After Karen Read was acquitted of killing her boyfriend, a look at the key evidence presented in her successful defense

But her lawyers said
Here's a look at several key issues that may have cast doubt about the government's case in the eyes of jurors.
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Brian Higgins's texts, video footage, statements
Brian Higgins testifies during the trial of Karen Read on May 24, 2024.
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
Throughout the retrial, Read's lawyers focused on ATF agent Brian Higgins, who attended the afterparty at the Canton home and was a key figure in the first trial.
He did not testify at the retrial, but Read's defense team questioned other witnesses in an effort to show he may have had a motive to harm O'Keefe.
Jurors saw
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The jury also learned that State Police never directly searched Higgins's phone; instead, he provided the text messages himself to investigators, according to State Police Sgt. Yuri Bukhenik, who testified that he felt the texts showed Read was pursuing Higgins romantically.
Jurors also viewed surveillance footage from the Waterfall, the second bar the group went to before the afterparty, where O'Keefe kisses Read on the forehead in view of Higgins, who's later seen gesturing aggressively towards O'Keefe as Albert's brother grabs his forearm to restrain him.
Jurors also viewed
In that footage, Higgins is seen briefly ducking into dispatch and then exiting the station on his phone before he retrieves an empty duffel bag from another vehicle in the parking lot. He also retrieves a garden hoe from another area of the lot.
(Higgins testified at the first trial that he went to the police station to move cars due to the snowstorm.)
Read attorney Alan Jackson also
Higggins also testified during the first trial that he disposed of his phone a few months after O'Keefe's death on a Cape Cod military base after a target of one of his ATF probes called him and said his girlfriend had gotten the number off the Internet.
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Jennifer McCabe's Google search, statements, texts
Jennifer McCabe continues her cross-examination testimony during the Karen Read murder trial in Norfolk Superior Court on April 30, 2025.
Greg Derr/Associated Press
Jennifer McCabe, Brian Albert's sister-in-law,
But on cross-examination, she was confronted with a Google search on her phone timestamped 2:27 a.m., five minutes after the alleged butt dials between Higgins and Brian Albert, that said 'hos [sic] long to die in cold.'
McCabe testified that she actually made that search hours later at the crime scene at Read's request, and government forensic experts
The government experts also said the deletion of the search appeared to have been done automatically, rather than manually by the user.
The defense also pressed McCabe about her initial evasiveness when the FBI first approached her outside her home to discuss the case in April 2023.
The jurors were told only that the agents were from an unspecified law enforcement agency, as they were barred from knowing the Justice Department had convened a separate federal grand jury investigation into the state authorities' handling of O'Keefe's death.
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The authorities later called her when she was in her house and identified themselves as law enforcement, she said.
McCabe said she told the investigators she would speak with them but she needed about 10 minutes to get ready.
Jackson asked McCabe if she suspended that interview at one point because she didn't feel comfortable, and she said, 'correct.'
She said she had also called her husband who returned home, and that she had also called Roberts before the interview began.
Omissions in the investigation
Jurors learned that authorities, while they questioned some witnesses inside the Canton home on the morning of O'Keefe's death, never conducted a search of the premises.
In addition, jurors were told that investigators never reviewed Ring video footage from the front porch of a Canton police official who lived diagonally across the street from Brian Albert.
Paul Gallagher, a retired Canton police lieutenant,
O'Keefe's injuries
Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, the medical examiner who conducted the autopsy on John O'Keefe, testifies during the trial of Karen Read on May 15, 2025.
Mark Stockwell/AP, Pool
Dr. Irini Scordi-Bello, the state medical examiner who conducted O'Keefe's autopsy,
Scordi-Bello also testified, however, that O'Keefe's manner of death was undetermined, and that she 'did examine his legs and I did not see any evidence of an impact site.'
O'Keefe had also sustained a number of linear scratches on his right arm, and a defense expert, Dr. Marie Russell, a veteran emergency room physician in Los Angeles and former Malden police officer,
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A government expert testified that the scratches were consistent with O'Keefe's arm being caught in Read's shattered taillight.
But the defense also called another expert, Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, the former chief medical examiner in Rhode Island, who
The ARCCA witnesses
Expert Daniel Wolfe returns to the stand in the murder retrial of Karen Read in Norfolk Superior Court, Monday June 9, 2025, in Dedham, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via AP, Pool)
Pat Greenhouse/Associated Press
The defense also called two analysts from the Philadelphia-based crash reconstruction firm ARCCA, who
Government experts contradicted that assessment, but the word of the ARCCA analysts, who were initially hired by the Justice Department as part of the federal probe and later retained by the defense, evidently carried weight with jurors.
The defense also repeatedly mocked a so-called paint
In his closing argument, Jackson likened the 'ridiculous blue paint' test to a 'kindergarten project.'
Allegations of vehicle tampering, planting evidence, firing of lead investigato
Law enforcement witnesses also testified to recovering a number of taillight shards and a broken drinking glass at the crime scene near O'Keefe's body,
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But jurors learned that many of the pieces on the lawn were discovered days after the initial snowy search, including
Jackson asked Bukhenik if he had asked Berkowitz,
'No,' Bukhenik said repeatedly.
Canton police quickly recused themselves from the investigation because a detective on the force is Brian Albert's brother.
Jurors were also told
The jury learned Proctor was
Dever
Dever, speaking in a deliberate tone, testified that the defense later produced a timeline showing the SUV was brought into the garage after her shift ended that day, 'meaning it is not possible that I saw that.'
Dever said it was a 'false memory' that she 'provided in good faith,' which she then 'retracted immediately [upon] being provided evidence that it was not possible.'
She also testified that Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox, her boss at her current department, had called her into his office for a one-on-one discussion before her testimony at the retrial.
Jackson asked if Cox told her to 'do the right thing,' and Dever said she couldn't recall the direct quote.
'He said nothing with the intent of guiding me one way or the other,' Dever said, adding that Cox 'wanted me to tell the truth up here.'
Dever also testified that she must be truthful, adding that 'my entire job revolves around what I say on the stand right now.'
Jackson pointedly reminded jurors of that statement at closing, adding, 'you bet it does.'
Dighton police officer Nicholas Barros's testimony
Jurors also
State Police seized the SUV after interviewing Read inside the residence, and Barros told the jury the taillight damage was more severe in a photo of the vehicle inside the Canton police garage than when he saw it in Dighton.
'That taillight is completely smashed out' in the Canton photo, Barros said. 'That middle section was intact when I was there' in Dighton.
Prosecutor Hank Brennan highlighted that Barros had testified differently during the first trial.
But the officer was adamant.
'I know what I saw,' Barros said. 'And that wasn't it.'
Travis Andersen can be reached at

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Fox Sports

5 hours ago

• Fox Sports

Golden State Warriors help transform lives of incarcerated men through coaching program

Associated Press VACAVILLE, Calif. (AP) — One day last fall, Ray Woodfork found himself being challenged to a fight by a fellow inmate half his age on the grounds of Solano State Prison. Woodfork would have been tempted not so long ago. The Golden State Warriors have helped turn him toward a different way of thinking. This time, the once-aspiring college basketball player, who was serving as referee for the prison football league that day, immediately made it clear he had no interest in an altercation. Woodfork said he chose to walk away and return to his dorm. He acknowledges had he fought there's no way he would now be part of a peer mentoring program or have a chance for the governor to review his case. And Woodfork certainly wouldn't be a certified basketball coach either if adrenaline and anger had won out. 'I was just like, 'That's not who I am, that's not what I'm about,' and I walked away,' Woodfork recalled. 'It's hard to do, because the flesh wants to do that.' The incident happened before Week 5 of a six-week program run by youth coaches from the Warriors Basketball Academy as part of the Twinning Project that is teaching incarcerated men at Solano coaching skills and showing them there is the chance for meaningful transformation. Woodfork successfully utilized a skill learned in the program: palms down. With palms facing down, it allows someone to move forward and focus on the next moment or play, forgetting whatever trigger might be right in front of them or something that already happened. Woodfork began writing rap lyrics about his experience with the Twinning Project, which started in the UK by pairing professional soccer teams like Arsenal and West Ham United of the Premier League with prisons to contribute in the rehabilitation process. U.S. clubs such as D.C. United, Angel City FC and Miami FC have become involved — and other NBA teams are showing interest. 'Golden State will be a hard act to follow,' Twinning Project CEO Hilton Freund said. ___ 'With my palms down, I calm down, next move is on them.' ___ Several months later, Woodfork grabbed a mic and began rapping those very words in celebration as his 15 basketball teammates danced alongside him and hugged one another. It's graduation day. That means a stroll in front of the group to receive a certificate and Warriors jersey with each man's last name on back. The hope is these graduates will now use their skills to teach other incarcerated men not only how to coach but to be positive influences. When Warriors academy coach Ben Clarfield circles up the group at midcourt to give the men and instructors a chance to provide feedback, there is a common theme. The Twinning Project has provided these men a sense of self-worth and purpose, a break from the isolation of prison. Many of the participants expressed feeling loved and seen — often for the first time in years. This has been about grace and forgiveness, inclusion and acceptance. Oftentimes, those ideas have had to be learned or re-learned — and the Twinning Project played a crucial role in that process. 'It reintroduced me to my love of basketball, that people on the outside haven't given up on us,' former Fresno State student Jonquel Brooks said. 'It's wanting to coach but not knowing how to coach, then now being given the tools to have the opportunity.' Jeff Addiego, vice president of Warriors Basketball Academy, and his staff have also been changed by the outreach. They beamed and fought tears at the same time, overjoyed to see these men finding meaning in their new roles. The way this program works, the Warriors players and coaches aren't participating as some of the European professionals are, though former Golden State big man Festus Ezeli has been a regular visitor. 'We've gotten to know each and every one of these guys. If one of these guys was anywhere else I would give him a hug the first time I saw him,' Addiego said. 'It's amazing. We don't pry or ask them anything it, but what they've been willing to share with us, it's powerful stuff." Woodfork's mentor, Viet Kim Le, took part in the second coaching cohort. He has observed the commitment by Woodfork to show remorse for his crime and better himself while serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for murder. 'His beliefs have changed," Le said, "so he looks at life through a different lens.' ___ 'I don't react, I respond, I take a breath and I move on." ___ Spanning four hours each Tuesday, some of these men felt like actual basketball players again. They stepped into a changing area in the Solano gym and traded their prison blues for jerseys featuring the Warriors logo on front and Twinning Project on back before making their way to the court for drills like shooting, dribbling and defense. There was also mental training to find strategies for every situation they might encounter in prison or, for some perhaps eventually, life on the outside. They backpedaled with extra self-confidence, they high-fived, dishing out good-natured trash talk here and there, but more than anything they cheered each other on — through every great shot or errant pass. Many might never have mixed otherwise. Community-building is a big part of it. Freund launched his charitable foundation in 2018, and he and his wife attended the Feb. 11 graduation of the second group of 16 men at Solano receiving coaching certificates. He is thrilled the Warriors became involved. Freund references a study from the University of Oxford published last year showing the program's 'wholistic benefit" for the incarcerated leading to "better behavior, less propensity for violence, improved relationships amongst themselves and improved relationships with their prison officers.' ___ 'Making coaches out of convicts, we're taking over cities ... coaching with a passion, that's how we set the tone.' ___ The palms-down approach is about having the power to choose a response. That message and other learning tools came from mental skills coach Graham Betchart, who works regularly with the UConn men's basketball team. On his first drive to Solano, Betchart came up with the rhyme "let it go, give it back, next play I attack.' He had no idea Woodfork would soon begin turning those words into rap. 'Inspiring to the world," Betchart said, "and it comes in a way that I've never seen anybody deliver it the way that he does. ... And everything he's saying is PG-13 but it's delivered in a way that's so powerful you don't even realize that you'd want your 9-year-old kid listening to this.' ___ 'I let it go and get it back, the next play, you know I'm going to attack.' ___ Woodfork was arrested at age 20 for killing a man during an attempted robbery. He had expected to start playing college games in a summer tournament mere days later. 'So I was right there, right there,' Woodfork shared. Now he is hopeful his hard work will be considered by Gov. Gavin Newsom. A former gang member both outside and inside prison who once had dreams of playing in the NBA, Woodfork has trained to be a peer mentor — a program requiring he have five 'clean' years without trouble in order to participate. The Warriors' program has filled a major void. 'That's an understatement,' Woodfork said, 'due to the fact my aspirations were to play in the NBA one day, as a kid that was my end all, be all, that was my identity. Basketball was everything.' ___ 'It's deeper than the game and that name on your shirt, it's the Twinning Project, where real men put in work.' ___ It brings Addiego and the others to tears at times witnessing the progress — like Woodfork deciding not to fight that day. 'I talked myself off the ledge by speaking out loud about what happened,' said Woodfork, now working as a drug and alcohol counselor. 'This is an opportunity to show the world I'm not the person I was. It doesn't define me. I feel like I've outgrown prison, I feel like a fish swimming upstream, a salmon.' ___ AP NBA: recommended

