Friend of pastor arrested by ICE details ‘subhuman' conditions of his detainment
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CNN
8 minutes ago
- CNN
‘The risk of going back is practically death': Haitian immigrants fear Trump's efforts to send them back to a country in crisis
At eight months pregnant, 28-year-old Haitian immigrant Titi is terrified of being deported to her native country. Titi, who asked to be identified only by a pseudonym out of fear of being targeted by immigration authorities, came to the United States with her younger sister in 2024 after fleeing widespread gang violence in Haiti that made even routine activities, such as walking to a supermarket, dangerous. The sisters entered the US using the CBP One app — a system launched in 2020 designed primarily for commercial truck drivers and other industry users and expanded in 2023 to allow asylum seekers to schedule appointments at the southern border before entering the country. In November 2024, Titi and her sister applied for additional relief under Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which has allowed Haitian immigrants to live and work in the US since a massive earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. Titi said they are still awaiting a decision. President Donald Trump's administration has since revoked the legal status of migrants who entered the country through CBP One, The Associated Press reported in April. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has sought to terminate TPS for Haitians on August 3, with an effective date of September 2. 'This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that Temporary Protected Status is actually temporary,' a DHS spokesperson said in June. 'The environmental situation in Haiti has improved enough that it is safe for Haitian citizens to return home.' The Trump administration's efforts to end TPS for Haitian immigrants have left Titi and hundreds of thousands of others worried they may be forced to return to a country that isn't safe. 'There is no safety and security in Haiti right now,' Titi told CNN in her native Creole through a translator. 'Instead, I would say that the situation has gotten worse since I left.' Earlier this month, a federal judge in Brooklyn blocked the Trump administration's attempt to rescind former President Joe Biden's 18-month extension of Haiti's TPS designation, which is set to end on February 3, 2026. The federal judge ruled Noem 'does not have statutory or inherent authority to partially vacate a country's TPS designation.' The legal fight over TPS comes as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on undocumented immigrants, conducting mass deportations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country, including in farming fields and courthouses. The administration has also moved to restrict other protections. CNN reported last month that Trump planned to dismiss asylum claims for hundreds of thousands of immigrants, making them deportable. The Justice Department has also called for the denaturalization of legal immigrants who commit violent crimes or 'pose a potential danger to national security.' Haitian immigrant advocates welcomed the judge's ruling blocking the early end to TPS, but say they expect the administration to appeal. 'We are not out of the woods,' said Guerline Jozef, executive director of the nonprofit Haitian Bridge Alliance. 'We are not comfortable because we know of that possibility.' Jozef said more than 500,000 Haitian immigrants are currently living in the US under TPS, and forcing their return to Haiti would put them in grave danger, as much of the country is controlled by armed militias. Gangs have seized at least 85% of Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. More than 5,600 people were killed in Haiti in 2024, and one million were left homeless because of the gang violence, according to The Associated Press. 'The risk of going back is practically death,' Jozef said. She believes the Trump administration's move to deport Haitian immigrants, despite listing the country under a Level 4 travel advisory, is a 'policy that is rooted in anti-Black racism and cruelty.' This is a 'ridiculous and false claim,' said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, adding it 'demonstrates a lack of even the most basic understanding of Temporary Protected Status – which is by definition, temporary.' Jackson said in a statement to CNN the 2010 earthquake, which allowed Haitians to receive TPS in the US, 'no longer poses a risk' to them. Haitian nationals, she said, can pursue legal status through other channels, such as asylum, if they are eligible. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to restore sanity to our immigration system and end the Biden Administration's exploitation of these temporary programs to encourage more illegal immigration,' Jackson said. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, said Haiti's TPS 'was never intended to be a de facto asylum program, yet that's how previous administrations have used it for decades.' The Department of State lists kidnapping, crime, terrorist activity, civil unrest and limited health care in Haiti as reasons for the travel advisory. 'Either Haiti is safe for everyone or it's not safe at all,' Jozef said. In Springfield, Ohio — which drew national attention during last year's presidential campaign when Trump falsely claimed Haitian immigrants were eating pets — anxiety over the potential loss of TPS is widespread. The community is home to about 15,000 Haitian immigrants, many of whom have TPS, said Carl Ruby, senior pastor of Central Christian Church. Ruby said thousands of Haitian immigrants moved to Springfield after word spread that it was a welcoming community with housing and jobs for their families. Meat and clothing factories, as well as Amazon fulfillment centers, have been popular employers for Haitian immigrants, local activists say. Ruby, who advocates for Haitian families, said there is a 'sense of limbo' in Springfield's Haitian community. 'They have bounced back and forth from being terrified to thinking it's going to be OK,' Ruby told CNN. Ruby said many Haitian immigrants are scrambling to apply for asylum and set up guardianship for their US-born children in case the parents get deported. Others are considering moving to other countries such as Canada. But returning to Haiti is not a safe option, Ruby said, adding that some families witnessed gruesome murders before fleeing the country. He also noted Haitians with certain chronic health conditions would not have access to life-saving medications in Haiti. 