Latest news with #TRAC
Scoop
13 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scoop
Government's Transport Policies Are Flawed
The government is disingenuous about its road management policies, especially when it comes to pot holes and resurfacing costs. The government brought this about by allowing trucks to become heavier than NZ roads can take and travel faster than it is safe for them to go with the added side effect of causing more road damage. Vehicles over 3 tonnes pay just 14% of the cost of building and maintaining roads in NZ and do 93% 0f the damage to roads. Since the extra damage has occurred the government has had to add a further $4b for pot holes and resurfacing over three years to fix the problem. National coordinator for TRAC, Niall Robertson says, 'We have the biggest and heaviest trucks in the world and they are driving on the flimsiest roads in the world. This is an astounding fact, especially as KiwiRail are now doing just 9% of the freight task'. Robertson adds, 'Rail should be doing between 30 to 40% of the freight task but for some reason, this is not the case'. TRAC chair Guy Wellwood says that KiwiRail are expected to follow a business formula set by treasury, the major shareholder, but Wellwood says, 'The formula is not working because it ignores all of the advantages of rail while concentrating on a small fiscal goal which is irrelevant to most New Zealanders'. Robertson says, 'There is too much use of road transport and rail is not utilised enough. This is because there appears to be an endless stream of infrastructure money from road users, taxpayers and ratepayers, but KiwiRail have to justify every penny spent.' Robertson adds, 'That's why roads like SH2 from Gisborne to Napier remain open but the adjacent rail is mothballed'. Guy Wellwood says that SH2 is really not suitable for the amount of trucks on the road and rail is the best way to move freight in and out of this region, but this is dependent on KiwiRail resources and that they are putting their resources into other busier trunk routes and the Golden Triangle. Wellwood says, 'This is ridiculous and is why the below wheel infrastructure should not tied to KiwiRail's fortunes, but to the nation to provide an opportunity for another operator to run trains on this route for the good of the region, for rail customers, for greater road safety, to reduce greenhouse gases, to reduce road pollution, to reduce road maintenance and building costs and to decrease congestion on this difficult highway. Rail also provides sustainability and improves New Zealand's green credentials which are becoming increasingly important for trade.' Robertson says that if the connection on the Stratford to Taumarunui line was reopened it would be possible for rail to move up to 2000 tonnes of logs per day from the King Country to Port Taranaki. Robertson adds, 'On SH3 between Whanganui and Port Taranaki, there are up to 1000 log trucks per week which pass 5 or 6 schools in New Plymouth city alone on their way to the port. No wonder the roads are falling to pieces'. Wellwood says, ': KiwiRail need to up their game and start moving some of this tonnage. Why they haven't is a mystery to me'. Government policy tends to favour road infrastructure funding over rail, yet rail is the most suitable way to move 30% - 40% of all freight and should be funded accordingly, but due to climate of populist, but flawed thinking this is not happening. Robertson says, 'Large parts of the railway have been severely damaged due to neglect and political vandalism with little concern for the communities, businesses, ratepayers and taxpayers that these decisions affect!'
