https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ice-raids-fuel-fear-in-school-classrooms/vi-AA1LHOtt
CNN: ICE raids fuel fear in school classrooms
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Newsweek: Florida denies uprising at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The operator of immigration detention facility “Alligator Alcatraz” has denied reports of an uprising at the site.
Stephanie Hartman, spokesperson for Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM), which runs the facility for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), told the Guardian: “These reports are manufactured. There is no uprising happening at Alligator Alcatraz. Detainees are given clean, safe living conditions and guards are properly trained on all state and federal protocols.”
Newsweek has contacted the FDEM for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The reports emerged amid ongoing protests outside the facility, where demonstrators have maintained a near-constant presence over concerns about detainee treatment and living conditions. Protesters argue that conditions at the facility are harsh and have called for increased oversight.
What To Know
According to at least three detainees who spoke with Miami’s Spanish-language news channel Noticias 23, guards at Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration facility reportedly used tear gas and physical force during a disturbance.
The outlet also reported that a fire alarm was sounding continuously and that a helicopter was circling overhead. The incident occurred as authorities worked to vacate the remote Everglades facility in compliance with a federal judge’s order to close the camp.
A federal judge in Miami last week ordered the facility to close within 60 days for violating environmental laws. The ruling cited improper waste disposal and construction that had affected protected wetlands near the site. On Wednesday, the same judge refused a motion by attorneys representing the state of Florida and the Trump administration to stay her order, meaning the closure timeline remains in effect.
The state of Florida is committed to $245 million toward the construction of ‘Alligator Alcatraz,’ the Everglades immigration detention facility, which is set to close in the coming days.
According to the FDEM, the state has signed contracts totaling at least $245 million for work at the facility, which was developed by repurposing the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Ochopee.
The largest contract, valued at $78.5 million, was awarded to Jacksonville-based Critical Response Strategies for staffing, including corrections officers, camp managers, and IT personnel. Longview Solutions Group received $25.6 million for site preparation and construction, while IT company Gothams secured a $21.1 million contract to provide services such as access badges and detainee wristbands, according to FDEM.
What People Are Saying
A DHS official in a statement to Newsweek: “This activist judge’s order is yet another attempt to prevent the President from fulfilling the American people’s mandate to remove the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, pedophiles, terrorists, and rapists from our country. Not to mention this ruling ignores the fact that this land has already been developed for a decade.
What Happens Next
Florida officials will continue efforts to empty the camp in line with a federal judge’s order to close the remote Everglades facility.
Lies, lies, lies — I wouldn’t believe a single word from these people. For starters, if everything were above board, they’d welcome inspections from Congress and others.
This disgraceful travesty called Alligator Alcatraz can’t be shut down fast enough!
Florida denies uprising at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
The Florida Division of Emergency Management rejected claims that any uprising had occurred.
https://www.newsweek.com/florida-denies-uprising-alligator-alcatraz-2122577
Slingshot News: ‘I Don’t Think You Should Run For another Office’: Marco Rubio Visibly Dissociates From Reality As Trump Praises Him During Cabinet Meeting
‘I Don’t Think You Should Run For another Office’: Marco Rubio Visibly Dissociates From Reality As Trump Praises Him During Cabinet Meeting
In a cabinet meeting at the White House last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio visibly looked distant and dissociated from reality as his king lavished him with praise. “I think you’re born for this job, I don’t think you should ever run for another office,” Trump told Rubio to his face.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Defense Dept. Authorizes Temporary ICE Assignments
The Department of Defense (DoD) is reportedly encouraging civilian employees to volunteer with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Advocacy groups have voiced concerns regarding the program’s potential effects on immigrant communities. Under the plan, volunteers may serve for up to 180 days, mainly supporting data entry and logistical operations.
A DoD email reads, “Selected Department employees will have a chance to offer critical support to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as they fulfill the President’s intent to ensure a safe and orderly immigration system.”
The USA Jobs listing requires commitment to efficiency and rule of law. Some travel costs may be reimbursed, but no relocation aid is offered, and volunteers must be ready to deploy within 96 hours.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth authorized DoD civilians to aid DHS for up to 120 days. The volunteer roles offer no promotions, may require heavy overtime, and do not need clearances or drug tests.
Hegseth stated, “In support of the President’s priority of securing our borders, I am authorizing the detail of DoD civilian employees to the DHS to support its operations at the United States southern border and with internal immigration enforcement.”
Applications are reportedly open with no set deadline, allowing extensions if needed. A DoD spokesperson stated, “ICE, CBP, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Defense are embracing President Trump’s whole-of-government approach to protecting the American people.”
The DoD spokesperson added, “DOD civilians — who have already undergone rigorous vetting and demonstrated their commitment to serving this nation — are invited to volunteer for temporary ICE assignments to help make America safe again and remove national security threats—including gang members and terrorists from our country.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/defense-dept-authorizes-temporary-ice-assignments/ss-AA1Ly8hj
Slingshot News: ‘We’re Outmanned’: Secretary Kristi Noem Admits China And Russia Have Better Coast Guards Because of Trump In Senate Hearing
‘We’re Outmanned’: Secretary Kristi Noem Admits China And Russia Have Better Coast Guards Because of Trump In Senate Hearing
During a recent U.S. Senate hearing, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem admitted that China and Russia have better Coast Guards than ours, currently controlled by Noem and Trump.
Slingshot News: ‘A Grossly Incompetent President’: Trump Throws Tantrum, Attacks Biden During Angry Tirade In The Oval Office
MSNBC: ‘Treason!’: Michael compares the betrayal of the Confederacy with the attack on January 6
‘Treason!’: Michael compares the betrayal of the Confederacy with the attack on January 6
The Weeknight hosts discuss how the revisionist history of the Civil War mirrors the rewriting of January 6 as the Pentagon reinstalls a portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee at West Point under the Trump administration.
MSNBC: Republican Senator slams Trump DC troop deployment: ‘Where do we stop?’
Republican Senator slams Trump DC troop deployment: ‘Where do we stop?’
The Trump Administration is ramping up its war on blue cities with plans for major immigration crackdowns. Politico reports that The Trump administration is planning a surge in immigration enforcement in Boston “soon.” In Chicago, the planned immigration enforcement could come next week with agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Border Patrol, and other federal agencies taking part.
Alternet: Will ‘hurt American families’: Economists sound alarm on new Trump attack
Economists are warning that US President Donald Trump’s efforts to meddle with the Federal Reserve are going to wind up raising prices even further on working families.
Michael Madowitz, principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute, said on Wednesday that the president’s efforts to strong-arm the US central bank into lowering interest rates by firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook would backfire by accelerating inflation.
“The administration’s efforts to politicize interest rates—an authoritarian tactic—will ultimately hurt American families by driving up costs,” he said. “That helps explain why Fed independence has helped keep inflation under 3%, while, after years of political interference in their central bank, Turkey’s inflation rate is over 33%.”
Heidi Shierholz, the president of the Economic Policy Institute, said that the president’s move to fire Cook “radically undermines what Trump says his own goal is: lowering U.S. interest rates to spur faster economic growth.”
She then gave a detailed explanation for why Trump imposing his will on the Federal Reserve would likely bring economic pain.
“Presidential capture of the Fed would signal to decision-makers throughout the economy that interest rates will no longer be set on the basis of sound data or economic conditions—but instead on the whims of the president,” she argued. “Confidence that the Fed will respond wisely to future periods of macroeconomic stress—either excess inflation or unemployment—will evaporate.”
This lack of confidence, she continued, would manifest in investors in US Treasury bonds demanding higher premiums due to the higher risks they will feel they are taking when buying US debt, which would only further drive up the nation’s borrowing costs.
