Justice Department Shakeup, Guantanamo Migrants Lawsuit, Immigration Crackdown Poll

Summary

Up First from NPR – Episode Summary Release Date: February 14, 2025

NPR's "Up First" delivers the essential news to kickstart your day, encapsulating the three most significant stories with in-depth reporting and analysis. In the February 14, 2025 episode, hosts Leila Fadel, Steve Inskeep, Michel Martin, and A Martinez delve into a tumultuous period at the U.S. Department of Justice, the legal battles surrounding migrants at Guantanamo Bay, and the evolving American stance on immigration policies. This comprehensive summary breaks down each major topic discussed, highlighting key insights and notable quotes from the episode.

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1. Justice Department Shakeup

Mass Resignations and Political Tensions

The episode opens with groundbreaking news about significant upheaval within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Michelle Martin reports, "[00:03] There are mass resignations at the U.S. Justice Department," setting the stage for a deeper exploration of the internal conflicts plaguing the department.

Pressured to Drop Mayor Eric Adams’ Case

Senior prosecutors have either resigned or been placed on administrative leave following directives to drop a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Layla Fadell probes the political undertones by asking, "[00:06] ...Was the decision from the DOJ to drop it political?"

Michelle Martin confirms the severity: "[00:14] I'm Michelle Martin. ... Legal aid groups are demanding that migrants taken to Guantanamo Bay get access to attorneys." This segues into the broader legal implications affecting both high-profile cases and immigration enforcement.

Danielle Sassoon's Resignation and Accusations

Carrie Johnson brings in reporter Danielle Sassoon, who details her resignation after just three weeks as Manhattan's acting U.S. attorney. Sassoon recounts, "[03:51] ...she faced a lot of pressure to drop a case against Democrat Eric Adams." Her refusal to comply led to her departure, citing possible political motivations behind the DOJ’s actions.

Sassoon highlights a pivotal meeting: "[03:43] ...defense lawyers for Adams said he would help DOJ with its tough immigration enforcement campaign if they drop criminal charges against him." This "quid pro quo" scenario raised red flags about the DOJ's decision-making processes.

DOJ's Response and Further Resignations

Amel Bovey, the acting second-in-command at the DOJ, labels Sassoon as "insubordinate" and initiates an investigation, leading to more resignations: "Kevin Driscoll and John Keller... three more attorneys in D.C. quit." A former DOJ official remarks, "[04:56] ...this is by far the worst thing we've seen from the Trump Justice Department so far."

Eric Adams’ Stance and Future Implications

Mayor Adams maintains his innocence, denying any political interference: "[05:00] ...he's been spending time with President Trump, and he says the Biden Justice Department went after him because he criticized Biden on immigration." The episode underscores the precarious future of the case, emphasizing that "charges against Adams have not been dropped."

Notable Quote: Danielle Sassoon reflects on the unprecedented turmoil: "[05:25] ...this is really unheard of activity at the DOJ."

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2. Guantanamo Migrants Lawsuit

Migrants Held at Guantanamo Bay Without Legal Access

Transitioning to immigration issues, Michelle Martin reports, "[07:00] ...112 people have been flown there in about the past week," highlighting the controversial detention of migrants at Guantanamo Bay. Legal aid groups, led by the ACLU, are suing the Trump administration to secure legal representation for these detainees.

Sasha Pfeiffer Explains the Lawsuit

In her interview, Sasha Pfeiffer details the lawsuit's claims: "[07:30] ...migrants have been held, 'incommunicado,' without access to attorneys, family or the outside world." The ACLU argues that this isolation serves to impede legal challenges against their detention.

Government's Limited Response

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims there is a system for phone communication with lawyers: "[09:12] ...there is a, quote, system for phone utilization to reach lawyers." However, relatives of detainees report unsuccessful attempts to contact ICE, leading to skepticism about the DHS's assurances.

Future of the Detainees

The government's stance is that detainees will remain at Guantanamo Bay temporarily until other countries accept them. However, skepticism remains, referencing past instances where detainees remained indefinitely despite eligibility for release.

