Absolutely NO ICE AT POLLS. The GOP is facing electoral armageddon in the mid-terms and Trump is consequently facing accountability, investigations galore, and possible impeachment again. They are desperate to prevent our voices being heard. We the People must not be intimidated and exercise our right to vote.
Joseph: McP: YES, and he call for a "nationalization" of the voting, saying he wants to get rigging out of the elections, when EVERYONE KNOWS it was TRUMP who did everything in his power to RIG THE ELECTION that he ended up losing. ARE WE IDIOTS to even THINK there is something honest about this man?
"It turns out that large majorities of Americans share the views of more progressive Democrats, such as Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), while recoiling against MAGA’s anti-immigrant venom." This is the key observation for DEMs to win the next elections. They need an overarching message. Affordability in terms of housing, health care, and quality education and Deceny in Living comes to mind. Any suggestion. I also would like to include a call for a female president.
He's also extremely vulnerable on the economy/inflation, tariffs, and foreign policy, e.g., wars on Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, etc. There's pretty much not an issue, including immigration, that he - and the republicans - are not vulnerable on. This is the golden ticket, and Dems better not blow it.
Tillis is retiring and has already said he's a RINO in that the party he once believed in has moved too far right. IOW, he won't back nationalizing elections. Don't get me wrong, Tillis is in no way a good guy. He was one of the biggest partisan hacks in Raleigh when he was speaker of the NC house, but he knows his political career is over now so he has nothing to lose.
The regime is more like the act that features spinning plates. There are so many going at the same time that it's difficult to keep track of them all, and the legacy media is not helping. They tend to focus on the "plate of the moment", ignoring the rest.
ICE and border patrol reform is a fast rising star, and we should enlist those Republicans who are suddenly feeling vulnerable due to that as well as Epstein. We select our top three pressure points, and apply them with vigor.
We don't have time to keep our eyes on only one ball. The many balls are all horrid, illegal, and unconstitutional. We need to work on all of them at once, exhausting as that may be.
ICE behavior is just a symptom of the overall MAGA Malignancy . The MAGA Malignancy would still exist even if ICE suddenly disappeared altogether. The MM is a psychological tumor that has been growing in the US for over 50 years. It exploded with the Birthers when Obama was elected. Trump saw the opportunity and took it. We need politicial chemotherapy, radiation, and if necessary, surgery to remove the tumor.
We are going to have to stand up to tell them just how awful and morally bankrupt their bigotry, misogyny, and hatred and hypocrisy are. And do it constantly until it starts to sink in.
Of course, Stephen, It's all true. But this week, according to our new postmistress, this area is absolutely "crawling" (her word) with diehard MAGA cultists. There are many Trump 2028 signs, including some spray-painted on public guardrails (and we're not too far from NYC.) I fear they'll hear all this truth as simply more disloyal and unpatriotic noise that denigrates their Dear Leader. It doesn't really matter how clever the condemnation is, or how many people rightly compare what's happening to a cancer. It simply won't register, like you're singing "lalalala" with your fingers in your ears. All these words and metaphors, correct as they may be, will neither stir nor shame them -- it will only make them cling more devotedly to him and the horrible danger he represents to us all.
The only thing that might open their minds a crack is the increasing difficulty they're undoubtedly having at the supermarket and other local places where Rump's impact is felt, directly, and painfully, on their pocketbooks. Words shmurds. Alas.
And while I'm at it, I'm still nervous whether we'll even be allowed to have midterm elections at all. Aside from all the gerrymandering nonsense going on, he and his flunkies have been sabotaging the post office (and therefore mail-in ballots) for YEARS.
I understand where you are coming from, but I’m going to continue to speak truth to idiots. It may be tilting at windmills, but I feel it one of the things I can do most consistently. I’m lucky I live in a reliably Democratic Congressional district with 2 Democratic Senators as well. If MAGA continues apace, I see purple Georgia turning blue in November.
Whatever you can do, do. Relish your lucky-ness, Stephen!! I'm even afraid to put out an ICE OUT yard sign around here! So I call Congress, and email them, and sign petitions, and write postcards to swing states, and talk to any sympathetic ear I can find.
