Melissa's Musings(My opinionated view of life)

Afghan immigrant dies in a Texas hospital after ICE detention | AP News HOUSTON (AP) — An  Afghan immigrant  whose family said he had been evacuated from his home country after working for years with U.S. forces died at a Texas hospital after immigration authorities detained him, according to authorities. “Calling a man a criminal without a conviction while claiming there is ‘no record’ of service without checking interagency systems looks less like fact-finding and more like damage control,” said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac. “The government should be explaining how a 41-year-old father of six died less than 24 hours after entering ICE custody.” Read more at the highlighted headline above.

ICE is using mass surveillance on American citizens, activists : NPR "Activists and journalists spoke of tactics they felt were intimidating: agents photographing their faces or license plates; calling them by name; or leading them to their homes. Immigration lawyers told NPR their clients had been subjected to facial recognition technology. One ICE agent, testifying under oath, spoke of an app that showed the likely home addresses of people targeted for deportation." Read more at the above highlighted title link.

Parents Describe a Clampdown at Dilley Detention Center as Kids Shared Their Stories — ProPublica "Detainees told ProPublica that art supplies have been removed in room searches, immigrants have lost access to Gmail and staff hover within earshot during video calls. The Trump administration and private prison operator disputed detainees’ claims." More at the above highlighted link.

Trump Demanded El Mencho’s Head. Mexico Suffers the Violence. "The spasm of violence came amid a heavy-handed pressure campaign by the Trump administration, which for the past year has explicitly blamed Sheinbaum’s government for allowing traffickers to flood the U.S. with fentanyl and other drugs. President Donald Trump has previously insinuated that the government of Mexico is captured by trafficking networks, and  threatened unilateral military action  to stop the flow of drugs."

A city blanketed in fear: Accountability Commission hears shocking testimony about ICE | Capitol News Illinois JB Pritzker’s Accountability Commission hears stories about fear and intimidation that led to disruption of schools and a negative impact on businesses and health care. The commission focused on four areas, including health, education, public safety and economic vitality. The commission will prepare a report of its findings that’s due in April.

ICE says Cuban detainee’s death from use of force "Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials this week reported that the death of a 55-year-old Cuban man at a detention facility in El Paso was the result of the staff’s “spontaneous use of force” to “prevent him from harming himself.” Officials quietly updated the cause of death after previously declaring last month that the man died of “medical distress.” The finding comes weeks after the local medical examiner ruled Geraldo Lunas Campos’ death a  homicide , the first such ruling for an ICE detainee’s death linked to staff in at least 15 years, according to experts. Lunas Campos became “unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement,” his autopsy found, dying of asphyxia, meaning he couldn’t breathe because of pressure on his neck and chest." (More details at above link.)

Kristi Noem Repeatedly Claimed ICE Deported a Cannibal. It Was “Completely Made Up.” Law enforcement sources told The Intercept that Noem’s tale about a cannibal was a fabrication. (Read the entire story at the above link.)

The hidden ICE blueprint that should horrify every American | Opinion An internal Department of Homeland Security document shows how ICE plans to cram thousands of detained human beings inside a Georgia warehouse. (Read story at above highlighted link.)

Federal judge accuses White House of ‘terror’ against immigrants in US | Trump administration | The Guardian The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Trump overstepped his authority when he ordered tariffs on imports from nearly every country in the world, using a 1970s emergency statute. (More at the above link.)

Police Investigate ICE Arrest of a Man Who Suffered Severe Head Injuries - The New York Times "The police in St. Paul, Minn., are investigating an arrest last month during the immigration crackdown. The man has said he was beaten by agents. ICE asserted that he ran into a wall." Read the entire story at the above link.

Cook County’s top prosecutor outlines plan to crack down on law-breaking ICE agents - Chicago Sun-Times Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke unveiled new guidance Thursday for prosecuting the alleged crimes of federal immigration agents, after denouncing a plan put forth by Mayor Brandon Johnson and facing mounting pressure to do more to address the feds’ at times aggressive and violent tactics. (Read more at above highlighted link.)

