Thank you, Jen. This is not integration policy, it's, as you've said, rampant racist cruelty on a stick, funded with our tax dollars. We don't want a dime going to this.
It is, however, accomplishing their main goal of spreading terror and societal disruption. Stephen Goebbles Miller is behind this and it is all his fever dream that terrorizing hard-working brown people will cause them to self-deport... If there are 11 million of them here, that will be a real hit to our economy.
It also is a horrific hit to humanity. Even one person being mistreated is inexcusable. Our branches of government must take the proper action to stop anyone responsible for this inexcusable havoc. Yes, I agree with you about the hit to the economy as well.
The even bigger problem is that tRump will just pardon them. When we come out on the other side of this, we must eliminate the presidential pardon from the Constitution.
Right now that seems wise. Maybe it always is, but I am not so sure. Are there ever pardons which seemed warranted? When did the pardoning became part of our government? I am aware of them having taken place during several presidencies, but I need to look it up and study the total history.
Certainly we do not want misuse of the pardon taking place ever. As long as we have it, the pardon is based on the opinion of one person, and we see the dangers. Other times, I wonder if the action is needed.
I do not think that the Founders ever envisioned someone like tRump... issuing thousands of pardons to people who were convicted despite rigorous enforcement of their right to due process. If we decide we want some kind of pardon power, create a Clemency Commission made of Senior-status Federal Judges. It needs to be utterly and totally divorced from the office of the President.
Depending on the ideas of those Federal Judges, I like your interesting plan. In recent times we have seen much variance in judges in certain capacities, so I am still considering pros and possible cons of what sounds wise at the moment.
The Catholic church and other Faith based communities are beginning to respond. I hope to see a lot more of that in the future. Speak to your faith leader about taking a stand asserting that every human being must be treated with dignity as an individual created in the image and likeness of God.
I wonder when Trump and the GOP will turn on Kristi Noem, she of the $200 mio in new jets just when the country is in lock-down and people are starving? Why does she need jets? She's not essential to the leadership on the front lines in cities with declining crime rates. She's mostly jetting around so that she make it front of the FOX cameras so her boss can see her wearing her dark glasses or Stetson. Bet the jets have big make-up rooms. Her and Hegseth, what a pair!
MAGA is self destructing. NYT: Trump late Sunday urged House Republicans to back a measure that would compel the Justice Department to release files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his stance after facing the prospect that the measure could receive dozens of G.O.P. votes.
Trump was the poster boy for employer sanctons for using illegals on his job sites. Trump Inc still uses temporary visas to displace locals at Mar a Lago and Doral.
Is Trump urging the House to vote to release the Epstein files because he thinks that the Senate will either not take up the issue or will vote against it? Does he think his faux investigations of Democrats will prevent evidence in an "active" case from being released? I'm not sure Trump is smart enough to work out strategy, but the power-wielding people around him are.
E.G. Bacon (R-NE) tells Katy Tur that he will now vote YES to release the Epstein files if there is a vote on the House floor. Don Bacon says Congress can't "do the Republican-only fix" on health care subsidies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJpF0z2Ces. Dozens of House republicans are saying the same.
Saturday, we discussed the "Bubba" issue. IMHO it could be the demise of the MAGA macho persona.
None of the Felon's coterie of unqualified, lying grifters is necessary to leadership on the front lines or anyplace else. Their only concern is enriching themselves at our expense. They are milking us and the nation for all they can get their greedy hands on, the Felon chief among them. They all are pirating extravagant booty for themselves from hardworking Americans in return for kneeling before the Felon and stroking his ego. Despicable excuses for human beings.
Trump will pardon everyone in his regime before he leaves office, unless he has beef with them. They know they’d better remain in good standing to avoid prosecution later.
Presidential pardoning power is limited to federal crimes only, though the regime is trying to claim the right to pardon state offenders, too. Otherwise, no limits.
Yes, I remember that not long ago, the handling of some matter was to be handled in a state court in order to avoid the possibility of a pardon. The details currently escape me.
I just noted somewhere on this site, in response to you snd another person responding to you, that by handling a sentencing in a state court, no federal pardon could be allowed.
To the contrary, Noem WOULD be essential to the leadership if they use ICE to help steal the next election. (Maybe better to say "that position would be essential.")
I find this, masked, unconfirmed, lacking ID and rule of law, arrest of human beings the worst aspect of this administration. At the very, very, very least the "law enforcement" personnel should have uncovered faces, and show ID before attempting arrests. Even the FBI has announced that impersonation is occurring so people have no idea whether it is criminals or government that is arresting them. Given how the "government" is acting, it seems they are also criminals.
They are criminals and once sanity returns to DC, the ICE Nazis should be tried in court and held accountable for the illegal and cruel acts that have tarnished our nation's standing, destroyed trust, and harmed innocent people, especially for the latter.
It seems that a ruling should be that no pardon shall be allowed for terrorist acts by anyone. Nor should a pardon be allowed for anyone ordering any part of those acts.
My understanding is that the presidential pardon power is unlimited.SIGH. It would take a supreme court ruling to modify that given that the constitution does not place limits on it.
