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Louisiana colleges could be prohibited from requiring race, gender classes

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lailluminator.com – Piper Hutchinson – 2025-05-08 16:48:00


A Louisiana legislative committee significantly revised Rep. Emily Chenevert’s House Bill 421, now prohibiting public colleges from requiring courses covering topics like critical race theory, systemic racism, gender identity, and pronouns unless they are part of related majors or certificates. The original bill targeted DEI practices in state agencies; the rewrite focuses on banning specific curricula and DEI trainings. The bill passed the House and Governmental Affairs Committee 10-6 amid objections about rushed amendments and concerns from educators about limiting academic freedom. Opponents include the NAACP and Louisiana Democratic Party, while conservative groups and Governor Landry support it. Critics warn it could restrict essential racial bias training.

by Piper Hutchinson, Louisiana Illuminator
May 8, 2025

A Louisiana legislative committee has dramatically rewritten an anti-DEI policy proposal for state agencies that would now prohibit schools from requiring certain race and gender-based curriculum for undergraduate students. 

The House and Governmental Affairs Committee approved a substantially re-written version of House Bill 421 by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, which would prohibit compulsory classes that cover any of the following subjects: 

  • Critical race theory
  • White fragility or white guilt
  • Systemic racism, institutional racism or anti-racism
  • Systemic bias, implicit bias or unconscious bias
  • Intersectionality
  • Gender identity
  • Allyship
  • Race-based reparations
  • Race-based privilege
  • The use of pronouns 

Courses that include these topics could still be taught, but the classes could not be required for graduation. The bill makes an exception for majors, minors and certificates that are specifically related to race or gender studies. 

In its original state, Chenevert’s bill would have prohibited diversity, equity and inclusion practices in state agencies, but an amendment made public late Wednesday night drastically re-wrote the bill, focusing it on college and university curriculum in addition to forbidding DEI trainings. 

Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, objected to Chenevert putting forward major and controversial changes to the bill with little notice. Committee members voted 10-6 to advance the proposal.

Contacted for his reaction after the vote, LSU Faculty Senate President Dan Tirone said the measure would restrict subject matter experts from determining what topics are necessary for students to learn, though he said he appreciates the bill does not place a blanket ban on those subjects. 

“Having state statutes which limit what can be taught in many of the mandatory introductory courses across a wide array of fields …  seems to be the imposition of a bureaucratic process which will diminish the ability to adequately prepare our students and substitute policymaker preferences for the professional expertise of our professors and instructors,” Tirone said in a statement. 

Opponents of Chenevert’s revised bill include the Southern University Foundation, the NAACP Baton Rouge chapter, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Louisiana Democratic Party. 

“It’s been a known fact that there have been pervasive instances of racial and gender discrimination in our state and nation,” Louisiana Democratic Party chairman Randal Gaines said. “Those particular consequences have not been eliminated. So DEI programs not only help to remedy those consequences, but they make sure that they’re not repeated.” 

Conservative groups supporting the bill include the Foundation for Government Accountability and the Louisiana Family Forum. Chenevert told committee members that Gov. Jeff Landry supports the legislation. 

While Chenevert said she believes her bill promotes equality and eliminating bias, Black lawmakers on the committee raised concerns with eliminating practices they view as necessary. 

“I’ve only been able to get jobs in government agencies because they were forced to see me, they were forced to give me an opportunity,” Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans, said. “Because with my three degrees, I still was not given opportunity based on my merit because the color of my skin, and the gender that I was born kept me out of those places.” 

Marcelle also expressed concern that the bill’s language could prohibit law enforcement from receiving racial bias recognition training. Chenevert said she did not believe the bill would prohibit that training, but she indicated she was open to amendments that would clarify that. 

As it reads now, the legislation would prohibit any training, policies or procedures “designed in reference to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, or sexual orientation.” 

Last year, Chenevert sponsored legislation to require K-12 schools, colleges and universities to issue reports to the legislature on their DEI spending. Schools at all levels reported minimal expenditures on DEI activities.

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Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

The post Louisiana colleges could be prohibited from requiring race, gender classes appeared first on lailluminator.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-Right

The article presents a discussion surrounding a Louisiana legislative proposal that seeks to prohibit state colleges from requiring specific race and gender-related courses. The bill, led by a Republican lawmaker, aims to restrict mandatory classes in areas like critical race theory, gender identity, and racial bias. The tone of the article appears neutral in its reporting, but the focus on the controversial bill and the quotes from conservative groups supporting the legislation may subtly suggest a lean towards conservative perspectives. Opposition from Black lawmakers and liberal groups adds balance, presenting a broader view of the issue.

News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Boulet’s budget prioritizes transportation, city/parish cost sharing

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thecurrentla.com – Camden Doherty – 2025-07-17 13:54:00

SUMMARY: Lafayette’s 2025-2026 budget process begins with Mayor-President Monique Boulet setting her priorities after focusing her first year on stabilizing finances. Federal ARPA and CARES Act funds are ending, reducing funds for projects like road widening, parks, and transit subsidies. To address transit challenges, $300,000 is proposed for a micro-transit pilot program. Major infrastructure spending focuses on road improvements, flood risk management, and drainage programs. The budget includes investments in economic development, community planning, City Hall renovations, and arts modernization. Boulet proposes shifting more consolidated government costs to the parish due to its population growth, which may spark allocation debates.

