Eight men deported from US arrive in war-torn South Sudan
Administration officials said the men had been convicted of violent crimes in the US.
'This was a win for the rule of law, safety and security of the American people,' said Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement announcing the men's arrival in South Sudan, a chaotic country in danger once more of collapsing into civil war.
The Supreme Court on Thursday cleared the way for the transfer of the men who had been put on a flight in May bound for South Sudan.
That meant that the South Sudan transfer could be completed after the flight was detoured to a base in Djibouti, where they men were held in a converted shipping container.
The flight was detoured after a federal judge found the administration had violated his order by failing to allow the men a chance to challenge the removal.
The court's conservative majority had ruled in June that immigration officials could quickly deport people to third countries.
The majority halted an order that had allowed immigrants to challenge any removals to countries outside their homeland where they could be in danger.
A flurry of court hearings on Independence Day resulted a temporary hold on the deportations while a judge evaluated a last-ditch appeal by the men's before the judge decided he was powerless to halt their removals and that the person best positioned to rule on the request was a Boston judge whose rulings led to the initial halt of the administration's effort to begin deportations to South Sudan.
By Friday evening, that judge had issued a brief ruling concluding the Supreme Court had tied his hands.
The men had final orders of removal, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have said.
Authorities have reached agreements with other countries to house immigrants if authorities cannot quickly send them back to their homelands.
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Scottish Sun
26 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying moment boy, 4, was taken from his bed by stranger as he slept beside his twin – and was never seen again
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THIS is the harrowing moment a four-year-old boy is kidnapped from his bed next to his twin brother. Footage shows the man suspecting of abducting and killing Cash, believed to be 22-year-old Darriynn Brown, hovering over the crib in a hoodie and sweatpants with a backpack on in Dallas, Texas. 8 The heinous moment four-year-old Cash was allegedly abducted by Brown 8 Surveillance footage in the twins' bedroom caught Brown returning just four hours later 8 Cash Gernon was taken from the bed as he was sleeping 8 Darriynn Brown has been deemed competent to stand trial, a judge declared His twin brother, Carter, was laying sound asleep next to him. The man - who is believed to be Brown - continues to hover and appears to hesitate for a couple of seconds before reaching down to grab little Cash. He then picks him up by under his underarms and carries him out of the bedroom. The harrowing case is now finally set to come to trial this year. read more news DARK DISCOVERY Harrowing true story of Heather Robinson kidnapped by serial killer 'uncle' And one lawyer told The Sun it is going strain the American legal system, with swirling questions around mental health and competency. Brown allegedly broke into the house just before 5am on May 15, 2021, and snatched the tot. The same day, Cash was tragically found dead around eight blocks away from the house by a jogger. Cash passed away from multiple stab wounds, with cops previously saying his wounds appeared to have been inflicted by an "edged weapon". Brown was identified following the release of the CCTV footage of a man snatching the four-year-old in the middle of the night. He is charged with capital murder in the heinous killing and has finally been deemed competent to stand trial, a judge declared four years after the incident. Cash's blood was found on Brown's clothes, according to the murder affidavit. Surveillance installed in the six-bedroom Florida Parkway home also shows that, after Cash was snatched from his bed, the culprit returned for his twin brother, Carter. The second clip appears to show Brown in the bedroom at around 7am, when it's light outside. Inside France's brutal crypto crime wave with chopped off fingers, delivery van street kidnaps & £10million ransoms He is captured on camera, like a couple of hours earlier, hovering over the boy who is asleep, but leaves him be after he appears to be scared off by something. The motive for the alleged abduction of Cash by Brown is unclear. Now Brown has undergone treatment through an "outpatient competency restoration program" and is now deemed capable of understanding the charges against him, as well as able to participate in his own defence. Brown was evaluated by two doctors in 2022 and found unable to understand court proceedings and help with his own defence, according to court records. But in January a doctor said in a report that Brown is competent, with a judge ordering that criminal proceedings against him can continue. The 22-year-old's lawyer Heath Harris has previously said he has mental illnesses, including schizophrenia, and was hearing voices in the moment he is accused of taking Cash from his bed. Former prosecutor and defence attorney Dr. Robert Sanders told The Sun how the case could lead to a potential defence of insanity. He said: "He might be clearly incompetent to understand the wrongfulness of the action he did at that time, and that could lead to a not guilty by reasonable insanity or guilty by insanity and a lockup at a certain point in time. "The way they usually do this is they treat you and determine when you are reasonably competent to stand trial. 