(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump took measures to lessen the impact of tariffs on U.S. automakers, but vehicle prices are expected to increase. 

“We just wanted to help them during this little transition, short term,” Trump said. “We didn’t want to penalize them.”

The 25% tariff on imported cars remains, and a new 25% tariff on auto parts will go into effect May 3. But Trump’s latest executive order allows reimbursements for U.S. producers importing car parts, which will be subject to 25% tariffs starting May 3. The maximum reimbursement will be 3.75% of the value of domestically produced cars. The cap falls to 2.5% for the second year and is phased out entirely after that.

Trump’s executive order also means that automakers that pay tariffs on imported cars won’t be required to pay other import duties, such as those on steel and aluminum.

“They all want to come back to Michigan and build cars again. You know why? Because of our tax and tariff policy,” Trump said Tuesday during his rally in Michigan. “We’re giving them a little time before we slaughter them if they don’t do this.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the goal was to get automakers to create more U.S. jobs.

“President Trump has had meetings with both domestic and foreign auto producers, and he’s committed to bringing back auto production to the U.S.,” Bessent said. “So we want to give the automakers a path to do that, quickly, efficiently and create as many jobs as possible.”

Still, vehicle prices are expected to increase as tariffs reshape the market.

Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke said “uncertainty remains acute, especially regarding what will happen with the tariffs.” 

“Supply has since tightened and prices have moved higher,” he said. “With higher prices, urgency has diminished.”

Smoke said the next two months could set the stage for the rest of the year. 

“Instead of putting China first, I’m putting Michigan first and I’m putting America first,” Trump said at the Macomb County Rally.

Even before Trump’s auto tariffs, cars were too expensive for many Americans. The average price of a new vehicle in the U.S. is above $48,000, according to Cox Automotive. Real median household income was $80,610 in 2023, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, more than 40% of new-vehicle sales by volume in 2024 were priced below $40,000.

(The Center Square) – As U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers continue to make arrests in the interior of the U.S., U.S. attorneys in Texas are prosecuting illegal border crossers, including previously deported convicted felons.

In one week, they filed nearly 600 immigration related cases, the most of any district in southwest border states.

In the Southern District of Texas, 216 cases were filed from April 11 through 17.

The majority, 119, face illegal entry charges; 11 cases involve human smuggling.

Another 86 illegal border crossers face felony illegal reentry charges. The majority already have felony narcotics, firearms or sexual offense charges.

Those charged with felony reentry face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Examples include convicted felons and Mexican nationals who were previously deported and illegally reentered the country. Those charged include Alejandro Contreras-Zapata after he was apprehended near Roma, Texas. He was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was deported in March, and illegally reentered the U.S., according to the charges.

Also arrested in Roma, Erika Camacho-Rodriguez, a convicted felon found guilty of human smuggling, was deported in March and again illegally reentered the U.S., according to the charges. Cesar Garcia-Rivas was arrested in Rio Grande City after being deported in 2020 and sentenced to 70 months in prison for kidnapping.

In other cases, juries handed guilty convictions and indictments in human smuggling cases.

A Laredo jury convicted a 25-year-old Laredo woman of attempting to smuggle a 3-year-old boy into the U.S. by claiming he was her biological son and using her son’s Texas birth certificate. She later told investigators she didn’t know his name and picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in exchange for $2,500.

A jury also delivered a guilty verdict in 15 minutes against a Lyford man who was arrested on human smuggling charges and found in possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Authorities found 150 CSAM images on his phone, including of sexual assault of children.

In another case, two illegal foreign nationals and a Laredo man were indicted on various firearms offenses, including possession of two machine gun conversion devices.

In the Western District of Texas, federal prosecutors filed 378 immigration-related criminal cases from April 11 through 17. Those charged also include convicted felons who were previously deported.

In one case, Mexican national Netsai Moreno-Suarez illegally reentered the U.S. after being deported in 2023. She was previously convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens.

In another case, Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Arturo Mendoza-Yerbafria near Sanderson for illegal re-entry after he was previously deported three times. He was convicted in 2018 of “bringing in and harboring aliens,” according to the charges.

