A former children’s hospital chaplain remains detained in Ohio as the federal government attempts to deport him. Attorneys for Ayman Soliman had hoped an immigration judge would release “the interfaith imam” during a hearing July 29, but the court instead…
New lawsuit again seeks to block ICE raids at churches
The Alliance of Baptists and American Baptist Churches USA have joined a coalition of religious groups in a new lawsuit seeking to bar immigration enforcement actions in houses of worship. The federal action was filed July 28 by Democracy Forward…
Facing lawsuit, Trump admin will fund schools
The Trump administration will disburse billions in education funding it has withheld from public school districts for weeks. “The White House will release $5.5 billion in frozen education funds, administration officials announced on Friday, bringing an end to a chaotic…
Trump administration arrests ‘Interfaith Imam,’ setting off protests
Tensions are boiling over in Ohio as immigration authorities continue to detain Imam Ayman Soliman, a former Cincinnati Children’s Hospital chaplain whose asylum status was revoked last month. More than a dozen demonstrators have been arrested at vigils organized since…
Florida pastor arrested and deported by ICE
A Florida congregation is reeling after its pastor was arrested by federal immigration agents and deported to Guatemala. The Tampa Bay Times reported Maurilio Ambrocio, 42, was expelled to his native country July 2 after being detained by Immigration Customs…
Trump policies and actions are more cruel than last time, panelists report
The “volume and viciousness” of President Donald Trump’s legal and policy actions against marginalized communities has far outpaced the cruelty displayed during his first term, said Cecillia Wang, national legal director of American Civil Liberties Union. “The Trump administration came…
Americans United sues over Anti-Christian Bias Task Force
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is refusing to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request from Americans United for Separation of Church and State, prompting AU to sue the Trump administration. The lawsuit contends the VA is violating federal…
Democracy Forward and Interfaith Alliance seek records of ‘anti-Christian’ task force
Two watchdog groups are using the Freedom of Information Act to seek details of the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias. Democracy Forward and Interfaith Alliance joined forces in making information requests of the Small Business Administration, Department…
Supreme Court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Aliens Act
For the time being, the Trump administration has been blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court from using a centuries-old law to deport a group of Venezuelans accused of being gang members. “The government is directed not to remove any member…
Baylor grad seeks to hold the line against Trump’s executive overreach
The road to opposing President Donald Trump’s executive overreach runs straight out of Waco, Texas. That’s the hometown of Skye Perryman, president of Democracy Forward, the legal advocacy group that is leading the charge in federal court against Trump’s blizzard…
Pay attention to the victories against Trump, Buttigieg advises
Yes, things in Washington, D.C., are as bad as you think they are and, in fact, are worse than you realize, Pete Buttigieg told participants in the Together for Democracy conference Feb. 26. The former secretary of transportation was the…
Be ‘hopeful doom-scrollers,’ Pritzker urges
Those working tirelessly to challenge the chaos of the Trump administration must be “hopeful doom-scrollers,” Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker told participants in a “Together for Democracy” conference in Washington, D.C., Feb. 25. The Democratic governor was a keynote speaker at…