NPR News

Texas immigration law put on hold; Mississippi cops who tortured 2 men sentenced

NPR | By Suzanne Nuyen

Published March 20, 2024 at 8:07 AM EDT

Two members of the National Guard patrol an area of land behind the federal border wall Tuesday evening, March 19in Mission, Texas.

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A whirlwind of court orders has left a controversial Texas immigration law on hold once again as many immigrants in the state wake up to a new day of anxiety. The law, known as S.B. 4, would give local and state authorities in Texas the power to arrest migrants they suspect to have crossed the border into the U.S. illegally and deport them to Mexico. A federal appeals court blocked the law just hours after the Supreme Court allowed it to take effect. They scheduled arguments for today to decide whether it should be kept on hold. (via KERA)

Julian Aguilar from the NPR network's Texas Newsroom tells Up First that local law enforcement officials say they will comply, but many note they don't have a lot of guidance for how to enforce it. Civil and immigrant rights advocates are concerned that S.B. 4 would lead to racial profiling. Mexico says it won't accept migrants who have been deported under this law, and it will file a debrief that highlights the challenges it presents to the U.S.-Mexico relationship.

Six former Mississippi police officers who pleaded guilty to torturing two Black men in an attack that lasted more than two hours are being sentenced this week. The officers were part of the so-called "Goon Squad." They raided a home last January, shot one of the men and planted drugs and a gun at the scene to cover it up. U.S. District Judge Tom Lee sentenced former sheriff's deputy Hunter Elward yesterday to 20 years in prison and former lieutenant Jeffrey Middleton, who devised the group's cover-up plan, to 17.5 years in prison. (via Mississippi Public Broadcasting)

NPR Network reporter Michael McEwen was in the courtroom, where he says prosecutors revealed Middleton told his fellow officers he would have them killed if they told anyone what happened. Jenkins, who was shot in the mouth, says he is desperate to put this period behind him. Eddie Parker, who was sexually assaulted and threatened, says he still struggles with the effects of that night and has trouble falling asleep or going out in public.

Trump has until Monday to arrange a $454 million bond to comply with a New York Court ruling. A judge ordered him to pay that amount last month in a civil fraud case after finding that the former president, his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr., and Trump Organization employees engaged in a decade-long conspiracy to lie about their assets' value. Trump doesn't have to pay the money now, but he says he can't find a company to put up the bond. Here's what his legal options are now.

The New York civil trial effectively gave New York Attorney General Letitia James "a roadmap to his financial assets," former New York Assistant Attorney General Adam Pollock tells Morning Edition. She can send law enforcement to go to a financial institution and empty Trump's bank account. If Trump wants to "stave off enforcement," he'll have to find a way to raise the bond.

Today's listen

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Ford revisits the testimony that upended her life in a conversation with Morning Edition's Michel Martin. Listen here or read the interview highlights.

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Make your daily walks whimsical by adding fun challenges, like taking pictures of different flowers in your neighborhood while walking.

Find ways to express gratitude by visiting someone you haven't seen in a while and/or telling them how much you appreciate them.

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This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi. Mansee Khurana contributed.

Corrected: March 20, 2024 at 12:00 AM EDT

An earlier version of the newsletter included a typo that incorrectly identified 6 former Mississippi police officers as part of the "Good Squad" instead of the "Goon Squad."