Tag:

Human rights

'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims 'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims
'Rather Be Deported': Pregnant Mom, Disabled 4-Year-Old Held At Dulles For Days, ACLU Claims A pregnant woman and her disabled 4-year-old son have allegedly been held inside a windowless room at Dulles International Airport in Virginia for more than a week, according to an emergency federal court filing from the ACLU of Virginia. The lawsuit, filed this week in federal court in Alexandria, claims Anabella Gyasi, a 38-year-old woman from Ghana, and her young son have been detained by US Customs and Border Protection since arriving at Dulles on Monday, May 19. According to the ACLU, Gyasi traveled to the United States with valid tourist visas so her son could receive treatment at Akr…
'60 Minutes' Reporter Says CBS Forcing Her Out For 'Refusing To Sanitize' Report '60 Minutes' Reporter Says CBS Forcing Her Out For 'Refusing To Sanitize' Report
'60 Minutes' Reporter Says CBS Forcing Her Out For 'Refusing To Sanitize' Report A "60 Minutes" correspondent says CBS News is pushing her out months after accusing the network of "corporate censorship" by pulling her investigation into the Trump administration's use of El Salvador's notorious CECOT prison. Sharyn Alfonsi told The New York Times on Wednesday, May 27, that CBS declined to renew her contract after weeks of silence from network executives. While she remains employed by CBS, her contract officially expired on Saturday, May 23. Alfonsi, who has contributed to "60 Minutes" since 2015, said she doesn't expect to return to the program. "I'm not resig…
LI Pimp Punched Pregnant Victim, Poured Baby Oil On Teen: Feds LI Pimp Punched Pregnant Victim, Poured Baby Oil On Teen: Feds
LI Pimp Punched Pregnant Victim, Poured Baby Oil On Teen: Feds A child sex trafficker referenced Sean "Diddy" Combs, poured baby oil on a naked teen girl, and punched a victim in the stomach while pimping at least three underage girls for prostitution on Long Island, federal authorities said Thursday, March 12. Tyrone Stylistic Crooks, a 26-year-old Queens man, was indicted on 12 counts related to sex trafficking five people, including three girls between the ages of 14 and 17, the Justice Department said in a press release. Crooks threatened and physically assaulted the victims, including punching one in the stomach despite her being pregnant at …
Trump Reacts To Boos For VP Vance At Winter Olympics Trump Reacts To Boos For VP Vance At Winter Olympics
Trump Reacts To Boos For VP Vance At Winter Olympics Vice President JD Vance was met with loud boos and jeers from the crowd at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan, Italy, drawing a swift response from President Donald Trump, who insisted Vance “doesn’t get booed in this country.” Vance led the official US delegation to the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics opening ceremony at San Siro stadium on Friday night, Feb. 7.  When stadium cameras showed Vance and his wife Usha on the big screen, the crowd’s reaction was immediate and unmistakable, with boos echoing throughout the venue. The moment was picked up clearly on television …
Petition To Block Proposed ICE Detention Facility In Chester Launched By Rep. Pat Ryan Petition To Block Proposed ICE Detention Facility In Chester Launched By Rep. Pat Ryan
Petition To Block Proposed ICE Detention Facility In Chester Launched By Rep. Pat Ryan Opposition to a proposed federal immigration detention facility in Orange County has escalated as Congressman Pat Ryan announces the launch of a Hudson Valley-wide petition urging residents to reject the plans.  Ryan’s announcement follows reporting by The Washington Post that a vacant warehouse in the Chester Industrial Park could be used as part of a nationwide Immigration and Customs Enforcement plan to house up to 80,000 immigrants in large warehouse-style detention centers.  According to Rural & Migrant Ministry, Inc., a nonprofit based in Cornwall-On-Hudson, one potentia…
Trump's FIFA Peace Prize Sparks Ethics Challenge, Report Says Trump's FIFA Peace Prize Sparks Ethics Challenge, Report Says
Trump's FIFA Peace Prize Sparks Ethics Challenge, Report Says A watchdog group is accusing the head of FIFA of violating ethics rules after giving the soccer governing body's first peace prize to President Donald Trump, according to a report. Global nonprofit FairSquare filed a formal complaint with the FIFA Ethics Committee, The Athletic reported on Tuesday, Dec. 9. The advocacy group's work centers on international labor migration rights, political repression, and sports. The complaint comes shortly after Trump received the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize during the 2026 World Cup Draw on Friday, Dec. 5. Critics say Infantino created the award …
Shock Spreads After Death Of Baltimore Rabbi, Jewish Renewal Pioneer Arthur Waskow Shock Spreads After Death Of Baltimore Rabbi, Jewish Renewal Pioneer Arthur Waskow
