The Class Action Threat to Trump's Birthright Citizenship Order
Plus: A fond farewell to Black Sabbath.
Immigration
Life as an Academic Defender of the Intuitively Obvious
Academics are supposed to discover nonobvious, counterintituitive truths. But, especially in recent years, much of my work involves defending positions that seem obvious to most laypeople, even though many experts deny them.
The Original Alcatraz Closed for Costing Too Much. Alligator Alcatraz Should Too.
Florida’s elected officials should learn from the original facility that inspired the state’s newest immigrant detention center's name, and change course before it’s too late.
Hundreds of 'Alligator Alcatraz' Detainees Don't Have Criminal Records
Trump said the prison camp would hold "some of the most vicious people on the planet," but a list obtained by the Miami Herald and Tampa Bay Tribune shows otherwise.
Federal Court Rules Against Racial Profiling in "Roving" Immigration Enforcement Raids
Racial profiling is a longstanding problem, exacerbated by Trump Administration deportation policies.
Can American Citizens Lose Their Citizenship?
Yes, but only if they intend to relinquish it (or, if they are naturalized citizens and committed fraud during the naturalization process).
Digital Nomads Are Getting Caught in the War on Tourism
Countries are welcoming remote workers with digital nomad visas—while cracking down on the very lifestyle that makes nomadism possible.
Bill Kristol Is Alarmed That a President Would Ship Accused Foreign Enemies to an Overseas Prison
The hawkish defender of Guantanamo Bay and the post-9/11 security state worries President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown is threatening civil liberties.
Federal Court Issues Class Action Injunction Against Trump's Birthright Citizenship Executive Order [Updated]
This ruling was widely expected in the wake of the Supreme Court's decison barring nationwide injunctions.
The Department of Homeland Security Says Trump's Immigration Enforcers Are on a Mission From God
A DHS video lionizing Customs and Border Protection quotes the Bible and includes a song promising that "God's gonna cut you down."
Courts Can Check, and Have Checked, Executives' Military Judgment
Katherine Yon Ebright and Leah Tulin of the Brennan Center make the case against judicial deference to Trump's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
ICE Is Snooping on Your Medical Bills
The immigration agency has reportedly gained access to a private database designed to fight insurance fraud.
Leaked Documents Show 'Alligator Alcatraz' Could Cost Over $600 Million
More questions arise over how Florida’s newest immigration detention center is being funded by the Trump administration.
The 'Big Beautiful Bill' Funds an Expensive Immigration Crackdown
Billions upon billions of dollars are allocated for border screening technology, immigration detention facilities, more ICE agents, and building a border wall.
The Trump Administration Says Its Speech-Based Deportation Policy 'Does Not Exist'
The government’s lawyers also say that supposedly nonexistent policy is perfectly consistent with the First Amendment.
Trump Reiterates His Promise To Protect Farm and Hospitality Workers From 'Pretty Vicious' Deportation
The president is torn between the economic concerns of his supporters and the demands of immigration hardliners.
There's No Good Reason for Cities and States To Build or Subsidize Sports Stadiums
“There's no such thing as a free stadium,” says J.C. Bradbury. “You can't just pull revenue out of thin air.”
The Republican-Appointed Judge Decrying Trump's 'Deeply Disturbing' Attacks on the Rule of Law
When Arizona Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick is worried about our constitutional order, we should all pay heed.
Why Are Immigrants From Tropical Countries Coming to This Arctic Outpost?
"Why not here?" says the owner of a Lebanese restaurant in Canada's semiautonomous Nunavut Territory.
The Insanity of Trump's Big Beautiful Bill
Plus: Trump's E.U. trade deadline, masked ICE agents, and Elon Musk's third party
Writings on the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution
Links to some of my previous writings on these topics, which remain relevant today.
Trump vs. the Declaration of Independence
Several of the items on the Declaration's list of grievances against King George III also apply to Donald Trump today.
Independence Day Reminds Us You Can Be American by Choice
Despite our problems, the U.S. offers the sort of freedom, liberty, and opportunity that is anathema to many places around the world.
A Broad Ruling Against Trump's Immigration Policies Illustrates Alternatives to Universal Injunctions
Class actions and Administrative Procedure Act claims can achieve much the same result as the nationwide orders that the Supreme Court rejected.
