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Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Protesters and journalists are barred from the outside of immigration court. Is it legal?
Activists and journalists gathered outside a federal immigration court in late May to do what they always do. The activists wanted to help migrants attending hearings know their legal rights, chastise immigration officers and show resistance to deportation efforts. Reporters wanted to bear witness, interview sources and share stories with the world about what was happening. Usually, assembling outside a court to protest, observe or report would be no problem. But May 21, private security told photojournalists and activists to leave the property. Phoenix police issued the same warning to activists May 28, and said they could get cited for trespassing — a criminal violation. By early June, a rope was installed to keep the public off the property, and "No Trespassing" signs were installed. That's because the immigration court isn't in a federal facility — it's in a private office building. Police officers said the landlord of the building had asked for people to leave if they did not have immediate business on the property. Advocates like Ricardo Reyes, the lead Arizona organizer for Common Defense, a veterans organization that defends migrants, were confused. He wondered: Since the courthouse is taxpayer funded, shouldn't the taxpaying public be given access and allowed to assemble outside? As of June 3, Phoenix police said the landlord had called three times to complain about trespassers but that no citations were issued. The effects of the warnings, however, were immediate. The advocates left the property and moved to a sidewalk along Van Buren Street. It was on the north side of the building, away from the entrance, which made connecting with migrants impossible. Activists continued to walk onto the private plaza, though, particularly when ICE made arrests. Reporters attending the hearings continued without restriction. But photographers and videographers, who aren't allowed in immigration courtrooms anyway, took to the sidewalk like the activists. Their ability to capture images of individuals entering the building was blocked. The First Amendment protects the public's right to assemble and the press's ability to report the news. But experts say the legal rights in this circumstance are extremely foggy. The fact the government doesn't own the land brings a host of complications. Plus, the right of the public to access immigration hearings isn't clear cut. "Right now, it's not all that clear because of the oddity of how this is all managed. Where the government's rights take over versus the landlord's rights, versus the other tenants' rights," Gregg Leslie, executive director of Arizona State University's First Amendment Clinic, said. Sign up for The Republic's American Border newsletter to get the latest immigration news every Thursday. The public's right to be somewhere, called "right of access," depends largely on whether land is public or private, Leslie said. The difficulty in this situation is that the government courtroom is on the third floor of a privately owned building with other tenants. While the public has a right to public land, that right doesn't exist on private land. But it can get more complex. "If it's private land owned for public access, there are certain allowances for there being greater public access to it," Leslie said. To that end, Leslie said it was "hard to believe" the plaza outside the building would be treated as private property, considering the public must have permission to walk through it on the way to court. Lease agreements might spell out how such circumstances should play out, Leslie said. The Arizona Republic requested but has not obtained the lease agreement. When The Republic called the Phoenix Immigration Court, the operator said she was not authorized to answer the question and hung up on the reporter. The U.S. Justice Department, the agency that houses immigration courts, directed questions from The Republic about why the court was inside a private building to the General Services Administration. The GSA, which manages federal government leases, said the government leases private property when "leasing is the only practical answer to meeting Federal space needs." In other words, leases are used when the existing federal property doesn't have space. In Phoenix, the federal buildings are downtown at 1st Avenue and Monroe Street, and 5th Avenue and Washington Street. The leasing company, Transwestern Real Estate Services, did not respond to questions from The Republic. Further clouding the public's ability to understand their rights are different interpretations for different parts of the building. Someone's right to be in the plaza versus the lobby or the third floor all varies depending on whether the space is considered "a traditional public forum," Leslie said. That means an area traditionally open to political speech and debate. Another challenge to the public's right to assemble or report at immigration court is there is no established First Amendment-based right of access, Leslie said. A typical federal courtroom is considered an Article III Court, meaning it was established under Article 3 of the U.S. Constitution and is thus subject to the First Amendment. "There is a right of access to those courts. You have a right to be there. You can be shut out, but (the government) has to overcome your presumption of a right to be there," Leslie said. But immigration courts, by contrast, are administrative. They're created by law and the same level of protections aren't applied. "Right after 9/11, there were fights over whether immigration courts had to be open, and two of the federal circuits came out differently, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear it," Leslie said. That lack of resolution has left the legal community in limbo. ASU's First Amendment Clinic is currently working on guidance trying to clarify what rights do and do not apply to immigration court. At the end of May, immigrants in Phoenix were seeing the government dismiss their case, only to turn around and immediately arrest them again — this time using expedited removal. That's a process that allows for deportation without a hearing. Advocates thought migrants deserved a warning, and went to offer help. "The people that are showing up are showing up in good faith. They have no idea they might get picked up by ICE as soon as their hearing is over, and they're not going to be able ... to have their families waiting for them at home," Reyes from Common Defense said. His group encouraged migrants to get attorneys, and told them about options such as requesting an extension for their case, or an appeal if their case was dismissed. The group also offered to accompany individuals, some of whom Reyes said were scared. But none of that was possible, he said, when they were shuffled to the sidewalk away from the building entrance. Reporters, including those at The Arizona Republic, have attended immigration court hearings intermittently for years as part of ongoing news coverage. The coverage serves myriad purposes, such as showing the public how government is carrying out President Donald Trump's deportation agenda. The information is meant to equip the public so they can make informed decisions. Disallowing photo and video reporters on-site has hindered the ability to show everything that's happening there. Taylor Seely is a First Amendment Reporting Fellow at The Arizona Republic / Do you have a story about the government infringing on your First Amendment rights? Reach her at tseely@ or by phone at 480-476-6116. Seely's role is funded through a collaboration between the Freedom Forum and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Reporters, protesters barred from outside of Arizona immigration court
USA Today
05-02-2025
- USA Today
Sheinbuam envía 1,500 elementos de la Guardia Nacional a Sonora para resguardar frontera
'American Border': Life at the US-Mexico border Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz previews a newsletter covering life at the U.S.-Mexico border called "American Border" just before the new Trump admin.
USA Today
05-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
1,500 Mexican National Guard arrive in Sonora to reinforce border with Arizona
1,500 Mexican National Guard arrive in Sonora to reinforce border with Arizona Show Caption Hide Caption 'American Border': Life at the US-Mexico border Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz previews a newsletter covering life at the U.S.-Mexico border called "American Border" just before the new Trump admin. About 1,500 members of Mexico's National Guard have been deployed to Sonora's border with Arizona as part of Operativo Frontera Norte, which Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced would send 10,000 troops to the country's northern border. Inspector General Ricardo Rodríguez Alexander, commander of the fourth battalion of the Mexican National Guard and coordinator of operations in Sonora, spoke with reporters on the tarmac at Hermosillo International Airport, where more than one hundred Guardsmen arrived on Tuesday. 'There will be activities in urban areas, rural areas, customs houses and roads with the purpose of limiting the flow of drugs, especially fentanyl,' the inspector general said. 'Likewise, gun-trafficking and reducing the generators of violence and the flow of migration.' The Mexican National Guard members are distributed to several municipalities across Sonora along the border, Rodríguez Alexander said. Nogales and San Luis Río Colorado host the two most significant shares of Guard members, with about 400 soldiers stationed in each. Sonoyta, Agua Prieta, and Naco each house 200 Guard members, and 100 are deployed to Sasabe. Mexico also sent troops to other border cities, including Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, and all border states. The deployment is part of an agreement postponing a 25% tariff imposed by President Donald Trump Saturday in an executive order. Sheinbaum agreed to reinforce the border with her soldiers, announcing in a post on X. that members of the Mexican National Guard would help "prevent drug trafficking to the United States." Trump has said that the tariffs are necessary 'to protect Americans' as he continues to pressure both Canada and Mexico to put more resources into curbing the export of fentanyl and reduce illegal immigration into the U.S. The president's executive order alleged that the Mexican government is in an 'intolerable alliance' with drug trafficking organizations, giving criminals 'safe havens' to manufacture drugs. 'We categorically reject the White House's slander that the Mexican government has alliances with criminal organizations, as well as any intention of meddling in our territory,' Sheinbaum wrote on social media. Mexico's Secretariat of National Defense, known as SEDENA, shared images and videos of troops boarding transport planes from army bases in Mexico City and scattered through the country's southeastern region. Sonora Gov. Alfonso Durazo Montaño told reporters that he would support the federal government's military deployment with Sonora's state police and that the state was preparing for large numbers of deportees. "We have worked on the infrastructure for the eventual increase in the return of migrants," said the governor, according to reporting by the Mexican outlet El Sol de Hermosillo. "The daily numbers on the return of migrants have not changed in their historical average." Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@ Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.