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
The Trump administration's latest immigration target: Kids aged 11 and under
A far cry from the 'bad, hard criminals' Donald Trump said his undocumented immigrants crackdown would focus on, record-breaking numbers of deportation orders have been issued to young immigrant children under the Trump administration, The Independent can reveal. More kids aged 11 or under — 8,317 — received a removal order from an immigration court in April than any other month in over 35 years of data collection, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Since Trump's inauguration in January, judges have ordered removals for over 53,000 immigrant minors. Those children are predominantly elementary school age or younger. Some 15,000 children were aged under four years old, and 20,000 of them were children aged four to eleven. Teenagers are also experiencing climbing deportations, with 17,000 seeing a court-ordered removal, although that's lower than their all-time peak in 2020 under the first Trump administration. This 2021 photo, during the Biden administration, shows young unaccompanied migrants waiting at a processing station inside a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility in Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills) Some of these children being deported are unaccompanied minors, who do not have a legal guardian in the US; though the exact number is unclear, since immigration authorities stopped recording this data years ago. Children, including toddlers, are required to show up at immigration hearings to be questioned by a judge – and many, unsurprisingly, do not understand what is happening nor the gravity of their situation. In one case, a source tells the Independent, a young child from Haiti had his immigration court hearing remotely in front of a screen. The child, who had a learning disability, was fidgeting and running around the room. Finally, he pointed at the judge on the screen and asked – 'Who's that?' In other cases, children are being arrested by ICE with their families, but held in detention and deported separately. 'A six year old child was picked up [by ICE] with his father, separated from his dad, and parked in custody for four months before being deported,' a lawyer familiar with children's immigration cases told the Independent. The child was unable to receive legal assistance, as he was deported while federal legal funding had been cut. The deportation outcome rate for immigrant children under age 11 is higher than in any other age group, latest figures show, and has jumped significantly since Trump came into office. What's more, under-18s account for one in four (26 percent) of all deportations ordered in immigration court since January – despite the fact that minors make up just 11 percent of the undocumented population. The vast majority (76 percent) of children under 11 do not have legal representation, and cases are being sped through the system, according to sources close to the courts. 'This is pumping up the deportation numbers on the back of kids – their rights to safety and due process are not respected,' the immigration lawyer told the Independent. 'This is about striking fear in the hearts of everybody. It's demonstrable cruelty in the name of so-called deterrence.' Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded to the Independent: 'Accusations that ICE is 'targeting' children are FALSE and an attempt to demonize law enforcement. ICE does not 'target' children nor does it deport children. Rather than separate families, ICE asks mothers if they want to be removed with their children or if the child should be placed with someone safe the parent designates.' Highest-ever deportations for young children Immigration crackdowns across the country have been almost indiscriminate, with new data revealing that ICE is arresting more non-criminals than ever. The number of people who have been deported under the Trump administration is murky; ICE has not disclosed official figures since January, and available immigration court data is not comprehensive, with age not recorded in 13 percent of cases. But analysis of court data reveals that children have been increasingly, and disproportionately, marked for deportation in recent months. Under the Trump administration, immigration courts have quickly ramped up deportation rates. Around two thirds (68 percent) of all immigration court proceedings ended in deportation in May, compared to 39 percent in January. But for children under 11, the removal rate is even higher, at 75 percent in May; and 78 percent for kids under 4 years old, both substantially higher than the 45 percent seen on average for young kids in January. This suggests that children are being disproportionately targeted for deportations under this administration, overrepresented by 2.3 times more than their proportion of the illegal immigrant population, our analysis shows. 