(NEW YORK) -- The execution of the only woman on Tennessee's death row was paused at the 11th hour as a federal appeals court reviews the case.

The state has since asked the U.S. Supreme Court to vacate the appeals court's stay.

Christa Pike, 50, was scheduled to be executed by lethal injection on Wednesday at 10 a.m. CT. She was sentenced to death after being convicted of the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer.

In a 2-1 decision issued within two hours of the scheduled execution, Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit wrote that a stay is necessary in the "interests of justice and the finality of Pike's impending execution" in order to review whether her allegations of sexual abuse and rape as a child were fully considered before Pike was sentenced to death. The execution is stayed "until further order of this court," the order stated.

In his dissenting opinion, Judge Richard Allen Griffin called the matter "another last-ditch meritless effort to delay a lawful execution."

In an application asking the Supreme Court to vacate the stay, Tennessee Department of Correction Warden Kenneth Nelsen argued that Pike is not likely to succeed because her claim was "already unsuccessfully presented." The state's "strong interest in finality and the surviving victims' right to closure" also require the high court to vacate the stay, he argued.

Members of Slemmer's family -- including her mother, stepfather and father -- plan to attend Pike's execution, according to Nelsen's filing.

"It is far past time for Colleen's family to receive the closure they seek," the filing stated, asking the Supreme Court to vacate the stay of execution to "avoid rewarding Pike's abusive delay tactics" and "prevent further trauma to Colleen's family."

In a June court filing challenging her execution, Pike argued that due to her history of rape and sexual abuse, being "the lone female in a vulnerable position surrounded by male corrections officers during the last days of her life will trigger her PTSD and result in a torturous execution or mental decompensation to the point she will be incompetent to be executed."

The Tennessee Supreme Court rejected her claims. She subsequently filed an application for stay of execution, requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court review her claims alleging the method of execution would inflict cruel and unusual punishment because of her PTSD from childhood rapes and abuse. The Supreme Court denied that request on Tuesday.

Later that day, Pike filed a motion seeking to review her claim that her trial counsel provided ineffective assistance at sentencing and failed to introduce evidence of her history of child sexual abuse.

In a statement on the stay of execution, Pike's attorney, Stephen Ferrell with the Federal Defenders Services of Eastern Tennessee, said, "The court has stayed this recognizing the serious concerns about Christa's scheduled execution."

In 1996, Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder for beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps worker from Knoxville, in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus.

Pike, who was 18 when she committed the crime, had told a friend she planned to kill Slemmer because she "just felt mean that day" and admitted to committing the crime with her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, according to court filings. Shipp was also convicted of first-degree murder for his role in the killing and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

While incarcerated, Pike was convicted in 2001 of attempted first-degree murder in the assault on an inmate, according to the Tennessee Department of Correction.

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(NEW YORK) -- As prosecutors reopened an investigation into a former Cornell University student's allegations of being drugged and gang-raped at a fraternity house in 2024, a state-mandated survey of undergraduate students revealed that more than one-third of undergraduate women said they had experienced sexual assault during their time at the Ivy League university.

According to the school's 2025 Survey of Sexual Assault and Related Misconduct (SARM), 35% of undergraduate women at the Ithaca, New York, school reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact involving force or incapacitation since entering Cornell. Among undergraduate men, 8% said they experienced the same.

"Despite a long history of actions to address sexual assault, culminating in Cornell’s Sexual Violence Framework ... rates of sexual assault remain persistently high," according to a summary report released in March by the Cornell University Presidential Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault (TFSA).

The report also found that alcohol played a part in "the majority of reported incidents," with the perpetrator having consumed it prior to the incident in 62% of cases and the victim having done so in 55% of incidents.

"In 50% of cases, respondents reported being conscious but incapacitated by alcohol or drugs during all or part of the incident," according to the report, with 19% saying they were "passed out or unconscious for some or all the time."

Reported instances of sexual assault were significantly higher among Cornell undergraduate women who were "Greek-affiliated" compared to those who were not: 52% to 29%, respectively, according to the report.

"If there's one takeaway from all of this, it's that we know for certain that sexual assault is underreported," Jennifer Simmons Kaleba, vice president of communications for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization, told ABC News.

"Whether the numbers grew 2%, 3%, something like that, the reality is it's probably much higher than that," Kaleba said.

Kaleba said her group, which runs a national sexual assault hotline, estimates that 1 in 6 freshman women experience sexual assault in their first year of college, and that 1 in 4 undergraduate women and 1 in 14 undergraduate men experience rape or sexual assault by force or incapacitation before they leave school.

Tompkins County, New York, District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said this week that his office is reopening an investigation into the 2024 alleged "gang rape" of a former female student by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity after the alleged victim, identified only as Jane Doe, filed a civil lawsuit earlier this month, sparking outrage when news of the suit became public.

Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus after the Oct. 19, 2024, rape allegations were made. Trey Robb, the interim executive director of Chi Phi fraternity, said in a statement that all the accused members were kicked out of the Cornell chapter within three days of Jane Doe filing her police report in 2024.

Three of the defendants named in the suit have denied the allegations through their attorneys.

"Any suggestion that the University did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," Cornell said in a statement Monday, in part.

In an earlier statement, Cornell said it conducted a thorough Title IX investigation of Jane Doe's allegations. "At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell," the university's statement said.

Van Houten said in a statement that his office is considering whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, though he said the allegations in the civil complaint are "dramatically different" than the woman’s statement to police two years ago. He further said that his office did not bring charges in 2024 because the woman’s statement to Cornell police officers at the time did not allege she was drugged without her knowledge or that she did not consent to engage in sexual activities.

"It's our intention to present the case to the Tompkins County grand jury with Jane Doe's cooperation," Van Houten told ABC News. "We want to reexamine whether there's additional evidence that we were not aware of in November of 2024, that exists now that would change our assessment of the case and would result in the grand jury finding that there was criminal conduct." 

Kaleba told ABC News that some victims of sexual assault often do not recall exact details of what occurred to them until years later.

"One of the first things that people will say on the hotline is, ‘I think something happened,'" Kaleba said. "And so what we want is some black-and-white narrative that says everybody absolutely recognizes what sexual assault is and it's this and it's that, and the victim must also know exactly what happened to them and retell it to the detail with exactly the right emotion for the remainder of their lives."

