Tag Archives: Immigration

NBC News: Kristi Noem confirms plan to expand ICE operations in major cities

Posted on by
Reply

The DHS secretary made the comments after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson threatened legal action against any surge of federal law enforcement or National Guard troops in the city.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Sunday that the Trump administration plans to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in major cities, including Chicago.

Asked about plans to expand ICE operations in Chicago specifically, Noem told CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” “We’ve already had ongoing operations with ICE in Chicago and throughout Illinois and other states, making sure that we’re upholding our laws, but we do intend to add more resources to those operations.”

Asked about what an expansion of ICE operations would look like in Chicago and whether it would involve a mobilization of National Guard troops to assist with immigration raids and arrests, Noem demurred, saying, “That always is a prerogative of President [Donald] Trump and his decision. I won’t speak to the specifics of the operations that are planned in other cities.”

Her remarks come one day after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson signed an executive order directing his city’s legal department to explore ways to counter a potential surge in federal law enforcement and National Guard troops to Illinois.

During a press conference Saturday, Johnson warned that Chicago officials had “received credible reports that we have days, not weeks, before our cities see some type of militarized activity by the federal government.”

Earlier this month, the Trump administration directed federal law enforcement officers, including those employed by ICE, to assist police in Washington, D.C., with crime-fighting operations. That surge of resources included thousands of National Guard troops who were deployed to the nation’s capital with the stated goal of lowering crime rates.

Following the movement of troops and law enforcement officers to Washington, Trump threatened to send federal officers and troops to other major American cities, including Baltimore.

Later in the Sunday interview, Noem was asked whether Boston would be one of the cities where the federal government would surge immigration enforcement agents.

“There’s a lot of cities that are dealing with crime and violence right now, and so we haven’t taken anything off the table,” she said, adding later: “I’d encourage every single big city — San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, whatever they are — if they want to help make their city safer, more prosperous, allow people the opportunity to walk in freedom like the people of Washington, D.C., are now … they should call us.”

Other Democratic officials, including a group of over a dozen governors, have condemned plans to deploy troops to their states.

In a statement last week, they said, “Whether it’s Illinois, Maryland and New York or another state tomorrow, the President’s threats and efforts to deploy a state’s National Guard without the request and consent of that state’s governor is an alarming abuse of power, ineffective, and undermines the mission of our service members.”

And in an interview that aired Sunday on “Face the Nation,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, said, “We don’t want troops on the streets of American cities. That’s un-American. Frankly, the president of the United States ought to know better.”

Pritzker also accused the Trump administration of targeting states run by Democrats rather than those run by Republicans, telling CBS, “Notice he never talks about where the most violent crime is occurring, which is in red states. … Their violent crime rates are much worse in other places, and we’re very proud of the work that we’ve done.”

Asked whether there are plans in place to deploy troops and federal law enforcement officials to states and cities run by Republicans, Noem said, “Absolutely.”

“Every single city is evaluated for what we need to do there to make it safer. So we’ve got operations that, again, I won’t talk about details on, but we absolutely are not looking through the viewpoint at anything we’re doing with a political lens,” she added.

Kristi Noem confirms plan to expand ICE operations in major cities
The DHS secretary made the comments after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson threatened legal action against any surge of federal law enforcement or National Guard troops in the city.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/kristi-noem-confirms-plan-expand-ice-operations-major-cities-rcna228298

Inquisitr: Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Hits a Wall as Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Expedited Removals

Posted on by
Reply

Speed cannot replace justice when liberty is on the line.

A federal judge has reportedly blocked Donald Trump‘s administration from fast-tracking the deportation of the people that has been detained till now, far from the southern border, and it has indeed been a blow to Trump’s mass deportation scheme. It has been ruled on Friday by U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb that attempts from the administration to speed up the deportation process create a “significant risk” that can possibly affect the immigrants in a negative way, especially those having legal permission to remain in the U.S.

Judge Jia M. Cobb has been appointed by Joe Biden during his Presidential term, granted a request from Make the Road New York, an advocacy group for immigrants, pausing a couple of policies introduced by Trump in January that made millions more immigrants in the country, eligible for deportation under expedited removal. 