'Many Americans don't understand how serious the risk is,' Ruby said. 'I think there's a false impression that people come to the US because they want to benefit from our public services, but nothing could be further from the truth. They only came because their lives were in danger.' Viles Dorsainvil, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Support Center in Springfield, said his organization helps Haitian immigrants transition into the community by assisting with job searches, housing applications, setting up utilities and providing legal advice. Haitian immigrants have made a positive impact on the local economy because most are dedicated workers in essential jobs, he said. Now, he said, they are living with 'fear, anxiety and uncertainty' with ICE raids and arrests occurring across the country and the Trump administration seeks to end TPS early. If the judge's ruling on the February end date for TPS stands without a successful appeal, Haitian migrants will have more time to make plans, Dorsainvil said. But if conditions in Haiti don't improve by next year, many immigrants will still face the same risks, he said. 'It should be a suicidal decision to go back to Haiti now,' Dorsainvil said. 'People living in Haiti now, they are not at peace.' Meanwhile, Titi says she is desperate to stay in the US, which she believes is much safer for raising her unborn child. Her sister was detained by ICE agents after an immigration court hearing in June and remains in custody, she said. Titi, who was studying to be a nurse before leaving Haiti, wants to learn English so she can get a job and earn an income in the US. She believes ICE hasn't come after her because she is pregnant. Once the baby is born, Titi said she doesn't know what she will do if there are no protections in place for Haitian immigrants. 'I have no escape plan,' Titi said. 'I don't have anywhere else to go.'
Washington Post
an hour ago
- Washington Post
What to know about the metastasizing Jeffrey Epstein controversy
The Jeffrey Epstein controversy isn't going away for President Donald Trump. In fact, it may be ramping up. Three weeks after the Justice Department said there was nothing more to share about the years-old criminal case against Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019, the clamor for additional details has consumed Washington. Some MAGA leaders are accusing the Trump administration of hiding the truth. Congress has launched its own investigation. And new revelations about Trump's long and close friendship with Epstein are raising questions about what the president knew about Epstein's crimes and when he knew it. Trump has uncharacteristically lashed out at his supporters, urging them to drop their obsession with the case. 'Don't talk about Trump,' he said last week. But polls show Americans want to know more. A recent CBS News-YouGov poll found that 58 percent say they're following news about the case 'somewhat' or 'very' closely. A third of Republican voters disapprove of how Trump is handling the case, according to a Quinnipiac University poll — suggesting significant discontent among Trump's usually unwavering supporters. Here's what's going on, how we got here and why the controversy has staying power. Epstein was a wealthy, well-connected socialite who died in jail in 2019 in what authorities said was a suicide, before he could be tried on sex trafficking charges. His relationships with presidents, princes and Wall Street barons therefore went unplumbed in court. Trump was among the powerful people who were close with Epstein, but Trump has said he cut off ties before Epstein was arrested in 2006, convicted of sex offenses and received a lenient sentence in a secret plea deal. Figures on the right have spun unsubstantiated conspiracy theories about how Epstein died and who was connected to him, weaving them into an overarching narrative that the country is run by an evil cabal that revels in abusing children. 'There is a sense Epstein had so much influence over these elites,' said Cynthia Wang, who studies conspiracy theories and heads a conflict-management center at Northwestern University. In the past, Trump and current leaders of his administration often fanned the flames. Trump said on the campaign trail that he would 'have no problem' releasing files from Epstein's case. His administration initially seemed headed down that road. Attorney General Pam Bondi said on TV shortly after she took office that a rumored 'client list' of powerful men who abused girls alongside Epstein 'is sitting on my desk right now.' That message changed in early July, when Bondi's Justice Department released a memo saying the Epstein files contain no such list, confirmed that Epstein died by suicide (rather than being killed, as some have suggested) and announced that no additional files would be released. Some of Trump's most loyal and vocal supporters were furious and said they felt as if the administration had let them down. 'As someone who voted for the president, campaigned for the president a lot — I'm not attacking the president,' conservative pundit Tucker Carlson said. 'But I think even people who are fully on board with the bulk of the MAGA agenda are like, 'This is too much, actually.'' In a rare concession to his base, Trump has urged his government to seek the release of old grand jury testimony, but one such request has already been denied by a judge. Meanwhile, demands for new information threaten to consume Washington. Republicans and Democrats on a House subcommittee voted last week to demand that the Justice Department hand over thousands of pages of files about Epstein and his associates. It's a legally binding move that will force the Republican-led Congress to subpoena the Trump administration. 