The devil is working hard, but Attorney General Jeff Sessions is working harder. As patriotic Americans gear up to celebrate the Fourth of July, or better yet, gear up to enjoy a holiday barbecue with loved ones, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been preying on the rights of we, the people. More specifically, we, the minorities.
According to a release from the DOJ, Sessions is “rescinding 24 guidance documents that were unnecessary, outdated, inconsistent with existing law, or otherwise improper.” Law & Crime reports that each of the points was initially drafted to offer basic legal and political understanding to various and distinct minority groups, broadly defined, throughout the United States.
So what does that mean for us?
Rescinding the documents doesn't leave us entirely out to dry as it will not affect the law in itself. What it will do, however, is make the legal language harder for the average non-lawyer to understand. In turn, it could infringe on our rights if we don't know how the law protects us.
These revocations aim at affirmative action, juvenile justice, predatory loans, discrimination against immigrants and the working rights of immigrants. According to Law & Crime, here's a quick breakdown:
Revocations 1-7 deal with the way children are treated when they are suspected or accused of breaking the law. More specifically, these guidances affect how the "core" pillars of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act are interpreted. The core “removal" generally requires juveniles not to be housed with adult inmates. "Separation" requires that when juveniles are housed with adults under limited exceptions, they must be separated from the sights and sounds of adult incarceration. "Deinstitutionalization" seeks to provide alternatives to jail for youths who commit acts which, due to their age, are crimes (i.e., drinking, truancy, running away and smoking).
Revocation 8 deals with a federal program which pays back state and local governments for incarcerating undocumented criminal aliens who have committed more serious crimes. Revocation 9 focuses on research into whether schools disproportionately dole out punishments by race, national origin, native language, sex, or disability. It's been proven time and time again that black girls are more likely to receive punishment at school.
Revocation 10 involves people seeking a mortgage while Revocation 11 warns against “predatory” home equity loans. Revocation 12 alerts all Americans about the unconstitutional nature of being discriminated against by their national origin.
Revocations 13-14 deal with workers’ rights for various classes of immigrants to the United States. According to The Hill, these documents stated that the refugees and asylum seekers are “authorized to work indefinitely” and can receive Social Security cards “without employment restrictions.” It also said that employers should only check if individuals are eligible to work after the decision is made to hire them. As the Trump administration continues to push unnecessarily harsh immigration laws, this move by Sessions is now a surprise.
Revocations 15-17 target people who don’t understand English particularly well but still need the service of the U.S. court system. This is an Obama-era policy “in response to requests for technical assistance from courts and others involved in planning and implementing measures to improve language assistance services in courts for limited English proficient (LEP) individuals.”
Lastly, Revocations 18-24 deal with recipients of affirmative action policies. We reported the Trump administration planned to rescind Obama-era guidelines in regards to affirmative action. Revocation 24 notes that “[This document] reiterates the continued support of the Departments of Education and Justice for the voluntary use of race and ethnicity to achieve diversity in education.”
The best advice we can give is to continue to stay woke. They think we aren't paying attention.
