A Chart: Fascist Attacks Against Immigrants Just in Past Two Months, as of September 14, 2019

Date: July 14

What Happened: Trump unleashed barrage of racist, anti-immigrant tweets directed at four Democratic congresswomen of color—Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar. He demanded the four, all U.S. citizens, “go back to the crime-infested places from where they came.” A few days later that chant, “send her back,” was taken up at a Trump rally.

Links for Sources and Further Info ‘Go back home’: Trump aims racist attack at Ocasio-Cortez and other congresswomen , Guardian, July 15, 2019

“The Demonization, Criminalization and Deportations of Immigrants”
From Bob Avakian's speech Why We Need An Actual Revolution And How We Can Really Make Revolution

Date: July 22

What Happened: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) begins DNA testing on asylum seekers, threatening to separate families if they don’t allow it.

Links for Sources and Further Info ICE ramps up DNA testing for migrant families along the southern border, WTKR, July 22, 2019

Date: July 24

What Happened: Seventh person dies in ICE custody since last October.

Links for Sources and Further Info A 44-Year-Old Man Is the 7th Person to Die in ICE Custody Since October, Vice.com, July 25, 2019

Date: July 26

What Happened: U.S. Supreme Court approved Trump/Pence regime transfer of “billions of dollars of military funding” to build sections of border wall in California, Arizona, and New Mexico.

Links for Sources and Further Info Supreme Court allows Trump to use disputed military funds for border wall, CNBC, July 26,1019

Date: July 25

What Happened: According to an AP article, in recent days reporters have seen busloads carrying some 450 asylum seekers (unable to get into the U.S. or turned away from the U.S.), who thought they were being taken to a safe shelter where they could live, work, and study—instead being dumped in dangerous neighborhoods in Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo, without any support. Another article (August 19) says 3,000 asylum seekers have been sent to these cities “since last month.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Migrants sent back by US dumped in Mexico’s Monterrey, Houston Chronicle, July 25, 2019

Date: July 28

What Happened: A white supremacist, targeting immigrants, massacres three and wounds 15 at Gilroy, California Garlic Festival. The three murdered were 6, 13, and 25 years old.

Links for Sources and Further Info A 19-year-old with a semiautomatic rifle shatters Gilroy’s beloved garlic festival, killing 3, including 2 children, Los Angeles Times, July 30

Date: August 1

What Happened: Salvadoran immigrant dies in Border Patrol custody. The 32-year-old father was being held in New Mexico. He is at least the 15th migrant, including seven children, to die in U.S. custody (ICE, Border Patrol, or other agencies) since September 2018.

Links for Sources and Further Info 32-year-old man who recently crossed border dies at New Mexico facility, CBS News, August 1, 2019

Date: August 2-3

What Happened: Immigrant hunger strikers assaulted in Louisiana ICE Detention Center. Over 100 were teargassed, beaten and shot with rubber bullets. Some 30 hunger strikers at another Louisiana facility were pepper-sprayed the day before.

Links for Sources and Further Info 'More than 100' immigrants tear gassed by ICE in US detention centre, Independent, August 7, 2019

Date: August 3

What Happened: A white supremacist, echoing Trump rhetoric, targets Latinos and murders 22 at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart. His fascist manifesto stated he was “defending my country from cultural and ethnic replacement brought on by an invasion.”

Links for Sources and Further Info The El Paso shooting isn’t an anomaly. It’s American history repeating itself. Vox.com, August 6, 2019

Date: August 7

What Happened: ICE agents arrest 680 immigrants in mass sweep of poultry plants in Mississippi. This was one of the largest immigration raids in U.S. history. Without warning or help, children were left without their parents, traumatized and crying.

Links for Sources and Further Info ICE rounds up hundreds of undocumented workers in immigration sweeps in Mississippi, CBS News, August 8, 2019

“The Terror of Deportations – Millions of Families Split Apart”
A clip from BA Speaks: REVOLUTION – NOTHING LESS!

Date: August 12

What Happened: Trump/Pence regime issues “public charge” rule, which denies green cards (permanent residency, necessary step for getting citizenship) to immigrants whom the government brands as people who will more likely go on welfare and receive other public benefits. The new rule, per New York Times, “will almost certainly disadvantage poor people from Latin America, Africa and parts of Asia.” Policy supposed to go into effect October 15.

