Might it be more effective if they, our elected reps, continue with town halls in GOP districts, appearing with an articulate town hall attendee and asking people to consider her/his point of view? Start a website…Your Healthcare is Under Attack and every day illustrate it with interviews with real people. etc etc.
The whole private prison angle is a big story. Congress MUST conduct oversight to prevent waste fraud and abuse, right? Do Republicans support waste fraud and abuse? Use that populist pablum rhetoric against them. Kung fu. Wasting tax dollars on the innocent and minimal status violations while real gang bangers run free- where are the arrests of proven “bad hombres”? Trump’s looking very weak on real crime here
Can individual citizens accompany migrants to court for these routine hearings? Would it help if US citizens, just a few and not a loud mob, went along to act as witnesses at these
hearings and take pictures if federal agents are present intending to interfere?
Shut them down. Publish the names of the goons that worked at them. Sue them into oblivion for the lives they destroyed. Finance it from the estates of the billionaire collaborators.
Many of the recent stories show “agents” with no uniforms or insignia, let alone badges and name tags. No way to even know if government employees. Mercenaries? Unregulated militia? Criminal gangs? Kind of hard to tell
Every reader should send emails to the relevant Representatives and Senators urging them to stand up to the bullies. It's time for Congress to exercise its right and duty to conduct oversight. Tell your member of Congress and Senator to schedule a visit to a detention center.
1) Let’s hope the Dems follow through on their campaign. But the emphasis needs to continue to be the politicization of the Justice Department in going after politicians who say things the Trumplicants don’t like.
2) “The Trump administration seems to consider Democrats an easy target, frequently accusing those who raise objections to DHS’s policies and conduct of siding with “criminal illegal aliens.” – Undoubtedly true. The Trumplicants know they don’t have winning argument so they are trying to reframe the discussion from where it should be (lack of due process) to where they want it to be (scary foreigners). It’s the same type of thing that Bush (43) and his Administration tried to do. If you didn’t support the invasion of Iraq, you must like dictators. Or you didn’t care about protecting America.
3) “Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said if Democrats don’t stand up when the Trump administration comes after a judge, a law firm, universities, or someone’s due process rights, eventually, they will come after us all.” – I know this is a paraphrasing of the poem by Martin Niemoller about Nazi Germany, but I’ve never been comfortable with this thought process. It makes it sound as if the only reason to oppose something is because it might come back to bite me in the butt later. Some things are just fucking wrong, period! Just say that.
4) So Nancy Mace wants Rep. McIver to be expelled from the House. How perfectly on brand. She zealously supports an Administration that is seriously short on due process performance. So now she wants to do away with any due process such as a hearing or trial or even examining what evidence there is and move straight to the sentencing. What’s the matter with her?
Nevertheless, this is a delicate balancing act. Democrats lost in 2024 for a lot of reasons, but not the least of which was their support of "illegals and terrorists (Gaza)". In other words, two obvious forms of "woke".
Giving Trump and the media weekly television clips of unruly, protest-screaming Democrats (because it will devolve into that when ICE resists their "intrusions"), themselves often minorities, may just reinforce to the voters who gave Trump his margin that they were right. I'm not sure publicly doubling down on "woke" is the right strategy going into the midterms, but hey, Democrats are going to Democrat, I guess.
Classic Democratic emphasis on getting everything just right on an issue that as justified as it may be, will not win back a majority. Note to the Blind: the GOP wants to shred Medicare and Medicaid, which is not too far from happening now. Any idea how many tens of millions of Americans are being crapped on by that action? If opposing the GOP for their denial of critical health care needs to such a huge number of Americans doesn't scream out "Best Chance To Slap Trump In the Face," I can't imagine which other issue would.
Amen! Publicly taking the side of illegals, no matter how legitimately "abused" they might be, hurts in gaining votes and changing minds. It doesn't help. The people who gave Trump his margin know exactly how Trump, Miller and Homan deal with illegals, and they couldn't give a flying f*ck. They want these people arrested and deported.
Despite the good intentions of these Democrats to highlight due process violations, all the people will see is "radicals trying to get criminal illegals released back into our communities". It's a huge loser issue. Might as well protest Israel again, and keep comparing them to the Nazis.
Then again, though, consider the source. Losers goina lose.
Bravo, Rep. Delia Ramirez. It's a good idea. But it needs to be part of the Democratic Daily Response strategy, which seems to be totally missing. The Caucus needs to get together immediately and set the plans for the Daily Response. Make sure the media know about it. That's really the only hope until the 2026 midterms, unless you believe in Fairy Dust and SCOTUS. IMHO, the former is much more likely to deliver than the latter.
Once again the Demopublican strategy of too little and too late wins the day for the Republicrats and demonstrates that the opposition to the T. Rump criminal enterprise is not effective in stopping or slowing the progress of remaking the U.S. government in the image of Project 2025. As the show trials begin and political prosecutions proceed apace the replacement of 'deep state operatives' with loyalists by Vought et. al. ensures that judge shopping will not be necessary for convictions. Yay.
Might it be more effective if they, our elected reps, continue with town halls in GOP districts, appearing with an articulate town hall attendee and asking people to consider her/his point of view? Start a website…Your Healthcare is Under Attack and every day illustrate it with interviews with real people. etc etc.
Outstanding reporting.
You are a valuable addition to the Bulwark, Mr. Carrasquillo.
Dem members of Congress should ALL be camping out at ICE facilities in their districts/states.
