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Bessent Will Help Dismantle the CFPB
President Donald Trump today named Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent as acting director of the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). On Friday, Trump removed Rohit Chopra as director. The agency has returned $21 billion to victims of misconduct by the financial services industry.
Bartlett Naylor, financial policy advocate for Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“An oligarch hedge fund manager serving only rich clients will bring no reasonable instincts to official management of an agency meant to protect vulnerable Americans from predators. There’s every reason to worry he will be little more than a human auto-pen for the thugs intent on dismantling this agency.
“Bessent offered an anodyne comment supposedly respecting the CFPB’s statutory mandate during his Senate confirmation hearing. But the likes of Co-President Elon Musk will undoubtedly attempt to bulldoze critical staff, policies, and enforcement efforts.”
Lisa Gilbert, co-president of Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“Bessent already acted inappropriately in his current role at Treasury, allowing Musk and his DOGE acolytes access to Americans’ personal information. It’s likely consumers who shared personal information with the CFPB will be at risk next.”
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
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'A Day Without Immigrants': Protests Against Trump's Mass Deportation Plans Across US
"D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to live," said one restaurant that joined the day of action.
Feb 03, 2025
In cities across the United States on Monday, businesses closed their doors for "A Day Without Immigrants," to protest Republican President Donald Trump's mass deportation plans and other attacks on migrants.
Ahead of the day of action, people took to the streets in several cities for what Migrant Insider's Pablo Manríquez called "a weekend of resistance," highlighting demonstrations in Arlington, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Idaho City, Idaho; Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, Oxnard, San Diego, and Vista, California; New York, New York; Phoenix, Arizona; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; and St. Louis, Missouri.
In Los Angeles, opponents of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids and deportations "closed the 101 Freeway for hours," according toCBS News. "Later in the day, about 250 people gathered in Pacoima for another rally, where police claimed drivers were performing stunts and blocking traffic with their cars."
Southern California also saw protests on Monday, with people marching through downtown Los Angeles and gathering outside the federal courthouse in Santa Ana.
"We're a community," one of the Santa Ana organizers told an ABC affiliate. "We're humans as well. We do so much for our family and friends. We're here for our people. We're here to fight, and show that we can do so much more than just what they call us to do."
The Chicago Tribunereported that in the suburb Waukegan on Saturday, hundreds of people rallied carrying Mexican flags and signs that read: "No Raids, No Deportation," "People United Will Defend Immigrant Rights," "The People Will Defeat Trump's Far-Right Agenda," and "Know Your Rights."
According to the newspaper:
With dozens of signs urging people to know their rights, Giselle Rodriguez, the executive director of Illinois Workers in Action, urged people to know their rights and communicate those entitlements to others.
"Do not open the door unless ICE has a warrant signed by a federal judge," Rodriguez said. "Once you open the door, either in your car or home, it allows them to enter. Be silent. You don't have to talk to them. You have the right to an attorney, get one."
Chicago's ABC affiliate reported that multiple local businesses joined the Monday action. Carmen Montoya, owner of Mis Tacos Mexican Food in West Lawn, told the outlet that her family participated due to growing fears in the Latino immigrant community, saying, "Like me, there are many, many people that just need the opportunity to work without being afraid."
The Illinois city's NBC affiliate collected statements from more regional restaurants, auto shops, and other businesses. In an Instagram post included in the list, Three Tarts Bakery and Cafe in Northfield called the day of action "an important statement on the invaluable contributions of immigrants to our communities, industries, and daily lives."
Businesses in Washington, D.C. shared similar messages. According to an NBC affiliate, Republic Cantina said in an Instagram story that "D.C. depends deeply on immigrants, who work vital jobs in our local economy, pay taxes, and make the city a vibrant place to live."
"We've been dismayed to see the rollout of policies that tear immigrants from their homes—which is both inhumane and will cause massive harm to communities and to small business," added the restaurant.
In addition to lifting restrictions on ICE to enable more raids and deportations that experts warn will have "catastrophic" economic consequences, Trump has sought to end birthright citizenship, signed the Laken Riley Act, declared a "national emergency at the southern border," and ordered federal departments to prepare the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba—infamous for torture and long-term detention without charges—to hold tens of thousands of migrants.
A coalition including the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit on Monday over Trump's attempt to shut down the asylum process at the U.S.-Mexico border. The complaint warns that the government "is returning asylum-seekers—not just single adults, but families too—to countries where they face persecution or torture, without allowing them to invoke the protections Congress has provided."
Recalling Trump's first-term attacks on immigration, Melissa Crow, director of litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, which is part of the coalition, said that "this time around, his administration has fully embraced racist conspiracy theories, declaring that families, children, and adults seeking safety somehow constitute a hostile 'invasion.'"
Participants in the Monday action countered the kind of language coming from the Trump administration by highlighting the contributions of immigrants. Reporting on local businesses that joined the day of action, The Columbus Dispatchdetailed:
Toro Meat Market, which has shops in Northland, North Linden, and on the South Side, announced its closing Monday "in solidarity with our Latino community."
"Their effort and sacrifice are fundamental to this country, and we want to make their impact visible," the business posted on its Facebook page. In Spanish on Instagram, the market added, "The effort and sacrifice of immigrants make this country great."
In Oklahoma, restaurants owned by Good Egg Dining were also closed on Monday. According to The Oklahoman, the group said that "our industry, our restaurants, and our communities are built on the hard work, passion, and dedication of immigrants. They are the backbone of our kitchens, our service, and our culture. Today, we stand with them."
