Latest news with #Lyons
Canada News.Net
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Canada News.Net
Face-covered ICE officers raise alarm nationwide
NEW YORK CITY, New York: In recent months, a new and unusual image has become common across the United States: immigration officers carrying out raids with their faces covered. They wear caps, sunglasses, balaclavas, or neck gaiters that make it nearly impossible to identify them. What used to be rare is now routine. Under President Donald Trump's administration, these masked agents have become the face of a large immigration crackdown. Their presence has caused worry, confusion, and growing public concern. By mid-2025, the masked officer has become a powerful symbol of the administration's push for mass deportations. Critics say this sends a scary message—law enforcement without responsibility. Supporters say the masks are needed to protect officers who face real threats in their work. The use of masks at this scale is something new in American law enforcement. These agents are not working in secret or as part of special units—they operate openly, but without showing their faces. This has raised serious questions about public oversight, trust, and accountability. Officials from the Trump administration say the masks are necessary because immigration agents have been facing more threats, both online and in real life. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said last month that the safety of agents and their families comes first. "I'm sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks," Lyons said. "But I'm not going to let my officers or their families be put at risk just because people don't like immigration enforcement." Not everyone agrees. Democratic politicians and civil rights groups say the masks make people more afraid and take away the public's right to hold law enforcement responsible. In a letter to Lyons, several Democratic senators said the sight of masked agents during raids at restaurants and workplaces "adds to the fear and confusion" and seems like a way to avoid being held accountable. The issue also touches a cultural nerve. In American movies and stories, people who cover their faces are often shown as criminals—robbers, bandits, or mysterious vigilantes. Even in comic books, masked heroes are sometimes criticized for hiding their identities. And in American law, people are usually expected to face their accusers. That makes the current use of masks by law enforcement feel even more troubling to many. The issue is also tied to recent political history. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trump and many of his supporters opposed mask mandates, saying masks were a sign of government overreach. More recently, Trump said that protestors who wear masks should be arrested—something critics now call hypocritical, since his administration is allowing federal agents to hide their faces. "This is dangerous territory," said Tobias Winright, a former police officer and professor of moral theology at St. Patrick's Pontifical University in Ireland. "When the police hide their identities, it takes away accountability. If you're doing the right thing, why hide your face?" In the past, people have fought for more police transparency, pushing for officers to wear body cameras and display name tags or badge numbers. However, the use of masks by regular law enforcement is new in the U.S., and it's raising significant concerns. "This isn't just about new tactics," Winright said. "It's about changing the values we expect from law enforcement." As the immigration raids continue and more images of masked agents appear in the media, the debate is likely to grow. For many Americans, these covered faces are not just practical tools—they represent a government that is becoming harder to see and harder to question.
Irish Examiner
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Past champions and future stars line up in 123rd South of Ireland at 'special' Lahinch
Peter Sheehan tees it up in his 40th Pierse Motor Group South of Ireland Amateur Open Championship today but he's not the only former champion enamoured of the annual matchplay classic at Lahinch. As 58-year-old Sheehan goes off with fellow veterans Karl Bornemann and Sean Barry at 2:30pm, two former champions and a former runner-up will be on the back nine at the west Clare links reliving their past glories and enjoying the unique atmosphere of what is arguably Irish golf's most popular provincial championship. A 46-year-old Robbie Cannon, champion in 2009, joins last year's beaten semi-finalist, 54-year-old Pat Murray (winner in 2012) and the 53-year-old 2007 runner up Joe Lyons in a threeball that will be as much a trip down memory lane as another opportunity to defy the odds and frighten a few young guns by making the top 64 after 36 holes who qualify for the matchplay stages on Friday. "The minute you drive into the car park in Lahinch, you can almost smell golf," said Lyons, a former West of Ireland champion, who has become a prolific winner on the seniors circuit with seven championship wins to his name. "There is just something special about the place. "Lahinch has a charm to it, really. There's something magical about it and I love the design and holes such as the Dell or the Klondyke because they are unique in world golf." The Alastair Mackenzie-designed course will host the Walker Cup next year, and not only is Lyons keen to make the trip, but he will likely bump into old rivals like Murray and Cannon, who have a special "grá" for the course, the town and the championship. Murray finally ended his quest for South of Ireland glory in 2012 after multiple appearances in the quarter and semi-finals. "I just love the buzz there," said Tipperary native, who made a surprise appearance in the semi-finals 12 months ago, where he was beaten by