor wednesday to warn the Trump Administration against firing special counsel robert mueller, who is leading the investigation into whether the Trump Campaign colluded with russia during the 2016 president ial election. Firing mr. Mueller or any other of the top brass involved in this investigation would not only call in to question this administrations commitment to the truth, but also to our most basic concept rule of law. It also has the potential to provoke a constitutional crisis. In the United States of america, above theno one is law. Not even the president. Amy senator warners comments come as a number of republicans are criticizing the mueller investigation. Senator warners says he is concerned the Trump Administration might fire mueller during Congress Christmas recess. The white house said wednesday it is not planning to fire mueller. At the United Nations general summer, the vast majority of countries are slated to vote today at a resolution that opposes President Trumps decision to recognize jerusalem as israels capital as trump has launched a furious lobbying campaign against the vote, even threatening to cut off u. S. Funding to countries that vote against his decision. Pres. Trump i like the message yesterday at the United Nations. For all of these nations that take our money and then vote against us at the Security Council or they vote against is potentially at the assembly. They take hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us. Were watching those votes. Let them vote does. We will save a lot. We dont care. Amy President Trump sparked International Condemnation when he announced earlier this month the u. S. Would recognize jerusalem as israels capital and move the u. S. Embassy there. Control of jerusalem is one of the most contested issues. Palestinians see East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state. Sustained protests continue in the israeloccupied palestinian territories, despite a brutal Israeli Military crackdown. On wednesday, dozens of Palestinian Protesters were wounded after Israeli Soldiers opened fire with live ammunition and tear gas against thousands of protesters. This is hamas official ismail radwan. We call on our arabic and muslim nations to surround the israeli and american embassies in the arab countries and drive the american and is really ambassadors out of the arab countries. Were continuing our way of resistance using all kind of resistance to break this decision. Amy President Trump has reportedly raise the issue of the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in yemen on a phone call with british Prime Minister theresa may. The u. S. Backed saudiled Bombing Campaign and blockade in yemen has killed more than 10,000 people and sparked a cholera epidemic and near famine. The United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of speech says hes concerned the federal Communications Commissions decision to repeal landmark Net Neutrality laws last week could impact the freedom of information worldwide. This is david kaye. American system somehow restricts the ability of information to get out in the u. S. , that will obviously also have an impact on the availability of information to the rest of the world about information in the u. S. , perhaps about academic and science scientific information, health information. Amy in honduras, the brutal crackdown against protesters supporting the Opposition Party continues with multiple People Killed and dozens more wounded in recent days. Amidst the ongoing political crisis. On wednesday, the United States signaled support for the incumbent u. S. Backed president juan orlando hernandez, who is declared the winner of the november 26 election late sunday night by the government controlled election board. The Opposition Party and the dictatorship, as well as the organization of american dates, have called for new elections amidst reports of widespread fraud and vote rigging. A senior state official says the uss no credible evidence to disputehernandezs bigotry. Across honduras, protests continue against what many are calling the electoral coup. There are reports the military has assassinated and being protesters, including attacking protesters in the hospital, shooting tear gas into peoples homes, including where there are children and pregnant women and launching about a crackdown against afro indigenous protesters. In colombia, the United Nations says more than 100 human rights activists and Community Leaders have been murdered this year. The United Nations says most of the activists killed were afrocolombian and indigenous, and that the most dangerous regions are places where the farc has withdrawn from power, following a peace deal reached last year. Community groups say land defenders are especially targeted for assassination. In mexico, journalist Gumaro Perez Aguinaldo has been assassinated in the Southern State of veracruz, becoming at least the 12th journalist to be killed in mexico so far this year. He was attending a Christmas Pageant at his sons school in the city of acayucan when armed men burst into the classroom and murdered him in front of a room filled with schoolchildren. Perez covered police for multiple outlets, including the news site he founded la voz del sur, or the voice of the south. He is at least the third journalist murdered in the city of acayucan in recent months. Texas,mes as in awardwinning mexican journalist is fighting against deportation back to mexico. He is currently in immigration detention saying he fears for his life if he is deported. We will go to an exclusive jailhouse interview with him later in the broadcast. And the European Union is threatening to strip poland of its Voting Rights in brussels, as the rightwing polish government overhauls the