On Tuesday, a federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked a Trump Administration proposal that would make it easier for them to rescind grants of refugee status for those already in the United States. The proposal earlier this month would have allowed refugees only 10 days to challenge an agency decision to strip them of their refugee status, instead of the current 30 day window to challenge such decisions. If the rule had gone into effect, it could have impacted close to 200,000 people. The rule is blocked until at least November 6, when the judge will decide if a longer block of the policy is appropriate.
The administration continues to attack state voter rolls in the runup to next week’s election, with the latest target being Washington state. On Monday, the Trump Administration sent Washington a demand to sequester the ballots of 400 alleged non-citizens, giving the state only 24 hours to review their records. The administration had similarly challenged 20,000 California voters, suing the state only 48 hours after sending their demand. On Monday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to rule on the administration’s lawsuit and questioned the accuracy of the administration’s list. On Wednesday, a lower court rejected the administration’s lawsuit against California, stating that registered voters “must not be deprived of a core right merely because of unfounded allegations stemming from a procedure rife with uncertainty and errors.”
Minnesotans are still waiting for justice following the murders of Alex Pretti and Rene Good earlier this year. Federal authorities stopped sharing information with local authorities investigating the murders in July and the two sides are currently embroiled in a lawsuit to force the Trump Administration to share investigative materials. Earlier this week, Alex Pretti’s parents held a news conference to speak to the lack of any communication or action on the part of the federal government, with Alex’s father saying that, “At every turn, they have ignored us, misled us and shielded Alex’s killers.” No charges have been filed in either case.
Meanwhile, ICE continues its acts of violence across the country, most recently tackling a 20-year-old special needs student and sending him to the hospital. Erik Zepeda, a US citizen, was walking to school last week when he was tackled from behind by two men in ICE jackets. Only after tackling him did they attempt to even speak to him, asking his name, date of birth, and citizenship status before letting him go. Neither person identified themselves or the agency they were with, they simply left. It was only after Mr. Zepeda reached his school that an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital where he had surgery to repair three breaks in his wrist. Local police are investigating the incident, but have so far been unable to identify who the assailants were.
Greater Boston Legal Services and other legal service providers filed suit against the Trump Administration this week to stop the administration from hiding detained immigrants from their attorneys. The policy, quietly adopted last month, removes individuals with order of removal from ICE’s Online Detainee Locator System, making it difficult, if not impossible, to locate clients and file appeals or habeas petitions on their behalf and stripping these people of due process. While the administration has not directly confirmed the new policy, they have responded to media inquiries by whining about the “historic number of injunctions” that courts have issued to protect the rights of individuals and honor our Constitution.
