Connect with us

Midwest

JONATHAN TURLEY: Why blue states’ new anti-ICE laws are unconstitutional virtue signaling

Published

on

JONATHAN TURLEY: Why blue states’ new anti-ICE laws are unconstitutional virtue signaling

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Illinois has now joined California and Connecticut in barring federal immigration agents from conducting “civil arrests” of illegal aliens in or around state courthouses. The sanctuary law appears largely performative since it also appears unconstitutional. It is difficult to see how a state can bar the exercise of federal jurisdiction, at least after the Civil War.

Gov. JB Pritzker has been ratcheting up the rhetoric against ICE and the Trump administration for months, including analogies to the Nazis and claims that democracy is dying. The new law, however, crosses the constitutional Rubicon by not only limiting the operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) but also establishing a 1,000-foot “buffer zone” outside of buildings.

Illinois State Police made several arrests at the Broadview ICE facility on Friday. (Fox News/Getty Images)

The law makes courthouses equivalent to churches, where suspects can claim sanctuary not only when they cross the threshold but also within 1,000 feet, unless, of course, ICE ignores the law.

Advertisement

Recently, the chief judge in Cook County issued an order with the same prohibition. A few other judges in other states have issued similar orders.

ILLINOIS LAWMAKERS PASS BILL BANNING ICE IMMIGRATION ARRESTS NEAR COURTHOUSES

The authority for the orders is highly dubious.

The federal government can cite laws mandating the arrest of certain individuals for immigration violations, including mandatory detention of certain aliens who are removable due to criminal convictions or terrorist activities and detention and removal of aliens with final orders of removal.

President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker traded sharp words as Trump floated deploying National Guard troops to Chicago and Pritzker vowed to fight the move in court. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images)

Advertisement

The most immediate problem for Illinois is the supremacy clause of the U,S. Constitution, which states: “This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof[]… shall be the supreme Law of the Land[]… any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”

BLUE CITY JUDGE CITES ‘FEAR OR OBSTRUCTION’ IN BLOCKING ICE COURTHOUSE ARRESTS DURING COURT PROCEEDINGS

The second problem is the Supreme Court, which has repeatedly rejected such state authority to dictate federal enforcement or policies. In the 1952 c ase Harisiades v. Shaughnessy, the high court found that the federal government has the “exclusive” control over “any policy toward aliens.”

Ironically, as I have previously pointed out, these blue states will face an unusual authority cited against them: Barack Obama. It was President Obama who went to the Supreme Court to strike down state laws that interfered with federal immigration enforcement (even in assisting that enforcement). In the 2012 case Arizona v. United States, Obama largely prevailed, as the Supreme Court affirmed that “[t]he Government of the United States has broad, undoubted power over the subject of immigration and the status of aliens.”

This recognized authority goes back to the 19th century. The court ruled in the 1893 case Fong Yue Ting v. United States that “Congress [has] the right, as it may see fit, to expel aliens of a particular class, or to permit them to remain,” and “has undoubtedly the right… to take all proper means to carry out the system which it provides.”

Advertisement

JUDGE ALLOWS ICE TO CONTINUE COURTHOUSE ARRESTS IN NEW YORK CITY FOLLOWING LEGAL CHALLENGE

The Illinois law also creates the ability to sue federal authorities for false imprisonment under state law and it creates a 1,000-foot circle around any state court, creating safe zones for illegal immigrants.

Presumably, if you rent an apartment within one of those zones, you would be able to create effective immunity by simply signing a lease. As long as you stay within the specified public areas, you would be protected from civil arrest. With Illinois and other states pushing apps tracking ICE operations, a suspect could step outside onto a sidewalk or public space to claim protection from any civil arrest. It is unclear whether landlords will raise their rents in light of the new immunity amenity.

Keep in mind, if this were constitutional, the state could add to the list of sensitive places from city services to clinics. The result would be a mosaic of safety zones that would be maddening for federal authorities. Notably, blue states have attempted the same tactic to circumvent Second Amendment rights.

LONG-HELD SCOTUS PRECEDENTS COULD UNDERCUT PORTLAND, CHICAGO NATIONAL GUARD LAWSUITS

Advertisement

The legal infirmities behind these laws are irrelevant for politicians seeking to virtue signal. However, it will come at a real cost for individuals who mistakenly rely on these assurances and assume that they are protected within safe zones.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION

Many states during the desegregation period challenged federal authority in the fight against civil rights. They also failed.