eventual champion Patrick Adler of the US. "There's so much to be said for a golf course in the middle of the town. It's a great test when the wind blows and the atmosphere on the first tee box, right in front of the clubhouse, is second to none." Cannon can hardly believe it's been 16 years since he beat Cork's Gary O'Flaherty in the final and while he'll be hoping to capture lightning in a bottle and pulling for all his strength and conditioning clients, he'll be making sure to smell the wildflowers along the way. "The views on the golf course are fantastic, the people and all the members are lovely, and it's just a great place to play golf," Cannon said. "It's just one of my favourite places in golf." Adler is not defending his title, but there is still a quality field in action, diminished only by the absence of Amateur Championship runner-up Gavin Tiernan and 2015 winner Stuart Grehan, who are hoping to boost their chances of Walker Cup selection when they play for Great Britain and Ireland in this week's St Andrews Trophy at Real Club de la Puerta de Hierro in Madrid. Players of the calibre of former champions Caolan Rafferty and Colm Campbell, Roscommon's Thomas Higgins, Malahide's Gavin O'Neill and Galgorm's Joshua Hill, not to mention Connemara's Luke O'Neill, last year's runner up Brian Doran of Millicent, West of Ireland winner Dylan Holmes and East of Ireland champion David Howard from Fota Island will be keen to make their mark. The 1985 champion, Sheehan, will be making his 40th appearance, and the memory of his victory remains vivid. "I played against Michael O'Kelly (Limerick) in the final. There must have been 5,000 people there," he told Golf Ireland this week. "The abiding memory was watching Padraig Harrington and his girlfriend, wife now, Caroline, strolling around watching us in the final, which is nice to see years later." Like Cannon, Murray and Lyons, there's nowhere he'd rather be this week. "They look after me every year, they make me feel so welcome as a past champion, and they make me feel as if I'm the winner coming back every year," said Sheehan, whose goal is to make the cut and take a few matchplay scalps. "They look after me so well, treat you so well, and it's just a really, really special place."
Hamilton Spectator
16 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks. Most were for minor crimes like shoplifting, drug possession and motor vehicle violations. But several involved cases of assault on police officers and domestic violence. One suspect allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and slapped her in the face. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the father of her child, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. A third case involved a suspect who allegedly hit a police officer and threated to shoot him. The judge, repeatedly invoking the Lavallee protocol, dismissed almost all of the cases after being convinced public defenders had made a good-faith effort to find the defendants an attorney. No defendants were in court to hear their cases being dismissed. 'This case will be dismissed without prejudice,' Lyons said repeatedly, noting that all fines and fees would be waived. Frustration from prosecutors over dropped cases Prosecutors unsuccessfully objected to the dismissal of many of the cases, especially the most serious being dismissed. 'The case dismissals today, with many more expected in coming days and weeks, present a clear and continuing threat to public safety,' James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said in a statement. They vowed to re-prosecute all the cases. 'Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are working extremely hard to keep victims and other impacted persons updated on what's happening with their cases,' he continued. 'These are difficult conversations. We remain hopeful that a structural solution will be found to address the causal issues here and prevent any repeat.' Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, speaking to reporters in Fall River, said the situation needed to be resolved. 'This is a public safety issue and also a due process issue as people need representation,' she said. 'I know the parties are talking. They have got to find a way to work this out. We need lawyers in court ... and certainly they need to be paid fairly.' Dispute revolves around pay Public defenders, who argue they are the lowest paid in New England, launched a work stoppage at the end of May in hopes of pressuring the legislature to increase their hourly pay. The state agency representing public defenders had proposed a pay increase from $65 an hour to $73 an hour over the next two fiscal years for lawyers in district court, an increase from $85 an hour to $105 an hour for lawyers in Superior Court and $120 an hour to $150 an hour for lawyers handling murder cases. But the 2026 fiscal year budget of $60.9 billion signed early this month by Healey didn't include any increase. 'The dismissal of cases today under the Lavallee protocols is what needs to be done for those individuals charged with crimes but with no lawyer to vindicate their constitution rights,' said Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law and the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'It is, however, not a solution to the deep crisis of inadequate pay for bar advocates. Until there are enough qualified lawyers in courts to fulfill the constitutional obligation of the right to counsel this crisis will only intensify.' The pay of public defenders is a national issue Massachusetts is the latest state struggling to adequately fund its public defender system. In New York City, legal aid attorneys are demanding better pay and working conditions. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a two-year state budget into law that increases the pay of public defenders and district attorneys in each of the next two years. That comes after the Legislature in 2023 also increased the pay to address rising caseloads, high turnover and low salaries. Public defenders in Minnesota averted a walkout in 2022 that threatened to bring the court system to a standstill. A year later, the legislature came up with more funding for the state Board of Public Defense so it could meet what the American Bar Association recommends for manageable caseload standards. Oregon, meanwhile, has struggled for years with a critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants did not have a public defender, a dashboard from the Oregon Judicial Department showed. Of those, about 143 people were in custody, some for longer than seven days. Amid the state's public defense crisis, lawmakers last month approved over $2 million for defense attorneys to take more caseloads in the counties most affected by the shortage and over $3 million for Oregon law schools to train and supervise law students to take on misdemeanor cases. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. 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Associated Press
17 hours ago
- Associated Press
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks. Most were for minor crimes like shoplifting, drug possession and motor vehicle violations. But several involved cases of assault on police officers and domestic violence. One suspect allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and slapped her in the face. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the father of her child, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. A third case involved a suspect who allegedly hit a police officer and threated to shoot him. The judge, repeatedly invoking the Lavallee protocol, dismissed almost all of the cases after being convinced public defenders had made a good-faith effort to find the defendants an attorney. No defendants were in court to hear their cases being dismissed. 'This case will be dismissed without prejudice,' Lyons said repeatedly, noting that all fines and fees would be waived. Frustration from prosecutors over dropped cases Prosecutors unsuccessfully objected to the dismissal of many of the cases, especially the most serious being dismissed. 'The case dismissals today, with many more expected in coming days and weeks, present a clear and continuing threat to public safety,' James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said in a statement. They vowed to re-prosecute all the cases. 'Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are working extremely hard to keep victims and other impacted persons updated on what's happening with their cases,' he continued. 'These are difficult conversations. We remain hopeful that a structural solution will be found to address the causal issues here and prevent any repeat.' Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, speaking to reporters in Fall River, said the situation needed to be resolved. 'This is a public safety issue and also a due process issue as people need representation,' she said. 'I know the parties are talking. They have got to find a way to work this out. We need lawyers in court ... and certainly they need to be paid fairly.' Dispute revolves around pay Public defenders, who argue they are the lowest paid in New England, launched a work stoppage at the end of May in hopes of pressuring the legislature to increase their hourly pay. The state agency representing public defenders had proposed a pay increase from $65 an hour to $73 an hour over the next two fiscal years for lawyers in district court, an increase from $85 an hour to $105 an hour for lawyers in Superior Court and $120 an hour to $150 an hour for lawyers handling murder cases. But the 2026 fiscal year budget of $60.9 billion signed early this month by Healey didn't include any increase. 'The dismissal of cases today under the Lavallee protocols is what needs to be done for those individuals charged with crimes but with no lawyer to vindicate their constitution rights,' said Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law and the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. 'It is, however, not a solution to the deep crisis of inadequate pay for bar advocates. Until there are enough qualified lawyers in courts to fulfill the constitutional obligation of the right to counsel this crisis will only intensify.' The pay of public defenders is a national issue Massachusetts is the latest state struggling to adequately fund its public defender system. In New York City, legal aid attorneys are demanding better pay and working conditions. Earlier this month, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers signed a two-year state budget into law that increases the pay of public defenders and district attorneys in each of the next two years. That comes after the Legislature in 2023 also increased the pay to address rising caseloads, high turnover and low salaries. Public defenders in Minnesota averted a walkout in 2022 that threatened to bring the court system to a standstill. A year later, the legislature came up with more funding for the state Board of Public Defense so it could meet what the American Bar Association recommends for manageable caseload standards. Oregon, meanwhile, has struggled for years with a critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants did not have a public defender, a dashboard from the Oregon Judicial Department showed. Of those, about 143 people were in custody, some for longer than seven days. Amid the state's public defense crisis, lawmakers last month approved over $2 million for defense attorneys to take more caseloads in the counties most affected by the shortage and over $3 million for Oregon law schools to train and supervise law students to take on misdemeanor cases.
