Newsweek: ICE responds after beloved bagel house boss’ arrest sparks protests

A manager of a New York bagel house was detained by federal immigration agents earlier this month, sparking outrage across the community.

Fernando Mejia, 41, who runs Port Washington’s Schmear Bagel & Cafe, was apprehended by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents outside the business on June 12, the Long Island Press reported.

When contacted for comment by Newsweek, a spokesperson for ICE said: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement encountered Fernando Alberto Mejia-Flores, a Salvadorian national, during a daily routine law enforcement action in the vicinity of Port Washington, New York, June 12. Mejia-Flores was identified as a fugitive alien with a Final Order of Removal. ICE arrested him and transported him to an ICE processing facility in Central Islip, New York.”

The American Immigration Council estimates that the president’s mass deportation policy could slap a one-time cost of $315 billion on the country.

“Fernando was also recently hospitalized for medical issues, which make his sudden detention all the more dangerous to his well-being,” a post on GoFundMe reads. “His sudden detention has also left his family, including his 14-year-old daughter, emotionally devastated and facing immediate legal battles.”

https://www.newsweek.com/fernando-mejia-bagel-house-ice-immigration-2089381

USA Today: LA isn’t burning. ICE has terrorized many into an ominous silence. | Opinion

The threat of ICE raids on commencement ceremonies was credible enough that our Los Angeles school district devised plans to protect students from being kidnapped as they received their diplomas.

Apparently, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump, “California is burning.” Here in Los Angeles, however, we know too well the smell of a serious conflagration ‒ and also the stench of political gas when politicians try to justify corrupt assertions of authoritarian power.

We are protesting now not because we are lawless, but because what is happening is a racially selective application of immigration laws that should have been reformed years ago. We are protesting because we still believe in decency, human dignity and respect for hard work and family.

Some protesting among us have succumbed to anger, while others have opportunistically caused mayhem the way some revelers do when the Lakers or the Dodgers win a championship.

Meanwhile the president and his ministers of cruelty, hysteria and lies are opportunistically causing far more mayhem, disrupting businesses and communities and devastating families and insulting our brave troops by gratuitously deploying them to our streets, pitting them against American civilians, trying to use the selfless members of our military as an authoritarian flex.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2025/06/23/ice-raids-california-los-angeles-immigration/84174179007

Sun Herald: Trump’s ‘Trash Heap’ Remark Sparks Backlash

President Donald Trump ordered U.S. Marines and National Guard troops to Los Angeles during immigration protests, labeling the city a “trash heap.” He claimed the military is needed to prevent violence. Critics have voiced concern over projected deployment costs of approximately $134 million.

Critics, like Tad Weber of The Fresno Bee, criticized Trump’s characterization of the city. Reflecting on a visit, Weber writes, “Far from a ‘trash heap,’ Los Angeles was as vibrant and busy as ever.” Weber added, “By characterizing Los Angeles as a “trash heap,” Trump violated Rule No. 1 for the president: Be America’s cheerleader. The president should extol, not denigrate, our nation’s cities.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-trash-heap-remark-sparks-backlash/ss-AA1HcXve

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

Newsweek: Anti-Trump Protests Update: ‘National Day of Action’ Planned for July 17

Another round of national anti-Trump demonstrations is being planned across the U.S. for July 17 under the banner of Good Trouble Lives On, a reference to the late civil rights icon, Congressman John Lewis.

Good Trouble Lives On demonstrations are being planned for dozens of American cities on July 17 including the likes of New York, Washington D.C, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco with attendees invited to “March in Peace, Act in Power.”

The name is a reference to Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and an advocate of peaceful protests, who famously called for “good trouble” during the civil rights era.

According to its downloadable “Host Toolkit” for organizers, the protests have three main goals. These are demanding an end to “the extreme crackdown on civil rights by the Trump administration,” “the attacks on Black and brown Americans, immigrants, trans people, and other communities,” and “the slashing of programs that working people rely on, including Medicaid, SNAP, and Social Security.”

Good Trouble Lives On is being supported by a range of other groups including the 50501 Movement, which also helped organize the “No Kings” demonstrations.

https://www.newsweek.com/anti-trump-protests-update-national-day-action-planned-july-17-2088233

Style on Main: Home Depot Preps Staff as ICE Targets Over 30,500 Employees Nationwide

Recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids have targeted day laborers who congregate around Home Depot stores across the United States, disrupting a longstanding informal labor market. These raids are part of an intensified immigration enforcement campaign under the Trump administration, which aims to increase deportations beyond violent criminals to undocumented workers broadly.

Home Depot stores have become unique hubs where day laborers and contractors meet despite the company’s official policy against solicitation on its property. This informal system has provided mutual benefits for decades, but the recent ICE actions have created operational challenges and fear among workers and communities. Home Depot is now preparing its employees for potential encounters with ICE agents, emphasizing safety and reporting protocols as the raids unfolded nationwide.

