May 14, 2025 • 20 mins
Today's guest, Yannick Gill , is a human rights lawyer based in Washington D.C. Yannick worked in Congress with 2 progressive members of the House of Representatives. He is an accomplished human rights advocate defending marginalized people across the United States and abroad.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now part two of our two part conversation concerning
Trump's first one hundred days in office, featuring our special guest,
human rights attorney Yanick gil This is the Black Information
Network Daily Podcast with your hosts Rams's Job and Cube Woard. Okay, Yannick,
(00:21):
thank you for giving us some perspective on like the
conversation about that we had earlier about USAID and how
that provides so much vaccines around the world, and how
diseases are human diseases attack humans and humans are all
(00:45):
over the planet. And so you know, for people that
cast their vote because they are it's a little bit
of racism wrapped up in fear. You know, they would
never admit to the racism, but they would admit to
the fear. So that's what I'll say. People that are
afraid that, you know, these people are getting too much power,
(01:05):
these people are taking too much from them or whatever,
and they vote for a person like this. Ultimately, what
you've done is given perspective on how the world is
less safe for them too as a result of that.
What you've done ultimately is you've reframed the conversation around
how we kind of all need each other and we
(01:25):
should be building systems to support each other as opposed
to like trying to isolate ourselves, because there are some
things that are bigger than our communities, that our individual lives,
our families, our cities, our countries. And this administration I
think is hyper focused on really one group of people
(01:49):
in this country as opposed to humanity, the globe, et cetera.
And I think this is why we have a lot
of this weird back and forth from the White House.
You know, uh, these these tariffs and you know, all
this Donald Trump saying he's negotiating with China. China is like,
we're not talking about dude. The Chinese Empire has been
around five thousand years. We're not worried about America has
(02:11):
been around for three hundred. You know, like talking talking crazy,
you know what I mean. And so you know that
that clarity and and a bit of levity. Uh, I
think goes a long way around here.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I want you to continued helping us out. So do
us a favor. Talk to us a little bit more
because I know that you kind of touched on it,
But talk to us a little bit more about you know,
our Latino brothers and sisters, what they're dealing with, and
and share a little bit more about kind of the
deportations that have been taking a place of uh, not
(02:45):
just you know, people whose citizenship status is kind of
in limbo, but actual US citizens, American citizens who've been
deported to El Salvador. So share a little bit more
with us about that.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Absolutely, And I want to start off by making something
very clear. These are not deportations. We I even sometimes
slip up, but using that word suggest a legality, success,
a processed, and that is not what's happening in the
United States in twenty twenty five. Folks are being snatched
(03:21):
off the road, snatched in their homes, snatched in their
places of worship, schools, places in previous administrations that were
protected without any due process based on the mayor allegation,
the mere suggestion they may be affiliated with a gang.
(03:41):
This is being done through tattoos. This is being done
through living in the wrong neighborhood or being in the
presence of the wrong people. But unlike previous administrations, it's
not as simple as going through a legal process. We're
even fondly charged finding access to counsel and sorting things out. No,
(04:04):
these people are being deprived of any right to do
process which I remind you everyone is entitled to regardless
of their nationality. Yeah, being shipped away to a land
where they've never been, and being subjected to torturous conditions,
(04:26):
having their head shaved, being locked away without access to
a phone, without access to their families. The term that
we are using with human rights first is being disappeared,
which is far more accurate of what is happening. And
the reason why we are attempting to ring the alarm
(04:46):
and how terrifying this process is is because, as you suggested,
your citizenship isn't going to protect you. Now. Although I
live in Washington, d C. I'm a proud Florida man,
so I still everyone for a while try and keep
up what's happening back home, and more and more the
news is depressing, to say the least. I bring up
(05:10):
Florida because Juan Carlos Gomes Lopez happened to be in Florida.
