Federal judge stops Trump's new public charge rule in its tracks
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[/caption]On Wednesday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals denied the Trump administration’s request for a stay of the preliminary injunction blocking a Department of Homeland Security rule that would dramatically change the rules on public charge. This is the only nationwide injunction protecting low-income clients from the destructive policy nationwide.
The lawsuit, Make the Road New York v. Cuccinelli, was filed by the Center for Constitutional Rights, The Legal Aid Society, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP on behalf of Make the Road New York, African Services Committee, Asian American Federation, Catholic Charities Community Services, and Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
The Make the Road New York v. Cuccinelli litigation team and lead plaintiff Make the Road New York released the following statement:
“The court rejected the Trump administration’s claims that it cannot wait to implement its dangerous and discriminatory public charge policy change. We are pleased that the Second Circuit upheld Judge Daniels’ decision, which is grounded in the clear intent of Congress and the consistent history of the Immigration and Nationality Act. We look forward to continuing our fight in court until a final decision is reached on the legality of the rule change, and we are thrilled that immigrants across the country remain protected.”
Read more about the administration’s public charge rule on our case page.
Landowners challenge oil pipeline companies' eminent domain claim
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[/caption]Attorneys representing Louisiana landowners, whose property was taken by an oil pipeline company, argued Wednesday before the Third Circuit Court of Appeal for the State of Louisiana, urging the court to reverse a decision allowing expropriation of the land despite having found the company had unlawfully trespassed. The Bayou Bridge Pipeline Company (BBP) trespassed onto privately-owned land in the ecologically sensitive Atchafalaya Basin and began constructing a pipeline—including clearing trees and trenching—before beginning any legal process to obtain the land. A judge found that BBP had unlawfully entered and damaged the land, but nonetheless allowed the company to take the land using the state power of eminent domain.
“Bayou Bridge’s action against me and my fellow landowners should alarm all Louisiana property-owners,” said Katherine Aaselstad. “It demonstrated that the corporation can take anyone’s land, even in the environmentally precious Atchafalaya Basin, if they can line their own pockets, exporting energy abroad.”
The assassination of Soleimani is Trump's latest bid for a fraudulent war
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[/caption]In a terrifying replay of the fraudulent grounds for starting wars in Iraq and continuing them across the globe, the Trump administration has, with characteristic callousness towards human suffering, taken another step in the pursuit of endless war.
While we have seen, and should always be alarmed when a president of the United States justifies unlawful military aggression and demands public loyalty for false patriotism, our communities are particularly threatened by a desperate Trump administration seeking to advance its authoritarian agenda: repressing dissent and opposition, surveilling and criminalizing immigrants, and rewarding corporate entities who profit from war-making and human devastation. It is the people of Iran, Iraq, and throughout the region who have and will continue to endure the untold violence of U.S. militarism, as well as the multiple other forces repressing their just struggles for liberation.
We reiterate the call to end all war and expresses our solidarity and commitment to the people of Iran, Iraq, and around the world demanding justice, human rights, and self-determination.
