Latest news with #IllegalImmigrationReformandImmigrantResponsibilityAct
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Some Texas lawmakers demand in-state tuition protections for undocumented students
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A group of Texas lawmakers called on higher education leaders in the state to protect undocumented students' access to in-state tuition, after the state agreed to end the practice earlier this week. On Wednesday, the Justice Department sued the state over the 2001 Texas Dream Act, which allowed those students to receive in-state tuition if they met certain qualifications. The lawsuit alleged this act violated federal law, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton quickly responded that his office would not contest the suit—causing the law to be repealed through a default judgment. RELATED | Justice Department sues Texas over in-state tuition for undocumented students In a letter sent on Friday, more than a dozen Democratic state representatives called on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to create a 'provisional classification' that could allow students who previously qualified under the law to enroll this fall 'at the rate they reasonably expected.' The letter later said, in part, 'It is especially cruel and short-sighted to apply this policy change retroactively just weeks before the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. These students made plans, accepted offers, and committed to their futures in good faith.' The lawmakers urged the board to use its rulemaking authority to create this classification — for example, 'first-generation resident tuition' — at least temporarily. They called for the board to release guidance to institutions that would 'preserve tuition equity for students during the transition period.' The lawmakers also noted the move would not override statute but would provide 'a critical bridge' until the Legislature could address the matter during the next legislative session in two years. Earlier this year, during the most recent legislative session, lawmakers considered bills to repeal the Dream Act and heard hours of testimony on it, but it was left pending and failed to pass. In 2001, the Dream Act had bipartisan support and was signed into law by Republican former Governor Rick Perry. RELATED | Texas' undocumented college students no longer qualify for in-state tuition In its lawsuit, the DOJ argues that a 1996 federal law, known as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), preempts the Dream Act. Attorney General Pam Bondi called it a 'blatant violation' of the federal law. 'Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,' Bondi said. 'The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.' Legal experts talked to KXAN this week about whether the move by the Trump administration and Paxton's quick agreement allowed for any way for opponents of the change to challenge the decision. Josh Blackman, associate professor of law at South Texas College of Law, said the decision appears effectively final. Barbara Hines, an immigration law professor who helped craft the initial Texas Dream Act, did not share Blackman's assessment that it was the end of the road for the law. She said that in previous lawsuits related to the Dream Act or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, other parties have been allowed to intervene. RELATED | Law professors react: Texas will no longer provide in-state tuition to undocumented students According to the Texas Higher Education Commissioner, around 19,000 students will be affected by the change. The lawmakers' letter argued that the state stands to lose talent, which could affect the workforce and the economy. It said, 'This is not just a moral failure, it's a strategic and economic blunder that will be felt for generations to come.' Economic factors proved to be a driving force behind the Dream Act's passage in 2001. According to a 2015 report by The Texas Tribune, former Governor Perry said at the time, '[Texas] had a choice to make economically: Are you going to put these people in a position of having to rely upon government to take care of themselves, or are you going to let them be educated and be contributing members of society, obviously working towards their citizenship.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Justice Department sues Texas over in-state tuition for undocumented students
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Texas on Wednesday over a state law that allows undocumented residents to pay in-state tuition at the state's public universities. By law, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office represents the state in cases involving the federal government. KXAN reached out to his office for a statement about the lawsuit. The lawsuit cites a 1996 federal law, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IRRIRA), as preempting the 2001 Texas Dream Act. As written, Texas' law allows undocumented immigrants residing in the state to access in-state tuition rates. Former Governor Rick Perry signed the Texas Dream Act, a decision that later served to derail his presidential ambitions in 2012. '[Texas] had a choice to make economically: Are you going to put these people in a position of having to rely upon government to take care of themselves, or are you going to let them be educated and be contributing members of society, obviously working towards their citizenship,' said Perry in 2001, according to a 2015 report by The Texas Tribune. However, US Attorney General Pam Bondi's framing of the IRRIRA argues this is a public benefit that isn't accessible to other US citizens residing outside of Texas. The lawsuit calls the Texas Dream Act 'a blatant violation: 'Under federal law, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,' Bondi said. 'The Justice Department will relentlessly fight to vindicate federal law and ensure that U.S. citizens are not treated like second-class citizens anywhere in the country.' The lawsuit is in the Northern District Court of Texas, home to a few judges favored by Paxton and other Texas Conservatives. It has not yet been assigned to a judge. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
05-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
How states are partnering with ICE to remove hundreds of immigrants