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The post Boulet’s budget prioritizes transportation, city/parish cost sharing appeared first on thecurrentla.com

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News from the South - Louisiana News Feed

Where to find free backpacks, school supplies in Greater New Orleans

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wgno.com – Alexis Ware – 2025-07-17 10:39:00

SUMMARY: Several free back-to-school supply events are scheduled across Greater New Orleans to ease the cost and stress of school shopping. Highlights include the Children’s Museum Back-To-School Bash on July 26 in Mandeville, Victory Church’s giveaway on August 2 in Metairie, and the STEM Library Lab’s teacher event on July 24 in Metairie. Other events include the Vicious Ryders MC giveaway in Hahnville, Youth Empowerment Project and Ochsner Children’s Hospital’s fest in New Orleans East, and multiple giveaways on July 26 at locations like Xavier University and Joe W. Brown Park. Activities often feature free food, haircuts, and live entertainment.

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The post Where to find free backpacks, school supplies in Greater New Orleans appeared first on wgno.com

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Advocates for immigrants sue to stop courthouse ICE arrests

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lailluminator.com – Ariana Figueroa – 2025-07-17 05:46:00


Immigration advocacy groups sued the Trump administration for dismissing immigration court cases to fast-track deportations without judicial review. The administration aims to deport one million undocumented immigrants by year-end, resulting in arrests of immigrants appearing at court. The White House has fired Biden-appointed immigration judges and pressured courts to reduce a backlog of nearly 4 million cases. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of 12 asylum seekers, alleges unlawful policies allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest immigrants at court and place them in expedited removal, often far from family. Plaintiffs describe abrupt detentions, poor interpretation, and distress from these practices.

by Ariana Figueroa, Louisiana Illuminator
July 17, 2025

WASHINGTON — Immigration advocacy groups sued the Trump administration Wednesday for dismissing cases in immigration courts in order to place immigrants in expedited removal for swift deportations without judicial review.

As the White House aims to achieve its goals of deporting 1 million immigrants without permanent legal status by the end of the year and a 3,000 arrests-per-day quota for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, immigrants showing up to court appearances have been arrested or detained.

President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to reshape immigration court, which is overseen by the Department of Justice, through mass firings of judges hired during President Joe Biden’s term and pressuring judges to clear the nearly 4 million case backlog.

The suit was brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia by immigration legal and advocacy groups the National Immigrant Justice Center, Democracy Forward, Refugee and Immigrant Center for Legal Education and Services and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area.

The suit is a proposed class action representing 12 immigrants who filed asylum claims or other types of relief and had their cases dismissed and placed in expedited removal, subjecting them to a fast-track deportation. 

The individual plaintiffs, who all have pseudonyms in the court documents, had their asylum cases dismissed and were arrested and placed in detention centers far from their homes.

One plaintiff, E.C., fled Cuba after he was arrested and raped after he opposed that country’s government. He came to the U.S. in 2022 and applied for asylum and appeared for an immigration hearing in Miami.

At his hearing, DHS attorneys moved to dismiss his case “without notice and without articulating any reasoning whatsoever” and when he tried to leave the court, ICE arrested and detained him, according to the suit.

E.C. is currently detained in Tacoma, Washington, “thousands of miles from his family, including his U.S. citizen wife,” according to the suit.

New policies

The groups argue new policies from the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice are unlawful.

Those policies include the approval of civil arrests in immigration court, instructing ICE prosecutors to dismiss cases without following proper procedure, instructing ICE agents to put immigrants who have been in the country for more than two years in expedited removal and pursuing expedited removal when removal cases are ongoing.

“(DHS) has now adopted the policy that it will arrest a noncitizen and place them in expedited removal even if the immigration judge does not immediately grant dismissal or if the noncitizen reserves appeal of the dismissal—either of which means that the full removal proceedings are not over,” according to the suit. “In plain terms, DHS is disregarding both immigration judges who permit noncitizens an opportunity to oppose dismissal and the pendency of an appeal of the dismissal decision.”

The Trump administration has expanded the use of expedited removal, meaning that any immigrant without legal status who’s been in the U.S. for less than two years can be swiftly deported without appearing before an immigration judge.

“DHS and DOJ have implemented their new campaign of courthouse arrests through coordinated policies designed to strip noncitizens of their rights … exposing them to immediate arrest and expedited removal,” according to the suit.

The impact has been “severe,” according to the suit.

“Noncitizens, including most of the Individual Plaintiffs here, have been abruptly ripped from their families, lives, homes, and jobs for appearing in immigration court, a step required to enable them to proceed with their applications for permission to remain in this country,” according to the suit.

Detained immigrants’ stories

The suit details the plaintiffs’ circumstances.

One known as M.K., appeared in immigration court for her asylum hearing after she came to the U.S. in 2024 from Liberia, fleeing an abusive marriage and after she endured female genital mutilation.

DHS attorneys dismissed “her case without notice and, upon information and belief, without articulating any change in circumstances,” according to the suit.

“M.K. speaks a rare language, and because the interpretation was poor, she did not understand what was happening at the hearing,” according to the suit. “M.K. was arrested by ICE at the courthouse and detained; she was so distressed by what happened that she required hospitalization.”

She is currently detained in Minnesota. 

Another asylum seeker, L.H., came to the U.S. in 2022 from Venezuela, fleeing from persecution because of her sexual orientation, according to the suit. At her first immigration hearing in May, DHS moved to dismiss her case and has received an expedited removal notice.

ICE officers arrested L.H. after she had her hearing and she is currently detained in Ohio. 

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.

The post Advocates for immigrants sue to stop courthouse ICE arrests appeared first on lailluminator.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: Left-Leaning

This article presents a critical view of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices, primarily through the lens of advocacy groups and plaintiffs opposing those policies. It highlights emotionally charged personal stories, legal arguments, and allegations of due process violations, all of which frame the administration’s actions negatively. The article lacks input or counterpoints from administration officials or supporters, which contributes to a one-sided portrayal. While rooted in legal filings and factual claims, the framing and selective sourcing suggest a Left-Leaning bias by emphasizing the human cost and alleged injustices over a balanced policy discussion.

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