Tag Archives: Department of Homeland Security

Associated Press: Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone

Posted on by
Reply

George Retes, 25, … said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out…. Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch…. He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody. On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges. “They gave me nothing I could wrap my head around,” Retes said, explaining that he was met with silence on his way out when he asked about being “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”

A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle and pinned down by federal agents who arrested him.

George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out.

“It took two officers to nail my back and then one on my neck to arrest me even though my hands were already behind my back,” Retes said.

The Ventura City native was detained during chaotic raids at two Southern California farms where federal authorities arrested more than 360 people, one of the largest operations since President Donald Trump took office in January. Protesters faced off against federal agents in military-style gear, and one farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof.

The raids came more than a month into an extended immigration crackdown by the Trump administration across Southern California that was originally centered in Los Angeles, where local officials say the federal actions are spreading fear in immigrant communities.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke on the raids at a news conference Wednesday, calling Trump a “chaos agent” who has incited violence and spread fear in communities.

“You got someone who dropped 30 feet because they were scared to death and lost their life,” he said, referring to the farmworker who died in the raids. “People are quite literally disappearing with no due process, no rights.”

Retes was taken to the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles, where he said he was put in a special cell on suicide watch and checked on each day after he became emotionally distraught over his ordeal and missing his 3-year-old daughter’s birthday party Saturday.

He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody.

On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges.

“They gave me nothing I could wrap my head around,” Retes said, explaining that he was met with silence on his way out when he asked about being “locked up for three days with no reason and no charges.”

Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, confirmed Retes’ arrest but didn’t say on what charges.

“George Retes was arrested and has been released,” she said. “He has not been charged. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is reviewing his case, along with dozens of others, for potential federal charges related to the execution of the federal search warrant in Camarillo.”

A federal judge on Friday ordered the Trump administration to halt indiscriminate immigration stops and arrests without warrants in seven California counties, including Los Angeles. Immigrant advocates accused federal agents of detaining people because they looked Latino. The Justice Department appealed on Monday and asked for the order to be stayed.

The Pentagon also said Tuesday it was ending the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles. That’s roughly half the number the administration sent to the city following protests over the immigration actions. Some of those troops have been accompanying federal agents during their immigration enforcement operations.

Retes said he joined the Army at 18 and served four years, including deploying to Iraq in 2019.

“I joined the service to help better myself,” he said. “I did it because I love this (expletive) country. We are one nation and no matter what, we should be together. All this separation and stuff between everyone is just the way it shouldn’t be.”

Retes said he plans to sue for wrongful detention.

“The way they’re going about this entire deportation process is completely wrong, chasing people who are just working, especially trying to feed everyone here in the U.S.,” he said. “No one deserves to be treated the way they treat people.”

Retes was detained along with California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, also a U.S. citizen, who was arrested for throwing a tear gas canister at law enforcement, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli posted on X.

The California Faculty Association said Caravello was taken away by agents who did not identify themselves nor inform him of why he was being taken into custody. Like Retes, the association said the professor was then held without being allowed to contact his family or an attorney.

Caravello was attempting to dislodge a tear gas canister that was stuck underneath someone’s wheelchair, witnesses told KABC-TV, the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles.

A federal judge on Monday ordered Caravello to be released on $15,000 bond. He’s scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 1.

“I want everyone to know what happened. This doesn’t just affect one person,” Retes said. “It doesn’t matter if your skin is brown. It doesn’t matter if you’re white. It doesn’t matter if you’re a veteran or you serve this country. They don’t care. They’re just there to fill a quota.”

Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone
A U.S. Army veteran arrested during an immigration raid at a California marijuana farm says he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle on his way to work.

https://apnews.com/article/us-army-veteran-immigration-raid-53cb22251a01599a0c4d1a8d5650d050

Daily Mail: ‘ICE Barbie’ Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem and her ‘lover’ Corey Lewandowski are cozier than ever despite White House concerns

Posted on by
Reply

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski are cozier than ever, despite White House concerns about their relationship.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday night that Lewandowski is now working as a ‘special government employee’ under [Bimbo #2] Noem at the Department of Homeland Security. 

Lewandowski had initially wanted to serve as [Bimbo #2] Noem’s chief of staff, but President Donald Trump and his top advisers reportedly felt ‘uncomfortable’ with the optics of such a placement. 

The president and Lewandowski settled on him becoming a special government employee to DHS so the pair would be more removed – at least on paper – the Journal wrote.

DailyMail.com exclusively reported in 2023 that [Bimbo #2] Noem and Lewandowski were engaged in a years-long clandestine romantic relationship that began in 2019. 

Both [Bimbo #2] Noem and Lewandowski have denied the relationship to DailyMail.com and remain married to their respective partners. 

At the same time, they were inseparable during Trump’s 2024 campaign, with Axios’ Alex Isenstadt writing in his book,  Revenge: The Inside Story of Trump’s Return to Power, that [Bimbo #2] Noem’s relationship with Lewandowski was sullying her chances of becoming Trump’s VP. 