As his name suggests, He's Latino, and he didn't look
American enough. Because despite being born and raised in the
United States, Juan found himself in a deportation proceeding to
(05:30):
a country that he had no nationality. His mother panicked,
collected his birth certificate, brought it to the courts, and
while the judge was able to authenticate that it was
a real birth certificate, he still sat, couldn't do anything,
and a detention proceeding until human rights advocates, until the
(05:52):
local community, until social media protested saying, what is happening?
That is Trump's America? Thank god in this case, there
was enough noise that this American was released from deportation proceedings.
But it only highlights what is really happening without due
(06:12):
process to suspect it alleged gang members. And I emphasize
those words because in more cases than not, we have
been able to investigate and look in and find not
only do these alleged victims not have criminal records in
(06:33):
the United States, not have gang affiliation in the United States,
but even in Venezuela, they have no criminal history.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah. I think it's something like seventy five percent of
them had no previous criminal histories exactly when I think
I heard that earlier today or something like that, so
I have to check it.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But no, of course, and I hesitate to put a
specific figure because it highlights the issue. We don't have
access to these people. We have been attempting to gain
access to represent and see what is happening, because until
you are convicted, you have rights to counsel, to prove
(07:12):
your innocence, to some form of due process. That is
the Fifth Amendment, and that is what is being attacked.
So Al Salvador and unfortunately, L Salvador, unfortunately is the
start of what we fear is going to be many
agreements that President Trump is looking to utilize to remove undesirables,
(07:36):
people that don't fit his concept of what American again
should look like. And before I wrap this point, I
do want to highlight while we're talking about Latinos today,
I always bring up the case of Sean Brown brother
born in Philadelphia, who happened to be in Florida again,
who ended up in deportation proceedings to Jamaica, a country
(08:01):
had only been two on a cruise. Because you have
to understand, you can't look at someone and accurately guess
their nationality, perhaps their ethnicity. Perhaps that doesn't provide access
to their nationality, which is completely different than someone's heritage.
(08:24):
They seem to understand that with Irish communities, Irish American communities.
They seem to understand that with Italian.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
American community, both.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Immigrant groups have been here for centuries.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, where you're going.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
But again, it's an attack on black and brown communities
that is being shaped under the auspices of deportation. So
while many of us are slipping up and using language
because it seems natural that we want to bring in
a process some form of legality, let's be clear. These
are disappearances that are stomping on our constitutional rights.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
If I may right here, I think that just for
our listeners to give them some perspective, because a lot
of folks haven't traveled beyond this country, and Q and
I we've had We've been very fortunate. We've been all
over the world. Just if you can just imagine if
you're in a foreign country, wherever you've always dreamed of going.
(09:21):
You're in a foreign country, right, You're a million miles
away from your family, from the political system that you
know that you believe to be fair here in the US.
You're whatever, You're in France or something, pick a place,
doesn't matter. And then you're accused of stealing a candy
bar and then they disappear you and you don't have
(09:42):
have like due process. Can I at least go in
front of someone. Is there someone that can help me translate?
You know, I was here on business, whatever, whatever your
story is. But just imagine how how having some formal
process would help you would serve you as a human being,
whether or not you're a citizen of that country. You
would think that's fair. And so I think that's the
(10:05):
point that you're trying to make here, Yannick, is that
you know, for people that are snatched off of the
street and then put on an airplane's shipped off without
due process, that is fundamentally anti human and what we
would imagine would be un American? Am I right about that?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I could have said it better myself. I tried, But
you're doing my job.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I got a good teacher. I got a good teach.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Simple. The additional word is that what we believe at
Human Rights First is that those acts are also unconstitutional. Sure,
it's not just that it's immoral, it's not just that
it feels wrong. We are stating that it is illegal.
There's a reason it's unprecedented, because you're not allowed to
do that. And we're in a scary time where despite
(10:47):
court orders from the Supreme Court, who has ordered back
individuals who have been subjected to Donald Trump's heinous acts.
The Trump administration is still can anything to ignore them.
So we're in a place where you're calling on Congress.
