There are more than 120,000 Flock cameras across the U.S., each one logging the license plate number, make, model, color, and other identifying details of every vehicle that passes. According to the company, its automatic license plate reader (ALPR) systems span over 6,000 communities and record 20 billion plate scans every month – all without a warrant. Because these scans can be shared nationally, a police department in North Carolina can pull up vehicle information captured thousands of miles away in California.

That expansive kind of power is easily abused. A police chief in Georgia used Flock cameras to harass and stalk his ex-girlfriend. An officer in Wisconsin accessed Flock’s database 179 times to track a woman he was dating and her ex-partner. Another officer in California used Flock to surveil his mistress, someone else she was dating, and his own wife. A police sergeant in Texas resigned in the middle of an internal affairs investigation into his use of Flock cameras to track a female officer.

In other instances, law enforcement agencies have used Flock to target vulnerable populations and advance a political agenda:

• The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in Texas searched Flock’s database for the license plate of a woman suspected of taking an abortion pill. Some of the cameras that were accessed were located in Illinois and Washington state, both states that protect abortion access. (As a side note, the sheriff in that case, Adam King, was later indicted on unrelated charges of sexual harassment, witness retaliation, and tampering with evidence).

• Border Patrol accessed Flock data collected by Washington state police departments to locate, arrest, and deport immigrants. Some law enforcement agencies enabled direct sharing with immigration authorities, in violation of state law. In other cases, Border Patrol was able to gain “back door” access to Flock data in Washington despite direct sharing not being explicitly enabled. Additionally, at least one law enforcement agency – the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office – accessed Flock databases on behalf of federal immigration agencies.

• Similarly, an investigation by 404 Media found that police departments across the country were searching Flock databases on behalf of ICE. Flock Safety has since implemented a so-called “safeguard” that is meant to prevent officers from searching the database for immigration enforcement purposes in states like Illinois, which prohibit such data sharing. However, the safeguard can easily be subverted by entering an alternative, false reason for the search.

Next week is DeFlock’s National Week of Action Against ALPRs, with rallies in 390 cities across the country to raise awareness about ALPRS and demand the cancellation of existing contracts. Visit NoALPRS.com for more information.

People tracking

Despite Flock’s claims that its products only track vehicles, some of their cameras can, in fact, track people. Flock’s AI-enabled Condor cameras are equipped with “people detection alerts” and “Guardian mode” to automatically zoom in on people and catalog their appearance. Contracting parties (like police departments) can then search Flock’s nationwide database for distinguishing features of people caught on Condor cameras. A review of these searches conducted by 404 Media found police departments across the country using Flock’s “FreeForm” search feature to find people based on race, gender, weight, clothing, and tattoos.

Milford CT PD looking for “male with tattoos,” “male with brown hair,” and “woman blue shirt,” across more than a hundred cameras […]

The California Highway Patrol looking for someone wearing a “gray shirt” across 274 cameras […]

Chamblee GA PD searching 85 camera networks for “white woman wearing grey shirt, blonde hair, black shorts with blue and white shoes.” [...]

The California Highway Patrol was “Looking for a white male about 6ft 1in tall, longer brown hair almost to his shoulders, slender build, will have been wearing blue jeans, boots with white paint stains on the toes and possibly carrying a black helmet.”

Flock intends its Condor cameras to be integrated with the company’s more commonplace ALRP cameras, connecting individual people to specific vehicles and tracking them across neighborhoods, cities, and states.

Kevin Cox, a Flock consultant who used to work for the Grand Prairie, Texas Police Department, said in the webinar that he built an “intel center” with a high “density” of Flock cameras in that city. “I am passionate about this because I’ve lived it. The background behind video [Condor] with LPR is rich with arrests,” he said. “That rich experience of seeing what happened kind of brings it alive to [judges]. So video combined with the LPR evidence of placing a vehicle at the scene or nearby is an incredibly game changing experience into the prosecutorial chain of events.”

“You can look down a tremendous distance with our cameras, to the next intersection and the next intersection,” he said. “The camera will identify people, what they’re wearing, and cars up to a half a mile away. It’s that good.”

In December of last year, journalists discovered that Flock left at least 60 of its Condor cameras exposed on the open internet, revealing the AI-powered people trackers are located in parks, playgrounds, parking lots, and suburban streets from Atlanta to Bakersfield.

We watched Condor cameras zoom in on a woman walking her dog on a bike path in suburban Atlanta; a camera followed a man walking through a Macy’s parking lot in Bakersfield; surveil children swinging on a swingset at a playground; and film high-res video of people sitting at a stoplight in traffic. In one case, we were able to watch a man rollerblade down Brookhaven, Georgia’s Peachtree Creek Greenway bike path. The Flock camera zoomed in on him and tracked him as he rolled past. Minutes later, he showed up on another exposed camera livestream further down the bike path. The camera’s resolution was good enough that we were able to see that, when he stopped beneath one of the cameras, he was watching rollerblading videos on his phone. [...]

After finding links to the feed, “immediately, we were just without any username, without any password, we were just seeing everything from playgrounds to parking lots with people, Christmas shopping and unloading their stuff into cars,” Jordan told me in an interview. “I think it was like the first time that I actually got like immediately scared … I think the one that affected me most was as playground. You could see unattended kids, and that’s something I want people to know about so they can understand how dangerous this is.”

WHAT’S NEXT

Uber Flocks

According to a recent report by 404 Media, Flock has been pitching a plan to turn Nexar dashcams used by Uber and Lyft into ALPRs to expand Flock’s database of license plate scans.

Flock planned to use dashcams installed in hundreds of thousands Uber, Lyft, and delivery drivers’ vehicles to scan license plates those drivers travelled passed, essentially turning Uber and Lyft drivers into roaming surveillance vehicles, according to a Flock presentation shared with 404 Media. [...]

Flock told 404 Media in an email it never executed the partnership with Nexar. But the presentation still shows Flock’s ambitious plan to conscript rideshare and delivery drivers to collect license plate data for its network. It is not clear whether Uber or Lyft, or drivers working for those apps, would have been aware of the data collection.

Flock’s planned army of surveillance Ubers comes as a different company, called BusPatrol, reportedly plans to turn school bus cameras into ALPRs and sell the data to law enforcement.

BusPatrol, a company that claims to be the nation’s leading provider of school bus stop-arm cameras, currently has over 40,000 AI-powered stop-arm cameras across 24 states. These cameras, which are permitted in at least 30 states, are mounted on school buses and are designed to capture images of vehicles illegally passing when the bus is stopped. [...] Now the company has plans to expand its revenue, data collection, and partnership with local law enforcement by turning its stop-arm cameras into ALPR cameras, according to the leaked BusPatrol documents.

Electronic signal tracking

Italian aerospace and defense company Leonardo S.p.A. already makes and sells ALPRs in the U.S. under its subsidiary, Leonardo DRS. Now, the company is marketing a new technology that allows ALPRs to capture mobile phones, wearables, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices in passing cars.

According to Leonardo’s website, the technology, called ELSAG SignalTrace, “bridges license plate recognition data with sensor-captured device identifiers – such as those from mobile phones, Bluetooth wearables, and vehicle systems – to create a unique, trackable ‘electronic fingerprintʼ for investigative use.”

As the devices emit signals, SignalTrace sites capture and correlate them together, along with LPR data if present. The data collected shows what group of devices are travelling together. Algorithms can determine which specific mix of devices are predictably moving together. That specific mix of devices—linked by common time stamps and locations—are described as an electronic fingerprint and can help develop leads that aid investigations.

For example: while 70 cars in 100 may contain iPhones, only one will have an iPhone 13rev2, an Audi radio, a pair of Bose headphones, a Garmin sports watch, a key finder, and the license plate ABC-1234. The collection of data represented by these specific things is an electronic signature.

Essentially, Leonardo plans to turn its car tracking cameras into people tracking cameras by collecting the identifiers of all devices that pass by, tying it to specific license plates, and storing that data in its databases “for future queries and analysis.” Furthermore, SignalTrace can be used to identify you - via your unique mix of devices - even if you use an alternative method of transportation, like an uber or a friend’s car.

President Trump ramped up his efforts to undermine faith in the U.S. election system last month, signaling his intent to cause turmoil in the upcoming midterm elections.

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July 2: “FBI directing hundreds of analysts to dig into Georgia election probe subjects, sources say,” MS Now

July 7: “DOJ threatens criminal charges for state election officials over noncitizen voting,” NBC

The Justice Department sent letters warning election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that they could face criminal prosecution over noncitizen voting…The letters, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who heads up the department’s Civil Rights Division, give states five days to explain how they will comply with federal voter eligibility laws and how they will maintain “clean voter lists.”

July 7: “Judge rejects Justice Department attempt to get names of 2020 election workers in Fulton County,” WBAL

July 8: “DOJ intends to send election monitors to 3 Michigan cities for August primary,” CBS

July 9: “Trump ousts remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission ahead of midterms,” NBC

July 15: “FBI Has Looked at Using Questionable AI Tech to Review Signatures on Seized Mail-In Ballots,” Propublica

July 17: “Trump doubles down on US election attacks in his primetime speech,” AP

• “Trump’s speech claiming US election vulnerabilities, annotated,” CNN

• “Trump setting stage to declare emergency around midterms, former White House attorney says,” PBS

• “Election denial activists briefed at White House ahead of Trump’s primetime speech,” MS Now

July 17: “DHS threatens states with fines, charges over election measures,” Reuters

• “Fact-checking Mullin’s claim that foreign adversaries can access voting machines in U.S. elections,” PBS

July 17: “Most ‘noncitizen voters’ DHS found in Georgia were never voters at all: A federal report cites about 2,500 people in the state, but most were in a ‘pending’ status.” AJC

July 23” “CMS Replaces Nursing Home Voting Guidance with New Warnings About Fraud, Coercion,” Leading Age

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on July 20, 2026, rescinded earlier guidance that affirmed nursing home residents’ voting rights and replaced it with a new memorandum that places significantly greater emphasis on preventing voter fraud, coercion, and undue influence in long-term care settings

July 28: “Trump asks SCOTUS to clear the way for executive order that restricts voting by mail,” NPR; “GOP states join DOJ in asking Supreme Court to let Trump block some mail ballots,” Democracy Docket

July 30: “Tina Peters and other election deniers claim they’ve pitched the Trump administration on a midterm “election-security plan,” Media Matters

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

July 1: “Kash Patel’s Late Stock Disclosure Raises STOCK Act Questions: The FBI director invested up to $250,000 in a bitcoin-fueled business intelligence company,” NOTUS

July 1: “Trump Has Already Launched More Death Penalty Prosecutions Than in His Entire First Term,” Intercept

July 3: “Acting DNI Bill Pulte begins firing dozens of intelligence officials,” MS Now

July 7: “Justice Department reaches another settlement with Trump adviser Michael Flynn,” CNN

July 9: “New Mexico Accuses D.O.J. of Obstructing Epstein Ranch Inquiry,” NYT

July 9: “Trump appointees are overruling DOJ lawyers scrutinizing corporate mergers,” MS Now

July 11: “Judge tosses remnants of Proud Boys seditious conspiracy case after Trump’s broad clemency,” PBS

July 15: “Trump immediately fires the new court-appointed top prosecutor in Seattle,” NBC; “’This is about the rule of law’: U.S. attorney fired by Trump sues to overturn dismissal,” PBS

July 17: “ICE to Pay Thomson Reuters $125 Million to Find ‘Voter Fraud’,” 404 Media

July 22: “Trump Targets State Officials Via New DOJ Public Corruption Team,” Bloomberg

July 23: “US government targets Cop City protester over phone operating system,” Guardian

July 28: “Anti-abortion activist agrees to 7-figure settlement with Trump Justice Department,” MS Now

July 29: “Trump Demanded Details of Agents’ Interview of Comey, New Filing Says,” NYT; “Secret Service felt pressure from administration to surveil James Comey, new documents reveal,” MS Now

July 31: “Justice Department drops criminal case against Olympian over damaged Reflecting Pool,” PBS

IMMIGRATION

July 1: “Immigrant Arrests Surge to 10,000 in 5 Days as ICE Clamps Down,” NYT

July 1: “ICE Flouting Federal Judge’s Order to Stop Arresting Immigrants at New York Courts,” Intercept

July 1: “Trump attorney general plots crackdown on ‘birth tourism’ after supreme court ruling,” Guardian; “Right-wing media target pregnant and female travelers following SCOTUS birthright citizenship ruling,” Media Matters

July 1: “He sent a harsh email to ICE’s top official. 5 months later, federal agents tracked him down,” NPR; “Man sues DHS after agents tracked him down for sending a scathing email to ICE,” NPR

July 2: “An ICE detainee sought treatment for mental illness. He died in a struggle with guards,” WaPo; ““He Didn’t Need to Die.” How an Immigration Detention Center Repeatedly Failed to Address a Mental Health Crisis,” Propublica

July 2: “A Venezuelan man was accused of attempting to choke an ICE officer to death in Bellevue. Bystander video tells a different story,” NPM

July 6: “ICE’s Internal Watchdog Is Now Investigating Online Critics,” Wired

July 6: “Private prison company sells two of California’s immigrant detention centers to the feds,” Cal Matters

July 6: “A new ICE facility could speed up deportations for families and kids,” PBS

July 7: “Afghan national who fought with U.S. forces died of allergic reaction in ICE custody,” NBC

July 7: “U.S. gave Tehran details on Iranian asylum seekers, lawsuit alleges,” WaPo

July 8: “85-Year-Old German National Becomes 21st to Die in ICE Custody This Year,” Democracy Now

July 9: “Mexican man fatally shot by ICE was not the target of Houston immigration operation, source says,” CNN; “What to know about the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by ICE,” PBS; “Migrants who saw man killed by ICE in Houston say he did not ram officers,” WaPo; “Substance found in work van of Mexican man killed by ICE tested negative for drugs, prosecutor says,” CBS; “ICE Officer Who Shot Lorenzo Salgado Araujo ‘Switched Guns’ Afterward: Witness,” HuffPost

July 9: “Mexico to file complaints in US over ICE-related deaths of 17 Mexicans,” CNN

July 9: “Eswatini receives 11 people deported from the U.S. as part of migration crackdown,” NBC

July 10: “Lawsuit Accuses ICE and Private Prison Contractors of Abusing a Disabled Detainee,” Mother Jones

July 10: “Hundreds of children ordered to appear at new ‘mega’ immigration hearings in Seattle,” OPB

July 14: “Man killed in Maine ICE shooting leaves behind wife, young daughter,” NBC; “ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say,” AP

July 15: “Venezuelan man becomes 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year,” Guardian

July 15: “Man fleeing immigration officers in Florida struck and killed by tractor trailer, police say,” PBS; “Mexican man killed after ICE encounter in Florida was on vacation, officials say,” NBC

July 15: “ICE should continue traffic stops despite recent shootings, Trump says on social media,” PBS

July 17: “Off-duty employee at Colorado ICE facility arrested for shooting protester,” Guardian

July 18: “ICE shared Medicaid data it wasn’t supposed to have with Palantir,” NPR

July 19: “Justice Department activates untested court for ‘alien terrorist’ deportations,” PBS; “DOJ tapped never-used ‘alien terrorist’ court to deport mother of convicted ISIS supporter,” Politico

July 19: “Federal Agents Were Told F.B.I. Will No Longer Investigate ICE Confrontations,” NYT

July 20: “Senior Living Facility in Distress as Immigrant Caregivers Are Forced Out,” NYT

July 20: “Judge Tosses Justice Department Challenge to Minnesota Immigration Laws,” NYT

July 22: “You Opened a Credit Card. ICE Now Knows Where You Live,” 404 Media

July 22: “ICE officials warned of dangerous crowding. See how they kept packing people in,” WaPo

July 23: “Leaked Document Shows the Surveillance Tech at ICE’s Fingertips,” 404 Media

July 26: “ICE plans to target Haitians as Temporary Protected Status is set to end, sources say,” CBS

July 27: “DHS strips interview requirement for asylum seekers, expediting deportations,” Courthouse News

July 28: “Thousands of children, sponsors arrested by ICE after tips from US child migrant agency,” Reuters

July 28: “Trump administration forced treatment on hunger striker in ICE detention,” Guardian

July 29: “More Migrant Kids Are Getting Removal Orders. Some Could Lose Their Attorneys Too,” NOTUS; “Inside the New York court where children face deportation without access to attorneys,” Guardian

July 29: “As Trump Squeezes Cuba, He Plans to Send Cuban Deportees to Uruguay,” NYT

July 30: “Mexican Man From Durham Dies From Leukemia While In ICE Custody: He reported that he had not received medical attention after experiencing severe symptoms,” Indy Week

July 30: “ICE is expanding its arrests at airports to new targets, lawyers say,” WaPo

CULTURAL CONTROL

July 3: “Court clears way for Trump admin to ‘immediately’ replace slavery exhibit in Philadelphia ahead of July 4,” ABC

July 5: “White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can’t be trusted,” PBS

July 7: “Yale Law School Fights to Stop Trump Deal,” NYT

July 11: “Trump administration subpoenas New York Times journalists over new Air Force One reporting,” Guardian; “U.S. Sought Phone Records of Times Journalists and Their Relatives,” NYT

July 14: “Trump Administration Subpoenas Law Firms, Escalating Pressure Campaign,” NYT

July 15: “Trump administration replaces slavery exhibition at Washington’s home in Philadelphia,” NBC

July 15: “FCC Officials Took Pricey Gifts From Paramount as the Company Needed Approval for Billion-Dollar Deals,” Propublica

July 20: “US Justice Department says UC San Diego’s medical school favors Black, Hispanic applicants,” Reuters

July 20: “Trump Attacks Nation’s Top Scientific Body Over Climate Chapter in Manual,” NYT

July 21: “Department of Justice Probes Harvard’s Financial Aid Programs Over Alleged China Ties,” Crimson

July 22: “White House admits it used keywords to kill billions worth of [University of] California research grants,” AP

July 22: “Trump’s Plan for Science: More Money for A.I., Less for Universities,” NYT

July 24: “Trump Orders Warnings Placed at ‘Inaccurate’ Smithsonian History Museum,” NYT . July 27: “Trump ramps up attacks against Smithsonian in executive action ordering new signage outside exhibits,” ABC; “Justice Dept. drops ‘New York Times’ subpoenas under pressure from judge,” NPR

July 30: “Disney and ABC argue Trump administration is reviewing licenses as punishment,” WaPo

CORRUPTION, PARDONS, AND “LEGACY PROJECTS”

Jul 2: “Plan to ease rules on mailing guns could help company Trump Jr. has stake in,” WaPo

July 3: “A Belgian diamond group is gifting Trump a lavish ring after that industry won tariff relief,” PBS

July 4: “Nearly a Million Investors Lost a Total of $3.8 Billion on Trump Crypto Coin,” NYT

July 6: “Trump building granite helipad on White House South Lawn,” ABC; “Trump Is Building a White House Helipad. He Sought No Approvals,” NYT

July 6: “Trump issues Clean Air Act pardons for diesel mechanics,” E&E News

July 9: “Former Olympian pleads not guilty in Reflecting Pool damage case after Trump alleged vandalism,” AP; “Prosecutors move to dismiss Reflecting Pool vandalism case, saying ‘botched installation’ to blame,” NPR

July 9: “Security concerns prompted Trump to depart Turkey on older plane while sending Qatari-donated jet ahead, officials say,” CNN; “Trump acknowledges that jet from Qatar lacks defensive systems of Air Force One,” Guardian; “Inside the Rushed Effort to Get Trump His New Air Force One,” NYT

The government spent hundreds of millions of dollars to purchase equipment needed to train pilots to fly the 747-8 plane so quickly, on top of the approximately $400 million cost of the upgrades that the administration has publicly acknowledged. The Pentagon has tried to mask the total price tag — including from Congress — by taking the funds from a classified budget for nuclear modernization.

July 10: “The White House is upgrading its front door to fortify the entrance,” CNN

July 10: “Trump officials propose fencing off public spaces outside White House,” WaPo

July 14: “Trump Paid $2 Million by South Korean Company Facing Trade Investigation,” NYT

July 14: “Trump ballroom donor to lead state department’s $200m Armenia fund,” Guardian

July 15: “US Mint to begin producing $1 coins featuring Trump,” Politico

July 16: “Truth Social will sell Wall Street quicker access to posts,” CNN; “Trump promoted companies on Truth Social days after buying their stocks,” CNN

July 16: “White House teleprompter operator made more than $100K betting on Trump’s speeches,” ABC

July 18: “Trump forging ahead with DC golf course makeover without input from oversight agencies,” CNN

July 20: “Trump continues overhaul of White House grounds with new Rose Garden statues,” WaPo

July 24: “Docs shed light on DOJ spending for Trump banners: The project’s total price rang in at $892,192.07,” Politico

July 29: “Megadonor Received Trump Pardon Three Days After Donation to Pennsylvania Congressman,” NOTUS

July 30: “Kennedy Center Halts Free Public Tours After Five Decades of Service,” NYT

July 30: “A jury found 2 police officers covered up a murder. Trump pardoned them.” PBS

July 31: “Trump appeals judge’s ruling that accused him of manipulating courts in IRS lawsuit,” Politico

July 31: “Newly Regilded Golden Horse Statues Spark Debate After Trump’s $5M Project,” People

ENVIRONMENT

July 7: “The First Major Overhaul of Public Lands Grazing Regulations in a Generation Looks to Cut Out Public Involvement,” Propublica

July 9: “EPA proposes weakening heavy-duty truck pollution rules,” NPR

July 10: “F.C.C. Approves Test of Space Mirror to Light Night Sky Despite Outcry,” NYT

July 13: “President Trump drastically shrinks 2 Utah national monuments — again,” SLT

July 14: “Trump administration opens endangered species’ habitats to development, reversing 50 years of environmental law,” CNN; “It’s no longer illegal to destroy the one thing endangered species need most to survive,” Vox

July 16: “BLM fast-tracks proposal to open Chaco Canyon to oil and gas drilling,” AZ Central

July 22: “Judge Strips Protections for Imperiled Lizard at Trump Administration’s Behest,” NYT

July 26: “As Trump boosts nuclear power, regulators seek to eliminate a longstanding radiation safety practice,” AP

July 27: “EPA says power for data centers can sidestep pollution laws,” Reuters

July 31: “Federal proposal would deeply cut Colorado River water for Arizona, California and Nevada,” NBC

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WAR, AND FOREIGN POLICY

July 2: “Air Force officer arrested at Capitol after calling for Trump’s impeachment,” NBC

July 6: “Islandwide blackout hits Cuba as its fuel reserve dwindles and aging grid crumbles,” AP

July 7: “US commanders bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of strike that hit school in Iran, sources say,” CNN

July 8: “Navy will remove sailors with medical shaving conditions after 1 year of failed treatment,” Stars & Stripes

July 10: “He’s Suspected of Hiring a Venezuelan Gang for a Political Killing. Trump Officials Still Work With Him.” Propublica

July 11: “How Marco Rubio Is Running Venezuela From Afar,” NYT

July 13: “The Army is cutting back legal help for soldiers fighting medical discharge,” Task and Purpose

July 14: “Trump Administration Vows to Dismantle the International Criminal Court,” Time

July 15: “U.S. military will test service members’ testosterone levels, Pete Hegseth says,” NBC

July 17: “Hegseth ordered a new study of women in combat. Critics say it’s built to reach one conclusion.” Military Times

July 17: “Trump Officials Want to Use Human Rights Aid to Advocate for White South Africans and Right-Wing Causes in Europe,” Propublica

July 22: “4 US soldiers killed in Iran war return to American soil,” Military Times

July 22: “Trump administration signs commercial nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia,” NPR

July 25: “Brazil denies visas to U.S. delegation aiming to impugn election system, officials say,” WaPo

July 26: “Pentagon reports more than 600 Iran war casualties in quiet database update,” Guardian; “Pentagon Withheld Dozens of U.S. Military Injuries in Iran War,” NYT

July 27: “Deadly U.S. boat strikes have failed to curb cocaine supply, Pentagon and DEA officials say,” WaPo

July 31: “Visuals Suggest U.S. Dropped 2,000-Pound Bomb on Home in Iran, Killing 3,” NYT

MISCELLANEOUS

• “Trump’s National Guard deployment in D.C. has been extended until 2029,” NPR; Aug. update: “National Guard deployment to Washington through 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion,” PBS

• “At Trump’s Direction, Federal Agencies Are Abandoning Discrimination Cases,” NYT

• “US civil rights agency moves to end demographic data collection after 60 years,” AP

• “Federal Investigators Say Certain DOGE Records Were Deleted,” Wired

• “Secret Service erased texts from two-day period spanning Jan. 6 attack, watchdog says,” NPR

• “CDC Stopped Monitoring Parasite Now Causing Explosive Diarrhea Across The Country,” HuffPost

• “Trump administration says it’s deferring $1B in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota,” AP

• “1,700 H.I.V. Treatment Sites Closed After Trump Aid Cuts, a Study Finds,” NYT

• “Trump administration to end Medicare Part D subsidy program in 2027,” ABC

• “Trump DOJ backs private insurance company that court found discriminated against trans patients,” Advocate

• “Trump administration demands hospitals share emergency room records,” CNN

• “Government Overhauls Teen Pregnancy Program to Focus on Marriage and Starting Families,” NYT

• “NSF plans cuts to core science programmes to fund White House initiative,” Science

• “Trump overrode his own agencies to deny 4 Democratic disaster requests,” Politico

The main content of the posting, titled “Aircraft Operations Support and Maintenance,” concerns DHS exploring the idea of finding a contractor to “provide flight operations, maintenance, and contractor logistics support for a fleet of aircraft utilized to support removal operations.” However, within the draft statement of work (SOW) are hidden references to “international staging areas” with “up to 1,000 bed[s]”. The federal government, in other words, is looking for a contractor that can both manage a fleet of deportation aircraft and operate some kind of detention camp in foreign countries.

• PDF of the draft SOW can be found here

• To download the original file, scroll down the SAM.gov page to the Attachments section. The document referenced in this post is titled “SOW_Draft_OSAMS_for+RFI+Posting”. The abbreviations in the title stand for: “Statement of Work,” “Operational Support for Aircraft Maintenance and Services,” and “Request for Information.”

• Credit to Charles R. Davis (@charliearchy on Bluesky) for flagging the SAM posting

The relevant portions

Task 5.2.3 of the draft SOW outlines that the chosen company would be expected to “establish international staging facilities within host nations.”

Task 5.2.3: Provide solutions for establishing international staging facilities within designated international host nations:

The Contractor shall provide solutions to establish international staging at designated locations within host nations. The international staging areas (ISAs) are dependent upon diplomatic relations with host nations. ISAs may be up to 1,000 bed facilities with wrap around services which may include: power, water, sanitation, food service, security, and manpower and able to support various demographics. The Contractor shall provide a project plan outlining materials, project timelines, coordination with host government and services being provided. ISAs shall be leveraged to facilitate the return/removal actions for the enrolled illegal alien in the host government’s care and custody.

Section 2.2.6, titled “Program Management,” appears to suggest that the prospective future contract would be part of the Trump administration’s Third Country Removals:

Provide support to the [foreign] Government to accept U.S. removals and operational transportation support to facilitate onward movement of removal

In another section of the SOW, DHS refers to “detention facilities.” It is unclear whether these are the same as the “international staging areas” in foreign countries or detention facilities located in the U.S.:

3.5 Emergency, Natural Disasters, and Other Occurrences

In the event of an emergency, natural disaster, or other occurrence that renders a detention facility, or facilities, to be inaccessible or unoccupied by detainees for a period of time greater than forty-eight (48) hours, Contractor personnel scheduled to inspect that facility may be requested to perform inspection services at another facility, or facilities, at the discretion of the Government. One (1) occurrence rendering a detention facility inaccessible or unoccupied by detainees could be, but not limited to, a health or safety issue.

