Welcome back to the Unify Brief, where we track the latest developments shaping our nation. Here’s what you need to know this week.
Trump blocked from deploying troops to Chicago
On Oct. 17, the Trump administration requested an appeal on deploying troops to Chicago, Ill. following a Chicago judge’s rejection from a previous attempt. This restraining order is set to expire on Oct. 23, however this emergency appeal request could change that date to an earlier one.
Emergency appeals are typically used during elections, where a lower court issues a preliminary ruling before an election leaving little to no time for the opposing side to respond with a proper appeal. In circumstances like this, the losing side can file for an emergency appeal from the Supreme Court that puts the lower courts ruling on hold.
In this particular circumstance, President Donald Trump’s request for an emergency appeal would put the Chicago lower court’s rejection on hold in order to deploy the national guard. The Supreme Court did not rule in Trump’s favor, upholding the existing decision. However, the troops already in Chicago haven’t been ordered to leave.
The National Guard was deployed to Chicago after Trump declared it a “war zone” following immigration protests.
Local: Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow deployment of National Guard in Chicago area (The Denver Post)
National: Trump asks Supreme Court to OK National Guard deployment in Chicago (CNN News)
What other college campuses have to say: What to know as the National Guard deploys to Chicago (UChicago Maroon)
Special Education program cuts amid government shutdown
Now in week three of the government shutdown, 466 layoffs were made in the Educational Department, heavily impacting special education funding.
All staff in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) were laid off, with the exception of a few top officials and support staff.
“The office is the central nervous system for programs that support students with disabilities, not only offering guidance to families but providing monitoring and oversight of states to make sure they’re complying with the landmark Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),” NPR reported.
IDEA is a law that makes free public education available to children with disabilities and ensures special education services are provided. It is a civil rights law that ensures OSERS staff from each state are following the requirements of the law.
These cuts play into Trump’s larger plan to shut down the Department of Education. The layoffs would decrease the oversight of grant funding to schools across the nation.
Jodi Grant, executive director of Afterschool Alliance said in a statement to PBS News that the firings were shocking and threaten to cause lasting harm.
Local: Education Department layoffs hit offices that oversee special education and civil rights enforcement (Colorado Hometown Weekly)
National: Amid shutdown, Trump administration guts department overseeing special education (NPR News)
What other college campuses have to say: What to Know and Do about Ongoing Changes to U.S. Disability Law and Policy (Harvard Law School)
Trump meets with Ukrainian president to negotiate weapons:
On Oct. 17, Trump met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss whether the U.S. would provide weapons to assist in Ukraine’s defense against Russia. After Russia depleted Ukraine’s energy facilities with drone and missile strikes, Ukraine was desperate for help.
Trump’s phone call with Russian president Vladimir Putin was claimed to be “great progress” in terms of peace talks. No details have been provided from the phone call.
Zelenskyy negotiated the idea of the U.S. assisting Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles in exchange for drones. Trump said yes when asked if that would be something he would be willing to consider.
Trump argued against the use of the missiles, claiming it would cause big escalation and a lot of bad things would happen.
Local: Trump tells Zelenskyy he’s reluctant to sell Ukraine Tomahawk missiles after warning Russia he might (Sentinel Colorado)
National: Face to Face With Zelensky, Trump Waffles on Providing Tomahawk Missiles (Time)
What other college campuses are saying: Yale professors condemn Trump’s Ukraine policy (Yale News)
Take action:
At DU:
- Support communities like the Student Disability Services (SDS) and Neurodivergent Student Alliance
On your own:
- Read about about your rights when encountered with ICE