The Everglades Jetport Was Supposed To Be a World Wonder. Now It's 'Alligator Alcatraz.'
Our dreams have fallen from supersonic world travel to jailing migrants who've hurt no one.
Cincinnati's Beer-Loving Germans Endured Anti-Immigrant and Anti-Alcohol Resistance
The city's German immigrant experience suggests that immediate assimilation isn't necessary to eventual assimilation.
Federal Court Rules Against Trump's "Invasion" Executive Order
But, notably, the court chose not to rule on the issue of what qualifies as an "invasion."
Florida Plans To Deputize 9 National Guardsmen as Immigration Judges To Increase Deportations
Legal experts are concerned that immigration judges with only six weeks of training will not uphold constitutional protections for migrants.
The First Amendment Protects CNN's Reporting on ICEBlock and Iran
The Justice Department cannot constitutionally prosecute a news outlet for covering the news.
Trump Visits $450 Million 'Alligator Alcatraz,' Suggests Taxpayers Should Fund More of Them
Only eight days after construction began, Florida’s new immigration detention center in the Everglades is set to officially open this week.
J.D. Vance Says Immigrants Will 'Bankrupt' the Federal Government. The Opposite Is True.
Vance cast the tie-breaking vote for a bill that will add $4 trillion to the debt. Meanwhile, immigrants are helping to keep the federal government's fiscal house of cards propped up.
Trump's 'Giant Win' Does Not Validate His Unconstitutional Birthright Citizenship Order
Tellingly, the president avoided defending his dubious interpretation of the 14th Amendment at the Supreme Court.
Trump Says the Courts Have No Business Questioning His Dubious Definition of 'Alien Enemies'
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit is considering whether the president properly invoked the Alien Enemies Act to deport alleged gang members.
The U.S. Is Closing Every Door on Afghan Allies
Afghan prosecutors, interpreters, and other U.S. partners are being evicted, abandoned, or forced back into Taliban hands.
Trump's Travel Ban Will Not Make Americans Safer
The president's cruel and pointless ban on immigration or visits from nationals of 12 countries will have no significant safety benefit for Americans.
Trump Is Now More Powerful Thanks to the Supreme Court. But Will It Last?
Plus: Conservatives won big overall this year at the Supreme Court.
Why Free Movement Is Essential to a Free Society
Reason's 2025 travel issue takes seriously the idea that the right to roam is inseparable from the right to speak, to work, to love, and to associate freely.
Trump Administration Targets Iranian Christians for Deportation
They face severe persecution if deported to Iran.
New Orleans City Council Considers Ordinance To Adopt Real-Time Facial Recognition Technology
America is slipping steadily down the slippery slope to a surveillance state.
How DHS Facial Recognition Tech Spread to ICE Enforcement
More government agencies are using facial recognition for enforcement than ever before.
Supreme Court Rules 6–3 for Trump, Limits 'Nationwide Injunctions' in Birthright Citizenship Case
“Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch,” declared Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
A Bad Decision on Nationwide Injunctions
Today's Supreme Court ruling barring nationwide injunctions could empower the federal government to engage in large-scale violations of the Constitution. Exactly how bad the consequences will be depends on the extent to which other remedies can be used to forestall them.
Supreme Court Nukes Universal Injunctions (UPDATED)
Justice Barrett writes for the Court's majority that universal injunctions likely exceed the equitable power of federal courts.
Trump Plans To Dismiss Hundreds of Thousands of Asylum Claims To Boost Deportations
Dismissing asylum applications for migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully would boost immigration-related arrests, but have little impact on public safety.
Immigration Raids Are Ensnaring Innocent, Legal Bystanders
That's inevitable. It should also be deeply troubling to anyone who cares about constitutional government.
Student Visa Applicants Will Now Be Forced To Make Their Social Media Accounts Public
The Trump administration continues its war against disfavored speech.
Trump Is Shutting Off America's Talent Pipeline
A new push to end work programs for international students will drive away skilled graduates and restrict U.S. innovation.
My New Just Security Article on the Nondelegation and Major Questions Doctrines
It explains how these much-maligned doctrines can be valuable tools for constraining power grabs by presidents of both parties.
