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In September 2014, Gilberto Velasquez, a 38-year-old house painter from El Salvador, received life-changing news: The U.S. government had decided to shelve its deportation action against him.

The move was part of a policy change initiated by then-President Barack Obama in 2011 to pull back from deporting immigrants who had formed deep ties in the United States and whom the government considered no threat to public safety. Instead, the administration would prioritize illegal immigrants who had committed serious crimes.

Last month, things changed again for the painter, who has lived in the United States illegally since 2005 and has a U.S.-born child. He received news that the government wanted to put his deportation case back on the court calendar, citing another shift in priorities, this time by President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has moved to reopen the cases of hundreds of illegal immigrants who, like Velasquez, had been given a reprieve from deportation, according to government data and court documents reviewed by Reuters and interviews with immigration lawyers.

Trump signaled in January that he planned to dramatically widen the net of illegal immigrants targeted for deportation, but his administration has not publicized its efforts to reopen immigration cases.

It represents one of the first concrete examples of the crackdown promised by Trump and is likely to stir fears among tens of thousands of illegal immigrants who thought they were safe from deportation.

While cases were reopened during the Obama administration as well, it was generally only if an immigrant had committed a serious crime, immigration attorneys say. The Trump administration has sharply increased the number of cases it is asking the courts to reopen, and its targets appear to include at least some people who have not committed any crimes since their cases were closed.

Between March 1 and May 31, prosecutors moved to reopen 1,329 cases, according to a Reuters' analysis of data from the Executive Office of Immigration Review, or EOIR. The Obama administration filed 430 similar motions during the same period in 2016.

Jennifer Elzea, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, confirmed the agency was now filing motions with immigration courts to reopen cases where illegal immigrants had "since been arrested for or convicted of a crime."

It is not possible to tell from the EOIR data how many of the cases the Trump administration is seeking to reopen involve immigrants who committed crimes after their cases were closed.

Attorneys interviewed by Reuters say indeed some of the cases being reopened are because immigrants were arrested for serious crimes, but they are also seeing cases involving people who haven't committed crimes or who were cited for minor violations, like traffic tickets.

"This is a sea change, said attorney David Leopold, former president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. "Before, if someone did something after the case was closed out that showed that person was a threat, then it would be reopened. Now they are opening cases just because they want to deport people."

Elzea said the agency reviews cases, "to see if the basis for prosecutorial discretion is still appropriate."

POLICY SHIFTS

After Obama announced his shift toward targeting illegal immigrants who had committed serious crimes, prosecutors embraced their new discretion to close cases.

Between January 2012 and Trumps inauguration on Jan. 20, the government shelved some 81,000 cases, according to Reuters' data analysis. These so-called "administrative closures" did not extend full legal status to those whose cases were closed, but they did remove the threat of imminent deportation.

Trump signed an executive order overturning the Obama-era policy on Jan. 25. Under the new guidelines, while criminals remain the highest priority for deportation, anyone in the country illegally is a potential target.

In cases reviewed by Reuters, the administration explicitly cited Trump's executive order in 30 separate motions as a reason to put the immigrant back on the court docket. (For a link to an excerpted document: tmsnrt.rs/2sI6aby)

Since immigration cases aren't generally public, Reuters was able to review only cases made available by attorneys.

In the 32 reopened cases examined by Reuters:

--22 involved immigrants who, according to their attorneys, had not been in trouble with the law since their cases were closed.

--Two of the cases involved serious crimes committed after their cases were closed: domestic violence and driving under the influence.

--At least six of the cases involved minor infractions, including speeding after having unpaid traffic tickets, or driving without a valid license, according to the attorneys.

In Velasquez's case, for example, he was cited for driving without a license in Tennessee, where illegal immigrants cannot get licenses, he said.

"I respect the law and just dedicate myself to my work," he said. "I don't understand why this is happening."

Motions to reopen closed cases have been filed in 32 states, with the highest numbers in California, Florida and Virginia, according to Reuters' review of EOIR data. The bulk of the examples reviewed by Reuters were two dozen motions sent over the span of a couple days by the New Orleans ICE office.

PUMPKIN SEED ARREST

Sally Joyner, an immigration attorney in Memphis, Tennessee said one of her Central American clients, who crossed the border with her children in 2013, was allowed to stay in the United States after the government filed a motion to close her case in December 2015.

Since crossing the border, the woman has not been arrested or had trouble with law enforcement, said Joyner, who asked that her client's name not be used because of the pending legal action.

