Connect with us

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Hundreds rally in Birmingham in support of immigrant rights

Published

on

alabamareflector.com – Alander Rocha – 2025-02-22 18:18:00

Hundreds rally in Birmingham in support of immigrant rights

by Alander Rocha, Alabama Reflector
February 22, 2025

BIRMINGHAM — Nine-year-old Callan Medina joined his parents and at least 500 immigrants and supporters in Birmingham Saturday for a simple reason. 

“They like it here,” Medina said.

The protest at Railroad Park in support of immigrants comes as the Trump administration is moving to rapidly deport those without legal status and as the Alabama Legislature has advanced several bills targeting immigrants in the 2025 session.

The bills would ban driver’s licenses from at least two states issued to migrants in the country without permission; ban transporting immigrants without status into Alabama and require law enforcement to collect DNA and fingerprints from detained migrants. 

Callan Medina holds a sign at a protest of anti-immigration bills in the Alabama Legislature on February 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)

Another bill would allow law enforcement to hold someone they suspect is in the country without permission in custody for up to 48 hours until they verify their legal status with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Alabama’s immigrant communities are small compared to the rest of the country. According to the U.S. Census, only 4% of the state’s population is foreign-born. In the United States as a whole, 14.3% of the population was born in another country.

People started trickling in the park entrance around 1 p.m., but quickly picked up within an hour, with hundreds of people, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder so they could hear the speakers, showing up before the crowd marched up and down 1st Avenue in downtown Birmingham. As they marched, the crowd chanted, “Say it loud and say it clear, immigrants are welcomed here,” and “The people united, will never be divided.”

Isabella Roque, a 14-year-old from Birmingham, said she was here “to fight for everyone who doesn’t have a voice,” like her “tios” and “tias,” or uncles and aunts. She said she hopes people understand that different people have different stories, and that “you never know what every person is going through.”

“I hope that we make people realize what they’re doing is wrong, and that America was built off Black and brown [people], and that they realize basically what they’re doing is wrong,” Roque said.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

SUBSCRIBE

The protest was organized by young college students, who said they feel they not only have the feel like its up to them to organize because so many people in the community are “voiceless.”

Isabella Castro, a University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) student and one of the organizers said to the crowd that she stood in there “recognizing her privilege” of advocating, but also the privilege to work and go to school.

“Dignity and human rights are not only privileges granted to some, but they are a birthright to every individual,” she said.

Protesters march around Railroad Park during a rally against bills targeting immigrants on Feb. 22, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. About 500 people attended the rally. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector)

Miguel Luna, a University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) and one of the organizers, said in a speech that they were there to fight for all immigrants, from DACA students who may feel uncertainty about their status to those fleeing violence in their home countries, and to remind lawmakers that they are united and and their voice “can and will make a difference.”

Luna said he was there to “demand” leaders in Birmingham, Alabama and the U.S. recognize the contribution of the immigrant community and work towards creating a path to citizenship.

“[My parents] came here like so many others, with dreams of a better future, not just for themselves, but for their children, for their families and for the generations to come. They have worked tirelessly, tirelessly, contributing to this country in ways that are often unseen yet invaluable,” Luna said.

He added immigrants have built homes, raised families, paid taxes and “enriched our communities with their cultures, labor and their resilience.”

“Yet, despite their sacrifices, despite their contributions, immigrants in this country, our families, our friends, our neighbors, are constantly under attack, policies are being written not to uplift them, but to push them into the shadows,” Luna said.

Castro and Luna are also plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit against a state law barring public funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs.

Juan Manuel Garcia, a Birmingham resident who immigrated with his wife from Mexico nearly 30 years ago, said that after President Donald Trump came into office, it’s been a different way of living each day.

“We try to live today because we don’t know what will happen tomorrow. So, everyone is very worried. It’s depressing. It’s sad. Too many emotions,” Garcia said in an interview, which was conducted in Spanish.

He said that they are here in search of the “American dream” and for a better future.

“If we’re here, it’s because we want a future for our families, especially our children, my wife,” he said.

This story was updated at 7:29 p.m. to correct Callan Medina’s first name.

YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE.

SUPPORT

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Hundreds rally in Birmingham in support of immigrant rights appeared first on alabamareflector.com

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama's Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday returns: Which items are eligible

Published

on

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2025-07-18 08:09:43

SUMMARY: Alabama’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday runs through Sunday, allowing families to purchase specific items tax-free. Eligible items include clothing under $100 (boots, diapers, jackets, jeans, uniforms), school supplies under $50 (binders, crayons, glue, pens, pencils), computers under $750, and books under $30. This tax break helps lower-income families save money, as they typically spend a larger portion of their income on school supplies. The holiday provides temporary relief from sales tax, making back-to-school shopping more affordable. A complete list of eligible items is available on the Alabama Department of Revenue website and WVTM 13’s site.

Alabama’s Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday returns: Which items are eligible

Subscribe to WVTM on YouTube now for more: https://bit.ly/2jvAaUD

Get more Birmingham news: http://www.wvtm13.com
Like us: https://www.facebook.com/WVTM13/
Follow us: https://twitter.com/WVTM13
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wvtm13/

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Loving Memories of Autumn Strickland | July 17, 2025 | News 19 at 6 p.m.