Finally, the SOW mentions that DHS employees would be “embedded” in the foreign countries set to detain immigrants:

Provide logistical/administrative support for embedded DHS Technical and Advisory Teams (DTATs) engaging with host governments

According to the prospective timeline in the SOW, if the plan moves forward, work on the international detention camps would begin in July 2027.

On Monday, July 13, ICE officers shot and killed Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old father from Colombia legally authorized to work in the United States.

Very little is known about the circumstances of the killing. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that ICE agents were surveilling the home of an undocumented immigrant with a final order of removal when Durán left the residence in a vehicle. According to DHS, agents attempted a traffic stop and Durán tried to flee. Notably, DHS does not claim that the agents feared for their lives. Instead, it says the officer fired because he “fear[ed] for public safety.” Durán was not the intended target of the arrest operation.

Eyewitnesses say that after Durán was shot in the head, he was still alive when agents pulled him from the vehicle and handcuffed him. “I tried to stop,” he reportedly said:

Daniel Boucher was getting ready for work Monday morning when he heard what sounded like fireworks going off outside of his home near downtown Biddeford. He rushed to the window, where he said he saw an SUV trying to ram a small white car in the intersection. Moments later, agents in vests stopped the car and pulled the driver out.

“He was bleeding profusely from the head,” Boucher said later Monday morning. “He was talking. He said, ‘I tried to stop.’” Boucher watched in disbelief as the man’s legs stopped moving as he lay on the ground. He believes he watched him die. [...]

“He was saying he was trying to stop and then he died. Why? Because he was driving a car?” he said.

Durán’s family was present in the car when he was shot. Neighbors described the aftermath:

Cecelia Humiston woke up Monday morning to commotion outside her Chapel Street apartment in Biddeford. The 22-year-old walked out and saw what appeared to be a person on the ground on Pool Street, then heard yelling from other neighbors and cries from a family in distress — two women and a young child.

“She couldn’t have been older than three,” said Humiston, who has a 2-year-old son. “She was still in her Bluey pajamas.”

Just minutes after a man was shot and killed, reportedly by federal immigration officials, Humiston saw who she believes was the victim’s daughter. She said the older of the two women yelled to law enforcement, “You took her dad, you took her dad!” [...]

Humiston described the law enforcement officials as “rude,” and said they barricaded the family’s car from leaving. Another yelled at the little girl, who she said was trying to smell flowers.

TEXAS

On Tuesday, July 7, ICE officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 52-year-old construction worker from Mexico who had lived in the United States for 35 years.

According to a statement from DHS, Salgado Araujo “attempted to evade arrest,” “rammed an ICE law enforcement vehicle,” and “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer,” prompting an ICE agent to fire “in self-defense.”

However, eyewitness testimony and video evidence contradict the federal government’s account. Shortly before encountering ICE, Salgado Araujo had picked up three co-workers — Jose Trinidad Rojas, Daniel Tirado Pantoja, and Victor Salgado (Lorenzo’s brother) — on the way to work at a construction site. The three men, all being held separately in immigration detention, recounted the same version of events to the Washington Post:

When the van accelerated as the light turned green, the unfamiliar vehicle pulled out onto the shoulder, accelerated and cut in front of Salgado Araujo, who was driving, and tapped on the brakes, the men said. That’s when Salgado Araujo made a U-turn. At that point, officers turned on their police lights, according to the testimony they gave the attorney.

As the vehicle continued onto Canal Street, they proceeded slowly because of heavy construction on the roadway. The men told Balderas-Ibarra they were moving at no more than 5 mph on the road. They said ICE rammed their vehicles into the work van, but that at no point did Salgado Araujo use his vehicle to hit law enforcement’s cars.

At one point, there was an ICE vehicle on each side of the van, the men told the attorney. […] An officer then jumped out of one of the vehicles, ran toward them from the side and yelled, “Stop!” He started firing from the passenger side of the van, hitting Salgado Araujo in the abdomen. Victor Salgado, the driver’s brother, said he felt the force of the firearm as the agent pointed his gun toward his brother. [...]

Salgado Araujo was able to stop the van and place it in park, the men said, but the officer or officers continued to unload additional rounds from the sides of the vehicle. Rojas described the agents violently pulling Salgado Araujo out of the driver’s seat and throwing him to the ground. They put shackles on the men’s wrists and ankles. Victor Salgado said his brother was yelling for help as he was bleeding out.

Video evidence analyzed by the New York Times likewise does not show Salgado Araujo ramming an ICE vehicle or attempting to run over an officer. Security camera footage cobbled together from nearby businesses and residences depicts two unmarked SUVs chasing the white van and attempting to force it off the road. The van is then seen driving away as ICE officers exit their vehicles before leaving the cameras’ field of view. The shooting appears to have occurred during that gap in coverage. The next available footage shows the van slowing to a stop as two agents approach to arrest the occupants.

As in the Maine shooting, Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of immigration enforcement and DHS claims none of the officers involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras.

TENNESSEE

Members of a federal “crime-fighting” task force shot and killed two people in two separate incidents over the span of four days last week.

The so-called Memphis Safe Task Force, deployed in the city since October 2025, consists of hundreds of federal officers, including FBI, DEA, ATF, and Homeland Security Investigations agents, and over a thousand Tennessee National Guardsmen. While the federal government claims that the task force has reduced crime, data from the Memphis Police Department shows that crime had been steadily declining before the task force was created, reaching a “historic” 25-year low. Instead, the task force appears to be political punishment of a Democratic city, similar to what we saw in the Twin Cities but without the comprehensive media coverage.

Memphis residents report rampant racial profiling targeting the city’s Black and Hispanic population, widespread violations of First Amendment rights, and immigration arrests in every neighborhood.

Among those who have reported being harassed: a ride-share driver stopped for not wearing a seat belt despite having one on as she drove a passenger to the airport; a pastor pulled over for looking lost as she left a church gathering; and, in a case of mistaken identity, a 72-year-old man roused from bed and marched out of his apartment while clad in only his robe and underwear. [...]

“I really believe that if I didn’t have that birth certificate, I would be somewhere in a facility,” said Williams, recalling one of the armed federal agents approaching him aggressively to ask if he was from Ethiopia or Ghana. “If you’re not white, we’re just all going to be targeted.”

The first fatal shooting took place on Sunday, July 5. Two National Guard soldiers responding to reports of gunshots in the early morning hours claim to have seen Tyrin Johnson, a 20-year-old Black man, leaving the area carrying a handgun. According to local police, the guardsmen opened fire after Johnson turned toward them with his weapon. Johnson died at the scene.

It should be noted that it is legal to publicly carry a handgun in Tennessee. Johnson’s grandfather has called for the release of video evidence, disputing the official account and questioning whether deadly force was justified.

Johnson, a former correctional officer with the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office in Nashville, disputes that his grandson would have tried to fire a gun at U.S. guard members and that deadly force would be needed if he was running away. His grandson, he said, was “no hoodlum.”

According to his grandfather, Tyrin Johnson carried a gun for protection after being “jumped” recently in Nashville and was likely wary about being attacked again over a murky social media feud.

The second person killed by the task force last week was Alfonso Ivy, a 47-year-old Black man shot by DEA agents serving a drug warrant at a hotel room. According to the U.S. Marshals Service, agents opened fire after Ivy pointed a handgun at task force members. Few additional details about the encounter have been made public.

• In May 2026, members of the task force also killed Darrin Pigram, alleging he reached for a weapon, and Jonah Neal, claiming he was armed and threatening self-harm.

Trump’s authoritarian makeover of D.C. continued in June, funded with money stolen from the National Park Service. In total, the 18 major construction projects Trump has undertaken during his second term carry a potential cost of more than $1 billion. What have taxpayers gotten in return? A gaping hole where the East Wing used to be, a lifeless paved Rose Garden, dead grass from a corrupt UFC fight on the White House lawn, and an algae-choked Reflecting Pool.

Ballroom

June 4: “Ballroom donors won $50B in contracts after giving to Trump project, watchdog group finds,” WaPo

June 5: “Trump could also tear down the Statue of Liberty, DOJ argues in defense of White House ballroom: Justice Department lawyers said the courts are powerless to intervene in the dispute over the former East Win,” Politico

June 16: “Trump said no taxpayer money would be spent on the ballroom. A contractor’s invoices show otherwise. An internal cost estimate in March by the project’s contractor put its cost at $600 million, with half coming from tax dollars,” WaPo

June 18: “Trump administration quietly shifts $352m in Secret Service funds for White House ballroom,” Guardian

June 30: “Trump is using a $500M no-bid contract to build his White House ballroom,” WaPo

Reflecting pool

June 16: “Algae thwart Trump’s $14.2m attempt to turn reflecting pool ‘American flag blue’,” Guardian

June 16: “Workers dump hydrogen peroxide into reflecting pool to fight algae,” Hill

June 19: “Blue Paint Seen Peeling Off From Bottom Of Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ,” Forbes

June 22: “Company owned by Trump donor won $1.7 million no-bid Reflecting Pool cleaning contract,” CBS

The no-bid contract to install a “Nano Bubble” filtration system went to Green Water Solutions, an Ohio-based company whose owner is listed on federal contracting documents as “JJ Cafaro Investment Trust.” The president and CEO of that trust is identified as John J. Cafaro on Federal Election Commission filings…A businessman and real estate developer, Cafaro pleaded guilty to campaign finance violations in 2010 over donations to his daughter’s congressional campaign. Nearly a decade earlier, he pleaded guilty to conspiring to bribe Democratic Rep. James Traficant, and cooperated with prosecutors.

June 22: “A dead duck was seen in the Reflecting Pool. Then two more were found nearby.” WaPo; “D.C. Officials Are Investigating Dead Ducklings in the Reflecting Pool,” NOTUS

June 23: “Trump Blames Vandals for Reflecting Pool Problems. Internal Records Tell Another Story.” NYT

June 25: “Reflecting Pool now under surveillance as Trump blames vandals for green algae,” Reuters

Arch

June 10: “Trump’s arch construction to run 20 hours a day for 2 to 3 years, documents show,” ABC

June 19: “Trump’s arch — or any federal building — can flout D.C. height law, administration argues,” WaPo

Kennedy Center

June 12: “Washington National Opera sues Kennedy Center over $17 million in withheld donations,” Courthouse News

June 12: “Kennedy Center Board Fights Court Order To Remove Trump’s Name,” Forbes

June 24: “Judge orders Trump administration to explain tarp obscuring Kennedy Center,” Guardian

Other

June 4: “Trump administration spending $5M to restore, gold-plate Lincoln Memorial statues,” The Hill

June 11: “MAGA 250! $103M in Federal Contracts Flow to Trumpified ‘Freedom 250’ Events,” Public Citizen

June 15: “D.C. groups sue over Trump’s planned ‘Garden of American Heroes’,” WaPo

June 17: “Trump plan would fence Lafayette Square near White House long used by tourists, protesters,” WaPo

June 24: “Trump’s Unreal Destruction of White House Lawn Exposed,” Daily Beast

June 26: “Trump ripped up the walkway between the West Wing and the mansion to replace it with polished African granite carved in Italy. ‘Paid for by me,’ he claimed. Except that’s not true. Taxpayers paid $689,232.” Atlantic

June 28: “Trump’s vision for White House park: 47 trees to mark his presidency,” WaPo

June 28: “Work on East Potomac Golf Links overhaul will begin Sept. 1, Trump says,” WaPo; “Photos from Trump’s golf course tour reveal extensive overhaul of East Potomac,” WaPo

From what can be seen on the plan, the administration seems to have abandoned the short par-3 course that remained in the conceptual rendering that Burgum released in May. If built as shown, the redesign would reduce East Potomac from its current three-course, 36-hole layout to a single 18-hole championship course. It would also expand golf into roughly 50 acres of parkland now used for picnicking, fishing, cycling and other recreation.

June 30: “Trump begins construction of unannounced White House helipad,” WaPo

CORRUPTION, PARDONS, AND SELF-DEALING

June 3: “Obscure Group With Trump Ties Plans to Route Funds to His Allies for Legal Fights: A little-noticed nonprofit founded by Trump donors has been raising millions of dollars to provide legal assistance to the president’s allies, including those who may want to sue the government over claims of unjust prosecution,” NYT

June 6: “Trump pardons former Republican Rep. Stephen Buyer who was convicted of insider trading,” ABC

June 7: “Ten Trump Officials Sit On Up To $44 Million In Record SpaceX IPO,” Yahoo

June 8: “Trump Administration Killed Criminal Investigation of GOP Senator’s [Jim Justice] Coal Companies,” ProPublica

June 9: “An Indian Billionaire Was Targeted by Trump. Then He Poured Money Into a Startup Secretly Backed by Donald Trump Jr.” ProPublica

June 9: “A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup: For the past year, FIFA…has leased an office on the 17th floor of New York’s Trump Tower that has sat all but empty. The rent goes to President Trump’s family business” NYT

June 10: “US Department of Justice formally moves to drop Halkbank case,” Reuters

June 11: “Trump Isn’t Giving Up on His Slush Fund: Despite insisting that a $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization” fund has been scrapped, the administration is quietly assuring allies that payout plans remain on track.” Atlantic; “Trump officials refuse to sign document affirming end of slush fund,” Courthouse News

June 14: “UFC to pay White House fighters in crypto issued by Trump company,” Guardian

June 16: “Trump’s Family Crypto Firm Is Expected to Get Federal Banking Privileges,” NOTUS

June 16: “DOJ assists Musk’s xAI in NAACP air pollution suit, asks court to toss case,” CNBC

June 19: “Trump Unveils New Air Force One, Gifted by Qatar, After Reportedly Spending $900M on Modifications,” People

June 21: “Trump Administration Shuttered a Criminal Probe Into Fraudster’s Clemency,” NYT

The investigation, which has not been previously reported, had begun examining whether improper payments were made to help facilitate the commutation awarded to David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted in a $1.6 billion scheme that defrauded thousands of mostly mom-and-pop investors, some of whom lost their retirement savings…Among the evidence they gathered was information about jailhouse communications in which Mr. Gentile discussed making payments of $2.5 million or more to people or companies to help facilitate his clemency

June 23: “Albanians are protesting a real estate deal with ties to Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump,” NPR; “Kushner project being developed on disputed land, Albanian villagers say,” Reuters

June 25: “Trump’s Son-In-Law Present at Meeting With Gulf Leaders for Some Reason,” Rolling Stone

June 28: “Trump Cut a Billion-Dollar Mining Deal. His Sons Stand to Profit.” NYT

June 29: “Trump bought as much as $5 million in Axon stock before ICE sought $220 million Taser deal,” CNBC

June 30: “President Donald Trump’s reported income soared to more than $2.2 billion in 2025, as the president took in more than $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency, digital tokens and related partnerships,” WaPo

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE AND NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

June 9: “Newly released ‘Broadview Six’ grand jury transcript shows prosecutors vouched for case, dismissed skeptical jurors,” CBS

June 12: “FBI searches offices of Ohio voting-rights group,” OCJ; “FBI probe of Ohio voting rights group expands to include an affiliated national advocacy network,” VoteBeat

June 13: “Trump Again Picks Personal Lawyer for a Top Job, as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan,” NYT

June 15: “California Gov. Gavin Newsom says Department of Justice is investigating him, his wife,” ABC

June 17: “Trump administration asks judge to halt first reparations program for Black people in US,” Hill

June 17: “Kash Patel accused of directing $1m to ‘slush fund’ to pay bonuses to loyalist agents,” Guardian

June 19: “Bill Pulte assumes role of US acting director of national intelligence,” Guardian; “Top intelligence agency begins mass firings under new Trump appointee, source says,” NBC

June 19: “Video contradicts FBI agent’s account of shooting during gun trafficking sting in Country Club Hills,” CBS

June 21: “Tulsi Gabbard, her guru and the mysterious messages that helped shape her political career,” WaPo

June 26: “Bill Pulte Picks G.O.P. Election Operative for Spy Agency Job,” NYT

June 29: “The Trump administration is demanding that American intelligence officials turn over the names of all foreign espionage targets, including suspected spies and potential recruits, to create a master list,” NYT

June 30: “White House task force aims to boost Trump’s election claims with declassified intelligence documents,” NBC

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WAR, AND FOREIGN POLICY

June 1: “Pentagon bars journalists from its press office, saying it has become a ‘classified space’,” AP

June 2: “Pentagon appoints convicted January 6 rioter to sensitive counter-terrorism role,” Guardian

June 3: “Pete Hegseth removes all women and some Black service members from navy promotion list,” Guardian; “Female Navy officers say they fear a career cap after Hegseth cuts women from promotions list,” AP

June 4: “DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military’s Recognized Religion List,” Military.com

June 4: “Pentagon likely to cancel missile deal with Germany over fears of Russia,” Politico

June 7: “Trump drags feet on drone deal with Ukraine, mystifying experts,” Hill

June 10: “Top Pentagon Official Admits Boat Strike May Have Killed Victims of Human Trafficking,” Intercept

June 10: “Analysis of Satellite Image and Videos Suggest Precision U.S. Strikes on Iranian Water Facility,” NYT

June 11: “India Says U.S. Strike on Tanker in Iran Blockade Killed Three Nationals,” WSJ

June 12: “U.S. Plan Is Said to Pull a Third of Fighter Jets It Provides NATO for Europe,” NYT

June 12: “Trump says alleged leader of Tren de Aragua gang killed in U.S. strike,” NBC; “In killing gang leader, Trump brings war-on-terror tactics to Latin America,” WaPo

June 17: “Musk’s AI, Grok, was used in strikes in Iran, reveals Pentagon,” Le Monde

June 22: “Flu cases rise to 222 at Texas base in outbreak blamed on Hegseth scrapping of vaccine mandate,” Hill; “Military services again requiring recruits to get flu shots as Air Force outbreak grows,” ABC

June 22: “US strike on an alleged drug boat kills 2, leaves 6 survivors, in the Caribbean,” AP (note: no mention that the survivors were rescued)

June 24: “Senior US General in Europe set to retire amid Hegseth’s review of US support for NATO allies,” CNN

June 24: “White House requests $87.6 billion supplemental spending for Iran war, farm aid,” CNBC

June 27: “Trump’s Board of Peace plans to grant itself sweeping immunity, documents show,” Guardian

June 29: “Trump Convert Marc Andreessen Gets Spot on Pentagon Policy Board,” Bloomberg

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

June 1: “We Sued ICE to Get Its Spyware Contract. The Agency Is Redacting Essentially Everything,” 404 Media

June 3: “Louisiana ICE Facility Mistreated Immigrants, Federal Investigators Say,” NYT

June 3: “Zapata County landowners say border wall contractors bulldozed property before agreements were signed,” TPR

June 5: “ICE’s Plan to Let Cops Around the Country Scan Faces to Verify Immigration Status,” 404 Media

June 5: “ICE will no longer report deaths of detainees who have recently been released from custody,” NBC

June 5: “Spike in border wall spending goes mostly to 2 firms with GOP, White House ties,” WaPo

June 8: “Georgian migrant is 50th person to die in ICE detention during immigration crackdown,” ABC

June 8: “The Trump Administration Moves to Strip Citizenship From 17 People in Expansion of Aggressive Denaturalization Efforts,” Time

June 10: “ICE wasted millions, endangered detainees in largest immigration facility,” NPR

At least three people have died while in custody at Camp East Montana. One of the deaths — detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos — was ruled a homicide by the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office…”evidence associated with the incident was missing or destroyed,” the report said.

June 12: “Feds Deport ICE Detainee Organizer to Ecuador ,” American Prospect

June 13: “US deports migrants, including Iranian women, to Central African Republic,” Le Monde

June 13: “A woman’s hypothermia death in Pittsburgh after her release from ICE custody is ruled a homicide,” AP

June 16: “ICE removed detainee protections after private outreach from top contractor: Geo [Group] asked that ICE remove lines saying contractors needed to follow state and local laws around the treatment of detainees,” WaPo

June 17: “ICE Appears to Be Buying Immigrants’ Tax Identifiers from a Data Broker,” 404 Media

June 18: “DOJ Invokes McCarthy-Era Law to Strip Somalia-born Minnesotan of Citizenship,” TPM

June 19: “Memo by Rubio Approved Detention of Immigrant Who Criticized Trump Ally,” NYT

Franklin Humberto Coral Garrido, a progressive online activist known as Beto Coral, is a supporter of President Gustavo Petro of Colombia, a leftist who has clashed with President Trump. He has publicly criticized Abelardo De La Espriella, a right-wing candidate backed by Mr. Trump. Mr. Coral was arrested by immigration authorities on Tuesday, the same day Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a memo determining that he was deportable from the United States.

June 22: “DHS proposes 75% increase in fees for US citizenship paperwork,” ABC

June 22: “Judge blocks Biden-era immigration rule hours after Texas AG and Stephen Miller’s group sued DOJ,” Texas Tribune

A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule on Monday that allowed immigration judges to indefinitely close a deportation case against immigrants on the same day Texas sued to stop the rule…Lawsuits usually take several months to years to settle, but in this case O’Connor ruled late on Monday in favor of Texas after the Department of Justice filed its response saying it agreed with Paxton’s office.

June 24: “Public Records Show FBI Secretly Extracted Data From ICE Protesters’ Phones,” Mother Jones

June 24: “Mexican man dies in ICE custody in Laredo, at least the 20th fatality this year,” Texas Tribune

June 25: “Trump administration plans to deport more than 500 migrant children within days, senator warns,” Hill

June 26: “Election worker says federal officers confronted her at polls over social media post criticizing ICE,” AP

June 26: “UN calls for ‘prompt investigations’ of deaths in US immigration custody,” Guardian

June 27: “Trump says he’ll nominate former Oklahoma state trooper Lance Schroyer as ICE director,” CNN

DEPT. OF ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

June 1: “Trump Administration to Dismantle Ocean Monitoring System,” NYT; “Trump administration ditches plan to close a critical ocean monitoring system after furious bipartisan backlash,” CNN

June 3: “A judge said the Trump administration can’t dismantle a weather research center. The damage may already be done.” Politico

June 4: “Trump directs hundreds of millions of dollars to support coal using emergency powers,” Reuters

June 4: “U.S. revokes endangered species listing for Permian Basin lizard, resolves Texas attorney general lawsuit,” Reuters

June 10: “Trump administration will bypass environmental laws for border project in Big Bend National Park,” AP

June 17: “Trump Administration to Pay $765 Million to Cancel 4 More Wind Projects,” NYT

June 18: “Tohono O’odham tribe sues Trump officials over border wall plans,” Border Report

June 23: “Court rules that challenge to Utah national monuments can continue,” KSUT

June 29: “Trump Administration Pays Duke Energy $129 Million to Halt Offshore Wind Farm,” NYT

June 29: “Trump officials to slash public input on fossil fuel drilling on federal lands,” Guardian

June 30: “After bold pledge, EPA shelves microplastics testing in U.S. drinking water,” LA Times

CULTURAL CONTROL: EDUCATION, MEDIA, AND HISTORY

June 2: “Administration Argues for Power Over Philadelphia Slavery Memorial,” NYT

June 2: “CBS News fires ‘60 Minutes’ correspondent Scott Pelley after clash with new producer,” NBC; “Scott Pelley says Bari Weiss wanted 60 Minutes to say Renee Good was ‘driving toward officer’,” Guardian

June 4: “DOJ investigates 15 medical schools over alleged discrimination in admissions,” Guardian

June 4: “Park Service orders removal of ‘woke’ quotes at Boston’s Bunker Hill monument,” WaPo

A visitor at the site complained to park staff about a quote related to women’s suffrage as being “woke” feminist ideology, the people familiar said, and the visitor later sent an email complaint.

June 10: “DOJ Investigates CUNY’s Black Male Initiative,” Insider Higher Ed

June 11: “Justice Department says UC Davis medical school discriminated in admissions; school strongly disagrees,” ABC

June 12: “Paramount-WBD merger wins approval from DOJ,” CNBC; “Top DOJ officials reportedly cleared Paramount-Warner Bros. merger before staff lawyers, who were ‘leaning’ toward antitrust lawsuit, could object,” Variety

June 17: “The U.S. National Park Service has removed at least 51 exhibits from 38 sites to carry out President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting displays that ‘inappropriately disparage Americans past or living,’” Reuters

June 18: “Third Circuit greenlights Trump removal of exhibit on Washington’s slaves,” Courthouse News

June 26: “Yale Seeks Trump Administration Deal as It Faces Sprawling Investigation,” NYT

GENDER, REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS, AND HEALTHCARE

June 2: “Trans Minors Sue to Stop Justice Department Access to Medical Records,” NYT

June 4: “RFK Jr. seeks to peek at Americans’ medical records for clues on autism and vaccines,” CNN

June 5: “Trump Judge Refers DOJ Lawyers for Discipline in Trans Hospital Subpoena Case,” TPM

June 13: “Trump admin eliminates health care programs for LGBTQ+ veterans,” Advocate

June 17: “Trump Administration Quietly Redefines Embryos As Children In Obscure Grant Program,” HuffPost

June 17: “Federal Trade Commission sues leading transgender health group,” Guardian

June 18: “Trump administration to phase out HIV funding for South Africa,” Politico

June 20: “DOJ memo stokes fear among disability advocates of a return to institutionalization,” NPR

June 26: “’It’s coming from the top’: Trump’s EEOC abandons trans man’s workplace discrimination case,” Advocate

June 26: “Federal health agency cancels most of its teen pregnancy prevention grants,” Stateline

MISCELLANEOUS

• “White House Seeks to Impose Political Test on Billions in Federal Grants,” NYT

• “White House Secretly Swayed Board Meant to Stop Civil Service Politicization,” NYT

• “Trump administration expands options for firing federal employees deemed ‘unsuitable’,” Federal News

• “After FTC ruling, US Supreme Court turns away labor board member fired by Trump,” Reuters

The severity of these punishments stands in stark contrast to sentences imposed on figures involved in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was sentenced to 18 years in prison and Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison for their roles in planning and carrying out the insurrection. Both men were later pardoned by President Trump and are now free.

This disparity reflects the Trump administration’s broader effort to criminalize dissent — whether through NSPM-7’s classification of leftwing protest as “Antifa” domestic terrorism or the deployment of the National Guard to detain civilians who dare touch the botched Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool in D.C. As the president’s political influence wanes, we should expect the Department of Justice to bring more cases like Prairieland in an attempt to shore up the burgeoning authoritarian regime.

TWIN CITIES

Last week, federal prosecutors indicted 15 individuals on charges of “conspiracy to impede or injure federal officers” for their participation in protests against ICE mass deportations in Minnesota. According to the Department of Justice, the defendants were members of a direct action group known as Direct Action Minnesota (DAMN), which the indictment describes as a “decentralized coalition of working-class people engaged in various forms of community defense against the current Federal Occupation happening within the wider metro area, and against state and a far-right violence more broadly.”

Notably, none of the defendants are accused of causing injury to an officer. The majority simply exercised their First Amendment rights by organizing protest activities on Signal, sharing federal agents’ locations, and photographing Department of Homeland Security license plates. One of the indicted, Isaac Sant, is cited for writing an article on CrimethInc., which the government characterizes as “an anarchist blog,” about his experience at the protests.

Other activity the indictment seeks to criminalize includes social media posts like: “Welcome to America 2026 where the Second Amendment is the only thing that’s going to keep you fucking protected from literal fucking Nazi gun men that are killing innocent people in the street with impunity.” It is worth noting that Minnesota is an open-carry state for gun owners with permits.

