Kshama Sawant has turned her power to raise a crowd and bring activists into the streets of Seattle onto a new target: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — I.C.E.
“The movement’s demands are clear: Free Daniel! No Ban! No Wall! No Raids! Not One More Deportation! Free those in detention! Shut down the private prisons used by ICE, including the Northwest Detention Center! Full Civil Rights and Legalization for All!,” Sawant said in a statement released before a Friday protest and march organized by the City Council member and District 3 representative for Capitol Hill and the Central District.
The protest drew around 200 people to the downtown federal courthouse where hearings have been underway in the case of 23-year-old Daniel Ramirez Medina, a participant in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program whose detention by I.C.E. has drawn widespread criticism and concern.
The announcement about Friday’s protest sent by Sawant’s City Hall staff included a message about the detention from Paul Quinonez Figueroa of the Washington Dream Coalition. “Since the election, the Trump administration and Republican leadership have forced our immigrant community to live in fear and uncertainty. President Trump and Speaker Ryan have repeatedly lied to our community and stated that DACA recipients have no reason to be fearful,” Quinonez Figueroa said. “We have now seen the government break its promise and demonstrate that no one is safe from its deportation machine. Join us to demand that Daniel is released, and that Trump’s executive order on interior enforcement is repealed. Let’s send a message to Trump that his fearmongering tactics have no place in Washington State.”
In a media interview, Sawant called on Seattle Police to actively block any I.C.E. detentions in the city:
Following the day’s activities, Mayor Ed Murray provided a measured response to Sawant’s rally cry:
“Today’s march was one of several over the last few weeks, including the 175,000-person women’s march, that have been conducted peacefully, with the assistance of Seattle Police. As a City, we will continue to stand up for our values, have faith that the judiciary will defend the rights of all who live here and take legal action where necessary. The Seattle Police Department and the City cannot stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or other federal authorities from conducting raids in our city, and suggestions that would possibly create violent scenarios would undermine the commitment to peaceful protest called for by so many over the last month. Being dishonest with the communities in our city targeted by the Trump Administration is irresponsible and dangerous when our City aims to do everything we can to support them.
“And we must stand together to oppose these Executive Orders, not attack each other or allow ourselves to be divided.”
It would have been nice if people like Sawant had supported the one sane and viable choice for office before the election, instead of a wasting a vote for Putin’s buddy and lapdog Jill: http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/02/16/24876562/rachel-maddow-somethings-up-between-jill-stein-and-putin. But I guess it’s more fun now that she gets to play at revolutionary, so for Sawant its a win-win.
A lot of dumb people in the neighborhood aka district voted for her and will again. Unless she goes on to greener pastures she will be a lifer here on the city council.
I’m waiting to see the massive freak out when the Fed starts to enforce Cannabis laws again. I expect to see smoke covered crowds slowly trudging through the streets, and stopping at every convenience store for junk food.
Marxist college professor. maybe more than 29% of voters will vote in the next election for City Council and she will be back at Seattle Central.
Certain people conveniently and deliberately elect to conflate legal immigrants with illegal aliens. I don’t and won’t. What Trump did in denying entry to those with legal rights to enter is and was totally wrong, as is much that he does. But the policy of enforcing the existing laws and not permitting a pass to those who are here illegally, and having a system of deportation is right, and was underway with Obama. I applaud every deportation of an illegal alien. Happy to see my food get more expensive. Those business owners who employ illegals should be prosecuted, not lauded.
Those who disagree kindly confirm that you are fine with eliminating border controls and letting anyone in the world who wishes and is able to overstay a visitor visa, or slip in to the country should get to stay. If so, I predict that the US and Canada would be besieged by hundreds of millions leaving less desirable countries. Not all of us on the hill agree with shrill Sawant.
As to the young man being held for deportation, I always thought that DACA was for deserving honor roll students, not a father at 20, son of felon and multiple immigration violator, and recent orange picker in CA who came to WA for other work. If he is DACA I want no part of it for us. Mexico is not a horrible country. He should return there and make a life.
So forced deportations are now somehow tied directly to the “Billionaire class”? Or maybe it’s a general-purpose sign that Savant hauls out according to whatever’s the protest de jour? When you spend more of your time protesting than you do actually working, people stop paying any attention to you when it might matter.
Her signs always target billionaires but her enacted policies hurt thousandaires the most.
I can’t stand Kshama Sawant, She doesn’t represent the residents of Capitol Hill. She has her own agenda and needs to go!
I wish Sawant would have as much passion regarding a working plan to help with the homeless/mental health problem on Capitol Hill rather than grandstanding for her socialist agenda.
Evergreen comment.
“I wish Sawant would have as much passion regarding a working plan to help with the problem in rather than grandstanding for her socialist agenda.”
I am going to need to call my employer’s (City of Seattle) Ethics Dept. on Monday morning. I just noticed that Comrade Sawant’s banner is sporting the City of Seattle logo with her name on it (lower right corner). We’ll have to make sure that she isn’t having these banners made on the city’s dime; also, I’m not certain that placing the City of Seattle logo/name, along with your name as a council member, isn’t a violation of the city’s code of ethics.
Please do….thank you!
I also agree with Neighbor’s comments above, She needs to focus on helping our cities homeless and drug problems.
I think we need to know more about the specifics of Daniel Ramirez Medina’s case before we knee-jerk decide that it is unfair. If indeed he has committed crimes other than entering illegally, or if he is an active gang member, then he should certainly be deported. If not he should be let free. For now, I’m assuming that ICE has good reasons to detain him.
Here’s some reporting on this that shows ICE is clearly out of control. http://www.thestranger.com/slog/2017/02/16/24878118/detained-dreamers-lawyers-say-government-doctored-legal-document-to-try-and-prove-false-gang-affiliation
ICE’s own documents say he has no criminal history. Yet, despite DACA protection, they took him in to custody. Once in custody, he allegedly said he was gang affiliated…even though ICE has published his denial of that. Sounds fishy as heck to me. A multi-state gang member with zero criminal history? Unlikely. However, of the few vary narrow roads to citizenship available to Dreamers, ICE just handed him one. That, and his son is a US citizen so now he has two roads to citizenship. Not that they’ll backtrack on their false claims that he’s an amazingly crime free gang member.
If his detention is unwarranted, why did the federal judge rule for him to stay in jail?
Great story except for the small oversight missed by your reporter: SOCIALIST ALTERNATIVE was in force at the protest with its army of paid agitators and pasty-white, doe-eyed, millenial volunteers. They handed out signs to the mini-mob, and then had organizers (readily identified by their mesh orange vests) herding the nearly-all-white protesters around the downtown. Judging by the number of references to Sawant on the signage (and not to inmate Daniel Medina), it looked more like a political campaign rally. As a cynically I saw the event as nothing more than a marginally-successfull P.R. stunt. I say marginally successful because the protest was picked up nationally by A.P and the Mayor’s office jumped on board for some sorely needed “virtue signaling”. The small turn-out on Friday was encouraging. The witless public seems to be gradually waking-up to their roles as props and bit players to the bigger ambition of Sawant and CIty Hall to continue building their monopolistic political regime in Seattle- and beyond.