How Jeff Sessions is using federal prosecutors to wage his war on immigrants
newsdepo.com
Under the watch of Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, the Trump-era criminal justice system isn’t only about doubling-down on the incarceration of brown and black bodies: it’s also about using the criminal justice system to deport asHow Jeff Sessions is using federal prosecutors to wage his war on immigrants
Under the watch of Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III, the Trump-era criminal justice system isn’t only about doubling-down on the incarceration of brown and black bodies: it’s also about using the criminal justice system to deport as many immigrants as possible. According to an Intercept report, “Sessions is pushing federal prosecutors to bypass immigration courts as part of the Trump administration’s hard-line strategy on deportation. Behind closed doors, prosecutors are pressing noncitizens to sign away their rights to make a case for remaining in the country”: In the most dramatic cases, immigrants charged with crimes are signing plea agreements in which they promise they have “no present fear of torture” on returning to their home country. The pleas can block them from seeking asylum or protection from persecution. While plea agreements such as these are not entirely new — and are difficult to track — some defense attorneys who specialize in immigration fear they will become commonplace under Sessions. They’re also concerned prosecutors will push them for minor crimes that previously might not have led an immigration judge to order deportation. Immigration experts question the fairness of such provisions in plea agreements and even their overall constitutionality. Some say they might violate international treaties. Susan Church, an attorney who was one of the first to sue the government over President Donald Trump’s executive orders, said the leverage prosecutors hold at the plea-bargaining table heightens the risk of abuse. “Obviously I have seriously grave concerns about eliminating the small level of due process that’s afforded to immigrants in immigration court,” she said. “They absolutely should not be proposed as part of a plea agreement.” What adds to advocates’ worries most is that this is further confirmation the administration plans to use any and all tools at their disposal to ramp up Donald Trump’s mass deportation force, despite claims that sweeping up so-called “bad hombres”—and not undocumented immigrants with no criminal record—would be the priority. The reality is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been arresting both groups, but the latter in frighteningly large numbers. Meanwhile, Sessions’ Justice Department continues to wage war on so-called sanctuary cities, and Sessions is perfectly willing to keep getting publicly belittled by his boss so long as he can keep at his job. Added up, this continues to be devastating news for America’s immigrants. Read more