Latest news with #KristiNoem
Yahoo
41 minutes ago
- General
- Yahoo
Milwaukee, other Wisconsin 'sanctuary jurisdictions' listed as defying federal immigration law
The Trump administration put Milwaukee and a handful of other Wisconsin municipalities on a list of 'sanctuary' jurisdictions allegedly defying enforcement of federal immigration law and in jeopardy of losing federal grants and contracts. But communities on the list across the country questioned their inclusion, with some Trump-supporting places saying they have no sanctuary immigration policies. More progressive places either defended their policies or drew attention to the error-riddled list, which misspelled cities like Cincinnati and misidentified counties as cities, or vice versa. The Department of Homeland Security published the list a month after Trump issued an executive order directing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to do so as part of his agenda to deport millions of illegal immigrants. The department included a major caveat on its website, noting the list can be reviewed and changed at any time and will be updated regularly. It's unclear what exactly landed Milwaukee, Madison, Dane County and Shawano County in northeastern Wisconsin on the list. DHS did not return a request for comment May 30. For the most part, the term today refers to cities, counties and states that pass ordinances, policies or legislation declaring themselves sanctuaries for immigrants and promising to limit cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's efforts to detain and deport people who are undocumented. Technically, neither the city of Milwaukee nor Milwaukee County has ordinances or resolutions that explicitly state they are sanctuaries for immigrants. More: Is Milwaukee a sanctuary city? Not quite, but it's one of Wisconsin's closest examples Neither the Milwaukee Police Department nor the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office asks for people's citizenship status, nor do they detain people solely because of their immigration status. People who are booked at the Milwaukee County Jail are required to state their birth country and citizenship, but these responses are self-reported and not confirmed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lists the Milwaukee County Jail as one of two "non-cooperative institutions" in Wisconsin. That means the jail generally does not alert ICE about noncitizens in custody who are about to be released, nor will the jail commit to holding them until ICE can take them into custody. The Milwaukee Police Department and the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office cooperate with ICE in some circumstances. They will detain, arrest, and share personal information of undocumented people with ICE — such as home and work addresses or the person's custody release date — if that person is suspected of terrorism, gang activity or arrested for violent felonies. In addition, Milwaukee Public Schools in 2017 passed a Safe Haven Resolution that says actions taken by ICE on school grounds "will be opposed by all legal means available." Some people say these on immigration enforcement are an indirect way of being a sanctuary city. But others, such as Comité Sin Fronteras, a branch of Voces De La Frontera, argue the county and city aren't sanctuaries because more could be done. The county, for example, could prohibit immigration officers from making arrests at the courthouse. Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said he had not received a formal notice from the federal government about the list. "This is another example of the Trump administration, you know, shooting first and asking questions later," Johnson told WISN. "It's exhausting trying to keep up with everything that this administration is putting forward. It's like they're just slapping things on the wall and hoping that they stick." Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for Johnson, said the city was surprised to learn of its designation. He said city officials have met internally to evaluate options on whether to take issue with it. In 2017, defunding sanctuary cities was among Trump's first executive orders, but it didn't hold up in federal court. Like Milwaukee, officials for Madison and Dane County said they have not been formally notified of their inclusion on the list. ICE identified Dane County as a 'non-cooperative institution." Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett earlier this year ended participation in a federal program that gives officers the authority to carry out immigration duties under the direction of ICE. The Madison Police Department does not routinely ask about the immigration status of people interacting with officers, nor does it conduct immigration-related investigations unless a person is is suspected of terrorism, gang activity or arrested for violent felonies. In response to making the sanctuary list, Madison City Attorney Michael Haas told the Capital Times that Madison is a 'welcoming city, and we make no apologies for that.' He said the city is 'exploring all options to protect our residents, our city and the funding appropriated to our city by Congress.' Shawano County, just west of Green Bay, wound up on the list despite 67% of county voters supporting Trump in the November election. The Shawano County Sheriff's Office and county administrator Jim Davel did not return Green Bay Press-Gazette interview requests May 30. Davel told the Associated Press the list was a misunderstanding. Shawano County had not approved any immigration sanctuary policies. The Shawano County Board did vote in March 2021 to become a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary County' that opposed any attempts to enact "legislation unlawfully infringing on our rights under the Second Amendment." However, Shawano County said it did not share the names of people booked in their jails with ICE, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and USA TODAY Network-Wisconsin survey of 72 sheriffs this year. 