Politics
ICE Lawyers Directed to Clear Low-Priority Immigration Cases
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is in search of to clear probably a whole bunch of hundreds of deportation and asylum instances pending earlier than immigration courts, an unprecedented transfer that might considerably scale back the present backlog of 1.7 million instances.
In a memo dated Sunday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement directed its legal professionals to overview instances and attempt to clear these thought of low precedence beneath enforcement pointers that the administration established final yr. The American Immigration Attorneys Affiliation estimates that there are not less than 700,000 such instances — about 40 % of the court docket backlog.
The company wouldn’t present an estimate of what number of instances can be cleared beneath the directive or how lengthy it might take. Earlier administrations have moved instances off the court docket docket however not on such a broad scale. Through the eight years of the Obama administration, greater than 166,000 immigration instances had been administratively closed, based on court docket information.
The court docket backlog has ballooned to the most important ever, inflicting yearslong delays for immigrants in search of asylum and different types of aid. One cause is that the coronavirus pandemic has delayed proceedings. A big variety of instances had been added through the Trump administration, particularly after a surge in undocumented migrants crossing the border in 2019. That administration additionally reopened tens of hundreds of instances that had been faraway from the court docket docket.
The hassle to cut back the backlog comes because the Biden administration prepares for what could possibly be the most important improve but of undocumented migrants crossing the border. The surge is anticipated to coincide with the top of a pandemic-era public well being order that has given border officers the authority to shortly expel undocumented migrants.
Learn Extra About U.S. Immigration
It’s the newest in a collection of efforts by the Biden administration to streamline immigration enforcement within the absence of motion from Congress.
An ICE official, approved by the company to talk publicly with out being recognized, stated legal professionals would overview every case earlier than the court docket to see if it met the administration’s priorities for enforcement: instances that contain a public security or nationwide safety menace, in addition to these involving individuals who not too long ago crossed the border with out documentation.
At the moment, there are greater than 300,000 “administratively closed instances,” based on Justice Division information. Though inactive instances may be put again onto the court docket calendar at any time by any administration, they usually stay closed for a few years.
Through the Trump administration, greater than 34,000 instances had been put again on the immigration court docket docket. Jeff Periods, the lawyer basic on the time, issued a call that restricted the authority of immigration judges to maneuver instances off the court docket calendar — a follow, he wrote, that “encumbers the honest and environment friendly administration of immigration instances.”
The Biden administration disagrees.
“Our immigration enforcement efforts are centered on those that pose a menace to public security, the safety of our borders and our nationwide safety,” Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland safety secretary, stated in a press release on Monday. “The memo issued right now additional empowers our enforcement attorneys to give attention to these priorities, and it’ll assist clear a longstanding case backlog that has clogged the immigration court docket system and stood in the best way of swiftly eradicating the best threats.”
Closing, dismissing and streamlining low-priority instances, the ICE official stated, is a good and environment friendly option to deal with what has been an insurmountable backlog.
ICE officers wouldn’t say how lengthy every case overview was anticipated to take. The hassle comes after an identical however smaller one which started in February to dismiss sure household immigration instances and direct folks to use via U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies, a course of that takes much less time.
Greg Chen, a senior director of presidency relations on the American Immigration Attorneys Affiliation, applauded the plan as a proactive step however stated that “case-by-case evaluation is way extra laborious than in the event that they did a database sweep” to find out which of them could possibly be faraway from the docket.
The directive will go into impact this month. In late Might, when the pandemic-driven public well being rule that restricted immigration is lifted, officers anticipate a major improve in border crossings, together with many migrants in search of asylum who can be summoned to immigration court docket.
A brand new, separate Biden administration asylum coverage, which can direct individuals who cross the border with out documentation to have their claims evaluated by asylum officers as an alternative of immigration judges, won’t be totally operational for months.
Undocumented migrants are anticipated to use for asylum earlier than immigration judges inside a yr of arriving. Sometimes, asylum-seekers who should not detained are issued a summons with a court docket date and wait a median of greater than 5 years earlier than showing in court docket.
