U.S. interfaith leaders urge government to #KeepFamiliesTogether

“Recently, the Administration announced that it will begin separating families and criminally prosecuting all people who enter the U.S. without previous authorization. As religious leaders representing diverse faith perspectives, united in our concern for the wellbeing of vulnerable migrants who cross our borders fleeing from danger and threats to their lives, we are deeply disappointed and pained to hear this news.”

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Trump Falsely Blames Democrats While DHS Chief Defends Family Separation

“White House officials are unable to cite any part of U.S. law that dictates the separations, which were initiated in April after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced “zero tolerance” for unlawful border crossings. Adults apprehended after crossing the border outside an official port of entry are to be arrested and prosecuted under Sessions’ decree, which leads to their children being removed.”   More …

Wall Street’s Border Wall: How Five Firms Stand to Benefit Financially from Anti-Immigrant Policy

“An examination of Sterling Construction Company, the only publicly-traded company to receive a contract to build a border wall prototype, reveals that Trump-connected Wall Street investors from across the political spectrum stand to benefit financially from the wall.2 Investors in Sterling include far-right funder Robert Mercer and his firm Renaissance Technologies, as well as BlackRock and JP Morgan Chase, led by Democratic donors Larry Fink and Jamie Dimon, respectively. Sterling’s prototype contract appears to already be benefiting its shareholders by helping to drive up its share price to the highest levels in years.”  More …

Is the Catholic Church Turning On Trump? U.S. Bishops Slam Immigration RAISE Act Proposals as ‘Discriminatory’

“The head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, Bishop Joe Vasquez of Austin, Texas, criticized the RAISE Act introduced by two Republican senators on Thursday, the Catholic Herald reported. The proposed legislation—the full name of which is the Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment (RAISE) Act—would cut immigration by 41 percent in its first year and by 50 percent over a 10-year-period, The Guardian reported.”  More …

Are Employers Using Trump’s ICE to Intimidate Workers?

“Federal immigration agents have shown up twice at California labor dispute proceedings to apprehend undocumented workers, in what state officials believe may be cases of employer retaliation. The Labor Commissioner’s Office, the state’s labor enforcement arm, said that since November U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at locations in Van Nuys and Santa Ana looking for workers who had brought claims against their employers.”  More …