In another case, Honduran national Efrain Antonio Corroto-Herrera was arrested near Eagle Pass after previously being deported twice. He was previously convicted in Austin two months ago of assault causing bodily injury.

In another case, Border Patrol agents arrested Mexican national Zacarias Bautista-Emiliano on illegal reentry charges after previously being deported five times. His criminal history includes a 2013 felony conviction for lewd or lascivious acts with a child under age 14 and two felony convictions in New Mexico in 2014 and Arizona in 2022.

In Austin, Honduran national Elvin Alexis Canelas-Morillo was taken into federal custody this month after he pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily injury in a 2023 Travis County case. He was previously deported four times; his criminal history includes burglary and evading arrest.

Also in Austin, Mexican national Heber Vivero-Martinez was taken into federal custody after previously being deported twice and voluntarily returning four times. His criminal history includes convictions of assault causing bodily injury and a DWI.

In El Paso, Mexican national Adolfo Martinez-Padron was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry after previously being deported six times. His criminal history includes two felony convictions of possession of a controlled substance, two DWIs, and assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

Also in El Paso, Mexican national Santa Cruz Garcia-Morales was arrested after previously being deported four times and voluntarily departing twice. His criminal history includes a domestic violence conviction in Salt Lake, Utah, and aggravated assault in West Jordan, Utah.

Multiple law federal, state and local enforcement agencies were involved in the cases.

(The Center Square) − A proposed constitutional amendment would give Louisiana lawmakers new authority to remove jobs from the state’s protected civil service system, while also shortening terms and tightening limits for members of the State Civil Service Commission.

Under the current system, most rank-and-file state employees — like social workers at the Department of Children and Family Services or accountants at the Department of Transportation — are considered as part of the classified civil service.

These employees are hired based on merit, often through competitive exams, and enjoy job protections that shield them from political interference or arbitrary firing.

Others, such as agency heads, the governor’s staff or university presidents, are considered unclassified — appointed positions that serve at the pleasure of elected officials.

Currently, the state employs 37,000 full time classified employees and nearly 25,000 full time unclassified employees. State Civil Service has governing authority over classified employees only.

State agencies are required to submit annual performance evaluations to the Director of State Civil Service. From 2019 to 2024, the number of employees classified as unsuccessful grew from 1.09% to 1.26%. At the same time, employees deemed exceptional also grew from 13.65% to 14.78%, according to the State Civil Service’s annual report.

“Today, we need a system based more on merit,”  Sen. Jay Morris, R-Grant, told the Senate & Governmental Affairs committee, adding that law currently “prioritizes seniority over performance, endless appeals and often court actions.” 

A similar sentiment is shared at the federal level. Just last week, the Office of Personnel Management proposed a rule to strengthen employee accountability, while addressing long-standing performance management issues in the federal workforce.

That proposed rule cites chapter 43 and 75 of U.S. civil service law, which govern how agencies handle poor performance and misconduct, are described as cumbersome and slow-moving — often ending in lengthy appeals with uncertain outcomes. 

According to the rule, surveys suggest many supervisors lack confidence in their ability to remove employees for serious infractions, a dynamic critics say erodes the federal merit system’s commitment to high performance and accountability.

Morris’ amendment would allow the Legislature to remove positions from the classified service by law, potentially instituting a shorter leash for those employees.

The measure would also shorten the term of Civil Service Commission members — from staggered six-year terms to four years — and limit service to two full terms, eliminating an exception that allowed long-serving members to stay on. 

The bill was not without opposition.

Though Berry Erwin, President and CEO of Council for a Better Louisiana, supports a more efficient civil service, “we’re also mindful of Louisiana’s history with political patronage — it’s been part of our past, part of our DNA. We recognize we’re no longer in that era, and times have certainly changed. But when we talk about reforming civil service, we think it’s important to strike a balance.”

Dr. Douglas Bordelon, an employee at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, argued the bill threatens to replace objective public service with politically influenced employment practices, and he dismissed claims that converting jobs to unclassified status would lead to better pay. 

“The solution to addressing this disparity is to ensure adequate funding of our positions, rather than converting us to unclassified civil servants,” Bordelon said.

Bordelon cautioned that the sweeping changes proposed in the bill could harm morale and make it harder for the state to attract and retain qualified employees.