Trump, CAIR, SJP Release Statements On Columbia Protest Organizer Held By ICE In Elizabeth, NJ Trump, CAIR, SJP Release Statements On Columbia Protest Organizer Held By ICE In Elizabeth, NJ
Trump, CAIR, SJP Release Statements On Columbia Protest Organizer Held By ICE In Elizabeth, NJ A Columbia University graduate detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now at the center of a political firestorm as the Trump administration slashes federal funding to the school and enforces new visa restrictions targeting international students linked to protests. Mahmoud Khalil Detained Amid Federal Crackdown Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident and recent Columbia graduate, was taken into custody by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Saturday, March 8, outside his university-owned apartment in New York City. ICE claims his student visa was revoked, but …
Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Kensington Fire Fought For Justice Until The End Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Kensington Fire Fought For Justice Until The End
Blind Civil Rights Attorney Killed In Kensington Fire Fought For Justice Until The End David Shaffer, a blind civil rights attorney and lifelong advocate for marginalized communities, died after being pulled from the basement of a burning Montgomery County home. Fire crews rushed to the home on Aurora Drive in the Garrett Park Estates neighborhood on Friday, Feb. 28, according to a Montgomery County Fire & Rescue spokesperson. Firefighters managed to rescue Shaffer, who was blind and unable to escape on his own, but he later died at the hospital from his injuries. The Kensington fire. Twitter/@mcfrsPIO Officials determined the fire was accidental, with multiple p…
Girl, 11, Dies By Suicide After School Bullies Say ICE Will Deport Her Family: Reports Girl, 11, Dies By Suicide After School Bullies Say ICE Will Deport Her Family: Reports
Girl, 11, Dies By Suicide After School Bullies Say ICE Will Deport Her Family: Reports An 11-year-old Texas girl has died by suicide after classmates bullied her for being Hispanic and threatened to have ICE agents deport her family, according to reports. Jocelynn Rojo Carranza of Gainesville, TX, died on Saturday, Feb. 8, five days after she was rushed to a hospital, Univision 23 reported. She was a student at Gainesville Intermediate School, about an hour north of Dallas. Her mother Marbella Carranza told Univision that students repeatedly taunted her daughter, saying her family would be deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). "I waited a whole week for a mi…
White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy
White House Valentine's Day Post Playing Off 'Roses Are Red' Poem Sparks Controversy A Valentine’s Day post from the White House social media accounts sparked controversy after featuring a rhyme about illegal immigration, drawing sharp reactions from both supporters and critics. The post, shared across X, Instagram, and Facebook, reimagined the classic "roses are red, violets are blue" poem with a political twist: "Roses are red, violets are blue, come here illegally, and we’ll deport you." Set against a pink backdrop, the poem was accompanied by images of President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan, with the caption “Happy Valentine’s Day” followed by a red heart emo…
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West'
Plan To Deputize Private Citizens Faces Lawsuit From Nassau Dems: 'This Is Not The Wild West' Long Island Democrats and civil rights attorneys are fighting back against a plan to deputize private citizens, calling the move illegal. A lawsuit filed by Nassau County Democratic legislators against County Executive Bruce Blakeman in New York Supreme Court on Wednesday, Feb. 5, seeks to block what they say amounts to an “illegal, taxpayer-funded militia.” Blakeman’s plan calls for deputizing private citizens as “special sheriff’s deputies” during emergency declarations. If activated, members would be paid $150 per day. Democrats blasted the move, arguing it lacks transparency, oversigh…
Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Albany Synagogue With Children Present Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Albany Synagogue With Children Present
Hanukkah Shooting: Gunman Admits Opening Fire Outside Albany Synagogue With Children Present A New York man who fired a shotgun outside an Albany synagogue on the first night of Hanukkah pleaded guilty to federal civil rights and firearm charges. Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, of Schenectady, pleaded guilty to obstructing religious freedom by threat of force, unlawfully acquiring a firearm, and brandishing it during the crime in Albany federal court on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The formal confession came more than a year after Alkhader took an Uber from Schenectady to Temple Israel in Albany, where he walked up the synagogue’s steps and pulled a shotgun from a duffel bag on Dec. 7, 2023. He the…