Published

on

www.youtube.com – WHNT News 19 – 2025-07-17 18:28:27

SUMMARY: Friends and loved ones of Autumn Strickland, the woman tragically abducted and killed in May, are honoring her vibrant spirit and generous heart. Known for her bold energy, love of horses, and deep loyalty, Autumn was a devoted mother, daughter, sister, and friend. She cherished time at the barn, helping others, and expressing love openly—even during her school years. Her two-year-old daughter Aspen survives her, while her son Lane passed away at age five. Friends remember Autumn’s fearless, compassionate nature and are committed to keeping her memory alive, especially for Aspen, hoping she will grow up knowing her mother’s love and strength.

Childhood and lifelong friends of Autumn Strickland spoke exclusively to News 19 about how they want her memory to live on …

Source

Continue Reading

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Democrats walk out on US Senate Judiciary vote on Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove

Published

on

alabamareflector.com – Ashley Murray – 2025-07-17 12:55:00


Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, was advanced by Senate Republicans for a lifetime judgeship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit despite a Democratic walkout protesting alleged ethical violations. Democrats criticized Bove for his role in dismissing bribery charges against NYC Mayor Eric Adams and firing prosecutors investigating the January 6 Capitol attack. A whistleblower accused Bove of encouraging defiance of federal court orders on Trump’s deportation policy, allegations Bove denies. Over 80 former judges condemned the nomination, citing concerns about Bove’s temperament, judgment, and alleged political loyalty. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination in a 12-0 vote amid procedural controversy.

by Ashley Murray, Alabama Reflector
July 17, 2025

WASHINGTON — Despite a walkout from Democrats, Senate Republicans tasked with vetting nominees to the federal bench on Thursday claimed to advance President Donald Trump’s former criminal defense attorney, Emil Bove, one step closer to a spot on the U.S. Appeals Court that handles cases in Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

A spokesperson for Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, told States Newsroom the panel approved Bove’s nomination in a 12-0 vote — that is, despite panel rules that state “at least two members of the minority” must be present to transact committee business. The Iowa Republican’s office did not immediately respond to a follow-up question about committee rules.

In a show of opposition, all Democratic members of the panel, with the exception of Democratic Sen. Cory Booker, stood up and left as Republicans on the panel cast “aye” votes to push Bove’s nomination to the full Senate.

Booker, of New Jersey, refused to stop speaking as Grassley called the vote.

“You are a decent man. Why are you doing this?” Booker protested.

In a post on social media following the meeting, Josh Sorbe, press secretary for the committee’s minority, wrote: “Shameful day in Senate Judiciary. Republicans broke numerous committee rules, ignored privileged motions, denied debate, and rushed through judicial nominees without real vetting. Sen. BOOKER admonished them for it, and Democrats denied quorum and walked out.”

Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the panel, later issued a statement acknowledging the vote took place, but maintained Senate Republicans broke committee rules by ignoring Booker’s request for further debate and moving ahead with the vote.

“Chairman Grassley claimed that he was following Committee precedent. This is simply untrue,” Durbin said. 

Questions about bribery charges, Jan. 6

Senate Democrats, former judges and advocates opposed Bove’s nomination over what they describe as unethical behavior, including questions about his role as a top Department of Justice official in the dismissal of federal bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams and in the firing of prosecutors who worked on cases probing the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol.

Critics also pointed to recent whistleblower accusations that Bove suggested ignoring a federal court order limiting Trump’s mass deportation campaign.

Bove represented Trump in his multiple federal criminal cases in 2023 and 2024, as well as in a New York state trial that ended in Trump’s conviction on 34 felonies for falsifying business records.

Trump appointed Bove as acting attorney general on his first day in office, and Bove shifted to principal associate deputy upon Attorney General Pam Bondi’s confirmation.

Bove’s nomination to a lifetime appointment on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit has been overshadowed by a whistleblower’s account alleging Bove told subordinates to consider defying a federal court order halting Trump’s deportation flights to El Salvador in March.

Both Bove and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, another of Trump’s former criminal defense attorneys, deny the allegations.

Grassley said Thursday prior to the vote that allegations against Bove “frankly crossed the line.”

“What we’re witnessing has all the hallmarks of a political hit job,” Grassley said.

Illinois’ Sen. Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the panel, said in his opening statement Thursday that Bove “should not be seriously considered by the Senate for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.” 

“He led this administration’s embarrassing efforts to strike a corrupt bargain with New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and he has been trailed by a history of complaints, long predating his affiliation with President Trump, about his temperament, his poor judgment and lack of candor before the court,” Durbin said.

Whistleblower complaint

Durbin and fellow minority committee members requested the panel hear testimony from Erez Reuveni, a former senior DOJ official who filed a whistleblower complaint in which he alleged he was fired for refusing to follow department orders to undermine the courts in Trump’s deportation cases. 