USA Today
31-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Arizona border town declares state of emergency in response to Trump executive orders
Arizona border town declares state of emergency in response to Trump executive orders Show Caption Hide Caption 'American Border': Life at the US-Mexico border Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz previews a newsletter covering life at the U.S.-Mexico border called "American Border" just before the new Trump admin. The Douglas City Council voted 3-2 to declare a state of emergency in response to President Donald Trump's border and immigration policy shifts. Douglas's proclamation states that the border town would experience "a potential loss in revenue for (the municipal) government and local businesses" and "an increase in costs to assist the federal government in carrying out these Proclamations and Executive Order." Douglas Mayor Jose Grijalva expressed concern over the president's own declaration of emergency at the southern border and a potential closure of the U.S.-Mexico border. The mayor said the changes could hurt the local economy, which relies on the residents of Agua Prieta, Mexico. He said 70% of the total sales tax collected comes from Mexican consumers. 'This is an effort to remain guarded, be proactive and create a preventive position for the city of Douglas,' the mayor said. In a special meeting Wednesday night, Councilmembers Ray Shelton and Richard Acosta voted against the emergency declaration, sharing similar concerns about its timing. '(Constituents are) saying, if we do this, that it's going to show that we're in an emergency when there's no emergency,' Shelton said. 'We're almost jumping the gun,' Acosta said. 'Why is Douglas declaring an emergency? It almost seems like Douglas is going against the administration right now.' Have news tips or story ideas? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@ Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.
USA Today
27-01-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump's denaturalization campaign
Trump's denaturalization campaign Hi all! It's Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY. It's the 30th anniversary since one of my all time favorite films, Before Sunrise, was released in theaters. Trump revives push to denaturalize US citizens Fewer than a dozen immigrants per year used to get their U.S. citizenship taken away — typically only if they hid their Nazi past, had ties to terrorists, or lied on their application. But President Donald Trump is rebooting an effort from his first term to denaturalize thousands of immigrant U.S. citizens. It's part of a directive that was in the deluge of executive orders he signed last week – and an indication that denaturalization will be part of his crackdown on immigration. Read more. Dr. Phil, embedded with ICE, films raids in Chicago Vance knocks Catholic organization for criticizing Trump immigration policy Immigration will likely be front and center at a retreat that Republican House lawmakers and Trump are having at his golf club in Miami on Monday. Follow along for updates here. The retreat comes a day after a trade war between the United States and Colombia *almost* broke out. Trump on Sunday said he was holding off on imposing tariffs and sanctions on Colombia after the country's president, Gustavo Petro, agreed to accept U.S. military aircraft deporting Colombian migrants. Read more. Want to stay updated with news from the border? Sign up for the Arizona Republic's new American Border newsletter A politics pit stop 5 takeaways from Trump's first week in office During the first week of his second term in office, Donald Trump took on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and rolled back decades-old federal labor policy that took steps toward ending discriminatory hiring practices. Civil rights leaders warn the president's actions could turn back the clock on race relations. Here's what Trump's actions mean going forward. Lindsey Graham: Trump made 'a mistake' by pardoning some Jan. 6 defendants After Donald Trump pardoned nearly 1,600 defendants charged in the Jan. 6, 2021 Capitol riots, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said he thinks it was a 'mistake' for the president to pardon those who committed violence against law enforcement officials in the attack. Graham said he feared the move could inspire 'more violence' in the country. Read more. Oath Keepers' Stewart Rhodes, out of prison, appears at Trump rally Got a burning question, or comment, for On Politics? You can submit them here or send me an email at rdmorin@
