DEMOLITION WOMAN.

It is customary of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to provide information on trends in federal arrests and prosecutions by the country of citizenship of persons processed through the federal criminal justice system. The Immigration, Citizenship, and the Federal Justice System, years 1998-2018, is a publicly available report published August, 2019. The statistical findings are based on data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP). The FJSP receives administrative data from six federal justice agencies, the list of those is included in the abstract of the Immigration, Citizenship, and the Federal Justice System report. I encourage the interested party to thoroughly examine the report in its entirety.

I will now detail immediate points of interest in non-U.S. citizens.

In 2018, 64% of all federal arrests were non-U.S. citizens.

95% of the increase in federal arrests across 20 years was due to immigration offenses.

85% of federal arrests of non-U.S. citizens were for immigration offenses.

Another 5% were immigration-related.

The number of federal arrests of Mexican citizens (78,062) exceeded the number of federal arrests of U.S. citizens (70,542).

The five crime types for which non-U.S. citizens were most likely to be prosecuted in U.S. district court in 2018:

Illegal reentry (72%)

Drugs (13%)

Fraud (4.5%)

Alien smuggling (4%)

Misuse of Visas (2%)

The five crime types for which U.S. citizens were most likely to be prosecuted in U.S. district court in 2018:

Drugs (38%)

Weapons (21%)

Fraud (12%)

Public order (12%)

Alien smuggling (6%)

The Immigration and Nationality Act includes basis for immigration violations that are subject to federal arrest and prosecution. Inquiries into the tax accountability of non-U.S. citizens should be directed to the Department of the Treasury. Immigration offenses included in this report are defined according to the following:

Smuggling, transporting, harboring:

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1322: prohibits bringing into the United States aliens subject to denial of admission due to lack of proper authorization or documentation

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1323: prohibits unlawful bringing in and harboring certain aliens

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1324: prohibits bringing and harboring certain aliens

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1327: prohibits aiding or assisting aliens to enter the United States

Illegal entry and re-entry:

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1325: prohibits improper entry by an alien

Title 8 U.S.C. § 1326: prohibits re-entry of removed aliens

Misuse of visas and other violations:

Title 18 U.S.C. § 1546: prohibits fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents

Title 8 U.S.C. §§ 1252-1253: involves order of removal of aliens and penalties related to removal

Title 8 U.S.C. §§ 1321: prohibits persons from failing to prevent the unauthorized entry of aliens

The Immigration, Citizenship, and the Federal Justice System, years 1998-2018, is attached for your further review.

“Good afternoon, Madam Attorney General,” Elise smiles from the doorway of Minerva’s office, her shoulders straight, her tone formal. 

With some, she can get by with doe-eyes and the flash of a smile, her status outranking her age in the right company, but Minerva’s reputation precedes her, and Elise is astute enough to know simply being the President’s wife won’t be cause enough for Minerva to give her what she wants. She opts for the alternative route– pure professionalism– and, she thinks, a cause good enough for the Attorney General to agree with.

“I apologize for the drop-in,” she continues, not moving an inch. She’ll enter when she’s invited. “My eleven o’clock was cancelled and I’ve been itching to have a moment with you.” It’s honesty as best as Elise knows it. 

“Do you have a moment to discuss the White House’s plan to combat illiteracy in undocumented immigrants?”

“It seems the stars are aligned, because my next hour is completely free. By all means, please have a seat.” The redhead waited until the other is settled before she continued: “Illiteracy in undocumented immigrants... that’s a very specific inquiry.” 

Minerva liked specificity. However, spitballing over such a topic without much notice was not her specialty. She’d do her best without purposefully straying into being misleading. Then again, her first inclination is to wonder why the prying into undocumented persons. “I’ll do my best off the top of my head, Mrs. Berkeley. But perhaps my office can send over a completed file to your Chief of Staff as a follow up?”