In fact, the indictment’s most concrete allegation of physical danger involves a defendant who allegedly brake-checked and sideswiped a federal vehicle. But, as we’ve seen time and time again, the Trump administration has a history of falsely accusing protestors and others of using their vehicles to attack federal agents.

CHICAGO

Six individuals — Michael Rabbitt, Andre Martin, Catherine Sharp, Brian Straw, Joselyn Walsh, and then-congressional candidate Kat Abughazaleh — were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to impede a federal law enforcement officer. According to the indictment, the defendants “surrounded” a government vehicle, prevented the car from entering the Broadview ICE facility, “banged aggressively” on it, and “scratched the body” with the word “PIG” (though prosecutors never ascribed the vandalism to a specific person).

• Video of the incident

U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Andrew Boutros ultimately dropped the charges in May after the court learned of prosecutorial misconduct including manipulating the grand jury makeup, “vouching” for the case, and communicating with jurors outside the courtroom.

“I have read hundreds — if not thousands — of grand jury transcripts involving prosecutors who are the most junior of prosecutors to several U.S. Attorneys who appeared before the grand jury,” Judge April Perry said. “I have never seen the types of prosecutorial behavior before a grand jury that I saw in those transcripts.”

• Grand jury transcripts

The defendants are now seeking permission to conduct discovery to reveal how the Department of Justice came to file charges against the six defendants, as well as evidence of a “cover-up” of the prosecutorial misconduct that ended the case.

In a statement Thursday, Chris Parente, a lawyer for one of the former Broadview Six defendants, said the group is seeking evidence about how the indictment was secured because “the public has a right to know exactly what happened in the cover-up of the grand jury misconduct by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago.”

“We also need to know whether or not the orders to pursue this sham political prosecution came from Washington, and how closely officials in the main Department of Justice were tracking or encouraging developments in this case,” he said.

SPOKANE

Last summer, prosecutors charged nine individuals in Spokane, Washington, for allegedly participating in a “conspiracy to impede” federal law enforcement officers. According to the indictment, Former City Council President Ben Stuckart posted a call to action on social media after ICE detained a Venezuelan and a Colombian asylum seeker. Stuckart accompanied both men, who had work visas, to a routine immigration appointment when they were detained.

“If you care at all about these illegal detainers you meet me at 411 West Cataldo by 2 p.m. I am going to sit in front of the bus. Feel free to join me,” he wrote. “The Latino community needs the rest of our community. Not tonight, not Saturday but right now!!!!”

Hundreds of people responded, some using their bodies to block transport vehicles from leaving the immigration office. More than 30 were arrested by Spokane police but only nine were later indicted on federal conspiracy charges: Stuckart, Justice Forral, Mikki Hatfield, Erin Lang, Collin Muncey, Thalia Ramirez, Bobbi Silva, Bajun Mavalwalla, and Jac Archer. Prosecutors allege all nine participated in blocking federal vehicles; Forrall and Lang were also accused of letting air out of the tires of transport bus; Ramirez was accused of using a box cutter to slash the tires of a transport van; Hatfield was accused of deploying an “incendiary device” (which appears to have been a firework) in the direction of police; and Silva was accused of striking a federal officer from behind.

Six defendants — including Stuckart, Hatfield, Lang, Muncey, Ramirez, and Silva — ultimately accepted plea agreements that reduced the felony conspiracy charge to a misdemeanor. Archer, Forral, and Mavalwalla chose to fight the charges and were convicted by a jury last month.

Yet the trial was marked by significant evidentiary restrictions. Jurors were never informed that one of the detainees whose arrest sparked the protest was later released after an immigration judge determined that his detention had been unlawful.

“It’s rough these days,” [Stuckart] said. “The most disappointing thing of all this is we did do the right thing. The courts released Joswar because they illegally detained him.”

Rodriguez Torres’ release was barred from being brought up at trial. “It’s too bad because that is getting lost in the story. It’s not about protesting – it’s about protecting your neighbor. When someone is illegally taken by the government, what are you supposed to do?”

The jury also did not hear that former acting U.S. Attorney Richard Barker resigned rather than sign the DOJ’s indictment. “None of the agents were hurt,” Barker said, “and none of the protesters were hurt either.”

“This was the first conspiracy prosecution in Eastern Washington history under 18 U.S.C. Section 372 – a Civil War-era law dusted off to punish members of the Spokane community who stood up for two young men who were unlawfully detained by ICE,” Barker told The Spokesman-Review in a statement.

• Further reading: One sheriff’s deputy who was on the scene was captured on body camera saying “I want to hit someone with a stick today,” while an ICE agent who testified at the trial also spewed racist and anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in Facebook post

“The cruelty is the point.” So goes the common saying to explain the Trump administration’s nonsensical policies with no apparent purpose other than harming people. It is a worthy adage, but misses an important point: cruelty is often a means to a broader political and economic project that serves two of the most powerful constituencies in America today - white Christian nationalists and the billionaire elite.

For the billionaire class, the goal is to preserve wealth and power within an increasingly insulated elite. Everyone else is reduced to a disposable lower class of worker drones, laboring to support the lifestyles and profits of the elite. White Christian nationalists similarly want to keep wealth concentrated among the worthy - white Christian males, particularly those who have demonstrated their godliness by already being blessed with wealth. Everyone else is distributed in a strict social hierarchy defined by skin color and gender.

Both groups get what they want through the Trump administration: the creation of a permanent underclass of disfavored people, whose labor, precarity, and diminished rights reinforce the privilege and dominance of those above them.

Reduce upward mobility

The first step in creating a permanent underclass is limiting the ability of “undesirable” groups to move up in the world. For White Christian nationalists, this means creating conditions that shut out minorities, women, and LGBTQ+ people from well-paying, high status jobs. The billionaire elite is pursuing a parallel goal, aiming to maintain a labor pool dependent on low income, precarious employment. In both cases, concentrated power depends on keeping large portions of the population economically insecure and politically diminished.

These factions also believe the underclass will be disproportionately left-leaning individuals. As Palantir CEO Alex Karp said earlier this year, artificial intelligence and related technologies “disrupts humanities trained, largely Democratic voters, and makes their economic power less,” adding that new technology will have the biggest negative impact on “highly educated, often female voters.”

Destroy education

• Dismantle the Department of Education.

• Expand school vouchers, redirecting taxpayer money away from public schools to private schools that discriminate against LGBTQ+ individuals and minorities.

• Restrict financial aid and student loans, ensuring education and higher job opportunities are only accessible to the wealthy.

• Target cuts so that minority-serving colleges and programs that are “female-coded” (e.g., nursing) are significantly curtailed.

• Cripple the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights’ ability to ensure equal access to education regardless of race, sex, disability, or age: Last year, 90% of the more than 9,000 new complaints of discrimination were dismissed.

Establish curriculum that limits independent thought

• Eliminate courses that teach critical thinking, historical context, and cultural understanding (e.g., the humanities).

• Require schools teach American exceptionalism to inculcate discrimination (e.g., whitewashing slavery) and instill conservative ideals like “small government” and deregulation. For example, last year, Iowa lawmakers used taxpayer money to create the “Center for Intellectual Freedom” to counteract “overwhelmingly liberal viewpoints” in higher education. University students are now forced to take the Center’s classes in order to graduate.

Purge “undesirables” from high-ranking positions

• Resegregate the federal workforce: 75% of Black officials at independent agencies have been fired under Trump, according to a lawsuit filed last month.

• Resegregate the military: The Trump administration has fired all of the highest-ranking women and African Americans in the military, resulting in a Joint Chiefs of Staff that is entirely made up of white men. Additionally, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has blocked the promotions of women and Black individuals, while attempting to ban transgender people from service.

• Encourage corporations to end initiatives that increased diversity. “Progress toward gender-balanced corporate boards is slowing and, in some areas, reversing,” said Heather Spilsbury, CEO of 50/50 Women on Boards, a nonprofit that advocates for greater diversity on corporate boards.

• Weaponize the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to target “reverse discrimination” in order to increase white representation in positions of power.

Eliminate social welfare and other aid programs

The second component of creating a permanent underclass is dismantling social welfare programs, ensuring that the lower classes have to spend more of their limited income on daily needs and, therefore, (1) cannot accumulate wealth and (2) are more desperate for dangerous, unfulfilling, and low-paying employment.

For many white Christian nationalists and billionaire elites, austerity policies serve an additional purpose. Austerity measures, deceptively framed as rooting out fraud or reducing the deficit, often function as a form of eugenics. People like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and DOGE architect Elon Musk represent this approach: the former believing in the old eugenics of disease culling the weak and unworthy from society, and the latter embodying the new eugenics of longtermism, which devalues present human suffering in pursuit of speculative future outcomes.

• Impose strict limitations on SNAP (food benefits), including requiring vulnerable populations to comply with work requirements. As of the latest estimates, nearly 400,000 people were kicked off of SNAP in Arizona, nearly 500,000 people lost coverage in Georgia, and California, Texas, and Florida each saw approximately 250,000 people lose SNAP benefits.

• Federal Reserve Bank of New York: “We find a remarkable increase in food insecurity, particularly among lower-educated and lower-income households and households with young children…[increases] were generally larger for non-whites, lower-income and lower-educated households.”

• Curtail affordable health insurance: The so-called One Big Beautiful Bill is projected to increase the number of people without insurance by 10 million in 2034.

• End programs that clean up the environment while simultaneously reducing regulations on polluters. Low-income and minority communities are disproportionately impacted by pollution, resulting in higher rates of illness and disease.

• Cut funding for child care costs, forcing more parents (usually women) out of the workforce.

• Institutionalize non-producers/non-consumers: People in the underclass who are unable to work will inevitably end up homeless as the social safety net is destroyed.

• Impose strict limitations on housing aid: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is proposing to institute work requirements and time limits for receiving housing assistance

• Kick otherwise eligible people out of housing: HUD proposed a rule that would ban housing assistance for families with mixed immigration status, which, if enacted, would kick U.S. citizens and green card holders off housing aid programs if they live with an undocumented family member. HUD moved last week to limit what assistance animals are allowed in federally regulated housing, forcing disabled tenants to choose between their service animals or eviction.

• Cut disability aid: The Trump administration has proposed a rule that would cut or end support for as many as 400,000 social security recipients who live with family.

• Restrict who can stay at federally-funded homeless shelters, pushing more people onto the streets: HUD released a proposed rule that would ban transgender people from shelters that align with their gender identity.

• Criminalize homelessness: Trump signed an executive order last year that threatens federal criminal prosecution of programs that offer harm reduction services and encourages the involuntary institutionalization of people who are homeless. State officials are dutifully enacting laws that put Trump’s order in action. For example, the Louisiana legislature has passed a bill that makes it a crime to sleep in public spaces, punishable by 6 months in jail. Those who are convicted of sleeping outdoors can be given the option to avoid jail time by entering into a mandatory treatment program for at least 12 months, but must pay for the treatment themselves. If they cannot afford treatment, they are required to perform unpaid labor for the government or a community organization to pay off their debt. Failure to do so can result in more jail time (where inmates, again, perform unpaid labor).

Enforce strict gender roles

The goals of both white Christian nationalists and the billionaire elite also align with respect to gender roles. Christian nationalists embrace a patriarchal hierarchy, believing women are meant to be housewives submissive to their husbands. Evangelist Doug Wilson, supported by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, exemplifies this worldview. Wilson has argued that women should not have the right to vote and has promoted male-dominated family and political structures.

Many members of the billionaire class have likewise demonstrated hostility toward gender equality, whether through personal beliefs, workplace practices, or support for reactionary social movements. Jeff Bezos, the fourth richest man in America, presided over a culture “rife with sexism” and allowed senior leaders to be “consistently inappropriate with women” at Blue Origin, according to whistleblowers. Larry Ellison, now the second richest person in America, settled a lawsuit alleging his company Oracle underpaid 4,000 female employees. And of course, Elon Musk, the richest man in America, has fully embraced the far right crusade of pronatalism, which holds that motherhood is a woman’s biological destiny and civic duty.

• Limit educational opportunities, career advancement, and social welfare programs (see above) that enable women to achieve economic independence, thereby increasing financial dependence on male partners.

• Restrict abortion access, which increases the economic and social burdens associated with childbearing and childrearing. According to the Guttmacher Institute, “nearly half (49%) of abortion patients in the United States are poor (living below the federal poverty level) and another 26% are low income.”

• Enact policies that allow the policing of gender, such as bans of transgender people in sports and private spaces, which use the law and vigilantism to enforce a social hierarchy. By promoting anti-trans ideology, leaders give permission to harass and oppress anyone who does not conform to traditional gender ideals (including cisgender women who are deemed insufficiently feminine).

• Restrict gender-affirming healthcare in an attempt to legislate transgender people out of existence. Christian nationalists tend to use religion to justify bigotry against the LGBTQ+ community, while many billionaires push anti-LGBTQ+ causes.

Redistribute wealth upwards

• Nearly $2.3 trillion of the One Big Beautiful Bill’s tax cuts flowed to the richest 10 percent of Americans through cutting the top marginal rate and estate tax, special-interest carveouts, and pass-through deductions.

• Trump’s tariffs imposed substantial costs on American households, with estimates showing families paid more than $1,700 on average between February 2025 and January 2026. Those higher prices fell most heavily on low-income households, which spend a larger share of their income on consumer goods. An analysis by Yale’s Budget Lab projected that the tariffs would push between 650,000 and 875,000 additional Americans into poverty. Yet while consumers absorbed the costs, tariff refunds have largely benefited major corporations, with some of America’s largest companies receiving billions of dollars from the federal government while ordinary households receive nothing.

• Direct lucrative federal tax contracts to regime-allied corporations, redistributing taxpayer money to the wealthy. In just the last month, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been awarded over $6.3 billion in contracts.

• Payout taxpayer funds to ideological allies. The Trump administration has settled lawsuits worth millions of dollars with figures associated with election conspiracy theories and efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including Carter Page and Michael Flynn. Additionally, the Department of Justice has given the family of insurrectionist Ashli Babbitt nearly $5 million. The proposed $1.776 billion slush fund to pay out victims of “weaponization” would likewise redistribute taxpayer money to Jan. 6 insurrectionists, many of whom are Christian nationalists.

Conclusion

The informal alliance between white Christian nationalism and the billionaire elite is not merely a matter of shared political preferences or policy goals. As events in Belfast demonstrated yesterday, it can have violent consequences in the real world. Elon Musk, who is on the brink of becoming the world’s first trillionaire, used his social media platform to incite a race war against black and brown immigrants in Northern Ireland. “You either fight back or you die,” Musk posted alongside demands from far-right activist Tony Robinson that all businesses close ahead of mass protests.

The planned “protests” looked more like a lynch mob, with masked men going door to door in minority areas, pulling people from their homes and setting their houses ablaze. “What you’re seeing is a race-based pogrom,” Claire Hanna, Belfast MP and leader of the Social Democratic & Labour Party, told the BBC. “We are seeing men going door to door asking to get the foreigners out based exclusively on the colour of their skin.”

This is the danger of obscene wealth. Billionaires have the power to buy the world’s biggest social media platform, America’s largest media networks, and even elections - then use their resources to empower racists, neo-Nazis, and nationalists to commit violence. The alliance between concentrated wealth and ethnonationalist politics is not a theoretical concern. It is a force actively shaping political life, public discourse, and social conflict around the world.

In the last month, the Trump administration has lifted a ban on the use of cyanide bombs on federal land, ended limits on forever chemicals in drinking water, allowed off road vehicles in sensitive ecosystems, rescinded hunting regulations, and begun spraying a cancer-causing herbicide in national forests.

May 1: “‘A Huge Setback’: New EPA Directive Could Weaken Hundreds of Chemical Regulations,” ProPublica

May 2: “Trump’s US Forest Service Spraying Deadly Toxins on America’s Woodlands,” Futurism

May 4: “The Trump administration is evicting bison herds from federal grasslands in Montana, siding with ranchers and Republican leaders over environmentalists and tribal leaders,” NYT

May 4: “Trump Administration Orders Rapid End to Some Hunting Rules on Federal Lands,” NYT

May 4: “Greater Yellowstone Slated Next in Trump Admin Logging Campaign,” Mountain Journal

May 7: “Trump is now effectively blocking any new wind projects in the United States…the Defense Department is refusing to sign off on things required to complete the FAA clearance process.” Heatmap

May 7: “Trump Administration Lifts Ban on ‘Cyanide Bombs’ on Public Lands,” NYT

The Bureau of Land Management will once again allow the use of the devices, which are spring-loaded traps intended to kill coyotes, foxes and other animals that prey on livestock…But the devices can also kill or injure people, pets and endangered species. In one 2017 incident that gained national notoriety, the 14-year-old Canyon Mansfield and his dog were sprayed by a cyanide bomb near their Idaho home. The dog, Kasey, collapsed and died. Canyon was rushed to a hospital, where he was treated for temporary blindness.

May 8: “Trump Exempted Some of the Nation’s Biggest Polluters From Air Quality Rules. All It Took Was an Email,” ProPublica

May 10: “The Military Base Home to Air Force One Leaked 32,000 Gallons of Jet Fuel Into the Potomac River Over the Last Few Months,” Futurism

May 11: “Trump Administration to Scrap Rule That Elevated Land Conservation: The rule, issued by the Bureau of Land Management, had prioritized the use of federal lands for conservation, recreation and renewable energy development,” NYT

May 18: “E.P.A. to End Some Limits on ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Drinking Water: The rules were established by the Biden administration after research linked the compounds to a range of serious health problems,” NYT

May 18: “EPA rejects Hawaii plan to shutter oil-fired power plants: The agency said that forcing the power plants to close would violate the Constitution,” E&E News

May 19: “Oil Slick Reaches a Pristine Persian Gulf Island in Iran,” NYT; “Attack on Iran’s oil released as much pollution as a volcano,” New Scientist

May 20: “Greater Chaco Cultural Landscape named one of country’s ‘most endangered’ historic places,” Source NM

The Trump administration, for the last year, has floated a proposal to reverse a Biden-era order that issued a 20-year ban on oil and gas development on federal lands within 10 miles of the site, which holds paramount spiritual and cultural significance for numerous tribes and pueblos. The federal government also proposed merely shrinking the protected area.

Tribal leaders said they expect a decision in June and have criticized the process for failing to recognize Pueblo sovereignty. “The decision would not be made by people who hold a thousand years of cultural responsibility for that land, it would be imposed on us,” said Pueblo of Acoma Gov. Charles Riley.

May 21: “Trump eases restrictions on super-pollutants used in air-conditioning and refrigeration,” Le Monde

May 28: “Diesel Fuel Spilled on National Mall During 250th Event Setup,” NYT

May 29: “Trump Lifts Restrictions on Off-Road Vehicles on Public Lands,” NYT

May 29: “SEC moves to repeal rule that requires companies to report greenhouse gas emissions and climate risk,” AP

CORRUPTION AND SELF-DEALING

‘Weaponization’ slush fund

“Trump administration to create $1.776B ‘Truth and Justice Commission’ to compensate allies,” ABC

“Top Treasury Lawyer Resigns After Creation of ‘Anti-Weaponization’ Fund,” NYT

“New settlement term bars IRS from investigating Trump, his family for past tax issues,” CNN

“Longtime Trump ally Michael Caputo files first known claim for ‘anti-weaponization’ fund,” NBC

“Jan. 6 rioters clamor for payouts from Trump’s new ‘anti-weaponization’ fund despite backlash,” WHYY

“US judge temporarily blocks Trump’s $1.8 billion ‘weaponization’ fund,” Reuters

Stock trades

“President Trump was months late in disclosing tens of millions of dollars in stock trading,” WaPo

“Trump ethics filing reveals thousands of trades tied to U.S. stocks,” NBC

• Trump “bought a significant share of Intel, the chipmaker the Trump administration took a 10% stake in last year. The company’s stock is up 178% since the beginning of the year.”

• “Trump purchased $1 million to $5 million dollars worth of Nvidia stock on Feb. 10, only a week before Nvidia announced a major computer processing power deal with AI and social media giant Meta. Trump previously purchased $500,000 to $1 million worth of Nvidia stock on Jan. 6, a week before the Commerce Department officially approved the sale of some Nvidia chips to China.”

• “Trump earlier this year bought as much as $680,000 in stock of Eli Lilly, the maker of blockbuster obesity drugs, as the agencies he oversees undertook an agenda that largely benefited the company.”

• “President Trump earlier this year purchased more than $1 million in the stock of Dell Technologies, a transaction that is drawing scrutiny after the Pentagon this week announced a $9.7 billion contract with the Texas-based computer company.”

Reflecting pool

“The No-Bid Contract That Is Turning Washington’s Reflecting Pool Blue: President Trump handpicked a firm he said had worked on his swimming pool to repair the iconic site near the Lincoln Memorial,” NYT

“Reflecting Pool Repairs Appear Uneven and Behind Schedule, Officials Say,” NYT

“Reflecting Pool Repairs to Cost $13.1 Million. Trump Had Promised $1.8 Million,” NYT

“Nonprofit sues the federal government over plans to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool blue,” NPR

Golf course

“A top fundraiser for President Donald Trump is seeking donations for a new nonprofit that says it will support Trump’s plans to dramatically remake parts of Washington’s waterfront, including East Potomac Golf Course and the proposed National Garden of American Heroes,” WaPo

“White House East Wing debris dumped at nearby golf course has toxic metals, report says,” WaPo

“Judge warns of ‘serious consequences’ if administration begins work at East Potomac Golf Course,” ABC

Arch

“White House planned to start triumphal arch work under unrelated contract: The unusual move would allow the administration to bypass a public bidding process,” WaPo

“Trump officials say they can build 250-foot arch without Congress’s approval,” WaPo

“Arts commission approves design for Trump’s 250-foot arch,” Politico

“Trump’s arch now has elevators—and a $100 million price tag,” Fast Company

Miscellaneous

“Treasury Department prepares $250 bill with Trump’s face on it,” NPR

“Team Trump’s latest no-bid contract: $5 million to coat horse statues in gold,” MS Now

“Trump’s Qatari-Gifted Air Force One Will Keep Its Luxurious Royal Interior,” WSJ

“Trump team hangs banners at DC construction sites thanking the president for the projects,” Yahoo

“Trump airport branding deal opens new route to profit for family,” Guardian

“Exclusive renderings of Penn Station overhaul show Trump’s name with presidential seal,” Gothamist

“Trump planning to build helipad at White House for new Marine One,” Hill

“Pentagon recruiting troops to watch White House UFC fights, memos show,” WaPo

“Trump Bought Stock In UFC’s Parent Company As He Promoted White House Fight,” HuffPost

“The White House Intervened to Get a $620 Million Deal for a Company Tied to Donald Trump Jr.,” ProPublica

“590,000 buyers paid $59 million for Trump’s gold phone — not 1 has shipped and refunds look unlikely,” Yahoo

“US reportedly dropped fraud charges against Indian billionaire after he hired Trump’s lawyer,” Guardian

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

May 5: “Prosecutors Had a Drugs-for-Votes Scheme “Locked Up.” Under Trump, They Were Told Not to Pursue Charges,” ProPublica

Leaders of the prison gang known as Los Tiburones, or the Sharks, were selling drugs to inmates not only for money, but for their votes. Specifically, votes for now-Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón, a longtime Republican and supporter of President Donald Trump, investigators found.

May 6: “FBI searches office of L. Louise Lucas, Virginia lawmaker who helped lead redistricting effort,” CBS

May 6: “Trump’s Justice Department takes steps to drop its case against the GOP’s Andy Ogles,” MS Now

May 7: “FBI defends Kash Patel after report alleging he gifts custom whiskey bottles,” Guardian

May 11: “Trump’s Complaints About Iran War Leaks Prompt Aggressive DOJ Investigations: The Wall Street Journal has received subpoenas for records of reporters,” WSJ

May 12: “DOJ paid millions to FBI agents suspended for misconduct, Raskin says,” WaPo

May 12: “FBI interviewing CIA officers in Brennan investigation,” NBC

May 14: “DOJ sues to block Trump ally [Jeffrey] Clark from facing attorney discipline,” Reuters

May 18: “The FBI Wants to Buy Nationwide Access to License Plate Readers,” 404 Media

May 26: “Trump DOJ mass-deletes info on Jan. 6 riot cases, including violent assaults on cops,” NPR

May 28: “Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll,” CNN; “DOJ probes Democratic-allied nonprofit that helped pay E. Jean Carroll’s legal bills,” WaPo

May 28: “The DOJ Wants to Know Who on Reddit and X Is Criticizing ICE’s Tactics,” Bloomberg

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WARS, AND FOREIGN POLICY

May 1: “Trump administration is pulling 5,000 troops from Germany,” NBC

May 4: “U.S. Revokes Visas of Board Members at Costa Rica’s Top Watchdog Newspaper,” NYT

May 7: “Defense Department Inspector General Won’t Investigate Helicopter Fly-By At Kid Rock’s House,” HuffPost

May 7: “US launches a review of Mexican consulates that could lead to closures,” AP

May 7: “‘Hondurasgate,’ the alleged US and Israeli interference plot to destabilize Mexico and other progressive governments,” El Pais; “Hondurasgate Looks Worse than Watergate and Iran-Contra Combined,” Washington Monthly

May 12: “CIA escalates secret war on cartels with deadly operations inside Mexico,” CNN

May 12: “Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ estimated to cost $1.2 trillion, far more than initially said,” PBS

May 13: “Army cuts training as service is short billions of dollars,” ABC; “Army cuts dozens of medical training courses amid funding woes,” ABC

May 14: “Cuba has run out of diesel and fuel oil, energy minister says, as US blockade pushes island to brink,” Guardian; “U.S. indicts Cuba’s Raúl Castro on murder and conspiracy charges for downing of planes in 1996,” CBS

May 18: “Treasury extends Russian oil sanctions waiver for another month,” Politico

May 19: “More US troop withdrawals from Europe expected, NATO commander says,” Military Times; “NATO allies bewildered by Trump’s about-face on US troop moves in Europe,” AP

May 21: “The U.S. military has depleted much of its inventory of advanced missile-defense interceptors after expending far more high-end munitions defending Israel,” WaPo

May 28: “Trump administration tells prosecutors to stand down on Venezuela leader, sources say,” AP

IMMIGRATION

May 4: “Internal ICE records reveal widespread use of force in detention centers,” WaPo

May 7: “ICE Plans to Develop Own Smart Glasses to ‘Supplement’ Its Facial Recognition App,” 404 Media

May 7: “Broadview protesters sue feds over DNA collection after arrests, saying it violates rights,” Chicago Sun Times

May 11: “The ICE Surveillance Firm With Missing Executives And Phantom Clients,” Lever

May 12: “ICE Agents Have List of 20 Million People on Their iPhones Thanks to Palantir,” 404 Media

May 12: “Former private prison official to serve as acting ICE chief,” NPR

May 13: “The Trump administration is leaning on the Internal Revenue Service to upend how undocumented immigrants can file their taxes, as officials discuss changes that could force people to tell the agency about their immigration status or disengage from the tax system entirely,” NYT

May 14: “Judge orders US government to return Colombian woman deported to DR Congo,” CNN; “Feds say Ebola outbreak means they can’t bring back NJ-bound woman deported to Congo,” Gothamist

May 14: “Trump Border Patrol Chief Abruptly Quits After Report He Solicited Sex Workers Abroad,” HuffPost

May 14: “UN pleads for Equatorial Guinea not to send US asylum seekers to their home countries: ‘Their life would be in danger’,” Guardian

May 16: “Sierra Leone to take in hundreds of West Africans deported by US, minister says,” Reuters

May 18: “Trump Is Taking Immigrants to Court, Seeking Millions in Fines,” Bloomberg