8 Cash passed away from multiple stab wounds Credit: GoFundMe 8 Cash Gernon was only four 8 The suspect was reportedly seen outside the home the boy was taken from weeks before his death "They've done all of that, and now he's been determined to be reasonably competent to stand trial, but the defence is still allowed to show that at the time of the offence, he could not understand the wrongfulness of his actions. "That doesn't mean he is not competent now - but at the time he did it, he may not have understood the wrong of his based on some mental disease or defect." Dr Sanders also explained how the tragic case could even test the limits of the legal system's ability to balance justice as well as mental health. He added: " The issues in society are how do we view mental health? And is mental health a mitigation and extenuation? " So mitigation lessens the impact not of the depth, but of the results of the individual's actions. "And the extenuation is, 'what is the rationale for the irrational action of murdering a child?' Chilling moment creep tries to drag teen girl away in kidnap bid at station "So the jury, the judge, whoever is the trier of the fact, will get to balance those things if in fact they get to a point where they find he's guilty of the crime or not guilty by insanity based on the defence's application at the time that the insanity is an affirmative defence, which means you have to tell the court front that's what you're going to do. "And once his defence counsel has an opportunity to look at all the evidence, which he hadn't seen, at some point in time he'll be able to say, 'I'm going to assert the affirmative defence of not guilty by insanity' because he wasn't able to contemplate the wrongness of his actions when he took them or not. "The likelihood is that since he was confined and not able to be tried immediately after this, it seems very likely that that defence is going to come up." Brown also faces charges of burglary and kidnapping in connection with the four-year-old's heinous abduction, alongside additional burglary and injury to an elderly person charges from another incident, according to court and jail records. Brown was also reportedly seen in footage lurking outside the home about 10 weeks before Cash was abducted. The male who is believed to be Brown is seen next to the neighbor's shared fence before he peers into Sherrod's backyard, in the clip published by the Daily Beast. The suspect, wearing black jeans and a grey tank top, even quickly opens the back gate before promptly leaving the premises. He is also accused of walking into a home in Dallas in February 2021 - three months before the murder of Cash - and grabbing a young child. Cops said he broke in and searched the house before punching the homeowner after a confrontation, according to an affidavit. The homeowner didn't want to press charges at the time and told cops that Brown had apologised.
NBC News
32 minutes ago
- NBC News
Gov. Tony Evers' re-election decision looms over battleground Wisconsin
In one of the nation's most closely divided battleground states, there's one big question on both parties' minds: Is Gov. Tony Evers going to run for a third term next year? The answer will have reverberating consequences in Wisconsin, where one of five Democratic-controlled governorships is up for grabs in 2026 in states President Donald Trump won last year. Evers, 73, has said he would announce whether he'd run again after he reached a budget deal with Republicans, who control both chambers of the Legislature. But with an agreement rapidly signed, sealed and delivered last week, some Wisconsin Democrats are growing impatient for his decision. 'I'd like to see him make a decision, hopefully sooner rather than later, because I do think we've got a lot of elections that we need to be winning and focusing on,' Democratic state Sen. Kelda Roys, who ran against Evers in the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary, said last month. 'If the governor makes a decision, I hope that's going to be soon.' One dynamic hanging over Evers' decision is the possibility he wouldn't have to deal with a combative Legislature fully controlled by Republicans, as he has throughout his tenure. A landmark 2023 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision from a newly installed liberal majority prompted the state's gerrymandered maps to be redrawn, giving Democratic a much more realistic path to taking control of either the state Assembly or Senate in 2026. 