judiciary, despite deep public opposition. Polish protesters and the European Union say a slew of recent legislation, including two new laws signed by polish president andrzej duda on wednesday, undermine the independence of the courts. This is European Union official frans timmermans. Sadly, our concerns have deepened. Within a period of two years, a significant number of laws have been adopted 13 in total which put at serious risk the independence of the judiciary and the separation of powers in poland. Amy the Trump Administration has approved an export license that will allow ukraine to buy weapons and firearms from u. S. Arms manufacturers. The approval represents a lifting of the obama era de facto restrictions on arms exports to ukraine, although there was never a formal ban. The move comes amid an ongoing conflict between ukraine and russia in which 10,000 people have been killed since 2014. In peru, a political crisis is escalating as the congress is slated to vote today whether to impeach president pedro pablo kuczynski. He faces charges of having attempted to conceal his business ties to the Brazilian Construction Firm odebrecht, which is at the center of a massive Corruption Scandal that has spread across latin america. Back in the United States in virginia, judges have now declared the race for a pivotal Virginia House of delegates seat tied only one day after a recount showed democrat Shelly Simonds won by only one vote. The judges now say simonds is exactly tied with her challenger, republican incumbent david yancey. In the balance hangs control of the Virginia House of delegates. Under virginia law, the tie will now be broken by lot effectively, though not exactly, a coin flip. Olympic Gold Medalist Mckayla Maroney has sued usa gymnastics, saying officials paid her to keep silent about sexual abuse by team doctor larry nassar. The wall street journal reports usa gymnastics paid maroney 1. 25 million to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Her lawyer says the Gold Medalist signed the nondisclosure because she needed the money for lifesaving psychological treatment as a result of the trauma from the sexual abuse by the doctor. Sary have accused nas thei with hisr finger and pretending was part of a medical treatment. Vaginas and the Swedish Parliament is slated to approve legislation today that would change its rape laws in order to place the burden of proof onto the accused attacker, not on the alleged victim. Under the new Sexual Consent legislation, people will have to receive affirmative verbal or physical action demonstrating consent before initiating sexual contact. In explaining the legislation, swedish Prime Minister stefan said it should be obvious. Sex should be voluntary. If it is not voluntary, then it is illegal. If you are unsure, then refrain and those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman. Nermeen and im nermeen shaikh. Welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Congress has approved a massive rewrite of the u. S. Tax code that will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthiest americans, while ending a central pillar of president obamas Signature Healthcare law. The tax bill cleared the senate early wednesday, then house lawmakers approved it 224 to 201, clearing the way for President Trump to sign it into law. House Speaker Paul Ryan praised trump for exquisite president ial leadership. This is trump celebrating his first major legislative victory. Pres. Trump we broke every record. I always largest say the most massive but it is the largest tax cut in the history of our country and reform. But tax cut. Really something special. Records all over the place. That will continue and then some because of what we did. 3. 2 trillion in tax cuts for american families, including doubling the standard eduction and doubling the child tax credit. The typical family of four earning 75,000 will see an income tax cut of more than 2000. They will have 2000. In my opinion, going to be less than the average. You will have a lot more than that. We are making America Great again. Nermeen but the republicans massive tax overhaul faces overwhelming public opposition. An analysis by the Tax Policy Institute found that by 2027, the tax bill would give the wealthiest 1 of americans 83 of the tax cut. Experts estimate trump will personally benefit from a tax cut of up to 15 million a year. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer denounced the measure wednesday. Now we know theyre popping champagne down pennsylvania avenue. Whereare only two places america is popping champagne. The white house and the Corporate Boardrooms am including trump tower. Otherwise, americans have a lot to regret. Amy President Trump reportedly may sign the tax bill at his private floor to private resort maralago. It is estimated he will get up to 15 million in the new tax bill. Meanwhile, hundreds of dreamers flooded capitol hill wednesday as congress is to go shading a stopgap spending measure that will not include the dream act, which would grant legal status to recipients of the deferred action for Childhood Arrivals Program were daca. This comes as seven young daca and one ally were released wednesday after six days in jail on Hunger Strike. The eight were arrested friday during nonviolent sit in protest inside the offices of new york senator Chuck Schumer and Florida Republican congressmember carlos curbelo. They were demanding the lawmakers commit to voting no on a spending bill this month unless it includes a version of the dream act without concessions for funding for the border wall or enhanced border security. President trump rescinded daca in september, leaving dreamers at risk of losing work permits and deportation protections they received under the