San Francisco Chronicle
17 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Charges dropped against more than 120 defendants in Massachusetts because they can't get attorney
BOSTON (AP) — More than 120 cases, including some for assault on family members and police, were dismissed Tuesday in Boston, the latest fallout from a monthslong dispute over pay that has led public defenders to stop taking new clients. At a mostly empty courtroom, Boston Municipal Court Chief Justice Tracy-Lee Lyons invoked the Lavallee protocol in dismissing case after case. It requires cases be dropped if a defendant hasn't had an attorney for 45 days and released from custody if they haven't had one for seven days. Tuesday was the first time it was invoked to drop cases, while suspects in custody have been released in recent weeks. But several involved cases of assault on police officers and domestic violence. One suspect allegedly punched his pregnant girlfriend in the stomach and slapped her in the face. Another case involved a woman who was allegedly assaulted by the father of her child, who threatened to kill her and tried to strangle her. A third case involved a suspect who allegedly hit a police officer and threated to shoot him. The judge, repeatedly invoking the Lavallee protocol, dismissed almost all of the cases after being convinced public defenders had made a good-faith effort to find the defendants an attorney. No defendants were in court to hear their cases being dismissed. 'This case will be dismissed without prejudice,' Lyons said repeatedly, noting that all fines and fees would be waived. Frustration from prosecutors over dropped cases Prosecutors unsuccessfully objected to the dismissal of many of the cases, especially the most serious being dismissed. 'The case dismissals today, with many more expected in coming days and weeks, present a clear and continuing threat to public safety,' James Borghesani, a spokesperson for the Suffolk County district attorney's office, said in a statement. They vowed to re-prosecute all the cases. "Our prosecutors and victim witness advocates are working extremely hard to keep victims and other impacted persons updated on what's happening with their cases," he continued. 'These are difficult conversations. We remain hopeful that a structural solution will be found to address the causal issues here and prevent any repeat.' The district attorney's office plans to re-prosecute all of the dismissed cases. Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, speaking to reporters in Fall River, said the situation needed to be resolved. 'This is a public safety issue and also a due process issue as people need representation," she said. 'I know the parties are talking. They have got to find a way to work this out. We need lawyers in court ... and certainly they need to be paid fairly.' Dispute revolves around pay Public defenders, who argue they are the lowest paid in New England, launched a work stoppage at the end of May in hopes of pressuring the legislature to increase their hourly pay. The state agency representing public defenders had proposed a pay increase from $65 an hour to $73 an hour over the next two fiscal years for lawyers in district court, an increase from $85 an hour to $105 an hour for lawyers in Superior Court and $120 an hour to $150 an hour for lawyers handling murder cases. But the 2026 fiscal year budget of $60.9 billion signed early this month by Healey didn't include any increase. 'The dismissal of cases today under the Lavallee protocols is what needs to be done for those individuals charged with crimes but with no lawyer to vindicate their constitution rights," said Shira Diner, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law and the immediate past president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. "It is, however, not a solution to the deep crisis of inadequate pay for bar advocates. Until there are enough qualified lawyers in courts to fulfill the constitutional obligation of the right to counsel this crisis will only intensify." The pay of public defenders is a national issue Massachusetts is the latest state struggling to adequately fund its public defender system. In Wisconsin, a two-year state budget signed into law last week by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers would increase the pay of public defenders and district attorneys in each of the next two years. That comes after the Legislature in 2023 also increased the pay to address rising caseloads, high turnover and low salaries. Public defenders in Minnesota averted a walkout in 2022 that threatened to bring the court system to a standstill. A year later, the legislature came up with more funding for the state Board of Public Defense so it could meet what the American Bar Association recommends for manageable caseload standards. Oregon, meanwhile, has struggled for years with a critical shortage of court-provided attorneys for low-income defendants. As of Tuesday, nearly 3,500 defendants did not have a public defender, a dashboard from the Oregon Judicial Department showed. Of those, about 143 people were in custody, some for longer than seven days. Amid the state's public defense crisis, lawmakers last month approved over $2 million for defense attorneys to take more caseloads in the counties most affected by the shortage and over $3 million for Oregon law schools to train and supervise law students to take on misdemeanor cases.