Nevertheless, on March 29, ICE filed a two-page motion to reopen the case against the woman and her children. When Joyner queried ICE, an official said the agency had been notified that her client had a criminal history in El Salvador, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The woman had been arrested for selling pumpkin seeds as an unauthorized street vendor. Government documents show U.S. authorities knew about the arrest before her case was closed.

Dana Marks, president of the National Association of Immigration Judges, said that revisiting previously closed matters will add to a record backlog of 580,000 pending immigration cases.

"If we have to go back and review all of those decisions that were already made, it clearly generates more work," she said. "It's a judicial do-over."

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg and Reade Levinson in New York; Additional reporting by Julia Edwards Ainsley in Washington; Editing by Sue Horton and Ross Colvin)

WASHINGTON An already contentious move by Republican President Donald Trump to block opposition Democratic lawmakers from getting information about his administration received its most scathing criticism yet on Friday - from one of the most powerful Republican members of the U.S. Senate.

WASHINGTON Trump said on Friday the United States is committed to Article 5 of the NATO charter, which requires each member of the alliance to come to the defense of any other.

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Exclusive: Trump targets illegal immigrants who were given reprieves from deportation by Obama - Reuters

The White House is systematically dismantling former President Barack Obama's legacy on labor and employment regulations, reversing course on changes Obama made to overtime law, business liability, federal contract bidding and worker exposure to harmful circumstances, among other policies.

The latest move came late Thursday when the Labor Department announced it would start the process of rescinding the "persuader rule," which forced labor lawyers to publicly divulge whenever they were hired by businesses. Previously the contracts only had to be divulged when lawyers spoke directly with workers. The rule, which unions applauded, was widely expected to cause many lawyers to stop the consulting altogether. A Texas court in April declared the rule unconstitutional.

Such efforts have been made easier by the Obama era changes being reinterpretations of existing rules or other uses of executive authority. That allowed the White House to adopt the changes without congressional legislation. It also has allowed its successor administration to undo those efforts with relative ease.

"Things of that nature are just a lot easier to rescind," Trey Kovacs, labor policy analyst with free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, wrote in an email. "Some of it easier than other parts. You still have to (in most cases) follow the Administrative Procedures Act and give notice that you're making a new rule. That can take up to a year. But a lot of the Obama rules were taken to court."

In the latter cases, the administration can simply not fight the court if the rules are struck down. That's the apparent tactic the Trump administration is taking in regards to the Obama administration's rule expanding the number of workers covered by overtime. Under Obama, the annual salary a worker had to make before being exempted was raised to $47,000, more than double the previous level. A Texas court struck it down late last year, a ruling the Obama administration swiftly appealed. The Trump administration has requested two extensions from the court in filing a reply in the case.

On Wednesday, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta told the House Appropriations Committee he would likely reopen the overtime rule to public comment in the next few weeks. That move also would be necessary to officially undo the rule. Acosta has previously said doesn't believe the department had the authority to make the extensive change that it did.

"The litigation holding up the rules has given the Trump administration a perfect opportunity to pull back," noted Mark Neuberger, a labor attorney with Foley and Lardner.

Also on Wednesday, the department announced that it was rolling back an Obama rule that expanded the "joint employer" doctrine, the conditions for when one business can be held liable for employment and civil rights law violations at another company.

The announcement angered Democrats. "President Trump campaigned on his promise to defend America's forgotten workers, but his presidency has been defined by a shockingly anti-worker agenda. By rolling back workplace safety reporting standards ... and now denying millions of workers the overtime pay or time with their families they have earned, the president is betraying the same American workers he pledged to protect," said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration quietly withdrew a rule last month that allowed union representatives to accompany agency officials during inspections of non-union workplaces. Federal law allows OSHA inspectors to have worker representatives accompany them during inspections. Dubbed the "walk around" rule, it was originally restricted to employees at the workplace being inspected, but starting in 2013, that was expanded to allow union representatives.

In April, the Trump administration announced it was delaying enforcement of the new regulation for the construction industry regarding exposure to crystalline silica, tiny glass-like particles that can be harmful if inhaled. Originally scheduled to begin June 23, enforcement will now begin Sept. 23. The administration said that it needed "to conduct additional outreach and provide educational materials and guidance for employers."

Trump also has made extensive use of the Congressional Review Act to nullify actions by the Obama administration, including a March bill that rolled back a 2015 rule that forced bidders on federal contracts to disclose if they had ever been charged with labor violations. Business groups labeled it a "blacklisting" rule, since it could allow a union to undermine a company's chances at winning a bid just by filing a complaint.