program. Nearly 700,000 dreamers will eventually be in danger of being deported as their twoyear permits expire. Beginning early next year, 1000 young people will lose their protection from deportation each day. For more, we go to washington d c, where we are joined by Erika Andiola, one of the 8 activists just released from jail Late Wednesday after being arrested friday. Andiola is a nationally known immigrant activist who served as a spokesperson for Bernie Sanders campaign and helped him craft immigration policy. She is the political director for our revolution. She is a daca recipient or dreamer who grew up in arizona. In 2013, her house was raided and immigration agents picked up her mother and brother. Welcome to democracy now you have just come off of a Hunger Strike. You have just been released from jail. Can you talk about what you were protesting on friday at what happened, and what you are demanding now . Yes, of course. Good morning, amy. Time is now. We have been waiting for too long to pass the dream act. I started organizing in 2000 and for the dream act. Been 17l it has years and we still have not been able to have a piece of legislation that has been supported by more than that in the percent of americans. This is a bipartisan bill. Theres no question as to why it has not passed. For me, my only answer is that it has been played as a political football i both parties will suffer us, it was ant to go to sit it or Schumers Office and demand for them to use his power as the leader of the minority in the senate and the make sure that everybody who he actually is no on the spending bill. We went to jail for six days. It was definitely not a place where i wanted to be. We risked all of this because we had the courage to do so. Unfortunately, fortunately, i just came out of jail last night and heard that senator schumer did not have the courage to meet our demand. We are pushing and there is still time for them to do this. ,ermeen do you have any idea because of course you protested there at Chuck Schumers office, why the democrats did not in the and vote no despite initially alleging or giving the impression they would . Me, i know that know,ats actually, you say they support the dream act. Every time they go and try to get reelected in their elections, they always use the dream act as a way to get latino voters and other folks to support it. When it comes to actually trying to pass it, there is no will. It has been years. Gethsemane democrats didnt vote for the bill in 2010 or voted no . Five democrats. The party could do this if they wanted to. They dont have a majority right now. But they do have the leverage of how many votes they need to pass a spending bill. Were asking senator schumer to step up and do that, to stop playing with our lives, and the fact that dreamers are already getting deported. Iceoon as we got into jail, was called on me. Nothing happened to me because theres so much pressure from the outside, but the fact that this will happen to dreamers if we dont has the dream act and it is on schumer and republicans to make sure that there is a fix now and that we are not waiting for more people to get deported and wait until 2018 does that work because elections are going to start happening does not work because elections are going to start happening. Amy a want to turn to senator dick durbin being asked about the democrats position on daca. Durbin was interviewed earlier this week by cbs host John Dickerson on face the nation. A number of your democratic supporters, colleagues, would like you, as a democrat, to basically make finding of the government to keep the government running, would like you do make it contingent on doing something about daca. Will you . I can to you this, we dont want to see the Government Shutdown. We want to move forward and a bipartisan fashion to solve our problems. We believe that daca is central. The president is the one who made this issue. September 5, he eliminated the daca program and put in doubt the future of over 780,000 people in america. We want to get this done and a cop list. Amy that was earlier this week. Reporting just as we went to air that House Republicans early thursday unveiled a new strip down spending bill to prevent a Government Shutdown this weekend and allow quarreling lawmakers to punt most of their Unfinished Business into the new year. It was dave off a Government Shutdown until january 19 to allow the Congress Members to go home for the holidays. Meanwhile, what is the number, Something Like 122 young people, daca recipient, every day lose their status and suffer job loss. Erika andiola, what now . As congress is in the last throes of this and youre pushing for them to include the tree and act in the spending , will you . The dream act you want to see past. Clarify, we dont want a Government Shutdown. That is not what were working for or towards. Nobody wants to see the Government Shutdown. What we want to see is the dream act being included in this real. The reason for that is we are seeing passing the dream act and that bill makes the likelihood canassing a lot more actually pass. Not only that, we wanted to be clean, meaning we cannot have something in there that is going to push our families and our parents and communities deeper into the shadows, like more enforcement, more funding for le fundingss now, the americans support the dream act. There is no reason to have something else. This is not a game. We have been waiting for so long. We were fighting for so long and the is the time for both parties to do with a have been saying for so many years that they support this bill, support as dreamers. Time to do something right. Thatamcoat you said earlier ice called on you. Could you explain . How many people are at risk of that