Latest news with #criminalrecords
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Southern University Law Center offering help to clear criminal records with event in Gonzales
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Southern University Law Center (SULC) is hosting an Expungement Initiative Event from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 14, to help people clear their criminal records. The event is hosted by SULC's Office of Innovation and Strategic Partnerships. It will be held at the 23rd Judicial District Court in Ascension Parish, located at 607 E. Worthey Street. Attendees will have access to staff attorneys who will assist with navigating the expungement process. Specific documentation is needed to receive help. Jury reaches verdict for man accused of killing local civil rights activist Required documents include: A driver's license. A certified copy of court minutes. A certified copy of bill of information. A background check obtained from the Louisiana State Police headquarters. This initiative is supported by the 23rd Judicial District Court, Representative Ken Brass, State Senator Ed Price, and the Parish of Ascension, according to a news release. For more details, residents can reach out to the Southern University Law Center's Expungement Initiative team at expungement@ Several injured after Tennessee plane crash Southern University Law Center offering help to clear criminal records with event in Gonzales The best midsize SUVs for 2025 Invasive tick that can be deadly for cattle causing concerns among researchers Tropical Storm Barbara strengthens off Mexico, expected to become hurricane Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
ICE official details risks for staff and detainees in Djibouti, including malaria and potential rocket attacks
A top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official on Thursday detailed what she said were deplorable and unsafe conditions faced by ICE staff and a group of migrants with criminal records who were transferred to a U.S. military base in the African country of Djibouti after a federal judge blocked officials from deporting them to South Sudan. Melissa Harper, the No. 2 official in the ICE division responsible for deportations, revealed in a sworn declaration in federal court in Massachusetts that the detainees are being held in a shipping container repurposed as a conference room inside Camp Lemonnier, a U.S. Navy installation. Eight migrant detainees from Asia, Latin America and South Sudan who had been convicted of serious crimes in the U.S. were flown to the base last month after a judge said they could not be sent to South Sudan without being given a chance to contest their deportation. U.S. military aircraft at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti on Jan. 21, 2024. Getty Images Harper outlined a series of concerns about the arrangement, describing inadequate security equipment, illness among government employees and 100-degree outdoor temperatures. She detailed risks from exposure to malaria, nearby burn pits and potential attacks from terrorists in Yemen, presumably the Houthis. Officials have said the men currently detained in Djibouti — who hail from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam — were convicted of murder, sexual offenses and other serious crimes and had been ordered deported from the U.S. Harper said the detainees were placed in a converted shipping container at the naval base because it was "the only viable place to house them." There are 11 ICE officers assigned to guard the detainees, and two ICE employees serving as medical staff. Those officers, Harper said, "do not have the capacity to maintain constant surveillance, custody, and care" of the detainees. "Only one alien is allowed to use the toilet or shower at a time, and one officer is required to escort the alien. Aliens are permitted to shower every other day, and showers occur at night due to the heat," Harper wrote, adding that the room is "not equipped nor suitable for detention of any length, let alone for the detention of high-risk individuals." Due to limited lighting in the room, both the detainees and the officers are all at risk if an altercation were to occur, Harper wrote. Harper said burn pits in close proximity to the military base, used by locals as a way of eliminating trash and waste, have resulted in a "smog cloud" that has made breathing difficult for ICE officials. "Within 72 hours of landing in Djibouti, the officers and detainees began to feel ill," Harper wrote. "ICE officers continue to feel ill with symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, fever, and achy joints. These symptoms align with bacterial upper respiratory infection, but ICE officers are unable to obtain proper testing for a diagnosis." Some medicine has been used to manage the symptoms, but Harper said it's "unknown" how long the medical supply will last. In addition to respiratory infection fears, Harper said everyone disembarked the plane initially destined for South Sudan without being on anti-malaria medication, resulting in an "unknown degree of exposure" to the disease. Harper said ICE officials were warned by Department of Defense personnel about an "imminent danger of rocket attacks from terrorist groups in Yemen." She said ICE staff lack body armor that would protect them from any such attacks. In a statement, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin faulted the Massachusetts federal judge who blocked the deportations to South Sudan for the conditions in Camp Lemonnier, accusing him of "putting the lives of our ICE law enforcement in danger by stranding them in Djibouti without proper resources, lack of medical care, and terrorists who hate Americans running rampant." That judge, Brian Murphy, ordered the Trump administration to halt the planned deportations to South Sudan after lawyers informed him of a flight to that African country that had already taken off. He cited a previous ruling he issued in April that barred officials from deporting migrants to third countries, without affording them certain due process rights first. Murphy subsequently ordered the government to allow the would-be deportees to be interviewed by U.S. asylum officers to determine whether they could be tortured in South Sudan, the world's youngest country and a nation plagued by political turmoil, conflict and violence. He said those interviews could be conducted in the U.S. or overseas. Resources from the Defense Department are being used to care for the detainees, according to Thursday's court filing, which is "causing disruption" to the base's operations and depleting resources meant for service members. Officials at the base, the filing said, have also expressed frustration about holding detainees with violent criminal records near Defense Department living quarters. According to the Navy, the base supports nearly 4,000 military, civilian, and defense contractor personnel from the U.S. and other allied countries.