ICE jailed people illegally 4,400 times, hundreds of judges rule: Report

DHS pressures platforms for identities of anti-ICE users "The Department of Homeland Security is pressuring tech companies to disclose the identities behind social media accounts that criticize or track Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, say officials and tech employees familiar with the requests. Over the past several months, Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta have received hundreds of administrative subpoenas, the  New York Times  reports. The subpoenas, which do not require a judge's approval, have asked for names, email addresses, phone numbers, and other details tied to anonymous accounts that either post critical commentary about ICE or share information about agents' locations. Efforts to resist have begun."

Marine Says Feds Copied His Phone Without a Warrant in Minneapolis He was observing after Alex Pretti’s killing. He says feds detained him at gunpoint, sampled his DNA, scanned his face, and cloned his phone.

Attorneys for woman shot by Border Patrol release records that contradict government account | AP News

ICE Ramps Up Targeting of Minneapolis Legal Observers "In one 30-minute stretch, three legal observers were arrested — as Trump’s border czar Tom Homan calls on locals to “end the resistance.”' Read more at the above title link.

Federal Agents Left Behind “Death Cards” After Capturing Immigrants ICE agents dropped customized ace of spades playing cards, recalling a practice by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War. Read more at above title link.

US judge blocks Pentagon's effort to punish Senator Mark Kelly

ICE Barbie sued over tear-gas stunt for MAGA influencers

ICE detention: Irish man detained by ICE in Texas for five months says he fears for his life | CNN 'Culleton said that he told ICE authorities that he is married to a US citizen, is in the process of applying for a green card, had no criminal record and had a valid work permit." Read more at the title link above.

Border Patrol agents say 'time to get aggressive' in footage that contradicts claims against Marimar Martinez - WBEZ Chicago

‘No Reason He Should Have Died’: Alex Pretti’s Parents Open Up - The New York Times

Epstein files reveal deeper ties to scientists than previously known Latest batch of documents show researchers consulting the financier and sex offender on publications, visas and more. (Read more at above title link.)

Top health official urges US public to get the measles vaccine | AP News “'Take the vaccine, please,” said  Dr. Mehmet Oz , the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator whose boss has raised  suspicion about the safety and importance of vaccines . “We have a solution for our problem.”' (Read more at highlighted link above.)

Reports of immigration agents in disguise stoke fears in Minnesota | AP News

Why Local and State Police Rarely Investigate Federal Agents — ProPublica It doesn’t happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents. Legal experts say there’s a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable when they violate the Constitution and the law. (More at the above link.)

Statement from the Reform Movement on ICE Actions and Funding | Union for Reform Judaism

Why ICE Treats Phones Like a Deadly Threat

ICE detaining, moving Minnesota children to Texas faster than courts can respond | MPR News

What it's like to see ICE tear gas kids

‘Fell the enemies:’ Illini Republicans support ICE amid killings - The Daily Illini

I Was A Combat Soldier In Iraq. Here's The 1 Question Everyone Should Be Asking About ICE Right Now. | HuffPost

CBP Agents Jesus Ochoa, Raymundo Gutierrez ID’d in Alex Pretti Shooting — ProPublica The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez. See entire story at above headline link.

WaPo Raid Is a Frightening Reminder: Turn Off Your Phone’s Biometrics Now

The Farcical Case Against Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for Reporting Two journalists, former CNN host Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort, were arrested Friday after covering a  recent protest at a Minneapolis-area church . According to the Department of Justice, Lemon’s crime was a start-to-finish livestream reporting on the protest, beginning with an organizing meeting and concluding with the protest itself at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota.  See more at highlighted link above.

He Witnessed an Earlier Shooting. Feds Arrested Him at the Scene of Alex Pretti’s Killing. A man who contradicted the government narrative about a prior shooting found himself pinned to the ground and detained after Pretti’s death.  (Read more at headline link above.)

Gregory Bovino reportedly mocked US Minnesota attorney’s Jewish faith | Minnesota | The Guardian "Recently demoted border patrol official  Gregory Bovino  reportedly made mocking and sarcastic remarks about the Jewish faith of Minnesota’s US attorney, Daniel Rosen, during a phone call with prosecutors in the state earlier in January." More at above link.

