Neither Will Hurd (R-TX) nor Pete Aguilar (New Dem-CA) are very popular in their districts and, frankly, neither deserves reelection. A Democrat is likely to beat Hurd, although the DCCC and the Castro Machine have its fingers on the scale for a worthless Blue Dog in South Texas. And it will take some time before a progressive is in position to primary Aguilar in the Inland Empire. They’re both useless back-benchers from overwhelmingly Hispanic districts and this week they co-sponsored a DACA compromise-- a “discussion draft” ahead of Trump’s January 19 deadline. On Monday, CNN reported that “the bill would offer qualifying individuals the ability to get in line for a green card and eventual citizenship after years of conditional residency, provided they meet certain requirements, including a background check and work, education or military service requirements. The bill doesn't make explicit reference to sponsoring relatives, but the bill summary notes that existing law would prohibit parents of these individuals who came to the US illegally to apply for a visa to come back without returning to their home country for at least 10 years before applying and the bill does nothing to erase that requirement. That addresses ‘chain migration,’ or family-based migration, that Trump says he wants to cut.”Hard to imagine a Democrat would sign onto this Republican perspective? Remember-- Peter Aguilar comes from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party. Nor was he even a Democrat before the DCCC pushed him into the seat he now occupies.Meanwhile, also on Monday, the Trump Regime set the field for deporting 200,000 El Salvadoran residents.
The Trump administration said Monday it is ending special protections for Salvadoran immigrants, an action that could force nearly 200,000 to leave the U.S. by September 2019 or face deportation.El Salvador is the fourth country whose citizens have lost Temporary Protected Status under President Donald Trump. Salvadorans have been, by far, the largest beneficiaries of the program, which provides humanitarian relief for foreigners whose countries are hit with natural disasters or other strife.Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen's decision, while not surprising, will send shivers through parts of Washington, Los Angeles, New York, Houston and other metropolitan areas that are home to large numbers of Salvadorans. They have enjoyed special protection since earthquakes struck the Central American country in 2001, and many have established deep roots in the U.S., starting families and businesses.The action also produces a serious challenge for El Salvador, a country of 6.2 million people whose economy counts on money sent by wage earners in the U.S. Over the past decade, growing numbers of Salvadorans-- many coming as families or unaccompanied children-- have entered the United States illegally through Mexico, fleeing violence and poverty.In September 2016, the Obama administration extended protections for 18 months, saying El Salvador suffered lingering harm from the 2001 earthquakes that killed more than 1,000 people and was temporarily unable to absorb such a large number of returning people.…Salvadoran immigrant Orlando Zepeda, who came to the U.S. in 1984 to flee civil war, said he wasn't surprised by Monday's decision given the administration's position on other countries. Still, that doesn't make it any easier for the 51-year-old Los Angeles-area man who works in building maintenance and has two American-born children."It's sad, because it's the same story of family separation from that time, and now history repeats itself with my children," Zepeda said in Spanish.Now, he hopes that U.S. lawmakers might pass a bill giving Salvadorans like him a more lasting solution in the United States.Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said it was "a cruel and heartless decision by a cruel and heartless president.""By targeting those who were driven from their homes by environmental catastrophe and violence in El Salvador, Donald Trump is tearing more working families apart-- putting their lives at risk, threatening our economy and turning his back on the values that have made America great," Perez said.
Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who services on the House Judiciary Committee and on the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, responded quickly to Trump’s latest assault against immigrant families:
“The administration has dealt a blow to the moral backbone of our nation by forcing 200,000 Salvadoran immigrants to leave a country they’ve called home for years. It is unfathomable that the administration would deport people back to one of the most dangerous parts of the world. In 2016, El Salvador and its capital were named the world’s most violent country and most homicidal city, respectively. El Salvador’s homicide rate is more than 17 times the global average. “When it comes to the rights and lives of immigrants, we cannot be silent. Defending Temporary Protected Status to protect those fleeing war, disease, and natural disasters is a priority that crosses party lines and political barriers. Last year, I joined my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to introduce the ASPIRE TPS Act that would help bring justice for immigrants who are deeply woven into the fabric of our society.“Even though the Trump Administration has made clear its disdain toward immigrants of color, it is my hope that Congress will protect our moral conscience and move to save Temporary Protected Status for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on it.”
