Tag Archives: Cuba

Salon: Stephen [“Goebbels”] Miller’s deportation machine is failing — and he’s furious

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In reality, which still holds some influence in our aggressively-online world, there are about 11 million undocumented people in the U.S., total. And despite all-caps propaganda to the contrary, they as a class “have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens,” according to a 2020 study; they even commit fewer crimes, on average, than fully legal immigrants — those who came here “the right way.”

“Relative to undocumented immigrants, U.S.-born citizens are over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely to be arrested for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely to be arrested for property crimes,” according to the research, published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

That’s why Stephen [“Goebbels”] Miller is so mad: an administration that wants nothing more than to parade millions of brown bodies onto military aircraft and out of the country — a MAGA team that promised its voters nothing less than “mass deportations now” — is having a tough time actually finding the hardened criminals the last folks supposedly let in. In April, the Trump administration deported more than 17,200 people; that’s up 29% from a year but it’s far below the pace necessary to meet the stated goal of one million deportees a year (and per NBC News, more than half of those now in ICE detention have no criminal record whatsoever).

?url=httpswww.salon.com20250529stephen-millers-deportation-machine-is-failing–and-hes-furious

https://www.salon.com/2025/05/29/stephen-millers-deportation-machine-is-failing–and-hes-furious

Politico: The Pro-Trump Cuban Rapper About to Be Deported

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The predicament of the rapper known as ‘El Funky’ reveals the deeply conflicted anti-Castro and pro-Trump politics of South Florida.

In 2021, like many Cubans and Cuban Americans that summer, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio was jamming to “Patria y Vida,” the Grammy-winning protest anthem that became a rallying cry for dissidents in Cuba. The hip-hop song, whose title translates to “Homeland and Life,” directly rebuked Fidel Castro’s revolutionary slogan, “Patria o Muerte” — “Homeland or Death.” That was a cause that resonated with Rubio, the son of Cuban exiles, so much that in 2023, he introduced the “Patria y Vida Act,” “protecting against Tyrants” and expanding internet service in Cuba.

Now, one of the song’s central voices, Cuban rapper Eliéxer Márquez Duany — better known as El Funky — faces removal from the United States. Earlier this month, U.S. immigration authorities denied Márquez Duany’s residency application under the 1966 Cuban Adjustment Act. He has less than 30 days to leave the U.S. or face deportation and likely imprisonment in Cuba, since his music helped fuel the largest anti-government protests in Cuba in decades.

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Márquez Duany’s journey from resistance icon to deportation case began in February 2021, when he and other artists released “Patria y Vida.” The song, featuring rappers and musicians both on and off the island, denounced repression in Cuba and called for change. Two of its creators, Maykel Osorbo and Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, are currently in prison in Cuba for their participation in the project and other protests. Meanwhile, the song’s banned status on the island only amplified its power: It became the de facto anthem of the unprecedented protests during the summer of 2021.

By then, Márquez Duany had already been under house arrest for months, kept from participating in the demonstrations by guards posted outside his home. When the Latin Grammy Awards sent him an invitation a few months later, Márquez Duany knew it was likely his only chance to escape. As is customary, a Cuban government official escorted him to the airport.

“What we want is for you to leave,” he says the official told him. “Go, but don’t come back because you’re not welcome here.”

Once in Miami, Márquez Duany married a Cuban American, found a maintenance job at a Christian school, and kept recording music. He applied to adjust his legal status under the CAA, which allows Cubans paroled into the U.S. to claim permanent residency after one year.

He assumed the law still stood firmly behind him. But the ground had already shifted.

The Pro-Trump Cuban Rapper About to Be Deported
The predicament of the rapper known as ‘El Funky’ reveals the deeply conflicted anti-Castro and pro-Trump politics of South Florida.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/23/hes-a-pro-trump-rapper-and-a-cuban-dissident-the-trump-administration-is-deporting-him-anyway-00367085

Daily Mail: Trump’s ‘ICE Barbie’ Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem sparks liberal meltdown with vulgar two-word post: ‘Best response ever’

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Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem told a bunch of illegal migrants they can ‘suck it’ on Thursday after their lawsuit against the Homeland Security chief was voluntarily dropped.