Across the United States, local agencies have become immigration enforcers under a federal program officials say strengthens public safety, but critics warn spreads fear, erodes trust and threatens the fabric of immigrant communities. Known as the 287(g) program, it was created under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE's supervision. The program is seen by some as a way to rev up President Donald Trump's effort on illegal immigration as the Department of Justice moves to prosecute state and local officials accused of impeding that effort. The Department of Homeland Security highlighted the collaboration between federal and local law enforcement in a news release Monday, pointing to a four-day operation that led to the apprehension of nearly 800 undocumented migrants. Dubbed 'Operational Tidal Wave,' this kind of collaboration, the release said, is 'a preview of what is to come around the country: large scale operations that employ our state and local law enforcement partners to get criminal illegal aliens off our streets.' The 287(g) program, which has seen increased use during Trump's second term as part of his effort to fulfill a campaign promise to address immigration, has been in existence for almost 30 years and was once the focal point of a lawsuit against one of America's most notorious sheriffs. Through the program, ICE can partner with local agencies through three models: the Jail Enforcement Model, the Task Force Model and the Warrant Service Officer program, according to ICE. 'The Jail Enforcement Model allows your officers to identify and process removable aliens currently in your jail or detention facility who have pending or active criminal charges while they're in your custody,' according to ICE. The Task Force Model allows local officers, under ICE oversight, to enforce certain immigration laws during routine policing. The Warrant Service Officer Program trains local law enforcement officers – something ICE says it bears the entire cost of – to serve administrative immigration warrants on detainees in their custody. State law enforcement agencies wanting to participate in the program must enter into memorandums of agreement with ICE, according to the act, before participating in the program. Memorandums of Agreement are arrangements made between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies, granting certain state and local officers federal immigration enforcement powers such as entering data into ICE's database and case management system, interviewing people about their immigration status, accessing DHS databases and issuing immigration detainers, the American Immigration Council says. By the end of President Barack Obama's administration, 34 local law enforcement agencies were part of the program, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. As of April 24, ICE had signed more than 450 memorandums of agreement for 287(g) programs covering 38 states, according to its website, meaning more than 450 agencies are now a part of the program. Most are sheriff's offices and police departments; some are state-level agencies such as the Alaska Department of Corrections and Montana Department of Justice. Florida has several agencies in the program statewide, the most of any participating state. They include the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida State Guard, the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and all have signed collaboration agreements with ICE, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in February. These agreements are meant to operate under federal supervision and supplement — not replace — federal efforts, according to a January executive order from the president. 'The growth of the 287g program, in particular of the Task Force Model, further fuels Trump's mass deportation agenda by expanding the dragnet for putting people into the arrest to deportation pipeline,' Immigrant Legal Resource Center says. Juan Cuba, with the Miami Freedom Project, said '287(g) agreements are fundamentally at odds with the goals of local policing.' 'They erode community trust in local law enforcement and make it less likely for people who are undocumented, or families of mixed status, to call 911 or report crimes,' Cuba said Sunday. 'These agreements also redirect limited resources that could be focused on serious crimes. 287(g) makes us all less safe.' The controversial 287(g) program was once at the center of a lawsuit filed against Joe Arpaio, a man dubbed 'America's Toughest Sheriff,' after complaints that immigration raids by his deputies amounted to unconstitutional roundups of Latinos. An investigation later found the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office had a pattern of civil rights abuses that 'led the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend its cooperation agreement (under section 287(g)) with the sheriff's office and restrict the MCSO's access to immigration databases through the Secure Communities program,' the American Immigration Council reported. The program has created a system of racial profiling by law enforcement, according to the ACLU, which has been working to end the program for over a decade. The non-profit organization has called it a way in which 'sheriffs notorious for racism, xenophobia, and civil rights violations have been able to target and attack immigrants in their communities.' A 2022 report from the organization – titled in part 'License to Abuse' – suggests 'dozens of sheriff partners in the 287(g) program have records of racism, abuse, and violence,' with at least 59% of participating sheriffs having 'records of anti-immigrant, xenophobic rhetoric, contributing to a continued climate of fear for immigrants and their families, undermining public safety and contributing to the risk of racial profiling.' The program can also be expensive for local jurisdictions. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement pays for the training, local agencies must pay for personnel and administrative costs; overtime for officers carrying out immigration-related duties; and any legal costs, the Center for American Progress wrote in a 2018 report. That could mean paying fines or legal fees. The North Carolina Justice Center, in a report about the costs to local communities enforcing federal immigration laws, cited examples in which communities paid as much as $255,000 to settle claims involving ICE detainers. Cuba, with the Miami Freedom Project, said he wants people to know one thing: 'What the public needs to know is that the Trump administration is using these agreements to force local police to do its dirty work at the expense of public safety and our civil liberties.' In a sweeping show of force, ICE announced Saturday nearly 800 people were arrested across Florida in just four days, the result of a massive, multiagency crackdown that has sent shock waves through communities. DeSantis touted the operation as 'an example of FL and (the Department of Homeland Security) partnering to deliver big results on immigration enforcement and deportations,' according to a statement on X. 