Of course, the greatest irony is that the two figures who will be cited against this move are the two favorite sons of Illinois who became presidents: Lincoln and Obama. Both reinforced the supremacy of federal jurisdiction.

Indeed, the bill was passed just a couple days before the anniversary of Lincoln’s election as the 16th president of the United States. He then faced states that claimed that they could take the ultimate step of removing themselves from federal authority and jurisdiction.

Advertisement

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Illinois now claims the right to dictate where federal authority can be exercised and makes federal authorities liable for violating specified state safe zones.

Good luck with that.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM JONATHAN TURLEY

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement

Midwest

House Republicans blast Noem impeachment resolution as ‘partisan stunt,’ as Dems fail to reach across aisle

Published

on

House Republicans blast Noem impeachment resolution as ‘partisan stunt,’ as Dems fail to reach across aisle

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Several House Republicans say Democrats are not working across the aisle on a resolution to impeach Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and slammed the Democratic minority’s move as a “messaging exercise” and “partisan stunt.” 

Despite more than half of the Democratic caucus sponsoring the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Robin Kelly on Jan. 14, there are still a number of Democrats who have yet to sponsor. Kelly posted to X on Monday night that 146 of the 213 House Dems have signed on to the articles of impeachment.

GOP sources on Capitol Hill tell Fox News Digital that there has been no effort from Democrats to work with Republicans on the resolution. 

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, introduced a similar resolution in 2023 to impeach President Biden’s DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, and noted that the impeachment articles garnered more support than the Democrats’ attempt to remove Noem from the position.

Advertisement

TRUMP CITES ARMED SUSPECT, LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS

“Mayorkas presided over an open border and the worst human trafficking crisis in modern history, during which 11 million illegal aliens entered our country,” Fallon told Fox News Digital. “Sec. Noem, by contrast, has actually done the job she was appointed to carry out.

House Republicans accuse Democrats of pushing a partisan impeachment effort against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, arguing the resolution lacks bipartisan support and is aimed more at political messaging than accountability. (Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)

“The record low border crossings we have seen in just the first year of the Trump Administration make clear that Mayorkas willingly chose to leave our border open, despite his two-faced rhetoric under oath,” Fallon added. “Secretary Noem is doing her job at DHS, whereas Mayorkas failed.”

Fallon was also joined by Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., in introducing the articles of impeachment against Mayorkas in 2023. Biggs, who is currently running for governor of Arizona, told Fox News Digital “what Democrats are pushing now is something entirely different.”

Advertisement

“[Mayorkas] willfully refused to enforce federal law, misled Congress, and presided over the worst border collapse in American history,” Biggs told Fox News Digital. “As a Representative from Arizona, I’ve seen firsthand the harm his failures caused—overrun communities, overwhelmed law enforcement, and a federal government that abandoned its duty to secure the border.”

Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, dismissed Democrat efforts to impeach Noem, referring to the resolution as a “messaging exercise.”  (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

JONATHAN TURLEY: DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS ARE RISKING LIVES WITH RECKLESS ANTI-ICE RHETORIC

“[Noem impeachment articles are] a partisan stunt with no factual or constitutional basis, and they couldn’t even unify their own caucus behind it,” Biggs added.

“Weaponizing impeachment cheapens a serious constitutional remedy, and the American people know the difference between real misconduct and manufactured outrage.”

Advertisement

While Fallon and Biggs’ bill didn’t make it to a vote on the House Floor, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s, R-Ga., articles of impeachment were passed by the Republican majority in 2024 in a 214-213 vote, which officially impeached Mayorkas.

FETTERMAN DEMANDS TRUMP FIRE NOEM AFTER DEADLY MINNESOTA SHOOTINGS

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., told Fox News Digital that the resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is incomparable to the successful resolution that ultimately impeached Mayorkas.  (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The vote to formally convict the former DHS Secretary died in the Senate in a 51-49 vote when the chamber had a Democrat majority. A two-thirds majority is required to remove an official from office if an impeachment conviction is reached in the Senate. No Democrats in both the House and the Senate voted in favor of impeaching Mayorkas. 

