South

Supreme Court OKs law letting Texas police arrest migrants suspected of illegally crossing border

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2024

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Supreme Court OKs law letting Texas police arrest migrants suspected of illegally crossing border

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Texas to enforce a law that allows local police to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally – marking a significant but temporary win for the state’s efforts to control illegal immigration across the border with Mexico.

The ruling comes a day after the court extended a block on the state law at the request of the Biden administration, which sued to strike down the measure. The Biden administration argued that the law, known as Senate Bill 4 and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in December, would usurp federal authority on matters related to immigration enforcement. It marked the most significant effort by a state to take control of enforcement since the court struck down parts of an Arizona law in 2012.

“The United States brings this action to preserve its exclusive authority under federal law to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens,” the DOJ lawsuit filed in January states. “Texas cannot run its own immigration system. Its efforts, through SB 4, intrude on the federal government’s exclusive authority to regulate the entry and removal of noncitizens, frustrate the United States’ immigration operations and proceedings, and interfere with U.S. foreign relations.”

JUDGE RULES ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE GUN RIGHTS PROTECTED BY 2ND AMENDMENT

Texas said the state’s law mirrored federal law and was put in place to compensate for the Biden administration’s inadequate response at the southern border.

“Texas has defeated the Biden Administration’s and ACLU’s emergency motions at the Supreme Court. Our immigration law, SB 4, is now in effect. As always, it’s my honor to defend Texas and its sovereignty, and to lead us to victory in court,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Tuesday.

Migrants wait to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after they crossed the Rio Grande and entered the U.S. from Mexico, Oct. 19, 2023, in Eagle Pass, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

The ruling was not focused on the merits of the case itself but on the stay on the law issued by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, which had blocked the law in February from taking effect. The court did not explain its reasoning for ending the stay, but in a concurring opinion, Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh expressed concern about the moves by the appeals court – and suggested it could rule differently on the merits itself.

“Before this Court intervenes on the emergency docket, the Fifth Circuit should be the first mover,” Barrett wrote.

“So far as I know, this Court has never reviewed the decision of a court of appeals to enter — or not enter — an administrative stay. I would not get into the business. When entered, an administrative stay is supposed to be a short-lived prelude to the main event: a ruling on the motion for a stay pending appeal,” she wrote.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a scathing dissent, accusing their conservative counterparts of inviting “further chaos and crisis in immigration enforcement.”

BIDEN LAWSUIT OVER TEXAS IMMIGRATION LAW LATEST ATTEMPT TO STIFLE STATES’ MOVES TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION

“Texas passed a law that directly regulates the entry and removal of noncitizens and explicitly instructs its state courts to disregard any ongoing federal immigration proceedings. That law upends the federal state balance of power that has existed for over a century, in which the National Government has had exclusive authority over entry and removal of noncitizens,” Sotomayor said.

The White House said it “fundamentally” disagreed with the Supreme Court’s order.

“S.B. 4 will not only make communities in Texas less safe, it will also burden law enforcement, and sow chaos and confusion at our southern border. S.B. 4 is just another example of Republican officials politicizing the border while blocking real solutions,” the White House said in a statement.

The case now goes back to the Fifth Circuit, which could block the law again, setting up another Supreme Court battle. Abbott called the ruling a “positive development” while acknowledging that there will be hearings in the appeals court.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, right, is shown at the U.S.-Mexico border. (Twitter/Greg Abbott)

The ongoing legal battle marks the latest in a number of clashes between the state and the government on how to handle the ongoing crisis at the border. The DOJ sued Abbott’s administration this year over its construction of a floating barrier on the Rio Grande.

The DOJ also requested that the Supreme Court intervene in its dispute with Texas over the construction of razor wire at the border. Texas had sued the DOJ after federal officials cut and destroyed the wire in order to take migrants into Border Patrol custody. The Supreme Court in January allowed the wire to be taken down as the legal challenge continues.

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That dispute was followed by a stand-off in Eagle Pass, Texas, in which Texas took over Shelby Park – a key crossing area – and refused to allow federal officials access. The Biden administration subsequently threatened to sue over the lack of access.

It comes as border security and the migrant crisis at the southern border looks set to be a top political issue in the 2024 elections. Both President Biden and his opponent, former President Trump, recently visited Texas, with Trump promising to launch a mass deportation operation if elected and with Biden urging Congress to pass a bipartisan border funding deal that includes more staffing at the border and money for NGOs and cities receiving migrants, as well as an expulsion authority if migration reaches a certain level.

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Oklahoma

Jack Van Dorselaer: ‘No-Brainer’ to Follow Jason Witten to Oklahoma

Published

47 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Jack Van Dorselaer: ‘No-Brainer’ to Follow Jason Witten to Oklahoma

NORMAN — Located just 190 miles from Norman, Southlake, TX, sits comfortably within Oklahoma’s recruiting footprint. Many Dallas–Fort Worth prospects grow up viewing OU as either a favorite destination or a local option thanks to its close proximity.