Group Threatens To Sue New Britain Schools For Suspending Teacher Over Crucifix Group Threatens To Sue New Britain Schools For Suspending Teacher Over Crucifix
Group Threatens To Sue New Britain Schools For Suspending Teacher Over Crucifix A Connecticut teacher was placed on administrative leave earlier this month after refusing to remove a crucifix affixed to a wall near her desk, authorities said. Now, a group known for handling religious liberty cases in public schools is championing her cause. Marisol Arroyo-Castro, who has worked in Connecticut schools for 32 years, has been a teacher at DiLoreto Elementary & Middle School in New Britain since 2003. She has kept the crucifix by her desk for a decade, according to a Jan. 21 letter from the First Liberty Institute. However, in December, one of the school’s vice princip…
Palestinian-American Student Called ‘Terrorist’ By Teacher At Central Dauphin Middle School Palestinian-American Student Called ‘Terrorist’ By Teacher At Central Dauphin Middle School
Palestinian-American Student Called ‘Terrorist’ By Teacher At Central Dauphin Middle School A Palestinian-American 7th grader at Central Dauphin Middle School was allegedly called a “terrorist” by a teacher during an after-school program, prompting an investigation, district officials confirmed on Friday, Jan. 24.  The incident occurred on Jan. 16 when the student asked to change his seat, and the teacher reportedly replied, “I do not negotiate with terrorists,” according to the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR-Philadelphia, a Muslim civil rights organization, condemned the alleged comment as “racist” and “anti-Palestinian.” The…
US Attorney For New Jersey Announces Resignation US Attorney For New Jersey Announces Resignation
US Attorney For New Jersey Announces Resignation Philip Sellinger, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey announced on Monday, Dec. 23, he is resigning effective 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8. "Serving as the United States Attorney has been the honor of a lifetime," Sellinger said in a statement. "My sincere thanks to President Biden for appointing me the temporary steward of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I leave knowing the storied traditions of this office will continue through our dedicated career Assistant U.S. Attorneys and staff." Sellinger, 70, was nominated by Biden in 2021 upon the recommendation of then-Senat…
UVA Alum Harmeet Dhillon Nominated For Prestigious DOJ Role In Trump Administration UVA Alum Harmeet Dhillon Nominated For Prestigious DOJ Role In Trump Administration
UVA Alum Harmeet Dhillon Nominated For Prestigious DOJ Role In Trump Administration A Virginia legal luminary with deep ties to the Commonwealth has been tapped for a high-profile role in the Trump administration, authorities announced Monday. Harmeet K. Dhillon, a University of Virginia Law School alumna and former editorial board member of the Virginia Law Review, has been nominated by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the US Department of Justice. Dhillon butted head with Virginia officials repeatedly about COVID-19 matters inclucing issues such as PPP funding, face masks, and other policies that were put in place du…
Ex-Bridgeport Councilman Gets 3 Weekends In Prison, Fine In Election Fraud Case: Feds Ex-Bridgeport Councilman Gets 3 Weekends In Prison, Fine In Election Fraud Case: Feds
Ex-Bridgeport Councilman Gets 3 Weekends In Prison, Fine In Election Fraud Case: Feds A former Bridgeport City Council member has been sentenced to three weekends in prison for a civil rights offense stemming from election fraud during his run for office, federal authorities said.  Michael DeFilippo, 38, received one year of probation, three weekends of incarceration, and a $15,000 fine, the US Attorney Connecticut said.  The charges relate to DeFilippo's campaign for the 133rd District in 2017 and 2018. According to court records, DeFilippo manipulated elections by stealing and falsifying voter registration applications and absentee ballots, forging signatures, an…
'Our Students Deserve Better': CT Education Group Calls Out McMahon Nomination 'Our Students Deserve Better': CT Education Group Calls Out McMahon Nomination
'Our Students Deserve Better': CT Education Group Calls Out McMahon Nomination The Connecticut Education Association says President-elect Donald Trump's choice to run the Department of Education is a threat to vulnerable students and local school districts.  Trump announced Tuesday, Nov. 19, that Connecticut's Linda McMahon, co-founder and former CEO of WWE, chairwoman of a Trump super PAC and think tank, and co-chair of his transition team, would head the department in his new administration. She also served as his administrator of the Small Business Administrator from 2017 through 2019 during his first term.  "The nomination of billionaire Linda McMah…