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump’s Policy Could Alter the Face of the American Immigrant, New York Times, August 14, 2019

Date: August 16

What Happened: Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals allows the Trump/Pence policy of barring migrants seeking asylum if they passed through another country before getting to U.S. (thus totally barring asylum seekers from Central America) to remain in effect in Texas and New Mexico (while halting it in Arizona and California, also in the Ninth Circuit jurisdiction). (See entry for September 11—the U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump/Pence asylum policy to stand overall.)

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump administration’s latest asylum rule allowed to stand in Texas, New Mexico, Texas Tribune, August 16, 2019

Bob Avakian, “Why do people come here from all over the world?” - clip from Revolution: Why It's Necessary, Why It's Possible, What It's All About.

Date: August 19

What Happened: Department of Justice files brief to the Supreme Court declaring that the Trump/Pence regime “correctly, and at a minimum reasonably, concluded that DACA is unlawful” when Homeland Security ended the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program [which had given undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children temporary protection from deportation and allowed them to work and attend school] two years ago. This is in a case expected to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in November.

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump Has Right to End DACA, Justice Dept. Tells Supreme Court, New York Times, August 19, 2019

Date: August 19

What Happened: Lawsuit filed in California on behalf of the 55,000 people in immigrant detention in the U.S. describes conditions of “torture”: caged 24 hours a day, denied medicine and basic care (including to people with serious chronic conditions or disabilities).

Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) held hundreds of immigrants outdoors, behind fences topped with concertina wire, under the Paso del Norte bridge in El Paso, Texas. (Photo: AP)

Links for Sources and Further Info Caged alone 24 hours a day, denied medicine: lawsuit claims ‘torture’ in US migrant jails, Guardian, August 19, 2019

Date: August 19

What Happened: From a Fox News report: “The Trump administration issued new policy guidance on Monday tightening the rules for awarding discretionary work permits to immigrants who have been temporarily allowed into the United States for ‘urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit’ under the Immigration and Nationality Act.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump administration tightens rules for immigrant work permits, Fox News, August 19, 2019

Date: August 19

What Happened: The U.S. government said they will retry No More Deaths leader Scott Warren in November. If convicted of the charges stemming from giving life-saving water to immigrants crossing the border through the deserts, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

Links for Sources and Further Info Activist Scott Warren, Facing Federal Charges for Aiding Migrants, Says He Won’t Be Deterred, Democracy Now!, August 19, 2019

Date: August 20

What Happened: Trump regime proposes new regulations to undercut the 20-year-old Flores agreement, thus removing court-imposed limits on detention of migrant children past 20 days, and allowing families to be detained indefinitely while their cases were in court.

Links for Sources and Further Info Fascist Regime Moves to Step Up Concentration Camp Detention of Children and Mass Deportation of Immigrants, revcom.us, August 26, 2019

The Flores Agreement Protected Migrant Children for Decades. New Regulations Aim to End It., New York Times, August 20, 2019

Trump Administration Moves to Sidestep Restrictions on Detaining Migrant Children, New York Times, September 6, 2019

Date: August 21

What Happened: Trump calls for end to “birthright citizenship,” under which all children born in the U.S., regardless of the immigration status of the parents, are legally considered U.S. citizens.

Links for Sources and Further Info Fascist Regime Moves to Step Up Concentration Camp Detention of Children and Mass Deportation of Immigrants, revcom.us, August 26, 2019

Trump says administration looking ‘seriously’ at ending birthright citizenship, The Hill, August 21, 2019

Date: August 22

What Happened: Democratic Senator Merkley says he obtained a letter from directors of U.S. asylum field offices in the Northeast that reveals most U.S. government asylum officers working in Newark, NJ, and Boston have been reassigned to the Southwest border—leading to suspension of “virtually all asylum claims” by migrants in the Northeast.

Links for Sources and Further Info Letter shows U.S. asylum officers in Newark, N.J., Boston were reassigned to border cases, NBC News, August 22, 2019

Date: August 24

What Happened: Customs and Border Patrol tweets to claim “CBP has constructed over 60 miles of new border wall system along the SW border since 2017 and expects to complete 450 miles by the end of 2020.” Tweets includes drone footage of what they say is the new wall.

