Q & Trey: Let The Countdown Begin
Trey answers listener questions on Congress' ability to declassify documents, the appointment process of U.S. attorneys and the countdown to football season.
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CNN
22 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump administration expands ‘good moral character' requirement to become naturalized citizen
The Trump administration is expanding the requirement for immigrants who are hoping to become US citizens to display 'good moral character,' in a move that some immigration lawyers denounced as a troubling change that adds uncertainty to the naturalization process. US Citizenship and Immigration Services, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security that administers the country's legal immigration system, directed its officers in a memo last week to more heavily consider both positive and negative 'attributes or contributions' of people going through the naturalization process to become US citizens. The memo, which was sent to USCIS officers on Friday, requires them to take a more 'holistic approach in evaluating whether or not an alien seeking naturalization has affirmatively established that he or she has met their burden of establishing that they are worthy of assuming the rights and responsibilities of United States Citizenship.' The agency said in a statement that the new policy is intended to ensure its officers are accounting more heavily for an immigrant's positive attributes, rather than simply the 'absence of misconduct,' to reflect their character. 'U.S. citizenship is the gold standard of citizenship—it should only be offered to the world's best of the best,' USCIS spokesperson Matthew J. Tragesser said in a statement. The standard to show good moral character has long been part of the naturalization process in the US. But immigration attorneys told CNN that the memo is designed in a way that places additional burdens on people going through the process. Emily Ryo, a professor of law and sociology at Duke University whose research focuses on immigration, said the 'mandate is likely to introduce a great deal of uncertainty, unpredictability, and administrative burden.' 'What does it mean to require that a noncitizen 'affirmatively' establish that they are 'worthy' of US citizenship?' Ryo said in an email. 'What kind of documentation will noncitizens be required to provide to make this affirmative showing, and how exactly are the officials to weigh and verify such evidence?' Susan Ramos, an immigration attorney based in Arizona, described the policy change as 'troubling' and said it 'appears to effectively change the substantive requirements for naturalization without notice and comment, just by policy.' 'It creates a new subjective standard without providing the analysis that will be performed in adjudicating an application for naturalization,' Ramos said. 'For example, how much volunteer work is enough to tip the scales in favor of the applicant? Who decides that formula, and using what analysis? What will USCIS consider sufficient achievement for someone who doesn't work?' And because the directive is broadly written, it makes it more difficult to challenge an individual officer's decision on whether the character standard has been met, said Kathrin Mautino, a California-based immigration attorney. 'Generally, it will give individual officers more authority to ask about private lives,' Mautino said. But the memo does contain some more concrete and stringent requirements for potential new citizens. Previously, immigrants who owed overdue taxes were required to only show they were participating in a payment plan with the IRS to meet the character standard, Mautino said. But the new memo now requires the 'full payment' of overdue taxes, as well as other obligations including child-support payments. USCIS said in the memo this is to make sure immigrants 'who have engaged in wrongdoing are properly rehabilitated and reformed.' People who have multiple traffic tickets can now be found to lack good moral character, as well as people who engage in 'harassment or aggressive solicitation,' though it is not clear what the memo means by that. The updated policy is just one way the Trump administration is more heavily scrutinizing the lives of people applying for citizenship or for the right to live, work or study in the United States. In late May, the US State Department ordered embassies to pause visa interviews for international students so they could more heavily scrutinize students' social media. The pause was lifted after the State Department told embassies to screen for 'hostile attitudes towards our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.' On Tuesday, USCIS announced that type of vetting will expand to seek out 'anti-American' attitudes in those seeking immigration-related benefits such as the right to live or work in the US.
New York Times
22 minutes ago
- New York Times
Oklahoma Proposes ‘America First Test' for Teachers From New York and California
Oklahoma will require teachers coming from New York and California to pass a test to combat what it calls 'woke indoctrination' before being hired, according to the state's public schools superintendent. Its America First Test is designed to filter out teachers with views contrary to Oklahoma values, said Ryan Walters, the state superintendent. It is meant to ensure that educators promote American exceptionalism and help protect against what he called 'radical gender ideology.' 'If you come to Oklahoma, you will abide by our state law, you will abide by our standards and teach those in the classroom,' said Mr. Walters, a Republican, in an interview on Tuesday. The test, designed by PragerU, a conservative nonprofit, is the latest attempt by education officials in Oklahoma to push the state's education system to the right. Critics of Oklahoma's decision argued that the test was more a means to garner attention from the president and his supporters than effect real change. Historically, only a handful of teachers each year move there from New York and California. 'His priority should be educating students,' said Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the country's largest teacher's unions, 'but instead, it's getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
CNN
24 minutes ago
- CNN
Trump admin imposes sanctions on more International Criminal Court officials
The Trump administration escalated its fight against the International Criminal Court by imposing sanctions on four more court officials involved in work related to alleged Israeli and US war crimes. In a statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the State Department was designating Kimberly Prost of Canada, Nicolas Guillou of France, Nazhat Shameem Khan of Fiji and Mame Mandiaye Niang of Senegal for their work in the ICC 'to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute nationals of the United States or Israel, without the consent of either nation.' The sanctions were imposed under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in February that authorizes punitive measures like sanctions and possible entrance bans on ICC personnel because of its 'illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel.' The executive order was already used to sanction ICC chief prosecutor Karim Khan and four ICC judges. According to a State Department fact sheet, Prost, an ICC judge 'is being designated for ruling to authorize the ICC's investigation into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.' Guillou, another judge, 'is being designated for ruling to authorize the ICC's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant,' the fact sheet said. 'Deputy Prosecutors Shameem Khan and Niang are being designated for continuing to support illegitimate ICC actions against Israel, including upholding the ICC's arrest warrants targeting Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant since they assumed leadership for the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor,' it said. The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant in November 2024 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity. Trump also signed an executive order authorizing sanctions and visa restrictions for members of the court during his first term in 2020, months after the ICC authorized a probe into alleged war crimes committed in Afghanistan by US and Afghan forces as well as alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the Taliban.
