Supreme Court Intervenes in Private ICE Contractor Case

The Supreme Court on Wednesday, Refused to Shield a Major Private Prison Company from a Lawsuit Alleging Immigration Detainees in Colorado, were Forced to Work for Little or No Pay.

In a Unanimous Procedural Ruling, the Justices Rejected an Appeal from the Florida-based GEO Group, which sought to Quickly Overturn a Lower Court Decision Allowing the Case to Proceed.

The Ruling does Not Decide the Merits of the Lawsuit, but Clears the way for it to continue. If GEO Group Loses the Case, it can File its Appeal then.

The Lawsuit, First Filed in 2014, Alleges that Detainees at a Facility in Aurora, were Required to Perform Unpaid Janitorial Work and other Jobs to Maintain Living Conditions and Supplement Inadequate Meals. Some Detainees Earned just $1 a Day, According to the Lawsuit.

GEO has Defended its Labor Program and Argued that, as a Federal Contractor, it should be Immune from such Lawsuits, because they were Carrying Out Government Instructions.

After a Federal Judge Ruled the Company was Not Entitled to Immunity, GEO turned to the Supreme Court, but to No Avail.

GEO Group is One of the Largest Private Detention Providers in the U.S. Managing or Owning roughly 77,000 Beds across 98 Facilities. The Company Operates Immigration Detention Centers Nationwide, including a Newly Opened Federal Facility in Newark, New Jersey, where Mayor Ras Baraka (D) was Arrested during a Protest in 5/2025 before Charges were later Dropped.

Similar Lawsuits have been Filed in other States. In Washington, a Court previously Ordered GEO to Pay more than $23 million in a Case involving Detainee Labor Practices.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Withholds Minnesota Medicaid Funds

Vice President JD Vance (R) announced Wednesday, that the Trump Administration would withhold $259 million in Medicaid Payments for Minnesota, Escalating its Fight with the State as the White House Seeks to Elevate Health Care Fraud as an Election Year Issue.

“We have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money,” Vance said at a News Conference, standing alongside Mehmet Oz (R), the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Vance said the Decision could Presage similar Crackdowns in other States, including California, as Part of a “War on fraud” that Trump (R) Announced in His State of the Union Address Tuesday. Trump’s Administration has been at Odds on a Wide Range of Fronts with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). The Governor’s Office did Not immediately Respond to a Request for Comment. Walz late Wednesday called the Move Part of a “campaign of retribution.”

“Trump is weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota,” Walz wrote in a Social Media Post. “These cuts will be devastating for veterans, families with young kids, folks with disabilities, and working people across our state.”

Federal Authorities in Minnesota, have Investigated the Sweeping Abuse of Safety Net Programs for years, but in Recent Months News Reports, a Viral Video, and a Flood of Criticism from Right-Wing Influencers and Politicians have Drawn New National Attention to the Issue. At a News Conference in December, Joe Thompson, a Prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, said that Authorities had Identified “significant fraud” in 14 State Medicaid Programs, and that Fraud may Account for more than Half of the $18 billion that went to those Programs since 2018.

The Payments have already gone to Providers, but the Federal Decision means that, for the time being, the State of Minnesota won’t be Reimbursed. Oz Claimed that the Initial Impacts may Not be Severe for the State, with Money in a Rainy-Day Fund it could use to Cover the Shortfall. “This is not a problem with the people of Minnesota, it’s a problem with the leadership of Minnesota and other states who do not take Medicaid preservation seriously,” He said.

Medicaid, a Safety Net Program that Helps Low-Income Americans, Children and Older Adults Access Health and Social Services, is Funded Jointly by States and the Federal Government. Oz Visited Minnesota in January, Framing the Trip as a “fact-finding mission,” after Nick Shirley, a Conservative Activist, Drew Attention to Somali Run Day Cares and Alleged in a Widely Shared Video that the Centers were Fraudulently Billing the Government. Minnesota Officials have Disputed Shirley’s Account, and some Day Care Operators have said He Misrepresented their Encounters.

But the Viral Video Energized Trump's MAGA base, with Conservatives Demanding Accountability and Consequences for those Involved in the Alleged Fraud Schemes. Walz soon Ended His Re-Election Bid. Federal Officials and House Republicans Quickly Opened their Own Investigations into Minnesota’s Medicaid Program. Trump Directed Cabinet Officials to Prioritize the Issue. One Treasury Official is Leaving His Post after Privately raising Objections to the Crackdown.