I even buy press/apply stickers from e-Bay (i.e., not damaging) to put on public places where the prices are completely ridiculous, like shelves of $14.99 a pound meat. But aside from the "Love not Hate Makes America Great" sign on my deck, I'm afraid to ger too conspicuous around here.
Recently a woman jumped out of her car to knock down a bunch of elderly women who were peacefully protesting at a local intersection...
I will, thanks. But they are really hostile and persistent, regardless of what I do or don't do. Like, my car has been defaced several times, both while in some parking lot somewhere, or - most disturbingly - in my own, allegedly private, driveway. There I acquired a "Go Brandon" bumper sticker (fortunately, had another neutral one to mask it). But people have clearly tried to remove other things --you can see the attempts to peel them off. Most recently, someone has been trying to remove a sticker I had in a back window that simply said "Empathy." Who can argue with that???
I live in the only red dot in Northern New Mexico (Rio Rancho). After 20 years, we finally have a chance to elect a new mayor. There is only one Dem running (thank you Alexandria) but after the way she was booed last night, it won't happen. Why? She wants to declare RR a sanctuary city , like Albuquerque, and keep ICE out.
Bob, the MM is actually a metastatic invasion spreading from the primary tumor...evil. Survival of our body politic will require immunotherapy in the form of moral, ethical and spiritual reckoning that evil grows in the shadows of our shared human condition. The Yin Yang dynamic balance has wobbled to the extreme in our country and the psychological checkpoint inhibitor called Democracy is our only hope of beating the MM.
I agree completely with that goal but have no simple ideas for reaching it. During my career working in psych hospitals I learned that you can't reason with an insane mind. The body can be overpowered, though.
I'm guessing that unless a voter is following videos of ICE's repellent behavior posted on social media, they are still mostly unaware of just how cruelly ICE is treating human beings. Yes, everybody knows about the murders now, but do they know that ICE releases people unlawfully detained into the freezing cold with no coats or transportation? Thankfully volunteers are on site to take care of them.
This comment strikes at the heart of the problem, which is the rotten media which misinforms and distracts millions from any awareness of fundamental issues related to basic human decency, the rule of law, or lies about established facts.
My hairdresser is a dear friend but she is a Trumper. Before we decided not to ever talk politics again in order to retain our friendship, I mentioned something I'd seen on the news and she asked where I got THAT information (that in her opinion was false) and I told her then asked where she got her news from and she replied YouTube... Color me stunned. I get a lot from YouTube as well but her choices of targets to read or follow are vastly different from mine. And as to ICE at polling places, I think Steve Bannon is full of it. There are not enough ICE agents to 'surround every polling place' as he puts it. He has been one of the biggest problems since Trump 1.0. He needs to just go away!
Thomas, you're right that visuals are crucial. Jen, you hit the nail on the head Alex Pretti’s murder was an "execution." The visual created by Paul Revere depicting the Boston Massacre was extremely powerful in motivating people to oppose tyranny. It might be equally inspiring to see a video that showed the last few seconds of Pretti's life and the two shooters who shot him. I mean a video without all the other ICE guys blocking our view that clearly showed Pretti on his knees with his killers standing behind him blasting away at him as if they were in some kind of mob movie. The audio should include Trump boasting in 2016 that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue with impunity. That should be the visual of the Trump presidency that Americans have in mind (maybe juxtaposed with Trump's gaudy gold renovations of the White House to make it resemble Versailles).
We got along just fine for 225 years without ICE and DHS. Let's do something wise and rollback those ill-considered changes made during the Bush years.
I would like for an immigration bill to be passed which is one that is compassionate, orderly and just. People should be able to immigrate and have a pathway to citizenship if they want to do that. Becoming a naturalized citizen is not easy or a short process. Ice was created at 911 as part of the war on terror which was a big mistake in a rush to do something to falsely make people feel safe. I would start over and rebuild a just system to guide with the rule of law and the constitutional processes in place so that those seeking asylum could be processed fairly and quickly and resettled in the United States or a place of safety keeping families together.
Customs and Border Patrol has a long history of violence and cruelty as well. They need the same reforms as ICE as I described above. Cut the funding for the whole, DHS, ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. It is obscene how much they are allocated when we do not have comprehensive healthcare or food for families.