In the complaint submitted to the DOJ inspector general and Congress, Reuveni, who spent 15 years with the department, outlined “a pattern of deliberate defiance of federal court rulings related to immigration enforcement,” according to a summary from the Government Accountability Project and Gilbert Employment Law P.C., which filed the complaint on Reuveni’s behalf.

Lawmakers who viewed the complaint said Reuveni recounted witnessing Bove suggesting the DOJ might need to tell the courts “f— you” in relation to any order blocking the administration from sending planes full of deported migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act.

“Mr. Reuveni has made credible allegations against Mr. Bove, which, if true, clearly disqualify him for a lifetime appointment to the federal bench. Thus, it is imperative that the Committee hear from Mr. Reuveni, under oath, before we vote on Mr. Bove’s nomination,” according to a letter Monday led by Durbin.

Grassley shut down the request Tuesday, writing in a response that documents provided by the minority to support the claim do not “substantiate any misconduct by Mr. Bove.”

“I respect whistleblowers and the whistleblowing process and have taken this matter seriously. I note that the available documents and the public record are inconsistent with some of the whistleblower’s assertions, which have been reviewed in good faith,” Grassley wrote.

Dozens of former judges protest nomination

More than 80 former federal and state judges described Bove’s nomination as a “disservice to the constitution, to law enforcement and to the rule of law” in a letter to Grassley and Durbin Tuesday.

The judges, including former 4th Circuit Judge Michael Luttig, a George H. W. Bush appointee who endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris last year, slammed Bove’s “egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power, and disregarding the law itself,” adding that the allegations disqualify him for the position.

The letter cited Bove’s alleged role in firing Federal Bureau of Investigation agents and DOJ officials who prosecuted those involved in storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump pardoned all of the nearly 1,600 Jan. 6 defendants on the first night of his second term, including the most violent convicted felons.

The former judges also called Trump’s nomination of his personal defense attorney to a federal judgeship “deeply inappropriate.”

“In fact, when President Trump nominated Bove, he posted on social media that Bove would ‘do anything else that is necessary to, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.’ That statement underscores the peril of confirming a nominee whose principal qualification appears to be personal loyalty to the president,” the former judges wrote.

Lena Zwarensteyn, senior director of the fair courts program at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the list of concerns over Bove’s nomination “goes on and on and on.”

“I think when it comes down to it, you know, in a lifetime position that requires good judgment, wise discretion, good temperament and the dedication to the rights of all, Mr. Bove fails on every single one of those accounts,” Zwarensteyn told States Newsroom in an interview Wednesday.

GOP Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who announced his retirement after breaking ranks earlier this month on Trump’s budget reconciliation package, said Thursday he found nothing to prove Bove expressed support for Jan. 6 defendants — something that would have been a “red line,” he said.

“The fact of the matter is, I can’t find one piece of evidence where he said that the violent act against police officers were okay or condoned. If you find it, let me know,” Tillis said.

Bove, of Seneca Falls, New York, graduated from Georgetown University Law in Washington, D.C., in 2008. He clerked for Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Southern District of New York, and Judge Richard C. Wesley, who now sits on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.

Bove, 44, worked as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, and in 2023 became a partner at Blanche Law, the private firm of Todd Blanche.

Tense confirmation hearing

Democratic senators, and in some cases Republicans, peppered Bove with questions and concerns about the numerous misconduct allegations during the Judiciary Committee’s June 25 confirmation hearing.

Booker said he remained worried about a “pattern of behavior” first reported by Politico in February regarding complaints about Bove’s temper from former colleagues in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.

“The allegations align with reports about your abuse of power now at the DOJ,” Booker said.

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, pressed Bove on why the DOJ dismissed the federal corruption case against the New York mayor, who was charged with accepting illegal campaign contributions and luxury travel in exchange for favors.

The Trump administration moved to dismiss the Adams case in February, arguing the case interfered with the mayor’s ability to carry out immigration enforcement in the city. The administration requested a dismissal without prejudice — meaning Adams could be prosecuted again — but a federal judge ultimately dismissed the case in April with prejudice, citing concerns the White House would have leverage over Adams’ policy decisions.

“Do you believe in a higher being?” Kennedy asked Bove.

“It’s a very personal question, Senator, but I do,” Bove responded.

“I want you to look me in the eye and swear to your higher being when you answer this question, did you make a deal, a political deal, and dismiss the charges against Mayor Adams?” Kennedy said.

“Absolutely not,” Bove answered.

Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Democrats walk out on US Senate Judiciary vote on Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove appeared first on alabamareflector.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

This article presents the nomination of Emil Bove with a critical tone largely aligned with Democratic perspectives and concerns. It emphasizes allegations of misconduct, ethical questions, and opposition from Democrats and former judges, while providing Republican statements primarily as counterpoints or defenses. The framing highlights criticism of the nominee’s ties to former President Trump and portrays Senate Republicans as pushing the nomination amid procedural disputes. Although the article reports statements from both sides, the overall emphasis on Democratic objections and allegations suggests a center-left leaning in coverage, reflecting skepticism toward the nominee and the Republican-led process.

Continue Reading

Trending