company bella

larisa has another update on Bella et al

Bella Update VI - Operation return to the Constitution
Okay, so at some point last night, the attorneys for all of the women being moved to Atlanta (it was Atlanta it turns out) this round, filed ana emergency injunction/stay. Apparently members of Congress also joined in, but I cannot get any confirmation on who it was yet. The women were returned to Monroe. Ha!!!!!

They are having an emergency hearing, the lawyers as a group (if you can believe that) on Friday in front of a judge. They are demanding that ICE officials either charge their clients or release them.

I also found out that many women have already been transported out of state. I presume, although I do not know, that they are the ones who either don't have good attorneys or fell through the cracks. I don't know. According to Bella, there are women she is being held with who were never convicted of a crime, ever. They are simply legal residents.

Here is the kicker... ICE did not adequately prepare (because no one could have imagined) for facilities while rounding up all of these people, which they continue to do. The argument they are using to move the detainees is that there is overcrowding, which is true. But there is overcrowding because they are warehousing people in large numbers, some of whom committed a crime in the past, not even a felony, some of whom committed a felony in the past (like 40 years ago even), and some who committed no crime at all. But Bella tells me that there are no illegal aliens in her "program," which leads to ask the obvious, why the fuck not?

Anyway, these people being held, especially the women have had their children taken by the state. They have lost their jobs because they have either been detained far too long or because their employers did not want the controversy. When one loses a job, one loses the ability to pay bills, which then causes one to lose property. In other words, you have legal permanent residents being denied their freedom, their children, and their property.

I will have more on Friday, after the attorneys have their hearing. I am praying that the judge will release these women.

In fighting for Bella, we have helped, inadvertently, those in her group because of the attention we have gotten for her. Like I said, members of Congress got involved in Bella's case, but I don't know the specifics yet because I would not be able to call them as a journalist on this case. But you see, dear citizens, we have the power to stop this nightmare and without ever having to lift a weapon, by simply using our voices to demand justice and shame those abusing power into doing right by our fellow Americans.

Let's keep the pressure on for the women of "company bella" (my term) which includes the other women in her group. Let's demand to know who they are, where their children have been taken, why they are being held, and how we can help them. We have a small window between now and Friday to make it clear that we will not stand for people being disappeared, smuggled across state lines, warehoused like cattle in private detention facilities, and especially stand silent while children lose their mothers and their own freedom in essence.

Keep the pressure on the media
Keep the pressure on local authorities
Keep the pressure on ICE
Keep the pressure on Congress (yes, your votes have real consequences, not just political gotcha tricks)

And let us hope that in working to free company Bella, others, in other states will work to stop operation return to sender... let's call our efforts, operation return to the Constitution.

I will update on this on Friday or sooner, should something change. Thanks for all of your work on this. Keep it going.

yay, yay, yay.