Latest news with #D-Texas
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘What the F is wrong with you?': Black lawmakers rip Trump admin for charging Rep. McIver over ICE standoff
House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries and others vow to hold the Trump administration accountable for what they say is an abuse of power. 'What the F is wrong with you?' said U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, in a video reacting to the Trump administration criminally charging Rep. LaMonica McIver over an encounter she and other members of Congress had with ICE agents earlier this month. McIver, a freshman representing New Jersey's 10th Congressional District, has been charged with assaulting, impeding, or interfering with law enforcement. The charges were announced late Monday by Interim New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, who was appointed by President Donald Trump and served as his legal spokesperson before briefly serving as his White House counselor. On May 9, Rep. McIver joined Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. to survey a federal immigration detention center in Newark alongside the city's mayor, Ras Baraka, who was infamously arrested for allegedly trespassing. Video footage of the skirmish showed a chaotic scene as all three members of Congress attempted to prevent ICE agents from arresting Baraka, whose misdemeanor case was dismissed. Black members of Congress swiftly condemned Habba's decision to charge Congresswoman McIver, accusing the Trump administration of playing politics and abusing their executive power. They vowed to seek accountability. 'We're going to make sure that every single person responsible for this corrupt abuse of power and egregious overreach is held accountable,' said Jeffries. The House Democratic leader refuted the claim that McIver committed any crime and insisted that she and her colleagues were 'conducting a constitutionally protected oversight visit.' Jeffries demanded the charges against the New Jersey congresswoman be dropped 'immediately.' U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, also quickly condemned the charges against McIver late Monday night. 'Let me be very clear: this is what the weaponization of government looks like,' said Crockett, a rising star in the Democratic Party. 'Rep. LaMonica McIver was doing her job—conducting oversight, standing up for her constituents, and demanding answers from an out-of control-administration.' Crockett, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, said that instead of being allowed to do her job, McIver was met with 'retaliation' and 'intimidation,' adding, 'Now, they're hitting her with charges.' 'Let's be honest: this isn't about justice. It's a political stunt—plain and simple. Charging Rep. McIver is a desperate attempt to scare her into silence,' said the congresswoman and attorney. 'If they can come for an elected Member of Congress while she's doing her job, they can come for anybody. Doesn't matter if you're a citizen, a green card holder, or someone just trying to survive in this country—if you challenge their power, you become a target.' The Texas lawmaker continued: 'This is the same tired authoritarian playbook we've seen again and again under this administration.' Rep. Yvette Clarke, chairwoman of the Congressional Black Caucus, also condemned the Trump administration as being 'cowardly' and hitting McIver with 'bogus charges.' 'Ultimately, these efforts will fail, because House Democrats and the Congressional Black Caucus will never bend the knee to the Trump administration,' said Clarke. 'The CBC and House Democrats will continue working each day to hold President Trump and his administration accountable, including conducting constitutionally mandated oversight and standing up against these attempts at congressional intimidation, bullying, and extreme abuses of power.' More must-reads: Keisha Lance Bottoms announces run for Georgia governor: 'We are in a fight against chaos' Rep. LaMonica McIver charged with assault after skirmish at ICE center, DOJ prosecutor says Former Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms 'heartbroken' over Biden's cancer diagnosis
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas Democrats propose resolution to ban Cruz from college playoffs: ‘Well-known curse'