The Republicans have been threatening to cut "entitlements" for decades. The people voted Republican. Let them get what they voted for.
The whole private prison angle is a big story. Congress MUST conduct oversight to prevent waste fraud and abuse, right? Do Republicans support waste fraud and abuse? Use that populist pablum rhetoric against them. Kung fu. Wasting tax dollars on the innocent and minimal status violations while real gang bangers run free- where are the arrests of proven “bad hombres”? Trump’s looking very weak on real crime here
Can individual citizens accompany migrants to court for these routine hearings? Would it help if US citizens, just a few and not a loud mob, went along to act as witnesses at these
hearings and take pictures if federal agents are present intending to interfere?
It might result in those citizens ending up in El Salvador.
I don’t think that would stop them. Trump promised mass deportations. He has to deliver.
I love that Democrats are doubling down on the visits. This is the way to challenge an authoritarian.
It's another form of wealth transfer. Our tax dollars to the pockets of Geo Group shareholders. Private Prisons and Detention Centers are shameful.
Shut them down. Publish the names of the goons that worked at them. Sue them into oblivion for the lives they destroyed. Finance it from the estates of the billionaire collaborators.
Good. Shut them all down.
Why aren’t we identifying the ice agents who are harassing our (non white) citizens??
Many of the recent stories show “agents” with no uniforms or insignia, let alone badges and name tags. No way to even know if government employees. Mercenaries? Unregulated militia? Criminal gangs? Kind of hard to tell
Some of them are even wearing masks.
Great job reporting!!
Every reader should send emails to the relevant Representatives and Senators urging them to stand up to the bullies. It's time for Congress to exercise its right and duty to conduct oversight. Tell your member of Congress and Senator to schedule a visit to a detention center.
A few comments...
1) Let’s hope the Dems follow through on their campaign. But the emphasis needs to continue to be the politicization of the Justice Department in going after politicians who say things the Trumplicants don’t like.
2) “The Trump administration seems to consider Democrats an easy target, frequently accusing those who raise objections to DHS’s policies and conduct of siding with “criminal illegal aliens.” – Undoubtedly true. The Trumplicants know they don’t have winning argument so they are trying to reframe the discussion from where it should be (lack of due process) to where they want it to be (scary foreigners). It’s the same type of thing that Bush (43) and his Administration tried to do. If you didn’t support the invasion of Iraq, you must like dictators. Or you didn’t care about protecting America.
3) “Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said if Democrats don’t stand up when the Trump administration comes after a judge, a law firm, universities, or someone’s due process rights, eventually, they will come after us all.” – I know this is a paraphrasing of the poem by Martin Niemoller about Nazi Germany, but I’ve never been comfortable with this thought process. It makes it sound as if the only reason to oppose something is because it might come back to bite me in the butt later. Some things are just fucking wrong, period! Just say that.
4) So Nancy Mace wants Rep. McIver to be expelled from the House. How perfectly on brand. She zealously supports an Administration that is seriously short on due process performance. So now she wants to do away with any due process such as a hearing or trial or even examining what evidence there is and move straight to the sentencing. What’s the matter with her?
Nevertheless, this is a delicate balancing act. Democrats lost in 2024 for a lot of reasons, but not the least of which was their support of "illegals and terrorists (Gaza)". In other words, two obvious forms of "woke".
Giving Trump and the media weekly television clips of unruly, protest-screaming Democrats (because it will devolve into that when ICE resists their "intrusions"), themselves often minorities, may just reinforce to the voters who gave Trump his margin that they were right. I'm not sure publicly doubling down on "woke" is the right strategy going into the midterms, but hey, Democrats are going to Democrat, I guess.
Classic Democratic emphasis on getting everything just right on an issue that as justified as it may be, will not win back a majority. Note to the Blind: the GOP wants to shred Medicare and Medicaid, which is not too far from happening now. Any idea how many tens of millions of Americans are being crapped on by that action? If opposing the GOP for their denial of critical health care needs to such a huge number of Americans doesn't scream out "Best Chance To Slap Trump In the Face," I can't imagine which other issue would.
Amen! Publicly taking the side of illegals, no matter how legitimately "abused" they might be, hurts in gaining votes and changing minds. It doesn't help. The people who gave Trump his margin know exactly how Trump, Miller and Homan deal with illegals, and they couldn't give a flying f*ck. They want these people arrested and deported.
Despite the good intentions of these Democrats to highlight due process violations, all the people will see is "radicals trying to get criminal illegals released back into our communities". It's a huge loser issue. Might as well protest Israel again, and keep comparing them to the Nazis.
Then again, though, consider the source. Losers goina lose.
Bravo, Rep. Delia Ramirez. It's a good idea. But it needs to be part of the Democratic Daily Response strategy, which seems to be totally missing. The Caucus needs to get together immediately and set the plans for the Daily Response. Make sure the media know about it. That's really the only hope until the 2026 midterms, unless you believe in Fairy Dust and SCOTUS. IMHO, the former is much more likely to deliver than the latter.
Once again the Demopublican strategy of too little and too late wins the day for the Republicrats and demonstrates that the opposition to the T. Rump criminal enterprise is not effective in stopping or slowing the progress of remaking the U.S. government in the image of Project 2025. As the show trials begin and political prosecutions proceed apace the replacement of 'deep state operatives' with loyalists by Vought et. al. ensures that judge shopping will not be necessary for convictions. Yay.