“This is disgraceful. It’s happened for too long,” Vance said Wednesday. “Our social safety net will disappear unless we take fraud more seriously.” Trump on Tuesday Night suggested Without Evidence that the Federal Government could Balance its Budget by Cracking down on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse. Experts and Analysts have Cast Doubt on similar Claims in the Past.

Oz has said that He believes the Total Amount of Annual Medicaid Fraud is $100 billion. “The timing [of Trump’s announcement] was advantageous for the administration,” Capstone, an Investment Research Firm, wrote to Clients Wednesday. “Republicans face deteriorating favorability ratings on health care and affordability just as these issues are surging among voters’ top priorities ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.”










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Third Country Deportation Unlawful

A Federal Judge in Boston, Ruled 2/25/2026, that the Trump (R) Administration’s Policy of Deporting Undocumented Immigrants to Countries where they are Not Citizens is Unconstitutional, saying the Government must provide more Time for People to Legally Challenge their Removals over Concerns that they could Face Imminent Danger.

U.S. District Judge Brian E. Murphy’s Final Decision Invalidates a Policy Memo Last Spring, from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that Allows Eenforcement Officers to Deport Migrants to Countries that are Not their Own, with as Little as Six Hours’ Notice.

The Ruling could make it more Difficult for the Administration, which Immigration Experts said has sent Thousands of Mmigrants to so-called Third Countries, to continue to use the Practice as Widely, as Authorities seek to Speed-Up Trump’s Mass Deportation Program.

In an 81-page Rruling, Murphy said the Administration must give Migrants “meaningful notice before removal to any third country” and Allow them time to Raise a Country-Specific Objection. The Judge Criticized the Government for Implementing a Policy that Relies on Vague “Assurances” that the Migrants will Not be Persecuted or Harmed, Once they Arrive in the Third Countries.

“This new policy — which purports to stand in for the protections Congress has mandated — fails to satisfy due process for a raft of reasons, not least of which is that nobody really knows anything about these purported ‘assurances,’” Murphy wrote.

The Judge did Not Define how much Advance Notice the Administration must Provide before Seeking to Deport Migrants to Countries where they are Not Citizens. He Stayed His Decision for 15 days. to Allow the Administration to Seek an Appeal, which Government Lawyers have said they are likely to do.

The Ruling is the Latest Legal Decision in a Case that has Stretched on for nearly a year. Last Spring, Murphy Certified a Class-Action Lawsuit Challenging the Administration’s Third-Country Removal Policy and, as the Legal Fight Played-Out, Temporarily Enjoined the Government from Moving forward without Issuing a written notice and meaningful Opportunity for the Migrants to Challenge their Deportations.

The Supreme Court later Set-Aside His Injunction, allowing the Administration to Resume its Rapid Third-Country Deportations.

Murphy’s Final Ruling on the Merits of the Case Tuesday “is a forceful statement from the court that the administration’s third-country removal policy is unconstitutional,” said Trina Realmuto, Executive Director of the National Immigration Litigation Alliance, which is Helping Represent the Plaintiffs. “Under the government’s policy, people have been forcibly returned to countries where U.S. immigration judges have found they will be persecuted or tortured.”

The Trump Administration spent more than $40 million last year, to Send Hundreds of Migrants to at least 12 Countries that are Not their Own, According to a Report this Month from Senate Democrats.

The 30-page Analysis from the Minority Nembers of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Accused the Administration of Entering into Opaque Financial Agreements with Foreign Governments, including some with Poor Records on Corruption and Human Rights, to Rapidly Expand a Program for Third-Country Removals, that Once had been Reserved for Exceptional Circumstances.

Its Authors Contend that the State Department has Failed to Conduct Sufficient Oversight to Ensure that Payments to those Countries are Not being Misspent, and that Migrants Transferred to their Custody are Not being Abused or Mistreated.

Administration Officials have said they have No Choice, but to Partner with Foreign Governments that are Willing to Accept Undocumented Immigrants whose Native Nations do Not Agree to take them Back. In most Cases, the Migrants have Criminal Histories, Authorities said, though Public Records have shown that some have Not been Convicted-of-Crimes in the U.S.

