Monthly Archives: May 2025

Washington Examiner: Judge rules Trump administration violated court order with migrant flight to Africa

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A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated an order he issued last month barring officials from deporting people to countries they are not from without first giving them an adequate chance to object to their removal.

The decision from Judge Brian E. Murphy came after a hearing in Boston to consider an emergency motion filed by lawyers on behalf of a group of men who they said were being deported and sent to South Sudan.

When the hearing began, officials from the Department of Homeland Security said eight immigrants were deported Tuesday on a flight. The officials did not say which country the men were being sent to.

Murphy said the government gave the deported men just over 24 hours’ notice that they were being removed from the country. He called the time frame “plainly insufficient.” 

“The department’s actions in this case are unquestionably violative of this court’s order,” he said.

And King Donald gets bent all out of shape:

The Trump administration slammed Murphy as an “activist judge” after the hearing, accusing him of trying to protect “criminal illegal immigrant monsters.”

“A local judge in Massachusetts is trying to force the United States to bring back these uniquely barbaric monsters …

No, King Donald, they are human beings just like you and I, and they are entitled to their day in court.

Judge rules Trump administration violated court order with migrant flight to Africa
The Trump administration slammed Judge Brian E. Murphy as an “activist judge” after the hearing, accusing him of trying to protect “criminal illegal immigrant monsters.”
Judge rules Trump administration violated court order with migrant flight to Africa

Also here (no paywall):

Judge rules Trump administration violated court order with migrant flight to Africa
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration violated an order he issued last month barring officials from deporting people to countries they are not from without first giving them an adequate chance to object to their removal. The decision from Judge Brian E. Murphy came after a hearing in Boston to consider an emergency […]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/judge-rules-trump-administration-violated-court-order-with-migrant-flight-to-africa/ar-AA1FdWGa

Newsweek: ICE arrests multiple migrants outside Arizona court: “Mayhem”

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Federal immigration authorities apprehended several individuals at the Phoenix immigration court on Tuesday.

During the incident, one attorney described the scene as “mayhem,” adding that people who believed their cases had been dismissed were taken into custody, the Tucson Sentinel reported.

…

Isaac Ortega, an immigration attorney in Phoenix, reported that agents arrested his client shortly after a court hearing on Tuesday morning.

According to Ortega, the officials wore masks and did not disclose which agency they represented, identifying themselves only as federal officers.

Gestapo! If they won’t identify themselves and their agency, they shouldn’t be policing.

ICE arrests multiple migrants outside Arizona court: “Mayhem”
An attorney described the scene as “mayhem,” saying people who believed their cases had been dismissed were taken into custody.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-arrests-migrant-arizona-court-mayhem-2075134

Independent: Trump posts fake video of him hitting Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball as their spat grows

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The president has fiercely criticized Bruce Springsteen after the rocker called his administration ‘corrupt’

President Donald Trump has posted a fake video of him hitting a golf ball at singer Bruce Springsteen amid a tense public feud.

Trump posted a video to Truth Social Wednesday showing real footage of him and Springsteen that has been manipulated to depict the president striking the rock star with a golf stroke.

This immature child is our president? If Springsteen had posted a video of him striking Trump with a golf stroke, the Secret Service would be on his case investigating him.

Trump posts fake video of him hitting Bruce Springsteen with a golf ball
The president has fiercely criticized Bruce Springsteen after the rocker called his administration ‘corrupt’

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/trump-bruce-springsteen-golf-ai-video-b2755425.html

Washington Examiner: Appellate judge blasts courts’ ‘special treatment’ for illegal immigrants

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Circuit Judge James Ho issued a blistering concurrence Tuesday, taking aim at the Supreme Court and other courts’ “special treatment” for illegal immigrants in legal proceedings.

A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued an order to expedite the oral arguments of a challenge to the deportation of a group of Venezuelan nationals under the Alien Enemies Act in Texas. The order came after the Supreme Court vacated the appellate court’s previous ruling, saying it lacked jurisdiction, and denied a bid by the migrants’ lawyers to temporarily stop President Donald Trump’s administration from deporting the group of foreign nationals under the AEA.