The ICE raids have instilled fear among immigrant workers, many of whom now avoid Home Depot parking lots. This has led to significant drops in day laborer presence and disruptions to local labor markets. Workers staying home out of fear affects business operations and local economies dependent on their labor.

Community backlash has included protests and public outcry following arrests near Home Depot locations, particularly in Latino communities. These enforcement actions have strained relations between immigrant communities, local businesses, and law enforcement, amplifying tensions and uncertainty.

Fox News: Gavin Newsom launches Substack to fight ‘disinformation’

Potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate launched his podcast, ‘This is Gavin Newsom,’ earlier this year

California Gov. Gavin Newsom already had a podcast. Now he has a Substack, too.

Newsom launched his own site Tuesday on the popular spot for independent journalists, calling it a way to “break through “the noise.”

“We have to flood the zone and continue to cut through the right-wing disinformation machine,” he wrote in the post that was accompanied by a video of the governor speaking.

“There’s so much mis and disinformation out there, there’s so much noise, I don’t need to tell you that,” Newsom said. “The question is, how do we break through all of that noise and engage in real conversations? And that’s why I’m launching on Substack. I hope you’ll follow me so we can continue to engage in a two-way conversation at this critical moment in our history.”

https://www.foxnews.com/media/gavin-newsom-launches-substack-fight-disinformation

Raleigh News & Observer: Trump’s Approval Rating Plummets in New Poll

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 38%, according to Quinnipiac, amid a public clash with Elon Musk over the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” A CBS/YouGov poll earlier this month showed 45% approval and 55% disapproval, underscoring the growing public scrutiny he faces.

Republican lawmakers … are viewed unfavorably by 61% of the general public. This disparity comes amid ongoing challenges Republicans have faced in appealing to a wider audience beyond their base.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-s-approval-rating-plummets-in-new-poll/ss-AA1GVnKX

CNN: DHS posted an image calling for help locating ‘all foreign invaders.’ It was previously circulated by far-right accounts

On Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security posted a striking graphic on its official X account. Uncle Sam, a symbol of American patriotism, is depicted nailing a poster to a wall that reads, “Help your country… and yourself.” Written underneath the poster is the sentence, “REPORT ALL FOREIGN INVADERS,” and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement hot line.

The post — which DHS and the White House also posted to Instagram — prompted a flood of criticism, with some social media users comparing the post to authoritarian propaganda. On Thursday, at least two far-right X accounts claimed to have a hand in creating or disseminating the image before it was shared by DHS. A source within DHS told CNN the agency did not create the graphic.

The Uncle Sam graphic is reminiscent of media used previously by other governments to provoke fear, especially of immigrants, said Elisabeth Fondren, a journalism professor at St. John’s University who has studied government propaganda and communications during war times.

“This poster fits within a long history of anti-immigrant rhetoric and, yes, state propaganda,” Fondren said. “It evokes these remnants of Cold War, fake propaganda by the Russians, or, you know, authoritarian fear mongering messages … but what I think is so interesting is that this is a call to action in an environment where we’re not in a war.”

Perhaps from here:

The image of the Uncle Sam poster was posted on X last Friday, around the time tensions in Los Angeles escalated, by podcaster C. Jay Engel, who describes himself as “Christian nationalist adjacent” and has claimed that “nations cannot survive replacement migration.” After DHS shared the Uncle Sam image, Engel posted: “This image came from my account. NEVER STOP POSTING.”

“The question is, ‘Is there room for like-minded Christians and patriots in Tennessee?’” the podcaster, Engel, said in an October podcast, in response to a listener’s question. “Yes, there’s an imperative for like-minded Christians to gather and fight with us.”

Or maybe:

Although Engel circulated the image of the Uncle Sam poster, another X user claimed to have created the image. That pseudonymous X account, which has the words “Wake Up White Man” in its biography, is full of nativist rhetoric and reposted another X user who declared: “Whites deserve our own nations, like everyone else is allowed to have.” The pseudonymous account appears to have been the first to post the image.

It’s beyond disgusting that Homeland Security is sourcing such material from white supremacists.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/politics/dhs-social-media-post-ice-deportations-criticisms

Independent: Police deploy tear gas as ‘No Kings’ protesters rally against Trump

Tensions escalated during “No Kings” protests against Donald Trump on the streets of downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, 14 June, as police sought to disperse demonstrators with abrupt orders to leave.

Protesters were pushed back by officers on horseback, and law enforcement also fired flash bangs and canisters of tear gas to clear out demonstrators after the formal event ended.

Millions of people were estimated to have joined the protests in more than 2,000 communities, which took place the same day as a military parade in Washington, D.C., for the Army’s 250th anniversary, which coincided with the president’s birthday.

Demonstrations protested what organisers described as Mr Trump’s authoritarian agenda, including recent immigration raids that have rattled communities across the country, including in LA.

https://www.the-independent.com/tv/news/trump-no-kings-protest-la-tear-gas-video-b2770322.html