Add what happened to Alex Pretti as latest shock to a haystack of last straws - Chicago Sun-Times Some are fancying that the administration dialing back rhetoric after the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis means we’ve turned a corner. We haven’t.  (More at link above)

Handling of Pretti investigation has some prosecutors on verge of quitting Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis have told U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, the Trump administration appointee leading the office, that they feel deeply frustrated by the Justice Department’s response to the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti by immigration officers and suggested that they could resign en masse, leaving the office unable to handle its current caseload, according to two officials familiar with the office. At least one prosecutor in the office’s criminal division has resigned since a meeting this week with Rosen during which the prosecutors aired their concerns, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter that has not been made public. More at link above.

Judge questions why Trump administration still calling woman shot by Border Patrol a 'domestic terrorist' - Chicago Sun-Times

The State of Illinois Newsroom Gov. Pritzker Requests the Illinois Accountability Commission to Examine Key Trump Officials Following Bovino’s looming exit, Illinois will fight to hold Trump officials to account regardless of titles

The Border Patrol’s Legacy of Violence - The American Prospect The year is 1924, and the Immigration Act has just passed. The Ku Klux Klan is in its heyday. White supremacists use both the law and vigilante action to maintain racial hierarchy and outright push nonwhite people out of the country. This is the environment in which the Border Patrol was founded. A century later, the agency, which is under the umbrella of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), is playing a major role alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. This was perhaps never clearer than last Saturday, when two Border Patrol agents shot and killed VA nurse and observer Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.   Read more at the title link above.

Nurse Alex Pretti's Death and the Symbolism of the Human Body | MedPage Today

One person in critical condition after being shot in incident involving Border Patrol in Arizona

ICE is the gang that couldn't keep its story straight

ICE Accountability Project

ICE Unloads - Ken Klippenstein “'The best they can do is shoot the guy in the back?” That’s not the voice of some liberal commentator. That’s what a homeland security officer told me this weekend, one of over half a dozen who have reached out to express their alarm over the killing of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and beyond." (Read more at title link above...)

Greg Bovino isn’t losing job despite report suggesting otherwise, DHS says

Alex Pretti and the pile of lies Trump wants you to believe | Opinion

Alex Pretti’s ICE murder is beyond politics. This is about good vs. evil. | Opinion

Dueling narratives about ICE detaining a 5-year-old in Minnesota | AP News "School officials said other adults at the scene offered to care for the boy but were ignored by agents, including a neighbor who said they had papers authorizing her to take care of Liam on behalf of the parents." (Read more at the above link...)

Woman shot by Border Patrol in Chicago asks judge to let her release evidence - Chicago Sun-Times

Physician's Sworn Affidavit Says Alex Pretti Was Shot in the BACK  "As I approached, I saw that the victim was lying on his side and was surrounded by several ICE agents. I was confused as to why the victim was on his side, because that is not standard practice when a victim has been shot. Checking for a pulse and administering CPR is [sic] standard practice. Instead of doing either of those things, the ICE agents appeared to be counting his bullet wounds." (Read more by clicking on the title of the article above.)

Republican Governor rips Trump for 'MURDER' in Minneapolis as GOP erupts at ICE scandal | Daily Mail Online

Maine GOP Senator Susan Collins reacts to ICE shooting. What she said

After Minneapolis killing, GOP calls grow for investigation into ICE tactics - CSMonitor.com

Support For Abolishing ICE Surges Among Republicans - Newsweek

Yes, it’s fascism   Opinion by  Jonathan Rauch   "U ntil recently , I resisted using the F-word to describe President Trump." "I accepted President Biden’s characterization of the MAGA movement as “ semi-fascist ” because some parallels were glaringly apparent." " Recent events have brought Trump’s governing style into sharper focus.  Fascist  best describes it, and reluctance to use the term has now become perverse." (Read the entire piece by clicking the highlighted title above...)

Minneapolis DHS Shooting: Video Emerges of Moments Just Before Alex Pretti Killed - Newsweek "The man shot and killed by a Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) officer on Saturday appeared to be coming to the aid of another person who had been pushed by an officer before he was surrounded, pushed to the ground and shot multiple times."  (See the video and read more about this story at the headline link.)

