PHOTO ALBUM: White House Hispanic Summit in MoCo Draws Officials From Across MD // Ken Ulman, Rushern Baker & More

This past weekend, Montgomery County played host to a White House Hispanic Community Action Summit. Notably, the event took place the day after President Obama announced a halt to the the deportation of Dream Act students. Numerous Democratic officials from across the State participated in the discussion, including candidates for statewide office in 2014. Below, Maryland Juice re-prints a few photos from the event, along with an excerpt from a WTOP article about the event:

WTOP: ...The meeting, held at Montgomery Blair High School in Montgomery County, focused on the achievement gap, small business owners and the DREAM Act....

More than two dozen Obama administration officials, Congressman Chris Van Hollen, state senators and delegates, Montgomery County officials and Montgomery County school board members also attended the meeting to hear the voice of the community.

Nancy Navarro, the first Latino woman ever elected to the Montgomery County City Council, was one of the officials there to hear what the community had to say....

"This Administration has made incredible progress on a range of issues important to the Latino community, and recognizes that there is still very important work left to complete," Navarro said to the crowd.

View the full photo gallery on MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro's Facebook page:

MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro, PG Exec Rushern Baker, HoCo Exec Ken Ulman

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown & MoCo Exec Ike Leggett

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, Councilmember Nancy Navarro, MoCo BOE President Shirley Brandman, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown

Rep. Chris Van Hollen & MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro

Audience at the White House Hispanic Summit at Blair High School, Silver Spring, MD

MoCo Councilmember Nancy Navarro & HoCo Exec Ken Ulman, MoCo BOE Member Chris Barclay at right

JuiceBlender: Tiffany Alston Found Guilty, Karl Rove Compares O'Malley to Dean, Canadians on Rollin Stanley, MD Drone Crash

Here's a random blend of political tidbits from recent news, starting with disturbing news that an unmanned predator drone has crashed on Maryland's Eastern shore:

JUICE #1: UNMANNED PREDATOR DRONE CRASHES ON MARYLAND'S EASTERN SHORE - Earlier this month, Maryland Juice reported on disturbing news that local governments and even college police forces were beginning to apply for permission to fly unmanned "predator drones" in U.S. airspace. Queen Anne's County, Maryland is one of the jurisdictions that had received authorization to fly drones. As we've seen through our (questionable) use of drones in other nations, they can be dangerous. Indeed, yesterday a $176 million "predator drone" crashed on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The Associated Press carried video footage of the flaming wreckage in Maryland:




REP. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER & VA GOV. BOB MCDONNELL SEEK EXPANDED DRONE USE: Notably, Maryland Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger wants to see more drones flying around and takes thousands of dollars ($190,000) from drone manufacturers. As a result of this mission creep, privacy advocates in the U.S. have become increasingly alarmed about the prospect of spy drones and now hummingbird-sized flying spy cameras being cleared for use by local law enforcement. The Examiner's Gene Healy recently raised red flags about drones invading Americans' reasonable expectations of  privacy (see excerpt below):

EXAMINER: Last week, in its report on the 2013 Defense Authorization bill, the Senate Armed Services Committee called for allowing drones to operate "freely and routinely" in U.S. airspace....

...they're increasingly "contributing to missions of agencies and departments within the United States. ... The pace of development must be accelerated," the report concluded.....

"It's great!" Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said on WTOP's "Ask the Governor" program last month....

JPG: State Sen. Anthony Muse's Misleading Sample Ballot for U.S. Senate Democratic Primary // An Obama-Muse Ticket?

AN OBAMA-MUSE TICKET? - A Maryland Juice reader forwarded photos of a sample ballot that State Senator Anthony Muse's campaign volunteers are handing out at early voting polls. In his quest for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate, Anthony Muse's lit piece encourages voters to vote an Obama-Muse ticket, noting that there are zero African Americans in the United States Senate. Notably, Barack Obama has endorsed U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (Muse's opponent) for re-election. See Anthony Muse's sample ballot below.

ANTHONY MUSE OPPOSES THE DREAM ACT: Maryland Juice would also point out that Muse's lit piece is misleading, not just because Obama endorsed Ben Cardin, but also because the two men do not have the same values. President Obama campaigns as a big-tent Democrat, while State Senator Anthony Muse has been a leading opponent of marriage equality and voted against the Dream Act. In fact, this weekend, students from the #JSA movement reported that Anthony Muse confirmed his speaking role at their town hall meeting on Saturday, but then stood them up without explanation. Seeing as how one of their priorities is defending the Maryland Dream Act, I suspect this may be why Mr. Muse got cold feet.

