Immigrants plead for help inside Texas’s Bluebonnet ICE facility. They say they’re falsely accused of gang ties, forced to sign papers they can’t read, and told they’ll be deported imminently, signature or not. Leaked video captures the frontlines of Trump’s war on due process
Credit: @btnewsroom on Instagram
https://liberationnews.org/harris-and-trump-united-against-immigrants/
The school that trains dictators: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SGtegY0S3yo
Virtually every picture I see of uniformed #ICE agents has them wearing different kit. Are they required to purchase their own gear?
NBC News: U.S.-born American citizen under ICE hold in Florida is released
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/us-born-american-citizen-ice-hold-florida-released-rcna201854
#MahmoudKhalil pens WaPo #OpEd from #ICE detention facility
“What does my detention by ICE say about #America?”
#law #immigration #Constitution #FreeSpeech #FreeAssembly #RightToProtest #dissent #authoritarianism #autocracy #dictatorship #autocracy #tyranny #MafiaState #USpol #Trump
https://wapo.st/4czL2dT
#MonmothME #resists! #Monmouth #police department withdraws #ICE training application
Residents packed the Monmouth Board of Selectmen meeting Wednesday to speak out against the town's police department taking on the role of enforcing federal #immigration laws.
by Emily Duggan, Kennebec Journal, April 17, 2025
MONMOUTH — "After dozens of residents voiced opposition, the police department has withdrawn its application for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that allows local law enforcement agencies to work with the federal agency to enforce federal immigration laws.
"Police Chief Paul Ferland said he was seeking the training so his officers would know what to do if they come across people who are in the United States illegally.
"In the past year or so, Monmouth officers have called the U.S. Border Patrol about a dozen times, each time with questions about legal rights, when to detain someone and how to not violate someone’s constitutional rights.
"Each instance can take hours, Ferland said, as officers wait for federal agents to arrive from wherever they are stationed. Once the agents arrive, they check for the person’s immigration status and whether they may have an upcoming court date. If not, the officers can issue a date.
"The southwest Kennebec County town is home to a number of businesses, including #agricultural businesses that employ #migrant workers.
"Ferland announced the department’s withdrawal from the program Wednesday at the town’s Board of Selectmen meeting, which was packed with residents both in person and on Zoom who turned out mostly to speak against the move.
"Because Ferland is also the chief of the Winthrop Police Department, that town is also withdrawing, he said.
" 'When I saw how this is dividing the community, it’s not what I want. It’s not what our officers want. Our community is our community, it’s our home. The officers love their community, and we are not here to divide it. That is one of the reasons why I pulled the application. Not the only, but the biggest,' Ferland said.
"Following an executive order signed by President Donald #Trump, police departments from 38 states have applied to be a part of ICE’s 287 (g) program, including the #WellsPoliceDepartment, which according to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement data is the only #Maine police agency that is currently taking part."
Original article:
https://www.centralmaine.com/2025/04/17/monmouth-police-department-withdraws-ice-training-application/
Archived version:
https://archive.md/FHBWe
#ACAB #ICEDetention #Deportations
#HumanRightsAbuses #USPol #MainePol #ICEDetentions #ResistICE #MonmouthMaineResists #MaineResists
Here is video of a dangerous man committing a violent crime. But law-enforcement won't touch him because he is a federal agent.
“Petitioners have learned that officers at Bluebonnet have distributed notices under the #AlienEnemiesAct, in #English only, that designate #Venezuelan men for removal under the #AEA, & have told the men that the removals are imminent & will happen tonight or tomorrow,” #ACLU atty Lee Gelernt wrote in the filing.
The filing does not say how many people are facing #deportation, but that "dozens of Venezuelan men" have been brought to the #ICE facility in #Texas in the last few days.
Leaked: #Palantir’s Plan to Help #ICE Deport People
https://www.404media.co/leaked-palantirs-plan-to-help-ice-deport-people/
#Immigrant coalition raises alarm over #WellsME #police #ICE partnership as state debate looms
April 13, 2025
WELLS, Maine (WGME) -- "The executive director of the #MaineImmigrantRightsCoalition, #MufaloChitam, says her organization is aware of the new agreement that the #WellsPoliceDepartment signed with ICE which allows officers to arrest people based on #immigration #violations.
"Wells is the first town in Maine to take this step, though other towns have applied as well.
"Chitam says, for her organization and the people they represent, the important thing is to bring awareness to what this means.
"Around the country, departments in 37 states have signed on.
" 'It just brings reality to Maine. We’ve been seeing this around the country, and around other states, but not experienced it in Maine. So that’s significant for us. It makes it real, it brings it home,' Chitam said.
"Maine lawmakers may also debate a bill that would ban police departments from this partnership."