However the crowds of individuals fleeing to flee poverty, violence and humanitarian disasters have been so massive that border officers have taken shortcuts when processing some into the US, releasing them with no court docket date and instructing them to complete the paperwork later. Meaning extra instances are headed to the immigration court docket system.
The transfer to clear instances from the docket may draw criticism from conservatives, who may view it as going simple on undocumented immigrants.
“Any initiative that concerned a lot of case closures will surely be thought of a type of amnesty, as a result of it might contain not prosecuting immigrants for sure immigration violations,” stated David J. Bier, a analysis fellow on immigration points on the Cato Institute, a libertarian suppose tank.
Politics
Dem leader condemns Thanksgiving bomb threats against liberal lawmakers after Team Trump targeted
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned several threats, mostly focused on lawmakers from Connecticut, targeting members of his caucus, just days after numerous threats were made against President-elect Trump’s cabinet selections.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., confirmed in a statement Friday that several Democrats were targeted with threats ranging from pipe bombs in their mailboxes to “swatting” — or filing a false police report on another person’s behalf that often results in a SWAT team being dispatched.
All of the threatening messages were signed “MAGA,” Jeffries said, adding law enforcement found no ordnance at any of the targeted lawmakers’ homes.
“America is a democracy. Threats of violence against elected officials are unacceptable, unconscionable and have no place in a civilized society. All perpetrators of political violence directed at any party must be prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” he said.
TOP DEM: ‘UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRATION’ IS A THREAT TO NATIONAL SECURITY
“House Democrats will not be deterred or intimidated from serving the people by violent threats. We have been in close communication with the Sergeant at Arms office and it is imperative that Congress provide maximum protection for all Members and their families moving forward.”
After Jeffries spoke out, Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from neighboring Rhode Island, announced on Friday afternoon that his home had been targeted, as well. Magaziner said Providence police responded quickly and no one was harmed.
Sen. Christopher Murphy, D-Conn., had his home targeted by a bomb threat. A spokesperson said it appeared to be part of a “coordinated effort.”
Five other Democrats from the Constitution State received similar threats, including Reps. Joe Courtney, John Larson, Rosa DeLauro, Jahana Hayes and James Himes.
CT DEM SAYS IT’S CLEAR HUNTER BIDEN BROKE THE LAW
“There is no place for political violence in this country, and I hope that we may all continue through the holiday season with peace and civility,” said Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee who replaced Sen.-elect Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Prior to that spate of threats, Trump’s U.N. ambassador-designate Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., said she was traveling home to her North Country district for Thanksgiving when she was informed of a threat against her home.
Former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla. — Trump’s initial choice for attorney general — also received a threat.
Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y. — Trump’s nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency — said his home was subjected to a “pro-Palestinian-themed” pipe bomb threat. Zeldin is Jewish.
Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, R-Ore., whom the president-elect tapped for Labor secretary, said her Oregon home was targeted, as was that of former San Diego Chargers cornerback Scott Turner, whom Trump named to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Trump nominees including Cantor-Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, America First Policy Institute President Brooke Rollins and former Fox News host Pete Hegseth also received threats.
In a statement, the FBI said it is aware of “numerous bomb threats and swatting incidents targeting incoming administration nominees and appointees, and we are working with our law enforcement partners.”
“We take all potential threats seriously and, as always, encourage members of the public to immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement,” it said.
Fox News’ Kevin Ward contributed to this report.
Politics
Capitol rioter's defamation suit against Fox News is dismissed
A Delaware court judge has dismissed a defamation lawsuit against Fox News filed by a Jan. 6 rioter who said the network falsely identified him as an FBI informant.
U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer L. Hall granted Fox News’ motion to dismiss the suit filed last year by Ray Epps.
Now based in Utah, Epps alleged his life was upended after former Fox host Tucker Carlson repeatedly described him as a federal agent who helped instigate the attack on the Capitol, which was an attempt to stop the certification of the election of Joe Biden.
Carlson described Epps as a principal in a false flag operation in which the government incited the Jan. 6 riot, an unfounded conspiracy theory. He made the false comments about Epps on his program over a period of nearly two years and in a series called “Patriot Purge” that streamed on Fox Nation in 2022.
In her remarks from the bench, Hall said Carlson did not act with malicious intent.
