Civil Rights / Public News Service

In response to massive arrests of immigrants, Albuquerque has issued a new executive order, creating a team specializing in children's well-being. (Courtesy City of ABQ)

Albuquerque strengthens policies to protect immigrants, refugees

No matter their legal status, Albuquerque wants immigrants to feel safe in New Mexico's largest city and has unveiled a new executive order to make …

Indiana University's Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis and Maurer School of Law in Bloomington combined enrollment in the juris doctorate program in 2024 totaled 415 students. (Adobe Stock)

New charter school hopes to help ease IN attorney shortage

A new charter school with a unique mission plans to open next year in Indianapolis. Its goal is to interest more kids in the legal profession…

For the second month in a row, protestors will take to the streets nationwide to oppose Trump administration policies they said threaten democracy. (photo: courtesy Bud Branch)

NM's 'Good Trouble' protests honor John Lewis, denounce Trump

New Mexico demonstrators will join nationwide protests today to oppose policies of the Trump administration. The "Good Trouble Lives On" nonviolent …

In 2024, women earned an average of 85% of what men earned, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of median hourly earnings of both full- and part-time workers. (Nina Lawrenson/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock)

Gender pay gap still a problem for TX women

Women who recently graduated from college are earning significantly less than their male counterparts. A new study reveals that women from Texas and …

Jeanette Vizguerra, currently being held in a Geo Group ICE detention facility in Aurora, was recently named a 2025 recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. (Galatas)

Poll: Most Americans say Trump has gone too far on immigration

Some 15 community and faith-based organizations gathered again this week outside the Geo Group ICE detention facility in Aurora where longtime Denver …

The student enrollment figure at Indiana's four-year colleges and universities in 2024 was nearly 172,000, according to the Indiana Commission for Higher Education. (Adobe Stock)

IN students weigh politics, mental health factors for college choices

University officials in Indiana are rewriting guidelines for on-campus protests to address a tense political backdrop. More students are watching …

American Indian and Alaska Native Coloradans paid higher monthly and out of pocket health care costs, even with insurance, compared to their white peers, research shows. (Adobe Stock)

Health gaps persist for American Indian, Alaska Native Coloradans

American Indian and Alaska Native communities in Colorado continue to face significant gaps in health care access, quality and outcomes, according to …

Cities across New Mexico are celebrating Pride Month, with a parade scheduled at Santa Fe's historic downtown plaza on Sat., June 28. (Alberto/Adobe Stock)

NM Pride celebrations urge 'resilience' after U.S. v. Skrmetti ruling

Amid concerns about the breakdown in protections for LGBTQ folks, a New Mexico advocacy group says resilience is needed to ensure their safety and …

Nationwide, 10% of the farm labor force is in the United States on an H-2A visa. (nick barounis/Adobe Stock)

WA workers could be harmed by H-2A visa expansion

Advocates for immigrants' rights in Washington state are voicing concerns about the possible expansion of the H-2A visa program, which they say …

Opponents of upholding bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth say it opens the door to heavily restricting birth control and in vitro fertilization, or IVF. (Adobe Stock)

Challenge to ND gender-affirming care ban in play, despite SCOTUS ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday released an opinion that allows Tennessee to keep in place a ban on gender-affirming care for minors. While seen …

A federal court decision is pending on the whether President Donald Trump had the right to seize control of the California National Guard to put down protests over ICE raids. (Sebra/Adobe Stock)

Federal court hears arguments on Trump takeover of CA National Guard

A case with national implications on the power of the U.S. president to use state National Guard troops to quell protests now rests with a panel of …

The California Civil Rights Department website includes tips on how to file a complaint under state LGBTQ+ antidiscrimination laws. (Leonidkos/Adobe Stock)

Fighting discrimination on LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day

Today is LGBTQIA+ Equal Pay Awareness Day and California advocates are speaking out against federal attacks on workplace protections. On his first …

Dan Diaz became an advocate for California's medical aid-in-dying law after the loss of his wife, Brittany Maynard, in 2014. (Dan Diaz)

CA lawmakers consider making End of Life Option Act permanent

CORRECTION: The name of the California law is the 'End of Life Option Act.' A previous version of the story used the word 'Options,' not 'Option.' (11…

Organizers said demonstrations throughout the country Saturday drew more than 5 million protesters. (Joe Ulery/Public News Service)

Hoosiers reject crowns and chaos at 'No Kings' protest

It is estimated 3,000 to 4,000 Hoosiers marched around the Indiana Statehouse during the "No Kings" protest in downtown Indianapolis on Saturday…

The May 4 Visitor Center at Kent State University educates the public about the 1970 campus shootings and their lasting impact on civil liberties and protest rights. Canfora calls her brother (holding a black flag) away from a school parking lot while National Guard troops are on the scene in May 1970. (John Filo)

OH's Kent State lessons loom over military response to L.A. protests

A Kent State University shooting survivor is warning Ohioans and others to take note of the U.S. military's involvement in immigration-related …

The First Amendment protects people's right to assemble and express their views through protest, according to the ACLU. However, the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization says police and other government officials are allowed to place certain restrictions on the exercise of speech rights. (Indivisible)