‘Trump’s aides knew if [Bimbo #2] Noem was picked, her relationship with Lewandowski would become one hell of a distraction,’ Isenstadt wrote.

That ended up being a non-issue, after [Bimbo #2] Noem revealed in her memoir that she had shot her young dog Cricket. 

That controversy was enough to keep [Bimbo #2] Noem off the presidential ticket.

After [Bimbo #2] Noem lost the veepstakes, The Journal revealed that Lewandowski played a role in helping [Bimbo #2] Noem get picked to run DHS.

It was a role viewed as central to the president’s agenda, helping [Bimbo #2] Noem shore up her immigration bonafides – which could help the former South Dakota governor if she were to launch a White House bid in 2028. 

Since [Bimbo #2] Noem took over DHS, Lewandowski continued to be at her side – often the only person to accompany Noem to meetings, The Journal report said. 

He’s traveled with [Bimbo #2] Noem to El Salvador, Mexico and Colombia, with some employees now referring to him as the de facto chief of staff or even the ‘shadow secretary,’ the report said. 

The actual position of chief of staff remains empty.  

During a tour of the tech company Palantir last month, Lewandowski pushed to fire the immigration official leading the tour because he turned his back on Noem briefly while answering a question from another member of the group, The Journal said. 

Lewandowski argued it was grounds for dismissal. 

Days later, that official was demoted, the newspaper’s sources said. 

A spokesperson for DHS denied that the incident ever happened. 

‘This is a silly claim and simply not true,’ a spokesperson told DailyMail.com. 

The spokesperson also labeled it ‘made-up gossip by low-level leakers who aren’t in the room’ that Lewandowski and [Bimbo #2] Noem’s relationship has rankled White House officials.  

The spokesperson also denied that Lewandowski played a role in the selection of [Bimbo #2] Noem for the DHS role.  

‘President Trump deserves full credit for the selection of Secretary [Bimbo #2] Noem to carry out this essential mandate of securing the homeland and protecting the American people,’ the spokesperson said. 

The spokesperson also pushed back on concerns about Lewandowski constantly being at [Bimbo #2] Noem’s side. 

‘Again, Mr. Lewandowski is a Special Government Employee who patriotically serves the Trump Administration as a volunteer. His duties naturally include going to meetings,’ the spokesperson said. ‘As the husband of a 9/11 widow, the mission of DHS and securing the homeland is of utmost importance to Mr. Lewandowski.’ 

As for the rumored affair? 

‘This Department doesn’t waste time with salacious, baseless gossip,’ the spokesperson said. 

Kristi Noem and her ‘lover’ Corey Lewandowski are cozier than ever
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski are cozier than ever, despite White House concerns about their relationship.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14625547/kristi-noem-cozy-corey-lewandowski-department-homeland-security.html

Daily Mail: Airline that deports ICE detainees suspends west coast operation after pro-migrant protests

Posted on by
Reply

An airline which has been operating deportation flights for the Trump administration has announced major closures after furious pro-migrant protests at several airports. 

Texas-based budget carrier Avelo Airlines said this week that it will close down its west coast operations at Hollywood Burbank Airport as it struggles financially.

The company said it will reduce its operation at the airport to one aircraft until December 2 and then close the base which currently serves 13 routes.

Avelo said the protests and its contract with DHS did not have any effect on its decision to close the base and have not impacted its business.

‘We believe the continuation service from (Burbank) in the current operating environment will not deliver adequate financial returns in a highly competitive backdrop,’ the company said in a statement.

However, the airport has been the target of several fiery rallies by pro-migrant protesters who have hailed the closure as a response to their calls for a boycott. 

They include Nancy Klein, from Hollywood, California, who organized seven protests with activist groups CA27Indivisible and East Valley Indivisible in Southern California. 

‘This change in Avelo’s business operations is some evidence that being on the right side of history, while being principled and persistent, can make a difference,’ Klein said, adding that another protest is planned at Burbank Airport on July 27. 

The airline signed a contract with the US Department of Homeland Security in April to transport migrants to detention centers inside and outside America. 

It faced backlash from customers and employees over its partnership with the DHS. 

Protests unfolded across the country from outside the Burbank Airport to their hub in New Haven, Connecticut, calling on the airline to end its partnership with the DHS and for customers to boycott the carrier. 

Susan Auerback slammed Avelo for using migrant deportations ‘for their economic benefit’ during a protest at Burbank airport earlier this year.  

‘We will not stand for these mass deportations and we will intervene wherever we can to stop the operation of them,’ she told ABC7 reporters at the scene on April 28. 

‘Protesting an airline that has just decided that this is for their economic benefit to be part of this unjust policy is why we’re here.’

Avelo’s CEO, Andrew Levy, defended the decision at the time, adding that the airline also operated deportation flights under the Biden administration. 

