December, 05 2017, 06:15am EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Erika Andiola, (480) 278-6843
nodreamnodeal@gmail.com
Cynthia Montes, (562) 237-116
Dreamers and Allies Escalate Sit-Ins in 30 Offices Across the Country
Dreamers and Allies Stage Sit-ins Today at 30 Local Senate and House Offices in 12 States; Demand Members Pledge to Vote Against Year-End Spending Bill Unless Clean Dream Act Is Included
WASHINGTON
On Tuesday December 5, undocumented youth across the country escalate the pressure on members of congress from both parties to publictly pledge to vote against a spending bill to fund the government unless a clean version of the DREAM Act is attached. This sit-ins build on Monday's actions, in which hundreds of people protested at 14 congressional offices across the country, leading to arrests in some of them and public responses from members, including Sen. Patrick Leahy from Vermont.
Dreamers will be risking arrest in several of the sit-ins, including "Original Dreamer" Tereza Lee, who, after sharing her story with Sen. Dick Durbin in 2001, inspired him to draft the first version of the DREAM Act.
Tuesday's actions are part of a larger movement to fight for a clean Dream Act, where immigrants brought to the United States as children are able to live, learn, work, and pursue their dreams in the only country they've ever known as home.
Visit https://fightforourdream.org/ for a full list Tuesday's actions.
KEY EVENTS:
Tuesday, December 5
Arizona
8:30 AMSen. Flake's Phoenix Office,2200 E. Camelback Rd. Suite 120, Phoenix AZ. More info here.
11:00 AMMcSally's Congressional office, 4400 E. Broadway Blvd. # 510, Tucson AZ. More info here.
California
12:00 PMSen. Feinstein's Los Angeles Office, 11111 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 915, Los Angeles CA. More info here.
Colorado
3:00 PMSen. Gardner's Denver Office, 721 19th St., Ste. 150, Denver CO. More info here.
3:00 PMRep. Coffman's Aurora Office, 3300 S. Parker Rd., Suite #305, Aurora CO. More info here.
Florida
12:00 PMRep. Diaz-Balart's Office, 8669 NW 36th St, Suite 100, Doral FL. More info here.
10:00 AMSen. Duckworth's Office, 230 South Dearborn Street Suite 3900, Chicago IL. More info here.
3:00 PMOffice of Rep. Lahood, 3004 G.E. Rd Suite 1B, Bloomington IL. More info here.
Nevada
10:00 AMSen. Heller's Las Vegas Office, 8930 W. Sunset Rd. Suite 230, Las Vegas NV. More info here.
12:00 PMSen. Heller's Reno Office, 400 S. Virginia St. Bruce Thompson Federal Building Suite 738, Reno NV. More info here.
New York
9:30 AMNY Senator Schumer's Peekskill Office, 1 Park Pl #100, Peekskill NY. More info here.
10:00 AMSenator Schumer's NYC Office, 780 Third Avenue, Suite 2301 New York, NY. More info here.
Ohio
4:00 PMPortman's Cincinnati Office, 312 Walnut St #3425, Cincinnati OH. More info here.
Texas
10:30 AMSen. Cornyn's Dallas Office, 5001 Spring Valley Rd. Suite 1125 E, Dallas, TX 75244. More info here.
Utah
12:00 PMSit-In at Wallace Bennett Federal Building, 25 E 100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138. More info here.
Washington
12:15 PMRep. Newhouse's Richland Office, 3100 George Washington Way #130, Richland WA. More info here.
2:00 PMRep. McMorris Rodger's Spokane Office, 10 North Post Street, Suite 625, Spokane WA. More info here.
LATEST NEWS
2023 Was '2 Steps Forward, 2 Steps Back' for Tropical Forest Loss
"Steep declines in the Brazilian Amazon and Colombia show that progress is possible, but increasing forest loss in other areas has largely counteracted that progress," one expert said.
Apr 04, 2024
An annual accounting of global deforestation, released Thursday, shows that political will can make a significant difference when it comes to protecting vital ecosystems and the Indigenous and local communities that depend on them—but that policymakers in many regions are not taking enough action to save tropical forests.
