Politics and views in the United States.

An Ohio chaplain regains asylum after ICE detention, activists warn of free speech crackdowns, Alabama groups push to keep TVA public and President Trump targets the UN over migrant funding.

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to 2025 Talks, where we're following our democracy in historic times.

If they did it to me, they can do it to anyone.

Actually, the law allows the USCIS to terminate anyone's asylum.

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Chaplain Ayman Suleiman says he was held in ICE detention for 72 days before his asylum status was reinstated.

Immigration officials initially seemed to want to use his case as a precedent for reopening asylum cases, arguing the Egyptian former journalist was affiliated with terrorists.

After the case was abruptly dropped, Suleiman said it shows the fragility of migrant rights, which in theory are protected by law.

In Dallas, ICE recently detained a prominent Muslim leader who's lived in the U.S. for three decades.

Attorneys with the Muslim Legal Fund of America argue the government mischaracterized his charitable work and denied him due process.

At the United Nations, President Donald Trump criticized the $370 million in food, shelter and other aid the UN gives to migrants.

Your countries are being ruined.

The United Nations is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders.

Think of that.

The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and then we have to get them out.

He warned that countries supporting migration are going to hell and pressed for ending what he called the "failed experiment" in open borders.

Also at the UN General Assembly, several European allies announced they're recognizing a Palestinian state in response to what many call genocide by Israel.

The White House pushed back, calling it a reward for Hamas.

After imposing a huge fee for the H-1B visas, the administration is now proposing to scrap its lottery and replace it with a weighted system favoring higher-paid applicants.

Immigration attorneys warn the change could serve big corporations, leaving early career workers and startups behind.

Trump continues to blame the "radical left" for the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and has issued an order designating the Antifa anti-fascist ideology as a domestic terrorist organization.

Civil liberties groups say the move could permit attacks on the funding of a wide range of non-profits.

And Amy Antonucci with New Hampshire Peace Action says it's intentionally misleading.

What we'd really rather be doing is the real work of pushing back against the actual violence happening in this country, but for our group particularly, in our name abroad.

With privatization possible, Alabama advocates say keeping the Tennessee Valley Authority in public hands would lower power bills and reinforce democracy and consumer control.

Adam Keller is with the Alabama Arise.

Across the South and across the country, we can see the real difference. who are served by TVA have more affordable electricity.

And very importantly, we as the public actually have input over what happens with TVA because it is a public power system.

I'm Farah Siddiqi for Pacifica Network and Public News Service.

Find our trust indicators at publicnewsservice.org.