June 11, 2013

Running From the Feds? Don’t Go to Hong Kong

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-97655330/stock-photo-policeman-chasing-robber.html">Stripsa</a>/<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-112504508/stock-vector-earth-globe-with-world-map-detail-vector-line-sketch-up-illustrator-eps.html">Ohmega1982</a>/Shutterstock

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Ever since Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who went public with details about two government surveillance programs, fled for Hong Kong, many have questioned whether he made the right choice. Why didn’t he go to WikiLeaks’ former base of operations, Iceland, where some information activists are lobbying to grant him asylum? (Here’s why Iceland may not have been a great option.) Why not France, which has an extradition treaty with the United States but, as Slate points out, also has a “history of reluctance to send people into the US criminal justice system”?

Since 2003, 137 countries have extradited or deported 7,066 people to the United States. Mexico, Colombia, and Canada are at the top of the list, according to data from the US Marshals Service. The number of extraditions by country varies widely and likely depends not just on relations with the United States but how many suspects flee there (Mexico and Canada clearly being favorites for fugitives making a run for the border). While Iceland did not send anyone back to the United States during this time, Hong Kong was number 18, with 47 extraditions.

Top 20 Countries that Extradite to the UNITED STATES

  1. Mexico    2,325 extraditions
  2. Colombia    1,272
  3. Canada    867
  4. Dominican Republic    309
  5. United Kingdom    182
  6. Jamaica    142
  7. Costa Rica    132
  8. Spain    124
  9. Germany    113
  10. Netherlands    87
  11. Belize    82
  12. Thailand    62
  13. Panama    60
  14. Israel    58
  15. Poland    54
  16. Philippines    51
  17. France    48
  18. Hong Kong    47
  19. Australia    45
  20. Italy    42

View the full list here.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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