usatoday--2020-08-06--Watchdog says Florida is in 'good shape' for vote-by-mail in November — but adds, 'this is Florida'

Florida , a pivotal battleground that could decide the Nov. 3 presidential election , is well poised to handle an increase in voting by mail spurred by the pandemic , according to an analysis released Wednesday from an independent government watchdog .
The 38-page report also looks at what went wrong in Florida ’ s 2018 elections and reviews legislative fixes passed in 2019 to correct those problems .
`` When it comes to the integrity of an election , perception is everything , '' said Ben Wilcox , Research Director of Integrity Florida , during a Zoom conference with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially true in Florida where close elections and post-election meltdowns are the norm rather than the exception.
” The report took a close look at the 2018 election , with its historic voter turnout for a midterm election and three statewide races that required a recount .
The biggest problems were in Broward and Palm Beach counties , which led to allegations of voter fraud and misconduct by elections officials .
Read the report here —VBM : A Safe Option for Florida Voters – The Implications in a Battleground State Both supervisors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and replaced by Republican governors — Broward ’ s longtime supervisor was replaced by outgoing Gov .
Rick Scott with GOP troubleshooter Pete Antonacci , and Palm Beach ’ s supervisor was replaced by Gov .
Ron DeSantis shortly after he took office with Palm Beach County attorney Wendy Sartory Link , a longtime Republican who became a Democrat this year .
Their replacements raised concerns about partisanship , but both supervisors have worked hard to fix the problems of the past and ensure voter participation , Wilcox said .
The study also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2019 and 2020 to address problems encountered in 2018 and modify the vote-by-mail process .
The Legislature passed a bill ( SB 7066 ) that was an omnibus of election reforms crafted by election supervisors and lawmakers keen to not repeat the mistakes of the past .
The legislation : • Extended the deadline to cure defective ballots from 5 p.m. on the day before the election to 5 p.m. the second day after the election .
• Modified the ballot envelope to include voters ’ email address to notify them if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the last day for voters to request mail ballots from six to 10 days before an election .
• Prohibits supervisors from mailing out such ballots less than eight days prior to an election .
• Allowed supervisors to mail out ballots between 40 and 33 days before an election , rather than the previous 35 to 28 days .
• Allowed voters to drop off their ballots at a secure drop box location at each active early voting site and the supervisor ’ s offices .
• Allowed canvassing of mail ballots @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 22 days before the election instead of 15 .
`` A lot of work was done by the Legislature and election supervisors to make sure the vote-by-mail system is reliable , '' Wilcox said .
`` I think we ’ re in good shape , but I could easily be proven wrong given that this is Florida . ''
The report also examined the impact COVID-19 will likely have on voting in Florida and nationally .
More people are deciding to vote by mail rather than show up at precincts to vote , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coronavirus .
“ I ’ m sure there will be a lot more voters by mail in this election , ” Wilcox said .
The report also explores allegations made by President Donald Trump and other Republicans that increased voting by mail will lead to increased voter fraud .
It looked at the five states that have universal mail ballots — Colorado , Hawaii , Oregon , Utah , and Washington — and 29 “ no excuses ” states , including Florida , where people don ’ t need to give a reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have had that option since 2002 .
In 2016 , under Scott , the state replaced the term “ absentee ballot ” to `` vote-by-mail '' to reflect the no-excuse clause .
Despite what officials have said , vote-by-mail doesn ’ t favor any political party , Wilcox said .
Studies have shown it helps increase voter participation of both parties , and it 's exceedingly rare to conduct vote fraud by mail , Wilcox said .
A Washington Post study found only 372 possible cases of double-voting out of 14.6 million votes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 and 2018 elections .
Nearly every credible study refutes Trump ’ s warnings about widespread voter fraud by mail , the report said .
The study also showed many Republicans pushing back against Trump ’ s criticism of mail-in voting , and universal voting by mail in particular .
In light of recent reports that more Democrats than Republicans were requesting to vote by mail , Trump recently signaled support for mail-in voting in Florida , which he declared was “ Safe and Secure , Tried and True ” on Tuesday .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Integrity Florida report recommends Florida lawmakers consider it as an option in future elections .
“ I am not sure how seriously people are taking President Trump for his advice for the election , ” Wilcox told reporters .
“ I think it is based more on a re-election strategy than reality.
” Contact Jeff Schweers at jschweers @ gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ jeffschweers .

Jeffrey Schweers, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau

Watchdog says Florida is in 'good shape' for vote-by-mail in November — but adds, 'this is Florida'
Show Caption Hide Caption Elections 2020: Mail-in voting could decide next president Many states are planning on drastically different elections this year and mail-in ballots could be a big game changer. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Florida, a pivotal battleground that could decide the Nov. 3 presidential election, is well poised to handle an increase in voting by mail spurred by the pandemic, according to an analysis released Wednesday from an independent government watchdog.
The 38-page report also looks at what went wrong in Florida’s 2018 elections and reviews legislative fixes passed in 2019 to correct those problems.
"When it comes to the integrity of an election, perception is everything," said Ben Wilcox, Research Director of Integrity Florida, during a Zoom conference with reporters Wednesday morning. "That's especially true in Florida where close elections and post-election meltdowns are the norm rather than the exception.”
The report took a close look at the 2018 election, with its historic voter turnout for a midterm election and three statewide races that required a recount. The biggest problems were in Broward and Palm Beach counties, which led to allegations of voter fraud and misconduct by elections officials.
How to prevent cyberattacks on U.S. elections systems Officials are checking security and instituting drills as America gears up for elections. But not all the threats are from outside the U.S. USA TODAY
Read the report here —VBM: A Safe Option for Florida Voters – The Implications in a Battleground State
Both supervisors, in heavily Democratic counties, were removed and replaced by Republican governors — Broward’s longtime supervisor was replaced by outgoing Gov. Rick Scott with GOP troubleshooter Pete Antonacci, and Palm Beach’s supervisor was replaced by Gov. Ron DeSantis shortly after he took office with Palm Beach County attorney Wendy Sartory Link, a longtime Republican who became a Democrat this year.
Their replacements raised concerns about partisanship, but both supervisors have worked hard to fix the problems of the past and ensure voter participation, Wilcox said.
The study also delved into changes made by the Legislature in 2019 and 2020 to address problems encountered in 2018 and modify the vote-by-mail process.
The Legislature passed a bill (SB 7066) that was an omnibus of election reforms crafted by election supervisors and lawmakers keen to not repeat the mistakes of the past. The legislation:
Extended the deadline to cure defective ballots from 5 p.m. on the day before the election to 5 p.m. the second day after the election.
Modified the ballot envelope to include voters’ email address to notify them if their signatures were defective.
Created a provisional ballot signature "cure" process that mirrors the revised vote-by-mail process.
Moved the last day for voters to request mail ballots from six to 10 days before an election.
Prohibits supervisors from mailing out such ballots less than eight days prior to an election.
Allowed supervisors to mail out ballots between 40 and 33 days before an election, rather than the previous 35 to 28 days.
Allowed voters to drop off their ballots at a secure drop box location at each active early voting site and the supervisor’s offices.
Allowed canvassing of mail ballots to start a week earlier, at 22 days before the election instead of 15.
"A lot of work was done by the Legislature and election supervisors to make sure the vote-by-mail system is reliable," Wilcox said. "I think we’re in good shape, but I could easily be proven wrong given that this is Florida."
The report also examined the impact COVID-19 will likely have on voting in Florida and nationally. More people are deciding to vote by mail rather than show up at precincts to vote, where they could risk exposure to the coronavirus.
“I’m sure there will be a lot more voters by mail in this election,” Wilcox said.
The report also explores allegations made by President Donald Trump and other Republicans that increased voting by mail will lead to increased voter fraud.
It looked at the five states that have universal mail ballots — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah, and Washington — and 29 “no excuses” states, including Florida, where people don’t need to give a reason to vote by mail.
Florida voters have had that option since 2002. In 2016, under Scott, the state replaced the term “absentee ballot” to "vote-by-mail" to reflect the no-excuse clause.
Despite what officials have said, vote-by-mail doesn’t favor any political party, Wilcox said. Studies have shown it helps increase voter participation of both parties, and it's exceedingly rare to conduct vote fraud by mail, Wilcox said.
A Washington Post study found only 372 possible cases of double-voting out of 14.6 million votes cast in three vote-by-mail states in the 2016 and 2018 elections. Nearly every credible study refutes Trump’s warnings about widespread voter fraud by mail, the report said.
