This week’s policy round-up highlights major federal actions with deep implications for civil rights, immigration, reproductive health, and government transparency. From secret deportation deals to attacks on DEI and veterans’ healthcare, these updates reflect escalating threats to equity, accountability, and access across the country.
Immigration Under Pressure
Legal Victory Against Immigration Profiling in Los Angeles: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to reverse a Ninth Circuit decision that had blocked immigration arrests in Los Angeles without probable cause. The lower court ruled that arrests based on race, language, or job type were unconstitutional. The ruling prohibits stops based solely on race, ethnicity, language, location, or type of work—factors deemed too broad to justify reasonable suspicion. The Trump administration’s appeal was rejected, siding with plaintiffs including the ACLU and the city of Los Angeles. This decision preserves legal safeguards against racial and language-based profiling in immigration enforcement, curbing aggressive and unconstitutional tactics. It also serves as a judicial check on the administration’s broader immigration enforcement strategy, especially amid public scrutiny of military deployments during protests. For Arab Americans—who are often targeted based on language, appearance, or perceived immigration status—this ruling is a critical protection against discriminatory policing and unjust detentions. Stay informed and share resources with your community. If you or someone you know has experienced profiling or unlawful detention, contact local legal aid organizations or civil rights groups like the ACLU to report and seek support.
Humanitarian Paroled Immigrants Retain Due Process Rights in Deportation Ruling: A federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s plan to expand expedited deportations of humanitarian parolees, who are meant to be protected from deportation as they pursue their claims for asylum or other immigration statuses. The court found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) exceeded its authority and that delaying the policy better serves fairness and due process for immigrants fleeing oppression. The ruling protects hundreds of thousands of individuals from rapid deportation without legal recourse, preserving their right to seek immigration relief. It also offers temporary reassurance for those attending routine immigration hearings.
Secret Deportation Deals Raise Human Rights Concerns: Investigations reveal that the U.S. has entered into undisclosed agreements with Rwanda, South Sudan, and Eswatini to accept deportees who lack a country willing to receive them. The government has not disclosed the terms, criteria, or legal basis for these transfers. These secretive arrangements raise serious human rights and legal concerns, including lack of due process, vulnerability of migrants, and deportations to countries with limited protections. Sending individuals to unfamiliar nations without legal or personal ties may violate both U.S. and international law.
This practice undermines transparency and accountability in immigration enforcement and risks placing displaced individuals in harm’s way.
Barriers to Health & Bodily Autonomy
Proposed VA Rule Threatens Reproductive Rights for 2 Million Women Veterans: The Trump administration has proposed a rule through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to end abortion coverage for veterans and their families—except when the pregnant person’s life is at risk. This would eliminate exceptions for rape and incest, reversing a 2022 policy that allowed limited abortion access regardless of state restrictions. Public comments on the proposed rule are open through September 3, 2025. This rollback would drastically limit access to reproductive care for veterans, especially in states with abortion bans. Over 2 million women veterans live in the U.S., and nearly 400,000 reside in states with severe restrictions. For many, the VA is their only source of care. The change would be especially harmful to survivors of military sexual trauma—who make up more than one-third of women veterans—and could worsen physical and mental health outcomes. Submit a public comment opposing the rule before September 3, 2025, by clicking HERE.
Kennedy Pulls Plug on mRNA Vaccine Development: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. terminated 22 federal contracts totaling $500 million that supported mRNA vaccine development for respiratory viruses like COVID-19 and the flu. While some final-stage contracts remain active, new mRNA vaccine initiatives will be paused. This decision marks a significant shift in federal vaccine strategy. It follows Kennedy’s earlier moves to disband the CDC’s immunization advisory panel and question the measles vaccine’s effectiveness during an outbreak. While mRNA research for cancer treatment remains funded, halting respiratory virus vaccine development could slow innovation and preparedness for future public health threats. It signals a retreat from science-based public health policy at a time when trust in vaccines and institutions is already under strain.
