October, 29 2014, 04:15pm EDT
NW Detention Center Threatens Life of Gay HIV positive, Hep C positive Cancer Survivor Seeking Humanitarian Release
WHAT: Immigrant activists and community members will rally and make birthday wishes to support Miguel Angel Armenta Olabarria, a courageous leading figure in last spring's historic 1200-person hunger strike at the NW Detention Center in Tacoma, as he seeks humanitarian release and asylum.
TACOMA, Washington
WHAT: Immigrant activists and community members will rally and make birthday wishes to support Miguel Angel Armenta Olabarria, a courageous leading figure in last spring's historic 1200-person hunger strike at the NW Detention Center in Tacoma, as he seeks humanitarian release and asylum.
WHO: Miguel is a gay activist, artist and farmworker detained last March by border patrol. He is battling HIV, Hepatitis C and a history of cancer while in detention. Miguel has lived in the U.S. for 22 years, is married to a U.S. citizen, and has a rich history of involvement with AIDS and LGBTQ organizations and involvement with his church and community. Miguel is asking ICE to grant him humanitarian release from detention so that he can access appropriate medical care and return to working to help support his husband, Dennis. Miguel is supported by his sister, his husband, friends from his MCC Church community in the Tri Cities, as well as community activists and migrant justice organizers who will be holding a rally and later a three-day peaceful encampment protest in front of the NWDC for the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) October 31st through November 2nd.
WHEN: Rally at NW Detention Center Thursday, October 30th at 12:00PM prior to asylum hearing at 1:00PM, also at NW Detention Center, 1623 E J St, Tacoma, WA 98421.
WHY: Though Miguel is calling upon national and local HIV, LGBTQ and faith advocacy organizations to help convince his ICE officers to grant his release, he faces an uphill battle. ICE is not known for its sensitivity to detainee health, as evidenced by the starvation-quality meals Geo Group serves at the detention center and its choice to subject Miguel and other hunger strike leaders to solitary confinement, what most human rights lawyers consider torture. Miguel receives small respite for his medical condition in the form of visits to doctors; however during his appointments, Miguel is kept in handcuffs, leg chains, and ankle bracelets, contrary to the professional requests of his doctors. He must be released from detention in order to receive adequate medical care.
HOW: When asked what Miguel wants for his birthday, he said, "Freedom, family, and a piece of cake with a glass of whole milk." Activists will mark Miguel's birthday (November 2nd) with a birthday cake, making wishes on candles and in cards to send him. They will use colorful banners and chants to dramatize the injustice of Miguel and other immigrants' detention at the NWDC and detention's hazardous health impacts. Media may conduct interviews.
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NWDC Resistance is a volunteer community group that came together to stop deportations earlier this year at the now infamous Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA under the Not1more campaign umbrella, and which then supported the two-month long hunger strike organized by immigrants detained there calling a stop to deportations and better treatment and conditions.
Latino Advocacy provides consulting for non-profits in the areas of policy, advocacy, organizing and membership development, workshops and meetings facilitation, focusing on racial justice and immigrant rights.
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Watchdog Warns Trump and Burgum's Halting of Offshore Wind Projects Is Illegal
“Burgum’s actions on offshore wind appear to be motivated by the personal financial interests of those in the administration, not our collective national interests."
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A week after the US Department of the Interior said it was immediately halting five offshore wind projects in the interest of "national security," a watchdog group told congressional committees Monday that the move is "not legally defensible" and raises "significant" questions about conflicts of interest concerning a top DOI official's investments in fossil gas.
Timothy Whitehouse, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER), wrote to the top members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Committee on Natural Resources regarding the pause on projects off the coasts of Virginia, New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts—projects that account for billions of dollars in investment, employ thousands of people, and generate sustainable energy for roughly 2.5 million homes and businesses.
The announcement made by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum last week pertained to "five vague, perfunctory, cookie-cutter orders" halting the projects, wrote Whitehouse, but PEER is concerned that the orders were issued to evade the Congressional Review Act (CRA), under which the action to halt the projects likely constitutes a "major rule."
Whitehouse explained:
Under the CRA, a rule that meets any one of three criteria (an annual effect on the economy of $100,000,000 or more; a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, federal, state, or local government agencies, or geographic regions; or in pertinent part significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, or innovation) is a major rule. Interior’s pause likely meets all three.
