Suggestion to house US citizens in offshore prisons has no legal basis, experts say
CNN
As Trump administration lawyers assess whether it is legally viable to send American citizens who have committed violent crimes to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison, legal experts made clear that President Donald Trump lacks any legal authority to ship domestic convicts out of the US.
As Trump administration lawyers assess whether it is legally viable to send American citizens who have committed violent crimes to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison, legal experts made clear that President Donald Trump lacks any legal authority to ship domestic convicts out of the US. Two White House officials familiar with the discussions told CNN that both the Justice Department and the White House counsel’s office are reviewing what, if any, legal justification there is to support Trump’s stated desire to send “homegrown” criminals out of the country. One of the officials said the president views this as a winning issue – and one that he was elected on. The official recalled Trump referring to it as an “eighty-twenty” issue, meaning he believes 80% of Americans are in favor of his proposed idea to send US citizens convicted of crimes abroad. “Legally, it is a non-starter,” said David Cole, who served for years as the American Civil Liberties Union’s national legal director. “There’s just zero authority for it. He may think it’s 80-20 as a political issue, but it’s 100-0 as legal matter. He has no authority.” Cole added: “The rights of citizenship include the rights to remain in this country – period. And you cannot be expelled from this country, even temporarily, for any offense.” Trump raised alarm bells among civil rights groups and others on Monday when he raised the idea during an Oval Office meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who has entered into an agreement with the US to house deported migrants in his country’s CECOT mega-prison, which is known for its harsh conditions.
After an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis one week ago, reactions on social media and among politicians and political influencers rapidly polarized.
Most Americans see an immigration officer’s fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good as an inappropriate use of force, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds. Roughly half view it as a sign of broader issues with the way US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating, with less than one-third saying that ICE operations have made cities safer.
The United States is indefinitely suspending immigrant visa processing from 75 countries in another expansion of the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.
The US announced the start of the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan on Wednesday as a new committee was formed to run the battered enclave.
Michigan Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin said Wednesday that US Attorney Jeanine Pirro wants a formal interview with her following her involvement in a controversial video urging service members and intelligence officials to disobey illegal orders.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, a senior White House official told CNN. CNN’s Stefano Pozzebon reports from Bogota.
Top Trump administration officials met Tuesday to further refine a set of options for the president to take action against Iran amid its deadly crackdown on protesters.
The decision that may make it easier for other candidates to challenge voting laws – even if they ultimately win their election.
The Pentagon is working to surge dozens of military lawyers to Minneapolis to assist in federal prosecutions amid an immigration enforcement crackdown there, according to two officials familiar with the matter and a written request that has circulated inside the Defense Department.
The au pair who was having an extra-marital affair with Brendan Banfield when he allegedly killed his wife and another man in February 2023 is set to resume her pivotal testimony in Banfield’s double-murder trial Wednesday morning.
President Donald Trump unveiled in rapid succession last week a series of proposals aimed at reducing Americans’ cost of living, focused on housing and credit card debt.
Illinois and Minnesota sued the Trump administration over its immigration crackdown. But they may have a tough road ahead of them in court, one legal analyst says.
Whether it’s conservatives who have traditionally opposed birth control for religious reasons or left-leaning women who are questioning medical orthodoxies, skepticism over hormonal birth control is becoming a shared talking point among some women, especially in online forums focused on health and wellness.