Latest news with #U.S.Dept.ofHomelandSecurity
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS waives environmental laws to start Arizona border wall construction
The Brief DHS says it waived environmental laws to get started on filling in border wall gaps in Arizona and New Mexico. The Center for Biological Diversity is firing back, calling it a "disastrous project." PHOENIX - The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) is issuing three new waivers to expedite 36 miles of new border wall construction in Arizona and New Mexico. What we know This waives environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, so construction can move forward faster. The Arizona projects include closing seven gaps between 40 and 240 feet in Yuma, and about 27 miles in the Tucson sector. DHS says closing these gaps will enhance border security operations. The other side The Center for Biological Diversity is responding to the decision. "Trump is recklessly casting aside the foundational laws that protect endangered species and clean air and water to build a wildlife-killing wall through pristine wilderness," said Laiken Jordahl, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. "Throwing taxpayer money away to wall off the Santa Cruz River and San Rafael Valley would be a death sentence for jaguars, ocelots and other wildlife in the Arizona-Sonora borderlands. This is happening while border crossings are at the lowest level in decades. We'll fight this disastrous project with everything we've got."
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
DHS says man wanted to self-deport at Tucson border, but family says otherwise
The Brief The family of a man who was detained at the Tucson border says the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security isn't telling the truth about why he was held for 10 days. DHS says the man, Jose Hermosillo, 19, admitted to entering the U.S. illegally and wanted to self-deport. His family doesn't believe that, saying Hermosillo is a U.S. citizen and has lived in New Mexico for years. PHOENIX - There's more uproar over the Trump administration's immigration policies, and this time it comes after the arrest of a man at the Tucson border. The backstory Initial reports said Jose Hermosillo, 19, was a U.S. citizen who was detained for 10 days just because he didn't have his ID. His case got the attention of Arizona's governor and attorney general. However, the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security says this narrative is false. Advocates aren't buying it though, and say this is further proof Trump's immigration policies are violating constitutional rights. Hermosillo's family told the media the Albuquerque resident was arrested and taken away for 10 days because he didn't have his ID at the Tucson border on April 8. "It's appalling. It's disheartening. It's saddening. It's sickening to see our rights being stripped away," said Randy Parraz, president of Organizing Institute for Democracy. "This is completely unacceptable. I will be in contact with @DHSgov and expect immediate answers for their wrongful detention of an American citizen," Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "My office has reached out to ICE for answers on how this was allowed to happen to an American citizen. It is wholly unacceptable to wrongfully detain US citizens," Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said. The Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) came back with its own statement, calling the reports a narrative, saying that Hermosillo approached border patrol saying he entered illegally and wanted to turn himself in. "Days later, his family presented documents showing proof of U.S. citizenship. The charges were dismissed and he was released. Mr. Hermosillo's arrest and detention were a direct result of his own actions and statements," DHS said. The other side "They're taking action and asking questions later. Why are you talking to somebody if they haven't done anything wrong to ask them for their ID?" Parraz said. The confusion over the arrest is only inflaming fears that U.S. citizens are being illegally detained without due process. This comes after videos have circulated online of aggressive arrests of immigrants and the high-profile deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. "This case is not just about one man. It's about protecting the constitutional rights of everybody who resides in the United States of America," Democratic Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen said. Garcia's family says he's lived in Maryland for 13 years, but the Trump administration says he's an MS-13 gang member who entered illegally, and they have the right to deport him. "You cannot take people without giving them their hearing in court to determine if they've done anything wrong. There has to be some presentation of evidence," Parraz said. The Supreme Court stands as a barrier between Trump's hardline stance and immigrant advocates, ruling over the weekend that the president's use of the Alien Enemies Act is halted. In the case of a group of Venezuelans detained in Texas, the court directed the government not to remove any member of the detainees from the United States "until further order of this court." "Donald Trump is not a dictator. He is not a king. So, he is testing what he can do. Can I fly someone to El Salvador without any due process? Can I do it locally? Can I do it in Tucson? We cannot allow them to criminalize being a human being in Arizona or the United States. That needs to stop," Parraz said. Authorities told FOX 10 Hermosillo approached them in Tucson, stating he was in America illegally, and they were just doing their job. What's next We expect to hear more from the Supreme Court about these policies in the coming weeks.
Washington Post
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Protesters condemn ICE arrest of Columbia grad
Politics Protesters condemn ICE arrest of Columbia grad March 11, 2025 | 2:03 AM GMT Dozens of protesters marched from the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Washington to demonstrate against the Trump administration's arrest of pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil.