May 21: “Chicago man charged with assaulting ICE agent in Brighton Park,” Chicago Sun Times

May 26: “Trump raises refugee ceiling by 10,000 to bring in more white South Africans,” Reuters

May 27: “DHS Threatens to Stop International Flight Processing in Sanctuary Cities,” Time

May 27: “ICE detainees are dying by suicide at an ‘alarming’ rate, an AP investigation finds,” AP

May 28: “Trump administration sues four states for denying ICE undercover license plates,” Reuters

May 29: “Washington Protesters Convicted of “Conspiracy to Impede” ICE Agents,” Mother Jones

May 29: “Trump administration deported 21,000 to places US calls too dangerous to visit: at least 600 were children,” Guardian

May 30: “ICE sued over ‘inhumane’ conditions at Camp East Montana in West Texas,” Texas Tribune

Other articles:

• “U.S. citizen stopped in Lafayette, shackled, and detained in Louisiana ICE facility,” The Lens

• “Protesters clash with agents outside New Jersey ICE facility. Inside, detainees continue their hunger strike, attorneys say,” CNN; “US senator says he was pepper-sprayed by federal agents during protest at ICE facility,” Guardian

• “Pregnant woman from Ghana and her son are being detained at Dulles Airport,” ABC

• “Man shot by ICE in Central Valley charged with assaulting federal agents,” LA Times

• “Video Appears to Show ICE Agent Tasing Man Multiple Times Ahead of Bushwick Hospital Standoff,” The City

• “Videos Show Upstate Cops Calling Border Patrol on Drivers,” NY Focus

• “Bodycam video raises questions after Boston police arrest leads to ICE custody,” WBUR

• “Unauthorized ICE ‘wellness checks’ by police at Ohio schools draw outrage,” Guardian

• “She was deported without her toddler. Then ICE blamed her for his killing,” WaPo

• “They called 911 for help. Police sent them to ICE detention instead,” Miami Herald

• “Tucson DACA recipient detained after agents ‘aggressively’ enter home, family says,” Tucson

CULTURAL CONTROL

May 1: “Trump DOJ investigating 36 Illinois school districts over gender and sexuality curriculum,” CBS

May 4: “Department of Education opens investigation into Smith College for admitting trans women,” CNN

May 6: “EEOC sues New York Times, alleging discrimination against White male worker,” CBS

May 8: “ABC accuses Trump administration of violating free speech rights,” NBC; “Trump FCC warns all broadcasters to follow orders or be punished like ABC,” Ars Technica

May 8: “Press freedom groups challenge Larry Ellison’s reported promise to fire CNN anchors,” LA Times

May 15: “DOJ accuses Yale and UCLA medical schools of discriminating against white and Asian applicants,” STAT

May 22: “How Trump’s Culture War Derailed a New Smithsonian Museum,” Atlantic

May 26: “Paramount appears to sway DOJ staff on Warner Bros. takeover,” Semafor

May 26: “Justice Department sues UCLA for the third time, alleges antisemitism against students,” LA Times

May 29: “Research Funding Slows Again for Universities Targeted by White House,” NYT

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

• “The Trump administration is trying to divert $2 billion in global health funding to pay for USAID shutdown,” CNN

• “US to take steps to curb antidepressant prescribing, RFK Jr says,” Guardian

• “Why the FDA rejected a ‘breakthrough’ melanoma drug,” Scientific American

• “F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” NYT

• “Trump Taps Don Jr.’s 38-Year-Old Turkey-Hunting Pal to Lead FDA,” Rolling Stone

• “A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision,” NYT

• “GOP House rep’s wife to perform duties of U.S. surgeon general,” Hill

• “RFK Jr. fires two leaders of preventive health panel,” NPR

• “Babies Are Bleeding to Death as Parents Reject a Vitamin Shot Given at Birth,” ProPublica

• “Efforts to Contain Ebola May Have Been Hindered by Lack of U.S. Involvement: Aid cuts by the Trump administration have shut down crucial disease surveillance networks and medical supply chains in East Africa,” NYT

• “Trump admin shutting key US researchers out of global virus response talks, documents and sources reveal,” CNN

• “Vance announces suspension of $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California,” NBC

• “US freezes Medicare enrollments for new home healthcare and hospice providers,” Reuters

Two weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued their opinion in Louisiana v. Callais, gutting one of the few remaining mechanisms to protect the right to vote and enforce the promises of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. The ruling is undeniably seismic, but it is also one component in a decades-long project designed to make our elections less free, less fair, and less representative.

This is how the U.S. Supreme Court stole our democracy.

1976: Buckley v. Valeo

Ruling: Governmental restriction of independent expenditures in campaigns, the limitation on expenditures by candidates from their own personal or family resources, and the limitation on total campaign expenditures violate the First Amendment.

Impact: Allowed the extremely wealthy to spend unlimited money in support of or opposition to a candidate and paved the way for the future Citizens United ruling (by equating money with speech).

1980: City of Mobile v. Bolden

Ruling: The Fifteenth Amendment did not entail “the right to have Negro candidates elected”; only purposefully discriminatory denials of the freedom to vote on the basis of race demanded constitutional remedies

Impact: To prove a voting-related law was unconstitutional, plaintiffs have to prove that officials had intentionally discriminated against minorities, not just that a facially neutral policy had had a discriminatory effect.

1982: Nixon v. Fitzgerald

Ruling: The President “is entitled to absolute immunity from damages liability predicated on his official acts.”

Impact: Provided the president with “absolute immunity” to civil suits arising from official conduct, and laid the groundwork for Trump v. United States.

1985: FEC v. National Conservative PAC

Ruling: Governmental restriction of expenditures by political action committees (PACs) violate the First Amendment.

Impact: Allowed independent political action committees to spend an unlimited amount to support a presidential candidate, setting up the invention of modern Super PACs.

2004: Vieth v. Jubelirer

Ruling: Partisan gerrymandering claims are nonjusticiable until there is a discernible and manageable standard for “adjudicating political gerrymandering claims.”

Impact: Made it harder to bring claims of partisan gerrymandering in courts

2005: Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed to the Supreme Court

Roberts was confirmed by a Senate vote of 78–22.

2006: Purcell v. Gonzalez

Ruling: “Court orders affecting elections…can themselves result in voter confusion and consequent incentive to remain away from the polls. As an election draws closer, that risk will increase.”

Impact: Gave rise to the “Purcell Principle,” which is the idea that the courts should not change election rules too close to an election. However, in practice, the Supreme Court has invoked the principle only when politically convenient for the GOP (e.g., the court said 11 months was too close to an election to enact un-gerrymandered maps in Texas (Abbott v. LULAC) but allowed Louisiana to enact gerrymandered maps in the middle of an election, voiding casted votes (Louisiana v. Callais)).

2008: Crawford v. Marion County Election Board

Ruling: Voter ID laws are constitutional, reasoning that any burdens that arise are offset by the state’s interest in reducing fraud.

Impact: Allowed the proliferation of voter ID laws that disenfranchise low income, minority, elderly, and disabled voters, despite a lack of evidence of widespread voter fraud. Also rejected the long held idea that the costs associated with obtaining a specific form of ID (e.g., lost wages, transportation, fees for obtaining documents like birth certificate, etc.) amounted to a poll tax.

2010: Republican operatives launch REDMAP

Using new mapping software, GOP operatives assisted swing state Republican lawmakers in creating extreme gerrymanders to ensure their party gained and retained political control regardless of a lack of popular support. “He who controls redistricting can control Congress,” Karl Rove wrote in a WSJ column that year.

2010: Citizens United v. FEC

Ruling: Limiting independent expenditures on political campaigns by groups such as corporations, labor unions, or other collective entities violates the First Amendment because limitations constitute a prior restraint on speech.

Impact: Gave rise to Super PACs and unlimited outside spending in elections. Whereas outside spending in the 2004 and 2008 presidential cycles hovered around $500 million, by 2016 it had risen to $1.6 billion and in 2024 reached a record $4.46 billion.

2013: Shelby County v. Holder

Ruling: Section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act, containing the formula for federal preclearance, is unconstitutional.

Impact: By effectively abolishing federal preclearance, the court removed guardrails preventing states and localities from engaging in voter suppression. Numerous subsequent studies found that the ruling led to an increase in discriminatory voting practices, including the closure of polling places in African American communities, cuts to early voting, purges of voter rolls, and imposition of strict voter ID laws.

Morris and Miller (2026): “...once they were removed from the preclearance list, counties enacted policies whose cumulative effect was to disproportionately burden minority voters.”

2014: McCutcheon v. FEC

Ruling: Limits on contributions an individual can make over a two-year period to all national party and federal candidate committees are unconstitutional.

Impact: Again created a new pathway for the wealthy to wield an outsized influence politics and politicians.

2018: Abbott v. Perez

Ruling: State legislatures are entitled to a presumption of legislative good faith in redistricting cases; the challengers have the burden of proof when alleging that a state law was enacted with discriminatory intent

Impact: Made it harder to challenge gerrymandered maps by shifting the burden of proof in direct contradiction to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (which focused on the result of a voting-related law, not the intent).

2018: Husted v. Randolph Institute

Ruling: Purging infrequent voters from voter rolls is constitutional if combined with additional requirements (in this case, a mailed confirmation notice)

Impact: 22 states now have laws that initiate voter removal solely based on inactivity, creating a “use-it-or-lose-it” system for a foundational constitutional right.

2019: Rucho v. Common Cause

Ruling: Partisan gerrymandering claims are never justiciable because they present a political question beyond the reach of the federal courts

Impact: Eliminated federal lawsuits against partisan gerrymandering, making it nearly impossible to challenge maps in federal court

2021: Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee

Ruling: Laws invalidating ballots cast out of precinct and banning ballot collection do not violate the Voting Rights Act

Impact: More than 20 states now have laws limiting who can return a ballot for a voter (e.g., only the voter, only a spouse, only an immediate family member, etc.). Also limited the Voting Rights Act’s general provision barring discrimination against minorities in state and local election laws through the introduction of new means to review Section 2 challenges.

2022: FEC v. Ted Cruz for Senate

Ruling: Limits on the amount of money that candidates could be paid on personal loans to their campaign are unconstitutional violations of the First Amendment.

Impact: Allowed the wealthy to loan their campaigns unlimited funds and use post-election fundraising to pay themselves back in full (the previous limit was $250,000).

2024: Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP

Ruling: To prove unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, a plaintiff must show that race was the “predominant factor motivating the legislature’s decision to place a significant number of voters within or without a particular district.”

Impact: Made it more difficult to bring challenges to racial gerrymanders when partisanship and race correlate

2024: Trump v. United States

Ruling: The President has absolute immunity from prosecution for actions taken pursuant to his exclusive constitutional powers and at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts

Impact: Precluded criminal prosecution of President Trump for crimes committed during his first term, allowed him to run for a second term, and gave him carte blanche to commit countless crimes.

2026: Louisiana v. Callais

Ruling: Intentionally drawing districts predominantly on the basis of race (even if the result better represents the people), is unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment

Impact: Further limits when maps can be challenged under the Voting Rights Act by requiring that plaintiffs show that minority voters have less opportunity than others due to intentional discrimination rather than politics or other race-neutral factors. In other words, as long as a state says that redistricting was done based on politics and not race, majority-minority districts can be eliminated.

Where things stand now

Louisiana

• Immediately after the Callais ruling was released, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry declared a state of emergency and suspended the ongoing U.S. House primary elections in order to first redraw the majority-Black 6th district.

• The plaintiffs, which include lead plaintiff Bert Callais, an apparent participant in the Jan. 6 insurrection, filed a request that the U.S. Supreme Court expedite finalizing its ruling (normally there is a 32-day waiting period) so the state could begin drawing a new map. The conservative justices, unsurprisingly, agreed. Justice Jackson dissented: “The Court’s decision to buck our usual practice…is tantamount to an approval of Louisiana’s rush to pause the ongoing election in order to pass a new map.”

• Louisiana lawmakers met last Friday to begin revising the state’s congressional map, likely aiming to craft a map similar to the 2022 version deemed unconstitutional. If only the 6th District is altered to more reliably elect a white (presumably Republican) lawmaker, the state will have 1 out of 6 districts in which a Black majority can elect a representative of their choice. 1 out of 3 Louisiana residents is Black.

Tennessee

• Tennessee lawmakers repealed a 1972 law that prohibited mid-decade redistricting last Thursday.

• After carving up Nashville to eliminate a Democratic seat in 2022, the state had only one reliably Democratic seat left: the 9th District of Memphis. It is also the state’s only majority Black district. Last week, Republican lawmakers passed a new map that likewise eliminates the 9th District, creating a 9-0 Republican map.

• While in the midst of disenfranchising Black and Democratic voters, Tennessee lawmakers also eliminated the statutory requirement to notify voters of their new polling places in the new congressional districts.

Alabama

• Alabama lawmakers met during a tornado watch in a flooded building to pass legislation allowing for new U.S. House primaries if courts allow the state to use different congressional districts in this year’s elections. While Gov. Kay Ivey (R) mentioned reverting to a 6-1 Republican map similar to the 2023 version that the courts (including the U.S. Supreme Court) held was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander, Alabama’s lieutenant governor called for the legislature to gerrymander all Democratic seats out of existence.

• The U.S. Supreme Court granted Alabama’s request to vacate the earlier rulings that prevented Alabama from using its discriminatory map and sent the case back to the District Court for the Northern District of Alabama “for further consideration in light of Louisiana v. Callais.” Justices Sotomayor, Kagan, and Jackson dissented, writing that the District Court’s previous “constitutional finding of intentional discrimination is independent of, and unaffected by, any of the legal issues discussed in Callais.”

Mississippi

• Mississippi lawmakers plan to convene a special session to discuss redistricting in the Old Capitol building, where Mississippi lawmakers once implemented Jim Crow and voted to secede from the Union over slavery. However, the special session may be canceled after the 5th Circuit ruled that the racially-discriminatory state supreme court map they were going to redraw does not need to be changed in light of Callais.

• Mississippi State Auditor Shad White advocated for repurposing the special session to eliminate the state’s only majority-Black congressional district, held by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D).

Florida

• Five days after the Supreme Court released Callais, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a new 24-4 Republican congressional gerrymander into law. The map targets the majority-Latino District 9 seat currently held by Puerto Rican Rep. Darren Soto (D), turning it into a R +17 district.

South Carolina

• House lawmakers in South Carolina adopted a resolution to pass a new congressional gerrymander after the current session ends on May 14, planning to eliminate the largely Black and Democratic 6th District. However, Senate lawmakers could not muster the necessary two-thirds support to approve the measure.

Missouri

• The Missouri Supreme Court upheld the gerrymandered congressional map created by lawmakers last year, which eliminated the Democratic 5th district encompassing Kansas City. Voters had submitted 300,000 signatures to put a referendum to repeal the map on the 2026 ballot, but Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) stalled for months to allow the courts to independently approve the map.

Virginia

• Virginia voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing mid-decade congressional redistricting last month with 51.7% in favor. The new maps could have potentially shifted four of the state’s Republican-held seats to a Democratic candidate in an attempt to negate the GOP’s nationwide gerrymandering push.

• Virginia’s supreme court struck down the voter-approved plan in a 4-3 ruling, reasoning that Virginia Democrats did not start the process early enough in the election cycle.

• Virginia Democratic leaders have appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, seeking a stay of the state supreme court’s ruling. “By rejecting the plain text of the Virginia Constitution’s definition of the term ‘election’ to adopt its own contrary meaning,” they argue, “the Supreme Court of Virginia ‘transgressed the ordinary bounds of judicial review such that it arrogated to itself the power vested in the state legislature to regulate federal elections.’”

Over the course of April 2026, President Donald Trump accelerated his plans to cement his legacy, pursuing a series of highly personalized, unilateral initiatives that involved directing taxpayer funds to gaudy monuments and vanity projects reminiscent of scenes from North Korea.

Ballroom

“Trump Seeks to Justify Ballroom as Security Measure,” NYT; “Judge blocks above-ground construction of Trump’s White House ballroom,” CNBC; “DOJ asks judge to approve Trump ballroom, citing WHCA dinner attack,” Hill; “Appeals court allows Trump’s White House ballroom construction to continue into June,” NBC

“Trump’s ballroom design gets final OK from planning commission,” Politico; “Ballroom commission changed documents at White House’s request: Records show a staffer asked the commission to soften language about its own authority over the president’s project — and it complied,” WaPo

“White House Secures Foreign Steel for Ballroom Project: ArcelorMittal, a European steel maker, is donating tens of millions of dollars of foreign steel for President Trump’s new ballroom,” NYT

ArcelorMittal, a Luxembourg-based firm that is the world’s second-largest steel maker, is providing steel for the structure of the ballroom project…The White House has not disclosed details of the donation, but Mr. Trump said last October that he had been offered a donation of steel for the ballroom valued at $37 million. The president’s comments came just days before the White House made adjustments to its tariffs that could benefit ArcelorMittal, by cutting in half the tariffs applied to exports of automotive steel from its Canadian plant.

“The Trump administration’s contract governing hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to build President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom shields donors’ identities,” WaPo; “Firm Building Trump’s Ballroom Got a Secret No-Bid Contract for a Nearby Job: The National Park Service increased the value of the contract several times over and then awarded it to Maryland-based Clark Construction, in a process that experts said was highly unusual,” NYT

May update: “Republicans propose $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to secure Trump ballroom,” NBC

Presidential library

“‘Vegas hotel meets aerospace bling’: Trump’s presidential library plan is a gaudy, self-glorifying monstrosity,” Guardian

“Trump says his Miami presidential library tower will probably have a hotel, too,” Miami Herald

“Democrats ask what happened to millions earmarked for Trump’s library: ABC, Meta, Paramount and X reportedly agreed to pay at least $63 million in settlements with the president. The original fund was dissolved last year,” WaPo

Sen. Elizabeth Warren:

In new responses to U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Big Tech CEOs indicated that they have no public explanation for where as much as $63 million in settlement money to Donald Trump’s now-dissolved Presidential Library fund has gone. The lawmakers released these responses today and sent a new letter to President Donald Trump pressing for answers to solve the ongoing mystery of the missing millions. [...]

“The companies do not know or are unwilling to share their information about what happened to the millions of dollars given to the Fund,” wrote the lawmakers. “This leaves the public completely in the dark about what happened to the Fund, whether there was any money in it when it was dissolved, what happened to that money upon the Fund’s dissolution, and why a second entity with the same purpose as the Fund was created in the first place.”

Arch

“Trump’s 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ would loom over Potomac, new renderings show,” CNBC; “Trump appointees green-light his 250-foot ‘triumphal arch’ amid public backlash,” Yahoo

“Trump Will Fund New Archway With $15 Million From the National Endowment for the Humanities,” NOTUS

Other

“Trump to paint Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool ‘American flag blue’ — for $1.5M, not the $301M he says he was quoted,” Yahoo

“Trump eager to show off newest change to West Wing: The president’s black granite path is the latest change, following gold lettering, Oval Office gilding and a “Presidential Walk of Fame,” WaPo

“US will issue commemorative passports with Trump’s picture for America’s 250th birthday,” AP

“Trump fundraiser shares plans for ‘Garden of Heroes,’ golf course as takeover looms,” WaPo; “Watchdog group asks judge to halt Trump’s plan for East Potomac Golf Links,” WaPo

”Trump proposes covering [Eisenhower Executive Office] building’s gray stone facade with white paint,” CBS

“Trump’s home airport in Florida will now be named after him,” WaPo; “Inside Palm Beach County’s newly signed Trump trademark deal for airport renaming,” Miami Herald

MORE CORRUPTION

April 2: “Company backed by Trump sons looks to sell drone interceptors to Gulf states being attacked by Iran,” AP

April 4: “How Peace Envoy Steve Witkoff Got Richer Thanks To Trump And Elon Musk,” Forbes

April 6: “Supreme Court agrees to help Trump DOJ move to dismiss Steve Bannon’s contempt case,” MS Now

April 14: “Trump’s son Eric to join father’s state visit to China,” Reuters

April 14: “Ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows seeks reimbursement from DOJ for legal fees incurred in Trump-related probes,” CBS

April 17: “Trump’s lawyers say they’re ‘in discussions’ to resolve his $10B suit against the IRS,” ABC; “Judge orders Trump, DOJ to justify why president’s $10B IRS lawsuit should proceed,” ABC

April 19: “Syrian Billionaires Needed a Favor in Washington. They Invoked the Trump Name,” NYT

• As the Trump administration and Congress last year moved to repeal sanctions on Syria, the Qatar-based family that most stood to benefit was privately negotiating a real-estate partnership with Jared Kushner and proposing a Trump golf course in Syria.

April 22: “Justin Sun, one of the largest backers of World Liberty Financial, sued the Trump family’s crypto start-up, accusing it of a fraudulent scheme to pressure him into buying digital coins,” NYT; “Trump family’s crypto firm sues investor Justin Sun, escalating feud,” ABC

April 22: “Trump admin agrees to pay $1.25M to 2016 Trump adviser over surveillance,” Politico

April 23: “Eric Trump-Backed Startup Lands $24 Million Contract from His Father’s Administration,” People

April 23: “Trump to host bash for crypto investors tied to his coin sales,” Guardian

April 23: “DOJ arrests soldier who made $400,000 betting on Maduro’s removal,” ABC

April 27: “Trump’s Justice Department agrees to a second settlement with Michael Flynn,” MS Now

April 30: “Trump’s sons to take stake in Kazakh miner that won $1.6bn US backing,” Financial Times

April 30: “Trump Family-Backed Drone Firm Signs Weapons Deal with U.S.,” Bloomberg

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

April 2: “Trump doesn’t have to turn over presidential records, Justice Department says,” NBC

April 9: ““A Slap in the Face”: Trump’s DOJ Plans to Settle Predatory Lending Case Without Compensating Victims,” ProPublica

April 14: “DOJ moves to erase seditious conspiracy convictions of Oath Keepers, Proud Boys in Jan. 6 cases,” PBS

April 14: “Justice Department fires 4 prosecutors accused of bias against anti-abortion activists,” AP

April 16: “DNI Tulsi Gabbard sends criminal referral over Trump’s 2019 impeachment to Justice Department,” CNN

April 18: “Justice Department adds former Trump lawyer to investigation of Trump critic John Brennan,” CNN

April 21: “Southern Poverty Law Center indicted on charges that it fraudulently paid informants in extremist groups,” NBC; “F.B.I. Knew Civil Rights Group Informants Helped Bring Down Extremists, Lawyers Say,” NYT

April 22: “F.B.I. Said to Have Investigated Times Reporter After Article on Patel’s Girlfriend,” NYT

April 23: “Trump’s DOJ has cut thousands of law-enforcement jobs while vowing to get tough on crime,” Reuters; “Trump’s Justice Department Dropped 23,000 Criminal Investigations in Shift to Immigration,” ProPublica

April 24: “Trump targets Democratic fundraising powerhouse ActBlue with DOJ probe,” CNN

April 24: “Trump’s Justice Department is bringing back firing squads for federal executions,” CNN

April 28: “Months after Operation Metro Surge, federal agents return to Minneapolis to target daycares for suspected fraud,” CBS

April 28: “James Comey indicted over seashell photo that officials say threatened Trump,” NBC

April 28: “Former Fauci adviser indicted for allegedly concealing communications related to COVID-19 research,” AP

April 29: “Justice Department moves to roll back gun regulations as Senate confirms new ATF chief,” NBC

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND FOREIGN POLICY

March 31: “Hegseth exonerates helicopter crews over Kid Rock flyby, nullifying Army probe,” WaPo

April 1: “Trump says he is ‘absolutely’ considering withdrawing US from Nato,” Guardian

April 2: “Hegseth Fires Army Chief Amid Battle With Its Leaders,” NYT; “Three Generals Ousted as Pentagon Shakeup Hits War Command,” Military.com

Mr. Hegseth has also clashed in recent months with General George and Mr. Driscoll over the defense secretary’s decision to block the promotion of four Army officers to be one-star generals.

Two of the officers targeted by Mr. Hegseth are Black and two are women on a promotion list that consisted of 29 other officers, most of whom are white men. Mr. Hegseth’s highly unusual decision to remove the officers prompted some senior military officials to question whether they were being singled out because of their race or gender, officials said.

April 2: “Hegseth has intervened in military promotions for more than a dozen senior officers,” NBC

April 3: “Hegseth says he will allow troops to take personal weapons onto military bases,” PBS

April 8: “Automatic registration for US military draft to begin in December,” Hill

April 15: “Defense Department Nixes Union Contracts for 300,000 Workers,” Bloomberg

April 15: “Pentagon ramps up planning for possible military ops in Cuba,” USA Today

April 17: “The 27-Year-Old Diplomat Waging Trump’s Cultural War With Europe: Five years out of college, Samuel Samson has driven the Trump administration’s push to upend America’s postwar relationship with Europe,” NYT

April 20: “Mexico’s Sheinbaum demands explanation after U.S. officials die assisting in operation in Chihuahua,” PBS; “U.S. Personnel Who Died in Mexico Were Working for the CIA, Sources Say,” Intercept

April 21: “Flu vaccine requirement discarded ‘effective immediately,’ Hegseth says,” Military Times

April 22: “Pete Hegseth fires U.S. Navy Secretary John Phelan,” Axios; “Trump’s Dreams for a Battleship Led to His Navy Secretary’s Ouster: The Navy secretary, John Phelan, was supposed to deliver the first of the president’s ships by 2028. The timeline was nearly impossible.” NYT

• “Trump’s new Navy secretary seems very afraid of witches and drag queens,” Advocate

April 27: “Hegseth and Kid Rock went ‘for a ride’ with Army helicopter pilots weeks after previous Apache incident sparked criticism,” CNN

April 28: “Military Quietly Accelerates Boat Strikes, Deploying More Aircraft,” NYT

April 30: “Trump Threatens to Withdraw U.S. Troops From Italy and Spain as Europe Rift Widens,” Time

April 30: “Trump administration says its war in Iran has been ‘terminated’ before 60-day deadline,” AP

IMMIGRATION

April 1: “Border Patrol chief Michael Banks hit with prostitution allegations by agents,” Washington Examiner

April 2: “Uganda receives first US deportation flight under third-country agreement,” Guardian

April 7: “Video undermines ICE account of officer shooting a man in Minneapolis,” Guardian

April 7: “Body cameras show moments after federal agent shot into man’s car in D.C.: D.C. police did not initially mention the gunfire by the Homeland Security officer in a report on the October incident,” WaPo

April 7: “ICE agents shoot man in car in northern California,” Guardian; “New witness saw ICE shooting in California, provides dashcam video,” KTVU; “Man shot seven times by ICE agents indicted in alleged assault on federal officers,” KTVU

April 10: “Surprise inspection finds ICE stuffing migrants ‘like sardines’ into a facility with no bed, showers,” AZ Mirror

April 10: “US has let in 4,499 refugees since October - all but three were South African,” BBC; “Trump poised to expand refugee program for white South Africans,” Reuters

April 10: “Judge Denies Stay on Alleged ‘Fast-Track’ Somali Asylum Policy,” Bloomberg

April 13: “Alligator Alcatraz phones were cut off. Then the beatings began, court docs say,” Miami Herald; “Inside Alligator Alcatraz, Wasserman Schultz finds men crammed in cages, smell of urine, inadequate food,” Orlando Sentinel; “Florida’s Notorious “Alligator Alcatraz” Can Remain Open, Court Rules,” Mother Jones

April 13: “[Immigration] Judges fired after blocking deportation of pro-Palestinian students,” Guardian

• “One of Minnesota’s most unhinged right-wing posters is the state’s newest immigration judge,” Minnesota Reformer; “Trump officials hire ‘deportation judges’ with less training, experience: Hires include an attorney for Jan. 6 rioters and a lawyer who championed Minneapolis ICE raids,” WaPo

April 14: “Appeals court orders judge to end contempt investigation of deportation flights,” PBS

April 15: “Amid quarrel with pope, Trump strips Miami charity of funding to house migrant kids,” Miami Herald

April 17: “About 15 Latin American people deported to Congo by the U.S.,” PBS; “’We don’t know what will happen to us’: U.S. deportees in limbo in DRC,” NPR

• “Trump Is Said to Be in Talks to Send Afghans Who Aided U.S. Forces to Congo,” NYT

April 21: “Paraguay plans to accept 25 third-country migrant deportees from US,” Al Jazeera

April 23: “Justice Dept. Targets Hundreds of Citizens in New Push for Denaturalization,” NYT

Deaths in detention

April 1: Tuan Van Bui, a 55-year-old man originally from Vietnam, died at the Miami Correctional Center in Bunker Hill, Indiana. DHS claims the cause of death was heart disease.