"That is profoundly unrealistic and another avenue to blame victims," according to Kaleba.

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(NEW YORK) -- A parent has been arrested after a toddler was found with a loaded gun inside a Michigan daycare facility, authorities said.

A teacher noticed the gun Monday morning and took "immediate action," Canton Police Chief Joseph Bialy told ABC Detroit affiliate WXYZ.

Officers then responded to the incident in Canton, just outside of Detroit, and secured the weapon, according to Canton police.

No injuries were reported.

Charges against the parent were not immediately clear, but the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office told ABC News the parent is expected to be arraigned on Thursday.

"The message here is that no matter how busy our lives are, we have a great responsibility if we’re going to choose to own a firearm," the chief told WXYZ.

Guns are the No. 1 cause of death for children in the U.S., according to Everytown For Gun Safety.

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(NEW YORK) -- A Cornell University student detailed the night that she was allegedly sexually assaulted in a statement to police two years ago — describing that she was felt incapacitated, saying she declined to participate in some of the sexual activity and that the incidents at Chi Phi fraternity house "felt like coercion," according to a copy of the police report obtained by ABC News.

The developments in the case, which sparked a furor, come in the wake of the alleged victim in the case filing a lawsuit claiming she was gang raped and the local district attorney saying he would reopen the case.

In the Nov. 15, 2024, statement, she appeared to suggest some of the activity was consensual but detailed multiple instances where she declined to participate in certain sexual acts suggested by the men.

The woman's statement was central to a decision by the Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten not to bring charges in 2024 and he said that the allegations in the civil suit are "dramatically different" than those in the statement.

In an interview with ABC News this week, Van Houten described the allegations as "morally disturbing" but argued Jane Doe's 2024 account of the incident suggested that she consented to the sexual activity.

He said that she did not withdraw her consent, and that when she raised concerns, the fraternity members "stopped and did not pursue what they were doing."

According to her 2024 statement, Jane Doe did say that shat one point she said "no to the foursome" one of the fraternity brothers proposed, she said in her statement. At another point she recalled "a group of multiple men" walking into a room and "I was instantly horrified, and I remember squealing out loud and running across the room and hiding under the covers on another bed," the statement said.  "I was horrified because I was really embarrassed that these individuals had seen me completely naked."

Jane Doe used the word "rape" to explain why she took an additional hit of ketamine.

"I had become extremely uncomfortable with how this night was turning out so my thought was, if I do Ketamine again maybe I will pass out. My thought was that if I passed out and these men had sex with me, then they could be charged with Rape," the statement said.

The men persisted, according to her statement.

During the final threesome, Jane Doe said, "I remember being totally disgusted at the situation, and I felt very tired and intoxicated. I would say that my level of overall intoxication was about a 8 out of 10 level of intoxicated. I would say that it was the most intoxicated I've ever been in my life. I felt like I was unable to make any decision because of how intoxicated I was," the statement said.

"To me, that felt like coercion," she wrote in the statement. "Also I felt like due to my intoxication, they should have known how intoxicated I was based on how I was slurring my words."

She recalled being so "extremely tired" she simply uttered, "Sure" when a group of men asked to snort ketamine off of her body, according to her statement. "[The] group of men all started pouring various things all over my body. I couldn't tell what they were pouring on me, as I had my face covered with my hands."

Jane Doe said she slept until 10 a.m. and was driven home by the same Chi Phi member who had originally invited her to the house and who she said had participated in the sexual acts.

By the time she woke up that Sunday afternoon, "I was made aware that what had happened to me at Chi Phi was becoming public knowledge," she wrote in the statement. "It was made clear to me by several friends that the members of Chi Phi were bragging about having an 'eightsome' with me. Some rumors said it was ten people, but nonetheless, it was now obvious that everyone knew it was me that this had happened to."

In the civil lawsuit, filed earlier this month, the woman alleged that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell. The lawsuit has drawn outrage and calls for an outside investigation into the matter.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for an outside investigation into Cornell University's campus culture and its response to allegations by the student. Cornell's Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus after the alleged Oct. 19, 2024, incident, though none of the individuals allegedly involved faced criminal charges, according to the DA.

Cornell University has said the former student's allegations were investigated by the university's Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards under the school's Title IX policies.

On its website, the university said the investigation was conducted over several months and included hearings before a panel of trained faculty and staff.

"At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell," the university said.

Cornell said it took the reports "very seriously" and conducted a thorough investigation but said: "At the same time, responding to an incident of this seriousness cannot end when an investigation is completed or sanctions are imposed. We have an obligation to ask what more we can learn, what we can do better, and how we can reduce the likelihood that anything like this happens again."

Attorneys for multiple fraternity brothers named as defendants in the civil lawsuit have denied the allegations in the complaint.

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The combination of widespread extreme heat and human-caused air pollution has exposed nearly 40% of the global population to dangerous levels of ground-level ozone so far this year, according to a new report by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).

The analysis shows that ozone pollution across much of the Northern Hemisphere ranks above the recommended level by the World Health Organization (WHO). Year to date, Asia is the continent most impacted by ozone pollution globally, followed by Europe and North America, according to the report.

The researchers said ground-level ozone, a pollutant that develops when specific pollutants react with sunlight and high temperatures, harms human health, ecosystems and crop yields.

“Ozone pollution is a stark reminder of how interconnected our atmosphere, climate, health, and livelihoods really are, with pollution and our changing climate impacting the chemistry of the air we breathe, determining the health of our ecosystems, and even governing our ability to grow food,” Laurence Rouil, director of CAMS, said in a statement.

The report, called Atmosphere Watch, is a new publication by CAMS. The organization provides one of the most comprehensive assessments of Earth’s atmosphere by combining satellite and ground-based observations with advanced atmospheric modelling to monitor the composition of the atmosphere globally. The findings include data through the first eight months of 2026.

In North America, ozone levels remained relatively unchanged despite rigorous efforts to reduce pollution in recent decades. According to researchers, a combination of emissions from wildfires, long-term ozone effects and climate change impacts is likely delaying progress.