The Report from Senate Democrats, which provides the most Comprehensive Look at the Administration’s Third-Country Removal Program, found that the U.S. Government has sent Migrants to 24 Third Countries. The Analysis focused Primarily on Five Nations: Eswatini, Equatorial Guinea, Palau, Rwanda, and El Salvador, which the Trump Administration has Entered into Direct Financial Payments Totaling $32 million.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

US House Fails to Pass Aviation Safety Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, Failed to Pass Key Aviation Legislation, after the Pentagon raised last-minute Objections, and Despite Pleas from Lawmakers and Relatives of those Killed in the Worst U.S. Aviation Disaster since 2001.

The House Voted 264-133 in Favor of the ROTOR Act, Passed Unanimously by the U.S. Senate in 12/2025, which would Require Aircraft Operators to Equip their Fleets with a Safety System known as the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast system (ADS-B), by the End of 2031. But under Fast-Track Rules designed to Expedite Legislation, the Bill needed a Two-Thirds Majority to Pass, and it Fell One Vote Short.

One Democrat joined 132 Republicans in Voting against ROTOR. The Act would Require the Military to use ADS-B on Routine Training Flights, but Not on Sensitive Military Missions. The Legislation followed the 1/2025 Disaster, when an American Airlines Regional Jet and an Army Black Hawk Helicopter Collided, in the Crowded Airspace over the Nation's Capital, Killing 67 People.

SAFETY SYSTEM WOULD HAVE PREVENTED CRASH: NTSB National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, said ADS-B would have Prevented the 2025 Collision and Noted the Agency has called for it to be Mandated for more than 20 years. NTSB said ADS-B could have Alerted the Passenger, Plane Pilot 59 seconds before the Collision and the Helicopter Crew 48 Seconds before.

"How many more people need to die for us to decide that action needs to be taken?" She told Reporters on Tuesday. After the Vote, She said it was "Despicable" it Failed. In 12/2025, the Pentagon said it Supported the Legislation, Sponsored by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-TX) and the Panel's Top Democrat, Maria Cantwell (WA). But in a Statement released on 2/23/2026, the Pentagon said the Bill could Create "significant unresolved budgetary burdens and operational security risks affecting national defense activities."

Cruz told Reuters He was Disappointed by the Vote, but was Confident ROTOR would Ultimately Pass and be Signed into Law. House Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves said on Tuesday that his panel would take up a rival aviation safety bill as soon as next week. Graves' bipartisan bill, known as the ALERT Act, is cosponsored by the committee's top Democrat, Representative Rick Larsen, and aims to be more comprehensive in responding to the NTSB Recommendations, but Critics say it would Not ensure the Broad use of ADS-B to Prevent Crashes.

The Families of the Crash Victims said in a Statement, they were Devastated and said the Bill was Not Defeated on the Merits, but by Misleading Technical Claims Rejected by the NTSB and the Pentagon's Reversal. "The same risk that killed 67 people 13 months ago is still in the sky tonight," they said.

Audrey Patel, whose Husband Died in the Crash, was Pregnant at the time, and Noted other recent Near-Collisions. "We know why this happened and how to prevent it," Patel said at a Capitol Hill Press Conference. House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL, 3rd District), Criticized the ROTOR Act, saying it would Undermine National Security. But He added some Military Aircraft should be Equipped with and Transmit ADS-B in Congested Civilian Airspace. He is also a Co-Sponsor of the ALERT Act.

Graves' Bipartisan Bill, known as the ALERT Act, is Co-Sponsored by the Committee's Top Democrat, Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-2nd District), and Aims to be more Comprehensive in responding to the NTSB Recommendations, but Critics say it would Not Ensure the Broad use of ADS-B to Prevent Crashes. The Families of the Crash Victims said in a Statement, they were Devastated and said the Bill was Not Defeated on the Merits, but by Misleading Technical Claims Rejected by the NTSB and the Pentagon's Reversal.

"The same risk that killed 67 people 13 months ago is still in the sky tonight," they said. Audrey Patel, whose Husband died in the Crash, was Pregnant at the time, and Noted other recent Near-Collisions. "We know why this happened and how to prevent it," Patel said at a Capitol Hill Press Conference.

House Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL, 3rd District), Criticized the ROTOR Act, saying it would Undermine National Security. But He added some Military Aircraft should be Equipped with and Transmit ADS-B in Congested Civilian Airspace. He is also a Co-Sponsor of the ALERT Act.

The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) said the Vote showed Strong Majorities in Congress, Support ROTOR Despite it Failing by One Vote. "Situational awareness is critical to preventing aviation accidents; it can save lives," the Union said, adding it will Aim to Add the ADS-B Requirements to the ALERT Act.

The ROTOR Act would also have Boosted Oversight of Commercial Jet and Helicopter Traffic and Flight Routes Near Commercial Airports.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

NY Calls for Tariff Refund from Trump

New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) on Tuesday, called on the Trump (R) Administration to Issue $13.5 billion in Tariff Refunds, after the U.S. Supreme Court Struck down Trump's Tariffs.

In 2025, shortly after Returning to the White House, Trump Imposed varying Tariffs on Most of the World's Countries. The move, which Trump called "Liberation Day," was Met with Legal Challenges from Businesses and some U.S. States. Those Tariffs, Hochul said, Cost the Average New York Household an Estimated $1,751 in added Costs over 2025, and Harmed the State's Small Businesses.

"These senseless and illegal tariffs were just a tax on New York Consumers, Small Businesses, and Farmers, and that’s why I’m Demanding a Full Refund" the Governor said.

Hochul joins Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D), who last week called on the Trump to Issue Refunds following the Supreme Court Ruling.

All Three Democratic Governors are considered Contenders for the U.S. 2028 Presidential Election.

The White House Dismissed the Calls by the Governors, saying they spent Decades talking about Issues that Trump was able to Address.

Reuters Reported last week, that Penn Wharton Budget Model Economists estimated more than $175 billion in U.S. Tariff Collections are Subject to potential Refunds.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (R) has said the Issue of Tariff Rrefunds would be Addressed by the Lower Courts.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Trump Administration Considers Requiring Banks to Collect Citizenship Information

The Trump (R) Administration is considering Executive Action that could Require Banks to Report more Information on the Citizenship of their Customers, the Latest Move by the White House, to Crack Down on Illegal Immigration.

The Steps under Consideration include a Potential Executive Order, Requiring Banks to Collect Information from All Customers, both New and Existing, and could Require New Forms of Documentation, such as a Passport, to Verify Citizenship.

Bank Executives and Industry Experts Fear the Potential new Documentation Requirements would Create New Impediments to obtaining Financial Services in the U.S., though People familiar with the Administration’s thinking, said the Details of any Forthcoming Order or similar Action have yet to be Decided.

It’s Not clear whether the Order would Require Banks to simply Collect more Information about their Customers, or go further by Closing the Accounts of Individuals who don’t have the added Documentation, such as a Valid Passport. Approximately Half the U.S. Population doesn’t have a Passport.

Officials within the Treasury Department were Working on the Initiative and Weighing Steps to Crack Down on Un-Documented Immigrants’ Access to Bank Accounts. “Any reporting about potential policymaking that has not been officially announced by the White House is baseless speculation," White House Spokesman Kush Desai (R) said.

Jeremy Kress, Associate Professor of Business Law at the University of Michigan, said the coming Order could Prevent many Legal Residents from accessing Traditional Banks, pushing them toward Highe Cost, Less Regulated Financial Services. “This is a way to weaponize the banking system to achieve political ends, which is exactly what the Trump administration criticized the Biden administration of doing with respect to climate and DEI,” He said.

The possible Executive Order would be the Latest Development in the Trump Administration’s Broader Immigration Crackdown. While the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been the Primary Agency, carrying out Trump's Mass Deportation Agenda, the Administration has sought other Ways to Collect Information on Immigrants.

The Washington Post Reported earlier this month, that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Improperly Shared Confidential Tax Information of Thousands of Individuals with Immigration Enforcement Officials. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) started a Nationwide Program in 12/2025 to Track 1.5 Million Undocumented Immigrants through Paid Contractors by using Remote Technologies and On-the-Ground Surveillance. (The lead contractor, however, said in January the contract is not being executed.)

The Justice Department (DOJ) last year, also began using a little-known Law to Criminally Charge Undocumented Immigrants, who Failed to Register their presence in the U.S. And the Social Security Administration (SSA) said in 11/2025, that it would be Sharing “citizenship and immigration information” with DHS.

