Latest news with #U.S.CitizenshipandImmigrationService
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Texas investigates more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast illegal ballots
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced the launch of an investigation into more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast at least 200 ballots in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. The majority of the suspected illegal ballots cast by potential noncitizens were in Harris County, but Paxton's office is also investigating possible instances in Guadalupe, Cameron and Eastland counties using information from the Texas Secretary of State, according to a news release. The discovery was made possible by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's SAVE Database to the states. Texas Governor Makes It 'Crystal Clear' Only U.s. Citizens Can Vote In State Elections Paxton, a Republican running against fellow Republican John Cornyn in the Senate primaries, said Texans who vote illegally will be held accountable. "Illegal aliens and foreign nationals must not be allowed to influence Texas elections by casting illegal ballots with impunity. I will not allow it to continue," Paxton said in the release. Read On The Fox News App Red State Ag Investigating More Than 30 Potential Noncitizens Who Voted In 2024 Election "Thanks to President Trump's decisive action to help states safeguard the ballot box, this investigation will help Texas hold noncitizens accountable for unlawfully voting in American elections," he continued. "If you're a noncitizen who illegally cast a ballot, you will face the full force of the law." In June, Paxton opened an investigation into an additional 33 potential noncitizens who allegedly voted illegally in the 2024 general election. Election Investigation Uncovers Alleged Illegal Voting By Noncitizens And Double Voters In Multiple States Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, reacted to the latest investigation in an X post Wednesday. "Great work! We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our elections," Nehls wrote. The crackdown comes after Gov. Greg Abbott in 2024 announced 1.1 million people were removed from Texas' voter rolls. Fox News Digital's Peter Pinedo contributed to this article source: Texas investigates more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast illegal ballots
Newsweek
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Border Patrol Issues Warning to Green-Card Holders
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Green-card holders have been warned that federal authorities may revoke their legal status if they have a criminal record and violate immigration laws. "Under our nation's laws, our government has the authority to revoke your green card if our laws are broken and abused," Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. The agency added that lawful permanent residents arriving at a U.S. port of entry with prior criminal convictions could end up detained ahead of removal proceedings. Why It Matters The warning comes amid a widespread immigration crackdown under the Trump administration. President Donald Trump has pledged to remove millions of undocumented immigrants as part of a hardline mass deportation policy, with the White House labeling anyone in the country illegally as a "criminal." Beyond targeting those without legal status, immigrants with valid visas and green cards have also faced detention under the government's sweeping enforcement operations. Newsweek has reported numerous cases involving green-card holders and applicants being caught up in the immigration raids. This undated image from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service shows the front of a sample "green card," formally known as a Permanent Resident Card. This undated image from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service shows the front of a sample "green card," formally known as a Permanent Resident Card. AP What To Know There were 12.8 million lawful permanent residents, or green-card holders, living in the U.S. as of January 1, 2024, according to estimates by the Office of Homeland Security Statistics. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has said that lawful permanent residents found to be in violation of immigration laws could lose their legal status and face deportation. Amelia Wilson, assistant professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and director of the Immigration Justice Clinic, said there are clear legal safeguards that protect green-card holders from sudden revocation. "The law contained within the Immigration and Nationality Act is clear," Wilson told Newsweek. "The Department of Homeland Security cannot unilaterally 'revoke' a permanent resident's status. There is a process the agency must follow, including serving the individual with a 'Notice of Intent to Rescind,' at which time that individual is entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge." Under Trump, government agencies such as CBP, USCIS and ICE have launched a broad social media campaign, issuing warnings that urge undocumented immigrants to self-deport, highlighting criminal arrests and maintaining a significantly larger online presence than under previous administrations. The Trump administration is moving to revoke visas of foreign students allegedly linked to pro-Hamas activities, including campus protests and distributing flyers. The effort is part of a wider executive order targeting antisemitism and supporters of extremist groups. The crackdown has expanded immigration enforcement against pro-Palestinian supporters with green cards. Several high-profile detentions have taken place. One such case is Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian activist and Columbia graduate student, who was arrested at his university-owned apartment. What People Are Saying Amelia Wilson, assistant professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and director of the Immigration Justice Clinic, told Newsweek: "During these proceedings, it is the government that bears the burden of proving by clear, unequivocal, and convincing evidence that the permanent resident should have their status taken away. At that point it is the immigration judge—and only the immigration judge—who can effectively strip an individual of their green card." Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on X on March 9: "We will be revoking the visas and/or green cards of Hamas supporters in America so they can be deported." USCIS, on X on May 5: "Green cards and visas will be revoked if an alien breaks the law, supports terrorism, overstays their permitted visit time, performs illegal work, or anything else that violates the terms on which we granted them this privilege or compromises the safety of our fellow Americans." Customs and Border Protection, on X: "Attention Green Card Holders: Having a criminal history does not make you an upstanding lawful permanent resident. Possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right."
