News briefs

Tribune News Service on Feb 20, 2026

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Fake immigration lawyers staged sham court hearings to scam migrants: feds

Con artists posing as immigration lawyers created fake legal documents and even staged sham court proceedings to dupe migrants seeking legal pathways to U.S. residency out of their hard-earned money, according to a five-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn Federal Court on Friday.

The indictment charges five defendants with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and two counts of false impersonation of an officer or employee of the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella, Jr.

Three of the defendants, Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, 25, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, 29, and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez, 38, were arrested Friday afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Colombia using one-way tickets.

A fourth defendant, 24-year-old Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, was caught at a restaurant in New Jersey, while a fifth, unnamed defendant remains at large.

—New York Daily News

University of Chicago quietly cuts ties with partnership that helps students of color attain PhDs

CHICAGO — The University of Chicago is among 31 universities nationwide to cut ties with The Ph.D. Project, an organization known for helping students of color attain professional degrees, amid an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education.

The organization, founded in 1994 to increase diversity among business school faculty, provides students of color access to job and mentorship opportunities to help them earn doctoral degrees.

The department’s Office for Civil Rights’ investigation into 45 university agreements with the organization started nearly a year ago as part of the Trump Administration’s goal to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies in higher education.

The OCR concluded that institutions violated the federal Civil Rights Act by partnering with a program that “limits eligibility based on the race of its participants.”

—Chicago Tribune

A ‘blood moon’ is coming to the US in March — and the next good one isn’t until 2029

A total lunar eclipse will cross the skies over the contiguous United States on Tuesday, March 3, turning the Moon a deep reddish color in what’s commonly called a “blood moon.” No special eye protection is required to watch.

This will be the third total lunar eclipse in the past year. It could also be your last chance for a long time to catch one with good visibility from the U.S.

A total lunar eclipse happens when the Earth passes directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting its full shadow — known as the umbra — across the entire lunar surface.

During this alignment, the Moon often turns a reddish or coppery color, earning the nickname “blood moon.” That color shift comes from sunlight filtering through Earth’s atmosphere.

—The Charlotte Observer

Trump Iran deadline sets up possible strike when IAEA meets

U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning to Iran — that it has just 10 to 15 days to avert potential military action — suggests matters could come to a head when the United Nations nuclear watchdog next meets to decide whether to further censure the Islamic Republic.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s board is scheduled to hold a five-day meeting in Vienna starting on March 2, or 10 days from now. Diplomats are expected to weigh a new resolution censuring Iran for its nuclear program and could refer it to the U.N. Security Council for further action.

While both the U.S. and Iran have said they are working toward a diplomatic solution, that sets up a potential repeat of the timetable that played out in June, when Israel began strikes within 24 hours of the IAEA board’s decision to censure Iran over its lack of cooperation with monitors. That finding was cited by U.S. officials, who at the time suggested it provided the legal justification for military intervention.

“It potentially gives the administration the hook it needs to attack Iran in an attempt to affect regime change,” said Tariq Rauf, the former head of nuclear-verification policy at the IAEA.

—Bloomberg News