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Email from Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Jan. 22, 2007

Hola y’all…

The fate of the children incarcerated in the Hutto prison camp is in the hands of the Williamson County Commissioners Court. As of last week, the Commissioners did not realize that they would have such a crucial decision to make this coming week.

The County’s lease with the Correctional Corporation of America , (CCA) the private company that makes obscene profits off of incarcerating the children and their mothers…expires next week…on January 31st. Now, thanks to the efforts of our investigations and opposition, the Commissioners do know. They know that they can refuse to renew the lease and put an end to the Hutto “ Residential Center ” prison camp.
There is a growing group of Williamson County citizens that … are shocked that little children are in prison cells for 22 hours a day. They are outraged that such an immoral and criminal act is being committed, not only in America , let alone in the great State of Texas …but right in their county. It is even more repugnant for many of the Williamson County residents that live right in Taylor …not far from the prison camp.

Many of these citizens will be present [Tuesday] morning at 9:30am at the Commissioners Court in Georgetown. They will be there to oppose the renewal of the lease with CCA and the cancellation of the contract with Chertoff and the ICE Company. So, there is an outreach taking place within the fellow Williamson County residents to attend this meeting.

Jane Van Praag, will be making a presentation to the Commissioners Court. Jane says the following about when and where the Commissioners Court will meet:

The Williamson County Commissioners’ Court meets every Tuesday at 9:30 in the Precinct 3 Justice of the Peace Courtroom at the County Annex Building, 301 SE Inner Loop, in Georgetown. [Tuesday] (23rd) I make my appeal not to renew T. Don Hutto and on the 30th they will discuss whether or not to renew once the contract expires on 01-31-07.

It is the hope and confidence of the Williamson County residents such as Jane that the Commissioners they elected to represent their citizens’ voice, will do so on this most crucial matter, and especially to have the courage to do the just and moral thing regarding the children. The right thing being…to stand up to a powerful government that would incarcerate children, give the required 120 day notice to Chertoff and ICE, while cancelling the lease with CCA. By doing so, the Commissioners can make a statement with national and international force, that it is an immoral and un-American act to exploit the women and children…let alone for profit.

As for the rest of us…from all over Texas , the USA and other parts of the world…we are solidly behind Jane Van Praag and the citizens of Williamson County …in their fight to restore a sense of sanity and dignity at this crucial time of American history. We also hope that the Williamson County Commissioners, instinctively champion the children…and force Chertoff and ICE to discontinue something so immoral, repugnant…and even criminal…as to treat these little innocent ones as they are doing.

To the Williamson County Commissioners, the fate of these children is in your hands. You can champion them. You should champion them…as if they were your own children or grandchildren.

For a take on this situation from Williamson County residents…here is the link to the Eye on Williamson County. http://www.eyeonwilliamson.org/

You’re always encouraged to go to http://www.texascivilrightsreview for the most complete accumulation and up to date information regarding the Hutto prison camp.

Jay

P.S. Don’t forget the Vigil this coming Thursday evening, January 25th…at 5:50-6:30pm…right in front of the Hutto prison camp. We are holding this third vigil…to encourage the Williamson County Commissioners to choose the children over Chertoff and the ICE Company. Here’s the mapquest map.

jjj

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The Border Ambassador

Connecting.the.dots…making.a.difference…

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Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Sr.

Del Rio, Texas, USA
Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila , Mexico

We told the story of Salim Yassir, the Palestinian refugee held for four years by USA immigration authorities, whom Judge Maryanne Trump Barry called “a man without a country.” And we hinted, pay attention to this story, because there’s Yankee lawyers coming to Texas. Well, Joshua E. Bardavid is the New York lawyer who argued the Yassir case before Judge Barry, and he is filing a federal suit in behalf of the Ibrahim family. We’ll tell more as we know it, but first, here’s a get-acquainted interview with Mr. Bardavid, that he graciosly agreed to conduct via email–gm

TCRR: We are very interested in the Yassir case as an example of what can happen to “a man without a country.” Of course, we have read Judge Barry’s decision. Can you tell us a little more?

Joshua Bardavid: Mr. Yassir’s case was difficult and strange. I learned a lot about the different tricks of which the government was capable. After we thought
we had finally won the case, the government tried to force Mr. Yassir back onto a ship bound for England, without travel documents. This would have placed his life, or at least well-being, in significant danger for a variety of reasons.

The only reason we were able to stop it was because I had maintained contact with the lawyers for this shipping company, and they contacted me in the middle of the night. I then called the media, and when ICE got calls for comment, and camera crews were showing up on the docks, they called it off.

