Latest news with #immigrationlaws
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump threatens Washington funding in executive order targeting sanctuary states
May 30—President Donald Trump sent a message to Washington state officials Friday when he signed an executive order designating nearly the entire state as part of what he called "sanctuary jurisdictions," for which he earlier had threatened to cut off federal funding. The list of "sanctuary jurisdictions" appears to name every Washington county except Adams. The list included Spokane County and also listed the cities of Seattle, Olympia, Tacoma, Everett and Yakima, but it did not name Spokane. The "Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens" executive order required the formation of a list of states and cities that Trump wrote were obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws. "Sanctuary jurisdictions including cities, counties, and states that are deliberately and shamefully obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration laws endangering American communities," the order reads. "Sanctuary cities protect dangerous criminal aliens from facing consequences and put law enforcement in peril." However, the order does not take the next step and say that Trump intends to withhold federal funding from those places, like he tried earlier this year with San Francisco, Santa Clara County, and 14 other cities and counties it deems "sanctuary jurisdictions." "This is an eye-roller, a head-scratcher, but it doesn't come to me as a surprise at all," said Rep. Timm Ormsby, D-Spokane, who is chair of the state House Appropriations Committee. Trump's "whole interest is to have jurisdictions bend the knee to whatever fleeting rant he happens to be in." Spokane County Commissioner Al French said he believes Spokane County made the list solely because of state law and insisted it is not a sanctuary county. He said the commission will meet with legal experts Monday to consider how to proceed while being mindful of the executive order. "It's concerning, because the executive order could jeopardize our funding from the feds," French said. "And not by anything we did, but by association." Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said only that city officials continue to follow all applicable laws but did not directly address the executive order. Rep. Joe Schmick, R-Colfax, pointed to the situation in Adams County, which Washington Attorney General Nick Brown sued earlier this year and accused officials there of cooperating with immigration enforcement in violation of the Keep Washington Working Act, which lawmakers passed in 2019. That law protects the rights of immigrant communities from unnecessary contact with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. As a result of the law, local police departments and sheriff's offices aren't supposed to share information with ICE or U.S. Border Patrol agents upon request, Aaron Korthuis, a staff attorney at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, told The Spokesman-Review in March. Korthuis said the law also prohibits local officials from transferring individuals in custody to federal authorities or detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status, or to ask about a person's immigration status. Based on that law, Brown filed suit in Spokane County Superior Court in March alleging that Adams County Sheriff Dale Wagner held persons in custody based on their immigration status, gave federal agents confidential information and helped those agents question detainees in violation of the 2019 law. Following the filing of the lawsuit, Wagner said in a statement at the time that it was a "disappointing attempt to hinder our ability to uphold public safety." Schmick, of Colfax, and State Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, both sided with Wagner, when contacted Friday about the executive order. "I believe that we need to follow the federal law ... especially when people are in jail and ICE is looking for them," Schmick said. "They should be turned over to ICE so they can be deported. We do not want criminals on our streets." Asked if he feared that Trump may try to withhold federal funding to Washington, Schmick said local officials "better change the rules. I thought when they passed (Keep Washington Working) way back when, that we were setting ourselves up for problems. "Now we are the problem." Schoesler noted that states changed speed limits and drinking ages in the past based on threats from federal officials to withhold transportation funds. "If you look at the people being protected by sanctuary cities, they are some pretty bad people. I live in Adams County. They are not grabbing people from the fields and factories," Schoesler said. "We are talking about people who committed crimes. "Sheriff Wagner wants to follow the federal law. If you are a criminal and not here legally, he wants to cooperate. At this point, we'd do better if Nick Brown tried working with these people instead of having a lawsuit every week." Mike Faulk, a spokesman for the attorney general's office, said Trump's executive order "is merely a list, and one that appears to be riddled with errors and false claims," he wrote. "Our bottom line, based on the facts, is that Keep Washington Working does not interfere with federal immigration law." Ormsby, the lawmaker from Spokane, called the executive order just the latest in a litany of proclamations and assertions coming from Trump. "It changes regularly, daily and hourly," Ormsby said. "My reaction is I'm very pleased that we have an attorney general in Washington state who is actively participating in lawsuits to stop some of this silliness that is coming out. "This is just the latest in a long list of gobsmacking things that have come out of this administration," he continued. "While it's difficult to take it super seriously, because it's in the early stages and will have to go through a legal review, I don't think it's an immediate issue for us." Spokesman-Review reporters Nick Gibson and Emry Dinman contributed to this report.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Midstate counties, communities among ‘sanctuary jurisdictions,' says DHS
