✈️ Fort Bliss Set to Become Mass Deportation Hub Under Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
⚖️ Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump’s Executive Order Ending Birthright Citizenship 🚨 Ex-Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty to Forcing Immigrant Women to Expose Breasts
🏥 Texas Lawmakers Debate Allowing Maternal Mortality Panel to Review Abortion-Related Deaths
Eleanor Klibanoff, The Texas Tribune.- Texas legislators are considering lifting restrictions on the state’s maternal mortality review committee, allowing it to examine abortion-related deaths for the first time. Current laws exclude deaths from voluntary or therapeutic abortions, limiting the panel’s ability to assess maternal mortality trends fully.
Proposed bills from Democrats would expand the panel’s authority, improve data collection, and remove redaction requirements that delay case reviews. However, Republican support remains uncertain. Sen. Tan Parker (R) introduced a bill to allow reviewing voluntary abortion deaths but not therapeutic cases. At the same time, Democrats seek broader reviews of pregnancy-related deaths and access to miscarriage and abortion care data.
Texas is also debating rejoining the federal maternal mortality tracking system, which it left last year. Advocates argue the state’s restrictive approach limits transparency and data accuracy, leaving critical maternal health issues unaddressed. The debate comes amid rising scrutiny of abortion bans' impact on maternal healthcare.
✈️ Fort Bliss Set to Become Mass Deportation Hub Under Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Lorena Figueroa, The Guardian.- The Trump administration is reportedly preparing to transform Fort Bliss, Texas, into a mass deportation hub, sparking criticism from lawmakers and advocates. Located in El Paso, the military base has already been used for deportation flights to Guantánamo Bay and Central and South America. Under the plan, 1,000 migrants will be detained initially, with the capacity to expand to 10,000 detainees.
Critics, including Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX), argue that the move undermines military readiness and echoes past controversial detention practices. Immigration advocates warn of human rights violations, citing concerns over access to legal aid and due process. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supports using Guantánamo Bay for high-risk deportations, though ICE has expanded arrests to include non-criminal migrants.
The expansion of Fort Bliss as a deportation staging post raises alarms about militarizing immigration enforcement and its impact on migrant communities nationwide.
⚖️ Appeals Court Upholds Block on Trump’s Executive Order Ending Birthright Citizenship
Rebecca Boone, Associated Press.- A federal appeals court refused to lift a block on President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants or those with temporary legal status. The 1st Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that Trump’s legal team failed to justify overturning the block issued earlier by a Massachusetts judge.
The order, which faces multiple lawsuits across the country, challenges the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to those born on U.S. soil. At least six federal judges have ruled against the order, with two more cases pending. The Trump administration argues that citizenship should depend on jurisdiction, not just birthplace, but the appeals court found their legal reasoning underdeveloped.
With legal challenges mounting, the executive order remains stalled, ensuring that birthright citizenship protections remain in place for now.
🚨 Ex-Border Patrol Agent Pleads Guilty to Forcing Immigrant Women to Expose Breasts
Sophia Pargas, NBC News.- Former U.S. Border Patrol agent Shane Millan, 53, pleaded guilty to civil rights violations after forcing multiple female immigrants to expose their breasts during virtual border processing. Millan, stationed at Wellesley Island, New York, threatened to delay or deny their entry if they refused his demands.
Between August 2023 and early 2024, Millan manipulated women by falsely claiming their files indicated chest tattoos or required additional verification. In one case, a mother complied in front of her 1-year-old child after being pressured. Millan searched online for Spanish translations to request women lift their shirts, disguising his abuse as security procedures.
He faces up to two years in prison and a $200,000 fine when sentenced on July 7. Federal prosecutors condemned his actions as a gross abuse of power, violating victims’ constitutional rights.