Apparently Slo Ho didn’t appreciate the urgency of the higher court and the fact that the higher court had vacated their previous ruling for lack of jurisdiction.

Kudos for the Supreme Court’s sense of urgency. When people are being deported, they can be here today and gone tomorrow, if not sooner.

That’s hardly “special treatment for illegal immigrants”. They’re people, too.

Judge blasts courts’ ‘special treatment’ for illegal immigrants
A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued an order expediting oral arguments of a challenge to Trump’s deportations.
Appellate judge blasts courts’ ‘special treatment’ for illegal immigrants

Another article here:

Trump judge slams Supreme Court ‘disrespect’ after ruling
A circuit court judge criticized the Supreme Court after it blocked the Trump administration’s attempts to deport Venezuelan migrants.

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-judge-slams-supreme-court-after-ruling-2075295

Independent: Furious Democrats call for investigation into Musk’s bid to help build Trump’s ‘$500 billion’ Golden Dome project

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Forty-two members of the opposition write to Pentagon’s Inspector General to raise conflict of interest concerns over SpaceX’s potential involvement in anti-missile project

A group of 42 Democrats has written to the Pentagon’s Inspector General demanding an investigation after it was reported that Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, could win a lucrative contract to help build President Donald Trump’s new “Golden Dome” anti-missile defense system.

Senators Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Tammy Duckworth have responded by expressing their concerns in a letter to acting Pentagon Inspector General Steven A Stebbins, demanding transparency about the bidding process.

“Mr Musk’s formal or informal participation in any process to award a government contract raises serious conflict of interest concerns, including the possibility that SpaceX is a top contender for the Golden Dome contract because of Mr Musk’s position in the government,” they wrote.

The project, inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome”, was announced by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the White House on Tuesday. The president promised it would be “fully operational” before he leaves office in January 2029 and capable of intercepting rockets, “even if they are launched from space.”

The independent Congressional Budget Office has warned that the project could cost as much as $524bn and take 20 years to build. Trump dismissed that estimate, putting the price tag closer to $175bn and insisting it could be completed in just three years, beginning with a $25bn grant to kickstart the development. That effort will be steered by Space Force General Michael Guetlein and “the brightest minds” in Silicon Valley, he said without naming the former DOGE leader.

I smell a crooked deal in the works, with the “winning” bidder already selected.

Democrats call for investigation into Elon Musk’s Golden Dome bid
Forty-two members of the opposition write to Pentagon’s Inspector General to raise conflict of interest concerns over SpaceX’s potential involvement in anti-missile project

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/elon-musk-golden-dome-trump-democrats-b2755109.html

The Atlantic: The Rushed, Blundering Effort to Send Deportees to Third Countries

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Many of those sent to countries that aren’t their own are at heightened risk for abuse.

The Trump administration has acknowledged a new error in a case challenging its attempts to send deportees to any country that will take them. Another immigrant who had earned protected status was rushed out of the country and put in danger—and U.S. officials have offered little more than a shrug.

This time, the immigrant is a gay man from Guatemala who fled death threats and twice tried to seek refuge in the United States. First, he was denied and deported home. He tried again last year and says that while traveling through Mexico, he was held for ransom and sexually assaulted.

The man, identified in court documents as O.C.G., won his case in February when a U.S. immigration judge granted him withholding of removal, shielding him from deportation to Guatemala because of the risk of harm he faced there. The Trump administration promptly sent him to Mexico instead. Threatened with prolonged detention, O.C.G. left Mexico and went back to Guatemala—the country the judge had said he shouldn’t be sent to—and is now in hiding there.

The Trump administration originally claimed that O.C.G. did not express fear of being sent to Mexico, which would have potentially stopped his deportation. But on Friday, the government acknowledged that its claim was based on an erroneous data entry, and that it has no record to support the assertion. Then, over the weekend, the government compounded its mistake by briefly disclosing the man’s full name in court documents, violating confidentiality rules. The Atlantic is not publishing his name, because his lawyers argued in court that identifying him could put his life in danger, especially while he is in hiding.

It’s a long read but interesting.