Well said, Suzanne. I have been following Jenn Budd’s Substack, “Borderland Talk.” Jenn is a former Senior Border Patrol agent turned immigrant rights activist. Border Patrol has always been the problem. Jenn’s descriptions of BP training, brutal tactics and rape culture are hair-raising and alarming. Jenn warns how deeply the ICE and CBP agencies are intertwined. Seasoned BP agents are training and supervising this new generation of ICE thugs. That’s why the two agencies are working so closely together as they rampage through Minnesota and elsewhere.
I’m begging Dems in Congress to meet the moment. Also, I fear no matter what they do, how would any of it have teeth when you have a DOJ doing Trump’s bidding? So much of what ICE is doing is already illegal and unconstitutional. Perhaps Congress needs to empower the states more?
The goddamned right wing members of the SCourt have given trump the right to do the illegal stuff he is doing. They will cause the fall of democracy if they don't shape up!! We need their phone numbers and addresses so we can let them know how we really feel.
What would work just as well would be for Congress to take back the powers that they ceded to the Executive Branch of the government. Show some responsibility for governance. That's what the voters elected them to do. Members need to reassess their positions. Put the people, country, and Constitution first, and themselves last.
True, and that's where starting with the upcoming mideterm election and others beyond come in. It's time to do some major housecleaning. Supporting an agency that murders our people should get members of Congress canned.
"State Defense Forces are military units that operate under the authority of individual state governments and the governor. They are distinct from the National Guard, which can be federalized and deployed overseas. SDFs are primarily focused on state and local missions, providing support during emergencies, disasters, and other situations where local resources are needed." Sounds like autonomy...
Understood. But I’m tired of the hand wringing, woe is me, we’re in the minority BS. Ds need to be talking to the few Rs on the other side who are persuadable and using whatever leverage they have to its utmost. Even if all they can do is make a scene, I want to see that they fought as hard as they could to rein in the lawlessness.
Every one of them except one voted to open the Epstein files.
Full court press.
Collateral attack. E.G. In the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Jeffrey Epstein's legal fallout has primarily centered on massive civil settlements and racketeering lawsuits rather than traditional criminal prosecutions of his associates. Under the Virgin Islands Code, most degrees of rape have no time limit for prosecution.
WHAT ABOUT THE PERPS?
Many states have abolished the time limit for prosecuting some or all forms of rape, allowing charges to be filed at any time:
Minnesota effectively eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for most sex crimes, including rape, in 2021.
Zygi Wilf (Minnesota Vikings Owner): 2015 emails released in late January 2026 indicate Wilf was interested in purchasing Epstein's home in Paris. Some reports refer to Anton "Tony" Lazzaro, a former GOP strategist from Minneapolis, as "Minnesota's Jeffrey Epstein" due to his 2021 conviction for sex trafficking minors.
Abolished Entirely: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California (as of 2017), Delaware, Idaho, Illinois (as of 2020), Indiana (serious felonies), Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
New Legislation: Oklahoma recently removed the statute of limitations for rape cases as of late 2024.
I keep thinking, if we’re no longer prosecuting pedophiles and their enablers, are we letting all those serving time for the same thing out of prison soon? Will Trump pardon them all? I say this tongue-in-cheek, because unless they have anything to offer to his power-base, he won’t.
I'm pretty appalled at how successfully our deportation prison complex has dominated our country in so short a time. Is it not true that the concentration camps being established around our country are for-profit enterprises? No doubt friendly with one Trump or another since the presidency seems to be a family business these days.
We need Trump 1.0 grown-ups to step up to the plate and start calling balls and strikes. Surely Mattis, Tillerson, Barr and even Mulvaney must be aghast at our storm troopers in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles. And for what?
How about re-deploying ICE and CBP to our border with Mexico? Make it a human wall until we get around to actually building a wall. Get Kristi Noem to focus on construction, not desecration of our constitution.
While I think little of Bill Barr generally, I must admit his honesty about the 2020 election. At one of the legendary luncheons of The City Club of Cleveland, my wife and I were sitting not very far from him when he openly and very clearly stated that there was no significant voter fraud that could have “stolen” the election.