'Florida is leading the nation in active cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and deportation operations!' DeSantis wrote in a separate post Saturday. Residents in Doral, Florida – home to the largest Venezuelan immigrant population in the country – had expressed worry this agreement would inject fear in the community and warned that undocumented victims of a crime will elect to stay silent rather than report it. They were also concerned the agreement would make the police department less effective at responding to local crime. Still, the Doral City Council this month unanimously approved the partnership with ICE – with one official saying they had no choice. DeSantis and other Republican leaders in Florida have pushed local officials in the state to sign agreements with ICE under the 287(g) program, and state leaders have warned that Florida law allows for the removal of officials who refuse to cooperate with the federal government's immigration efforts. 'Passing this is painful for all of us,' Doral City Attorney Lorenzo Cobiella said on April 16, when the city agreed to join the program. 'We have very limited discretion on what we can do. We're being mandated by the state to take certain actions and if we don't, we're being threatened with criminal penalties.' This month, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1164, also known as the Arizona ICE Act, which would have required state and local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement through programs such as 287(g). In a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, who introduced the legislation, Hobbs said Arizona should not be forced to 'take marching orders from Washington, DC.' Petersen criticized the veto as 'another slap in the face' to Arizonans affected by border issues, while former Border Patrol agent Art Del Cueto accused Hobbs of endangering public safety by limiting cooperation with federal authorities, according to a release. CNN's Isabel Rosales contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'First of its kind partnership' ICE arrests 800 undocumented immigrants in Florida
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested hundreds of undocumented immigrants in Florida in the last week, the agency posted on its X account. Nearly 800 migrants were arrested between ICE Miami and Florida law enforcement during the first four days of "Operation Tidal Wave," a "massive immigration enforcement crackdown" that began April 21, ICE posted. The operation was a "first of its kind partnership" between state and federal partners, ICE added. All 67 Florida county sheriffs agreed to partner with ICE. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called Operation Tidal Wave an example of the "big results on immigration enforcement and deportations" that federal, state and local agencies can accomplish by working together. The post also linked to more information on the 287(g) Program, which allows law enforcement agencies to enforce certain aspects of U.S. immigration law. The program was created under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE's supervision, reported CNN. According to the ICE website, the 287(g) Program allows local law enforcement to identify and remove undocumented immigrants with pending or active criminal charges, enforce limited immigration duties with ICE oversight, and serve and execute administrative warrants on undocumented immigrants in jail. USA Today contributed to this story. Natassia Paloma may be reached at npaloma@ @NatassiaPaloma on Twitter; natassia_paloma on Instagram, and Natassia Paloma Thompson on Facebook. More: Vigil marks second anniversary of Juárez detention center fire that killed 40 migrants This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: ICE arrests Florida: 800 undocumented immigrants arrested in Florida
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How local agencies are partnering with ICE to arrest an increasing number of immigrants
Across the United States, local agencies have become immigration enforcers under a federal program officials say strengthens public safety, but critics warn spreads fear, erodes trust and threatens the fabric of immigrant communities. Known as the 287(g) program, it was created under the 1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act and allows ICE to authorize state and local law enforcement officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties under ICE's supervision. The program is seen by some as a way to rev up President Donald Trump's effort on illegal immigration as the Department of Justice moves to prosecute state and local officials accused of impeding that effort. The program, which has seen increased use during Trump's second term as part of his effort to fulfill a campaign promise to address immigration, has been in existence for almost 30 years and was once the focal point of a lawsuit against one of America's most notorious sheriffs. Through the 287(g) program, ICE can partner with local agencies through three models: the Jail Enforcement Model, the Task Force Model and the Warrant Service Officer program, according to ICE. 