Latest news with #DeferredActionforChildhoodArrivals
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
A recent history of Supreme Court ties
This article was first published in the State of Faith newsletter. Sign up to receive the newsletter in your inbox each Monday night. The Supreme Court's religious charter school case came in with a bang and ended with a tie. The justices announced Thursday that they were 'equally divided' in Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, which means the Oklahoma Supreme Court's ruling against the first-of-its-kind school remains in place. The possibility of a deadlocked court had been floated ever since Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself. Still, Thursday's announcement felt surreal — and anticlimactic. Well, maybe anticlimactic is the wrong word. I wasn't so much disappointed as I was unsettled by the idea that the country is no closer to a consensus on religious charter schools today than it was before the Oklahoma case was fully briefed and argued. But admitting that probably makes me sound naive. Multiple closely watched Supreme Court cases have ended in ties over the past decade, or in extremely narrow rulings that said little about underlying constitutional questions. Ties on the Supreme Court can stem from recusals, as the Drummond ruling did, or from vacancies. After Justice Antonin Scalia died in February 2016, a few notable cases ended with a 4-4 vote, including United States v. Texas, which was about the Obama administration's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association, which was about public school unions. Ties stemming from recusals are particularly common after a new justice is appointed to the court, because the justice can't participate in cases they considered or worked on in their previous position. In the case of a tie at the Supreme Court level, the lower court decision remains in place. Tie rulings may become more common moving forward as the justices adapt to the court's relatively new ethics code. The code, which was adopted in 2023, puts more pressure on the justices to track and disclose potential conflicts of interest. The new ethics rules likely explain why four justices recused themselves this month from considering whether to hear a case that involved a prominent book publisher, according to The Washington Post. Because there weren't six justices left to vote, the lower court ruling will remain in place. First-of-its-kind religious charter school blocked by deadlocked Supreme Court Prayer service at Pentagon sparks religious freedom debate New research on astrology, tarot cards and fortune tellers is full of surprises Omega Gym in Rome caters to an unusual clientele: priests, nuns and monsignors from the Vatican City. Pope Leo XIV went there several times a week over the past two years — when he was still known as Robert Prevost — as he tried to improve his 'posture and cardiovascular capacity,' according to The Associated Press. 'When the name of the pope was announced, my phone rings and my son tells me, 'Dad, it's Robert! Robert, our member!'' Francesco Tamburlani, the owner of the gym, told the AP. 'I heard the gym staff behind him cheering. ... This moved us, filled us with joy.' Tamburlani added that Pope Leo's gym membership is still active, although it's unclear if he'll be able to use it. 'We would organize our gym to guarantee his safety and his privacy. We would just need a sign,' he told the AP. By now, you're probably sick of hearing about young people drifting away from organized religion. But I'm only bringing that up again now to help explain my fascination with the fact that engagement with religious programming is actually on the rise on college campuses across the country. 'People want to feel loved for who they are and not what they do,' Chaz Lattimore Howard, the university chaplain at the University of Pennsylvania, told The Atlantic. Whether or not they believe in God, they 'want to be reassured that it's going to be okay.' In his latest article for Religion Unplugged, my friend Bobby Ross Jr. offered an in-depth look at a faith-focused event that set the stage for a Detroit Tigers baseball game. NPR recently visited a small community south of Tampa, Florida, that's reeling after a beloved local pastor was unexpectedly detained by ICE. The Rev. Maurilio Ambrocio had paperwork allowing him to be in the United States and checked in with immigration agents regularly, but he was still taken into detention in April. 'You're gonna take you know a community leader, a Pastor, a hard working man … What, did you need a number that day?," one of the pastor's neighbors told NPR. Earlier this month, I wrote about a surprising religious freedom battle in Toms River, New Jersey, involving a proposed homeless shelter, a proposed pickleball court and eminent domain. The New York Times covered the same conflict last week and summarized the latest developments. Hope you had a great Memorial Day weekend! Now it's time for the most important holiday season of all: my birthday week.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘I have no criminal record': Harvard grad brought to US as child self-deports to Mexico
