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DETROIT/SAN DIEGO Businesses shut their doors, students skipped class and thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the United States on Thursday to protest President Donald Trump's immigration policies.

Activists called "A Day Without Immigrants" to highlight the importance of the foreign-born, who account for 13 percent of the U.S. population, or more than 40 million naturalized American citizens.

Trump campaigned against the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, playing on fears of violent crime while promising to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexican border and stop potential terrorists from entering the country.

While the number of participants in Thursday's protests could not be determined, many sympathetic business owners closed shop and working-class immigrants forwent pay for the day.

"I told my English teacher that I wasn't going to school, and she said she understood," said Rosa Castro, a 13-year-old U.S. citizen in Detroit, who marched with her 26-year-old sister, one of several undocumented family members whose future she is concerned about.

Since taking office last month, the Republican president has signed an executive order temporarily banning entry to the United States by travelers from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees. That order was put on hold by federal courts.

Immigrant rights groups have also expressed alarm after federal raids last week rounded up more than 680 people suspected of being in the country illegally.

In San Diego's Logan Heights neighborhood, a 44-year-old undocumented business owner who identified herself only as Lucia for fear of deportation told Reuters she closed her nutrition shop for the day, costing her $200.

"Our community is frightened and cannot speak out," she said. "Things are very bad for us with the new president."

Advocates have called attention to cases such as one in El Paso, Texas, where federal agents arrested a transgender woman as she left a courthouse where she was seeking a protective order for domestic violence.

Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe wrote Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to express concern over immigration enforcement in his state, citing an NBC Washington report that agents arrested people outside a church that operates as a shelter from the cold.

Sympathy marches and rallies were held in cities including Raleigh, North Carolina, and Austin, Texas. Thousands joined demonstrations in Chicago and Detroit.

In the Los Angeles Fashion District - comprising some 4,000 apparel outlets, showrooms and manufacturers covering about 100 blocks of downtown - about half the shops in the area's retail core were closed, along with about 40 percent of one of the large flower markets in the area, said district spokeswoman Ariana Gomez.

A Southern California grocery chain, Northgate Gonzalez Markets, said it gave employees at 41 stores and the corporate headquarters permission to use paid personal time off to participate.

In Washington, more than 50 restaurants were closed, including high-end eateries.

"As far as I'm aware, all of our immigrant employees chose to take the day off," said Ruth Gresser, 57, who owns four pizza restaurants in the District of Columbia area. "We have three relative novices and an old lady making pizza," she said, referring to herself.

At the Pentagon, about half a dozen food outlets were forced to close after staff members joined the protest, a Defense Department spokesman said.

The National Restaurant Association criticized the walkouts, saying in a statement that the organizers "disrupt the workplaces of hard-working Americans who are trying to provide for their families."

In Austin, hundreds chanting "Say it loud, say it clear, immigrants are welcome here" marched from City Hall to the State Capitol, where lawmakers in the Republican-controlled body are considering a measure to punish sanctuary cities that shield immigrants from federal agents.

(Additional reporting by Joseph Ax, Gina Cherelus and Yahaira Jacquez in New York, Robert Chiarito in Chicago, Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas, Serena Maria Daniels in Detroit, Timothy McLaughlin in Chicago, Lisa Baertlein and Steve Gorman in Los Angeles, Sharon Nunn in Raleigh, N.C., Marty Graham in San Diego and Idrees Ali, Liza Feria, Lacey Ann Johnson and Ian Simpson in Washington; Writing by Joseph Ax and Daniel Trotta; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Andrew Hay)

WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate is expected to approve President Donald Trump's pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency on Friday over the objections of Democrats and green groups worried he will gut the agency, as the administration readies executive orders to ease regulation on drillers and miners.

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump's choice for national security adviser, retired Vice Admiral Robert Harward, has turned down the offer, a senior White House official said on Thursday.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court will decide three cases in coming months that could help or hinder President Donald Trump's efforts to ramp up border security and accelerate deportations of those in the country illegally.

Originally posted here:
Immigrants across the US skip work, school in anti-Trump protest - Reuters

CENTENNIAL, Colo. A Mexican woman trying to avoid deportation took refuge in a Denver church Wednesday after U.S. immigration authorities denied her request to remain in the country, the latest case to rattle the immigrant community as the White House promises to boost enforcement.

JeanetteVizguerraskipped her scheduled check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in the suburb of Centennial. About 100 supporters demonstrated outside the building as her attorney, Hans Meyer, and a minister went inside.

ICE AGENTS REPORTEDLY ARREST ALLEGED DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VICITM AT TEXAS COURTHOUSE

They said they were met by a lobby full of agents, a few of them armed, and were toldVizguerrawould not get another extension as she tries to obtain a U visa, sometimes given to crime victims.

ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer saidVizguerrawas an "enforcement priority" because she had two misdemeanor convictions and a judge originally issued final deportation orders for her in 2011.

Meyer saidVizguerrahad been granted several previous extensions under the Obama administration because officials realize it can take two or three years to obtain the visa.