(WHTM/AP) — Several Pennsylvania counties and communities are among those the Department of Homeland Security labeled as 'sanctuary jurisdictions' in a list published Thursday. 'These sanctuary city politicians are endangering Americans and our law enforcement in order to protect violent criminal illegal aliens,' DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a press release. Locally, Adams and Dauphin counties as well as Gettysburg borough and York city are listed. Statewide, counties included range from urban centers like Lehigh and Allegheny to rural areas like Clarion and Montour. Each municipality on the list, DHS says, will receive formal notification that they are believed to be noncompliant. The list was compiled using a number of factors, including whether the cities or localities identified themselves as sanctuary jurisdictions, how much they complied already with federal officials enforcing immigration laws, if they had restrictions on sharing information with immigration enforcement or had any legal protections for people in the country illegally, according to the department. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 28 requiring the secretary of Homeland Security and the attorney general to publish a list of states and local jurisdictions that they considered to be obstructing federal immigration laws. Download the abc27 News+ app on your Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and Apple TV devices There's no specific or legal definition of what constitutes a 'sanctuary jurisdiction.' The term is often used to refer to law enforcement agencies, states or communities that don't cooperate with immigration enforcement. Pennsylvania municipalities included in the list include: Adams County; Allegheny County; Centre County; Chester County; Clarion County; Dauphin County; Delaware County; Lehigh County; Montgomery County; Montour County; Northampton County; Gettysburg borough; Philadelphia city; Pittsburgh city; State College borough; York city. Communities that don't cooperate with ICE often say they do so because immigrants then feel safer coming forward if they're a witness to or victim of a crime. And they argue that immigration enforcement is a federal task, and they need to focus their limited dollars on fighting crime. 'Sanctuary policies are legal and make us all safer,' said a coalition of local officials from across the country and a nonprofit called Public Rights Project in a statement Thursday. They said the list was a fear tactic designed to bully local governments into cooperating with ICE. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Bad boy British football star is DEPORTED after two Aussie women complained and immigration minister made a dramatic intervention
A British footballer is set to be 'deported from Australia' after a petition was set up by two women calling for the 34-year-old to be kicked out of the country, alleging that he subjected them to intimate partner abuse. Sarah Fardy and Cara Greedy had established a petition titled 'Safeguard Australian Women from Jay Hart (Violent Visa Holder)'. In it, the two Melbourne women claimed they had suffered alleged abuse by former English football star Jay Hart and wanted to help protect other women by changing immigration laws. Hart, a forward who played football for Blackburn Rovers Academy and was born in Lancashire, is now understood to have been escorted by Australian Border Force officials to a detention centre and is due to be deported. It came after Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke personally intervened in the situation, with the Minister calling Ms Fardy and inform her of the news in an emotional phone conversation. Ms Fardy published a video of the call to Instagram story, with the footage showing Burke telling her that he had reviewed a file to consider the visa status of Mr Hart. British footballer Jay Hart (right) is set to be deported from Australia after Sarah Fardy (pictured with Hart) and Cara Greedy set up a petition calling for the 34-year-old to be kicked out of the country The petition was started after Fardy and Greedy accused the 34-year-old footballer (pictured) of intimate partner abuse Ms Fardy (pictured) published a video of her emotional phone conversation with Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke, who told her Hart will be deported The footballer is understood to have been residing in Australia since 2020 on a student visa. Burke told Fardy: 'The file for me to consider the visa status arrived at the office yesterday. At 5.20pm yesterday, I cancelled his [Mr Hart's] visa. Fardy cut an emotional figure, raising her hands to cover her eyes as she began to cry upon hearing the news. Burke then added: 'And last night when I sent you the text message, that was to let you know that Border Force had arrived at his home to take him to detention.' Daily Mail Australia contacted the Department of Home Affairs for comment, with a spokesman saying privacy reasons prevent them from making a statement. In an update published on the petition, which has since gained 3788 signatures at the time of writing, Ms Fardy thanked those who stood in support of the appeal. 'Today I can finally say it… We did it!' she wrote. 'Jay Hart has been taken into detention and is now awaiting deportation. 