CBS News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Judge says DHS "unquestionably" violated order with attempted South Sudan deportations
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it placed eight migrant detainees with serious criminal records on a deportation flight that lawyers alleged was destined for the violence-plagued African country of South Sudan, in its latest attempt to deport migrants to countries that are not their own. The administration has not publicly disclosed the whereabouts of the flight, which a federal judge on Wednesday said "unquestionably" violated a court ruling blocking deportations to third countries without allowing detainees to contest their removal. Top Department of Homeland Security officials said the eight men were in the U.S. illegally and hailed from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam. The department shared case information indicating all the would-be deportees had criminal convictions, including for homicide, attempted murder, sexual assault, lascivious acts with a child and robbery. In a statement Wednesday evening, DHS released the names of the eight men. They were identified as Dian Peter Domach of South Sudan, Enrique Arias-Hierro of Cuba, Jose Manuel Rodriguez-Quinones of Cuba, Thongxay Nilakout of Laos, Jesus Munoz-Gutierrez of Mexico, Kyaw Mya of Myanmar, Nyo Myint of Myanmar and Tuan Thanh Phan of Vietnam. On Tuesday, immigration lawyers told the federal district court in Massachusetts that at least two men from Myanmar and Vietnam were likely being deported to South Sudan, saying the reported deportation flight would violate an order by federal judge Brian Murphy that blocked deportations to third countries unless detainees were provided certain due process rights. During a briefing in Washington on Wednesday to discuss a migrant flight to South Sudan, top DHS officials confirmed a deportation flight had left Texas on Tuesday, saying the eight detainees from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam were being transported as part of "a diplomatic and military security operation." The officials, however, declined to confirm the final destination of the flight or any formal arrangement with South Sudan's government, citing operational and safety concerns. The officials also said they could not disclose the exact whereabouts of the detainees. Following an emergency motion by the lawyers who alerted him of the potential deportation flight to South Sudan, Murphy, the federal judge in Massachusetts, ordered the Trump administration late Tuesday to retain "custody and control" of the would-be deportees. In a written order Wednesday, the judge also ordered the government to give six deportees "reasonable fear" interviews, which usually assess whether a migrant is legally entitled to stay in the U.S. because of a risk of persecution or torture. If they express a fear that falls short of that standard, they must get at least 15 days to "reopen immigration proceedings to challenge the potential third-party removal," the judge said. The Trump administration was also ordered to provide status reports every seven days, and to maintain custody over the deportees. On Wednesday, top DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the eight men who had been placed on the deportation flight that departed Texas remained in U.S. custody. McLaughlin also sharply criticized Murphy's ruling. "It is absolutely absurd for a district judge to try and dictate the foreign policy and national security of the United States of America," McLaughlin said, accusing Murphy of "trying to force" officials to bring back dangerous individuals to the U.S. During a hearing Wednesday, a Justice Department lawyer told Murphy the flight in question had landed somewhere and also confirmed the men remained in U.S. custody but said the current location of the flight could only be discussed in private, out of earshot of the press. The Justice Department said the situation was dangerous for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees on the flight because of the severity of the detainees' criminal records. After a private conversation with both parties, Murphy said that the government's attempted deportations "are unquestionably violative of this court's order." He noted that the detainees were put on the deportation flight less than 24 hours after being told they would be deported to South Sudan. "I don't see how anybody could say that these individuals had a meaningful opportunity to object" to their removal, Murphy said. "They did not offer any opportunity to object." Murphy noted the detainees were put on a deportation flight less than a day after being told they would be deported to South Sudan. The Justice Department attorneys arguing the case said Murphy's orders in the case were "not specific enough," which gave rise to "misunderstanding." Murphy did not rule out holding the Trump administration in contempt of court for violating his order, but said that issue would be "left for another day." As part of its immigration crackdown, President Trump's administration has staged an intense diplomatic effort to convince nations around the world to accept migrants who are not their own citizens, approaching nations like Libya and Rwanda to take in third-country deportees. Early on in Mr. Trump's second term, U.S. officials deported African and Asian migrants to Costa Rica and Panama, and Venezuelan deportees accused of being gang members to El Salvador, where they remain detained at a notorious mega prison. CBS News and other outlets reported earlier this month that the Trump administration was preparing to send migrants to Libya, but that flight never materialized once those reports surfaced. Camilo Montoya-Galvez Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics. contributed to this report.
