Olga R. Rodriguez, Author at The Rapid City Post

FILE - Children play outside Royce Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles, campus, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

University of California students, professors and staff sue the Trump administration

September 17, 2025

University of California faculty, staff and student organizations and labor unions have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, saying the federal government is using civil rights laws to wage a campaign against the university to curtail academic freedom and undermine free speech. The coalition is led by the American Association of University Professors union and represented by Democracy Forward, a legal group that has brought other lawsuits against the Trump administration over frozen federal funds. The Trump administration last month fined UCLA $1 billion after accusing the school of allowing antisemitism on campus and other civil rights violations.

FILE - Protesters stand off against California National Guard soldiers at the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles during a "No Kings" protest, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Judge weighs whether Trump violated federal law by deploying National Guard to Los Angeles

August 13, 2025

A federal judge in San Francisco is weighing whether the Trump administration violated federal law by sending National Guard troops to accompany federal agents on immigration raids in Southern California. A three-day trial on the matter concluded Wednesday. California has argued the troops violated the Posse Comitatus Act. The 1878 law generally prohibits military enforcement of domestic laws. Lawyers for the administration say the law doesn’t apply to the troops deployment to Southern California. They say the troops were called up under an authority that allows their deployment when “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

FILE - Federal agents ride on horseback at MacArthur Park, July 7, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)

National Guard rehearsed show of force against immigration raid protesters, general testifies

August 12, 2025

A general has testified that National Guard troops repeatedly rehearsed their role in an operation at a Los Angeles park intended as a show of force against people protesting immigration raids. Maj. Gen. Scott Sherman testified Tuesday at a trial to determine whether the Trump administration violated federal law when it deployed the soldiers and U.S. Marines to Southern California this summer. Sherman commanded Guard troops deployed in Los Angeles. He says the operation in MacArthur Park was initially planned for June 15. But the park was expected to be busy because that was Father’s Day, so he says the operation was pushed to July 7.

People embrace outside of Glass House Farms, a day after an immigration raid on the facility, on Friday, July 11, 2025, in Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

California farmworker who fell from greenhouse roof during chaotic ICE raid dies

July 13, 2025

A farmworker who fell from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic ICE raid this week at a California cannabis facility has died. Niece Yesenia Duran says 57-year-old Jaime Alanis died Saturday of his injuries. He is the first person to die in one of the Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration operations. According to family and union sources, Alanis fell about 30 feet and broke his neck as he was being chased by ICE agents. Federal immigration authorities reported arresting some 200 others on suspicion of being in the country illegally in raids Thursday on Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria.

A demonstrator stands outside the 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals before a hearing regarding control of National Guard troops Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)

Appeals court seems likely to keep Trump in control of National Guard deployed in Los Angeles

June 17, 2025

A federal appeals court in San Francisco has heard arguments on whether the Trump administration should return control of National Guard troops to California. The Guard troops were deployed following protests in Los Angeles over immigration raids earlier this month. Tuesday’s hearing comes after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted a request by the Trump administration to temporarily pause a lower court order that directed the president to return control of the soldiers to California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The judge found the Guard deployment was illegal and exceeded Trump’s authority. The Trump administration says the deployments were necessary to restore order.

FILE - The Heritage of Pride group carry banners and balloons during the New York City Pride Parade on June 25, 2017 in New York. (AP Photo/Michael Noble Jr., file)

Pride events face budget shortfalls as US corporations pull support ahead of summer festivities

May 30, 2025

After years of sponsoring LGBTQ+ Pride events around the country, some companies are pulling their financial support. Some are donating but asking their names not be linked to the events. The scaling back by corporations has left some organizations of the largest Pride events in the country with hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget shortfalls ahead of the summer festivities. The shift has led organizers to ponder the role of corporate America in future Pride events. It also comes as President Donald Trump has shown antipathy for trans protections and drag shows. Experts also note that a growing slice of the public has grown tired of so-called brand activism.

Olga R. Rodriguez.