As to the type of case, as long as it is a federal case, with the conviction made in a federal court, the pardon is unlimited now. However, the president is not allowed to pardon criminals who were sentenced in a state court. That fact does not keep our country safe from violent criminals, who were tried in a federal court, receiving a presidential pardon.
I’m waiting for the first time one of these raids happens in a “stand your ground” state, and the person being targeted (not knowing these are actual agents or just criminals) pulls out his firearm and shoots one. Interesting tangle of laws to sort out. Seems to me like the proverbial accident waiting to happen.
I am also surprised we haven’t had such an incident. I think the MAGA crowd makes the assumption (VERY mistakenly) that all the firearms floating around in the US belong to their supporters.
The ICE-Goons of our time are soulless White Walkers in this cruel MAGA Game of Thrones we are witnessing. And as Don Moynihan has aptly described the creation of this new Omniforce, it's a Purge, Merge and Surge affair:
As a Chicagoan who lived through ICE in my city while using a lot of immigrant worker to repair my home for sale and get another one ready to live in, and for moving, and helping my mother in assisted living, I am acutely aware of my dependence on immigrants to get things done. I am also the child and wife of immigrants to Chicago. I have no sympathy with ICE. I would like to say I am very proud of how Chicagoans stood up to the Trump regime's tactics. I also want to point out that Google is both removing apps to help people identify when ICE is near, and providing ICE with facial recognition software to help them find immigrants. Someone needs to replace Google with a better and more ethical platform.
I share all the outrage written here. But I have a little sidebar, related to the mention of
facial recognition software. All those folks who have ring cameras - so they know who
comes to their door when they're not there - are trading some notion of convenience with exposing everyone they know to such software. "They" know who visits you; "they" can also note the contacts of such people. I don't want to sound conspiratorial, but is the information you get from this doo-dad crucial enough to expose everyone you know to publicizing their personal networks? Tell me I'm wrong, please!
I hear you. In Europe we are much more cautious. We did not get such a thing installed, because if we don't hear the doorbell our friends, or expected people can call us.
I am currently in my now main home in Germany, where it is illegal to take anyone's picture without them giving you permission. When people are at rally's they will remind you only take pictures of the back of people'a heads.
While Palantir is making some inroads into Germany, and has contracts to collect data in about 3 states, and there was discussion of then using it for the federal police, my state refuses along with most and there was a big hue and cry about the federal police using it, and I was someone who signed a petition.
Yes. Furthermore, most of us have VPNs and many of us have non-us platformed messaging apps and email addresses. I just do not use my non-US email with correspondence in the US. I only use it with people who have emails that are not US platformed. There is no trust for the Tech bros and their products on the part of many Germans, and most of the Americans that I know abroad.
Yes. It is certainly easier for me because I am a dual citizen. A lot of Americans who have moved here and are moving here are not. Some do not have German spouses, but many do.
Friends with no ties to Portugal moved there after they got married. They got their permanent residency cards after 3-4months, and they have been living there as long as I have been here in Germany. They had their first child there as well. He is originally from India and works for a Chicago tech business, so he can work from anywhere. A lot of people from many countries who live in Portugal are in the same situation. She is starting a business there.
I rather doubt that every resident of the apartment building they raided had Ring cameras... think of the socioeconomic reality of these people. Typically people making minimum wage don't spend money on ring cameras.
My mom goes to the senior medical center 4 blocks way from where the building was attacked by ICE and other Federal agents. I was at the airport in Europe reading about it, so I had been flying away from Chicago while it was going on. I know how hot it was, which is why people without air-conditioning would have been sleeping naked. We had just moved into our old condo and it does not have installed air-conditioning so we had been doing the same. At the same time, the night air outside can be cold, and they were naked. I still cannot get over them doing that, and we need to demand that they not wear masks and have IDs with their names on them. Dan Bovino, Pam Blondi, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump, JDV and all of the ICE agents who participated should be brought before an international court and tried as war criminals. Trump needs to be told that he will not get a Nobel Prize as long as he wages war on his own country. He is the enemy within.
I am so sorry your mother was near the attacks, but I am glad she is safe, and I wish there had been no attacks and that everyone had remained safe!
Trips to Chicago used to be fun, but these times we are not trusting enough to go. It is in some of the city areas that I wonder about cameras. Buildings and homes are closer to the streets than in a lot of towns. I expect there are inside cameras in many public places in the cities.
Thank you. I am sorry if I was unclear. My mom was not near the attacks because they were at night, but it is right near the medical clinic she uses. Her residence is not that far though. Neither is mine. It is crazy. I am glad that a lot of the Feds left town.
I think there are a lot of people without cameras. Maybe I should pay attention to what th cameras I know sboutclook like do I’ll be able to recognize one if I see it.
On the other hand, from what I have read, I understand that hidden cameras can be hard to detect. Maybe there are more cameras in some parts of larger towns or in cities. Certainly there are lots of cell phones around.
I appreciate all I am learning from these comments.
Even if anyone had had a camera, the attacks were break ins without warning in some cases, as I understand it. There was no chance to check a camera if there was one. A camera might have caught the intrusion and cruelty, though, and possibly there would be some suggestion of identification, if the eyes showed. I’m not totally sure of that but do know someone who has a camera that was used to identify someone.