PHOENIX OFFICIALS TURN DOWN PETITION TO ADOPT SANCTUARY CITY STATUS

"This is a big, huge red flare that the Trump administration has plans to deport as many people as possible," said Meyer, who declined to disclose details of the crime to whichVizguerrawas a victim.

Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a priority, declaring plans to build a border wall, threatening to cut funding to cities that don't cooperate with federal immigration authorities and issuing an executive order making it clear that just about any immigrant in the country illegally could be a priority for deportation, particularly those with outstanding deportation orders.

ICE's Neudauer would not say whether denyingVizguerra'srequest for an extension was a change in policy.

Vizguerratook refuge in the church, a common tactic to avoid deportation because authorities generally don't enter places of worship, as immigrant advocates called for the release of 23-year-old in Washington state who was detained despite participating in a federal program to protect those brought to the U.S. illegally as children.

'DAY WITHOUT IMMIGRANTS' PROTESTS BEING HELD ACROSS US

She said she was thinking of Daniel Ramirez Medina as well as Guadalupe Garcia de Rayos, an Arizona woman arrested during a routine ICE check-in and deported to Mexico the next day, before taking sanctuary.

Vizguerra, crying at first, spoke in Spanish by phone through a bullhorn to supporters outside the ICE building and later in person at the First Unitarian Church not far from the state Capitol.

With three of her four children joining her on the altar, the former union organizer and house cleaner said her only crimes were related to working in the country illegally to support her family.

She said she was arrested for not having a driver's license or current vehicle registration. Officers also discovered that she had a forged identity document, which she said had a Social Security number made up of digits from her birth date, not one that belonged to an actual person.

Vizguerrasaid she told her children last week of her decision to stay in a basement room of the church that they had painted in 2014 in preparation for any immigrant who might need to seek sanctuary.

"You can see the reasons behind me why I am fighting so hard to win my case," she said of her family.

Follow this link:
Illegal immigrant takes refuge in Denver church to avoid deportation - Fox News

A suspected illegal immigrant from Mexico has been charged with drunk driving in a collision that killed another driver a 66-year-old former missionary returning to his Noblesville, Indiana, home after a long night at work.

Elizabeth Vargas-Hernandez, 35, was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated causing death,WRTV-TV reported, adding that she also was cited for operating a vehicle without ever receiving a drivers license.

State police told WRTV that Vargas-Hernandez, of Indianapolis, is believed to be an undocumented Mexican national.

The suspect was traveling at a high rate of speed on Interstate 465 around 2:30 a.m. Monday when she slammed her SUV into David Kriehns car, which careened off the highway and rolled over several times into a ditch, police told WTHR-TV.

Kriehn, who was ejected from his vehicle, was taken to a hospital where he later died, WRTV added.

Investigators told WTHR that Vargas-Hernandez smelled of alcohol and failed a field sobriety test, adding they believe she and her three passengers had just left a bar. None of them were injured, WRTV added.

WRTV said it found a 2015 accident report identifying Vargas-Hernandez as Elizabeth Ornelis-Hernandez, who was driving without a drivers license but the station said Metro Police didnt believe an arrest was warranted in that instance.

The Marion County Sheriffs Office doesnt usually notify federal authorities when suspected illegal immigrants are arrested and jailed for serious crimes unrelated to their immigration status, WTHR said.

Regarding Vargas-Hernandezs immigration status, a sheriffs spokesperson noted in an email to WTHR that arrests are public record. ICE has access to the arrest records. MCSO does not address immigration status/issues.

Kriehn was a manager at a Famous Daves Bar-B-Que and was working late after closing the restaurant to complete an inventory, the companys operations manager told WTHR.

Dave was a gentle, caring man, coworker Harry Straut told WTHR. A good person. The guy you liked to hang out with as well as work with.

Straut added to the station that Kriehn was an inspirational leader and spent much of his life before entering the restaurant industry being a missionary.

Kriehns coworkers set up aGoFundMe page to help his family.

(H/T: Todd Starnes)

Link:
Suspected illegal immigrant accused of drunk driving in collision that ... - TheBlaze.com

Sanctuary city advocates in one state with a Trump friendly Republican governor are digging in their heels in the face of President Trump's threat to cut off federal funding.

Democratic lawmakers in New Jersey introduced bills this week calling on the state to reimburse so-called sanctuary cities that lose federal funding. And on Wednesday, Assemblyman John Wisniewski introduced legislation designating New Jersey a sanctuary state, generally preventing law enforcement officers from initiating contact with immigration officials, and from using state resources for the purpose of enforcing immigration laws.

In addition, several towns that have significant immigrant populations have declared themselves sanctuaries, saying they will not reach out to immigration officials about illegal immigrants they arrest or provide a service to unless they are serious criminals or a national security threat.

We are putting President Trump and his administration on notice, said Wisniewski in written public announcement about his legislation. New Jersey will not be a willing partner to the unjustified and inhumane deportations of our neighbors and friends.

