Tag Archives: James Bickerton

Newsweek: Ron DeSantis Wasted $250 Million on Alligator Alcatraz as It Faces Closure

Posted on by
Reply

The state of Florida is committed to $245 million toward the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz,” the Everglades immigration detention facility which is due to close in days.

An email obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday from Kevin Guthrie, head of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, indicates the facility will likely soon be empty, after a federal judge ruled it must cease to operate.

Newsweek contacted Governor DeSantis’s office and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for comment on Thursday via email outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

Since his second presidential inauguration in January, President Donald Trump has overseen a crackdown aimed at illegal immigration, increasing spending on immigration enforcement and removing legal impediments to rapid deportations.

Having to close the new Florida detention facility would be a blow to both Governor DeSantis and the Trump administration, and would show that one of the main impediments to White House policy continues to be the courts.

What To Know

Figures published by Florida officials show the state has signed contracts worth at least $245 million to companies for work at the new Florida detention facility, which was constructed by repurposing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee.

The largest single contract, at $78.5 million, went to Jacksonville based Critical Response Strategies which is responsible for hiring corrections officers, camp managers and IT personnel.

Longview Solutions Group was awarded $25.6 million for site preparation and construction while IT company Gothams has a $21.1 million contract to provide services including access badges and detainee wristbands.

Some of the contract details were later removed from Florida’s public database, sparking criticism from Democratic state Rep. Anna Eskamani.

Florida officials said some of their spending would be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

But the Trump administration has said in a court filing it has had nothing to do with funding of the facility, according to CBS: “Florida is constructing and operating the facility using state funds on state lands under state emergency authority.”

The filing also says: “DHS (the U.S. Department of Homeland Security) has not implemented, authorized, directed, or funded Florida’s temporary detention center.”

The facility was expected to cost $450 million to operate each year after construction, according to CNN.

However, in a blow to DeSantis, a federal judge in Miami ruled on August 21 that “Alligator Alcatraz” must be closed down within 60 days, and that no further detainees could be transferred to the facility during this time. Just weeks previously the same judge had ordered a halt on construction work at the camp.

Legal challenges had been brought by a coalition of environmental group and the indigenous Miccosukee Tribe.

What People Are Saying

Speaking about conditions at the facility Florida Representative Debbie Schultz, a Democrat, said: “They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage.”

In an interview with CNN Thomas Kennedy, a policy analyst for the Florida Immigrant Coalition, said: “The fact that we’re going to have 3,000 people detained in tents, in the Everglades, in the middle of the hot Florida summer, during hurricane season, this is a bad idea all around that needs to be opposed and stopped.”

In a statement previously sent to Newsweek a DHS official said: “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens.

“DHS is complying with this order and moving detainees to other facilities. We will continue to fight tooth-and-nail to remove the worst of the worst from American streets.”

What Happens Next

The Trump administration is expected to continue its crackdown on illegal migrants in the United States in a move that will put pressure on existing immigration detention facilities, and could lead to more being constructed.

Ron DeSantis wasted $250 million on Alligator Alcatraz as it faces closure
A federal judge has ruled that the new Florida detention center must close within 60 days.

https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-wasted-250-million-alligator-alcatraz-it-faces-closure-2120638

Newsweek: Donald Trump’s new census could be bad news for Texas

Posted on by
Reply

Is there anything that King Donald can’t seek to manipulate and destroy?

President Donald Trump‘s proposal for a new national census that excludes people living in the United States illegally could reduce Texas’ political power by reducing both its number of Electoral College votes and seats in the House of Representatives.

Why It Matters

The Trump administration is pushing for a new census despite the next one not being due until 2030. Excluding those in the U.S. illegally from the figures would reduce the political representation of states with disproportionately high illegal migrant populations, such as California and Texas.

Citing “two people with knowledge of the effort,” The Texas Tribune reported that the administration’s primary goal behind the new census was to boost Republicans politically, though some experts have expressed skepticism over whether this would happen.

What To Know

On August 7, Trump said he had instructed the Department of Commerce to begin work on a new national census that would exclude illegal migrants, using data from the 2024 presidential election as a baseline.

Census Bureau data is used to determine how many seats each state gets in the House of Representatives and also how many Electoral College votes it gets during presidential elections. So if a state loses population disproportionately once illegal migrants are excluded, it would see its political influence decrease.

In 2024, the Department of Homeland Security estimated that in January 2022 there were 10,990,000 people residing in the U.S. illegally. It found that California had the largest illegal migrant population with 2,600,000 people, followed by Texas with 2,060,000, Florida with 590,000 and New Jersey with 490,000.

Speaking with Newsweek, Joshua Blank, who heads the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said a new census without illegal migrants would reduce the state’s population and therefore its House representation. He added that Texas “did nothing to promote census participation” in 2020.

