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The exterior of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Johnston, Rhode Island. (Photo by Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current) WASHINGTON — Federal asylum officers can deny interviews to asylum seekers and send them immediately to an immigration judge, speeding up deportation proceedings, under a rule U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published Tuesday. The  rule , which takes effect immediately, will allow USCIS, a Department of Homeland Security agency, to refer directly to immigration judges certain asylum cases — such as noncitizens who are not yet in deportation proceedings and are proactively seeking asylum — without first conducting an interview or including a referral letter to the judge regarding the applicant’s credibility. The interim final rule will be in effect while the agency collects public comments and finalizes the rule’s language. The move is a departure from how USCIS handles asylum cases. It could create weakened asylum claims bef...

An inmate in the custody of the Department of Corrections. The Alabama Department of Corrections said Tuesday that there was a "reasonable concern" that a 4,000-bed men's prison facility would not be completed before an Oct. 15 deadline. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Department of Corrections said in a statement on Tuesday that there is a “reasonable concern” that the opening of a 4,000-bed men’s correctional facility in Elmore County could be delayed. The statement said that Caddell, the contractor responsible for building the $1.25 billion Gov. Kay Ivey Correctional Complex, may not meet an Oct. 15 deadline to complete work on the project, based on the terms of a contract between the company and the ADOC. “Based on these factors, ACIFA (Alabama Corrections Institution Finance Authority) has implemented contractual remedies available to it under the DBA (Design-Build Agreement), including requiring Caddell to implement extraordinary measures such as addit...

Democratic gubernatorial nominee and former U.S. Sen. Doug Jones delivers a policy speech on July 27, 2026 in Birmingham, Alabama. Jones Monday outlined an ambitious policy agenda touching on healthcare, affordability and governmental reform. (Andi Rice for Alabama Reflector) Key points Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones said he would work for “three real opportunities” for Alabamians in health outcomes, government participation and economic prosperity. In an hourlong speech, Jones mixed traditional Alabama Democratic calls for Medicaid expansion and a lottery vote with new proposals like a demand for a data center moratorium, new investments in housing and child care and citizen ballot initiatives. If Jones were to win election, Jones would likely have to work with a Republican-controlled Legislature not inclined to advance his agenda. BIRMINGHAM — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Doug Jones unveiled an ambitious poli...

A mail ballot drop box is seen at a polling station on Nov. 4, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images) A federal appeals court over the weekend denied the Trump administration’s request to resume a controversial plan forcing significant restrictions on vote-by-mail. A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with  a lower court ruling last month that blocked President Donald Trump’s March 31 executive order restricting mail-in voting because the U.S. Constitution grants states — not the president — authority to administer elections. The executive order “directs unprecedented levels of involvement by federal officials in how states administer elections,” two appeals judges, Gustavo A. Gelpí and Julie Rikelman, wrote in  a Saturday order . Both were appointed by President Joe Biden. The panel’s third judge, Joshua D. Dunlap, concurred in part and dissented in part, noting that the Postal Service rule mandated by the executive order had...

The White House on June 11, 2026. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom) WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee voted Friday that South Carolina should hold the party’s first primary in the 2028 presidential election cycle.  The recommendation came after a competitive 26-19-4 vote in South Carolina’s favor over Nevada and New Hampshire. The decision is now pending final confirmation from a full vote of the DNC next month.  If finalized, it will mark the second straight presidential primary cycle led by South Carolina, after the Palmetto State served as the first contest in 2024. The committee also voted to expand the maximum number of early primaries to six, up from the base of four — with one state representing each region of the DNC.  The committee voted in favor of New Hampshire, Michigan and Nevada to make up the other three early primaries that represent regions.  New Mexico , whose Feb. 15 primary is ahead of Michigan’s, and Virgin...

Democratic voters in Alabama's 6th Congressional District with choose from (left to right) Maurice Mercer, Ashtyn Kennedy, Jacob Bouma-Sims and Keith Pilkington for the party's nomination in a special primary election on Aug. 11. The winner will face the Republican nominee in November. (photos courtesy of candidates; graphic by Andrea Tinker/Alabama Reflector) Democratic voters in Alabama’s 6th Congressional District will choose between four candidates in the special primary election next month. Jacob Bouma-Sims, Ashtyn Kennedy, Maurice Mercer and Keith Pilkington are campaigning to represent the district, which covers central Alabama counties including Shelby, Autauga, Elmore and part of Jefferson. The winner of the Democratic primary will face either current U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Birmingham, or his Republican opponent Case Dixon in the November general election. The district leans Republican.  GET THE MORN...