One_liners
_Check out the badassery of our steering committee member and new co-chair Johana Bencomo of NM Comunidades en AcciĂłn y de FĂ©, along with her vision for the borderlands.
_SBCC steering committee member Pedro Rios of American Friends Service Committee talks about an aptly named exhibit at the New Americans Museum in San Diego that illustrates how AFSC has “waged peace” for a century on many issues_not only border militarization.
_SBCC steering committee member Joanna Williams of Kino Border Initiative comments on the potentially far-reaching legal implications of a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that stated the U.S. Constitution protected JosĂ© Antonio Elena RodrĂguez__a Mexican teenager who was shot and killed while on Mexican soil by a Border Patrol agent standing in the United States.
_The Center for American Progress, the National Immigration Law Center, and United We Dream released the results of a study that illustrate the effects of Trump’s anti-immigrant policies on DACA recipients (including 1 of every 5 who live in border communities) and their parents, but the report also shows how DACA has improved the lives of recipients, their families, and the economy. Â
_Welcome to our world: Northern border communities don’t want to deal with profiling and other abuses at interior immigration checkpoints far from the actual border while going to work, school or to a doctor’s appointment either.
Must_reads
_Smile, CBP. You might be on camera. In another ruling this week, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that we might have a First Amendment right to photograph law enforcement activities at CBP ports of entry in Southern California without obtaining advanced permission. In general, people have the right to photograph law enforcement activity as long as it’s from a distance and not interfering with the officers’ course of duties. But CBP doesn’t seem to want to be held to constitutional law. The case now goes back to Southern District of California for further deliberations. If these First Amendment rights wind up being protected in the 9th Circuit, it could have positive implications for people crossing at U.S. ports-of-entry. Christian Ramirez, former SBCC director and Human Rights director at Alliance San Diego, is one of the plaintiffs in the suit. Say cheese.
_Be woke, America. Wake up and hear directly from borderlanders in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, breaking down how Trump’s vanity wall will destroy our lands, community and natural habitat on the U.S. side. Also hear the loopholes and lies the government uses to hide the fact they are building a destructive wall by calling it a “levee.” New Mexicans aren’t far behind in fighting back against the wall. And this opinion looks at recent survey results that confirm what we’ve known all along: the vast majority of Americans_even white Americans to the tune of more than 40 percent_oppose Trump’s wall. The polls also show that more than 70 percent of white Americans support a permanent DACA fix, the Dream Act, and a pathway to citizenship for people who are already here without work authorization. Maybe we should be saying #BeWokeTrump.
_Body Politics. It might be a good thing that CBP for the first time in history has appointed a woman at the helm of Border Patrol, especially considering the extremely bad track history the agency has in treating its female agents. Let’s just hope that she stays true to her own quote, “When it comes to women obviously there is always more that we can do...” and that this translates to holding accountable abusive agents under her command. Feminism is the radical notion that women are people.
_R-E-S-P-E-C-T our borderlands. Yes, we’re openly tipping our hat to the loss of one of our nation’s greatest treasures and Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, who not only inspired black communities and women to stand up for their rights, but equally inspired LGBTQ, immigrants, and border communities to action with her powerful voice and lyrics. In memory to her awesomeness, please consider reaching out to congressional members in_district or in Washington, DC, and tell them to end racism, discrimination, militarization of our border, and division in our nation. #RevitalizeNotMilitarize #Aretha
-------------------
border_lines is published every Friday for your reading pleasure. If you’d like to submit an item for inclusion, please email Vicki B. Gaubeca at [email protected], by Wednesday COB.
Â