By Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald

A flurry of recent federal court rulings have stalled, for the moment, the Trump administration’s efforts to deport as many as one million undocumented migrants this year, as judges increasingly determine that individuals cannot be removed from the country without due process.

Some of the most significant decisions have centered on the administration’s move to suspend benefits provided under Temporary Protected Status and a Biden-era humanitarian parole program, both of which have allowed hundreds of thousands of migrants, primarily from Haiti, Cuba, and Venezuela, to temporarily live and work in the United States.

Also under legal scrutiny is the administration’s invocation of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely used wartime law that President Donald Trump has employed to fast-track the deportation of Venezuelans suspected of being affiliated with the feared Tren de Aragua gang.

While the rulings issued in recent weeks are not final, they have effectively limited the administration’s ability to proceed with its aggressive deportation agenda — at least for now.

Here is a look at the key court decisions and what’s next:

TPS for Venezuelans

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has upheld a lower court’s ruling that prevents the Trump administration from revoking Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Venezuelans residing in various states, many of them in Florida.

The 2023 Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans was set by the Trump administration to abruptly end on April 7, but the court’s ruling reinstated the program nationwide for another 18 months until Oct. 2, 2026.

The U.S. Ninth Circuit of Appeals affirmed U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen’s decision to maintain a block on the Department of Homeland Security’s revocation order. Chen had previously determined that deporting Venezuelan TPS holders without further review could result in “irreparable injury.”

Chen also ruled that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision to rescind work permits and deportation protections for the Venezuelans was based on “broad generalizations and stereotypes.”

TPS for Haitians and Venezuelans

A federal judge in Boston decided not to hear arguments in a lawsuit aiming to prevent the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Venezuelan immigrants. U.S. District Judge Richard Stearns cited a ruling from California the previous day that had already halted the deportation plans, making further action unnecessary for the time being. Stearns also acknowledged the likelihood of a federal government appeal and the potential for the case to reach the Supreme Court, expressing concern that additional litigation could complicate proceedings.

The CHNV program

A federal judge in Boston stopped the Trump administration on April 14 from rescinding deportation protections and work permits for more than a half-million Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who were granted entrance into the United States under a humanitarian parole program during the Biden presidency. The program, which began in January 2023, allowed migrants who passed background checks and have a sponsor in the U.S. to come to the United States for two years.

As of December 2024, the last month the program — known as CHNV for the initials of the nationalities involved — was in place, more than 500,000 people had used it to come to the U.S.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled that the paroled migrants can stay in the United States as they pursue immigration benefits. In effect, her ruling will prevent the Department of Homeland Security’s secretary, Kristi Noem, from revoking their parole status as part of an administration plan to end the humanitarian program on April 24.

No new hearings have been scheduled by the judge yet, but lawyers for the migrants said they expect her to make her final ruling soon as to the legality of the government’s decision to remove the migrants who entered the country under the parole program.

Deportations to El Salvador

The U.S Supreme Court stepped in in the middle of the night Saturday to block the Trump administration from deporting a group of Venezuelan men held in Texas who are accused of gang affiliation. Though the court neither granted nor denied the detainees’ application outright, it effectively put the case on hold, halting deportations from areas of Texas under the Alien Enemies Act.

“The Government is directed not to remove any member of the putative class of detainees from the United States until further order of this Court,” the ruling said.

The move came shortly after an April 7 Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed the right of individuals facing deportation under the Alien Enemies Act to challenge their removal through habeas corpus petitions to federal judges.

The Supreme Court does not have another hearing scheduled on the usage of the Alien Enemies Act to quickly deport migrant, but has set a hearing for oral arguments for May 15 on an issue that could have profound ramifications on the lives of millions: the administration’s efforts to end automatic birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented migrants.

Courts have recognized since the 14th Amendment was passed in 1868 that, with few exceptions anyone born in the U.S is a natural-born citizen. The administration argues that the amendment doesn’t apply to the children of undocumented migrants.

