August 26: ICE Agent Castro Release and USPS Ballot Lawsuit

Minnesota shooting case
A federal judge denied Minnesota’s emergency effort to keep ICE agent Christian Castro jailed in Texas while Governor Greg Abbott considers an extradition request. Castro’s 90-day detention is set to expire Thursday, and he could be released unless Abbott signs a rendition warrant or another court intervenes. Castro faces four felony assault charges and a misdemeanor false-report charge stemming from a January shooting in Minnesota that injured a person in the leg.
Immigration policy
The State Department says it is preparing to revoke tourist and business visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to foreign nationals who have sought asylum or are currently seeking it. Separately, newly released data from the Deportation Data Project says ICE detained nearly 50,000 people in July, its highest monthly total of President Trump’s second term.
Florida International University
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking FIU from disciplining students who silently wore “ICE OFF FIU” shirts indoors. The judge found the university likely violated the students’ free-speech rights after issuing misconduct charges, reprimands, and mandatory video reflections over the protest of FIU’s cooperation with immigration enforcement. The lawsuit continues.
Election administration
Twenty-five states are suing the U.S. Postal Service over a proposed rule they say would give the agency undue control over mail-in ballots before the midterm elections. The states are asking a court to block the rule.
Massachusetts
Federal authorities arrested state Representative Francisco Paulino on charges alleging pandemic-relief fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he obtained hundreds of thousands of dollars between April 2020 and December 2021. He was due to be arraigned in Boston.
Health
The FDA has approved Rasonque as a new treatment option for people with advanced pancreatic cancer. The approval adds another therapy in a disease where treatment choices have remained limited.
England and Wales
The Met Office issued new thunderstorm warnings for Thursday as heavy rain continues to raise the risk of flash flooding in parts of England and Wales.