Immigration reform has been kicked down the proverbial road for decades! It’s neck and neck with our ballooning deficit under Republicans administrations for decades! It will take years to fix.
Currently, rump and his band of incompetent misfits, have destroyed our country (endless examples go here). We the people have 1 goal and that is to get these MFers out of office!!!!! We need to support: our neighbors & communities w/ protests, food banks, and voting registration opportunities. Support our: prodemocracy organizations (many to chose from list goes here) and independent journalists. Economic boycotts work: once again, make your choice and shut down your money support of the big corporations that support the rump regime. Lastly, if you have any money left, support small businesses! We need to unite on: human rights issues, the rights given to us in our constitution, and supporting democratic candidates.
We have the momentum, the majority, and we have the courage to fight for our country peacefully and w/ strategy!! We will never give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Another detail (besides NO MASKS) that should be demanded about self-identification for ICE or CBP or ANY OTHER Federal officer should be SHOULDER or SHIRT POCKET NAME and RANK LABEL that is plainly readable and correctly identifies that particular officer by their REAL name and current RANK. EVERY military or Coast Guard officer already has their own real actual name and rank clearly visible on their uniform.
Thanks Jen for another great piece. Two things for Dems to add to the CR: 1)Ban DHS from election interference and 2)Condemn DHS for violating the civil rights of Americans.
Excellent analogy. I do believe that the democrats are still hesitant to fully embrace what the public wants, too afraid to look weak and still concerned about trumps core. 😡
It's very hard for me to believe that the D's milquetoast behavior is NOT driven by fealty to donors—i.e., don't piss them off. I'm sure those donors are unlikely to be immediately affected by the administration's thuggery. (In the short term. I don't see how they think the economic idiocy of this administration won't affect them in the long run—cognitive dissonance?) In the end, money in politics is the problem.
The time is now, folks. Hold your Senators and House Representatives feet to the fire whether they be Democrats or rethuglicans. They must know the depths of the displeasure of WE THE PEOPLE. We are a formidable force when we awaken. Make those calls and write those letters and ASAP. Please!
Yes!! Make calls to your 2 Senators and 1 House Representative. It literally takes 5 mins….and most of the time you are talking to a recorder. Swamp the swamp!!
The consolidation of numerous organizations under one roof to fight “terrorism” was always going to lead to an instrument of internal state control. The examples in history are numerous and should have been flashing red lights, but American Exceptionalism means we can ignore history. I believe in the disestablishment of DHS and sending component parts back where they came from. The consolidation that led to DHS created opportunities for a handpicked leader to support fascism and offered opportunities for one or two components to become the tail that wags the dog. Into this mess pour outsized budgets, no oversight, and dedication to Regime Leader Trump and the American citizen is betting against the house.
Hear hear! The creation of DHS was a move made in haste and error. Congress created it; Congress must now disband it. We have seen what has happened and it isn't good.
All good but there is this. NO ICE AT POLLS.
Absolutely NO ICE AT POLLS. The GOP is facing electoral armageddon in the mid-terms and Trump is consequently facing accountability, investigations galore, and possible impeachment again. They are desperate to prevent our voices being heard. We the People must not be intimidated and exercise our right to vote.
Trump & Co openly call for Republicans to rig elections. The efforts to undermine elections are foundational with Trump & his regime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC8Axzn6NGY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqQh4eQhusY
Resist MAGA gangster grifter authoritarianism! Vote Sane. #VoteBlue!
Joseph: McP: YES, and he call for a "nationalization" of the voting, saying he wants to get rigging out of the elections, when EVERYONE KNOWS it was TRUMP who did everything in his power to RIG THE ELECTION that he ended up losing. ARE WE IDIOTS to even THINK there is something honest about this man?
Robert Manz: NO . . . . just NO ICE. Get the foxes out of the chicken house.
no problem there.
"It turns out that large majorities of Americans share the views of more progressive Democrats, such as Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), while recoiling against MAGA’s anti-immigrant venom." This is the key observation for DEMs to win the next elections. They need an overarching message. Affordability in terms of housing, health care, and quality education and Deceny in Living comes to mind. Any suggestion. I also would like to include a call for a female president.