Dr. Judith Schlesinger, thank you for this valuable information. Should people wear masks all of the time because places they go, and places they pass might have such cameras? Are the cameras in stores and other public places parts of the same type of connection, or are they a closed circuit of some kind?
Ah, JP4M, why do I have the feeling you're being sarcastic? I honestly don't think this is paranoid thinking. And I don't intend to mask up everywhere I go, thanks. But I have heard this in many sensible places. I already have a pet peeve about things like Siri raising one's blinds (wow!) and putting ever more digital fingers in one's lives. Is the lure to save time? If so, for what? More games?
I’m sorry if you see my questions as sarcasm. However, I assure you they are not, and I am not a sarcastic person.
Knowing a number of people who have such doorbell cameras and other cameras working, I found that your message made me think in more detailed terms about places I visit. I do not want to stop going there, and all of our faces already are on the cameras. Those particular cameras are either to share something in certain places, or to ensure a degree of safety, depending on which homes are involved.
Because I know they have helped at least one friend, I am aware that we are pictured and that the camera is needed, yet I tend to forget about it. Your reminder made me wonder how far reaching the lens goes and how many places we are tracked.
Of course, we also have cameras at intersections as well as in stores. I simply started wondering more about the distance and scope of camera lenses and who sees what or whom. I do not see that as being sarcastic in any way. I do know of one place where we have been told that the sound is connected to the cameras, but it is not always easy to remember to wait until we are inside to have conversations.
Based on my recollecting more details of my environment and pairing it to your kind suggestion about privacy, I still think my questions are very valid. There is no reason to hide, as far as I know, but if we are photographed in places we do not know, I cannot help but wonder who is watching our whereabouts, for what reasons, and if we are being tracked. I trust my friends, but apparently, there is more to consider.
I hope this makes sense to you because it is the only way I know how to explain it. I could ask some friends how far their cameras record faces. I also was shown some cameras with wide range spans and told how they could be installed to show the entirety of a property and then be available on a phone or a computer. One article reported that such a set up could endanger the owner as well as create the intended views for safety.
The bottom line seems to be that there are cameras in many places in the environment, and maybe we should just ignore them. Still, I do wonder if passers by, whether regular strollers in the neighborhood, or other people passing by or coming or going, might be identified.
At least one person has posted a doorbell photograph of a a person invading a neighborhood for an unacceptable reason. She wanted to warn the community. I do not recall how far that photograph tracked the person since it has been a couple of years ago. I expect she could see any of us strolling past her home.
Another person’s camera saved her. The photographs and sound were picked up at the police station. The invader was apprehended, tried, and served time. When I go there, I usually forget about the camera.
If it is for my health, I will wear one, a medical one. If I feel uncertain of an environment, I certainly might wear one, too. I feel that it is important to carry one with me if possible. If it is not for health, or if it is for relief from cold air, the scarf type gator masks are convenient and can serve a dual purpose. However, they can be recognizable, depending on the fabric color and/or pattern. They are really nice for travel and in case there is anything in the air when protection is needed immediately. They would not offer sufficient protection from the COVID virus though. One of those and generic sunglasses plus a hat might help, along with nondescript, basic clothing if identity is a concern.
Replace Google with DuckDuckGo for searches of the internet, and use Proton mail (based in Europe) for email. Both available with free accounts. You can exit the Evil Empire of Google that way.
Thank you, Linda Weide, for sharing a view into the valuable, kind lives and the reality of the results of the unnecessary, undeserved cruelty. I am so sorry for the wrongful treatment of anyone and for the waves of resulting effects and the losses of trusted helpful people. These cruel behaviors are not who we are as a nation, and it must not be allowed to become so.
Oh, I DO hope so. When my mother passed away in 2019 (at five weeks short of 100 years old!) her one and only wish in life was to live long enough to see Trump in prison! And she wasn't even around for Trump 2.0. Now I wonder if I will live long enough to see him in prison... I hope so. I really, REALLY do!
I’m sorry your mother missed her one hundredth birthday, but how wonderful that she had a long life! I hope we all can live and see better times with all people being treated kindly.
Legal and congressional action must be taken. These acts are not official. They are acts of personal choice based on hatred and prejudices paired with the desire to appear all powerful. Those are not American values, and they are not official acts, no matter where they were decided upon and/or ordered.
Pardoned J6’ers. Members of racist right-wing groups the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as “ domestic terrorism”, people who can’t get jobs in a legitimate operation, those power-motivated types who couldn’t meet the psychological standards for police/military…you should check out the ICE help wanted website; the combination of signing bonus and graphics appealing to certain patriotic, not very bright, wanna-be real military-commando types says a lot.
I live in downtown Chicago and the human toll of the trump regimes attack on the city is immense. Instead of arresting “the worst of the worst”, reviews of public records have shown the at least 84% of those arrested have no criminal record. The attacks by ICE and CBP were indiscriminate. They would drive to targeted areas and roam the area on foot and vehicles looking for brown skinned people. When found, the masked, heavily armed agents dressed in camouflage with no identification, would brutally restrain people they self identified as “aliens, terrorists, gang members”- even when none of that was true. Many times U.S. residents were swept up in these arrest, some of them held for days. This is what happens when you have a secret police who make indiscriminate arrests without probable cause and a warrant.