Threats to Equity & Inclusion
DOJ Reverses Decades of Progress on Federal Workforce Equity: Last Friday, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division announced the termination of a 1981 consent decree that had eliminated the discriminatory PACE exam and created the Outstanding Scholar and Bilingual/Bicultural hiring programs to improve federal employment access for Black and Hispanic applicants. This move follows DOJ guidance threatening to cut federal funding for recipients who continue diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. The 1981 consent decree was a response to the Luevano v. Ezell case, which found that the PACE exam had a discriminatory impact on Black and Hispanic candidates. Its termination risks reinstating biased hiring practices and dismantling pathways that helped diversify the federal workforce. For Arab Americans—many of whom benefit from bilingual and culturally competent hiring programs—this rollback threatens access to federal careers and undermines decades of progress toward equitable representation in public service.
New DOJ Guidance Puts DEI Programs at Legal Risk: The DOJ issued new guidance warning that certain DEI programs may violate federal anti-discrimination laws. The memo advises federally funded organizations to avoid race- or identity-conscious initiatives—even those aimed at addressing disparities—and outlines examples like race-based scholarships, mentorship programs, and cultural competence criteria as potentially discriminatory, especially toward white men. This guidance reframes DEI efforts as legal risks rather than remedies, threatening funding and enforcement actions against schools, nonprofits, and other institutions that prioritize equity. Even though the guidance is non-binding and may violate civil rights laws, it is likely to have a chilling effect on equity-focused programming across sectors that rely on federal funding.
Proposed Census Changes Seek to Skew Representation: President Trump has “directed” the Commerce Department to begin work on a “new” census that would exclude undocumented immigrants. This would be an unprecedented move that contradicts the Constitution’s requirement to count all residents and faces significant legal challenges. The plan appears tied to GOP efforts toward mid-decade redistricting in states like Texas, aiming to reshape congressional representation using data aligned with the 2024 election. Counting everyone is essential for fair congressional representation and questions about or targeting immigration status can discourage participation by minority communities, including citizens. Good governance also requires accurate data to fund and plan for services such as schools, roads, and hospitals.
Shifts in Federal Power & Priorities
Federal Disaster Aid Decoupled from Foreign Policy Demands on Israel: The Trump administration stated it reversed a policy requiring states and cities to certify they would not boycott Israeli companies to receive federal disaster-preparedness funds. The clause, which applied to at least $1.9 billion in aid, was quietly removed from DHS’s website and grant terms. DHS clarified that FEMA grants are governed by law and policy—not political litmus tests. A clause prohibiting “discriminatory prohibited boycott[s]” remains without defining what qualifies as one. The reversal in response to widespread public backlash may signal a shift in public attitudes but at least 34 states, the National Institute of Health, and several agencies continue conditioning services and funding on anti-boycott of Israel pledges. The principle that lifesaving aid should not be conditioned on political viewpoints and reinforces protections for free speech and local autonomy, and the Supreme Court has held for decades that boycotts are a form of First Amendment protected speech.
Trump Fires Top Labor Statistician Over Weak Jobs Data: President Trump dismissed Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer following a July jobs report showing only 73,000 new jobs—far below projections. The report also revised May and June numbers downward. Trump claimed, without evidence, that the report was politically manipulated. The BLS is the nation’s leading source of labor data, relied on by policymakers, businesses, and advocates. Firing its commissioner over unfavorable data undermines the agency’s credibility and independence. It risks politicizing economic statistics and may discourage other agencies from reporting accurate but inconvenient information. This move comes amid existing resource and staffing challenges at BLS, potentially weakening the quality of future labor data.
Trump Admin Captures Federal Discretionary Grants: President Trump signed an executive order titled Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking which centralizes control over federal discretionary grants under senior political appointees. The order requires all grantmaking agencies to establish a process for ensuring their grants are used for purposes with the President’s priorities and bars agencies from distributing grants until their process is established. The order also prohibits grants for programs that use race or gender as criteria, support undocumented immigrants or promote “anti-American values,” which the order does not define. The order also enables agencies to terminate grants which do not align with the President’s priorities. While the order claims to improve accountability while streamlining the application process, it effectively replaces evidence-based decision-making with ideological oversight. Community-based organizations—especially those serving marginalized populations—may face heightened security, reduced access to funding, and increased vulnerability to shifts in the President’s priorities, which may threaten their ability to deliver critical services.