Blank said: “While, ostensibly, this move would reduce Texas’ population size for the purpose of congressional districts, it’s probably the case that it’s less than it would if Texas were to have engaged in a serious effort to get a good count in the first place.”

In terms of the nationwide political effect, Blank added: “This would apply to other states, including other states with large immigrant populations, and those that actually sought to get an accurate count, like California. So the overall exchange of seats, since the number of overall congressional seats remains fixed, is pretty hard to game out.”

Trump’s new census plan would almost certainly face legal challenges, with critics arguing that it violates the 14th Amendment, which states that seats in the House should be based on “counting the whole number of persons in each State.”

What People Are Saying

Gil Guerra, an immigration policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, told Newsweek: “These numbers matter enormously for apportionment—states like California, Texas, and Florida have substantial undocumented populations that currently contribute to their congressional representation.”

Speaking with The Texas Tribune about the president’s new census proposal, Robert Warren, a demographer at the Center for Migration Studies, said: “It wouldn’t shift enough [House] seats to make any difference, and that’s been true for five straight censuses.”

President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on August 7: “I have instructed our Department of Commerce to immediately begin work on a new and highly accurate CENSUS based on modern day facts and figures and, importantly, using the results and information gained from the Presidential Election of 2024. People who are in our Country illegally WILL NOT BE COUNTED IN THE CENSUS. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

A Department of Commerce spokesperson told Newsweek: “The Census Bureau will immediately adopt modern technology tools for use in the Census to better understand our robust Census data. We will accurately analyze the data to reflect the number of legal residents in the United States.”

What Happens Next

If Trump pushes ahead with his plan, it will almost inevitably spark a major legal battle. Even if the courts approve, experts agree that the overall effect on American politics is hard to determine, though states with a high illegal migrant population—such as Texas—will likely lose some influence.

Donald Trump’s new census could be bad news for Texas
President Donald Trump has requested a new national census excluding illegal migrants, but it is likely to face legal challenges.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-new-census-could-bad-news-texas-2114326

Newsweek: Trump administration suffers double legal blow within hours

Posted on by
Reply

The Trump administration suffered two legal defeats within hours on Friday.

A judge in California ordered the release of a Syrian national it has been seeking to deport while a federal Rhode Island judge blocked the imposition of new conditions on domestic violence programs as part of the president’s campaign against “gender ideology.”

Details of both cases were shared on X by Kyle Cheney, senior legal affairs reporter for Politico.

Newsweek contacted the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice for comment on Saturday outside of regular office hours via email and press inquiry form respectively.

Why It Matters

With Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress as well as the White House the courts have emerged as one of the main impediments to Trump administration policy.

The administration has suffered a number of prominent legal defeats including courts striking down punitive measures introduced by Trump against law firms involved in proceedings against him, blocking a bid to strip thousands of Haitian migrants of legal protection and removing sanctions aimed at International Criminal Court employees.

Release of Salam Maklad

U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer Thurston, of the Eastern District of California, on Friday instructed the release of Salam Maklad, a Syrian from the Druze religious minority who arrived in the United States in 2002 without valid entry documents and claimed asylum, according to court documents seen by Newsweek.

Maklad went on to marry a man who was granted asylum, which her legal team argued made her eligible for legal immigration status.

On July 9, Maklad was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers after arriving for what she believed was a routine “check-in” meeting and subsequently placed in “expedited removal proceedings” seeking to deport her from the U.S.

Thurston noted that Maklad had no criminal history and wasn’t considered a flight risk, and concluded that “the balance of the equities and public interest weigh in favor of Ms. Maklad.” Consequently she ordered her release from custody and said authorities are blocked from rearresting her “absent compliance with constitutional protections, which
include at a minimum, pre-deprivation notice—describing the change of circumstances necessitating her arrest—and detention, and a timely bond hearing.”

Domestic Violence Funding

Friday also saw Senior District Judge William Smith of Rhode Island rule the Trump administration couldn’t impose fresh conditions on funds granted by the Violence Against Women Act due to the president’s Executive Order 14168 titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government.”

This funding is distributed by the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women.

Trump’s order stated that sex is a person’s “immutable biological classification as male or female,” and that the federal government should “prioritize investigations and litigation to enforce the rights and freedoms” associated with this position.

The Office on Violence Against Women updated its policy on what constitutes “out of scope activities,” and therefore should not be funded by its grants, after this order was issued in “approximately May 2025,” according to the court filing.

This added spending on “inculcating or promoting gender ideology as defined
in Executive Order 14168″ to the prohibited list.