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Texas secretary of state refers 33 potential noncitizen voters for criminal investigation
Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson on Thursday said she has referred the names of 33 'potential noncitizens' who voted in the November 2024 general election to the state Attorney General's Office for investigation. Texas officials used newly obtained access to a federal database, managed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, to check the citizenship status of people on the state's voter rolls, Nelson said, adding that the data also helped Texas officials 'confirm naturalization of dozens more.' The announcement came after a Republican-led push in Texas and across the country to require proof of citizenship to register to vote, although documented cases of noncitizen voting are rare. A bill to require proof of citizenship from Texas voters failed to pass during the legislative session that ended this week. The 33 potential noncitizens are a tiny fraction of the roughly 11.3 million Texans who cast ballots in the November 2024 general election. It's not clear which counties the 33 voters are from, or how long they had been on the voter rolls. Several states, including Michigan, Ohio and Georgia, have also reported referring small numbers of cases of potential noncitizens casting ballots for investigation following audits of voter rolls. Texas Republicans are moving forward with a plan to ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment affirming that only U.S. citizens are permitted to vote — something already established under state law. Months before the November 2024 election, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that 6,500 noncitizens had been removed from Texas voter rolls prior to 2024. The governor's office later edited its own press release to describe those removed as 'potential' noncitizens. A joint investigation by Votebeat, Texas Tribune and ProPublica later found Abbott's numbers were inflated and, in some instances, wrong. In reality, the state removed only 581 people as noncitizens over three years. The rest of the 6,500 had simply failed to respond to a notice asking them to confirm their citizenship, which doesn't mean they weren't citizens. The newsrooms' investigation found that some eligible citizens had been flagged as potential noncitizens and removed from the rolls. The state action echoed a scandal from 2019, when the Secretary of State's Office announced that it had identified 95,000 registered voters as potential noncitizens and said that more than half of them had previously cast ballots. But the assertions didn't hold up. Many of the voters in question turned out to be naturalized citizens flagged due to outdated data, and the state ultimately settled a related lawsuit by agreeing to new procedures. Last fall, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and 15 other attorneys general sent a letter to then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, saying U.S. CIS had failed to respond quickly and helpfully enough to state requests for assistance verifying the citizenship status of people on the voter rolls. In March, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Homeland Security to provide free access to the SAVE database to all states. Nelson's news release on Thursday said that Texas was among the first states to receive it, 'and recently joined a pilot program working with DHS, USCIS and DOGE to improve the database's functionality.' Natalia Contreras is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with the Texas Tribune. She's based in Corpus Christi. Contact Natalia at ncontreras@ Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Newsweek
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
White House Announces Number of Illegal Immigrant Registrations
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trump administration announced Tuesday that 47,000 illegal immigrants had notified the government of their presence, after new regulations were introduced. The figure for the 2 1/2 weeks since the Alien Registration Requirement (ARR) kicked in was part of a rundown of actions taken by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) since President Donald Trump's return to office. "That number really doesn't put a dent in the population they are trying to serve, which at a 30-thousand-foot level says to me that it's ineffective," Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, told Newsweek, adding that the policy was confusing for immigrants, likely putting many off. Why It Matters The requirement puts those in the U.S. without legal status in a potentially no-win situation. Failure to register could lead to criminal prosecution, but informing the government where they are living and how long they have been in the U.S. without documentation could also lead to deportation or other actions, also. Nora