The study also showed many Republicans pushing back against Trump’s criticism of mail-in voting, and universal voting by mail in particular.
In light of recent reports that more Democrats than Republicans were requesting to vote by mail, Trump recently signaled support for mail-in voting in Florida, which he declared was “Safe and Secure, Tried and True” on Tuesday.
While Trump criticizes universal mail-in voting, the Integrity Florida report recommends Florida lawmakers consider it as an option in future elections.
“I am not sure how seriously people are taking President Trump for his advice for the election,” Wilcox told reporters. “I think it is based more on a re-election strategy than reality.”
Contact Jeff Schweers at jschweers@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @jeffschweers.
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usatoday--2020-08-06--Donald Trump tops Joe Biden in July fundraising by $25M, but cash-on-hand advantage erased

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hauled in $ 25 million more than Democratic challenger Joe Biden in July , ending a stretch of back-to-back months where the former vice president topped the incumbent president in campaign fundraising .
But for the first time , the two candidates have about the same amount of money left to spend with now less than 90 days until the Nov. 3 election .
The Trump campaign , the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising committees collectively raised $ 165 million in July , according to the campaign , bringing the president 's overall @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the 2020 election cycle .
The campaign said it was a monthly fundraising record for Trump , eclipsing any month during his 2016 campaign as well .
The joint effort of the Biden campaign , the Democratic National Committee and their fundraising committees raised $ 140 million in July , the Biden campaign reported , which is $ 1 million less than it raised in June .
`` The President ’ s support continues to increase while Joe Biden just posted a down fundraising month from his basement , '' Trump campaign manager @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More : Joe Biden tops Donald Trump in fundraising for second straight month However , the Biden campaign boasted $ 294 million cash on hand , $ 50 million more than its balance after June , erasing the president 's considerable advantage that has spanned the entire race .
The Trump campaign said it has a warchest of $ 300 million still to spend .
The Trump campaign had $ 51 million more on hand than Biden after June .
That was after Biden outraised Trump by $ 10 million in June , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Biden campaign manger Jen O ’ Malley Dillion called it `` another lights-out fundraising month , banking another $ 50 million for the final stretch to election day.
” She said 97 % of Biden 's donations came from `` grassroots donors '' and the average online contribution was $ 34.77 .
More : Experts held 'war games ' on the Trump vs. Biden election .
Their finding ?
Brace for a mess For months , Trump has trailed in polls both nationally and in critical swing states as the coronavirus pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president .
The campaigns did not disclose expenditures for July .
Those details wo n't be publicly available until financial reports are posted by the Federal Election Commission .
Much of the Trump campaign 's spending activity in July went toward an aggressive television advertising blitz in several battlegrounds states that sought to question Biden 's mental fitness , paint him as a left-wing radical and tie him to efforts to `` defund the police . ''
The Trump campaign spent $ 41.3 million in television advertising in July , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Analytics .
More : ‘ Grim resolve ’ : Biden is up big and the Senate is in sight , but Democrats still haunted by fear of letdown For the rest of the race , the Biden campaign on Wednesday announced a $ 280 million advertising plan across 15 swing states – including Texas , Georgia , Ohio and Iowa – as it seeks to put Trump on the defense in several reliably Republican states that he won in 2016 .
The Biden campaign reserved $ 220 million in television ads and $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump campaign has reserved $ 151 million in television advertising between between now and the November election , according to Advertising Analytics .

Donald Trump tops Joe Biden in July fundraising by $25M, but cash-on-hand advantage erased
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump hauled in $25 million more than Democratic challenger Joe Biden in July, ending a stretch of back-to-back months where the former vice president topped the incumbent president in campaign fundraising.
But for the first time, the two candidates have about the same amount of money left to spend with now less than 90 days until the Nov. 3 election.
The Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and their joint fundraising committees collectively raised $165 million in July, according to the campaign, bringing the president's overall fundraising mark to $1.1 billion in the 2020 election cycle. The campaign said it was a monthly fundraising record for Trump, eclipsing any month during his 2016 campaign as well.
The joint effort of the Biden campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their fundraising committees raised $140 million in July, the Biden campaign reported, which is $1 million less than it raised in June.
"The President’s support continues to increase while Joe Biden just posted a down fundraising month from his basement," Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien said in a statement.
More: Joe Biden tops Donald Trump in fundraising for second straight month
However, the Biden campaign boasted $294 million cash on hand, $50 million more than its balance after June, erasing the president's considerable advantage that has spanned the entire race.
The Trump campaign said it has a warchest of $300 million still to spend. The Trump campaign had $51 million more on hand than Biden after June. That was after Biden outraised Trump by $10 million in June, $141 million to $131 million.
Biden campaign manger Jen O’Malley Dillon called it "another lights-out fundraising month, banking another $50 million for the final stretch to election day.” She said 97% of Biden's donations came from "grassroots donors" and the average online contribution was $34.77.
More: Experts held 'war games' on the Trump vs. Biden election. Their finding? Brace for a mess
For months, Trump has trailed in polls both nationally and in critical swing states as the coronavirus pandemic and economic downfall takes a toll on the president.
The campaigns did not disclose expenditures for July. Those details won't be publicly available until financial reports are posted by the Federal Election Commission.
Much of the Trump campaign's spending activity in July went toward an aggressive television advertising blitz in several battlegrounds states that sought to question Biden's mental fitness, paint him as a left-wing radical and tie him to efforts to "defund the police." The Trump campaign spent $41.3 million in television advertising in July, according to research from the campaign ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics.
More: ‘Grim resolve’: Biden is up big and the Senate is in sight, but Democrats still haunted by fear of letdown
For the rest of the race, the Biden campaign on Wednesday announced a $280 million advertising plan across 15 swing states – including Texas, Georgia, Ohio and Iowa – as it seeks to put Trump on the defense in several reliably Republican states that he won in 2016.
The Biden campaign reserved $220 million in television ads and $60 million for digital advertising. The Trump campaign has reserved $151 million in television advertising between between now and the November election, according to Advertising Analytics.
Reach Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.


usatoday--2020-08-07--Front-line health care workers have mixed feelings watching sports amid COVID-19

After spending parts of five years as a wide receiver in the NFL , anesthesiology resident Nate Hughes said he certainly plans to tune in to football season this fall .
He still has friends in the league , after all , and relationships with some of the coaches .
But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread , with more than 4.8 million confirmed cases across the country , Hughes admits he probably wo n't watch NFL games in the same way .
Not after working on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic .
`` I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Hughes told USA TODAY Sports .
`` I love sports , but at the same time , I wish we would do more to protect each other.
” Hughes is one of many front-line health care workers who are now watching the return of professional sports leagues with mixed feelings , or a pit in their stomach — a certain uneasiness as they try to reconcile their fandom with the knowledge that playing games may put athletes and others at risk of transmitting COVID-19 .
Doctors and nurses understand better than most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on mental health , both for themselves and their patients .
They love being able to watch a game after a long shift , or see a patient use sports as a temporary escape from his or her hospital bed .
But they also understand better than most what COVID-19 can do to the human body , leaving many of them torn .
`` I think that sports are great , and I think they ’ re positive , and I think we need them , '' said Laura Rosenthal , a nurse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ professor at the university 's College of Nursing .
`` ( But ) when I hear , 'Oh we ’ re going to open up the stadium , ' it gives me that kind of underlying prickly feeling — like 'ugh , is that really a good idea ? '
`` COVID-19 COVERUP : 'Horrified ' Colorado State president vows to 'get to the bottom ' of athletic department 's COVID-19 handling FALL WITHOUT FOOTBALL : How America would look without its favorite sport Rosenthal has been a nurse for two decades , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Michigan football , and the Denver Broncos .
When she thinks ahead to football season , she ca n't imagine watching two players collide in a game on TV and not wondering whether one of them has COVID-19 .
She ca n't think about seeing fans in the seats — even in a limited capacity — without also thinking of them streaming into and out of the stadium in crowds , or lining up at a bathroom or concession stand .
`` It would always be in the back of my mind , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thinking , 'Now am I going to see half of these people in the hospital ? '
`` That feeling of uneasiness lingers even for some nurses and doctors who are not actively treating COVID-19 patients , but might have colleagues who do .
Keith Buehner , a retired nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami , said he 's been a Miami football season-ticket holder for 35 years .
He 's performed at Miami Heat games as part of the team 's senior dance squad , `` The Golden Oldies . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , or thinks about going to a Hurricanes game in the fall , he thinks about the resources that sports leagues might be using that could otherwise be helping his former colleagues .
`` I get it .
