Connect with us

Southeast

Trump's DOJ pressuring University of Virginia to axe its president over DEI programs: report

Published

on

Trump's DOJ pressuring University of Virginia to axe its president over DEI programs: report

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Trump administration has privately urged the University of Virginia to remove its president to help resolve a Justice Department probe into the institution’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, according to a report.

The Justice Department has argued that the university’s president, James E. Ryan, has not dismantled its diversity, equity and inclusion programs and misrepresented the steps taken to eliminate them, amid the administration’s efforts to root out DEI in higher education, The New York Times reported, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the department, the university and Ryan for comment.

HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL ANNOUNCES LAYOFFS AFTER TRUMP CUTS BILLIONS IN FUNDING

Advertisement

University of Virginia President James E. Ryan seen against the backdrop of the school’s campus.  (Getty Images)

The federal government’s moves targeting higher education include pulling billions of dollars from elite universities such as Harvard, which has been the subject of investigations by at least six different federal agencies over issues such as DEI initiatives, admissions practices and alleged antisemitism on campus.

But this would be the first time the administration has pressured a university to remove its president.

The call for Ryan’s removal was made over the past month in several instances to university officials by Gregory Brown, the deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights, according to The New York Times.

Brown, a University of Virginia graduate, has been instrumental in the investigation. He told a university representative last week that Ryan needed to go so that an investigation could begin, the outlet reported.

Advertisement

This is the first time the administration has pressured a university to remove its president. (iStock)

The Justice Department’s top civil rights lawyer, Harmeet K. Dhillon, who earned her law degree from the University of Virginia at the same time as Ryan, has also been involved in negotiations with the university, according to The Times. 

Ryan, who was hired as the university’s president in 2018, has focused on increasing diversity at the school, bringing in more first-generation students and encouraging community service, The Times noted. These efforts have ruffled the feathers of conservative alumni and Republican board members who argue he is “too woke” and wants to impose his beliefs on students. 

Before his time as the university’s president, Ryan served as the dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where he received recognition for his commitment to DEI programs.

HARVARD WEIGHS HOW TO STRIKE DEAL WITH TRUMP ADMIN WITHOUT LOOKING LIKE IT CAVED: REPORT

Advertisement

The Justice Department’s top civil rights lawyer, Harmeet K. Dhillon, has been involved in negotiations with the university. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)

Conservative groups have lambasted Ryan for what they regard as insufficient steps toward compliance with the administration. 

America First Legal, a nonprofit launched by Trump advisor Stephen Miller, accused the University of Virginia last month of running rebranded DEI programs to skirt Trump’s orders. 

“Rebranding discrimination does not make it legal, and changing a label doesn’t change the substance,” Megan Redshaw, an attorney at America First Legal, said in a statement at the time. “UVA’s use of sanitized language and recycled job titles is a deliberate attempt to sidestep the law.”

Advertisement

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on demands that the university oust Ryan.

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Southeast

Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work

Published

on

Illegal immigrant arrested after showing up to Florida Border Patrol office for contract IT work

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

FIRST ON FOX: An illegal immigrant who reported to a U.S. Border Patrol site in Florida to perform some Information technology contractual work was arrested when authorities were made aware of his citizenship status, officials said. 

Angel Camacho, a Venezuelan citizen, reported to a USBP center in Dania Beach, Florida, Jan. 6 to do some IT work when U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials began vetting him, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told Fox News Digital. 

During its investigation, it was revealed Camacho was in violation of U.S. immigration laws, authorities said. 

Angel Camacho reported to a Florida U.S. Border Patrol center to perform contractual work when he was arrested, a Department of Homeland Security official said.  (Getty Images )

Advertisement

“CBP vets all external visitors before allowing them to enter secure facilities to ensure safety and operational integrity,” DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. 

“During the vetting process, CBP uncovered this individual was a tourist visa overstay in the country for over five years.”

SCHUMER, DEMS AGAIN BLOCK DHS FUNDING, FORCE STATE OF THE UNION SHOWDOWN

This photo shows a U.S. Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, Jan. 15, 2019. (Suzanne CordeiroAFP via Getty Images)

Camacho was arrested and transferred to ICE custody, Bis said. 

Advertisement

His criminal history includes theft and resisting a Florida Highway Patrol officer, officials said. Federal authorities have nabbed several illegal immigrants in the process of trying to obtain employment in law enforcement and education. 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

One Sierra Leone citizen was recently arrested as he was training to become a Pennsylvania corrections officer. 

Another illegal immigrant, Ian Roberts, served as the former superintendent of Iowa’s largest district, Des Moines Public Schools, before he was arrested by ICE. 

Advertisement

Related Article

ICE detains New Orleans police recruit after immigration judge signed removal order following his hiring

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Southeast

High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student

Published

on

High school teacher arrested in alleged sex case involving student

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A Georgia high school teacher was arrested Wednesday after allegations of inappropriate contact between a teacher and a minor student surfaced at Lee County High School.

Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee, agent or foster parent, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI).