After his release, Mr. Yassir experienced more difficulty, as the government fitted him with a global positioning tracking device (that didn’t work). In the end, they ended up spending a huge amount of money, resources, and personnel-hours for someone who had never been accused of a crime and who they admitted in court filings did not pose a danger to the community in any way.

Eventually, the government dropped their efforts to track his daily movements, although Mr. Yassir is still required to check in every two months, and has had trouble renewing his employment authorization.

TCRR: Your federal case for the Ibrahim family comes about 90 days after they were abducted by immigration authorities. And we have seen lawyers making reference to a kind of 90-day trigger when it comes to immigration detention. Does this explain the timing of your visit?

Joshua Bardavid: As for the timing of our court filings, it is not directly related to the 90-day trigger, as it is our contention that the government only had the legal authority to detain the Ibrahims for 90-days from the date they were ordered removed in 2004. Because the government chose not to, they cannot now do so.

Our timing is simply related more due to the fact that we were just retained, and this was the earliest we could complete all of the papers required to file the federal court action. We are confident that the law is strongly on our side, and that it is only a matter of time before the Ibrahims will be released (although I suspect there will be very significant efforts to remove the Ibrahims in any way possible — lawful or not — by the government).

TCRR: We consider the Ibrahims a Texas family now. I hope you will be able to stop the government from removing them.

Joshua Bardavid: I will comment more as the case proceeds, and I thank you for your efforts to call attention to this important fight.

email from Jay J. Johnson-Castro, Jan. 17, 2007. To see the updated schedule, click the link at the top of our home page.–gm

Afternoon amigos…

Please see the attached Border Caravan itinerary…

The imprisonment of women and children in Texas , building a border wall, death along the border of Americans and refugees are all connected. Therefore, all of you that are interested in one or more of the above are receiving the attached Marcha Migrante-Border Caravan schedule. We will be featuring all of these things on issues during our 5000 mile caravan from February 2-18.
We’re also sending out an appeal to all Snowbirds and Winter Texans who flock to the US-Mexico border to join us in advocating the great culture that exists here like no where else in the world.

A special appeal goes out to all ethnic groups, all races, all socio-economic groups, all political and religious groups…to support this Marcha Migrante II and the Border Caravan. Especially, we’d like to see solidarity form between Latin American and Arab American groups and organizations. In the last few years, these are the two groups that are being specifically targeted in our country. One group as illegal immigrants draining our country. The other group as potential terror cells in America.

Finally…an appeal to the media. In the Rio Grande Valley, the local media has been exceptional. Virtually every newspaper, TV and radio station covered the opposition to the Border Wall. Regarding the imprisonment of the women and children at the Hutto prison camp in Taylor , Texas …again, the local media was exemplary. Especially, BBC (Spanish), Univision, Azteca, Televisa and Notimex have all done a marvelous job of covering the real grass roots opposition to the Federal policies that are an assault on poor Latin Americans, Middle Easterners and any poor refugee fleeing to our land of Liberty…just like our predecessors did.

However, the national media, seem to care less about the truth and the facts then they do about TV entertainment ratings. Most of us realize that they have been complicit with the ruling class. They have been the mouth pieces to foster the obscene idea of building border walls and have done nothing to expose the prisons that would treat refugee women and innocent children as criminals. They have evidently not found it financially to their benefit to inform the public about our massive grass roots opposition to the border wall and the prison camps. That makes them accomplices to national misinformation. Nonetheless, they will hear our voices. They are hearing our voices. They are not reporting our voices. But soon…they will be forced to report on our outrage.

We therefore appeal to all you local and grass roots media, whether TV, radio talk shows, newspapers or Blogs. Please keep up the exemplary dissemination of the facts to our fellow grass roots citizens. Also, please keep them informed about what their fellow grass roots are doing.

Juan Castillo, as well as the Editorial Board, of the Austin American Statesman has set the stage of local coverage about the Hutto prison camp. The online news source on the Texas-Mexico border, the Rio Grande Guardian ( http://www.riograndeguardian.com ) has the most up to date border related information, including how the Texas Legislature deals with border issues. From the get-go the http://www.texascivilrightsreview.org has the most current information posted on virtually every aspect and detail of the Hutto prison camp issues. That includes the plight and imprisonment of the [three] Palestinian families that resided in Dallas…. The Palestinian mothers and their children are also imprisoned at Hutto prison camp in Taylor , TX .

It’s not the color, ethnicity, religion, politics or net worth or social standing of the immigrant that poses the threat to this country. It might be the color, ethnicity, religion, politics and net worth and social standing of those within our government who propagate anti-immigrant fear that is the source of our national problems…be it terrorism or immigration. These issues are not one in the same. However, the likes of Chertoff and the ICE Company seem to superimpose and promote that the immigration problems and terrorism are one in the same…and they use the media to sell that on the public. That has to come to an abrupt halt.

