• U.S. Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara) is one of nearly 100 House Democrats cosponsoring new legislation that would repeal an antiquated federal law that has been raised by conservative voices as the potential foundation for enacting a federal ban on abortion nationwide, according to a July 18 statement from Carbajal’s office. The legislation introduced by Democrats would preempt any attempt to use the 1873 Comstock Act for a national abortion ban. The Stop Comstock Act would specifically repeal language in the Comstock laws that could be used to ban the mailing of mifepristone and other drugs used in medication abortions, instruments and equipment used in abortions, and educational material related to sexual health. The Comstock laws were enacted in the 1800s to ban the shipment of any obscene, lewd, or vulgar matter in order to restrict abortion, contraception, and even personal letters considered obscene at the time. In the modern era, federal courts have consistently and uniformly held that the outdated laws do not apply to lawful abortion health care. “The overturning of Roe v. Wade two years ago, which struck down a half century of precedent, was a reminder that we cannot take any ‘settled law’ for granted when facing down the radical right’s war on reproductive rights. We must take their suggestions about reviving archaic laws at face value in the wake of a wave of abortion bans and restricted reproductive freedom across the U.S,” Carbajal said in the statement. “A national abortion ban is a direct threat to the well-being and livelihood of women across America. We must act now to deny the radical right any avenue to pursue one. It is too dangerous to leave even this antiquated law on the books.”
• U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla led 29 lawmakers in urging U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to implement the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s recommendations to address CBP’s mishandling of migrant possessions, according to a July 19 statement from Padilla’s office. The letter cites a report by several non-governmental organizations and a Government Accountability Office report, which documented CBP’s mishandling of migrant possessions—including medications, religious garb, and legal documents. The report recommends standardized practices and oversight to ensure clear and consistent guidance across all CBP field locations and sectors. The lawmakers highlighted this persistent issue and pressed CBP to quickly implement policy changes and standardize their current guidance. They also requested a meeting to receive an update on CBP’s efforts to implement GAO’s recommendations. “Over the last two years, members of Congress have repeatedly expressed concern regarding Border Patrol’s treatment of migrants’ personal belongings,” wrote the lawmakers. “While CBP has responded in various degrees to these requests for information and oversight actions, humanitarian aid organizations continue to report alarming cases of property confiscation. We have yet to see CBP meaningfully address these persistent concerns at the policy level.”
• Continuing the aggressive push to reduce organized retail crime in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the California Highway Patrol (CHP) achieved a record number of arrests and recovery of stolen goods so far in 2024, according to a July 16 statement from Newsom’s office. Since January, the CHP’s Organized Retail Crime Task Force has conducted 320 investigations, made 717 arrests, and recovered nearly 230,000 stolen goods valued at more than $6.8 million. CHP’s operations are part of the state’s comprehensive efforts to combat organized retail crime, which also includes new measures to crack down on property crime and the state’s unprecedented police funding to local communities, including Orange, Riverside, Los Angeles, and Bay Area counties. Since the inception of this task force in 2019, the CHP has been involved in more than 2,600 investigations, leading to the arrest of more than 2,800 suspects and the recovery of over 838,000 stolen goods valued at nearly $45 million. “California continues to crack down on organized retail crime through coordinated efforts up and down our state,” Newsom said in the statement. “We’re taking down criminal enterprises in record numbers and securing accountability and justice for the businesses and communities hurt by these crimes.”