'What we're seeing right now is basically a grist mill in immigration court, just scooting kids through the process as quickly as possible,' the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Independent. At the same time, children facing immigration court are more vulnerable and less protected than ever. A young girl holds a placard that says "America Built by Immigrants" during a February rally in Pennsylvania. A group of protesters held a rally against the new immigration laws and use of ICE to deport some of their family and friends. (Getty) In spite of this, the Trump administration has been fighting to cancel funding which provides legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children. The government first issued a stop-work order in February, and cancelled federal contracts in March. In April the federal district court ordered the Trump administration to restore funding, saying it is congressionally mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Legal assistance programs told the Independent that they had since been re-contracted; but remain on 'pins and needles' as the government appeals the court ruling, and Trump's Big Beautiful Bill makes it harder and more expensive to sue against his policies. Rocket dockets and separating families In the meantime, children are being put on expedited paths through immigration court, known as 'rocket dockets', according to the immigration lawyer. Many of these cases are going through in just two weeks from start to finish – which leaves little-to-no room for a child to prepare the necessary documents and arguments. 'Of course, a child is going to file a case that's not completely fleshed out in all the legal arguments, because they don't understand the legal argument,' the lawyer told the Independent. 'This is also really damaging for trafficking victims. Kids who have experienced severe trauma need the time to have their nervous system relax, to understand that they're safe, to share some of the most sensitive details about their cases.' A two-year-old Honduran asylum seeker cries as her mother is searched and detained near the U.S.-Mexico border in 2018, under the first Trump administration. They were detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents before being sent to a processing center for possible separation. Children must be able to argue their case for asylum in front of a judge. (Getty Images) These tactics evoke the family separation policy, employed in 2018 under the first Trump administration, which forcibly kept parents and children apart when detained at the border – with as many as 1,360 families never reunited, according to Human Rights Watch. 'It is seen as against the due process rights of a child to be systematically separated from their parent or legal guardian,' the lawyer explained. 'What's clear is that they are sidestepping the legal settlement to protect children from these cruel techniques." Solve the daily Crossword
The Independent
7 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
The Trump administration's latest immigration target: Kids aged 11 and under
A far cry from the 'bad, hard criminals' Donald Trump said his undocumented immigrants crackdown would focus on, record-breaking numbers of deportation orders have been issued to young immigrant children under the Trump administration, The Independent can reveal. More kids aged 11 or under — 8,317 — received a removal order from an immigration court in April than any other month in over 35 years of data collection, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Since Trump's inauguration in January, judges have ordered removals for over 53,000 immigrant minors. Those children are predominantly elementary school age or younger. Some 15,000 children were aged under four years old, and 20,000 of them were children aged four to eleven. Teenagers are also experiencing climbing deportations, with 17,000 seeing a court-ordered removal, although that's lower than their all-time peak in 2020 under the first Trump administration. Some of these children being deported are unaccompanied minors, who do not have a legal guardian in the US; though the exact number is unclear, since immigration authorities stopped recording this data years ago. Children, including toddlers, are required to show up at immigration hearings to be questioned by a judge – and many, unsurprisingly, do not understand what is happening nor the gravity of their situation. In one case, a source tells the Independent, a young child from Haiti had his immigration court hearing remotely in front of a screen. The child, who had a learning disability, was fidgeting and running around the room. Finally, he pointed at the judge on the screen and asked – 'Who's that?' In other cases, children are being arrested by ICE with their families, but held in detention and deported separately. 'A six year old child was picked up [by ICE] with his father, separated from his dad, and parked in custody for four months before being deported,' a lawyer familiar with children's immigration cases told the Independent. The child was unable to receive legal assistance, as he was deported while federal legal funding had been cut. The deportation outcome rate for immigrant children under age 11 is higher than in any other age group, latest figures show, and has jumped significantly since Trump came into office. What's more, under-18s account for one in four (26 percent) of all deportations ordered in immigration court since January – despite the fact that minors make up just 11 percent of the undocumented population. The vast majority (76 percent) of children under 11 do not have legal representation, and cases are being sped through the system, according to sources close to the courts. 'This is pumping up the deportation numbers on the back of kids – their rights to safety and due process are not respected,' the immigration lawyer told the Independent. 'This is about striking fear in the hearts of everybody. It's demonstrable cruelty in the name of so-called deterrence.' Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded to the Independent: 'Accusations that ICE is 'targeting' children are FALSE and an attempt to demonize law enforcement. ICE does not 'target' children nor does it deport children. Rather than separate families, ICE asks mothers if they want to be removed with their children or if the child should be placed with someone safe the parent designates.' Highest-ever deportations for young children Immigration crackdowns across the country have been almost indiscriminate, with new data revealing that ICE is arresting more non-criminals than ever. The number of people who have been deported under the Trump administration is murky; ICE has not disclosed official figures since January, and available immigration court data is not comprehensive, with age not recorded in 13 percent of cases. But analysis of court data reveals that children have been increasingly, and disproportionately, marked for deportation in recent months. Under the Trump administration, immigration courts have quickly ramped up deportation rates. Around two thirds (68 percent) of all immigration court proceedings ended in deportation in May, compared to 39 percent in January. But for children under 11, the removal rate is even higher, at 75 percent in May; and 78 percent for kids under 4 years old, both substantially higher than the 45 percent seen on average for young kids in January. This suggests that children are being disproportionately targeted for deportations under this administration, overrepresented by 2.3 times more than their proportion of the illegal immigrant population, our analysis shows. 'What we're seeing right now is basically a grist mill in immigration court, just scooting kids through the process as quickly as possible,' the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Independent. At the same time, children facing immigration court are more vulnerable and less protected than ever. In spite of this, the Trump administration has been fighting to cancel funding which provides legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children. The government first issued a stop-work order in February, and cancelled federal contracts in March. In April the federal district court ordered the Trump administration to restore funding, saying it is congressionally mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Legal assistance programs told the Independent that they had since been re-contracted; but remain on 'pins and needles' as the government appeals the court ruling, and Trump's Big Beautiful Bill makes it harder and more expensive to sue against his policies. Rocket dockets and separating families In the meantime, children are being put on expedited paths through immigration court, known as 'rocket dockets', according to the immigration lawyer. Many of these cases are going through in just two weeks from start to finish – which leaves little-to-no room for a child to prepare the necessary documents and arguments. 'Of course, a child is going to file a case that's not completely fleshed out in all the legal arguments, because they don't understand the legal argument,' the lawyer told the Independent. 'This is also really damaging for trafficking victims. Kids who have experienced severe trauma need the time to have their nervous system relax, to understand that they're safe, to share some of the most sensitive details about their cases.' These tactics evoke the family separation policy, employed in 2018 under the first Trump administration, which forcibly kept parents and children apart when detained at the border – with as many as 1,360 families never reunited, according to Human Rights Watch. 'It is seen as against the due process rights of a child to be systematically separated from their parent or legal guardian,' the lawyer explained. 'What's clear is that they are sidestepping the legal settlement to protect children from these cruel techniques."
The Independent
13-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Judges are deporting record numbers of young children under Trump
A far cry from the 'bad, hard criminals' Donald Trump said his undocumented immigrants crackdown would focus on, record-breaking numbers of deportation orders have been issued to young immigrant children under the Trump administration, The Independent can reveal. More kids aged 11 or under — 8,317 — received a removal order from an immigration court in April than any other month in over 35 years of data collection, according to court data from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). Since Trump's inauguration in January, judges have ordered removals for over 53,000 immigrant minors. Those children are predominantly elementary school age or younger. Some 15,000 children were aged under four years old, and 20,000 of them were children aged four to eleven. Teenagers are also experiencing climbing deportations, with 17,000 seeing a court-ordered removal, although that's lower than their all-time peak in 2020 under the first Trump administration. Some of these children being deported are unaccompanied minors, who do not have a legal guardian in the US; though the exact number is unclear, since immigration authorities stopped recording this data years ago. Children, including toddlers, are required to show up at immigration hearings to be questioned by a judge – and many, unsurprisingly, do not understand what is happening nor the gravity of their situation. In one case, a source tells the Independent, a young child from Haiti had his immigration court hearing remotely in front of a screen. The child, who had a learning disability, was fidgeting and running around the room. Finally, he pointed at the judge on the screen and asked – 'Who's that?' In other cases, children are being arrested by ICE with their families, but held in detention and deported separately. 