It is known that expedited removals are primarily being used for people who get arrested within 100 miles of the southern border, as well as within a 14-day period. The policies introduced by the President in the first week of his second Presidential term sought to expand such removals nationwide. He previously expanded the expedited removals around the country; however, it was rolled back by the then-President Joe Biden

Now, Cobb ruled that Make the Road New York had made a convincing argument that the extended application of the expedited removal doesn’t align with or go with the immigrants’ due process rights. She also said that she isn’t questioning whether expanding expedited removals is constitutional, but has just ruled the government needs to ensure it affords potential deportees due process.

“[The court] merely holds that in applying the statute to a huge group of people living in the interior of the country who have not previously been subject to expedited removal, the Government must afford them due process. The procedures currently in place fall short,” Cobb wrote.

“When it comes to people living in the interior of the country, prioritizing speed over all else will inevitably lead the government to erroneously remove people via this truncated process,” she continued. She also reflected on the people who got affected by this process and said that they – “have a weighty liberty interest in remaining here and therefore must be afforded due process under the Fifth Amendment.” 

The judge has henceforth restricted the expedited removal of immigrants with parole status earlier this month, saying that this action was necessary to change the game for people previously authorized to remain.

As per reports, the population of the country, solely considering immigrants, has dropped by 1.4 million between January and July,  says the Pew Research Center and this has been combining forced removals and people leaving in fear.

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Hits a Wall as Biden-Appointed Federal Judge Blocks Expedited Removals
A federal judge blocks Trump’s expanded fast-track deportations, citing risks to immigrants’ due process rights.

Salon: Trump’s DOJ power play on sanctuary cities fuels resignations

Posted on by
Reply

New DOJ directive on sanctuary cities sparks internal revolt, prosecutors warn politics not law drive key decisions

The Justice Department is in turmoil as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to penalize sanctuary cities, prompting multiple resignations among senior attorneys who say they were sidelined in the enforcement push.

Since January 2025, the administration has rolled out a series of executive actions aimed at jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Executive Order 14287, signed in April, requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Homeland Security (DHS) to identify and pursue legal remedies against non-compliant cities. Meanwhile, the “Protecting the American People Against Invasion” order emphasizes enforcement against individuals unlawfully present in the U.S., with a focus on public safety threats.

Officials within the DOJ say the administration has sidelined career attorneys and replaced them with political appointees, prompting several high-level resignations. Critics describe the reshuffling as a political purge rather than a legitimate enforcement initiative.

Legal challenges from sanctuary cities are already underway. Courts in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles have issued preliminary injunctions blocking attempts to withhold federal funding. The administration has signaled its intent to appeal, keeping the battles over federal authority versus local jurisdiction unresolved.

Despite the legal pushback, the administration is moving forward with enforcement operations. DHS plans to deploy hundreds of officers to cities like Chicago as part of a crackdown targeting sanctuary jurisdictions, focusing on individuals unlawfully present in the U.S., particularly those involved in criminal activity.

The developments highlight the administration’s aggressive posture on immigration, the tensions between federal and local governments, and internal strains within the DOJ as political priorities collide with career enforcement norms.

Trump’s DOJ power play on sanctuary cities fuels resignations – Salon.com
New DOJ directive on sanctuary cities sparks internal revolt, prosecutors warn politics not law drive key decisions

https://www.salon.com/2025/08/30/trumps-doj-power-play-on-sanctuary-cities-fuels-resignations

El País: The Dreamer Xóchitl Santiago in Trump’s immigration court

Posted on by
Reply

The meeting is at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday, outside the El Paso Service Processing Center. Family, friends and aid groups have called the press, activists, community leaders, and anyone else who wants to join in. The idea is for the place to be filled with banners depicting a young Indigenous woman, sometimes wearing a Texan hat, sometimes surrounded by flowers, sometimes harvesting the land, sometimes carrying a basket in the middle of a furrow in some field in South Florida. The hope is also for the final release of Catalina “Xóchitl” Santiago, a Mexican Zapotec woman, the daughter of farmers, the beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, the Dreamer who should never have been detained in early August as she was about to board a domestic flight to Houston.

Outside, the detention center is a beehive of activity. Inside, the hearing is underway in which a judge is deciding Xóchitl’s future. A future that has been on hold for 25 days, since August 3, when two Border Patrol agents detained the 28-year-old at El Paso International Airport while she was heading to a conference as part of her work with the nonprofit organization La mujer obrera (The working woman). It was almost 5:00 a.m. when the agents asked her to accompany them.