April 11: Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, a 49-year-old man from Mexico, died at the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. Cause of death is unknown.

April 12: Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt, a 27-year-old man from Cuba, died at the Federal Detention Center in Miami, Florida. DHS claims the cause of death was suicide.

April 28: Denny Adan Gonzalez, a 33-year-old man from Cuba, died at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. DHS claims the cause of death was suicide.

Other articles

• “Unmasking the Paramilitary Agents Behind Trump’s Violent Immigration Crackdown ,” Wired

• “3-year-old immigrant was sexually abused in federal custody, lawsuit alleges,” NBC

• “She Helped the Authorities Deport Her Abuser. Then They Deported Her Back to Him,” Mother Jones

• “ICE Has Arrested Dozens of Delivery Drivers at the Gates of a San Diego Military Base,” Capital & Main

• “ICE inspectors finds 49 standards violations at Camp East Montana,” El Paso Times

• “Second Venezuelan Doctor Detained in South Texas by Immigration Agents,” NYT

• “Texas immigration court interpreter detained by ICE says ‘they want to make me disappear’,” Guardian

• “Death of a refugee left at a Buffalo doughnut shop by Border Patrol is ruled a homicide,” AP

• “President of Wisconsin’s largest mosque detained by US immigration agents,” Guardian

• “ICE Agents Detain Newlywed Spouse of Soldier Training to Deploy,” NYT

• “ICE Arrests 85-Year-Old French Widow Who Married Her G.I. Sweetheart: After Marie-Thérèse Ross-Mahé’s husband died, an inheritance battle exploded. Her stepson then used his influence to have her arrested,” NYT

• “‘Hidden Truth’: NYC Landlords Allegedly Use ICE Threats to Intimidate Immigrant Tenants,” Documented NY

CULTURAL CONTROL

April 1: “Federal judge orders Penn to turn over information on Jewish staffers as part of [federal] discrimination investigation,” WHYY; Update: “Judge Delays Order to Force Penn to Turn Over List of Jews on Campus,” NYT

April 6: “Paramount Secures Agreements For Gulf State Funds To Back WBD Acquisition,” Deadline, “Paramount, In Request For FCC Funding OK, Notes It Will Be 49.5% Foreign-Owned After WBD Merger,” Deadline

April 8: “FCC’s Brendan Carr Goes After CNN, Wants ‘Accountability’ for Iran Coverage,” Military.com

April 17: “Federal Court Temporarily Freezes Nexstar’s Merger With Tegna,” NYT

April 22: “Trump’s FCC weighs whether to flag shows with trans or non-binary ‘programming’,” Guardian

April 24: “Pentagon fires Stars and Stripes’s independence watchdog,” The Hill

April 24: “Paramount Throws Party for Trump as It Awaits Approval of Warner Bros. Deal,” NYT; “David Ellison Held Dinner Party “Honoring” Trump Where President Gave Hour-Long Remarks,” Hollywood Reporter

April 24: “Nearly One-Third of Faculty in Red States Say They’ve Censored Their Research,” Chronicle

April 28: “Trump administration challenges ABC station licenses amid Kimmel controversy,” CNN

ENVIRONMENT

April 1: “The Trump EPA Official in Charge of Methane Regulations Helped Write an Oil Industry Argument Against Those Rules,” ProPublica

April 2: “Trump administration orders dismantling of the U.S. Forest Service,” Hatch

• “The Trump Administration Is Killing The U.S. Forest Service So It Can Also Kill U.S. Forests,” Defector

April 15: “Interior Department crafted talking points for public lands sell-off agenda,” High Country News

April 16: “Republicans deployed a little-known law to open Minnesota wilderness to mining,” Grist

April 27: “How the Trump Administration Ended Independent Science at the E.P.A.” NYT

April 27: “Trump administration to pay 2 more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases,” AP

April 28: “Trump Administration Expands “Emergency” Logging to Majority of National Forest Lands, Raising Oversight Concerns,” PEER

April 30: “Trump Bulldozed a 1,000-Year-Old Archaeological Site to Make Room for a Second Border Wall,” Intercept

OTHER AGENCIES

April 1: “C.D.C. Pauses Testing for Rabies and Pox Viruses,” NYT

April 6: “Trump’s VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it,” NPR

April 8: “Treasury is creating a database with pandemic aid recipients’ sensitive information,” Next Gov

April 9: “CDC delays publishing report showing covid vaccine benefits,” WaPo

April 9: “Cash-strapped US Postal Service suspends contributions to pension plan,” Reuters

April 10: “Appeals court removes limits on DOGE access to SSA data despite ‘alarming’ revelations,” Next Gov

April 14: “Government Workers Say They’re Getting Inundated With Religion,” Wired

April 15: “Labor Dept. Investigates Texts Among Secretary’s Family and Staff,” NYT; “Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is leaving Trump’s Cabinet after abuse of power allegations,” AP

April 21: “Trump consumer finance watchdog ends key civil rights-era anti-discrimination protection,” Reuters

April 22: “CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits,” WaPo

April 24: “Nearly 3.7 Million People at Risk of Losing Needed Rental Assistance to Harsh Time Limit and Work Requirement Proposal,” CBPP

April 25: “AIDS Creeps Back in Parts of Zambia, a Year After U.S. Cuts to H.I.V. Assistance,” NYT; “The Trump Administration Is Blackmailing Vulnerable Countries into Giving Us Rare Minerals,” Esquire

April 27: “Trump administration fires independent board overseeing the National Science Foundation,” AP

April 27: “Employment Agency Pushes Discrimination Cases That Match Trump’s Agenda,” NYT

April 27: “CDC delay of infant hepatitis B shot likely to raise infections, studies show,” WaPo

April 30: “Trump administration ends funding for fentanyl test strips, baffling public health groups: ‘It doesn’t make sense’,” CBS

GENDER AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

April 8: “Trump’s Personnel Agency Is Asking for Federal Workers’ Medical Records,” KFF

April 9: “Trump administration shifts focus of Title X program away from birth control,” NBC

April 14: “DOJ report said the Biden administration unfairly targeted anti-abortion activists,” 19th News

April 14: “The EEOC Is No Longer Protecting Federal Workers From Gender Identity Discrimination,” Nation

April 22: “The Trump Admin Wants To Test Drinking Water For Abortion And Birth Control Pills,” HuffPost

April 24: “The FTC Is Ramping Up to Target Transgender Rights,” Wired

April 27: “HUD aims to roll back protections for trans people in federally funded housing, shelters,” Prism

Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean

Despite the diversion of U.S. equipment, weapons, and personnel to the Middle East, Trump’s war on alleged “narco-terrorists” in the waters around Central and South America has intensified. In the past month alone, the military has carried out six strikes on boats in the Pacific Ocean and two strikes on vessels in the Caribbean, killing a combined 22-23 people (one person survived, but there is no indication that they were rescued).

The increase in strikes reflects a surge of attack aircraft sent to U.S. bases in El Salvador and Puerto Rico in recent weeks, according to the New York Times:

In the past few weeks, the military has without public notice increased the number of secret fixed-wing attack aircraft and armed MQ-9 Reaper drones operating from bases in El Salvador and Puerto Rico, allowing the military to accelerate the strikes, the two people said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discussion [sic] operational matters. [...]

Before the increase in aircraft, a suspected drug boat might have had a 50 percent chance of evading the military, the military official said. Now that is down to about 25 percent, said the official, who declined to describe how the military determines which boats to sink and which to allow the Coast Guard to board and seize — as it has done for decades with drug traffickers.

As must be stressed every time: there is no evidence that the people killed in these strikes are drug traffickers, nor would they face the death penalty if they were. And there is mounting evidence that at least some were not engaged in any kind of criminal activity at all; they were just average fishermen trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Last week, the Guardian tracked down survivors of one of the attacks (it is not clear which strike, as the U.S. military never acknowledged the incident) who described being bombed, kidnapped, and abandoned in El Salvador by American forces:

A group of Ecuadorian fishers have described how they were attacked in a double drone strike and then detained at gunpoint by soldiers on a US-flagged patrol vessel, in a rare first-hand account by victims of Donald Trump’s militarized campaign against alleged drug-trafficking boats off South America. [...]

The first drone strike hit the bow of the boat, and the second hit the antenna, knocking out all communications, he said. Debris from the explosion raked through the crew. One of the fishers, Erick Fabricio Coello Saltos, 27, said his hearing and his vision were both damaged in the blast. “When I heard an explosion, my eardrums ruptured terribly ... I was covered in blood from the shrapnel,” he told Radio Contacto.

The fishers claim drones continued to circle overhead after the blasts, leaving them fearing another strike. Mobile phone footage of the aftermath of the attack shows the terrified crew huddled at the stern of the ship, with an alarm sounding as one of them waves a white shirt. One man appears to be wiping blood from his nose.

Shortly afterwards, the crew say they were approached by a US patrol boat, and were ordered to board. Palacios says that when the crew were onboard the patrol vessel, their phones were confiscated and most photos and videos of the attacks wiped.

Once the men were on the patrol boat, the US personnel boarded the fishing boat and stole the crew’s food and the beer, Palacios said. When Palacios looked back at the Don Maca, it was already in flames. “We saw the ship burn,” he said.

The crew of the patrol boat spoke English to each other, and used a translator to address the Ecuadorians. “From the moment we arrived on the US patrol boat, they were pointing guns at us, shouting: ‘Get in, get in,’” said Palacios, 54. “They handcuffed us, put hoods over our heads and pushed us around. We were terrified they were going to kill us.”

According to the crew’s account, they were held for several hours by the US vessel before being transferred to a Salvadorian patrol boat and, after several more days at sea, eventually to El Salvador, where they were taken to a military base and questioned. Later they were handed over to immigration authorities and taken to a UN shelter.

Drop Site News also interviewed a different group of Ecuadorian fishermen who similarly allege that the U.S. military bombed, kidnapped, and abandoned them in El Salvador weeks earlier.

Ecuador

Did the U.S. just bomb Ecuador? That’s the impression Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth seemed eager to create last month when he posted “we are bombing Narco Terrorists on land as well” alongside video of airstrikes on a building in the jungle. “At the request of Ecuador, the Department of War executed targeted action to advance our shared objective of dismantling narco-terrorist networks,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell wrote in the quoted post.

So far, no reports confirmed that U.S. troops directly participated in the airstrikes. Anonymous sources told the New York Times that the American military only provided intelligence to Ecuadorian forces, guiding them to their target. One anonymous official said the U.S. also provided a helicopter. As Just Security explained, Ecuador’s government may have its own reasons to obscure U.S. involvement: voters there recently rejected foreign military bases in a national referendum. Alternatively, Hegseth may simply be inflating America’s role in an attempt to bolster his “warfighter” ethos.

Regardless, even if the Department of Defense provided only the most minor of assistance — intelligence and logistics — it appears that the United States may have directed Ecuadorian forces to bomb not a drug trafficking center, but a civilian dairy farm.

Workers on the farm told The Times that Ecuadorean soldiers arrived by helicopter on March 3, doused several shelters and sheds with gasoline and ignited them after interrogating workers and beating four of them with the butts of their guns. Three of the workers, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation by the government, said the soldiers later choked and subjected them to electrical shocks before letting them go.

Village residents said Ecuadorean helicopters returned to the farm three days later, on March 6, and appeared to drop explosives on the farm’s smoldering remains. It was at that point, they said, that Ecuadorean soldiers recorded the footage that U.S. and Ecuadorean officials said captured the bombing of a traffickers’ compound. [...]

The dairy farm’s owner, Miguel, said he bought the 350-acre farm about six years ago for $9,000, growing it to more than 50 cows used for milk and meat. [...] As Miguel stood in the rubble, he denied that his farm was used as a training camp, and said he was baffled by the military’s decision to bomb the property. He fought back tears as he explained what was there before: two wooden shelters, an outpost to make cheese, sheds for his equipment. The horse paddock was spared, but the chicken coop was gone. [...]

The Alliance for Human Rights, a coalition of groups in Ecuador, filed a 13-page complaint with the Ecuadorean authorities and the United Nations, claiming that the military’s actions were attacks on a civilian population. “There isn’t a single public official who has come to verify what happened,” said María Espinosa, a human rights lawyer.

Somalia

U.S. military operations in Somalia are not new, but they have expanded significantly under Trump. Airstrikes targeting ISIS-linked groups and an al-Qaeda affiliate called Al-Shabaab are now occurring at a pace that exceeds previous administrations, with 2026 on track to set a new record. In the first four months of the year alone, strikes have averaged one every two days.

Official U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) press releases rarely address how many targets were killed, let alone if any civilians were killed. Consequently, it is impossible to gauge the efficacy and accuracy of the strikes.

For example, the following is a relatively detailed U.S. press release about a Sept. 13, 2025 airstrike in Somalia:

In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) conducted airstrikes targeting an al Shabaab weapons dealer on Sept. 13, 2025.

The airstrikes occurred in the vicinity of Badhan, Somalia.

AFRICOM, alongside the Federal Government of Somalia and Somali Armed Forces, continues to take action to degrade al Shabaab’s ability to threaten the U.S. homeland, our forces, and our citizens abroad.

Specific details about units and assets will not be released to ensure continued operations security.

Local Somali media reported that the man who was killed was a “prominent clan elder” (more information) who facilitated mediation and conflict resolution in the region:

Security officials in Somalia’s Puntland region have strongly condemned an airstrike that killed a prominent clan elder on Saturday in the Jiicanyo area, part of Ceel-buh district in the eastern Sanaag region. According to Aden Ahmed Ali, the Police Commander for Sanaag Region, a military aircraft fired three missiles at a vehicle carrying Elder Omar Abdullahi Abdi Ibrahim on Saturday afternoon.

“Yesterday afternoon, residents of Urur and Jiicanyo alerted police about an aerial bombardment along the road between Ceel-buh and Badhan. When we arrived at the site, we found the elder’s vehicle and his body completely burned,” Commander Ali told reporters. “Further investigation confirmed that the victim, who was alone in a RAAF-type vehicle, was targeted by three missiles launched from a military aircraft.” [...]

Security sources noted that the elder had recently been in Bosaso, Puntland’s commercial capital, where he participated in a series of consultations between government officials and community leaders from the Sanaag and Haylaan regions.

Was Omar Abdullahi Abdi Ibrahim an Al-Shabaab weapons dealer, or did the U.S. unilaterally murder a keystone of Somali society without evidence of him being a combatant? We will likely never know because the government only has to cast the strike as part of a “counterterrorism” operation to avoid all questions. But when the Commander in Chief has made reams of racist and eugenicist remarks maligning Somalia and the Somali people, should we not question the purpose of a 1,000+% increase in airstrikes when Trump took power last year?

Yemen

In February 2025, the Trump administration rolled back constraints on military commanders, removing the requirement that high-ranking officers obtain White House approval to fire on “official terrorist” designees. Roughly two weeks later, the Department of Defense used the new rule to embark on an eight week bombing campaign of the Houthis in Yemen.

The operation, developed by Gen. Michael Kurilla, originally consisted of an 8-10 month bombing campaign to take out Houthi air defenses, followed by “targeted assassinations modeled on Israel’s recent operation against Hezbollah.” Trump backed the plan after Saudi officials provided a target list of 12 Houthi senior leaders whose deaths, they said, would cripple the movement.

Trump reportedly cut the mission short, however, due to mounting American losses — the Houthis shot down seven American MQ-9 drones ($30 million a piece) and two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets ($67 million each) fell from an aircraft carrier into the Red Sea — and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s escalating “Signalgate” controversy (wherein Hegseth and other top Trump appointees discussed sensitive and classified intelligence about the military operations in Yemen).

All told, the U.S. bombing of Yemen killed at least 224 civilians, nearly doubling the civilian casualty toll in Yemen by U.S. actions since 2002, according to the non-profit Airwars.

One of the deadliest incidents occurred on April 28, 2025, when an airstrike hit an immigration detention center in Saada, killing at least 68 detained African migrants and wounding 47 others. The detention center reportedly used to be used as military barracks years ago, suggesting that U.S. forces relied on outdated intelligence to target the airstrikes (and foreshadowing the deadly U.S. strike on the girl’s school in Iran in 2026).

Nigeria

On December 25, 2025, the U.S. military conducted airstrikes against Islamic State-affiliates in northwestern Nigeria. Very little about the operation has been made public; reports indicate that while some militants were killed, other strikes may have hit civilian areas, including homes and farmland.

Just as murky is the reasoning for the strikes. President Trump declared that the Christmas Day bombing campaign was aimed at stopping “Christian genocide” by “radical Islamists.” However, experts and residents say armed groups target civilians regardless of faith:

“They don’t ask you whether you are a Muslim or a Christian,” 32-year-old Abdulmalik Saidu said of the gunmen regularly stalking his northwestern state, Zamfara. “All they want is just money from you. (Even) if you have money, sometimes they will kill you.”

Saidu, a Muslim, said his brother was shot dead during a kidnapping operation along a major highway, and the family never recovered his body, for fear of attacks. In Kaduna, an imam told AP that he’s lost a grandson, cousin and brother, and his family has been displaced twice due to violence. Other religious leaders say mosques have been destroyed, people have fled, and desperate Muslims — like their Christian neighbors — have been forced to sell goods and belongings for ransom.

“The kind of pain we’ve gone through for the past years — this issue affects both faiths,” said the imam, Idris Ishaq.

According to the New York Times, Christian activists have spent years trying to convince the American government that Nigeria was failing to address the persecution of Christians. After failing to persuade President Joe Biden’s administration to take direct action, they found a more receptive audience in Trump’s Christian nationalist circle:

Armed with gruesome anecdotes and shocking but in some cases unreliable data on the number of Nigerian Christians killed for their faith, two dozen activists from groups dedicated to exposing Christian persecution around the world, such as the international organization Aid to the Church in Need, pursued various Trump officials.

[...]anti-persecution groups secured the meeting with Trump officials near the White House just as Republicans were gathering for the annual Conservative Political Action Conference. Sitting at the grand wooden table, they outlined their concerns to Sebastian Gorka, the National Security Council’s senior director for counterterrorism, who has falsely argued that violence is a fundamental part of Islam.

Sean Nelson [of Alliance Defending Freedom], another attendee, spoke at a “Christian Persecution Summit” at CPAC the next day. He argued that putting Nigeria back on the Country of Particular Concern list would pressure the nation into taking action to protect Christians. “They value our economic relationship, they value the security assistance that we provide,” Mr. Nelson said of Nigerian officials.

The next day, on Oct. 31, Mr. Trump took to Truth Social to announce that he had officially put Nigeria back on the list, and then a short while later he posted that he had ordered the Pentagon to begin planning potential military action. “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet,” he wrote.

Case in point: Trump’s war with Iran. Over the past six weeks, the president has openly threatened to commit war crimes against a sovereign nation unless they meet his vaguely defined demands within a constantly shifting timeline. His ultimatums to Iran regarding the Strait of Hormuz tell the story plainly:

• March 21: 48 hours

• March 23: 5 days

• March 26: 10 days

• March 30: immediately

• April 4: 48 hours

• April 5: Tuesday

• April 7: 2 weeks

• April 12: blockade

This is not a negotiating strategy. It is not deterrence. It is chaos.

Trump’s statements

March 3: “If necessary, the United States Navy will begin escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, as soon as possible. No matter what, the United States will ensure the FREE FLOW of ENERGY to the WORLD.”

March 9: “If Iran does anything that stops the flow of Oil within the Strait of Hormuz, they will be hit by the United States of America TWENTY TIMES HARDER than they have been hit thus far.”

March 13: “I have chosen NOT to wipe out the Oil Infrastructure on the Island. However, should Iran, or anyone else, do anything to interfere with the Free and Safe Passage of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz, I will immediately reconsider this decision.”

March 13: Q: “When will the Navy start escorting tankers through the Strait of Hormuz?” TRUMP: “It will happen soon.”

March 14: “Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.”

March 14: “The United States of America has beaten and completely decimated Iran, both Militarily, Economically, and in every other way, but the Countries of the World that receive Oil through the Hormuz Strait must take care of that passage, and we will help — A LOT!”

March 16: Trump on countries that will help keep the Strait of Hormuz open: “We’ll be announcing them. I have to tell you, we have some that are really enthusiastic. They’re coming already. They’ve already started to. We’ll give you a list.”

March 17: Q: What progress have you made in getting America’s allies to assist the US in escorting those oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz? TRUMP: Well, we don’t need too much help. We don’t need any help, actually. In fact we just put out a notice.

March 20: “Without the U.S.A., NATO IS A PAPER TIGER! …they complain about the high oil prices they are forced to pay, but don’t want to help open the Strait of Hormuz, a simple military maneuver that is the single reason for the high oil prices.”

March 20: “The Hormuz Strait will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it — The United States does not!”

March 21: “If Iran doesn’t FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS…”

March 23: “[The Strait] will be jointly controlled.”

March 23: “...I HAVE INSTRUCTED THE DEPARTMENT OF WAR TO POSTPONE ANY AND ALL MILITARY STRIKES AGAINST IRANIAN POWER PLANTS AND ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE FOR A FIVE DAY PERIOD…”

March 26: “The amazing thing is we don’t need the Hormuz Strait. We don’t need it. We don’t need it at all. We have so much oil. Our country is not affected by this.”

March 26: “As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time.”

March 30: “...if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately “Open for Business,” we will conclude our lovely “stay” in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!)”

April 1: “We will consider [a ceasefire] when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!!”

April 3: “With a little more time, we can easily OPEN THE HORMUZ STRAIT, TAKE THE OIL, & MAKE A FORTUNE.”

April 4: “Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT. Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them. Glory be to GOD!”

April 5: “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

April 6: “What about us charging tolls? I’d rather do that. Why shouldn’t we? We’re the winner. We won.”

April 7: “...subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

April 8: “...the Strait of Hormuz WILL BE OPEN & SAFE.”

April 9: “There are reports that Iran is charging fees to tankers going through the Hormuz Strait — They better not be and, if they are, they better stop now!”

April 9: “Iran is doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz. That is not the agreement we have!”

April 10: “[The Strait] will open up automatically…If we just left, the Strait is gonna [open], otherwise they’d make no money. So the Strait is gonna open…It won’t be easy. I will say this: we will have that open fairly soon. You don’t need a backup plan.”

April 11: “The Strait of Hormuz will soon be open, and the empty ships are rushing to the United States to ‘load up.’”

April 12: “Effective immediately, the United States Navy, the Finest in the World, will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz…I have also instructed our Navy to seek and interdict every vessel in International Waters that has paid a toll to Iran. No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas.”

In February 2026, the Washington Post reported that pro-Trump activists have been circulating a draft executive order (EO) that claims the president could declare a national emergency to take control of states’ voting rules and regulations. According to the article, the draft order seen by the Post specified Chinese interference in the 2020 election as the basis for declaring a national emergency. However, a different version of the EO published by Democracy Docket is far more vague, referring only to “persons located, in whole or in part, outside the United States…assisted by certain domestic accomplices” who exploited vulnerabilities in election infrastructure.

There are indications that the Trump administration may be attempting to build a legal foundation for invoking such an order by seeking evidence it could characterize as foreign interference:

• Last year, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard seized voting machines from Puerto Rico, allegedly investigating whether Venezuela interfered in the 2020 election. Her office claims to have found “extensive use of cellular modems throughout the voting system architecture that actively connected to cellular networks outside of the United States.”

• Earlier this year, FBI agents raided the Fulton County elections warehouse in Georgia, seizing physical ballots from the 2020 election, all ballot images, and Fulton County’s 2020 voter rolls. DNI Gabbard was photographed at the scene of the raid but has not publicly explained her presence.

Who is involved

The primary architect of the draft EO is Peter Ticktin, an 80-year-old lawyer who has been suspended twice from the Florida bar. More recently, he represented former Republican county clerk Tina Peters, who was sentenced to nine years in Colorado prison for attempting to tamper with election equipment, and has advocated for pardons for January 6th insurrectionists.

Separately, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorney Cleta Mitchell, who took part in Trump’s attempt to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, have met with White House and Department of Homeland Security officials to promote the draft EO.

What the draft EO would (claim to) do

1. Require proof of citizenship in order to vote

2. Require states to erase then recreate their voter rolls, with all citizens required to re-register in person

3. Require mandatory annual online re-registration

4. Limit mail voting to “excuse-only” absentee (i.e., a voter must provide a reason to vote absentee like a “confirmed medical condition” or “verified travel”)

5. Require all absentee ballots to be notarized by a notary

6. Prohibit all ballot drop boxes

7. Require the hand counting of all ballots

8. Federalize all post-election disputes (i.e., federal, not state, courts must hear challenges)

9. Mandate that any court case in which a state(s) challenges the draft EO must be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court immediately

Many of these provisions would face significant constitutional challenges. However, similar legal concerns have not necessarily prevented Trump from advancing his interests before. Given that context, it is worth examining areas where related efforts already appear to be underway: proof-of-citizenship requirements and undermining mail voting.

Proof of citizenship

Trump’s March 2025 executive order directed the Election Assistance Commission to add a proof-of-citizenship requirement to the national voter registration form and instructed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review each state’s voter registration list for noncitizen voters.

• A federal judge blocked the former provision, finding that “the President has no constitutional duty to prescribe the content of election regulation,” and numerous judges ruled that states have no obligation to comply with the latter provision (though at least a dozen have voluntarily complied).

Trump’s March 2026 executive order directed, in part, that DHS compile a list of individuals confirmed to be United States citizens and transmit this list of approved voters to each state.

• A coalition of civil rights organizations and a slate of Democratic-led states have filed lawsuits challenging the 2026 executive order.

The SAVE Act

Trump has put immense pressure on Republicans in Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require voters to present proof of citizenship — defined as a valid passport, a certified birth certificate, or a naturalization certificate — in person to register to vote or update their voting information. While the House has passed the bill multiple times, it lacks sufficient support in the Senate to overcome a filibuster.

At the state level, several Republican-led states have enacted similar laws:

Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Florida SAVES Act into law last week, mandating that Florida voters provide proof of citizenship before their voter registration is considered valid.

Mississippi: Gov. Tate Reeves signed the SHIELD Act into law around the same time, requiring the MS Secretary of State to verify every voter’s citizenship by running the entire voter roll book through DHS’s SAVE program every year. Any voter whose information cannot be verified must provide proof of citizenship to the state.

South Dakota: Gov. Larry Rhoden signed the South Dakota SAVE Act into law last month, requiring newly registered voters to show proof of citizenship in order to vote in state and local elections.

Utah: Gov. Spencer Cox signed HB 209 into law last month, requiring proof of citizenship to vote in state and local elections.

