Tag Archives: Southern California

Independent: She was Stephen Miller’s high school class president. Now she’s fighting his deportation efforts

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California attorney is fighting Miller’s mass deportation efforts by working as an immigration lawyer

Cynthia Santiago, an attorney in Southern California, won her high school presidential class race the same year Stephen Miller, the current White House Deputy Chief of Staff, lost the class speaker race. More than 20 years later, Santiago is trying to fight Miller’s mass deportation efforts.

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Recalling the day she won her class election at Santa Monica High School, Santiago said that Miller was “booed” off stage for giving an incendiary speech about picking up trash.

A video of the moment, posted online years ago, shows Miller on stage asking his fellow students, “Am I the only one who is sick and tired of being told to pick up my trash, when we have plenty of janitors who are paid to do it for us?”

A school newspaper clipping, obtained by The Daily Beast, says Miller’s microphone was turned off and he was escorted off stage for what school officials said was going “over time.”

Writing for the Santa Monica Lookout in 2002, Miller advocated for all announcements to be written in English only, claimed “very few” Hispanic students were in honors classes, and asserted that the school’s political correctness would make Osama bin Laden “feel very welcome at Santa Monica High School.”

It seems Stephen Miller was brain dead at an early age and has never recovered.

Stephen Miller’s high school class president is fighting his deportation efforts
California attorney is fighting Miller’s mass deportation efforts by working as an immigration lawyer

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/stephen-miller-deportation-high-school-classmate-b2768997.html

ESPN: Mexico President Sheinbaum calls for no ICE action at Gold Cup

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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday urged U.S. authorities not to conduct immigration enforcement targeting attendees of a Gold Cup soccer match in Los Angeles on Saturday, where Mexico‘s team is due to play the Dominican Republic.

Her comments followed recent raids by immigration authorities in Los Angeles targeting undocumented migrants, under policies associated with the President Donald Trump’s administration, which have sparked protests across major cities.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, in a now-deleted post to social media, had also promised to be “suited and booted” at the first round of Club World Cup soccer matches, the curtain-raiser event for next year’s World Cup.

“We don’t believe that at any soccer match there will be any [immigration] action … we call for none to be taken by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” Sheinbaum said in her morning press conference.

Hope she’s not disappointed. I’d never trust either CBP or ICE to keep their word.

Mexico prez calls for no ICE action at Gold Cup
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum urged U.S. authorities not to conduct immigration enforcement targeting attendees of a Gold Cup match in the Los Angeles area.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/45508088/mexico-president-sheinbaum-ice-gold-cup-los-angles

Rolling Stone: ‘L.A. Was Not on Fire’: Angelenos Speak on Trump’s ICE Raids and ‘Escalation’

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Several Angelenos talked to Rolling Stone to dispel Trump’s bluster about the recent protests against ICE and his militarized crackdown

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers swarmed Southern California in concentrated raids of undocumented citizens that are still ongoing. Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in Los Angeles (and in solidarity nationwide), giving President Donald Trump an excuse to send National Guard troops last weekend and move to deploy Marines to L.A.. 

Trump baselessly implied the protesters are “paid insurrectionists” during a press conference where he revealed he told California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) that “He’s doing a bad job, causing a lot of death and a lot of potential death. If we didn’t send out the National Guard – and last time, we gave him a little additional help – Los Angeles would be burning right now.” (No one has died during the L.A. protests.) 

Newsom has said the “chaotic” sweeps “to meet an arbitrary arrest quota are as reckless as they are cruel,” and that, “Donald Trump’s chaos is eroding trust, tearing families apart, and undermining the workers and industries that power America’s economy.” On June 10, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass (D) instituted an 8 p.m. curfew in downtown L.A. 

Rolling Stone spoke with several on-the-ground Angelenos, who dispute the notion that L.A.’s “on fire” or being overrun by vandals. 

Katharine Shropshire is the board chair of the grassroots organization Community Coalition. She says the Trump administration and allied politicians are spewing propaganda that inflames tension between citizens and law enforcement. 

“When you have federal national leaders from this administration talking about arresting our mayor, arresting our governor, when you have the president himself using the kind of rhetoric describing a reality that is nothing like what is happening on the ground right now, it just increases the tension,” she says. “Nothing here that they’re doing is about de-escalation. It is all about escalating a confrontation with the people of Los Angeles.”

‘L.A. Was Not on Fire’: Angelenos Speak on Trump’s ICE Raids and ‘Escalation’
Angelenos dispute Donald Trump’s claim that L.A. “would be burning down,” amid anti-ICE protests, if he didn’t send in the National Guard.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/los-angeles-not-on-fire-trump-ice-protests-national-guard-1235363990

ICE Thugs Kidnap Diabetic American Citizen, Not Heard From Since Kidnapping

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KTLA: Southern California father who is U.S. citizen, arrested during immigration raid, family says

Family members are demanding answers after they say a man who is a U.S. citizen was wrongfully arrested by federal agents during an immigration raid in Montebello. 