The data, gathered by the University of Maryland's Global Land Analysis and Discover Lab and published on the World Resources Institute's (WRI) Global Forest Watch program, found that primary tropical forest loss in 2023 decreased by more than one-third in Brazil and nearly 50% in Colombia after both countries elected leaders who championed conservation policies. However, on the global level, these declines were offset by increased deforestation in other countries.
"The world took two steps forward, two steps back when it comes to this past year's forest loss," Global Forest Watch director Mikaela Weisse said in a statement. "Steep declines in the Brazilian Amazon and Colombia show that progress is possible, but increasing forest loss in other areas has largely counteracted that progress. We must learn from the countries that are successfully slowing deforestation."
"This year's forest loss numbers tell an inspiring story of what we can achieve when leaders prioritize action, but the data also highlights many urgent areas of missed opportunity to protect our forests and our future."
All told, 3.7 million hectares of primary tropical forests were felled last year at a rate equivalent to 10 soccer fields per minute. While tropical deforestation decreased by 9% in 2023 compared with 2022, the overall deforestation rate has held steady when compared to 2019 and 2021. Tree clearing released 2.4 metric gigatons of climate pollution into the atmosphere, which is nearly half of the U.S.'s yearly emissions from burning fossil fuels.
"Forests are critical ecosystems for fighting climate change, supporting livelihoods, and protecting biodiversity," WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta said in a statement.
Global Forest Watch focuses on the tropics because more than 96% of human-caused deforestation occurs there. However, the climate crisis contributed to making 2023 a devastating year for global tree loss, which rose 24% due to record-breaking wildfires in Canada's boreal forests.
"That is one of the biggest anomalies on record," University of Maryland researcher Matt Hansen toldReuters, adding, "It's a big deal, and it's a cautionary tale for climate impacts to fire."
In the tropics, Brazil managed to cut primary deforestation by 36%, the lowest level in the country since 2015. The country moved from being responsible for 43% of tropical deforestation in 2022 to 30% in 2023.
The decline coincided with the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who replaced former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro oversaw record deforestation as he prioritized exploitative industries over forest protections and Indigenous rights. Since taking office in early 2023, Lula has reversed course by promising to end deforestation by 2030, ramping up enforcement efforts against illegal forest clearing, rolling back anti-environmental measures, and recognizing new Indigenous territories.
"We're incredibly proud to see such stark progress being made across the country, especially in the Brazilian Amazon," Mariana Oliveira, who manages the Forests, Land Use, and Agriculture Program for WRI Brazil, said in a statement.
In Brazil, Amazon forest loss decreased by 39%, though deforestation increased in the vulnerable and vital Cerrado and Pantanal ecosystems.
"We still have a very long ways to improve and sustain the efforts, and I hope today's release energizes the national and subnational governments in Brazil—and governments around the world—to build on this momentum rather than using it as an excuse to slow down," Oliveira said.
The other 2023 success story was Colombia, which curbed primary forest loss by 49%. This reversal followed the election of left-wing President Gustavo Petro Urrego, who took office in August 2022 with Vice President Francia Márquez, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner. After a 2016 peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, other armed groups and other opportunists moved into territories they had vacated, increasing forest loss. Petro has prioritized conservation in negotiating peace agreements with these other armed groups.
"The story of deforestation in Colombia is complex and deeply intertwined with the country's politics, which makes 2023's historic decrease particularly powerful," WRI Colombia natural resources manager Alejandra Laina said in a statement. "There is no doubt that recent government action and the commitment of the communities has had a profound impact on Colombia's forests, and we encourage those involved in current peace talks to use this data as a springboard to accelerate further progress."
Despite the good news out of Brazil and Colombia, upticks in deforestation in Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Laos counteracted that progress on the global level. In Bolivia, forest loss rose by 27% to reach the greatest loss on record for a third consecutive year. A little over half of this was due to fires that spread more readily because of climate-fueled drought, while the rest was due to the expansion of agriculture, particularly soy. Agriculture was the main force behind deforestation in Nicaragua—which cleared 4.2% of its remaining primary forest—and Laos, which saw record loss of 47%.