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The ACLU dropped the filing because several plaintiffs were already deported while others refused to keep the case going. 

That’s when [Bimbo #2] Noem – who has been dubbed ‘ICE Barbie’ for her garish wardrobe changes – delivered her savage two-word response.

‘Suck it,’ [Bimbo #2] Noem posted along with the notice of voluntary dismissal.  

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A more critical commenter compared [Bimbo #2] Noem’s comment to an embarrassing story from [Bimbo #2] Noem’s past. 

‘How unprofessional. But I don’t expect anything less from someone who shoots puppies,’ the user wrote, referencing a story [Bimbo #2] Noem told about shooting her dog. 

Don’t forget her poor goat — Bimbo #2 shot one of the family’s goats, too.

[Bimbo #2] Noem has been suffering from the perception she cares more about her glam image than fulfilling her responsibility to protect the homeland and crack down on illegal immigration. 

Bimbo #2 is as phony as a $3 bill — ill-mannered, uncouth, ignorant, and barely educated.

Kristi Noem’s two-word reason to order slapping down suit from migrant
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem had two big, brutal words declaring victory over a lawsuit filed by the ACLU on behalf of two detained migrants that set the internet on fire.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14741839/ICE-Barbie-Kristi-Noem-sparks-liberal-meltdown-vulgar-two-word-post.html

Knewz: Another U.S. Citizen Mistakenly Told to Self-Deport

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Boston immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni received a surprising email last month from the Department of Homeland Security ordering her to self-deport immediately. The email said DHS was ending her parole and told her to leave the country, even though she holds a U.S. passport and birth certificate. Micheroni has held a U.S. passport and birth certificate and has been legally allowed to remain in the country.

Other immigration attorneys have reported receiving similar erroneous notices. Micheroni stated, “It took me a couple of minutes to realize it was sent to me instead of someone I represent.”

These mistaken emails raise concern among U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and visa holders about possible wrongful enforcement. Micheroni said, “It’s meant to be an intimidation tactic to get people to leave the country.”

Another U.S. Citizen Mistakenly Told to Self-Deport
Boston immigration attorney Nicole Micheroni received a surprising email last month from the Department of Homeland Security ordering her to self-deport immediately. The email said DHS was ending her parole and told her to leave the country, even though she holds a U.S. passport and birth certificate. Micheroni has held a U.S. passport and birthContinue reading “Another U.S. Citizen Mistakenly Told to Self-Deport”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/another-u-s-citizen-mistakenly-told-to-self-deport/ar-AA1Ffhtj

Politico: Trump admin deportation flight to South Sudan violated court order, judge rules

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It’s the latest rebuke in an escalating clash over Trump’s deportation agenda. Several judges have now accused the administration of defying the courts.

The Trump administration “unquestionably” violated a court order when it put seven men on a deportation flight bound for South Sudan, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, suggesting that administration officials may have committed criminal contempt.

The rebuke from U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy is the latest episode in an intensifying clash between the administration and the judiciary over President Donald Trump’s campaign to carry out rapid deportations while evading court oversight.

Three federal judges have now castigated the administration for circumventing, or outright defying, court orders that have sought to block or reverse aspects of Trump’s deportation agenda. And several others — including a majority of the Supreme Court — have scolded the administration for attempting to violate immigrants’ due process rights.

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The hasty deportations fell far short of the due process requirements in Murphy’s April ruling, the judge said Wednesday.

Trump admin deportation flight to South Sudan violated court order, judge rules
It’s the latest rebuke in an escalating clash over Trump’s deportation agenda. Several judges have now accused the administration of defying the courts.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/21/trump-deportations-south-sudan-00362919

Miami Herald: Supreme Court ruling on TPS stuns South Florida, leaves Venezuelan families in fear

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A U.S Supreme Court ruling that allows the Trump administration to strip deportation protections and work permits from hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans — including many Miami area residents — sent shock waves through South Florida and across the Sunshine State on Monday.

“That the U.S. would terminate the protections for Venezuelans now, when nothing has improved back home, is just unbelievable,” said Betsy Diaz, a Venezuelan-American in Hialeah whose two daughters, five grandchildren and several other relatives will lose the protections.