‘We realize this is a sensitive and complicated topic,’ Levy said in a statement. 

‘After significant deliberations, we determined this charter flying will provide us with the stability to continue expanding our core scheduled passenger service and keep our more than 1,100 Crewmembers employed for years to come.’

Avelo said it had made several changes over the past few years to its West Coast operations but they did not produce the results necessary to continue presence there.

Commercial flights to west coast locations are no longer available to buy on the Avelo website.  

The Daily Mail has contacted Avelo for clarity on when commercial listings were dropped, and more information on the DHS operations. 

Boycott Avelo Airlines!

Airline that deports ICE detainees suspends west coast operation
Texas-based budget carrier Avelo Airlines said this week that it will close down its west coast operations at Hollywood Burbank Airport as it struggles financially.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14910985/west-coast-avelo-airlines-suspended-pro-migrant-protests-ice.html

Boycott Avelo Airlines!

NBC News: Abused and abandoned immigrant youth on special visas fear the future after Trump changes

Posted on by
Reply

Beneficiaries of the Special Immigrant Juveniles program no longer automatically get work permits and protection against deportation while they wait for the green card process.

Rodrigo Sandoval, 17, just graduated from high school in South Carolina. He gets excited when he talks about what he’d like to do — he’s interested in business administration, graphic design or joining the Navy — but his face becomes solemn when he talks about the future.

“I’ve noticed a lot of changes, especially in the Hispanic community. We live in constant fear of being deported, arrested and all that,” said Sandoval, who came to the U.S. at age 12, fleeing El Salvador due to gang violence that threatened his and his family’s life.

One of his earliest memories is when he was 5.

“It’s one of my traumas because they put a gun to my head. All I remember is crying out of fear,” said Sandoval, who is a beneficiary of the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status classification.

The SIJS classification, created by Congress in 1990 as part of the Immigration and Nationality Act, protects immigrant minors who have been victims of abuse, abandonment or neglect in their countries and gives them a path to permanent residency in the U.S. They must be under 21 or under 18 in some states, including South Carolina, where Sandoval lives.

Last month, the Trump administration ended a measure in place since 2022 that automatically issued the young immigrants work permits and protection from deportation as they waited for their green card applications, which can take years.

“Once they’re approved for special immigrant juvenile status, they’re put on a waiting list, which is currently very, very long. We typically tell clients it’ll probably take more than four or five years,” Jennifer Bade, an immigration attorney based in Boston said in an interview with Noticias Telemundo.

Now after changes under the Trump administration, work permit and Social Security applications must be processed separately, complicating the process for many young people because, in many cases, granting the applications depends on visa availability.

“It’s very strange that they’re in that category because SIJS is about humanitarian protection for young immigrants. There shouldn’t be visa limits for these young people,” said Rachel Davidson, director of the End SIJS Backlog Coalition, a nonprofit organization that advises SIJS recipients and proposes solutions to tackle the backlog in their green card applications.

Verónica Tobar Thronson, a professor at Michigan State University’s School of Law, said many of these young immigrants may not be able to get work permits or renew current ones. “If they don’t have a work permit or an ID, they can’t travel, they can’t enter a federal building, they can’t apply for a Social Security number — they also don’t qualify for student loans if they enroll in college, and in some states, they can’t apply for assistance with medical or social services because they don’t qualify for anything at all.”

In information sent to Noticias Telemundo, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that foreign nationals from Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras currently make up the majority of SIJS applicants, “and collectively represent more than 70% of all SIJS applications,” although they did not specify the total number.

USCIS stated to Noticias Telemundo that while it’s not rescinding protection from deportation from those who already have it, it has the “right to rescind the grant of deferred action and revoke the related employment authorization at any time, at its discretion.”

More than 107,000 young SIJS beneficiaries from 151 countries were on the waiting list to apply for a green card as of March 2023, according to data collected by groups such as the End SIJS Backlog Coalition and Tulane Law School’s Immigrant Rights Clinic.

Of the approximately 280,000 SIJS applications approved in the last 12 fiscal years, “more than 139,000 have been filed or approved for adjustment of status,” according to USCIS.

The current processing time for applications for the program (the SIJ I-360 form) is less than five months, according to USCIS. However, the annual visa cap creates a bottleneck because, regardless of the speed of SIJS processing, the number of visas issued remains the same.

Both Rodrigo Sandoval and his 20-year-old sister, Alexandra, have already been approved for SIJS but are on the waiting list to apply for permanent residency. Both Alexandra’s and her brother Rodrigo’s work permits expire in 2026, and according to their lawyer, they still have three to five years to wait before adjusting their status.

Though they currently have protections under SIJS, Alexandra is still worried about what could happen. “If the police stop us and ask for our documents, it’s all over because we risk being deported.”

Hiromi Gómez, a 17-year-old student with SIJS, said it took her nine years to get to apply for a green card, “and I still haven’t received it.” She worries about more recent young immigrants who will have a harder time securing protections due to recent changes.