An undocumented Harvard University graduate who had been living in the U.S. since he was a small child recently decided to self-deport to Mexico amid the Trump administration's wide-ranging immigration crackdown. Francisco Hernandez-Corona, 34, had been living in Texas until about a month ago with his husband, a U.S. citizen. With the new administration in power, however, he soon grew so afraid of being picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that he stopped driving and wouldn't answer the door. The psychology graduate feared being detained because of a traffic stop by a cooperating local police department, as many immigrants have, or being sent against his will to an unfamiliar third country with poor human rights conditions like El Salvador. There, U.S. deportees are housed in a mega-prison with little hope of release from a facility which has been compared to a 'tropical gulag.' 'We started seeing ICE everywhere and people sent to El Salvador,' Hernandez-Corona told NBC News. The move back to Mexico was all the more striking because Hernandez-Corona said he would not typically be a top priority for deportation. 'I have no criminal record,' he told NewsNation. 'I have a work permit, right? I wasn't in a situation where I felt like I'm going to be deported tomorrow.' Still, despite getting married and settling in Texas, Hernandez-Corona was always at some level of risk. At the age of 10, his father arranged for him to be smuggled across the border, and Hernandez-Corona later applied for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which staves off deportation but doesn't grant full legal status. Hernandez-Corona later declined to renew his DACA status, instead seeking a visa through another program, which was not granted in time. Though the Harvard grad paid for his own airfare to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, the Trump administration has offered undocumented migrants who self-depot $1,000, government-paid flights, and the chance to later legally apply for U.S. status. Last week, the administration said its first such repatriation flight took place, sending 68 back migrants to Colombia and Honduras.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US police officer resigns after wrongfully arresting undocumented teen
A Georgia police officer resigned from his job on Friday after erroneously pulling over a teenager, causing her to spend more than two weeks in a federal immigration jail, and leaving her facing deportation. The officer, Leslie O'Neal, was employed at the police department in Dalton, a small city more than an hour north of Atlanta. His arrest of college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal not only led to a domino effect that could lead to her deportation – it also engendered anger and criticism, especially given the circumstances of her immigration-related detention. Though Dalton's municipal government did not provide any information about why O'Neal resigned, his wife posted his resignation letter on Facebook, which said he believed the local police department did not adequately defend him. Related: US citizen detained by immigration officials who dismissed his Real ID as fake 'The department's silence in the face of widespread defamation has not only made my position personally untenable but has also created an environment where I can no longer effectively carry out my duties within the city of Dalton without fear of further backlash from the community,' O'Neal wrote in the letter. On 5 May, O'Neal pulled Arias-Cristobal over in Dalton. The officer accused her of improperly making a false turn – but those charges were later dropped after the police force admitted to mistaking her car for another. The damage, though, was done by the time Arias-Cristobal's charges were dismissed. The 19-year-old – who is undocumented and was driving with a Mexican license – was brought to the US from Mexico in 2007, when she was just four. The timing of her having been taken to the US barely missed the deadline for her to qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), a program initiated during Barack Obama's presidency that provided children in her situation some protections from deportation. After O'Neal arrested her, local authorities contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the federal agency that detains and deports immigrants. Ice agents then transferred her to an immigration jail in the state. 'I cannot go to jail,' Arias-Cristobal said during the arrest, according to dash-cam footage. 'I have my finals next week. My family depends on this.' Arias-Cristobal's plight captured national attention, with many supporting her and calling for her release. Others – including the far-right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – agitated for Arias-Cristobal to be deported. 'In Mexico, today, there's over 1.6 million United States of America citizens, living and thriving in Mexico, and I'm sure she and her family will be able to do the same,' Greene said during an interview with Tennessee's Local 3 News. 