Shock Spreads After Death Of Baltimore Rabbi, Jewish Renewal Pioneer Arthur Waskow Rabbi Arthur Ocean Waskow, a Baltimore native whose lifelong fight for justice and spirituality reshaped American Judaism, has died at 92 in Pennsylvania. Waskow, founder and longtime executive director of The Shalom Center in Philadelphia, passed away at his home on Monday, Oct. 20, according to a statement from the organization. Born in Baltimore in 1933, Waskow helped redefine the intersection of faith and activism — from marching for civil rights to protesting war and environmental destruction — all while reimagining Jewish ritual for modern times. Waskow earned his bachelor's degree f…
Leo XIV Concerned About 'Some Things' In US, Pope Says In First Major Interview Leo XIV Concerned About 'Some Things' In US, Pope Says In First Major Interview
Leo XIV Concerned About 'Some Things' In US, Pope Says In First Major Interview In his first major interview as pontiff, Pope Leo XIV said he won't be involved in US partisan politics, but will advocate for causes important to the Catholic Church, like immigrants' rights. Leo spoke with Crux, an online newspaper that focuses on the Catholic Church. The final excerpt from the wide-ranging interview was published on Thursday, Sept. 18. Crux senior correspondent Elise Ann Allen interviewed the pope for a new biography titled "Leo XIV: Citizen of the World, Missionary of the XXI Century." A Spanish version of the book launched in Peru, where L…
Jerry Seinfeld Says 'Free Palestine' Advocates Worse Than KKK: Report Jerry Seinfeld Says 'Free Palestine' Advocates Worse Than KKK: Report
Jerry Seinfeld Says 'Free Palestine' Advocates Worse Than KKK: Report Comedian Jerry Seinfeld compared the "Free Palestine" movement to the Ku Klux Klan, claiming that the slogan is a form of antisemitism. Seinfeld made the comments at Duke University on Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Duke Chronicle student newspaper reported. The unpublicized event was for Omer Shem Tov, a former Israeli hostage abducted during the Hamas-led attack at the Nova music festival on Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. The 71-year-old implied that pro-Palestinian advocates are antisemitic. “Free Palestine is, to me, just — you're free to say you don't like Jews. Just say you don't…
Caterpillar Dumped By World's Largest Sovereign Fund Over Israeli Military Ties Caterpillar Dumped By World's Largest Sovereign Fund Over Israeli Military Ties
Caterpillar Dumped By World's Largest Sovereign Fund Over Israeli Military Ties The world's largest sovereign wealth fund has dropped construction equipment company Caterpillar over Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which many groups are calling a "genocide." Norway's Government Pension Fund Global announced it was divesting from Caterpillar and five Israeli banks on Monday, Aug. 25. The Norwegian sovereign wealth fund has more than $1.7 trillion in assets, according to the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute. The fund's Council on Ethics said that Caterpillar bulldozers have aided Israel in "the widespread unlawful destruction of Palestinian property." "There is n…
George Washington University ‘Deliberately Indifferent’ To Antisemitic Abuse On Campus: DOJ George Washington University ‘Deliberately Indifferent’ To Antisemitic Abuse On Campus: DOJ
George Washington University ‘Deliberately Indifferent’ To Antisemitic Abuse On Campus: DOJ Jewish students at George Washington University were harassed, threatened, and told to leave campus for their own safety — and the US Department of Justice says the school let it happen. In a scathing letter released on Tuesday, Aug. 12, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division accused GWU of violating federal civil rights law by being “deliberately indifferent” to antisemitic harassment and abuse targeting Jewish, American-Israeli, and Israeli students and faculty.  The agency said the misconduct was “shocking,” “abhorrent,” and illegal, and that university officials took “no meaningful action…
‘Locked Out’: ICE Slams Door On Maryland Lawmakers At Detention Center ‘Locked Out’: ICE Slams Door On Maryland Lawmakers At Detention Center
‘Locked Out’: ICE Slams Door On Maryland Lawmakers At Detention Center A group of elected officials in Maryland say they were denied access to the ICE detention facility after attempting to schedule a tour.  Four members of the House of Representatives and at least two state senators were among the members of "Team Maryland" who say they were rebuffed as they attempted to inspect the conditions of the facility. "My Maryland colleagues and I were DENIED ENTRY to the Baltimore ICE detention center—despite following all legal requirements," Congressman Johnny Olszewski stated. "Congress has a legal right to inspect ICE facilities. Amid reports of inhumane c…
‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Loudoun County Official After Courthouse Crackdown ‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Loudoun County Official After Courthouse Crackdown