Fox News welcomed the judge’s decision, which is the third consecutive defamation case to be decided in favor of the network after the record $787-million settlement it paid to Dominion Voting Systems in April 2024.
Dominion said its business was damaged by false claims Fox News presented regarding voting fraud in the 2020 election. Fox News chose to settle the case rather than have its executives and on-air talent take the witness stand in a trial.
A separate defamation suit filed by Nina Jankowicz, the former head of the federal Disinformation Governance Board, was dismissed in July. Another case brought by Tony Bobulinski, a former business partner of Hunter Biden, was thrown out on Tuesday.
“Fox News is pleased with these back-to-back decisions from federal courts preserving the press freedoms of the First Amendment,” the network said in a statement.
Epps was at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and pleaded guilty in January to a misdemeanor charge for his role in the riot.
Epps testified under oath to the House committee investigating the attack that he had no involvement with the FBI, which has also stated publicly that he had no association with the bureau.
The lawsuit claimed Epps and his wife received threatening voice mails, emails and text messages because of Carlson‘s comments. Epps told the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes” that the lies ruined his Arizona-based business and led to death threats.
Carlson’s prime-time program was pulled from the Fox News lineup on April 24, 2023, the day after Epps appeared on “60 Minutes.”
Politics
Political betting markets still have plenty of action despite end of election season
The end of the election season does not mean the end of political betting, with many platforms allowing users to place wagers on everything from the 2028 election to who will be confirmed to President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
“Some people will be amazed by this, but people are already betting on 2026 and 2028,” Maxim Lott, the founder of ElectionBettingOdds.com, told Fox News Digital. “There’s been about a quarter million dollars bet already.”
The comments come after the 2024 election produced plenty of betting action, with users across multiple platforms wagering over $2 billion on the outcome of the latest race.
WHAT ARE ELECTION BETTING ODDS? EXPERT EXPLAINS WHY TRUMP IS CURRENT FAVORITE
While mega sporting events, such as the Super Bowl and the recent Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight, gives gamblers plenty to wager on after the election, those looking for something political to bet on will still have plenty of options.
One of the most popular topics is who will be the nominees for both major parties in 2028, with ElectionBettingOdds.com showing California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Vice President-elect JD Vance being the current leaders for Democrats and Republicans, respectively.
Other names with a significant amount of attention for betters include Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the Democratic nomination, while Vance is trailed by names like entrepreneur and future head of the new Department of Government Efficiency Vivek Ramaswamy and Donald Trump Jr. on the Republican side.
“The big Democratic governors are favored to be the next nominee,” Lott said, noting that Vance currently holds a sizable lead over other options on the GOP side.
TRUMP OPENS UP LARGEST BETTING LEAD SINCE DAYS AFTER BIDEN’S DROPOUT
Vance is also the current betting leader on who will win the 2028 presidential election, ElectionBettingOdds.com shows, followed by Newson and Shapiro as the next two likely options.
However, Lott warned it is still too early to tell what the future holds, noting that the markets will start to provide more clarity as more information becomes known over the next few years.
“As the future becomes clearer… as we get closer to 2026, 2028, these odds will change,” Lott said. “So if the Trump administration is doing really well, the economy is booming, inflation is not out of control, wars are ending, Vance’s odds will certainly go up.”
Bettors also are not limited to wagering on elections, with platforms such as Polymarket allowing users to place bets on Trump’s picks to serve in his Cabinet and whether they will be confirmed. Bettors can also place wagers on questions such as if they believe the war in Ukraine will end in Trump’s first 90 days or if there will be a cease-fire in Gaza in 2024.
According to Lott, taking a look at the current betting odds for many scenarios can help inform you about what is going on in the world, even if you do not place bets yourself.
“People often ask… is there any value to this… it’s just gambling. It’s silly,” Lott said. “But actually it’s very useful… if you want to know what’s going to happen in 2028 or if the Trump administration is going to be a success, you could read 100 news articles on it. Some will misinform you. Or, you can just go to the prediction markets and see… is Vance a 20% chance of becoming the next Republican nominee or is he a 90% chance? That tells you a lot.”
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