Latest news with #ImmigrationCourt

Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NYC mayoral candidate Scott Stringer plans zoning change to stop Trump from selling fed buildings
NEW YORK — Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer is proposing a new zoning designation to block President Donald Trump from auctioning off federal buildings to luxury developers, the Daily News has learned. The plan, dubbed Safeguarding Historic Infrastructure through Effective Land-use Defenses, or SHIELD, would create a new 'federal use' zoning category that would require any such deal to go through a lengthy public review, and it would give the City Council the ability to block it. 'As mayor, I will fight to protect our civic infrastructure, using all the tools at my disposal to protect it from Trump selling it to the highest bidder,' Stringer said in a statement. 'Under this new zoning rule, if Trump wants to hatch a scheme to line his or his cronies' pockets, he'll have to go through New Yorkers first.' There are just four buildings in New York that could be at risk and would fall under this federal policy, including the 41-story Javits Federal Office Building in lower Manhattan, which is home to Immigration Court and Immigration and Custom Enforcement's local field office. Stringer's proposal to take on this niche issue for the city would require a new text amendment to the city's zoning rules, which would itself require a months-long process in order to be put in place. A Stringer campaign spokesperson said the proposal is relatively uncontroversial, so it could be adopted more quickly, and that a prospective developer might be turned off by the idea of going through a long process. The Trump administration last month released, but then walked back a list of hundreds of buildings across the country that it was considering selling off. The administration has said it is continuing to identify government buildings that it potentially could put up for bids. Under the proposed new designation, the structures would gain a 'special use' condition on top of their underlying zoning. Then, if the feds tried to sell one of the properties, the developer would have to get a special permit from the City Planning Commission. That, in turn, would trigger the months-long Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, that goes through various levels of city government for approval, with the City Council getting the final say. Mayoral candidates running in the Democratic primary election have been eager to show how, if elected, they each would stand up to Trump's threats, with many pitching plans to counter Trump's threats to pull federal funding. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo faced early criticism for saying he'd be open to working with the president, and has since leveled more blows at Trump — although he's still facing backlash for taking donations from Trump allies.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer plans zoning change to stop Trump from selling fed buildings
Mayoral candidate Scott Stringer is proposing a new zoning designation to block President Trump from auctioning off federal buildings to luxury developers, the Daily News has learned. The plan, dubbed Safeguarding Historic Infrastructure through Effective Land-use Defenses, or SHIELD, would create a new 'federal use' zoning category that would require any such deal to go through a lengthy public review, and it would give the City Council the ability to block it. 'As mayor, I will fight to protect our civic infrastructure, using all the tools at my disposal to protect it from Trump selling it to the highest bidder,' Stringer said in a statement. 'Under this new zoning rule, if Trump wants to hatch a scheme to line his or his cronies' pockets, he'll have to go through New Yorkers first.' There are just four buildings in New York that could be at risk and would fall under this federal policy, including the 41-story Javits Federal Office Building in lower Manhattan, which is home to Immigration Court and Immigration and Custom Enforcement's local field office. Stringer's proposal to take on this niche issue for the city would require a new text amendment to the city's zoning rules, which would itself require a months-long process in order to be put in place. A Stringer campaign spokesperson said the proposal is relatively uncontroversial, so it could be adopted more quickly, and that a prospective developer might be turned off by the idea of going through a long process. The Trump administration last month released, but then walked back a list of hundreds of buildings across the country that it was considering selling off. The administration has said it is continuing to identify government buildings that it potentially could put up for bids. Under the proposed new designation, the structures would gain a 'special use' condition on top of their underlying zoning. Then, if the feds tried to sell one of the properties, the developer would have to get a special permit from the City Planning Commission. That, in turn, would trigger the months-long Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, or ULURP, that goes through various levels of city government for approval, with the City Council getting the final say. Mayoral candidates running in the Democratic primary election have been eager to show how, if elected, they each would stand up to Trump's threats, with many pitching plans to counter Trump's threats to pull federal funding. Former Governor Cuomo faced early criticism for saying he'd be open to working with the president, and has since leveled more blows at Trump — although he's still facing backlash for taking donations from Trump allies.

Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Newest federal immigration court opens in Indianapolis
The country's newest federal immigration court officially opened its doors in Indianapolis earlier this week, after first being announced in 2022. Before Monday, most Indiana-based cases were funneled through Chicago's Immigration Court, but now seven judges will have federal dockets in the Hoosier State. Over the years, Chicago's court saw a rise in Indiana-based cases, which ultimately led to the Executive Office for Immigration Review opening this new court. The new court is in downtown Indianapolis inside the Minton-Capehart Federal Building, at 575 North Pennsylvania St., in Suite 600. The seven judges placed in Indiana's court are Assistant Chief Immigration Judge Robert P. Driscoll, Judge Sarjo Barrow, Judge Scott Bratton, Judge Valerie Burch, Judge Daniel Conklin, Judge Jane Miller, and Judge Scott Thomsen, according to the United States Justice Department's website. By the end of 2024, U.S. immigration courts had approximately 3.6 million pending deportation cases, with the Illinois court having 281,937 pending cases, according to a database published by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organization aimed at improving the criminal legal and immigration systems. For people who may have had a case pending in the Chicago immigration court and are unsure if their case has been moved to Indiana, they can check online at the Executive Office for Immigration Review's automated case information system at The Indiana Immigration Court will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Contact IndyStar reporter Noe Padilla at npadilla@ follow him on X @1NoePadilla or on Bluesky @ This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Newest federal immigration court opens in downtown Indianapolis