Trump is most vulnerable on Epstein. Keep the eye on the ball.
He's also extremely vulnerable on the economy/inflation, tariffs, and foreign policy, e.g., wars on Venezuela, Nigeria, Iran, etc. There's pretty much not an issue, including immigration, that he - and the republicans - are not vulnerable on. This is the golden ticket, and Dems better not blow it.
We may not get an election. Work on Tillis.
Tillis is retiring and has already said he's a RINO in that the party he once believed in has moved too far right. IOW, he won't back nationalizing elections. Don't get me wrong, Tillis is in no way a good guy. He was one of the biggest partisan hacks in Raleigh when he was speaker of the NC house, but he knows his political career is over now so he has nothing to lose.
Epstein is one of many balls in play right now, we need to track all of them, use as many as possible.
The regime is more like the act that features spinning plates. There are so many going at the same time that it's difficult to keep track of them all, and the legacy media is not helping. They tend to focus on the "plate of the moment", ignoring the rest.
Yes, it's his political version of three-card monte. Put a lot out there, and fast, so we can't keep track of what's going on.
Need allies. More R allies on Epstein than everything else combined.
ICE and border patrol reform is a fast rising star, and we should enlist those Republicans who are suddenly feeling vulnerable due to that as well as Epstein. We select our top three pressure points, and apply them with vigor.
We don't have time to keep our eyes on only one ball. The many balls are all horrid, illegal, and unconstitutional. We need to work on all of them at once, exhausting as that may be.
ICE behavior is just a symptom of the overall MAGA Malignancy . The MAGA Malignancy would still exist even if ICE suddenly disappeared altogether. The MM is a psychological tumor that has been growing in the US for over 50 years. It exploded with the Birthers when Obama was elected. Trump saw the opportunity and took it. We need politicial chemotherapy, radiation, and if necessary, surgery to remove the tumor.
MAGA is a domestic terrorist organization
We are going to have to stand up to tell them just how awful and morally bankrupt their bigotry, misogyny, and hatred and hypocrisy are. And do it constantly until it starts to sink in.
Of course, Stephen, It's all true. But this week, according to our new postmistress, this area is absolutely "crawling" (her word) with diehard MAGA cultists. There are many Trump 2028 signs, including some spray-painted on public guardrails (and we're not too far from NYC.) I fear they'll hear all this truth as simply more disloyal and unpatriotic noise that denigrates their Dear Leader. It doesn't really matter how clever the condemnation is, or how many people rightly compare what's happening to a cancer. It simply won't register, like you're singing "lalalala" with your fingers in your ears. All these words and metaphors, correct as they may be, will neither stir nor shame them -- it will only make them cling more devotedly to him and the horrible danger he represents to us all.
The only thing that might open their minds a crack is the increasing difficulty they're undoubtedly having at the supermarket and other local places where Rump's impact is felt, directly, and painfully, on their pocketbooks. Words shmurds. Alas.
And while I'm at it, I'm still nervous whether we'll even be allowed to have midterm elections at all. Aside from all the gerrymandering nonsense going on, he and his flunkies have been sabotaging the post office (and therefore mail-in ballots) for YEARS.
I understand where you are coming from, but I’m going to continue to speak truth to idiots. It may be tilting at windmills, but I feel it one of the things I can do most consistently. I’m lucky I live in a reliably Democratic Congressional district with 2 Democratic Senators as well. If MAGA continues apace, I see purple Georgia turning blue in November.
Whatever you can do, do. Relish your lucky-ness, Stephen!! I'm even afraid to put out an ICE OUT yard sign around here! So I call Congress, and email them, and sign petitions, and write postcards to swing states, and talk to any sympathetic ear I can find.
I even buy press/apply stickers from e-Bay (i.e., not damaging) to put on public places where the prices are completely ridiculous, like shelves of $14.99 a pound meat. But aside from the "Love not Hate Makes America Great" sign on my deck, I'm afraid to ger too conspicuous around here.
Recently a woman jumped out of her car to knock down a bunch of elderly women who were peacefully protesting at a local intersection...
We have MAGAts here, but they seem to be somewhat subdued. Do whatever you have to do to stay safe!