We're continuing to file marry out of lawsuits. But we
(11:08):
also need people everyday, folks who not just are afraid
of what may happen, but who are concerned for our
neighbors who have already been subjected to susterranny, to speak out,
to yell and scream. Because in the same way that
we were able to shine a light on Wan's case
in Florida and allow him to prove that he was
(11:31):
an American, we have to do that with folks who
may not have the same nationality as you or me,
because regardless of their nationality, regardless of the ethnicity, regardless
of their race, in the United States, they still have
access to constitucial protections, and the Fifth Amendment says the
process is part of them.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
You know, during the campaign, during election season, and I
like to pause or second on election season because I
hear adults, in order to justify their apathy or their
lack of action, say I'm not really political. I think
(12:16):
what they mean is the electoral process. They don't participate,
but everyone here is political. Every aspect of your life
is affected by politics, from the way that you buy groceries,
the way you go to school, your civic engagement, traffic lights,
the fact that you're supposed to be able to have
do process if someone accuses you of doing something illegal.
(12:39):
All of this stuff is inherently political. We and I
know we because we talked the three of us during
the last election season, saw so much of this coming.
And even the other side knows that it's wrong because
(13:01):
they denied they would do it when they were trying
to get elected. They tried to do themselves from it
and they were trying to get elected because even they
know it's wrong. But now, because they're you know, a religion,
they will find a way to back their messiah figure
with the zealot like passion and find a way to
(13:24):
justify every decision that's made by this administration, even when
it is blatantly illegal and blatantly in direct conflict with
our constitution. We've seen the suppression of disagreement, We've seen
the suppression of criticism, We've seen the suppression of honest journalism,
(13:46):
and on a large scale, the suppression of immigrant college students.
All of us are in an interesting space where there's
public dissent with what's going on with the administration. And
I've expressed my fears of all the things that the
three of us do for a living being considered legal
(14:07):
at some point in the near future by this administration,
because that shouldn't even sound ridiculous to any one of
us or to anyone listening. Where are we on it
When students can't protest, when journalists can't disagree, when even
law firms and attorneys are being attacked, and some again
(14:28):
preemptively bending the knee and falling in line. Scary doesn't
really say it. I can't find the right way to
articulate the space that we're in now, and this is
something that you're living every day.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I acknowledge that I'm at times afraid because it is
a scary time. It's an unprecedented time, and I've been
fooled at times into believing that the constitutional protections that
(15:07):
sometimes don't impact my community would at least impact America
and impact everybody. But we're in a time where we
are seeing outright defiance of not just our Constitution, but
our courts. The word that we're experiencing is authoritarianism, and
(15:31):
we often think about that word as something that happens
over there. We point to Russia, we point to China,
we even point to Cuba. But if we just look
at the way that things are being implemented in the
United States today, there's no other way to articulate what
(15:52):
is happening. And you pointed out something so key anywhere
that they see resistance uprising quite frankly just questioning they
are attacking it. We're going to compare two very different groups.
One will be Eiger League college students. The second will
(16:15):
be nonprofits and law firms. And I'm going to frame
it within those same executive orders I started by talking.
I started off our conversation. The attacks on law firms
was quicked and swift because they were afraid to fight back.
There was no fight. They immediately thought and strategized, similar
(16:40):
to the same businesses we talked before, who's going to
be in power? Where do we win? And they removed
again years years of precedent of working in tandem with
the US government to ensure that people that don't often
have a fair bide at the legal system representation. This
(17:01):
is a public service that helps all of us. You
want people to function through the courts because you want
people to trust the courts. But that was attacked and removed.
Why because statistically and human Rights First has seen this
time and time again. When there's council involved, people have
a much higher chance in naturalizing into the United States
(17:22):
or in our case, having access to asylum that they
are entitled to under both international law but domestic law.
