All posts tagged "department of homeland security"

Trump DOJ lawyer dares federal judge to rule against him in courtroom standoff: report

A Justice Department lawyer dared a federal judge to rule against the Trump administration rather than give the court advance notice.

Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias flagged the exchange in a Tuesday livestream, saying it was "urgent enough that it deserved the alert" his viewers received. The line came from "a trial lawyer for the Department of Justice's civil division," Elias said.

"If you want to enjoin us, enjoin us," the lawyer said, per Elias.

Elias noted that "it is rare for a lawyer, for a party to tell a judge to rule against them."

At issue are citizenship lists that the Department of Homeland Security plans to "ship to states." Elias said, "The clear implication is that anyone not on this list is not eligible to vote." Elias said the lawsuit in Maryland argued, "it would violate the privacy rights of the individuals on this list."

The judge's request was modest, according to Elias.

"The judge wasn't telling the Department of Justice they couldn't release these lists," he said. "What the judge was saying in Maryland was just that she wanted a heads-up."

She asked for "30 days notice," or immediate word if a release was coming sooner. Elias put the DOJ lawyer's response in blunt terms.

"Look, your honor, we would rather you rule against us. We would rather you say we can't release these lists at all than to have to be transparent, than to have to tell you in advance that we are going to release these lists."

"It's kind of an incredible thing that the Department of Justice would rather have a lack of transparency and lose the case than have transparency," Elias said. "I mean, it leads you to kind of wonder what are they hiding? Why are they so concerned?"

His answer was that "the Department of Justice wanted to appeal." A loss would clear the way for "an immediate appeal," so "they just wanted to take a loss so that they could appeal this rather than have that transparency."

The judge refused to "take the bait," Elias said. "To use her exact words, I'm not doing anything to enjoin you." Instead, she "issued an order saying that she expects that she will be notified in advance."

"The Department of Justice is constantly in this position of playing cat and mouse with the federal courts, which is a far cry from what it used to be," Elias said. "Department of Justice lawyers used to be the most straight laced, the most sort of by the book lawyers."

Trump White House blindsided DHS by freezing cleared order amid internal 'tension': report

The Trump White House stopped a cleared Homeland Security order weeks before the midterms, catching some inside the department by surprise.

The Department of Homeland Security had approved a notice this month ending temporary protected status for roughly 200,000 Salvadorans before the White House intervened, Politico reported on Tuesday, citing an administration official and three other people close to the Trump administration.

The protections were due to lapse three weeks ago unless extended, and the Trump administration has yet to make a call either way. DHS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had signed off on the notice for publication in the Federal Register when the White House stepped in.

"It just came down from the White House," said Mark Krikorian, who leads the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think tank that backs tighter immigration limits and stronger enforcement. "They may just be thinking, let's make this go away for six months until after the election, not because it's going to have any direct effect on the election. They just don't want the news stories about this."

The White House sent Politico's questions to DHS. A department spokesperson repeated an earlier statement that an announcement would be "made at an appropriate time" and that "Salvadoran individuals present in the U.S. under TPS retain protection."

The pause reflects the competing pressures on the Trump administration heading into November. Some of Trump's most loyal backers worry he has softened, while independents and Hispanic Trump voters argue he has overreached. Texas, home to the nation's second-largest Salvadoran community, is also hosting a fiercely contested Senate race.

Business leaders have leaned on the White House as well.

"Texas has the second-largest Salvadoran population next to Los Angeles, and in terms of just how long this population's been around, these are employees connected to some very high-level donors and business leaders that have reached out to the president and senior officials," another person close to the administration told Politico.

One of the sources close to the Trump administration told Politico the delay shows "tension within the White House about what to do." Any decision will be "unpopular with somebody no matter what," the source warned.

"The politics of it go both ways. There's a perception that if [Trump] were to let them stay, that that would somehow have some kind of political benefit for some Republican candidate somewhere, or for him?" the person said. "On the other hand, it's also contributing to the frustration with some people on the more hawkish side for enforcement that the president's gone soft."

Trump slapped with second suit to bar armed 'intimidation' tactic at midterm polls

A coalition of civil rights groups and union organizations Friday sued the Trump administration to prevent the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling locations during November’s midterm elections.

The suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is the second this month, following comments from top Trump officials citing a federal policy to allow ICE officers to enter polling locations in certain circumstances to conduct immigration enforcement.

The groups argue the policy violates the federal law that prohibits “armed men” at election sites, and also causes voter intimidation, which is barred under the Voting Rights Act.

Under federal law, “troops” or “armed men” are allowed at polling locations only if “such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” And the section of the Voting Rights Act the groups cite prohibits “intimidation,” “threats,” or “coercion” against a person for voting or attempting to vote.

