Human Rights/Racial Justice / Public News Service

Jeanette Vizguerra, currently being held in a Geo Group ICE detention facility in Aurora, was recently named a 2025 recipient of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. (Galatas)

Thursday, July 10, 2025

Poll: Most Americans say Trump has gone too far on immigration

Some 15 community and faith-based organizations gathered again this week outside the Geo Group ICE detention facility in Aurora where longtime Denver …

A U.S. citizen is legally defined as a person born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, yet experts say human psychology and identity politics result in ingrained biases over who truly belongs. (Adobe Stock)

'American' most often associated with white English speakers

With Donald Trump in the White House, Illinois and the nation face new challenges about who "belongs" in the United States. Nationality has become a …

Report: Gen Z considers politics, mental health in choosing a college

Nearly 30% of "Gen-Z" college students decided where they would attend school based at least partly on political reasons, according to a new report…

Nationwide, 10% of the farm labor force is in the United States on an H-2A visa. (nick barounis/Adobe Stock)

WA workers could be harmed by H-2A visa expansion

Advocates for immigrants' rights in Washington state are voicing concerns about the possible expansion of the H-2A visa program, which they say …

Juneteenth activities include parades, picnics, lectures, plays and other family-focused gatherings. (Adobe Stock)

'Jubilee Day' was honored before Juneteenth in 1800s Indiana

Today is Juneteenth, a national holiday dating back to 1865. This was the day when freedom was granted to enslaved Texans, more than two years after …

A new Oregon law requires the Housing and Community Services Department to create a public homeownership goal dashboard. It will track statewide progress as well as regional and racial disparities. (mavoimages/Adobe Stock)

OR passes homeownership goal, defunds homeownership programs

Advocates for homeownership in Oregon are celebrating a new bill which sets targets to boost the state's homeownership rate, currently at 64%…

Research shows students of color are more likely to be suspended and also less likely to receive support with schoolwork while they are out of class. (jovannig/Adobe Stock)

Child rights advocates: New WA school discipline rules roll back protections

Washington's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction has revised its public school discipline policies, and advocates for children said …

Colorado communities to join national 'No Kings' protests Saturday

As President Donald Trump celebrates his birthday on Saturday with a $45 million military parade in the nation's capital, organizers are expecting a …

It is estimated 250,000 workers in New Mexico will endure the summer without any protection rules from heat Illness or injury. (RCP/Adobe Stock)

Another summer without heat-protection rules for NM's outdoor workers

A New Mexico coalition is stressing an urgent need for the state to adopt the strongest possible heat risk standards for indoor and outdoor workers…

While Illinois has seen a significant decrease in it's prison population, its incarceration rate is still relatively high compared to other states. (Adobe Stock) <br />

Study: Incarceration costs families billions each year

A new study highlights the high price of incarceration, and says the annual total cost to families of Americans behind bars is nearly $350 billion…

Wisconsin is estimated to reach the highest peak in its prison population by July. (Adobe Stock) <br />

Study: Incarceration costs U.S. families $350 billion a year

A new study highlights the high price of incarceration, and says the annual total cost to families of Americans behind bars is nearly $350 billion…

Landfill regulations are managed by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In Harris County, 78% of the methane emissions come from three privately owned landfills over which the city has no jurisdiction. (rob245/Adobe Stock)

Houston officials look at options for growing trash problem

By Elena Bruess for Houston Landing.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Houston Landing/MIT Climate Change Engage…

Nearly 20% of Washington's labor force is foreign-born. (DisobeyArt/Adobe Stock)

Fear of detention prevents some WA migrants from getting food

Immigrants' rights advocates are voicing concerns that migrant communities in Washington may be avoiding visiting food banks or getting food assistanc…

High school and college students will take over the airwaves on the first and third Saturday in Arkansas in the revival of the PHAT LIP! You(th)Talk Radio show (avdyachenko/Adobe Stock)

Radio show gives AR students a voice

A groundbreaking radio show from the early 1990s is returning this weekend in Arkansas. The PHAT LIP! You(th)Talk Radio show will be back on the …

According to Excelencia in Education, for the United States to regain the top ranking in the world for college degree attainment, Latinos will need to earn 6.2 million degrees by 2030. (Adobe Stock)

Illinois Latino students prefer grants over loans to pay for college

Latino students in Illinois and nationwide apply for financial aid at higher rates than some other ethnic groups but receive the lowest average awards…

Workplace hazards kill approximately 385 U.S. workers each day or 40,000 workers each year, according to a report from the AFL-CIO. (realone/AdobeStock)

Report: NM fourth highest in more workplace deaths nationally

In 2023, more than 5,200 American workers died on the job, with New Mexico ranking fourth in the nation. A report from the AFL-CIO on work-related …

The Indiana Department of Corrections Offender Population Statistical Report shows 7114 adult males are on parole as of March 2025. (Adobe Stock)