Notable Quote: Joel Rose emphasizes the severity of the situation: "[08:10] ...immigrant detainees are now being held in a situation with less rights than even the alleged enemy combatants."

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3. Immigration Crackdown Poll

Public Opinion on Trump's Immigration Policies

Michelle Martin introduces findings from a new NPR Ipsos poll: "[10:47] Americans support stronger immigration restrictions than they did just a few years ago." However, when delving into specific hardline measures, support wanes significantly.

Joel Rose Analyzes Poll Results

Joel Rose breaks down the data, noting a "mixed bag" of public opinion. While there is a plurality (44%) supporting mass deportations of all undocumented immigrants, specific methods like detaining migrants at Guantanamo or using schools and churches for arrests are unpopular, especially among Democrats and independents.

Partisan Divides

The poll reveals stark partisan divides:

• Republicans: Strongly support Trump's measures. For instance, "4 out of 5 support deporting all immigrants without legal status" and "3 out of 4 support denying federal funding to sanctuary cities."
• Democrats and Independents: Generally oppose hardline policies, particularly measures like ending birthright citizenship and deploying the military for immigration enforcement.

Shifts Over Time

Joel Rose highlights significant shifts since the first Trump administration:

• Border Wall Support: Increased from 30% in 2018 to nearly 50%.
• Support for Dreamers: Declined from nearly two-thirds favoring a path to legal status to below 50%.

Notable Quotes: Thomas Dunkelberger, a Republican voter, asserts, "[12:14] ...that [immigration] was an invasion. ... We've got to stop it."

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4. Upcoming Stories and Production Notes

Sunday Story Preview

Looking ahead, the hosts preview a Sunday episode titled "The Sunday Story," which will explore the "Housing First" approach to homelessness. Conservative lawmakers' criticisms and the effectiveness of this strategy will be examined, presenting insights from reporter Will James of KUOW in Seattle.

Production Credits

The episode concludes with acknowledgments to the production team, including editors, producers, engineers, and the executive producer, emphasizing NPR's commitment to delivering quality journalism.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Up First" provides a thorough examination of critical issues shaping the current political and social landscape in the United States. From internal conflicts within the DOJ and the precarious legal battles involving high-profile figures like Mayor Eric Adams, to the contentious detention of migrants at Guantanamo Bay lacking legal representation, and the nuanced public opinions on immigration policies, NPR offers listeners a nuanced and comprehensive overview. Additionally, the insights from recent polling data illuminate the complexities of American public sentiment towards immigration, reflecting deep-seated partisan divides and evolving perspectives over time. As always, "Up First" delivers essential news analysis, preparing listeners to engage thoughtfully with the day's most pressing issues.

Transcript

[Michelle Martin]

There are mass resignations at the U.S. justice Department.

[Layla Fadell]

Yeah. Senior prosecutors have quit. Others put on leave. They refused to drop the case against the New York City mayor. Was the decision from the DOJ to drop it political?

[Michelle Martin]

I'm Michelle Martin. That's Layla Fadell. And this is up first from NPR News. Legal aid groups are demanding that migrants taken to Guantanamo Bay get access to attorneys.

[Joel Rose]

These immigrant detainees are now being held in a situation with less rights than even the alleged enemy combatants.

[Layla Fadell]

And according to a new NPR Ipsos poll, Americans support stronger immigration restrictions than they did just a few years ago. But when it comes to hardline policies like sending migrants to Gitmo or detaining people at schools and churches, that support drops. Stay with us. We'll give you the news you need to start your day.

[Carrie Johnson]

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[Michelle Martin]

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[Sasha Pfeiffer]

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[Layla Fadell]

The US Justice Department.

[Michelle Martin]

Three senior prosecutors along with three others, have quit after they were directed to drop a case against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. The episode amplifies concerns about whether politics is influencing decisions at the Trump Department of Justice.

[Layla Fadell]

NPR's Carrie Johnson is following the story and she's here now to talk about it. Good morning, Kerry.

[Danielle Sassoon]

Good morning, Leila.