I miss ( sports ) , too , '' Buehner said .
`` I just don ’ t think it ’ s right . ''
Those views are hardly unanimous , however .
Chris Hutchinson , an emergency room physician at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak , Michigan , was an All-American defensive lineman for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Aidan , on the team .
He knows how financially important sports like college football are to athletic departments , universities and local economies .
He views the return of sports as vital , and has no qualms or concerns about his son playing this fall .
`` It ’ s a sport ( but ) it has a lot of other ramifications , '' Hutchinson explained .
`` And as long as the risk is small — let ’ s be honest , these ( college athletes ) are the healthiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to mince words : Their risk is not zero .
No one ’ s risk is zero .
But I think at some point you have to say what risk is acceptable ?
And again , everybody ’ s going to have a different level of that . ''
Hutchinson acknowledged that there are other front-line health care workers who disagree with him — including an older doctor at his own hospital , with whom he works regularly .
Hughes , who now works at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be another .
The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions wide receiver said his medical experience — previously as a nurse , and now as a resident — has shaped the way he watches sports these days .
He said he 's become a big fan of mixed martial arts over the past month , for example , in part because he 's comfortable with the sport 's COVID-19 protocols .
There are no fans , two fighters at a time and only a handful of people in each corner .
He can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe .
`` I just kind of wish we could pause a little bit longer , '' Hughes said , `` until we got things better controlled . ''
Contact Tom Schad at tschad @ usatoday.com or on Twitter @ Tom_Schad .

Front-line health care workers have mixed feelings watching sports amid COVID-19
Show Caption Hide Caption NFL lays out robust disciplinary plan for breaking safety protocols What I'm Hearing: USA TODAY Sports' Mike Jones breaks down the numerous fines and possible suspensions that the NFL is ready to issue to players if they don't follow proper safety protocols. USA TODAY
After spending parts of five years as a wide receiver in the NFL, anesthesiology resident Nate Hughes said he certainly plans to tune in to football season this fall. He still has friends in the league, after all, and relationships with some of the coaches.
But as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, with more than 4.8 million confirmed cases across the country, Hughes admits he probably won't watch NFL games in the same way. Not after working on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic.
"I’m caught in the middle," Hughes told USA TODAY Sports. "I love sports, but at the same time, I wish we would do more to protect each other.”
Hughes is one of many front-line health care workers who are now watching the return of professional sports leagues with mixed feelings, or a pit in their stomach — a certain uneasiness as they try to reconcile their fandom with the knowledge that playing games may put athletes and others at risk of transmitting COVID-19.
Doctors and nurses understand better than most the positive impact that sports can have on mental health, both for themselves and their patients. They love being able to watch a game after a long shift, or see a patient use sports as a temporary escape from his or her hospital bed. But they also understand better than most what COVID-19 can do to the human body, leaving many of them torn.
"I think that sports are great, and I think they’re positive, and I think we need them," said Laura Rosenthal, a nurse practitioner at University of Colorado Hospital and professor at the university's College of Nursing. "(But) when I hear, 'Oh we’re going to open up the stadium,' it gives me that kind of underlying prickly feeling — like 'ugh, is that really a good idea?' "
COVID-19 COVERUP: 'Horrified' Colorado State president vows to 'get to the bottom' of athletic department's COVID-19 handling
FALL WITHOUT FOOTBALL: How America would look without its favorite sport
Rosenthal has been a nurse for two decades, but she's also a fan of Michigan football, and the Denver Broncos. When she thinks ahead to football season, she can't imagine watching two players collide in a game on TV and not wondering whether one of them has COVID-19. She can't think about seeing fans in the seats — even in a limited capacity — without also thinking of them streaming into and out of the stadium in crowds, or lining up at a bathroom or concession stand.
"It would always be in the back of my mind," she said. "And then thinking, 'Now am I going to see half of these people in the hospital?' "
That feeling of uneasiness lingers even for some nurses and doctors who are not actively treating COVID-19 patients, but might have colleagues who do.
Keith Buehner, a retired nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, said he's been a Miami football season-ticket holder for 35 years. He's performed at Miami Heat games as part of the team's senior dance squad, "The Golden Oldies." But when he watches the Heat now, or thinks about going to a Hurricanes game in the fall, he thinks about the resources that sports leagues might be using that could otherwise be helping his former colleagues.
"I get it. I miss (sports), too," Buehner said. "I just don’t think it’s right."
Those views are hardly unanimous, however.
Chris Hutchinson, an emergency room physician at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan, was an All-American defensive lineman for the Wolverines and now has one son, Aidan, on the team. He knows how financially important sports like college football are to athletic departments, universities and local economies. He views the return of sports as vital, and has no qualms or concerns about his son playing this fall.
"It’s a sport (but) it has a lot of other ramifications," Hutchinson explained. "And as long as the risk is small — let’s be honest, these (college athletes) are the healthiest kids. ... I’m not going to mince words: Their risk is not zero. No one’s risk is zero. But I think at some point you have to say what risk is acceptable? And again, everybody’s going to have a different level of that."
Hutchinson acknowledged that there are other front-line health care workers who disagree with him — including an older doctor at his own hospital, with whom he works regularly. Hughes, who now works at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and is training to be an anesthesiologist, would be another.
The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions wide receiver said his medical experience — previously as a nurse, and now as a resident — has shaped the way he watches sports these days. He said he's become a big fan of mixed martial arts over the past month, for example, in part because he's comfortable with the sport's COVID-19 protocols. There are no fans, two fighters at a time and only a handful of people in each corner. He can watch comfortably because he believes it's safe.
"I just kind of wish we could pause a little bit longer," Hughes said, "until we got things better controlled."
Contact Tom Schad at tschad@usatoday.com or on Twitter @Tom_Schad.


usatoday--2020-08-07--Milwaukee police chief demoted after questions over use of tear gas, pepper spray at protests

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales was demoted to captain Thursday evening , less than a year after he was appointed to a four-year term as chief by the city 's Fire and Police Commission .
He would not rule out suing the city to get his job back , his attorney said earlier Thursday .
Commissioners had sharp words for Morales before voting to demote him , with some accusing him of repeatedly lying .
The vote was unanimous .
“ His conduct is unbecoming , filled with ethical lapses and flawed decisions , '' said Commissioner Raymond @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department , the people of the city of Milwaukee and he has misled me .
And none of this is acceptable . ''
Assistant Chief Michael Brunson Sr. was named acting chief by unanimous vote , following the department 's chain-of-command .
He was a finalist for the chief job with Morales in 2018 , after Edward Flynn retired .
In a news release issued Thursday night , Brunson said he had great respect for the department 's members and thanked Morales for his 27 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gimbel , his attorney , declined to speak at length with reporters after Thursday 's decision , with Gimbel saying Morales will consider his options in the coming days and will work with Brunson .
The move to return Morales to the rank of captain , which he held before being named chief , came after weeks of back-and-forth between Morales and Steven DeVougas , whose term as commission chair ended Thursday , though he remains a member .
`` Clearly there is a blood feud between Chief Morales and Chairman DeVougas , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Journal Sentinel on Thursday afternoon .
`` And I think it ’ s all really bad for our city and they both should be embarrassed . ''
In brief remarks after the meeting , Barrett said the board 's action `` was not good government '' and `` completely lacking in transparency '' because of the short notice and lack of communication to the public about what was to be decided .
`` I am angry with what happened tonight , '' he said .
“ Chief Morales should have been given an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , I understand some of the frustration because rather than responding to the directives , he spent two weeks on a ( public relations ) campaign and clearly that angered the commissioners , as well . ''
Nelson Soler was elected the new chair of the commission .
`` We need to move forward from drama and get to action , '' he said .
That drama began in the lead-up to Morales ' reappointment last fall , when Morales says DeVougas wanted him to fire an officer involved in the arrest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a claim DeVougas has denied .
In December , DeVougas , as chairman , began to cast doubt on whether the commission would even vote on the reappointment before Morales ' interim term expired .
That same month , the Journal Sentinel obtained a video of DeVougas , an attorney , accompanying a prominent real estate developer accused of sexual assault to an interview with a Milwaukee police detective .
Tensions ramped up this spring when the commission repeatedly canceled meetings and escalated further two weeks ago , when the commission gave Morales @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to and including termination if he did not follow them .
The directives required public explanations of investigations and discipline in specific cases and updates on hiring and promotions , among other things .
Morales also was ordered to publicly account for why the department used tear gas during the recent civil unrest , which he did on Tuesday .
‘ Less lethal ’ weapons : Police use of rubber bullets , bean bag rounds has left a bloody trail for decades .
