Latest news with #NationalImmigrationLawCenter
San Francisco Chronicle
9 hours ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Idaho doctor and patients sue over new law halting public benefits to immigrants in US unlawfully
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho doctor and four residents are challenging a new state law that halts some of the few public benefits available to people living in the U.S. unlawfully, including a program that provides access to lifesaving HIV and AIDS medication for low income patients. The ACLU of Idaho and the National Immigration Law Center filed the federal lawsuit Thursday night on behalf of Dr. Abby Davids and four people with HIV who are not named because they are immigrants without lawful permanent residency. They want a judge to bar the state from requiring immigration status verification from people who receive the federal HIV treatment benefits while the lawsuit moves forward in court. The complaint says the new law is vague, contradicts federal law and makes it impossible for health care providers to determine exactly what kind of immigration status is excluded and how to verify that status for patients. They want a judge to grant them class-action status, expanding any ruling to other impacted people. 'We are still reviewing the lawsuit and will respond in court after we have had a chance to fully review the complaint and other documents filed,' Damon Sidur, the communications director for Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador, said Friday in an email to The Associated Press. The lawsuit names Labrador as well as several officials in the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. Dozens of patients treated by one Boise-area clinic stand to lose access to HIV and AIDS medication under the law, according to the complaint, including several cared for by Davids. 'Withdrawing HIV treatment from her patients will not only have devastating consequences on their health, it raises the public health risk of increased HIV transmission,' the ACLU wrote in the lawsuit. 'When her patients are undetectable, they cannot transmit the virus. Without HIV treatment, however, they cannot maintain an undetectable viral level and therefore are able to transmit the virus to others.' The new Idaho law takes effect July 1, and appears to be the first limiting public health benefits since President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies to enhance eligibility verification and ensure that public benefits aren't going to ineligible immigrants. The law requires people to verify that they are legal U.S. residents to receive public benefits like communicable disease testing, vaccinations, prenatal and postnatal care for women, crisis counseling, some food assistance for children and even access to food banks or soup kitchens that rely on public funding. Federal law generally prohibits immigrants in the U.S. illegally from receiving taxpayer-funded benefits like Medicare, Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Social Security. But there are some exceptions for things like emergency medical care and other emergency or public health services. Idaho's law still allows for emergency medical services. But in a June 18 letter to health care providers, Idaho Division of Public Health administrator Elke Shaw-Tulloch said HIV is a long-term condition and not an emergency — so people must verify their lawful presence in order to get benefits through the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. The HIV patients challenging the new law include a married couple from Columbia with pending asylum applications, a man who was brought to the U.S. when he was just 4 years old and has Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status until next year, and a man from Mexico who has been living and working in Idaho since 2020. One of the patients said she and her husband were diagnosed with HIV in 2019 and immediately started antiretroviral therapy, receiving the medications at no cost through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. The medication has lowered the viral load in her body enough that it is now undetectable, she wrote in a court filing, ensuring that she won't transmit the virus to others. 'My medication protected my daughter while I was pregnant because it prevented me from transmitting HIV to her during pregnancy,' she wrote. The treatment allows her to be with her child, watching her grow, she said. Davids has been trying for weeks to get clarity from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare about exactly what kind of verification her patients will have to show, and exactly which kinds of immigration status are considered 'lawful.' But the state has yet to provide clear direction, according to the complaint. 'I am really scared about what this means for many of our patients. Their lives will now be in jeopardy,' Davids wrote in a May 30 email to the Department of Health and Welfare.
Toronto Star
10 hours ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
Idaho doctor and patients sue over new law halting public benefits to immigrants in US unlawfully
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho doctor and four residents are challenging a new state law that halts some of the few public benefits available to people living in the U.S. unlawfully, including a program that provides access to lifesaving HIV and AIDS medication for low income patients. The ACLU of Idaho and the National Immigration Law Center filed the federal lawsuit Thursday night on behalf of Dr. Abby Davids and four people with HIV who are not named because they are immigrants without lawful permanent residency. They want a judge to bar the state from requiring immigration status verification from people who receive the federal HIV treatment benefits while the lawsuit moves forward in court.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The Trump administration is suing Minnesota over breaks in higher education for immigrant students
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Walz's office said it is reviewing the lawsuit 'to better understand what this means for the state.' Advertisement The lawsuit argued that Minnesota is 'flagrantly violating' a federal law that prevents states from providing a benefit in higher education to resident students living in the US illegally if US citizens cannot receive the same benefits. States generally set higher tuition rates for out-of-state students. President Trump also issued executive orders in February directing federal agencies to see that public benefits do not go to immigrants living in the US illegally and to challenge state and local policies seen as favoring those immigrants over some citizens. The lawsuit argues that the Republican president's orders enforce federal immigration laws. Advertisement The lawsuit also argues that Minnesota's policies discriminate against US citizens. 'No state can be allowed to treat Americans like second-class citizens in their own country by offering financial benefits to illegal aliens,' US Attorney General Pamela Bondi said in a statement. The Justice Department's lawsuit in Minnesota noted the cases filed earlier this month in Kentucky and Texas, but did not mention any other states as potential targets of litigation. However, in discussing the Texas case, Bondi has suggested more lawsuits might be coming. Last year, Florida ended its tuition break for students living there illegally, but at least 21 states have laws or policies granting them, in addition to the University of Michigan system, according to the National Immigration Law Center, which favors them. Those states include Democratic-leaning ones such as California and New York, but also GOP-leaning ones like Kansas and Nebraska. According to the center, at least 16 states allow the immigrant students to receive scholarships or other aid to go to college. Supporters of the state tuition breaks argue that they don't violate federal law if they provide the same rates to US citizens in the same circumstances — meaning they are residents of the state and graduates of one of its high schools. Generally states have imposed other requirements. For example, Minnesota requires male students to have registered with the US Selective Service System and all students to be seeking legal resident status if that's possible. Backers of the laws also argue that the students generally were brought to the US illegally by their parents, often when they were far younger, and are as much a part of their local communities as US-born students. Also, they contend that such immigrants tend to be motivated high achievers. Advertisement