‘Vigilante’ ICE Arrests Slammed By Loudoun County Official After Courthouse Crackdown An elected official in Virginia is calling for an end to Loudoun County's partnership with federal immigration authorities after what she described as a “disturbing show of force” outside a Sterling courthouse. Supervisor Juli Briskman is condemning Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for what she says was a series of aggressive and secretive detentions in her community — including an incident last week where plainclothes ICE officers “manhandled a Loudoun resident” and “swatted away another resident’s phone.” “These residents were exercising their constitutional right to observe publ…
Pride, With Purpose: 2025’s Retailers Promoting Pride Month This June Pride, With Purpose: 2025’s Retailers Promoting Pride Month This June
Pride, With Purpose: 2025’s Retailers Promoting Pride Month This June As June begins, so does Pride Month. It's a time to celebrate identity, visibility, and progress. While some brands have taken a quieter approach this year, others continue to show up with meaningful campaigns, financial contributions, and a commitment to inclusion that goes beyond surface-level gestures. For many, Pride Month is also a time to support the organizations driving lasting change. Groups such as PFLAG, the nation's first and largest organization dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ individuals and their families, and the Trevor Project, a leading force in suicide prevention and crisis…
During Pride Month? Hegseth Orders Navy To Rename Harvey Milk Ship, Report Says During Pride Month? Hegseth Orders Navy To Rename Harvey Milk Ship, Report Says
During Pride Month? Hegseth Orders Navy To Rename Harvey Milk Ship, Report Says US Defense Secretary has ordered the Navy to rename a ship honoring Harvey Milk, America’s first openly gay elected official, this month, Pride Month, Military.com reports. The USNS Harvey Milk, an oiler ship named in 2016 under the Obama administration, is reportedly set to be rebranded in the coming weeks. Military.com said a defense official confirmed plans for the renaming, also noting that the timing during Pride month "was intentional." Harvey Milk hails from Woodmere, NY and went on to become the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. was an American politicia…
Central Islip Brothers, 19 & 20, Deported Without Warning Despite Pending Legal Status: Lawyer Central Islip Brothers, 19 & 20, Deported Without Warning Despite Pending Legal Status: Lawyer
Central Islip Brothers, 19 & 20, Deported Without Warning Despite Pending Legal Status: Lawyer Two Long Island brothers who spent nearly half their lives in the US were abruptly deported, despite having no criminal record and a pending path to legal residency, their attorney claims. Jose Trejo Lopez, 20, and Josue Trejo Lopez, 19, were deported to El Salvador on Wednesday, May 7, just weeks after a New York Family Court granted them legal guardianship—an important step in their effort to remain in the US legally, their attorney, East Islip immigration lawyer Ala Amoachi, said. The brothers, originally from El Salvador, came to the US in 2016 at ages 10 and 11 with their mother, fleei…
Orange Pastor, Wife Enslaved Church Members For Sex, Labor: Feds Orange Pastor, Wife Enslaved Church Members For Sex, Labor: Feds
Orange Pastor, Wife Enslaved Church Members For Sex, Labor: Feds A pastor in Orange and his wife were arrested and charged on Wednesday, May 7, with forcing church members into forced labor, authorities said. Treva Edwards, 60, and Christine Edwards, 63, face charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion and forced labor in Newark federal court, US Attorney Alina Habba said. The Edwards’ were founders and pastors of a church called Jesus is Lord by the Holy Ghost, operated out of an apartment building in Orange, Habba said. Between 2011 and 2020, the Edwardses identified and recruited victims who were facing struggles in their lives to join the…
Tufts Student Must Be Freed After ICE Detained Her For Pro-Palestine Op-Ed, Judge Rules Tufts Student Must Be Freed After ICE Detained Her For Pro-Palestine Op-Ed, Judge Rules
Tufts Student Must Be Freed After ICE Detained Her For Pro-Palestine Op-Ed, Judge Rules A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to release a Tufts University doctoral student who has been in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for more than six weeks after she wrote a pro-Palestine op-ed. The judge in Vermont granted bail to Rumeysa Öztürk on Friday, May 9. US District Judge William Sessions said the federal government had proven no basis for detaining Öztürk other than her student newspaper op-ed, criticizing the university's response to Israel's occupation of Gaza. The 30-year-old was detained by six masked, plainclothes officers whil…
3 US Citizen Children, Including 4-Year-Old Cancer Patient, Deported To Honduras 3 US Citizen Children, Including 4-Year-Old Cancer Patient, Deported To Honduras