New York and California also have moved toward declaring their states sanctuaries for illegal immigrants.

Trump, who made cracking down on illegal immigration a cornerstone of his campaign, has issued executive orders and directives aimed at border security and tracking down and deporting undocumented people.

He directed the Department of Homeland Security to identify and publish a list of sanctuary communities. Although no strict definition of the term exists, it is generally used to describe communities that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

The New Jersey measures have little chance of passing, given GOP resistance and Gov. Chris Christies veto threat, said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University professor of political science.

Its more of a gesture to the immigrant community, Baker told Fox News. Its a message to them that they would be protected against hypothetical actions by the federal government.

In Maplewood, Mayor Victor DeLuca consulted with police administrators before crafting a sanctuary ordinance that became final at the end of January.

DeLuca said police officials said they did not want the responsibility of enforcing federal immigration laws.

The police said We dont do it now, DeLuca told Fox News, and there was a feeling on our part that wanted to make clear that there are distinctions between the role of the police department and the role of immigration officials.

New Jersey has more than 500,000 illegal immigrants, according to estimates.

Republicans in the state legislature say they will not support sanctuary towns in any way. Christie, a Republican, says he will veto any legislation that would favor sanctuary cities.

Proponents of strict immigration enforcement say sanctuary communities are violating the law.

To have lawmakers in Trenton say O.K., well show the president, if they withhold funding, well pay,' is violating federal law, said Ron Bass, founder of United Patriots of America, a New Jersey-based group that pushes for strict enforcement. Its like the state saying to sanctuary cities You rob the bank, Ill drive the [getaway] car.

Elizabeth Llorente is Senior Reporter for FoxNews.com, and can be reached at Elizabeth.Llorente@Foxnews.com. Follow her on https://twitter.com/Liz_Llorente

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New Jersey Democrats push measures to protect illegal immigrants ... - Fox News

posted at 12:41 pm on February 16, 2017 by Jazz Shaw

This is a story which seems to keep popping up every couple of years. Theres an old tradition dating back much further than the founding of our country wherein people fleeing persecution by the government seek sanctuary inside a place of worship. There are noble and admirable examples of this throughout history but the practice has also been somewhat abused by those who are flagrantly violating the law and seeking to escape prosecution rather than persecution. Thats been the case on a number of occasions with illegal immigrants hoping to evade immigration and customs law enforcement. In the dawn of the new era of Donald Trump were seeing it yet again, this time in Colorado. (Washington Post)

On Wednesday morning, Jeanette Vizguerra was scheduled to show up for a check-in at the local office of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Service.

Instead, Vizguerra, a 45-year-old undocumented immigrant from Mexico, sent her attorney to request a stay of her deportation. As Hans Meyer entered the low-slung brown brick building, a pastor by his side, scores of protesters waving signs shouted No hate, no fear. Immigrants are welcome here.

A few minutes later, Meyer returned. Vizguerras request had been denied. Then an activist put Vizguerra on speakerphone and held it up to a megaphone and, her voice choking with tears, the mother of four delivered her announcement to the crowd: Vizguerra had decided to seek sanctuary 15 miles away in a makeshift bedroom in the basement of First Unitarian Society of Denver. There, she would remain indefinitely.

The description of the scene which unfolded, as told in the Washington Post story, is hardly one of some noble struggle against tyranny. This was a clearly staged event designed for maximum public relations impact and media attention. The gang of protesters who conveniently and coincidentally showed up as the illegal alien was making a statement were all carrying the usual signage with anti-Trump slogans. Attorneys were on hand and the destination at the First Unitarian Society had clearly been prearranged.

This may be the latest story in the news, but its hardly the only one. This article from WWLP in Massachusetts reports that others are choosing a similar path and thousands of people are signing up to assist in offering sanctuary to those seeking to evade arrest and deportation by ICE. But how effective is this strategy?

You may recall another story that we were following back in 2014, this one in Portland Oregon, where Francisco Aguirre lasted quite some time hiding out from immigration officials in a different church. In the end however, he was captured.

An immigrant activist who avoided deportation by seeking sanctuary in a Portland church was arrested on federal charges of illegal reentry Thursday morning after a court appearance.

Francisco Aguirre, a community activist who first came to the U.S. from El Salvador nearly two decades ago, was at the Clackamas County Circuit Court to settle a DUI case.

The main difference in Franciscos case was that law enforcement never actually had to break the rules and enter the church to arrest him. The suspect left the property of his own volition for a court appearance and was taken into custody outside of the court after he was finished. If our newest media star in the church sanctuary saga has the determination and wherewithal (plus the support network to provide her with necessities) to hold out, we could be in for a long ride. The last thing the government at any level wants to be seen doing is busting into a church and dragging somebody out in handcuffs.

And who knows? Look how long Julian Assange has lasted in a foreign embassy.

Read more from the original source:
Illegal aliens back to seeking sanctuary in churches - Hot Air