Federal funding cuts endanger public safety

Jenny Kane/AP

Taking Away Federal Support for Crime Prevention

The Trump administration says that its immigration crackdown is necessary to protect public safety, even though there’s no evidence linking immigrants to crime trends. At the same time, it’s cutting funding for real solutions that have solid track records of making communities safer. Our experts examine the Justice Department’s cancellation of $820 million in grants that supported violence prevention, victims’ services, and criminal justice research and call on Congress and law enforcement to push for restoring this vital funding.

A Threat to Voters’ Right to Sue

Since the Voting Rights Act was passed in 1965, voters have been able to challenge discriminatory policies in court under the law. But now, a federal appeals court has adopted a fringe legal theory that takes that right away from voters in several states. A Brennan Center analysis explains the importance of voter-led legal challenges and urges other courts not to close off this important avenue for voting rights enforcement.

Courts Can Check Bad Presidential Judgment

Litigation is ongoing over President Trump’s use of an outdated wartime authority to deport immigrants he alleges are members of a Venezuelan gang. The key issue is whether courts can challenge the president’s assertion that the gang’s criminal activities amount to an invasion of the United States — a claim that is clearly false. When military judgments are so obviously wrong, courts must step in to check presidential power.

DHS Tool Risks Wrongful Voter Purges

A federal online system used to verify people’s citizenship and immigration status could put voters at risk. Called the SAVE program, its results rely on databases that can be incomplete or inaccurate, leading to mistakes. If state and local governments aren’t careful in how they use SAVE in the context of voter list maintenance, eligible American voters could be wrongly removed from the rolls.

Rising Risks for Immigrant Children

The Trump administration’s policies are expected to place more immigrant children in federal custody, even as concerns mount over harmful conditions in family detention centers. What’s more, the status of the decades-old court settlement that sets standards for how children in immigration custody must be treated is uncertain. Our new explainer breaks down the most pressing issues around family detention.

Labor Rights Under the Constitution

History suggests that the U.S. Constitution supports workers’ rights. But over the past 50 years, the Supreme Court has interpreted it in ways that have weakened those rights. A Brennan Center analysis argues that labor’s constitutional power can be revived — but only if workers fight for it.

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VIRTUAL EVENT: The Rise of the Imperial Presidency
Tuesday, August 5, 3–4 p.m. ET
The executive branch has amassed tremendous power, challenging the constitutional balance among the branches of government. Now the once-fringe “unitary executive theory” is central to debates over presidential authority. It envisions a king-like president largely unconstrained by Congress or the courts — and the conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court could go along with it.

Join us for a discussion with historians and legal experts. The conversation will examine the modern presidency, the origins of the unitary executive theory, and its implications for the future of American democracy. RSVP today

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