Those maimed say enough is enough .
Before casting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ann Wilson noted some of the directives reflected broken promises from Morales when he got the job .
`` I 'm kind of sort of disappointed that you did n't because you have such a wonderful story and all the other things , and to just not do what you said you wanted to do just really makes me sad , '' she said .
Soler said he did n't feel Morales had worked with the oversight board .
`` We 're going back to your appointment and everything that has transpired since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from you to comply with the motion that was made and you accepted the appointment based on those things , '' he said .
'There are checks and balances' On Wednesday , after the commission posted an agenda including possible discipline for Morales , the Police Department released a 26-page executive summary analyzing the directives .
The report , essentially a rebuttal to the directives , said they were riddled with factual errors , unclear requirements and unreasonable deadlines .
It included emails showing the city attorney 's office had found one directive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morales an extension to comply with the others , which the commission declined to do .
It also asserted that because the commission did not first review the department and did not use a collaborative process to draft the directives , they were not legally binding .
State law gives Barrett the authority to veto directives , which means he could have unilaterally hit reset on the process , but he said he was reluctant to intervene without being asked .
He emphasized that the police chief is accountable to the Fire and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` And there are checks and balances if that accountability goes haywire , '' Barrett said .
`` The check and balance is that ( Morales ) or his department would come and say , 'Hey there ’ s a problem here . '
And they haven ’ t said that . ''
On Thursday , commissioners did not say if Brunson will be required to complete the still-outstanding directives .
Asked about the issue as he left the meeting , Commissioner Everett Cocroft first deferred to the city attorney and then said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Commissioners Angela McKenzie , Soler , DeVougas and Wilson refused to answer if the directives applied to Bruson as they exited the meeting .
Voices of the protest : We looked at protester demands from across the nation and compared them with recent police reforms .
Less than 24 hours after the Police Department issued its rebuttal , DeVougas released his own statement .
`` For the past year , I have been silent , while my name and reputation , as well as the reputation of my associates , have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been vilified in the media as 'unethical , ' `` the statement says .
`` I have been slandered by the Milwaukee Police Association ...
Even the mayor , who appointed me to the Fire and Police Commission ( twice ) , and Chief Alfonso Morales , who I cast the deciding vote for making him Chief , have opted to criticize me in the media , rather than have a civil conversation with me . ''
DeVougas was found to have likely committed ethics violations and lied about his legal representation of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sexual assault , Kalan Haywood Sr. , according to a report from an independent investigator released last month .
Haywood has denied the allegations .
He has not been arrested or charged .
The investigation remains pending with the district attorney 's office .
After the investigator 's report was released , the city 's ethics board voted to investigate related ethics complaints filed against DeVougas by the Milwaukee Police Association .
DeVougas has denied any wrongdoing and has refused to resign from the commission .
In his statement , DeVougas characterized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said he wants only to serve the city .
`` I have witnessed the system cannibalize some of Milwaukee ’ s best and brightest minds , '' he said .
`` Like me , they played by the rules and went to the right schools .
But as soon as they try to make a change for marginalized communities , they are threatened , their character is attacked or they are told to 'stay in their place . '
And then we wonder where the leadership is ?
Why are things the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statement , DeVougas said the directives were an attempt to save the community from `` unchecked corruption , apathy , and benign neglect . ''
He also specifically referenced his concern about the police shooting of Tari Davis , a bystander who was wounded when an officer shot at someone else who was fleeing , and said Morales did not intend to discipline or fire the officer involved .
But Morales has fired the officer , Nikolas Zens , and Zens appealed his firing to the commission last week , according to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Thursday 's meeting , DeVougas did not address how or why the commission came up with the directives .
He did say he was confident they were legal , having been vetted by the city attorney ’ s office .
That contradicts what the Police Department said in its rebuttal : That the city attorney ’ s office advised extending the deadlines on them so the office could finish writing a legal opinion .
Three of Milwaukee ’ s most high-profile Black community leaders also spoke at the news conference , expressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new chief — local NAACP President Fred Royal , Ald .
Ashanti Hamilton and community activist Vaun Mayes .
Mayes ' arrest in late June is the subject of one of the directives .
The night the directives were issued , seven members of the Common Council said they had no confidence in Morales and called for his ouster .
On Thursday , Ald .
JoCasta Zamarripa , who was not among that original group , issued a news release saying she can no longer support Morales or DeVougas .
She said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police budget and reform .
`` Just as public trust has been lost with Chief Morales , so too , has it been lost with Mr. DeVougas , '' she said .
`` The word of his alleged violations of the city ’ s ethics code has permeated our city and his refusal to shed light and answer questions requested by the very body he chairs is simply unacceptable . ''
On Thursday , 12 members of the Milwaukee Common Council sent a letter to Barrett urging him to nominate a new executive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Executive Director Griselda Aldrete withdrew from consideration last month , one day before the council was set to vote on her reappointment .
She has said she will continue to serve until her successor is named .
The job opening was posted Thursday evening .
“ The residents of our city , state and country are continuing to call for police reform in the wake of Joel Acevedo and George Floyd ’ s murders , ” council members wrote .
“ The inequitable policing practices that exist disproportionately impact communities of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost on you .
“ While the community and local leaders continue to discuss various means of police reform , one crucial part of the puzzle is having steady leadership atop the Fire and Police Commission.
” Barrett , who had not yet received the letter when interviewed by the Journal Sentinel Thursday , said he , too , wants the commission to function effectively .
They should start by undertaking an `` orderly review '' of the directives .
`` I want the integrity of our Fire and Police Commission restored , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Department to be restored , '' he said .

Gina Barton and Ashley Luthern, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Milwaukee police chief demoted after questions over use of tear gas, pepper spray at protests
Show Caption Hide Caption Fire and Police commission vote to demote Chief Morales The Fire and Police commission vote to demote Chief Alfonso Morales to the rank of captain Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales was demoted to captain Thursday evening, less than a year after he was appointed to a four-year term as chief by the city's Fire and Police Commission.
He would not rule out suing the city to get his job back, his attorney said earlier Thursday.
Commissioners had sharp words for Morales before voting to demote him, with some accusing him of repeatedly lying. The vote was unanimous.
“His conduct is unbecoming, filled with ethical lapses and flawed decisions," said Commissioner Raymond Robakowski. "Mr. Morales has failed the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department, the people of the city of Milwaukee and he has misled me. And none of this is acceptable."
Assistant Chief Michael Brunson Sr. was named acting chief by unanimous vote, following the department's chain-of-command. He was a finalist for the chief job with Morales in 2018, after Edward Flynn retired. In a news release issued Thursday night, Brunson said he had great respect for the department's members and thanked Morales for his 27 years of service.
Morales and Franklyn Gimbel, his attorney, declined to speak at length with reporters after Thursday's decision, with Gimbel saying Morales will consider his options in the coming days and will work with Brunson.
The move to return Morales to the rank of captain, which he held before being named chief, came after weeks of back-and-forth between Morales and Steven DeVougas, whose term as commission chair ended Thursday, though he remains a member.
"Clearly there is a blood feud between Chief Morales and Chairman DeVougas," Mayor Tom Barrett told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Thursday afternoon. "And I think it’s all really bad for our city and they both should be embarrassed."
In brief remarks after the meeting, Barrett said the board's action "was not good government" and "completely lacking in transparency" because of the short notice and lack of communication to the public about what was to be decided.
"I am angry with what happened tonight," he said. “Chief Morales should have been given an opportunity to respond. At the same time, I understand some of the frustration because rather than responding to the directives, he spent two weeks on a (public relations) campaign and clearly that angered the commissioners, as well."
Milwaukee Mayor Barrett records statement on Morales' demotion by Fire and Police Commission Mayor Tom Barrett disagrees with the Fire and Police Commission when they demoted Chief Alfonso Morales. Courtesy of the Mayor's office
Long-running tensions
Nelson Soler was elected the new chair of the commission.
"We need to move forward from drama and get to action," he said.
That drama began in the lead-up to Morales' reappointment last fall, when Morales says DeVougas wanted him to fire an officer involved in the arrest of Milwaukee Bucks player Sterling Brown — a claim DeVougas has denied.
In December, DeVougas, as chairman, began to cast doubt on whether the commission would even vote on the reappointment before Morales' interim term expired. That same month, the Journal Sentinel obtained a video of DeVougas, an attorney, accompanying a prominent real estate developer accused of sexual assault to an interview with a Milwaukee police detective.