New Oklahoma tight end Jack Van Dorselaer, however, had a different perspective during his recruitment at Southlake Carroll High School.

“Honestly, growing up, I wasn’t the biggest OU fan,” Van Dorselaer said Monday during Oklahoma’s Spring Media Day. “When I was getting recruited, I was really into Tennessee and going to Tennessee.”

He wasn’t exaggerating — his recruiting profile backs it up. Oklahoma extended an offer to Van Dorselaer on March 25, 2023, never took a visit. At the time, former tight ends coach Joe Jon Finley’s track record probably didn’t do much to boost confidence in a highly-touted tight end’s development.

Tennessee Volunteers tight end Jack Van Dorselaer dives for a touchdown against East Tennessee State Buccaneers. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Van Dorselaer would go on to pledge to the Volunteers, playing in all 13 games — an experience where he “learned some things as the season went on,” — before entering the transfer portal.

If Oklahoma’s previous tight ends coach left doubts lingering, one phone call changed everything. Ironically, it came from a Tennessee alum — now tabbed to coach that same position in Norman. For Van Dorselaer, it was the pitch that finally landed.

“I guess that was kind of a funny coincidence (getting a call from Jason Witten), but once he got the job, it was kind of a no‑brainer for me,” Van Dorselaer said. “To not pass that up and also to come back home and play in the SEC and play for Oklahoma.

“And I just felt like this offense was better for me and a better opportunity for me to succeed at the next level,” he added.

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The irony ran deeper than Van Dorselaer’s plan to leave Tennessee — only to get recruited by a Tennessee legend for Oklahoma.

It also sprang from his Southlake roots, where he grew up idolizing hometown hero Witten through his Hall of Fame Cowboys career — an opportunity Van Dorselaer sees as being able to make him a more complete tight end.

“I think last year at Tennessee, I was really utilized in the run game,” Van Dorselaer said “I feel like I have the ability to do everything — not just run block, not just pass catch, but to do everything. A lot of tight ends just want to catch and not block. I think coach Witten offers that coaching that really helped me in the pass game.”

Jason Witten watches from the sidelines | Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Van Dorselaer joins fellow transfer tight ends Hayden Hansen and Rocky Beers — all tasked, as general manager Jim Nagy put it, with “flipping the room” from last year under Witten. Each brings a unique skill set that Ben Arbuckle will channel his inner Dr. Frankenstein to stitch together.

If Hansen is the bigger body that can help open lanes for Sooner ball carries and Beers is the field-stretching tight end, Van Dorselaer already seems him as a bridge between then two.

“I think (Arbuckle) sees me more as like a hybrid guy — not just blocking, not just pass catching, but doing everything,” he said. “I think that’s kind of also what drew me to Oklahoma, was that aspect of it.”

For that vision to be fully realized, Van Dorselaer will have to use this spring and summer as the time to build chemistry with his new quarterback, John Mateer, who appealed to the tight end during his transfer portal recruitment.

“I think his mindset is a big thing for me,” Van Dorselaer said. “But I mean, just being around him more, I think his mindset is something that’s cool for me to be a part of. He holds me to a standard that is going to make me a better football player and a better person.”

Van Dorselaer enters spring ball with a clean slate, syncing his hybrid skill set alongside Mateer’s winning mindset and under coach Witten’s complete-tight-end blueprint.

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South-Carolina

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

Published

1 hour ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Botched South Carolina Drug Case Turns into Federal Lawsuit – FITSNews

by JENN WOOD

***

A federal civil rights lawsuit filed in South Carolina accused Greenwood County law enforcement officers of wrongfully arresting and prosecuting a Florida man for fentanyl and cocaine offenses after a traffic stop — despite immediate evidence that the pills in his possession were lawfully prescribed medication.

In a complaint (.pdf) filed in federal court, Bryan Joseph Getchius accused Greenwood County, the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO), sheriff Dennis Kelly, and three GCSO officers of false arrest, malicious prosecution, negligent supervision and violations of his constitutional rights following a May 2024 stop.

That stop yielded fentanyl and cocaine charges that were ultimately dismissed.

According to the complaint, Getchius was driving through Greenwood County on May 15, 2024 – returning to Florida after visiting family in South Carolina – when deputies stopped his vehicle after observing what they described as swerving. During the stop, deputies searched the vehicle and found a prescription bottle bearing Getchius’ name containing blue pills prescribed as Dicyclomine, a medication commonly used to treat irritable bowel syndrome.

The complaint alleges GCSO deputy Wesley McClinton used his cellphone during the stop to search the pill markings and confirmed they matched Dicyclomine — yet still proceeded with field drug testing that produced presumptive positive results for fentanyl.

***

WARRANTS BUILT ON FIELD TESTS

The supporting arrest warrants (.pdf) reveal officers charged Getchius with three felony drug offenses arising from the stop: trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and possession of cocaine. According to the affidavits, these charges were based on pills and powder recovered from a prescription bottle that deputies said produced presumptive positive field-test results for fentanyl and cocaine.