Trump's ICE surge in Maine complicates life for GOP Sen. Susan Collins  "Earlier this month, Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R) said she did not see a need for ICE agents to swarm into her state, which has one of the smallest immigrant populations in the country. “I don’t see the rationale for a large number of ICE agents to come in,” she told HuffPost at the time." (Read more at the above link.)

Minneapolis ICE shooting: Renee Good's death ruled homicide by Hennepin Co. Medical Examiner Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot by Jonathan Ross, an ICE agent working in Minneapolis during Operation Metro Surge on Jan. 7

Man shot and killed in Minneapolis immigration crackdown | AP News Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said a 37-year-old man was killed but declined to identify him. He added that information about what led up to the shooting was limited. Soon at least seven officers surround the man. One is on the man’s back and another who appears to have a cannister in his hand strikes a blow to the man’s chest. Several officers try to bring the man’s arms behind his back as he appears to resist. As they pull his arms, his face is briefly visible on camera. The officer with the cannister strikes the man near his head several times. (Read more...)

Judge rules feds must release arrest data, video footage on conditions at Broadview ICE facility - Chicago Sun-Times

Video shows Border Patrol's Bovino tossing smoke canister at protesters in Minneapolis | AP News

Border Patrol detains 2-year-old, court orders her released Attorneys for the family say they were asylum-seekers who were pulled over without a warrant and did not have a final order for removal.

There’s ICE In Maine - Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance

ICE Making List of Anyone Who Films Them

In 2026, ICE detainees are dying at an alarming rate

Army veteran says ICE agents detained him for hours without access to phone or attorney | 5newsonline.com

After ABC News story on Mischief Toy Store, ICE agents arrived

Behind the disturbing image of ICE snatching a half-naked, elderly Hmong American from his home

ICE has stopped paying for detainee medical treatment

Inside Minnesota Hospitals, ICE Agents Unnerve Staff - The New York Times

ICE recruitment: How I got a job with the anti-immigrant police.

Important Update: Migrant Choked to Death by ICE Agents in Custody and ICE Tear-Gasses 6-Month-Old Baby as ICE Escalates Tactics

Leaked memo: “De-escalation is key” - Ken Klippenstein

Federal immigration agencies face backlash over private property raids | AP News That means people can legally refuse federal immigration agents entry into private property if the agents only have an administrative warrant. (Read more.)

Outdated and Dangerous | Brennan Center for Justice Antiquated laws from the 1700s and 1800s give the president tremendous power to use the military at home to quash protests and order mass arrests in times of war and domestic upheaval. These laws are overbroad, ripe for abuse, and at odds with the Constitution’s separation of powers and civil liberties. It’s past time for Congress to repeal the Alien Enemies Act, close loopholes in the Posse Comitatus Act, and reform the Insurrection Act. (Read more.)

Murder, I wrote - Eric Zorn: The Picayune Sentinel

Trump Ramps Up Greenland Threats, Miller Says ICE Agents Have 'Federal Immunity': Live Updates | HuffPost Latest News

The World Is Learning How to Live Without America Trump needs to comprehend that the world doesn't need the USA, but the USA needs the world.

Exclusive: Secret ICE Programs Revealed

ICE Stops You on the Sidewalk and Asks, “Are You a U.S. Citizen?” Know Your Rights.

Justice for Renee Nicole Good, one way or another

Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds on U.S. Citizens — ProPublica

Judge cites Minneapolis ICE shooting as she pauses dismissal of Chicago-area use-of-force lawsuit - Chicago Sun-Times

Lightfoot launches Ice Accountability Project

Renee Good shooting live updates: FBI bars state investigators from ICE inquiry | AP News

ICE Agents Can Be Charged With Murder - The American Prospect

Sen. Fine to file legislation barring ICE officers hired by Trump from state and local law enforcement jobs in Illinois - Evanston RoundTable

“You gonna murder someone else? You can’t kill us all, Nazis.”

Citizen video challenges the administration’s account of a fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis - Poynter

ICE Kills Unarmed American Woman in Minneapolis

PDX ICE/DHS License Plates

License Plates of Unmarked ICE Cars Tracked in Public Database