According to the American Lung Association, ozone exposure this year is higher than the past five years, with more than 4 in 10 people in the United States currently living in areas with unhealthy levels of air pollution.

The report found that so far this year, Asia has faced the greatest impacts of ozone pollution, fueled by widespread anthropogenic emissions from industrialization, economic development, urban expansion and transport across the continent. Meanwhile, Oceania, which includes Australia and New Zealand, ranked as one of the cleanest regions on the planet, with 100% of the population experiencing ‘good’ and ‘fair’ levels of ozone, CAMS says.

The report also highlights the far-reaching effects of air pollution, showing how wildfire smoke, dust and other pollutants can travel thousands of miles, affecting air quality for people far from the original source.

Exposure to wildfire smoke continues to rise despite a decrease in global emissions from biomass burning in recent decades, according to researchers. This increase is primarily driven by a recent stretch of extreme wildfires that have burned near more populated areas.

Wildfires and other forms of biomass burning release numerous pollutants, including fine particulate matter and greenhouse gases. According to the WHO, 99% of the world’s population lives in areas where atmospheric pollution exceeds its air quality guidelines.

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The Transportation Security Administration says it's taking away chairs at airport checkpoints nationwide and that TSA officers who check passengers' IDs must stand, saying the move is designed to help officers remain alert.

"This welcome change reinforces both our security posture and our commitment to hospitality by having these officers on their feet and alert," a TSA spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News. "All officers must meet fitness for duty requirements to be capable of performing their vital national security function while simultaneously creating a welcoming and professional environment for travelers."  

The union representing TSA workers is pushing back on the chair ban, saying they were not consulted before the decision was made and that "these chairs serve as basic ergonomic and safety support for officers that stand and walk on hard surfaces all day. TSA is treating this matter like it is a privilege it is not; it is basic safety and common decency for the workforce." 

The union has advised its local leaders to communicate with officers, as they "are moving aggressively to address this matter," urging all members to also reach out to their congressional leaders to express their concern over the decision. 

"This disregard for employee rights and safety is an example of a broad pattern of TSA's true consideration of the employees who keep our nation safe," the union said.

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(NEW YORK) -- A verdict has been reached in the murder trial of an Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his wife, who had called 911 to report that an intruder broke into their home and killed the mother of two.

Caleb Flynn, 40, who once appeared as a contestant on "American Idol" in 2013, was charged with aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence in connection with the death of his wife, 37-year-old Ashley Flynn. He has pleaded not guilty.

The jury deliberated for nearly 2 1/2 hours before reaching a verdict Tuesday afternoon. The verdict has not yet been announced.

The former pastor called 911 early on Feb. 16 to report that his wife had been shot by an intruder at their home in Tipp City, north of Dayton. He was arrested three days later.

Prosecutors alleged that Caleb Flynn "executed" his wife by shooting her twice in the back of the head in bed so that he could be with his mistress and manipulated the crime scene to make it seem as if an intruder had broken in through the garage.

Miami County Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Joseph pointed to evidence including the physical scene, 911 call, text messages between Caleb Flynn and his mistress discussing the end of his marriage and digital records from the night of the shooting, which he argued "leads straight to the defendant."

"The evidence showed that being the victim would allow the defendant to keep his lucrative job working for Ashley's family business, he would benefit from Ashley's life insurance, and he could keep his position as a working worship leader with zero impact to his reputation within the church," Joseph said during closing arguments Tuesday in the Miami County courtroom. "The evidence does not tell the story of an intruder."

Joseph argued that key details in Caleb Flynn's recounting of what happened that night changed, and at the time when he told investigators he was sleeping before being woken up by gunshots, "his devices say he was awake and moving."

No gun has been found in the shooting, though Joseph told jurors that the recovery of the gun is not an element the state has to prove.

"But you heard the defendant kept a 9mm handgun in his truck console. His truck was parked in the garage. That console was up before law enforcement arrived and the gun was missing," Joseph said. "You heard that Ashley was shot twice in her head with 9mm bullets."

Defense attorney Patrick Mulligan argued during his closing that the state's evidence is circumstantial, and that the only thing prosecutors proved was that Caleb Flynn was having an affair.

"Connecting a couple of meaningless dots doesn't solve the case," Mulligan told jurors.

Mulligan said Caleb Flynn voluntarily spoke with detectives three times when he "didn't have to," consented to a search of his home and phone and voluntarily gave his fingerprints.

"He wanted to figure out who shot Ashley," Mulligan said.

On rebuttal, Miami County prosecuting attorney Paul Watkins urged jurors to use "common sense" and argued that the "evidence is clear" that Caleb Flynn is guilty.

The evidence in the case did not begin with the two gunshots, but months earlier, he argued, citing text messages between the defendant and his mistress, Alleigha Botner.

"The defendant, he had Alleigha, and he wanted out of his marriage," Watkins said. "The evidence shows that his feelings toward Ashley went far beyond simply wanting a divorce. He hated her."

Watkins said the language in the more than 100,000 messages Caleb Flynn and his mistress had sent each other "escalated" in months before the shooting while recounting some of the texts, including one from the defendant that said, "I want my girls full time in a life with you, but I can't have both. So I weigh the options, and I choose you."

"Not just hours before Ashley's execution, the defendant wrote this: 'Actions will come tomorrow. I'll never not be scared to do this, as I never want to hurt my daughters. That will always be there. But this month away from you has terrified me beyond belief,'" Watkins said, continuing to read the message. "'I know I can't live without you, and so again, if this gives me a 1% chance to spend my life with you, it's the 100% right decision. I choose you. I'm free.'"

"We are not here only because of someone's words," Watkins told jurors. "We are here because the defendant put actions to those words. The defendant made decisions."

Twenty days before Ashley Flynn was killed, Watkins said Caleb Flynn removed security cameras that had been in his home for years, including one that would have captured an intruder coming in from the garage. The day of the shooting, Watkins said the evidence shows that the defendant was also deleting apps off his phone and trying to delete his messages.

"In the hours after Ashley was murdered, the defendant was not mourning the death of his wife. He was whispering to his mistress, 'It didn't happen the way we thought it would,'" Watkins said. "I am confident after you deliberate, your verdict will tell the world this case did not end the way the defendant thought it would. The defendant wanted a new life. He wanted Ashley out of their life, and he didn't want to face the consequences of making the choice to pursue divorce."