happening . The fact is, when you are undocumented, you can get out of your house, maybe drive, do anything that any other american thed do and get stopped by police. You end up in their custody. What happens many times, the police call ice on you. Know you areeven undocumented. But you are a brown person or person of color. On you. L call ice i did not get my information. The next thing you know, there was already a call placed from police to ice asking them about me and asking if i was undocumented. Something that happens every single day. This is something that is already happening with dreamers and everybody else in our communities. What were telling Chuck Schumer we are telling him, do you want that to be your future . Do you want people like myself to continue to go through that . Do you want people who are not even a public figure, who are not activists, to go through this without anybody seeing it . That is going to be the reality of we do not have the dream act. Amy before we go to an exclusive jailhouse interview with a mexican journalist to is fighting deportation back to you are a major spokesperson for the Bernie Sanders campaign. Massive historic legislation was passed yesterday. As you were in jail protesting around the issue of the dream act. And that is the tax bill, which will be the largest transfer of wealth from the bottom to the top in u. S. History. I am wondering your thoughts on this, also, President Trump i guess you could say revealing with taking what the original mandate on health care, on the signature obamacare, that he has killed obamacare within the tax bill. Yeah, i mean, it was something that i thought was probably going to happen. It is upsetting to come out of jail and see it did happen. But what gives me hope is before a win inside of the jail, a couple of days before that, i saw that alabama had a huge. Also that next year, it is election time. I see people are awake host of people are ready to go out to vote most of i hope that is the case in 2018 and that we can really turn this around. This is really about stop complaining, even myself, we need to stop complaining and actually take to the streets, go vote, and make sure that we are having people running for office all over the nation, just like Bernie Sanders told us to do. I cant run for office or vote, but, look, i decided to go to jail to fight for what i believe in. I think this is the moment that everybody should be doing everything you can to turn this around because this is not going to last forever. We cant let it last forever. It is in our hands. Nermeen Erika Andiola, youre going to be speaking at a press conference later this morning. Can you talk about that . What is your message to democrats . Our message is what i have been saying previously, that we are having dreamers deported now. Were having dreamers losing daca. Knownnot we dont even how else to ask democrats not just to speak about us until our stories, but to act and do what needs to be done. Use their leverage. We dont want a Government Shutdown. We want for the dream act to be in the spending bill. And they have the power to do it. That the leverage. This is the time for them to show they care about opportunities. Amy Erika Andiola, they can for being with us, nationally known immigrant activist who served as a spokesperson for Bernie Sanders and helped him craft immigration policy. She was released wednesday after being arrested last week with seven other Daca Recipients peacefully protesting at the offices of congressmen Chuck Schumer. Were going to continue to cover this story day by day. When we come back, our exclusive jailhouse interview with a mexican journalist fearful if he is deported, he will die. Stay with us. [music break] amy kapital by the souljazz orchestra. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the war and peace report. Im amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. Nermeen we turn now to the danger facing journalists in mexico and how the u. S. Has responded to one of them. This week, mexican journalist Gumaro Perez Aguinaldo was been was assassinated in the Southern State of veracruz, becoming at least the 12th journalist to be killed in mexico so far this year. He was attending a Christmas Pageant at his sons school in the city of acayucan, when armed men burst into the classroom and murdered him in front of a room filled with schoolchildren. Perez covered police for multiple outlets, including the news site he founded la voz del sur, or the voice of the south. He is at least the third journalist murdered in the city of acayucan in recent months. Well in a broadcast exclusive, we spoke by phone on tuesday the national and the killing puts mexico alongside syria as the most murders country for journalists according to our set. Amy well in a broadcast exclusive today, we conducted by and jailhouse interview with another mexican journalist, Emilio Gutierrez soto, who is being held in a u. S. Detention center in el paso, texas. Gutierrez first sought asylum in the United States in 2008 after receiving Death Threats for reporting on alleged corruption in the mexican military. He was attained and eventually released while his asylum appeal was pending. Last week it was denied. He now faces deportation back to mexico, one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Democracy now one gonzalez and i had a chance to speak with gutierrez directly in detention where he is in jail in el paso. Look, juan, i wrote some articles where i described how the military acting in the andhwest of chihuahua, particularly population that is for the border with the state of new mexico. This caused discussed at the ministry of defense, which sent the head of the fifth military generalchihuahua, vigor, to threaten me, saying i