'The Jail Enforcement Model allows your officers to identify and process removable aliens currently in your jail or detention facility who have pending or active criminal charges while they're in your custody,' according to ICE. The Task Force Model allows local officers, under ICE oversight, to enforce certain immigration laws during routine policing. The Warrant Service Officer Program trains local law enforcement officers – something ICE says it bears the entire cost of – to serve administrative immigration warrants on detainees in their custody. State law enforcement agencies wanting to participate in the program must enter into memorandums of agreement with ICE, according to the act, before participating in the program. Memorandums of Agreement are arrangements made between the Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement agencies, granting certain state and local officers federal immigration enforcement powers such entering data into ICE's database and case management system, interviewing people about their immigration status, accessing DHS databases and issuing immigration detainers, the American Immigration Council says. By the end of President Barack Obama's administration, 34 local law enforcement agencies were part of the program, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. As of April 24, ICE had signed more than 450 memorandums of agreement for 287(g) programs covering 38 states, according to its website, meaning more than 450 agencies are now a part of the program. Most are sheriff's offices and police departments; some are state-level agencies such as the Alaska Department of Corrections and Montana Department of Justice. Florida has several agencies in the program statewide, the most of any participating state. They include the Florida Highway Patrol, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Florida State Guard, the Florida Department of Agricultural Law Enforcement and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and all signed collaboration agreements with ICE, according to an announcement by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in February. These agreements are meant to operate under federal supervision and supplement — not replace — federal efforts, according to a January executive order from the president. 'The growth of the 287g program, in particular of the Task Force Model, further fuels Trump's mass deportation agenda by expanding the dragnet for putting people into the arrest to deportation pipeline,' Immigrant Legal Resource Center says. Juan Cuba, with the Miami Freedom Project, said '287(g) agreements are fundamentally at odds with the goals of local policing.' 'They erode community trust in local law enforcement and make it less likely for people who are undocumented, or families of mixed status, to call 911 or report crimes,' Cuba said Sunday. 'These agreements also redirect limited resources that could be focused on serious crimes. 287(g) makes us all less safe.' The controversial 287(g) program was once at the center of a lawsuit filed against Joe Arpaio, a man dubbed 'America's Toughest Sheriff,' after complaints that immigration raids by his deputies amounted to unconstitutional roundups of Latinos. An investigation later found the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office had a pattern of civil rights abuses that 'led the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to suspend its cooperation agreement (under section 287(g)) with the sheriff's office and restrict the MCSO's access to immigration databases through the Secure Communities program,' the American Immigration Council reported. The program has created a system of racial profiling by law enforcement, according to the ACLU, which has been working to end the program for over a decade. The non-profit organization has called it a way in which 'sheriffs notorious for racism, xenophobia, and civil rights violations have been able to target and attack immigrants in their communities.' A 2022 report from the organization – titled in part 'License to Abuse' – suggests 'dozens of sheriff partners in the 287(g) program have records of racism, abuse, and violence,' with at least 59% of participating sheriffs having 'records of anti-immigrant, xenophobic rhetoric, contributing to a continued climate of fear for immigrants and their families, undermining public safety and contributing to the risk of racial profiling.' The program can also be expensive for local jurisdictions. While Immigration and Customs Enforcement pays for the training, local agencies must pay for personnel and administrative costs; overtime for officers carrying out immigration-related duties; and any legal costs, the Center for American Progress wrote in a 2018 report. That could mean paying fines or legal fees. The North Carolina Justice Center, in a report about the costs to local communities enforcing federal immigration laws, cited examples in which communities paid as much as $255,000 to settle claims involving ICE detainers. Cuba, with the Miami Freedom Project, said he wants people to know one thing: 'What the public needs to know is that the Trump administration is using these agreements to force local police to do its dirty work at the expense of public safety and our civil liberties.' In a sweeping show of force, ICE announced Saturday nearly 800 people were arrested across Florida in just four days, the result of a massive, multiagency crackdown that has sent shock waves through communities. DeSantis touted the operation as 'an example of FL and (the Department of Homeland Security) partnering to deliver big results on immigration enforcement and deportations,' according to a statement on X. 'Florida is leading the nation in active cooperation with the Trump administration for immigration enforcement and deportation operations!' DeSantis wrote in a separate post Saturday. Residents in Doral, Florida – home to the largest Venezuelan immigrant population in the country – had expressed worry this agreement would inject fear in the community and warned that undocumented victims of a crime will elect to stay silent rather than report it. They were also concerned the agreement would make the police department less effective at responding to local crime. Still, the Doral City Council unanimously approved the partnership with ICE – with one official saying they had no choice. 'Passing this is painful for all of us,' said City Attorney Lorenzo Cobiella. 'We have very limited discretion on what we can do. We're being mandated by the state to take certain actions and if we don't, we're being threatened with criminal penalties.' This month, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed Senate Bill 1164, also known as the Arizona ICE Act, which would have required state and local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement through programs such as 287(g). In a letter to Senate President Warren Petersen, who introduced the legislation, Hobbs said Arizona should not be forced to 'take marching orders from Washington, DC.' Petersen criticized the veto as 'another slap in the face' to Arizonans affected by border issues, while former Border Patrol agent Art Del Cueto accused Hobbs of endangering public safety by limiting cooperation with federal authorities, according to a release.