'We have no idea how we got on this list whatsoever right at this point,' Davel told the Associated Press. 'I think it was just a big mix up, probably some paperwork or something.' Vivian Barrett of the Green Bay Press-Gazette and Gina Castro of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this article. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Trump sanctuary list includes Milwaukee, Madison and Shawano County
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Business
- Fox News
Trump-backed candidate seeks to win Polish presidency in vital European election
President Trump's shadow is cast over this Sunday's presidential election runoff election, with polls showing a tight race between Warsaw's mayor, Rafał Trzaskowski, and his conservative challenger, Karol Nawrocki. The Associated Press reported that Donald Trump met with Nawrocki at the White House earlier this month and sent DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to a meeting of CPAC in Poland, where she offered an endorsement. Speaking in support of Nawrocki, Noem said he would rule in the style of President Trump. "I just had the opportunity to meet with Karol and listen. He needs to be the next president of Poland. Do you understand me?" she said. "This is arguably the most important Polish presidential election since the end of communism, not only because the contest is so close, but because there is a palpable sense in Warsaw of how dangerous the country's security situation has become, with the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russian revisionism in full view," Andrew Michta, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center, told Fox News Digital. Trzaskowski, backed by the current prime minister, Donald Tusk, received 31.4% of the vote in the first round. Nawrocki, a historian supported by the right-wing populist Law and Justice party (PiS), performed better than expected and was close behind with 29.5% of the vote. Most experts and observers in the region view the race as a toss-up. "Nawrocki has a good chance of winning the election. This would clearly demonstrate the Polish people's desire to counter the current government's liberal politics," Stanisław Żaryn, Advisor to Poland's current President Andrzej Duda, told Fox News Digital. The conservative Law and Justice party recruited Nawrocki, an outsider with no prior political experience, to be its candidate for president to replace outgoing President Duda, a close ally of President Trump. The Law and Justice Party governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, until it lost parliamentary elections led by Donald Tusk's center-left Civic Platform coalition. Although the Polish president is nominally symbolic, the president does wield the power to veto legislation passed by parliament, which could derail the incumbent government's domestic agenda if the president is of a different party from the prime minister. Matthew Tyrmand, a U.S.-based Polish dual citizen who advises conservative sovereignty-defending political figures and parties across Europe, told Fox News Digital from Europe, "We in Poland, who saw the previous unchecked PO (Tusk's party) government from 2010-15, know how this ends if Tusk's puppet candidate Trzaskowski ends up securing the presidency in the runoff. Poland's tightened alignment with the EU will come at the expense of previously strong ties with the USA and the previous and now returned Trump administration. This will weaken Poland militarily and economically. "This runoff is existential for Poland maintaining its multi-party democracy with the existent check and balance of the last 15 years of having, in essence, a two-party duopoly. The right-wing president, Andrzej Duda, has been the one check given his veto power to reject the Tusk government's agenda since the country's government turned over in late 2023 toward left-leaning (self-described and so-called by the compromised leftist media as centrist but in reality very left) Eurocentrists. If that veto is lost, Polish sovereignty will be a distant memory as Tusk devolves national competences toward Berlin and Brussels who have been his paymasters for nearly two decades, and he has been their ready, willing and able pliant stooge." Duda utilized the veto power against Tusk while in office to strike down bills to restore independence to the judiciary, an issue that put Poland at odds with the European Union under the previous PiS government. Nawrocki as president would likely continue the policies of Duda, further sinking Tusk's popularity as many in Poland feel that Tusk has not lived up to his campaign promises. A win for Trzaskowski means Tusk will have the ability to drive his agenda, with the new president likely endorsing his proposals, laws and ambassadorships. A victory for Trzaskowski will also be received positively in Brussels as he is seen as pro-European and in line with the EU's priorities of democratic governance and judicial independence. "If Nawrocki wins, expect a tough fight between the Tusk