The Marshall Project news digest

Presented by Alfred A. Knopf Donate Edited by Andrew Cohen View in browser Join The Marshall Project for a concert: We hope you’ll join us and Musicambia on October 28 in NYC for Redemption Songs, a one-of-a-kind show that combines live music, storytelling, and journalism to tell the story of mass incarceration, one song at a time. Learn more and get your tickets. Pick of the News “I was treated like I was the problem.” More than a dozen current and formerly incarcerated women say they were victims of sexual abuse at the Central California Women’s Facility, the largest women’s prison in the state. The women say they were also retaliated against for reporting the sexual assaults against them or others. The evidence tracks the findings of a recent Justice Department report on dangerous conditions for female prisoners statewide. The warden at CCWF, Anissa De La Cruz, was recently demoted and transferred and several corrections officers are under investigation for alleged sexual assault. Cal Matters/KQED TMP Context: These problems exist within the federal prison system, too. The Marshall Project Immigration nation. A federal judge in New Mexico has ordered federal immigration officials to show cause why they should not be held in contempt for deporting a man after the judge ordered that he remain in the U.S. pending judicial review. U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico More evidence that local police were involved in ICE raids in Montour County, Pennsylvania. States Newsroom The Trump administration’s mass deportation policies have eroded Republican support among Latinos, making some House races in Florida more competitive. The New Yorker Conditions inside the immigrant jail in Adelanto, California, have improved but still fall short of sanitary standards, a lawmaker says. LAist The White House makes another move on California. The feds say they have arrested 28 people they claim have illegally registered and voted in U.S. elections as noncitizens. There were more than 277 million registered voters in the U.S. in 2024. There are more than 23 million registered voters in California alone. The Associated Press Details on the arrests. Los Angeles Times Former Justice Department prosecutors say they are shocked by the timing of the administration’s raid on the home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Democratic member of Congress from Minnesota. NBC News Former President Barack Obama criticized the raid and expressed alarm over remarks by border czar Tom Homan that Omar could be denaturalized. The Guardian Another person dies inside an immigrant jail in Texas. Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, a Mexican man, was found dead in his cell at the Rio Grande Processing Center on Saturday. He is the seventh person to die in ICE custody in Texas this year. The Texas Tribune The Trump administration is allowing immigrants from Ukraine and Sudan to stay for now in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status. That status was set to expire on Monday. The New York Times More evidence that federal immigration agents are targeting people with no serious criminal records. The New York Times Related commentary: The Department of Homeland Security conjures up images of White settlers as a nativist propaganda tool. Inquest The tao of capital mitigation. “Every life leaves a trail. Abuse, neglect, poverty, brain injury, trauma, addiction, resilience, acts of kindness, moments of courage — all become a part of that person’s story,” says Cynthia Short. She has spent decades as a defense attorney focused on the mitigation phase of capital cases. In short, she tries to convince judges and juries that her clients, who have committed murder and face the death penalty, are more than the worst moment of their lives and worthy of some sort of redemption. The Atlantic TMP Context: Take the time to listen to “The Last 12 Weeks,” a podcast from The Marshall Project about a defense team trying to spare a client from execution. The Marshall Project N/S/E/W The Justice