[Layla Fadell]

Okay, so who exactly quit their jobs at the Justice Department and what drove them to quit?

[Danielle Sassoon]

The acting U.S. attorney in Manhattan resigned after she faced a lot of pressure to drop a case against Democrat Eric Adams, the New York City mayor. Danielle Sassoon had only been on the job for about three weeks, but she had a strong record of prosecuting major defendants. She wrote a letter to DOJ saying there was really no good reason to dismiss the Eric Adams case, and in fact, prosecutors were going to add a new charge of obstruction against him for allegedly destroying evidence. She wrote that she attended a meeting with Adams lawyers and a senior Justice Department leader in late January. And at that meeting, the defense lawyers for Adams said he would help DOJ with its tough immigration enforcement campaign if they drop criminal charges against him. Sassoon wrote that sounded an awful lot like an unlawful quid pro quo. And the DOJ leader in the meeting admonished one of her team members for taking notes and wanted those notes. After the meeting ended, Eric Adams committed crime, she wrote, and there's no good faith way to walk away from that case.

[Layla Fadell]

I mean, if this is true, what they're saying, it sounds like it sets a dangerous precedent. But what is the Justice Department in Washington saying about all this?

[Danielle Sassoon]

For now, nothing. But Amel Bovey, one of Donald Trump's former defense lawyers and the second in command at the DOJ right now, he wrote that Danielle Sassoon had been insubordinate. He was that meeting with Adams lawyer, and he says he was worried about those notes because of leaks to the media. He placed two other prosecutors in the Adams case on administrative leave while they undergo an investigation by their own Justice Department. NPR's learned one of those prosecutors won two Bronze Stars in the military and that he clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts.

[Layla Fadell]

Now, Carrie, you're reporting multiple resignations. Who else left over this decision to drop the case?

[Danielle Sassoon]

This mess spread beyond New York City and into Justice Department headquarters in Washington. Because the prosecutors in New York refused to back away from the Adams case, Amel Bovey transferred it to the Public Integrity Unit at Main justice here in D.C. two senior lawyers quit, Kevin Driscoll and John keller. Late yesterday. Three more attorneys in D.C. quit, too. A former senior Justice Department official told me, this is by far the worst thing we've seen from the Trump Justice Department so far, and that's a high bar.

[Layla Fadell]

And is there any response from New York's mayor?

[Danielle Sassoon]

Adams has pleaded not guilty to all these corruption charges. He's been spending time with President Trump, and he says the Biden Justice Department went after him because he criticized Biden on immigration. But the prosecutors in New York started investigating Eric Adams long before that happened. When reporters asked Trump about all this Last night, Trump said he didn't personally request the case be dropped and he didn't know anything about it.

[Layla Fadell]

And where do things go from here, Kerry?

[Danielle Sassoon]

So far, the charges against Adams have not been dropped. So if senior leaders at DOJ want to do that, they're going to have to do it themselves or find someone else who will agree. We're only three weeks into this new era at the Justice Department. We've seen so many firings of the people who prosecuted Trump, firings of prosecutors who prosecuted defendants in the Capitol riot, and FBI agents suing their bosses at the Justice Department. This is really unheard of activity at the DOJ.

[Layla Fadell]

NPR's Kerry Johnson. Thank you, Kerry.

[Danielle Sassoon]

My pleasure.

[Layla Fadell]

In addition to firings and resignations at the Justice Department, this week also saw the start of mass layoffs across the federal government.

[Michelle Martin]

NPR reporters have been hearing from people inside multiple agencies who were laid off. Their numbers include people in the Education Department who are working on student loans and software engineers at the General Services administration. More than 1,000 workers at the Department of Veterans affairs were let go.

[Layla Fadell]

And hundreds of workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration expect to be laid off. That's the Energy Department agency that maintains the nation's nuclear weapons. The full scale of how many people have been affected so far is not clear.

[Michelle Martin]

And those numbers do not include people who are voluntarily resigning from the government following the so called fork in the road offer. About 3% of the federal workforce, some 75,000 people have accepted that offer. But it may not result in the cost savings that Musk and the president say they want. Pay for federal workers made up just 3% of the total federal budget last year.