had already written three articles noting corruption and assault against the population by members of the military. And he sentenced me. He said, you have written three articles and theres not going to be a fourth one. Of course, there was a fourth article. And i felt a complaint with the Human Rights Commission and also with the office of the attorney general for the state. Time, after for a those threats, they sought some sort of recoiliation with me, but the terms never came about. Affairs, i wasf somewhat fearful in the face of a serious warning by a general, a highlevel commander, from the mexican army. Back in 2008, the army forcibly entered my home, knocking down the main door, threatening us with their firearms. They threw me to the floor. They said they were searching for weapons and drugs. They destroyed our home post of of course, they found nothing. Nothing at all. Again, great fear has had to stay upi all night while my son was sleeping. I had to look out the window to see who might be coming by. And my sleep well, i would catch up on my sleep at the office, while at the same time doing my work as a journalist. Night, later, fifth, at a month later may fit at night, we took more precautions. On june 16, 2008, we decided to enter the United States seeking political asylum first we said the military were keeping close surveillance over me and that a that aof mine told me relative of hers in the repeat response you leaked group elite group told my friend there was a plan to kill me. Obviously, had to quickly take what i need a from my home. I went to a friend of a home where my son was. There was a religious Service Going on. Saturday, a ranch on july 14. On the 16th, we opted to cross at athe United States border post into the state of new mexico, where we placed ourselves at the disposal of u. S. Immigration officials seeking political asylum. Was it your intention to move to the United States or did you just feel that you had you as a result of the threats to your life . No, we did this with the intention of moving permanently because when there is a threat by the military, it is very serious. Alreadyere were antecedents in terms of how the military were acting then. And in some cases, people would again. Ear amy can you talk about what deportation would mean . First, describe where you are in the el paso jail. And what would it mean if you were sent back to mexico . If we are deported, that obviously implies death. Why . E, under the department of Homeland Security of the United States, by law, must give a report to the immigration authorities in mexico and the consulate. Animmigration officials in. Exico have no credibility it is impossible to trust in them. To the contrary, many of those officials, many personnel at the consulate or Immigration Service , are caught up with organized crime. In organized crime is precisely the Mexican Government. Did not givement its consent for criminal groups to work with impunity, certainly, the conditions would be different. But the government of mexico facilitates the work of criminal groups who operate with total impunity. The government of mexico, we all know, is the most corrupt government in the hemisphere. And, obviously, enjoys no credibility. Now, the conditions we find ourselves at this ice jail in el paso are truly denigrating. My son and myself have seen most of the immigrants to taint here are from central and south america, the majority. We are not so many mexicans here at this jail. Poverty, the extreme well, of course, that is experienced in mexico but even more so in central and south america, for many of the persons detained it seems the conditions are adequate, are pleasant. But they are denigrating. The food is poor nutritionally. It is not pleasant at all to eat the food here. Not at all. Plus, the russians, the portions are too small. Emilio, the immigration authorities here in the United States are saying that you have no proof, no documentary proof of your claims or that no backsses have appeared to up your claims. How do you respond to that . I believe that the immigration authorities are in institution based on lies. It would appear that i would need to enter the United States with bullet holes on the front and back of my body or mutilated which is what the institutional criminal group, the Mexican Government, generally says. Amy mexican journalist Emilio Gutierrez soto speaking in an exclusive Jailhouse Rock cast interview from a u. S. Detention center in el paso, where he is fighting his deportation to mexico. One of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Amy he first sought asylum in the United States in 2008 after receiving Death Threats for reporting on alleged corruption in the mexican military. He was detained last week after his asylum appeal was denied. He lived free in the u. S. For nearly a decade. Last week that robert administration denied his asylum appeal. For more, were joined in el paso, texas, by video stream by. Is lawyer Eduardo Beckett Eduardo Beckett, could you tell us with the situation is now with your client Emilio Gutierrez . Yes, good morning. Eduardo beckettmy clients asyls denied. She filed an appeal with the board of immigration appeals. The appeal was dismissed on a technicality. At that moment, he could be deported anytime so we filed a stay removal, both with original immigration judge with a motion to reopen, a stay with ice, and both of them were denied by the judge and denied by ice, so he filed an emergency stay with the motion to reopen. The state removal by the board of immigration appeals was granted and the motion to rios reopen is pending. What were doing right now, were trying to humanitarian parole. As my client has told you, right now ice is operating basically on steroids and i would