The case was brought by a coalition of 17 nonprofit groups which argued adhering to President Trump’s position on gender was impeding their ability to assist victims of domestic violence.

Judge Smith backed the coalition’s position concluding that the fresh requirements imposed by the Trump administration “could result in the disruption” of services for victims of domestic and sexual violence.

What People Are Saying

In the California case Judge Thurston ruled: “Respondents are PERMANENTLY ENJOINED AND RESTRAINED from re[1]arresting or re-detaining Ms. Maklad absent compliance with constitutional protections, which include at a minimum, pre-deprivation notice—describing the change of circumstances necessitating her arrest—and detention, and a timely bond hearing.

“At any such hearing, the Government SHALL bear the burden of establishing, by clear and convincing evidence, that Ms. Maklad poses a danger to the community or a risk of flight, and Ms. Maklad SHALL be allowed to have her counsel present.”

In his ruling Judge Smith wrote: “On the one hand, if the Court does not grant preliminary relief, then the Coalitions will face real and immediate irreparable harm from the challenged conditions, conditions which the Court has already concluded likely violate the APA.

“This could result in the disruption of important and, in some cases, life[1]saving services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence. On the other hand, if the Court grants preliminary relief, then the Office will simply have to consider grant applications and award funding as it normally does.”

What’s Next

It remains to be seen whether the Trump’s administration will seek to appeal either of Friday’s rulings.

Trump administration suffers double legal blow within hours
The courts have developed into one of the main impediments of Trump administration policy.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-suffers-double-legal-blow-within-hours-2111192

Newsweek: Trump issues new threat to Obama, Clinton over Russia probe: “pay a price”

Posted on by
Reply

President Donald Trump has said those involved in promoting what he called the Russia ‘hoax,’ the belief that the Russian state interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election to help his campaign, “should pay a price” during a television appearance on Friday.

During the Newsmax interview, Trump singled out former President Barack Obama, whom he described as “more the mastermind,” and Hillary Rodham Clinton, ex-secretary of state and first lady, for what he said was their involvement.

Newsweek contacted the office of Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, via the Clinton Foundation, for comment on Saturday by online inquiry form and email respectively outside of regular office hours.

Why It Matters

Following Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory, allegations emerged that his campaign had been assisted, either with or without their knowledge, by Russian intelligence services. Subsequently, U.S. intelligence chiefs said they believed Russia intervened to “help” Trump and undermine Clinton.

In 2019, Special Counsel Robert Mueller released a major report that concluded Russian interference in the election took place “in sweeping and systematic fashion,” but “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired … with the Russian government” in its efforts.

Trump has long described the suggestion that Russia had any influence on the 2016 presidential election as a “hoax.”

What To Know

During Trump’s appearance on Newsmax, a conservative-leaning network, the president said he let Clinton “off the hook” over her supposed role in propagating the theory that Russian interference helped him win the 2016 presidential election.

However, the president went on to say those involved in promoting the theory “hurt a lot of people,” adding: “I think they should pay a price.”

Asked by the Newsmax host whether Obama was personally “involved,” Trump replied: “Totally—he knew about it and then we have it cold; he has it in writing … you could almost say he was more the mastermind. He heard what she [Clinton] was doing and then he approved it, and not only approved it but pushed it. And they knew it was fake. They knew the Russia thing was fake.”

Trump added that it would be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi whether to bring indictments over what he termed the Russian interference “hoax.” The president said: “I’m not giving her advice one way or the other.”

Last month, Trump accused Obama of “treason” for what he said was the former president’s role in arguing Russia interfered in the U.S. election. It followed a press release from Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. It said Obama’s efforts were part of “what was essentially a yearslong coup with the objective of trying to usurp the president from fulfilling the mandate bestowed upon him by the American people” after the 2016 election.

Obama’s spokesperson Patrick Rodenbush hit back, saying nothing released by the Trump administration “undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes.”

Rodenbush added: “These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio.”

What People Are Saying

Referring to Clinton on Newsmax, Trump said: “We had her, and I had her right under the sights, and I told the people, ‘Look, you can’t do this to a president’s wife, an ex-president, and she was secretary of state, but you can’t do this to the wife of a president.’

“And then they went after me and they meant it. And I said, ‘You know, it’s amazing I always felt you shouldn’t be doing this stuff and I let Hillary off the hook, I totally let her off the hook, then I let her off the hook for what and then I come in and they do the same thing to me,” Trump added.

“The difference is they actually meant it, and they hurt a lot of people, and it was all a hoax and now they have it in black and white. No, I think they should pay a price. By the way, it could be the biggest scandal in the history of our country, but it continues onward … that scandal has continued from the beginning. Everything they do is a hoax. They’re no good at anything other than some forms of nasty politics.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether any criminal charges will be brought against Obama, Clinton or figures involved in investigating alleged Russian election interference in 2016.