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Rights Groups Sue Over Trump's 'Flagrantly Illegal' Shutdown of Asylum at Border
"The immigration laws do not give the president autocratic power to override Congress and brazenly violate U.S. treaty obligations related to the protection of refugees," said one advocate.
Feb 03, 2025
Accusing U.S. President Donald Trump of using "racist conspiracy theories" and lies about refugees to block people from exercising their right to seek asylum in the United States, several advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit on Monday to block the Republican president's recent proclamation aimed at shutting down the asylum process at the southern border.
Disregarding the fact that the right to seek asylum has been part of U.S. law for more than four decades, the president quickly said after taking office last month that he was suspending the asylum process at the U.S.-Mexico border until the "invasion at the southern border has ceased."
The move left "no avenue open for people to seek asylum, even if they present themselves at a port of entry," said the groups, including the Texas Civil Rights Project, the National Immigrant Justice Center, and the ACLU.
Migrants who had traveled across Central America and Mexico in hopes of seeking asylum found soon after Trump's inauguration that their appointments with U.S. Customs and Border Protection had been canceled, leading to scenes of desperation at the border.
"This is the latest flagrantly illegal attempt by the executive branch to end humanitarian protection at the U.S.-Mexico border," said Richard Caldarone, senior litigation attorney at the National Immigrant Justice Center. "The immigration laws do not give the president autocratic power to override Congress and brazenly violate U.S. treaty obligations related to the protection of refugees. This latest attempt to do so will make thousands of people vulnerable to persecution, torture, and death, and we will not stop fighting until all those who require protection have the opportunity guaranteed by U.S. law to seek asylum in this country."
"Just as he did in his first term, the president is attempting to rewrite our laws by executive fiat and impose an illegal policy of mass expulsions."
Melissa Crow, director of litigation at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, warned that Trump cannot use the "lie" of an invasion by "families, children, and adults seeking safety" at the border to circumvent U.S. laws.
"Just as he did in his first term, the president is attempting to rewrite our laws by executive fiat and impose an illegal policy of mass expulsions," said Crow.
The asylum proclamation is just one of the anti-immigration actions Trump has taken in his first weeks in office. He declared an end to birthright citizenship—and was quickly challenged in court by rights groups and Democratic state attorneys general, with a judge ruling that the order was "blatantly unconstitutional"—and has directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to round up thousands of undocumented immigrants, roughly half of whom didn't have a criminal record.
"Once again, the Trump administration wants to eliminate the ability of families to seek safety in our country in the form of asylum, a legal pathway," said Jennifer Babaie, director of advocacy and legal services of Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center. "Regardless of any person's individual beliefs on immigration, any government attempt to blatantly violate our laws is a serious issue impacting all communities across the country. Spreading falsehoods about an 'invasion' at our border only fuels fear, aiming to dismantle the entire asylum process and weaponize our immigration laws."
Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, said the suspension of asylum was "extreme, unjust, and a disservice to families seeking safety at our southern border."
"Denying migrants and displaced individuals from the opportunity to find safety undermines our nation's values and creates additional strain on our already burdened border communities," said Garza. "Our lawsuit underscores the unlawful nature of this policy and emphasizes the need to protect asylum seekers' rights. The U.S. should lead by example in implementing fair immigration practices and treating the most vulnerable with dignity."
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Watchdog Says Impeach Bessent for Handing Treasury Payment System Over to Musk 'Wrecking Crew' at DOGE
One group leader called Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision "a blatant attack on democracy that will harm working people."
Feb 03, 2025
The watchdog group Revolving Door Project said Monday that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent should be impeached for his role in allowing representatives from the so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to a payment system that holds data on millions of Americans and disperses trillions in public funds.
On Friday, Bessent gave representatives from DOGE, the Elon Musk-led entity within U.S. President Donald Trump's administration focused on cutting costs and bureaucracy, access to the federal payment system, following a standoff between Musk's lieutenants and a separate Treasury official who had sought to prevent DOGE from obtaining access.
"Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's decision to hand the unelected Elon Musk and his covert, unaccountable DOGE wrecking crew the keys to the federal money spigot is a blatant attack on democracy that will harm working people. Bessent should be impeached immediately for privatizing powers which represent a public trust," said Jeff Hauser, head of the Revolving Door Project, in a Monday statement.
The system that DOGE representatives have been given access to holds the personal information of millions of Americans who receive tax refunds, Social Security checks, and other payments from the federal government.
"He, along with Donald Trump and the 68 members of Congress who acceded to the confirmation of such a lackey, will own each and every one of the dangerous consequences that will flow from this act," Hauser added.
The nonprofit Free Speech for People has launched a campaign to drum up support for the impeaching U.S. President Donald Trump—who was twice impeached during his first term—but the call to impeach Bessent appears to be a first.
Bessent, a billionaire hedge fund manager who clinched his role as treasury secretary with the help of 16 Democrats, was also tapped by Trump on Monday to serve as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an agency that has long been in the crosshairs of EMusk, Republican lawmakers, and corporate America.
Meanwhile, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) also released a strongly worded statement about DOGE gaining access to the Treasury Department payment system.
"Donald Trump has given unprecedented power over the federal government to an unelected, unaccountable billionaire. Elon Musk's Treasury raid jeopardizes Americans' sensitive information, tax returns, and Medicare and Social Security," he said on Monday.
"Progressives will fight this in the courts, on the House floor, and with every tool at our disposal until Elon Musk is out of our government and no longer putting taxpayers, the sick, and the elderly at risk," he added.
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