Latest news with #AlejandroMayorkas
Washington Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
You asked: Can a Cabinet secretary be impeached?
Can Cabinet secretaries be impeached? Or is firing by the president the only way for them to be removed? Yes, a Cabinet secretary can be impeached. As you may recall, Republicans pursued impeachment proceedings against President Joe Biden's homeland security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas. They claimed he was failing in his duty to protect the border. Democrats said that the charges were ginned up and that this was simply a way for the GOP to make a political point about immigration.
Time Magazine
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Time Magazine
Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Strip Protections from Venezuelan Migrants
The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in an emergency order that the Trump Administration can remove legal protections from thousands of Venezuelan migrants, potentially putting them at risk of deportation. The decision will allow the Administration to reverse a decision made under former President Biden to extend Venezuelans' eligibility for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which grants foreign nationals work authorization, protects them from deportation, and allows them to travel. Eligibility for the protections was set to expire for Venezuelans in October 2026, after former Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas extended the 2023 Venezuela TPS designation. But in February, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sought to reverse that extension and make the protections expire this October instead. A San Francisco federal judge barred the Administration from terminating TPS for Venezuelans in a March ruling. But the nation's highest court issued a stay on Monday, allowing the Administration's new policy to remain in place while litigation over the decision continues in the lower courts. More than 300,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. have TPS. The status does not offer recipients a legal pathway to citizenship. More than a dozen countries, including Haiti and Nicaragua, are currently designated for TPS. In March, Noem also moved to cancel TPS protections for Afghanistan. The order says that Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson would have denied the application.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump asks Supreme Court to reinstate revocation of parole for Cubans, other migrants
The Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to reinstate its decision to end a program that granted temporary humanitarian parole to more than 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. In an emergency filing, Solicitor General D. John Sauer requested that the court block a ruling by a federal district judge in Massachusetts that stopped the Department of Homeland Security from revoking the parole status granted under a Biden-era policy. The program, introduced by former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, allowed migrants from those four countries to come to the U.S. for up to two years as part of an effort to reduce unlawful border crossings. In March, current DHS Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the parole program, known as CHNV for the initials of the countries involved, citing national security risks, mounting immigration backlogs, and evolving foreign policy concerns. But after the case went to court, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that DHS could not end the program across the board. Instead, she ordered the agency to conduct individual case reviews for all 532,000 migrants before revoking their parole. The administration argues that the decision exceeds the court's authority and interferes with powers Congress granted to DHS. Sauer noted that federal law gives the DHS secretary broad discretion over parole decisions—including the ability to revoke them—and limits judicial review of such actions. Sauer criticized what he called a 'one-way ratchet,' saying the court allowed Mayorkas to approve parole for large groups but is now requiring Noem to revoke it one case at a time. He warned that this could overwhelm the already overburdened immigration system. 'The district court's indefinite halt of parole revocation irreparably harms the government,' Sauer wrote. 'The court's order blocks the Executive Branch from exercising its discretionary authority over a key aspect of the Nation's immigration and foreign policy and thwarts Congress's express vesting of that decision in the Secretary, not courts.' The First Circuit Court of Appeals had previously denied the administration's request to pause the lower court ruling, prompting the appeal to the Supreme Court. The administration emphasized that migrants knew their parole was temporary and could be revoked at any time. It warned that the court's order could disrupt immigration enforcement and diplomatic efforts. The Supreme Court is expected to issue a decision soon, with major implications for executive authority and immigration policy. President Biden established the CHNV 'humanitarian parole' program in January 2023 in an effort to stem the flow if undocumented immigration to the U.S.-Mexico border. It allowed people from the four countries to come to the U.S. for two years if they had a sponsor in the United States, passed a background check and bought a plane ticket. The program allowed a maximum of 30,000 people a month to come to the U.S. More than 500,000 people came to the U.S. under the program. The attorneys representing the four groups argue that ending the CHNV program is not only legally flawed but also inhumane, as it effectively cuts off pathways to asylum and permanent residency for thousands of vulnerable individuals. Freezing the status quo in place prevents hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela from imminent termination of their parole status by the Trump administration. Still, the paroled immigrants, depending on when they arrived in the United States, face a two-year deadline that affects each one differently — it could fall next month, this summer or even in 2026 for those who arrived as recently as last December, for example. Immigration lawyers highlight challenges for paroled immigrants seeking asylum, TPS, or green cards while advocates hope those with pending applications can remain in the U.S. even after their parole expires, a courtesy the Trump administration would likely not extend, arguing its termination order was not subject to court review. Talwani's ruling only halted the revocation of parole status and work permits, not pending applications for other immigration benefits. The Trump administration argued during the Boston case that the parole program, created by Biden to provide a legal avenue for entry and reduce border irregular migration for individuals with U.S. sponsors and who passed checks, did not align with its foreign policy and had little impact on border flows. As of December 2024, over 531,000 people entered via the program from the troubled nations facing political repression, violence and economic turmoil. The administration intends to prioritize for deportation those without pending applications for legal status, such as asylum or TPS. Talwani ruled the administration misinterpreted immigration law by viewing paroled migrants as illegal border crossers rather than individuals granted legal entry. Miami Herald reporter Jay Weaver contributed to this story.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Oregon, California, Florida churches detail suit against Trump admin's ‘chilling' immigration practice