BARACK OBAMA SUPPORTS THE DREAM ACT: Perhaps Anthony Muse is realizing that he is out of the Democratic Party mainstream in his opposition to the Dream Act and other issues. Read President Barack Obama's statement about the federal Dream Act, written when U.S. Senate Republicans killed the bill in 2010:

BARACK OBAMA: In an incredibly disappointing vote today, a minority of Senators prevented the Senate from doing what most Americans understand is best for the country. As I said last week, when the House passed the DREAM Act, it is not only the right thing to do for talented young people who seek to serve a country they know as their own, it is the right thing for the United States of America. Our nation is enriched by their talents and would benefit from the success of their efforts. The DREAM Act is important to our economic competitiveness, military readiness, and law enforcement efforts. And as the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office reported, the DREAM Act would cut the deficit by $2.2 billion over the next 10 years. There was simply no reason not to pass this important legislation.

KWEISI MFUME ENDORSES BEN CARDIN: These critical policy differences between Anthony Muse and Barack Obama create a stark contrast in how the two men view Democratic coalition-building. In fact, not even former U.S. Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume would endorse Anthony Muse's issue-set and has announced support for his former opponent Ben Cardin. In 2006, while running for the U.S. Senate, Mr. Mfume appeared at an Equality Maryland rally to condemn efforts to ban same-sex marriage in Maryland:

KWEISI MFUME: "I know that gay bashing and immigrant bashing and union bashing at the end of the day rob us of our moral authority," Mfume told the crowd.

ANTHONY MUSE'S ELECTION DAY SAMPLE BALLOT: None of this has stopped State Senator Anthony Muse from putting out the following misleading palm card:

VIDEO TRIBUTE: One Month of #JSA Student Organizing // Plus, Anthony Muse No-Show at Town Hall with Sen. Ben Cardin

BACKGROUND: Maryland Juice has produced a special video chronicling what one short month of organizing by the #JSA activists looks like. What started as a campaign to stop the deportation of Jorge Steven Acuna, an area student, has morphed into a vigorous youth-driven campaign to defend the Dream Act and draw attention to the problem of Secure Communities deportations. But more importantly, we are witnessing the political coming-of-age of the children of immigrants around the region. Many thanks to the Tea Party and the Maryland GOP for the assist -- they get a large chunk of the credit here!

BEN CARDIN & ANTHONY MUSE TOWN HALL: The video below takes you through a 2-minute summary of #JSA's recent efforts, including rallies, civic association meetings, candlelight vigils, marches, town hall meetings, voter registration drives, and more. The piece also includes shots from #JSA's town hall meet & greet with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin this weekend. #JSA organizers tell Maryland Juice that State Senator Anthony Muse had confirmed attendance at the event but stood them up without explanation. I guess he didn't want to explain to them why he voted against the Dream Act:

#JSA Gets Political: Letter from Jorge Steven Acuna Re: Today's Meeting With U.S. Senator Ben Cardin & MD Sen. Anthony Muse

UPDATE: Apparently, State Senator Anthony Muse stood up the #JSA students and was a no-show at their meet-and-greet today. Organizers indicate that Muse had confirmed attendance at the event. One student commented: "Didn't even have the courtesy to let anyone know he wasn't coming. I feel like it might be a good representation of what will happen if he is elected to the US Senate: he'll promise things and never show up to the immigrant community." OUCH!

BACKGROUND:Maryland Juice has been covering the inspiring story of the student activists involved in the #JSA movement. As apolitical MoCo youths, they "got political" after Homeland Security tried to deport one of their friends, Jorge Steven Acuna (aka JSA). JSA and his family were jailed and being readied for deportation after their application for asylum from Colombia was denied. The student activists called on Rep. Chris Van Hollen to intervene -- and in just a few days -- they amassed a 12,500 member Twitter following and several thousand petition signatures. Their efforts got the attention of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and the Acuna family was promptly released and granted a one-year-stay on their deportation.

NEXT STEPS FOR #JSA: Yesterday we reported that today the #JSA students were hosting town hall style meet and greets between their members and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and State Senator Anthony Muse. Both men are vying for the Democratic nomination to the U.S. Senate. When I asked for more information on their plans, organizers stated that students around the nation wanted to join their effort. #JSA now announces that high school and college chapters are in progress around the nation -- in places ranging from Virginia to Florida (ie: key swing states). They are now rebranding their efforts as Justice for Students in America and are an explicitly multiracial progressive movement.

