Fast, plain-English definitions for political terms, government concepts, election language, and the phrases voters are seeing in live surveys.
Border security refers to the combination of physical barriers, surveillance technology, personnel and policies used to control the movement of people and goods across a country's borders. In the U.S., it focuses primarily on the nearly 2,000-mile southern border with Mexico and official ports of entry.
Border security refers to the combination of physical barriers, surveillance technology, personnel and policies used to control the movement of people and goods across a country's borders. In the U.S., it focuses primarily on the nearly 2,000-mile southern border with Mexico and official ports of entry.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the federal agency within the Department of Homeland Security responsible for securing U.S. borders and managing the flow of lawful trade and travel. It includes the Border Patrol, the Office of Field Operations at ports of entry, and Air and Marine Operations.
The power of courts to decide whether laws or government actions violate the Constitution.
The Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which held that firearm regulations must be consistent with the nation's historical tradition of gun regulation. The decision struck down New York's concealed carry permitting scheme and set a new legal test for evaluating gun laws.
Mandatory detention refers to the legal requirement under Section 1226(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act that certain noncitizens, particularly those with specified criminal convictions, be held in custody without the possibility of release on bond while their removal proceedings are pending. The provision removes the discretion immigration judges typically have to consider release.
A bond hearing is a court proceeding in which a judge decides whether a detained individual can be released from custody, often after posting a sum of money, while their case is pending. In the immigration context, an immigration judge weighs whether the detainee is a flight risk or a danger to the community before setting release conditions.
A constitutional amendment is a formal change or addition to the U.S. Constitution made through the process outlined in Article V. It is the only way to directly alter or abolish constitutional provisions such as the Electoral College.