Opponents of Trump’s mass deportation and Muslim ban policies are using technology to fight back on behalf of the victims of these policies. Lawyers are also creating new services to protect the rights of people who Trump believes don’t deserve rights.
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The Colorado chapter of the ACLU developed an app for Android and iPhone users that “empowers Coloradans to record police and hold them accountable for their actions.
As a result of the first Muslim ban, AirportLawyer.org developed an app that allows travelers or their family members to upload personal information and travel plans that are securely shared with volunteer lawyers so they can track arrivals and meet travelers. The ACLU and other organizations had volunteer lawyers waiting at airports to provide legal services for people trapped in the ban.
On Tuesday, the SPLC launched a new project called SouthEast Immigration Freedom Initiative (SIFI) to provide pro bono legal services for immigrants caught up in the mass deportation dragnet.
SIFI will operate in collaboration with the American Immigration Lawyers Association, the American Immigration Council, the Innovation Law Lab and the American Immigration Representation project.
This project will provide services at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia with plans to expand to other detention centers in the future. There is a need for a service like this. It assures that immigrants’ rights, under existing law, are protected. However, it is also a needed mechanism to hold Trump and his private prisoner donors accountable when, not if, they violate laws intended to protect vulnerable people.
Often Immigrants lack the financial resources that would enable them to hire lawyers who will protect their rights under existing law. Additionally, there are physical barriers that come with being detained at private detention centers known to mistreat immigrants and provide poor medical treatment as they laugh their way to the bank.
In September 2016, Homeland Security sent 70 percent of immigrants to private detention centers. This will undoubtedly rise with the increased barbarity of Trump’s mass deportation policy that, among other things may include, separating mothers and children.
Trump’s anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim policies are based on the same lies that fascists throughout history relied on. These lies have been debunked not only by Liberals but also by Trump’s own DHS and right wing organizations. It’s obvious Trump’s xenophobic policies are about pandering to his base.
However, as with everything else Trump does, his anti-immigration policies provide a financial reward to his rich donors. One benefactor of this policy is Geo Group, which donated $250,000 to support Trump’s inauguration. One of its subsdiaries donated $225,000 to one of the Super Pacs that helped Trump “win” the election. Another prison-for-profit operator, CoreCivic donated $250,000 to support Trump’s inauguration.
The bottom line is this is another policy where Trump’s friends profit from someone else’s suffering, making it all the more important to fight back with our voices, with technology, and with the law.
Former contributor.
