Latest news with #anti-ICE
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Team Pissed as L.A. Juries Refuse to Indict ICE Protesters
It seems the city that rose up to protect its neighbors from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is similarly protective of its protesters—especially when they're being tried on trumped-up charges. Donald Trump's federal prosecutor in Los Angeles is struggling to get indictments for protesters arrested in anti-ICE demonstrations earlier this summer, the Los Angeles Times reported. Grand jury indictments only require probable cause that a crime has been committed—a lower bar than the standard for a criminal conviction. And even so, out of the 38 felony cases filed by Trump-appointed U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, only seven have resulted in indictments. In a recent case, the grand jury refused to indict a protester accused of attacking federal law enforcement officials. And Trump's prosecutor was not happy: The Times described 'screaming' that was 'audible' from outside the grand jury room coming from Essayli. According to legal experts interviewed by the Times, it's incredibly rare that a grand jury wouldn't indict in cases like these—which indicates weak cases brought by an attorney whose goal may be to promote Trump's anti-immigration agenda rather than go after real crime. Meghan Blanco, a former federal prosecutor in L.A., said the cases are 'not deserving of prosecution.' Some may have even been based on faulty intel from ICE agents, the supposed victims of the alleged crimes. Either 'what is being alleged isn't a federal crime, or it simply did not happen,' she told the Times. In June, thousands of Angelenos took to the streets to protest ICE raids that saw the federal anti-immigration officers arresting people attending mandatory check-ins at a federal building and snatching people from Home Depot. Though the protests were largely peaceful, some escalated as ICE and the Los Angeles Police Department used tear gas and 'less-lethal' munitions on the crowd. Community organizer and protester Ron Gochez said at the time that it was 'brutal violence' but that 'what they didn't think was going to happen was that the people would resist.' To the Times, former prosecutor Carley Palmer said that Essayli's struggle to get his cases through was 'a strong indication that the priorities of the prosecutor's office are out of sync with the priorities of the general community.' Yet again, the Trump administration has likely underestimated L.A. residents' appetite for resistance.
Fox News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Tim Walz leading Dem effort to turn bipartisan group against President Trump: report
Progressive governor and failed vice presidential candidate Tim Walz is leading a Democratic effort to turn one of the country's most influential bipartisan groups against President Donald Trump, according to a report by a mainstream media outlet. Walz, the governor of Minnesota and one-time running mate of former Vice President Kamala Harris, is threatening to pull out of the bipartisan National Governors Association (NGA) over concerns it is not doing enough to push back against Trump, according to The Atlantic. The Atlantic reported that two unnamed people "familiar with the governors' thinking" shared that at least two Democratic governors — Walz and fellow Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who is head of the Democratic Governors Association — are opting to stop paying their NGA dues this month. The two governors will not renew their membership in the organization out of frustration with its inaction against perceived violations of states' rights by the Trump administration. The concerns raised included the Office of Management and Budget briefly pausing disbursements of federal funds in January, the clash with Democratic Gov. Janet Mills over transgender athletes and Trump's deployment of the California National Guard to respond to the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles. The outlet reported three other unnamed sources saying that Walz and Kelly are not alone and that the offices of other Democratic governors are similarly frustrated with the NGA. One of the unnamed sources said "when you are also paying dues with taxpayer dollars, it has got to be worth it, and they are going to have to demonstrate that. Right now, they are not doing that," the outlet reported. The source also claimed "there have been ongoing concerns about the NGA among the Democratic governors and staff, off and on, for years." The NGA has existed as a forum for bipartisan collaboration among governors since 1908. The organization lists all 50 governors as well as leaders of five U.S. territories as members. Eric Wohlschlegel, NGA communications director, told Fox News Digital the group "exists to bring governors from both parties together around shared priorities." Amid the Walz-led controversy, Wohlschlegel said NGA's "mission hasn't changed." "Every public statement NGA issues reflects bipartisan consensus," he said. "So far this year, all but one statement has had that consensus, and when governors don't agree, we simply don't issue one. That's how we preserve our role as a bipartisan convener, a principle we won't compromise." A source familiar with the situation blamed the controversy on "Democratic infighting, unspoken campaign jockeying and a few anonymous voices looking to reshape a nonpartisan institution into a political one." That source pointed out that, despite all the noise about controversy, the NGA's summer meeting in Colorado Springs this weekend is expected to have "record turnout" with 13 Republican and seven Democratic leaders attending. They also noted that "no governors are on the record expressing discontent with the NGA. No allegations of misconduct, governance failure or mismanagement have been raised." "What's behind the noise?" the source added. "There's an internal power struggle currently and no consensus among Democrats right now on how to lead, how to message or how to govern in a divided environment. "Several Democratic governors are vying for national attention, testing messages for future campaigns rather than collaborating on consensus governance," the source added. "The NGA's bipartisan model is working exactly as it's supposed to. "When a party can't agree with itself, it becomes easy to take shots at bipartisan institutions that don't serve short-term political goals." Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, the outgoing NGA chair, and Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma, the incoming chair, for comment on the Walz mutiny. Though not addressing the controversy directly, Conor Cahill, a spokesperson for Polis, told Fox News Digital the governor "has been honored" to lead the NGA and to "work across the aisle with governors on education, permitting reform, standing up to federal efforts to strip away gubernatorial authority around the National Guard and elevating the priorities of states." He added that "during this polarizing time, bipartisan organizations are needed more than ever, and NGA must continue to demonstrate value to all governors and effectively communicate governors' opinions on various matters with the public and the federal government." Abegail Cave, a spokesperson for Sitt, who will become NGA chair this weekend, told Fox News Digital "people seem to forget NGA is a bipartisan organization, not a political one." "Coming to bipartisan consensus is difficult, but governors from across the political spectrum are addressing the real challenges facing Americans every day," Cave said. She said that Stitt "looks forward to leading this organization and finding more areas of collaboration in the coming year." Fox News Digital also reached out to the offices of Walz and Kelly but did not receive responses by the time of publication.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump DOJ sues New York City over long-standing sanctuary immigration policies
