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Wednesday, May 7, 2025

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Divided Supreme Court allows Trump administration to begin enforcing ban on transgender service members; AZ hospitals could be required to ask patients about legal status; Taxing the wealthy to pay for Trump priorities wouldn't slow economic growth; and overdraft fees are here to stay, costing Texans thousands of dollars a year.

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Taxing millionaires could fund safety net programs, climate rollbacks raise national security concerns, India makes cross-border strikes in Kashmir, the Supreme Court backs transgender military ban, and government actions conflict with Indigenous land protections.

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Rural students who face hurdles going to college are getting noticed, Native Alaskans may want to live off the land but obstacles like climate change loom large, and the Cherokee language is being preserved by kids in North Carolina.

CA advocacy groups decry new immigrant registration policy

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Thursday, March 27, 2025   

Immigrants' rights groups are speaking out against the Trump administration's decision to start requiring people who did not enter with a visa to register with the federal government - a first step toward deportation. Immigrants would have to carry proof of their registration at all times, or risk criminal prosecution.

Minerva Mendoza, program coordinator with the Pan Valley Institute in Fresno, says this policy - combined with recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids - has created a pervasive sense of fear in the community.

"I've been with organization, I want to say 12 years, and I haven't seen it this bad. Some of the farm workers I know have limited their public outings. Many of them don't feel safe going grocery shopping," she explained

The Pan Valley Institute is distributing door hangers that let people know they don't have to open the door unless ICE agents have a warrant. They also recently organized a celebration for International Women's Day in the town of Madera - in order to bring the community groups together. They also sponsor the ArteVism Fellowship Program, which fosters civic engagement through creative artistic expression among local youths of color.

The U.S. Nationality Act of 1940 required Japanese-Americans to register at their local post office. And FDR's executive order forced Japanese Americans from the West Coast into internment camps.

Estela Galvan, also a program coordinator with the Pan Valley Institute, says she's troubled by the parallels to this administration's policies.

"It's history repeating itself. If it wasn't the Chinese Exclusion Act or the Japanese internment camps, it's the same thing, unfortunately. This is the time we really need to get together, support each other, protect each other," she explained.

The Institute is now planning a public forum later this spring where Japanese Americans share their experiences with the government registry and internment camps during World War II.

Disclosure: American Friends Service Committee - Southwest contributes to our fund for reporting. If you would like to help support news in the public interest, click here.


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