Latest news with #Republican-crafted
Reuters
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US Supreme Court declines to let Florida enforce immigration crackdown
WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court maintained on Wednesday a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for immigrants in the United States illegally to enter the state. The justices denied a request by state officials to lift an order by Florida-based U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Williams ruled that Florida's law conflicted with the federal government's authority over immigration policy. The Supreme Court's action came in a brief, unsigned order with no noted dissents. Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, and other state officials filed the emergency request on June 17 asking the Supreme Court to halt the judge's order. Williams found that the Florida law was likely unconstitutional for encroaching on the federal government's exclusive authority over U.S. immigration policy. The state's request to the justices was backed by America First Legal, a conservative group co-founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to President Donald Trump and a key architect of the administration's hardline immigration policies. Florida's immigration measure was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law in February by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. It made Florida one of at least seven states to pass such laws in recent years, according to court filings. The American Civil Liberties Union in April filed a class action suit in federal court on behalf of two immigrants in the country illegally who reside in Florida, an immigration advocacy group and the nonprofit group Farmworker Association of Florida, whose members include immigrants in the United States illegally who travel in and out of Florida seasonally to harvest crops. Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said the Supreme Court's denial of Florida's request "reaffirms a bedrock principle that dates back 150 years: States may not regulate immigration." "It is past time for states to get the message," Wofsy said. The law imposes mandatory minimum sentences for adult immigrants in the country illegally who are convicted of entering Florida after arriving in the United States without following federal immigration law. Florida officials contend that the state measure complies with - rather than conflicts with - federal law. Sentences for violations begin at nine months imprisonment for first offenders and reach up to five years for certain immigrants in the country illegally who have felony records and enter Florida after having been deported or ordered by a federal judge to be removed from the United States. The state law exempts immigrants in the country illegally who were given certain authorization by the federal government to remain in the United States. Florida's immigration crackdown makes no exceptions, however, for those seeking humanitarian protection or with pending applications for immigration relief, according to the ACLU. Williams issued a preliminary injunction in April that barred Florida officials from enforcing the measure. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in June declined to halt the judge's ruling. Trump's administration filed a brief to the 11th Circuit backing Florida in their appeal of the judge's ruling, arguing that the state measure does not conflict with federal immigration law. On the same day that Uthmeier filed the state's Supreme Court request, Williams found him in civil contempt of court for failing to follow her order to direct all state law enforcement officers not to enforce the immigration measure while it remained blocked by the judge. Williams ordered Uthmeier to provide an update to the court every two weeks on any enforcement of the law. The tough approach by Florida officials toward immigration mirrors that of Trump. The Republican president joined DeSantis during a July 1 tour of a remote migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." The complex is estimated to cost $450 million annually and could house some 5,000 people.
UPI
14-07-2025
- Politics
- UPI
DOGE cuts on Senate agenda in busy week for lawmakers
1 of 2 | The Senate is set to consider a plan this week that will withhold funding from foreign aid and public broadcasting. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 14 (UPI) -- Lawmakers will have a busy week in Washington as senators consider a GOP plan with a Friday deadline to pull back billions of dollars that hits foreign aid and public broadcasting. The Senate will hold yet another "vote-a-rama" after the House in June approved a Republican-crafted rescission package in a 214-212 vote to rescind some $9.4 trillion in federal money. It seeks to claw back already-approved funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting -- which funds PBS and NPR -- and cuts cash for the U.S. Agency for International Development, which was targeted this year by the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency. Trump has long attacked both NPR and PBS over a perceived bias. In May, he signed an executive order to halt federal streams. But concerns exist among some Republican members over cuts to public broadcasting and the 22-year-old President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief under USAID. Trump last week threatened to withhold political support for any Republican who opposed the legislation. "What we're trying to do is ensure that every dollar spent by the federal government is used efficiently and effectively," House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said in June on the package. Last month, four House Republicans broke from GOP ranks to vote against the proposed cuts. But Republicans can afford to lose only three votes this week in the Senate and still have it pass the upper chamber. "I want to strike the rescission of funds for PEPFAR, which has an enormous record of success, having saved some 26 million lives over the course of the program, as well as preventing nearly 8 million infants from receiving AIDS from their infected mothers," Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said previously. PEPFAR came to life under then-Republican President George W. Bush with global success in dealing with the immunity virus, which currently infects more than 1 million American women and men. "So I can't imagine why we would want to terminate that program," added Collins. In a social media post last week, the president said it was "very important" that "all Republicans adhere" to his recessions bill. "Any Republican that votes to allow this monstrosity to continue broadcasting will not have my support or Endorsement," Trump wrote. The Senate's Democratic leader has signaled that attempts to ditch pre-approved federal spending may lead to a breakdown in future budget talks headed to a government shutdown. "It is absurd to expect Democrats to play along with funding the government if Republicans are just going to renege on a bipartisan agreement," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said last week on the floor. However, even some Republicans remain skeptical that Trump's cuts can pass the divided Congress. "Will it pass? I don't know. I really don't know," Sen. John Kennedy, R-L.a., told CNN on Monday. "We got a lot of Republicans who talk tough. We'll see if they're tough." Meanwhile, ex-U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz, a former Republican congressman from Florida who briefly served this year as Trump's national security adviser, will be on Capitol Hill this week for his confirmation as UN ambassador. The House will consider landmark cryptocurrency-related legislation, and also vote on a Pentagon funding bill for fiscal year 2026 that will include a further $831 billion in discretionary spending.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US supreme court blocks Florida from enforcing anti-immigration law
