Weekly Advocacy Brief (Week of July 14)

Policy News You Should Know

• Virginia Advocacy Call to Action: “Good Trouble Lives On” Protests July 17!

• Immigration: Federal Judge Stays Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Afghan Migrants 

• Immigration: New Analysis Concludes Federal immigration agents (ICE) “Have Embarked on a Militarized Rampage and Terror Campaign in LA, Likely Expansion Elsewhere

• NASW Action Alert: Save Public Broadcasting and Overseas Aid--Call Your Senators!

• Nearly 225 book titles removed from Virginia public school libraries

Virginia Advocacy Call to Action-“Good Trouble Lives On” Protests today! Are you ready for today’s (July 17) “Good Trouble Lives On” national day of action? Peaceful protests are occurring statewide today as social workers and others voice their outrage about serious healthcare cuts; brutal immigration and deportation detentions without due process; attacks on LGBTQIA2S+ and other human rights; mass firings and forced “retirements” at federal agencies such as the Departments of Education, Justice, State, and Veterans Administration; and more. In Richmond, the protest is from 5 to 7 p.m. in a 3-mile stretch along Monument Avenue, led by Indivisible RVA, 50501, MoveOn, Women’s March, and First Unitarian Universalist Church. Look up other Virginia locations and times here. Remember the call to action by Congressman and activist John Lewis (GA) to cause “good trouble” to fight tyranny and remind people that the “power lies with us, the people.” More than 1700 events are planned, including at least eight in Virginia. Indivisible has published safety tips for protestors here. And save the date of July 26, another important National Day of Protest and Community Service called One Million Rising (details to come). 

Immigration: A federal Fourth Circuit Court judge ruled Monday that the Trump administration would not be permitted—at least temporarily—to terminate Temporary Protected Status for thousands of Afghan migrants living in Virginia and across the country.  The court stayed the protective program until July 21 to give more time for an advocacy group to submit legal documents in its lawsuit against the Trump administration since migrants were given only the legal minimum of 60 days to deport. Afghans are the state’s largest refugee population, so the TPS court stay will mean social workers who serve them will still be able to do so until a final court decision is made.

Immigration: Federal immigration agents (ICE) “have embarked on a militarized rampage and terror campaign across the Los Angeles area,” and are expected to expand operations and similar tactics rapidly into other cities and states such as areas of Virginia that are accused of not fully cooperating with border control agencies, according to a new report by The Intercept. “A Pattern of Violence: Documenting ICE Agents’ Brutal Use of Force in LA Immigration Raids” shares photos and firsthand accounts of masked federal agents routinely using “disproportionate” force such as “less-lethal” bullets, dangerously aimed firearms, tear gas, violent takedowns, baton and fist beatings, and flash bang grenades against unarmed crowds and peaceful protestors, including U.S. citizens. The July 7 analysis also warns that even observers who are not interfering but are filming or yelling to ICE agents may have their phones smashed or be roughly detained or injured, despite alleged “violations of constitutional rights.” More LA-style raids and street patrols are expected now that ICE has received another $45 billion to construct detention jails, hire another 10,000 agents—many of whom have no prior enforcement training--and carry out large-scale operations. The budget is larger than the entire military budgets of most nations worldwide, and to date, no ICE agent has yet been convicted of breaking the law.  

NASW Action Alert-Public Broadcasting: The Senate has an opportunity to stop the recissions package that would withdraw funding previously appropriated for foreign aid, including the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and public broadcasting in Virginia and elsewhere. Contact your senators today and alert other social workers that their voices are needed!

Nearly 225 books--ranging from poet Toni Morrison’s Love to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian to The Human Body Encyclopedia--were removed from Virginia public school libraries in the past year, according to a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) in response to a General Assembly directive to research the issue. The most-removed book was Gender Queer: A Memoir, a 2019 graphic book by Maia Kobabe that recounts their “exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary.” Seventy-five percentage of the removals occurred in five school divisions—Hanover (125 books), Rockingham (57), Goochland (34), Virginia Beach (16), The most cited reasons for book removals were “sexually explicit content” and “local policy” such as Virginia Code, which requires schools to notify parents of sexually explicit content in instructional materials and provide an alternative if parents request it. However, the code does not direct a school to remove such a book, nor do some schools track book removals. Noteworthy is that many removed titles relate to LGBTQIA2S+, indigenous and immigrant families/individuals, and social issues such as teen suicide, child trafficking, drug addiction, and racial history.