TIMELINES 9/21/17

Juggalos Descend on D.C. to Fight FBI Gang Distinction

Followers of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse — known as Juggalos — held a march Saturday on the National Mall, alleging discrimination after the FBI labeled the group a gang in a 2011 report. According to band members, some fans have lost their jobs, custody of their children and have been denied access to the military for their affiliation. The FBI placed Juggalos on the 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment following reports of crimes committed by people with Juggalo tattoos and clothing. Federal officials estimate there are more than one million. Farris Haddad, a lawyer for the Juggalos, said the group was in D.C. “to clear our name!” He said the FBI would be a laughing stock if they tried to blacklist other music fans like punk rockers or Grateful Dead fans.

Supreme Court Overrules 9^th Circuit on Travel Ban

The Supreme Court has blocked an appellate court ruling, keeping the Trump administration’s strict travel ban restrictions in place for refugees. This part of the ruling went into effect on Tuesday. The appellate court ruling deemed that refugees who have been already working with nonprofit resettlement agencies would still be admitted into the U.S. Extended family members, including grandparents, uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins of people already in the U.S. were also granted exemption from the travel ban by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Supreme Court is expected to take up the issue and make a final ruling on the legality of the travel ban on October 10. The center for Immigration reported that 72 of convicted terrorists came from these Muslin nations and 17 of them came through the refugee program.

Crackdown: State Dept. Limits Visas in Four Countries Who Won’t Accept Deported Illegals

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security suggested we punish four countries that consistently refuse to accept their citizens that have been deported from the United States, limiting visa requests from Cambodia, Eritrea, Sierra Leone and Guinea. This is the latest example of the Trump administration’s crack down on illegal immigration. This course of actions has been used only twice during the past 15 years. The measure, which began on Wednesday, makes exceptions for humanitarian or emergency purposes and will not affect visas that have already been issued. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been forced to release more than 2,000 Guineans and over 830 Sierra Leoneans, many with criminal convictions. According to DHS data, there are over 1,900 Cambodians and roughly 700 Eritreans in the US currently awaiting deportation.

Enough Fentanyl to Kill 32 Million People Seized in NYC Bust

Authorities confiscated nearly 195 pounds of fentanyl – an opioid 50 times stronger than heroin – including one sting that netted 32 million lethal doses of the drug. Four people were arrested after the busts in August and September that also netted 75 pounds of heroin and cocaine. Overall, overdose deaths hit an all-time high in New York’s five boroughs in 2016. In the first bust, on Aug. 1, 2017, police and federal agents seized more than 140 pounds of fentanyl — the most in the city’s history. Authorities said the trove could have had enough doses to kill 32 million people from overdoses. Then, on Sept. 5, authorities seized another 53 pounds of fentanyl-laced heroin and another 2 pounds of uncut fentanyl. Of the roughly 64,000 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2016, more than 20,000 involved synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Prosecutors say the drugs are worth a street value of $30 million.

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