News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Bill and Hillary Clinton speak to crowd during visit to Arkansas
SUMMARY: Former President Bill Clinton returned to Arkansas to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Clinton Presidential Library, addressing a crowd at the Robinson Center alongside former First Lady Hillary Clinton. The event featured over 15 speakers discussing the Clinton family’s impact over the past 40 years, emphasizing themes of hope and perseverance. Notable discussions included Clinton’s leadership post-Oklahoma City bombing and personal reflections from former colleagues. Attendees, including former Little Rock Mayor Lah Shackleford, praised the Clintons’ authenticity and commitment to service. The celebration highlighted ongoing efforts to inspire civic engagement and kindness within the community.
While in Little Rock on Saturday Bill and Hillary Clinton discussed many topics, including the 20th anniversary of the Clinton Presidential Center.
News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Man shot and killed in Benton County, near Rogers
SUMMARY: A man was shot and killed late last night in the Beaver Shores neighborhood near Rogers in Benton County. Police identified the victim as 41-year-old Kevin Nikel, who was shot in the abdomen and later died at the hospital. Neighbors described the area as usually peaceful and quiet, expressing shock and concern over the incident. Authorities have not disclosed what led to the shooting or if there are any suspects. The Benton County Sheriff’s Office declined to provide an on-camera interview. Residents say the tragic event has changed the neighborhood’s atmosphere, making them more cautious and uneasy.
Man shot and killed in Benton County, near Rogers
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News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Judge likely to keep Abrego Garcia detained to prevent quick deportation
by Ariana Figueroa, Arkansas Advocate
July 11, 2025
GREENBELT, Maryland — U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis seemed inclined during a Friday hearing to grant a temporary restraining order to block the Trump administration from deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he is released from pretrial detention next week.
Xinis said if she granted a temporary restraining order, it would be narrow and would prevent immigration officers from deporting Abrego Garcia from the U.S. It would also keep the longtime Maryland resident at a detention center near Maryland as the immigration lawsuit about the conditions of his deportation under a final order of removal proceeds.
She also upbraided Justice Department attorneys for claiming immigration officials had a detainer on Abrego Garcia, but not producing the document.
The attorneys for Abrego Garcia’s case in Maryland, which was brought after the longtime resident was unlawfully arrested by immigration officials and mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, are asking Xinis for a 72-hour restraining order if he is released from pretrial detention Wednesday.
Abrego Garcia awaits federal trial in Tennessee on criminal charges lodged while he was mistakenly removed to El Salvador.
The restraining order, if granted, would prevent the Trump administration from removing Abrego Garcia to a third country without proper notice and an opportunity to challenge his removal.
“The concern that we have here is that he’ll be gone in a blink and never to be heard from again,” Andrew Rossman, one of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, said.
Abrego Garcia detailed psychological and physical torture he experienced at the notorious Salvadoran prison CECOT. The U.S. is paying El Salvador up to $15 million to detain roughly 300 men at the prison.
Prosecution
As soon as Wednesday, Abrego Garcia could be released from pretrial detention on charges that accuse him of human smuggling that stem from a 2019 traffic stop. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Tennessee federal court on an order pausing Abrego Garcia’s release, at his lawyers’ request over concerns the administration could deport him if he is released from jail.
DOJ attorneys have said that the Trump administration intends to deport Abrego Garcia before his trial in Tennessee is complete.
Abrego Garcia has pleaded not guilty to the federal charges. His attorneys have accused President Donald Trump’s administration of using the indictment to save face in light of court orders finding Abrego Garcia’s deportation unlawful and the Supreme Court’s order for the federal government to facilitate his return.
Abrego Garcia has had deportation protections in place since 2019, barring his removal to his native El Salvador due to concerns he would experience gang violence there.
The Trump administration has labeled Abrego Garcia a leader of the gang MS-13, but has not produced any evidence of those allegations in court.
Xinis also raised the concern that Abrego Garcia could face harm in a third country because the Trump administration has labeled him a gang leader.
She raised the possibility that if Abrego Garcia is deported to a third country, that country could then take him to El Salvador.
ICE detainer produced
The Trump administration has placed a detainer on Abrego Garcia upon his potential release, meaning U.S. Marshals would hold him until immigration agents can arrest him and take him into custody.
Xinis has repeatedly asked DOJ lawyers for a copy of the detainer to determine what statue Abrego Garcia is being detained on.
DOJ attorneys said they were still working on it and Xinis slammed them for not producing it and said she wouldn’t take the DOJ’s word that the detainer even existed.
“You have taken the presumption of regularity and you’ve destroyed it, in my view,” Xinis said.
Halfway through the hearing, DOJ attorney Sarmad M. Khojasteh produced the detainer and gave a copy to Abrego Garcia’s lawyers, who have also been asking for a copy of the form.
Rossman said the detainer “has a massive hole in it.”
He said that according to the detainer, the reason for holding Abrego Garcia is a final order of removal.
However, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official testified Thursday that because Abrego Garcia is not in removal proceedings yet, the federal government cannot detail what actions it will take in removing him.
“We have an obvious chicken-and-egg problem,” Rossman said.
DOJ argument ‘defies reality’
Thomas Giles, ICE’s assistant director for enforcement and removal operations who testified Thursday, could not detail which track the Trump administration planned to take for Abrego Garcia. The agency is likely to try either deporting him to a third country or challenge the bar on removal to El Salvador.
Xinis also expressed doubt that the Trump administration has not had conversations on what to do about Abrego Garcia, given the high-profile nature of the case.
Khojasteh said that an immigration officer would determine next steps for Abrego Garcia.
“It defies reality that this is going to be left to a desk officer,” Xinis said.
Xinis said she’ll make a decision before Wednesday on a temporary restraining order.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sonny Albarado for questions: info@arkansasadvocate.com.
The post Judge likely to keep Abrego Garcia detained to prevent quick deportation appeared first on arkansasadvocate.com
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The article presents a narrative critical of the Trump administration’s handling of the immigration and deportation case involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia. It highlights concerns raised by a federal judge about due process, the lack of transparency from the Department of Justice, and allegations of mistreatment and unlawful deportation. The language emphasizes legal and humanitarian issues, portraying the administration’s actions in a negative light without explicitly endorsing a particular political ideology. The framing aligns with concerns commonly emphasized by center-left perspectives, focusing on immigrant rights, government accountability, and judicial oversight.
News from the South - Arkansas News Feed
Grant Hardin used black marker & soup can to create disguise that allowed his escape
SUMMARY: Grant Hardin, a convicted murderer, rapist, and former police officer, escaped a medium-security prison in Arkansas using a disguise he crafted from kitchen materials. He dyed a shirt with a black marker, fashioned a makeshift badge from a soup can, Bible cover, and button, and used an apron as a bulletproof vest. The escape, lasting 12 days in the woods, revealed serious staff failures: a kitchen worker let Hardin unsupervised for over an hour, and a guard left a gate open unattended. Two prison employees were fired, but lawmakers remain unsatisfied. Hardin’s threat level was reportedly too low for his offenses, prompting ongoing investigations.
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