'One question he's weighing is, 'Do I try to stay around for one more term and possibly have one, if not both, lower chambers to work with, versus just trying to haggle with Republicans and push the veto pen every single f-----g time,' said one Democratic operative in the state who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the race. Some Democrats also feel that Evers, with the benefit of incumbency, still represents the party's best shot at winning next year's gubernatorial election. 'There's no question that Evers is the most equipped to win next year,' said Joe Zepecki, a Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist who finished second in last month's race to be the chair of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. 'Why would we not want to have an incumbent Democratic governor who is the most popular politician in the state, beloved by the Democratic base. That makes all the sense in the world in what will be a good political environment for Democrats.' But others have warned that Democrats should not continue to rely on septuagenarian candidates and should clear the way for new voices, particularly following their experience with then-President Joe Biden in 2024. Evers' allies have hit back at that narrative, pointing to recent polling. One Wisconsin Democratic operative familiar with Evers' thinking, who requested anonymity to speak candidly while Evers' decision-making process is ongoing, added, 'That just doesn't match with what we're hearing from Democrats and from the Marquette Poll.' That refers to a Marquette University Law School poll of registered Wisconsin voters released last month showing that Democrats remain widely supportive of Evers running again — even as the general electorate in the purple state remains more split. The survey found that 83% of Democrats said they supported Evers seeking a third term. That poll also found that 42% of all registered voters said they wanted Evers to run again, compared to 55% who said they did not. That support level, the pollsters noted, is still strong by historical standards. Back in 2016, ahead of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's decision to run for a third term, the same poll found that just 36% of registered voters wanted him to run a third time, compared to 61% who did not. Walker ran again in 2018 and lost to Evers. Evers' approval ratings in the poll — 48% of voters said they approved of his job performance, compared to 46% who said they didn't — is in line with the levels he's seen in that survey throughout his two terms in office in the swing state. Waiting in the wings If Evers ultimately declines to run, there are several Democrats who could seek to replace him, including state Attorney General Josh Kaul, Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, Secretary of State Sarah Godlewski, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. But some Wisconsin Democrats expressed concern that an Evers exit could lead to an expensive and divisive primary. 'It would be a big field if he doesn't run. That could get messy,' said the Democratic operative familiar with Evers' thinking. Representatives for the political operations of Kaul, Rodriguez and Crowley didn't respond to questions. Johnson spokesperson Thad Nation said in an email that 'the Mayor has deep respect for that leadership and certainly hopes the Governor will choose to run again,' but that 'if Governor Evers decides not to seek re-election, Mayor Johnson would be in a strong position to enter the race.' Evers' decision isn't likely to have much bearing on who decides to run for the Republican nomination. Currently, the only declared candidate in the race is Josh Schoemann, the county executive of Washington County, an exurban area northwest of Milwaukee. Also weighing bids are businessman Eric Hovde, who narrowly lost a 2024 U.S. Senate race to Democrat Tammy Baldwin, and Tim Michels, who lost to Evers in 2022. U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany also hasn't ruled out a campaign. Strategists in both parties said that Evers' decision to wait until after a budget deal was reached with state lawmakers could present the governor with an opportunity to leave on a high note, or help build his case for a third term. 'Evers got most of what he wanted. He is now in a position to say, 'I've done what I needed to do. I got funding back to UW [the University of Wisconsin system], I got funding for child care, we've saved the kids in Wisconsin.' We've got a kids budget — I think that gives him an out,' said Brandon Scholz, a Wisconsin Republican strategist. 'He can go out on top.' Evers' allies said delaying his announcement provided him with maximum leverage during budget discussions with Republicans. 'I think it probably did make better his ability to work with Republicans in the Legislature to get to what appears to now be a reasonable budget,' Zepecki said. Responding to questions about whether the governor would be announcing his decision imminently now that the state budget process has wrapped, Evers senior adviser Sam Roecker said only that 'the governor has been clear he won't make a decision on 2026 until the budget process concludes.' But some Democrats said the prospects of a friendlier Legislature, Evers' poll numbers and the ability to avoid a fractured primary all pointed in one direction. 'I think he has decided, and I think he will run,' Zepecki said. 'If I had to bet money today, that's where we are.'