Politico

6 hours ago

• Politico

Legal dramas would trail Andrew Cuomo to City Hall

NEW YORK — A thicket of court cases and a legal strategy that silences critics will follow Andrew Cuomo into City Hall if he's elected mayor of the nation's largest city. Playing out against the backdrop of the heated New York City Democratic primary that Cuomo has dominated for months is his aggressive legal maneuvering as he continues to deny any wrongdoing in the scandals that pushed him from office. The frontrunner and former New York governor is embroiled in several lawsuits, including two filed by women — a former member of his State Police security detail and an ex-aide — who accused him of sexual harassment. Cuomo signaled his intention to file a defamation suit against a third woman, former aide and accuser Charlotte Bennett. The move came as Cuomo was preparing to enter the mayoral race last year; Bennett described it as effectively muzzling her from talking about her experience. Cuomo's legal tactics have included seeking Bennett's gynecological and therapist records, which his attorney Rita Glavin called a 'pro forma request' made at the direction of a psychiatric expert due to the damages being sought. Glavin said she'd have offered a fulsome response, but is limited by a confidentiality order enforced by Bennett's attorneys. In a separate case filed by former aide Brittany Commisso, Cuomo's attorneys subpoenaed communications with her ex-husband, an Albany politician, that her attorney argued have nothing to do with the case. The ex-governor's legal team has insisted these demands are routine and necessary to mount a robust defense. Complicating matters further for Cuomo, he is reportedly under investigation by the Trump administration after House Republicans referred him for prosecution after accusing him of lying to a Congressional panel investigating his Covid-era policies, a claim he's denied. Cuomo says he's yet to be contacted by the DOJ and has called the probe politically motivated, even though Democrats also raised concerns about his testimony. Taken together, the legal cases surrounding the former governor paint a picture of someone acclimating to the job of running New York City while defending himself in two lawsuits, pursuing a third and potentially responding to a federal investigation. It all comes as he seeks to turn the page on the scandals that led to his political downfall four years ago, with an electoral comeback that would belie the ongoing legal machinations that blossomed following his resignation. The dynamic calls to mind the legal woes of Mayor Eric Adams, whose corruption charges were dismissed after the Democrat cozied up to President Donald Trump. Adams' closeness to the Republican president further tarnished his standing with voters, leading him to forgo seeking the Democratic nomination and run as an independent in November. Cuomo critics assert the legal dramas would hinder his management of the city and create a dynamic similar to the one that has dogged Adams. 'It would take away Cuomo's ability to govern,' Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas said. 'It's why Eric Adams is deeply compromised. We don't need one scandal-ridden mayor replaced with another.' The ex-governor's attorneys have pounced on criticism of him as he attempts his political comeback. Lawyers have admonished their counterparts in harassment lawsuits from publicizing that Cuomo has leveraged a state law to have taxpayers cover his attorneys' fees in some cases, warning that such criticism is 'prejudicing Governor Cuomo's right to a fair trial.' Taxpayers spent $20.3 million to defend Cuomo and several former advisors in three sexual harassment lawsuits, according to a recent tally by the state comptroller's office. Efforts to suppress criticism have crossed into his mayoral bid. His campaign attorney in May sent a 'cease-and-desist' notice to a union backing one of Cuomo's rivals for making inaccurate claims in a political flyer. Some of the notice's concerns — an accusation that the ex-governor is no 'friend' of working people — are standard campaign rhetoric. Cuomo spokesperson Rich Azzopardi pointed to efforts by the Trump administration to investigate or arrest prominent Democrats, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer while opening an investigation into New York Attorney General Letitia James. State lawmakers approved a $10 million pot of money for James' legal bills, he noted. 'Pretending like this nonsense is somehow a different situation is silly and disingenuous,' Azzopardi said. 'Trump will try this with anyone who — unlike Mayor Adams — refuses to bend the knee. These are serious times and New Yorkers know Andrew Cuomo is the only candidate who has the experience and the record of results to fix what's broken and put the city back on the right track.' The former governor has insisted as mayor he would not be beholden to Trump and is best suited to negotiate with the mercurial president given their decades of shared history. He said the allegations against him — sexually harassing 11 women as determined by the state attorney general's report — were 'all political.' The former governor during a televised debate said the allegations never translated to criminal cases, rather 'political fodder for my opponents.' 'Four years later, we've had five district attorneys — Democrat, Republicans, upstate, downstate — nothing has come of them whatsoever,' Cuomo said during the debate. 'There has been one civil case that's been resolved,' he added in reference to Bennett withdrawing her lawsuit last year. 