“What for?” asked Xóchitl.

“We’re going to ask you questions about your documents,” an officer replied.

“What’s the interrogation for?” she insisted.

“We’ll talk about it downstairs,” they told her.

The officers wanted to know how she obtained her work permit, the identification she has as a DACA recipient. Xóchitl demanded the presence of her lawyer, but the second officer ironically preempted her: “Well, you can’t see your lawyer unless he buys a plane ticket.”

The conversation was recorded on Xóchitl’s cell phone, and she managed to send it to her partner, Desiree Miller. Afterward, Xóchitl stopped texting. “I didn’t know where she was; I thought she was on the flight, and that’s why she wasn’t responding. I didn’t know exactly what was going on,” her partner says. Apparently, there was no problem with her documents, which were valid until April 29, 2026.

No one heard from her again until a few hours later, when she was allowed to make a call. Xóchitl confirmed that she was indeed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). “This is not an isolated incident,” the National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (NNIRR) denounced in a statement. “Catalina is part of a disturbing and growing trend in which legally resident immigrants are detained without cause.”

Contrary to the protections afforded them until now by a program like DACA, Xóchitl is on the growing list of young people arrested in recent months by the Donald Trump administration. In a country with a government focused on meeting its self-imposed deportation quotas, the more than 500,000 DACA beneficiaries are not exempt from persecution, detention, or expulsion.

DACA, the unfulfilled promise of protection

Until now that it happened to his sister Xóchitl, JL—who asked to be identified only by his initials—didn’t feel like anything could happen to him, or that life would go back to the way it was before 2012, when they were still living almost in hiding, inhabiting the ghostly world of the undocumented. “We thought there was no risk, since DACA is protection against deportation, but today, making any mistake is a risk,” he says.

JL, 29, recalls the time when he and his sister, aged eight and nine respectively, set out from Oaxaca to travel the dangerous route to the border. “We were so afraid of getting lost or dying in the desert, but we made it.” The Zapotec family later settled in Homestead, a major agricultural area in Miami.

It was difficult, especially for them, as they not only didn’t understand English, but also didn’t speak Spanish. “At home, we didn’t speak Spanish, but Zapotec,” says JL. “That was a shock. Neither the school system nor the government knew what to do with us; there weren’t as many migrants then as there are now.”

The parents dedicated themselves to agricultural work. As teenagers, the kids combined their high school studies with farm work. Xóchitl and JL worked the Homestead fields, harvesting beans, pumpkins, cherries, and okra.

Working the land has been a skill the siblings retain to this day. JL remains involved in agriculture, and Xóchitl, from the age of 17, became involved in working with migrant support organizations. It was at that age, in 2012, that President Barack Obama announced a program that would benefit some 700,000 people across the country who had arrived in the United States as children and could now live under protection that is renewed every two years.

Like many, the siblings were suspicious of a program that required them to hand over their personal information to the authorities, not knowing what the latter might do with it. “We didn’t know how it would work, or if it would last long, because administrations change,” says JL. “Even so, we applied; there wasn’t much to lose and more to gain.”

DACA allowed them to do many things for the first time, to begin inhabiting an area of life that until now had been forbidden to them. For example, they had, for the first time, a driver’s license. They could also, for the first time, board a domestic flight, but also return to visit the countries they had left. That’s why Xóchitl didn’t think she’d have any problems when she boarded her flight a few weeks ago. However, it’s clear to her brother that there is no guarantee of anything these days, at least not until DACA becomes a program that facilitates immigration status and gives them the possibility of moving toward naturalization.

“We’ve always said there’s no permanent solution for the many people in this country in our situation,” JL says. “So there’s always that risk. For now, DACA is protection from deportation, but it doesn’t protect you from being detained or from facing that long, costly, and inhumane process.”

In a statement to the press, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asserted that Xóchitl’s arrest was due to a criminal record that included charges for trespassing and possession of drug paraphernalia. However, her attorney, Norma Islas, issued a statement refuting this claim and asserting that “no such pending criminal charges exist.”

Although Donald Trump lashed out against DACA during his first administration, at the end of last year he made it seem as though, once he returned to the White House, he intended for its beneficiaries to remain in the country. It only took a few months for the fear to return, however. Not only have they been told that Dreamers would not be eligible for the federal health insurance marketplace, but Tricia McLaughlin, deputy press secretary for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), encouraged them to self-deport and let them know that “DACA does not grant any type of legal status in this country.”