Links for Sources and Further Info Border Patrol releases drone footage showing miles of ‘new wall system’ being built, Fox News, August 26, 2019

Date: August 27

What Happened: Trump/Pence regime is pulling $271 million in funds from Homeland Security, including $155 million from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Disaster Relief Fund, to pay for more immigration detention space and for temporary hearing locations for asylum seekers now forced to wait in Mexico.

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump admin pulling millions from FEMA disaster relief to send to southern border, NBC News, August 27, 2019

Date: August 28

What Happened: Trump/Pence regime said that the children of some U.S. military members and government employees working overseas will no longer automatically be considered U.S. citizens, as they were before. Effective October 29.

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump officials say children of some service members overseas will not get automatic citizenship, The Hill, August 28, 2019

Date: August 28

What Happened: Fascist group Oath Keepers tweets: “Oath Keepers is sending a leadership team to the El Paso, TX area September 1-10, to reach out and offer our protection to any ICE, CBP, or other LEO [law enforcement officer] or military family under threat; to help organize and train neighborhood watches...”

Links for Sources and Further Info twitter.com/Oathkeepers, August 28, 2019

Bob Avakian's Answer to People Who Complain about Immigrants Crossing Borders
From the Q&A following Bob Avakian's speech Why We Need An Actual Revolution And How We Can Really Make Revolution

Date: August 28

What Happened: Per New York Times report, denials and delays in getting visas have become increasingly common for international students and scholars wanting to visit or study in the U.S.

Links for Sources and Further Info International Students Face Hurdles Under Trump Administration Policy, New York Times, August 28, 2019

Date: August 28

What Happened: A Border Patrol agent pled guilty to a misdemeanor for assaulting an immigrant trying to cross border—and was sentenced to one-year parole. Earlier in August, another Border Patrol agent pled guilty to same charge for intentionally running over an immigrant with a truck. Court filings in the latter case revealed text messages among border agents referring to immigrants as “subhuman” and “savages.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty to Hitting Man in Face, New York Times, August 28, 2019

Date: August 29

What Happened: Without any public announcement, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services eliminated a “deferred action” program this month that had allowed immigrants to avoid deportation while they or their relatives were undergoing lifesaving medical treatment. The agency said that it received 1,000 deferred-action applications related to medical issues each year.

Links for Sources and Further Info Sick Migrants Undergoing Lifesaving Care Can Now Be Deported, New York Times, August 29, 2019

Date: August 30

What Happened: UN agency International Organization for Migration, with funding from U.S. government, has been flying thousands of immigrants from the U.S.-Mexico border back to Central America. Immigrant advocates question whether the people being sent back home fully understand their rights. So far this year 2,200 Central Americans have been flown back under this program.

Links for Sources and Further Info U.N. Agency Is Flying and Busing Migrants From U.S.-Mexico Border Back to Central America, KTLA, August 30, 2019

Date: September 3

What Happened: Pentagon officials said they are delaying or suspending 127 military construction projects to divert $3.6 billion in funds toward building of the Trump border wall.

Links for Sources and Further Info Pentagon to Divert Money From 127 Projects to Pay for Trump’’s Border Wall, New York Times, September 3, 1019

Date: September 4

What Happened: A leaked note from Phoenix FBI office revealed that the FBI is monitoring groups protesting U.S. immigration policy, labeling them as “extremist.” The note claimed the groups are “increasingly arming themselves and using lethal force to further their goals.” But almost all the “evidence” cited in the note was of nonviolent protest activity.

Links for Sources and Further Info Document Reveals The FBI Is Tracking Border Protest Groups As Extremist Organizations, Huffington Post, September 4, 2019

Date: September 5

What Happened: Deportations of Central Americans begin as Trump/Pence regime moves on their suspension of the Central American Minors (CAM) initiative—which started in 2014 and gave a few thousand children and teens (among many tens of thousands) fleeing Central America legal status to stay in the U.S.

Links for Sources and Further Info ‘‘The right way’’: Brothers who came to Houston with legal status face deportation after Trump killed program, Houston Chronicle, September 5, 2019

Date: September 5

What Happened: A Mexican man was shot and seriously wounded by an ICE agent in Nashville. The man did not immediately go to a hospital because of deportation fears. The agent claims he shot because the immigrant attacked him. But the immigrant’s lawyer, who negotiated his surrender to authorities, says there is no evidence of that.