I will, thanks. But they are really hostile and persistent, regardless of what I do or don't do. Like, my car has been defaced several times, both while in some parking lot somewhere, or - most disturbingly - in my own, allegedly private, driveway. There I acquired a "Go Brandon" bumper sticker (fortunately, had another neutral one to mask it). But people have clearly tried to remove other things --you can see the attempts to peel them off. Most recently, someone has been trying to remove a sticker I had in a back window that simply said "Empathy." Who can argue with that???
I live in the only red dot in Northern New Mexico (Rio Rancho). After 20 years, we finally have a chance to elect a new mayor. There is only one Dem running (thank you Alexandria) but after the way she was booed last night, it won't happen. Why? She wants to declare RR a sanctuary city , like Albuquerque, and keep ICE out.
I'm very sorry for you. ;-(
Bob, the MM is actually a metastatic invasion spreading from the primary tumor...evil. Survival of our body politic will require immunotherapy in the form of moral, ethical and spiritual reckoning that evil grows in the shadows of our shared human condition. The Yin Yang dynamic balance has wobbled to the extreme in our country and the psychological checkpoint inhibitor called Democracy is our only hope of beating the MM.
I agree completely with that goal but have no simple ideas for reaching it. During my career working in psych hospitals I learned that you can't reason with an insane mind. The body can be overpowered, though.
Yes, Bob, you are correct!!!
I'm guessing that unless a voter is following videos of ICE's repellent behavior posted on social media, they are still mostly unaware of just how cruelly ICE is treating human beings. Yes, everybody knows about the murders now, but do they know that ICE releases people unlawfully detained into the freezing cold with no coats or transportation? Thankfully volunteers are on site to take care of them.
This comment strikes at the heart of the problem, which is the rotten media which misinforms and distracts millions from any awareness of fundamental issues related to basic human decency, the rule of law, or lies about established facts.
My hairdresser is a dear friend but she is a Trumper. Before we decided not to ever talk politics again in order to retain our friendship, I mentioned something I'd seen on the news and she asked where I got THAT information (that in her opinion was false) and I told her then asked where she got her news from and she replied YouTube... Color me stunned. I get a lot from YouTube as well but her choices of targets to read or follow are vastly different from mine. And as to ICE at polling places, I think Steve Bannon is full of it. There are not enough ICE agents to 'surround every polling place' as he puts it. He has been one of the biggest problems since Trump 1.0. He needs to just go away!
Thomas, you're right that visuals are crucial. Jen, you hit the nail on the head Alex Pretti’s murder was an "execution." The visual created by Paul Revere depicting the Boston Massacre was extremely powerful in motivating people to oppose tyranny. It might be equally inspiring to see a video that showed the last few seconds of Pretti's life and the two shooters who shot him. I mean a video without all the other ICE guys blocking our view that clearly showed Pretti on his knees with his killers standing behind him blasting away at him as if they were in some kind of mob movie. The audio should include Trump boasting in 2016 that he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue with impunity. That should be the visual of the Trump presidency that Americans have in mind (maybe juxtaposed with Trump's gaudy gold renovations of the White House to make it resemble Versailles).
We got along just fine for 225 years without ICE and DHS. Let's do something wise and rollback those ill-considered changes made during the Bush years.
Oh, and release the Epstein files already.
Prosecute the perps.
Amen 👍
Get rid of quotas. Having to arrest a certain number of people drives a lot of the abuse.
I would like for an immigration bill to be passed which is one that is compassionate, orderly and just. People should be able to immigrate and have a pathway to citizenship if they want to do that. Becoming a naturalized citizen is not easy or a short process. Ice was created at 911 as part of the war on terror which was a big mistake in a rush to do something to falsely make people feel safe. I would start over and rebuild a just system to guide with the rule of law and the constitutional processes in place so that those seeking asylum could be processed fairly and quickly and resettled in the United States or a place of safety keeping families together.
Customs and Border Patrol has a long history of violence and cruelty as well. They need the same reforms as ICE as I described above. Cut the funding for the whole, DHS, ICE and Customs and Border Patrol. It is obscene how much they are allocated when we do not have comprehensive healthcare or food for families.