With Republicans now controlling both the House and the Senate, Democrats have a heavy lift if they intend to impeach Noem, and Fallon even dismissed the current resolution that Kelly introduced as a “messaging exercise.”

Advertisement

FREY, KLOBUCHAR CALL FOR ICE TO LEAVE MINNEAPOLIS FOLLOWING DEADLY CBP SHOOTING IN CITY

“It makes sense then that Democrats can’t even present a unified front on their Secretary Noem impeachment resolution,” Fallon told Fox News Digital. “This is a messaging exercise aimed at catering to Democrats’ increasingly far-left base and is equally as divorced from reality.”

Should Democrats take control of the House after the 2026 midterms, a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate remains unlikely in 2027. 

President Donald Trump told reporters that Noem would not be stepping down from her role during a press gaggle on Tuesday. 

“This is obviously one of those witch hunts,” Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. “This is another example of the Democrats showing their hypocrisy.”

Advertisement

An FBI agent on the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images and ODU English Department/Facebook)

“When Barack Obama was deporting people like hot cakes, they did nothing about it,” Hunt, who is running for U.S. Senate in Texas added. “He has deported far more people than President Trump has and both of his presidencies combined. And so the fact that they are now using tactics like this just shows that they’re grasping at straws.”

When asked about the key difference between the Mayorkas impeachment and the resolution to impeach Noem, Hunt said, “Well, 20 million people in this country illegally.”

The articles of impeachment were notably introduced prior to the deadly Border Patrol-involved shooting of Alex Pretti on Jan. 24 in Minneapolis.

VANCE CALLS MINNEAPOLIS UNREST ‘ENGINEERED CHAOS’ AFTER DEADLY SHOOTING

Advertisement

Pretti, a 37-year-old U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, was killed in Minneapolis after Secretary Noem said Pretti “violently resisted” arrest and a Border Patrol agent who initially fired was “fearing for his life.”

In a separate instance in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, Renee Nicole Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent during an altercation that took place. DHS said that Good attempted to impede law enforcement operations by using her car to block the passage of agents. DHS cited a video that showed Good accelerating toward an officer, causing the officer to draw his weapon and fire 4 shots at Good. One shot struck the 37-year-old in the head, resulting in her death. 

Agitators converge after the shooting of Alex Pretti. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

The agency later revealed the officer who fired the shots in what DHS says was according to protocol and in self-defense. He suffered from internal bleeding after being struck by Good’s vehicle.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Advertisement

Following Good’s death, demonstrations erupted in the streets of Minneapolis with little to no local police presence. Agitators were directing traffic and barricades were established similar to agitator zoning that took place in the Twin Cities after the death of George Floyd.

Trump held a phone call with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Monday morning. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters the president asked Walz to “work together peacefully” with ICE agents and DHS.

Read the full article from Here

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Detroit, MI

Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under $30

Published

on

Where to score tickets for this Sunday’s Pistons vs. Nets game for under


If you purchase a product through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.

Detroit Pistons fans will have the chance to see the Eastern Conference leaders this Sunday, Feb. 1, when they return to Little Caesars Arena to host the Brooklyn Nets at 6 p.m. ET.

Tickets are available now from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster. Prices below reflect availability at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Ticket Service Starting Price
Vivid Seats $27
SeatGeek $29
StubHub $28
Ticketmaster $26

The team is currently in the middle of a Western Conference road slate, which includes matchups with the Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors. They earned a 109-108 win over Denver Tuesday night to improve to 34-11 and will set their sights on the Suns on Thursday. They’ll then make a final stop in San Francisco to take on the Warriors before returning home.

Advertisement

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris each had a team-high 22 points in Tuesday’s win, while Cunningham also had 11 assists. Cunningham currently leads the league in assists, averaging 9.8 per game. He will represent Detroit as an Eastern Conference starter in this year’s All-Star Game.

Fans can score their tickets now for Sunday’s game from Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, StubHub and Ticketmaster.



Source link

Continue Reading

Milwaukee, WI

A Look Into Five Great Milwaukee Novels

Published

on

A Look Into Five Great Milwaukee Novels


Novels offer a great escape, but sometimes we want our fiction to hit closer to home. These recent books are set in Milwaukee, but do they paint a recognizable portrait of our beloved city?

