Asylum Seekers Are Being "Disappeared" in Private Louisiana Jails

Friday, May 17, 2019 [Asylum Seekers Are Being "Disappeared" in Private Louisiana Jails]( Mike Ludwig, Truthout Migrant families and their advocates are raising the alarm about asylum seekers "disappearing" into private, for-profit jails in Louisiana that are increasingly contracting with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to function as immigration jails. Truthout spoke with two asylum seekers at one rural facility about the tangled web of private contractors profiting off their incarceration under the Trump administration's hash immigration policies, a system that migrants call un grande negocio, the "big business." [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [As Abortion Restrictions Sweep the South, Look to Southerners to Lead]( Monica Edwards, Truthout After Alabama passed an outright ban on abortion this week, celebrities and progressives in less extreme political environments have been denigrating the people of the South. While the region has a long history of perpetuating injustice through systemic, institutional and state-sanctioned means, it has an equally long history of Southerners who have fought oppression on all fronts and under the most extreme and violent conditions. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [At White House Iftar, Trump Continues Whitewashing State Violence]( Maha Hilal, Truthout Given the Trump administration's blatant anti-Muslim policies and attacks on Muslims here and abroad, the recent White House iftar clearly was nothing more than a whitewashing effort. Yet, the focus of media coverage was on the fact that no U.S. Muslims were invited to the dinner. Breaking the fast with war criminals won't bring Muslims any closer to obtaining justice, whereas collective resistance just might. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Help us keep civil rights violators in check: Support Truthout's bold, uncompromising journalism. [Donate Now →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [As Anti-Choice Laws Multiply, Many Are Already Living in a Post-Roe U.S.]( Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer issued what many considered a dire warning from the bench this week, implying that Roe v. Wade -- the landmark ruling that recognizes the constitutional right to an abortion -- is in danger. [Watch the Video and Read the Transcript →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Judge Orders Manning Jailed, Imposes Daily $500 Fine After 30 Days Behind Bars]( Jake Johnson, Common Dreams In a move press freedom advocates and progressive critics decried as an "outrageous" and "unprecedented" escalation of a prolonged government harassment campaign, a federal judge on Thursday ordered U.S. Army whistleblower Chelsea Manning back to jail for refusing to testify before a secretive grand jury and imposed a $500 fine for every day she is in custody after 30 days. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [For Black Americans, "Jury of Your Peers" Is a Hollow Phrase]( Darlene Harris, Truthout A person accused of a crime is guaranteed a jury of their peers in the U.S., but what if systemic racism keeps certain people out of jury pools either because of their race or economic status? That Black Americans are disproportionately represented among the nation's incarcerated has a lot to do with the fact that they rarely appear before jurors who look like them or hail from similar socioeconomic backgrounds. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [It's Time for the People to Force the Democrats' Hand on Impeachment]( Heather Digby Parton, Salon It's becoming more important every day that the Democrats focus on stopping Trump. He is still the most powerful man in the world and downplaying the threat of impeachment gives him a green light to keep doing everything he's doing. It's not just about the 2016 election or even the pattern of obstruction of justice anymore. It's about what he's doing right now. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Hedge Fund Billionaires Were Democrats' Main Bankrollers in 2018]( Donald Shaw, Sludge In the 2018 midterms, Democrats benefited more than Republicans from election spending by outside groups. Now, thanks to a new report from Public Citizen, we have a better understanding of where much of that money came from: wealthy individuals who earn their livings as hedge fund founders, bank executives and other key positions in the financial industry. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [Regulators May Reconsider Rules That Incentivize Pipeline Construction]( Sharon Kelly, DeSmogBlog A little-noticed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announcement could have an outsized impact on the oil and gas pipeline industries if the commission decides to snap shut loopholes that analysts say create financial incentives to build too many new pipelines in the U.S. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- In Case You Missed It --------------------------------------------------------------- [Don't Give John Bolton His War With Iran]( William Rivers Pitt, Truthout We the people can, and must, take to the streets if Trump unleashes another war in the Middle East. Enough people have already died at the hands of Republican presidents during this young century, and the very last thing the global climate needs is the filth of war released into an already damaged atmosphere. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- [U.S. Illegally Evicts Protectors From Venezuelan Embassy]( Marjorie Cohn, Truthout The U.S. government raid on the Venezuelan Embassy and eviction of the Embassy Protection Collective is illegal. The collective had proposed a lawful resolution to the standoff. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is moving toward the use of military action in Venezuela. [Read the Article →]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Like what you're reading? Support Truthout's independent news and analysis by making an automatic monthly donation. 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