Khristina Siletskaya is a South Carolina-based immigration attorney who, among other things, handles cases involving SIJS beneficiaries, including the Sandoval siblings. The Ukrainian-born attorney said that despite changes in U.S. immigration policies, “all hope is not lost.”

“This new change that everyone is talking about eliminated the automatic granting of deferred action (from deportation). However, the United States continues to approve cases of special immigrant juvenile status; that continues to operate normally,” the lawyer explained.

Siletskaya and other experts emphasize that the recent changes are a return to the past, because the automatic granting of deferred action and work permits was implemented in May 2022 but did not exist before. Attorneys for young people with SIJS are exploring other legal avenues to assist them in their search for protection.

“Does this mean young people can’t get Social Security? First, you can try the Department of Social Services. Often, you may be able to get Social Security, but it will indicate that you’re not eligible for work purposes,” Siletskaya said. “So young people could at least get emergency Medicaid, but that will depend on each state.”

Regarding work permits, the attorney said there are ways to try to obtain one. The first is to apply for one separately and ask USCIS to grant it. Siletskaya said she has several cases where they’ve initiated this process, but warns that she has not yet received a response in those cases.

Another option explored by attorneys is to obtain a work permit based on parole, since a young person with SIJS is often granted parole as they work to adjust their status and obtain a green card.

Following the recent changes to SIJS, a group of 19 lawmakers led by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern about the changes. The letter said it “leaves abused and abandoned youth in legal limbo while heightening their vulnerability to exploitation.”

In the letter, the members of Congress said they had received reports “of an increase in the number of detentions and deportations of SIJS beneficiaries.”

Cortez Masto and other Democrats introduced the Vulnerable Immigrant Youth Protection Act in Congress, seeking to change visa categories for SIJS beneficiaries and prevent delays in adjusting their status, among other things. But the lack of Republican lawmakers supporting it could hamper its passage.

The bill is still in its early stages of discussion in the Senate, according to Cortez Masto’s office, and members of Congress have not yet received an official response to the letter sent to Noem.

Both Siletskaya and other attorneys consulted by Noticias Telemundo recommend that young people with SIJS avoid taking risks and remain cautious.

“Don’t get into trouble. If you don’t have a driver’s license, let your friends drive. Stay discreet, respect the law, stay out of situations where you might be exposed, and wait until you receive your green card,” she said.

Despite immigration changes and other challenges, Rodrigo Sandoval said he wanted to make the most of every minute of his work permit, which expires next year. That’s why he has two jobs: He’s a barber and also works on construction sites to help his family.

“My message to people is to keep fighting and keep dreaming big. I don’t think there are limits because we as Hispanics are fighters. And this comes from other generations,” he said, getting emotional. “The truth is, what we have to do is not give up.”

Abused and abandoned immigrant youth sue Trump administration over deportation fears
Beneficiaries of the Special Immigrant Juveniles program no longer automatically get work permits and protection against deportation while they wait for the green card process.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/abused-immigrant-youth-fear-deportation-trump-rcna219060

San Fernando Valley Sun: After Multiple ICE Raids, Uncertainty Looms at the Van Nuys Home Depot

Posted on by
Reply

At the Van Nuys Home Depot parking lot, where hundreds of day laborers gathered daily to find work, only a fraction of them are there now. Only a few food vendors remain on the street, once lined with stands. 

Since President Donald Trump took office in January, his administration has unleashed his campaign promise to carry out mass deportations. Targeting Los Angeles, masked and armed federal agents without required warrants have apprehended Latinos from job sites, outside immigration courts, schools, streets, parks and places of worship. 

The Van Nuys Home Depot on Balboa Boulevard has been hit more than once with federal agents rushing in, wrestling people to the ground, and arresting what laborers estimate to be about 50 people. 

Despite the risk, a handful of laborers are still searching for jobs outside the home improvement store with the fear that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) could return.

“We’re scared because of the raids and what happened,” said a day laborer who emigrated from Honduras. “But, a lot of people are still out here looking for work because they don’t have any other options.” 

In the past, they’ve felt safe as the Van Nuys Day Laborers Job Center is located in the Home Depot parking lot, which has helped to facilitate temporary work for them.

When a car pulled up, he ran over to the rolled-down window and hopped in the back seat after a quick negotiation. Several cars followed, loaded with construction tools. 

During one operation, on July 8, masked Border Patrol agents arrested around a dozen laborers, as well as four United States citizens accused of impeding the federal agents. 

The citizens spent two days in the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown LA, the area’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters, before being released from custody. 

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino told media outlets the four were arrested for impeding and obstructing their efforts by “using improvised spike strip devices aimed at disabling our vehicles.” The charges have yet to be confirmed.