IN housing facility helps with transition from prison to society

In Indiana, the transition from prison back to society can be anything but smooth. Many people released don't have a place to live and have …

Immigrants make up 16% of all workers in the construction industry in Washington state. Removing thousands of workers from the labor force would increase the cost and limit the total construction feasible during a historic housing shortage. (Soleila/Adobe Stock)

New report: Mass deportations would harm WA economy

A new report warned mass deportations of undocumented immigrants in Washington would lead to labor shortages and make many goods and services more exp…

Nine in 10 of the 137 people now confined in El Salvador prisons had no criminal record and at least one was removed due to administrative error. (Adobe Stock)

Trump's deportation program gets temporary halt in Colorado

President Donald Trump has repeatedly called the arrival of immigrants an invasion and has invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expedite their removal…

Many international students have said they did not know their visas were revoked, or that their status had been changed, until they were notified by federal officials. (Mediteraneo/Adobe Stock)

Visas revoked, status changed for international students in TX

Hundreds of international college students in Texas are fighting to stay in the country after their visas were revoked and their legal status changed …

An average of 40 people per year have been killed by police in Washington state since 2015. (AlexanderIO/Adobe Stock)

Police reform advocate: WA must do more to reduce deaths

Five years after George Floyd's murder by a white police officer sparked nationwide protests and demands for police reform, progress remains slow…

Transgender and nonbinary people say their lives are threatened in their home countries. In Mexico alone, according to data from Mexico's National Trans and Nonbinary Assembly, more than 55 trans people were killed last year, making it the second deadliest country in the world for trans people, after Brazil. (Kromstar Studios/Adobe Stock)

U.S. immigration policy leaves trans migrants at TX-Mexico border in limbo

By Chantal Flores for Yes! Media.Broadcast version by Freda Ross for Texas News Service reporting for the Yes! Media-Public News Service …

More than 95% of all voters in the United States use paper ballots in elections. (Adobe Stock)

CO lawmakers work to protect voter rights after Trump elections order

Some Colorado lawmakers are scrambling to protect voter rights after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to require proof of citizenship …

Since March 8, the Trump administration has attempted to arrest or deport at least six additional pro-Palestinian foreign students across four campuses, including Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown and Tufts universities. (Adobe Stock)

Arrest of U. of Cincinnati student fuels national free speech debate

UPDATE: A statement about the arrest from the University of Cincinnati has been added. (8:10 a.m. MDT, Apr. 3, 2025) A recent arrest on the …

The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association is challenging the U.S. Department of Agriculture's denial of $2.2 billion in Inflation Reduction Act funds to Black farmers' heirs at the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing while white farmers' families inherit benefits, Black farmers' descendants are excluded. (La Famiglia/Adobe Stock)

Discrimination shields some Black farmers from USDA funding freezes

Cuts at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have affected farming communities nationwide but a national group said its Black farmers remain unaffected…

More than 57% of Black women of reproductive age live in states with abortion bans or impending bans, according to polling by In Our Own Voice. (Adobe Stock)

Reproductive justice takes more than passing laws in Ohio, U.S.

By Jade Prévost-Manuel for Yes! Media.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Ohio News Connection reporting for the Yes! Media-Public News …

About one-third of the legislation targeting trans people's rights across the country is focused on schools. (vivalapenler/Adobe Stock)

Honoring OR trans lives amid hostile political climate

Today is International Trans Day of Visibility, to recognize the contributions of transgender people in society - and raise awareness of the …

The United States has about 3.3 million transgender adults, according to the Human Rights Campaign. (Scott Griessel/Adobe Stock)

Montanans observe International Transgender Day of Visibility at the Statehouse

Today, Montanans will gather outside the Statehouse to observe International Transgender Day of Visibility, during a legislative session that has …

Legislation across the country seeks to block transgender people from receiving health care, education, and even the right to publicly exist. (zera ruzgar/Adobe Stock)

WA advocates honor Trans Day of Visibility

Today is the International Trans Day of Visibility, to recognize the contributions of transgender people in society -- and raise awareness of the …

According to the Doula Advisory Group, as of February, 87 of Ohio's 88 counties had no doulas certified under the state's new program. (Adobe Stock)

Doula access in Ohio at risk in Nursing Board certification controversy

Tensions are rising in Ohio between doulas and the state Board of Nursing, as only a small number of doulas have been able to be certified for …

In a 2020 Pew Research Center study, 40% of eligible voters who are immigrants said they speak English

NV legislation would expand voter language access

Nevada voting rights advocates are rallying support for a bill to expand language access for voters during elections. According to Census data…

Ohio Senate Bill 1 would require all students to complete a three-credit-hour American history course. (Adobe Stock)

Ohio's SB-1 parallels national administration's anti-DEI sentiment

Debates over academic freedom and diversity initiatives have intensified nationally and in Ohio. Senate Bill 1, known as the Advance Ohio Higher …

Research shows there is a direct correlation between unstable housing and food insecurity. (FamilyWorks Food Bank)