As Republicans across the country attempt to mandate proof of citizenship in order to vote, the Trump administration is actively making it more difficult for Americans to access the most common form of citizenship-verifying documentation. Over the last few months, the U.S. State Department has begun ordering non-profit libraries to cease issuing passports as part of the Passport Acceptance Facility program.

The American Library Association estimates about 1,400 mostly non-profit public libraries nationwide could potentially be affected, or about 15% of all public libraries, depending on how many offer passport services…Public libraries are organized differently in each state. In Pennsylvania 85% of public libraries are non-profit organizations, versus being a department of a local municipal government. In Maine, it’s 56%; Rhode Island, 54%, New York, 47% and Connecticut, 46%, according to the American Library Association.

Mail voting

The USPS

Trump’s March 2026 executive order ordered the United States Postal Service (USPS) to create a list of voters eligible to vote by mail in each state and only allow ballots to be mailed/delivered to people on the list. The EO contained no details on who would be approved to vote by mail, leading to the natural suspicion that the Trump administration would generate lists that contain a higher proportion of conservative than liberal voters.

Meanwhile, the USPS is on track to run out of funding just before the midterm elections despite purported cost cutting measures by two successive Trump appointees, Louis DeJoy and current Postmaster David Steiner. One of their schemes to save money involved consolidating mail processing in regional centers — meaning that mail dropped off at a local post office is now transported up to hundreds of miles to a major hub where it is processed, postmarked, and sent back to the local post office for delivery.

The most immediate effect of this policy is that mail, including ballots, take longer to be delivered. Consequently, the USPS also issued a new rule changing the meaning of postmark. Where previously a postmark indicated the date a piece of mail had been received by the USPS (i.e., when the sender deposited the piece of mail), a postmark now reflects the date that the item has been transported to a regional hub and processed by the USPS. Voters in states that determine the validity of mail ballots by postmark date will therefore have to send their ballots many days earlier than the “postmark deadline” in order to ensure it will be counted. Anyone who drops their ballot in the mail on Election Day, as they always have done, will risk being disenfranchised as their ballot won’t be postmarked in most cases until at least a day later.

• Even before the new USPS postmark rule officially took effect, California election officials noted that a general slowdown in mail processing and delivery resulted in four times as many late-arriving ballots as usual. “During the Nov. 4 election in California, an average of 8 out of every 1,000 vote-by-mail ballots were rejected by counties because they arrived too late,” the LA Times reported. “In the 2024 general election, which included the presidential race, an average of 2 of every 1,000 vote-by-mail ballots were rejected for being late.”

• Further reading: “The U.S. Postal Service should not be a business: Make mail delivery a government service again,” The Week

The Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court last month heard arguments in Watson v. Republican National Committee, a case concerning whether ballots postmarked by Election Day but received afterward can be counted. Based on the conservative majority’s questions, it appears likely that the justices will strike down the late-arriving ballot rules of more than a dozen states — and possibly also for overseas Americans and military members no matter their state of residence.

In a separate ruling a month earlier, the Court held that the USPS cannot be sued for damages if a carrier intentionally destroys or refuses to deliver mail. In the case before the court, a Black woman in Euless, Texas, alleged that USPS employees racially discriminated against her by intentionally withholding her and her tenants’ mail:

Konan, who’s also a real estate agent and an insurance agent, claims two employees at a post office in Euless, Texas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, deliberately didn’t deliver mail belonging to her and her tenants because, she alleges, they didn’t like that she is Black and owns multiple properties.

According to court documents, the dispute began when Konan discovered the mailbox key for one of her rental properties had been changed without her knowledge, preventing her from collecting and distributing tenants’ mail from the box. When she contacted the local post office, she was told she wouldn’t receive a new key or regular delivery until she proved she owned the property. She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS inspector general instructing the mail to be delivered.

Konan alleges the employees marked some of the mail as undeliverable or return to sender. Konan and her tenants failed to receive important mail such as bills, medications and car titles, according to the lawsuit. Konan also claims she lost rental income because some tenants moved out due to the situation.

Justice Clarence Thomas, writing for the five-justice majority, reasoned that “the ordinary meaning” of the term “miscarriage of mail” in the early 1900s included intentional misconduct; therefore, the USPS retains sovereign immunity for the intentional loss of mail under the Federal Tort Claims Act’s postal exception. Essentially, the conservative justices on the Supreme Court abolished significant penalties for mail carriers that intentionally lose, destroy, or otherwise fail to deliver critical pieces of mail like ballots.

What if, instead of refusing to deliver mail because of race, a post office declines to distribute or collect ballots because of political affiliation? What if a carrier destroys mail ballots from a Democratic enclave, and the Republican candidate wins by a hair? Before Tuesday, the FTCA created a strong deterrent against such intentional interference with mail voting: Victims could sue in court and collect damages—money paid out by the government to make them whole. Although individual carriers would not have to pay up, these lawsuits could uncover and publicize their misconduct, leading to other professional and personal consequences. Now if someone files suit because they think their mail ballot got stolen by a postal worker, a court won’t open the door to an investigation. It will simply toss the suit.

March 2026 was defined by the outbreak of war in Iran, led by a confused and woefully unprepared administration that appeared to not have anticipated that the Iranian regime was capable of independent aims and action. The resulting quagmire sent gas prices soaring, disrupted global supplies of pharmaceuticals and fertilizer, and deepened the United States’ isolation on the world stage. Americans must ask themselves: if a president intended to sabotage the country, what would they do differently?

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, WAR, AND FOREIGN POLICY

Mar. 3: “Americans Stranded in the Middle East Are Having a Hard Time Getting Help From the State Department,” NOTUS

Mar. 3: “US turns up heat on Venezuela with threat to indict new leader Delcy Rodriguez,” Reuters

Mar. 3: “US launches military operations in Ecuador,” Politico; “The U.S. Said It Helped Bomb a Drug Camp. It Was a Dairy Farm,” NYT

Mar. 3: “U.S. sub sinks Iranian warship off Sri Lanka, killing 87 and expanding war zone,” Reuters; “Iranian warship was sailing home from India exhibition when U.S. sank it,” PBS

Mar. 5: “The Pentagon has labeled Anthropic a supply-chain risk,” Tech Crunch; “Anthropic Supply-Chain-Risk Designation Halted by Judge,” Wired

Mar. 5: “Trump demands immediate pardon for Netanyahu to focus on Iran,” Axios

Mar. 6: “Russia is providing Iran intelligence to target U.S. forces, officials say,” WaPo; “Putin offers to stop sharing intel with Iran if US cuts off Ukraine,” Politico

Mar. 6: “Pentagon names former DOGE employee Gavin Kliger as new chief data [AI] officer,” Defense Scoop (Reuters reported last year that Kliger had reposted content from white supremacist Nick Fuentes and self-described misogynist Andrew Tate); “U.S. military is using AI to help plan Iran air attacks, sources say, as lawmakers call for oversight,” NBC

Mar. 10: “The U.S. Built a Blueprint to Avoid Civilian War Casualties. Trump Officials Scrapped It,” ProPublica

Mar. 11: “U.S. at Fault in Strike on School in Iran, Preliminary Inquiry Says,” NYT; “US strike likely hit a school in Iran due to outdated intelligence, sources briefed on initial findings say,” CNN

Mar. 12: “US issues 30-day sanctions waiver for purchase of Russian oil at sea,” Reuters; “’Putin emerges as the big winner in Trump and Netanyahu’s war against Iran’,” Le Monde

Mar. 16: “Trump Administration Said to Tell Cuba That Its President Has to Go,” NYT

Mar. 20: “Pentagon to adopt Palantir AI as core US military system, memo says,” Reuters

Mar. 20: “Iran War Puts Global Energy Markets on the Brink of a Worst-Case Scenario,” Wired

Mar. 20: “DEA names Colombian president ‘priority target’ as US prosecutors probe ties to drug traffickers,” AP

Mar. 21: “US lifts sanctions on Iranian oil at sea in bid to ease supply pressures,” Guardian

Mar. 21: “Cuba’s power grid collapses in third nationwide blackout amid US oil blockade,” Guardian

Mar. 25: “U.S. brought back $100 million of gold from Venezuela, Interior Secretary Burgum says,” CNBC

Mar. 27: “Defense Secretary Hegseth intervened to stop promotions of Black and female officers,” NPR

Mar. 29: “New U.S. Missile Hit Iranian Sports Hall and School, Analysis Shows,” NYT (note: this is a second school strike)

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Mar. 3: “There Are 47,635 Epstein Files Offline for Review, DOJ Says,” WSJ

Mar. 3: “The FBI Discusses the Potential to Use AI to Hack Targets,” 404 Media

Mar. 3: “Justice Department rescinds Biden-era ‘no-knock’ warrant policy,” MS Now

Mar. 4: “Pam Bondi rescinds policy banning politically appointed DOJ employees from attending partisan events,” CBS

Mar. 9: “Live Nation settles antitrust case with DOJ, avoids Ticketmaster breakup,” NBC; “The Trump Administration Just Gave Live Nation the Gift of a Lifetime,” NYT

Mar. 10: “Bondi Is Said to Move to Military Housing Because of Threats,” NYT

Mar. 11: “Kash Patel Confirms UFC Fighters Will Train FBI Agents This Week, Calling It A “Historic Opportunity”,” Deadline

Mar. 13: “Judge blocks subpoenas against Fed Chair Jerome Powell, citing ‘essentially zero evidence’,” NBC; “Federal Reserve urges judge to deny bid to revive Jerome Powell probe subpoenas,” CNBC

Mar. 16: “DOJ to Start Hiring Prosecutors Directly Out of Law School,” Bloomberg

Mar. 16: “DOJ Plans to Lower Bar for States to Fast-Track Executions,” Bloomberg

Mar. 18: “Judge throws prosecutor out of court and orders leaders of N.J.’s U.S. Attorney’s office to testify,” Whyy

Mar. 18: “FBI and IRS to investigate nonprofit groups for domestic terrorism links, sources say,” CBS

Mar. 19: “James Comey subpoenaed in Trump-appointed prosecutor’s ‘grand conspiracy’ probe,” NBC

Mar. 20: “DOJ seeks to drop criminal case tied to police killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020,” Reuters

Mar. 20: “Ex-FBI agents assigned to Trump cases sue Kash Patel over ‘unlawful’ firings,” NBC; “All the Justice and FBI employees who investigated Trump have left, deputy attorney general boasts,” CNN

Mar. 25: “Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million,” PBS

Mar. 25: “Trump housing official seeks new DOJ prosecution of Letitia James,” NBC

Mar. 25: “Inside Trump’s daily video montage briefing on the Iran war,” NBC

Mar. 26: “Pentagon considers diverting Ukraine military aid to the Middle East,” WaPo; “Poland won’t divert Patriot air defense systems to Gulf: The U.S. is approaching all its NATO allies looking for more air defense batteries,” Politico

Mar. 27: “Election expert testifies FBI’s evidence in Fulton County ballot case ‘doesn’t make sense’,” NBC

Mar. 31: “Pentagon declines to reaffirm NATO’s collective defense, says up to Trump,” Reuters

IMMIGRATION, ICE, AND CBP

In custody deaths

14 immigrants have died in ICE custody this year, averaging about 4.6 deaths every month. Five people passed away while in detention in March. Keep in mind, we do not have information from independent autopsies; the circumstances surrounding their deaths are based on the word of Department of Homeland Security officials.

Mar. 1: Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi, a 59-year-old Iranian national who has lived in the U.S. since 1991, died of cardiac arrest at a hospital in rural Mississippi. He had been in ICE custody since April 2025, held at Winn Correctional Center (operated by the private prison company LaSalle Corrections) in Louisiana.

Mar. 3: Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian national who legally entered the U.S. in 2024, died from an apparently untreated tooth infection. He had been in ICE custody since September 2025, held at Florence Correctional Center (operated by CoreCivic) in Arizona.

Mar. 14: Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal,, a 41-year-old Afghan national who assisted the U.S. military and was evacuated to America in 2021, died after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains. The cause of his death is unknown. Paktiawal had been in ICE custody for one day.

Mar. 16: Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican national, died after allegedly committing suicide at Glades County Detention Center in Florida. He was in ICE custody for approximately three months following an arrest for impersonating and resisting an officer (though, both charges are questionable).

Mar. 25: Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, a Mexican national of unknown age, died at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California. He was in ICE custody for about a month.

ICE surveillance and data

Mar. 3: “CBP Tapped Into the Online Advertising Ecosystem To Track Peoples’ Movements,” 404 Media

Mar. 3: “All the Ways Big Tech Fuels ICE and CBP: A WIRED analysis shows that ICE and CBP have collectively spent at least $515 million on products from Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Palantir in the last few years alone,” Wired

Mar. 11: “DHS Seeks Access to Massive Employment, Salary and Family Database Legally Restricted to Use in Child Support Cases,” ProPublica

Mar. 13: “Drone sightings drove surveillance fears as ICE surged in Minnesota,” MPR

Mar. 13: “ICE agents reveal daily arrest quotas and [Palantir] surveillance app in rare court testimony,” Guardian

He suggested officers choose the location in part based on intelligence from an app called Elite. It’s unclear the exact role Elite played in identifying the area as a target – another officer testified that the ICE field office in Portland had provided “intelligence” that led them to visit the site. But JB explained that Elite was a “newer app” given to ICE agents. The app, he said, is “kind of like Google Maps” and shows how many individuals with an “immigration nexus” are believed to be in a certain area. Another officer testified that a “nexus” could mean any history of contact with immigration officials, which could include a naturalized US citizen. Elite, JB said, helped officers identify areas with a more “dense population”, meaning a higher likelihood of finding people to detain.

Mar. 19: “ICE officers are taking DNA samples from protesters they’ve arrested,” NPR

Mar. 31: “How Thomson Reuters Powers ICE and Palantir,” 404 Media

Immigration policy

Mar. 5: “Federal judge threatens fines over ICE’s failure to return property to Minnesota detainees,” CBS

Mar. 5: “Trump can suspend refugee admissions, US appeals court rules,” Reuters

Mar. 10: “DHS Ousts CBP Privacy Officers Who Questioned ‘Illegal’ Orders: Department of Homeland Security leaders removed top privacy officers who objected to mislabeling government records to block their public release,” Wired

Mar. 12: “Eswatini receives third batch of migrants deported by the US,” AP

Mar. 14: “How White South Africans Are Reshaping the Mississippi Delta: As Donald Trump offers U.S. asylum to Afrikaners, thousands are already working in the country on agricultural visas,” New Yorker

Mar. 15: “DACA delays lead to lost jobs, less stability and anxiety over potential deportation under Donald Trump,” Chicago Tribune; “ICE detains DACA recipient on way to visit premature baby in NICU,” MS Now

Mar. 16: “The Trump Administration’s ‘Disturbing’ New Legal Strategy to Prosecute Border Crossers Is Taxing Courts and Testing the Law,” ProPublica

Mar. 16: “El Salvador forcibly disappearing nationals deported from the US, rights group says,” Reuters

Mar. 16: “Trump’s cancellation of licenses for immigrant truckers takes effect,” WaPo

Mar. 16: “US appeals court lifts block on Trump policy allowing fast third‑country deportations,” Reuters

Mar. 17: “Abused and neglected youths granted immigration protections are being detained and deported,” NBC

Mar. 17: “Trump administration to slash fee to renounce US citizenship from $2,350 to $450,” Guardian

Mar. 18: “Somali asylum seekers sounding alarm over “Somali Rocket Docket”,” CBS

Mar. 19: “Some DHS contractors told White House officials they were asked to pay Corey Lewandowski,” NBC

Mar. 19: “Trump Admin Wrongfully Deported More Than 100 Asylum Seekers,” Yahoo

Mar. 20: “Trump Friend Asked ICE to Detain the Mother of His Child,” NYT

Mar. 21: “Homeless and stateless: Deportees from U.S. are trapped in Mexico,” LA Times

Mar. 23: “Feds plan to install 536 miles of floating barriers on Rio Grande to deter migrants,” Texas Tribune

Mar. 24: “Minnesota sues Trump administration for evidence in Good, Pretti killings,” Minn. Star Tribune

Mar. 24: “34 Former Military Members Were Put on Deportation Track in the Past Year,” NYT

Mar. 25: “ICE Plans to Expand Deportation Fleet With 10 New Airplanes,” NOTUS

Mar. 26: “Appeals court rules US can continue to detain immigrants without bond,” Guardian

Mar. 26: “DOJ admits ICE courthouse arrests relied on erroneous information,” NPR

Mar. 27: “U.S. senators launch investigation into Alligator Alcatraz ‘torture’ allegations,” Miami Herald

Mar. 28: “Judge Demands Answers on ‘Unwritten’ Deal Deporting 6,000 Cubans to Mexico Over The Past Year,” Latin Times

Mar. 30: “ICE agents will be stationed outside Marine Corps graduation events in South Carolina,” NBC

Other articles you should know about:

• “Trump administration ready to deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, asks judge to lift block,” CBS

• “14 measles cases reported at El Paso ICE tent camp as Democrats call for its shuttering,” Texas Tribune

• “Worms in food, poor medical care, lights on 24/7: Families tell of life in Texas detention center,” AP

• “Nashville Reporter Who Has Detailed ICE Activity Detained in South Nashville Stop,” Nashville Banner

• “Haitian Asylum Seeker Found Unresponsive Days After Being Stranded at ICE-ISAP Office,” LA Taco

• “‘I feel desperate’: Minnesota woman suffering medical emergency stuck in Texas detention,” Minn. Reformer

• “Detained by ICE, he missed multiple cancer treatments. Now he’s in hospice,” Star Tribune

• “Judge orders Homeland Security to open Whipple to clergy,” MPR

• “ICE agent admits he was chasing wrong man in South Burlington [Vermont] operation,” WCAX

• “T.S.A. Tipped Off ICE Agents Before Arrests at San Francisco Airport,” NYT

ENVIRONMENT

Mar. 12: “Feds sue California to block electric vehicle mandate,” Courthouse News

Mar. 13: “Trump Administration Readies Plans to Dismantle Renowned Science Lab,” NYT

Mar. 13: “E.P.A. Moves to Weaken Limits on a Cancer-Causing Gas,” NYT

Mar. 20: “DOGE Goes Nuclear: How Trump Invited Silicon Valley Into America’s Nuclear Power Regulator,” ProPublica

Mar. 21: “Trump’s EPA is paving the way for haze to return to national parks, conservationists warn,” AP

Mar. 23: “Trump Administration to Pay $1 Billion to Energy Giant to Cancel Wind Farms,” NYT

Mar. 25: “EPA approves sale of a higher-ethanol fuel to try to lower gas prices,” AP

Mar. 27: “Trump EPA relied on industry science to weaken formaldehyde cancer rules, documents show,” Guardian

Mar. 31: “Trump officials exempt oil and gas drilling in the Gulf from endangered species rules,” AP

CULTURAL CONTROL

Mar. 2: “ProPublica Sues Education Department for Withholding Records About Discrimination in Schools,” ProPublica

Mar. 13: “Trump Administration Set to Receive $10 Billion Fee for Brokering TikTok Deal,” WSJ

Mar. 13: “Pentagon plan expands oversight of Stars and Stripes, limits content,” Stars & Stripes

Mar. 16: “Trump backs FCC chair’s threat to pull licenses of news outlets over Iran war coverage,” Guardian

Mar. 16: “Professors Are Changing What They Teach, Even Far From Trump’s Gaze,” NYT

Mar. 19: “FCC green-lights Nexstar’s $6.2B merger with rival TV station owner Tegna,” NBC; “Judge halts Nexstar/Tegna merger after FCC let firms exceed TV ownership limit,” ArsTechnica

Mar. 19: “FCC Enforcement Chief Offered to Help Brendan Carr Target Disney, Records Show,” Wired

Mar. 20: “CBS News lays off 6% of staff and shutters radio division, kickstarting a Bari Weiss-led overhaul,” CNN

Mar. 23: “Voice of America journalists allege Trump is making news outlet a propaganda source,” PBS

Mar. 26: “Trump administration opens investigations into race in admissions at 3 medical schools,” CNN

Mar. 30: “New York Times says Pentagon is ignoring court order on press access,” PBS

Mar. 31: “Federal Judge Approves Trump Effort to Obtain List of Jews From Penn,” NYT

CORRUPTION, PARDONS, AND OLIGARCHS

Mar. 4: “Kraken Becomes First Crypto Firm to Win Access to Fed’s Core Payments System,” WSJ

• Reminders: “Crypto exchange Kraken settles U.S. investigation over alleged Iran sanctions violations [2022],” Reuters; “Kraken Donates $2M to Pro-Trump Crypto PACs [2025],” Yahoo

Mar. 5: “SEC Dismisses Fraud Case Against Crypto Billionaire Justin Sun,” WSJ

• Reminder: “Tron founder Justin Sun says he’s the top $TRUMP meme coin holder [2025],” CNBC

Mar. 5: “Trump’s TikTok deal benefited firms that ‘personally enriched’ him, lawsuit says,” NBC

Mar. 6: “Democrats join legal challenge to Trump’s planned 250-foot arch,” WaPo

Mar. 6: “Pardon Industry Offers Rich Offenders a Path to Trump: One inmate paid lobbyists and lawyers with ties to the president’s team and walked free,” NYT

Mar. 11: “Democrats ask what happened to millions earmarked for Trump’s library,” WaPo

Mar. 12: “Inside the Binance accounts internal investigators say helped transfer more than $1 billion to Iran-linked entities,” Fortune

Mar. 12: “Amid Crowded Skies, FAA Kills Rule Aimed at Regulating Space Junk,” ProPublica

Mar. 13: “Trump crypto venture offers “guaranteed direct access” for $5 million,” Reuters

Mar. 13: “Jared Kushner Solicits Funds for His Firm While Working as Mideast Envoy,” NYT

Mar. 14: “Lobbyist Arrested in Extortion Attempt of Client Who Received a Trump Pardon,” NYT

Mar. 14: “The 2026 farm bill quietly hands big tech control over American farmland,” Fortune

Mar. 15: “Appointee wants to replace White House columns with the ones Trump prefers,” WaPo

Mar. 16: “Trump’s Handpicked Kennedy Center Board Greenlights Two-Year Closure,” NOTUS

Mar. 18: “Transportation Lobbyists Have Donated Thousands to Sean Duffy’s Son-in-Law as He Runs for Congress,” ProPublica

Mar. 18: “Firm That Planned Trump’s Jan. 6 Rally Received No-Bid Contracts: This administration has given the company, staffed by the president’s allies, multimillion-dollar contracts it was guaranteed to win,” NYT

Mar. 19: “US Mint can begin producing Trump commemorative gold coin after arts commission approves design,” AP

Mar. 21: “Firm with ties to Trump officials signs deal to lobby for Libyan warlord,” WaPo

Mar. 22: “Trump places statue of Christopher Columbus near the White House,” PBS

Mar. 23: “Nominee for Ambassador to Hungary Co-Owns a Nursing Home That’s Suing the Trump Administration Over Medicare Payments,” ProPublica

Mar. 25: Oil trades surged just before Trump’s post on Iran talks. Some experts are suspicious,” CBS; “Trader made nearly $1 million on Polymarket with remarkably accurate Iran bets,” CNN; “Federal prosecutors are exploring whether prediction market bets trip insider trading laws,” CNN

Mar. 25: “Trump appeared to have business motive for keeping classified documents, Jack Smith finds,” MS Now

Mar. 26: “Trump’s White House Redesign Continues as He Replaces West Wing Colonnade Tiles,” Town & Country

Mar. 26: “Trump Eyes White House Treaty Room for Latest Renovation Project,” NYT

Mar. 26: “Trump’s signature to appear on paper currency in a first for a sitting president,” NBC

Mar. 26: “State Department sends $1.25B from other programs to Board of Peace,” Semafor

Mar. 27: “Iran images appear to show land mines scattered by U.S. forces, a first in years,” WaPo

Mar. 30: “Jan. 6 rioter pardoned by Trump gets prison sentence for possessing ‘enormous child pornography collection’,” NBC

Mar. 30: “Pete Hegseth’s broker attempted to make defense investments before Iran war,” CNBC

Mar. 31: “Judge rules that White House ballroom construction ‘has to stop!’” CNN

MISCELLANEOUS

• “Despite Promises, Veterans Affairs Department Cut Thousands of Roles for Doctors and Nurses,” NYT

• “US Postal Service will run out of cash within a year without Congress’ help, postmaster warns,” CNN

• “Trump signs a new executive order on voting. Experts say he lacks the authority,” NPR

• “The government is investigating new claims that DOGE misused Social Security data,” NPR

• “U.S. Considers Withholding H.I.V. Aid Unless Zambia Expands Minerals Access,” NYT

• “FDA’s top infectious disease regulator to depart agency,” Stat

• “New VA-DOJ agreement on guardianship could put homeless veterans at risk, advocates warn,” CNN

• “Student loans to go to Treasury Department as Trump continues to dismantle Education Department,” AP

• “Top [FEMA] Disaster Response Official Claims He Teleported to a Waffle House,” Rolling Stone

• “USDA cancels $300 million program to help farmers buy land amid anti-DEI push,” Politico

A brief recap of events

On the night of July 4, 2025, a group of 11 individuals gathered near the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, to protest ICE operations and Trump’s anti-immigrant policies. According to participants, their intention was to stage a noise demonstration to “show solidarity with the detainees” and “lift their spirits with a fun fireworks display.”

While setting off the fireworks, some members of the group split off and spray-painted ICE property with phrases like “ICE pig” and “traitor.” ICE officers called the police, who arrived and ordered the protesters to surrender and get on the ground. At that point, one person — later identified as former Marine reservist Benjamin Song — allegedly opened fire from a nearby treeline, striking and injuring an Alvarado police officer. However, during a later hearing, an FBI official testified that he was not certain who fired first.

Arrests

Law enforcement quickly apprehended nine individuals in the vicinity of the detention facility: Savanna Batten, Nathan Baumann, Zachary Evetts, Joy Gibson, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Seth Sikes, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto. Prosecutors allege that the group was dressed in black, that some had firearms in their vehicles, and that anti-fascist flyers were found in backpacks and cars.

Authorities later arrested Benjamin Song, the alleged shooter, as well as Autumn Hill, based on information placing her at the protest.

In the following weeks, eight additional individuals were arrested despite not being present at the protest:

• John Thomas: Allegedly helped Song evade arrest

• Lynette Sharp: Allegedly helped Song evade arrest

• Susan Kent: Allegedly helped Song evade arrest

• Rebecca Morgan: Allegedly helped Song evade arrest

• Janette Goering: Allegedly participated in group Signal chats and gave Song a Faraday bag

• Dario Sanchez: Allegedly altered digital evidence

• Lucy Fowlkes: Allegedly taught others how to delete digital chat messages

• Daniel Sanchez Estrada: Allegedly moved anti-fascist and anarchist zines

Charges

Those who were present at the protest were charged with an array of crimes, including attempted murder and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime (even if they were unarmed that night). Most defendants, with the exception of Sanchez Estrada, were also charged with terrorism-related offenses, from providing material support to terrorists to hindering prosecution of terrorism and aiding in the commission of terrorism.

To date, seven defendants have pleaded guilty to providing material support to terrorists: Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Seth Sikes, John Thomas, Lynette Sharp, Susan Kent, and Rebecca Morgan.

Three have not pled guilty and have not gone to trial: Dario Sanchez, Lucy Fowlkes, and Janette Goering.

The remaining nine defendants went on trial earlier this month in the Northern District of Texas. Eight were found guilty of providing material support to terrorists, rioting, and using and carrying an explosive (fireworks) during a riot: Autumn Hill, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Meagan Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto. Daniel Sanchez Estrada and Maricela Rueda were found guilty of conspiracy to conceal documents for moving the zines/fliers. Benjamin Song was found guilty of a singular count of attempted murder of an officer and three counts of discharging a firearm. All other defendants charged with attempted murder and discharging a firearm were acquitted of those specific charges.