On June 12, surveillance video captured the moment several masked and armed agents surrounded a tow truck business in Montebello.

The agents quickly entered the property and began detaining mechanics and other workers at the site.

One of the detained men who was later released spoke to KTLA but asked not to be identified out of safety concerns. He said he was violently grabbed and taken by the agents despite being a U.S. citizen.

“He slammed me to the gate,” the man told KTLA’s Ellina Abovian. “He put my hands behind my back. I’m an American citizen. You do not do that to Americans.”

Nataly Degante, whose cousin, Javier Ramirez, 32, was arrested in the raid, said that while agents began handcuffing everyone, they reportedly never provided identification or information about why they were there.

“We see in the video that they don’t come with a warrant,” she said. “They don’t have any documentation in their hands.”

Degante said her cousin is a U.S. citizen and a single father of two young children. She described him as a hard worker with no criminal record.

Video of the raid shows some workers being moved to the ground as agents quickly handcuffed them. Ramirez is also seen on the video yelling to the agents that he’s a citizen.

“He’s telling them he is a U.S. citizen and he’s letting them know, ‘My passport is in my pocket,’” Degante said.  

However, Ramirez was handcuffed and taken into custody. His brother tried following Ramirez’s location through his cell phone’s tracking app, but the signal was eventually lost. His family has not heard from him since.

“We haven’t heard anything about him,” said Abimael Dominguez, his brother. “He’s diabetic. I don’t even know if he has insulin yet or has he eaten? We don’t know anything. “

It remains unclear whether the agents were with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Some of the agents appeared to be wearing uniforms with a Border Patrol insignia. 

“I voted, but not for this,” said the man who was detained and later released. “I’m an American citizen. I want the best for all of us. I feel like there is due process that we must follow.”

“They’re not only taking criminals, they are taking our community,” Degante said.

As of Friday afternoon, Homeland Security has not responded to KTLA’s request for comment about why Ramirez was detained or whether he was wanted for any crimes.

Southern California father who is U.S. citizen, arrested during immigration raid, family says

https://ktla.com/news/local-news/southern-california-father-who-is-u-s-citizen-arrested-during-immigration-raid-family-says

Newsweek: LA Taco chain closes 15 locations amid ICE crackdown

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In a message shared Thursday night on Instagram, Angel’s Tijuana Tacos announced that its Anaheim restaurant will remain open, while its other 15 locations—primarily taco trucks and stands—are closed until further notice.

Though the statement did not explicitly cite U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity as the reason for the closures, the post appeared to reference ongoing enforcement actions across Southern California.

They probably don’t want to expose their staff and customers to abusive ICE thugs grabbing anyone who looks brown. Meanwhile, employees at 15 locations are out of work.

LA Taco chain closes 15 locations amid ICE crackdown
Angel’s Tijuana Tacos said its Anaheim restaurant will remain open, while its other 15 locations are closed until further notice.

https://www.newsweek.com/los-angeles-taco-chain-closed-ice-crackdown-2085076

Newsom Tells Nation That Trump Is Destroying American Democracy

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Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called on Americans to stand up to President Trump in a nationally televised address.

Gov. Gavin Newsom made the case in a televised address Tuesday evening that President Trump’s decision to send military forces to immigration protests in Los Angeles has put the nation at the precipice of authoritarianism.

The California governor urged Americans to stand up to Mr. Trump, calling it a “perilous moment” for democracy and the country’s long-held legal norms.

“California may be first, but it clearly won’t end here,” Mr. Newsom said, speaking to cameras from a studio in Los Angeles. “Other states are next. Democracy is next.”

“Democracy is under assault right before our eyes — the moment we’ve feared has arrived,” he added.

Mr. Newsom spoke on the fifth day of protests in Los Angeles against federal immigration raids that have sent fear and anger through many communities in Southern California. He said Mr. Trump had “inflamed a combustible situation” by taking over California’s National Guard, and by calling up 4,000 troops and 700 Marines.

“Trump is pulling a military dragnet all across Los Angeles,” Mr. Newsom said. “Well beyond his stated intent to just go after violent and serious criminals, his agents are arresting dishwashers, gardeners, day laborers and seamstresses.”

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Mr. Newsom said the president had taken a “wrecking ball” to the norms of American government by obliterating checks and balances.

“Congress is nowhere to be found,” he said. “Speaker Johnson has completely abdicated that responsibility. The rule of law has increasingly been given way to the rule of Don.”

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But he called on people to stand up to Mr. Trump, whom he compared to leaders in authoritarian countries. He referenced the military parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington, which will honor the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army but also fall on Mr. Trump’s 79th birthday.

“He’s ordering our American heroes, the United States military, and forcing them to put on a vulgar display to celebrate his birthday, just as other failed dictators have done in the past,” Mr. Newsom said.