say that my client is a typical example of someone who should have been granted asylum post up he is a journalist. He has openly criticized the Mexican Government for years and years nonstop. His life is in great danger upon deportation. He has no criminal history. Isentered legally, yet ice treating him as a criminal. This is the criminalization of asylum seekers. That is the situation right now. Amy Eduardo Beckett, explain the ground to was denied his claim for political desks request for political asylum here. We just reported in our headlines today and in the segment about yet another mexican journalist who was gunned down in mexico. As you heard in his interview, Emilio Gutierrez fears if he is deported that that is what will happen to him, he will be assassinated. He is being detained with his son. Can you talk about the denial under the Trump Administration and what is his recourse now . Of course. Is basically like a 30 page document where the judge makes an analysis of the conditions in mexico. As you stated, the eyewitnesses from mexico did not show up to the court, did not want to cooperate. Because they100 live in mexico, so i believe that the witnesses were scared to come forward or to send an affidavit. Nevertheless, my client submitted many, many Expert Witness documents corroborating evidence, overwhelming evidence, of the conditions of mexico, like you said, 12 journalists have been executed. A couple of days ago, one in front of his children at a christmas party. When i told my client what happened, he was crying. He was shaking and saying he felt bad that he knows it is going to happen to him. Got it case, the judge wrong. So his recourse is to file a motion to reopen the case and we are going to hopefully get to redo his whole case again. I think the judge got it wrong. The message the judge is sending is basically saying, we dont want to protect journalists and we dont think that you corroborated your asylum claim. At the u. S. Supreme court only requires a 10 chance that upon deportation to mexico, you will be tortured or executed or persecuted. The real idea act of 2005 does require corroborating evidence it is readily available and within reason. In this case, to force a witness to come forward at the risk that witnessed by the executed is unreasonable. Those are the types of things were going to be asking for them to examine and overrule the judge and hopefully give us a new the opportunity to retry his asylum claim. Amy on the role of the local Congress Member . Has he been visited by anyone locally in el paso . We are doing a campaign to shed light under the Trump Administration, as you mention. We feel the erosion of due process and exaggerated rates. Were acting asking our local congressman, clergy, asking the community to support my client and to ask for his release. I did have a conversation with my congressman and washington, d. C. , yesterday. His staff. Amy and who is the . Overwork. Sman beto we had a meeting with him on the phone. I do not just big to him directly, but through his staff. We asked him to support us and to put pressure on ice to get my client released. Like i said, no criminal history. He has always complied with the law. He is beingat detained like a criminal. This is a guy that promote democracy, a guy we want in the United States. So were reaching out not only to him, but two other senators and congressmen and anyone who wants to help. Journalists around the world have called us. So we have a lot of people that are supporting us. That is why were here today. Amy Eduardo Beckett, thank you for being with us, lawyer for the detained journalists emilio inierrez who is detained immigration jail in el paso, texas. He applied for political asylum. He was just denied by the Trump Administration. He is appealing that decision. He is in jail with his son. We will continue to follow this story. If you want to hear the whole interview Emilio Gutierrez with that i did with juan gonzalez, you can go to democracynow. Org. Stay with us. [music break] amy all American Made by margo price. Nermeen we end the show in texas were shocking investigation has revealed how state troopers are essentially acting as deportation officers. Publicoring through records of traffic stops by the texas highway patrol, the aclu of texas has uncovered what amounts to a Deportation Machine operated by the States Department of Public Safety, or dps. State troopers stop drivers for minor traffic infractions. And if they are unable to produce a drivers license, they are taken into custody and turned over to Border Patrol. The intercept, working with the aclu of texas, obtained several dps dashcam videos that show immigrants being detained for trivial traffic violations and then carted away by the Border Patrol. This is a clip from a video produced by the intercept of dashcam video of a traffic stop, and features debbie nathan, Investigative Reporter for the aclu of texas. When the dashcam started coming on, wo, this is really a record of Deportation Machine, a state troopers fishing for people on the highways and then turning them into federal immigration officials. Amy for more, were joined by debbie nathan. Her report for the intercept is headlined theyre taking everybody videos show Texas Troopers ripping apart immigrant families during traffic stops. Welcome to democracy now yorklad youre in new today to explain what is happening in texas and what you live. Right where you i live in brownsville, texas, which is right on the border at the easternmost part of the border. 