Delaware

Delaware lawmakers move to shield immigrant families from federal scrutiny

Published

10 months ago

April 21, 2025

Delaware lawmakers move to shield immigrant families from federal scrutiny

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For 14 years, Maria Jose Nolasco Ramírez has lived in Delaware with her children, quietly navigating everyday life with a growing fear behind the wheel.

For undocumented immigrants like Nolasco Ramírez, driving without a license is often not a choice — it’s a necessity. In many parts of Delaware, especially in rural and suburban areas, public transportation is limited or nonexistent. Parents still need to take their children to school, get to work or attend medical appointments. For years, she took that risk every day.

Nolasco Ramírez came to the U.S from Guatemala after fleeing abuse and seeking safety. She made the journey through the desert, determined to find peace and opportunity for herself and her American children. But in Delaware, like many undocumented immigrants, her lack of legal status limited nearly every part of life: employment, healthcare, homeownership and transportation.

“Con todo eso que se escucha que migración, tienes miedo de salir… más que todo tengo tres hijos … tal vez por un tiempo estén solos. Pero el país de ellos es aquí. Entonces, las oportunidades de ellos están aquí, y para que ellos tengan esas oportunidades, necesitan un apoyo”, ella dijo.

“With all this stuff you hear about immigration, you’re afraid to leave … more than anything, I have three children … maybe they’ll be alone for a while. But their home country is here. Their opportunities are here, and for them to have those opportunities, they need support,” she said.

Her anxiety followed her everywhere, bracing every time she saw flashing lights. Then in 2015, Delaware introduced the Driving Privilege Card, a limited-use driver’s license for undocumented immigrants.

“Antes de que dieran esta licencia para nosotros las personas sin documentos, era bien difícil porque yo tenía ticket atrás ticket atrás ticket, por no tener licencia”, ella dijo. “Estuve en riesgo de terminar presa.”

“Before they gave us undocumented people this license, it was very difficult because I had ticket after ticket after ticket, for not having a license,” she said. “I was at risk of ending up in jail.”

When she finally earned her card, it changed everything.

“Yo me puse con mucho empeño a estudiar, estudiar, estudiar para aprender el examen porque [yo] no tenía mucha idea de todas las reglas de aquí. Cuando yo fui y pasé el examen, fue el día más feliz de mi vida … yo lloré como una niña chiquita”, ella dijo. “[Lo que] pasa por tu mente [son] todos esos años que estuviste manejando con miedo … que siempre que te paraba el policía te decepcionas más. Eran momentos que pensabas que si valía la pena estar aquí.”

“I worked really hard to study, study, study to learn the exam because I didn’t have much of an idea of all the rules here. When I went and passed the exam, it was the happiest day of my life … I cried like a little girl,” she said. “What goes through your mind are all those years you were driving in fear … that every time the police stopped you, you became more disappointed. Those were moments when you wondered if it was worth it to be here.”

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Delaware

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Published

11 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

RADNOR, Pa. – Authorities say a Delaware County school employee is accused of traveling to Texas to sexually assault a minor he met online.

What we know:

Michael Robinson, 43, was taken into custody near Radnor Middle School where investigators say he worked as a paraprofessional.

Investigators believe Robinson traveled to Tyler, Texas in the summer of 2024 to meet a minor he had connected with online.

Robinson, according to U.S. Marshals, allegedly sexually assaulted the teen over the course of a weekend.

Delaware County school employee accused of sex assault of minor in Texas

Prosecutors in Smith County, Texas charged Robinson in December with Aggravated Sexual Assault of a Child Under 15-years-old.

Robinson is being held at a Delaware County jail where he is awaiting extradition to Texas.

What they’re saying:

U.S. Marshals in Pennsylvania said Robinson’s arrest shows that “sexual predators will always be pursued relentlessly.”

The Radnor Township School District said Robinson has been placed on leave and will not have contact with students.

“Parents of the limited number of children to whom the employee was assigned were contacted by the administration immediately.”

The district said it is cooperating with law enforcement and has “no information indicating misconduct involving district students.”

Crime & Public SafetyDelaware CountyNews

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Delaware

Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Published

23 hours ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Rehoboth cancels 2026 Polar Bear Plunge after major snowstorm

Rehoboth Beach has canceled the upcoming 2026 Lewes Polar Bear Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge as the Sussex County resort town continues dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s snowstorm, organizers of the annual Special Olympics fundraiser said on Feb. 26.

