Colorado Gov. Signs Executive Order to Prevent Family Separation

By Jeralyn, Section Colorado News
Posted on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:02:23 PM EST
Tags: immigration (all tags)

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Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper signed an executive order today that prevents any state agency from separating a parent and child for immigration purposes.

“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s policy and practice of separating children from their parents when arriving at the southern border is offensive to our core values as Coloradans and as a country,” Hickenlooper’s executive order says. “The administration announced a ‘zero tolerance’ policy in the spring of 2018 resulting in family separations. The administration has recently stated that the purpose of the policy is to intimidate immigrants and deter crossings.”

The text of the Order reads in part:

“No state agency may deprive any person of services or benefits to which he or she is legally entitled because of a person’s immigration status, except as required by state or federal law.
...No state agency may use any state resources, including but not limited to moneys, equipment, or personnel, for the purpose of separating any child from his or her parent or legal guardian on the sole ground that such parent or legal guardian is present in the United States in violation of federal immigration laws.”

You can read the Order here. [More...]

Via the Denver Post:

“I think it’s fair to say it’s a rebuke,” the governor said of his executive order. “But it’s also just saying: ‘It’s not going to happen in our backyard.’ We are very clear that this is not something that is acceptable. It’s hard for me to imagine that this is happening in the United States of America at the scale it is — at any scale.”

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Colorado Gov. Signs Executive Order to Prevent Family Separation | 34 comments (34 topical)

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Pro publica audio (5.00 / 1) (#1)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:23:24 PM EST

pretty hard to hear

Looks like the HHS secretary is being given her chance to prove her love of dear leader by defending this at the press briefing. Probably setting her up as the fall person when it implodes.

Which it will. This will not stand. It may take a major tragedy which becomes more likely by the day as populations rise. But it's becoming pretty clear this has a short shelf life.

If not short enough.

Homeland Security Secretary (none / 0) (#2)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:27:03 PM EST

I meant


Just (none / 0) (#4)
by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:41:59 PM EST

watched the perfect Aryan spokesmodel, doubling and even tripling down on the pogrom, didn't have to squint to hard too see the arm-band. Deflected every criticism with the "just following orders" routine. Way past Godwin indeed.

Sources are saying she was rushed to the WH to handle the presser so her marching orders came straight from the top. tRump for now, is choosing this hill to die on, unfortunately the cynic in me gives him a better than even chance to survive this.


Well, "just following orders" (5.00 / 1) (#6)
by Zorba on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:03:56 PM EST

Didn't work during the Nuremberg trials.
Human rights abuses are human rights abuses. There are no excuses. Period.


The Nazis did not have (none / 0) (#7)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:09:11 PM EST

FOX news


Although (none / 0) (#8)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:10:14 PM EST

This is even being criticized on FOX or so I hear.


Oh, but (none / 0) (#9)
by Zorba on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:11:08 PM EST

They had plenty of Nazi propaganda out there, even without TV.


Sure (none / 0) (#10)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:14:11 PM EST

Where do you think the right learned how to do this.

Still, I think it's a different world. Nazi propaganda had little effect on the people who decided their fate. Not so true now

Of course I hope you are right


: For example (none / 0) (#11)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:16:53 PM EST

Ann Coulter Smears Immigrant Children as `Child Actors

Oh (none / 0) (#5)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:59:02 PM EST

He will survive.

I just think it's starting to be hard to see how they don't find a way to start backpedaling this.

The backlash is clearly growing.

But

Read the comment below. This is about the 35%. They love this.

I guess it just depends on how much the 65% is willing to swallow.


The (none / 0) (#13)
by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:31:23 PM EST

backlash is indeed the heaviest I have ever seen, especially from Republicans. For a while I thought tRump was going to try to pin it on Sessions and finally be rid of that troublesome elf, but that window of opportunity appears to be closing and tRump shows no sign of building a life boat, otherwise.

My theory is that tRump sees the children as the ultimate bargaining chip in his dealmaking with congress. He is absolutely unable to fathom the moral repugnance and in his mind he would be weak and foolish to give it up. His base of course eats it up and he could give a flying fk about the optics or the backlash.


Nielsen (none / 0) (#14)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:36:42 PM EST

Begins to look like the goat. Her never liked her anyway.


Normally (none / 0) (#19)
by FlJoe on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 06:30:42 PM EST

I would agree with you, but something smells different this time, maybe down the road he will fold. IMO, tRump is pathologically obsessed with the wall and he is pathologically afraid of appearing weak, especially to his base. Ripping apart families, shooting a man on Fifth Ave, being the quintessential bully, it's all the same to him and his cult, it's his whole ethos. This particular battle will be a hard one to walk away from.

: I think you (none / 0) (#20)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 07:43:40 PM EST

are right. He has been telling his friends who have been blabbing to the press or maybe someone in the WH that he has been appearing "weak" on immigration. The only way to get rid of this odious policy is to have the GOP vote on it and then Trump will veto it and they are going to have to vote to override his veto. I mean this is going to entirely land in the lap of the GOP for the most part when it comes to solving this problem. These children are going to probably suffer much much more sad to say before they can be freed.

: Many calls (none / 0) (#32)
by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 10:25:33 AM EST

On both sides for Neilsen to go.

I also am suprised (none / 0) (#17)
by ruffian on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 06:19:01 PM EST

he hasn't used this excuse to fire Sessions. I guess the week is still young, but this seems to be his favorite Bannon/Miller initiative.


: I don't think (none / 0) (#21)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 07:47:47 PM EST

he is going to fire Sessions after I read that the GOP went to him and told him that if you fire Sessions we just won't fill the post.