CBS News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
U.S. says it tried to deport serious criminals on flight lawyers allege was destined for South Sudan
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it placed eight migrant detainees with serious criminal records on a deportation flight that lawyers alleged was destined for the violence-plagued African country of South Sudan, in its latest attempt to deport migrants to countries that are not their own. The administration has not disclosed whether the flight reached its destination, however. Top Department of Homeland Security officials said the eight men were in the U.S. illegally and hailed from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam. The department shared case information indicating all the would-be deportees had criminal convictions, including for homicide, attempted murder, sexual assault, lascivious acts with a child and robbery. On Tuesday, immigration lawyers told the federal district court in Massachusetts that at least two men from Myanmar and Vietnam were likely being deported to South Sudan, saying the reported deportation flight would violate an order by federal judge Brian Murphy that blocked deportations to third countries unless detainees were provided certain due process rights. During a briefing in Washington on Wednesday to discuss a migrant flight to South Sudan, top DHS officials confirmed a deportation flight had left Texas on Tuesday, saying the eight detainees from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, South Sudan and Vietnam were being transported as part of "a diplomatic and military security operation." The officials, however, declined to confirm the final destination of the flight or any formal arrangement with South Sudan's government, citing operational and safety concerns. The officials also said they could not disclose the exact whereabouts of the eight detainees. Following an emergency motion by the lawyers who alerted him of the potential deportation flight to South Sudan, Murphy, the federal judge in Massachusetts, ordered the Trump administration late Tuesday to retain "custody and control" of the would-be deportees. On Wednesday, top DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the eight men who had been placed on the deportation flight that departed Texas remained in U.S. custody. McLaughlin also sharply criticized Murphy's ruling. "It is absolutely absurd for a district judge to try and dictate the foreign policy and national security of the United States of America," McLaughlin said, accusing Murphy of "trying to force" officials to bring back dangerous individuals to the U.S. During a hearing on Wednesday, a Justice Department lawyer representing the Trump administration told Murphy the flight in question had landed somewhere and confirmed the men remained in U.S. custody. But the lawyer said the current location of the flight could only be discussed in private, out of earshot of the press. The Justice Department attorney said the situation was dangerous for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees on the flight because of the severity of the detainees' criminal records. As part of its immigration crackdown, President Trump's administration has staged an intense diplomatic effort to convince nations around the world to accept migrants who are not their own citizens, approaching nations like Libya and Rwanda to take in third-country deportees. Early on in Mr. Trump's second term, U.S. officials deported African and Asian migrants to Costa Rica and Panama, and Venezuelan deportees accused of being gang members to El Salvador, where they remain detained at a notorious mega prison. CBS News and other outlets reported earlier this month that the Trump administration was preparing to send migrants to Libya, but that flight never materialized once those reports surfaced. The prospect of sending some deportees from different countries to Libya or South Sudan has alermed human rights advocates. Like Libya, South Sudan is a troubled nation torn by armed conflict and political strife. Both countries have Level 4 travel advisories by the U.S. State Department, which warns Americans not to travel there due to the threat of armed conflict, violence and kidnappings.
Times
19-05-2025
- Times
Criminal records stolen in cyberattack on Legal Aid Agency
Criminal records and financial information was among a 'significant amount of personal data' stolen in a cyberattack on the Legal Aid Agency, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed. The MoJ said it became aware of the cyberattack on the agency's online digital services — where legal aid providers log their work and receive payments from the government — on April 23. It said it then took action to bolster its security and informed all legal aid providers that some of their details, including financial information, may have been compromised. • Dior is latest retailer to fall victim to cyberattack The group that carried out the attack has claimed it accessed 2.1 million pieces of data but the MoJ has not verified that figure. The MoJ