PORTLAND, Ore. () – A farmworkers' union and a group of churches spanning Oregon, California and Florida held a press conference on Tuesday laying out their lawsuit against the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in sensitive locations. Filed Monday in Eugene, Oregon, the lawsuit challenges the administration's efforts to end protections in which immigration agents avoided detaining people in '' such as churches, schools, courthouses and hospitals. That practice has been in place for decades, the lawsuit says, noting on day one of President Trump's second term, the Department of Homeland Security revoked a memo issued by former DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2020 under the Biden administration, that recognized protection of sensitive locations. Trump executive order 'another attempt to bully Portland' 'For over three decades, this country's rules on immigration enforcement have protected sacred spaces, where individuals access critical human services. These protections mirror the foundational American beliefs and laws that guarantee the free exercise of religion, defend the right to assembly and safeguard the unalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,' said Tess Hellgren, the plaintiffs' attorney and director of legal advocacy at Innovation Law Lab in Portland. 'But on January 20, 2025, the Trump administration abruptly and arbitrarily reversed course by opening sensitive locations to immigration enforcement at the discretion of immigration agents,' Hellgren said during Tuesday's press conference. 'Faced with this unlawful reversal, the organizations in this case have sued to protect their ability to sustain their missions and the fundamental freedom of their members.' Innovation Law Lab and the Justice Action Center filed the lawsuit on behalf of several organizations including Oregon farmworkers' union Pineros Y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), and several churches, including Portland's Augustana Lutheran Church, San Francisco's Our Lady Guadalupe Parish, the San Francisco Interfaith Council and Westminster Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Florida. As REAL ID deadline looms, here's what happens if you don't have one Those organizations filed the lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Acting Director Todd Lyons and Pete Flores, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protections — alleging the administration has violated the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Administrative Procedures Act. 'As a result of the administration's new policy, sacred spaces have become sources of extreme anxiety rather than places of healing, expression, reflection, celebration, and refuge. Community members are deprived of social services and places where they gather to celebrate, educate, and advocate; parishioners are afraid to attend religious ceremonies; and essential services to the most vulnerable—from healthcare to education to disaster relief—have been disrupted. Defendants' actions are not only unlawful, but they strike the heart of what allows a civil society to flourish—its sacred spaces,' the lawsuit claims. According to Innovation Law Lab, removing the protections has 'wreaked havoc' on the plaintiffs and immigrant communities who witness the 'often traumatizing and chilling ICE activity.' Oregon Senate passes 'game-changer' bill to streamline housing development 'These organizations are striving for a more perfect nation where no person should be forced to retreat from civic life out of fear of deportation or indefinite detention,' Hellgren said. The plaintiffs argue they cannot carry out parts of their missions to support immigrant communities without the sensitive location protection. 'Many of PCUN's members, they've been placed in an untenable situation where they have to choose whether to get necessary medical care or risk immigration detention. This harms their ability to be able to provide for their families and to continue to work,' said PCUN President Reyna Lopez. 'Our mission has been harmed because we are no longer able to guarantee that people can be safe coming to our offices and that people can be safe coming to our events. None of us should have to live in fear of the Trump administration.' Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Reverend Rebecca Putman, a pastor at Westminster Presbyterian, added, 'Our congregation is small, only about 700 members. But each week, 700 people use our church for various community events. Among those, we partner with local nonprofit organizations to host different programs and workshops and also provide legal and support services for Gainesville's immigrant community members,' noting the church does not fall anywhere on the political spectrum. 'Allowing immigration enforcement in sensitive locations impedes our ability to fulfill our mission,' Putman said. 'Immigration action at houses of worship defiles a place where people should be and feel safe.' On her decision to join the lawsuit, Putman said, 'Defending our right to carry out our mission is vital.' Alaska Airlines will 'invest more' in stops at Portland International Airport The lawsuit comes as some Oregon officials and religious leaders have spoken out in support of immigrant communities amid the administration's crackdown on immigration. This includes church leaders such as Rev. Mark Knutson of Augustana Lutheran, who trains congregations on sanctuary church initiatives. In February, the reverend said he was denied entry to an ICE facility in Portland during a routine check-in. Alaska Airlines will 'invest more' in stops at Portland International Airport Knutson said he attempted to accompany a man into the immigration detention facility on South Macadam Avenue when a worker at the ICE facility told Knutson he couldn't accompany him. 'That's what we do as clergy, we go and be with people and get let into these places. This is a first, that they've ever done this,' Knutson previously said. 'The practice is at ICE, you can accompany as a clergy, a person that's going in to check in, because you never know what's going to happen once you're inside.' In a statement to KOIN 6 News on Tuesday, a DHS spokesperson said, 'We are protecting our schools, places of worship, and Americans who attend by preventing criminal aliens and gang members from exploiting these locations and taking safe haven there because these criminals knew law enforcement couldn't go inside under the previous Administration. DHS's directive gives our law enforcement the ability to do their jobs. For context: Our agents use discretion. Officers would need secondary supervisor approval before any action can be taken in locations such as a church or a school. We expect these to be extremely rare.' KOIN 6 News also reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge signals ‘likelihood of injury' as Venezuelan TPS deadline looms