Well said, Suzanne. I have been following Jenn Budd’s Substack, “Borderland Talk.” Jenn is a former Senior Border Patrol agent turned immigrant rights activist. Border Patrol has always been the problem. Jenn’s descriptions of BP training, brutal tactics and rape culture are hair-raising and alarming. Jenn warns how deeply the ICE and CBP agencies are intertwined. Seasoned BP agents are training and supervising this new generation of ICE thugs. That’s why the two agencies are working so closely together as they rampage through Minnesota and elsewhere.
Jenn’s bio: https://jennbudd.substack.com/about
I have too. So great to have someone with first hand knowledge in inside💔.
Agree. So grateful for Jenn and her expertise!
Amen!
I’m begging Dems in Congress to meet the moment. Also, I fear no matter what they do, how would any of it have teeth when you have a DOJ doing Trump’s bidding? So much of what ICE is doing is already illegal and unconstitutional. Perhaps Congress needs to empower the states more?
Especially under ‘immunity’, ill gotten from the Roberts’ court.
The goddamned right wing members of the SCourt have given trump the right to do the illegal stuff he is doing. They will cause the fall of democracy if they don't shape up!! We need their phone numbers and addresses so we can let them know how we really feel.
What would work just as well would be for Congress to take back the powers that they ceded to the Executive Branch of the government. Show some responsibility for governance. That's what the voters elected them to do. Members need to reassess their positions. Put the people, country, and Constitution first, and themselves last.
Absolutely, but I’m not holding my breath.
True, and that's where starting with the upcoming mideterm election and others beyond come in. It's time to do some major housecleaning. Supporting an agency that murders our people should get members of Congress canned.
Can States empower themselves?
For example, mobilize State Defense Forces: https://deanblundell.substack.com/p/over-a-dozen-states-are-preparing?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=8866x&triedRedirect=true
A nice legal question: if a governor activates the National Guard in defense of his state, can the Feds override that and nationalize them?
"State Defense Forces are military units that operate under the authority of individual state governments and the governor. They are distinct from the National Guard, which can be federalized and deployed overseas. SDFs are primarily focused on state and local missions, providing support during emergencies, disasters, and other situations where local resources are needed." Sounds like autonomy...
WE ARE A MINORITY -- NEED REPUBLICANS.
Understood. But I’m tired of the hand wringing, woe is me, we’re in the minority BS. Ds need to be talking to the few Rs on the other side who are persuadable and using whatever leverage they have to its utmost. Even if all they can do is make a scene, I want to see that they fought as hard as they could to rein in the lawlessness.
Every one of them except one voted to open the Epstein files.
Full court press.
Collateral attack. E.G. In the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), Jeffrey Epstein's legal fallout has primarily centered on massive civil settlements and racketeering lawsuits rather than traditional criminal prosecutions of his associates. Under the Virgin Islands Code, most degrees of rape have no time limit for prosecution.
WHAT ABOUT THE PERPS?
Many states have abolished the time limit for prosecuting some or all forms of rape, allowing charges to be filed at any time:
Minnesota effectively eliminated the criminal statute of limitations for most sex crimes, including rape, in 2021.
Zygi Wilf (Minnesota Vikings Owner): 2015 emails released in late January 2026 indicate Wilf was interested in purchasing Epstein's home in Paris. Some reports refer to Anton "Tony" Lazzaro, a former GOP strategist from Minneapolis, as "Minnesota's Jeffrey Epstein" due to his 2021 conviction for sex trafficking minors.
Abolished Entirely: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California (as of 2017), Delaware, Idaho, Illinois (as of 2020), Indiana (serious felonies), Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
New Legislation: Oklahoma recently removed the statute of limitations for rape cases as of late 2024.
Thank you for this info.
I keep thinking, if we’re no longer prosecuting pedophiles and their enablers, are we letting all those serving time for the same thing out of prison soon? Will Trump pardon them all? I say this tongue-in-cheek, because unless they have anything to offer to his power-base, he won’t.
I'm pretty appalled at how successfully our deportation prison complex has dominated our country in so short a time. Is it not true that the concentration camps being established around our country are for-profit enterprises? No doubt friendly with one Trump or another since the presidency seems to be a family business these days.