Tensions ramped up this spring when the commission repeatedly canceled meetings and escalated further two weeks ago, when the commission gave Morales seven pages of directives and threatened discipline up to and including termination if he did not follow them.
The directives required public explanations of investigations and discipline in specific cases and updates on hiring and promotions, among other things. Morales also was ordered to publicly account for why the department used tear gas during the recent civil unrest, which he did on Tuesday.
‘Less lethal’ weapons: Police use of rubber bullets, bean bag rounds has left a bloody trail for decades. Those maimed say enough is enough.
Before casting her vote to demote Morales, Commissioner Ann Wilson noted some of the directives reflected broken promises from Morales when he got the job.
"I'm kind of sort of disappointed that you didn't because you have such a wonderful story and all the other things, and to just not do what you said you wanted to do just really makes me sad," she said.
Soler said he didn't feel Morales had worked with the oversight board.
"We're going back to your appointment and everything that has transpired since then is because of lack of commitment from you to comply with the motion that was made and you accepted the appointment based on those things," he said.
'There are checks and balances'
On Wednesday, after the commission posted an agenda including possible discipline for Morales, the Police Department released a 26-page executive summary analyzing the directives.
The report, essentially a rebuttal to the directives, said they were riddled with factual errors, unclear requirements and unreasonable deadlines.
It included emails showing the city attorney's office had found one directive to be improper and had recommended giving Morales an extension to comply with the others, which the commission declined to do.
It also asserted that because the commission did not first review the department and did not use a collaborative process to draft the directives, they were not legally binding.
State law gives Barrett the authority to veto directives, which means he could have unilaterally hit reset on the process, but he said he was reluctant to intervene without being asked. He emphasized that the police chief is accountable to the Fire and Police Commission, not the mayor.
"And there are checks and balances if that accountability goes haywire," Barrett said. "The check and balance is that (Morales) or his department would come and say, 'Hey there’s a problem here.' And they haven’t said that."
On Thursday, commissioners did not say if Brunson will be required to complete the still-outstanding directives. Asked about the issue as he left the meeting, Commissioner Everett Cocroft first deferred to the city attorney and then said the directives were not given to Brunson.
Commissioners Angela McKenzie, Soler, DeVougas and Wilson refused to answer if the directives applied to Bruson as they exited the meeting.
Voices of the protest: We looked at protester demands from across the nation and compared them with recent police reforms.
DeVougas releases statement
Less than 24 hours after the Police Department issued its rebuttal, DeVougas released his own statement.
"For the past year, I have been silent, while my name and reputation, as well as the reputation of my associates, have been dragged through the mud. I have been vilified in the media as 'unethical,' " the statement says. "I have been slandered by the Milwaukee Police Association ... Even the mayor, who appointed me to the Fire and Police Commission (twice), and Chief Alfonso Morales, who I cast the deciding vote for making him Chief, have opted to criticize me in the media, rather than have a civil conversation with me."
DeVougas was found to have likely committed ethics violations and lied about his legal representation of the real estate developer who was accused of sexual assault, Kalan Haywood Sr., according to a report from an independent investigator released last month.
Haywood has denied the allegations. He has not been arrested or charged. The investigation remains pending with the district attorney's office.
Steven DeVougas on the future of Chief Morales Steven Devougas, Chair of the Fire and Police Commission, talks to protestors outside the Police Administration building on the future of Chief Morales. Bill Schulz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
After the investigator's report was released, the city's ethics board voted to investigate related ethics complaints filed against DeVougas by the Milwaukee Police Association. DeVougas has denied any wrongdoing and has refused to resign from the commission.
In his statement, DeVougas characterized the statements about him as personal attacks and said he wants only to serve the city.
"I have witnessed the system cannibalize some of Milwaukee’s best and brightest minds," he said. "Like me, they played by the rules and went to the right schools. But as soon as they try to make a change for marginalized communities, they are threatened, their character is attacked or they are told to 'stay in their place.' And then we wonder where the leadership is? Why are things the way they are?"
In the statement, DeVougas said the directives were an attempt to save the community from "unchecked corruption, apathy, and benign neglect."
He also specifically referenced his concern about the police shooting of Tari Davis, a bystander who was wounded when an officer shot at someone else who was fleeing, and said Morales did not intend to discipline or fire the officer involved.
But Morales has fired the officer, Nikolas Zens, and Zens appealed his firing to the commission last week, according to a police spokeswoman.
At a news conference before Thursday's meeting, DeVougas did not address how or why the commission came up with the directives. He did say he was confident they were legal, having been vetted by the city attorney’s office.
That contradicts what the Police Department said in its rebuttal: That the city attorney’s office advised extending the deadlines on them so the office could finish writing a legal opinion.
Three of Milwaukee’s most high-profile Black community leaders also spoke at the news conference, expressing their support of DeVougas and calling for a new chief — local NAACP President Fred Royal, Ald. Ashanti Hamilton and community activist Vaun Mayes.
Mayes' arrest in late June is the subject of one of the directives.
Common Council members weigh in
The night the directives were issued, seven members of the Common Council said they had no confidence in Morales and called for his ouster.
On Thursday, Ald. JoCasta Zamarripa, who was not among that original group, issued a news release saying she can no longer support Morales or DeVougas. She said Morales was unwilling to compromise on the police budget and reform.
"Just as public trust has been lost with Chief Morales, so too, has it been lost with Mr. DeVougas," she said. "The word of his alleged violations of the city’s ethics code has permeated our city and his refusal to shed light and answer questions requested by the very body he chairs is simply unacceptable."
On Thursday, 12 members of the Milwaukee Common Council sent a letter to Barrett urging him to nominate a new executive director of the Fire and Police Commission.
Executive Director Griselda Aldrete withdrew from consideration last month, one day before the council was set to vote on her reappointment. She has said she will continue to serve until her successor is named. The job opening was posted Thursday evening.
“The residents of our city, state and country are continuing to call for police reform in the wake of Joel Acevedo and George Floyd’s murders,” council members wrote. “The inequitable policing practices that exist disproportionately impact communities of color, an idea we know is not lost on you.
“While the community and local leaders continue to discuss various means of police reform, one crucial part of the puzzle is having steady leadership atop the Fire and Police Commission.”
Barrett, who had not yet received the letter when interviewed by the Journal Sentinel Thursday, said he, too, wants the commission to function effectively. They should start by undertaking an "orderly review" of the directives.
"I want the integrity of our Fire and Police Commission restored, I want the integrity of our Police Department to be restored," he said.
Contributing: Elliot Hughes and Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Follow Gina Barton on Twitter at @writerbarton.


usatoday--2020-08-07--A year after Mississippi ICE raids, chicken plants face few penalties as families suffer

Hours after immigration agents arrested about 680 Mississippi poultry plant employees in the largest single-state worksite raid in the country ’ s history , U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst had a message for employers .
“ To those who take advantage of illegal aliens , to those who use illegal aliens for a competitive advantage or to make a quick buck , we have something to say to you .
If we find that you have violated federal criminal law , we ’ re coming after you , ” Hurst said in a news conference on Aug. 7 , 2019 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ say there is a grave imbalance .
The consequences for workers , their families and communities have been devastating and could last for years .
In contrast , the top executives at the chicken processing companies targeted in the raids have yet to face penalties for their role in hiring hundreds of undocumented workers and profiting from their labor .
On Aug. 6 , Hurst held a news conference at the federal courthouse in Jackson , Miss.
, to announce the unsealed indictments of four managers at two of the seven chicken processing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prior .
Hurst did not announce any charges against company owners .
Three weeks prior to the news conference , Hurst sat down for a one-on-one interview to discuss the progress of the investigation and why , at that time , no managers at the chicken plants had been charged with any crimes .
Hurst said the investigation — slightly delayed by COVID-19 — was still ongoing as federal agents were combing through millions of pages of documents and terabytes of data seized from the companies .
“ Let me be clear : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bring charges against anyone , '' Hurst said in an interview on July 17 .
`` There ’ s not going to be any inside or outside influence that either pressures us to prosecute or pressures us not to prosecute.
” Still , many have been critical of how federal agents carried out the raids and the continued absence of prosecution for owners of chicken processing companies .
Among them is Cliff Johnson , director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center , who had previously worked as an assistant U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ represent workers in the aftermath of the August raids .
“ The government must not ignore the behavior of corporate fat cats while zip-tying and locking up more than 600 workers making less than $ 15 an hour .
Selective prosecution of the poor and vulnerable is repugnant and does not reflect the values of this country as I understand them , ” Johnson said in early July .
Hurst has defended the process and maintains that his office 's primary goal is to ensure law and order .
