Another in an ongoing series:
Dear Senator Fetterman;
As the events of Utah are still unfolding, I'd like to set them aside for the moment.
Instead, I'd like to ask you again about Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. And I am asking you for a comment since you voted to confirm her appointment.
First some framing. PBS reported:
The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for federal agents to conduct sweeping immigration operations in Los Angeles, the latest victory for President Donald Trump’s administration at the high court.
The conservative majority lifted a restraining order from a judge who found that “roving patrols” were conducting indiscriminate arrests in LA. The order had barred agents from stopping people solely based on their race, language, job or location.
And:
U.S. District Judge Maame E. Frimpong in Los Angeles had found a “mountain of evidence” that enforcement tactics were violating the Constitution. The plaintiffs included U.S. citizens swept up in immigration stops. An appeals court had left Frimpong’s ruling in place.
In her dissent Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote:
The Fourth Amendment protects every individual’s constitutional right to be “free from arbitrary interference by law officers.” After today, that may no longer be true for those who happen to look a certain way, speak a certain way, and appear to work a certain type of legitimate job that pays very little. Because this is unconscionably irreconcilable with our Nation’s constitutional guarantees, I dissent.
Let me ask you, Senator, not about your stance on Civil Rights/Liberties (as you've already responded with a letter or two on this subject) but about DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. As I wrote at the top of this letter, you voted to confirm her appointment. Did you think, at any point, that this would be an outcome of that appointment??
Additionally, do you regret voting for Kristi Noem?
I'll await your answer.
As always, I'll post here whatever answer I get from you or your office, Senator.