Sandigo, left, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrant families, speaks with people worried about the possibility of being deported, educating them about their legal rights and options to protect their families, on... Nora Sandigo, left, who runs a nonprofit dedicated to supporting immigrant families, speaks with people worried about the possibility of being deported, educating them about their legal rights and options to protect their families, on January 17 in Florida City, Florida. More AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell What To Know While many of the roughly 11 million immigrants without legal status have registered with the government in some way previously, through applications for documentation or holding a visa, the American Immigration Lawyers Association has said the ARR would likely impact "millions" who have not filed an official application in the past. USCIS said in its Tuesday update that it was "actively promoting public awareness" of the need for illegal immigrants to register within 30 days of the requirement's launching, which would be May 11. The agency has also created a tool for immigrants to use in determining if they need to fill out a form. During last year's presidential election campaign, Trump claimed that former President Joe Biden had allowed millions of illegal immigrants to enter the country and that many were not accounted for. While a proportion of undocumented immigrants did arrive over the past four years, a much larger share has been in the country for upward of a decade. USCIS did have the details of around half a million immigrants who arrived under humanitarian parole during the previous administration, namely from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. It said 531,000 people had been notified that their status had been terminated and urged to self-deport. Self-deportation is being monitored by another Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agency, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), with the CBP Home app including a feature for immigrants to notify the government of intention to depart and subsequent arrival in their home country. While DHS said "thousands" had used the feature, exact numbers have yet to be rendered. Among the other actions taken as part of a strengthening of immigration enforcement by the Trump administration, USCIS said it had assisted in the arrest of 369 immigrants at its offices across the country, something Joseph told Newsweek was unusual. Agents have also rooted out thousands of cases of potential immigration and benefits fraud, USCIS said. Social media vetting has also been ramped up under the Trump administration, with notable cases of visas being revoked due to potential antisemitic or pro-Hamas remarks and actions. USCIS said it had screened 3,568 immigrants' social media activity since January 20. What People Are Saying Joseph, in his interview with Newsweek: "The agency that grants benefits is not supposed to be the agency that entraps you into enforcement at the same time. So, to me it's a real travesty to send people in to legitimate interviews for citizenship, only to arrest them. It's certainly a bait-and-switch we haven't seen before." David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, in a statement shared with Newsweek: "President Trump promised to deport 'millions and millions' of immigrants. Through 100 days, he's falling short of that goal, but that has only emboldened his attacks on the judiciary, due process, and the rights of both noncitizens and citizens. The lawless chaos that has brought America to the brink of a constitutional crisis has no economic or social upside. It will weaken the country, impoverish Americans, and make them less safe." USCIS spokesman Matthew Tragesser, in a press release: "In the first 100 days, USCIS put a stop to disastrous Biden-era 'humanitarian' policies that invited fraud and allowed criminal aliens to legally live and work in our communities; facilitated arrests of criminals attempting to gain immigration benefits; and for the first time in decades is ensuring every alien in the U.S. is registered as required by law." Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, in a press release: "President Trump said from the start: criminal illegals have no place in our homeland. He is keeping his promise." What's Next Republicans in Congress are pushing for billions in extra funding for immigration enforcement, as part of budget reconciliation talks this week. The cash would be earmarked to heighten border security and expand detention, while USCIS continues to be funded solely by application fees.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Columbia student activist and green card holder arrested during citizenship interview