MYSTERY | PENGUIN BOOKS, 2022 | $18 

Photo courtesy Penguin Books

Sneha, a queer South Asian college grad moves to Milwaukee in 2013 for a job. She explores identity, romance and friendship, along with our city’s socialist history and alcohol culture.  

Is Milwaukee a “character?”  

Most definitely. The people whom Sneha meets ring true to our region, including “tony Brookfield,” Bay View and beyond.

Advertisement

 Does it feel like Milwaukee?  

Certainly. Sprinkled throughout are local history lessons and discussions of our prodigious alcohol consumption, not to mention a little day-drinking on Brady Street.  

Name-drops:

Bay View Massacre, North Division and Rufus King high schools.

 


Celebrate the Milwaukee leaders who foster connection, create opportunity and strengthen our community!

 


COMING OF AGE | POLIS BOOKS, 2021 | $19 

Advertisement
Cover of At the End of the World Turn Left by Zhanna Slor
Photo courtesy Polis Books

Ukraine-born Masha must return from a new life in Israel to her childhood home in Milwaukee, where her sister has mysteriously gone missing. 

Is Milwaukee a “character?” 

Mostly. Masha’s father lives in the “semi-dangerous neighborhood of Riverwest.” Despite frequent allusions to Masha’s youth in Ukraine, Milwaukee’s cafes and clubs provide the main setting for Masha’s adventures. 

Does it feel like Milwaukee?  

Indeed. Slor has clearly done her Riverwest research:Masha spends plenty of time sipping at Fuel Cafe (RIP) and checking out music at Bremen Cafe.  

Name-drops:

Foundation, Uptowner


POSTMODERN | PENGUIN PRESS, 2025 | $30 

Cover of Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon
Photo courtesy Penguin Press

In speakeasy Depression-era Milwaukee, a softening former cop deals with organized and not-so-organized crime as he follows the trail of a wayward cheese heiress.  

Is Milwaukee a “character?” 

Yes, early on. It’s left behind as a concrete setting for the second half of the book, but Cream City remains the spiritual home for our main character.

Advertisement

Does it feel like Milwaukee?  

The details are rich and almost always amusing. Characters gab around bubblers, drink old fashioneds, play sheepshead and talk more cheese than you can believe.

Name-drops:

Paramount Records (a defunct blues label in Grafton), Holton Street Bridge, Oriental Drugs


SUSPENSE | THREE TOWERS PRESS, 2019 | $27 

 

Cover of Beneath the Flames by Gregory Lee Renz
Photo courtesy Three Towers Press

Mitch is a firefighter looking to escape a tragedy in rural Wisconsin. He relocates to Milwaukee to join a busy firehouse, leading to many adventures.  

Is Milwaukee a “character?” 

As a former pro, Renz knows his firefighting, and he knows Milwaukee well enough to strike a clear contrast between the quiet, manure-air of Mitch’s farm home and the frenetic energy of the North Side. 

Advertisement

Does it feel like Milwaukee?  

The neighborhoods are richly drawn, and Renz includes the violence, conflict and racial tensions all too familiar in our unequal city.  

Name-drops:

Teutonia Avenue, a character called the “Jawbreaker of South Milwaukee”


THRILLER | BALLANTINE BOOKS, 2021 | $19 

Cover of We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
Photo courtesy Ballantine Books

Following a traumatic episode in Chile, Emily tries to recover with a new job in Milwaukee. A friend from the past arrives, and their violent history comes slowly to the surface.  

Is Milwaukee a “character?” 

Not really. Local author Bartz places the main characters here, but the setting isn’t the biggest factor in their character development.

Does it feel like Milwaukee?  

The plot mostly shines on the internal life of Emily, but there’s local insight: She’s “over Milwaukee – her hometown – with its smallish size and polarized communities.” 

Advertisement

Name-drops:

Brady Street and the “slightly creepy Streets of Old Milwaukee exhibit at the public museum” 


The cover of the January 2026 issue of Milwaukee Magazine

This story is part of Milwaukee Magazine’s January 2026 issue.

Find it on newsstands or buy a copy at milwaukeemag.com/shop.

Be the first to get every new issue. Subscribe.





Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending