Washington Examiner: Liberal judge frees federally charged anti-ICE rioters in Portland

A liberal Portland judge has ordered the pretrial release of several antifa-affiliated activists facing federal charges for their alleged violent involvement in the uprisings against Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Stacie Fatka Beckerman, a federal magistrate judge who donated to Democrats, freed at least four known antifa affiliates federally charged over serious crimes connected to the anti-ICE riots, according to a Washington Examiner review of court records.

Joshua Ames Cartrette, a convicted felon accused of assaulting a federal officer; Ginovanni Joseph Brumbelow, who allegedly tried to stab a Customs and Border Protection agent with a wooden stake; Deni Jungic Wolf, who is suspected of punching a federal officer in the head; and alleged anti-ICE rioter Eli Victor McKenzie were all released without bail after appearing before Beckerman in separate preliminary proceedings.

Cartrette, 46, of Oregon City, allegedly attacked a federal agent and kicked deployed tear-gas cannisters toward other officers during a declared June 14 riot outside the ICE office in south Portland, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by the Washington Examiner.

Authorities allege that Cartrette was part of a far-left mob that launched mortar fireworks, rocks, bricks, and glass bottles at the facility to burn down the building following nationwide “No Kings” protests. Cartrette, a self-described “anarchist” who uses the comrade moniker “Zero,” has frequently been featured in writings published on the antifa blog “It’s Going Down.” If convicted, Cartrette faces a maximum one-year prison sentence.

That same evening, Brumbelow, 21, of Gresham, allegedly interfered with the arrest of a fellow anti-ICE rioter and used a “pointed” stake to strike the back of a CPB agent’s head, according to probable cause statements.

Video evidence allegedly captures Brumbelow, dressed in black, bashing the officer over the head with the wooden end of a protest sign. Brumbelow faces up to eight years in federal prison for felony assault of an officer.

Wolf, 19, of Portland, is accused of assaulting a federal officer at a June 16 standoff outside the local ICE office. When agents moved in to clear a make-shift barricade erected by anti-ICE activists, Wolf allegedly punched an officer with enough force to knock his mask off and expose him to pepper spray deployed during crowd-control operations. Charging documents say Wolf was armed with a knife. Assaulting a federal officer resulting in bodily injury is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars. Last year, Wolf was reported to Portland police as an autistic, teenage runaway.

McKenzie, 21, of Portland, is charged with failing to obey a lawful order at the June 16 riot near the city’s ICE office. The offense is a Class C misdemeanor and carries a penalty of up to 30 days in custody.

So glad to see these heroes resisting ICE!

USA Today: Trump is on a collision course with millions of Americans. He’s not backing down.

The White House is doubling down on President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise and escalating efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, targeting Democrat-run cities and heightening tensions with powerful liberal governors from California to New York.

The pressure-cooker campaign comes after the massive “No Kings” protests on June 14 that drew millions of Americans out to the streets to oppose Trump’s administration, which has made immigration enforcement a top priority. The protests included about 5 million people nationally, according to organizers, and many attendees specifically cited concerns about immigration enforcement.

A week before, fierce protests in Los Angeles sparked by aggressive detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents led to clashes, tear gassing, scattered looting and multiple vehicles being set on fire. The vast majority of attendees were peaceful, however.

To quell the protests and protect ICE agents in California, Trump called up thousands of National Guard troops over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom − referred to by Trump as “Newscum” − and has told federal agents they have his unconditional support to continue aggressive enforcement.

Trump has also invoked military powers usually reserved for wartime, declaring that Biden-era immigration policies facilitated an invasion. And the president is pushing to dramatically expand detention centers and deportation flights while finishing the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

While border crossings have dropped dramatically, videos of masked federal agents chasing people across fields or grabbing them off city streets have horrified many Americans, and liberal leaders across the country say construction sites, farms and some entire neighborhoods are falling silent as undocumented workers stay home to avoid detention.

Some critics accused Trump of causing chaos with ICE raids, then using the community response to justify even harsher measures.

On June 19, federal immigration agents were briefly blocked at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles by protesters trying to stop detentions.

Trump remains undeterred and is pushing Congress to pass a funding measure that would allow him to hire 10,000 new ICE agents, 5,000 more customs officers, and 3,000 additional Border Patrol agents.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/21/trump-immigration-enforcement-no-kings/84245929007

Daily Beast: Musk Accuses Trump Aide of Federal Crime as Feud Explodes

The former boss of the Department of Government Efficiency has ramped up his attacks on White House staffer Sergio Gor.

Elon Musk has accused one of President Donald Trump’s top aides of committing a federal crime.

Weeks after the epic breakup between the president and the world’s richest man, Musk has continued to snipe at Sergio Gor, the director of the presidential personnel office, who he believes fueled his falling out with Trump.