The Guardian
43 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘I want my vote back': Trump-voting family stunned after Canadian mother detained over immigration status
The family of a Canadian national who supported Donald Trump's plans for mass deportations of immigrants say they are feeling betrayed after federal agents recently detained the woman in California while she interviewed for permanent US residency – and began working to expel her from the country. 'We feel totally blindsided,' Cynthia Olivera's husband – US citizen and self-identified Trump voter Francisco Olivera – told the California news station KGTV. 'I want my vote back.' Cynthia Olivera, a 45-year-old mother of three US-born children, thus joined a growing list of examples contradicting the Trump administration's claims that the immigration crackdown it has spearheaded since the president's return to the Oval Office in January has prioritized targeting dangerous criminals. Being in the US without legal status is generally a civil infraction rather than a criminal violation. Nonetheless, despite its claim that the immigration crackdown is mainly meant to rid the US of violent criminals, the White House has maintained that anyone in the US who lacks legal status is a criminal subject to deportation Olivera was unwittingly thrust under the weight of those policies after Trump spent his successful 2024 presidential campaign promising to pursue them, earning her husband's vote along the way, according to what he told KGTV. She was just 10 when her parents brought her to the US from Toronto without permission, she said to the station. By 1999, US immigration officials at the Buffalo border crossing had determined Olivera was living in the country without legal status and obtained an expedited order to deport her. But she was able to return to the US by driving to San Diego from Mexico within a few months. 'They didn't ask me for my citizenship – they didn't do nothing,' Olivera would later say to KGTV. 'They just waved me in.' She recounted spending the next 25 years working in Los Angeles, paying taxes and providing for her family. KGVT reported that its investigative team scoured California and federal court databases, but the unit found no criminal charges under Cynthia Oliver's name. In 2024, toward the end of his presidency, Joe Biden's administration granted her a permit allowing her to work legally in the US. She had also been navigating the process to obtain legal permanent US residency – colloquially referred to as a green card – for years. Nonetheless, instead of supporting the candidate Biden endorsed to succeed him, then vice-president Kamala Harris, Olivera's husband supported Trump in November's White House election. He told KGTV that Trump's promises to deport criminals en masse appealed to both him and Cynthia. And, echoing other mixed immigration status families who have had members affected by Trump's policies, the Oliveras did not believe she would be hurt by her lack of legal US residency. They learned she would in fact be affected by her immigration status when she went for a green card interview in Chatsworth, California, on 13 June. She was detained there by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents, according to a petition pleading for compassion on behalf of Cynthia. Olivera has since been transferred to an Ice detention center in El Paso, Texas, to await being deported. Speaking to KGTV over a video call from the El Paso facility, Olivera suggested her treatment was undeserved. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion 'The US is my country,' Olivera remarked to the station in an interview published on 3 July. 'That's where I met my husband. That's where I went to high school, junior high, elementary [school]. That's where I had my kids.' But the Trump administration had little sympathy for Olivera, despite her husband's support of the president, with a spokesperson saying in a statement that Cynthia was 'an illegal alien from Canada'. Olivera had been 'previously deported and chose to ignore our law and again illegally entered the country', said the spokesperson's statement, as reported by Newsweek. The statement noted that re-entering the US without permission after being deported is a felony, and it said Olivera would remain in Ice's custody 'pending removal to Canada'. Canada's government commented to KGTV that it was aware of Olivera's detention but could not intervene on her behalf because 'every country or territory decides who can enter or exit through its borders'. Francisco Olivera, for his part, summed up his and his wife's disillusion by saying: 'My wife … up until [a couple of weeks] ago, was a strong believer in what was going to happen the next four years.' Cynthia Olivera, meanwhile, said she has told officials she and her husband are willing to pay for her to fly to Canada, where she plans to stay in Mississauga with a cousin. Yet there had been no immediate indication when she may be able to travel to Canada. As she fought back tears, Olivera said to KGTV: 'The only crime I committed is to love this country and to work hard and to provide for my kids.'