“Maybe a few.” It’s about where her sympathies end on that subject, lips - a little chapped from the wind - pressed together, though she smiles a little bit when the redhead smiles back. “Yeah - well. I’m here from out of town. It’s not my first DC trip but the last time I was here was…. 2003? I don’t know. I took a few days off one summer to come see the Smithsonian.” She shrugs, shifting on her feet, as if the bouncing will shake off the cold. “I’m guessing you’re used to it, though?”

“It took a while. The west coast is not nearly as generous when it comes to plunging temperatures.” London winter stood on equal footing, if not worse. Minerva couldn’t recall a gracious above freezing winter since her permanent residency in California. But 2003? Good gracious. The hypothermia was sure to shock the newcomer back to a capitol-esque reality.

“I’ve never been to one of these before,” Gabrielle found herself commenting, standing out among the crowd, just trying to make conversation as she waited for the events to truly begin. The cold was biting, her arms folded to try and preserve at least a little bit of warmth, her face flushed from the chill. “It’s kind of incredible. I’ve never seen anything like it.” She looked to the person she had directed her conversation to. “I just wish we could do this when it’s warmer.”

“In their defense, they got a few other things right.”

The founding fathers, she means. Russet curled hair balances perfectly above the fur collar. Even as she swivels her head in turn to the one who addresses her, not a single coil catches on the textured black. Minerva pities those novice to the capital winter; endearing, all the same ━━ the little dose of ignorance is something she would call sweet. Her ruby red mouth uplifts into a grin.

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

Mera lived abroad a good deal of the 90s into the early 2000s. Having moved back to the D.C. area in 2002, she’s grateful for that opportunity but is now glad to call NoVA home. Other than shuttling back and forth to California on occasion, and maybe an annual trip to London, she hasn’t traveled much since 2005 (when she got her job at the White House).

minerva maxwell edits (3/∞)

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

Minerva and Eric Holder are very well acquainted. Holder joined the firm of Covington & Burling, LLP., in 2001 and Minerva returned to the D.C. office in 2002 as a partner, having worked with the firm since 1996. They worked together in the D.C. office until Minerva departed in 2005 to serve as Deputy Assistant Director for Legal Policy on the domestic policy staff at the White House.

They were both nominated and confirmed to administrative positions in the DOJ under Obama, with Holder having previously served as DAG. No doubt, Minerva’s application was expedited to nomination on Holder’s recommendation. There are certain issues on which Mera and Holder agree, and issues on which they differ. But their conversations in the sphere of anything political have never been less than amicable. She looks to Holder as a mentor, especially for “independence and toughness”. But by no means does she lean on him, or hang on his every word.

As AG, Holder took stances on hate crime legislation and federal grants for law enforcement salaries, for which he had Mera's support. However, she would criticize him now as not being transparent enough with requested documents, and being too friendly with the press in making controversial comments.

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

Minerva is making the transfer from White House policy staff, and is setting her sights on the Justice Department. All that hold the title of Attorney General, even Principal Assistantship, are required to have Senate confirmation. This isn’t a problem. Mera has an excellent background in education, leadership and teamwork and she’s never said anything she shouldn’t directly into the microphone (or in a publication).

This is a career woman. She has set her sight on the pedestal and while eager to get there, knows her moves these next few years will be crucial. She’s eager to prove herself and be an asset to a Department whose agenda she can agree on, and better yet, influence. But she knows to get where she wants, she will also need allies in the Senate in the upcoming years– for DAG and eventually as AG.

ask me anything: 10 years in the past au edition.

The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act is signed into law under Obama on October 28, 2009 expanding the National Defense Authorization Act for 2010.

Minerva, as Principal Deputy AG, ushered in the statistics provided by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and Office for Victims of Crime to establish a consensus. She is specifically quoted as being a supporter of American Behavior Scientists, including in her report to the AG that hate crimes: “are committed without a prejudiced motivation from a psychological perspective … the time it takes to mentally recover from a hate crime is almost twice as long as it is for a regular crime, and LGBT people often feel as if they are being punished for their sexuality, which leads to higher incidence of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.“

March 1, 2009: WASHINGTON, D.C.