A pair of Texas Democrats are putting forth a resolution aimed at barring 'well-known curse' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) from attending college playoff sporting events in the Lone Star State. Harris County Democratic Party precinct Chairs Charles Kuffner and Bill Kelly 'have come together to author a resolution prohibiting podcaster Ted Cruz from attending college playoff games in person given his record of personal failure,' according to a Wednesday news release on Kuffner's website. 'The nine scariest words for any college fan to hear are 'I'm Ted Cruz and I'm coming to your game,'' Kelly said in a statement. The Houston Chronicle's editorial board explained the so-called curse last year, writing that the lawmaker 'has been present at so many disappointing games — the Rockets loss to the Warriors in the 2018 playoffs, the Texas Tech loss to Virginia in the NCAA men's finals in 2019 and, well, the list goes on and on — that sports fans dread the 'Cruz curse.'' Citing Cruz's presence at last month's NCAA men's basketball title game that saw the University of Houston losing to the University of Florida, the tongue-in-cheek resolution said the Harris County Democratic Party 'will work with all partners to keep Ted Cruz away from attending college playoff sporting events in person.' A Cruz spokesperson appeared unamused by the resolution, saying it was a partisan stunt that wasn't worthy of news coverage. The senator, the spokesperson said on Thursday, has 'been attending Texas sports games his entire life. When they win, he's there. When they lose, he's there.' 'When Texas Democrats lose, he's almost always there,' the spokesperson added. It's not the first time that Democrats have latched on to the 'Cruz curse' in sports-related swipes at the three-term senator. During his failed bid to unseat Cruz last year, then-Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) released a campaign ad in which a narrator warned, 'Sports fans across Texas are suffering from the same affliction: the Ted Cruz curse.' In detailing the resolution on his website, Kuffner said, 'Silliness aside, a little mockery is a good tool to have in your belt for when it is needed.' Kelly, one of the resolution's authors, insisted in an interview with ITK that the resolution was in the process of being formally introduced. Responding to the statement from the Cruz representative, Kelly said, 'This should be something that Republicans and Democrats can agree on: Ted Cruz needs to stay away from college games.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Texas Democrats propose resolution to ban Cruz from college playoffs: ‘Well-known curse'
A pair of Texas Democrats are putting forth a resolution aimed at barring 'well-known curse' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) from attending college playoff sporting events in the Lone Star state. Harris County Democratic Party precinct chairs Charles Kuffner and Bill Kelly 'have come together to author a resolution prohibiting podcaster Ted Cruz from attending college playoff games in person given his record of personal failure,' according to a Wednesday news release on Kuffner's website. ' The nine scariest words for any college fan to hear are 'I'm Ted Cruz and I'm coming to your game,'' Kelly said in a statement. The Houston Chronicle's editorial board explained the so-called 'curse' last year, writing that the lawmaker 'has been present at so many disappointing games — the Rockets loss to the Warriors in the 2018 playoffs, the Texas Tech loss to Virginia in the NCAA men's finals in 2019 and, well, the list goes on and on — that sports fans dread the 'Cruz curse.'' Citing Cruz's presence at last month's NCAA men's basketball title game that saw the University of Houston losing to the University of Florida, the tongue-in-cheek resolution said the Harris County Democratic Party 'will work with all partners to keep Ted Cruz away from attending college playoff sporting events in person.' A Cruz spokesperson appeared unamused by the resolution, saying it was a partisan stunt that wasn't worthy of news coverage. The senator, the spokesperson said on Thursday, has 'been attending Texas sports games his entire life. When they win, he's there. When they lose, he's there.' 'When Texas Democrats lose, he's almost always there,' the spokesperson added. It's not the first time that Democrats have latched on to the 'Cruz curse' in sports-related swipes at the three-term senator. During his failed bid to unseat Cruz last year, then-Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) released a campaign ad in which a narrator warned, 'Sports fans across Texas are suffering from the same affliction: the Ted Cruz curse.' In detailing the resolution on his website, Kuffner said, 'Silliness aside, a little mockery is a good tool to have in your belt for when it is needed.' Kelly, one of the resolution's authors, insisted in an interview with ITK that the resolution was in the process of being formally introduced. Responding to the statement from the Cruz representative, Kelly said, 'This should be something that Republicans and Democrats can agree on: Ted Cruz needs to stay away from college games.'