Plant employees who worked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ differently than anyone else who breaks the law and is brought to justice , he said .
When the evidence shows that the companies knowingly hired undocumented workers , then Hurst said he would n't hesitate to prosecute employers in criminal court — which his office has done successfully on eight occasions in the last 14 years .
If the government starts turning a blind eye to undocumented immigrants , `` then you ’ re not going to have any more respect for the law , and pretty soon you ’ re not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re going to have chaos , '' Hurst said .
For hundreds of undocumented Mississippians and their families , the chaos began a year ago .
Employers 'never suffer what we have had to suffer' The morning after the raids , Ermicenda Perez was released at 4 a.m. , with an ankle monitor and the promise that ICE would call her to court for immigration hearings .
She was arrested while working at PH Food , her employer of eight years and one of two poultry plants in the rural town of Morton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caged chickens regularly roll past downtown .
Perez broke down as she recalled the raids last year .
“ It ’ s hard to talk about , ” she whispered , lowering her head and fighting back tears .
LOOK BACK : Manager speaks out at plant that lost most employees in ICE raids As the single mother of two teenage girls , Perez was among about 300 workers released within 27 hours of the raids on humanitarian grounds .
While she ’ s home with her daughters , she hasn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on donations to help cover bills and feed her family .
“ It ’ s hard not being able to do anything , ” Perez said .
“ To go from working , to sitting at home not being able to do anything .
It ’ s hard to bear because I came here to work .
...
I was just trying to support my family.
” 'DOUBLE TRAGEDY ' : First ICE raids , now coronavirus : How immigrant families are fighting to rebuild lives In March , she pleaded guilty to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , court records show .
She made up a false social security number to work at PH Food , she said in court documents .
While hundreds of families face housing instability , food insecurity , criminal prosecution , deportation and family separation , history shows that worksite raids are often mere blips in a company ’ s operations , according to experts interviewed for this report .
Across the country , most employers are never criminally prosecuted after an ICE raid , said Jessie Hahn , a labor and employment policy attorney @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hahn said criminal cases are typically settled in court with the company agreeing to pay a fine and operate under ICE monitoring for several years .
Company managers or owners could face jail time , but it ’ s rare , she said .
One undocumented worker put it this way , according to immigration attorney Amelia McGowan , who works for the Mississippi Center for Justice and helped represent many who were arrested during the raids : “ I had to work in terrible conditions , my husband is in jail , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The people who ran these companies are sitting at home and they ’ re fine .
They will never suffer what we have had to suffer and had to suffer for this company.
” Some workers deported , others fight to stay with families The ICE operation and investigation , which began 18 months before the raids and continues to this day , cost taxpayers more than $ 1.3 million , according to ICE officials in November 2019 .
A spokesman for the federal agency has declined to provide an updated cost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
McGowan estimates at least 170 workers have been deported .
The majority of workers remained in ICE detention for weeks or months following arrests .
It ’ s unclear how many were able to bond out and how many are still detained in centers , some of which face allegations of lack of food , inadequate medical care , unsanitary conditions and have been the sites of COVID-19 outbreaks .
EXCLUSIVE : Ankle monitors and informants : How ICE chose 7 Mississippi food plants to raid According to ICE , a total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ committing federal crimes , 73 of whom have been convicted .
The workers were accused of illegally re-entering the country after a previous deportation , as well as document fraud from working under someone else 's name or social security number .
The four managers were charged with harboring undocumented immigrants and making false statements to law enforcement , among other crimes .
In November , Congressman Bennie Thompson , D-Miss.
, held a hearing on the ICE raids to criticize the federal approach to arresting Latino workers who , according to testimony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posed no threat to public safety and were valued members of their communities .
At the congressional hearing , Rep. Al Green , D-Texas , criticized law enforcement 's lack of action against company leaders .
`` You do n't have a perp walk for the employers .
They do n't get arrested .
You do n't handcuff them and take them away .
... You knew before you came that laws were being broken , but you picked on the undocumented persons , '' Green said .
Last year , lines of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ courtrooms in Jackson .
They conferred in hurried whispers with their attorneys through interpreters .
Some faced the judge with stony faces , others wiped away their tears .
THE CHILDREN : Where are Mom and Dad ?
School on standby to help children in aftermath of ICE raids Watching the hearings unfold , it struck Federal Public Defender Omodare Jupiter that he had never seen so many young mothers brought into court before .
The defendants had fled abuse and poverty in their home countries so they could work in “ terrible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in hopes of trying to give their children a better life , ” Jupiter said .
“ To use the criminal justice system to prosecute people in those types of circumstances , to this day I don ’ t understand it , ” he said .
“ I don ’ t understand it at all.
” The ICE operation in Mississippi was the largest in a series of escalating worksite raids in recent years , said Wendy Cervantes , director of immigration and immigrant families at the Center for Law and Social Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Mississippi and other states .
Cervantes and other immigrant advocates have criticized how federal agents executed the raids in Mississippi .
She described the raids as “ aggressive and militaristic ” and Mississippians she interviewed likened it to a terrorist attack , Cervantes said .
“ The cruelty with how individuals were treated seemed completely unnecessary .
I talked to one mother who didn ’ t have an opportunity to use the bathroom or clean herself for more than two days .
She was suffering from infection , ” Cervantes said .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a way “ intentionally to terrorize immigrant workers and their communities while employers have faced minimal consequences.
” He said federal agents went to “ extraordinary measures to try to make sure that families were minimally disrupted ” by checking if children at home had at least one parental caretaker and dropping off workers where they were arrested after release .
“ This really was the most compassionate execution of criminal search warrants I ’ ve ever seen involving immigration violations , ” Hurst said .
“ I know people are going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s fine .
But we did ... put a lot of thought into making sure that people were treated humanely , and with respect.
” Hurst disagrees with those who cast families impacted by the raids in a sympathetic light .
The same kind of attention isn ’ t paid to the hundreds of other defendants prosecuted by his office any given year , Hurst said .
“ It really bothers me there ’ s a double standard just because this is a hot political issue , just because people don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” he said .
Focus instead on the U.S. citizens whose identities were stolen and social security benefits were interrupted , Hurst urged .
ICE found at least 400 stolen social security numbers related to the ongoing criminal investigation , spokesman Bryan Cox said .
Victims of identity fraud aren ’ t the only ones that have benefited from the arrests of undocumented immigrants , Hurst said .
“ I think all the American citizens who flooded into these companies , applying for jobs that were opened up are better off , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re all better off because at least in the state of Mississippi , employers want to think twice now about trying to hire illegal aliens . ''
NOW HIRING : More than 200 applied for chicken plant jobs after Mississippi ICE raids Hurst said his office “ probably has prosecuted more employers for criminal immigration violations per capita than any other non-border state in the nation.
” According to a list provided by Hurst , since 2006 , the U.S. Attorney ’ s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi has prosecuted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against employers ranging from small family-owned restaurants to one of the biggest employers in the state .
The largest case was that of electrical transformer plant Howard Industries , which resulted in the arrests of nearly 600 workers in 2008 .
The company was sentenced to one year probation and required to pay a $ 2.5 million fine .
A human resources manager , Jose Humberto Gonzalez , was sentenced to six months house arrest and ordered to pay a $ 4,000 fine .
PAST RAIDS : Undocumented workers busted .
Employers often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICE raids in U.S. Hurst said he has a long-held belief that the government must go after employers who violate federal criminal laws .
“ Jobs are a magnet of those who want to come into our country illegally , ” Hurst said .
“ If you do not ( prosecute employers ) , that magnet is only going to grow stronger and individuals are only going to want to come in here in larger droves illegally for those jobs.
” Chicken plants not likely to see long-term impact from raids The day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jun Liang showed a reporter around the silent and near-empty plant , and reflected on the arrests of about 80 of his workers .
`` To me , it 's not logical that they 've done this .
What about ( the immigrants ' ) families ?
They have to make a living , they have kids .
Right ? ''
Liang said .
`` They did n't do anything bad , they just want to make money , raise their kids . ''
Reached by phone nearly a year later , Liang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his attorney .
Other poultry companies didn ’ t respond to requests for comment .
There ’ s no doubt the companies suffered a staffing shortage after losing hundreds of workers to the raids .
Just five days later , Koch Foods held a job fair in Forest , where a few dozen prospective workers showed up to learn more about how they could be paid $ 12 an hour to kill and process chickens .
It ’ s unlikely that chicken plants will be impacted in the longterm , said Angela Stuesse @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of North Carolina-Chapel Hill , who spent years living in Mississippi and researching Latino immigration and the poultry industry .
