🚨 FEMA Demands Migrant Names From Texas Nonprofits Receiving Federal Grants
⚖️ Routine Immigration Check-ins Turn Risky as Detentions Rise Under Trump Administration 🌿 Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Environmental Champion and Progressive Leader, Dies at 77
🚨 FEMA Demands Migrant Names From Texas Nonprofits Receiving Federal Grants
Uriel J. García, Alejandro Serrano & Berenice Garcia, The Texas Tribune.- The Trump administration is pressuring Texas nonprofits and local governments to disclose the names and addresses of migrants they have assisted with federal grant money. FEMA warned that aid groups and municipalities may have violated human smuggling laws and threatened to withhold funds pending an investigation.
The March 11 letter from FEMA Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton requires organizations that received Shelter and Services Program grants to submit a list of assisted migrants within 30 days. Future grant recipients must sign affidavits stating they do not know of smuggling violations.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has also targeted migrant aid groups, including Annunciation House in El Paso and Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, demanding migrant records and attempting to shut them down in court. Paxton’s lawsuits remain pending.
⚖️ Routine Immigration Check-ins Turn Risky as Detentions Rise Under Trump Administration
Valerie Gonzalez, Cedar Attanasio & Sophia Tareen, AP.- Immigrants attending routine ICE check-ins are increasingly being detained and deported, sparking fear and confusion in immigrant communities. With mass deportations ramping up under President Donald Trump, individuals like Jhojan and Felipe, a Colombian couple planning their wedding, are facing unexpected separations—one was scheduled for another check-in, while the other was deported.
ICE has arrested over 32,800 people since Trump's return to office, detaining more immigrants inside the U.S. than at the border. Lawyers report asylum-seekers with no criminal records being detained, even after ICE previously deemed them unlikely to flee. Advocates urge immigrants to prepare legal strategies, arrange childcare, and attend check-ins with attorneys.
Fearing widespread detentions, immigrant rights groups revive tactics from Trump’s first term, organizing support groups to escort immigrants to ICE check-ins and pushing for legal protections amid policy uncertainty.
✈️ U.S. Transfers Immigrants from Guantanamo Bay to Louisiana Amid Legal Challenge
*Morgan Lee & Tara Copp, AP.- The U.S. government has removed all detained immigrants from Guantanamo Bay, flying 40 individuals to Louisiana as a federal court in Washington weighs a lawsuit challenging the legality of holding migrants at the offshore military base.
The Southern Command confirmed that no immigrants remain at Guantanamo, but future “high-threat” detainees could still be sent there. The Trump administration maintains broad authority to detain immigrants with final deportation orders at the base, though civil rights advocates argue this violates the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The ACLU and other advocacy groups have sued to block transfers to Guantanamo, citing alleged mistreatment and calling detention conditions “a living hell.” The administration has not disclosed the identities or nationalities of those transferred.
As legal battles continue, immigration attorneys warn that offshore detentions set a dangerous precedent, raising concerns over due process violations and inhumane conditions.
⚖️ Trump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Partial Birthright Citizenship Restrictions
*Mark Sherman & Lindsay Whitehurst, AP.- The Trump administration has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to partially enforce its controversial birthright citizenship restrictions while legal battles continue.
The executive order, signed shortly after Trump’s second term began, denies U.S. citizenship to children born after Feb. 19 if their parents are in the country illegally. It also prohibits U.S. agencies from recognizing citizenship documents for such children.
Currently, federal courts in Maryland, Massachusetts, and Washington have blocked the order nationwide, arguing that it violates the 14th Amendment’s citizenship clause. However, the Justice Department is challenging these broad injunctions, claiming individual judges lack the authority to issue nationwide blocks.
As a fallback, the administration is asking the Supreme Court for permission to publicize its implementation plans should the order eventually take effect. Five conservative justices have previously expressed concerns about nationwide injunctions, making this a key legal test.
The Supreme Court, which upheld Trump’s travel ban in 2018, has never ruled on the legality of universal injunctions—a key issue in this case.
🌿 Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Environmental Champion and Progressive Leader, Dies at 77
*Stephen Groves & Leah Askarinam, AP.- Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona, a staunch advocate for environmental protection and progressive causes, passed away at 77 due to complications from cancer treatment. He served 12 terms and was a powerful voice for immigrants, Native American tribes, and conservation efforts.
Grijalva chaired the U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, playing a key role in securing federal protections for the Grand Canyon and advocating for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He was a prominent Latino leader who shaped progressive policies in Arizona and beyond.
His vacant congressional seat will be filled through a special election, with his daughter, Adelita Grijalva, and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero among potential successors. Tributes from lawmakers, including Hakeem Jeffries, Bernie Sanders, and Ruben Gallego, hailed Grijalva’s lifelong commitment to justice and environmental stewardship.