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Statement from Rep. Bill Keating on the Nunes Memo

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Washington, DC – Below is a statement from Congressman Bill Keating, a senior Member of the Homeland Security Committee and Ranking Member of the Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee of the Foreign Affairs Committee, on today’s release of House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’s memo.

“I’ve had the opportunity to review both the Nunes memo released today and the memo put together by the House Intelligence Committee Democrats.  Having read both, the only reason to release this memo is to undermine the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller and/or to attempt to justify firing him or other Department of Justice officials.  Special Counsel Mueller’s investigation into the Russian attack on our country, including possible involvement by the Trump Campaign, must continue unimpeded.

“There is bipartisan concern regarding what FBI Director Christopher Wray called ‘material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo’s accuracy.’  Wray was appointed by President Trump, as was Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd – all of whom opposed releasing this memo.  If there is a conspiracy against Republicans and this Administration, as President Trump wants everyone to believe, then it is being led by his own appointees.”

For an interview of Rep. Keating on WBUR about the Nunes memo, click here

Call State Legislators To Push For Voting Safe Communities Act Out of Committee

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The window of opportunity is closing on the Safe Communities Act, which is still languishing in subcommittee.  We need to give it a big push!  Unless the bill is favorably voted out of committee, there will be no way for it to come before the full legislature for a vote.

Call to Action

The Safe Communities Coalition is asking us to call our State Senators and Representatives on Wednesday, January 31st as part of its State-Wide Call-In Day:

Senator Julian Cyr:    617-722-1570

Representative Sarah Peake:  617-722-2040

Representative Timothy Whelan: 617-722-2014

Call even if you know they support the bill or are a co-sponsor. We need them to push the bill out of committee.

Call Script

“My name is _____and I am your constituent. I live in ____[Town].  I am calling because I support the Safe Communities Act (S.1305) and want to urge _____[your legislator] to call the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (Senator Moore and Representative Naughton) and ask them to give the bill a swift and favorable report before the February 7 report-out deadline.”

Background

One in six Massachusetts residents is an immigrant. Yet under the Trump administration, our immigrant friends, neighbors and coworkers are being demonized and targeted for mass deportation. The federal government wants state and local law enforcement to serve as “force multipliers” for its crackdown on immigrants. The Safe Communities Act would stop that from happening in our state.

The Safe Communities Act protects the civil rights, safety and well-being of all residents by drawing a clear line between immigration enforcement and public safety. Sponsored by State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (S.1305) and State Rep. Juana Matías (H.3269), it ensures that our tax dollars are not used to help the Trump administration deport immigrant families or create a Muslim registry.

Nearly half the Massachusetts Legislature has co-sponsored the bill, and more than 100 organizations have endorsed it so far. On June 9, 2017, hundreds of people came to show their support at a hearing by the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security, with testimony from elected officials, to civil rights leaders, health care providers, educators and community members.

Key features of the Safe Communities Act

  1. Focuses resources on local needs, not deportation. State and local police should use their limited resources to fight crime, not immigrant community members and their families. The bill would bar police from arresting or detaining a person solely for federal immigration enforcement purposes, or participating in U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigations or raids based solely on immigration status. It would also prohibit agreements to deputize state and local officers as federal immigration agents, co-opting and taking away resources from local communities. When police act as ICE agents, victims and witnesses of crime are afraid to call for help, which makes us all less safe.*
  2. Upholds constitutional rights and due process. The bill ensures that constitutional principles are upheld equally for citizens and non-citizens, by requiring a warrant to arrest a person on behalf of ICE. It also requires notice to immigrant detainees of their legal rights – in a language they understand.
  3. Bars state support for any Muslim registry.  Prohibits Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and the Registry of Motor Vehicles from providing information to any federal registry program based on religion, national origin or other protected characteristics.
  4. Strengthens our communities.  Immigrants – both documented and undocumented – are part of our Commonwealth’s social and economic fabric. They are workers, business owners and active members of our communities. Most have lived here more than 10 years, and many have U.S. citizen children. In the face of anti-immigrant rhetoric and hostile federal policies, it is important to send a strong message that in our communities, we value all residents, regardless of where they were born.

The Safe Communities Act DOES NOT:

  • Break the law or jeopardize federal funding
    The bill comports with federal law. It does not make Massachusetts a “sanctuary” jurisdiction as defined by Attorney General Sessions. It expressly complies with the federal statute regarding the exchange of information about citizenship or immigration status (8 U.S.C. § 1373), and would not impact the Commonwealth’s eligibility to receive federal funding.
  • Interfere with law enforcement
    The bill would not stop police from doing their everyday work, arresting people in the course of a criminal investigation, or even working together with federal agencies to fight crime. It only limits their otherwise-voluntary collaboration with immigration enforcement. This is a question of civil federal law.

Resources

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

Source: Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition

 

 

Call-to-Action: Continue The Fight To Protect Dreamers

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Democrats don’t control Congress, but their votes are needed to pass a Republican spending bill.  Three days after withholding their support, leading to a partial government shutdown, the Democrats gave in, gave away their leverage, and voted to approve a short-term funding bill without protections for Dreamers.