“ We know that this industry is really very sophisticated at figuring out how to locate and tap into the most exploitable work forces , ” Stuesse said .
“ They ’ ve shown historically they can very quickly replace even very large segments of the workforce that they lose.
” However , new hires don ’ t necessarily stay employed long term , Johnson said .
“ I ’ ve been told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ job and leaving before the end of the day due to the difficulty of the work and the unpleasant realities of processing thousands of chicken each shift , ” Johnson said .
Who replaces the new hires after they leave ?
Hahn and community advocates have said in some cases , the same people who were arrested one year ago are re-hired into the plants .
Though these assertions are anecdotal and have not been independently tracked or confirmed .
“ I have heard in Mississippi ... the ( undocumented ) workers are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in more vulnerable to exploitation than before , ” Hahn said .
The same communities devastated by the raids are now among legions of essential workers who continued to march to their shifts even as most of Mississippi ’ s economy shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic .
Through the raids and now the pandemic , plants continued to churn out millions of chickens to be sent to dinner tables across America .
After learning a nearby chicken plant did not provide adequate personal protective equipment to their workers , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take matters into their own hands .
They took out sewing machines and got to work .
They ended up donating close to 1,700 cloth masks to chicken plant workers and a local hospital .
For them , the mission was personal .
They were arrested at the same plant last year .
The coronavirus has spread among chicken plant workers and Latinos at high rates .
There ’ s a sad irony , reflected Father Odel Medina , whose parishioners in Carthage were hit hard by the raids , in that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ workers by the government .
“ You say these people have to go ... because they don ’ t belong here , '' Medina said .
`` When we need them , we tell them they ’ re essential .
That is very immoral . ''
Contact Maria Clark on Twitter @ mariapclark1 or at mclark @ gannett.com .

Alissa Zhu and Maria Clark, Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Hours after immigration agents arrested about 680 Mississippi poultry plant employees in the largest single-state worksite raid in the country’s history, U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst had a message for employers.
“To those who take advantage of illegal aliens, to those who use illegal aliens for a competitive advantage or to make a quick buck, we have something to say to you. If we find that you have violated federal criminal law, we’re coming after you,” Hurst said in a news conference on Aug. 7, 2019.
One year later, attorneys and advocates say there is a grave imbalance. The consequences for workers, their families and communities have been devastating and could last for years. In contrast, the top executives at the chicken processing companies targeted in the raids have yet to face penalties for their role in hiring hundreds of undocumented workers and profiting from their labor.
On Aug. 6, Hurst held a news conference at the federal courthouse in Jackson, Miss., to announce the unsealed indictments of four managers at two of the seven chicken processing plants that federal agents raided one year prior. Hurst did not announce any charges against company owners.
Three weeks prior to the news conference, Hurst sat down for a one-on-one interview to discuss the progress of the investigation and why, at that time, no managers at the chicken plants had been charged with any crimes.
Hurst said the investigation — slightly delayed by COVID-19 — was still ongoing as federal agents were combing through millions of pages of documents and terabytes of data seized from the companies.
“Let me be clear: We don’t have any hesitation to bring charges against anyone," Hurst said in an interview on July 17. "There’s not going to be any inside or outside influence that either pressures us to prosecute or pressures us not to prosecute.”
Still, many have been critical of how federal agents carried out the raids and the continued absence of prosecution for owners of chicken processing companies.
Copy text Copy this quote's text The quote has been copied Tweet Facebook LinkedIn Share this article on LinkedIn Reddit Share this article on Reddit Email Email this story Share Share this story Cliff Johnson, Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center director The government must not ignore the behavior of corporate fat cats while zip-tying and locking up more than 600 workers making less than $15 an hour. Selective prosecution of the poor and vulnerable is repugnant and does not reflect the values of this country. Quote icon
Among them is Cliff Johnson, director of the Roderick and Solange MacArthur Justice Center, who had previously worked as an assistant U.S. attorney during the Clinton administration and helped represent workers in the aftermath of the August raids.
“The government must not ignore the behavior of corporate fat cats while zip-tying and locking up more than 600 workers making less than $15 an hour. Selective prosecution of the poor and vulnerable is repugnant and does not reflect the values of this country as I understand them,” Johnson said in early July.
Mike Hurst on Aug. 6, 2020, announced four indictments for managers at companies that ICE raided on Aug. 7, 2019. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger
Hurst has defended the process and maintains that his office's primary goal is to ensure law and order. Plant employees who worked under stolen identities will be treated no differently than anyone else who breaks the law and is brought to justice, he said.
When the evidence shows that the companies knowingly hired undocumented workers, then Hurst said he wouldn't hesitate to prosecute employers in criminal court — which his office has done successfully on eight occasions in the last 14 years.
If the government starts turning a blind eye to undocumented immigrants, "then you’re not going to have any more respect for the law, and pretty soon you’re not going to have order. We’re going to have chaos," Hurst said.
For hundreds of undocumented Mississippians and their families, the chaos began a year ago.
Employers 'never suffer what we have had to suffer'
The morning after the raids, Ermicenda Perez was released at 4 a.m., with an ankle monitor and the promise that ICE would call her to court for immigration hearings.
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She was arrested while working at PH Food, her employer of eight years and one of two poultry plants in the rural town of Morton, where semi trucks filled with live caged chickens regularly roll past downtown.
Perez broke down as she recalled the raids last year.
“It’s hard to talk about,” she whispered, lowering her head and fighting back tears.
LOOK BACK: Manager speaks out at plant that lost most employees in ICE raids
As the single mother of two teenage girls, Perez was among about 300 workers released within 27 hours of the raids on humanitarian grounds. While she’s home with her daughters, she hasn’t been able to work and is relying on donations to help cover bills and feed her family.
“It’s hard not being able to do anything,” Perez said. “To go from working, to sitting at home not being able to do anything. It’s hard to bear because I came here to work. ... I was just trying to support my family.”
'DOUBLE TRAGEDY': First ICE raids, now coronavirus: How immigrant families are fighting to rebuild lives
In March, she pleaded guilty to working under a false social security number, court records show. She made up a false social security number to work at PH Food, she said in court documents.
Adelaida Gabriel (center), of Forest, Miss., pictured with her 14-year-old son Alexis at a school supply distribution event by nonprofit El Pueblo, is still wearing an ankle bracelet since the August 2019 ICE raids. But she doesn't like talking to her son about the last year because "it makes her sad," her son said. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger
While hundreds of families face housing instability, food insecurity, criminal prosecution, deportation and family separation, history shows that worksite raids are often mere blips in a company’s operations, according to experts interviewed for this report.
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Across the country, most employers are never criminally prosecuted after an ICE raid, said Jessie Hahn, a labor and employment policy attorney with the National Immigration Law Center. Hahn said criminal cases are typically settled in court with the company agreeing to pay a fine and operate under ICE monitoring for several years. Company managers or owners could face jail time, but it’s rare, she said.
POTENTIAL PENALTIES: Mississippi ICE raids: Employers can face civil, criminal charges
One undocumented worker put it this way, according to immigration attorney Amelia McGowan, who works for the Mississippi Center for Justice and helped represent many who were arrested during the raids: “I had to work in terrible conditions, my husband is in jail, I’ve got an ankle monitor. The people who ran these companies are sitting at home and they’re fine. They will never suffer what we have had to suffer and had to suffer for this company.”
The Latino community was hard hit by ICE raids at Mississippi poultry plants in August 2019, and nonprofits like El Pueblo, which specializes in immigration legal services, have stepped in to help struggling families. Special to Clarion Ledger
Some workers deported, others fight to stay with families
The ICE operation and investigation, which began 18 months before the raids and continues to this day, cost taxpayers more than $1.3 million, according to ICE officials in November 2019.
A spokesman for the federal agency has declined to provide an updated cost estimate or confirm the number of deportees. McGowan estimates at least 170 workers have been deported.
The majority of workers remained in ICE detention for weeks or months following arrests. It’s unclear how many were able to bond out and how many are still detained in centers, some of which face allegations of lack of food, inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions and have been the sites of COVID-19 outbreaks.
EXCLUSIVE: Ankle monitors and informants: How ICE chose 7 Mississippi food plants to raid
According to ICE, a total of 126 people have been charged with committing federal crimes, 73 of whom have been convicted. The workers were accused of illegally re-entering the country after a previous deportation, as well as document fraud from working under someone else's name or social security number. The four managers were charged with harboring undocumented immigrants and making false statements to law enforcement, among other crimes.
