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| LATEST ANALYSIS Supreme Court “De-Documents” 350,000 Venezuelans – And Keeps Everyone In The Dark About What’s Next The 350,000 Venezuelans who were granted Temporary Protected Status in 2023 have heard conflicting messages from the U.S. government since January, ranging from, “You can keep your TPS protections until fall 2026,” to “Your TPS protections have already been revoked. Probably. We assume.” District Court Greenlights ICE-IRS Agreement, Blurring Lines Between Civil Immigration Enforcement and Criminal Investigations This month, a federal district court allowed an unprecedented information-sharing agreement between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to take effect. This marks the first time the IRS has formally agreed to provide taxpayer information to ICE under a memorandum of understanding. What Is Habeas Corpus and Why Is It Important? Here’s What DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Got Wrong “Habeas corpus” is the constitutional right that ensures that people have a chance to challenge their imprisonment in front of a judge. Habeas corpus ensures that the government cannot detain someone without a lawful basis. But Noem, head of the Department of Homeland Security, gave a very different definition. She instead incorrectly stated that habeas corpus was the “right that the president has to be able to remove people from this country.” FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW Last week, the House Judiciary Committee marked up the “Stop Illegal Entry Act,” a bill that makes significant and harmful changes to the federal statutes used to criminally prosecute people who enter or reenter the U.S. in violation of civil immigration law. Changes proposed in the bill would impose harsh, disproportionate sentences for illegal entry and reentry, including mandatory minimums and sentences up to life in prison. The bill would also waste taxpayer dollars on prison for people who pose no public safety threat. In this fact sheet, the Council explains how these federal statues impose a second punishment on people the U.S. government already has the right to deport and discusses how the Trump administration weaponized them during its first term in office. Read our Fact Sheet: Prosecuting People for Coming to the United States ACROSS THE NATION On Wednesday, the Council secured a critical legal victory by blocking the Trump administration from deporting its client, a Venezuelan asylum seeker identified as Y.A.P.A. for his safety. ICE has baselessly claimed he is affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, despite providing no evidence and the fact that Y.A.P.A. has no criminal record. Y.A.P.A. has been detained since February, living in constant fear of being disappeared to El Salvador’s notorious maximum-security prison, CECOT. The American Immigration Council and the ACLU filed a habeas petition in late April to stop his transfer—arguing that the government could not send him away without giving him a meaningful chance to appear before a judge and respond to the allegations against him. In granting the petition, the judge made clear that constitutional rights “do not belong solely to those who may be subjectively determined to be great Americans.” These protections, the judge wrote, are part of what “has made, and will continue to make, America great”—and it is the court’s duty to uphold them “without fear or favor.” Wednesday’s ruling affirms that Y.A.P.A. cannot be deported without due process. Read more: Challenging Disappearance under the Alien Enemies Act Without Due Process ACROSS THE NATION Senior Fellow Dara Lind explains the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s ruling on TPS for Venezuelans on MSNBC: Watch the full video: Dara Lind Explains SCOTUS Ruling on TPS Protections for Venezuelans QUOTE OF THE WEEK “As Trump ramps up his showy cruelty in order to send a message, communities across the country will feel the impact of millions of people receding from public life — even if they don’t leave for good.” – Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow, American Immigration Council, in his piece “Trump’s new offer to undocumented immigrants is a bait-and-switch” for MSNBC FURTHER READING USA Today: Countries in the Americas grant birthright citizenship. What happens if they revoke it? San Diego Union-Tribune: Administration can’t hire the 20,000 immigration agents Trump wants Washington Times: Trump hammers illegal immigrants with full weight of law, criminal prosecutions up 45-fold Bloomberg Law: ICE Moves Detainees Without Notifying Lawyers, Nonprofits Allege HuffPost: Trump Actually Wants To Make His Undocumented Immigrant ‘Crisis’ Even Worse MAKE A CONTRIBUTION |
