The Up First Newsletter — An Update on a High-Energy State Law Enforcement Challenge for State and Local Law Enforcement in the Light of a Measure by Biden
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A Texas law gave state and local law enforcement agencies the ability to enforce immigration law. The Texas Republicans who championed the legislation said it was in response to the Biden administration’s border policies.
Mississippi immigration law put on hold; Mississippi cops who tortured 2 men sentenced to a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The case of Jayson Kavanaugh
Six former Mississippi police officers who pleaded guilty to torturing two Black men are expected to be sentenced this week. The officers were part of the so-called “Goon Squad.” They raided a home and shot one of the men, planted drugs at the scene and then stole a gun to cover it up. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced former sheriff’s deputy Hunter Elward yesterday to 20 years in prison and former lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton, who devised the group’s cover-up plan, to 17.5 years in prison. Mississippi Public Broadcasting provides news and information.
Trump has until Monday to arrange a $454 million bond to comply with a New York Court ruling. A judge ordered him to pay that amount last month in a civil fraud case after finding that the former president, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and Trump Organization employees engaged in a decade-long conspiracy to lie about their assets’ value. He doesn’t have to pay now but he can’t find a company to put up the bond. His legal options are listed here.
The Senate Judiciary Committee was considering allegations of sexual assault made against the man after Christine Ford testified that he sexually attacked her when they were teenagers. Kavanaugh denied the accusation and was ultimately appointed to the Supreme Court. She tells her own story, weaving together motherhood, friendships and politics in her memoir One Way Back.
She spoke to Morning Edition’s Martin about the testimony that changed her life. You can listen here or read the highlights.
Source: Texas immigration law put on hold; Mississippi cops who tortured 2 men sentenced
Putting a First Day of Spring in Your Step: Defending State Laws with a Court-Injured District Judge’s Injunction
Yesterday marked the first day of spring. As the weather warms up, it’s the perfect time to shake off the winter blues and inject some energy into your day. Scientists and health care experts share their tips for putting a spring back into your step:
The Biden administration has argued that Texas overstepped its constitutional limits in passing SB 4, and they maintain that immigration policy and law enforcement are exclusive functions of the federal government.
While a federal court considers the merits of the law, a legal back-and-forth over whether the bill should take effect in the meantime created chaos Tuesday.
The bill was originally set to go into effect on March 5. A district judge issued an injunction to block the law from being enforced while the case was being heard, after the U.S. government and the ACLU filed lawsuits against it.
A panel of judges grilled the Texas attorney about the law, and heard arguments from the U.S. Department of Justice and the civil rights organization about why it should be struck down.
The president has called a border crisis, and the Texas solicitor general thinks it’s important.
Wednesday’s Fifth Circuit hearing considered whether to allow the district judge’s preliminary injunction to take effect or continue to block the passage of Senate Bill 4.
Critics of Senate Bill 4 have made the law out to be Texas’ attempt to take over law enforcement capabilities, an idea that was disputed at Wednesday’s hearing. “That’s really not true,” he told the panel. “What Texas wants to do is to be able to coordinate with the federal government.”
The Supreme Court decision in Arizona vs. United States is considered by federal attorneys to be the cause of a state law that wanted to create state-level crimes for immigration offenses and give local law enforcement the power to arrest people who are in the country illegally. In a 5-3 decision, the court sided with the federal government and struck down most of Arizona’s law.
The law was criticized by groups who advocate for civil rights and immigrants’ rights. Any reason could allow law enforcement officers to question someone’s immigration status.
We know that this law will make people more suspicious. We know that this law is going to strip people of their constitutional rights. The Border Network for Human Rights knows that the law will lead to mass criminalization of our communities, according to Alan Lizarraga.
Opponents also worry that migrants with legitimate claims to asylum could have their federal cases asylum complicated by the Texas law if they come to face state criminal charges.
Mexico also opposes the law. Its foreign affairs ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the country will not accept migrants who have been deported under the Texas law. And it expressed concern for Mexican nationals living in Texas, who it said could now be subject to “expressions of hate, discrimination and racial profiling.”
A statement says that Mexico plans to file a legal brief against the law in order to make sure that it doesn’t affect the relationship between the two countries.
How well will we enforce the law? Constraints on a number of immigration cases from Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carillo
Local law enforcement officers say they are prepared to enforce the law. Others have said they have not received the right guidance about how to implement it and whether they will have the manpower to carry out the large number of arrests.
“I think we’re going to be very selective about the cases we pick up,” said Culberson County Sheriff Oscar Carillo, whose jurisdiction is located along the west Texas border. He told the Texas Newsroom on Tuesday that he would have to discuss with his county attorney the idea of incarcerating and charging people who were in the country illegally.
Wednesday’s appeals court hearing revealed the extent to which details of the law’s enforcement have yet to be hammered out. Nielson, the Texas solicitor general, struggled to answer a series of questions from Chief Judge Priscilla Richman about how various scenarios would play out.
When Richman asked how a person who had illegally entered the U.S. through a state other than Texas would be treated with the law, Nielson said he wasn’t sure.