In the meantime, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington has ruled that “probable cause exists” to hold Trump administration officials in contempt for violating his orders in March not to use the Alien Enemies Act to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants to a mega prison El Salvador, or his demand for the return of planes already en route to Central America carrying the deportees.

In his decision, Boasberg gave the administration until Wednesday to either file a declaration explaining steps taken to “purge” the contempt by ensuring deported Venezuelan migrants can challenge their removals, or Identify officials responsible for defying his March 15 order to halt deportation flights under the Alien Enemies Act.

©2025 Miami Herald. Visit at miamiherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By ADRIANA MORGA

NEW YORK (AP) — Starting next month, the Education Department says student loans that are in default will be referred for collections.

Roughly 5.3 million borrowers are in default on their federal student loans and soon could be subject to having their wages garnished.

Referrals for collection had been put on hold since March 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the U.S. government also paused federal student loan payments and interest accrual as a temporary relief measure. That grace period was extended multiple times by the Biden administration and ended in October.

The department says it will soon begin sending notices on collection efforts, but there are options for borrowers to get out of default.

Here are some key things to know.

How will involuntary collection work?

Beginning May 5, the department will begin involuntary collection through the Treasury Department’s offset program. Borrowers who have student loans in default will receive communication from Federal Student Aid in the upcoming weeks with information about their options, according to the Education Department.

Involuntary collection means the government can garnish wages, intercept tax refunds and seize portions of Social Security checks and other benefit payments to go toward paying back the loan.

What is the difference between delinquent and default in my student loans?

A student loan becomes delinquent when a borrower doesn’t make a payment 90 days after its due date. If you continue to be delinquent on your loan for 270 days — or roughly nine months — then your loan goes into default.

Related Articles

Harvard sues Trump administration to stop the freeze of more than $2 billion in grants

Student loans in default to be referred to debt collection, Education Department says

Sleep training is no longer just for babies. Some schools are teaching teens how to sleep

Lawsuit challenges revocation of visas for international students

Wisconsin governor can lock in 400-year school funding increase using a veto, court says

While being delinquent affects your credit score, going into default has more serious consequences such as wage garnishment.

What happens when a loan goes into default?

When you fall behind on a loan by 270 days, the loan appears on your credit report as being in default. Once a loan is in default the government will send the borrower into collections.

What can I do right now if my student loan is in default?

The Education Department is recommending borrowers visit its Default Resolution Group to make a monthly payment, enroll in an income-driven repayment plan, or sign up for loan rehabilitation.

Betsy Mayotte, president of The Institute for Student Loan Advisors, recommends loan rehabilitation as an option.

Borrowers in default must ask their loan servicer to be placed into such a program. Typically, servicers ask for proof of income and expenses to calculate a payment amount. Once a borrower has paid on time for nine months in a row, they are taken out of default, Mayotte said. A loan rehabilitation can only be done once.

What does forbearance mean?

Student loan forbearance is a temporary pause on your student loan payments granted to borrowers who are experiencing financial difficulties. To apply for forbearance, borrowers must contact their loan servicer.

Borrowers can be granted forbearance by their loan servicer for up to 12 months but interest will continue to accrue during this period.

The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.

By AIJAZ HUSSAIN

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Indian police say at least 20 tourists have been killed by gunmen at a tourist resort in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Two senior police officers said at least four gunmen, whom they described as militants, fired at dozens of tourists from close range Tuesday. The officers said at least three dozen others were injured, with many in serious condition.

Officials collected at least 20 bodies in Baisaran meadow, some five kilometers (3 miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam. The officers spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy.

Police described the incident as a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule.

“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media. The attack appeared to be a major shift in the regional conflict in which tourists have largely been spared from violence.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

SRINAGAR, India (AP) — Many people are feared to have died after gunmen indiscriminately fired at tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Tuesday, officials said.

Police have described the incident as a “terror attack” and blamed militants fighting against Indian rule.

“This attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years,” Omar Abdullah, the region’s top elected official, wrote on social media.

