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- [00:01]
Advertiser 1
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- [00:29]
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- [00:58]
Michael Popak
Well, if you don't like your government chasing immigrants through churches, then you're going to like the fact that a Quaker group joined together with a Baptist group to join together with a Sikh group. And they obtained through Judge Chang in Maryland the latest injunction against the Trump administration, this one to stop their depraved policy of raiding, I mean, raiding churches looking for people with undocumented status. Is that the country you want to live in? I don't think so. I'm on Midas touch, illegal af and so are you. Let's get into it. I'm Michael Popo. But a week or so ago we reported on the new lawsuit filed where else in Maryland. A lot of these cases against the Trump administration and there's more than 90 of them as of last count are coming, about half of them in the Virginia, D.C. and Maryland area against these agencies. Now, Judge Chang, a Obama appointee, had a hearing and this was the order that just came out. I'm going to read to you in a minute. In joining stopping, blocking the Immigration Service, the ICE Service and Homeland Security from raiding churches. But it's not a national injunction and it doesn't apply to everyone similarly situated. It really just applies unfortunately for now to the six Quaker groups that are operating in 37 states and the Baptists out of Georgia and the Sikhs out of California. But I'm sure this will be the start of a nationwide injunction. The reason the judge didn't do a nationwide injunction is he questioned whether this group had standing to represent all the other people or whether they had a unique injury. Now, this is the same Judge Chang that in part, and when he was doing his, his questioning of the, of the lawyers for the Department of Justice and for these groups, Democracy Forward he, when he questioned about their argument that this did not, the government's argument, the Trump argument, that this did not interfere with the First Amendment expression of religion, he said, well, I think he said instead, they argued that all this, these groups are here for the conjectural speculative future, future potential harm and subjective fear. And the judge fired back and said, subjective fear. When you have Kristi Noem, the Homeland Security director, going on videos, showing videos of her all dressed up in her cosplay ICE enforcement outfit, talking about getting dirt bags off the street, the judge said that is not a subjective fear. In fact, we have a clip of that. Let's play the clip of what the judge was referring to here in New.
- [03:38]
Advertiser 1
York City this morning.
- [03:39]
Michael Popak
We are getting the dirt bags off these streets. So that's, you know, that's where, when you make videos, when you work for the Trump administration, where you say stupid things at your press conferences, they're going to be used against you in filings or with judges during this type of colloquy or discussion. Now, let me read to you from the actual injunction. Again, it's not nationwide, but it does apply to a large group of people here represented by the Quakers, and shout out to the Quakers, you know, we learned about them in grade school, you know, usually about pacifists and not wanting to go to war. But, you know, give them credit about how they're handling things here. Their major argument to the judge was we, as part of our religion, invite people to attend meetings. We want them to attend our Quaker meetings. We cannot in good conscience do that because there's fear that some of these people are undocumented. We don't know who they are, and that they're going to be raided during the meeting, putting them in harm's way. So it's a little bit of a safe haven argument. Here's what the judge ruled. The judge did not like an order that came out in January that's been enforced here, says the defendants, the United States Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, in her official capacity of Secretary of Homeland Security, U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, are enjoined or blocked as follows in relation to all potential or actual immigration enforcement actions in or near any place of worship, owned, operated, occupied or used by any of the above captioned plaintiffs that is the Philadelphia yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, the Religious Society of Friends being the Quakers, the New England yearly Meeting, the Baltimore yearly meeting, the Adelphi Friends meeting of the Religious Society of Friends, the Richmond Friends, the Religious Society of Friends, New York Yearly Meeting, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship and the Sikh Temple, Sacramento. They are not allowed to enforce it there. And to answer the question that I know will come up as of right now, they could enforce it against and they couldn't use the policy to raid other churches not listed here, but I think they do so at their own risk. The judge went on to say that the that group of entities the defendant shall not implement, enforce, apply or act pursuant to a memorandum from January 20 from the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security entitled enforcement actions in or near protected areas. I mean, right there you've got protected areas which Donald Trump and his group have completely destroyed be in his order. Judge Chang's order in relation to all potential or actual immigration enforcement actions in or near any place of worship owned or operated by the above plaintiffs or their agents. Defendants