Deforestation rates also continued to creep upward in Congo at 3% in 2023. This is concerning because the Congo rainforest is the last tropical forest that reliably acts as a carbon sink, and because of its importance to local communities.
"Forests are the backbone of livelihoods for Indigenous people and local communities across Africa, and this is especially true in the Congo Basin," Teodyl Nkuintchua, the Congo Basin strategy and engagement lead at WRI, said in a statement. "Dramatic policy action must be taken in the Congo Basin to enact new development pathways that support a transition away from unsustainable food and energy production practices, while improving well-being for Indigenous people and local communities as much as revenues for countries."
The new data comes as world leaders have six years to meet their promise, made at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in 2021, of ending deforestation by 2030. However, WRI found that nearly 2 million more hectares were cleared in 2023 than would be consistent with meeting that goal, Mongabayreported.
WRI global forest director Rod Taylor told reporters that the world was "far off track and trending in the wrong direction when it comes to reducing global deforestation."
WRI's Dasgupta said: "The world has just six years left to keep its promise to halt deforestation. This year's forest loss numbers tell an inspiring story of what we can achieve when leaders prioritize action, but the data also highlights many urgent areas of missed opportunity to protect our forests and our future."
Taylor added that the rest of the world could not rely on individual leaders like Lula or Petro, but should take steps to encourage deforestation such as making it more profitable to preserve forests than to clear them, making sure global supply chains are deforestation free, and protecting the land rights of Indigenous peoples.
"Bold global mechanisms and unique local initiatives together are both needed to achieve enduring reductions in deforestation across all tropical front countries," Taylor said.
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Amid Federal Layoffs, Biden Rule Protects Civil Servants From Political Firings
"President Biden's predecessor and other conservatives have made clear they would support stripping hundreds of thousands of federal employees of their civil service rights and protections," said one union leader.
Apr 04, 2024
Approximately 90,000 people across the United States lost their jobs in March, and roughly a third were in the federal government, making last month the worst for job losses since January 2023.
However, a new rule introduced by the Biden administration aims at protecting the jobs of civil servants in the federal government, which goes against the plans former President Donald Trump has should he return to office.
"Career federal employees deliver critical services for Americans in every community," said U.S. Office of Personnel Management Director Kiran Ahuja. "This final rule honors our 2.2 million career civil servants, helping ensure that people are hired and fired based on merit and that they can carry out their duties based on their expertise and not political loyalty."
Biden stmnt on new OPM rule being finalized that tightens job securities for civil servants + limits the positions that can have those protections removed
(Trump allies view this as more a speedbump than a roadblock to dramatically overhaul the civil service should Trump win) pic.twitter.com/k4y8JQtvBE
— Allan Smith (@akarl_smith) April 4, 2024
Trump intends to fire tens of thousands of career civil servants in the federal government and replace them with loyalists if he returns to the White House—part of the far-right initiative Project 2025, aimed at consolidating Trump's power and avoiding any obstacles to the goals which he hopes to accomplish.
"President Biden's action reinforces and clarifies federal employees' due process rights and civil service protections, strengthening the apolitical civil service and hampering efforts to return the government to a corrupt spoils system," said American Federation of Government Employees National President Everett Kelle.
"President Biden's predecessor and other conservatives have made clear," added Kelle. "They would support stripping hundreds of thousands of federal employees of their civil service rights and protections and turning them into at-will workers who could be hired or fired at any time for political reasons."
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Doctor at Israeli Detention Camp for Gazans Blows Whistle on War Crimes
"Just this week, two prisoners had their legs amputated due to handcuff injuries, which unfortunately is a routine event."
Apr 04, 2024
A doctor at an Israeli field hospital inside a notorious detention center where hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are temporarily held is sounding the alarm about torture and horrific conditions at what some human rights defenders—including Israelis—are calling "Israel's Guantánamo Bay" and even a "concentration camp."
In a letter to Israel's attorney general and defense and health ministers viewed byHaaretz—which reported the story Thursday—the anonymous physician describes likely war crimes being committed at the Israel Defense Forces' Sde Teiman base near Beersheva. Palestinian militants captured by IDF troops, as well as many civilian hostages ranging in age from teenagers to septuagenarians, are held there in cages, 70-100 per cage, until they are transferred to regular Israeli prisons or released.