AZ protests push back against the Trump administration

Protests are planned this Saturday throughout Arizona as organizers mobilize a "nationwide day of defiance" against what they're calling the Trump adm…

President Donald Trump will also be celebrating his 79th birthday on Saturday. (Indivisible)

NV demonstrations aim to push back on Trump agenda

Protests are planned this Saturday throughout Nevada as organizers mobilize a "nationwide day of defiance" against what they're calling the Trump admi…

Colorado communities to join national 'No Kings' protests Saturday

As President Donald Trump celebrates his birthday on Saturday with a $45 million military parade in the nation's capital, organizers are expecting a …

According to the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Texas has about 57,000 undocumented students enrolled in its public universities and colleges who will no longer be eligible for in-state tuition. (K Abrahams/peopleimages.com/Adobe Stock)

Ending in-state tuition for undocumented students will cost TX millions

Immigrant rights groups have said they are considering legal action to restore a Texas law allowing in-state tuition rates for undocumented college st…

Black transgender people experience higher unemployment rates, at twice the rate of the overall transgender community, according to The National Transgender Discrimination Survey. (Adobe Stock)

NV governor vetoes pair of transgender bills, community calls for equity

It is Pride Month but this year's celebrations in Nevada may be tempered by state and federal actions prompting concern from the transgender community…

Some 17% of students surveyed said they felt like they could not express their opinion on a subject at least a couple of times a week because of how fellow students, a professor or the administration would respond. (Gatot/Adobe Stock)

Report: TX college students feel free speech is targeted

Texas colleges are getting mixed marks when it comes to protecting free speech on campus. The College Free Speech Rankings include survey results …

The report recorded more than 1,000 instances of students or student groups who were targeted for or received punishment for their speech. (Adobe Stock)

Report: Government increasingly involved in campus free speech crackdowns

Students and faculty are facing more investigations and punishment for exercising their right to protected speech on college campuses, according to a …

In a Johns Hopkins University poll from last fall, nearly half of the U.S. electorate indicated they felt members of the opposing party aren't just wrong for politics - they're

Charting a new path for healthy political discourse in SD

In South Dakota and across the country, groups are working to help tone down the nation's heated political rhetoric. And experts are debating whether …

Mississippi advocacy groups are joining the ACLU to expand police accountability efforts through the

Civil rights groups step up as DOJ reduces police oversight in MS

After President Donald Trump's decision to dismiss lawsuits and drop federal accountability agreements with several police departments, Mississippi …

Five years after George Floyd's murder, Minnesota government researchers say racial disparities are still a challenge, including a widening homeownership gap for Black residents. (Adobe Stock)

Post-George Floyd, MN communities drive Black wealth building

The racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's murder got the public's attention about possible progress in ending wealth disparities. A Black-led …

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd's murder at the hands of several Minneapolis police officers sparked global protests against systemic racism. (Adobe Stock)

Ahead of George Floyd anniversary, feds try to scrap police oversight plans

Just days before the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder, the Trump administration announced it will try to end federal reform efforts …

Racial justice advocates warn that efforts to undermine police accountability laws show the racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's murder has stalled. But a Minnesota expert says the movement is still an important part of history that will be felt in years to come. (Adobe Stock)

Five years after George Floyd's murder, assessing racial justice progress

This Sunday, racial-justice advocates will observe the fifth anniversary of George Floyd's murder. A Minnesota professor who has written about …

According to the Pew Research Center, the Black immigrant population will account for roughly one-third of the U.S. Black population's growth through 2060. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

Black immigrant population grows throughout Arkansas, nation

Studies show one in 10 Black people in the U.S. is an immigrant and immigrants' advocates said they face significant challenges blending into the …

Opponents of a proof-of-citizenship bill before Texas lawmakers say many women in rural areas, who could get targeted by the bill, do not have a birth certificate matching their current last name. (Golib Tolibov/Adobe Stock AI)

Proposed proof-of-citizenship bill could impact all registered voters in Texas

Voting rights advocates in Texas are speaking out against a proof-of-citizenship bill before lawmakers. Senate Bill 16 would require new registrants …

Legal assistance groups said native voters in North Dakota have struggled for nearly a century for the right to vote and for inclusion in the democratic process. Despite a setback through the courts this week, they say they will keep defending those rights. (Adobe Stock)

Part of Voting Rights Act gutted for ND, other Midwestern states

Legal groups are weighing an appeal after a court ruling this week that left voters in several states, including North Dakota, at a disadvantage in …

According to Pew Research, of the 45 million immigrants in the United States, 4.7 million (10.4%) are Black. (Adobe Stock)

Black immigrants in Florida grapple with fear, isolation

While Florida's immigration debates center on mostly Hispanic communities, the state's Black immigrant populations, including more than 300,000 …

The Indiana Department of Corrections Offender Population Statistical Report shows 7114 adult males are on parole as of March 2025. (Adobe Stock)

IN housing facility helps with transition from prison to society

In Indiana, the transition from prison back to society can be anything but smooth. Many people released don't have a place to live and have …