3 US Citizen Children, Including 4-Year-Old Cancer Patient, Deported To Honduras Immigration officials deported three US citizen children — ages 2, 4, and 7 — along with their mothers late last week, according to multiple reports. The 4-year-old is battling stage four cancer, and they were deported without medication or access to their doctors. One of the mothers is also pregnant, reports said. The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana said the families had lived in the U.S. for years, establishing deep roots in their communities. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained them earlier last week and kept them incommunicado, ignoring frantic attempts by …
Maryland Senator Denied Prison Visit With Wrongfully Deported Man In El Salvador Maryland Senator Denied Prison Visit With Wrongfully Deported Man In El Salvador
Maryland Senator Denied Prison Visit With Wrongfully Deported Man In El Salvador Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen's trip to El Salvador to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia in prison took an unexpected turn on Thursday. Van Hollen was denied access to Abrego Garcia at the CECOT high-security facility—along with the family's lawyer—as they went to check on his well-being, the senator said on April 17. "We just tried to go visit him in prison, just to check on his condition, and if he is doing okay, because nobody has had any communication from him since he was illegally abducted from Maryland and sent to prison in El Salvador," Van Hollen said miles away from the prison. Van Hol…
Avelo To Fly ICE Deportation Flights, Sparking Boycott As Critics Slam 'Cruel' Policy Avelo To Fly ICE Deportation Flights, Sparking Boycott As Critics Slam 'Cruel' Policy
Avelo To Fly ICE Deportation Flights, Sparking Boycott As Critics Slam 'Cruel' Policy Avelo Airlines has received widespread criticism after agreeing to fly deportation charter flights for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. An Avelo spokesperson confirmed the airline's ICE partnership to the Daily Voice on Tuesday, April 8. The "long-term charter program" will be based at Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in suburban Phoenix and begin on Monday, May 12. The Houston-based airline said its operations with the Department of Homeland Security will utilize three Boeing 737-800 planes. "Flights will be both domestic and international to support the department's deportat…
Kitty Dukakis Dies At 88: Former Mass First Lady Was Tireless Advocate For Mental Health Kitty Dukakis Dies At 88: Former Mass First Lady Was Tireless Advocate For Mental Health
Kitty Dukakis Dies At 88: Former Mass First Lady Was Tireless Advocate For Mental Health Kitty Dukakis, the wife of former Massachusetts Governor and presidential nominee Michael Dukakis, died on Friday, March 21, at the age of 88, her family said.  Her son, John Dukakis, said in a statement that the mother of three died "surrounded by family." She was born on December 26, 1936, and lived a full life fighting to make the world a better place and sharing her vulnerabilities to help others face theirs. She was loving, feisty and fun, and had a keen sensitivity to people from all walks of life. She and our dad, Michael Dukakis, shared an enviable partnership for over 60 years and …
Mount Vernon Sergeant Admits Using Excessive Force In Mental Health Crisis Response: Feds Mount Vernon Sergeant Admits Using Excessive Force In Mental Health Crisis Response: Feds
Mount Vernon Sergeant Admits Using Excessive Force In Mental Health Crisis Response: Feds A former sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department has admitted to violating constitutional rights by using excessive force during a mental health crisis call, federal officials announced.  Brooklyn resident Mario Stewart, age 46, admitted in federal court to deploying his taser-like-device seven times within two minutes against a handcuffed individual during an incident on March 26, 2019, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Friday, Jan. 10.  According to officials, on the day of the incident, Stewart and six other Mount Vernon o…
Woodbridge MD Loses License After Exploiting Undocumented Workers, Faces Federal Prison: AG Woodbridge MD Loses License After Exploiting Undocumented Workers, Faces Federal Prison: AG
Woodbridge MD Loses License After Exploiting Undocumented Workers, Faces Federal Prison: AG A New Jersey doctor headed to prison who refused to let a woman she employed for lw wages get treated for a brain aneurysm had her medical license revoked, authorities announced this week. Dr. Harsha Sahni, a rheumatologist based in Middlesex County, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for conspiring with others to illegally recruit, conceal, and harbor two women from India to be household servants for low pay, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said. Sahni, who practiced in Colonia, admitted in her guilty plea that she knew the women were in the country illegally and that…
Jimmy Carter, Longest Living American President, Dies At Age 100 Jimmy Carter, Longest Living American President, Dies At Age 100