The statements and news of the arrests of other beneficiaries of the program have been a shock for a community that has built a life, created families (250,000 citizen children have parents with DACA status), and contributes some $16 billion to the U.S. economy each year. That’s why Desiree Miller insists that every vigil they’ve held outside the detention center, every protest, and every call to the community is not only for Xóchitl’s release, but “for the millions of people who are going through the same thing.”

The Dreamer Xóchitl Santiago in Trump’s immigration court
The Zapotec beneficiary of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program has been detained by immigration authorities since early August despite her supposed legal protection. Her hearing is scheduled for Wednesday

https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-08-27/the-dreamer-xochitl-santiago-in-trumps-immigration-court.html

Latin Times: DHS Using White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Symbols in ICE Recruitment, Study Finds

Posted on by
Reply

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has incorporated white supremacist, antisemitic, and neo-Nazi imagery into its recruitment materials for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a new report

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has incorporated white supremacist, antisemitic, and neo-Nazi imagery into its recruitment materials for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a new report by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Hatewatch project.

The review found that DHS social media accounts and web content have used graphics and slogans originating from extremist sources, while also disproportionately depicting Black and Brown people in posts highlighting arrests and detention.

Hatewatch traced one widely shared DHS recruitment post, published on June 11, to an X account associated with white nationalist content. The graphic showed Uncle Sam posting a sign reading “Help your country … and yourself … REPORT ALL FOREIGN INVADERS.” The original creator, an account under the name “Mr. Robert,” celebrated its federal use, writing, “TODAY OUR EFFORTS ARE COMING OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE!” DHS dismissed the report’s findings.

Other recruitment images posted by DHS referenced or resembled extremist publications. One graphic echoed the neo-Nazi text “Which Way Western Man?” by William Gayley Simpson, while another depicted armed white men posing as father and son with the caption: “We’re taking father/son bonding to a whole new level.” As the organization explains:

“The two men appear in front of an American flag backdrop, wearing military-style garb and body armor while holding assault rifles. The men have no visual identifiers affiliating them with any government agency. Instead, they look like they could be mercenaries or members of an extremist antigovernment militia.”

Posters also employed rhetoric such as “invasion” and “defend the homeland,” phrases long tied to the white nationalist “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which claims white people are being displaced and replaced in Western nations. Lindsay Schubiner of the Western States Center told Hatewatch:

“They [DHS’ social media posts] are not only intended to recruit staff but to normalize the dehumanization of immigrants. At the same time, bigotry and dehumanization wrapped in the American flag conditions Americans to accept the heightened horrors and blatant disregard of civil rights that ICE is inflicting upon our communities”

Concerns about whitewashing and white nationalist imagery in DHS communications have been on the radar of critics for a while. A July 25 report from The Guardian took a deep dive into the department’s use of “A Prayer for a New Life,” a painting by Morgan Weistling showing a white pioneer family.

The image, posted with the caption “Remember your Homeland’s Heritage” prompted scholars and critics to comment that the post advanced a selective vision of American identity that excludes Indigenous, Black, and immigrant contributions. Adam Klein, a media scholar at Pace University, said DHS’s wording around the image evokes far-right and anti-immigrant rhetoric:

“The [Weistling] painting isn’t violent at all. On the surface, it’s a beautiful image. But when you look at where it’s coming from, with [DHS using] language like ‘homeland’ and ‘heritage’, that’s really evocative of anti-immigrant sentiment”

Responding to criticism at the time, a DHS spokesperson told The Guardian: “this administration is unapologetically proud of American history and American heritage. Get used to it.” .

DHS Using White Supremacist and Neo-Nazi Symbols in ICE Recruitment, Study Finds
DHS has been employing rhetoric such as “invasion” and “defend the homeland,” phrases long tied to conspiracy theories which claim white people are being displaced and replaced in Western nations

https://www.latintimes.com/dhs-using-white-supremacist-neo-nazi-symbols-ice-recruitment-study-finds-588988

Raleigh News & Observer: Trump Suffers Major Legal Blow in Illinois

Posted on by
Reply

U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman has dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration that sought to block Illinois’ Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. The administration argued the state law conflicted with federal immigration enforcement regarding the E-Verify program. The court upheld Illinois’ authority over employment regulation, reinforcing state power in this area.