1200 mile border that goes all the way to el paso. For the past three years, the state of texas has been funding to the tune of like, right now, 800 million a year, to have a lot of state troopers down on the border. They are brought in on tours. They are empowered to stop people on the roads, as they traditionally have, and during traffic enforcement. In the course of stopping people on the border for things like broken taillights or failing to signal when they do a lane change, they ask for the drivers licenses. In texas and many other states, for the past two years, it has been impossible for undocumented people to get drivers licenses. They have to drive. There is really no Public Transportation and people have to go to work. So they drive and they dont have licenses. It becomes sort of like the opposite of a star on your sleeve, like not to have something. As soon as they say they dont have a drivers license, it triggers a call from the trooper to the Border Patrol. The Border Patrol there are thousands of them on the texas border, so they are usually just a few minutes away and they arrived quickly. Amy are they interrogating them . Troopers are not supposed to do that, but they start the interrogation. The Border Patrol finishes it up. They have the legal right to do that one a arrivals of the interrogations often start when the troopers encounter the person. I have seen there is one peacein the intercept were a man tries to exercise his fifth amendment right not to say what he doesnt have a drivers license. He is very much verbally abused. In a similar manner to the sandra bland encounter. These are the same agents. But it was my sense from looking at a lot of these videos , thesedashcam videos i got from thoughopers, that, even that behavior is supposed to be really unacceptable and they fired the agent who did it to sandra bland, it is allowed on the border with immigrants. Nermeen presumably, state police and troopers in general stuff people and asked for drivers licenses for minor traffic violations in the past. When did you know about when they started reporting these violations when people werent able to produce a drivers license, a document of people werent able to produce a drivers license and a state trooper started communicating with Border Patrol . It is my impression from looking at data and only have data that goes back about two years and from hearing anecdotes from people in the community. I have been down there one year. People talk about having had this happen in the last few years, but it was touch and go. Many times when i speak with people that say i used to get stopped and it would ask me find my drivers license and i didnt, and then we just let me go. That seems to be honest with the custom was until about a year ago. Now a year ago, just a couple of days before the president ial election, dps put out a memo to all of its staff saying you have an obligation to call the Border Patrol when you suspect that someone is undocumented. You have an obligation. I actually heard from some of you like a whistleblower in the department of Public Safety that that had not been the custom for the obligation prior to the letter. So now it seems like they have to do it. We debbie nathan, introduced you as the investigative journalist for the aclu, which is very interesting. We knew that model for michigan with the aclu of an Investigative Reporter who investigated the poisoning of an american city, flint, michigan. Explain this model. You are an Investigative Reporter with the aclu. I am an Investigative Reporter. I have many years of investigative reporting in a more traditional context with independent media. Whatkurt and i have done his work with Community Organizations to really develop our tips, to develop information that we can go out and document. And then to publish that in independent sources. I am not part of communications. Im not a researcher or investigator, neither is he. We are investigative journalists. Nermeen one that you investigated was ruth ramirez who was subjected to a traffic stop because of the tint on the what is offered truck were apparently too dark. She was turned over to Border Patrol, and you found her in juarez, mexico. This clip is from an interview you had with her, as you showed her the dashcam video of her traffic stop. I would simply described as the worst moment of my life. To be handcuffed. To be handcuffed, to be embarrassed, to be humiliated for no apparent reason. But you are stonefaced. Yes, because he had already had enough triumph to have turned me into immigration. I wasnt going to hand them the mp of seeing me shed tears triumph of seeing me shed tears. It is very clear that to him, we undocumented people are like a trophy. He was making fun of destroying a family. Say quickly what happened . She ended up in a deportations it or not far from the reporter you just interviewed and she ultimately went back to mexico and she has three u. S. Citizen the u. S. Born children who accommodate her and a daca aged child. Theyre all back in mexico now. Amy we will leave it there but congratulations on your very important work and we will continue to follow it. Debbie nathan, we will link to a report in the intercept headlined theyre taking everybody videos show Texas Troopers ripping apart immigrant families during traffic stops. This breaking news, south african antiapartheid activist former head of Greenpeace International community has been International Community has been named the next sec wow this vegan weekend brunch menu provides classic tastes and textures while being completely plantbased and, of course, totally delicious. Look at this amazing french toast. We just baked it in the oven. My mini quiche cups will impress your guests. And then were just gonna flip them back over. While my dairy and eggfree french toast will get raves. Now were just gonna pour this mixture over the bread. You want to put a good amount over each piece. 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