Supporters call for the release of Alfredo 'Lelo' Juarez Zeferino. As of their most recent update in March, ICE is currently detaining more than 46,000 people across the country. (C2C)

WA immigration rights advocates call for release of union organizer

Immigrant rights advocates are calling on state leaders to do more to protect Washington farmworkers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement…

Students attend Crossroads Elementary in Quantico, Va. (Adobe Stock)

Lawyers for two VA students ask judge to pause book bans in Pentagon schools

The American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday asked a federal judge to pause the removal of books from Pentagon-run schools that pertain to diversit…

In Spring 2023, Arkansas created the Office of Early Childhood within the Arkansas Department of Education, which unifies the Arkansas early-childhood system. (Monkey Business/Adobe Stock)

Report: AR pre-K suffers from funding gap

A report by the National Institute for Early Education Research shows Arkansas needs to improve its reach with pre-K students. The state fell from …

In Florida, Highway Patrol troopers and Border Patrol agents are also traveling together in the same vehicles to enforce immigration laws. (Adobe Stock)

Florida's immigration crackdown 'tearing families apart'

While Gov. Ron DeSantis touts "Operation Tidal Wave" as a success, advocates for Florida's immigrant families say the crackdown is tearing them apart …

The Buffalo Soldiers were the first Black professional soldiers in a peacetime army. The recruits came from varied backgrounds, including former slaves and veterans from service in the Civil War. The museum was founded in 2001. (serhiibobyk/Adobe Stock)

Federal funding cuts hit Houston's Buffalo Soldiers National Museum

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum in Houston is one of many historic and cultural institutions across the nation to lose access to federal funding…

The bill would also establish a prison education task force to implement consistent programs across state correctional facilities. (Adobe Stock)

Prison education bill to expand opportunities for incarcerated people in VA

A bill passed by Virginia lawmakers would expand higher education opportunities to incarcerated people across the state. House Bill 2158 aims to …

May Day is a traditional day for the immigrant rights movement to uplift workers and honor immigrant families. Undocumented immigrants contributed nearly $700 million in taxes to Oregon in 2023. (Susan Vineyard/Adobe Stock)

A May Day mayday: A distress call for immigrant rights rally Thursday

On May 1, Oregon labor and immigrants' rights organizations are gathering in Salem calling for justice for immigrant workers and an end to mass …

A day before Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested, federal authorities apprehended a former New Mexico judge and his wife on charges related to harboring an undocumented immigrant. (Adobe Stock)

Legal experts call arrest of WI judge 'extreme and unnecessary'

Legal experts and advocates are outraged over the arrest of a Milwaukee judge last week who was charged with helping an undocumented defendant avoid a…

Misdemeanor charges place 13 million Americans in the criminal justice system each year, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. (Adobe Stock)

KY jails may be shrinking, but nationwide rural counties increase incarceration

CORRECTION: This story has been revised to make it clear that Kentucky has not followed the national trend of building more rural jails, as seen in …

Bonnie Miller, President of the League of Women Voters of Arkansas, said

AR League of Women Voters sues over ballot initiative restriction

Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester is facing legal action from the League of Women Voters of Arkansas. The organization filed a federal lawsuit …

Nine in 10 of the 137 people now confined in El Salvador prisons had no criminal record and at least one was removed due to administrative error. (Adobe Stock)

Trump's deportation program gets temporary halt in Colorado

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the arrival of immigrants an invasion and has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite their removal…

Florida State University, where a gunman killed two people last Thursday, experienced another shooting more than a decade ago that left three people injured. (ernie114/Pixabay)

Students, lawmakers clash over gun violence response after FSU shooting

Florida State University students joined survivors of past mass shootings at the state Capitol this week, demanding that Gov. Ron DeSantis veto a …

Many international students have said they did not know their visas were revoked, or that their status had been changed, until they were notified by federal officials. (Mediteraneo/Adobe Stock)

Visas revoked, status changed for international students in TX

Hundreds of international college students in Texas are fighting to stay in the country after their visas were revoked and their legal status changed …

Dozens of voting jurisdictions across the U.S. have begun to use different voting options, like ranked-choice voting, over the past few years. The movement is seen as a way to boost civic engagement as more people 'tune out' political campaigns. (Adobe Stock)

ND moves closer to banning alternative voting methods

Final action is expected soon on a plan that would prevent North Dakota cities and counties from using alternative voting methods for local elections…

Federal, state and local taxes paid by New Mexico's immigrant population help support public schools, hospitals, roads and more. (Sweeann/Adobe Stock)

NM group calls ICE agents' access to immigrant tax data a 'breach of trust'

A New Mexico immigrant advocacy group says all Americans should be alarmed that the IRS has agreed to share immigrants' taxpayer information with ICE …

The 1,500 Black farmers in Arkansas grow everything from soybeans to corn, cotton, peas and sweet potatoes. (JackF/Adobe Stock)

Black AR farmers mostly unaffected by USDA funding freeze

U.S. Department of Agriculture cuts have affected farming communities nationwide but a national group said Black farmers are largely unaffected…

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