After their foray into the U.S. Senate race, organizers tell Maryland Juice they are launching a voter registration drive and will move into the 6th Congressional District race next. They call CD6 the epicenter of their membership, due to the Jorge Steven Acuna case. In fact, the Acuna family appears to be among those households moved from CD8 to CD6. On a side note, we also hear the #JSA students have been in touch with MoCo's anti-curfew organizers to build synergy. Rock on!

Below we print a letter from the newly freed Jorge Steven Acuna. He discusses his detention and highlights how the #JSA activists are getting political:

"Some say tragedies are hard to get over, but sometimes that tragedy means it's over."

To a certain extent that is how it feels. You see, it all happened growing up, through my teenage years, I felt it coming, i felt the fear that one day the tragedy would arrive. The morning my father woke me up telling me it was over, i realized that my fear had finally come to an end. It's rather ironic to think that you grow up with a certain fear for years and years, and then one day, your biggest fear happens. So what happens? What did i truly feel? Nothing. Everyone that visited me came out of the jail inspired by my optimism, when those who visited saw me most would go into tears, and what would i try to manage? A smile. It's a sick thing what happened to me, i had to see some of the closest people in my life cry in front of my eyes, even harder thing was that i had to make sure I was strong. It turned out to be a huge injustice, and I say this not as someone who is an immigrant but rather as a human being.

But then, it happened, perhaps our lives are limited to few or none miracles, for me this was it. My miracle, and when it happened i was free. My story is not to target any feelings in your heart but rather to let everyone now that I do not plan on letting this miracle only be mine. It's crazy how my life has changed in the past two weeks, mostly because now i feel like i have a voice, and i don't feel that fear i grew for all those years.

Today JSA gives you the opportunity to meet our Maryland Senator, and a State Senator running against him. I urge you to come out and see it for yourself, because together we all have a voice, and together we can make a difference.


U.S. Senator Ben Cardin & State Senator Anthony Muse
Saturday March 24, 2012 at 12:30 p. m. on the
Montgomery College Rockville Campusm TC room 136
Let's make our voice be heard so that no one ever lives through what i lived through. Furthermore, let's do this for those who suffer countless of other injustices, because we are all human, and we all have the right to be treated as some.

Sincerely,

Jorge Steven Acuña

Maryland Juice will report back on the results of the U.S. Senate Primary candidate meetings, as well as on future plans for JSA soon!

SATURDAY: Students Behind #JSA Campaign Host Townhall Meetings w/ Senate Candidates Ben Cardin & Anthony Muse

UPDATE: The JSA organizers are clarifying that the event is a town hall style meet and greet with their members and two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates. However, Senator Cardin and State Senator Anthony Muse will not be sharing a stage to debate.  See the updated press release with scheduling details below. 

In short: Maryland Senator Anthony Muse will attend from 1:15-1:45pm and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin will attend from 1:45-2:15 pm. The event will be on Saturday, March 24 at 12:30 pm on the Montgomery College Rockville Campus, TC building, room 136.

Maryland Juice just received the press release below from the student activists behind the campaign to free Jorge Steven Acuna (aka #JSA). We recently wrote about their efforts to aid their friend and classmate after he and his family were arrested by Homeland Security and ready to be deported when their application for asylum was denied.

The students petitioned Rep. Chris Van Hollen to help the Acuna family, given that they are currently 8th Congressional District residents. They succeeded in getting the family released, with a one-year stay on their deportation. But their efforts have not stopped there. They are now pressing forward with efforts to make sure their issues are not ignored in the future. Amazingly, they are now hosting a town hall meeting with two U.S. Senate Democratic candidates, Ben Cardin and Anthony Muse. Their press release is below:

PRESS RELEASE

JSA Movement to Host Town Hall Meetings with
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin and State Senator Anthony Muse

Saturday March 24, 2012 at 12:30 p. m. on the
Montgomery College Rockville Campus

Youth will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the Senators

Rockville MD, March 23, 2012 – The Justice for Students in America (JSA) movement will host a town hall–style meeting with Maryland Senator Anthony Muse from 1:15-1:45pm and U.S. Senator Ben Cardin from 1:45-2:15 pm, on Saturday, March 24 at 12:30 pm on the Montgomery College Rockville Campus, TC building, room 136. Press conference will be held at 12:00 pm. JSA members and other youth will have the opportunity to ask questions directly to the Senators on issues that most affect them from the DREAM ACT, jobs, the economy, to comprehensive immigration reform and other topics.

All Montgomery College students and other youth and their families are welcome to attend. There will be an opportunity to register to vote for all of those who are eligible.