Entire neighborhoods, especially children, have been left terrorized and traumatized by this. 911 calls to the police from these neighborhoods have dropped dramatically because residents are afraid the police are conspiring with ICE and CBP. This unwillingness to call 911 leaves everyone unsafe.
DHS has promised that CBP (ICE is still here) will return in March with upward of 1,000 agents- twice the current number. Why March? That is when our primary election will be held.
“ They would drive to targeted areas and roam the area on foot and vehicles looking for brown skinned people.”
Yes, and that’s the entire point. To Donald Trump and Stephen Miller, those brown skinned people ARE “the worst of the worst. “ ICE and border patrol are behaving exactly as their top leaders intend for exactly the reasons their top leaders intend.
"By one estimation, the feds have spent nearly half a billion dollars on operations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis."
Talk about waste, fraud and abuse! How much better (and more approved by people) these funds could have been used to satisfy the funding of SNAP, Medicaid, and put a dent in the subsidies for the ACA. This action was a power and ego push by a thoroughly evil and demented man. In any normal time, Trump would be impeached as a president and tried for crimes against humanity. Maybe someday at least one of these dreams will come true.
It's tyrannical FUBAR to some nth degree. What lifts me up is that, unlike too many in Germany, the good citizens of this country aren't taking this lying down. We have a long history of recognizing, resisting, and if necessary putting down tyrants. And here's our new chapter.
As long as Steven Millerbis running this shit show, nothing will really change. These actions, along with tariffs and a failing economy showed they mattered in an election. We all know Trumpie and crew are so caught up in their power that it will continue. I hope all the people that didn’t vote last time get off their butts in 2026.
Maybe restitution rather than retribution should be the route to return these people to their lives. They should be restored. There should surely be legal consequences.
As a resident of Chicago for 30+ years - Canadian by birth - I note one good thing that came from the recent blitz policy. It brough together the City in a way I am not even sure the 85 Bears did. It made me proud to be a Chicagoan. Ordinary people stood up to the administration, supported by media like WBEZ, judges, the ACLU, the Contrarian and so on. I wear my bright red whistle proudly.
These people are hooligans. But this is what the Trump regime wants. Instead of doing things the decent and lawful way they had rather resort to dehumanizing behavior to dissuade immigration from countries they do not favor. They don’t care if they’re breaking the laws or not it’s any thing to please the bilious felon and his entourage. Stephen Miller is the worse one. His own uncle has even called him out for his bigotry and weirdo Kristi Noem isn’t much better.
Kristi Noem is rotten to the core with her 2 new jets! Does she need the 2nd jet to carry all of her make-up and costumes? All of this waste on our dime!!! UGH!
A conscience that is non-functional or non-existent can't be shocked. About 40% of the American public is in one of those categories. They want what the Monster and his Minions are doing. It's the reason he's in the WH. Those of us who are not MAGA must remain focused on defeating that 40%. It's Monday, so I and my wife are going to the regular Monday Anti-MAGA rally at noon on the street in Roanoke, Va. Usually about 200 people show up, rain or shine. We've been rallying here since last spring. Join or start a weekly rally in your community. I suggest that the remaining decent people in America stop being shocked and start being active.
Watching Burns' Revolutionary War documentary last night, I was struck by how catastrophic to their hopes of restoring order was the British installing 10,000 troops in Boston. Trump's goons are destined to likewise cause the opposite of their supposed purpose.
Thank you, Jen. This is not integration policy, it's, as you've said, rampant racist cruelty on a stick, funded with our tax dollars. We don't want a dime going to this.
It is, however, accomplishing their main goal of spreading terror and societal disruption. Stephen Goebbles Miller is behind this and it is all his fever dream that terrorizing hard-working brown people will cause them to self-deport... If there are 11 million of them here, that will be a real hit to our economy.
It also is a horrific hit to humanity. Even one person being mistreated is inexcusable. Our branches of government must take the proper action to stop anyone responsible for this inexcusable havoc. Yes, I agree with you about the hit to the economy as well.
The even bigger problem is that tRump will just pardon them. When we come out on the other side of this, we must eliminate the presidential pardon from the Constitution.
If they are charged with state crimes, which is where the abuses occurred, the felon cannot pardon them. He can only pardon federal crimes.
He hasn't tried yet to pardon a State Conviction, but I wouldn't put it past him.
Right now that seems wise. Maybe it always is, but I am not so sure. Are there ever pardons which seemed warranted? When did the pardoning became part of our government? I am aware of them having taken place during several presidencies, but I need to look it up and study the total history.
Certainly we do not want misuse of the pardon taking place ever. As long as we have it, the pardon is based on the opinion of one person, and we see the dangers. Other times, I wonder if the action is needed.
I do not think that the Founders ever envisioned someone like tRump... issuing thousands of pardons to people who were convicted despite rigorous enforcement of their right to due process. If we decide we want some kind of pardon power, create a Clemency Commission made of Senior-status Federal Judges. It needs to be utterly and totally divorced from the office of the President.
Depending on the ideas of those Federal Judges, I like your interesting plan. In recent times we have seen much variance in judges in certain capacities, so I am still considering pros and possible cons of what sounds wise at the moment.
The Catholic church and other Faith based communities are beginning to respond. I hope to see a lot more of that in the future. Speak to your faith leader about taking a stand asserting that every human being must be treated with dignity as an individual created in the image and likeness of God.
This story shows that a president, once elected, can act lawlessly and citizens have no way to remove him for four years.
I wonder when Trump and the GOP will turn on Kristi Noem, she of the $200 mio in new jets just when the country is in lock-down and people are starving? Why does she need jets? She's not essential to the leadership on the front lines in cities with declining crime rates. She's mostly jetting around so that she make it front of the FOX cameras so her boss can see her wearing her dark glasses or Stetson. Bet the jets have big make-up rooms. Her and Hegseth, what a pair!
MAGA is self destructing. NYT: Trump late Sunday urged House Republicans to back a measure that would compel the Justice Department to release files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, reversing his stance after facing the prospect that the measure could receive dozens of G.O.P. votes.
Check out the "Bubba" issue.
I loved the MAGAT response to Trump's allegation that we don't have "talented people" ... to jusify use of H1B visas. https://www.comicsands.com/trump-maga-h1b-visa
Trump was the poster boy for employer sanctons for using illegals on his job sites. Trump Inc still uses temporary visas to displace locals at Mar a Lago and Doral.
Is Trump urging the House to vote to release the Epstein files because he thinks that the Senate will either not take up the issue or will vote against it? Does he think his faux investigations of Democrats will prevent evidence in an "active" case from being released? I'm not sure Trump is smart enough to work out strategy, but the power-wielding people around him are.
IMHO he wants to diffuse Republican opposition. Remove the drama of so many MAGATs defecting.
But what is the endgame after that?
https://jerryweiss.substack.com/
E.G. Bacon (R-NE) tells Katy Tur that he will now vote YES to release the Epstein files if there is a vote on the House floor. Don Bacon says Congress can't "do the Republican-only fix" on health care subsidies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJpF0z2Ces. Dozens of House republicans are saying the same.
Saturday, we discussed the "Bubba" issue. IMHO it could be the demise of the MAGA macho persona.
None of the Felon's coterie of unqualified, lying grifters is necessary to leadership on the front lines or anyplace else. Their only concern is enriching themselves at our expense. They are milking us and the nation for all they can get their greedy hands on, the Felon chief among them. They all are pirating extravagant booty for themselves from hardworking Americans in return for kneeling before the Felon and stroking his ego. Despicable excuses for human beings.
They won't even if they read this story: https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-dhs-ad-campaign-strategy-group The slime trail left by this administration ought to lead to prosecution, but we have no honest prosecutors left at the Federal level.
Trump will pardon everyone in his regime before he leaves office, unless he has beef with them. They know they’d better remain in good standing to avoid prosecution later.
Can a person be disallowed to make pardons based on the types of pardons being made?
Presidential pardoning power is limited to federal crimes only, though the regime is trying to claim the right to pardon state offenders, too. Otherwise, no limits.
Yes, I remember that not long ago, the handling of some matter was to be handled in a state court in order to avoid the possibility of a pardon. The details currently escape me.
My understanding so far is that the presidential pardon power is unlimited.SIGH.
I just noted somewhere on this site, in response to you snd another person responding to you, that by handling a sentencing in a state court, no federal pardon could be allowed.
The puppy killer needs a jet because she thinks a jet goes well with her fillers and hair extensions.
Make that TWO jets.
She is filming her own commercials with our money, perhaps because she wants to run for some other office.
Or get a pre-emptive pardon from the FOX fan in chief
To the contrary, Noem WOULD be essential to the leadership if they use ICE to help steal the next election. (Maybe better to say "that position would be essential.")
Yes, exactly that. Constant propaganda tour, with our taxes
I find this, masked, unconfirmed, lacking ID and rule of law, arrest of human beings the worst aspect of this administration. At the very, very, very least the "law enforcement" personnel should have uncovered faces, and show ID before attempting arrests. Even the FBI has announced that impersonation is occurring so people have no idea whether it is criminals or government that is arresting them. Given how the "government" is acting, it seems they are also criminals.
They are criminals and once sanity returns to DC, the ICE Nazis should be tried in court and held accountable for the illegal and cruel acts that have tarnished our nation's standing, destroyed trust, and harmed innocent people, especially for the latter.
I wonder how many are the "pardoned" January 6th criminals.
It seems that a ruling should be that no pardon shall be allowed for terrorist acts by anyone. Nor should a pardon be allowed for anyone ordering any part of those acts.
My understanding is that the presidential pardon power is unlimited.SIGH. It would take a supreme court ruling to modify that given that the constitution does not place limits on it.
As to the type of case, as long as it is a federal case, with the conviction made in a federal court, the pardon is unlimited now. However, the president is not allowed to pardon criminals who were sentenced in a state court. That fact does not keep our country safe from violent criminals, who were tried in a federal court, receiving a presidential pardon.
Yes, you are correct. I should’ve mentioned that only the federal pardon power is unlimited.
Add trials for the complicit military murdering people in internationals waters.
I like that term- "ICE Nazis"
Have ICE and the “Border Patrol” tried to use these tactics in a “Stand Your Ground” State?
