California officials join Texas sheriff in calling for federal investigation into DeSantis migrant flights
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta are calling for the U.S. Department of Justice to open an investigation into the transportation of migrants to Sacramento as part of a program overseen by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Thirty-six migrants were sent from Texas to Sacramento in June, a move for which the Republican presidential hopeful has taken credit. While DeSantis has defended the Florida taxpayer-funded flights, saying they are part of a “voluntary relocation” program, he has been accused of using humans as political pawns in a national debate about immigration policy.
Some of the migrants sent to Sacramento denied Desantis’ claims that their trip was willful and told the Los Angeles Times in June that they were falsely promised jobs, shelter and attorneys in exchange for boarding the plane.
In a letter addressed to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday, the top California Democrats urged federal officials to open criminal and civil investigations into the matter, saying the department has “a unique capability” to oversee the case.
They join Bexar County, Texas, Sheriff Javier Salazar, a Democrat, in doing the same, as his office investigates a similar flight of migrants sent from his state to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
—Los Angeles Times
Chicago police investigating claims of officers having sexual relationships with migrants housed in police station
CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department acknowledged an internal investigation Thursday into allegations that four officers assigned to a West Side patrol district engaged in sexual relationships with migrants who were living in a police station.
The department said in an email late Thursday that the bureau of internal affairs, as well as the Civilian Office of Police Accountability, had opened an investigation, but a department spokesperson did not address questions about when the investigation began or if any officers were stripped of their police powers.
A representative for COPA did not respond to an inquiry Thursday night.
The Police Department said the allegations concern four officers assigned to the Ogden District, which covers the Little Village and Lawndale neighborhoods on the West Side.
Few details were available late Thursday about the scope of the investigation. Also a focus was whether some of the migrants allegedly involved in the matter were minors, sources with knowledge of the internal review said.
—Chicago Tribune
Prosecutor describes 'multiple crimes' in Michigan voting equipment investigation
PONTIAC, Mich. — Prosecutors investigating supporters of former President Donald Trump who pushed to obtain voting equipment in Michigan after the 2020 election told a judge in May they're examining "multiple crimes" spanning "multiple counties," according to a court transcript.
Court records in Oakland County reveal a monthslong legal battle playing out over an ongoing probe by D.J. Hilson, the Muskegon County prosecutor. Hilson was selected in September to serve as a special prosecutor to decide whether charges should be brought against nine people who allegedly engaged in a conspiracy to gain improper access to voting machines after the 2020 presidential election.
The nine individuals, including former GOP attorney candidate Matt DePerno, Barry County Sheriff Dar Leaf and former state Rep. Daire Rendon, a Lake City Republican, were part of an effort to contest Trump's loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
In court filings, Hilson's office has emphasized that a charging decision in the high-profile case is near and said law enforcement identified "criminal acts occurring in Oakland County." The filing did not indicate who specifically is believed to have committed the alleged crimes.
—The Detroit News
Tourist who damaged Colosseum says he didn't know it was ancient
ROME — A tourist has apologized for scratching a wall of the Colosseum in Rome.
At the end of June, the man from England had used a key to scratch the names of himself and his girlfriend into the masonry of the world-famous building.
After the vandalism became public thanks to mobile phone videos on the internet, the Carabinieri police force identified the 31-year-old man, who is facing a heavy fine.
In a letter widely published in the British media the accused wrote: "I admit with profound embarrassment that only after what regretfully happened did I learn of the antiquity of the monument."
The letter was sent to Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, the city and the public prosecutor's office.
The tourist's lawyer told the Roman newspaper Il Messaggero that his client was "the prototype of the foreigner who casually believes that everything is allowed in Italy, even actions that would be severely punished in his home country."
The lawyer hopes for a lenient sentence thanks to the apology letter.
—dpa