A federal judge said after a hearing Monday that he will determine whether he has the authority to decide a case in which hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans are at risk of losing deportation protections in less than two weeks. The Trump administration has revoked an extension of Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans that was granted by former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Jan. 17, days before President Trump took office. The Trump administration has rolled back the extension, which would have lasted until October 2026. If the revocation remains in place, it would mean many of the 350,000 Venezuelans who benefit from the status would, as of April 2, lose their ability to work and would be deportable. The lawsuit was filed in San Francisco by seven Venezuelan nationals who argue that the Trump administration's decision is not only unlawful but politically motivated and racially biased. Along with the National TPS Alliance, the Venezuelans are calling for the reinstatement of the 18-month TPS extension the Venezuelans at risk of losing their protections in April as well as an additional 257,000 who would lose theirs in September. U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen, who is overseeing the case, is the same judge who, in October 2018, issued a preliminary injunction blocking the first Trump administration's attempt to end the TPS program for immigrants from El Salvador, Nicaragua, Haiti and Sudan. Nearly two years after his initial ruling, a federal appeals court overturned the injunction, though it remained in effect until February 2024, when the judge granted the Biden administration's motion to dismiss the case. U.S. government attorneys argued Monday that Chen lacks jurisdiction to block the administration's revocation of TPS. The lawyers argued that Congress has granted the secretary of Homeland Security the authority to review TPS decisions. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the decision to revoke the TPS extension. Venezuela was first designated for TPS in March 2021, allowing over 350,000 individuals to apply for protections. The designation was expanded in 2023 to include an additional 257,000 Venezuelans. This move was widely celebrated in South Florida, home to one of the largest Venezuelan communities in the U.S.. During Monday's hearing, the government did not contest the evidence presented by the Venezuelans who sued regarding the negative economic and workforce impact if Venezuelan TPS holders are forced to leave the country. 'It seems to me that the record shows a likelihood of injury in the absence of relief, at least based on the current record,' the judge said. 'While new evidence may emerge at trial, for now this element appears to be undisputed.' The judge asked Justice Department attorney Sarah L. Vuong what hardships the government would suffer if the decision to end TPS were postponed. 'The harms to the government are that the secretary has looked at the issue, has made a determination related to the national interest, and the secretary has an interest in having her orders carried out,' Vuong said, adding that Noem determined it is safe for the TPS holders to return to Venezuela. Ahilan Arulanantham, an attorney with the UCLA Center for Immigration Law and Policy, argued that the administration has not taken the time to properly evaluate conditions in Venezuela to determine whether it is safe for its nationals to return, and added that during such a review some of the Venezuelans with TPS might have the time to obtain some other immigration status to remain in the U.S. The lawsuit, filed by the Center for Immigration Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law, the ACLU Foundation of Southern California, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, argues that Venezuelan TPS recipients contribute approximately $3.5 billion annually to the U.S. economy and pay over $400 million in Social Security taxes. The attorneys also said that 76% of Venezuelan immigrants are employed, many in critical sectors such as transportation, construction, and natural resources, and that 48% of Venezuelan immigrants have attained at least a bachelor's degree, positioning them as key contributors across various industries. 'We are asking the court to stop the federal government from stripping TPS protections from 600,000 Venezuelans because the government's actions clearly violate the TPS statute and are motivated by racism, violating the Fifth Amendment,' Arulanantham said in a statement. 'This administration cannot simply ignore the law when it doesn't like it.' Erik Crew, an attorney with the Haitian Bridge Alliance who is part of the legal team representing the group that filed the lawsuit, said they 'deserve to know that the humanitarian protection granted to them will not be stripped away in a matter of days.' Several lawsuits are currently pending in federal courts challenging the rollback of TPS for Venezuelans and Haitians. Other lawsuits are challenging the revocation of a Biden-ear humanitarian parole program for over half a million Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan migrants. An ongoing lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., is challenging last week's deportation of Venezuelan men to a mega-prison in El Salvador. The administration has claimed a wartime authority to deport the men, claiming they are members of the feared Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, but the lawsuit says the men were never given an opportunity in court to show they were not gang members. One of the plaintiffs in the San Francisco case, Cecilia González Herrera, 26, who fled the Nicolás Maduro regime in Venezuela and arrived in the U.S. eight years ago with her family, said in a press conference that she and other Venezuelans will not stand by as the protections 'are dismantled.' González Herrera, who lives in Kissimmee, is a TPS holder, along with her family, and has sought political asylum. Currently studying Political Science and Latin American Studies at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, González Herrera said she feels a responsibility as a human-rights activist to fight for herself and her community. 'This fight is about justice — about preserving a program that has saved lives and created opportunities for so many,' she said. 'As Venezuelan TPS recipients, we refuse to be silent. We have already fled once, and now we are choosing to fight — not just for our families, but for the hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan TPS recipients who deserve to live without fear.'