I’m waiting for the first time one of these raids happens in a “stand your ground” state, and the person being targeted (not knowing these are actual agents or just criminals) pulls out his firearm and shoots one. Interesting tangle of laws to sort out. Seems to me like the proverbial accident waiting to happen.
I’m surprised it hasn’t happened yet.
Of course they’re targeting ‘brown’ communities, where people feel unempowered,
— and are actually not violent criminals anyway.
I am also surprised we haven’t had such an incident. I think the MAGA crowd makes the assumption (VERY mistakenly) that all the firearms floating around in the US belong to their supporters.
Hence their SWAGGER & braggadocio?
At some point, a lot of MAGAs are going to be unpleasantly surprised.
Dark Times. Winter is Coming.
The ICE-Goons of our time are soulless White Walkers in this cruel MAGA Game of Thrones we are witnessing. And as Don Moynihan has aptly described the creation of this new Omniforce, it's a Purge, Merge and Surge affair:
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/don-moynihan-interview-purge-merge-surge?utm_campaign=email-post&r=4eoewx&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Good one, Thanks.
— MOYNIHAN: “New, from me:
Trump's 3 step plan to create a military omniforce
1. Purge - those deemed disloyal
2. Merge - different parts of law enforcement/military
3. Surge - impose the omniforce on Dem cities; instigate unrest; assert dominance; silence dissent donmoynihan.substack.com/p/purge-merg...”
Got melanin?
You're guilty...where are your papers?!
As a Chicagoan who lived through ICE in my city while using a lot of immigrant worker to repair my home for sale and get another one ready to live in, and for moving, and helping my mother in assisted living, I am acutely aware of my dependence on immigrants to get things done. I am also the child and wife of immigrants to Chicago. I have no sympathy with ICE. I would like to say I am very proud of how Chicagoans stood up to the Trump regime's tactics. I also want to point out that Google is both removing apps to help people identify when ICE is near, and providing ICE with facial recognition software to help them find immigrants. Someone needs to replace Google with a better and more ethical platform.
I share all the outrage written here. But I have a little sidebar, related to the mention of
facial recognition software. All those folks who have ring cameras - so they know who
comes to their door when they're not there - are trading some notion of convenience with exposing everyone they know to such software. "They" know who visits you; "they" can also note the contacts of such people. I don't want to sound conspiratorial, but is the information you get from this doo-dad crucial enough to expose everyone you know to publicizing their personal networks? Tell me I'm wrong, please!
I hear you. In Europe we are much more cautious. We did not get such a thing installed, because if we don't hear the doorbell our friends, or expected people can call us.
I am currently in my now main home in Germany, where it is illegal to take anyone's picture without them giving you permission. When people are at rally's they will remind you only take pictures of the back of people'a heads.
While Palantir is making some inroads into Germany, and has contracts to collect data in about 3 states, and there was discussion of then using it for the federal police, my state refuses along with most and there was a big hue and cry about the federal police using it, and I was someone who signed a petition.
Good for you!!! See, it's possible to fight such intrusions...
Yes. Furthermore, most of us have VPNs and many of us have non-us platformed messaging apps and email addresses. I just do not use my non-US email with correspondence in the US. I only use it with people who have emails that are not US platformed. There is no trust for the Tech bros and their products on the part of many Germans, and most of the Americans that I know abroad.
How nice to have, and to actually make, a choice about all this garbage!!
Yes. It is certainly easier for me because I am a dual citizen. A lot of Americans who have moved here and are moving here are not. Some do not have German spouses, but many do.
Friends with no ties to Portugal moved there after they got married. They got their permanent residency cards after 3-4months, and they have been living there as long as I have been here in Germany. They had their first child there as well. He is originally from India and works for a Chicago tech business, so he can work from anywhere. A lot of people from many countries who live in Portugal are in the same situation. She is starting a business there.
I rather doubt that every resident of the apartment building they raided had Ring cameras... think of the socioeconomic reality of these people. Typically people making minimum wage don't spend money on ring cameras.
I agree. Wasn't thinking of that group of people, who may well spend their money feeding their families.
My mom goes to the senior medical center 4 blocks way from where the building was attacked by ICE and other Federal agents. I was at the airport in Europe reading about it, so I had been flying away from Chicago while it was going on. I know how hot it was, which is why people without air-conditioning would have been sleeping naked. We had just moved into our old condo and it does not have installed air-conditioning so we had been doing the same. At the same time, the night air outside can be cold, and they were naked. I still cannot get over them doing that, and we need to demand that they not wear masks and have IDs with their names on them. Dan Bovino, Pam Blondi, Kristi Noem, Donald Trump, JDV and all of the ICE agents who participated should be brought before an international court and tried as war criminals. Trump needs to be told that he will not get a Nobel Prize as long as he wages war on his own country. He is the enemy within.
So sorry for it all! Thank you for publicizing those awful, inhumane details that we usually never hear about.
I am so sorry your mother was near the attacks, but I am glad she is safe, and I wish there had been no attacks and that everyone had remained safe!
Trips to Chicago used to be fun, but these times we are not trusting enough to go. It is in some of the city areas that I wonder about cameras. Buildings and homes are closer to the streets than in a lot of towns. I expect there are inside cameras in many public places in the cities.