One of the detained citizens, Northeast Valley activist Ernersto Ayala, was working as an outreach coordinator at the Van Nuys Day Laborers Center, while another of those detained, Jude Allard, was working as a volunteer. They have not yet returned to work, an employee at the center told the San Fernando Valley Sun/el Sol on Tuesday morning. 

The Instituto de Educación Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) oversees several Day Laborers Community Job Centers, including the one located in Van Nuys. Established to help workers safely find jobs, the job centers provide legal and educational resources, as well as functioning as a public safety alternative for workers by providing shade, shelter, water and snacks to those often soliciting employment for hours in the heat.

“It’s like a community here,” said a day laborer from Mexico, who is currently experiencing homelessness. “There is a lot of work here, and resources with the center.”

He added that if ICE comes, he can run to the center for protection. Around his neck hung a whistle, provided by Immigo immigration services, which the laborers can use to quickly alert one another of ICE activity. 

Immigo works with the job center to provide legal resources and education to the laborers and street vendors in the area.

“Immigo supports individuals here to become citizens so that they can legally work in this country and become new voters and new representatives of our nation,” said Julian Alexander Makara, a volunteer with the nonprofit. “The unfortunate reality is that the process that we have to become legal in this country is filled with a lot of bureaucratic jargon, and it’s very expensive.”

Several organizations, including Valley Defense, the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), the People’s Struggle San Fernando Valley and Immigo, have started patrolling the Van Nuys location due to the increase in federal immigration enforcement activity.

“There have been hundreds of people here receiving work and passing through the labor center as of now, it’s not a tenth of the volume that you [normally] see,” said Makara. “You can see the fear in the individual’s eyes … their due process is being taken away. There’s no habeas corpus.”

He noted that many people are staying home out of fear, but are still facing the financial burdens of rent, bills and groceries. As agents continue to operate without providing warrants, without following protocols, then, Makara said he and others will be doing what they can to be responsible citizens for their immigrant neighbors. 

“We as a community really need to ensure that they have a sense of safety,” said Makara. “This isn’t a color thing. It’s not red or blue. It’s not a legal thing. It’s a human thing.”

After Multiple ICE Raids, Uncertainty Looms at the Van Nuys Home Depot – The San Fernando Valley Sun
At the Van Nuys Home Depot parking lot, where hundreds of day laborers gathered daily to find work, only a fraction of them are there now. Only a few food […]
After Multiple ICE Raids, Uncertainty Looms at the Van Nuys Home Depot

Independent: Mom and her four American-born children detained after visiting Canadian border: ‘What authoritarianism looks like’

Posted on by
Reply

Jackie Merlos, her 9-year-old triplets and 7-year-old son held by border patrol for more than two weeks, family says

Merlos’ sister, a legal resident of Canada, had stepped across the boundary while saying goodbye, “which triggered this unfounded accusation,” they said.

So hugging your sister goodbye at an international border gets you 2+ weeks in detention with no charges, no attorney, and no visitors?

Four American-born siblings and their mother have been held inside a border patrol facility for more than two weeks after her arrest by federal law enforcement agents near the U.S.-Canada border.

Kenia Jackeline Merlos, her nine-year-old triplets and seven-year-old son, were visiting her sister at Peace Arch State Park in Washington state on June 28 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents took them into custody.

Merlos’ mother, who joined the family on the trip, was also detained, but it remains unclear where she is being held.

The Department of Homeland Security accused Merlos of “attempting to smuggle illegal aliens” into the country, according to a statement. Merlos had requested that her children stay with her during her detention, the agency said.

Merlos’ husband Carlos was detained several days later outside the family’s home in Portland, Oregon. He is currently being held inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing center in Tacoma, Washington. The couple’s immigration status is unclear.

“What began as a simple family trip to Peace Arch Park — a place Jackie had safely visited in the past to visit family in Canada — has turned into a devastating immigration nightmare,” according to a statement from family friends helping raise money for the family’s legal defense.

Merlos’ sister, a legal resident of Canada, had stepped across the boundary while saying goodbye, “which triggered this unfounded accusation,” they said.

The family’s arrest and detention has alarmed legal advocates and members of Congress who are pressing Donald Trump’s administration for their swift release from custody. Customs and Border Protection policy largely prohibits holding people in custody for more than 72 hours.

“Every effort must be made to hold detainees for the least amount of time required for their processing, transfer, release, or repatriation as appropriate and as operationally feasible,” according to CPB guidelines.

“Trump said he would go after ‘the worst of the worst.’ Instead, his immigration machine is abducting Oregonians without cause — including four U.S. citizen children in my district,” said Democratic Rep. Maxine Dexter, who accused CBP of misleading her office about the family’s location.

The congresswoman confirmed that Merlos, who is originally from Honduras, and her children were being held inside a detention center near Ferndale, Washington, during a visit to the facility last week. She was not able to speak with the family but did enter the facility and see them.