What you should know

The case was drastically overcharged

The original charges brought against the Prairieland defendants did not include any mention of terrorism. It wasn’t until November 2025, four months after the protest, that the DOJ brought its first allegations of “providing material support to terrorists” before a grand jury. The new charges came just weeks after President Trump signed an executive order claiming to designate Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization. However, as the Brennan Center explains, the president has no legal authority to do so:

The administration has also sought to elevate the perceived threat level from left-wing political violence by designating antifa to be a “domestic terrorist organization” and instructing the attorney general to make recommendations for other groups to be designated. The designation makes no sense. As both former FBI Director Chris Wray and the Congressional Research Service have explained, antifa is not a group or an organization, but a decentralized movement. Moreover, the administration has no authority to designate groups as domestic terrorist organizations, as is obvious from the failure to cite any statute or constitutional provision in support of the president’s action. There is none, and the purported designation has no legal effect.

The case erodes the First Amendment

First, and most obviously: Antifa is not an organization. Anti-fascism is an ideology, a collection of beliefs, and holding those beliefs does not constitute terrorism.

Second: Possessing anti-fascist or anarchist literature, posters, flyers, or art is protected free speech. Daniel Sanchez Estrada was convicted of corruptly concealing a document and conspiracy to conceal documents for simply moving a box of left-wing literature. He was not at the protest yet faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

Finally, criminalizing constitutionally protected protests and organizing activities is a way to crush dissent. Prosecutors charged Dario Sanchez, a teacher who took part in a Socialist Rifle Association messaging group on Discord, with hindering prosecution of terrorism for removing John Thomas from the group when asked. Sanchez says he had no knowledge of or involvement with the Prairieland protest. The charges against him are meant to discourage left-wing organizers.

“They threatened me with 50 years of jail time and told me to tell them about some other people, and I didn’t know what the hell they were talking about,” Sanchez told KERA News during an interview at his home. “I had nothing to do with any of this stuff. But they’re coming after me like I’m somehow involved.” [...]

Sanchez said the group was more than just a rifle club. It also taught other skills like emergency medical training, which he said was crucial in his role as a now-former teacher. “We would teach people what to do if someone’s been shot, how to treat that injury up until EMS arrives and they can get to a hospital,” Sanchez said. “As a teacher, that’s a real big piece of mind thing for me because, unfortunately, my line of work involves a lot of worrying about if a mass shooting might happen.”

The judge’s conduct during the case raises significant concerns of judicial interference

Judge Mark Pittman, a Trump appointee, played a pivotal role in the conviction of the nine defendants at trial.

• Pittman declared a mistrial during jury selection due to a defense attorney’s shirt (beneath her blazer) that featured images of civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Shirley Chisholm. The lawyer, MarQuetta Clayton, had been in the middle of asking potential jurors questions about their feelings on ICE, soliciting responses that suggested about 20 potential jurors opposed Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign. After declaring a mistrial, Pittman announced that he would personally conduct the second round of jury selection. The National Lawyers Guild posited that Pittman actually took issue with the positions of the prospective jurors, implying that he declared a mistrial to convene a new jury pool less sympathetic to the defendants.

• After declaring a mistrial, Pittman moved the proceedings to a much smaller courtroom, requiring members of the public to drive to a remote viewing location over 30 miles away from the trial itself.

• Pittman then cut the time that each team of defense attorneys were given for opening statements from 10 minutes to eight minutes. He also gave the prosecution more peremptory challenges, or objections an attorney can make against putting someone on the jury without a reason.

• Pittman ruled that the defense, including lawyers for Benjamin Song, cannot claim self-defense or defense of a third party “because the defendants prompted the law enforcement response by shooting fireworks and damaging property.” Essentially, Pittman’s ruling prevented jurors from considering whether the Alvarado police officer pulled his firearm on the protesters, and whether that action was reasonable, when considering the legality of Song’s actions.

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To date, DHS has bought 10 warehouses, including three additions in Georgia, Michigan, and New Jersey.

Bought by DHS:

• Surprise, AZ: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $70.4 million ($58.3 million over value)

• Social Circle, GA: 8,500 bed facility, purchased for $129 million (nearly $100 million over value)

• Flowery Branch, GA: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $68 million ($67.5 million over value)

• Hagerstown, MD: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $102.4 million ($25.6 million over value)

• Romulus, MI: 500 bed facility, purchased for an unknown amount

• Roxbury, NJ: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $129.3 million ($74.6 million over value)

• Tremont, PA: 7,500 bed facility, purchased for $119.5 million ($59.8 million over value)

• Hamburg, PA: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $87.4 million (nearly $30 million over value)

• Socorro, TX: 8,500 bed facility, purchased for $123 million (nearly $112 million over value)

• San Antonio, TX: 1,500 bed facility, purchased for $66.11 million ($28.5 million over value)

10 warehouses on DHS’s original list of prospective facilities are no longer under consideration, in many cases because the owners backed out due to public pressure:

Warehouse sales blocked:

• Merrillville, IN: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Shakopee, MN: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Kansas City, MO: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Byhalia, MS: Republican Sen. Roger Wicker personally appealed to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to abandon plans to purchase the warehouse.

• Merrimack, NH: Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte personally appealed to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to abandon plans to purchase the warehouse.

• Chester, NY: A state Assembly member said DHS will not be moving forward with the Chester site at this time.”

• Oklahoma City, OK: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Hutchins, TX: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Ashland, VA: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

• Salt Lake City, UT: Owner has declined to sell or lease the building to DHS.

Three warehouses from the original list, plus two new warehouses, are reportedly under consideration.

Proposed ICE warehouses:

• Orlando, FL: Still under consideration from original list. Located at 8660 Transport Drive, Orlando, FL.

• Starke, FL: A new addition that DHS may purchase located at 14281 US 301, Starke, FL.

• Port Allen, LA: Still under consideration from original list. Located at 2070 Commercial Dr, Port Allen, LA.

• Durant, OK: A new addition that DHS may purchase located at 2306 Enterprise Blvd, Durant, OK.

• McAllen, TX: Still under consideration from original list. Located at 6900 S International Pkwy, McAllen, TX.

WHAT WE KNOW

Despite spending over $890 million in taxpayer money acquiring warehouses, almost nothing is publicly known about how these planned camps will actually operate. The most detailed picture available comes from the local government in Social Circle, Georgia, where officials posted infrastructure and engineering documents produced by ICE. Those documents reveal that DHS intends to implement a “Hub and Spoke Model,” in which smaller processing facilities funnel detainees into large “mega-centers” designed to hold people for an average of 60 days. The Social Circle warehouse would serve as one such mega-center, with a capacity of 7,500 to 10,000 people at a time. A partial floor plan released by ICE — though poorly photocopied and difficult to read — shows how the government plans to pack roughly 5,000 people into a series of 80 cells on the first floor alone.

The schematic has drawn comparisons to diagrams of 18th-century ships used to transport enslaved people from Africa to the Americas. The comparison is apt, but we don’t need to go back centuries to understand the implications of storing human beings like livestock or merchandise. People today, imprisoned in America’s largest (current) detention center at Camp East Montana, have submitted sworn declarations describing unsafe, inhumane, and abusive conditions carried out in the name of the American public.

Declaration of “Isaac,” a 43-year-old man from Cuba (warning: description of physical and sexual assault):

On a day approximately September 15-17, 2025, the guards used force against me because they tried to take me to Mexico and I told them I don’t want to be taken there. The guards came into my housing unit and told me I was going to be deported. When I asked them where, they told me I will be taken to Mexico. I told them “no,” at which point those guards left. However, they came back with about 30 other guards. Outside in the hallway, the guards started beating on me.

The guards hit my head. They slammed it against the wall approximately ten times. Also they squeezed and twisted my ankles. The guards also grabbed and crushed my testicles between their fingers, which was very painful and humiliating. I felt like I was being sexually assaulted. After the guards slammed my head against the wall, I had severe pain behind my ears. I couldn’t even touch the left side of my head for about a month because of the pain. The guards seemed to be trying to not leave visible marks on me. Other detained people tried to help me when I was beaten, but one of them was so severely beaten that he ended up in a wheelchair himself.

Declaration of “Eduardo,” a 35-year-old man from Cuba:

The food here is so bad I hardly want to talk about it. It seems to just be getting worse and worse with time. Just seeing it might make a person vomit. I would not even feed the food we are given to the dog at my house. The food is frozen. When it defrosts, it becomes very liquidy. The food makes me feel sick almost every day. My stomach hurts. I often have diarrhea and sometimes vomit. Others in my unit also seem to be suffering with diarrhea and vomiting from the food.

Declaration of “German,” a 33-year-old man from Cuba:

People here don’t seem to be getting the medical care they need. For example, there was a man in my unit who seemed to be in his sixties. He had high blood pressure and often complained that he was not feeling well. He kept asking for medical attention, which he did not receive. His condition got so bad that he fainted, fell face down on the floor, and it looked like he broke his nose. He was bleeding profusely because of the fall and broken nose. When we tried to get the guards’ attention, they did not come. When the guards finally came to give out our meal, they ignored the man who was still on the ground in a puddle of his own blood. They left the man’s meal on his bed.

Declaration of “David,” a 35-year-old-man from Mexico:

At Fort Bliss, I am held in the C-4. In my unit, there are about 72 people. It is dirty and hardly gets cleaned. The bathrooms are especially dirty. The shower drains do not work and constantly cause flooding. The flood water is dirty, filled with urine and fecal matter. The guards are aware of this, and we have repeatedly requested that they fix the flooding problem. No one has attempted to fix the issue. As a result, I have had to ask for cleaning supplies to try [to] keep our unit clean. However, they only let me borrow a broom and a mop. They don’t provide soap or cleaning supplies. This makes it difficult to keep our unit clean.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is buying up massive warehouses across the country, intending to convert industrial spaces previously used for Big Lots and Pep Boys merchandise into holding cells for thousands of immigrants. Among these, a warehouse in Social Circle, GA (approximately 45 miles from Atlanta), is reportedly slated to become an operational “mega center” by April. With an estimated capacity of 8,500 detainees, this single facility would more than double the population of the nation’s largest existing detention site, Camp East Montana in Fort Bliss, Texas.

Camp East Montana, notably, is rife with human rights abuses like contaminated drinking water, rotten food, and inadequate healthcare. The ACLU has documented physical and sexual abuse by officers, which now includes the homicide of a Cuban immigrant that DHS is trying to cover up by deporting witnesses.

Make no mistake: the creation of human warehouses will result in similar, if not more inhumane, conditions. Americans seeing this happen in any other country would call them concentration camps, not detention centers.

ARIZONA

Address: 13290 W Sweetwater Ave, Surprise, AZ

Square footage: 418,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Purchased for $70 million

Previously owned by: RG Surprise, LLC, tied to the New York-based Rockefeller Group

City of Surprise press release:

The City of Surprise is aware that a commercial building within our city was recently purchased by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). [...] The City was not aware that there were efforts underway to purchase the building, was not notified of the transaction by any of the parties involved and has not been contacted by DHS or any federal agency about the intended use of the building. It’s important to note, Federal projects are not subject to local regulations, such as zoning.

FLORIDA

Address: 8660 Transport Drive, Orlando, FL

Square footage: 440,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Proposed, early stages

Owned by: Beachline Logistics Center LLC tied to Atlanta-based developers, TPA Group

WFTV 9:

ICE Senior Advisor David Venturella confirmed this with Channel 9 Investigative Reporter Ashlyn Webb after more than 30 people, including ICE officials and federal contractors, were seen leaving a site visit at a vacant warehouse off Transport Drive Friday.

Venturella says it’s “exploratory,” and ICE is in very early talks. [...]

It’s marketed as a “state-of-the-art facility” with a prime location within minutes of Orlando’s major highways, right off of State Road 528, and within a 30-minute drive from Orlando International Airport.

GEORGIA

Address: 1365 E Hightower Trail, Social Circle, GA

Square footage: 1 million

Capacity: 8,500

Status: Purchased for unknown amount

Previously owned by: PNK S1 LLC

11Alive:

Officials with the City of Social Circle said they learned on Sunday that Immigrations and Custom Enforcement now owns a large property and warehouse that was previously reported by 11Alive as a potential proposed property for a new ICE detention facility site. [...] Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) and members of his staff had informed Social Circle officials during a call on Feb. 4 that the property was then currently in escrow and moving toward final purchase by Homeland Security, the city said in a statement on social media. The city now says that purchase has been finalized.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, ICE plans to begin using the warehouse for detainees in April.

Address: 3619 Atlanta Hwy, Flowery Branch, GA

Square footage: 400,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Reported

Owned by: CRP/AI Oakwood Owner LLC

On a Bloomberg list of reported sites under consideration by DHS.

INDIANA

Address: 8719 Mississippi St, Merrillville, IN

Square footage: 275,000

Capacity: 500

Status: Proposed, early stages

Owned by: Opus Development Company LLC

Town of Merrillville press release:

The Town of Merrillville is aware of community concerns regarding a newly constructed, currently unoccupied 275,000-square-foot warehouse within our town limits that has been mentioned in a Washington Post story and further verified by the town. [...] We are aware that a group of individuals toured the building last week. Property walk-throughs alone do not indicate a final or approved use [...]

LOUISIANA

Address: 2070 Commercial Dr, Port Allen, LA

Square footage: 250,000

Capacity: 500

Status: Reported

Owned by: Cap Industrial Park LLC

On a Bloomberg list of reported sites under consideration by DHS.

MARYLAND

Address: 10900 Hopewell Road (also listed as 16220 Wright Road), Hagerstown, MD

Square footage: 800,000

Capacity: 1,500 (reported, though 800,000 sq. ft. could hold more)

Status: Purchased for $102.4 million

Previously owned by: FRND-Hopewell, LLC (a holding company with the same address as RSE Capital)

WYPR:

The Department of Homeland Security bought a more than 825,000-square-foot warehouse in Hagerstown last week to possibly serve as a detention facility for ICE that could hold as many as 1,500 beds for detained immigrants. The deed, signed Jan. 22, shows the property was purchased from FRND-Hopewell, LLC for $102.4 million. [...]

DHS’s outright ownership of the facility may have been an attempt to circumvent Maryland’s Dignity Not Detention Act. The law, passed in 2021, prohibits local and state jurisdictions from entering into agreements that facilitate the detention of immigrants. By buying the building, the federal government will be able to do as it pleases with the warehouse without an agreement with local or state government.

MICHIGAN

Address: 17991 Wahrman Rd, Romulus, MI

Square footage: 280,000

Capacity: 500

Status: Reported

Owned by: HS Commerce 275 LLC

On a Bloomberg list of reported sites under consideration by DHS.

MINNESOTA

Address: 3000 Emery Way, Shakopee, MN 55379

Square footage: 450,000

Capacity: Approx. 1,500

Status: Reportedly refused by owner, not confirmed

Owned by: Opus Group

KSTP:

There are reports that ICE wants to open a detention center in Shakopee, but it may not be happening after all. State Rep. Brad Tabke, D-Shakopee, said that a leaked document revealed ICE’s proposal. “It would have 1,500 people, and it would have been catastrophic for our community,” said Tabke.

Tabke says the facility is at the Opus Group’s River Valley Business Park on Emery Way. On Friday, he says he talked to officials with Opus who told him that is not the plan.

Opus did not confirm this to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS but released the following statement: “Consistent with historical business practices, Opus does not disclose details regarding prospective transactions. We can confirm that neither of our River Valley Business Park buildings is under contract, neither has a transaction pending and both remain available for sale or lease.”

MISSISSIPPI

Address: 280 Mt Carmel Rd, Byhalia, MS

Square footage: 800,000

Capacity: 8,500

Status: Proposed, reportedly blocked by Sen. Wicker (R)

Owned by: Excel, INC

Mississippi Free Press b

A proposed ICE detention facility that would have held 8,500 immigrants in a warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, won’t happen, U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker says. “I just spoke with DHS Secretary Noem about the proposed ICE detention facility in Marshall County,” the Mississippi Republican said in a Friday morning Facebook post. “I relayed to her the opposition of local elected and zoning officials as well as economic development concerns. I appreciate her for agreeing to look elsewhere.”

In a Feb. 3 letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Wicker wrote that the facility should be used for economic development instead, and expressed concerns about the strain housing 8,500 detainees in a town of around 1,300 would have on local infrastructure.

MISSOURI

Address: 14901 Botts Rd, Kansas City, MO

Square footage: 920,000

Capacity: 7,500

Status: Moving forward, “negotiations complete”

Owned by: Platform Ventures

Kansas City Beacon:

Platform Ventures struck a deal to build a 1-million-square-foot warehouse for a burgeoning industrial district on the former Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base. The company promised up to 500 new jobs for Kansas Citians and new property tax revenue for Grandview School District. In return, the Port Authority, also known as Port KC, would give the developers a break on the first 20 years of property taxes.

Port KC leaders never imagined that the warehouse could later become a site for a massive immigrant detention center that could house thousands of detainees. Platform now plans to sell the facility to the federal government as part of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s mass deportation crackdown.

Kansas City Star:

According to Platform, the company was approached in October 2025 with an unsolicited offer to purchase the vacant warehouse. “PV has a fiduciary duty to evaluate every sale or lease proposal involving this facility, as we do for all properties in our portfolio,” the statement said. “In this case, all negotiations are complete.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Address: 50 Robert Milligan Pkwy, Merrimack, NH

Square footage: 320,000

Capacity: 500

Status: Proposed, under consideration

Owned by: DRI TCC 50 RMP LLC

New Hampshire Bulletin:

According to the documents obtained by the ACLU, Alexis Price of ICE wrote to the New Hampshire Division of Historical Resources on Jan. 9 that “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is proposing to purchase, occupy and rehabilitate a 43-acre warehouse property located at 50 Robert Milligan Parkway, Merrimack, NH 03054, in support of ICE operations.” [...]

Local and state officials have previously told reporters they were struggling to get information out of the federal government about the plans. Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a Republican, said last week she asked the White House and the Department of Homeland Security about a potential facility in Merrimack, but “I did not get an answer to my question.”

NEW JERSEY

Address: 1879 US-46, Roxbury, NJ

Square footage: 470,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Proposed

Owned by: Dalfen Industrial Group

Daily Record:

Representatives with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement were in Roxbury on Jan. 14, apparently scouting a Route 46 warehouse as a possible migrant deportation facility, local officials in the Morris County town said that day. The visit came the morning after Roxbury’s council passed a resolution opposing the rumored siting of an ICE processing center in town. [...]

A delegation of Township Manager J.J. Murphy, Police Chief Matthew Holland and elected officials then met with ICE representatives and the owner of the building, according to the statement. During that meeting, Roxbury officials said, “We outlined our concerns, including the size of our police department, the fact that we have a volunteer fire department, the limitations on the water and sewer capacity, the significant traffic concerns at that location, and the overall safety and well-being of our community.”

NEW YORK

Address: 29 Elizabeth Dr, Chester, NY

Square footage: 400,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Proposed, moving forward

Owned by: IEP Chester LLC, a subsidiary of Carl Icahn’s holding company, Icahn Enterprises

Gothamist:

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition circulated by Rep. Pat Ryan to voice opposition to ICE buying a warehouse space in the Orange County town of Chester, according to a statement by the lawmaker.

The flood of responses comes after ICE said in a public notice that it plans to buy a large warehouse facility on Elizabeth Drive in Chester, about 60 miles north of New York City. [...] In a public notice published on Jan. 8, ICE said it plans to purchase the 35.9-acre property and make a number of alterations to it. Those will include creating a small guard building, an outdoor recreation area and “fenceline modifications.”

OKLAHOMA

Address: 2800 S Council Rd, Oklahoma City, OK

Square footage: 415,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Blocked by owners

Owned by: OKC Logistic Park LLC, tied to Flint Development

News 9:

The Department of Homeland Security is no longer seeking to acquire a facility in Oklahoma City for use by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, city leaders confirm. In a social media post on Thursday, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said his office has reached out to the owner of a facility located at 2800 S. Council Road in southwest Oklahoma City to inquire about a potential acquisition of the property by DHS.

In Thursday’s social media post, Holt said the facility’s ownership responded to the mayor’s inquiry, saying the owners are no longer engaged with the Department of Homeland Security about a potential acquisition or lease of the property in question.

PENNSYLVANIA

Address: 50 Rausch Creek Rd, Tremont, PA

Square footage: 1.3 million

Capacity: 7,500

Status: Purchased for $120 million

Previously owned by: Blue Owl Real Estate Net Lease Property Fund

WNEP:

A deed recorded Monday by the county government shows that the DHS Facilities Management Division purchased a nearly 173-acre parcel just off state Route 209 that assessment records show contains a 1.3 million square-foot warehouse once used as a Big Lots distribution center. Big Lots closed the distribution center in December 2024, laying-off 505 people, according to the state Department of Employment and Workforce Development. [...]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement that, “ICE purchased a facility in Tremont, PA. These will not be warehouses — they will be very well-structured detention facilities meeting our regular detention standards. Every day, DHS is conducting law enforcement activities across the country to keep Americans safe. It should not come as news that ICE will be making arrests in states across the U.S. and is actively working to expand detention space.”

Address: 3501 Mountain Rd, Hamburg, PA

Square footage: 520,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Purchased for $87 million

Previously owned by: PCCP, a national commercial real estate equity firm

Spotlight PA:

Elected officials contacted by Spotlight PA and NOTUS for this story said they have limited knowledge of ICE’s plans to purchase warehouses in the state, and that they are trying to get more information from the federal government.

[ U.S. Rep. Dan] Meuser said Trump officials did not answer all of his questions. “A lot of the details we’re going to get to the bottom of, as far as how many people are going to be detained there, what the capacity is, how many new employees, and all the other things that, all the details that really matter to our community,” Meuser told NOTUS and Spotlight PA. “We’re just going to make sure it goes as well as possible. It’s a decision [the Department of Homeland Security] made, and we’re, you know, we just got to work with them.”

TEXAS

Address: Listed as 1465-1485 Eastwind Ave, Socorro/Clint, TX (appears on maps as 14000 Gateway Blvd E, Clint, TX)

Square footage: 850,000 (across three warehouses)

Capacity: 8,500

Status: Purchased for $122 million

Previously owned by: El Paso Logistics II LLC

El Paso Matters:

The federal government has purchased industrial park warehouses in Far East El Paso County for nearly $123 million to be used as a massive ICE detention center, according to newly filed deeds. The purchase comes as hundreds of residents speak out against the project and city and county leaders question what authority, if any, they have to intervene. [...]

The property in an industrial zone – Eastwind Logistics Center – comprises three reinforced concrete warehouses of about 296,000 square feet each, with an adjacent plot of land available for expansion, a commercial real estate brochure indicates. The park was previously available for lease, but disappeared off real estate and developer websites the past month.

Address: 542 SE Loop 410, San Antonio, TX

Square footage: 640,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Purchased for $66 million

Previously owned by: Oakmont Industrial Group

San Antonio Express:

ICE completed the purchase of Oakmont 410, a vacant 639,595-square-foot facility at 542 S.E. Loop 410, two sources — who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss the transaction — said Tuesday. The seller was Atlanta-based Oakmont Industrial Group. An internal ICE document obtained by the Dallas Morning News last month said the agency had been eyeing the warehouse for conversion to a 1,500-bed processing center — a facility migrants would go through before being transferred to a detention center and ultimately deported.

It’s unclear what the federal government paid for the property, which the Bexar Central Appraisal District values at $37.8 million. Oakmont Industrial described the warehouse as the largest speculative industrial development in San Antonio when it began constructing it in 2022, meaning it was not commissioned for a specific tenant. It has sat empty.

Address: 950 I-45, Hutchins, TX

Square footage: 1 million

Capacity: Up to 10,000

Status: Proposed, possibly purchased (unconfirmed)

Owned by: PS Hutchins Phase Two LLC

CBS:

According to a news release, federal reports show ICE has purchased the PointSouth Logistics & Commerce Centre’s Building 1 for use as a detention facility. The release noted that DHS has said it has “no new detention center to announce” [...]

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Nichols reiterated what Mayor Mario Vasquez told residents earlier this week: the city has not been approached by federal officials and does not support an ICE facility opening in Hutchins. “Staff as well as city officials are still awaiting factual, official information about any potential plans for the property in question,” Nichols said. “To date, no one from the city has been contacted by federal officials to discuss any such plans or local impacts.”

Address: 6900 S International Pkwy, McAllen, TX

Square footage: 350,000

Capacity: 500

Status: Reported

Owned by: Centennial Park LLC

On a Bloomberg list of reported sites under consideration by DHS.

VIRGINIA

Address: 11525 Lakeridge Pkwy, Ashland, VA

Square footage: 550,000

Capacity: 1,500

Status: Blocked by owners

Owned by: Jim Pattison Developments

NYT:

A Canadian company said on Friday that it would no longer sell a warehouse in Virginia to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which had planned to use the site as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement processing facility. [...] The warehouse in Virginia belongs to Jim Pattison Developments, which is based in Vancouver. After its planned sale was made public in January, the company became one of a number of international companies facing questions about their work with ICE. [...]

Jim Pattison Developments said in a statement last week that it had accepted an offer to sell the warehouse to a U.S. government contractor before its potential new owner and use were made known. “We understand that the conversation around immigration policy and enforcement is particularly heated, and has become much more so over the past few weeks,” the statement said. On Friday, the company released a one-line statement that the sale would not proceed.

UTAH

Address: 1197 6880 W, Salt Lake City, UT

Square footage: 1.1 million

Capacity: 7,500

Status: Proposed, owners claim not be selling to DHS

Owned by: Ritchie Group LLC

Salt Lake Tribune:

Owners of a warehouse in west Salt Lake City at the heart of recent rumors about a new migrant detention center said they have no plans to sell their building to the federal government. [...] “The Ritchie Group is proud to be a family-owned Utah business that has been building our communities since 1973,” the statement read. “The Ritchie Group and its investors have no plans to sell or lease the property in question to the federal government.”