Links for Sources and Further Info Mexican man shot while fleeing immigration agents is ‘‘recovering’’, Guardian, September 7, 2019

Date: September 6

What Happened: A Salvadoran woman, who was 8½ months pregnant and had crossed the Rio Grande into the U.S. to seek asylum, was caught by Border Patrol—who took her to a hospital to be given drugs to stop contractions, and then deported her immediately back to Mexico under the “Remain in Mexico” policy.

Links for Sources and Further Info US tells migrant woman 8 months pregnant to wait in Mexico, Houston Chronicle, September 6, 2019

Date: September 6

What Happened: Roland Gramajo, a Guatemalan immigrant activist in Houston, organized a community meeting to address people’’s fears about ICE raids. He invited activists from around the country, congresspeople, and even ICE officials. A few weeks later, he was arrested and now faces deportation for being “illegal.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Immigration agents arrest Houston father and community activist lauded by the city after he invited ICE to a town hall, Houston Chronicle, September 6, 2019

Date: September 6

What Happened: Trump reported to be considering big escalation in attacks on asylum/refugee program. One option under consideration—basically ending the program altogether, allowing president to admit refugees only in cases of emergency. Another would cut down refugee limit to 10,000—even lower than the already historically low cap of 30,000 for this year.

Links for Sources and Further Info The Trump Administration Might End Refugee Re-Settlement As We Know It, Vanity Fair, September 6, 2019

Date: September 9

What Happened: Judge in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California reinstates nationwide injunction vs. Trump’s asylum policy re: “safe passage” through a third country (but the Supreme Court overrules this a few days later).

Links for Sources and Further Info Judge Reinstates Nationwide Injunction on Trump Asylum Rule, New York Times, September 9, 2019

Date: September 9

What Happened: Mark Morgan, acting Customs and Border Protection head, declares in press briefing that Mexico needs to “do more” to stop immigrants coming to U.S., MPP (“Remain in Mexico”) is working, etc.

Links for Sources and Further Info Press Briefing by CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan, whitehouse.gov, September 9, 2019

Date: September 11

What Happened: In an unsigned order, the Supreme Court said the Trump/Pence regime may enforce their new rules against immigrants from Central America. Per New York Times, this “was a major victory for the administration, allowing it to enforce a policy that will achieve one of its central goals: effectively barring most migration across the nation’s southwestern border by Hondurans, Salvadorans, Guatemalans and others.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Supreme Court Says Trump Can Bar Asylum Seekers While Legal Fight Continues, New York Times, September 11, 2019

Date: September 11

What Happened: Trump/Pence regime says people from the Bahamas displaced by Hurricane Dorian will not be granted temporary protected status (TPS). A TPS status would have given Bahamians legal status to live and work in the U.S. Bahamians may only be allowed in if they have the “right documents”—but even then will not be granted permits to work.

Great Abaco, Bahamas, September 5, 2019 (Photo: AP)

Links for Sources and Further Info Trump admin won’t give temporary protected status to Bahamian victims of Hurricane Dorian, NBC News September 11, 2019

Date: September 12

What Happened: Ken Cuccinelli, Trump’s acting head of U.S. Customs and Immigration Services, says action by Trump to end birthright citizenship is “not in the near future, at least.” But he also said, “I think [birthright citizenship] ought to be addressed in such a manner that citizenship is reserved for people who are here legally, but how Congress chooses to do that is—there’s a lot of ways to do that.”

Links for Sources and Further Info Cuccinelli says Trump birthright citizenship action not coming ‘‘in the near future’’, The Hill, September 12, 2019

Date: September 12

What Happened: Tents have been set up in Laredo and Brownsville, Texas, and Yuma, Arizona to hold asylum hearings for immigrants who have been forced out of the U.S. to wait in Mexico. This is an integral part of the regime’s “Remain in Mexico” policy (MPP), and officials claim it has contributed to a “major decline in border apprehensions.”

Links for Sources and Further Info The Trump Administration’’s Latest Experiment on the Border: Tent Courts, New York Times, September 12, 2019

Date: September 13

What Happened: The impending possible end of Temporary Protected Status for Central Americans is going to severely impact hundreds of thousands of people in DC and other areas, and cause problems in industries like construction that have benefitted from employing immigrants.

Links for Sources and Further Info Salvadorans, Washington’s Builders, Face Expulsion Under Trump, New York Times, September 13, 2019