As a major rule under the CRA, the pause cannot take effect until at least 60 days after BOEM provides Congress the requisite notification and report under the CRA, which, according to GAO’s database, has not yet occurred. Congress must use its oversight authority to unveil the truth and, as appropriate, and to enforce the rule of law.
He said in a statement that “Burgum’s move is designed to bypass all congressional and public input."
The CRA states that a rule is "the whole or a part of an agency statement of general or particular applicability and future effect designed to implement, interpret, or prescribe law or policy or describing the organization, procedure, or practice requirements of an agency.”
Press statements by the DOI and by Burgum last week were "statements of general applicability and imminent future effect, designed to implement policy," wrote Whitehouse, who also said the interior secretary embarked on "a coordinated rollout with Fox News entities."
On December 22, Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Burgum at 8:00 am Eastern, “What next action did you want to tell us about this morning?” Five minutes later, FoxNews.com published its first story on Burgum's orders, citing a press release that had not yet been made public and including a quote from the secretary about the "emerging national security risk" posed by the offshore wind projects.
"If last week’s actions are allowed to stand, future presidents will have unchecked authority under the guise of national security to target federal leases related to entire disfavored energy industries for political purposes."
Burgum's announcement to Fox came at least one to two hours before Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) acting Director Matthew Giacona provided the orders to the lessees running the five wind projects.
Further, wrote Whitehouse, "Burgum’s voluminous public comments in the hours and days since the pause further show the true purpose of Interior’s singular action."
"The national security pretext quickly gives way to broad and spurious talking points about the 'Green New Scam,' how 'wind doesn’t blow 24-7' (evincing Burgum’s seeming unfamiliarity with energy storage technologies), and unyielding promotion of liquified natural gas projects," wrote Whitehouse.
Aside from the alleged illegality of Burgum's order, PEER pointed to Giacona's potential conflicts of interest with BOEM operations and specifically with halting wind projects. Giacona is a "diligent filer" of financial disclosure forms required by the Ethics in Government Act, noted Whitehouse—but those forms point to potential benefits he may reap from shutting down offshore wind infrastructure.
Giacona reported his purchase of interests in the United States Natural Gas Fund (UNG) on September 16. The fund tracks daily price movements of "natural" gas delivered at the Henry Hub in Louisiana and is subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
"Accordingly, a government employee who has an interest in UNG also has a potential conflict of interest with the underlying holdings of UNG (currently primarily natural gas futures contracts at the Henry Hub)," wrote Whitehouse.
PEER does not know whether Giacona continues to hold a financial interest in UNG or whether the offshore wind pause will have a "direct and predictable effect on a financial interest in UNG," but Whitehouse noted that Burgum and DIO have entwined the pause with the promotion of liquefied natural gas.
"It is disconcerting that Mr. Giacona temporarily had even a de minimis financial interest in natural gas futures while also leading the agency that manages the development of natural gas resources on the outer continental shelf," wrote Whitehouse, adding that Giacona also sold interests in the United States Oil Fund on September 3, while overseeing BOEM.
Based on Giacona's investments, said Whitehouse, “Burgum’s actions on offshore wind appear to be motivated by the personal financial interests of those in the administration, not our collective national interests. This is another misguided step in transforming the federal government into a franchise of the fossil fuel industry.”
“On public lands across the United States, the Department of the Interior has tens of thousands of additional active leases related to oil, gas, wind, solar, and geothermal production and mining for energy-related minerals," he added. "If last week’s actions are allowed to stand, future presidents will have unchecked authority under the guise of national security to target federal leases related to entire disfavored energy industries for political purposes."
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TRUMP: Well, it doesn't matter. But there was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. We hit the area. pic.twitter.com/hvZa7fKxbq
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 29, 2025
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Threats by Trump to bomb targets inside Venezuela—or even invade the oil-rich South American nation in order to oust Maduro—are nothing new. The president has deployed an armada of warships and thousands of US troops to the region and has also authorized covert Central Intelligence Agency action against Maduro. Earlier this month, Trump vowed that the US would attack Venezuela "on land," and "very soon, too."
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