'But it's important for our nation, for our sovereignty, for us to uphold the law. And this is what we have to do.' The White House's attempts to engage in 'mass deportations' during Donald Trump's second presidency has led to an increase in arrests throughout the country. Immigration enforcement operations have been aided by local jurisdictions that partner with Ice, under what are known as 287(g) contracts. These contracts deputize local officials to carry out immigration enforcement arrests, collaborating closely with Ice. The Whitfield county sheriff's office, which runs the local jail for people arrested in Dalton, has a 287(g) contract with Ice. Additionally, a law signed last year by Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, requires local law enforcement, in the entire state, to apply to enter into 287(g) contracts with Ice. Immigration advocacy organizations have called that law 'disastrous'. The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, for instance, said it would lead to 'racial profiling, terrorize immigrant communities and waste local resources'. Related: Disabled people detained by Ice sound alarm over overcrowded jails Arias-Cristobal's father, José Arias-Tovar, had also been detained by Ice weeks earlier after another traffic stop for speeding. He bonded out of Ice detention on 16 May. Five days later, Arias-Cristobal paid a $1,500 bond, leading to her release. She was home with her family by Thursday evening. 'We're going to keep working on her case to try to keep her here permanently,' Arias-Cristobal's attorney, Dustin Baxter, told local TV station WSB-TV. Arias-Cristobal's arrest has prompted some to rally for her release, whether in person or online. Her advocates have criticized Ice and the local police department for how they have handled her case. A GoFundMe campaign launched for her legal defense has raised more than $90,000. The jail where Arias-Cristobal was detained before she bonded out is known as the Stewart detention center. It is a run privately in Lumpkin, Georgia, by CoreCivic under a contract with Ice and for years has been accused of violating rights and maintaining horrific conditions. • This article was amended on 25 May 2025 to include reference to officer O'Neal's resignation letter.
Business Mayor
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Mayor
US police officer resigns after wrongfully arresting undocumented teen
A Georgia police officer resigned from his job on Friday after erroneously pulling over a teenager, causing her to spend more than two weeks in a federal immigration jail, and leaving her facing deportation. The officer, Leslie O'Neal, was employed at the police department in Dalton, a small city more than an hour north of Atlanta. His arrest of college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal not only led to a domino effect that could lead to her deportation – it also engendered anger and criticism, especially given the circumstances of her immigration-related detention. Though Dalton's municipal government did not provide any information about why O'Neal resigned, his wife posted his resignation letter on Facebook, which said he believed the local police department did not adequately defend him. 'The department's silence in the face of widespread defamation has not only made my position personally untenable but has also created an environment where I can no longer effectively carry out my duties within the city of Dalton without fear of further backlash from the community,' O'Neal wrote in the letter. On 5 May, O'Neal pulled Arias-Cristobal over in Dalton. The officer accused her of improperly making a false turn – but those charges were later dropped after the police force admitted to mistaking her car for another. The damage, though, was done by the time Arias-Cristobal's charges were dismissed. The 19-year-old – who is undocumented and was driving with a Mexican license – was brought to the US from Mexico in 2007, when she was just four. The timing of her having been taken to the US barely missed the deadline for her to qualify for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca), a program initiated during Barack Obama's presidency that provided children in her situation some protections from deportation. After O'Neal arrested her, local authorities contacted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), the federal agency that detains and deports immigrants. Ice agents then transferred her to an immigration jail in the state. 'I cannot go to jail,' Arias-Cristobal said during the arrest, according to dash-cam footage. 'I have my finals next week. My family depends on this.' Arias-Cristobal's plight captured national attention, with many supporting her and calling for her release. Others – including the far-right Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene – agitated for Arias-Cristobal to be deported. 'In Mexico, today, there's over 1.6 million United States of America citizens, living and thriving in Mexico, and I'm sure she and her family will be able to do the same,' Greene said during an interview with Tennessee's Local 3 News. 'But it's important for our nation, for our sovereignty, for us to uphold the law. And this is what we have to do.' The White House's attempts to engage in 'mass deportations' during Donald Trump's second presidency has led to an increase in arrests throughout the country. Immigration enforcement operations have been aided by local jurisdictions that partner with Ice, under what are known as 287(g) contracts. These contracts deputize local officials to carry out immigration enforcement arrests, collaborating closely with Ice. The Whitfield county sheriff's office, which runs the local jail for people arrested in Dalton, has a 287(g) contract with Ice. Additionally, a law signed last year by Georgia's governor, Brian Kemp, requires local law enforcement, in the entire state, to apply to enter into 287(g) contracts with Ice. Immigration advocacy organizations have called that law 'disastrous'. The Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, for instance, said it would lead to 'racial profiling, terrorize immigrant communities and waste local resources'. Arias-Cristobal's father, José Arias-Tovar, had also been detained by Ice weeks earlier after another traffic stop for speeding. He bonded out of Ice detention on 16 May. Five days later, Arias-Cristobal paid a $1,500 bond, leading to her release. She was home with her family by Thursday evening. 