NBC News
09-05-2025
- Health
- NBC News
Deported family of U.S. citizen girl recovering from rare brain tumor are determined to return
A girl recovering from a rare brain tumor celebrated her 11th birthday on Sunday, hundreds of miles away from everything she's known — her friends at school, her community at church, her home. She's one of four U.S. citizen children who were sent to Mexico from Texas three months ago when immigration authorities deported their undocumented parents. Fearing for their safety after the mixed-immigration status family was taken to an area in Mexico that's been known for kidnapping U.S. citizens, they haven't given up on being able to return to the U.S. — primarily to continue the girl's medical treatment. On Friday morning, the family is traveling to Monterrey to meet with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. They hope that sharing their immigration plight motivates legislators to advocate for their return under humanitarian parole, according to a family representative. 'Pressure from the public about the deportation of vulnerable United States citizen children really is effective, and members of Congress are answering that call,' Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, the legal advocacy and litigation organization representing the family, told NBC News Thursday. Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat of New York and Sylvia Garcia and Joaquin Castro, both of Texas, are set to meet with the family, according to a spokesperson from the Texas Civil Rights Project. 'It's important that the public continue paying attention to this but also continue engaging and encouraging members of Congress to take action,' Garza said. The girl's mother first told NBC News about the family's ordeal in March. The case got the attention of several other lawmakers in Congress including Democratic Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Alex Padilla of California as well as Rep. Al Green, D-Texas. Since then, five other similar cases, including a mother who was deported to Honduras last month with her two U.S. citizen children, one of which is a 4-year-old boy with Stage 4 cancer, have become public. 'It would not surprise me if this were much more systemic than what we are currently seeing,' Garza said. How it all started The mother previously told NBC News that on Feb. 3 the family was driving from the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, area where they lived, to Houston, where their daughter's specialist doctors are based, for an emergency medical checkup. On the way there, they stopped at a stateside immigration checkpoint, one they have passed through multiple times. The parents were equipped with letters from their doctors and lawyers to show the officers at the checkpoint. But immigration authorities arrested the parents after they were unable to show legal immigration documentation. According to their attorney, Daniel Woodward, other than lacking 'valid immigration status in the U.S.,' the parents have 'no criminal history.' He added the parents were in the process of obtaining T visas, a temporary immigration benefit for victims of human trafficking. Five of their children, ages 15, 13, 11, 8 and 6 — four of whom are U.S. citizens — were with them when they were arrested. The parents and the children were taken to a detention facility, where they spent 24 hours before they were placed in a van and dropped on the Mexico side of a Texas bridge on Feb. 4. NBC News is not publishing the family members' names for safety reasons. Attorneys for the family filed a complaint with the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in March requesting a probe into abuses they say the family faced in U.S. detention. In the filing, they also requested immigration authorities grant humanitarian parole to the undocumented parents, the girl and one of her siblings. But that DHS office, which protected the civil rights of both immigrants and U.S. citizens, was dismantled shortly after the attorneys filed the complaint — forcing them to re-file it with the Office of Inspector General at the Department of Health and Human Services. They have not yet received a response. A DHS spokesperson previously told NBC News that reports of the family's situation are 'inaccurate' and declined to speak on the specifics of the case citing privacy reasons. They said in a statement that when 'someone is given expedited removal orders and chooses to disregard them, they will face the consequences.' In response to a similar but different case involving the removal of U.S. citizen children in connection to their mother's deportation, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement Thursday: 'The narrative that DHS is deporting American children is false and irresponsible reporting,' adding that immigration authorities ask mothers if they wish to be removed with their children or if they want the children to be placed in the safe custody of someone the parent designates. McLaughlin added that undocumented parents can 'take control of their departure' by using the CBP Home app, the Trump administration's self-deportation app. Speaking from Mexico in March, the mother of the 11-year-old said in a video message in Spanish provided to NBC News that she and her husband, when they were detained, 'faced the worst decision, an impossible one, to be permanently separated from our children or to be deported together.' When undocumented parents of U.S.