[Layla Fadell]

The US government has not publicly identified the migrants it has sent to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[Michelle Martin]

At least 112 people have been flown there in about the past week. Now a group of immigrant rights and legal aid organizations led by the American Civil Liberties Union is demanding that the Trump administration give those migrants access to lawyers.

[Layla Fadell]

NPR's Sasha Pfeiffer has read the lawsuit that lays out those demands, joins me now. Good morning, Sasha.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

Good morning, Layla.

[Layla Fadell]

Okay, so these groups are suing the government. What does the suit say?

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

It says that ever since the migrants were shipped to Guantanamo, they've been held, quote, incommunicado, without access to attorneys, family or the outside world. And the lawsuit alleges this isolation is not a coincidence, that the point of flying these migrants to a remote Caribbean island is to make it especially difficult for them to communicate with lawyers, lawyers who could explain their legal rights and possibly challenge their detention. Here's something that the lead attorney in the lawsuit, Lee Gelernt of the aclu, said to me.

[Joel Rose]

One has to wonder if they're doing it so they don't have access to counsel, so that they can be held without rights, and so that the government can have these photo ops.

[Layla Fadell]

And by photo ops, I'm assuming he's referring to the recent pictures we've seen of handcuffed men being loaded on and off military planes.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

Correct. Those images were released by the Department of Defense and Department of Homeland Security. And the ACLU says some of the migrants family members learned their relatives had been sent to Guantanamo because they saw them in those photos.

[Layla Fadell]

Wow.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

They recognized a brother or a son. And now several of those family members are plaintiffs in this legal case.

[Layla Fadell]

What exactly is the lawsuit asking for?

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

It wants lawyers to be able to go to Guantanamo and meet with the migrants. But the suit acknowledges that traveling there will be arduously hard to get to. So it asks that, at a minimum, attorneys be allowed to communicate with the migrants by phone or video conference or email. The ACLU lawyer, Gillaert, points out that the suspected foreign terrorists who've been held for up to two decades at Guantanamo do have access to lawyers.

[Joel Rose]

These immigrant detainees are now being held in a situation with less rights than even the alleged enemy combatants.

[Layla Fadell]

What's the US Government saying in response to this?

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

So, Leila, our colleague Jimena Bustillo, who covers immigration for NPR, got a statement from Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin that says there is a, quote, system for phone utilization to reach lawyers, but no additional detail was provided. And several of the migrants relatives say they've repeatedly called ice, Immigration and Customs Enforcement to get information about their family members, but no success. And by the way, the DHS statement also said this. If the American All Caps Civil Liberties Union cares more about highly dangerous criminal aliens, including murderers and vicious gang members, than they do about American citizens, they should change their name. In reply to that, Gelert of the ACLU said to me, we were hoping to get a serious professional response from the US Government. This was not a serious response.

[Layla Fadell]

Has the government said what happens to these people next?

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

It says they'll be held at Guantanamo only temporarily until it can find other countries to take them. But Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem acknowledges that could take a long time. And we know from having sent suspected terrorists to Gitmo after 911 that some of those prisoners have never been allowed to leave, even ones who've been cleared for release. But DHS told us it will be ramping up the tempo of planeloads of migrants arriving at Guantanamo soon.

[Layla Fadell]

Npr. Sacha Pfeiffer, thank you.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

You're welcome.

[Layla Fadell]

Americans are deeply divided about President Trump's sweeping crackdown on immigration.

[Michelle Martin]

That is the finding of a new NPR Ipsos poll out today. The poll shows growing support for stronger restrictions on immigration, but at the same time, many of the president's hardline policies are unpopular with big parts of the public.

[Layla Fadell]

So to talk about these findings, we're joined by NPR's Joel Rose. Hey, Joel.

[Joel Rose]

Hey, Layla.

[Layla Fadell]

So what stands out to you from these poll results?

