Page 6 - Florida Sentinel 2-23-18

White House and Political News
Trump Bonus: Feds To Use Private Prisons To Imprison Illegal Immigrants
Students March On Tallahassee, And Say ‘Never Again’
Nearly 200 Parkland stu- dents arrived in Tallahassee to see members of the Florida Legislature on Tuesday, and one thing was clear: The shooting that killed 17 faculty and students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School had changed them both.
“The outcry from these stu- dents, which has been inspi- rational to see, has played a major role,” said Rep. Jose Oliva, a Miami Republican and incoming House speaker after the House met in ses- sion on Tuesday, according to the Miami Herald.
According to Rep. Oliva, the House was drafting legis- lation similar to that pro- posed by the Senate that will place new limits on access to semiautomatic assault rifles, like AR-15s, something the Florida Legislature refused to do after mass shootings killed 49 at the Pulse nightclub in 2016 and 5 at Fort Laud- erdale-Hollywood Interna-
Students arrive in Tallahassee to talk about gun control after mass shooting in Parkland.
tional Airport last year.
Both groups are meeting with legislators, urging them to pass gun control, school
safety and mental health measures in the remaining weeks of the annual legisla- tive session.
State Rep. Shawn Harrison’s Aide Fired After Calling Shooting Survivors ‘Actors’
President Trump’s stance on immigration will help the private prison industry.
The U. S. prison population has been falling for several years, reaching its lowest im- prisonment rate since 1997, amid a sharp decline in violent crime. But that isn't ending the good times for the private- prison industry, according to reports.
That might seem counter- intuitive, but analysts point to President Donald Trump's initiatives as pro- viding an unexpected boon for these businesses.
Although Mr. Trump's 2019 budget would maintain the federal Bureau of Prison's annual spending at $7.1 bil- lion, some analysts expect spending to shift to private prison companies.
At the same time, the budget calls for $2.5 billion to hold as many as 47,000 illegal immigrants within detention centers, another major rev- enue source for prison opera- tors.
It's a remarkable turn- around for an industry that less than two years ago was on track to be phased out from use by the federal govern-
ment, which at the time cited declining prison popula- tions and reforms for its deci- sion.
A month after President Trump was inaugurated, the Justice Department back- tracked and said it would con- tinue to use private prisons.
Since President Trump initiated a crackdown on ille- gal immigrants, the surge in arrests by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also proved to be a boon for private-prison giants CoreCivic (CXW) and The Geo Group (GEO), according to Stefanie Miller of Height Se- curities.
Through the first nine months of 2017, ICE arrests shot up 42 percent from a year ago, Miller noted in a recent research report. "The Trump administration's tough-on- immigration policies are un- likely to fade anytime soon, meaning investors should ex- pect continued strict enforce- ment, more arrests by ICE and the need to accommodate a growing number of arrested individuals," she predicted.
A Florida state lawmaker’s aide was fired late Tuesday, hours after he claimed two survivors of last week’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla., who had appeared on television were actors.
Benjamin Kelly, an aide to state Rep. Shawn Harri- son (R), emailed a Tampa Bay Times reporter after stu- dents, Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg appeared on CNN to call for legislation to curb gun violence.
According to reports, the staffer emailed him, saying, "Both kids in the picture are not students here, but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen."
The comments drew con- demnation from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-
State Rep. Shawn Harrison in Tallahassee.
Fla.), as well as Harrison, who said the comments did not reflect his views and that Kelly had been placed on leave.
About an hour later, Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran (R)
tweeted that he fired Kelly. “On behalf of the entire Florida House, I sincerely apologize to the students tar- geted and again commend them for their courage through this unspeakable tragedy,” Corcoran tweeted.
Democrat Wins Kentucky Seat In District Trump Won By 49 Points
Kentucky Democrats on Tuesday reclaimed a rural dis- trict in the state House of Rep- resentatives that went heavily for President Trump in 2016.
Linda Belcher (D), a for- mer state legislator who lost her seat in the Trump land- slide in Kentucky, reclaimed the Bullitt County district by a more than two-to-one mar- gin, defeating her GOP oppo- nent Rebecca Johnson 68 percent to 32 percent.
Tuesday's special election in the state's House District 49 was held to replace former state Rep. Dan
Johnson (R), who killed him- self in December. Johnson, a pastor at a local church, had been accused of sexual abuse against a member of his con- gregation. He strongly denied the accusations, though he killed himself just days after local media reported the alle- gations.
Johnson's widow, Re- becca Johnson, said she would run to replace her hus- band less than 24 hours after his death.
Belcher previously held the seat from 2008 to 2012 and from 2014 to 2016, when she lost to Dan Johnson.
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018