Thank you. I am sorry if I was unclear. My mom was not near the attacks because they were at night, but it is right near the medical clinic she uses. Her residence is not that far though. Neither is mine. It is crazy. I am glad that a lot of the Feds left town.
I think there are a lot of people without cameras. Maybe I should pay attention to what th cameras I know sboutclook like do I’ll be able to recognize one if I see it.
On the other hand, from what I have read, I understand that hidden cameras can be hard to detect. Maybe there are more cameras in some parts of larger towns or in cities. Certainly there are lots of cell phones around.
I appreciate all I am learning from these comments.
The trick, JP4M, is being aware of the danger while not getting paranoid....
Even if anyone had had a camera, the attacks were break ins without warning in some cases, as I understand it. There was no chance to check a camera if there was one. A camera might have caught the intrusion and cruelty, though, and possibly there would be some suggestion of identification, if the eyes showed. I’m not totally sure of that but do know someone who has a camera that was used to identify someone.
Dr. Judith Schlesinger, thank you for this valuable information. Should people wear masks all of the time because places they go, and places they pass might have such cameras? Are the cameras in stores and other public places parts of the same type of connection, or are they a closed circuit of some kind?
Ah, JP4M, why do I have the feeling you're being sarcastic? I honestly don't think this is paranoid thinking. And I don't intend to mask up everywhere I go, thanks. But I have heard this in many sensible places. I already have a pet peeve about things like Siri raising one's blinds (wow!) and putting ever more digital fingers in one's lives. Is the lure to save time? If so, for what? More games?
I’m sorry if you see my questions as sarcasm. However, I assure you they are not, and I am not a sarcastic person.
Knowing a number of people who have such doorbell cameras and other cameras working, I found that your message made me think in more detailed terms about places I visit. I do not want to stop going there, and all of our faces already are on the cameras. Those particular cameras are either to share something in certain places, or to ensure a degree of safety, depending on which homes are involved.
Because I know they have helped at least one friend, I am aware that we are pictured and that the camera is needed, yet I tend to forget about it. Your reminder made me wonder how far reaching the lens goes and how many places we are tracked.
Of course, we also have cameras at intersections as well as in stores. I simply started wondering more about the distance and scope of camera lenses and who sees what or whom. I do not see that as being sarcastic in any way. I do know of one place where we have been told that the sound is connected to the cameras, but it is not always easy to remember to wait until we are inside to have conversations.
Based on my recollecting more details of my environment and pairing it to your kind suggestion about privacy, I still think my questions are very valid. There is no reason to hide, as far as I know, but if we are photographed in places we do not know, I cannot help but wonder who is watching our whereabouts, for what reasons, and if we are being tracked. I trust my friends, but apparently, there is more to consider.
I hope this makes sense to you because it is the only way I know how to explain it. I could ask some friends how far their cameras record faces. I also was shown some cameras with wide range spans and told how they could be installed to show the entirety of a property and then be available on a phone or a computer. One article reported that such a set up could endanger the owner as well as create the intended views for safety.
The bottom line seems to be that there are cameras in many places in the environment, and maybe we should just ignore them. Still, I do wonder if passers by, whether regular strollers in the neighborhood, or other people passing by or coming or going, might be identified.
At least one person has posted a doorbell photograph of a a person invading a neighborhood for an unacceptable reason. She wanted to warn the community. I do not recall how far that photograph tracked the person since it has been a couple of years ago. I expect she could see any of us strolling past her home.
Another person’s camera saved her. The photographs and sound were picked up at the police station. The invader was apprehended, tried, and served time. When I go there, I usually forget about the camera.
I think that some places are making it illegal to wear masks. Can we say, "Red states?"
If it is for my health, I will wear one, a medical one. If I feel uncertain of an environment, I certainly might wear one, too. I feel that it is important to carry one with me if possible. If it is not for health, or if it is for relief from cold air, the scarf type gator masks are convenient and can serve a dual purpose. However, they can be recognizable, depending on the fabric color and/or pattern. They are really nice for travel and in case there is anything in the air when protection is needed immediately. They would not offer sufficient protection from the COVID virus though. One of those and generic sunglasses plus a hat might help, along with nondescript, basic clothing if identity is a concern.
Replace Google with DuckDuckGo for searches of the internet, and use Proton mail (based in Europe) for email. Both available with free accounts. You can exit the Evil Empire of Google that way.
Thanks for this info. I knew about DDG but not about Proton.
Thank you, Linda Weide, for sharing a view into the valuable, kind lives and the reality of the results of the unnecessary, undeserved cruelty. I am so sorry for the wrongful treatment of anyone and for the waves of resulting effects and the losses of trusted helpful people. These cruel behaviors are not who we are as a nation, and it must not be allowed to become so.
I hope Trump lives long enough to see prison bars from the inside.
Oh, I DO hope so. When my mother passed away in 2019 (at five weeks short of 100 years old!) her one and only wish in life was to live long enough to see Trump in prison! And she wasn't even around for Trump 2.0. Now I wonder if I will live long enough to see him in prison... I hope so. I really, REALLY do!
I’m sorry your mother missed her one hundredth birthday, but how wonderful that she had a long life! I hope we all can live and see better times with all people being treated kindly.