The 35% (none / 0) (#18)
by Ga6thDem on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 06:26:32 PM EST

is brain washed Fox idiots so you're right about the 65% but apparently there's 65% of the country that is against separating families according to the Q poll.

Calling seems to be having an effect on them and polling because Ted Cruz did a 180 and has now decided that he needs to sponsor a bill stopping the family separations. Isakson is thinking about signing onto the Feinstein bill and I told his office to tell him thank you from me. However Perdue has no opinion and my representative supports family separation.


It's 55% (none / 0) (#25)
by smott on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 03:18:57 AM EST

Of Republicans who approve.
27% of the voting public approve.

And Trump's popularity is now highest since inauguration per Gallup.

Also, Stephen Miller is behind this, and likely thinks it's hilarious. Dear God with all the monsters in this Admin, he's near the top. Hope Mueller can put him in prison.


I'm sure (none / 0) (#27)
by Ga6thDem on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 06:57:12 AM EST

Trump got a polling bump from the North Korea fawning but only in the bizarre world we live in today would an approval rating in the 40's be considered "good".


Not good maybe (5.00 / 1) (#28)
by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 07:18:58 AM EST

But completely within historic averages for a president at this point.

Not far off where Clinton, Bush and Obama were.

That in itself is pretty remarkable

I said it before Trump is not the real long term problem. The real problem is the stupid, bigoted, racist, white nationalist base of the republican party.

The worst part, they seem to be getting better at selling it and democrats seem to be getting worse. By the day.

That said I saw Ted Cruz opponent for the first time yesterday. I was very impressed. IMO Cruz is a gonner. It almost gave me hope.


Business Insider (none / 0) (#29)
by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 08:10:03 AM EST

Trump's approval rating at this point in his presidency lines up with the ratings of other presidents at similar times in their first terms.


What Does His Opposition Have to Sell? (none / 0) (#30)
by RickyJim on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 08:49:18 AM EST

I think they could sell fairer wealth distribution (with the result of Medicare for all) and reduction in the number of foreign military installations (over 900 for the US with 70 odd for all other countries combined).


: No one ever thought of that (none / 0) (#31)
by CaptHowdy on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 09:12:00 AM EST

I'm giving numbers. Not explanations.

This is going to be trump's hell... (none / 0) (#22)
by desertswine on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 10:36:38 PM EST

listening forever to the voices of children crying for their Mommys and Papis.

Neilson does not know where the toddlers or the girls are being kept. No one knows. Not only are they cruel, but stupidly incompetent as well.


: Already many parents (5.00 / 1) (#24)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 11:21:13 PM EST

Have been deported without the children. Imagine that. They are admitting there is no process to reunite them. Nielsen was telling the truth today when she said she do dint know. I just heard it explained by the guy running against Cruz. There is a numbering system when they are arrested that links parent and child. Then they are transferred to HHS where that number does not follow them.
One woman had a list given to her with her name and the names of her children. She said they were not the names of her children.
Its a nightmare. I can't imagine what that must be like.

: I want to hope (none / 0) (#26)
by smott on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 03:20:22 AM EST

That the teenage girls aren't being sold into sex trafficking.
But then I realize I'm being naive.

Jennifer Harbury got the audio (none / 0) (#12)
by MKS on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:26:30 PM EST

That is how MSNBC credits it.

I knew she was in Austin.

She was a great human rights advocate for Guatemala.


It powerful stuff (none / 0) (#15)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:37:40 PM EST

She is a hero.


: Her client recorded (none / 0) (#16)
by MKS on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 05:56:14 PM EST

it and gave it to her to publish.
So, after all these years she is still an advocate for the dispossessed.

I was driving by a High School this afternoon. (5.00 / 2) (#23)
by vml68 on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 11:17:12 PM EST

95 degrees out and school is closed but there were probably 60-70 kids standing on the curb with signs saying do not separate kids from their mom/families.

On the other hand (none / 0) (#3)
by CaptHowdy on Mon Jun 18, 2018 at 04:41:35 PM EST

Trump aides plan fresh immigration crackdowns before midterms

Top aides to President Donald Trump are planning additional crackdowns on immigration before the November midterms, despite a growing backlash over the administration's move to separate migrant children from parents at the border.
In one of the most closely watched plans under discussion, the Department of Homeland Security has proposed a new rule that former Obama administration officials and immigration advocates worry could be used as an end run around a 1997 court settlement that limits the length of time migrant children can be kept in government custody.
"Once you rescind that regulation, then you go back to being able to do whatever you want and the detention becomes the complete discretion of ICE," said Leon Fresco, former deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice. "That is where people think this is headed."

This is a meaningless headline. (none / 0) (#33)
by Chuck0 on Tue Jun 19, 2018 at 10:30:00 AM EST

Is there a rash of family separations in Colorado? This is all for show. The problem is at the border. With the federal government. What I would like to have heard from Hickenlooper is that the State of Colorado would arrest and prosecute any federal employee who needlessly separated a family within the borders of Colorado. Same goes for any federal enforcement of marijuana laws. Arrest the federal and prosecute them for whatever state charges they can come up with.

: We have at least one... (none / 0) (#34)
by MileHi Hawkeye on Wed Jun 20, 2018 at 10:13:50 PM EST

ICE detention facility in Aurora. No doubt there are others given our large immigrant population.
I will grant you that our governor could well be making a calulated play in order to keep his name in the running for future political office.
I wish his concern "for the children" would have extended to his veto of a bill to allow kids with autism to get medical marijuana cards.