[Joel Rose]

The results are kind of a mixed bag. On the one hand, we do see support for tougher restrictions. For example, President Trump's call for mass deportations of all immigrants in the US without legal status. That was one of his big campaign promises. We see a plurality of Americans support that, 44% in favor to 42% against. But when you dig down into the details of how that might be accomplished, that support erodes pretty quickly. I talked to Mallory Newell. She's a vice president at Ipsos which conducted this poll. Here is her take on what is happening.

[Layla Fadell]

While Americans on the whole may be.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

More supportive of immigration restrictions in theory.

[Layla Fadell]

In practice, there's still not a lot of agreement about what that looks like.

[Joel Rose]

Take some of the more hardline Trump administration proposals, for example, detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, as we were just discussing, or allowing immigration authorities to make arrests in schools and churches. Those proposals still have a lot of support from Republicans, but they were broadly unpopular in this poll with Democrats and even with many independents.

[Layla Fadell]

So, Joel, you also did some follow up interviews with poll respondents. What did they say?

[Joel Rose]

Yeah, this NPR Ipsos poll shows that Republicans, for the most part, are very united in support of the president's crackdown. 4 out of 5 support deporting all immigrants without legal status. 3 out of 4 support denying federal funding to sanctuary cities that limit their cooperation with immigration authorities. And a big majority of Republicans say the U.S. has been experiencing an invasion at the southern border. I talked to Thomas Dunkelberger. He is a longtime Republican voter from Holland, Michigan.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

So as far as I'm concerned, that was an invasion. Not an armed invasion, certainly, but it was an invasion. That's got to stop. We can't afford it as a people. The people didn't vote for that.

[Joel Rose]

Democrats, on the other hand, are opposed to basically all of President Trump's immigration crackdown, but especially his push to end birthright citizenship for children of immigrants who do not have permanent legal status in the U.S. democrats also are opposed to challenging sanctuary cities, and they don't like a proposal to allow the US Military to make arrests and deport migrants. Some of these proposals are being challenged in federal court, including the proposal on birthright citizenship, which is blocked, at least for now.

[Layla Fadell]

Now, you've been doing polls like this since the first Trump administration, so put it in context for us. What interesting shifts have you seen on the issue?

[Joel Rose]

Yeah, I think there are a couple of things that stand out. Take the border wall, for example. We started asking in 2018 about expanding the wall along the entire U. S. Mexico border. Back then, only 30, 38% of Americans supported that. Now it's up to nearly half. At the same time, we have seen a steady erosion of support for dreamers. These are immigrants without legal status who were brought to the country as children. When we first started asking, almost 2/3 of poll respondents favored a path to legal status for Dreamers. In our most recent poll, that support fell below 50% for the first time.

[Layla Fadell]

Interesting.

[Joel Rose]

Yeah, those are some significant shifts, and I think they do tell you something about the mood in the country right now.

[Layla Fadell]

NPR's Joel Rose. Thank you, Joel.

[Joel Rose]

You're welcome.

[Layla Fadell]

This weekend on the Sunday Story, for decades, the guiding philosophy around how to get homeless people with addictions off the streets has focused on an approach called Housing First.

[Joel Rose]

Housing first is for the people who have found themselves really in the worst possible situation.

[Layla Fadell]

It is getting them back onto some kind of foundation. Now, many conservative lawmakers want this practice scrapped. Will James, a reporter from KUOW in Seattle, joins us to talk about his new investigations into what about Housing first works and where it falls short. That's this Sunday right here on the up first podcast. And that's up first for Friday, February 14th. I'm Layla Falden.

[Michelle Martin]

And I'm Michelle Martin. And remember, up first airs on Saturdays, too. Ayesha Roscoe and Scott Simon will have the news. Look for it wherever you get your podcasts.

[Layla Fadell]

Today's episode of up first was edited by Christian Dove Kallamer, Barry Hardiman, Eric Westervelt, Janaya Williams, and Alice Wolfley. It was produced by Ziad Butch, Nia Dumas and Christopher Thomas. We get engineering support from Nisha Hyness. And our technical director is is Carly Strange. And our executive producer is Kelly Dickens. Happy Valentine's Day. Join us again on Monday.

[Sasha Pfeiffer]

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