'We're going to keep working on her case to try to keep her here permanently,' Arias-Cristobal's attorney, Dustin Baxter, told local TV station WSB-TV. Arias-Cristobal's arrest has prompted some to rally for her release, whether in person or online. Her advocates have criticized Ice and the local police department for how they have handled her case. A GoFundMe campaign launched for her legal defense has raised more than $90,000. The jail where Arias-Cristobal was detained before she bonded out is known as the Stewart detention center. It is a run privately in Lumpkin, Georgia, by CoreCivic under a contract with Ice and for years has been accused of violating rights and maintaining horrific conditions.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Marjorie Taylor Greene: Teen Detained By ICE After Mistaken Arrest Would Be 'Thriving In Mexico'
A Georgia teen who was arrested earlier this month after being mistakenly pulled over at a traffic stop was released from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement custody on Thursday. In an interview the same day, Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that the young woman, who is undocumented, should be deported. 'My life won't be the same,' Ximena Arias-Cristobal, 19, told NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, reflecting on her time at Stewart Detention Center. 'I think it's changed me as a person, like I said, I guess be more humble, understand people more and just be able to see the people around you.' She was arrested earlier this month on charges of driving without a valid driver's license and for making a right turn on red, but those charges were dropped after the Dalton Police said dash cam footage showed they pulled her over by mistake. However, the police's mistake landed her in ICE custody. Arias-Cristobal came to the United States from Mexico when she was 4 and was a student at Dalton State College at the time of her arrest. Her mother told WXIA that her daughter was not eligible for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, an Obama-era program that provides certain undocumented immigrants who arrived in the U.S. as children with work authorizations and temporary protection from deportation. Being detained at Stewart is 'something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy,' the 19-year-old told the news outlet. 'It's the conditions and the unknown, it's not knowing what's going to happen to me, knowing that I could be sent back to a country that I don't know, having to be torn apart from my family,' she told the outlet. 'It's also the conditions — you don't get much privacy, you get screamed at for every little thing, the food is horrible, they don't pay attention to you, you get sick and they don't care.' Dustin Baxter, Arias-Cristobal's attorney, told the outlet it's possible that if they could show his client's arrest was the result of profiling, she could qualify for a 'U Visa,' meant for victims of certain crimes. Meanwhile, Rep. Greene suggested in an interview with Tennessee-based news outlet WCRB that Arias-Cristobal should be deported. 'The law is the law, and we don't get to pick and choose who gets to break the law and who gets to follow the law,' the MAGA Republican said. 'It's important for us to uphold the law, and that's the most important thing that we can do and our government can do.' Greene said Arias-Cristobal grew up in a 'great area' and received a 'great education' in the U.S. and would be 'thriving in Mexico' if sent back. 'In Mexico today, there's over 1.6 million United States of America (sic) citizens living and thriving in Mexico, and I'm sure she and her family will be able to do the same,' she stated. The lawmaker blamed Arias-Cristobal's parents for her situation, claiming they never pursued 'a path to citizenship when they illegally brought her into the country when she was a young child.' Stewart's father, who was also detained at Stewart after being arrested for a traffic violation, is in the process of applying for a 'cancellation of removal,' Baxter told WXIA. Because her father is a 'person of good moral character,' has been in the U.S. for more than 10 years, and has children who are citizens, he would be 'granted permanent resident status' if he wins his case, the attorney said. If her father becomes a permanent resident, Arias-Cristobal would then have a 'qualifying relative' that could allow her to become a permanent resident as well, he added. Teen Remains In ICE Detention Despite Police Admitting To Pulling Her Over By Mistake Marjorie Taylor Greene Declines To Challenge Jon Ossoff In Georgia Senate Race Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp Won't Run For Senate In Blow To GOP