#ACAB #ICEDetention #Deportations
#HumanRightsAbuses #USPol #MainePol #ICEDetentions #ResistICE
Mid-commute traffic stop left US citizen detained under an ICE order. Then, a Florida judge verified his US birth certificate - #ICE #deportations #coup #AmericanCoup https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/17/us/lopez-gomez-citizen-detained-ice-florida/index.html
No-Bid #ICE Contract Went to Former ICE Agents Being Sued for Fabricating Criminal Evidence on the Job
The $73 million deal for assisting with deportations went to a company whose executives are accused of retaliating against a fellow ICE worker.
Sam Biddle, April 17 2025
"U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement just signed a contract worth $73 million with a firm whose executives are accused of taking part in a scheme to manufacture evidence against a co-worker during their time working at the Department of Homeland Security.
"According to a contract document reviewed by The Intercept, federal contractor #UniversalStrategicAdvisors will provide services pertaining to #ICE’s 'non-detained docket,' a master list of millions of #noncitizens believed to be removable from the United States but not yet in the agency’s custody.
"The contract cites President Donald #Trump’s declaration of a #NationalEmergency on the #USMexicoBorder, an overwhelming glut of potential #deportees, and a shortage of officers to process them all as justification for hiring a private vendor to assist with the collection of biometric data, coordinating removals, and monitoring #immigrant populations.
"The document says that with a fleet of new outsourced employees, ICE can reassign hundreds of officers to tasks that better align with Trump’s recent executive orders aimed at maximizing the agency’s detention and deportation operations. With the contractors onboard, the document says at least 675 ICE officers 'will be able to take all appropriate actions to comply with the EO’s by prioritizing conducting at-large arrests, removals, and detention related activities.'
"A former ICE official, who spoke to The Intercept on the condition of anonymity, said they were concerned by this plan to further privatize the agency’s operations at the same time as the Trump administration has dramatically slashed its workforce and gutted important oversight bodies like the Office for #CivilRights and #CivilLiberties, as well as the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. 'I certainly take issue with them firing career feds and demolishing whole offices, just to hire contractors to do the same work, many of them who are former ICE employees now retired,' the official said."
Read more:
https://theintercept.com/2025/04/17/ice-deportation-contracts-us-advisors/
Archived version:
https://archive.ph/DjRAG
Join me in donating to the #GoFundMe for the #KilmarAbregoGarcia family. Any amount helps his wife and children survive and fight for his return. We can stand idly by in the face of such injustice. Please share this post/link with your network, your friends and family. #deportations #kidnapping #Gulags #ElSalvador #Coup #AmericanCoup #ICE
https://www.gofundme.com/f/legal-aid-for-kilmar-abregogarcias-government-abduction
[Full article - is behind a paywall] ‘We will not put up with #ICE’: #Students call for #SanctuaryStatus at #UMaine
By Sofia Langlois on April 14, 2025
A rally for sanctuary campus status at the University of Maine was hosted by Students for a Democratic Society (UMO-SDS) in partnership with #JewishVoiceForPeace (JVP) and Triota Epsilon Psi on April 12 in front of Fogler Library. Despite the rainy weekend, dozens of students showed up with handmade signs demanding protections for international students from deportation at an administrative level.
To create a sanctuary campus status at UMaine, the university would need to enact policies that limit Immigrations Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to campus and student information. It would also include a commitment to “non-cooperation” if asked to aid in a search for undocumented students.
SDS Member Gabriel Veilleux led the demonstration with chants before his speech. Some of these rally cries included “Say it once, say it twice: We will not put up with ICE,” “Money for housing and education, not for war and deportation” and “Black Bears, hear us shout: Sanctuary status now.”
Veilleux described current threats of deportation, arrests and detainment that have the potential to reach UMaine. He, like the other participants, believes that university administration must pass a resolution codifying sanctuary status measures to protect immigrants and international students. Veilleux stands firm that the “attack on one is an attack on all” mentality applies to this situation, insisting that UMaine would fail its entire community by remaining neutral.
“We stand here to send a message that the students of UMaine will never yield to the threats and pressure imposed upon us, that we will be steadfast in our #resistance to the #Trump Administration and that we will do all we can to defend our community from ICE invasions and kidnappings,” said Veilleux.
Triota Member Franny Wilson-Charuk addressed the crowd as a proxy for Cheyanne Goroshin, who was absent. Goroshin expressed that UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy cannot uphold her priority to “promote student success” without protecting vulnerable populations on campus. She also emphasized that international students should not be expected to fight for their rights alone. Their ability to succeed may also impact that of their domestic peers and the functioning of UMaine as a whole.
“How do we ensure the success of students when their peers continue to be picked off the streets and detained? How do we ensure student success when admins can’t guarantee that students will be protected from ICE in all buildings on this campus, and when there is no protocol for protecting students who live off campus?,” said Wilson-Charuk.