“The result is predictable: voters across the country—particularly Black, Latino, and Asian voters, naturalized citizens, and members of mixed-status families—are afraid to vote, help others vote, and participate in civic life,” according to the suit.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month noted that agents could conduct immigration enforcement at polling places. And before U.S. senators this week, FBI Director Kash Patel did not rule out sending FBI agents to polling locations, but said officers would “follow the law.”

The Department of Justice dismissed the idea that officers would be sent to polling locations.

“The DOJ has never said it would send federal law enforcement to polling locations,” a DOJ spokesperson said in a statement to States Newsroom. “Any suggestion otherwise is fearmongering.”

In a statement to States Newsroom, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said those “who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear.”

“Allegations that DHS law enforcement engages in ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting, reckless, and categorically FALSE,” the spokesperson said. “What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is if they are illegally in the U.S.—NOT their skin color, race, or ethnicity.”

The DHS spokesperson added that ICE was not planning any operations that targeted polling locations.

NAACP among groups suing

“We reject this administration’s attempt to desecrate our polling sites by converting them into militarized zones through the unlawful deployment of ICE or any other federal agent,” Kristen Clarke, the NAACP’s general counsel, said in a statement.

NAACP is one of nine groups that filed suit. The rest are Mi Familia en Accion, Asian Pacific American Advocates, the National Urban League, Minnesota 8, the Service Employees International Union, the American Federation of Teachers, the International Union of Painters and the United Food and Commercial Workers International.

“Turning the fundamental right of exercising our vote into a high-stakes encounter with the militarized strong arm of the current administration isn’t protection and it isn’t oversight; it’s disenfranchisement, period,” Clarke said. “The NAACP calls on the court to reject this blatant attempt by federal officials to obstruct our elections through tactics pulled straight from the Jim Crow playbook.”

The nine groups are represented by the Legal Defense Fund, the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, the National Immigration Law Center, Protect Democracy and the Democracy Defenders Fund.

Tennessee Lookout is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Tennessee Lookout maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Holly McCall for questions: info@tennesseelookout.com.

Markwayne Mullin won't reveal rent from 'crash pad' roommate who oversees him: report

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin won't disclose what his congressional roommate pays to live in the Capitol Hill home Mullin owns.

According to a Thursday article by The Daily Mail, Mullin has shared the house with Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) for three years. Smith, who is unmarried, confirmed the arrangement to The Daily Mail during an interview in late July.

The house is a classic brick row that sits a short walk from the Capitol and is priced at $1.8 million, according to The Daily Mail.

A representative for Mullin told The Daily Mail that the secretary acts as Smith's landlord, having bought the house in 2023, but declined to say how much the congressman hands over each month. The Daily Mail reported that it could not find any public record of any rent transaction for the specific property, and Smith's office did not respond to its request for comment.

A House ethics rule bars members from accepting a gift worth more than $100 from a single source in a year, The Daily Mail noted. Rent charged below market value would likely count as a gift, The Daily Mail added.

The financial disclosures that The Daily Mail did unearth from Mullin Realty LLC revealed that the secretary's residential real estate is valued between $1 million and $5 million and generates $50,000 to $100,000 in rental income. The company owns more than 40 properties across Washington, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Smith's own disclosure reports list no specific rental payments to Mullin, according to The Daily Mail.

Smith also chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees portions of the Department of Homeland Security that Mullin runs. Sources who spoke to The Daily Mail described the setup as unusual for a cabinet official.

"It's strange that a cabinet secretary still has a roommate," an anonymous source familiar with the arrangement told The Daily Mail. "Maybe it's because he is so rarely in DC since he flies home so often. He literally uses it as a crash pad. People pass in and out."

Another source close to Mullin described the steady stream of visitors as well.

"People are all always going in and out of that place, for work, for fun," the source told The Daily Mail. "It's like a college dorm."

A third source doubted anyone else that senior in the Trump administration lives this way, telling The Daily Mail, "I think he is the only cabinet-level member with this kind of setup."

'This is insane': Fury after DHS deported dissident despite 'torture' warning

A decision by the Department of Homeland Security to deport a high-profile foreign dissident is alarming immigration experts who fear the worst.

On Wednesday, the New York Times reported that the Trump administration fast-tracked the deportation of Ecuadorian politician Jose Serrano, a critic of President Daniel Noboa, last month. Serrano was accused of criminal activity, but an immigration judge found it likely he would be tortured if deported back to Ecuador, Times reporter Nicholas Nehamas noted in a post on X.

The deportation prompted outcry online as the Trump administration bypassed the immigration courts to remove Serrano. Nehamas also noted that Serrano had been arrested in Miami last year, just days after former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem met with Ecuador's president.

In a post on X, immigration policy expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick noted that The Times also reported that three immigration appeals judges appointed by the Trump administration overruled the decision of the immigration judge who ordered that Serrano couldn't be sent back because he faces likely torture.