Lee County High School requested the Leesburg Police Department investigate the allegations on Feb. 3, and the GBI was called to assist the following day.

Danielle Weaver, 29, of Leesburg, Ga., is charged with child molestation and improper sexual contact by an employee. (Lee County Sheriff’s Office)

Advertisement

Investigators identified Weaver as the “subject,” and identified the victim as a student under 18 years old at Lee County High School, according to officials.

GBI agents continued the investigation along with the Leesburg Police Department, and arrest warrants were obtained for Weaver on Tuesday.

A Google Maps street view photo of Lee County High School in Leesburg, Ga. (Google Maps)

NEBRASKA TEACHER ALLEGEDLY OFFERED TO ‘SHARE’ BOYFRIEND WITH STUDENT IN SEX TRAFFICKING CASE

Weaver turned herself in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday, and was later released on bond, according to a report from WALB News.

Advertisement

This investigation is active and ongoing, according to the GBI.

The incident allegedly happened at a high school in Georgia. (Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Once complete, the case file will be given to the Southwestern Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.

Leesburg is located in South Georgia, and is about an hour and a half north of Tallahassee, Florida.

Advertisement

Lee County High School’s communications team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Related Article

Former music teacher allegedly groomed and had inappropriate relationship with teen student

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Southeast

Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms

Published

on

Federal court clears way for Ten Commandments to be displayed in Louisiana public school classrooms

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A federal appeals court cleared the way Friday for a Louisiana law requiring the Ten Commandments to be displayed in public school classrooms, lifting a lower court block and reigniting debate over religion in public education.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted 12-6 to lift a block first imposed in 2024, finding it was too early to determine the constitutionality of the law. Critics argue the requirement violates the separation of church and state, while supporters say the Ten Commandments are historical and foundational to U.S. law.

The court said in the majority opinion that it was unclear how schools would display the poster-sized materials, noting that the law allows additional content, like the Mayflower Compact or the Declaration of Independence, to appear alongside the Ten Commandments.

The majority wrote that there were not enough facts to “permit judicial judgment rather than speculation” when evaluating potential First Amendment concerns.

Advertisement

A federal appeals court on Friday lifted a lower court block on Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom law, bringing the measure closer to taking effect. (John Bazemore/AP)

In a concurring opinion, Circuit Judge James Ho, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, wrote that the law was constitutional and “consistent with our founding traditions.”

“It is fully consistent with the Constitution, and what’s more, it reinforces our Founders’ firm belief that the children of America should be educated about the religious foundations and traditions of our country,” Ho said, adding that the law “affirms our Nation’s highest and most noble traditions.”

Circuit Judge James L. Dennis, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, wrote in a dissenting opinion that displaying the Ten Commandments in classrooms would amount to “exposing children to government‑endorsed religion in a setting of compulsory attendance.”

VIRGINIA BOYS NOTCH COURT WIN AFTER BEING LABELED ‘SEXUAL HARASSERS’ OVER TRANSGENDER LOCKER ROOM COMPLAINT

Advertisement

A federal appeals court ruling on Feb. 20 allows Louisiana’s Ten Commandments classroom mandate to proceed for now. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images)

“That is precisely the kind of establishment the Framers anticipated and sought to prevent,” he added.

The ACLU of Louisiana and other groups representing the plaintiffs said they would pursue additional legal challenges to block the law.

“Today’s ruling is extremely disappointing and would unnecessarily force Louisiana’s public school families into a game of constitutional whack-a-mole in every school district,” the groups wrote in a joint-statement. “Longstanding judicial precedent makes clear that our clients need not submit to the very harms they are seeking to prevent before taking legal action to protect their rights.”

WASHINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT FORCES STUDENTS TO HIDE BIBLES IN BACKPACKS, LAWSUIT ALLEGES

Advertisement

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry praised the appeals court decision on Feb. 20 allowing the Ten Commandments classroom law to move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry on Friday praised the court’s decision, writing on Facebook, “Common sense is making a comeback!”

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a statement following the ruling, saying schools “should follow the law.”

“Don’t kill or steal shouldn’t be controversial. My office has issued clear guidance to our public schools on how to comply with the law, and we have created multiple examples of posters demonstrating how it can be applied constitutionally,” she said.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said schools should follow the Ten Commandments display law after a federal appeals court lifted a lower court block on Feb. 20. (Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Advertisement

Joseph Davis, an attorney representing Louisiana in the case, celebrated the court’s decision.

“If the ACLU had its way, every trace of religion would be scrubbed from the fabric of our public life,” he said in a statement. “That position is at odds with our nation’s traditions and our Constitution. We’re glad the Fifth Circuit has allowed Louisiana to display the Ten Commandments in its public school classrooms.”

Friday’s ruling came after the full court agreed to reconsider the case, months after a three-judge panel ruled the Louisiana law unconstitutional.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

A similar law in Arkansas faces a federal court challenge, while Texas implemented its own Ten Commandments classroom requirement last year.

Advertisement

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Related Article

Colorado teen wins fight to repaint school parking space with Christian design after legal challenge

Read the full article from Here

Continue Reading

Trending