Wilson-Charuk went on to list multiple ways in which UMaine can take meaningful action. The first is to increase transparency by publishing a list of every building that is restricted or unrestricted from ICE with an explanation as to why. Secondly, to initiate statements from UMPS that agree to prioritize student safety, even from federal agents. The final and primary action is to establish sanctuary status at UMaine.
SDS Member Morgan Ramsay described two situations where international students were targeted as a result of peaceful #activism.
On March 8, Columbia University Graduate Student #MahmoudKhalil was arrested at his apartment by ICE, despite being a permanent resident with a green card. Khalil helped lead protests against Israel. Awaiting trial, Khalil wrote a letter about the circumstances.
At Tufts University, Turkish Doctoral Student #RumeysaOzturk was detained by masked ICE officers dressed in plain clothes on her way to meet friends for dinner on March 25. Ozturk co-authored an op-ed article showing support for Palestinians in Gaza. She had an F1visa and no criminal allegations, but was accused of Hamas alignment according to Ramsay.
“So far, over 600 international students and recent grads across the US have had their visas revoked by the Trump Administration. Many of these visa cancellations are in response to participation in student-led activism…,” said Ramsay. “The Trump Administration is making our constitutional rights increasingly conditional, especially for those who do not hold citizenship status.”
JVP president Talia Cullum mentioned #HolocaustRemembranceDay, or #YomHaShoah next month in connection to the current political climate. Yom HaShoah means “Day of the Catastrophe” in Hebrew. According to Cullum, the phrase “#NeverAgain,” which most frequently refers to the Holocaust, can be applied to issues that are happening now.
“Never again is now. Never again is here. We don’t want a new #gestapo force coming and picking up our students on our campus,” said Cullum.
Cullum also read “First They Came,” a poem written in 1946 by Pastor Martin Niemöller that is meant to inspire mutual advocacy.
Participants holding signs, and a banner that reads “Immigrant students deserve to feel safe at school. Demand sanctuary status now.” Photo by Sofia Langlois
SDS Member Ryan Kennedy shared that one third of immigrants in America are pursuing higher education. He went on to express frustration for federal actions but also for university inaction. Kennedy specifically referenced the Office of Diversity and Inclusion changing its name to the Office for Community and Connections to remove #DEI per the executive order.
“This may be just a name change to some, but what it indicates is fear in the university. When the university is scared, they will turn their back on their students,” said Kennedy. “President Ferrini-Mundy has not made any statements about protections for students, and that is honestly shameful.”
Katelyn Spearrin concluded the speeches by reiterating the rally demands. She insisted that sanctuary status measures must be done prior to harassment from ICE to adequately prepare. Spearrin also thanks participants for their involvement in the cause.
“Everyone who showed up today in support of our international students and staff for the protection of our several vulnerable populations by keeping ICE away from our campus, gaining sanctuary status and advocating for justice, are on the right side of history today,” said Spearrin."
If you missed it on TidySearch, here is a page that just got indexed:
#ICE Is Paying Palantir $30 Million to Build ‘ImmigrationOS’ Surveillance Platform
Titled simply "Icicle framed in leaves". Taken on Christmas, but it has such a spring-like aura, with how the snow melts through the greenery, creating a shimmering landscape of ice cracking, water running, and branches swaying...
"Inside Higher Ed requested public records from all 12 State University System of Florida institutions related to their agreements with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Based on the results, it is clear that at least 10 have signed deals with ICE: Florida A&M University, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida International University, New College of Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, the University of North Florida, the University of South Florida and the University of West Florida."
"Florida State University and Florida Polytechnic University are in the process of signing the paperwork, according to spokespersons at each institution."
Today's email is about #ICE prisons Please copy and paste into the forms on the websites of your members of #Congress and boost. #Resist
Senator Van Hollen yesterday demonstrated the difference between action and performance. The overreach of this Republican Administration has not slowed, so it is time for more direct actions from Congress.
Go to the nearest ICE prison. Do a full inspection, talking with people who are being held there. Find out how long they have been held and details about their cases. Take messages out for their families. We have seen too many news stories about people stuck indefinitely.
If they do not let you in, stay there talking to the media. Change the news cycle. You and every other member of Congress with an ICE facility in their state need to seize the opportunity to highlight the violations of the 5th Amendment, whose protections apply to all persons, not just citizens.
Interview people who work in these privately run ICE prisons. Shed light on who they are, how much they are paid, and the conditions they witness. ICE is operating outside the Constitution, letting private corporations obscure the abuse of the rights enshrined in the #Constitution.
Bring light so the rot can be seen. At the same time, have your staffers collect names, photographs, and stories. The names and identities of everyone touched by these violations of Constitutionally guaranteed due process should be recorded for posterity and future investigations.