"This is insane," Reichlin-Melnick reacted. "DOJ officials who by law are required to exercise independent judgment appear to have been ordered to overturn torture protections granted to a political opponent of a Trump ally, with the deportation flight fueled up and ready for their preordained decision."

Political scientist Norman Ornstein simply described the whole incident as "disgraceful."

"Donald Trump's assaults on the democratic process in South America continue unchecked," warned Grant Stern, the executive editor of Occupy Democrats.

Serrano is now being held in El Encuentro, a maximum-security prison modeled after El Salvador's notorious CECOT facility, according to the Times. His lawyers say that during a monitored video call, masked guards photographed and filmed him while he was naked and told him the footage would be sent to Noboa. Ecuadorean officials have denied he was mistreated.

Mockery as Trump DHS chief's attack on Dem playbook backfires: 'How stupid can one be?'

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin faced mockery after he attacked the supposed Democratic strategy with accusations that critics said described the Republican playbook.

On Tuesday, Mullin appeared on Newsmax and described how he believes Democrats will take over America and turn it into a communist country.

"The only way you can take a republic country like the United States and turn it into a communist country is by causing chaos on purpose and then saying, 'Hey, look, government is a mess,'" Mullin said. "'You need us, the communist country, to rule you.' It's insane."

For online critics, the strategy that Mullin was describing sounded familiar, but not because it reminded them of what Democrats are doing.

"Sounds exactly like what this administration is doing," Democratic strategist Leslie Marshall noted in a post on X.

"Ummmm, sir...." wrote national opinion columnist Sophia Nelson.

"How stupid can one be?" asked former tennis professional turned political commentator Martina Navratilova. "Yeah, this stupid."

"Communist dictators attack the free press - fake news. They put unqualified family friends in government jobs. They meddle in elections. Cult of personality. Demand price control," listed Canadian activist Marlene Robertson. "Sounds like communism is already alive and kicking under Trump."

Immigration policy expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick pointed to a post by former Border Patrol sector chief Greg Bovino in which he touts President Donald Trump's promise of mass deportations and a supporter agrees by calling for "chaos" mass deportation. Bovino responded to that supporter calling for the "chaos mass deportations" by saying, "Exactly. Or all is lost."

"Re: 'chaos,' here's Gregory Bovino, who was a top official at DHS elevated by the Trump admin until earlier this year, proudly agreeing with a statement that what the country needs is 'chaos mass deportations,'" Reichlin-Melnick wrote.

The Homeland Dems account posted, "Purposely inflicting as much chaos as possible on the country has been Trump's entire personality since he's been President."

Hasbro torches Trump admin for ripping off 'beloved' superhero

The toy maker Hasbro called out the Trump administration's use of the image of "Transformers" leader Optimus Prime to attack immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), posted an image on X of Optimus Prime with "ICE" written across his chest and the DHS seal on his shoulder. At the bottom of the image, DHS wrote "Transformers: Age of Deportation."

Another since-deleted post showed Optimus Prime with the DHS seal facing an AI-generated image of what's supposed to be an immigrant, and between them read the words, "Self-deport or find out. Transformers: America for Americans."

In a statement issued on Thursday, Hasbro responded and said, "These posts were done without permission and do not represent the Transformers brand or Hasbro," adding, "Optimus Prime is a beloved character who represents humility, leadership, compassion and justice."

Hasbro responded to DHS' use of their character the day after the Trump white House removed their version of Tetris, which allowed players to build a border wall. Tetris issued a similar statement, saying, "At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them," and that "The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of 'Build the Wall.'"

"The copyright infringement continues," noted journalist Aaron Parnas in a post on X.

Others pointed out that DHS and the Trump administration seemed to overlook the plot and backstory of the "Transformers," which has been a popular toy line, animated show, and movie franchise for decades. Optimus Prime leads a band of "robots in disguise," as the show's theme song went, who came to the United States from a foreign planet.

"It's worth mentioning that the Transformers actually ARE undocumented immigrants living in the US disguised as cars," noted political writer Mary Pezzulo. "That's the whole plot of the whole show. All the shows. and the comics. And the toy line."

DHS chief turns agency seal toward war in 'very creepy' new seal: analysis

The Department of Homeland Security is redesigning its official seal so the national eagle turns toward war rather than peace, alarming critics.

In a Tuesday report, journalist Ken Klippenstein flagged the change after DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the switch in a weekend Fox News interview.

On the current seal, the eagle faces the olive branch clutched in one talon. Mullin now wants it to face the arrows gripped in the other, and he said the new posture is deliberate.

"We're actually changing our seal to make it look towards the arrows because...when it looks towards the arrows is when it means we're at war," Mullin told Fox News. He said Homeland Security is at war every day against bad actors trying to hurt American communities, according to Klippenstein.