The JSA movement is a student- and youth-led, grassroots, empowering group with the mission to give all students and youth in America a voice. JSA promotes and encourages its youth members to become a positive force of civically-active members of society, and seek a high quality of live and equal opportunities for themselves, their families and all Americans through education.

Visit the JSA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/300409916692389

Follow us on Twitter @TheJSAMovement

##

Casa de Maryland Responds to Planned Deportation of Jorge Steven Acuna // Hundreds to Rally in Rockville: WED @ 3:30 PM

PRESS RELEASE (en español)

Hundreds of Students, Teachers & Community Members Call on ICE to 

Halt Deportation of a Maryland Dream Act Student & His Family 

Case of family of 3 from Germantown, MD sparks a grassroots revolution of support

• WHAT: Press Conference, rally and vigil
• WHERE: Rockville Town Square, Rockville, MD 20850
• WHEN: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 3:30 P.M.
• WHO: Friends and family of Jorge Steven Acuña, Members of St. Rose of Lima church, St. Martins church, Mother Seton Parish, Northwest High School Teachers, Montgomery College Professors, Soccer Coaches, Hundreds of students, Members of the community, CASA de Maryland

Rockville, MD - This Wednesday, hundreds of students, community members, faith leaders, and teachers will join together to urge justice for the Acuña family. On March 8th 2012, Blanca, Jorge Sr., and Jorge Steven Acuña were taken from their home by immigration agents and are now being held at Snow Hill Detention Center in a maximum security unit.

The Acuña family came to the United States in 2001 to escape the political violence of their home country of Colombia. Moving first to Florida then to Montgomery County, Maryland, they quickly adopted to their new community buying a home, working multiple jobs to support the family, and getting active in their church St. Rose of Lima in Gaithersburg. Jorge Steven started his education at the grade school level in the United States, graduated with a 3.8 GPA from Northwest High School in Germantown, and started his studies at Montgomery College this year where he has made the Dean's List, excelling in academics and athletics. Jorge's dream is to go to Johns Hopkins and become a surgeon.

When the Acuñas came to the United States, they applied for asylum. Despite the tens of thousands they spent on representation, their case did not receive adequate legal attention from their attorney who was later disbarred. Asylum was denied and last week ICE officials came to pick the family up, putting the star student in leg irons for transport to the lower Eastern Shore of Maryland.

“This terrible news is sending shockwaves through our community not just because the Acuñas are productive members of our society, but especially because of the loss of a young, inspiring, and successful college student,” said Julio Castillo, a classmate, teammate and close friend of Jorge’s. “This must stop with Jorge”

Hours after his detention, Jorge’s friends and family organized an impressive social media campaign with viral videos and photos. Within 48 hours their online petition gathered almost 5,000 signatures while their twitter campaign #JSA is trending as one of the most talked about topics in the Washington D.C. Metro area. They have gained the attention of thousands across our county and state prompting a unanimous statement of support from the Montgomery County Council.

“It is good to see hope in jail, a place where I never see daylight,” said Jorge Steven to his supporters when they visited him in an Eastern Shore detention center over the weekend.

In late August of last year, the Obama administration announced it planned to review cases of people currently in removal proceedings and focus their resources only on the highest priorities. In other words, DREAM ACT- students, relatives of veterans, victims of domestic violence and other individuals would be able to stay in the country and get work permits. Actions tomorrow will draw attention and recruit supporters to the cause of the Acuña family while continuing to highlight the impact of the broken immigration system on local communities.

Links:

• Online petition: www.lethimstay.net
• Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/300409916692389/
• Twitter: #JSA

TONIGHT: Homeland Security Hosts DC Area Hearings on Deportation Program - Will MD Officials Speak Out?

UPDATE: Washington Post coverage of the DHS hearings:  "Maria Bolanos told [ICE]... that she was arrested after calling police in Maryland during a fight with her partner.... Now she’s facing deportation because her fingerprints were shared with immigration authorities and she was identified as an illegal immigrant as part of the Secure Communities program....  200 people walked out of the meeting, chanting “end it, don’t amend it.” 

Earlier this week, my friends at the Bill of Rights Defense Committee alerted me to tonight's DC-area Department of Homeland Security public hearing. DHS is gathering input on their controversial "Secure Communities" deportation program (see email alert below). We discuss what the fuss is all about in greater depth below, but first a little bit of political background on the issue.

At issue is DHS's program asking local law enforcement officers to check the immigration status of people they detain. People flagged as present without documentation could be instantly whisked away by immigration officials (note: currently deportation occurs whether or not they are guilty of the crime in question -- they may even be the crime victim!)

Democratic Governors in Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts have ensured their states refused to participate in "Secure Communities." Will Maryland officials follow?