Coleman argued Illinois has authority over employment and that federal immigration law weakens state powers. The Trump administration has claimed Illinois’ law violates the 1986 IRCA by sanctioning employers of unauthorized workers.

Coleman wrote, “The federal government’s broad interpretation of its power to regulate matters of immigration would swallow the historic powers of the states over employment-related issues.”

Coleman added, “A person’s immigration or work authorization status is irrelevant to determine whether an employer has violated any of the provisions of the act.”

Coleman dismissed the administration’s claims. She claimed the government’s position is “simply too speculative a basis on which to rest a finding of pre-emption.”

Coleman added that the law “is not expressly preempted by IRCA and does not intrude upon the federal government’s constitutional powers in the space of immigration and foreign affairs.”

The ruling dealt a setback to Trump’s immigration policy, affirming state authority over employment and potentially spurring similar laws elsewhere. The administration reportedly plans to appeal to the Seventh Circuit.

Trump Suffers Major Legal Blow in Illinois
More for You

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-suffers-major-legal-blow-in-illinois/ss-AA1Lldgs

Politico: Gavin Newsom: ‘I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election’

Posted on by
Reply

The California governor painted a bleak picture of the state of American democracy under President Trump.

Gavin Newsom warned the country is on the precipice of tipping into authoritarianism, predicting that President Donald Trump does not want to leave office after his term ends and accusing federal immigration officials of acting as “the largest private police force in history.”

The California governor, speaking at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit” on Wednesday, repeatedly urged the audience to “wake up” to dangers he said are posed by the president. He cast Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, as well as Border Patrol agents, as acting in Trump’s interests instead of the general public.

“When they’re done with this — all that funding and that ‘big beautiful betrayal’ allows more resources for this private police force that increasingly is showing a tendency not to swear an oath to the Constitution, but to the president of the United States,” Newsom said.

Newsom — stating that “the rule of law is being replaced by the rule of Don” — predicted the federal agents would be sent to voting booths and polling places across the country. But he later questioned whether there would be future democratic elections at all.

“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” he said, adding he has two dozen “Trump 2028″ hats sent to him by the president’s supporters. He suggested that people dismissing talk of a third term were naive.

Newsom described a moment during his 90-minute Oval Office meeting with Trump in February when the president pointed to a painting of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt — which he interpreted as a nod to Trump’s desire to serve a third term.

Trump said this month he would “probably not” run for a third term, which would be in violation of the Constitution.

Newsom, a likely 2028 candidate, struck an angry and pugilistic tone throughout his interview as he implored Democrats to be more assertive and “stand tall” against Trump. He repeated a piece of advice that he said he once heard from former President Bill Clinton on the rise of American populism: “‘Given the choice, the American people always support strong and wrong versus weak or not,’” Newsom recalled. “And I think our party needs to wake up.”

“We’re losing this country in real time,” he said. “It’s not bloviation, not exaggeration. It’s happening.”

Newsom himself has recently embraced a more aggressive approach on social media, mocking Trump and Republicans through his personal and press office accounts on X. He said he’s pulling few punches on that front as his team deploys more satirical memes and splashy AI-generated content.

“We have a ‘Kill Switch,’” Newsom said, responding to a question about whether he approves the posts. The governor added that he’s killing “less every day,” prompting laughter from the audience.

Gavin Newsom: ‘I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election’
The California governor painted a bleak picture of the state of American democracy under President Trump.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/newsom-donald-trump-another-election-00532972

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations

Posted on by
Reply

The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of immigration enforcement agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

The Trump administration wants to use a Navy base north of Chicago as a launchpad for federal law enforcement activity against undocumented immigration, defense officials said Tuesday, as the White House contemplates also deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the nation’s third-largest city amid rising tension with the Illinois governor.

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations
The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of ICE agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/27/trump-chicago-ice-military

Newsweek: McDonald’s manager detained by ICE agents before company picnic

Posted on by
Reply

A manager at a McDonald’s outlet in New York was detained by immigration authorities earlier this week, despite reportedly holding a valid U.S. work visa and just before the restaurant’s annual company picnic.

Christian Rodriguez, who has worked at the branch in Oceanside, Long Island, for several years, reportedly possesses a Social Security number, according to Newsday.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek: “Christian Emmanuel Rodriguez Torrealba, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela, entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa that required him to leave the U.S. by June 3, 2016. Nearly 10 years later, he is still illegally in the U.S. Rodriguez’s criminal history includes convictions for battery and property damage crimes. ICE arrested this illegal alien on August 21, 2025.