Caleb Flynn could be seen crying throughout the closing arguments. He did not testify during the trial and the defense called no witnesses.

He denied killing his spouse in an interview with police days after the deadly shooting, according to video shown during the trial.

His former mistress testified for the state during the trial, reading from some of the more than 100,000 messages they exchanged over her two days of testimony.

"If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat," Caleb Flynn said in one message from May 2025, Botner testified.

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(WASHINGTON) -- The Trump administration can continue deporting migrants to third countries without prior notice after the Supreme Court on Tuesday paused a lower court order blocking the controversial policy.

In granting the government's request for a stay, the high court on Tuesday cleared federal officials to enforce rapid third-country removals for now while also agreeing to take up the case for oral argument in December.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson dissented.

Earlier this month, a three-judge panel for the First Circuit ruled that immigrants were not receiving adequate notice before being deported to nations where they have no ties or connections.

"An individual's right to contest removal to a country based on a fear of persecution in that country means little if one does not receive prior notice of the intended removal destination and a meaningful opportunity to contest that destination," wrote Circuit Judge Seth Aframe.

About 25,000 people have been deported to so-called third countries during the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown, according to the immigrant rights organizations Human Rights First and Refugees International.

According to immigration lawyers and advocates, third-country removals are not new, but they are rare. In recent months, the Trump administration has ramped up third-country deportations after creating a web of formal deals with nearly three dozen countries to deport asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants with criminal records with little to no warning.

ABC News previously interviewed a group of Latin American men who were deported to the Central African Republic and were not informed of their destination until several hours into the flight.

"I feel kidnapped," one of the men, Aristides Fernandez Garcia, said. "They have violated all the rights that exist in life, because we are human beings."

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An elderly couple was arrested in connection with the shooting death of their son-in-law, a director for the New York Times' games division, over the weekend in California, police said.

While court documents detailed a long a history between Jonathan McKinsey and his in-laws, Shouyong Zhang and Shili Chen, and a divorce between McKinsey and his wife, investigators didn't immediately disclose a motive behind Saturday's shooting.

McKinsey, 40, of Dublin, California was found by an officer in the parking lot of a sports complex Saturday afternoon with multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene, the Dublin Police Services said in a statement.

Eyewitnesses helped officers track Zhang and Chen, both 77, and they were arrested on suspicion of murder, police said. They were set to be arraigned on their charges Wednesday morning, the Alameda County District Attorney said.

Attorney information for the suspects wasn't immediately available.

The New York Times said in a statement that McKinsey was director of engineering for the games department and joined the news company in 2023.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Court documents detailed a nearly year-long divorce battle between McKinsey and his estranged wife Candice Jang, that included accusations of abuse and domestic violence.

The documents show that Jang obtained a domestic violence order of protection against McKinsey in October 2025 after he was arrested for allegedly striking their son.

McKinsey was charged with two counts of child abuse and pleaded not guilty, according to court documents. His trial was pending before his death, and he had a pre-trial hearing schedule for October, according to court documents.

McKinsey, who was transgender, claimed his wife framed him in the incident and accused Jang and her parents of abuse and using anti-LGBTQ slurs against him during arguments in a restraining order filed in December 2025, court documents said.

He filed for divorce that same month, court records show.

Jang denied her husband's allegations in court filings.

The couple, who had two other children, were living separately at the time of his death, according to court documents.

Jang's attorney didn't immediately respond to ABC News for comment.

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(NEW YORK) -- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday called for an outside investigation into Cornell University’s campus culture and its response to allegations by an unidentified female former student that she was raped by several men at a fraternity there in 2024.

The governor said in part that she is seeking to determine whether “Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice.”

“The allegations in this case are nothing short of horrifying. For any student to come forward after an experience like this takes extraordinary courage," Hochul said in her statement.

“I support the district attorney’s decision to reopen the criminal investigation. But there are also serious questions about Cornell’s campus culture and its systems for prevention, reporting, and response," Hochul's statement continued. "That is why I am calling for outside counsel to conduct a transparent, independent review of the university’s response to determine whether Cornell met every obligation to protect its students and pursue justice."

"No student should ever be left wondering whether the institutions meant to protect them will listen and act," the statement also said.

"Cornell shares Governor Hochul’s commitment to addressing campus culture issues, which affect universities across the nation and New York. We are committed to continuing to work with state officials to advance student safety and wellbeing,” a Cornell spokesperson said in a statement provided to ABC News.

Prosecutors in central New York this week announced that they are reopening the investigation of the alleged sexual assault after a former Cornell student filed a civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell, sparking outrage about the incident. 

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said in a statement that his office is considering whether to bring criminal charges related to the incident, though he said the allegations in the civil complaint are "dramatically different" than the woman’s statement to police two years ago.

In an interview with ABC News, Van Houten acknowledged that he relied on the investigation conducted by Cornell Police and said his office didn’t “independently investigate” the allegations.

Ithaca Mayor Robert Cantelmo said on Monday that he would issue a directive for the city to stop issuing permits for student events at Cornell “until such time that the University conducts an accounting of its protocols to prevent and prosecute crimes of sexual violence and publicly releases new standards and practices to keep our community safe.” 

“Despite the severity of these crimes, Cornell University administrators and police failed to contact or coordinate any response with the Ithaca Police Department. Furthermore, the University failed to hold the perpetrators to account," Cantelmo's statement said. "This is a miscarriage of justice and continues to pose a significant threat to students and residents who may be victimized at unsafe and under-monitored on- or off-campus student events."

Ithaca’s Common Council would have to adopt the resolution for it to take effect.

The Ithaca Police Department said in a statement Monday that the alleged incident wasn't reported to them at the time and that they "learned of these allegations recently through the media."

"We understand these allegations are being taken very seriously by Cornell University and the Tomkins County District Attorney's Office," the statement further said. "We encourage members of our community to report allegations to the Ithaca Police Department."

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(WASHINGTON) -- Elder Chavez Carranza believed his last year of high school would consist of preparations for his graduation, prom and planning for his future.

Instead, the 18-year-old has spent more than 200 days in an immigration detention center in Louisiana, hundreds of miles from his home in Albertville, Alabama.

