DHS cuts funds for groups helping legal immigrants become U.S. citizens
Christina Schoendorf's clients at United Community Ministries in Alexandria, Virginia, come from around the globe, but they have one thing in common: They all want to become U.S. citizens.
In 2023, the Department of Homeland Security awarded United Community a nearly $200,000, two-year grant to help immigrants, such as those from Afghanistan and Ivory Coast, prepare for citizenship. Through the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program (also known as the Citizenship and Assimilation program), Schoendorf had hoped to expand the organization's services to help an additional 120 people become naturalized.
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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Trump officials' move to deport Columbia activist Mahmoud Khalil likely unconstitutional: judge
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration's efforts to deport Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, in part to protect U.S. foreign policy, is likely unconstitutional. New Jersey District Judge Michael Farbiarz said that Khalil, who had a legally obtained green card to permanently reside in the United States, was 'likely to succeed' in his claim that the administration's determination that he is a threat to U.S. foreign policy is 'unconstitutionally vague.' But Farbiarz stopped short of releasing Khalil from detention in Louisiana, where he has been imprisoned for nearly three months. The judge said the Trump administration's use of the little-known provision in immigration law to deport Khalil would be 'unprecedented.' The Department of Homeland Security cited the provision in its action against Khalil that grants the secretary of state the authority to deport someone if it's determined that the person 'would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' The foreign policy law was 'unconstitutional as applied' to Khalil, who 'acted solely within the United States,' Farbiarz wrote in his 101-page ruling. The judge also noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio failed to 'affirmatively determine' that Khalil's actions had in any way affected U.S. relations with another country. Farbiarz, however, also noted that Khalil must provide proof regarding other issues raised by the Trump administration, including that he failed to provide information about memberships in certain organizations when he applied for his green card. Farbiarz said he would soon issue another order detailing the next steps in the case. Khalil was stripped of his green card and arrested in front of his then-pregnant wife in their New York City apartment building on March 8. He was sent to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Louisiana, roughly 1,300 miles away. Rubio has revoked hundreds of student visas over campus activism in the wake of Israel's devastation in Gaza, leading to several high-profile arrests of international scholars. The administration has accused Khalil of 'antisemitic activities' and supporting Hamas, which he has flatly rejected. Officials concede he has not committed any crime, but claim he can be removed over what Rubio has characterized as 'potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.' Khalil's legal team praised Wednesday's ruling. 'The district court held what we already knew: Secretary Rubio's weaponization of immigration law to punish Mahmoud and others like him is likely unconstitutional,' attorneys said in a statement. 'We will work as quickly as possible to provide the court the additional information it requested supporting our effort to free Mahmoud or otherwise return him to his wife and newborn son,' they added. 'Every day Mahmoud spends languishing in an ICE detention facility in Jena, Louisiana, is an affront to justice, and we won't stop working until he is free.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Yahoo
Boulder attack suspect faces 118 state-level criminal charges
Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty addresses the media outside the Boulder County Justice Center in a June 5, 2025 press conference. (Screenshot from City of Boulder livestream) The man accused of attacking a group of demonstrators with incendiary devices on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall returned to court on Thursday, where prosecutors charged him with 118 criminal counts that could add up to a prison sentence of hundreds of years. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, appeared for a brief administrative hearing at the Boulder County Jail. A preliminary hearing in his state case was set for July 15. Three victims in the attack remained hospitalized as of Thursday, Boulder officials said, while other victims met with law enforcement at the Boulder County Justice Center. Authorities have identified a total of 15 victims in the attack, some of whom experienced an attempted assault and did not sustain injuries. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a news conference following the hearing that the charges against the defendant include 14 counts of attempted murder with intent, and 14 counts of attempted murder with extreme indifference. Other charges include attempted assault, the use of an incendiary device and the attempted use of an incendiary device, as well as an animal cruelty charge for a dog that sustained injuries during the attack. 'The charges reflect the evidence that we have regarding this horrific attack that took place, and the seriousness of it,' Dougherty said. The suspect allegedly told police that he targeted a demonstration on Boulder's Pearl Street Mall held by Run For Their Lives, which organizes events calling for the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, because he wanted to 'kill all Zionist people.' He also faces a federal hate crime charge, and is set to make his first appearance in federal court on Friday. Additional federal charges are expected to follow. Federal authorities say the suspect, a Colorado Springs resident, was living in the U.S. unlawfully after overstaying a visa that expired in 2023. A federal judge in Denver has temporarily blocked the deportation of his wife, Hayam El Gamal, and their five children, after the Department of Homeland Security announced that it had taken them into custody and was 'processing (them) for removal proceedings from the U.S.' Dougherty said that he was 'absolutely committed' to fully prosecuting the defendant in the U.S. 'Obviously, making sure he remains in the country is a top priority, so that he can be fully prosecuted and held fully responsible,' Dougherty said. 'And I know the U.S. Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau investigation and the Boulder Police Department — not to speak for them, but I think we're all equally committed to that goal.' Boulder Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said during Thursday's press conference to expect enhanced security and a 'very visible law enforcement presence' at Sunday's Boulder Jewish Festival, which was planned long in advance of the attack and will take place on the same block of the Pearl Street Mall where it occurred. 'We are bringing in SWAT elements, we will have drones, we will have a lot of people there,' Redfearn said. 'We want people to feel safe, we want people to feel at ease, and right now the best way we can do that is ensure that we have a large number of officers there to be ready to respond to anything.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Wall Street Journal
5 days ago
- Wall Street Journal
How Can Congress Keep American Jews Safe?
Your editorial 'The Intifada Comes to Boulder' (June 3) rightly states that the recent violent attacks against American Jews, in Colorado and Washington, 'are intended to terrorize the Jewish diaspora.' You advise that this will get worse 'if it isn't denounced by all political sides.' That's true, but it mustn't be the end of the discussion. Republican and Democratic politicians have condemned these heinous attacks. What the American Jewish community needs now are concrete steps to keep us more safe and secure. Congress has underfunded the Nonprofit Security Grant Program—the largest federal program to support security at synagogues and other Jewish sites—administered by the Department of Homeland Security. For 2025, Congress appropriated $275 million for NSGP grants. Last year more than $900 million in applications were submitted. Congress should appropriate at least $500 million for NSGP grants for the coming year.