The US supreme court maintained on Wednesday a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants in the United States to enter the state. The justices denied a request by state officials to lift an order by the Florida-based US district judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Williams ruled that Florida's law conflicted with the federal government's authority over immigration policy. The law, signed by the Republican governor, Ron DeSantis, in February and backed by the Trump administration, made it a felony for some undocumented migrants to enter Florida, while also imposing pre-trial jail time without bond. 'This denial reaffirms a bedrock principle that dates back 150 years: States may not regulate immigration,' said Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project. 'It is past time for states to get the message.' After Williams blocked the law, Florida's attorney general, James Uthmeier, a Republican, and other state officials filed the emergency request on 17 June asking the supreme court to halt the judge's order. Williams had found that the Florida law was probably unconstitutional for encroaching on the federal government's exclusive authority over US immigration policy. Related: Undocumented builders face unchecked exploitation amid Trump raids: 'It's more work, less pay' The state's request to the justices was backed by America First Legal, a conservative group co-founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to Donald Trump and a key architect of the administration's hardline immigration policies. Florida's immigration measure, called SB 4-C, was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by DeSantis. It made Florida one of at least seven states to pass such laws in recent years, according to court filings. The American Civil Liberties Union in April sued in federal court to challenge the law, arguing that the state should not be able to 'enforce its own state immigration system outside of federal supervision and control'. Williams agreed. The law imposed mandatory minimum sentences for undocumented adult immigrants who are convicted of entering Florida after arriving in the United States without following federal immigration law. Florida officials contend that the state measure complies with – rather than conflicts with – federal law. Sentences for violations begin at nine months' imprisonment for first offenders and reach up to five years for certain undocumented immigrants in the country who have felony records and enter Florida after having been deported or ordered by a federal judge to be removed from the United States. The state law exempts undocumented immigrants in the country who were given certain authorization by the federal government to remain in the United States. Florida's immigration crackdown makes no exceptions, however, for those seeking humanitarian protection or with pending applications for immigration relief, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued in federal court to challenge the law. The ACLU filed a class-action suit on behalf of two undocumented immigrants who reside in Florida, an immigration advocacy group called the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the non-profit group Farmworker Association of Florida, whose members include immigrants in the United States illegally who travel in and out of Florida seasonally to harvest crops. Some of the arguments in the lawsuit included claims that it violates the federal 'commerce clause', which bars states from blocking commerce between states. Bacardi Jackson, executive director of the ACLU of Florida, in a statement issued after the challenge was filed said that Florida's law 'is not just unconstitutional – it's cruel and dangerous'. Williams issued a preliminary injunction in April that barred Florida officials from enforcing the measure. The Atlanta-based 11th US circuit court of appeals in June upheld the judge's ruling, prompting the Florida officials to make an emergency request to the supreme court. In a filing on 7 July, the state of Florida pointed to a brief filed by the Trump administration in the appeals case, in support of SB 4-C. 'That decision is wrong and should be reversed,' administration lawyers wrote at the time. On the same day that Florida's attorney general filed the state's supreme court request, Williams found him in civil contempt of court for failing to follow her order to direct all state law enforcement officers not to enforce the immigration measure while it remained blocked by the judge. Williams said that Uthmeier only informed the state law enforcement agencies about her order and later instructed them to arrest people anyway. Williams ordered Uthmeier to provide an update to the court every two weeks on any enforcement of the law. Other states have tried to pass similar laws, including Texas, Oklahoma, Idaho and Iowa, which have attempted to make entering their jurisdictions, while undocumented, a state crime.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump news at a glance: president demands Bolsonaro trial be stopped as he hits Brazil with 50% tariff
Donald Trump has slapped a 50% tariff on Brazil over what he called the 'witch-hunt' against former president Jair Bolsonaro and demanded that it end immediately. The US president said the levy on Brazil would be 'separate from all sectoral tariffs' as he also targeted seven other countries for steep tariffs and criticised the trial of Bolsonaro, whom he has described as a friend and hosted at his Mar-a-Lago resort. The US supreme court, meanwhile, denied a request by Florida officials to lift a judge's order barring them from carrying out arrests of undocumented US immigrants entering the state while a legal challenge plays out. And the Trump administration has issued sanctions against Francesca Albanese, a UN official investigating abuses in Gaza, in the latest US effort to punish critics of Israel's war in the territory. Here are the key US politics stories at a glance: On Wednesday afternoon, Trump avoided his standard form letter with Brazil, and criticized the trial Jair Bolsonaro is facing over trying to overturn his 2022 election loss. 'This Trial should not be taking place,' Trump wrote in the letter posted on Truth Social on Wednesday. 'It is a witch hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!' Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, rejected Trump's demand that legal proceedings against Bolsonaro be dropped and his claim that a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports was necessary to close a trade deficit that does not, in fact, exist. Read the full story The country's supreme court has maintained a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for undocumented immigrants in the US to enter the state. The justices on Wednesday denied a request by state officials to lift an order by Florida-based US district judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Read the full story Robert F Kennedy Jr has promoted a company whose meals contain ultra-processed ingredients – which he has repeatedly railed against – on his 'Make America healthy again' tour. The US health secretary appeared at an enormous food plant in Oklahoma for a company called Mom's Meals, which makes 1.5m 'medically tailored' meals each week and ships them all over the country. Read the full story The Trump administration announced on Wednesday it was issuing sanctions against Francesca Albanese, an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories, the latest effort by the US to punish critics of Israel's 21-month war in Gaza. Read the full story The US agriculture secretary has suggested that increased automation and forcing Medicaid recipients to work could replace the migrant farm workers being swept up in Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign, despite years of evidence and policy failures that those kinds of measures are not substitutes for the immigrant labor force underpinning American agriculture. Read the full story The Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut at least 2,145 high-ranking Nasa employees with specialized skills or management responsibilities. According to documents obtained by Politico, most employees leaving are in senior-level government ranks, depriving the agency of decades of experience as part of a push to slash the size of the federal government through early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations. Read the full story War-torn South Sudan has said it is holding a group of eight men controversially deported from the US. Only one of them is from South Sudan. The rest comprise two people from Myanmar, two from Cuba and one each from Vietnam, Laos and Mexico. The Trump administration has sued California over its policies allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls' school sports, alleging their participation violates federal anti-discrimination laws. Catching up? Here's what happened on .
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First Post
10-07-2025
- Politics
- First Post
US Supreme Court clears Trump's immigration crackdown, lifts Florida curbs
Florida's immigration measure was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law in February by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis read more Journalists sit outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, on June 27, 2025. AFP Photo file The U.S. Supreme Court maintained on Wednesday a judicial block on a Republican-crafted Florida law that makes it a crime for immigrants in the United States illegally to enter the state. The justices denied a request by state officials to lift an order by Florida-based U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams that barred them from carrying out arrests and prosecutions under the law while a legal challenge plays out in lower courts. Williams ruled that Florida's law conflicted with the federal government's authority over immigration policy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Supreme Court's action came in a brief, unsigned order with no noted dissents. Florida's Attorney General James Uthmeier, a Republican, and other state officials filed the emergency request on June 17 asking the Supreme Court to halt the judge's order. Williams found that the Florida law was likely unconstitutional for encroaching on the federal government's exclusive authority over U.S. immigration policy. More from World In a landmark ruling, court finds Russia guilty of shooting down flight MH17, killing 298 onboard The state's request to the justices was backed by America First Legal, a conservative group co-founded by Stephen Miller, a senior aide to President Donald Trump and a key architect of the administration's hardline immigration policies. Florida's immigration measure was passed by the state's Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law in February by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. It made Florida one of at least seven states to pass such laws in recent years, according to court filings. The American Civil Liberties Union in April filed a class action suit in federal court on behalf of two immigrants in the country illegally who reside in Florida, an immigration advocacy group and the nonprofit group Farmworker Association of Florida, whose members include immigrants in the United States illegally who travel in and out of Florida seasonally to harvest crops. Cody Wofsy, deputy director of the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, said the Supreme Court's denial of Florida's request 'reaffirms a bedrock principle that dates back 150 years: States may not regulate immigration.' 'It is past time for states to get the message,' Wofsy said. The law imposes mandatory minimum sentences for adult immigrants in the country illegally who are convicted of entering Florida after arriving in the United States without following federal immigration law. Florida officials contend that the state measure complies with - rather than conflicts with - federal law. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Sentences for violations begin at nine months imprisonment for first offenders and reach up to five years for certain immigrants in the country illegally who have felony records and enter Florida after having been deported or ordered by a federal judge to be removed from the United States. The state law exempts immigrants in the country illegally who were given certain authorization by the federal government to remain in the United States. Florida's immigration crackdown makes no exceptions, however, for those seeking humanitarian protection or with pending applications for immigration relief, according to the ACLU. Williams issued a preliminary injunction in April that barred Florida officials from enforcing the measure. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in June declined to halt the judge's ruling. Trump's administration filed a brief to the 11th Circuit backing Florida in their appeal of the judge's ruling, arguing that the state measure does not conflict with federal immigration law. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On the same day that Uthmeier filed the state's Supreme Court request, Williams found him in civil contempt of court for failing to follow her order to direct all state law enforcement officers not to enforce the immigration measure while it remained blocked by the judge. Williams ordered Uthmeier to provide an update to the court every two weeks on any enforcement of the law. The tough approach by Florida officials toward immigration mirrors that of Trump. The Republican president joined DeSantis during a July 1 tour of a remote migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades dubbed 'Alligator Alcatraz.' The complex is estimated to cost $450 million annually and could house some 5,000 people.
