8 mins read

US refugee policy for white South Africans is part of a century‑long effort to keep some English‑speaking nations white

Australia, Canada and the US identified themselves as ‘white men’s countries’ in the early 20th century and coordinated immigration restrictions to keep them that way.

6 mins read

ICE’s heavy‑handed immigration enforcement was tried once before – by Arizona’s notorious sheriff Joe Arpaio in the early 2000s

The Trump administration’s immigration detention policies appear to be, in part, inspired by the heavy-handed tactics of the former Arizona sheriff.

10 mins read

‘Big’ legislative package shifts more of SNAP’s costs to states, saving federal dollars but causing fewer Americans to get help paying for food

Work requirements will expand and exemptions from them will recede. How much states have to pay will be tied to the prevalence of mistakes, not fraud.

7 mins read

What a US attorney general actually does – a law professor spells it out

The combined political and legal roles and responsibilities of the US attorney general can create conflicts. Some attorneys general yielded to political pressure from the president – many did not.

7 mins read

Federal election observers once played a key role in securing voting rights for all − but times have changed

After the Voting Rights Act, federal election observers helped ensure fair voting, but that oversight has increasingly shifted focus − to monitor what Washington says is voter fraud and accusations of cheating.

7 mins read

Texas Tech’s new limits on how faculty teach gender identity and sexual orientation challenge more than free speech

A new memo blocks graduate students from writing theses or dissertations on certain topics, raising questions about academic freedom and the purpose of higher education.