“The death toll is still being ascertained so I don’t want to get into those details,” he said.

Initial reports said shots were fired at mostly Indian tourists visiting Baisaran meadow, some 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the disputed region’s resort town of Pahalgam.

Police and officials said tourists with gunshot wounds were evacuated to local hospitals.

The scene of the attack was cordoned off as police launched an operation to track down the attackers.

India’s home minister, Amit Shah, is heading to Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir, where he said he would review the situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on an official visit in Saudi Arabia, has been briefed about the incident, Shah said.

“We will come down heavily on the perpetrators with the harshest consequences,” Shah wrote in a post on the X social media platform.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, a key Kashmiri resistance leader, condemned what he described as a “cowardly attack on tourists.”

“Such violence is unacceptable and against the ethos of Kashmir which welcomes visitors with love and warmth. Condemn it strongly,” he wrote on X.

The attack coincided with the visit to India of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who is on a largely personal four-day visit.

The meadow in Pahalgam is a popular sightseeing destination, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and dotted with pine forests. It is visited by hundreds of tourists every day.

Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the territory in its entirety.

Tuesday’s attack seems to be a major shift in the regional conflict where tourists for many years have largely been spared from violence despite a spate of targeted killings of Hindus, including immigrant workers from Indian states, after New Delhi ended the region’s semi-autonomy in 2019 and drastically curbed dissent, civil liberties and media freedoms.

Tensions have been simmering ever since as India has intensified its counterinsurgency operations.

The region, known for rolling Himalayan foothills, exquisitely decorated houseboats and pristine meadows, has also become a major domestic tourist destination, with hotels booked out for months. Kashmir has also drawn millions of visitors, who enjoy a strange peace kept by ubiquitous security checkpoints, armored vehicles and patrolling soldiers.

Although violence has ebbed in recent times in Kashmir Valley, the heart of anti-India rebellion, fighting between government forces and rebels has largely shifted to remote areas of Jammu region including Rajouri, Poonch and Kathua, where Indian troops have faced deadly attacks.

Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi’s rule since 1989. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels’ goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.

India insists the Kashmir militancy is Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan denies the charge, and many Kashmiris consider it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.

By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Anti-Defamation League says the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States reached a record high last year and notes that 58% of the 9,354 incidents related to Israel, notably chants, speeches and signs at rallies protesting Israeli policies.

In a report released Tuesday, the ADL, which has produced annual tallies for 46 years, said it’s the first time Israel-related incidents — 5,422 of them in 2024 — comprised more than half the total. A key reason is the widespread opposition to Israel’s military response in Gaza after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union.

The ADL’s findings add grist to an intense, divisive debate among American Jews — and others — over the extent to which vehement criticism of Israeli policies and of Zionism should be considered antisemitic.

Political backdrop

The debate has broadened as President Donald Trump’s administration makes punitive moves against universities it considers too lax in combating antisemitism and seeks to deport some pro-Palestinian campus activists.

The upshot, for numerous Jewish leaders, is a balancing act: Decrying flagrant acts of antisemitism as well as what they consider to be the administration’s exploitation of the issue to target individuals and institutions it dislikes.

“The fears of antisemitism are legitimate and real — and we don’t want to see those real fears exploited to undermine democracy,” said Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. “I feel that a majority of American Jews can believe that two things are true at the same time.”

The ADL said in its new report it is “careful to not conflate general criticism of Israel or anti-Israel activism with antisemitism.” But there are gray areas. For example, the ADL contends that vilification of Zionism — the movement to establish and protect a Jewish state in Israel — is a form of antisemitism, yet some Jews are among the critics of Zionism and of the ADL itself.

Incidents at anti-Israel rallies that counted as antisemitism in the new ADL tally include “justification or glorification of antisemitic violence, promotion of classic antisemitic tropes … and signage equating Judaism or Zionism with Nazism.” Also counted were celebrations of the Hamas attack on Israel and “unapologetic support for terrorism.”