Any such move would almost certainly spark a furious response from Democrats and civil liberty campaigners.

Such a petty tyrant!

Trump issues new threat to Obama, Clinton over Russia probe: “pay a price”
Trump said claims Russia interfered to help him win the 2016 presidential election “could be the biggest scandal in the history of our country.”

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-issues-new-threat-obama-clinton-over-russia-probe-pay-price-2107958

Newsweek: Donald Trump suffers legal blow: “Grave constitutional violations”

Posted on by
Reply

On Friday, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump‘s executive order targeting legal firm Susman Godfrey, ruling it was “unconstitutional from beginning to end.”

This is the fourth defeat in court Trump has suffered since imposing punitive measures on a number of law firms that either were involved in legal cases against him or represented his political rivals.

Donald Trump suffers legal blow: “Grave constitutional violations”
Trump targeted a number of law firms involved in cases against him or representing his rivals with executive orders.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-suffers-major-legal-blow-grave-constitutional-violations-2091941

Newsweek: Anti-Trump Protests Update: ‘National Day of Action’ Planned for July 17

Posted on by
Reply

Another round of national anti-Trump demonstrations is being planned across the U.S. for July 17 under the banner of Good Trouble Lives On, a reference to the late civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.

…

Good Trouble Lives On demonstrations are being planned for dozens of American cities on July 17 including the likes of New York, Washington D.C, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco with attendees invited to “March in Peace, Act in Power.”

The name is a reference to Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and an advocate of peaceful protests, who famously called for “good trouble” during the civil rights era.

According to its downloadable “Host Toolkit” for organizers, the protests have three main goals. These are demanding an end to “the extreme crackdown on civil rights by the Trump administration,” “the attacks on Black and brown Americans, immigrants, trans people, and other communities,” and “the slashing of programs that working people rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security.”

Good Trouble Lives On is being supported by a range of other groups including the 50501 Movement, which also helped organize the “No Kings” demonstrations.

Anti-Trump protests update: “National day of action” planned for July 17
There have been a series of national anti-Trump demonstrations since the president’s inauguration in January.

https://www.newsweek.com/anti-trump-protests-update-national-day-action-planned-july-17-2088233

Newsweek: Texas’ largest newspaper trashes Greg Abbott protest move: ‘Expect better’

Posted on by
Reply

The Houston Chronicle, Texas’s top selling newspaper, has published an editorial fiercely critical of Governor Greg Abbott over his rhetoric and decision to deploy Texas National Guard troops in response to protests against immigration enforcement, saying “we expect better of him.”

On Tuesday, Abbott announced the deployment of Texas National Guard soldiers. The following day on X he said “5,000+” National Guard personnel would help manage protests in the state adding: “Don’t mess with Texas.”

The move came after days of unrest in Los Angeles which began on June 6 when demonstrators clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents attempting to conduct raids in the city. The following days saw more violent disorder with Waymo self-driving vehicles set on fire and rocks thrown at police who responded with tear gas and other “less lethal” weapons.

…

In its editorial, the Houston Chronicle said Abbott’s decision to deploy National Guard troops following protests “seems like an overreaction,” adding: “But there was no serious indication Tuesday that Texas was on the verge of exploding. No burning cars. No looting. No mayors imposing curfews.”

Instead the editorial claimed the “most significant provocation to violence seemed to come from Abbott himself, citing the governor’s warning that “Peaceful protesting is legal. But once you cross the line, you will be arrested. FAFO.” FAFO is an acronym for ‘F*** around find out.’

The editorial described this as “the kind of thing that middle schoolers say before a fistfight” adding: “This isn’t the grown-up leadership that Texas needs.”

Greg Abbott is just another sycophant sucking up to King Donald.

Texas’ largest newspaper trashes Greg Abbott protest move: ‘Expect better’
Anti-Trump protests are expected across Texas on Saturday as part of the “No Kings” movement.

https://www.newsweek.com/texas-largest-newspaper-trashes-greg-abbott-protest-move-expect-better-2085043

Newsweek: Donald Trump Suffers Double Deportation Loss In Hours: ‘Irreparable Harm’

Posted on by
Reply

Donald Trump’s administration suffered a double legal blow on Friday when the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to lift a judge’s injunction blocking the swift deportation of illegal immigrants to a country other than their own, such as El Salvador or Libya.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 decision blocked the administration’s request to resume the rapid deportation of Venezuelan nationals using the Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used 1798 law.

Donald Trump suffers double deportation loss in hours: “Irreparable harm”
The courts have emerged as one of the main obstacles to the Trump administration’s policies.

https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-suffers-double-deportation-loss-2073578