government and the President, as they are polar opposites on a number of issues, especially foreign policy," Michta of the Atlantic Council said. The Warsaw mayor favors closer ties with Brussels, Berlin and Paris but will also look to maintain stable relations with the U.S. Nawrocki, who met with President Trump and Republican leaders in Congress, would likely push for even closer relations with the U.S. While there is a rising number of voices that are critical of continuing support for Ukraine as the war drags on, no matter who wins, Poland's foreign and defense policy and its support for Ukraine in its war against Russia is unlikely to change. Poland has been one of Ukraine's toughest backers in Europe, providing 5 billion euros worth of overall aid, including nearly 4 billion euros in military aid, since the war began. Since the European refugee crisis of 2015, Poland has taken a tougher stance on immigration, particularly from the Middle East. Poland has been much more welcoming to Ukrainian's fleeing Russian aggression. Poland has taken in more than 1.5 million Ukrainian refugees since Russian launched its invasion in February 2022. Matt Qvortrup, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for European Studies at the Australian National University, said a Nawrocki win would be a roadblock to further European integration with another leader critical of Europe taking power. "A win for Nawrocki would be unwelcome for the leaders in the most powerful EU countries, especially in Germany. It's not the signal they would want," Qvortrup told Fox News Digital.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Undocumented man accused of making threat to Trump's life may be victim of frame-up
An undocumented man who was accused by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) secretary, Kristi Noem, last week of threatening to assassinate Donald Trump in a letter may have been framed by someone accused of previously attacking the man, according to news reports. Investigators are said to be looking into whether the letter was an attempt to get the man deported, to prevent him from testifying against his alleged attacker. The extremely public accusation against the 54-year-old father of three, Ramon Morales-Reyes, led to his arrest and detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officials. News reports from CNN, ABC and the Associated Press detail Morales-Reyes' case and how Noem's highly publicized accusation against him appears to have unraveled. Prior to Noem accusing Morales-Reyes of threatening to kill the president, local investigators in Milwaukee were already reportedly investigating whether the letter was a setup. Morales-Reyes was allegedly assaulted by a man in September 2023, who slashed him with a box cutter before stealing his bike. As the case prepared to go to trial, Ice this month received the letter threatening to assassinate Trump. 'I will self deport myself back to Mexico but not before I use my 30 yard 6 to shoot your precious president,' the handwritten letter says, which was completely written in English and signed with Morales-Reyes' name. Morales-Reyes was arrested and detained. But local investigators compared Morales-Reyes' handwriting with the letter and found they did not match. Meanwhile, activists and attorneys began working on his case. Local Wisconsin immigration advocates and attorneys, with Morales-Reyes' family, said during a press release on Friday that Morales-Reyes did not write the letter. 'A family member called our organizers, letting us know that this was impossible, as her father had very little formal education and could not read or write in Spanish – let alone perfect English,' said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the executive director of Voces de la Frontera, an immigrant advocacy organization. Citing police documents it had obtained, CNN reported that Milwaukee officials on Monday began reviewing jailhouse calls from the individual accused of having assaulted Morales-Reyes and discovered he discussed sending letters to Ice in order to frame his alleged victim. He reportedly wanted to have Morales-Reyes deported to prevent him from testifying in the robbery trial. 'He outta there,' the person said in a phone call earlier in May, according to the CNN report, and described how Trump's return to office was increasing deportations. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion On Wednesday, Noem began sharing the accusation against Morales-Reyes, along with his photo and an image of the letter, which were posted in a press release on the DHS website. The accusation quickly spread on social media and rightwing, Trump-allied sites. 'Thanks to our Ice officers, this illegal alien who threatened to assassinate President Trump is behind bars,' Noem said. 'I will continue to take all measures necessary to ensure the protection of President Trump.' Local officials and the DHS told the Associated Press that the case is still under investigation. After the 2023 assault, Morales-Reyes applied for a U-visa – a special visa provided to undocumented victims of crime that may lead to a pathway to legal residency. The process to obtain a U-visa is lengthy and complicated. It is unclear whether Noem will issue a correction on the matter, if Morales-Reyes will be able to testify against the alleged perpetrator or how his U-visa application process may be affected by him being placed in Ice detention.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
