Author Archives: Frank Rizzo

Federal prosecutors reportedly investigating whether Minnesota officials’ public statements illegally impeded immigration enforcement is a dangerous overextension of obstruction law that would criminalize dissent and sow public distrust in law enforcement, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

Walter Wilkins, 24, of Weslaco, was sentenced to 23 years in prison for coercion and enticement of a minor Jan. 23 following an investigation conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations Rio Grande Valley’s Child Exploitation Task Force. Wilkins pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material involving a child under 16.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Friday said she has decided to terminate temporary protected status for Yemen.

Erica Aracely Carmona, 36, was sentenced by a federal judge to 11 years in prison and ordered to pay $955,350 for conspiracy to transport illegal aliens resulting in death. She was arrested Aug. 23, 2022, and pleaded guilty Dec. 19, 2022.

The Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), a component within the United States Department of Justice (DOJ or Department), is finalizing without changes its Privacy Act exemption regulations for the system of records titled, Adjudication and Appeal Records of the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge and Board of Immigration Appeals, JUSTICE/EOIR-001, which were published as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on August 29, 2025. Specifically, the Department's regulations will exempt the records maintained in JUSTICE/ EOIR-001 from one or more provisions of the Privacy Act. The exemptions are necessary to protect properly classified information and law enforcement sensitive materials maintained in the system. The Department received one anonymous comment in support of this rulemaking in response to the NPRM.

FMCSA amends the Federal regulations for State Driver's Licensing Agencies (SDLAs) issuing commercial driving credentials to non-domiciled individuals. This final rule reaffirms, with minor changes, the provisions of the interim final rule (IFR) published on September 29, 2025. Specifically, this final rule limits eligibility for non-domiciled Commercial Learner's Permits (CLPs) and Commercial Driver's Licenses (CDLs) for foreign-domiciled individuals to those who hold specific, verifiable employment-based nonimmigrant status. This rule reaffirms the IFR requirements, aligning the issuance of non- domiciled CDLs with FMCSA's statutory mandate to ensure the fitness of all drivers who operate a CMV. By limiting eligibility to statuses subject to enhanced consular vetting of driver history and interagency screening, FMCSA restores the integrity of the CDL system, closes a significant safety gap, and enhances the safety of the traveling public.

A D.C. federal judge considered Thursday whether the U.S. Department of Homeland Security permissibly used a funding gap to freshen up a policy requiring a week's notice for congressional oversight visits, or if a longstanding spending rider prohibits the move.

A D.C. federal judge who said she has been receiving threats and personal insults after she temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating Temporary Protected Status for Haitians refused to pause her ruling, saying judges will not be intimidated by public threats.