"So in other words, the United States is at war here at home — but Iran somehow isn’t a war. What?" Klippenstein wrote, referring to a reluctance by some in the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance, to call the war in Iran a war. "There's something very creepy about our government seeing America as a battlefield in ways it doesn't even see overseas."

Klippenstein noted that no federal agency has depicted the eagle in a wartime stance since World War II. He added that even the seals adopted after the September 11 attacks kept the bird facing the olive branch. President Harry Truman codified the peacetime design in 1945 to signal a new era of peace after Japan surrendered, according to Klippenstein.

Immigration policy analyst Aaron Reichlin-Melnick was similarly alarmed by the redesign and added context by pointing out recent actions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an agency overseen by DHS.

"The Trump admin declares war on American communities," Reichlin-Melnick wrote on X. "Secretary Mullin says DHS is 'at war,' so he's changing The Great Seal. This comes after dozens of people died in ICE custody and ICE officers have shot and killed multiple people this year, including two American citizens."

Klippenstein tied the seal change to a wide federal effort to surveil and prosecute Americans over their speech. He pointed to a Trump memorandum signed last September that orders agencies to disrupt organized political violence. He wrote that FBI officials have described repurposing tactics once aimed at Iran and turning them on domestic targets.

Trump DHS chief ripped by legal expert for on-camera crime: 'Go back to plumbing school'

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin should "go back to plumbing school," a legal expert said, warning that his own on-camera words are a crime.

In a Monday episode of the "Legal AF" podcast, lawyer and legal analyst Michael Popok unloaded on Mullin after the secretary suggested federal agents could turn up where people cast their ballots. Popok said Mullin, or "somebody," needs a lesson in "18 United States Code 592" and "593," the statutes that govern "armed forces or troops at polling places."

Popok said Mullin gave away far more than he realized when he floated sending agents to serve a warrant.

"No, you can't," Popok said. "And you just conceded that you're willing to commit a crime punishable by five years in prison."

In a clip Popok played, Mullin laid out when his agents might show up.

"The only reason why we would be at polling places if there is a threat to that polling place or we're serving a warrant on someone that we have been actively tracking down," Mullin said.

Mullin insisted any operation would be "specifically for immigration and custom enforcement," and "not because of suspicion of a voter."

Popok said the excuse does not hold because the law reaches armed federal officers no matter the stated reason. He read from the statute directly.

"This prevents and makes it a federal crime for an Army or Navy officer or another person in the civil, military or naval service of the United States to order, bring, keep, or control troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held," Popok said. "[A] person that orders that is five years imprisoned if convicted."

"That would cover Homeland Security," he added. "They're not armed forces per se, but they would be armed troops at the polls."

Popok mocked Mullin's resumé, saying he "had been a plumber or a small homebuilder, and that was his credentials to become the head of Homeland Security." Popok called the wider administration "comprised of dingbats and idiots" and said Mullin is "about as smart as his predecessor," a jab at former Secretary Kristi Noem.

State attorneys general "know these rules like the back of their hand" and "are ready" to race into court, Popok warned. He closed with a warning aimed straight at the secretary.

"He should be put on notice that if he does that, he'll not only go to jail, but he will be impeached as soon as the new Congress takes control," Popok said. "Markwayne Mullin should go back to plumbing school."

Teary Trump voter regrets his vote 'for the rest of my life' after brother's ICE death

A former supporter of President Donald Trump says he will forever regret his vote after his brother died in ICE custody.

According to an article by The Mirror, Naseer Paktyawal posted a tearful video, first shared by ABC News, describing the loss of his brother Mohammad Nazeer Paktyawal and the guilt he carries over voting for Trump. The two men were inseparable, Paktyawal said, describing his bond.

"We never call each other a brother," Paktyawal, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan, said. "We call best friends."

His brother served in the U.S. Special Forces in 2005, Afghan community leaders and a refugee group said, but the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, claimed it had no record of his service, according to the Mirror.

He recounted the arrest outside a Dallas apartment that led to his brother's death. He saw "two cars unmarked. Seven, eight people jump out of those cars," he said. Agents grabbed his brother and put him in handcuffs in front of his family, Paktyawal said.

Later, Paktyawal got a phone call from an ICE facility. He was told that his brother had died and that his body was left in a hospital parking lot.

"That's the thing that I will never forget in my life," he said. Paktyawal's brother had been seeking asylum since 2021 and was the 12th person to die in ICE custody in 2026, according to The Mirror.

Paktyawal voted for Trump after he arrived in the U.S. in 2014, and he blamed the choice for his brother's death, according to The Mirror.

"My first vote was for this president, and I regret it, and I'm gonna regret it for the rest of my life," Paktyawal said. "Because of me, because of my voting, he got arrested, and he lost his life. And I'm never going to forgive myself for that."

Paktyawal said he no longer trusts the Trump administration, saying, "I don't believe this administration."