The moves have cheered by Republicans. "This is another positive step toward undoing the damage of the Obama administration's extreme and partisan agenda. The regulatory guidance that is now reversed only served to empower union leaders while hurting small businesses, undermining economic growth, and limiting opportunities for hardworking men and women," said Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, and Rep. Bradley Byrne, R-Ala., chairman of the workforce protection subcommittee, in a joint statement.

However, the Trump administration is limited in what it can do to undo Obama-era rules, Neuberger says. Labor law enforcement, for example, is mainly conducted by the National Labor Relations Board, an independent agency. "They have to wait for the proper cases to bubble up before they overturn previous rulings," he said. Trump has yet to nominate candidates to fill the five-member board's two open seats.

A Labor Department spokesman could not be reached for comment.

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Trump is dismantling Obama's workplace law legacy - Washington Examiner

New York Times

Obama's Global Visits Inspire Wistful Comparisons of Then and Now New York Times Former President Barack Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany last month in Berlin, after a panel discussion marking the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's Reformation. Credit John MacDougall/Agence France-Presse Getty Images. and more »

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Obama's Global Visits Inspire Wistful Comparisons of Then and Now - New York Times

Chawla Hotels CEO Dinesh Chawla speaks as Donald Trump Jr., executive vice president of The Trump Organization, listens June 5, 2017, during an event at Trump Tower in New York.

AP Photo/Kathy Willens

Last Updated Jun 9, 2017 12:06 PM EDT

One of the newest business partners to ink a licensing deal with the Trump Organization says he was beaten up as a child for being Indian-American, voted for President Barack Obama and grew up in "a very liberal Democratic household."

Experienced Mississippi hoteliers Dinesh Chawla and his brother Suresh of Chawla Hotels signed a deal with the Trump Organization to develop a high-end Scion Hotel and three mid-level American Idea hotels in the Mississippi Delta.

CBS News confirmed the deal was vetted by President Trump's ethics team, and unlike other Trump deals, the participants say there will be no foreign investors. Dinesh Chawla says a loan from a local bank for 30 percent of the financing was secured for an earlier version of the hotel a few years ago. He says the rest of the funds will come from his own company, which he describes as a "$100 million mom and pop operation."

Chawla says vetting for the deal included providing "years and years of tax returns" to the Trump Organization. "I think you can probably see the irony in that," he added, referring to how President Trump has yet to share his own tax returns.

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Another proposed Scion hotel deal with the Trump Organization in Dallas was never finalized and fell apart once questions were raised about possible foreign investors.

Chawla and his brother have told the story of how their father, who started their family business, called Mr. Trump in the 1980's when desperate for financing after three years of rejections from banks. But they haven't shared how he ultimately got through to speak to Mr. Trump. Dinesh Chawla says when his father was told that Mr. Trump was not available, the late Dr. V. K. Chawla did not take no for an answer.

"He spent six hours on hold," his son told CBS News, "and in those days if you didn't hang up then they couldn't just disconnect you." Chawla says the secretary told his father 'If you will please release the line then Mr. Trump will call you tomorrow.'"Mr. Trump called back the next day, according to Chawla, declining to make a deal but encouraging the elder Chawla to apply for money from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Chawla says the conversation gave his father the self-confidence boost he needed and he applied and received the federally financed loan three months later.

Years later, when Mr. Trump was running for President, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant (who Chawla says is a friend) asked the Chawlas if they wanted to meet the candidate at an event. At that time, Chawla says, he and his brother favored candidates like Hillary Clinton and Marco Rubio because of his "compelling immigrant story."

Chawla says the meeting with Mr. Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. was positive in part because they were able to share their story of their father's call to Mr. Trump from the 1980's.

Just three months ago, they got a call from the Trump Organization proposing a partnership. "I don't know why they got in touch with us," Chawla says, but he likened it to "being Kelly Clarkson from the middle of nowhere and being selected winner on American Idolit was amazing."

Despite his excitement, he concedes some friends are not so enthusiastic. He said one friend he has known since 5th grade called him asking why he would make a deal with the president's company.

Chawla says he and his brother are not political, despite a recent set of donations by his brother adding up to $30,000 for the re-election campaign of Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Mississippi.

Chawla said he didn't vote for anyone in the election but found Bernie Sanders' authenticity the most charming.

"I think Hillary Clinton would have made a great president," he said adding, "and I'm also glad that Donald Trump is president."

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Newest Trump business partner voted for Obama - CBS News

President Trump has not been known to quietly brood about government officials who leak confidential information to the media.

