Tag Archives: Trump Administration

The Hill: Opinion: What ICE agents are doing is outrageous — and legal

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The Trump administration’s draconian immigration enforcement actions are raising the specter of American autocracy, prompting many to ask — perhaps for the first time — how the U.S. could possibly have gotten here. Videos of masked ICE agents in street clothes accosting unsuspecting people in public places, or smashing car windows and dragging people into unmarked vehicles, are all over the internet and social media.

The behavior of ICE agents is also revealing glaring blind spots in the law, which has long been premised on the assumption that government officials mostly act in good faith, prompting the widespread question: Can they legally do that?

Rather astonishingly, the answer is — for the most part — yes, they can.

ICE’s heavy-handed tactics are even being used against people once presumed to be immune from raw police brutality: elected officials.

…

Opinion: What ICE agents are doing is outrageous — and legal

https://thehill.com/opinion/immigration/5364547-what-ice-agents-are-doing-is-outrageous-and-legal

Newsweek: ICE arrests 11 Iranian nationals in US amid fears of secret terror cells

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The Trump administration said Tuesday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents had arrested 11 Iranian citizens over the weekend who were in the U.S. illegally.

Among those arrested was a man ordered for removal from the United States 20 years ago, and others accused of breaking immigration laws.

Goody goody for them! If there are any Iranian terrorists running around loose in the U.S.A., I sure wouldn’t count on ICE to catch them! They’re too busy snatching gardners off the front lawns of L.A.

ICE arrests 11 Iranian nationals in US amid fears of secret terror cells
A US citizen who allegedly threatened to kill ICE agents was also detained, it was announced Tuesday.

https://www.newsweek.com/ice-arrests-iranian-nationals-us-citizen-2089977

MSNBC: Conditions at some ICE facilities are already horrendous — and they may soon get worse

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As the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts continue, multiple lawmakers and immigrant rights groups are alleging that conditions at various Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities are “inhumane” and “unsanitary.”

Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., sounded the alarm last week in a video, stating she was deeply disturbed by what she saw during her visit to the Adelanto ICE facility, where many people swept up in recent immigration raids around Los Angeles have been brought.

Chu said the detainees she spoke with at the facility were “not the criminals that [President Donald] Trump says that he’s trying to get out of this country,” noting that some of those detained simply had expired documents.

“They are undergoing conditions that are inhumane, in my opinion. They were not able to change their underwear for 10 days,” Chu said in the video, adding: “They did not get a PIN number for the telephone. As a result, they cannot be in contact with any legal representative nor with their family members. This is not right.”

Conditions at some ICE facilities are already horrendous — and they may soon get worse
Democratic Rep. Judy Chu said detainees at a California facility “were not able to change their underwear for 10 days.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/conditions-at-some-ice-facilities-are-already-horrendous-and-they-may-soon-get-worse/ar-AA1HjnIs

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

USA Today: Trump is on a collision course with millions of Americans. He’s not backing down.

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The White House is doubling down on President Donald Trump’s signature campaign promise and escalating efforts to deport undocumented immigrants, targeting Democrat-run cities and heightening tensions with powerful liberal governors from California to New York.

The pressure-cooker campaign comes after the massive “No Kings” protests on June 14 that drew millions of Americans out to the streets to oppose Trump’s administration, which has made immigration enforcement a top priority. The protests included about 5 million people nationally, according to organizers, and many attendees specifically cited concerns about immigration enforcement.

A week before, fierce protests in Los Angeles sparked by aggressive detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents led to clashes, tear gassing, scattered looting and multiple vehicles being set on fire. The vast majority of attendees were peaceful, however.

To quell the protests and protect ICE agents in California, Trump called up thousands of National Guard troops over the objections of Gov. Gavin Newsom − referred to by Trump as “Newscum” − and has told federal agents they have his unconditional support to continue aggressive enforcement.

Trump has also invoked military powers usually reserved for wartime, declaring that Biden-era immigration policies facilitated an invasion. And the president is pushing to dramatically expand detention centers and deportation flights while finishing the U.S.-Mexico border wall.

…

While border crossings have dropped dramatically, videos of masked federal agents chasing people across fields or grabbing them off city streets have horrified many Americans, and liberal leaders across the country say construction sites, farms and some entire neighborhoods are falling silent as undocumented workers stay home to avoid detention.

Some critics accused Trump of causing chaos with ICE raids, then using the community response to justify even harsher measures.

On June 19, federal immigration agents were briefly blocked at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles by protesters trying to stop detentions.

Trump remains undeterred and is pushing Congress to pass a funding measure that would allow him to hire 10,000 new ICE agents, 5,000 more customs officers, and 3,000 additional Border Patrol agents.

Trump is on a collision course with millions of Americans. He’s not backing down.
Immigrant-rights advocates have reported harsher enforcement in rural farming communities and big cities alike.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/06/21/trump-immigration-enforcement-no-kings/84245929007

Daily Beast: Judge Embarrasses Stephen Miller in High-Profile Court Ruling

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A judge has shut down arguments pushed by the Trump administration and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in a ruling surrounding the high-profile case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Tennessee Magistrate Barbara Holmes ruled Sunday that Abrego Garcia is not the dangerous gang member Trump allies like Miller and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly claimed he is.