shall instead implement, enforce or apply an act pursuant to the terms of a memorandum from October 27, 2021 from the then Secretary of Homeland Security under Biden Mayorkas called the guidelines for enforcement actions in or near protected areas and he attaches it. In other words, that's what he's telling them. It's a mandatory injunction. In that way, it's a prohibitive injunction stopping them from enforcing the January 31, 2025 memo and a mandatory injunction preliminarily at least compelling them to use the earlier memo. Go back to the status quo of the earlier memo. The judge also notes that consistent with federal law, this injunction does not enjoin or restrict defendants from conducting arrest in or near places of worship. When author, by administrative or judicial warrant, as necessary for the enforcement of the preliminary injunction, plaintiff shall provide to the defendants, the government, immediately and in any event, no less than three days after the date of this order, a list of all their places of worship. And of course he enforces it by contempt of court. So what does it all mean? It all means that as for now, in at least 37 different locations operated by the Sikhs, the Baptists and the Quakers, the, the. The group there, the Religious Society of Friends, ICE is going to have to wait outside. This does not impact some of the more nefarious aspects of that memo. They are still able and they are currently. So if you like your government chasing people through hospitals, funeral homes and schools and, and also social services offices, then you'll then, then you'll like everything that this Trump administration is doing. If that is not the government or the society that you wanted to wake up in, just picture, picture ICE agents chasing right, undocumented immigrants fearing for their life through churches, schools, Hospitals, social services offices and the like. Is that, is that Handmaid's tail vision? Is that what you wanted? I'm not talking to my audience. I'm talking to those, it's, you know, outside of our audience, about why they think they're so happy with the Trump administration, although polling says they're not polling Republican town halls held by Congress in their communities says that the, not only is the Trump administration criminal, but it is wholly unpopular, even with their own people in the red states, because they finally woke up and said, wait a minute, you're, you're cutting government, government funding, including all the programs that helped me. You know, this is a version of not in my backyard. We call it nimby, you know, you know, you know, enforce it against my neighbor, not against me. And now they're, they're waking up to realize how much money they're losing, how much federal funding they're losing, how much support they're losing. And he's woefully unpopular. I mean, he's, he's, he's 10 points below Joe Biden coming in, and 66 or more percent of the population, including his own followers, don't think he's doing enough to help them. It spells disaster for this administration. It spells disaster for them holding the House and the Senate in the midterms. But of course, that's not their goal. Everybody, Their goal is to, and this is Donald Trump's legacy, is to, at least for the short term, reshape the relationship between you and me and our, and our government. In other words, make the government distant from you and me, including its funding and its health programs. And that's, that's his, that's his major goal and implement everything about Project 2025. So kudos out to Judge Chang. Did the right thing. That's a preliminary injunction. This will then, I assume, will be some sort of appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Maryland, depending upon the results there, an emergency application to the United States Supreme Court, and we'll follow it all right here on the Midas Touch Network in Legal, if. Let me take a moment. This is the time to join together, not, not fall apart. Right? This is the time for us to unite. We've already seen the surge in follow in following and, and viewership for the Midas Touch Network and everything about it. Legal AF is up to top 30 in the, in the world in news and top five in news analysis, and that's all because of you. We do the show Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8pm Eastern. Time along format format at the intersection of law and politics podcast called Legal af. If you didn't know why we called it that, now you do. Join us there and everywhere. You can get our podcast from all audio podcast platforms like Apple, Google, et cetera. New a new legal AF YouTube channel. Not so new. We formed it in September. We're already almost at half a million. We are about 25,000 shy of that. We'll get there in the next two or three weeks, but only with your help. Take a moment. Hit the subscribe button. It's free. It lets you know about all our programming. We're doing six to eight recordings a day at that intersection of law and politics. And of course, my work here, Michael Popak, every Tuesday night, a brand new podcast called Popoc Live. You got it. I'm untethered. I'm unhinged. I'm unfiltered. No one tells me what to say. No one puts Baby in a corner here on the Midas Touch Network. So until my next recording of all things Legal af, I'm Michael Popak in collaboration with the Midas Touch Network. We just launched the Legal AF YouTube channel. Help us build this pro democracy channel where I'll be curating the top stories. The intersection of law and Politics. Go to YouTube now and free. Subscribe at Legal AFMTN. That's at Legal AFMTN.
- [12:26]
Advertiser 3
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