US judge prevents Trump from invalidating 5,000 Venezuelans' legal documents
NEW YORK: A federal judge prevented the Trump administration from invalidating work permits and other documents granting lawful status to about 5,000 Venezuelans, a subset of the nearly 350,000 whose temporary legal protections the US Supreme Court last week allowed to be terminated. US District Judge Edward Chen in San Francisco in a Friday night ruling concluded that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem likely exceeded her authority when she in February invalidated those documents while more broadly ending the temporary protected status granted to the Venezuelans. The US Supreme Court on May 19 lifted an earlier order Chen issued that prevented the administration as part of President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration agenda from terminating deportation protection conferred to Venezuelans under the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, program. But the high court stated specifically it was not preventing any Venezuelans from still challenging Noem's related decision to invalidate documents they were issued pursuant to that program that allowed them to work and live in the United States. Such documents were issued after the US Department of Homeland Security in the final days of Democratic President Joe Biden's tenure extended the TPS program for the Venezuelans by 18 months to October 2026, an action Noem then moved to reverse. TPS is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. Lawyers for several Venezuelans and the advocacy group National TPS Alliance asked Chen to recognize the continuing validity of those documents, saying without them thousands of migrants could lose their jobs or be deported. Chen in siding with them said nothing in the statute that authorized the Temporary Protected Status program allowed Noem to invalidate the documents. Chen, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, noted the administration estimated only about 5,000 of the 350,000 Venezuelans held such documents. 'This smaller number cuts against any contention that the continued presence of these TPS holders who were granted TPS-related documents by the Secretary would be a toll on the national or local economies or a threat to national security,' Chen wrote. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Chen ruled hours after the US Supreme Court in a different case allowed Trump's administration to end the temporary immigration 'parole' granted to 532,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants under a different Biden-era program.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Times
US judge blocks Trump bid to invalidate work permits for 5,000 Venezuelans
A federal judge prevented the Trump administration from invalidating work permits and other documents granting lawful status to about 5,000 Venezuelans, a subset of the nearly 350,000 whose temporary legal protections the US supreme court last week allowed to be terminated. US district judge Edward Chen in San Francisco in a Friday night ruling concluded that Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem was likely to have exceeded her authority when in February she invalidated those documents while more broadly ending the temporary protected status granted to the Venezuelans. The US supreme court on May 19th lifted an earlier order Judge Chen issued that prevented the administration, as part of president Donald Trump's hardline immigration agenda, from terminating deportation protection conferred to Venezuelans under the Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, programme. But the high court stated specifically it was not preventing any Venezuelans from still challenging Ms Noem's related decision to invalidate documents they were issued pursuant to that program that allowed them to work and live in the United States. READ MORE Such documents were issued after the US Department of Homeland Security, in the final days of Democratic president Joe Biden's tenure, extended the TPS program for the Venezuelans by 18 months to October 2026, an action Ms Noem then moved to reverse. TPS is available to people whose home country has experienced a natural disaster, armed conflict or other extraordinary event. Lawyers for several Venezuelans and the advocacy group National TPS Alliance asked Judge Chen to recognise the continuing validity of those documents, saying without them thousands of migrants could lose their jobs or be deported. Judge Chen, in siding with them, said nothing in the statute that authorised the Temporary Protected Status programme allowed Ms Noem to invalidate the documents. [ US supreme court allows Trump administration to revoke Venezuelan migrant protections Opens in new window ] Judge Chen, an appointee of Democratic president Barack Obama, noted the administration estimated only about 5,000 of the 350,000 Venezuelans held such documents. 'This smaller number cuts against any contention that the continued presence of these TPS holders who were granted TPS-related documents by the secretary would be a toll on the national or local economies or a threat to national security,' Judge Chen wrote. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday. Judge Chen ruled hours after the US supreme court in a different case allowed Trump's administration to end the temporary immigration 'parole' granted to 532,000 Venezuelan, Cuban, Haitian and Nicaraguan migrants under a different Biden-era programme. – Reuters (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025