How does that tie to the students? They were expressing
disdain for atrocities happening on the other side of the
(17:43):
Atlantic Ocean, something that they have a constitutional rights to
the First Amendment protections to speak out against, but it
didn't fit in line with exactly how Trump wanted things
to do or to happen. Again, authoritarianism. This is not
the way our country should function. This is not this
(18:04):
way our country has functioned. But unless we stand up,
unless we the people, not just human rights lawyers, not
just members of Congress, not just these Ivy League students,
but you the listener, You regular person with a regular
(18:24):
job that here's this and thinks this is not right.
You should also be thinking this could be me as
evidenced by the three kids that were deported US citizens
again facing deportation, facing let me correct myself again, disappearance
(18:47):
is under an authoritarian system. Yeah, so while I'm afraid
of what may happen, I'm also angry that anger that
conviction has to cause us to resists to fight.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Okay, listen, I know that this conversation could go on
and on and on. You have a brilliant mind, and
we appreciate your strategy, but we're gonna We're gonna have
to leave it right here. I'd like to thank you
for taking the time to come and talk with us
this week. Do us a favorite before you go. Let
(19:22):
folks know how they can tap in with you on
social media, websites, you know, anything that you got going on,
so people can get some more of this game because
we need.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
It absolutely And it's been a pleasure and look forward
to continue the conversation. As always, brothers, I am pretty
easy to find yanet Gil across most platforms. And also
it's really important in twenty twenty five that we support
the organizations doing the work, so I could also be
found through Human Rights First again, a human rights organization
(19:52):
doing strategic litigation and advcacy both here and abroad. I
look forward to chatting more about y'all in the next
one hundred days, hopefully with a few more wins under
our belt.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Well, we look forward to it too once again. Today's
guest is Yannick Gill, a human rights lawyer and accomplished
human rights advocate defending marginalized people across the United States
and abroad.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Thank you, sir, now pleasures mind, Thank you all.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share? Use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribing down. With all of our episodes, I'm your host,
ramses Jah on all social media. Join us tomorrow as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
(20:39):
right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
And now part two of our two part conversation concerning
Trump's first one hundred days in office, featuring our special guest,
human rights attorney Yanick gil This is the Black Information
Network Daily Podcast with your hosts Rams's Job and Cube Woard. Okay, Yannick,
(00:21):
thank you for giving us some perspective on like the
conversation about that we had earlier about USAID and how
that provides so much vaccines around the world, and how
diseases are human diseases attack humans and humans are all
(00:45):
over the planet. And so you know, for people that
cast their vote because they are it's a little bit
of racism wrapped up in fear. You know, they would
never admit to the racism, but they would admit to
the fear. So that's what I'll say. People that are
afraid that, you know, these people are getting too much power,
(01:05):
these people are taking too much from them or whatever,
and they vote for a person like this. Ultimately, what
you've done is given perspective on how the world is
less safe for them too as a result of that.
What you've done ultimately is you've reframed the conversation around
how we kind of all need each other and we
(01:25):
should be building systems to support each other as opposed
to like trying to isolate ourselves, because there are some
things that are bigger than our communities, that our individual lives,
our families, our cities, our countries. And this administration I
think is hyper focused on really one group of people
(01:49):
in this country as opposed to humanity, the globe, et cetera.
And I think this is why we have a lot
of this weird back and forth from the White House.
You know, uh, these these tariffs and you know, all
this Donald Trump saying he's negotiating with China. China is like,
we're not talking about dude. The Chinese Empire has been
around five thousand years. We're not worried about America has
(02:11):
been around for three hundred. You know, like talking talking crazy,
you know what I mean. And so you know that
that clarity and and a bit of levity. Uh, I
think goes a long way around here.
Speaker 2 (02:22):
Now.
Speaker 1 (02:23):
I want you to continued helping us out. So do
us a favor. Talk to us a little bit more
because I know that you kind of touched on it,
But talk to us a little bit more about you know,
our Latino brothers and sisters, what they're dealing with, and
and share a little bit more about kind of the
deportations that have been taking a place of uh, not
(02:45):
just you know, people whose citizenship status is kind of
in limbo, but actual US citizens, American citizens who've been
deported to El Salvador. So share a little bit more
with us about that.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Absolutely, And I want to start off by making something
very clear. These are not deportations. We I even sometimes
slip up, but using that word suggest a legality, success,
a processed, and that is not what's happening in the
United States in twenty twenty five. Folks are being snatched
(03:21):
off the road, snatched in their homes, snatched in their
places of worship, schools, places in previous administrations that were
protected without any due process based on the mayor allegation,
the mere suggestion they may be affiliated with a gang.