In a two-paragraph order, the nation’s highest court on Monday granted an emergency request from the White House to roll back a lower court judge’s order that kept in place Temporary Protected Status for about 350,000 Venezuelans. It was part of an ongoing lawsuit in federal court in San Francisco challenging the Trump administration’s February decision to revoke the protections granted to Venezuelans and other nationals from certain countries in turmoil.

The court provided no explanation for why it had lifted the lower court judge’s order, which prevented the Trump administration from removing the protections while the litigation is ongoing.

Supreme Court ruling on TPS stuns South Florida, leaves Venezuelan families in fear
“Unbelievable,” said a Venezuelan American grandmother in Hialeah

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article306751681.html

Raw Story: Furious judge mulls criminal contempt as Trump admin found to have blatantly ignored order

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A federal judge found the Trump administration violated his order from last month blocking officials from deporting foreign nationals to countries that aren’t their own without giving them a chance to challenge their removal.

Boston-based federal judge Brian E. Murphy strongly rebuked the administration Wednesday when he ruled on an emergency motion filed by men who may have been deported to South Sudan, a violence-plagued nation they had never visited. It’s not clear whether the court will impose any punishment on Donald Trump’s officials, reported the New York Times.

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

Homeland security officials told the judge that eight migrants had been deported Tuesday on a flight to a third country but refused to say where they were sent, and Murphy noted the government had given them less than 24 hours notice that they were being removed, which the judge said was “plainly insufficient.”

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Two sources told the Times the flight carrying the men – who DHS said are were citizens of Burma, Cuba, Laos, Mexico, South Sudan and Vietnam – had landed in east African nation of Djibouti and that U.S. military personnel were standing by to assist in their detention, if necessary.

Furious judge mulls criminal contempt as Trump admin found to have blatantly ignored order

https://www.rawstory.com/south-sudan-trump

Associated Press: ‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations

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The White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic African nation of South Sudan, a federal judge said Wednesday, hours after the Trump administration said it had expelled eight immigrants convicted of violent crimes in the United States but refused to reveal where they would end up. The judge’s statement was a notably strong rebuke to the government’s attempts to manage immigration.

In an emergency hearing he called to address reports that immigrants had been sent to South Sudan, Judge Brian E. Murphy in Boston said the eight migrants aboard the plane were not given a meaningful opportunity to object that the deportation could put them in danger. Minutes before the hearing, administration officials accused “activist judges” of advocating the release of dangerous criminals.

“The department actions in this case are unquestionably in violation of this court’s order,” Murphy said Wednesday, arguing that the deportees didn’t have “meaningful opportunity” to object to being sent to South Sudan. The group was flown out of the United States just hours after getting notice, leaving them no chance to contact lawyers who could object in court.

‘Unquestionably in violation’: Judge says US government didn’t follow court order on deportations
A federal judge says the White House violated a court order on deportations to third countries with a flight linked to the chaotic nation of South Sudan.

https://apnews.com/article/deportation-immigration-south-sudan-department-of-homeland-security-a09612dbd055c5d1d88902c415bdf3e6

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

Raleigh News & Observer: ‘Nullified’: Trump Suffers Blow in Court

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A U.S. federal appeals court has temporarily blocked former President Donald Trump’s effort to end benefits from the humanitarian parole program (CHNV) for over 500,000 migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled that the administration did not meet the criteria for an emergency intervention to overturn a prior lower court ruling. Federal Judge Indira Talwani previously halted the cancellation of the CHNV ordered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Trump has since pushed for the Supreme Court to grant him the ability to put an end to the program.

The DHS under Trump has alleged that the CHNV program was misused. Critics argued that its cancellation violates the Immigration and Nationality Act, resulting in detrimental effects for migrants who relied on the established program.

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Talwani found that the DHS’s measure did not comply with legal requirements for case-by-case reviews and ordered the reinstatement of the parole process and its associated immigration benefits. Her ruling mandated that notifications sent to individuals from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela remain suspended pending further judicial orders.

‘Nullified’: Trump Suffers Blow in Court

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nullified-trump-suffers-blow-in-court/ss-AA1EYz0E