Axios
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Handcuffed Democrats become symbol of Trump's crackdown on dissent
A string of Democratic officials' arrests and clashes involving federal agents has sent a message about the way the administration responds to dissent: with force, or the threat of it. The big picture: Critics say the Tuesday arrest of New York City comptroller Brad Lander was the latest example of the administration backing force in the face of immigration-related dissent. The Department of Homeland Security said Lander was arrested for assaulting law enforcement and impeding a federal officer, though Gov. Kathy Hochul said it was her understanding any charges against him had been dropped. But Raha Wala, the Vice President of Strategy and Partnerships at the National Immigration Law Center, said it was one moment "in a series of absurd overreactions to the very simple notion that people should have their day in court." Driving the news: Images of Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Lander being handcuffed and Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) facing a federal indictment crystalized burgeoning fears among Democrats about Trump's willingness to sidestep norms to crush dissent. Padilla's forceful removal from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference earlier this month was kerosene on escalating tensions over Trump's federalization of the National Guard in response to the Los Angeles protests without the state's consent. American Oversight Executive Director Chioma Chukwu said the administration's movement of troops "absolutely is an abuse of power." Friction point: The jarring images of Democrats' detainments and removals correspond to what Wala said is "an even more jarring reality." He argues the administration is pursuing an "unprecedented authoritarian playbook ... on the backs of immigrant communities." Wala sees a "completely unprecedented and un-American assault on basic due process rights" that has started "in the immigration context but ... won't end there." The other side: White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson questioned in a statement to Axios why "so many Democrat officials feel emboldened to brazenly break the law and ... complain when they are held accountable." She said Democrats who have been removed or arrested are "disingenuously characterizing their behavior with the help of the Fake News media." What they're saying: "The disturbing incident in Los Angeles reflects this administration's alarming tendency to use federal officers to squelch dissenting voices," writes Kareem Crayton, vice president of the Brennan Center for Justice's Washington, D.C. office. "An unabashed government stamping out dissent through force ignores the commitment to unfettered political discourse that defines American law and traditions," he wrote. Zoom out: A common issue area threads the arrests, removals and protests: the administration's aggressive deportation tactics. In Lander's case, he was arrested while attempting escort a defendant out of immigration court, as Immigration and Customs Enforcement has surged courthouse arrests. Similarly, Baraka's arrest came during a conflict at an ICE detention center in May that also involved three House Democrats. While the trespassing charge Baraka faced was dropped, Rep. LaMonica McIver was later charged with assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement. She plans to plead not guilty. And Trump earlier this month suggested Gov. Gavin Newsom should be next. Newsom, in response, characterized Trump's comment as "an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism."
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sabrina Carpenter Uses Her Platform to Fight Back Against ICE Crackdowns
Sabrina Carpenter is not keeping quiet about the ICE raids happening in the United States. When protests erupted across the nation in response to a shocking rise in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, the singer and actress took to Instagram with a desperate plea: 'Please help me support the National Immigration Law Center,' she wrote, tagging the organization and pointing to a donation page. This was not an advertisement. It was a plea for help. Across the United States, immigrant communities are living in fear. Communities are being dismantled, children are in detention camps, and hysteria is spreading unchecked through once-safe neighborhoods. Footage of ICE officers hauling people off in the dead of night has filled social media, each installment more chilling than the last. It's not a bad science fiction movie. It's occurring today. While the news cycle often moves on in a blink, the trauma left behind is lasting. Entire households are being ripped apart in front of terrified children. Parents are disappearing from jobs, traffic stops, and grocery stores. ICE officers are intensifying operations, and the communities targeted often don't know who to call or where to turn. The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) is one of the few organizations with the experience, credibility, and reach to provide real legal protection. NILC was established in 1979 to focus on defending low-income immigrants. These are individuals with the fewest options, the least legal access, and, often, the highest risk of being targeted by the American government. NILC is not a feel-good charity. It is a legal lifeline. They fight ICE in court. They challenge inhumane policies. They partner with local communities to provide direct resources to those who are most in need. But they can't do it without help, and right now, they need it more than ever. Sources close to Carpenter say she has been overwhelmed by watching what is unfolding: young children clinging to their parents as ICE agents close in, students unsure whether their classmates will be in school the next day, and families sleeping with the lights on because they're afraid of who might knock on the door. 'She's scared,' one source shared. 'We all are. This feels like we're teetering on the edge of something really dark, and Sabrinadidn't want to sit back and pretend it's not happening.' That fear isn't exaggerated. Immigrant rights groups have confirmed a spike in detentions and deportation threats, especially targeting those without legal representation. Many of these people are workers, neighbors, and friends who do not have the resources to fight back. That's why Carpenter's link to NILC isn't just a nice gesture. It's a roadmap for how her fans, many of whom are young, can actually help right now. The post Sabrina Carpenter Uses Her Platform to Fight Back Against ICE Crackdowns appeared first on Where Is The Buzz | Breaking News, Entertainment, Exclusive Interviews & More.