Chavez Carranza who is from Copan, Honduras, entered the U.S. when he was 14 and was later granted Special Immigrant Juvenile classification when he was a minor, a designation for certain immigrant children who have been abused, abandoned or neglected that provides humanitarian protection, his lawyer said.

According to immigration lawyers, the primary benefit of SIJS is that it provides eligible youth under 21 a pathway to obtain a green card. Historically, immigration authorities exercised prosecutorial discretion to avoid arresting or deporting individuals with pending or approved SIJS applications.

The 18-year-old said he was on his way to buy food when a police officer stopped him and began asking about his identification and immigration papers. After explaining to the officer that he did not have documents with him, he said the officer contacted immigration authorities.

"I was going to buy a torta when the officer stopped me. He first asked me for my ID and whether I had papers. I told him, 'no.' Then he called ICE. They asked me what kind of papers I had, and I told them I had status. But they didn't even give me time to show them my papers. They just took me away," Chavez Carranza told ABC News from detention.

Dalaney Mecham, Chavez Carranza's immigration attorney, said he had already been granted SIJ classification by USCIS but that a separate deferred-action application, which could allow him to remain in the U.S while pursuing the next steps in his immigration case, has not been resolved.

"The federal government has already decided that he deserves protection; Congress decided that children like him deserve protection; and USCIS has already looked at his application and approved it," Mecham said. "The only thing standing between him and that protection while he waits for his lawful process to continue is the very same government that created this pathway."

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told ABC News that "Chavez-Carranza will remain in ICE custody pending his immigration proceedings."

"He will receive full due process," DHS added. "Being in detention is a choice. We encourage all illegal aliens to take control of their departure with the CBP Home App."

For the past nine months, Chavez Carranza has been at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, separated from his family, friends and school.

His sister, Maryuri Chavez Carranza, who is his legal guardian, says he calls her every day.

"He tells me, 'I really miss my teachers. I miss my friends. I miss everything about school,'" Maryuri told ABC News.

Immigration advocate Angela Del Valle says she became involved in Chavez Carranza's case after her husband, Carlos, was detained at the same facility and met the 18-year-old there.

Del Valle says she began communicating with his sister and helping the family navigate the detention process. She now speaks with Chavez Carranza regularly and is among the advocates pushing for his release.

"Above all, we want him to know that he's not forgotten," Del Valle said. "We also want the community there at Winn to know that he's cared for, that he's not forgotten."

Advocates and lawmakers have raised concerns about the conditions of the facility where Chavez Carranza is detained. In less than two months, two detainees have died at Winn. DHS has said in statements that the deaths are under investigation and has defended its treatment of detainees in detention centers.

The 18-year -old is one of thousands of people who have been in prolonged detention after being detained by federal immigration authorities, ABC News has reported.

Chavez Carranza said that when he first arrived at Winn, he did not feel comfortable. Over time, he said he began forming friendships with other detainees, including Carlos, who he said was one of the first people he met.

"I do feel protected with them," he said. "They are older people, and they always look out for me."

In detention, the 18-year-old works at the facility unloading trucks. He said that for now, he is focused on finding the strength to get through each day in detention.

"What I ask for most right now, while I'm here, is for God to give me strength so I can keep enduring this confinement. It's very difficult here," he said.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Another top Trump loyalist tasked to help lead a controversial conspiracy probe targeting President Trump's political foes has resigned from the Justice Department, sources familiar with the matter confirmed to ABC News. 

The resignation of Kurt Olsen, a 2020 election denier who was assigned to the so-called "grand conspiracy" probe in Southern Florida earlier this year, comes just weeks after Trump ally Joe diGenova similarly announced his departure after suggesting to the New York Post that he was being pressured by DOJ leadership to bring charges without supporting evidence. 

Olsen had no prior prosecutorial experience and was deeply involved in litigation surrounding President Trump's efforts to challenge his 2020 election loss. 

Olsen could not immediately be reached for comment. A DOJ spokesperson declined to comment to ABC News. 

Other line prosecutors on the investigation are also said to have departed the U.S. attorney's office in South Florida in recent days, sources said, though one source said that those officials had only been temporarily assigned to the office on a detail basis and that their terms had expired.

Additional attorneys were recently been added to assist in the conspiracy probe in recent weeks, that source said. 

The investigation, as detailed by Justice Department officials and other allies of the White House, purports to be examining intelligence officials and others who investigated President Trump and his inner circle dating back to his 2016 presidential campaign, up to the criminal probes he faced after leaving office in 2021. Trump has denied all charges.

The novel theory underpinning the probe has been a source of skepticism by current and former federal prosecutors, who have questioned the premise of charging Trump's foes under a civil rights statute known as "deprivation of rights under color of law," sources have said.

Several subjects of the investigation, including former CIA Director John Brennan, have been subpoenaed in recent weeks to testify before a grand jury in South Florida, according to attorneys.

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(NEW YORK) -- The X2 rollercoaster, which is the subject of multiple lawsuits, has been shut down, the president of Six Flags Magic Mountain announced Tuesday.

"After almost 20 years, we have decided to permanently retire X2," Six Flags Magic Mountain President Brian Oerding said in a statement posted on the Six Flags blog.

"While X2 consistently passed a multitude of safety tests, we have decided to close the ride because we believe it’s the right thing to do. Ride safety is a cornerstone of our business, and when we see guest confidence affected, we take it seriously," Oerding said.

Lawsuits allege riders suffered major brain injuries after riding the X2 roller coaster. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs say more than 100 people have come forward.

X2 has been closed since July 12 and will now stay closed.

The lawsuits allege the ride had design problems dating back to when the ride first opened in 2002, originally called X.

According to court documents, Pamela Guillen and her family visited Six Flags Magic Mountain in July of this year for her daughter’s 16th birthday. Guillen said X2 was the family’s final ride of the day.

After exiting the ride, Guillen said she felt confused and disoriented. Her next memory was waking up in a hospital two weeks later and learning from her family that she had undergone emergency brain surgery.

"I was confused and disoriented, and I remember seeing the fear in my daughter's eyes and how scared she was," Guillen recalled. "Everything went blank. My next memory is waking up in the hospital about two weeks later."