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DHS, ICE, and CBP

Twin cities

Jan. 5: “2,000 federal agents deploying to Minneapolis in immigration crackdown, fraud probe,” CBS

Jan. 7: Renee Nicole Good shot and killed by longtime ICE agent Jonathan Ross

• “A minute-by-minute timeline of how Renee Nicole Good died,” ABC

• “Video Analysis of ICE Shooting Sheds Light on Contested Moments,” NYT

• “Federal officers blocked medics from scene of ICE shooting, witnesses say,” Guardian

Jan. 8: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem accuses Renee Good of domestic terrorism, YouTube

Jan. 8: “Minneapolis schools cancel classes after Border Patrol clash disrupts dismissal at Roosevelt,” MPR

Jan. 8: “Minnesota officials say they can’t access evidence after fatal ICE shooting and FBI won’t work jointly on investigation,” PBS

Jan. 12: “U.S. Border Patrol agent knees man in face in Minneapolis as other agents hold him down,” Minnesota Reformer

Jan. 12: “Trump Officials Are Sending 1,000 More Immigration Officers to Minnesota,” NYT

Jan. 12: “F.B.I. Inquiry Into ICE Shooting Is Examining Victim’s Possible Ties to Activist Groups,” NYT

Jan. 13: “DOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation,” PBS

Jan. 13: “Minneapolis duo details their ICE detention, including pressure to rat on protest organizers,” AP

Jan. 14: “Pentagon to dispatch dozens of military lawyers to Minneapolis amid immigration crackdown,” CNN

Jan. 15: “A St. Paul resident says federal officers knocked on her door and asked her to identify Hmong and Asian households in her North End neighborhood,” Chicago Tribune

Jan. 15: An unidentified ICE officer shot a Venezuelan immigrant in the leg through the front door of a house

• “Videos add new detail to 2nd Minneapolis ICE shooting in a week,” Minnesota Reformer

• “Man shot in leg by ICE in Minneapolis did not attack officer, women say in court documents,” MPR

Jan. 16: Bureau of Prisons tactical teams deployed alongside federal immigration officers in Minnesota, Twitter

Jan. 18: “Minneapolis man says ICE agents took ‘trophy’ photos, locked him in overcrowded cell,” MPR

Jan. 18: “Lawyers allege Dept. of Homeland Security is denying legal counsel to Minnesota detainees,” ABC

Jan. 18: “DOJ vows to press charges after activists disrupt church where Minnesota ICE official is a pastor,” ABC

• Jan. 22: DOJ arrests Nekima Levy-Armstrong, Chauntyll Allen, and William Kelly, who took part in the protest, DHS; “White House Posts AI-Altered Photo of Arrested Protester,” NY Mag

• Jan. 22: “Judge declines to sign off on charges against former CNN anchor Don Lemon,” CNN

• Jan. 30: “Federal agents arrest journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort for filming protest at St. Paul church,” Minnesota Reformer

• “The pro-ICE church is worse than you think,” Salon

Jan. 19: “Army vet detained by ICE for 8 hours says he wasn’t allowed to call an attorney,” ABC

Jan. 20: “US citizen says ICE took him at gunpoint in only underwear despite frigid cold and no warrant,” AP

Jan. 20: “Minnesota man hospitalized with life-threatening injuries after ICE arrest,” Sahan Journal; “ICE claim that a man shattered his skull running into wall triggers tension at a Minnesota hospital,” ABC

Jan. 20: “ICE Details a New Minnesota-Based Detention Network That Spans 5 States,” Wired

Jan. 20: “DOJ subpoenas Minnesota Gov. Walz and other officials in obstruction investigation,” PBS

Jan. 21: “Federal appellate court pauses protester protections against ICE retaliation,” Minnesota Reformer

Jan. 21: “ICE detains 5-year-old Minnesota boy; school leader says agents used him as ‘bait’,” MPR; “Judge orders release of 5-year-old Liam Ramos and his dad from ICE detention,” NPR

Jan. 21: “Minnesota refugees with legal status being detained in sweeping operation,” Star Tribune; “Judge halts federal sweep of Minnesota refugees,” Courthouse News

Jan. 23: “2-year-old girl and father taken by ICE in Minneapolis, local lawmaker says,” NBC

Jan. 24: Border Patrol officers shoot and kill Alex Pretti

• “Timeline: A Moment-by-Moment Look at the Shooting of Alex Pretti,” NYT

• “Judge grants order barring feds from altering or destroying evidence in Pretti shooting,” MPR; February update, “US judge dissolves order blocking DHS from destroying shooting evidence,” Reuters

• “Minneapolis man says he was detained for hours after witnessing Alex Pretti shooting,” CBS

• February update: “Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting,” ProPublica

Jan. 25: ”Bondi letter to Walz requests access to Minnesota voting and welfare records, repeal of ‘sanctuary’ policies,” KSTP

Jan. 26: “The FBI is investigating Minnesota Signal chats tracking ICE, Patel says,” NBC

Jan. 28: “ICE thwarted from entering Ecuador’s consulate in Minneapolis by employee,” Guardian

Jan. 28: “‘ICE conveyor belt’ illegally detaining, moving Minnesota children to Texas faster than courts can respond,” MPR; “‘I don’t have words’: 2 more kids from Liam Conejo Ramos’ Columbia Heights school taken into ICE custody,” MPR; “ICE Is Circling Minnesota Schools, Looking For Children To Take,” Huffpost

Jan. 29: “Minnesota judge counts ICE violations at nearly 100 court orders: “ICE is not a law unto itself”,” CBS

ICE and CBP surveillance

Jan. 6: “Here is the Agreement Giving ICE Medicaid Patients’ Data: On Tuesday, ICE was allowed to continue using Medicaid data in deportation cases,” 404 Media

Jan. 8: “Inside ICE’s Tool to Monitor Phones in Entire Neighborhoods: Webloc can track phones without a warrant and follow their owners home or to their employer,” 404 Media

Jan. 15: “‘ELITE’: The Palantir App ICE Uses to Find Neighborhoods to Raid,” 404 Media

Jan. 19: “ICE’s Facial Recognition App Misidentified a Woman. Twice,” 404 Media

Jan. 23: “ICE Making List of Anyone Who Films Them,” Ken Klippenstein; “ICE Is Scanning Civilians’ Faces, Telling Them They’re Being Entered Into a Terrorism Database,” Futurism

Jan. 30: “How ICE Already Knows Who Minneapolis Protesters Are,” NYT

Immigration policy

Jan. 1: “ICE plans $100 million ‘wartime recruitment’ push targeting gun shows, military fans for hires,” WaPo

Jan. 7: “Trump administration to add 500 miles of migrant-deterring buoys along Rio Grande,” Texas Tribune

Jan. 13: “We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing,” ProPublica

Jan. 14: “ICE error meant some recruits were sent into field offices without proper training, sources say,” NBC

Jan. 14: “Trump warned of a Tren de Aragua ‘invasion.’ US intel told a different story,” Wired

Jan. 15: “US suspending immigrant visa processing for 75 countries,” CNN

Jan. 15: “Trump ends rape protections for trans inmates in ICE facilities and U.S. prisons,” LGBTQ Nation

Jan. 16: “Top US immigration judge says bond hearings should be denied despite court rulings, documents show,” Reuters

Jan. 21: “Immigrant’s death in ICE custody ruled homicide by El Paso medical examiner,” Texas Tribune; “DHS seeking to deport two men who said fellow ICE detainee was killed,” WaPo

Jan. 21: “ICE launches immigration enforcement action in Maine,” NBC; “Sen. Susan Collins announces end to ICE large-scale operations in Maine after talks with Noem,” AP

Jan. 21: “Immigration officers assert sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, memo says,” AP; “ICE has been entering homes without judicial warrants since last summer, sources say,” NBC

Jan. 23: “Trump administration plans to deport 40 Iranians days after mass killings in Iran,” MS Now

Jan. 29: “ICE Begins Buying ‘Mega’ Warehouse Detention Centers Across US,” Bloomberg

Jan. 30: “Argentina in Advanced Talks to Become Destination for U.S. Deportations,” NYT

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Jan. 8: “Judge rules that a fifth federal prosecutor appointed by Pam Bondi is serving unlawfully,” NBC

Jan. 12: “Federal prosecutor in Virginia fired, unwilling to take on Comey prosecution,” ABC

Jan. 14: “FBI executes search warrant at Washington Post reporter’s home,” WaPo

Jan. 19: “Justice Department weighs rollback of gun regulations: Trump administration seeks to placate gun rights groups that have criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi,” WaPo

Jan. 20: “Federal judge says Trump-appointed federal prosecutor in Virginia is ‘masquerading’ in the job,” ABC

Jan. 21: “Judge declines to appoint special master to oversee DOJ’s release of remaining Epstein files,” ABC; “Todd Blanche says review of Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking case ‘is over’,” Guardian

Jan. 28: “Search warrant FBI served at elections office near Atlanta seeks records tied to the 2020 elections,” AP; “Atlanta FBI boss reportedly ousted after questioning DoJ’s renewed interest in 2020 election,” Guardian

Jan. 31: “Judge Wants DOJ to Justify Dismissal of FIFA Bribery Indictments,” Bloomberg

FOREIGN POLICY

Jan. 3: “Delta Force, other special operations soldiers carried out Venezuela raid,” Task and Purpose; “Maduro indicted on federal drug-trafficking and weapons charges,” CBS

• “Fear Grips Venezuela Amid a New Wave of Repression,” Time

• “Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner presents her medal to Trump,” BBC

Jan. 5: “Trump implies he may target Colombia’s president, says Cuba appears ‘ready to fall’,” ABC

Jan. 6: “Trump says US to get 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela at market price,” AP; “Trump’s vow to ‘run’ Venezuela, sell oil, part of plan to dominate Western Hemisphere,” ABC

• Further reading: “Trump supporter and oil magnate Harry Sargeant advising US on Venezuela, sources say,” Reuters

Jan. 14: “US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar,” Semafor; “Rubio sparks new questions by admitting funds from oil sales are going into Qatari account,” Yahoo; “Trump controls Venezuela oil funds,” Semafor

Jan. 16: “Trump floats new tariffs in push to acquire Greenland,” CNBC; “Trump says US will do something on Greenland ‘whether they like it or not’,” ABC; “Europe mobilizes as Trump again demands ‘complete and total control’ of Greenland,” ABC

Jan. 18: “Trump wants nations to pay $1 billion for permanent Board of Peace seats,” CNBC; “What to know about Trump’s ‘Board of Peace,” NBC; “180 skyscrapers for Gaza: Trump’s son-in-law Kushner unveils ‘masterplan’ for enclave’s reconstruction,” CNN

Jan. 21: “Trump responds to Carney: ‘Canada lives because of the United States,’” Axios

Jan. 23: “Trump angers allies with claim NATO troops ‘stayed a little back’ from front lines in Afghanistan,” CNN

Jan. 28: “Removal of flags for fallen Danish soldiers at U.S. Embassy sparks backlash,” WaPo

Jan. 29: “Trump officials awarded Venezuela oil-sale contracts to firms tied to bribery,” WaPo

Jan. 30: “Trump Officials Bypass Congress to Push Billions in Weapons Aid to Israel,” NYT

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Jan. 5: “Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive,” Stat; “CDC staff ‘blindsided’ as child vaccine schedule unilaterally overhauled,” WaPo

Jan. 8: “RFK Jr.’s new dietary guidelines go all in on meat and dairy,” NPR; “Beef Tallow, Long a Health Pariah, Rises to the Top of the Food Pyramid,” NYT

Jan. 14: “Trump administration sends letter wiping out addiction, mental health grants,” NPR; “24 hours of chaos as mental health grants are slashed then restored,” NPR

Jan. 13: “FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies,” ArsTechnica

Jan. 22: “Kennedy Plan to Test a Vaccine in West African Babies Is Blocked,” NYT

Jan. 23: “Rejecting Decades of Science, Vaccine Panel Chair Says Polio and Other Shots Should Be Optional,” NYT

MEDIA CONTROL

Jan. 5: “Corporation for Public Broadcasting is officially shutting down months after GOP funding cuts,” NBC

Jan. 14: “Stars and Stripes job applicants are asked if they back Trump policies,” WaPo; “Defense Department says military newspaper Stars and Stripes must eliminate ‘woke distractions’,” PBS

Jan. 15: “CBS News report on ICE officer’s injuries drew ‘huge internal concern’: Anonymously sourced report that Jonathan Ross ‘suffered internal bleeding’ after killing Renee Good faced skepticism inside CBS newsroom,” Guardian

Jan. 17: “‘We’ll Sue’: White House’s Warning to CBS Is Sign of a New Media Status Quo,” NYT

Jan. 17: “Trump buys $1m in Netflix and Warner Bros bonds days after saying he’ll ‘be involved’ in merger,” Guardian

Jan. 21: “Late-night and daytime talk shows must offer equal time for candidate interviews, FCC says,” NBC

Jan. 27: “Meta Is Blocking Links to ICE List on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads,” Wired

Jan. 30: “A ‘wellness bro’, a cosmologist and an RFK Jr crony: meet Bari Weiss’s new CBS News contributors,” Guardian

ENVIRONMENT

Jan. 2: “Trump vetoes bill easing repayment for Colorado pipeline,” Center Square; “Amid Tina Peters fight, Trump is withholding funding from parts of Colorado that overwhelmingly voted for him,” Colorado Sun

Jan. 2: “Trump uses veto power to clap back at Indigenous tribe for Alligator Alcatraz lawsuit,” ABC

Jan. 5: “DOI cracks down on stickers covering Trump’s face on national park passes,” SFgate

Jan. 13: “EPA moves to stop considering economic benefits of cleaner air,” ArsTechnica

Jan. 21: “Trump Admin “Deliberately” Tanking Morale to Get Parks Staff to Quit, Official Says in Leaked Tape,” Intercept

Jan. 28: “‘Shameful’: Trump’s EPA accused of prioritizing big business over public health,” Guardian

Jan. 28: “The Trump administration has secretly rewritten nuclear safety rules,” NPR

Jan. 28: “Feds mull first-ever seafloor mining in Alaskan waters,” EE News

Jan. 29: “The Trump Administration Is Now Delaying Renewable Projects It Thinks Are Ugly,” Heatmap

MISCELLANEOUS

• “Trump wants to build 250ft Washington DC arch that dwarfs Lincoln Memorial,” Guardian; “President Trump shares new triumphal arch renderings on Truth Social,” Architect’s Newspaper

• “Federal judge appears skeptical that Trump has legal authority to proceed with White House ballroom,” CNN; “Trump says it’s ‘too late’ to stop White House ballroom construction,” WaPo

• “Trump officials eye park near National Mall for Garden of Heroes,” WaPo

• “The stunning art trove hidden in a D.C. building marked by Trump for disposal,” WaPo

• “The slavery exhibits at the President’s House have been removed following Trump administration push,” Philadelphia Inquirer

• “Trump sues JPMorgan and its CEO, alleging bank closed his accounts for political reasons,” PBS

• “Trump sues IRS and Treasury for $10 billion over leaked tax information,” NPR

• “United Arab Emirates’ ‘Spy Sheikh’ bought secret stake in Trump crypto company,” CNBC

• “Push to Audit Private Equity and Venture Capital Falters Under Trump,” NYT

• “Trump struck deals with 16 drug companies. But they’re still raising prices this year,” NPR

• “After Donations, Trump Administration Revoked Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Staff,” NYT

• “Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence,” ProPublica

• “S.E.C. Drops Case Against Cryptocurrency Firm Founded by Winklevoss Twins,” NYT

• “Top DOJ Official Shut Down Enforcement Against Crypto Companies While Holding More Than $150,000 in Crypto Investments,” TPM

• “Court allows White House to end Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood in 22 states,” Guardian

• “Trump’s FDA sends warning letters to companies selling chest binders,” Advocate

• “US to expand anti-abortion aid rule to cover ‘gender ideology,’ diversity,” Reuters

• “Musk’s AI tool Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks, Hegseth says,” Guardian

• “Trump pardons convicted California fraudster he previously freed for different crime,” LA Times

• “DOGE Employees Shared Social Security Data, Court Filing Shows,” NYT; “The Trump administration admits even more ways DOGE accessed sensitive personal data,” NPR

In the sprawling apparatus of U.S. immigration enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relies on a vast and often controversial network of private contracts. These agreements, sometimes worth billions of dollars, govern everything from detention center operations and surveillance technology to the mundane details of office supplies. Understanding this landscape is crucial, for behind every enforcement action and detention policy are corporate actors, large and small, assisting President Trump’s paramilitary army in abducting our neighbors and terrorizing our communities. Luckily, federal contracts are (almost always) public information. So, I made a spreadsheet using the data on USAspending.gov to document all of the contracts issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during Trump’s second term.

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Before we dig in, a few important notes on the data: (a) The analysis includes only contracts issued on or after January 20, 2025 (contracts issued before then may still be active but will not be reflected in the spreadsheet). If there is interest, I can make a spreadsheet of earlier contracts, as well. (b) It includes only contracts where CBP or ICE is the listed awarding agency. Broader DHS-level contracts are excluded to avoid funds accessible to other sub-agencies like FEMA or the Coast Guard. (c) All information is dependent on the accuracy of government records.

You can view the complete spreadsheet of ICE and CBP contracts here (default sorted by the contractor’s state)

Now, let’s get into some stats:

States with the most contracts:

The states with the highest concentrations of ICE/CBP contracts are Virginia, with over 800 individual contracts, and Maryland, with over 300 individual contracts. The majority of these agreements are for office supplies, telecommunications services, computer hardware/software, and furniture. California, Texas, and Arizona rank next, driven largely by CBP’s extensive operational presence along the U.S.-Mexico border. Florida holds the sixth highest number of ICE/CBP contracts, partly because GEO Group (see below) is headquartered in Boca Raton. And, finally, Ohio has the seventh highest number of contracts, attributable in part to Government Acquisitions, an IT contractor, being headquartered in Cincinnati.

Companies with the most lucrative contracts:

1. Fisher Sand & Gravel Co.: $6 billion obligated

Fisher Industries, a construction company based in Dickinson, North Dakota, is the parent company of Fisher Sand and Gravel, Arizona Drilling and Blasting, Southwest Asphalt, Southwest Asphalt Paving, Fisher Grading and Excavating, Fisher Ready Mix, and General Steel and Supply Co. It has been awarded nine contracts by U.S. Customs and Border Protection since the start of Trump’s second term to construct portions of the southern border wall, erect water barriers along border rivers, and build adjacent infrastructure.

Further reading:

• “The dark side of Trump’s wall,” HPR, 2018

• “‘He always brings them up’: Trump tries to steer border wall deal to North Dakota firm,” WaPo, 2019

• “Company touted by Trump to build the wall has history of fines, violations,” CNN, 2019

• “He built a privately funded border wall. It’s already at risk of falling down if not fixed,” Texas Tribune, 2020

• “Billion-dollar border surge: El Centro and Yuma Projects Key as $4.5B in ‘Smart Wall’ contracts kicks off OBBB funding,” IVP, 2025

• “Congressman blasts new $1.6 billion barrier ‘in middle of nowhere’,” Border Report, 2026

2. BCCG A Joint Venture: $3 billion obligated

BCCG is a construction company based in Montgomery, Alabama. It has been awarded eight CBP contracts since Trump’s second inauguration to construct portions of a border wall in Arizona, Texas, and California.

Further reading:

• “DHS, CBP award $4.5B in new contracts under OBBB for Smart Wall construction along southwest border,” CBP.gov, 2025

3. CSI Aviation, Inc.: $1.2 billion obligated

CSI Aviation is a New Mexico-based charter airline company that received two ICE contracts during Trump’s second term to operate deportation flights.

Further reading:

• “Meet the ICE Contractor Running Deportation Flights,” POGO, 2025

  • Note: Deborah Maestas, the daughter of CSI Aviation’s CEO, was one of Trump’s “fake electors” in New Mexico.

4. SLS Federal Services LLC: $1 billion obligated

SLS Federal Services is a construction company based in Galveston, Texas, that was awarded two CBP contracts since Trump’s second inauguration to build portions of the border wall.

Further reading:

• “These Texas Brothers Could Make Millions Building The First New Section Of Trump’s Border Wall,” Forbes, 2019

5. Barnard Spencer Joint Venture: $778 million obligated

Barnard Spencer is a civil construction company that has been awarded two CBP contracts during Trump’s second term to construct portions of the border wall and install detection and lighting systems along the barrier.

Further reading:

• “CBP awards $4.5 billion for border wall ‘smart wall’ construction,” Tuscon Sentinel, 2025

6. Acquisition Logistics LLC: At least $598 million obligated

Acquisition Logistics is a minority-owned, veteran-owned, small business located in Henrico, Virginia. It has been awarded one contract by the Department of Defense to build and operate a 5,000-bed detention facility in El Paso, Texas. The original contract was reportedly worth $1.2 billion. A couple of months later, the contract (or part of the contract) was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security. According to government records, this portion of the contract is worth $598 million.

Further reading:

• “How a Tiny, Inexperienced Firm Landed a $1.3 Billion Detention Deal,” Mother Jones, 2025

7. Anduril Industries, Inc.: $500 million obligated

Anduril has been awarded five new CBP contracts since Trump’s second inauguration for autonomous surveillance towers and related technical operation/support work.

Further reading:

• “‘Never sleeps, never even blinks’: the hi-tech Anduril towers spreading along the US border,” Guardian, 2022

• “Trump’s Big Beautiful Gift to Anduril,” Intercept, 2025

• “Founder of $30 billion defense tech company Anduril embraces Trump’s threat to crack down: It’s ‘good to scare people sometimes’,” Fortune, 2026

8. Tribalco LLC: $317 million obligated

Tribalco is a telecommunications company based in Bethesda, Maryland, that received six contracts from ICE and CBP during Trump’s second term to provide radio equipment to agents.

9. The GEO Group, Inc.: $253 million obligated

The GEO Group, a for-profit prison company, has been awarded 19 new ICE contracts since Trump’s second inauguration. Four contracts were given to a subsidiary called BI Incorporated for “skip tracing,” aka bounty hunters, to locate immigrants, and for ankle monitoring services. Two contracts were given to GEO Transport for ground transportation services in the Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City areas. Finally, 13 contracts were awarded to GEO Group for detention and transportation services at detention facilities.

Further reading:

• “ICE Hires Immigrant Bounty Hunters From Private Prison Company GEO Group,” Intercept, 2025

• “Private Prison Companies’ Enormous Windfall: Who Stands to Gain as ICE Expands,” Brennan Center, 2025

• “An ICE Contractor Is Worth Billions. It’s Still Fighting to Pay Detainees as Little as $1 a Day to Work,” ProPublica, 2025

10. Granite Construction Company: $169 million obligated

Granite Construction is a civil construction company and aggregate producer based in Watsonville, California, that has been awarded two contracts since the start of Trump’s second term to build a portion of the border wall.

Further reading:

• “Granite nabs first border wall job under Trump 2.0,” Construction Drive, 2025

On January 7, 2026, ICE agent Jonathan Ross murdered 37-year-old U.S. citizen Renee Good in Minneapolis for the crime of not showing sufficient “respect” to law enforcement, in President Trump’s words. Her killing, while shocking, was not surprising: It is the inevitable — and arguably, desired — result of Trump’s campaign of terror in blue cities. In Minneapolis, we saw the rightwing media apparatus, centered largely on X, create racist propaganda to demonize Somalis after weeks of attacks from the president. The Trump administration then used the manufactured propaganda as a pretext to surge its paramilitary force to the city, where they escalated tension, brutalized bystanders, and abducted neighbors. When people justifiably objected to an invading force terrorizing them, federal agents responded with violence, then used that violence to justify more oppression.

Background: In 2022, President Joe Biden’s Department of Justice indicted 47 people in Minnesota on charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery for fraudulently claiming hundreds of millions of dollars in food aid funds. As of late 2025, 78 people have been charged in connection to the scheme. While the majority of the indicted individuals are of Somali descent, the ringleader was a white American citizen named Aimee Bock. Furthermore, it is important to note that the majority of 78 people is not the majority of the 80,000+ Somali community in Minnesota — and it would be foolish to suggest the actions of a few dozen people can be pinned on an entire ethnic population.

Feb. 1, 2025: The U.S. military conducted the first airstrikes in Somalia during Trump’s second term, targeting alleged ISIS members. Now, almost a year later, the administration has carried out over 130 airstrikes in the country, killing an unknown number of civilians. Indeed, many press releases do not even address if there were any casualties at all, target or otherwise.

June 4, 2025: Trump signed a proclamation prohibiting citizens of Somalia (and 11 other countries, mostly African) from entering the United States.

Nov. 22, 2025: Trump instructed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to end Temporary Protected Status eligibility for Somali immigrants residing in Minnesota. “Somali gangs are terrorizing the people of that great State, and BILLIONS of Dollars are missing,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”

Nov. 29, 2025: The New York Times ran an article about the Covid-era fraud scheme in Minnesota, saying that “over the last five years…fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora.”

Nov. 30, 2025: Trump ordered that Somali green cards (along with green cards issued to 18 other countries) be reexamined.

Dec. 2, 2025: At a cabinet meeting, Trump declared that he doesn’t want Somali immigrants in the U.S., saying “They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country.” He added, “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.”

Dec. 3, 2025: Fox News’ Jesse Waters spotlighted the Covid-era fraud scandal, saying that “Minnesota gave the Somalis bucket loads of welfare but that wasn’t enough…Democrats didn’t lay a finger on them because of racial blackmail, so the Somalis ran their racket. Rob us, spend it on luxury apartments and cars, fund some terrorists and then pump thousands into the campaign war chests of Ilhan Omar, the AG Keith Ellison, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Small Fry.”

Dec. 19, 2025: Trump held a rally in which he asked “why is it we only take people from shithole countries?” He added, “Why can’t we have some people from Norway, Sweden, Denmark… But we always take people from Somalia— places that are filthy, dirty, disgusting.”

Dec. 26, 2025: Rightwing provocateur Nick Shirley posted a video to YouTube that purports to show that various Minneapolis day cares run by Somali Americans are not providing services to children despite receiving public funding. Numerous news organizations debunked Shirley’s video, visiting the day care facilities themselves and proving the majority operational.

Dec. 26, 2025: Rightwing influencer accounts on X like End Wokeness, Eric Daugherty, and Libs of TikTok picked up on Shirley’s video and spread it to their millions of followers. Example 1, example 2, example 3.

Dec. 26 - 30, 2025: Nearly every agency in the executive branch boosted Shirley’s false claims and vowed to crack down on Minneapolis. Dept. of Education, White House, Homeland Security, Dept. of Labor, Small Business Association, and DOJ.

Dec. 29, 2025 - Jan. 2, 2026: Elon Musk amplified Shirley’s false claims and connected them to the Great Replacement Theory by falsely suggesting that Democrats welcome Somali immigrants in order to fraudulently boost their voter base. Example 1, example 2, example 3, example 4.

Dec. 30, 2025: The Department of Health and Human Services announced it had “frozen all child care payments to the state of Minnesota” due to “serious allegations” of “fraudulent daycares.”

Dec. 31, 2025: A Somali-run day care in Minneapolis was broken into and vandalized.

Jan 3, 2026: ICE murdered Renee Good.

Jan. 13, 2026: At least six career prosecutors resigned from the Justice Department after senior officials pushed for a criminal investigation into Renee Good’s widow.

In the days after Good’s murder, the Trump administration announced it was sending 2,000 additional federal agents to Minnesota to carry out the “largest immigration operation ever.”

What they have actually done is inflict acts of terror upon the local community.

• They caused a vehicular accident, arrested a screaming woman in the middle of heavy traffic, then abandoned the car in the road.

• They chased a Doordash driver into a customer’s house and threatened to break down her door and charge her with harboring if she did not turn the driver over to them.

• They shut down entire streets in order to go door to door demanding to see identification of residents, in at least one instance entering the home, weapons drawn, without a warrant. In another instance, they asked the resident to identify Hmong and Asian households in the neighborhood.

• They kidnapped a 17-year-old U.S. citizen at a Target and, upon authenticating his identity, slammed him into the ground and left him crying in a parking lot.

• They tore a woman from her car and arrested her, carrying her by her arms and legs to their SUV.

• They smashed the car window of a legal observer, dragged him from the car, and placed a knee on his neck while arresting him.

• They pepper-sprayed citizens expressing opposition to the occupation and gassed a busy commercial street with children present.

• They used the government’s mass surveillance system, filled with the private data of citizens, in order to intimidate people who were documenting their actions. In at least two instances reported by MPR, immigration agents scanned protestors’ license plates and stopped in front of their addresses, “performatively and theatrically taking pictures” of their houses.

• They menaced observers, threatening that they did not “learn their lesson” from the murder of Renee Good.

These are not the actions of “immigration enforcement.” These are the actions of state terrorism and the prelude to an authoritarian death squad. As Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social yesterday, “THE DAY OF RECKONING & RETRIBUTION IS COMING!” Without meaningful action to reign in — and ultimately abolish — ICE, there will be more Renee Goods.

Know Your Rights: If You Encounter ICE