Fortunately, although it has been a supremacist minority group that has been in power…both national and international. That group no longer dominates Washington, D.C or the international community. Change is on the horizon. We just need to make sure that those who just now won by default on Nov. 7…understand clearly that they did not win because they exuded with national leadership. Yet they do have a clear mandate. That mandate would be to erase/delete the fear mongering, border and immigrant bashing from the national agenda…along with the bigotry of their predecessors.

With the power of our minds…intelligence and reason…along with the passion and conviction that exists in our hearts…no bigoted power can prevail. Do we not have enough examples of how to make the right changes? Gandhi of India . Martin Luther King, Jr. of the US . Mandela of South Africa . British rule in India collapsed. Racial segregation in the US collapsed. Apartheid in South Africa collapsed.

And how about the one who stood up to religious bigotry and the Roman Empire ? The Middle Easterner known as…Jesus of Nazareth.

It’s time for another collapse to occur. With synergy, networking and partnership…of all colors, ethnicities, religious, political and socio-economic groups…we will put an end to the maligned and demented policies that have corrupted our American culture by the controlling supremacist racist minority.

Jay

Press release from Governor’s Office

Excerpt: “In addition to the more than 1,700 Texas Army National Guard troops Gov. Perry activated for Operation Jump Start to support U.S. Border Patrol activities, he has activated an additional 604 troops, comprising 12 armed security platoons. These platoons will deploy to various traffic crossovers along the Rio Grande River to support Operation Wrangler, and each platoon will be accompanied by a Border Patrol agent and a local police officer.”
Jan. 22, 2007

Gov. Perry Announces Phase II of State-Led Border Security Operation

Operation Wrangler expands border crime initiatives statewide

AUSTIN – Today Gov. Rick Perry announced the launch of Operation Wrangler, a statewide expansion of highly successful border security surge operations. This statewide surge operation will be active for an undisclosed period of time in different areas across Texas.

“Operation Wrangler continues the state’s steadfast efforts to prevent and disrupt criminal activity along the border region by expanding security measures statewide,” Perry said. “An unsecured border affects the entire state of Texas and our nation as a whole. Until the federal government brings the necessary resources to bear, Texas will continue to do all we can to secure our border and protect our citizens.”

Operation Wrangler is a coordinated interagency law enforcement surge effort intended to prevent and disrupt all crime and illegal international drug and human trafficking. Operation Wrangler will involve federal, state and local ground, air and water-borne assets, including more than 6,800 personnel, 2,200 vehicles, 48 helicopters, 33 fixed wing aircraft and 35 patrol ships.

In addition to the more than 1,700 Texas Army National Guard troops Gov. Perry activated for Operation Jump Start to support U.S. Border Patrol activities, he has activated an additional 604 troops, comprising 12 armed security platoons. These platoons will deploy to various traffic crossovers along the Rio Grande River to support Operation Wrangler, and each platoon will be accompanied by a Border Patrol agent and a local police officer.

Local, state and federal agencies involved in Operation Wrangler include up to 90 sheriffs’ offices and 133 police departments; the Texas Department of Public Safety; the Texas Department of Transportation; the National Park Service; the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Texas Civil Air Patrol; the Texas Cattleman’s Association; Texas Military Forces; Texas Task Force 1; the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Immigration & Customs Enforcement; the Railroad Police; the U.S. Transportation Security Agency; the U.S. Postal Service; the U.S. Coast Guard; and the University of Texas Center for Space Research.

The Border Security Operations Center (BSOC) within the State Operations Center will serve as a central point of coordination for state, local and federal officials during Operation Wrangler. Joint Operational Intelligence Centers (JOIC) will be positioned throughout the state to provide real-time information and intelligence in support of these surge operations. Five of the JOICs will be located at Border Patrol offices along the border and the others will be located along smuggling corridors around the state.

“We have proven that our strategy of increasing manpower and patrols along the border decreases criminal activity,” Perry said. “We will continue to apply these methods of success across the state, and I will continue to urge Congress to meet its long-term responsibility by providing the necessary resources and manpower to secure our nation’s borders.”

Operation Rio Grande, launched February 2006, reduced all crime by an average of 60 percent in sheriff-patrolled areas of border counties during five surge operations last year. Perry will ask the Texas Legislature for an additional $100 million during the legislative session to sustain border security efforts.

“This effort is about making our border more secure and our neighborhoods safer,” Perry said. “This unprecedented effort is just the beginning of a long-term commitment to rid our state of drug trafficking and human smuggling.”