Sarah Matusek

Denver

Denver Bureau Chief at The Christian Science Monitor

Denver bureau chief @csmonitor • Reporting on ideas in the Mountain West & immigration in the interior • Tips & trail recs: [email protected]

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Articles

How a deportation case is turning into a tussle over presidential authority

1 week ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek |Caitlin Babcock

Americans are waiting to see whether their country will correct what the Justice Department has called a mistake – a deportation that the Supreme Court has also called illegal.
In mass deportation push, Trump revives rarely used laws

1 week ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek |Henry Gass

In its hard-driving push to toughen immigration policy, the Trump administration has found an unusual ally: old and at times rarely enforced laws that can be used to further its goals. From an 18th century wartime authority to a World War II-era registration law, President Donald Trump is relying on a wide range of legal powers already on the books. The laws have become prominent tools in his effort to rapidly achieve major changes, including a pledged mass deportation of unauthorized immigrants.
This Colorado sanctuary gives animals a second chance - and a callback to the wild

2 weeks ago | csmonitor.com | Melanie Freeman |Sarah Matusek

At a distance, the snowy Rocky Mountains line the horizon like lace. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell this is Colorado, given the tigers, lions, leopards, and other foreign carnivores. This isn’t a zoo, and don’t let the fencing fool you. This is The Wild Animal Sanctuary, where more than 450 animals brought to Colorado’s eastern plains get a second chance to roam. The sanctuary spans over 1,200 acres and rehabilitates captive exotic and endangered animals.
More immigrants face deportation: What due process are they owed?

2 weeks ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek |Nate Iglehart

As the Trump administration claims broad authority to summarily deport “alien enemies” in an “invasion,” efforts to control U.S. borders and immigration are running up against concerns for individual rights. For immigrants, one of the most basic rights – the ability to have due process in a court of law – is in question. The tension isn’t entirely new.
Are we still friends? US-Canada border towns face a strange new reality.

1 month ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek

It’s the end of an era for a library straddling the Vermont-Quebec border. The Haskell Free Library & Opera House, a century-old symbol of cross-border friendship, says the U.S. government is setting new protocols that limit Canadians’ entry to the building that’s partly on their turf. Canadian officials and library leaders held an English-French press conference on the Quebec side Friday afternoon to highlight the library’s legacy.
Trump claims sweeping power to deport migrants – as legal fight escalates

1 month ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek

Over the weekend, the United States launched into its latest showdown over presidential power. Following a campaign pledge, President Donald Trump invoked an 18th century wartime law that he says gives him power to deport dangerous immigrants – in this case, Venezuelans he accuses of belonging to a notorious gang. Late Saturday, a federal judge issued an order blocking the administration from carrying out the deportations.
Columbia protester arrest ignites free speech tug-of-war

1 month ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek |Henry Gass |Nate Iglehart

The college campus tumult over Israel’s war in Gaza has collided with the nation’s immigration debate. The Trump administration’s framing of its detention of a Palestinian student activist as a defense against rising antisemitism is a move that launches, in effect, a new round of free speech tug-of-war. Nearly a week after immigration officials arrested Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder living in New York, there are still no formal charges against him outside of immigration court.
Should law enforcement work with ICE? Sheriffs in a ‘sanctuary’ state are torn.

1 month ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek

Outside the sheriff’s office, a white county flag flaps in a cold wind. Beside it stand the flags of the nation and the state. Sheriff Jason Mikesell of Teller County, Colorado, has thought a lot about how these three levels of government interact. How his rural county is limited – partly by state law – in aiding federal officials on immigration arrests. He’s been sued for trying. Why We Wrote ThisA mix of state and local measures gives Colorado its “sanctuary” status.
Here’s how Trump has remade US immigration policy in just 1 month

2 months ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek

What a month. Donald Trump’s blizzard of immigration policy changes has spanned the borders, the interior, and deportation plans. They’ve largely prioritized security over humanitarian concerns. His government paints unauthorized immigrants as national threats requiring a military response. This early on, the impact on public safety and the economy remains to be seen. Yet the number of illegal southern border crossings have continued a downward trend.
He’s ‘in charge’ of mass deportations. Why Trump listens to Tom Homan.

2 months ago | csmonitor.com | Sarah Matusek |Caitlin Babcock

Tom Homan, the “border czar” handpicked by President Donald Trump, has arrested, detained, and deported unauthorized immigrants since 1984. Friends call him loyal. Critics have likened him to a Nazi; he counters that the agency he once led deported real ones. Mr. Homan is positioned to play an integral role in shaping the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.