'A six year old child was picked up [by ICE] with his father, separated from his dad, and parked in custody for four months before being deported,' a lawyer familiar with children's immigration cases told the Independent. The child was unable to receive legal assistance, as he was deported while federal legal funding had been cut. The deportation outcome rate for immigrant children under age 11 is higher than in any other age group, latest figures show, and has jumped significantly since Trump came into office. What's more, under-18s account for one in four (26 percent) of all deportations ordered in immigration court since January – despite the fact that minors make up just 11 percent of the undocumented population. The vast majority (76 percent) of children under 11 do not have legal representation, and cases are being sped through the system, according to sources close to the courts. 'This is pumping up the deportation numbers on the back of kids – their rights to safety and due process are not respected,' the immigration lawyer told the Independent. 'This is about striking fear in the hearts of everybody. It's demonstrable cruelty in the name of so-called deterrence.' Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin responded to the Independent: 'Accusations that ICE is 'targeting' children are FALSE and an attempt to demonize law enforcement. ICE does not 'target' children nor does it deport children. Rather than separate families, ICE asks mothers if they want to be removed with their children or if the child should be placed with someone safe the parent designates.' Highest-ever deportations for young children Immigration crackdowns across the country have been almost indiscriminate, with new data revealing that ICE is arresting more non-criminals than ever. The number of people who have been deported under the Trump administration is murky; ICE has not disclosed official figures since January, and available immigration court data is not comprehensive, with age not recorded in 13 percent of cases. But analysis of court data reveals that children have been increasingly, and disproportionately, marked for deportation in recent months. Under the Trump administration, immigration courts have quickly ramped up deportation rates. Around two thirds (68 percent) of all immigration court proceedings ended in deportation in May, compared to 39 percent in January. But for children under 11, the removal rate is even higher, at 75 percent in May; and 78 percent for kids under 4 years old, both substantially higher than the 45 percent seen on average for young kids in January. This suggests that children are being disproportionately targeted for deportations under this administration, overrepresented by 2.3 times more than their proportion of the illegal immigrant population, our analysis shows. 'What we're seeing right now is basically a grist mill in immigration court, just scooting kids through the process as quickly as possible,' the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Independent. At the same time, children facing immigration court are more vulnerable and less protected than ever. In spite of this, the Trump administration has been fighting to cancel funding which provides legal aid for unaccompanied immigrant children. The government first issued a stop-work order in February, and cancelled federal contracts in March. In April the federal district court ordered the Trump administration to restore funding, saying it is congressionally mandated under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Legal assistance programs told the Independent that they had since been re-contracted; but remain on 'pins and needles' as the government appeals the court ruling, and Trump's Big Beautiful Bill makes it harder and more expensive to sue against his policies. Rocket dockets and separating families In the meantime, children are being put on expedited paths through immigration court, known as 'rocket dockets', according to the immigration lawyer. Many of these cases are going through in just two weeks from start to finish – which leaves little-to-no room for a child to prepare the necessary documents and arguments. 'Of course, a child is going to file a case that's not completely fleshed out in all the legal arguments, because they don't understand the legal argument,' the lawyer told the Independent. 'This is also really damaging for trafficking victims. Kids who have experienced severe trauma need the time to have their nervous system relax, to understand that they're safe, to share some of the most sensitive details about their cases.' These tactics evoke the family separation policy, employed in 2018 under the first Trump administration, which forcibly kept parents and children apart when detained at the border – with as many as 1,360 families never reunited, according to Human Rights Watch. 'It is seen as against the due process rights of a child to be systematically separated from their parent or legal guardian,' the lawyer explained. 'What's clear is that they are sidestepping the legal settlement to protect children from these cruel techniques."