(03:41):
This is being done through tattoos. This is being done
through living in the wrong neighborhood or being in the
presence of the wrong people. But unlike previous administrations, it's
not as simple as going through a legal process. We're
even fondly charged finding access to counsel and sorting things out. No,
(04:04):
these people are being deprived of any right to do
process which I remind you everyone is entitled to regardless
of their nationality. Yeah, being shipped away to a land
where they've never been, and being subjected to torturous conditions,
(04:26):
having their head shaved, being locked away without access to
a phone, without access to their families. The term that
we are using with human rights first is being disappeared,
which is far more accurate of what is happening. And
the reason why we are attempting to ring the alarm
(04:46):
and how terrifying this process is is because, as you suggested,
your citizenship isn't going to protect you. Now. Although I
live in Washington, d C. I'm a proud Florida man,
so I still everyone for a while try and keep
up what's happening back home, and more and more the
news is depressing, to say the least. I bring up
(05:10):
Florida because Juan Carlos Gomes Lopez happened to be in Florida.
As his name suggests, He's Latino, and he didn't look
American enough. Because despite being born and raised in the
United States, Juan found himself in a deportation proceeding to
(05:30):
a country that he had no nationality. His mother panicked,
collected his birth certificate, brought it to the courts, and
while the judge was able to authenticate that it was
a real birth certificate, he still sat, couldn't do anything,
and a detention proceeding until human rights advocates, until the
(05:52):
local community, until social media protested saying, what is happening?
That is Trump's America? Thank god in this case, there
was enough noise that this American was released from deportation proceedings.
But it only highlights what is really happening without due
(06:12):
process to suspect it alleged gang members. And I emphasize
those words because in more cases than not, we have
been able to investigate and look in and find not
only do these alleged victims not have criminal records in
(06:33):
the United States, not have gang affiliation in the United States,
but even in Venezuela, they have no criminal history.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah. I think it's something like seventy five percent of
them had no previous criminal histories exactly when I think
I heard that earlier today or something like that, so
I have to check it.
Speaker 2 (06:50):
But no, of course, and I hesitate to put a
specific figure because it highlights the issue. We don't have
access to these people. We have been attempting to gain
access to represent and see what is happening, because until
you are convicted, you have rights to counsel, to prove
(07:12):
your innocence, to some form of due process. That is
the Fifth Amendment, and that is what is being attacked.
So Al Salvador and unfortunately, L Salvador, unfortunately is the
start of what we fear is going to be many
agreements that President Trump is looking to utilize to remove undesirables,
(07:36):
people that don't fit his concept of what American again
should look like. And before I wrap this point, I
do want to highlight while we're talking about Latinos today,
I always bring up the case of Sean Brown brother
born in Philadelphia, who happened to be in Florida again,
who ended up in deportation proceedings to Jamaica, a country
(08:01):
had only been two on a cruise. Because you have
to understand, you can't look at someone and accurately guess
their nationality, perhaps their ethnicity. Perhaps that doesn't provide access
to their nationality, which is completely different than someone's heritage.
(08:24):
They seem to understand that with Irish communities, Irish American communities.
They seem to understand that with Italian.
Speaker 1 (08:30):
American community, both.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Immigrant groups have been here for centuries.
Speaker 1 (08:35):
Yeah, where you're going.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
But again, it's an attack on black and brown communities
that is being shaped under the auspices of deportation. So
while many of us are slipping up and using language
because it seems natural that we want to bring in
a process some form of legality, let's be clear. These
are disappearances that are stomping on our constitutional rights.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
If I may right here, I think that just for
our listeners to give them some perspective, because a lot
of folks haven't traveled beyond this country, and Q and
I we've had We've been very fortunate. We've been all
over the world. Just if you can just imagine if
you're in a foreign country, wherever you've always dreamed of going.
