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U.S. Supreme Court to hear argument on Biden immigration enforcement policy

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U.S. Supreme Court to hear argument on Biden immigration enforcement policy

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to consider whether President Joe Biden’s administration can implement guidelines challenged by two conservative-leaning states of shifting immigration enforcement toward public safety threats.

This the court said in a case testing executive branch power to set enforcement priorities.

The justices will hear the administration’s bid to overturn a judge’s ruling in favor of Texas and Louisiana that vacated U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) guidelines narrowing the scope of those who can be targeted by immigration agents for arrest and deportation.

The Democratic president’s policy departed from the hard-line approach of his Republican predecessor, Donald Trump, who sought to broaden the range of immigrants subject to arrest and removal.

Biden campaigned on a more humane approach to immigration but has been faced with large numbers of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

The guidelines, announced by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in September 2021, prioritised apprehending and deporting non-U.S. citizens who pose a threat to national security, public safety or border security.

In a memo, Mayorkas called the guidelines necessary because his department lacks the resources to apprehend and seek the removal of every one of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

Mayorkas cited the longstanding practice of government officials exercising discretion to decide who should be subject to deportation and said that a majority of immigrants subject to deportation “have been contributing members of our communities for years.’’

Biden’s administration, saying fewer detentions and deportations have encouraged more illegal border crossings.

The top Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, earlier called on Mayorkas to step down and said the House may try to impeach him when Republicans formally take control of the chamber in January.

Republican state attorneys general in Texas and Louisiana sued to block the guidelines after Republican-led legal challenges successfully thwarted other Biden administration attempts to ease enforcement.

Their lawsuit, filed in Texas, argued that the guidelines ran counter to provisions in immigration laws that makes it mandatory to detain non-U.S. citizens who have been convicted of certain crimes or have final orders of removal.

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton, a Trump appointee, ruled in favor of the challengers, finding that while immigration agents could on a case-by-case basis act with discretion the administration’s guidelines were a generalised policy that contravened the detention mandate set out by Congress.

“Whatever the outer limits of its authority, the executive branch does not have the authority to change the law,’’ Tipton wrote.

After the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in July declined to put that ruling on hold, Biden’s administration turned to the Supreme Court.

The justices on a 5-4 vote declined to stay Tipton’s ruling, with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett joining liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson in dissent. The justices did not provide reasons for their disagreement.

Biden’s administration has told the Supreme Court that Texas and Louisiana lack the proper legal standing to challenge the guidelines because the states had not suffered any direct harm as a result of the policy.

The states countered that they would be harmed by having to spend more money on law enforcement and social services as a result of an increase in non-U.S. citizens present within their borders due to the guidelines.

The administration also told the justices that the guidelines do not violate federal immigration law and that the mandatory language of those statutes does not supersede the longstanding principle of law enforcement discretion.

A decision is expected by the end of June. 

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Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers in Adamawa

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Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers in Adamawa

By Zagazola Makama

Troops of the Nigerian Army have arrested five suspected drug peddlers during a night patrol in Mubi South Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Security sources said the suspects were apprehended at about 4:30 a.m. on May 3 during a routine patrol within the Mubi general area.

The sources disclosed that the arrest was made around the Fillin Ball area by troops of the 232 Battalion (Tactical).

According to the sources, the suspects were identified as Mohammed Usman, 28; Abubakar Ali, 26; Sani Usman, 28; Mohammed Kabiru Ahmed, 29; and Okasha Mohammed, 25.

They added that one of the suspects was found in possession of two live rounds of ammunition at the time of arrest.

The sources further said the suspects are currently in military custody for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Troops Arrest Five Suspected Drug Peddlers in Adamawa

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Troops Rescue Two Kidnap Victims in Adamawa, Search Ongoing for Others

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Troops Rescue Two Kidnap Victims in Adamawa, Search Ongoing for Others

By Zagazola Makama

Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued two kidnapped victims during a search-and-rescue operation in Madagali Local Government Area of Adamawa State.

Security sources said the operation was launched at about 4:32 a.m. on May 3 following a distress call on a kidnapping incident in the Korpallama general area.

The sources disclosed that troops of B Company, 144 Battalion, deployed in Gulak, in conjunction with members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), mobilised to the location and conducted a search operation.

According to the sources, two victims—Barnabas Apagu, 12, and Ruth Apagu, 10—were successfully rescued during the operation.

They added that two other victims, identified as Rahila Apagu, 21, and Ijandri Apagu, 19, are still unaccounted for.

The sources further said efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining victims, while security operations in the area have been intensified.

Troops Rescue Two Kidnap Victims in Adamawa, Search Ongoing for Others

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Military Air Interdiction Destroys Terrorist Stronghold in Marte Axis

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Military Air Interdiction Destroys Terrorist Stronghold in Marte Axis

By Zagazola Makama

The Air Component of Operation Hadin Kai have successful execution of an air interdiction mission targeting a террорист stronghold in the Tumbuns general area of Borno State.

Sources disclosed that the operation was carried out in the early hours of May 1 at about 5:35 a.m. by coordinated air assets with additional support from military drones platforms for battle damage assessment.

According to the source, the mission followed credible intelligence indicating significant terrorist activity around the Metele and Dogon Chukwu axis, including the presence of fortified structures and extensive trench systems.

The sources further revealed that confirmatory intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) conducted a day earlier identified an island location with prominent structures believed to serve as storage facilities, as well as multiple defensive trenches.

“During the mission, over 20 insurgents were observed within the targeted structures. All identified targets were subsequently engaged in successive passes using precision-guided munitions,” the sources said.

He noted that the strikes resulted in the neutralisation of several terrorists elements and the destruction of their logistics bases and operational infrastructure.

Military Air Interdiction Destroys Terrorist Stronghold in Marte Axis

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