“Rehoboth Beach is navigating significant challenges because of the snowstorm,” a Special Olympics Delaware email announced. “At present, the boardwalk and all beach crossings remain snow covered and many sidewalks throughout downtown Rehoboth are as well.”

The plunge and 5K had been rescheduled to March 1 after severe weather conditions in late January caused it to be moved from its original Feb. 1 date.

The plunge will not be rescheduled for this year.

Last weekend’s storm brought nearly 2 feet of snow to parts of Sussex, closing hundreds of roads when trees and wires were downed. There were also power outages across the county, including Rehoboth Beach which had to restore power to its wastewater treatment facility.

Plunging for a cause

The polar bear plunge is one of Special Olympics Delaware’s more popular fundraisers, drawing more than 4,000 participants last year.

In recent years, the event has been bringing in more than a million dollars for Special Olympics Delaware. Last year, plunge events drew $1.3 million, just shy of the record-breaking $1.5 million raised in 2024.

Alex Seymore, Special Olympics Delaware’s director of digital media, said the organization had already raised more than $1 million from this year’s event.

“We expect a small impact,” Seymore told Delaware Online/The News Journal. “But again, we’re showing that we’ve raised over a million dollars.

He added they are reviewing how the cancelation will impact them and their services.

“It’s been just a couple hours, so we’re not completely positive how it will impact things in the long run,” he said. “We’re thankful for everybody that’s helped raise this money through this time.”

What is still occurring

While the plunge and 5k and been canceled this year, there are other indoor events that will continue as scheduled:

Feb. 27

4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Feb. 28

noon to 2 p.m. Fire & Ice in the Atlantic Sands Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave, Rehoboth Beach.
2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Restaurant chili contest.
4 p.m. to 7 p.m. – pick up packets and souvenir sales for the Plunge and 5K Run to the Plunge at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave, Rehoboth Beach.

Send tips or story ideas to Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

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Delaware

Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Trump Accounts for kids; are they available in Delaware?

President Donald Trump touted his Trump Accounts for kids platform during his State of the Union address Tuesday, Feb. 24, months before the savings account program goes live this summer.

Roughly 63% of parents open bank accounts for the newborns and young children according to The Financial Brand, showing that in general, opening a bank accounts for your child is a good idea.

But what, exactly, are Trump Accounts for kids, and does it make sense for you to open one for your child? Here’s everything you need to know.

Trump Account for kids explained

The IRS explained in a memo Trump Accounts will be available for any children under 18, with $1,000 seed money available for newborns and very young children.

That account will be seeded with federal government funds.

“A Trump account is a type of traditional individual retirement account that is established for the exclusive benefit of an eligible individual and that is designated at its establishment as a Trump account,” read the IRS’ Trump Accounts memo. “Upon an election under the pilot program, $1,000 is paid by the Secretary to the Trump account of an eligible child.

“An eligible child means a qualifying child who is born after December 31, 2024 and before January 1, 2029, who is a U.S. citizen, and for whom no prior pilot program election has been made.”

The Trump Accounts website confirms parents do not need to make a contribution, but can deposit up to $5,000 a year into the interest-bearing account.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in comments published Jan. 28 a single $1,000 deposit into a Trump Account at birth should grow to an estimated $500,000 by the age of retirement.

When will Trump Accounts for kids lunch, and can I apply in Delaware?

Trump Accounts for kids will go live on Monday, July 5, and parents in Delaware are allowed to apply for the nationwide offering when it opens.

Until then, you can visit the Trump Accounts website to add your name to the email list to get an update when the service goes live.

The IRS and U.S. Department of the Treasury released Trump Accounts guidance you can read before opening an account.

Problems with Trump Accounts for kids

While opening a Trump Account for your child may seem a good thing, TIME uncovered a few problems with President Donald Trump’s namesake account service.

“The program may be open to every child, but its benefits will flow overwhelmingly to families with the means to contribute thousands of dollars a year. What could have been a leveling tool instead risks becoming a widening wedge between the haves and the have-nots,” read a portion of TIME’s take. “For a family living paycheck-to-paycheck that is unable to add anything beyond the government’s $1,000 seed deposit, the balance reaches just $5,839 by age 18. “

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies echoed much of that sentiment, and said Trump Accounts for kids will have the opposite effect from its stated goals.

Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

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