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Pope Leo calls for release of jailed journalists, notes their courage

Pope Leo calls for release of jailed journalists, notes their courage

The new pontiff talks of witnesses ‘who report on war even at the cost of their lives’. Pope Leo XIV has called for the release of journalists imprisoned for doing their work while affirming free speech. Leo, who was elected pontiff on Thursday after the death of Pope Francis, gave his first news conference at the Vatican on Monday. Addressing some of the thousands of journalists who travelled to Rome to cover his election as the first American pontiff, he said journalists jailed “for seeking and reporting the truth” must be released. “The church recognises in these witnesses – I am thinking of those who report on war even at the cost of their lives – the courage of those who defend dignity, justice and the right of people to be informed because only informed individuals can make free choices,” he said. “The suffering of these imprisoned journalists challenges the conscience of nations and the international community, calling on all of us to safeguard the precious gift of free speech and of the press.” The new pope also reiterated his message of peace that he had communicated to large crowds on Sunday as well. Advertisement “Peace begins with each one of us – in the way we look at others, listen to others and speak about others,” he told assembled journalists at the Vatican’s vast Paul VI Audience Hall. “In this sense, the way we communicate is of fundamental importance. We must say ‘no’ to the war of words and images. We must reject the paradigm of war.” Leo, who was active on social media before becoming pope, cautioned against  “communication of all prejudice and resentment, fanaticism and even hatred”. “Let us disarm words, and we will help to disarm the world,” he said, urging reporters to favour a path of communication for peace. During his first Sunday blessing as pontiff, Leo advocated for genuine peace in Gaza, Ukraine and elsewhere. He said he carries in his heart the “suffering of the beloved people of Ukraine” and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and release of all people held by the Palestinian group Hamas in the enclave. Adblock test (Why?)

Dem’s immigration reform plan adds Border Patrol agents, offers select migrants pathway to citizenship

Dem’s immigration reform plan adds Border Patrol agents, offers select migrants pathway to citizenship

Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego unveiled a border security and immigration reform plan that was immediately endorsed by several House Democrats.  Gallego, the son of Mexican and Colombian immigrants, offered a “five-pillar” framework he said expresses his commitment to securing the southern border. “We don’t have to choose between border security and immigration reform,” Gallego said. “We can and should do both.” STABLECOIN BILL, INITIALLY BIPARTISAN, HITS SNAG AS DEMS SPLINTER “Americans deserve the right to feel safe knowing their border is secure, but for decades, Congress has tried and failed to take action because politics got in the way. It’s time to push forward and enact a plan that works,” Gallego said. Typically seen as a Republican issue, Gallego’s border security plan combines GOP priorities like staffing-up the Border Patrol, with Democrats’ favored “pathway to citizenship” for select migrants, in part for economic benefit. Gallego’s plan also outlines asylum process reform by “expedit[ing]” people’s passage through the system and also seeking to enforce that other countries do their “fair share” to resettle asylum seekers and combat cartel violence and economic instability in their home areas. ARIZONA KAMALA HARRIS RALLY SPEAKERS COURT ‘JOHN MCCAIN REPUBLICANS’ SUPPORT; MAN BRINGS BORDER MAP FOR VP It increases the annual green card quota and increases the use of e-Verify, an application that verifies an employee’s legal status when it comes to working in the U.S. In terms of asylum case reform, Gallego seeks to hire additional officers to process claims and afford them more jurisdiction in deciding the outcome of applicants’ cases. “I commend Sen. Gallego for this pragmatic and much-needed framework,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, a supporter of the plan. “More Democrats need to move to the middle on this issue and embrace this type of approach,” he said. “As a border-district congressman, I know it’s past time we reform our asylum system, stop the flow of dangerous drugs by investing in our Border Patrol officers, develop legal pathways, tackle the root causes of irregular migration, and ensure South Texas, and communities all along the border – can safely thrive.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP In the north, Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., also lent his support to the plan. “Sen. Gallego is a serious Democratic leader, and I applaud him for offering a balanced immigration policy that secures our borders, fixes the broken asylum system, grows our economy, and treats immigrants with dignity,” Suozzi told Fox News Digital. “We can achieve these goals without pandering to the far left’s impractical demands or the far right’s mean-spirited extremism.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment on Gallego’s plan.

Federal judge’s order for Trump to return deported migrant temporarily halted on appeal

Federal judge’s order for Trump to return deported migrant temporarily halted on appeal

A U.S. appeals court will review the Trump administration’s bid to avoid returning a 20-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker who was deported to El Salvador earlier this year, keeping him in Salvadoran custody for now.  The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed last week to take up Trump’s appeal – staying through May 15 a lower court’s ruling that required the Trump administration to immediately return him to U.S. soil. The appeals court also ordered plaintiffs in the case to submit their response to the court before noon on Monday. The Trump administration will have through 9 a.m. Tuesday to respond. At issue is the case of Daniel Lozano-Camargo, a 20-year-old Venezuelan national previously referred to in court documents as “Cristian,” who was deported to El Salvador in March in the Trump administration’s early wave of Alien Enemies Act removals. FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS RETURN OF DEPORTED MIGRANT TO US, REJECTING TRUMP REQUEST U.S. District Judge Stephanie Gallagher, a Trump appointee, ruled in April that his deportation violated an agreement the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) struck in 2024 with Lozano-Camargo and a group of young asylum seekers who had entered the U.S. as unaccompanied children. Under that agreement, DHS agreed not to deport the migrants in question until their requests for asylum could be fully adjudicated in U.S. court. Last month, Gallagher said Lozano-Camargo’s deportation was a “breach of contract,” since his asylum case had not yet been heard, and ordered the U.S. government to facilitate his release. She reiterated that decision in court last week, rejecting a new filing from the Justice Department that said it had determined Lozano-Camargo was eligible for removal under the law, citing his earlier arrest and conviction for cocaine possession in Houston this year.  Justice Department officials claimed in earlier court documents that Lozano-Camargo was a member of a “violent terrorist gang” but have not linked him to Tren de Aragua. Portions of their most recent court filing have been redacted.  Gallagher had specifically ordered the Trump administration to make a “good faith request to the government of El Salvador” to “release Cristian, [or Lozano-Camargo], to U.S. custody for transport back to the United States to await the adjudication of his asylum application on the merits by USCIS,” which it had not done. BOASBERG GRILLS DOJ OVER REMARKS FROM TRUMP AND NOEM, FLOATS MOVING MIGRANTS TO GITMO IN ACTION-PACKED HEARING Gallagher emphasized in court last week that her decision has nothing to do with the strength of his asylum request, and is based solely on due process protections. “I don’t think that this is a case about whether or not Cristian is going to eventually get asylum,” she told lawyers for the Trump administration. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Process is important. We don’t skip to the end and say, ‘We all know how this is going to end so we’ll just skip that part,’” she said. “Whether he ultimately receives asylum is not the issue. The issue is – and has always been – one of process.” Still, Gallagher agreed to stay her ruling for 48 hours, giving the administration time to appeal it to the higher court, which it did.