Mohsen Mahdawi walked out in handcuffs shortly after arriving for a citizenship interview inside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service office in Vermont. Mahdawi, a lawful permanent resident who has held a green card for at least 10 years, was anticipating a scheduled interview in Colchester as part of his citizenship process on Monday. Instead, hooded federal agents walked him into a car and drove off. Born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, where he lived until moving to the United States in 2014, Mahdawi is among the latest Columbia University student activists marked for removal by Donald Trump's administration for their Palestinian advocacy. A federal judge on Monday swiftly granted a temporary restraining order blocking his removal from the state after Mahdawi's attorneys filed a petition with the court challenging his arrest and detention. He remains in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to the agency's inmate locator. Members of Vermont's congressional delegation called his arrest 'immoral, inhumane and illegal' and demanded his 'immediate' release from detention. Mahdawi 'walked into an immigration office for what was supposed to be the final step in his citizenship process,' they wrote. 'Instead, he was arrested and removed in handcuffs by plainclothes, armed, individuals with their faces covered,' lawmakers added. 'These individuals refused to provide any information as to where he was being taken or what would happen to him. This is immoral, inhumane, and illegal. Mr. Mahdawi, a legal resident of the United States, must be afforded due process under the law and immediately released from detention.' Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked hundreds of student visas over campus activism, leading to several high-profile arrests of international scholars who are now awaiting deportation hearings in remote jails across the southern United States while the administration conflates protests against Israel's war in Gaza with antisemitic violence. After taking office, Trump signed an executive order that declares U.S. policy is to 'ensure' noncitizens 'do not … advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to our national security.' Another executive order pledges 'immediate action' to 'investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities' with a promise to 'deport Hamas sympathizers and revoke student visas,' according to a fact sheet from the White House. Mahdawi's petition in federal court states that it 'appears' he was similarly targeted for removal from the country under the Trump administration's determination that there is 'reasonable ground to believe' his presence 'would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States.' That language has also been used to target Mahmoud Khalil, another Palestinian student activist from Columbia. 'Public statements by government officials, including statements by the President and Secretary of State, establish that [the administration] detained Mr. Mahdawi to punish and silence him because of his constitutionally protected speech, beliefs, statements and associations,' his attorneys wrote. Mahdawi's attorneys contend that his arrest violates his First and Fifth Amendment rights. 'Mr. Mahdawi is fearful that, if he loses his lawful permanent resident status and he is removed to the West Bank, he will experience the same harassment, detention, and torture that his family has experienced, and would be in even more danger in light of the campaigns that have targeted and spread lies about him,' his attorneys wrote. Like Khalil, Mahdawi was among the prominent faces of Columbia's student-led campus demonstrations against Israel's campaign in Gaza, making him a prime target for far-right pro-Israel activist groups that have shared information about student activists with federal law enforcement. At Columbia, where he enrolled in 2021, Mahdawi helped organize the Palestinian Student Union (Dar) with Khalil. His attorneys describe him as a 'committed Buddhist' who 'believes in non-violence and empathy as a central tenet of his religion.' Mahdawi was featured in a segment on campus protest for 60 Minutes on CBS News in December 2023, during which he described how he confronted an agitator who shouted antisemitic chants. 'I was shocked, and I walked directly to the person, and I told him, 'You don't represent us,' because this is not something that we agree with,' he said. 'To be antisemitic is unjust, and the fight for the freedom of Palestine and the fight against antisemitism go hand in hand, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.' Last week, Louisiana immigration court judge Jamee Comans determined that the Trump administration can deport Khalil for his involvement in campus demonstrations. The administration's claims that Khalil poses 'adverse foreign policy consequences' for the United States is 'facially reasonable,' the judge said. Khalil is also challenging the constitutionality of his arrest and detention in a federal courtroom in New Jersey, where his attorneys successfully moved jurisdiction to handle a legal challenge to his arrest.