'After months of hearing 'no,' after countless doors [being] slammed in our faces, after being told time and time again to give up, we persisted. And last night we got the 'YES' we all needed to hear.' Mr Burke (pictured) told Fardy that he had 'cancelled Mr Hart's visa' and that 'Border Force had arrived at his home to take him to detention' It is understood that Fardy (pictured) and Greedy, who both live in Melbourne, had applied for intervention orders against Mr Hart In 2015, Mr Hart was sacked by his former club, Clitheroe FC, after a video emerged showing him having sex with an unknown woman in a manager's dugout. He had been 24 at the time and was seen wearing the club's official kit following a 4-1 defeat away to Mossley AFC. Mr Hart's former girlfriend - who is the mother of his two children - left him after seeing the video. It is understood that Ms Fardy and Ms Greedy, who both live in Melbourne, had applied for intervention orders against Mr Hart, who had most recently been playing for Sydenham Park SC in Victoria. Mr Hart had initially left the UK in 2019 and was signed to Thimphu City FC, who play in the Bhutan Premier League. He would move to play in India for a brief period, before arriving in Australia in 2020. Mr Hart first played for Doncaster Rovers Soccer Club upon his arrival before play for Caroline Springs for two seasons from 2021 before joining Sydenham in 2023. Mr Hart was released by Sydenham after Ms Fardy had made the club aware of his alleged behaviour, according to The Herald Sun. Mr Hart arrived in Australia in 2020 and is understood to be residing in the country on a student visa after playing for a string of teams In their petition, Ms Fardy and Ms Greedy also claimed that 'at least three other women' were subjected to Mr Hart's alleged behaviour. Ms Fardy and Ms Greedy wrote that they had appealed to Football Victoria, Sydenham Park and a number of other football clubs for Mr Hart's dismissal as a paid player. They had also written to the Australian Border Force, Minister Burke, Assistant Minister for Immigration Matt Thistlethwaite and Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs Stephanie Foster, asking for 'a character review and visa cancellation' based on the allegations against Mr Hart. 'This petition calls for the immediate revision of immigration laws with strong consideration for the history of violence in visa holders,' Ms Fardy told News Corp. Football Victoria is understood to have torn up Mr Hart's registration following the accusations. 'To those who supported this petition, who stood with Cara and I, and with every woman who's been harmed by this man, thank you,' Ms Fardy added in her updated statement on 'Your voices mattered. Your signatures, your messages, your belief in us… they mattered. Mr Hart had initially left the UK in 2019 and was signed to Thimphu City FC, who play in the Bhutan Premier League Football Victoria is understood to have torn up Mr Hart's registration following the accusations Fardy and Greedy say they will continue to advocate for increased awareness around domestic violence as well as a change to laws on immigration. During lockdown in Melbourne, the English footballer was bizarrely seen riding around Melbourne on his bike with a parrot called Pablo on his handlebars. Daily Mail Australia had seen the pair riding along St Kilda beach in 2021 and had asked Mr Hart for a quick interview. Hart told this outlet he had taken the bird under his wing, after getting him checked over by a vet and wildlife rescue worker. 'I found him last Friday injured, so I picked him up and took him home and I fixed him up, bathed him in salt water and fed him nectar mix and fruit,' he said. 'He sits on my shoulder, he sits on my bike, he sits on everyone who comes along. He's been to the pub a few times too.' Mr Hart, who hails from Lancashire in England, revealed he had hoped to stay in Australia during the pandemic. 'I'm hoping to stay here for good. I got here a year ago... not too long before the first lockdown - and I just stuck it out,' Hart said. If you or anyone you know is suffering from domestic abuse or violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, chat online or video call via 1800RESPECT's website.
Russia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Germany's border crackdown can only last ‘a few more weeks'
Germany's new border crackdown can only be sustained for 'a few more weeks,' the country's police union has warned, citing mounting pressure on officers tasked with enforcing the policy. The warning comes two weeks after the government introduced stricter border controls to curb the number of asylum seekers entering the country. 'We can only manage this because duty rosters have been adjusted, training for the units is currently on hold, and the reduction of overtime has been halted,' Andreas Rosskopf, chairman of the Federal Police and Customs division of the German Police Union, said. He warned that the controls can only be sustained 'for a few more weeks.' The measures represent a major shift in Germany's migration stance and fulfill a key campaign promise of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who vowed to tighten the immigration laws. The May 7 order from Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt bans asylum applications at all land borders, reversing former Chancellor Angela Merkel's 2015 open-border policy. Exceptions are made for children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups. Up to 3,000 officers are being added to the 11,000 already stationed at Germany's borders. The 2015 policy defined Germany's approach to refugees, while also drawing fierce political backlash, with critics calling it 'disastrous.' A week after the measures were announced, Dobrindt claimed that the number of rejections increased by almost a half. However, according to Der Spiegel, the number of asylum applications remained largely stable in the week after May 7. As the EU's largest economy, Germany has been the most popular destination for asylum seekers. According to official statistics, foreigners currently make up 17% of the country's population. Migration remains a polarizing issue, with local authorities often warning that the number of asylum seekers is straining their budgets. The right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which is known for its strong anti-immigration stance, was designated a 'confirmed extremist entity' earlier this month by the domestic intelligence agency (BfV), which said its activities could threaten Germany's democratic order. The designation was later suspended after legal appeals and public outcry.