“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem have been clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”

Newsweek has contacted McDonald’s for comment.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has directed his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status to fulfill his campaign pledge of mass deportation. The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered to be a criminal by the incumbent administration.

What To Know

A co-worker who requested anonymity told Newsday that Rodriguez taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after attending a hearing regarding his immigration application, in Bethpage, New York, on August 21, according to the outlet.

He had previously appeared at another hearing on August 7, which colleagues believed went favorably, the outlet reported.

On the day of the second hearing, at around 2 p.m.—the time he was expected at a company picnic—Rodriguez sent a text to a co-worker saying his application had been denied and that ICE had arrested him, per the outlet.

Rodriguez was transported to Central Islip, where ICE appears to be taking detainees to the federal courthouse, according to Newsday.

A resident of the neighboring town of Baldwin, Rodriguez came to the United States in December 2015 on a tourist visa, per the outlet, which reported that Rodriguez’s immigration “notice to appear” stated that he faced possible removal from the United States for staying past the period permitted on his tourist visa.

Concerns have been raised over the economic impacts of the president’s mass removal policy. Immigrants, documented or undocumented, made up 20 percent of U.S. workers at the beginning of the year, but by June that share had fallen to 19 percent, a decrease of more than 750,000 workers, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

What Happens Next

Rodriguez will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

McDonald’s manager detained by ICE agents before company picnic
The man was arrested after attending a hearing regarding his immigration application at a U.S. immigration office in Bethpage, New York.

https://www.newsweek.com/manager-arrested-ice-immigration-agents-company-picnic-2120819

Associated Press: Appeals court blocks Trump administration from ending legal protections for 600,000 Venezuelans

Posted on by
Reply

A federal appeals court on Friday blocked the Trump administration’s plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have had permission to live and work in the United States.

A three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that maintained temporary protected status for Venezuelans while the case proceeded through court.

An email to the Department of Homeland Security for comment was not immediately returned.

The 9th Circuit judges found that plaintiffs were likely to succeed on their claim that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had no authority to vacate or set aside a prior extension of temporary protected status because the governing statute written by Congress does not permit it. Then-President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration had extended temporary protected status for people from Venezuela.

“In enacting the TPS statute, Congress designed a system of temporary status that was predictable, dependable, and insulated from electoral politics,” Judge Kim Wardlaw, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, wrote for panel. The other two judges on the panel were also nominated by Democratic presidents.

U.S. District Judge Edward Chen of San Francisco found in March that plaintiffs were likely to prevail on their claim that President Donald Trump’s Republican administration overstepped its authority in terminating the protections and were motivated by racial animus in doing so. Chen ordered a freeze on the terminations, but the Supreme Court reversed him without explanation, which is common in emergency appeals.

It is unclear what effect Friday’s ruling will have on the estimated 350,000 Venezuelans in the group of 600,000 whose protections expired in April. Their lawyers say some have already been fired from jobs, detained in immigration jails, separated from their U.S. citizen children and even deported. Protections for the remaining 250,000 Venezuelans are set to expire Sept. 10.

Congress authorized temporary protected status, or TPS, as part of the Immigration Act of 1990. It allows the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant legal immigration status to people fleeing countries experiencing civil strife, environmental disaster or other “extraordinary and temporary conditions” that prevent a safe return to that home country.

In ending the protections, Noem said that conditions in Venezuela had improved and that it was not in the U.S. national interest to allow migrants from there to stay on for what is a temporary program.

Millions of Venezuelans have fled political unrest, mass unemployment and hunger. Their country is mired in a prolonged crisis brought on by years of hyperinflation, political corruption, economic mismanagement and an ineffectual government.

Attorneys for the U.S. government argued the Homeland Security secretary’s clear and broad authority to make determinations related to the TPS program were not subject to judicial review. They also denied that Noem’s actions were motivated by racial animus.

Appeals court blocks Trump administration from ending legal protections for 600,000 Venezuelans
A federal appeals court has blocked the Trump administration’s plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have had permission to live and work in the United States.

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-trump-temporary-status-venezuelans-7c70b2d301c43663a6f506af527637a4