(09:21):
You're in a foreign country, right, You're a million miles
away from your family, from the political system that you
know that you believe to be fair here in the US.
You're whatever, You're in France or something, pick a place,
doesn't matter. And then you're accused of stealing a candy
bar and then they disappear you and you don't have
(09:42):
have like due process. Can I at least go in
front of someone. Is there someone that can help me translate?
You know, I was here on business, whatever, whatever your
story is. But just imagine how how having some formal
process would help you would serve you as a human being,
whether or not you're a citizen of that country. You
would think that's fair. And so I think that's the
(10:05):
point that you're trying to make here, Yannick, is that
you know, for people that are snatched off of the
street and then put on an airplane's shipped off without
due process, that is fundamentally anti human and what we
would imagine would be un American? Am I right about that?
Speaker 2 (10:20):
I could have said it better myself. I tried, But
you're doing my job.
Speaker 1 (10:24):
I got a good teacher. I got a good teach.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
Simple. The additional word is that what we believe at
Human Rights First is that those acts are also unconstitutional. Sure,
it's not just that it's immoral, it's not just that
it feels wrong. We are stating that it is illegal.
There's a reason it's unprecedented, because you're not allowed to
do that. And we're in a scary time where despite
(10:47):
court orders from the Supreme Court, who has ordered back
individuals who have been subjected to Donald Trump's heinous acts.
The Trump administration is still can anything to ignore them.
So we're in a place where you're calling on Congress.
We're continuing to file marry out of lawsuits. But we
(11:08):
also need people everyday, folks who not just are afraid
of what may happen, but who are concerned for our
neighbors who have already been subjected to susterranny, to speak out,
to yell and scream. Because in the same way that
we were able to shine a light on Wan's case
in Florida and allow him to prove that he was
(11:31):
an American, we have to do that with folks who
may not have the same nationality as you or me,
because regardless of their nationality, regardless of the ethnicity, regardless
of their race, in the United States, they still have
access to constitucial protections, and the Fifth Amendment says the
process is part of them.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
You know, during the campaign, during election season, and I
like to pause or second on election season because I
hear adults, in order to justify their apathy or their
lack of action, say I'm not really political. I think
(12:16):
what they mean is the electoral process. They don't participate,
but everyone here is political. Every aspect of your life
is affected by politics, from the way that you buy groceries,
the way you go to school, your civic engagement, traffic lights,
the fact that you're supposed to be able to have
do process if someone accuses you of doing something illegal.
(12:39):
All of this stuff is inherently political. We and I
know we because we talked the three of us during
the last election season, saw so much of this coming.
And even the other side knows that it's wrong because
(13:01):
they denied they would do it when they were trying
to get elected. They tried to do themselves from it
and they were trying to get elected because even they
know it's wrong. But now, because they're you know, a religion,
they will find a way to back their messiah figure
with the zealot like passion and find a way to
(13:24):
justify every decision that's made by this administration, even when
it is blatantly illegal and blatantly in direct conflict with
our constitution. We've seen the suppression of disagreement, We've seen
the suppression of criticism, We've seen the suppression of honest journalism,
(13:46):
and on a large scale, the suppression of immigrant college students.