He's thumbed out splenetic tweets and worn out microphones calling for the arrest of whoever's leaking information about his administration.

On Monday, Reality Winner became the first alleged leaker prosecutedduring Trump's presidency. She's accused of leaking a classified U.S. intelligence document to the Intercept.

Trump is far from matching the total number of leak arrests of President Barack Obama who rarely talked publicly about leakers until subpoenas were dropped and arrests were made.

What's the key difference between how Obama and Trump have gone after leakers?

Experts onexecutive-branch leaks say it's too early to gauge Trump's legacy. Butmuch has been made about the Obama administration's hunt for leakers. Of the 13 people who have been prosecuted under the Espionage Act for leaking secrets, eightwere arrested under Obama's administration, according to Alexandra Ellerbeck, senior Americas and U.S. researcher with the Committee to Protect Journalists.

And prosecutors under Obama have spied on journalists and named a journalist an unindicted co-conspirator, according to the New York Times. Ellerbeck said that's just a step away from arresting a reporter for writing a story and raises dangerous constitutional issues about freedom of the press.

But Obama, who ran on a platform of open and transparent government, has defended the arrest of suspected leakers, saying his administration had gone after a really small sample.

Some of them are serious, where you had purposeful leaks of information that could harm or threaten operations or individuals who were in the field involved with really sensitive national security issues,Obama said in an interview with the Rutgers University student newspaper.

[Trump says he wants to find the LEAKERS. The Internet is here to help.]

Trump, on the other hand, has publicly shown less verbal restraint, stressing the need to find the leakers.

Those tweets came during a two-week stretch of leaks to the press, according to The Washington Post's Callum Borchers, who catalogued nine of them.

Obama was furious over leaks, but his fury was directed internally, said David Pozen, a constitutional law professor at Columbia University who specializes in national security law.

What distinguishes Trump is that he is directing his [anger] to the public. What is the point of complaining about leaks in a public tweet? He can call up the attorney general at any moment of the day or night. Hes the chief executive and he has powerful investigative tools at his disposal. Twitter is not one of the tools.

Why were so many alleged leakers arrested under Obama?

Steven Aftergood, who directs the Federation of American Scientists' project on government secrecy, told The Post that investigators under Obama had a technological edge over leakers.

Historically, leaking government secrets has been a hard crime to prove and to prosecute, he said. What has happened in the last couple of decades is that contacts between leakers and the press are easier than ever to trace because of the electronic footprints that are left by their communication.

[Trump seems powerless to stop leaks]

Politics also played into Obama's decision to go after leakers, Pozen said. George W. Bush, Obama's predecessor, had been accused of politicizing leak investigations, a claim Obama wanted to avoid.

Obama was really wanting to put a wall between himself and his investigating agencies, Pozen said. And so left to their own devices, you got this uptick. And it wasnt until the end of the Obama first term that you saw the president kind of rein them in.

How have leak arrests affected the country?

For Obama, arresting actual leakers dampened people's desire to disclose confidential information.

Mark Mazzetti, an investigative reporter who covers national security for the New York Times,talked to The Post's Greg Sargentabout the effect of Obama's leak investigations.

Theres no question that this has a chilling effect, Mazzetti told Sargent in 2013. People who have talked in the past are less willing to talk now. Everyone is worried about communication and how to communicate, and is there any method of communication that is not being monitored. Its got people on both sides the reporter and source side pretty concerned.

It certainly seems like theyre being very serious about hunting down people talking to reporters.

Trump's approach to leaks has had the opposite effect, experts say.

In 2017, Politico's Jack Shafer wrote, Trump has found it nearly impossible to plug leaks.

As Trump shuts down White House access to reporters, they will infest the departments and agencies around town that the president has peeved. The intelligence establishment, which Trump has deprecated over the issue of Russian hacking, owes him no favors and less respect. It will be in their institutional interest to leak damaging material on Trump.

What effect do leaker arrests under Obama have on Trump's administration?

Investigators under Obama didn't arrest an alleged leaker until he'd been president for nearly a year. Trump's administration arrested someone five months in, moving at about double the pace.

What's more, Pozen said, investigators have the technological tools and political green light to continue to be aggressive about leakers.

There's no sign that Trump will ask them to slow down, Ellerbeck said.

Trump seems to delight in making these accusations about prosecuting leakers. And the rhetoric extends to journalists.Hes tweeted at least a dozen times saying that hes going after journalists.

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Trump rages about leakers. Obama quietly prosecuted them. - Washington Post