'I was dropped from the case.' Cuomo's scandals have not dented his mayoral prospects, and his rivals have failed to capitalize on the controversies. He entered the race on March 1 and instantly became the leading candidate for the party's nomination after weeks of privately sewing the perception that his victory would be inevitable. But there is some sense his scandals are not far from voters' minds, given his otherwise high negatives, even as most polls show him winning the race. Candidate Zohran Mamdani, however, is gaining on Cuomo in polls, and early voting returns show an increase in participation from younger voters likely to back the 33-year-old democratic socialist Mamdani over the former governor. On Saturday, Cuomo foe Brad Lander appeared with Bennett and several others who accused the ex-governor of harassment, along with a man whose father, a nursing home resident, died of Covid. At least two sexual harassment lawsuits stand to follow Cuomo into City Hall. Commisso sued him in November 2023 after she alleged Cuomo groped her at the governor's mansion. Court papers show Cuomo would sit for a deposition as late as December — weeks before the inauguration of the city's next mayor. Another suit filed by a woman known as Trooper 1 is not expected to conclude this year. As he prepared to run, Cuomo's attorneys moved to sue Bennett, a former administration aide who first accused him of sexual harassment in 2021, claiming she defamed him when making her claims public. Bennett only days earlier dropped her own sexual harassment lawsuit against the ex-governor. Going on the offensive, Cuomo's legal team asserted Bennett's allegations were a key factor in his eventual downfall. 'Bennett's false allegations materially contributed to a cascade of harm to Governor Cuomo,' attorneys for the former governor wrote in an initial court filing. 'Among other things, the false accusations she publicized in the national media were a significant factor in calls for an investigation into Governor Cuomo's conduct.' Cuomo last week did not answer a reporter's questions over whether he would pursue a defamation case against Bennett if elected mayor. Bennett responded on X: 'There have been a lot of discussions about my gynecological records and yet barely any mention of the fact that I STILL am not safe to discuss this personal experience publicly.' Her attorney did not return messages seeking comment. The defamation maneuver stunned advocates for survivors and reinvigorated a push by state lawmakers to pass a law that would make it harder for people accused of sexual harassment to file such cases. The effect of a defamation suit, though, could be far-reaching for Cuomo's potential tenure in City Hall. 'It sets a highly concerning tone for what New York stands for. Imagine how terrifying that would be with him coming back — what does that do to an ordinary person who may come forward?' said Victoria Burke, a California-based privacy attorney who crafted legislation meant to limit defamation suits like the one Cuomo filed against Bennett. 'It would have a chilling effect on anyone who comes forward. He's powerful, he's back, he's not remorseful.' Glavin, the Cuomo attorney, said: 'Everyone is entitled to due process and has the right to defend themself, particularly against demonstrably false allegations.' The Bennett lawsuit, she said, 'fell apart' due to requests for text and video messages 'that disproved her claims' which investigators did not obtain. 'Bennett's claims were virtually worthless, which is why the state eventually agreed to a nuisance settlement. Commisso's lawsuit is headed in the exact same direction — like Bennett, Commisso also withheld from investigators dozens of texts that gut her allegations, which is why her lawyers are now engaged in legal maneuvering to avoid Commisso having to sit for a deposition,' Glavin said. She continued: 'Trooper 1's case — which the New York State Police are also defending against — is likewise in tatters. What you cite are nothing more than routine, pro forma discovery requests that any defendant would make. Moreover, none of these cases involve an order preventing any complainant from talking publicly. If anyone is worried about a defamation claim, it must be because they know their allegations are false. ' Cuomo initially expressed regret when Bennett first came forward in 2021 to describe how the then-governor would ask questions about her personal relationships and sex life while telling her he was lonely. Looking directly into the camera during one of his Covid briefings that shot him to national stardom, Cuomo apologized if he made anyone feel uncomfortable. Out of office, Cuomo has denied any wrongdoing. In legal filings, his attorneys are taking a forceful posture, which extends to lawyers representing the women. Less than a week after Cuomo announced his mayoral campaign, in a letter to the court, Glavin blasted Commisso lawyer Mariann Wang for calling the ex-governor 'an unrepentant sexual harasser' as 'defamatory.' Criticizing Cuomo for receiving taxpayer assistance to defend himself would hurt his chances for a fair trial, Glavin wrote. 'There is nothing improper about Governor Cuomo receiving the state funded defense to which he is entitled to under the law,' Glavin wrote. 'Yet, Ms. Wang seeks to weaponize that fact and taint public opinion by calling Governor Cuomo's appropriate and routine discovery efforts 'vindictive.'' Wang responded that Cuomo would 'surely like' to prevent accusers from speaking about him but 'unfortunately for him, the First Amendment does not allow for such prior restraints on core political speech.'