Earlier this week, Musk described Gor as a “snake” after the New York Post reported that, even though Gor is in charge of vetting thousands of executive branch employees, he himself hasn’t been fully vetted.

But on Friday, the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency ramped up his attacks, writing on X: “He deliberately lied about where he was born on Federal forms. That’s a serious crime.”

“Gor is breaking the law,” Musk later added.

The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House about Musk’s latest comment, which came in response to a series of posts by Ukraine-born American race car driver Igor Sushko accusing Gor of being a “Russian spy.”

Sushko had posted a series of articles relating to the White House aide, including a New York Post story questioning where Gor was born; details of a fact-finding trip he took to Russia while working for Senator Rand Paul; an archive of Gor’s high-school email suggesting it referred to him as “Russian-Maltese”; and a now-retracted investigation by former Washington Post reporter-turned-independent journalist Brian Krebs.

Central to Musk’s attack is the claim that Gor failed to file his own SF-86, the critical vetting form required for permanent U.S security clearance. This was despite Gor being responsible for vetting thousands of executive branch employees.

Among other things, the form covers citizenship, employment history, relatives, foreign contacts and travel, financial activities, and drug use. The White House, however, insisted earlier this week that Gor filled out the form, has the relevant clearance, and is a “trusted adviser to President Trump.”

Underpinning Musk’s accusation is a long-standing rift with Gor, who says the 38-year-old fueled his spectacular falling out with Trump earlier this month.

Things got particularly messy when Gor encouraged Trump to rescind his nomination for Jared Isaacman—Musk’s personal friend—to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) just days before his Senate confirmation vote. Trump at the time cited Isaacman’s “prior associations”—a reference to Isaacman’s past donations to Democrats—as the reason for withdrawing his nomination.

And that last tidbit is probably the real issue here — F’Elon Musk’s buddy won’t be running NASA, which would have removed a lot of regulatory obstacles from Musk’s path, not to mention helping to ensure a steady stream of lucrative government contracts.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-accuses-trump-aide-sergio-gor-of-federal-crime-as-feud-explodes

Daily Digest: The GOP is fed up with Trump

Donald Trump’s decision to attack in Iran has all of America on edge. And many Republicans are fed-up with the US president.

A military decision of this magnitude marks a major departure from Trump’s long-held reluctance to commit U.S. forces abroad. It has derailed his broader foreign policy objectives, such as improving ties with Gulf nations, brokering a peace deal in Ukraine, and finalizing international trade agreements.

The divide caused by Trump due to the situation in Iran is simply adding to Donald Trump’s problems. Prior to the war between Iran and Israel, surveys conducted nationwide indicated a notable drop in voter support for President Trump, signaling a potentially difficult terrain within the Republican Party as he contends with fluctuating public opinion.

https://www.msn.com/en-ph/news/other/the-republican-revolt-against-trump-is-real-and-growing/ss-AA1DBAxg

Associated Press: Vance blames California Dems for violent immigration protests and calls Sen. Alex Padilla ‘Jose’

Vice President JD Vance on Friday accused California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass of encouraging violent immigration protests as he used his appearance in Los Angeles to rebut criticism from state and local officials that the Trump administration fueled the unrest by sending in federal officers.

Sending in masked thugs to rough people up and kidnap Hispanics off the streets and sidewalks is exactly what the problem is. If JD Dunce is too much of an idiot to understand that, c’est la vie. We can’t fix stupid! And the demonstrations will continue until ICE either cleans up their act or is put back in their kennels.

Vance also referred to U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, the state’s first Latino senator, as “Jose Padilla,” a week after the Democrat was forcibly taken to the ground by officers and handcuffed after speaking out during a Los Angeles news conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on immigration raids.

JD Dunce is a pathetic racist pig. He served in the Senate with Sen. Padilla and knows full well what his actual name is.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/vance-blames-california-dems-for-violent-immigration-protests-and-calls-sen-alex-padilla-jose/ar-AA1H7TGD

Latin Times: Trump Now Says Farmers May Continue Employing Migrants Under a System Where They Assume ‘Responsibility’ For Them

“We’re looking at doing something where in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire,” Trump said

President Donald Trump said on Friday that farmers may be able to keep employing undocumented migrant workers without fearing enforcement raids under a system in which they would take “responsibility” for them.

“We’re looking at doing something where in the case of good, reputable farmers, they can take responsibility for the people that they hire, and let them have responsibility, because we can’t put the farms out of business, and at the same time, we don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals,” Trump told press on Friday.

Take responsibility … until ICE shows up and takes them away?

“Don’t want to hurt people that aren’t criminals”? Just what the hell do you think you’ve been doing?

One of Trump’s dumbest ideas yet!

It was not immediately clear how the system would work, and is the latest of several changes of tune regarding the matter.