The Justice Department is suing New York City over its sanctuary policies, as the Trump administration targets jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities as it continues to ramp up deportation raids. The lawsuit filed in a New York federal court names New York City Mayor Eric Adams and several other city officials as defendants. The lawsuit claims the city has enacted policies with the intent of impeding the federal government's ability to enforce immigration laws. "New York City has long been at the vanguard of interfering with enforcing this country's immigration laws," the lawsuit states. "Its history as a sanctuary city dates back to 1989, and its efforts to thwart federal immigration enforcement have only intensified since." The Justice Department cited New York's policy that prohibits its Department of Corrections from honoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, which requests that federal immigration authorities be notified upon the release of a criminal illegal immigrant from jail. The New York Police Department was subject to a similar provision, the lawsuit states. In 2014, the city further resisted cooperation with ICE, including adding an amendment to its sanctuary city policy that immigration detainers would not be honored without a warrant issued by an Article III judge (or magistrate judge) and unless the subject of the detainer had been convicted of a "violent or serious" crime within the past five years or was a possible match on the federal terrorist watch list. The lawsuit said crimes committed by illegal immigrants in the city have prompted several city leaders to call for cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Attorney General Pam Bondi said the federal government was left with no choice but to protect New Yorkers. "If New York's leaders won't step up to protect their citizens, we will," she wrote on X. U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliatakis, R-N.Y., applauded the move, calling sanctuary polices "misguided," "costly and dangerous." "Restoring public safety in our communities starts with New York City cooperating with ICE's detainer requests. Failing to do so keeps dangerous criminals on our streets," she wrote on X. The lawmaker said she filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request that showed more 16,000 crimes were committed by thousands of people who were living in hotels and shelters at taxpayer expense. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Adams and the White House. In June, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles over its sanctuary policies. The city has become embroiled in a feud with the Trump administration over its deportation raids and anti-ICE protests.
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Top GOP lawmaker demands 'soul-searching' from Dems amid anti-ICE riots targeting law enforcement
EXCLUSIVE: Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., introduced a resolution to condemn violence against federal immigration authorities as ICE agents have seen an increase in assaults. The resolution states that ICE and Border Patrol are "facing violent mobs of both citizens and illegal aliens who have not only repeatedly blocked, menaced, and confronted law enforcement, but also attempted to burn and kill our ICE and CBP agents as they carried out their proper and legal duties." It noted several recent incidents, including an anti-ICE attack on Independence Day at the Prarieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, as well as a Border Patrol annex facility shooting in McAllen, Texas. "This resolution represents congressional clarity through a simple question: Do we categorically condemn deadly attacks on federal immigration law enforcement? Or not? I know my Republican colleagues back our agents – it's the Democrats who need some soul-searching about what they've said to encourage and excuse violence in the months they have spent enabling criminal illegals," Issa said on the resolution co-led with fellow California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert. Assaults on ICE agents have gone up 830% since last year, according to DHS, and there's been sharp discourse on whether agents should be allowed to mask when conducting operations, as proponents are concerned about doxing of agents and their families. Issa told Fox News Digital in an interview that the anti-ICE movement seen in many blue areas, including sanctuary cities, is similar to the anti-police movement seen a few years ago. "The larger ICE movement that we're seeing now is really an organized attempt by the left once again to go after law enforcement, to go after the people that are making us safe. You know, what I've seen from this anti-ICE movement is an attempt to keep the streets dangerous with MS-13, with [Tren de Aragua]," Issa said. "As we're looking at the impact of sanctuary cities, sanctuary states, I have both in my district, what we're really looking toward really is, first of all, pushing hard to make sure the federal courts enforce the law," the Republican, who represents parts of the San Diego area, added. "And that particularly is coming into play when President Trump tries to faithfully execute the laws, and he's being pushed back by rogue judges." The congressman noted how Democrats have proposed legislation to prevent agents from wearing masks and requiring them to show identification while conducting sweeps throughout the country, which many proponents of the enforcement activity have said poses a safety risk. However, others have said it's a necessary move for government transparency. "I've heard from immigrant communities and people across Washington state about the pervasive sense of fear and alarm created when masked agents descend on a community without any visible identification, and residents have no way of knowing whether they are interacting with legitimate law enforcement," Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, said regarding the recently introduced VISIBLE Act. "Anyone being detained by law enforcement in America deserves to know who is detaining them and why." The Trump administration continues to pursue its goal of mass deportations while highlighting arrests of those with additional criminal charges and convictions. "It's really sad that the Democrats in the Senate would essentially try to undo what we've been doing for federal judges, for FISA judges, and so on, which is to protect their identity, their home locations, so that they can remain safe," Issa said. "Law enforcement is certainly accountable and nobody objects to there being some way to differentiate law enforcement officer one from two. But to ask that they be able to be identified is like asking 'Where do they live and what are their family members' names, and what schools do they go to?' The fact is, there's no real purpose in that," he continued. "And I know that my Democrat colleagues know that."
Fox News
a day ago
- Politics
- Fox News
GOP lawmaker slams sanctuary policies for cultivating anti-ICE movement
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said the anti-ICE push is an "organized attempt by the left once again to go after law enforcement" as protests and riots occur throughout the country.
