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Street-Level Violence Prevention Programs Have Been Decimated by Trump Just Ahead of Summer
Community-based violence intervention programs nationwide have long worked alongside law enforcement officers to deescalate conflict, prevent retaliatory shootings and, in some cases, arrive at crime scenes before police do. And a growing body of research has found a correlation between temperature spikes and violent crime.
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Surge of ICE Agreements with Local Police Aim to Increase Deportations, but Many Police Forces Have Found They Undermine Public Safety
The federal 287(g) program allows ICE to train state and local authorities to function as federal immigration officers. The use of 287(g) has surged since January, and as a criminal justice scholar, I believe this surge sets a dangerous precedent for local policing, where forging relationships and building the trust of immigrants is a proven and effective tactic in combating crime. The expansion of 287(g) will erode that trust and makes entire communities – not just immigrants – less safe.
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Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”
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Financial Surveillance Is Expanding—but So Is the Resistance
The last few months were hectic, but not all bad. Amidst the government surveilling cash, prosecuting people in bad faith, and creating new surveillance mechanisms, there were significant wins: Courts pushed back on overreach and Congress began to offer reforms to correct past mistakes.
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In Latest Attack on Jewish Community, Suspect in Museum Shooting Posted Manifesto Calling to 'Bring the War Home'
On the evening of 21 May 2025, shortly after 9:00 pm, Elias Rodriguez, 30, of Chicago, Illinois, allegedly shot and killed two Israeli embassy staff members as they were leaving an AJC (American Jewish Committee) Young Diplomats event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington DC. As he was taken into custody, Rodriguez shouted, “Free, free Palestine.” An online manifesto posted on X lays out the reasons for the attack.
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Safety and Security at Institutions of Higher Education
Ensuring the safety of students, faculty, and staff is a multifaceted challenge that requires institutions of higher education to navigate myriad threats, hazards, and risks.
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Security Theater REALized and Flying without REAL ID
After multiple delays of the REAL ID Act of 2005 and its updated counterpart, the REAL ID Modernization Act, in the United States, the May 7th deadline of REAL ID enforcement has finally arrived. Does this move our security forward in the skies?
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Trump Administration Moves to Block the U.S. Travel of Mexican Politicians Who It Says Are Linked to the Drug Trade
In what could be a significant escalation of U.S. pressure on Mexico, the Trump administration has begun to impose travel restrictions and other sanctions on prominent Mexican politicians whom it believes are linked to drug corruption.
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States Are Telling Sheriffs Whether They Can — or Can’t — Work with ICE
Cooperation between sheriffs and ICE lies at the heart of Trump’s immigration policy.
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For First Time, U.S. Charges Sinaloa Cartel Leaders with Narco-Terrorism
Federal prosecutors on Tuesday charged alleged Sinaloa Cartel leaders with narco-terrorism and material support of terrorism for trafficking fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin into the United States. It is the first time prosecutors charged alleged drug traffickers with terrorism-related charges.
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Under the Radar: Militias Use New Terminology to Hide in Plain Sight
Across the United States, militia groups are redefining how they identify themselves and each other, signaling a broader effort to soften their image and manipulate public perception.
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Measuring Change in Terrorist Engagement: Challenges and Future Directions
Changes in risk and protective factors can signal disengagement, enabling risk management resources to be allocated where they are needed most.
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Protecting Our Borders: Leveraging Technological Assets and Local Knowledge in Remote Communities
Along its northern and southern borders—some areas of which are vast, often forbidding wilderness—the United States confronts threats from foreign adversaries, their proxies, and transnational criminal organizations. Fighting back requires more advanced technological tools combined with knowledge of the terrain from tribal populations or other communities around the borderlands.
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Chicago Economist Argues for Social Intervention on Gun Violence
In his new book, University of Chicago’s Jens Ludwig makes the case for a pragmatic approach. Instead of waiting for the U.S. to solve gun violence by addressing its social problems, incarcerating people, and reducing the number of guns in circulation, he argues for a short-term solution: social intervention in places most affected by interpersonal violence.
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States Push to Combat Human Trafficking Amid Federal Funding Cuts
States are moving to strengthen protections against human trafficking, but some advocates warn that some programs might not have the resources to help survivors.
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The long view
Need for National Information Clearinghouse for Cybercrime Data, Categorization of Cybercrimes: Report
There is an acute need for the U.S. to address its lack of overall governance and coordination of cybercrime statistics. A new report recommends that relevant federal agencies create or designate a national information clearinghouse to draw information from multiple sources of cybercrime data and establish connections to assist in criminal investigations.
Twenty-One Things That Are True in Los Angeles
To understand the dangers inherent in deploying the California National Guard – over the strenuous objections of the California governor – and active-duty Marines to deal with anti-ICE protesters, we should remind ourselves of a few elementary truths, writes Benjamin Wittes. Among these truths: “Not all lawful exercises of authority are wise, prudent, or smart”; “Not all crimes require a federal response”; “Avoiding tragic and unnecessary confrontations is generally desirable”; and “It is thus unwise, imprudent, and stupid to take actions for performative reasons that one might reasonably anticipate would increase the risks of such confrontations.”
Luigi Mangione and the Making of a ‘Terrorist’
Discretion is crucial to the American tradition of criminal law, Jacob Ware and Ania Zolyniak write, noting that “lawmakers enact broader statutes to empower prosecutors to pursue justice while entrusting that they will stay within the confines of their authority and screen out the inevitable “absurd” cases that may arise.” Discretion is also vital to maintaining the legitimacy of the legal system. In the prosecution’s case against Luigi Mangione, they charge, “That discretion was abused.”
Are We Ready for a ‘DeepSeek for Bioweapons’?
Anthropic’s Claude 4 is a warning sign: AI that can help build bioweapons is coming, and could be widely available soon. Steven Adler writes that we need to be prepared for the consequences: “like a freely downloadable ‘DeepSeek for bioweapons,’ available across the internet, loadable to the computer of any amateur scientist who wishes to cause mass harm. With Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 having finally triggered this level of safety risk, the clock is now ticking.”
How DHS Laid the Groundwork for More Intelligence Abuse
I&A, the lead intelligence unit of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) —long plagued by politicized targeting, permissive rules, and a toxic culture —has undergone a transformation over the last two years. Spencer Reynolds writes that this effort falls short. “Ultimately, Congress must rein in I&A,” he adds.