We’re still baffled by the “bipartisan” “deal” struck by Republicans and (some) Democrats in the Senate that provides no guarantees or relief for Dreamers and their families.

But we are still fighting.

Call to Action

The next continuing resolution (CR) runs out on February 8.  Making a call to our members of Congress (MoCs) is the most impactful thing you can do right now to protect Dreamers.

Here’s what you can do:

  1. Visit DreamerPledge.org to read Indivisible’s latest analysis.
  2. Use Indivisible’s Dream Hero call script to thank Senators Warren and Markey and Representative Keating, all of whom voted to protect Dreamers. (in fact, the entire Massachusetts Congressional delegation are Dream Heroes).
  3. Make your call using Indivisible’s toll-free line at 1-855-980-2355. You’ll be prompted for your zip code and immediately connected to one of your Senators.
  4. Call back again and you’ll be connected to your other Senator!
  5. Once you’ve talked to both your Senators, make a call to Representative Keating (202 225-3111) using the Dream Hero  script.

Background

Late last week, we got yet another look at Donald Trump’s Stephen-Miller-written-vision for America when he double downed on his white supremacist agenda and outlined his views for immigration reform. The proposal equated to nothing more than a nativist ransom note disguised as supporting Dreamers, and, in the words of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, represented just another piece of “an unmistakable campaign to make America white again.”

We cannot forget that the crisis faced by 800,000 Dreamers is a crisis created by Donald Trump when he eliminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program five months ago. Because Trump terminated DACA, over 16,000 Dreamers are estimated to have already lost their protections, and nearly 1,000 more will lose DACA each week and become vulnerable to Trump’s deportation force.

It’s a crisis that was made worse by Mitch McConnell and his Republican enablers when they decided to use the government funding debate as an opportunity to pit kids against kids and falsely present the Continuing Resolution as a choice between CHIP and the Dream Act.

There is bipartisan support for the Dream Act in both the Senate and House. And Dreamers enjoy massive support from the American public. Despite this, Trump and Republicans would rather defend the administration’s racist policies and shut down the government than take a bipartisan deal to protect Dreamers, fund the government, and advance other critical priorities.

Let our members of Congress know you’ll keep fighting, and you expect them to fight too. Make a call, show up, don’t give up. We’re going to continue this fight until Dreamers have protection and all elected officials who side with Trump’s bigoted agenda are voted out of office.

Source: DreamerPledge.org

Indivisible Co-Founder Terms Senate Dems’ Latest ‘Cave’ On Government Shutdown ‘Morally Reprehensible’

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Today, Ezra Levin, Co-Executive Director of the Indivisible Project, issued the following statement on the Senate’s 81-18 vote to end the three-day old government shutdown, with 33 Democrats joining 48 Republicans to fund the government under a continuing resolution until February 8 in exchange for a promise from Republican leaders to address the fate of Dreamers:

“This deal was morally reprehensible and political malpractice.

It’s Senator Schumer’s job to keep his caucus together and fight for progressive values. He failed in that today.

Republicans have consistently negotiated in bad faith, demonstrating that they have no interest in actually protecting Dreamers. And for months, Democratic leadership has reassured Dreamers that Democrats would use all their leverage to get the Dream Act done. They caved in early September, but promised to use their leverage in early December. They caved in early December, but promised to use their leverage by the end of the year. They caved at the end of the year, but they promised to use their leverage in January. And now they caved again, but promised to use their leverage in February. Democrats clearly want to keep Dreamers as a talking point, but they need to grow a spine and actually fight for the Dream Act.

There are exceptions. Indivisible is extremely proud of those senators [including both Senators Warren and Markey] who followed through on that commitment today, including Democratic Senators running for reelection. These are profiles in courage – true leaders who deserve the support of Indivisibles in their states and across the country.

The big blue wave that Schumer hopes will make him Senate Majority Leader in 2019 will not build itself. This weekend, millions of Americans literally took to the streets. They weren’t asking their Senators to cave to Trump’s racist, xenophobic agenda. They were asking their Senators to fight. Instead, Schumer led his caucus to surrender, demoralizing his base and ensuring more Dreamers will be deported before this is resolved.

Our message to Dreamers and their families: Indivisible is fighting with you. We’ve been honored to fight beside you and follow the lead of brave activists who have put their bodies on the line. Indivisible groups in every state are committed to fighting until everyone is here to stay.”

Call-to-Action: Ask Our MoCs To Commit to Protecting The Iran Nuclear Deal

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On Friday, January 12th, Trump preserved the Iran nuclear deal – for now. But he again threatened to kill the deal next chance he gets, even though this deal is keeping us all safer and making war with Iran much less likely.

It’s now up to Congress to decide whether they’re going to take Trump’s bait and edge us closer to war with Iran, or save the deal and prioritize peace and real security.

Call to Action

Call our MoC’s to ask them to issue a public statement urging protection of the Iran nuclear deal.