“It is wholly unprecedented for CBP to detain any individual for weeks without cause — let alone four U.S. citizens,” Dexter said in a statement. “This is what authoritarianism looks like. Citizen children abducted. Community members disappeared. If we allow this to become normal, we surrender who we are. We cannot look away. We cannot back down.”

Merlos has not been charged with a crime. Federal immigration authorities have not provided any documents to support allegations against her, according to attorney Jill Nedved.

Family friend Mimi Lettunich, who is also a godparent to her youngest child, said Merlos sent her a text message after she was brought into custody. “Mimi, I’ve been detained,” the message said, Lettunich told Oregon Public Broadcasting.

“I’ve known them about 20 years,” Lettunich said. “They’re wonderful people.”

The Merlos family is “the kind of people we want in our community,” Dexter said in a statement on social media. “Kind, hardworking, small business owners, and devoted to their neighbors. The kind of people we are proud to call ours.”

Over the last two weeks, the family has been held “in a windowless cell, without access to legal counsel,” according to Dexter. “Treated not as citizens, not as children, but as threats.”

The Trump administration’s aggressive anti-immigration agenda has deployed virtually every federal law enforcement agency to support immigration enforcement operations across the country. Nearly 60,000 people are currently in immigration detention centers, and the president has approved legislation that earmarks tens of billions of dollars over the next decade to expand detention center capacity and hire more immigration officers.

The Independent has requested additional comment from Homeland Security.

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

Mom and her four American-born children detained after visiting Canadian border
Jackie Merlos, her 9-year-old triplets and 7-year-old son held by border patrol for more than two weeks, family says

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/jackie-merlos-canada-border-family-arrested-b2788868.html

Raw Story: Omaha restaurants close as DHS sparks panic for workers

Posted on by
Reply

Two Omaha restaurant locations have closed after their owner reported receiving a subpoena from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) seeking the immigration status of its employees.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Fernando’s Omaha said it was cooperating with the DHS inquiry. However, the subpoena resulted in the loss of some workers, causing the two restaurant locations to close temporarily.

“We understand this situation may raise concerns for our team and community. We want to assure everyone that we are handling this matter with the utmost sensitivity and respect for all individuals involved. We deeply appreciate the contributions of all our employees,” the statement said.

“This review, unfortunately, resulted in the departure of some valued co-workers. This impacts our ability to fully staff operations and may temporarily affect hours and service levels.”

“The loss of colleagues is difficult and can affect the morale and productivity of our remaining team members. To our team, we express our sincere gratitude for your resilience during this time of uncertainty. We are committed to returning to full operations as soon as possible,” Fernando’s Omaha added.

Raw Story: Omaha restaurants close as DHS sparks panic for workers

https://www.rawstory.com/dhs-immigration

Mediaite: House Democrat Hits Back at ICE After Being Accused of Doxxing Federal Agent and Joining a ‘Violent Mob’

Posted on by
Reply
Tom “Pugsley” Homan, one of America’s ugliest & most patheticly dim-witted apparatchiks ever!

Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA) hit back at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement over the weekend after being accused of doxxing a federal agent and joining a violent mob.

ICE wrote on X Sunday, “Rep. Salud Carbajal was part of a violent mob of protestors attempting to obstruct federal law enforcement as they executed a criminal search warrant at a marijuana facility. He cites “peaceful” protestors, when in fact these rioters were launching rocks at officers, injuring at least one ICE employee who was left bloody.” The federal agency added:

According to agents on the ground, the congressman doxed that same ICE employee by sharing his business card with members of the violent mob.

THIS is precisely the rhetoric that has led to orchestrated attempts to murder officers and a 700% increase in officer assaults.

May the congressman’s constituency always remember he chooses violence over the rule of law.

Carbajal, who represents Santa Barbara County, hit back at ICE on Sunday evening, writing, “This is a blatant attempt to distort what occurred in Carpinteria. DHS and ICE conducted their raid using a disturbing and disproportionate level of force, both on the farm workers they were targeting and the peaceful protesters who gathered to defend their neighbors.” He added:

I witnessed agents, in full military gear, fire smoke canisters and other projectiles into a crowd of peaceful civilians. Just before I arrived at the scene, witnesses told me the agents threw a stun grenade into the crowd. Several civilians were injured, including a child.

This aggressive behavior in a normally quiet part of the Central Coast sparked alarm across our community, prompting a flood of calls and messages to my office from concerned citizens. I went to the scene to seek answers and represent my constituents.

ICE’s claims of “doxxing” and “violent mobs” are familiar deflection tactics designed to distort public perception and to evade accountability for their aggressive actions in our community.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche replied to ICE’s statement, saying, “We take all allegations of inciting violence or doxing of federal employees very seriously—no one is above the law, and members of Congress are no exception. We are reviewing reports from the protest. If substantiated, we will pursue every appropriate legal avenue to protect our law enforcement officers and uphold the rule of law.”