Legal and congressional action must be taken. These acts are not official. They are acts of personal choice based on hatred and prejudices paired with the desire to appear all powerful. Those are not American values, and they are not official acts, no matter where they were decided upon and/or ordered.
Will these people ever be held responsible for their awful, horrifying actions?
If not by a ‘jury of their peers’ then by their Creator.
Also a few of them may have or develop, a conscience?
Where does the regime find the thugs to carry out these cruel, unjustified raids? Who ARE they??
How many of the pardoned January 6th criminals became (or are impersonating) ICE operatives?
More that should be in any really functioning government, that’s for damn sure.
Pardoned J6’ers. Members of racist right-wing groups the Southern Poverty Law Center identifies as “ domestic terrorism”, people who can’t get jobs in a legitimate operation, those power-motivated types who couldn’t meet the psychological standards for police/military…you should check out the ICE help wanted website; the combination of signing bonus and graphics appealing to certain patriotic, not very bright, wanna-be real military-commando types says a lot.
Thanks. I thought they were orcs.
Those as well, once they’ve completed their transition from elf.
I live in downtown Chicago and the human toll of the trump regimes attack on the city is immense. Instead of arresting “the worst of the worst”, reviews of public records have shown the at least 84% of those arrested have no criminal record. The attacks by ICE and CBP were indiscriminate. They would drive to targeted areas and roam the area on foot and vehicles looking for brown skinned people. When found, the masked, heavily armed agents dressed in camouflage with no identification, would brutally restrain people they self identified as “aliens, terrorists, gang members”- even when none of that was true. Many times U.S. residents were swept up in these arrest, some of them held for days. This is what happens when you have a secret police who make indiscriminate arrests without probable cause and a warrant.
Entire neighborhoods, especially children, have been left terrorized and traumatized by this. 911 calls to the police from these neighborhoods have dropped dramatically because residents are afraid the police are conspiring with ICE and CBP. This unwillingness to call 911 leaves everyone unsafe.
DHS has promised that CBP (ICE is still here) will return in March with upward of 1,000 agents- twice the current number. Why March? That is when our primary election will be held.
“ They would drive to targeted areas and roam the area on foot and vehicles looking for brown skinned people.”
Yes, and that’s the entire point. To Donald Trump and Stephen Miller, those brown skinned people ARE “the worst of the worst. “ ICE and border patrol are behaving exactly as their top leaders intend for exactly the reasons their top leaders intend.
"By one estimation, the feds have spent nearly half a billion dollars on operations in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis."
Talk about waste, fraud and abuse! How much better (and more approved by people) these funds could have been used to satisfy the funding of SNAP, Medicaid, and put a dent in the subsidies for the ACA. This action was a power and ego push by a thoroughly evil and demented man. In any normal time, Trump would be impeached as a president and tried for crimes against humanity. Maybe someday at least one of these dreams will come true.
It's tyrannical FUBAR to some nth degree. What lifts me up is that, unlike too many in Germany, the good citizens of this country aren't taking this lying down. We have a long history of recognizing, resisting, and if necessary putting down tyrants. And here's our new chapter.
As long as Steven Millerbis running this shit show, nothing will really change. These actions, along with tariffs and a failing economy showed they mattered in an election. We all know Trumpie and crew are so caught up in their power that it will continue. I hope all the people that didn’t vote last time get off their butts in 2026.
I hope also that a lot of the people who voted for Trump in 2024 will *stay* on their butts in the next election.
When or how can those that were wronged get retribution? Will there be a class action suit.? Someone needs to pay dearly for their cruelty.
Maybe restitution rather than retribution should be the route to return these people to their lives. They should be restored. There should surely be legal consequences.
As a resident of Chicago for 30+ years - Canadian by birth - I note one good thing that came from the recent blitz policy. It brough together the City in a way I am not even sure the 85 Bears did. It made me proud to be a Chicagoan. Ordinary people stood up to the administration, supported by media like WBEZ, judges, the ACLU, the Contrarian and so on. I wear my bright red whistle proudly.
These people are hooligans. But this is what the Trump regime wants. Instead of doing things the decent and lawful way they had rather resort to dehumanizing behavior to dissuade immigration from countries they do not favor. They don’t care if they’re breaking the laws or not it’s any thing to please the bilious felon and his entourage. Stephen Miller is the worse one. His own uncle has even called him out for his bigotry and weirdo Kristi Noem isn’t much better.
Kristi Noem is rotten to the core with her 2 new jets! Does she need the 2nd jet to carry all of her make-up and costumes? All of this waste on our dime!!! UGH!
A conscience that is non-functional or non-existent can't be shocked. About 40% of the American public is in one of those categories. They want what the Monster and his Minions are doing. It's the reason he's in the WH. Those of us who are not MAGA must remain focused on defeating that 40%. It's Monday, so I and my wife are going to the regular Monday Anti-MAGA rally at noon on the street in Roanoke, Va. Usually about 200 people show up, rain or shine. We've been rallying here since last spring. Join or start a weekly rally in your community. I suggest that the remaining decent people in America stop being shocked and start being active.
Watching Burns' Revolutionary War documentary last night, I was struck by how catastrophic to their hopes of restoring order was the British installing 10,000 troops in Boston. Trump's goons are destined to likewise cause the opposite of their supposed purpose.