All of us are in an interesting space where there's
public dissent with what's going on with the administration. And
I've expressed my fears of all the things that the
three of us do for a living being considered legal
(14:07):
at some point in the near future by this administration,
because that shouldn't even sound ridiculous to any one of
us or to anyone listening. Where are we on it
When students can't protest, when journalists can't disagree, when even
law firms and attorneys are being attacked, and some again
(14:28):
preemptively bending the knee and falling in line. Scary doesn't
really say it. I can't find the right way to
articulate the space that we're in now, and this is
something that you're living every day.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
I acknowledge that I'm at times afraid because it is
a scary time. It's an unprecedented time, and I've been
fooled at times into believing that the constitutional protections that
(15:07):
sometimes don't impact my community would at least impact America
and impact everybody. But we're in a time where we
are seeing outright defiance of not just our Constitution, but
our courts. The word that we're experiencing is authoritarianism, and
(15:31):
we often think about that word as something that happens
over there. We point to Russia, we point to China,
we even point to Cuba. But if we just look
at the way that things are being implemented in the
United States today, there's no other way to articulate what
(15:52):
is happening. And you pointed out something so key anywhere
that they see resistance uprising quite frankly just questioning they
are attacking it. We're going to compare two very different groups.
One will be Eiger League college students. The second will
(16:15):
be nonprofits and law firms. And I'm going to frame
it within those same executive orders I started by talking.
I started off our conversation. The attacks on law firms
was quicked and swift because they were afraid to fight back.
There was no fight. They immediately thought and strategized, similar
(16:40):
to the same businesses we talked before, who's going to
be in power? Where do we win? And they removed
again years years of precedent of working in tandem with
the US government to ensure that people that don't often
have a fair bide at the legal system representation. This
(17:01):
is a public service that helps all of us. You
want people to function through the courts because you want
people to trust the courts. But that was attacked and removed.
Why because statistically and human Rights First has seen this
time and time again. When there's council involved, people have
a much higher chance in naturalizing into the United States
(17:22):
or in our case, having access to asylum that they
are entitled to under both international law but domestic law.
How does that tie to the students? They were expressing
disdain for atrocities happening on the other side of the
(17:43):
Atlantic Ocean, something that they have a constitutional rights to
the First Amendment protections to speak out against, but it
didn't fit in line with exactly how Trump wanted things
to do or to happen. Again, authoritarianism. This is not
the way our country should function. This is not this
(18:04):
way our country has functioned. But unless we stand up,
unless we the people, not just human rights lawyers, not
just members of Congress, not just these Ivy League students,
but you the listener, You regular person with a regular
(18:24):
job that here's this and thinks this is not right.
You should also be thinking this could be me as
evidenced by the three kids that were deported US citizens
again facing deportation, facing let me correct myself again, disappearance
(18:47):
is under an authoritarian system. Yeah, so while I'm afraid
of what may happen, I'm also angry that anger that
conviction has to cause us to resists to fight.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
Okay, listen, I know that this conversation could go on
and on and on. You have a brilliant mind, and
we appreciate your strategy, but we're gonna We're gonna have
to leave it right here. I'd like to thank you
for taking the time to come and talk with us
this week. Do us a favorite before you go. Let
(19:22):
folks know how they can tap in with you on
social media, websites, you know, anything that you got going on,
so people can get some more of this game because
we need.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
It absolutely And it's been a pleasure and look forward
to continue the conversation. As always, brothers, I am pretty
easy to find yanet Gil across most platforms. And also
it's really important in twenty twenty five that we support
the organizations doing the work, so I could also be
found through Human Rights First again, a human rights organization
(19:52):
doing strategic litigation and advcacy both here and abroad. I
look forward to chatting more about y'all in the next
one hundred days, hopefully with a few more wins under
our belt.
Speaker 1 (20:04):
Well, we look forward to it too once again. Today's
guest is Yannick Gill, a human rights lawyer and accomplished
human rights advocate defending marginalized people across the United States
and abroad.
Speaker 2 (20:14):
Thank you, sir, now pleasures mind, Thank you all.
Speaker 1 (20:18):
This has been a production of the Black Information Network.
Today's show is produced by Chris Thompson. Have some thoughts
you'd like to share? Use the red microphone talkback feature
on the iHeartRadio app. While you're there, be sure to
hit subscribing down. With all of our episodes, I'm your host,
ramses Jah on all social media. Join us tomorrow as
we share our news with our voice from our perspective
(20:39):
right here on the Black Information Network Daily Podcast.
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