“These higher long-term rates will ripple through the economy—making mortgages, auto loans, and credit card payments higher for working people—and require that rates be held higher for longer to tamp down any future outbreak of inflation,” she said. “In the first hours after Trump’s announcement, all of these worries seemed to be coming to pass.”
Economist Paul Krugman, a former columnist for The New York Times, wrote on his personal Substack page Thursday that Trump’s moves to take control of the Federal Reserve were “shocking and terrifying.”
“Trump’s campaign to take over monetary policy has shifted from a public pressure to personal intimidation of Fed officials: the attack on Cook signals that Trump and his people will try to ruin the life of anyone who stands in his way,” he argued. “There is now a substantial chance that the Fed’s independence, its ability to manage the nation’s monetary policy on an objective, technocratic basis rather than as an instrument of the president’s political interests and personal whims, will soon be gone.”
The economists’ warnings come as economic data released on Friday revealed that core inflation rose to 2.9% in August, which is the highest annual rate recorded since this past February. Earlier this month, the Producer Price Index, which is considered a leading indicator of future inflation, came in at 3.3%, which was significantly higher than economists’ consensus estimate of 2.5%.
Data aggregated by polling analyst G. Elliott Morris shows that inflation is far and away Trump’s biggest vulnerability, as American voters give him a net approval of -23% on that issue.
Fulcrum US: USCIS “Anti-American” Policy: Free Speech, Green Cards & Citizenship at Risk
The Trump administration has introduced a new immigration policy that allows U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to deny visas, green cards, and even citizenship applications if an applicant is flagged for “anti-American” activity online. The move is already drawing concern from immigration attorneys and digital security experts, who warn that the vague wording opens the door to arbitrary decisions and potential violations of free speech.
Ayla Adomat, managing attorney of Adomat Immigration and specialized in green card applications, said in an interview with Latino News Network, the government has not provided a clear standard for what qualifies as “anti-American.” “So it does seem that prior social media posts can put a visa or green card application at risk. This has been confirmed by USCIS,” she explained. “What we are seeing, though is…we’re still kind of figuring out what counts as social media here.”
Adomat noted that obvious hate content, such as anti-Semitic posts or symbols tied to extremist movements, has already been flagged. But she cautioned that political commentary could also come under scrutiny. “Commentary against Trump or the Trump administration…this can really be construed a couple of different ways,” she cautioned. “Because these policies are so new, we’re still waiting to see how these are really interpreted by the government and also later the courts, because there’s absolutely going to be litigation.”
On constitutional grounds, Adomat said there is a strong legal argument that the First Amendment applies to non-citizens. “Several Supreme Court cases have alluded to this, though it hasn’t been the central holding. That’s why I think the Trump administration is fighting it”, told LNN.
Existing immigration vetting already screens applicants for ties to terrorism, criminal activity, or other security risks. The new policy represents a shift from concrete threats to ideology and opinion. Nic Adams, co-founder and CEO of the cybersecurity firm 0rcus, argued in a statement sent to LNN the vagueness of the guidance highlights the risks of giving officers wide discretion to scrutinize digital histories. Leaving “anti-American” undefined, he warned, “could allow officers to conflate legitimate political dissent with a fundamental rejection of the United States,” putting otherwise eligible applicants in the position of having to defend old posts or satire as if they were security threats.
“The lack of a specific time limit for this review and the broad nature of what can be considered ‘anti-American’ means that applicants must be prepared to have their entire public digital history scrutinized”, Adams added. The expert said that this could put otherwise eligible applicants in a position of having to explain or defend past speech that, at the time, was a simple expression of political opinion.
Critics say the policy could create a chilling effect among immigrants and applicants for legal status, who may self-censor for fear that online comments could be misinterpreted. Adomat stressed that applicants are now being advised to review their digital history carefully because even opinions, not just past actions, could be grounds for denial.
The policy, still in its early stages, is likely to face challenges in federal court. Until then, immigration lawyers are advising clients to review their digital footprint and think twice before posting about politics online.