Tuesday, federal judge William Alsup (san Francisco) temporarily blocked Trump from ending DACA while litigation is ongoing. Apparently, at least DACA recipients who failed to renew their status by last year’s deadline will have a chance to submit renewal applications.I just got back from Thailand and on the plane home last night Marie Newman sent me some incredible polling that was done among voters in her primary against right-wing Blue Dog Dan Lipinski in her Chicagoland district. The district went for Bernie by 8 points in the primary and then gave Hillary a 15 point landslide against Trump in the general. So is it any wonder that voters strongly prefer electing a progressive leader to represent them in Congress (55%) over someone like Lipinski who votes with Republicans (38%)? When voters are told about his voting record Marie beats him 39-34%. She e-mailed me about the new move against El Salvadoreans. "Trump's actions to dismantle families, their lives, their hopes and dreams are despicable. We need leaders who will have a backbone and stand up to Trump. This is why my race is heating up, my district finds congressman Lipinski's anti immigrant votes and values disgusting."Meanwhile Trump has been braying and threatening that there’ll be no deals on DREAMers or any other immigration issues unless Congress gives him the $18 billion for his boondoggle of a 316 mile border wall, a colossal waste of taxpayer money. I asked a few congressional candidates Blue America is supporting. In Houston, Hector Morales told us that after the announcement was made public, a former student, Javier, contacted me and said:'They have ended the TPS for my uncle. Now ICE is going to target him and idk what I can do. [I’m] worried that [Trump] is going to deport him and he's been here for 20 years. Please help us.' As a teacher, I was heartbroken. As a human being with family members who have been in similar situations, I was devastated. These are real people who have been in this country for two decades and made a life for themselves. Now overnight, their hard work will be erased. The sad truth is that the DACA and TPS situation will be horrendously politicized. The DCCC and DSCC will throw a 'progressive' label on the cause and send out yet another fundraising email to 'fight back.' Right wing conservatives will hide behind their wall of cowardice by saying those affected were never 'real Americans' and this is for 'security.' And at the end of the day, it’s people like Javier’s family and uncle who will pay the price for our broken political system. But hey-- I’m sure it’ll make for a great news cycle.Ricardo Franco is the progressive facing off against Devin Nunes in the Central Valley. Last night he told us that he "spent this past weekend in Tijuana on the border meeting with deported veterans. That's right: deported veterans. These are men and women that served our country in the military, some going back as far as the Vietnam War, and were tossed on the other side of the border wall like unwanted trash afterwards. We have some that have been deported for more than 20 years. A handful have already died waiting for a miracle to bring them back home. It is a shameful disgrace that our country treats its finest in that manner. Our current laws will not allow these war heroes home unless it is literally in a box or an urn. Our immigrants are the embodiment of the American Dream. Sadly, many people on the right don't want to listen to facts anymore which prove Trump's wall won't stop immigration and that immigrants provide a net-positive economic effect on this country. I'm done listening to people who want to project the blame of our own country's problems on the backs of the immigrants who put food on our tables, build a roof over our head and help raise our children. I will also not stand for the separation of families, either. We all know that children have a higher chance of success when they have both parents at home. It's time we rise up to be the country we are called upon to be and embrace immigrants as the best among us rather than creating a new generation of refugees in foreign countries the way Trump and Sessions would want. I have hugged homeless, deported veterans in Tijuana, marched with DREAMers and their families in Porterville and Lindsay, California, and watched young DACA recipients wonder in fear what will happen to them...or their parents. However, it is not fear nor sadness that is most evident in these groups, but rather a steadfast will to survive and prove themselves to the world. They are already fighting for our campaign because they know I will never stop fighting for them. We will fight, and we will win. We come from the same land as Chavez and Huerta. They carved a path towards prosperity and now a younger generation will pave it and keep it open. Our lives literally depend on it. ¡Si, se puede!"UPDATE: Terrible News In Arizona... For The GOPHow do you find a Senate candidate even worse than Republican Kelli Ward and Blue Dog Kyrsten Sinema? The Arizona Republic opined yesterday that "A guy who was Donald Trump before Donald Trump was Donald Trump says he’s ready to represent the state of Arizona in Washington." Yep... Joe Arpaio, the 85 year old crooked Maricopa County sheriff declared he's running. What a cluster-fuck! "Arpaio couldn’t win re-election as sheriff in Republican-rich Maricopa County in 2016, when Donald Trump won Arizona. It seems doubtful to think that voters across the state will be running to polls to send him to the Senate."
If you’re the Democratic Party, the sun is surely shining upon you today.Arpaio’s entry into the Senate race seems to boost Rep. Kyrsten Sinema's chances of becoming Arizona’s next senator-- the first Democrat to hold the post in 30 years. (Cue Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a dead faint.)“For the GOP, it’s a disaster if Arpaio wins,” said Republican Tyler Montague, who runs the Arizona Public Integrity Alliance. “His loss for the sheriff’s race is a bellwether for his Senate race in a general election.” ... [M]ake no mistake, with Arpaio in the race-- and Trump's endorsement, no doubt, on the way-- the primary is likely over....Arpaio would likely win the GOP primary-- or at least scare off the one Republican who could deny Sinema the seat. That would be Rep. Martha McSally... This, just as McSally appears to be preparing to announce her run Friday for the seat being vacated by Sen. Jeff Flake. She might want to rethink that. While she could likely beat former state Sen. Kelli Ward in a primary, she’d have a more difficult time in a three-way Republican race. Perhaps best to bide her time.Which leaves us with Ward vs. Arpaio. Sorry, Kelli, but I’m betting that crafty beats kooky any day.Arpaio, not Ward, gets Trump's nod.Arpaio may have been unmasked in Maricopa County, but he’s still a fundraising machine nationally. He’ll likely have the Donald seal of approval and he’ll be well funded-- just as Ward’s dreams of Steve Bannon delivering her the Mercer millions have gone up in smoke.
And there's more--much more: With Bannon kicked out of Breitbart, it seemed Trumpanzee was almost challenging him to do something about it-- "it" meaning Trump's evisceration of everything Bannon stood for in terms his xenophobic fascist/racist agenda. Yesterday-- on TV with congressional leaders from both parties-- Trumpanzee announced he's ready for a "clean" DACA deal and comprehensive immigration reform, including a pathway to citizenship. He has swung so far, in fact, that North Carolina neo-fascist and House Freedom Caucus chair Mark Meadows said Trump "could lose the conservative base... It’s untold damage that it would create among the conservative base." Trumpy-The-Clown nearly made Louie Gohmert cry on the House floor. And you can only imagine what Iowa Nazi Congressman Steve King is doing this morning! Trump said he'd take the heat-- that he likes taking the heat. #StableGenius, right? Ann Coulter seems kind of upset for some reason.