Guillen is one of three people who recently filed lawsuits against Six Flags Magic Mountain alleging they suffered major brain injuries after riding X2.

"I had suffered a traumatic brain injury and needed emergency brain surgery to stop the bleeding and had to be intubated. I was in a coma. I spent almost a month at the hospital," Guillen said.

Another plaintiff, Michael Wick, visited the park with his family and rode X2. Wick’s attorney said he has undergone two brain surgeries and is now unable to practice law because of a disability.

Six days after Guillen collapsed while exiting X2, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson rode the coaster. Her parents said they are still waiting for her to begin breathing on her own.

"Naomi, 25 years old, still hasn't come home. Her parents, Artemis and Josh, are with her every single day and wonder when she's going to be able to breathe on her own again," said Christopher Bulone, a partner with Dordick Law.

“Magic Mountain, as a business, seems to think that it's OK that if people voluntarily choose to ride a roller coaster, then they've assumed the risk. No! They don't assume a risk of death or catastrophic brain damage for some family fun,” said Gary Dordick, owner of Dordick Law.

Magic Mountain has previously settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the family of Christopher Hawley. That lawsuit alleged Hawley died after riding X2 in 2022.

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(NEW YORK) -- Three hikers were airlifted to safety by rescue crews early Monday morning after becoming lost and disoriented in a Big Sur state park, according to officials.

The hikers called 911 at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday to request emergency assistance, prompting a joint search-and-rescue operation by the Monterey County Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue, Big Sur Fire, and a naval air station in the area, according to the Monterey County Sheriff's Office.

One of the hikers was experiencing a medical emergency when they called 911, the sheriff's office said.

The group was located at about 12:30 a.m. The sheriff's office team located them Monday and hoisted them to safety with "Lasso 3," a Navy search-and-rescue helicopter, according to the release.

Rescue teams undertook a 2.5-mile hike at about 2,000 feet of elevation along trails that needed to be cleared with machetes and chainsaws because of overgrowth to reach the hikers, authorities said.

The three were hiking in Limekiln State Park along the Big Sur coastline, officials said.

The three were turned over to Big Sur Fire and Ambulance personnel upon their safe return and the mission was concluded at about 4 a.m. on Monday, according to the sheriff's office.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office reminds those venturing into the backcountry to know their limitations and prepare before departing. Hikers are encouraged to use established trails, carry a GPS-enabled device for navigation, and tell a family member or friend when they leave and their expected return time.

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Prosecutors in upstate New York are defending their decision not to bring charges in 2024 after an alleged "gang rape" at a Cornell University fraternity. 

Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten described the allegations as “morally disturbing” but argued that the facts he knew at the time did not support a prosecution. 

“If what was said on social media about this case was true, those fraternity members would be in prison right now,” Van Houten told ABC News.

Van Houten argued that Jane Doe’s account of the incident from 2024 suggested that she consented to the sexual activity. He said that she did not withdraw her consent, and that when she raised concerns, the fraternity members “stopped and did not pursue what they were doing.” 

“She clearly consented in the beginning, and there was never any indication that she changed that to the things that she participated in,” he said. “There is a disconnect in the sense of how the community and how social media has understood this to have happened. If at any point Jane Doe had said, ‘I don't consent to this anymore,’ or in those words, or in any form of communication. If there had been continued sexual activity, contact by these individuals, that would be a crime. But that's not what was alleged in her statement.” 

Van Houten acknowledged that his office did not examine a photo of the fraternity’s Snapchat group, but he argued that the messages do not change his view of the case. 

He called the messages, "disgusting and vulgar and immoral."

"But the question that we analyzed was: Did Jane Doe consent to what happened, and was she unable to consent?” he said. “I'm not clear on exactly how that was given to us, or if anyone here looked at it. That was not critical to our analysis, as I mentioned earlier. The issue was her consent, and if you take that Snapchat being vile and crude and vulgar, that did not have any relevance to the issue of whether Jane Doe consented to what was happening,”  Van Houten said.

The DA's comments come a day after his office announced it would be reopening the 2024 case in light of Jane Doe's civil lawsuit alleging that she was drugged, assaulted and gang raped by seven former and current members of the Chi Phi fraternity at Cornell.

Cornell’s Chi Phi chapter was barred from campus after the alleged Oct. 19, 2024, incident, though none of the individuals allegedly involved faced criminal charges, according to the DA. 

An attorney for Jane Doe responded to Van Houten's written statement on Monday, alleging his client's claims were not investigated thoroughly.

“It is challenging for me to understand how a thorough criminal investigation could have been conducted when she was never spoke with anyone other than the officer who took her original complaint,” Thomas P. Giuffra said.

Giuffra also raised concerns that prosecutors might have lost critical evidence because of the two-year delay in investigating the case. 

“I believe that opportunities to fully investigate these crimes were lost. We will never fully know what occurred or the identities of everyone who was involved that night,” he said. 

Van Houten said his office plans to meet with Jane Doe to “establish a rapport” before having her testify before the grand jury this fall. He added that he requested some of the documents from Cornell’s Title IX investigation (through Jane Doe) and suggested that some of the fraternity members might testify. 

Van Houten argued his office is constrained by New York’s laws on sexual assault and consent, which present a high bar to a potential prosecution. 

“The law in New York State is clear that if you are voluntarily intoxicated or under the influence of drugs – such that your judgment is impaired — that does not legally, under the penal law, constitute your inability to consent,” Van Houten said. “That's a very difficult concept, but it's a concept that I am constrained by when I apply the law to the case.”

The university said in a new statement on Monday that it "supports the decision of the Tompkins County District Attorney (DA) to provide an opportunity for the victim’s story, in the 2024 Chi Phi fraternity Sexual Assault case, to be heard by a criminal grand jury."

"Cornell also conducted a thorough Title IX investigation, which is separate from a criminal proceeding, over the course of several months," Monday's statement said. "During that investigation temporary suspensions and other restrictive measures were used. After investigation, and pursuant to federal law, the matter was sent to a hearing where a panel of trained faculty and staff heard evidence over multiple days. The complainant and respondents had the opportunity to testify and present evidence. At its conclusion, the hearing panel issued a range of sanctions, which included expulsions and suspensions from Cornell. None of the individuals charged were offered the opportunity to write essays as a sole consequence of their involvement."

