skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

VP Kamala Harris says she plans to 'earn and win' Democratic nomination after Joe Biden drops out and endorses her; New Alabama bill threatens voter rights, legal challenge ensues; Fact-checking GOP claims on immigrants; Water contamination a concern in Midwest flood aftermath.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

President Joe Biden drops his 2024 re-election bid. He's endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to take his spot on the ticket, and election experts say they see benefits to this decision.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

It's grass-cutting season and with it, rural lawn mower races, Montana's drive-thru blood project is easing shortages, rural Americans spend more on food when transportation costs are tallied, and a lack of good childcare is thwarting rural business owners.

Texas' battle over right to arrest suspected illegal immigrants will continue

play audio
Play

Monday, March 4, 2024   

A law aimed at immigrants crossing the border in Texas will not take effect tomorrow, after a federal judge halted enforcement until a court battle plays out.

The preliminary injunction was applauded by the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, which has called the legislation one of the most extreme anti-immigrant laws ever passed by a state legislature.

ACLU of Texas Legal Director Adriana Piñon said one state should not be allowed to authorize local and state law enforcement to arrest, detain, and remove people they suspect to have entered Texas illegally.

"It would also give the power to state judges to deport people, and not just at the end of a trial," said Piñon. "It would give the power to state judges just on the showing of probable cause."

The judge's decision was announced the same day President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump visited the Texas border to affirm their positions on immigration.

Biden criticized congressional Republicans for not passing a bipartisan border agreement in the Senate on the advice of Trump.

If re-elected, Trump has said he'd support a program that deputizes local officers to enforce federal immigration law.

The ACLU is part of a lawsuit that was consolidated with another suit, United States of America vs. Texas, filed by the Justice Department.

In supporting the preliminary injunction, the judge expressed "grave" concerns that Texas law could inspire other states to pass their own immigration laws, creating an inconsistent patchwork of immigration rules.

Piñon said no state should have the right to unilaterally decide who gets to be an American.

"Because it doesn't matter what language you speak, it doesn't matter the color of your skin, it doesn't matter what country you come from," said Piñon, "everybody deserves to be able to avail themselves of the protections of the Constitution and the federal laws."

She said federal laws protect people who are seeking asylum, are victims of abuse or trafficking, while the Texas law removes those protections.

Texas' lawyers have promised to appeal the ruling to a higher court.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a political event in Grand Rapids, Mich., in early 2024. (The White House/Wikimedia Commons)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Vice President Kamala Harris focused on reproductive rights at a campaign event in Michigan Wednesday. Her remarks come as President Joe Biden has …


Environment

play sound

Construction could begin in Minnesota later this year in the final phase of one of the nation's largest solar energy developments, after state …

Social Issues

play sound

Thousands of educators from across the nation will be in Houston starting this weekend for the American Federation of Teachers annual convention…


The Illinois State Board of Education report card said O'Fallon Township High School HSD #203 is currently only funded at 64%. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristy Alpert for Arts Midwest.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Illinois News Connection reporting for the Arts Midwest-Public News Service Colla…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Counterfeit medicine sales are on the rise, in Connecticut and nationwide. The state faced trouble with growing sales of counterfeit Xanax pills …

"Arizonans understand that it is insane to risk Phoenix or Tempe for Odesa or some corn field in Ukraine. It is not in our national interest to get involved," said U.S. Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Ariz. (Gage Skidmore / Flickr)

Social Issues

play sound

More than 2,400 delegates gathered in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention and delegates from around the country, including …

Environment

play sound

So far, states like Wisconsin have largely escaped the worst of the summer heat affecting much of the nation but a group of scientists wants regional …

Social Issues

play sound

Postsecondary enrollment data for 2023 shows community college enrollment increased nationwide by more than 100,000 students, and a large percentage …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021