Meanwhile, many on X roasted ICE for suggesting that sharing a business card is doxxing. “That is quite the thin reed to go after the congressman. Sharing someone’s business card is not “doxxing” them, and there’s no evidence that the person who threw the rock was targeting that person or even interacted with the member of Congress,” replied Trump critic and immigration activist Aaron Reichlin-Melnick.

For God’s sakes, sharing a business card is NOT doxxing. If you don’t want your business card passed around, don’t hand it out. It really is that simple, even if some dimwits like Tom “Pugsley” Homan are just too retarded to get. Pugsley must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel for something to whine about.

House Democrat Hits Back at ICE After Being Accused of Doxxing Federal Agent and Joining a ‘Violent Mob’
“ICE’s claims of “doxxing” and “violent mobs” are familiar deflection tactics designed to distort public perception and to evade accountability”
House Democrat Hits Back at ICE After Being Accused of Doxxing Federal Agent and Joining a ‘Violent Mob’

Daily Express: Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem explodes over ‘false’ FEMA failure report as flood deaths soar

Posted on by
Reply

The DHS head has been accused of being unprepared to handle the natural disaster, which killed 129 people and left 160 missing, but she denies the claims.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi [Bimbo #2] Noem accused The New York Times of politicizing the deadly Texas floods following the publication of a report that sharply criticized her handling of the catastrophic disaster.

“It’s just false,” [Bimbo #2] Noem said about the damning report on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday. “It’s discouraging that during this time, when we have such a loss of life and so many people’s lives have turned upside down, that people are playing politics with this because the response time was immediate.”

The investigation revealed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which operates under the DHS, left “nearly two-thirds” of thousands of desperate victims without answers when they placed distress calls during the July Fourth weekend deluge in Central Texas, a disaster that has taken 129 lives while 160 remain missing. It came as an extraordinary throwback photo revealed Noem’s face BEFORE plastic surgery – but she still denies any procedures.

[Bimbo #2] Noem, who critics have nicknamed “ICE Barbie” due to her tendency to dress up for immigration-related photo-ops, has come under intense fire for her management of the event, especially regarding the overhauls she has implemented at the massive federal agency.

Numerous detractors, including Texas legislators, have charged her with being ill-equipped to manage the natural disaster, allegations she has forcefully rejected.

The former South Dakota governor terminated “hundreds of contractors at call centers” as part of cost-cutting measures, along with other modifications, that purportedly weakened the federal emergency response to the calamity.

CNN reports that she is facing allegations of hindering search and rescue operations by instituting a new policy requiring her personal approval for any contracts or grants exceeding $100,000.

She has forcefully denied the findings of the report, which she insinuates was driven by hidden political motives.

“I’m not sure where it came from,” [Bimbo #2] Noem told NBC. “The individuals who are giving you information out of FEMA, I’d love to have them put their names behind it because anonymous attacks to politicize the situation is completely wrong.

“The false reporting has been something that is inappropriate and it’s something that I think we need to clear up.”

In an ironic twist, she proceeded to make a political statement herself, asserting that her management of the natural disaster surpassed what the Biden administration could have achieved.

“This response was by far the best response we’ve seen out of FEMA, the best response we’ve seen out of the federal government in many, many years and certainly much better than what we saw under Joe Biden,” she claimed.

Amidst the devastating aftermath of the floods, there has been growing concern that U.S. President Donald Trump might act on his repeated threats to dismantle FEMA. Nonetheless, [Bimbo #2] Noem addressed these worries, arguing that such fears are unfounded.

“The president recognizes that FEMA should not exist in the way that it always has been,” she remarked. “It needs to be redeployed, in a new way, and that’s what we did during this response.”

Addressing concerns, she also noted that other federal resources can be utilized in addition to FEMA.

Kristi “Bimbo #2” Noem is a pathological liar who couldn’t tell the truth if her life depended on it.

Kristi Noem explodes over ‘false’ FEMA failure report as flood deaths soar
The DHS head has been accused of being unprepared to handle the natural disaster, which killed 129 people and left 160 missing, but she denies the claims.

https://www.the-express.com/news/politics/177412/kristi-noem-fema-report-response

Salon: “Cried every night”: ICE traumatizes a child with leukemia

Posted on by
Reply

The Trump administration is going after easy targets, including sick children, to meet its deportation quotas

As part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, a young cancer patient and his family were detained, despite adhering to every rule of the immigration process. The boy’s lawyer says the family’s experience puts to lie the Trump administration’s claims about deportation.

In May, a 6-year-old boy from Honduras who had been suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia since the age of three was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, alongside his family, immediately after a court hearing on May 29. Their case was dismissed at the hearing, per instructions from Trump, who directed judges to dismiss the cases of immigrants who have been in the country for less than two years so that ICE can move to deport them. On July 2, the family was released after significant pressure from the public and media coverage of the detention.

