Author: TheConversation

By W. Carsten Andresen, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, St. Edward’s University During his first few months in office, President Donald Trump has been establishing a framework for deporting undocumented immigrants en masse. It is something he has previously vowed will be “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” Part of that operation includes what’s known as the federal 287(g) program. Established in 1996, it allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose work is normally carried out by federal officials, to train state and local authorities to function as federal immigration officers. Under 287(g), for example,...

By Jamie Rowen, Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Political Science, UMass Amherst Veterans across the United States will gather on June 6, 2025, to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as the slashing of staff and programs throughout the government. Veteran-led protests will be held at the National Mall, 16 state capitol buildings and over 100 other venues across 43 states. Veterans are disproportionately affected by federal cuts, in part because they make up only 6.1% of the U.S. population but, because of “veterans preference” in federal hiring, they compose 24%...

By Linggong Kong, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Auburn University Chinese authorities in the northeastern city of Shenyang reportedly arrested a North Korean IT specialist in late April 2025, accusing him of stealing drone technology secrets. The suspect, apparently linked to North Korea’s main missile development agency, was part of a wider network operating in China, according to the story, which first appeared in South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. In response, Pyongyang was said to have recalled IT personnel in China. The story was later circulated by several Chinese online outlets. Given the tight censorship in China, this implies...

By Monica Wang, Associate Professor of Public Health, Boston University People who most frequently encounter everyday discrimination, those subtle snubs and slights of everyday life, are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. In addition, that finding remains true no matter the person’s race, gender, age, education, income, weight, language, immigration status, or where they live. These are the key takeaways from our recent study, published in JAMA Network Open. Everyday discrimination refers to the routine ways people are treated unfairly because of characteristics such as skin color, perceived background, or general appearance. Generally, it means disrespectful treatment:...

By Sara Safransky, Associate Professor, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University; Elsa Noterman, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Queen Mary University of London; Madeleine Lewis, Doctoral Student, Department of Human and Organizational Development, Vanderbilt University Ever since the United States government’s unfulfilled promise of giving every newly freed Black American “40 acres and a mule” after the Civil War, descendants of the enslaved have repeatedly proposed the idea of redistributing land to redress the nation’s legacies of slavery. Land-based reparations are also a form of redress for the territorial theft of colonialism. Around the world, politicians tend...

By Jay L. Zagorsky, Associate Professor Questrom School of Business, Boston University Are you prepared for when the power goes out? To prevent massive wildfires in drought-prone, high-wind areas, electrical companies have begun preemptively shutting off electricity. These planned shutdowns are called public safety power shutoffs, abbreviated to PSPS, and they are increasingly common. So far this year, we have seen them in Texas, New Mexico, and California. Unlike regular power failures, which on average last only about two hours while a piece of broken equipment is repaired, a PSPS lasts until weather conditions improve, which could be days....