Jane Doe’s lawyers allege that the fraternity members "were afforded the opportunity to mitigate their conduct by submitting essays to Cornell."

The fraternity was closed in 2024, the school said.

"Any suggestion that the University did not impose consequential punishments for those involved is false," Cornell said on Monday. "A continuation of the false narrative that there were minimal consequences in this case is irresponsible, will make survivors feel less safe and supported, and will perpetuate the underreporting of sexual assault."

ABC News has reached out to Chi Phi for a comment.

An attorney for one of the defendants denied the allegations and said the incident detailed in the complaint "did not happen."

“We look forward to confronting the plaintiff in a court of law for her selfishly false claims with both the evidence and her own words.” Attorney Jeremy Saland said.

Another defendant also denied engaging in sexual activity or drug use, though he acknowledged that he sent a message that was included in the complaint. 

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An Ohio man accused of murdering his wife in their bedroom and allegedly staging the crime scene to make it seem like an intruder broke into their home denied killing his spouse in an interview with police days after the deadly shooting, according to video shown during his trial on Monday.

Caleb Flynn, 40, a former pastor who once appeared as a contestant on "American Idol" in 2013, is on trial in Miami County, Ohio, for the murder of his 37-year-old wife, Ashley Flynn.

He was arrested on Feb. 19, three days after calling 911 to report a burglary and shooting at their home in Tipp City, north of Dayton in February. He has pleaded not guilty to aggravated murder, murder, felonious assault and tampering with evidence.

Prosecutors alleged that Caleb Flynn shot his wife twice in the back of the head in bed so that he could be with his mistress and manipulated the scene to make it seem as if an intruder did it so he "too would be a victim." According to prosecutors, Ashley Flynn was shot with two 9mm bullets, and Caleb Flynn kept a 9mm handgun in his truck console that was missing from the console when officers arrived at the scene.

While being questioned by a Tipp City police detective and Miami County deputy on the day of his arrest, Flynn was asked point-blank if he had anything to do with his wife's death, according to video of the interview shown in court on Monday.

"Did you do this? Because I have to ask you," Chief Deputy Steve Lord of the Miami County Sheriff's Office asks while questioning Caleb Flynn about what could have led to the deadly shooting.

"No," Caleb Flynn responds.

While discussing the gun that was missing from Caleb Flynn's truck console, Lord says he believes the husband is "involved" in the shooting, and that when a grand jury hears the evidence of the case, "they're going to conclude something."

"I didn't touch my wife," Caleb Flynn says.

Asked if he had any explanation for his gun, Caleb Flynn continues to reiterate, "I didn't touch my wife."

"The evidence is a little bit contrary to that," Lord replies.

The state rested its case on Monday, after calling more than three dozen witnesses over seven days of testimony.

The defense also rested on Monday without calling any witnesses. Caleb Flynn did not testify in his own defense.

Closing arguments are expected Tuesday.

During interviews with investigators played during the trial, Caleb Flynn said that the night of the shooting, he left his bedroom because his coughing was bothering his wife. He said that while sleeping on the couch his dogs woke him up and he went to check on their two daughters and fell asleep in their room. He said he was woken up by the sound of gunshots and found his wife shot in bed in the early hours of Feb. 16.

He called 911 to report the shooting and intruder.

"Somebody broke into my home. Somebody broke in my home and shot my wife," a frantic-sounding Caleb Flynn can be heard in the 911 call.

"My wife, she's got two shots to her head, there's blood everywhere, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God," he says, adding that the door to the garage was "wide open" and urging first responders to "please hurry."

Hours before calling 911 on Feb. 16, Caleb Flynn texted his mistress, "Actions will come tomorrow," prosecutors said.

The former mistress, Alleigha Botner, testified for the state during the trial, reading from some of the more than 100,000 messages they exchanged over her two days of testimony.

"If I could literally kill her and not go to hell, I would do it in a heartbeat," Caleb Flynn said in one message from May 2025, she testified.

Defense attorneys have conceded that Caleb Flynn said "ugly, hurtful" things in the messages with his mistress, though said he did so to appease her and lied to her to make her happy. The defense has also argued that there is no direct evidence, such as a firearm, tying Caleb Flynn to the murder, "only a theory following an affair."

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(NEW YORK) -- A third suspect was arrested on murder charges in the death of Tasia Fortune, a 29-year-old Black mother of four whose body was found hanging from a tree behind an apparently vacant Jackson, Mississippi, home on Aug. 3.

Police arrested Eric Clark, a 45-year-old Black man, on murder charges in Fortune's death on Friday, the Jackson Police Department announced. Clark is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, police said. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney.

Clark's arrest came after two other Black men were arrested earlier this month and charged with murder in this case.

During a hearing on Sept. 23, bond was denied for Earnest Lloyd Jr., 25, one of the suspects, according to ABC affiliate station WAPT in Jackson. It is unclear if he has retained an attorney in his case.

Jarques Ratliff, 51, was arrested on Sept. 11 and charged with murder. According to an affidavit, Ratliff is accused of using a black cable cord to hang Fortune from a tree, WAPT reported. Ratliff pleaded not guilty during a hearing on Sept. 14, where he was also denied bond.

According to The Associated Press, police disclosed during a pre-trial hearing for Ratliff on Friday that Fortune was killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in a "staged" scene.

Asked by ABC News to confirm this detail, a spokesperson for the Jackson Police Department did not respond to requests for comment.

Ratliff's attorney, Toney Baldwin, confirmed his client's not guilty plea to ABC News, but did not comment on the charges.

Following Ratliff's arrest, Fortune's family told ABC News in a statement that they are "grateful" for the arrest, and called for "patience" from the public as the investigation takes its course.

"We would like to thank everyone for their prayers and support and are grateful for the silence to be broken but we also want to say that we wish for people to have patience and wait for the rest of the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions," Fortune's family said in a statement Monday following Ratliffe's arrest. "We are hoping soon we will have more answers."

Christy Spivey, Fortune's mother, told ABC News in an interview on Aug. 8 that her daughter's death has "devastated" the family.