We need Trump 1.0 grown-ups to step up to the plate and start calling balls and strikes. Surely Mattis, Tillerson, Barr and even Mulvaney must be aghast at our storm troopers in Minneapolis, Chicago and Los Angeles. And for what?
How about re-deploying ICE and CBP to our border with Mexico? Make it a human wall until we get around to actually building a wall. Get Kristi Noem to focus on construction, not desecration of our constitution.
None of those folks matter. CONGRESS matters.
What do the four (4) Minnesota House Republicans say?
I'd like to know the answer to that as well. I think: crickets
While I think little of Bill Barr generally, I must admit his honesty about the 2020 election. At one of the legendary luncheons of The City Club of Cleveland, my wife and I were sitting not very far from him when he openly and very clearly stated that there was no significant voter fraud that could have “stolen” the election.
Immigration reform has been kicked down the proverbial road for decades! It’s neck and neck with our ballooning deficit under Republicans administrations for decades! It will take years to fix.
Currently, rump and his band of incompetent misfits, have destroyed our country (endless examples go here). We the people have 1 goal and that is to get these MFers out of office!!!!! We need to support: our neighbors & communities w/ protests, food banks, and voting registration opportunities. Support our: prodemocracy organizations (many to chose from list goes here) and independent journalists. Economic boycotts work: once again, make your choice and shut down your money support of the big corporations that support the rump regime. Lastly, if you have any money left, support small businesses! We need to unite on: human rights issues, the rights given to us in our constitution, and supporting democratic candidates.
We have the momentum, the majority, and we have the courage to fight for our country peacefully and w/ strategy!! We will never give up!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Someone made money building ovens, too.
Another detail (besides NO MASKS) that should be demanded about self-identification for ICE or CBP or ANY OTHER Federal officer should be SHOULDER or SHIRT POCKET NAME and RANK LABEL that is plainly readable and correctly identifies that particular officer by their REAL name and current RANK. EVERY military or Coast Guard officer already has their own real actual name and rank clearly visible on their uniform.
Thanks Jen for another great piece. Two things for Dems to add to the CR: 1)Ban DHS from election interference and 2)Condemn DHS for violating the civil rights of Americans.
Yes, they are Trumps’ unauthorized ‘military’! I believe that’s how he plans to use them to ‘rig’ the midterms. In addition to other means.)
Wasn't Renee Good's murder enough? It took another murder to get people's attention? They were using gestapo tactics before either murder.......
Excellent analogy. I do believe that the democrats are still hesitant to fully embrace what the public wants, too afraid to look weak and still concerned about trumps core. 😡
It's very hard for me to believe that the D's milquetoast behavior is NOT driven by fealty to donors—i.e., don't piss them off. I'm sure those donors are unlikely to be immediately affected by the administration's thuggery. (In the short term. I don't see how they think the economic idiocy of this administration won't affect them in the long run—cognitive dissonance?) In the end, money in politics is the problem.
The time is now, folks. Hold your Senators and House Representatives feet to the fire whether they be Democrats or rethuglicans. They must know the depths of the displeasure of WE THE PEOPLE. We are a formidable force when we awaken. Make those calls and write those letters and ASAP. Please!
Yes!! Make calls to your 2 Senators and 1 House Representative. It literally takes 5 mins….and most of the time you are talking to a recorder. Swamp the swamp!!
The consolidation of numerous organizations under one roof to fight “terrorism” was always going to lead to an instrument of internal state control. The examples in history are numerous and should have been flashing red lights, but American Exceptionalism means we can ignore history. I believe in the disestablishment of DHS and sending component parts back where they came from. The consolidation that led to DHS created opportunities for a handpicked leader to support fascism and offered opportunities for one or two components to become the tail that wags the dog. Into this mess pour outsized budgets, no oversight, and dedication to Regime Leader Trump and the American citizen is betting against the house.
Hear hear! The creation of DHS was a move made in haste and error. Congress created it; Congress must now disband it. We have seen what has happened and it isn't good.
Absolutely!
Truth!
Jen, thank you for this timely column. So critical as a lever to move Senate Democrats to do the right thing in the days remaining for the CR.