Newsom Says Trump Is Destroying U.S. Democracy in Speech on L.A. Protests
Gov. Gavin Newsom of California called on Americans to stand up to President Trump in a nationally televised address.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/us/newsom-speech-trump-la-protests.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE8.Q03c.TT30tytwYpG1&smid=url-share

New York Times: Mexican Flags Have Become Republican Fodder, but Protesters Keep Waving Them

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Images of Los Angeles protesters waving Mexican flags have gone viral in conservative circles this week. Many protesters say they are aware of the political reaction but won’t put their flags away.

But protesters said this week that they see the Mexican flag as a symbol of defiance against Mr. Trump’s immigration policies or of solidarity with other Mexican Americans. The flag has become so ubiquitous in recent decades that it is a part of the Southern California landscape, adorning pickup trucks and flapping from bridges. Few mass gatherings occur in the region without a Mexican flag or two, from weekend soccer matches to Los Angeles Dodgers championship parades.

This week, those who kept waving them said that it was important to honor their heritage and not acquiesce to Mr. Trump, even while they recognized the potential political cost. They said that the flag to them was not un-American, that it represented their Chicano roots rather than a national allegiance.

Mexican Flags Have Become Republican Fodder, but Protesters Keep Waving Them
Images of Los Angeles protesters waving Mexican flags have gone viral in conservative circles this week. Many protesters say they are aware of the political reaction but won’t put their flags away.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/11/us/la-protests-mexican-flags-republican-reaction.html?unlocked_article_code=1.OE8.g1hA.vlsUVEmrDjkH

Deadline: ABC News Suspends Terry Moran Over X Post That Called Trump Official Stephen Miller A “World-Class Hater”

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ABC News said that it has suspended senior national correspondent Terry Moran over a late night X post, since deleted, attacking Trump administration official Stephen Miller as a “world class hater.”

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Top Trump administration officials had called out the X post on Sunday morning, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying that the network should hold him “accountable” and Vice President JD Vance asking for an apology.

The 12:06 a.m. post called Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, a “world class hater.”

“You can see this just by looking at him because you can see that his hatreds are his spiritual nourishment. He eats his hate.”

“Trump is a world-class hater. But his hatred is only a means to an end, and that end is his own glorification. That’s his spiritual nourishment.”

Unfortunately Terry Moran was right. Stephen Miller is the most reviled White House staffer of our times. And that’s an understatement.

ABC News Suspends Terry Moran Over X Post That Called Trump Official Stephen Miller A “World-Class Hater”
The ABC News correspondent’s post called Miller a “world class hater.”

https://deadline.com/2025/06/abc-news-suspends-terry-moran-trump-stephen-miller-1236426913

Associated Press: Immigration official defends tactics against criticism of a heavy hand as arrests rise nationwide

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Todd Lyons, ICE’s acting director, turned emotional when asked to explain why officials wear masks. He said some have received death threats and been harassed online.

“I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks, but I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is,” he said at a news conference in Boston to announce nearly 1,500 arrests in the region as part of a month-long “surge operation.”

Lyons was leaving the room when a reporter asked him about the masks. He returned to the podium.

“Is that the issue here that we’re just upset about the masks?” he asked. “Or is anyone upset about the fact that ICE officers’ families were labeled terrorists?”

Lyons may have been referring to comments by San Diego Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera, who called ICE officers “terrorists” after Friday’s restaurant raid. “This isn’t safety. It’s state-sponsored terrorism,” Elo-Rivera wrote on Instagram.

Gestapo? Terrorists? Thugs? ICE is receiving the reputation it has earned. And I could care less if the poor bully boys are harassed, either online or in public — they’ve earned it.

Immigration official defends tactics against criticism of a heavy hand as arrests rise nationwide
The head of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is defending himself against criticism that authorities are being too heavy-handed as they ramp up arrests toward President Donald Trump’s promises of mass deportations.

https://apnews.com/article/ice-agents-masked-boston-deportations-todd-lyons-4fa874908a64b12f1b1ee0be3825fb39

The Atlantic: Airport Detentions Have Travelers ‘Freaked Out’

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Fears of being detained are in overdrive, even if the Trump administration insists that they’re overblown.

Jeff Joseph, a 53-year-old immigration attorney in Colorado, has recently started taking precautions while traveling abroad that, at another time, he would have considered a little paranoid. He leaves his phone at home. Instead, he carries a “burner’’—a device scrubbed of his contact list and communications—in case U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers send him to secondary inspection or seize his electronics when he returns home. Joseph told me his knowledge of immigration law has left him with less confidence, not more, about the risks of crossing U.S. borders during the second Trump administration.

“Among immigration lawyers who are well versed in this, and who know what happens in secondary, there’s a level of anxiety and panic that we’ve never seen before,” said Joseph, the president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “Myself included.”

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Immigration attorneys also note Trump has curbed CBP officers’ ability to allow the entry of migrants or visitors using an authority known as “parole.” So travelers who do not qualify for admission to the United States are more likely to be handed over to ICE for detention and deportation. Although U.S. citizens cannot be denied entry to the United States, all other categories of noncitizens—even, in some cases, legal permanent residents with green cards—are at risk of being denied entry or deemed inadmissible by a CBP officer.

https://archive.is/47W6S#selection-745.0-748.0