Boston Globe

11 hours ago

• Boston Globe

ICE detains Marine Corps veteran's wife who was still breastfeeding their child

Even as Marine Corps recruiters promote enlistment as protection for families lacking legal status, directives for strict immigrant enforcement have cast away practices of deference previously afforded to military families, immigration law experts say. The federal agency tasked with helping military family members gain legal status now refers them for deportation, government memos show. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up To visit his wife, Adrian Clouatre has to make an eight-hour round trip from their home in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to a rural ICE detention center in Monroe. Clouatre, who qualifies as a service-disabled veteran, goes every chance he can get. Advertisement Paola Clouatre, a 25-year-old Mexican national whose mother brought her into the country illegally more than a decade ago, met Adrian Clouatre, 26, at a southern California nightclub during the final months of his five years of military service in 2022. Within a year, they had tattooed each other's names on their arms. Advertisement After they married in 2024, Paola Clouatre sought a green card to legally live and work in the U.S. Adrian Clouatre said he is 'not a very political person' but believes his wife deserved to live legally in the U.S. 'I'm all for 'get the criminals out of the country,' right?' he said. 'But the people that are here working hard, especially the ones married to Americans — I mean, that's always been a way to secure a green card.' Detained at a green card meeting Adrian Clouatre takes a selfie of himself and his wife Paola. Adrian Clouatre/Associated Press The process to apply for Paola Clouatre's green card went smoothly at first, but eventually she learned ICE had issued an order for her deportation in 2018 after her mother failed to appear at an immigration hearing. Clouatre and her mother had been estranged for years — Clouatre cycled out of homeless shelters as a teenager — and up until a couple of months ago, Clouatre had 'no idea' about her mother's missed hearing or the deportation order, her husband said. Adrian Clouatre recalled that a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services staffer asked about the deportation order during a May 27 appointment as part of her green card application. After Paola Clouatre explained that she was trying to reopen her case, the staffer asked her and her husband to wait in the lobby for paperwork regarding a follow-up appointment, which her husband said he believed was a 'ploy.' Soon, officers arrived and handcuffed Paola Clouatre, who handed her wedding ring to her husband for safekeeping. Adrian Clouatre, eyes welling with tears, said he and his wife had tried to 'do the right thing' and that he felt ICE officers should have more discretion over arrests, though he understood they were trying to do their jobs. Advertisement 'It's just a hell of a way to treat a veteran,' said Carey Holliday, a former immigration judge who is now representing the couple. 'You take their wives and send them back to Mexico?' The Clouatres filed a motion for a California-based immigration judge to reopen the case on Paola's deportation order and are waiting to hear back, Holliday said. Less discretion for military families Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that Paola Clouatre 'is in the country illegally' and that the administration is 'not going to ignore the rule of law.' 'Ignoring an Immigration Judge's order to leave the U.S. is a bad idea,' U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a June 9 post on X which appeared to refer to Clouatre's case. The agency added that the government 'has a long memory and no tolerance for defiance when it comes to making America safe again.' Prior to the Trump administration's push to drive up deportations, USCIS provided much more discretion for veterans seeking legal status for a family member, said Holliday and Margaret Stock, a military immigration law expert. In a Feb. 28 memo, the agency said it 'will no longer exempt' from deportation people in groups that had received more grace in the past. This includes the families of military personnel or veterans, Stock said. As of June 12, the agency said it has referred upward of 26,000 cases to ICE for deportation. USCIS still offers a program allowing family members of military personnel who illegally entered the U.S. to remain in the country as they apply for a green card. But there no longer appears to be room for leeway, such as giving a veteran's spouse like Paola Clouatre the opportunity to halt her active deportation order without facing arrest, Stock said. Advertisement But numerous Marine Corps recruiters have continued to post ads on social media, geared toward Latinos, promoting enlistment as a way to gain 'protection from deportation' for family members. 'I think it's bad for them to be advertising that people are going to get immigration benefits when it appears that the administration is no longer offering these immigration benefits,' Stock said. 'It sends the wrong message to the recruits.' Marine Corps spokesperson Master Sgt. Tyler Hlavac told The Associated Press that recruiters have now been informed they are 'not the proper authority' to 'imply that the Marine Corps can secure immigration relief for applicants or their families.'