  • Senator Markey: 202-224-2742
  • Senator Warren: (202) 224-4543
  • Representative Keating: (202) 225-3111

CALL SCRIPT

Caller: Hello, I’m a constituent from Cape Cod and I’m very concerned about the Iran deal. Trump foolishly decertified it in October and again last week even though Iran is complying and it’s keeping us all safe. If he does that again, or worse, unilaterally re-imposes sanctions and violates the deal, will [MoC] issue a public statement denouncing his actions and urging diplomacy, not war with Iran?

Staffer: Thank you for sharing those concerns. [MoC] is considering [his/her] options right now. [He/she] thinks the deal could be changed slightly and is open to that.

Caller: That’s not acceptable. Our international partners tell us the deal is the deal and there will be no renegotiations. Either we are in or we are out, and if we’re out, we could go to war with Iran. Will [MoC] make sure this doesn’t happen?

Staffer: I hear your concern. [MoC] is also concerned because Iran is a state sponsor of terrorism and commits a lot of human rights abuses. Plus they are hostile to us, our ally Israel, and others.

Caller: This is exactly why we can’t let them have a nuclear weapon – which they will, if this deal falls apart. It is crucial for [MoC] to stand up to Trump on this and keep us safe. We can’t have another North Korea.

Staffer: I’ll certainly relay your concerns to [MoC].

Caller: Yes, please do. I will be watching for [MoC]’s statement urging protection of the deal and no new war with Iran.

Background

As Politico reported, President Donald Trump is once again extending the Iran nuclear deal, but Trump will “terminate” the agreement unless Congress and European allies agree to strengthen it, Trump said in a statement Friday.

“This is a last chance,” Trump said. “[E]ither fix the deal’s disastrous flaws, or the United States will withdraw.”

The decision is a temporary victory for Trump’s national security team, which has spent months trying to persuade a president who despises the nuclear deal that abandoning it would be a self-inflicted foreign policy calamity.

The statement implicitly sets a mid-May deadline for the deal’s fate. That is when Trump must again choose, as he did Friday, whether to waive economic sanctions on Tehran which come up for renewal every 120 days.

Here’s what you need to know about the Iran nuclear deal:

  • The Iran deal (formally the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA) was struck in 2015 between the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Russia, China, the European Union and Iran. It forces Iran to give up its materials to build a nuclear weapon in exchange for some sanctions relief.
  • The deal also imposes the most rigorous, invasive inspections on Iran in history.International inspectors have 24/7 access to Iran’s nuclear sites and would catch any attempts by Iran to violate the deal.
  • Those inspectors have confirmed over and over that the deal is working and that Iran is complying with the deal. Trump’s own national security officials, including Secretary of Defense Mattis and General Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have also said the deal is working and the U.S. should stay in it.
  • If the U.S. pulls out of the deal, it will all fall apart. Iran will probably pull out too, and resume its pursuit of nuclear weapons. Other partner nations will have to choose between doing business with the U.S. or with Iran, and the whole thing will unravel. Our international partners have time and again urged Trump to stay in the deal.
  • The deal is the deal and there’s no renegotiating it. Trump likes to talk about renegotiating, or changing certain aspects of the Iran deal. While the U.S. is always welcome to engage in more diplomacy and build more deals, this deal is final and either we are in or out.
  • We’re likely to see Trump take us to war with Iran if we don’t save this deal. That would be foolish, costly, and incredibly risky. There is no reason to take this path.

Resources

No War with Iran: Stop Trump from Ripping up the Iran Deal

Trump extends Iran nuclear deal again

 

Sources: Indivisible Guide and Politico

 

 

 

Call-to-Action: Thank Our MoCs For Being ‘Dream Heroes’

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Congress has passed three funding bills since the DACA program was eliminated by Donald Trump back in September. None of them have done anything to protect Dreamers despite plenty of rhetoric from both sides of the aisle.

January 19 is the next opportunity for Congress to ensure the safety and protection of Dreamers by passing the DREAM Act as part of any spending bill. Immigrant youth have waited too long for a permanent solution to the crisis created by Trump’s vicious deportation agenda.

Call-to-Action

Every member of Congress should be making their stance clear. Here’s what you can do right now to hold our members of Congress (MoCs) accountable and ask them to stand up for Dreamers:

Call Senators Markey (202-224-2742) and Warren ((202) 224-4543) and Representative Keating ((202) 225-3111) to thank them for taking the Dreamer Pledge and being a Dream Hero and to ask them to follow through on their commitment to vote against the Jan. 19 spending bill unless it contains the Dream Act.

Background

Congress has four days to pass the DREAM Act: Funding for the government runs out by the end of next week, on January 19. With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, it’s on them to put a bill on the floor that can become law. It’s also on them to clean up the mess Trump made when he eliminated the DACA program back in September. 122 DACA recipients continue to lose their protections every single day.

The best way to reject Trump’s racism is to protect the people who he wants to deport. It’s up to Democrats to make sure that Republicans do right by Dreamers. They must take a stand and refuse to vote in favor of any new funding bill that fails to protect Dreamers from deportation.

Resources

The Dreamer Pledge