Elora Mukherjee, an attorney who represented the boy and his family, told Salon that the boy and his 9-year-old sister “cried every night in detention.” At the same time, the government pursued an expedited removal, a process by which the government deports someone without a hearing before a judge.

“The Trump administration’s policy of detaining people at courthouses who are doing everything right, who are entirely law-abiding, who are trying to fulfill all the requirements that the US government asks of them — it violates our Constitution, it violates our federal laws. It also violates our sense of morality. Why are we targeting hundreds, if not thousands, of people, including children, who are doing everything right?” Mukherjee said.

Jeff Migliozzi, the communications director for Freedom for Immigrants, an immigrant advocacy organziation, told Salon that “The Trump administration’s aggressive quota of 3,000 daily immigration arrests — a policy pushed by hardliners in the White House like known white nationalist Stephen Miller — is terrorizing communities.”

“The administration is directing resources and personnel from every possible corner of the government to conduct a multi-agency detention and deportation campaign at unprecedented scale,” Migliozzi said.. “This destructive agenda touches every corner of American life and civil society, as more and more people, including those who have been in the US for decades and are pillars of their community, are suddenly snatched by masked agents and taken away to remote detention sites. Street operations are resource-intensive, so the administration has increasingly turned to bait-and-switch tactics to drive up the numbers. ICE is now relying more on arrests at scheduled check-ins and at courthouses. These practices underscore not only the cruelty of this administration’s policy, but of the outdated and unfair immigration system. Here you have people doing everything they can to follow the instructions given to them, and then the rug is pulled out from under them. The result is separated families and shattered lives.”

Despite living in Los Angeles, the family was kept at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas for over a month. The center had been closed under the Biden Administration, but has been reopened as part of Trump’s push to deport as many immigrants as possible.

In detention, Mukherjee said that the boy suffered from easy bruising and bone pain, both symptoms of leukemia, and missed a June 5 medical appointment related to his cancer treatment. His sister barely ate in detention, she added.

In response to a request for comment from Salon, Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, “ICE does not consider a six-year-old child a ‘flight risk’ or a ‘criminal’—that is a disgusting accusation and devoid of any reality. ”

McLaughlin claimed that the family entered the United States illegally and that “Any implications that ICE would deny a child proper medical care are FALSE,” adding that “ICE ALWAYS prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of all detainees in its care.”

“On May 29, 2025, an immigration judge in California dismissed the family’s immigration case and they were served orders of expedited removal,” McLaughlin said. “ICE took custody of the family following the judge’s decision and pending further proceedings. The child arrived at the Dilley facility on May 30, 2025, and was seen by a nurse during intake. Fortunately, the child has not undergone chemotherapy in over a year and was seen regularly by medical personnel while at the Dilley facility. During this time, the family chose to appeal their case. On July 2, the child, his mother, and his sister were released on parole.”

The Dilley detention facility has been subject to renewed scrutiny as the Trump administration has sought to terminate the Flores Settlement, a 1990s-era policy stemming from the Supreme Court case Reno v. Flores, which set basic standards for the treatment of children in detention and required the government to release children from detention without unnecessary delay.

Recent testimony about conditions at ICE facilities has raised concerns over violations of the agreement, with one girl describing situations in which adults and children were fighting over an insufficient amount of water at one facility.

“We don’t get enough water. They put out a little case of water, and everyone has to run for it,” the girl said in testimony related to conditions in immigrant detention. “An adult here even pushed my little sister out of the way to get to the water first.”

Mukherjee said that the family had followed all the rules in coming to the United States, but were still arrested by ICE. And, despite claims from the Trump administration that they’re focusing their efforts on criminals, neither the small children nor the mother had been accused of a crime. The family arrived in the United States in October, applying for asylum after they faced death threats in Honduras. The names and details of the family have not been released due to the threats they face in Honduras.

“So this particular family did everything right. They came to the U.S. border after fleeing imminent and menacing death threats in their home country of Honduras. They didn’t cross the border illegally. They waited for permission to enter the United States using a CBP one appointment. At that point, DHS paroled the family into the United States, which necessarily entailed a determination that the family did not pose a danger to the community or a flight risk,” Mukherjee said. “The family did exactly what the federal government asked them to do.”

According to Mukherjee, as soon as the family stepped out of their May 29 hearing, plain clothes ICE officers detained them, a move that she said “clearly violates both the Fourth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment.”

“When Trump was campaigning for president, and since he’s become president, and high-level officials in the Department of Homeland Security constantly say that we are targeting the ‘worst of the worst,’” Mukherjee said. “These are the people who are doing everything right.”

Their release followed a suit filed by the mother of the family, demanding the family’s immediate release. Mukherjee told Salon that the family intends to continue its legal battle to remain in the United States.

“Cried every night”: ICE detains child with leukemia – Salon.com
The Trump administration is going after easy targets, including sick children, to meet its deportation quotas

https://www.salon.com/2025/07/14/cried-every-night-ice-traumatizes-a-child-with-leukemia