Tag Archives: Biden administration

USA Today: Honduran family, 6-year-old with leukemia released from ICE detention

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A 6-year-old Honduran boy with leukemia who had been held in immigration detention with his family since May was released July 2.

The boy, his mother and 9-year-old sister entered the country legally last fall seeking asylum. Federal agents arrested them as they left an immigration hearing in Los Angeles on May 29. They were held in a privately run family detention center in South Texas. Their release was made public July 3, but their future remains unclear.

They never should have been detained in the first place — hope they sue!

Honduran family, 6-year-old with leukemia released from ICE detention
The family is among a growing number of people detained despite entering the country legally during the Biden administration.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/07/03/boy-leukemia-detention-released-lawyers/84465806007

Guardian: Trump drives surge in ICE detentions of those with no criminal record despite stated priorities

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ICE facilities across the US are holding significantly more people than normal capacity

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency is continuing to arrest an increasing number of immigrants without any criminal history, according to recent federal government data reviewed by the Guardian, demonstrating a further dramatic surge in this trend.

The latest available data, released by ICE last Friday, appears to contradict Trump administration officials’ frequent assertions that the agency is prioritizing the pursuit of criminals in its immigration enforcement operations.

“Our number one concern is violent criminals,” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which houses Ice, said on TV in an interview with PBS last week.

In mid-June, ICE data shows there were more than 11,700 people in immigration detention who had been arrested by ICE despite having no track record of being charged with or convicted of a crime. That represents a staggering 1,271% increase from data released on those in immigration detention immediately before the start of Trump’s second term.

Trump drives surge in Ice detentions of those with no criminal record despite stated priorities
Ice facilities across the US are holding significantly more people than normal capacity

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/24/trump-immigrants-ice-arrests

Irish Star: ‘Gaslighting’ Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt beginning to ‘crack’ as MAGA trolls turn on her

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White House press secretary Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt is no stranger to being made fun of and ridiculed throughout various forms of media; however, now it seems to be taking its toll

White House press secretary Karoline [Bimbo #1] Leavitt is no stranger to being made fun of and ridiculed throughout various forms of media. However, according to on senior analyst, the Trump attack dog is reportedly starting to show some strain.

Speaking with RawStory, Salon Senior Writer Amanda Marcotte described [Bimbo #1] Leavitt’s role within the Trump, who has been given a terrifying nickname by Iran, administration as “to keep the mostly male MAGA base invigorated by demonstrating the White House’s powers at annoying the women they resent.” However, the 27-year-old mom of one is starting to lose her edge.

‘Gaslighting’ Karoline Leavitt beginning to ‘crack’ as MAGA trolls turn on her
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt is no stranger to being made fun of and ridiculed throughout various forms of media; however, now it seems to be taking its toll

https://www.irishstar.com/news/us-news/gaslighting-karoline-leavitt-beginning-crack-35439445

Newsweek: Amazon worker fears deportation after humanitarian parole revoked

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An Amazon employee in Indiana fears she will be deported to a war-torn country after her humanitarian parole was revoked by the Trump administration.

Now, her husband believes that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents will come for her.

Daphnee S. Poteau, 33, originally from Haiti, had been working at an Amazon customer returns center in Speedway since entering the United States on July 4, 2023, under the Biden-era CHVN humanitarian parole program. On June 14, she was sent home mid-way through her shift after she lost her right to work.

The CHNV parole program was launched in early 2023 by the Biden administration to provide a lawful pathway for individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to enter the U.S. temporarily under humanitarian parole. Participants with U.S.-based sponsors could live and work in the country for up to two years.

Though Poteau has not been arrested or detained by immigration authorities, Poteau’s husband, Kristopher D. Vincent, 45, an Amazon associate and U.S. citizen, says the family is feeling “frustrated and scared.”

“I am afraid they will come looking for her eventually. We’ve seen it in the news a lot lately. People in black masks snatching—or attempting to snatch—migrants up, even at immigration hearings,” Vincent told Newsweek. “When judges, and even U.S. representatives, are facing arrests and indictments, how are the little people like us supposed to feel? Her only ‘crime’ seems to be coming from the ‘wrong’ country.”

Amazon worker fears deportation after humanitarian parole revoked
Now, her husband believes that ICE agents will come for her.

https://www.newsweek.com/amazon-worker-deportation-humanitarian-parole-revoked-2089333

Wall Street Journal: Trump Is Losing Political Ground on Immigration

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The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation program is testing the political bounds of what Americans will tolerate, spurring a backlash from voters and some Republicans and testing the administration’s resolve.

Federal officials in recent weeks have stepped up raids on worksites and farms, seeking to fulfill President Trump’s pledge of mass deportations. The move has sparked alarm in immigrant communities and street protests in Los Angeles and other cities. Last weekend, Trump directed that arrests be paused at farms and hotels, only to reverse the directive days later.

…

Republican members of Congress from California, Texas and Florida have publicly urged the White House to give priority to deportations of criminals rather than migrants who have resided in the U.S. for long periods and have otherwise obeyed the law. The chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R., Pa.), called the farm raids “just wrong.” The co-founder of Latinas for Trump, Florida state Sen. Ileana Garcia, wrote on X that the administration’s actions were “unacceptable and inhumane” and “not what we voted for.”

“I may have voted for Trump, but I can’t stay silent about what’s happening with ICE in LA,” Ryan Garcia, a former interim lightweight boxing champion who endorsed Trump last year, wrote on X. “We can have borders without losing our humanity.”

Presidents of both parties have historically hesitated to pursue large-scale immigration enforcement in the country’s interior precisely because it tends to be politically unpopular. Trump’s push for deportations far from the border has begun to trigger a backlash in public opinion, with polls showing his approval rating on immigration and deportations—formerly one of his strongest issues—has now turned negative.

A Quinnipiac poll earlier this month found that just 43% approved of Trump’s performance on immigration while 54% disapproved. On deportations, 40% approved while 56% disapproved. In the polling average maintained by the analyst Nate Silver, Trump’s immigration policies were popular on a net basis until earlier this month—but are now more unpopular than popular by a 3-point margin. 

Trump Is Losing Political Ground on Immigration

https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-is-losing-political-ground-on-immigration-20de43bc

Also here:

Trump Is Losing Political Ground on Immigration
The administration’s aggressive deportation push has alarmed voters, including some of the president’s supporters.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-is-losing-political-ground-on-immigration/ar-AA1H5df5

NBC News: A teen with no criminal background was deported by ICE, leaving his community aghast

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Emerson Colindres’ soccer coach says his case is an example of how those getting taken by ICE “are your friends and neighbors … and then one day they’re just gone.”

For 19-year-old Emerson Colindres, it was supposed to be a routine check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It turned out to be a trap. He never returned home.

Colindres, who came to the United States with his family more than a decade ago to escape the violence in their native Honduras, was detained by ICE on June 4, just days after the talented student and soccer player graduated high school in Cincinnati. Colindres, whose teammates said was one of the greatest players they met on the field, dreamed of continuing his sports career and hoped to attend a university. He did not have a criminal record, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

In the span of two weeks, Colindres went from celebrating his graduation to being detained by ICE to then being deported to a country where he has not lived since he was 8 years old.

So much for the American dream — f*ck*ng ICE *ssh*l*s!

A teen with no criminal background was deported by ICE, leaving his community aghast
Emerson Colindres’ soccer coach says his case is an example of how those getting taken by ICE “are your friends and neighbors … and then one day they’re just gone.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-deports-teen-soccer-star-graduation-rcna212566

Reuters: US judge blocks Trump passport policy targeting transgender people

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A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from refusing to issue passports to transgender and nonbinary Americans nationwide that reflect their gender identities, after finding it was likely unconstitutional.

U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston issued a preliminary injunction that expanded an earlier order she issued in April that had stopped the U.S. State Department from enforcing the policy in the case of just six people.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-judge-blocks-trump-passport-policy-targeting-transgender-people-2025-06-17

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

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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.

DHS defends social media post calling for public to help ICE locate ‘all foreign invaders’ | CNN Politics
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.

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

LatinTimes: Fewer Than 1 in 10 Immigrants Detained by ICE Since October Had Convictions for Serious Offenses, Data Shows

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Furthermore, over 75% had no criminal convictions other than immigration or traffic-related offenses

Internal government data shows that fewer than 1 in 10 of the more than 185,000 immigrants booked into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since October 2024 were convicted of serious crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, or rape, according to a new report. Furthermore, over 75% had no criminal convictions other than immigration or traffic-related offenses, CNN reported.

The data, covering detentions during the final months of the Biden administration and the early months of the Trump administration, contrasts sharply with the current administration’s public messaging, as Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials and President Donald Trump have repeatedly emphasized the arrest of immigrants with violent criminal records.

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security challenged CNN’s referenced data limited to ICE arrests in a shorter timeframe. “ICE targets the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “In President Trump’s first 100 days, 75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges.”

A CNN review of ICE press releases in the past month found that nearly two-thirds of named individuals were described as having serious criminal records. However, advocates and local reports in cities like Los Angeles describe widespread arrests of longtime residents and workers with no criminal history.

“We are seeing huge amounts of people with no prior contact with the criminal or immigration system picked up,” said Eva Bitran of the ACLU of Southern California to CNN. “It is very contrary to the story that the secretary is telling.”

“The secretary” is a lying bitch, always has been and is unlikely ever to change.

Fewer Than 1 in 10 Immigrants Detained by ICE Since October Had Convictions for Serious Offenses, Data Shows
Fewer than 1 in 10 of the more than 185,000 immigrants booked into ICE custody since October 2024 were convicted of serious crimes, according to a new report

https://www.latintimes.com/fewer-1-10-immigrants-detained-ice-since-october-had-convictions-serious-offenses-data-shows-585081

New York Magazine: Playing Secretary — Could These Be Pete Hegseth’s Last Days in the Pentagon?

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As war looms, Pete Hegseth’s Pentagon is beset by infighting over leaks, drugs, and socks. How long will Trump stand by his man?

In the drama of Hegseth’s January confirmation hearings, it was easy to get distracted by the financial settlement for an assault allegation, by the multitudinous accounts of heavy drinking on the job, by claims of misogyny from both his mother and his sister-in-law, by the fact that Hegseth, while married with three small children, had fathered a child with a Fox News producer who was also married with small children, during which pregnancy he had slept with the woman who later accused him of assault, and thereby miss some straightforward information about his managerial experience.

Pete Hegseth had run a nonprofit called Veterans for Freedom for several years, an organization that employed fewer than 20 people, and resigned after alleged financial mismanagement nearly bankrupted the organization. He had run a group called Concerned Veterans for America, which employed around 160 people, and resigned amid allegations of misconduct and, once again, financial mismanagement.

In choosing Hegseth, Donald Trump did not choose from the large set of people who had never managed an organization, or the considerably smaller set of people who had managed an organization without incident, but from a smaller still set of people who had managed multiple bureaucracies and resigned multiple times under complex circumstances.

It’s a good read but a bit long. Click the link below to read the entire article:

Could These Be Pete Hegseth’s Last Days in the Pentagon?
archived 13 Jun 2025 19:07:18 UTC

https://archive.is/xG4FF#selection-1205.0-1209.128