Understatement! They need to get Trump into a memory-care unit.

https://www.latintimes.com/trump-now-says-farmers-may-continue-employing-migrants-under-system-where-they-assume-585388

Newsweek: NYC mayoral candidate arrested by ICE says agents feel overworked

New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander has told Newsweek that ICE agents expressed feeling “overworked” shortly after detaining him at a downtown court earlier this week.

“I talked to the ICE agents afterward, and it’s clear to me they are being overworked,” Lander said in an interview on June 19.

“I asked what their shifts were. And they say, we really don’t have shifts anymore,” he added.

Poor crybabies should get respectable jobs.

Lander and other critics called the arrest further evidence of what they described as a drift toward authoritarianism by the Trump administration.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Newsweek: “Like many Democrat politicians before him, Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander seems to think obstructing federal law enforcement is his ticket to fame. Unfortunately, it’s just his ticket to being arrested.”

More often than not, these bogus “obstructing” charges are dropped. They are nothing more than harassment.

In response for comment to the suggestion ICE agents are being overworked, Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin: “Under Secretary [Bimbo #2] Noem, we are delivering on President Trump’s and the American people’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens to make America safe.”

Repeating a lie doesn’t make it true. Arresting and deporting non-criminal aliens does nothing to make America safe.

https://www.newsweek.com/brad-lander-ice-agents-2088020

Guardian: Outrage as DHS moves to restrict lawmaker visits to detention centers

The US Department of Homeland Security is now requiring lawmakers to provide 72 hours of notice before visiting detention centers, according to new guidance.

The guidance comes after a slew of tense visits from Democratic lawmakers to detention centers amid Donald Trump’s crackdowns in immigrant communities across the country. Many Democratic lawmakers in recent weeks have either been turned away, arrested or manhandled by law enforcement officers at the facilities, leading to public condemnation towards Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (Ice) handling of such visits.

Lawmakers are allowed to access DHS facilities “used to detain or otherwise house aliens” for inspections and are not required “to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility”, according to the 2024 Federal Appropriations Act.

Previous language surrounding lawmaker visits to such facilities said that “Ice will comply with the law and accommodate members seeking to visit/tour an Ice detention facility for the purpose of conducting oversight,” CNN reported.

In response to the updated guidance, Mississippi’s Democratic representative and the ranking member of the House committee on homeland security, Bennie Thompson, condemned what he called the attempt by the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, to “block oversight on Ice”.

“Kristi Noem’s new policy to block congressional oversight of Ice facilities is not only unprecedented, it is an affront to the constitution and federal law. Noem is now not only attempting to restrict when members can visit, but completely blocking access to Ice field offices – even if members schedule visits in advance,” Thompson said.

“This unlawful policy is a smokescreen to deny member visits to Ice offices across the country, which are holding migrants – and sometimes even US citizens – for days at a time. They are therefore detention facilities and are subject to oversight and inspection at any time. DHS pretending otherwise is simply their latest lie.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/19/dhs-immigration-detention-center-visits-new-guidance

Alternet: ‘You just turned your back’: Pro-Trump veterans furious after he cuts critical VA program

NPR reports the Trump administration is now canceling a program designed to help veterans behind on home loans get new, low-interest mortgages. And veterans are furious.

“My social media posts have not been nice to the director of the VA and have not been nice to Trump. And I voted for the guy!” said Jon Henry, who served in Iraq during the first Gulf War.

Last month, the Veterans Administration abruptly killed its VA Servicing Purchase (VASP) safety net program, which has helped more than 33,000 veterans and service members, according to the VA. But this most recent service cancellation is only the latest in a VA mortgage roller-coaster leaving service members confused about what help the federal government actually provides, if any.

https://www.alternet.org/donald-trump-veterans-2672402665

Alternet: ‘Ineffective security theater’: Lawmaker blasts Kristi Noem ahead of Michigan visit

Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow (D) strongly criticized Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem Thursday ahead of Noem’s visit to Michigan.

“Kristi Noem is headed to Michigan to fearmonger about border security with… Canada,” Mallory said on the social platform X.

“The Trump administration’s mass deportation boondoggle is nothing but security theater that actually make us LESS safe,” she added.

McMorrow continued: “All to the tune of an additional $1 TRILLION in your taxpayer dollars.”

In a video attached to her X post, the Michigan lawmaker said immigrants are being arrested even when they show up to their court hearings and try to follow the legal pathway to immigration. She called Noem’s immigration actions “ineffective security theater.”

McMorrow accused the Trump administration of going after people “who have committed no egregious crimes” “Like an 18-year-old student just three credits away from high school graduation here in Michigan,” she added.

On Wednesday, NBC reported that seven Senate Democrats who supported Noem’s confirmation as DHS secretary in January are now expressing regret and disillusionment with her performance.

https://www.alternet.org/kristi-noem-michigan