"From the first days of the medical facility's operation until today, I have faced serious ethical dilemmas," the doctor wrote. "More than that, I am writing to warn you that the facility's operations do not comply with a single section among those dealing with health in the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law."
Gazans arrested and detained by Israeli forces are not legally considered prisoners of war by Israel because it does not recognize Gaza as a state. These detainees are mostly held under the Internment of Unlawful Combatants Law, which allows the imprisonment of anyone suspected of taking part in hostilities against Israel for up to 75 days without seeing a judge.
Human Rights Watch has warned that the law "strips away meaningful judicial review and due process rights."
Sde Teiman detainees are fed through straws and forced to defecate in diapers. They're also forced to sleep with the lights on and have allegedly been subjected to beatings and torture. Other Palestinians taken by Israeli forces have described being electrocuted, mauled by dogs, soaked with cold water, denied food and water, deprived of sleep, and blasted with loud music at temporary detention sites.
The whistleblowing Sde Teiman physician said that all patients at the camp's field hospital are handcuffed by all four limbs, regardless of how dangerous they are deemed. In December, Israeli Health Ministry officials ordered such treatment after a medical worker at the facility was attacked. Now the camp's estimated 600-800 prisoners are shackled 24 hours a day.
At first, the cuffs were plastic zip ties. Now they're metal. The doctor said that more than half of his patients at the camp have suffered cuffing injuries, including some that have required "repeated surgical interventions."
"Just this week, two prisoners had their legs amputated due to handcuff injuries, which unfortunately is a routine event," he told Haaretz.
The whistleblower also alleged substandard medical care at the facility, where there is only one doctor on duty, who is sometimes a gynecologist or orthopedist.
"This ends in complications and sometimes even in the patient's death," he said. "This makes all of us—the medical teams and you, those in charge of us in the Health and Defense ministries, complicit in the violation of Israeli law, and perhaps worse for me as a doctor, in the violation of my basic commitment to patients, wherever they are, as I swore when I graduated 20 years ago."
The doctor claims in his letter that he warned the Health Ministry's director-general about the appalling conditions at Sde Teiman, but that there have been "no substantial changes in the way the facility operates."
An ethics committee visited the camp in February; the physician said that its members "are worried about their legal exposure and coverage in view of their involvement in a facility that is operated contrary to the provisions of the existing law."
Last month, Haaretzrevealed that 27 detainees have died in custody at the Sde Teiman and Anatot camps or during interrogation in Israel since October 7. While some were Hamas or other militants captured or wounded while fighting IDF troops, others were civilians, including some with preexisting health conditions like the diabetic laborer who was not suspected of any offense when he was arrested and sent to his death at Anatot.
One former Sde Teiman detainee claims that he personally witnessed Israeli troops execute five prisoners in separate incidents.
"Israel's indifference to the fate of Gazans, at best, and desire for revenge against them, at worst, are fertile ground for war crimes."
Responding to the 27 detainee deaths and invoking the U.S. military prison in Cuba known for torture and indefinite detention, the Haaretz editorial board wrote last month that "Sde Teiman and the other detention facilities are not Guantánamo Bay and... the state has a duty to protect the rights of detainees even if they are not formally prisoners of war."
"Israel's indifference to the fate of Gazans, at best, and desire for revenge against them, at worst, are fertile ground for war crimes," the editors said. "Indifference by Israelis and desire for revenge must not constitute license to shed the blood of detainees... The fact that Hamas is holding and abusing Israeli hostages cannot excuse or justify the abuse of Palestinian detainees."
In December, the Geneva-based advocacy group Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor—which has also
accused IDF troops of allowing Israeli civilians to witness the torture of Palestinian prisoners—demanded an investigation of what it called the "new Guantánamo."
Israeli rights groups and individuals have also condemned the abuses at Sde Teiman, which, like Guantánamo, has been described as a "concentration camp."
"Enough, just enough. We have to stop this gallop into the abyss," urged Hebrew University senior lecturer Tamar Megiddo on Wednesday. "This war has to end. This government needs to end."
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