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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are no longer present at the Southwest International Airport (RSW) as of Sunday, April 5, according to Steve Hennigan, executive director and CEO of the Lee County Port Authority. Hennigan updated members of the Chamber of Southwest Florida with this information on Wednesday's presentation to the group about airport developments.
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The Supreme Court is casting doubt on President Donald Trump’s restrictions on birthright citizenship in a consequential case that was magnified by Trump’s norm-breaking presence in the courtroom. Conservative and liberal justices on Wednesday questioned whether Trump’s order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens comports with either the Constitution or federal law. Trump heard Solicitor General D. John Sauer face one skeptical question after another. Justices asked about the legal basis for the order and voiced more practical concerns. The Republican president spent just over an hour inside the courtroom, staying only for arguments by the government’s lawyer.
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A federal judge has ruled that the immigration detention facility known as "Alligator Alcatraz" must provide people detained there with better access to their attorneys. U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell issued a preliminary injunction Friday saying officials at the Florida facility must provide access to timely, free, confidential, unmonitored, unrecorded outgoing legal calls. They must also provide at least one operable telephone for every 25 people detained there. The order also outlined information that must be made available to detained people and their attorneys in multiple languages. The lawsuit says the rules force visits to be booked three days ahead. It says delays and transfers block legal help. State and federal officials deny rights violations.
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Federal immigration officers were deployed at Southwest Florida International Airport Monday to supplement the Transportation Security Administration during a government shutdown currently in effect.
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Florida initially sought $1.4 billion from the feds for Alligator Alcatraz.
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Border czar Tom Homan says the immigration crackdown in Minnesota that led to mass detentions, protests and two deaths is coming to an end. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement launched Operation Metro Surge on Dec. 1. Federal authorities say the sweeps focused on the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area have led to the arrest of more than 4,000 people. While the Trump administration has called those arrested "dangerous criminal illegal aliens," many people with no criminal records, including children and U.S. citizens, have also been detained. According to a new AP-NORC poll, about 6 in 10 U.S. adults say President Donald Trump has "gone too far" in sending federal immigration agents into U.S. cities.
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An article in the Feb. 10 edition of WIRED magazine says U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to lease offices throughout the US as part of a secret, monthslong expansion campaign.
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A seven-month-old Bonita Springs organization is helping families navigate life after a loved one is deported.
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An Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo obtained by The Associated Press reveals that the agency allows immigration officers to forcibly enter homes to make arrests without a judicial warrant. This change reverses previous guidance and raises concerns about constitutional protections against illegal searches. The memo, signed by ICE's acting director, states that administrative warrants are sufficient for forced entry if there's a final order of removal. This policy could face legal challenges and criticism from advocacy groups. Whistleblower Aid, representing two government officials, describes the directive as seemingly unconstitutional and a significant shift in arrest powers. The Associated Press obtained the memo and whistleblower complaint from an official in Congress.
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Public encouraged to come to a forum on where things stand and what may come for immigrants in America.
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