USA Today
12-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
'My dad isn't a criminal': Facing charges, scared detainees choose fast-track deportation
Defendants are agreeing not to challenge their case because of fears of more jail time or being deported to a country that is not their own. TALLAHASSEE, Florida ‒ In a cold courtroom in downtown, Isabela Hurtado sat in a wooden pew. It had been over a month since she last saw her father. On May 29, she watched him get ready for work at a construction site near the capital city's CollegeTown. When she next saw him, on July 2, he was in an orange jumpsuit, shackled by the hands and ankles, waiting to see a federal judge. "All I wanted to do in that moment was cry, but I had to contain myself," Hurtado, 19, said. She looked at her dad, Juan Hurtado Solano, seated next to his public defender. He turned around and smiled. Minutes later, he pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States, a federal crime with a potential punishment of up to two years in prison and $250,000 fine. While entering the country without the proper documentation is a misdemeanor, reentering the United States after already being deported is a federal felony, according to U.S. Code 1326, Reentry of Illegal Aliens. Amid President Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration, more people are being charged for illegal reentry into the United States. And many of those defendants are pleading guilty and agreeing not to challenge their case or removal because of fears of getting stuck in the immigration system, spending more time in detention or being deported to a country that is not their own. Hurtado's father didn't make the decision lightly. He spoke to his wife and kids. Ultimately, Hurtado said it was the best-case scenario. "If you're just going to get sent back regardless, let's just speed up with the process, because I wouldn't want my dad to sit there any longer anyway," Hurtado said, adding she would prefer to FaceTime him while he's in Mexico rather than the alternative. Rise in illegal reentry prosecutions across U.S. In February, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a memo to all department employees entitled: "General Policy Regarding Charging, Plea Negotiations, and Sentencing." "The Department of Justice shall use all available criminal statutes to combat the flood of illegal immigration that took place over the last four years, and to continue to support the Department of Homeland Security's immigration and removal initiatives," the memo states. The number of immigration prosecutions in the United States jumped in March of this year. U.S. Attorneys charged 4,550 defendants with immigration offenses in U.S. District Courts in March, up 36.6 percent over February when 3,332 defendants were charged, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), which tracks immigration data. According to TRAC, in the past, illegal reentry was often pled down to illegal entry, which has a mandatory maximum sentence of six months and up to a $250 fine. The plea agreements, also known as "fast-track" programs, were developed to handle the large number of immigration cases in states along the southern border in the 1990s. A former U.S. deputy attorney general once wrote the program was created for defendants who promptly agreed to participate to save the government significant and scarce resources that could be used to prosecute other defendants. "It's common for someone to plead guilty to a crime to try to avoid detention, especially long-term detention, but they often don't realize that doing so has negative long-term consequences that would likely preclude them from getting a benefit for immigration for the future," said immigration expert Elizabeth Ricci. According to the American Immigration Council, there are different reasons why a defendant would choose to plead guilty to the entry-related offense. "These can include a lack of understanding of potential defenses against a charge (and lack of time to discuss such defenses with counsel prior to a group hearing); the prospect of shorter sentences; or misunderstanding the terms or consequences of a plea agreement," according to a council report. Recently, many defendants and their families say they hope pleading guilty will mean their cases progress much faster. Reports of inhumane conditions at Alligator Alcatraz and other detention centers and long wait times to see judges create a distressing situation for immigrants. "(Immigration detention centers) are overcrowded, people are sleeping in the hallway, people are being denied medicine," Ricci said. "I tell clients frequently that they may have to put up for very uncomfortable conditions for days or weeks if it means staying here for long-term, often people are so uncomfortable they aren't willing to stick it out and are wiling to leave and forfeit living in the United States." "It's about making people scared," she added. The threat of a $250,000 fine really worried Hurtado "There's no way I could pay that money, or even try to round up the money," Hurtado said. "We don't have people with that type of money. That's so unreasonable … most immigrant families don't have much money." 'My dad isn't a criminal' The USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida spoke to other family members of those incarcerated and charged with illegal reentry. They say their loved ones are being held in the same area as hardened criminals and drug dealers. "These are mostly decent people whose only crime is entering the United States after being deported, but otherwise, immigration violations are civil, not criminal," Ricci said. The day federal agents raided Hurtado's father's construction site, they also detained her two uncles. In three hours, Hurtado lost three family members. While her father and uncle are at a federal detention center, her other uncle is still in ICE custody in Texas. She doesn't know exactly where. Even if her dad and uncle tell their family members not to worry, her mother and aunt hear the news about Alligator Alcatraz and are stressed. "(My mom) just wants to get this done as soon as possible, because it's scary," Hurtado said. Her 3-year-old brother hasn't been able to fall sleep well since her father was detained. The two used to fall asleep together – her father after a long day of work, her brother after a long day being a toddler. They would go to bed before anyone else in the house. Hurtado's father doesn't have a court date yet. But her uncle was to be sentenced July 10. "My dad isn't a criminal," Hurtado said. "My dad is literally a person who works every day, goes home, takes care of family, and that's that." Ana Goñi-Lessan, state watchdog reporter for the USA TODAY Network – Florida, can be reached at agonilessan@
