By Judi McLeod ——Bio and Archives--July 15, 2019
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ICE deportation raids to arrest as many as 2000 illegal immigrants sheltering in the U.S. are set set to begin today in an environment where some lawmakers are now potential lawbreakers.
"A recent report from National Review quoted Nancy Pelosi giving advice to illegal immigrants on how to avoid arrest and deportation. (Conservative Tribune, July 12, 2019)"An ICE deportation warrant is not the same as a search warrant," Pelosi said at a press conference. "If that is the only document ICE brings to a home raid, agents do not have the legal right to enter a home. If ICE agents don't have a warrant signed by a judge, a person may refuse to open the door and let them in," Pelosi continued."Lt. Col. Allen West Says 'Pelosi Just ... Committed a High Crime and Misdemeanor', and he's likely right.
"Lt. Col. Allen West Says 'Pelosi Just ... Committed a High Crime and Misdemeanor.' President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Democrats are impeding his efforts to reform immigration and address the crisis at the southern border. (Conservative Tribune) "Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Dan Crenshaw and Rep. Matt Gaetz have joined the president in criticizing their political opponents' disingenuous exploitation of the issues. "And they are telling the truth. "If that wasn't bad enough, Pelosi went on, behind closed doors, to explain her "know your rights" campaign for illegal immigrants.
"If the fact that the Speaker of the House is advising illegal immigrants on how to avoid apprehension from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers doesn't sit well with you, you aren't the only one. "Former Florida Rep. and retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel Allen West responded with the serious charge that Pelosi's actions bordered on treason. "Unless I am grossly mistaken, Ms. Pelosi just violated her oath of office and has committed a high crime and misdemeanor," West tweeted." "High crimes and misdemeanors" is a classification of offense for which Art. II, Sec. 4 of U.S. Constitution provides grounds for impeachment. "According to Jon Roland of the Constitution Society, high crimes refer "to those punishable offenses that only apply to high persons, that is, to public officials, those who, because of their official status, are under special obligations that ordinary persons are not under, and which could not be meaningfully applied or justly punished if committed by ordinary persons." "Put another way, "a high crime is an affront to the state, to the people, the body politic," as Jeffrey A. Engel, director of the Southern Methodist University Center for Presidential History, says. "The ICE agents will target at least 2,000 immigrants whose deportations have already been ordered, a New York Times report said, citing one former and two current Department of Homeland Security officials...The Times report said the raids will include "collateral" deportations, which means illegal immigrants at the scene of the raid who are not the target of the raid could be detained.
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"City Council Speaker Corey Johnson and Bitta Mostofi, commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, urged New Yorkers to resist federal authorities. "You are not powerless against this evil, racist administration," Johnson said, advising immigrants to remain silent and refuse to consent to searches. "Mostofi relayed reports that the raids actually started a day earlier than expected.
"We heard two reports from Sunset Park...and the third report was in East Harlem," she said. "Eyewitnesses [are] speaking to us about ICE attempts to gain access and entry and conduct arrests. But thankfully, unsuccessfully." "The comment ignited a flurry of social-media posts claiming that ICE agents were seen on city streets and in subway stations and even that officers were demanding IDs from passersby. "Neither the social-media posts nor Mostofi's statements were backed by photographic evidence. "We don't have photos, unfortunately," May Malik, deputy commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, told The Post. "We were able to confirm them because our MOIA staffers spoke with eyewitnesses on the ground." "Locals described a calm before the storm in East Harlem.
"It was a quiet morning. We didn't even see any cops," Ashley Flores, 27, said on East 116th Street, where the city claimed ICE had conducted raids. "The raids are slated to target illegal immigrants who have been ordered by a court to leave the country. "Since the start of the Trump presidency, Mayor de Blasio has told city employees not to cooperate with ICE. But a police-union boss in a letter released Saturday urged members to put politics aside and support federal agents. "I further encourage you to NOT leave any ICE Agent abandoned if in need of assistance and to stand shoulder to shoulder with each agent," Sergeants Benevolent Association President Ed Mullins wrote in the letter, which was sent Friday to union members. ..."Saturday, an armed man who attacked a Tacoma, Wash., immigrant detention center with incendiary devices was found shot to death-- just hours after an anti-ICE protest there. "Willem Van Spronsen, 69, was carrying a rifle as he lobbed lit flares at the Northwest Detention Center, the Tacoma News Tribune reported. Four responding cops opened fire."By their so flagrantly flouting the law, we should be wondering if Pelosi, de Blasio, Johnson, Mostofi and others are part of an underground movement that sends 'Come to America, we've got your back' pamphlets to Central and South America border crossers. Meanwhile, today's eerie early morning calm is bound to turn into an all-out melée as immigration activists take to the streets, knowing that any violence that results can always be blamed on the Trump administration. There can be no peace in the valley when lawmakers become lawbreakers.
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