“In 2024, hatred toward Israel was a driving force behind antisemitism across the U.S.,” said Oren Segal, who leads the ADL’s efforts to combat extremism and terrorism.

Keeping Jewish students safe

The report depicted university campuses as common venues for antisemitic incidents, saying many Jewish students “face hostility, exclusion and sometimes physical danger because of their identity or their beliefs.”

The experience of those students was evoked by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism — an umbrella group for more than 800 Reform congregations in North America — as he discussed the complexities arising from current antisemitism-related developments.

“We have an obligation to our students on campus,” Jacobs said. “Can they go to Seder? Can they feel safe wearing a yarmulke?”

“At the same time, this current administration has weaponized the fight against antisemitism by weakening core democratic institutions,” Jacobs added.

He referred to the detention and threatened deportation of Mahmoud Khalil, a 30-year-old graduate student who served as a negotiator and spokesperson for pro-Palestinian activists at Columbia University. Khalil has been detained since March 8 despite facing no criminal charges.

“There has to be a legal case — not just you don’t like what he says,” Jacobs said. “What has kept Jewish people safe is the rule of law, due process. If it is undermined for Palestinians, it will be undermined for all of us.”

Criticism of ADL

The ADL dismayed some progressive Jewish leaders by welcoming Columbia’s acquiescence in March to Trump administration demands and by initially commending the campaign targeting pro-Palestinian activists such as Khalil.

Recent critics of the ADL include Michael Roth, the first Jewish president of Wesleyan University; political commentator Peter Beinart; and Columbia professor James Schamus, who has been urging his fellow Jews on the faculty to oppose the university’s compliance with administration demands.

Washington Post columnist Matt Bai wrote a scathing column about the ADL on April 1.

Related Articles

From ‘conclave’ to ‘white smoke,’ a glossary of terms used in a papal transition

Pope Francis’ funeral to be held Saturday, with public viewing starting Wednesday

Pope Francis was a source of controversy and spiritual guidance in his Argentine homeland

Which cardinals are seen as contenders to be the next pope?

Francis changed church policy on the death penalty and nuclear weapons but upheld it on abortion

“You can’t call yourself a civil rights organization in the United States right now — let alone a civil rights organization for a minority that has been brutally evicted all over the world — and not loudly oppose the cruel and unlawful removal of foreigners whose views happen to be out of fashion,” Bai wrote.

Two days later, the ADL’s CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, wrote an opinion piece for eJewishPhilanthropy seeking to distance the ADL from aspects of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists.

“As an organization that has fought for a minority community for more than 100 years, ADL is incredibly sensitive to the importance of allowing all views to be expressed — even those that we or the majority of Americans disagree with,” Greenblatt wrote. “We should be holding people accountable for actual crimes, not Orwellian thoughtcrimes.”

“We can protect the civil liberties of Jewish students even as we preserve the civil liberties of those who protest, harass or attack them because they are innocent until proven guilty,” he added. “If we sacrifice our constitutional freedoms in the pursuit of security, we undermine the very foundation of the diverse, pluralistic society we seek to defend.”

Beyond the Israel-related incidents, these were among the other findings in the new ADL report:

— The total number of antisemitic incidents in 2024 was up by 344% from five years ago.

— 196 incidents, targeting more than 250 people, were categorized as assault; none of these assaults were fatal.

— 2,606 incidents were categorized as vandalism. Swastikas were present in 37% of these cases.

— There were 647 bomb threats, most of them targeting synagogues.

— Antisemitic incidents occurred in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 10% of the incidents occurred in New York City.

— There were 962 “antisemitic propaganda incidents” linked to white supremacist groups. Three groups — Patriot Front, Goyim Defense League, and the White Lives Matter network — were responsible for 94% of this activity.

The ADL says its annual report tallies criminal and noncriminal acts of harassment, vandalism and assault against individuals and groups as reported to the ADL by victims, law enforcement, the media and partner organizations, and then evaluated by ADL experts.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.