In November, Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., held a hearing on the ICE raids to criticize the federal approach to arresting Latino workers who, according to testimony by the sheriff of Scott County, posed no threat to public safety and were valued members of their communities.
At the congressional hearing, Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, criticized law enforcement's lack of action against company leaders.
"You don't have a perp walk for the employers. They don't get arrested. You don't handcuff them and take them away. ... You knew before you came that laws were being broken, but you picked on the undocumented persons," Green said.
Last year, lines of manacled men and women shuffled into federal courtrooms in Jackson. They conferred in hurried whispers with their attorneys through interpreters. Some faced the judge with stony faces, others wiped away their tears.
THE CHILDREN: Where are Mom and Dad? School on standby to help children in aftermath of ICE raids
Watching the hearings unfold, it struck Federal Public Defender Omodare Jupiter that he had never seen so many young mothers brought into court before. The defendants had fled abuse and poverty in their home countries so they could work in “terrible conditions for very little pay in just in hopes of trying to give their children a better life,” Jupiter said.
“To use the criminal justice system to prosecute people in those types of circumstances, to this day I don’t understand it,” he said. “I don’t understand it at all.”
Critics: Raids part of escalating immigration enforcement
The ICE operation in Mississippi was the largest in a series of escalating worksite raids in recent years, said Wendy Cervantes, director of immigration and immigrant families at the Center for Law and Social Policy, who researched the impacts of raids in Mississippi and other states.
Cervantes and other immigrant advocates have criticized how federal agents executed the raids in Mississippi. She described the raids as “aggressive and militaristic” and Mississippians she interviewed likened it to a terrorist attack, Cervantes said.
“The cruelty with how individuals were treated seemed completely unnecessary. I talked to one mother who didn’t have an opportunity to use the bathroom or clean herself for more than two days. She was suffering from infection,” Cervantes said.
Hahn said the raids were carried out in a way “intentionally to terrorize immigrant workers and their communities while employers have faced minimal consequences.”
Hundreds of workers were taken into custody during ICE raids at seven Mississippi chicken processing plants on Aug. 7, 2019, and those who were released days later were given ankle monitors. Hundreds of workers were taken into custody during ICE raids at seven Mississippi chicken processing plants on Aug. 7, 2019, and those who were released days later were given ankle monitors. Hundreds of workers were taken into custody during ICE raids at seven Mississippi chicken processing plants on Aug. 7, 2019, and those who were released days later were given ankle monitors. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger and Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press
Hurst said that’s an “absolute falsehood.”
He said federal agents went to “extraordinary measures to try to make sure that families were minimally disrupted” by checking if children at home had at least one parental caretaker and dropping off workers where they were arrested after release.
“This really was the most compassionate execution of criminal search warrants I’ve ever seen involving immigration violations,” Hurst said. “I know people are going to disagree with that and that’s fine. But we did ... put a lot of thought into making sure that people were treated humanely, and with respect.”
Hurst points to history of prosecuting employers
Hurst disagrees with those who cast families impacted by the raids in a sympathetic light. The same kind of attention isn’t paid to the hundreds of other defendants prosecuted by his office any given year, Hurst said.
“It really bothers me there’s a double standard just because this is a hot political issue, just because people don’t agree necessarily with our immigration laws,” he said.
U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst interview with the Clarion Ledger following Miss. ICE raids Click to Play U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst interview, part 1 Click to Play U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst interview, part 2 Click to Play U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst interview, part 3 Click to Play U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst interview, part 4
Focus instead on the U.S. citizens whose identities were stolen and social security benefits were interrupted, Hurst urged. ICE found at least 400 stolen social security numbers related to the ongoing criminal investigation, spokesman Bryan Cox said.
Victims of identity fraud aren’t the only ones that have benefited from the arrests of undocumented immigrants, Hurst said.
“I think all the American citizens who flooded into these companies, applying for jobs that were opened up are better off," he said. "I think we’re all better off because at least in the state of Mississippi, employers want to think twice now about trying to hire illegal aliens."
NOW HIRING: More than 200 applied for chicken plant jobs after Mississippi ICE raids
A banner advertising "Now hiring" hangs on the chainlink fence surrounding Koch Foods in Morton, Miss. in early August 2019. Barbara Gauntt,/Clarion Ledger
Hurst said his office “probably has prosecuted more employers for criminal immigration violations per capita than any other non-border state in the nation.”
Copy text Copy this quote's text The quote has been copied Tweet Facebook LinkedIn Share this article on LinkedIn Reddit Share this article on Reddit Email Email this story Share Share this story U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst Jobs are a magnet of those who want to come into our country illegally. ... If you do not (prosecute employers), that magnet is only going to grow stronger and individuals are only going to want to come in here in larger droves illegally for those jobs. Quote icon
According to a list provided by Hurst, since 2006, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi has prosecuted a manager or owner in eight cases against employers ranging from small family-owned restaurants to one of the biggest employers in the state.
The largest case was that of electrical transformer plant Howard Industries, which resulted in the arrests of nearly 600 workers in 2008. The company was sentenced to one year probation and required to pay a $2.5 million fine. A human resources manager, Jose Humberto Gonzalez, was sentenced to six months house arrest and ordered to pay a $4,000 fine.
PAST RAIDS: Undocumented workers busted. Employers often not. What we learned from 6 ICE raids in U.S.
Hurst said he has a long-held belief that the government must go after employers who violate federal criminal laws.
“Jobs are a magnet of those who want to come into our country illegally,” Hurst said. “If you do not (prosecute employers), that magnet is only going to grow stronger and individuals are only going to want to come in here in larger droves illegally for those jobs.”
Chicken plants not likely to see long-term impact from raids
The day after the raids, PH Food manager Jun Liang showed a reporter around the silent and near-empty plant, and reflected on the arrests of about 80 of his workers.
"To me, it's not logical that they've done this. What about (the immigrants') families? They have to make a living, they have kids. Right?" Liang said. "They didn't do anything bad, they just want to make money, raise their kids."
Reached by phone nearly a year later, Liang declined to talk, citing advice from his attorney. Other poultry companies didn’t respond to requests for comment.
There’s no doubt the companies suffered a staffing shortage after losing hundreds of workers to the raids. Just five days later, Koch Foods held a job fair in Forest, where a few dozen prospective workers showed up to learn more about how they could be paid $12 an hour to kill and process chickens.
It’s unlikely that chicken plants will be impacted in the longterm, said Angela Stuesse a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, who spent years living in Mississippi and researching Latino immigration and the poultry industry.
“We know that this industry is really very sophisticated at figuring out how to locate and tap into the most exploitable work forces,” Stuesse said. “They’ve shown historically they can very quickly replace even very large segments of the workforce that they lose.”
However, new hires don’t necessarily stay employed long term, Johnson said.
“I’ve been told stories about new workers appearing on the job and leaving before the end of the day due to the difficulty of the work and the unpleasant realities of processing thousands of chicken each shift,” Johnson said.
Who replaces the new hires after they leave? Hahn and community advocates have said in some cases, the same people who were arrested one year ago are re-hired into the plants. Though these assertions are anecdotal and have not been independently tracked or confirmed.
“I have heard in Mississippi ... the (undocumented) workers are absolutely going back in — going back in more vulnerable to exploitation than before,” Hahn said.
The same communities devastated by the raids are now among legions of essential workers who continued to march to their shifts even as most of Mississippi’s economy shut down at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
El Pueblo, a nonprofit specializing in immigration legal services, provides masks and hand sanitizer for people at a school supply distribution event in Forest, Miss., on July 11, 2020. In August 2019, the Latino community in Forest was hit hard by ICE raids at local poultry plants. Barbara Gauntt/Clarion Ledger
Through the raids and now the pandemic, plants continued to churn out millions of chickens to be sent to dinner tables across America.
After learning a nearby chicken plant did not provide adequate personal protective equipment to their workers, a group of women in Forest decided to take matters into their own hands. They took out sewing machines and got to work. They ended up donating close to 1,700 cloth masks to chicken plant workers and a local hospital.
For them, the mission was personal. They were arrested at the same plant last year.
The coronavirus has spread among chicken plant workers and Latinos at high rates. There’s a sad irony, reflected Father Odel Medina, whose parishioners in Carthage were hit hard by the raids, in that chicken plant employees are now considered essential workers by the government.
“You say these people have to go ... because they don’t belong here," Medina said. "When we need them, we tell them they’re essential. That is very immoral."
Contact Alissa Zhu at azhu@gannett.com. Follow @AlissaZhu on Twitter.
Contact Maria Clark on Twitter @mariapclark1 or at mclark@gannett.com.