Haitians required to wear ‘ankle shackles’ and more news from the states

It’s Friday! And we’re wrapping up the week with another jam-packed lineup of state news. 

Yesterday, 21 states and the District of Columbia sued the U.S. Department of Transportation over the federal government’s demands for Social Security numbers and other private information from a cross-state database of commercial driver’s licenses, our New Jersey newsroom reports.

In Idaho, a federal judge ruled that pregnant women may receive abortions in many cases if there are serious risks to their health or if there’s a high risk she will harm herself. The decision marks a major change to the state’s abortion ban exemptions. 

And next week, state primary elections will continue in Alaska, Florida and Wyoming. But advocates in Florida are concerned that millions registered as No Party Affiliation won’t be able to participate because of the state’s closed primary election system.

Enjoying Daybreak? From the leading issues of the day to in-depth analysis of political trends, be sure to check out the rest of States Newsroom’s free-to-read newsletters today. Have a great weekend.

Tennessee: Local officials are still seeking information about a multimillion-dollar government contract with an Alaska-based corporation designating Adams, in the northwestern part of the state, as the location of a national immigration enforcement call center. 

Florida: Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier has submitted for judicial review a rewritten version of the title and ballot summary for an amendment that would constitute one of the most significant changes to property taxes in the state in more than a generation.

Alaska: Leading members of the House and Senate said that they will not meet to discuss Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s latest attempt to provide a tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline.

Alabama: The U.S. Department of Justice filed a superseding indictment in its prosecution of the Southern Poverty Law Center in April. The updated criminal complaint increased the number of charges filed against the SPLC from 11 to 14 and included another defendant who managed the covert program the civil rights group operated to obtain intelligence from extremist groups dating back to the 1980s.

Louisiana: Lawmakers signed off on a 10-year, no-bid contract worth $192.6 million to provide public safety equipment and technology for law enforcement and the prison system. The deal gives Motorola $138.2 million to upgrade and maintain a statewide radio system used during natural disasters.

See the rest of the news of the day from all 50 states, plus our D.C. Bureau and Stateline, on News From The States.

Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, are being required to wear ankle monitors and turn their passports over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ohio Capital Journal reports. 

Haitians in Springfield are getting letters telling them to report to the ICE office in either Blue Ash (near Cincinnati) or Westerville (near Columbus). 

This is happening after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that President Donald Trump can end temporary protected status for the 330,000 Haitians who’ve fled the violence in their home country.

TPS officially ended for Haitians on July 27 and a court lifted an injunction last week. About 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield, with a mixture of temporary protected status, citizenship and other legal status.

Ohio Haitians brace for what’s next after Trump cancels their TPS

Earlier this year, the Trump administration terminated temporary protective status for hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants. Many communities are preparing for a possible surge of federal immigration enforcement.

However, Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are being targeted and forced to wear ankle monitors, according to local advocates.

In Episode 41 of the Stories From The States podcast, you’ll hear from a reporter with Ohio Capital Journal who has been covering the Springfield community since 2024.

And don’t forget to subscribe to Stories From The States on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Youtube.

On behalf of The Satanic Temple, the ACLU of Iowa filed a federal lawsuit alleging the state has blocked the temple’s rights to free speech, nondiscrimination and religious exercise, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, stems from the state’s repeated refusal to grant permission for the group to stage what the ACLU of Iowa calls “a family-friendly winter holiday event” in the Iowa Capitol rotunda in the manner of other religious and civic groups.

Named as defendants are the director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Mark Campbell; the department’s former director, Adam Steen; and the department itself.

The lawsuit asks the court to declare that state officials’ denials have violated The Satanic Temple’s constitutional rights under the First and 14th amendments as well as their rights under the Iowa Civil Rights Act and the Iowa Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

It seeks a court order requiring the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to allow The Satanic Temple to host a holiday event at the Capitol this December, as well as unspecified damages for alleged past violations.