-born children are picked up by immigration authorities, they face the risk of losing custody of their children. Without power-of-attorney documents or guardianships outlining who will take care of the children left behind, the children can go into the U.S. foster care system, making it harder for parents to regain custody of their children in the future. Making the case for humanitarian parole Just after her birthday, the girl had her first medical checkup in Monterrey this week. Denisse Molina, a humanitarian outreach coordinator at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said it took her 'two exhausting days, countless phone calls, and being bounced between hospital departments' to secure a medical appointment and schedule an MRI for the girl. 'No one—especially a child in need — should have to fight this hard just to access essential care,' Molina told NBC News in a statement Thursday. While this temporary solution is bringing the family some relief, regular medical checkups are critical, according to the child's mother and the family's advocates. The child was diagnosed with the brain tumor last year and underwent surgery to remove it, the mother said after learning of the diagnosis through translators. But Woodward said that since contacting the girl's doctors and obtaining her medical records in the family's pursuit to obtain humanitarian parole, she found out the cause of the tumor was an 'unnamed 'novel' condition.' Few medical specialists can effectively monitor these kinds of cases; the girl's U.S. doctors are among those with the necessary expertise. The girl needs scans and checkups every three months, her doctors told the Texas Civil Rights Project. The surgery that saved the girl's life last year left her with some lasting side effects. The swelling on her brain is still not fully gone, her mother said in March, causing difficulties with speech and mobility of the right side of her body. Before the family was removed from the U.S., the girl was routinely checking in with doctors monitoring her recovery, attending rehabilitation therapy sessions and taking medication to prevent convulsions. In Mexico, the family has been able to enroll four of their children in school while they get ready to apply for humanitarian parole later this month at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. According to the USCIS website, applicants may demonstrate urgency by establishing a reason to be in the U.S. that calls for immediate action, including critical medical treatment, or the need to visit, assist or support a relative who is ill. 'Our hope is that members of Congress will learn about this particular case and support our request for humanitarian parole for the family,' Garza said.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
"We're going to get answers": Texas Democrat presses ICE over an avowed "fascist" in its ranks
As President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown rears its head, filling federal courts across the country with cases of immigrants caught up in his effort to carry out mass deportations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been at the center, carrying out in high numbers the arrests, detentions and removals the administration has sought. But a February investigative report uncovered that among the agency's ranks is a Dallas-area prosecutor alleged to operate a racist social media account. Months later, a lack of information about the prosecutor's standing has pushed federal lawmakers to press the agency for a definitive response. "We're going to get answers from ICE on this situation," U.S. Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, told Salon. "It's not 'if' we're going to get answers. We're going to get answers from ICE on this, and we expect for the answers to be timely, and we're going to continue to push if they don't." In February, a Texas Observer investigation found that an ICE prosecutor working in the state's immigration courts has likely been operating X account GlomarResponder, which has made a number of openly racist, xenophobic and pro-fascist posts on the platform since the account went live in 2012. 'America is a White nation, founded by Whites. We are the historical and majority population, and it was founded for our benefit. Our country should favor us," GlomarResponder said in one January 2025 post. Other posts include one from last September stating, 'All blacks are foreign to my people, dumb f***,' and another from May where the account owner professed to be a "fascist." GlomarResponder also authored a number of anti-immigrant posts, including one from August last year that said, ''Migrants' are all criminals.' Two months later, the Observer reported, the account posted an image that read, "It is our holy duty to guard against the foreign hordes." In January, he made a separate post evoking violence against immigrants. After cross-referencing biographical details shared on the profile with other social media accounts, public records, interviews and court hearing attendance, the Observer linked the account to James Joseph Rodden, a Dallas-area assistant chief counsel for ICE who represents the agency in removal cases. The account, now private, had nearly 17,000 followers as of Tuesday. Following the report, Rep. Veasey wrote to ICE Acting Deputy Director Kenneth Genalo on Feb. 24 requesting a "full and transparent account" of the actions the agency is taking to investigate the claims within 30 days. Reps. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., and Bennie G. Thompson, D-Miss., joined Veasey in demanding a response from the Trump administration in a separate Feb. 24 letter addressed to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "ICE prosecutors play a crucial role in enforcing our nation's immigration laws," Veasey wrote. "Any association with white supremacist ideology by an ICE official not only undermines public trust but also raises legitimate concerns about bias in prosecutorial decision-making." In a phone interview, Veasey said it was important for him to seek accountability from the agency because the notion that a federal employee who largely interfaces with people of color from outside the U.S. is operating a "KKK-equivalent" social media page is "absolutely alarming." That he even made it through any sort of background check is even scarier, Veasey added. "It calls into question just all sorts of things: How was he vetted before he was hired? How are they vetting people that worked at the agency or potential hires? It's scary to think about the fact that someone like him was ever working at this agency in the first place." Veasey would receive a response from ICE on March 6, with the agency acknowledging the media report and stating that the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility will "ensure the allegations are addressed appropriately, fairly, and expeditiously," according to the Observer. The letter also noted that OPR typically completes those administrative investigations within 120 days. That response, Veasey said, though appreciated, was wholly insufficient. But it was all the response he and his colleagues would get. Now more than a month removed from his last correspondence with the agency, the congressman said he still has yet to receive any updates on the agency's investigation into the allegations or information on Rodden's standing with it. "This should have been something that they should have been able to get back with me two weeks at the latest," Veasey said, calling a 120-day response time for a situation like this "ridiculous." "I've been doing this a long, long time," he added. "You're not going to fool me at all. I know how long it takes for agencies to respond to people and to get back with people. I understand what sort of case work inquiries and what sort of findings take longer than others, and this is not one that should take 120-plus days. It's just absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary, and they should get back to us immediately." ICE did not respond to an emailed request for comment. At the time of the initial report, an ICE spokesperson declined to confirm Rodden's employment to the Observer or release personnel records for Rodden without his consent. The spokesperson also insisted that the agency "holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and takes seriously all allegations of inappropriate conduct." Whether Rodden remains employed at the agency is also unclear, a point of contention Veasey called "ridiculous." "We don't understand why ICE won't just be transparent," he said. "But it also begs the question, too: How long is it going to take for them to find out whether or not he acted in malice, and whether or not he was racist in handling many of these different cases that most likely he touched at one time or another?" That lack of transparency demonstrates that the Trump administration believes its "running some sort of strongman, authoritarian, backwards country" and that it doesn't have to be accountable to Congress, he said. But the current Congress has a permissive dynamic with the administration that enables that behavior, he added. "We have a very subservient U.S. Congress, led by Republicans that, quite frankly, are not exercising their authority as a coequal branch of government in holding this White House accountable," Veasey said. "Obviously, you want to be able to work with the president, particularly if you control the House of Representatives. Democrats wanted to work with Joe Biden, and I'm sure that Republicans want to work with Donald Trump. But what I will also tell you is that it's our job to check the administration when they think that they've gone too far." Veasey said he worked to hold former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden accountable several times over the course of his 15-year tenure. "It's their job to stand up and to show courage and to demand that these agencies be ran with transparency and that we exercise our congressional oversight when things go too far like they have with this Rodden situation," he said. "But right now, Congress is a very compliant Congress led by these reckless, radical Republicans, and it's not good for the country." Veasey said that he and his colleagues are continuing to press the agency — and the Trump administration — for answers about the investigation. Their hope, he said, is that they will soon receive a decisive answer. At the very least, he said he expects ICE to be more responsive, transparent and prompt in addressing his inquiry. In the interim, he said they will continue to demand that ICE turn over information regarding Rodden, the results of its investigation and what disciplinary actions it may be taking, and will take further actions to ensure they comply if they continue to be resistant. "They have a responsibility to give us answers," Veasey said. "Again, we have coequal branches of government, and the executive branch has the responsibility — and it's their duty, by law — to give us answers to questions about how these agencies are run. There's a reason why Congress has oversight, and these inquiries are a form of oversight, and I continue to plan on exercising that oversight." In conducting oversight when government officials or agencies are reluctant to produce information, Congress normally launches special inquiries into alleged misconduct, which involves gathering testimony and calling witnesses to obtain answers. "I'm not worried about if I'm going to get it," Veasey added. "We're going to get it, and if they think that we're just going to go away and not talk about it anymore, they're wrong. We're going to keep pressing it."