Each affidavit — sworn by officer James Travis Freeman, who the lawsuit says was not present during the stop — described the pills as: “poorly made, broke apart with very small amount of force and were consistent with clandestinely manufactured fentanyl pills.”

The lawsuit argues those statements omitted a critical fact: deputies had already identified the pill markings as lawful prescription medication prior to Getchius’ arrest.

After the arrest, Greenwood County circuit court judge Frank Addy set a surety bond at $25,000 – and ordered Getchius placed on house arrest at his mother’s Greenwood residence under electronic monitoring.

The order allowed limited exceptions for employment, legal appointments, medical visits and religious services.

The complaint stated Getchius spent 15 days in jail before bonding out, then approximately seven months on home arrest – unable to return to his job in Florida or maintain the sobriety support network he had built after more than fourteen months of recovery.

***

RELATED | YET ANOTHER SLED AGENT CHARGED WITH DUI

***

SLED LAB RESULTS COLLAPSE THE CASE

According to the lawsuit, the evidence was submitted to the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic laboratory shortly after Getchius’ arrest, but final testing did not come back for more than sixteen months — a delay the complaint attributed to SLED’s well-documented forensic backlog, which it says involved roughly 18,000 pending cases statewide at the time.

When the final report (.pdf) was issued on October 1, 2025, SLED forensic scientist Elise London found every tested item contained Dicyclomine — and nothing illegal.

The SLED report specifically found:

fifty blue tablets marked LAN 1282 were Dicyclomine,
blue powder residue was Dicyclomine,
eight capsules marked 0586 LANETT were Dicyclomine,
two additional capsules marked 0586 LANETT were also Dicyclomine.

The lab further noted the tablets’ physical characteristics were “consistent with a pharmaceutical preparation,” directly contradicting warrant language describing them as crudely manufactured narcotics.

According to the complaint, prosecutors offered Getchius a plea deal after receiving the lab report — proposing he plead guilty to a reduced possession charge despite the absence of any controlled substance. He refused, and the charges were later dismissed.

***

BROADER QUESTIONS ABOUT FIELD TESTS

Beyond Getchius’ individual case, the lawsuit touches on a broader issue in South Carolina drug enforcement: arrests frequently begin with presumptive roadside field tests, while definitive laboratory confirmation may take months — or, in backlog cases, more than a year — leaving serious felony charges in place until forensic testing catches up with the allegations.

The complaint alleged Greenwood County failed to properly train its officers on the known limitations of field drug testing, probable cause standards, and the constitutional obligation to include exculpatory information in warrant affidavits.

It also alleged county officials permitted a broader practice of relying on field-test results even when contradictory pharmaceutical evidence was available at the scene.

Getchius seeks actual damages, consequential damages, punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

***

THE COMPLAINT…

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR …

As a private investigator turned journalist, Jenn Wood brings a unique skill set to FITSNews as its research director. Known for her meticulous sourcing and victim-centered approach, she helps shape the newsroom’s most complex investigative stories while producing the FITSFiles and Cheer Incorporated podcasts. Jenn lives in South Carolina with her family, where her work continues to spotlight truth, accountability, and justice.

***

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Tennessee

I-24 reopens in Rutherford County after emergency shutdown

Published

1 hour ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

I-24 reopens in Rutherford County after emergency shutdown

Update 2:45 p.m.

The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the emergency situation near I-24 in Rutherford County has been resolved and the interstate is in the process of reopening. Traffic is moving slowly as the scene clears. Drivers needing highway assistance can dial *847 (*THP).

________________________

Authorities have shut down part of westbound I-24 in Rutherford County due to an ongoing emergency situation Wednesday afternoon.

Officials told NewsChannel 5 there is an armed individual who has barricaded themselves inside a home near the 9000 block of Manchester Pike.

No hostages have been reported and officials added that the individual fired their gun into the air, but didn’t target anyone.

Law enforcement is working to negotiate with the individual to surrender and come out safely.

According to the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, I-24 westbound is closed from the Coffee County line to South Church Street. Nearby Highway 41 is also closed between Epps Mill Road and Big Springs Road.

The Tennessee SmartWay system reports police activity near mile marker 81, where all westbound lanes and the exit ramp are blocked.

Drivers are being directed to take Exit 97 toward Wartrace and follow U.S. Highway 231 back to I-24 in Murfreesboro as an alternate route.

Authorities have not released additional details about the emergency situation.

Tenn. mom invites son’s organ recipients to do his favorite activity, dance

Here’s a beautiful story of how one mother turned her grief journey into a gathering of gratitude… and organ donation awareness.

Robb Coles highlights a special event organized by Cari Hollis – whose 26-year old son Austin died two years ago. Austin agreed to be an organ donor – and that single gesture saved multiple lives.

Cari reached out to as many recipients she could find – several of whom traveled to Nashville for an emotional celebration in Austin’s honor. One woman – whose life was saved by receiving Austin’s lungs – put it simply: “He’s my angel”.

– Rhori Johnston

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