'The president, by September, will surely have turned over everything,' Rep. James Comer (R-Kentucky), who is in charge of issuing the subpoenas on behalf of the panel, predicted. This is the most significant action Congress has taken, but it's not the only one. Various House committees have voted three times in recent weeks to investigate Epstein's actions. Fanned by Democrats who see an opportunity to weaken Trump, the debate has paralyzed the House from doing much of anything else. Republican leaders sent lawmakers home early last week, with plans to reconvene in September. Maxwell was Epstein's girlfriend, and she is serving a 20-year prison sentence on charges of helping him sexually abuse underage girls. She is a critical link in the Epstein story, but she was also accused of lying related to her case, so it's not clear what credible information she might provide. House Republicans have subpoenaed her and are scheduled to talk to her in prison in Florida next month. Last week, the Justice Department dispatched Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, who was Trump's criminal defense lawyer, to interview her over two days about people in Epstein's orbit. Legal experts doubt Maxwell can shed any new light on the case. 'Prosecutors would have fully explored whether she had any valuable information before she went to trial and was sentenced,' said Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney now with the University of Michigan Law School. 'Anyone who could have been charged would have been charged a long time ago.' Evan Gotlob, an attorney who prosecuted similar crimes as a federal prosecutor in New York during the first Trump administration and is now with the Lucosky Brookman law firm, echoed that sentiment. 'I think she's just going to tell them what they already know. So this could be just for show,' Gotlob said. Another reason to be skeptical of what Maxwell says to authorities: She is gunning for a pardon. Trump recently told reporters he hasn't considered it but noted, 'I'm allowed to do it.' Bondi told Trump in May that he is named multiple times in the Epstein files, the Wall Street Journal recently reported. That may not be surprising given that the two once were friends, and Epstein had hundreds of contacts. There's no public evidence of any wrongdoing on Trump's part. But new reporting has underscored the extent of their friendship. Epstein attended one of Trump's weddings. Trump also contributed a 'bawdy' drawing and the wish that 'every day be another wonderful secret' for a book assembled for Epstein's 50th birthday, The Journal reported. (The Journal reported that other contributions included a poem from Wall Street billionaire Leon Black: 'Blonde, Red or Brunette, spread out geographically/ With this net of fish, Jeff's now 'The Old Man and The Sea'.') Trump's base is largely brushing off the idea that he knew about Epstein's criminal activity. Still, MAGA's most vocal adherents have yet to let go of what they see as the underlying issue: that the president has a chance to bring down bad guys, promised to do so and now isn't jumping on it. 'If you tell the base of people, who support you, of deep state treasonous crimes, election interference, blackmail, and rich powerful elite evil cabals, then you must take down every enemy of The People,' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) posted on social media last week. 'If not, The base will turn and there's no going back. 'Dangling bits of red meat no longer satisfies,' Greene wrote. 'They want the whole steak dinner and will accept nothing else.'
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Could Senator Adam Schiff really go to jail over alleged mortgage fraud?
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director William Pulte sent a criminal referral to Attorney General Pam Bondi in May alleging that California Democrat Sen. Adam Schiff "has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003-2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property." What is the gist of the complaint? That Schiff, while representing a California district in the House of Representatives, falsely listed his posh Maryland home as his primary residence in order to get more favorable loan terms when, in truth and in fact, his California condo, which he designated as his primary residence in order to qualify for a California homeowner's tax exemption, was his real primary residence. Even worse, according to the referral, Schiff claimed his Burbank condo as his primary/principal residence in California tax filings during the same years he listed his Maryland home as his primary/principal residence on loan applications to finance that home. Schiff's response to the criminal referral and to subsequent Truth Social posts by President Donald Trump was one we often see in white collar cases. Per the senator's office, "the lenders who provided the mortgages for both homes were well aware of then-Representative Schiff's Congressional service and of his intended year-round use of both homes, neither of which were vacation homes." That's not much of a denial, senator. The question is whether you lied on these forms or not. Were your answers accurate or not, and if they were inaccurate, were the answers a mistake or intentional? The devil is always in the details in white-collar cases like this. Which representatives of which particular lenders "were well aware" that Schiff intended to use both homes year-round, and why does that matter? The issue is whether Schiff intentionally lied on federal or state forms to gain a financial advantage. If he falsely listed his Maryland home as his primary residence in order to get a lower interest rate, that matters too. (After all, similar alleged falsehoods by Donald Trump were used by New York Attorney General Letitia James to go after Trump in her massive New York state civil action.) Did Schiff lie on California tax forms to gain an exemption he was not entitled to, and, if so, does it implicate any federal criminal statutes? This is what inquiring minds want to know, and we just don't have enough information at this stage to know all the answers. Based on what we do know, how likely is it that Schiff will be indicted for violating one of several federal bank fraud statutes that potentially cover his conduct? Not very likely. Here are several reasons why: The devil is always in the details in white-collar cases like this. Which representatives of which particular lenders "were well aware" that Schiff intended to use both homes year-round, and why does that matter? This leaves open the possibility of a state of California prosecution for filing false tax returns. Would you care to place any bets on that happening? The bottom line is this: Schiff's alleged conduct may be sleazy and his explanation shifty, but a criminal charge at the federal or state level does not seem to be in the offing.