Under Existing “know your customer” Rules, Banks are Rrequired to Collect the Name, Date-of-Birth, and Address of their Customers Information that is Typically on a Driver’s License and is meant to Prevent Money Laundering, and other types of Financial Misconduct.

But the Steps under Consideration go Beyond such Requirements, and could Require New and existing Customers to Prove their Citizenship Status. New Customers may be Barred from Opening Accounts without the Added Information. It’s Not Clear how the Order would Treat Accounts belonging to Non-Citizens who are in the Country Legally.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker

Ukraine Quadcopters Destroys Nearly Third of Russian Air Threats

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30% of Russian Air Threats Downed over Ukraine, were Hit by Interceptor Drones, a Top Commander said. It's a further Sign of how the Novel, Inexpensive, Technology is Growing in the Country. Ukraine said in 12/2025 that it was Producing nearly 1,000 of these Drones per day. Ukraine's Interceptor Drones now Account for almost a Third of the Russian Aerial Threats Destroyed, a Top Officer in the Country's Branch for Uncrewed Air Defenses said.

"If we take into account the share of interceptor UAVs in the destruction of air targets, we have already reached the mark of 30%," said Col. Yuriy Cherevashenka, in a Video Interview Published on Monday by Ukraine's Air Force. "That is, every third drone target that is destroyed in Ukraine is destroyed by an interceptor UAV," he added.

His Comments, Signal a Milestone in the Ukrainian use of Interceptor Drones. These are Typically Small, Inexpensive Quadcopters Optimized to Fly Fast enough to Catch Russian One-Way Attack Ddrones. These Air Defense Drones were an Emerging Novelty in the earlier years of the War, but Ukraine began Accelerating their Development in late 2024, as a Cost-Effective Answer to Moscow Ramping-Up its Regular Drone Attacks on Ukrainian Cities.

A year later, Ukrainian Officials said in 12/2025 that the Country was producing 950 Interceptor Drones per Day. Russia Launches Thousands of Long-Range Drones into Ukraine every month, and has been known to sometimes Accumulate over 800 of them to Attack in a Single Night. Its most Common Attack Drone is a Locally Built Version of the Iranian Shahed Loitering Munition.

Interceptor Drones are built to Destroy these Aerial Threats by Ramming into them or Deploying an Explosive Warhead. Much of a Successful Interception, relies on the Skill of thePpilot and Crew, Who must Spot the Shahed Quickly, Approach its Trajectory, Track its Position, and then Fly their Drone into the Russian Device.

Not All Interceptors are Quadcopters, but many are Designed with Four Propellers and a Dome-like-Frame to reach Extreme Sspeeds, since the Typical Shahed can Reach up to 115 mph, while more Advanced Versions are Estimated to Reach 230 mph. Cherevashenka said that Ukrainian Officials initially Worried about Dealing with 350 Shahed Attacks a month. Now, however, it's Common for Ukraine to Fight 350 Shahed Attacks per Day, He added.

"Compared to 2022, when the first drone arrived in September over Kyiv, it had a 40-kilogram warhead and was a primitive drone flying by coordinates," the Colonel said. "Now, we have 14 types of warheads for the strike drones of the Russian Federation." Cherevashenka further Warned that Russia has been Incorporating Artificial Intelligence into its Shaheds, and is known to use Mesh Networks to Guide them.

Earlier this year, Ukraine Reported that Russian Troops were Regularly Accessing Starlink Networks via Black Market Terminals, including to Guide Shahed Attack Drones. The Complaints Prompted SpaceX to Cut their Connectivity over the War Zone and Allow Access only to Terminals on an Official Ukrainian Whitelist.

"We understand that this is not the end, that they will increase their capabilities," Cherevashenka said of Russia's Drone Industry. "Moreover, this year they have invested in the production of twice as many drones as last year."

Interceptor Drones form just One Ppart of Ukraine's Multi-Layered Air Defense Network. The Country also commonly Deploys Truck-Mounted Machine-Gun Crews to Shoot Down Shaheds, Reserving Interceptor Munitions for Hhigher Priority Threats, such as Russian Ccruise or Ballistic Missiles.










NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote! Michael H. Drucker