"This has just devastated us," she said. "Tasia was strong-minded, she was full of laughs and love, she had faith in God ... she had so little and gave so much."

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(NEW YORK) -- A 13-year-old boy is in custody after allegedly shooting and seriously wounding a teacher at his New Mexico middle school, authorities said.

The teacher, Kelly Matthews, remains in the hospital where he's considered "stable" but in "critical condition," Hobbs Police Chief James Jones said at a news conference on Sunday.

The shooting unfolded shortly before noon on Friday outside Highland Middle School, near the building's back doors, Jones said.

The 13-year-old went outside the building in between classes, Jones said, and when Matthews walked outside and around a corner, he encountered the suspect, who allegedly immediately began firing at him.

Police have not disclosed a potential motive and said there's no information indicating Matthews was targeted ahead of time.

The 13-year-old fled the school toward a residential area, the chief said. Officers spotted him a few blocks from the school and, after a brief foot pursuit, apprehended him, Jones said.

School nurses jumped in to care for the teacher as officers responded to the scene, police said.

Officers have recovered a semi-automatic handgun they believe the teen allegedly used in the "tragic and violent act," Jones said.

Hobbs Schools Board President Terry O'Brien praised the responding officers' quick actions, saying they prevented the violence from escalating.

The 13-year-old is being held on charges, including aggravated assault on school personnel, shooting threats and unlawfully carrying a deadly weapon, Jones said.

School will be back in session on Monday, police said. The Hobbs Police Department is increasing its officer presence at local schools, with "particular attention to Highland Middle School," the chief said.

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(NEW YORK) -- Millions across the Southwest are on alert for life-threatening flash flooding this week, with the worst of the flooding forecast for Arizona, New Mexico, southern Utah and southern Colorado. 

It's already been one of the wettest Septembers on record for parts of the Southwest. Albuquerque, New Mexico, has recorded 3.31 inches of rain this month, marking the second wettest September ever.

On Monday, a level 3 of 4 flood threat is in place for parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. Areas bracing for dangerous conditions include Santa Fe, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona; Grand Canyon National Park; Zion National Park; and Bryce Canyon National Park.

One to 3 inches of rain is possible, which is more than a month's worth of rain in one day for some areas.

The level 3 flood threats will continue on Tuesday, with 4 to 6 inches of rain possible in some areas Monday through Wednesday. The significant threat will span from Tucson, Arizona, to Albuquerque to Lamar, Colorado, Amarillo, Texas and El Paso, Texas.

On Wednesday and Thursday, a level 3 of 4 flood threat is in place for Dallas, where significant flooding is possible.

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(WASHINGTON) -- Congressional Democrats are pressing federal health officials following the government's decision to end a contract with legal advocacy groups that provide legal representation to migrant children.

In a letter sent Monday to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, lawmakers raised concerns over the government's efforts to award new federal contracts to politically connected firms that they say lack immigration experience.

The 63 lawmakers wrote that they are "gravely concerned that ORR would entrust a vulnerable population with firms so plainly unqualified for the task."

The letter comes after HHS last month awarded a controversial anti-human trafficking organization a no-bid $158 million contract to provide legal services to migrant children.

Utah-based Our Rescue, previously known as Operation Underground Railroad, was founded by activist Tim Ballard, who resigned in 2023 amid allegations of misconduct, which he denied in a statement posted through one of his organizations. 

Our Rescue, according to the group of lawmakers, "does not list legal services among its primary functions."

"Under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008, ORR is required to provide confidential and qualified legal consultation to unaccompanied children," the lawmakers wrote. "However, Our Rescue does not list legal services among its primary functions, and it is unlikely to have the needed infrastructure and legal expertise to properly provide legal representation for thousands of children across the country."

Currently, Our Rescue is run by Derek Benner, a former DHS official from the first Trump administration.

"If ORR proceeds with this contract, ORR will be gambling with the legal fate of thousands of children on an organization that has not clearly demonstrated it can do this work," the lawmakers wrote.

In a statement, an HHS spokesperson called Our Rescue "a premier organization focused on combatting human trafficking globally."

"Not only do they understand the crime, but they understand the foreign populations who have been preyed upon by criminal networks and who profit from exploiting vulnerable populations," the HHS statement said. "As such, they are perfectly positioned to understand and recognize if or when an unaccompanied child has been victimized and will have the legal representation to pursue any immigration avenues available."

The lawmakers, in their letter, also pointed to a notice from HHS that announced its intent to award a $150 million contract to a small Texas law firm founded by a former Trump appointee. Burke Law Group withdrew from consideration for the contract after lawmakers and advocacy groups raised concerns that the firm did not have experience representing migrant children.

"The withdrawal underscores our concerns with how your agency is handling these contracts and award process," the lawmakers wrote. "These children are a uniquely vulnerable population whose needs and case complexities require highly specialized expertise."

The letter from the lawmakers, which include Rep. Joaquin Castro and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, asks Kennedy and ORR for information regarding the contract with Our Rescue and whether the agencies plan to award additional contracts in support of migrant children.

"Unaccompanied minors are the most vulnerable population in the immigration system," Rep. Castro told ABC News. "We have a moral and statutory duty to provide them with quality legal representation. The Trump administration's attempt to cut out longstanding providers who are equipped to handle these cases jeopardized the well-being of children."

Michael Lukens, the executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights -- which used to receive funding through a government contract that was terminated -- said that "nonprofits are doing their best to keep the lights on and to help as many unaccompanied children as possible."

"Since the Trump administration took the unprecedented action of letting the contract for children's legal services expire with no plan in place for more than 20,000 kids, we have seen an equally unprecedented attack on immigrant children," he told ABC News.

Immigrant advocacy groups have alleged that unaccompanied children and their sponsors are among those being targeted under the administration's aggressive immigration crackdown. 

In June, DHS agents visited the offices of several Washington-area nonprofit organizations that provide legal services to unaccompanied migrant children. 

Last year, ABC News reported that the administration was directing immigration agents to track down unaccompanied migrant children in the United States.

"We are seeing children being bullied in court to take self-deportation and other children showing up without any counsel, even though the government is mandated to provide them with an attorney," Lukens said. "Unaccompanied immigrant children need meaningful and expert advocacy through the court system, not political games."

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