Jimmy Carter, Longest Living American President, Dies At Age 100 The longest living president in US history, Jimmy Carter, has died at the age of 100. The death of the 39th chief executive was announced by the Carter Center. He died Sunday afternoon, Dec. 29 at his residence in his lifelong hometown of Plains, Georgia, where he was born in October 1924. James Earl Carter Jr., was the first ex-president to reach the age of 100. Carter, then the Democratic governor of Georgia who had worked as a peanut farmer, defeated Gerald Ford in the 1976 race, the first presidential election after Richard Nixon's resignation in August 1974 following the Watergate af…
ICE's Controversial Plans To Expand NJ Detention Centers Revealed By ACLU ICE's Controversial Plans To Expand NJ Detention Centers Revealed By ACLU
ICE's Controversial Plans To Expand NJ Detention Centers Revealed By ACLU U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement( ICE) is exploring plans to expand immigration detention facilities in New Jersey, potentially adding 600 beds across the state, according to documents obtained by the ACLU through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. The revelations come as concerns mount over President-elect Donald Trump’s promise of a large-scale deportation and detention program. Advocates have criticized the Biden administration for enabling this expansion, warning it could pave the way for sweeping actions against immigrant communities. Two facilities under considerat…
Students Targeted With Racial Texts At Nyack School District Students Targeted With Racial Texts At Nyack School District
Students Targeted With Racial Texts At Nyack School District Officials are investigating after several Hudson Valley students were the targets of explicitly racist text messages that were also sent to Black and Brown students in several states since Election Day. The incidents occurred in Rockland County on Thursday, Nov. 7, at Nyack's middle and high schools. "While there are slight variations in the wording, these texts are horrific and explicitly racist, specifically threatening “to make students slaves, take them to plantations to pick cotton or that they will be deported to Africa,” said Nyack School District Intermin Superintende…
Ethel Kennedy, Who Went From Greenwich To Head Of Nation's Most Famous Family, Dies At 96 Ethel Kennedy, Who Went From Greenwich To Head Of Nation's Most Famous Family, Dies At 96
Ethel Kennedy, Who Went From Greenwich To Head Of Nation's Most Famous Family, Dies At 96 Ethel Kennedy, the matriarch of America's most famous political family, died Thursday, Oct. 10. She was 96.  Ethel Kennedy was wife to Robert "Bobby" Kennedy Sr., sister-in-law to President John F. Kennedy, and mother to 11 children, including former presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  She suffered a stroke at her home last week, her grandson, former Rep. Joe Kennedy said on X, formerly Twitter.  It is with our hearts full of love that we announce the passing of our amazing grandmother, Ethel Kennedy. She died this morning from complications related to a stroke su…
Slain GW Student's Memory Lives On In Galapagos Slain GW Student's Memory Lives On In Galapagos
Slain GW Student's Memory Lives On In Galapagos The memory of a George Washington University student killed while studying abroad will live on in the Galapagos Islands. Antonella Galindo Merlo died in a car accident while studying at the University of Melbourne earlier this month, the GW Hatchet says citing university officials. Antonella's family is raising money to save the Giant Manta Rays of Ecuador, specifically through an organization dedicated to protecting the species — a cause Antonella cared about deeply. "Antonella was a brilliant soul who left us too soon," reads the campaign. "She was passionate about the conservation of th…
Protesters Block Boston U Bridge To Demand Ceasefire In Gaza Protesters Block Boston U Bridge To Demand Ceasefire In Gaza
Protesters Block Boston U Bridge To Demand Ceasefire In Gaza Dozens of protesters have taken to the Boston University bridge between Cambridge and Boston on Thursday morning, Nov. 16, to call on politicians to demand a ceasefire in Gaza. The group IfNotNow gathered on the bridge around 8 a.m., demanding that Sen. Elizabeth Warren support an immediate ceasefire. Senator Elizabeth Warren: So many of us voted for you, organized for you, even worked for you. We know that you know, in your heart, that more violence and death is not the answer. Please, we beg you: call for a ceasefire. Stop the bombs, stop the suffering, stop the war. pic.twitter.com/6…
Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage
Schumer, McConnell Call For Release Of WSJ Reporter, NJ Native Charged With Espionage Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) can agree on one thing: they want reporter Evan Gershkovich, a Mercer County native, to be released after he was charged with espionage in Russia while reporting for the Wall Street Journal. The duo released a rare joint statement on Friday, April 7, calling for his release. Gershkovich was charged with espionage "in the interests of his country," according to Russian state media. "We strongly condemn the wrongful detention of U.S. citizen and Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and de…