Advocates say WA rent stabilization bill important for ending hunger

While affordable housing advocates across the state have been cheering on Washington's rent stabilization bill in Olympia, so have organizations …

Changes to Arkansas' abortion ban clarifies doctors acting in good faith would not be prosecuted for saving the life of a pregnant person. (Sikov/Adobe Stock)

New findings: Arkansas abortion ban could impact potential workforce

As members of the Arkansas Legislature debate changing the wording in the state's abortion ban, a new study showed states with strict abortion laws …

The Department of Education has reduced its workforce by nearly 50%, laying off approximately 1,300 employees, with an additional 600 either accepting separation packages or being dismissed during their probationary period. (Photo courtesy of OEA)

Ohio educators alarmed over proposed elimination of DOE

The potential dismantling of the U.S. Department of Education has sparked concern in Ohio. Threatened moves by the Trump administration's so-called …

The Northwest ICE Processing Center is the largest immigrant detention center in the Western U.S., and is nearing its 1,900-person capacity. (Sundry Photography/Adobe Stock)

Amid increased activity, pressure to close WA ICE detention center

A year after the death of detainee Charles Leo Daniel, a 61-year-old Trinidadian migrant, legislators and human rights advocates continue pushing to …

In West Virginia, 11,000 people are incarcerated and another 9,200 are on probation or parole, according to data from the Prison Policy Initiative. (Adobe Stock)<br />

Report: West Virginia’s prison population on the decline

West Virginia is among just ten states whose prison population declined between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from the Prison Policy …

Eliseo Santana, the Gulf Coast Region manager for the Alianza Center, which serves the Puerto Rican and Hispanic communities, showcased the first-aid kits they distribute after hurricanes. (Trimmel Gomes)

Hispanic veteran demands respect amid immigration crackdown

As the Trump administration continues to implement aggressive immigration policies, many Hispanic residents in Florida, a key voting bloc for Trump…

Advocates for Minnesota's immigrant population recently protested ICE enforcement in Rochester. (Photo courtesy of COPAL).

MN Latino advocates band together as deportation fears persist

Social and economic disruptions are among the impacts reported by Minnesota Latino support organizations as they monitor the Trump administration's ma…

Immigrants in Ohio pay $7 billion a year in taxes and have a spending power of $20 billion contributing significantly to the state's economy. (Adobe Stock)

Research shows economic impact of deportation in Ohio, U.S.

As nationwide deportation efforts continue, new research examined how past policies have shaped the economy and what could happen if the Trump …

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, in 2023, 12% of people in West Virginia prisons were over age 55, and the average age of state prisoners was 39. (Adobe Stock/AI)

Bill to increase penalties could overpopulate WV prisons

A bill pending in the West Virginia Legislature would increase the length of penalties for "serious" felony convictions, but critics have said it …

Protesters rallied at the Iowa State Capitol on Feb. 28 before Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a measure removing gender identity protections from the state's civil rights code. (Anne Discher/Common Good Iowa)

Iowans react to nation's first law removing gender identity protections

Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a measure that removes gender identity protections for LGBTQ+ people from Iowa's civil rights code. Opponents call it …

First- and second-generation immigrants comprise nearly a third of all students enrolled in higher education in the U.S. (Drobot Dean/Adobe Stock)

How WA campuses can prepare for ICE

On President Donald Trump's second day in office, his Secretary of Homeland Security rescinded a Biden-era rule barring Immigration and Customs …

Immigration law allows ICE agents to enter public areas of a university campus without a warrant, but students have the right to remain silent. (UNM.edu)

Higher ed leaders steer response to ICE presence on NM campuses

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are now are allowed to make arrests near colleges and universities, and higher education leaders are …

Even though Wisconsin is considered restrictive in its tuition and financial aid policies for undocumented students, more than 20% of the higher education student body is international, or first-or second-generation immigrants. (Adobe Stock)

WI colleges, universities get advice about ICE on campus

On President Donald Trump's second day in office, he rescinded a Biden-era rule barring Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making …

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa, a public land-grant research university in Honolulu, is the flagship campus of the University of Hawai'i system. (Adobe Stock)

Teachers' union preps Hawai'i college officials to respond to ICE inquiries

Following President Donald Trump's executive order lifting Immigration and Customs Enforcement restrictions in protected areas, the American …

University of Southern California recently scrubbed many 'DEI' references from its website and sent a campuswide email saying its Office of Inclusion and Diversity would no longer be a standalone entity. (Hanson/Adobe Stock)<br />

Educators sue to block Trump anti-DEI policy

The American Federation of Teachers and the American Sociological Association are suing the Trump administration over a threat of funding cuts and inv…

Black and Native American youth are largely overrepresented in juvenile facilities compared to their white counterparts. (Sophon_Nawit/Adobe Stock)

Act would give incarcerated WA youth a second chance

Several bills working their way through the Washington Legislature focus on reforming the state's juvenile legal system, including one known as the …

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