Frankly, deporting people to third countries where they have no roots, no family, and don’t know the language is an abomination. So many of these people came to the U.S. looking for a better life for themselves and their families, and now we’re kicking them around the world like a bunch soccer balls.

The Rushed, Blundering Effort to Send Deportees to Third Countries
Many of those sent to countries that aren’t their own are at heightened risk for abuse.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/05/third-country-deportations/682857

CBS News: Columbia University acting president booed during graduation speech

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Columbia University acting President Claire Shipman was greeted with boos and chants of “free Mahmoud” as she took the lectern to speak at the school’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday.

Videos posted to social media showed Shipman pausing while students heckled her before she could begin speaking.

“I know that many of you feel some amount of frustration with me and I know you feel it with the administration. And I know that we have a strong, strong tradition of free speech at this university. And I am always open to feedback, which I am getting right now,” Shipman said at the start of her remarks, allowing for another round of boos after each sentence.

Later in her speech, Shipman was interrupted by students chanting “free Mahmoud,” in reference to Mahmoud Khalil, a graduate student who was detained by immigration authorities in March in New York City and remains in custody in Louisiana. 

What do you expect when you suck up to Trump and help his ICE Gestapo arrest and deport your students?

You asked for it! You got it! Toyota!

Columbia University acting president booed during graduation speech, faces chants of “free Mahmoud”
Columbia University acting President Claire Shipman was greeted with boos and chants of “free Mahmoud” as she took the lectern to speak at the school’s graduation ceremony.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/columbia-university-acting-president-booed-during-graduation-speech

Bloomburg: DOGE Asks US Supreme Court to Block Access to Its Records

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The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to halt a judge’s order that would force it to answer questions from a watchdog group and turn over documents about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in a fight over public access to the office’s records.DO

The Justice Department is challenging a ruling that requires the US DOGE Service to comply with demands by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW, for information about its structure and operations. That includes making DOGE administrator Amy Gleason available to testify under oath at a deposition. A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit on May 14 denied the government’s request to intervene.

DOGE just can’t handle the sunshine & public scrutiny!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-21/doge-asks-us-supreme-court-to-block-group-s-access-to-records

And here:

DOGE Asks US Supreme Court to Block Access to Its Records
The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to halt a judge’s order that would force it to answer questions from a watchdog group and turn over documents about Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency in a fight over public access to the office’s records.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/doge-asks-us-supreme-court-to-block-access-to-its-records/ar-AA1FdkQJ

Raw Story: ‘Partisan hack’: Top House Dem tears into Trump DOJ prosecutor

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The top Democrat in the House took a swipe at Alina [“Bimbo #4”] Habba, the acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, after she announced plans to charge a sitting member of Congress with assault.

Habba has held high-profile roles but had no prior prosecutorial experience and limited federal court experience prior to her appointment as interim U.S. attorney in March. On Monday, she sparked fierce backlash for charging Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with assault during a congressional visit to a federal immigration detention center in Newark.

And on Wednesday’s Alina “Bimbo #4” Habbas ridiculous charges against the mayor of Newark were dismissed with prejudice.

But House Minority Hakeem Jeffries gave a more blunt assessment of Trump’s acting attorney.

“Alina [“Bimbo #4”] Habba is a partisan hack and Trump lackey who will never be confirmed as a United States Attorney,” he chided on X on Tuesday evening.

That post came hours after he and other House Democratic leaders said in a shared statement that the charge was “extreme, morally bankrupt and lacks any basis in law or fact.”

‘Partisan hack’: Top House Dem tears into Trump DOJ prosecutor

https://www.rawstory.com/alina-habba-2672172937

Axios Sneak Peek: DOGE efforts face pushback at Social Security

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Some changes implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency at the Social Security Administration are reportedly being rolled back, but the agency is still struggling with fallout from the Elon Musk chainsaw.

The retreat shows the limits of DOGE’s slash-and-burn strategy at an agency that is deeply enmeshed with Americans’ lives.

DOGE efforts face pushback at Social Security
The retreat shows the limits at an agency deeply enmeshed in the lives of Americans.

https://www.axios.com/2025/05/21/social-security-efforts-doge