Abrego Garcia is pending trial on human smuggling charges for allegedly transporting undocumented migrants within the U.S. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In March, the Trump administration admitted to mistakenly deporting Abrego Garcia to El Salvador. The Supreme Court ordered them to facilitate his return to the United States.

In her 51-page report, Holmes disputed claims made by the U.S. government that Abrego Garcia was a member of international crime gang MS-13.

Stephen Miller Embarrassed in High-Profile Court Ruling
A court did not rule in favor of arguments pushed by the likes of Miller.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-embarrasses-stephen-miller-in-high-profile-court-ruling

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

Raw Story: ‘Huge news’: Judge denies Trump’s motion to keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia in custody

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Donald Trump’s administration lost its bid to keep a wrongly deported Maryland man, Kilmar Ábrego García, in custody.

García, who was purportedly sent to El Salvador in error, was recently returned to the United States to face federal criminal charges.

According to legal expert Anna Bower on Sunday, “A federal magistrate judge DENIES the government’s motion to keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia in custody while his criminal charges are pending.”

“A separate order will enter, following hearing, directing Abrego’s release on conditions,” she wrote, quoting the order dated Sunday.

‘Huge news’: Judge denies Trump’s motion to keep Kilmar Abrego Garcia in custody

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-huge-news-abrego-custody

Guardian: ‘Ticking time bomb’: Ice detainee dies in transit as experts say more deaths likely

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Guardian reporting reveals confusing and contradictory events surrounding death of Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado

A 68-year-old Mexican-born man has become the first Ice detainee in at least a decade to die while being transported from a local jail to a federal detention center, and experts have warned there will likely be more such deaths amid the current administration’s “mass deportation” push across the US.

Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado’s exact cause of death remains under investigation, according to Ice, but the Guardian’s reporting reveals a confusing and at times contradictory series of events surrounding the incident.

The death occurred as private companies with little to no oversight are increasingly tasked with transporting more immigration detainees across the US, in pursuit of the Trump administration’s recently-announced target of arresting 3,000 people a day.

“The system is so loaded with people, exacerbating bad conditions – it’s like a ticking time bomb,” said Amilcar Valencia, executive director of El Refugio, a Georgia-based organization that works with detainees at Stewart detention center and their families.

Avellaneda Delgado lived most of the last 40 years in the US, raising a large family, working on tobacco and vegetable farms – and never gaining legal immigration status. He was arrested in Statenville, Georgia on 9 April due to a parole violation – and died on 5 May in the back of a van about half-way between the Lowndes county jail and Stewart detention center.

His family say their search for answers has been frustrating, and have hired an attorney to help. Two of Avellaneda Delgado’s six children who lived with their father told the Guardian he had no health conditions before being detained – but somehow was put in a wheelchair during the weeks he spent in jail, and was unable to speak during a family visit. The Guardian learned that he was given medications while in jail.

‘Ticking time bomb’: Ice detainee dies in transit as experts say more deaths likely
Guardian reporting reveals confusing and contradictory events surrounding death of Abelardo Avellaneda Delgado

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/22/ice-detainee-death-georgia

Independent: US citizen caught in ICE raid says arrest was worth it if others got away

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A U.S. citizen who was violently arrested in a California ICE raid and detained for 24 hours said it was all worth it if an undocumented person was able to use that moment to flee.

Job Garcia, a 37-year-old PhD student at Claremont Graduate University, was arrested during an ICE raid last Thursday at a Home Depot in Hollywood, ABC 7 reported.

Video captured an ICE agent telling Garcia, who is a U.S. citizen, “You want to go to jail? Fine, you got it.”

Garcia recalled the horrifying moment he was placed into custody by the officer: “The pressure of like, the knee on my back, and his hand on my neck, I thought like ‘Is this it for me?’”

Footage of the violent arrest, which came as ICE agents detained about 30 people at the store, quickly went viral.

Before he was detained, Garcia and several other shoppers were yelling at the officers as they targeted a man in a truck by smashing his window.

“A split second after that is when he lunged at me. I was still recording, so he pushes me, puts both hands on me, and I pushed his hand off. And then, he didn’t like that, so he grabbed my left hand,” Garcia said.

Garcia said the officers seemed surprised when he told them he was a U.S. citizen, but they still decided to arrest him. He was first taken to a holding area at Dodger Stadium, where he overheard agents discussing how many people they’d grabbed.

“Like, ‘How many bodies did you guys get today?’ And one of them said 31, and they started like, ‘Yay! It was a good day today.’ And they were like, high-fiving each other,” Garcia said.

Garcia said he also overheard officers talking about potential charges they could slap him with.

“At first it was assault of a federal agent, but only later, the narrative started switching because the video was out,” Garcia said.

This underscores the importance of citizen videos — Record! Record! Record!

US citizen caught in ICE raid says arrest was worth it if others got away
Job Garcia was arrested during an ICE raid last Thursday at a Home Depot in Hollywood

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/ice-arrest-usa-citizen-b2774799.html