ICE in Minnesota — Days 69-71: Hints of Fed Withdrawal Teased, Homeland Security Chiefs Grilled in Congress
Politicians are hinting Operation Metro Surge could wind down, but any change in the situation remains vaporous for now.
Tag: customs and border protection
🦄 Borders & Migration, Police
ICE in Minnesota – Days 57-62: Masses Protest ICE While Violence Continues and Feds Indict Journalists
Minneapolis, MN – In the week after the third shooting, and second killing, by federal law enforcement in the Twin Cities, the landscape has somewhat shifted while the federal occupation under Operation Metro Surge has continued its violent ways; tens of thousands of community members…
ICE in Minnesota – Days 51-56: Bovino Removed After Pretti Killing; Noise Demo Drives Out Agents; ‘ICE Out’ Day of Action in Twin Cities
Operation Metro Surge continues to weigh on Minneapolis, St. Paul and Minnesota as a whole. The federal government has increasingly targeted the state government and local leaders who have engaged in widespread and organized resistance to ICE’s campaign in the region.
Resistance has continued, and…
🦄 Borders & Migration, Tech
Atlanta Activist’s Arrest Underscores Search, Surveillance Powers of Border Agencies
Atlanta locals say that Tunick’s detainment at the border and subsequent arrest is part of an ongoing repression against political dissidents and activists of the Stop Cop City movement.
🦄 Borders & Migration, Police, Tech
New Federal Task Forces Under 287(g) Could Form ‘ICE Army’ From National Guard, State, Local & College Police
The Trump Administration has dramatically ramped up arrests and sweeps of people residing in the U.S., with new highly visible incidents and court cases unfolding every week and reaching new heights by mid-May. A new development could spell much larger scales of activity on American…
🦄 Racism & Far-Right
Chuds on Parade: Meet Trump’s Cabinet
President Trump’s cabinet is riddled with Klan-like nationalists, conspiracy theorists and xenophobes.
Calls For a Migrant Labor Strike Grow on Social Media
Since the xenophobia-fueled presidential re-election of Donald Trump, calls have been growing on social media for a pro-immigrant labor strike beginning on January 11, days before Trump is to take office. The emerging movement’s goal is to highlight the social, cultural, and economic importance of…
ICE is Training Civilians to Conduct Violent Raids on Immigrants
New details about a program from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) are getting attention after the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR) published a trove of internal documents about ICE’s ‘Citizens Academy’ programs. The academy trains civilians to operate multiple firearms,…
🦄 Borders & Migration, Police
As Border Protection’s Budget Increases, So Does Its Reach
Customs and Border Protection, the federal agency tasked with policing international borders in the U.S., is set to receive billions in additional funding after Congress passed its latest spending package. The agency, which has long avoided accountability, has a troubled history of law enforcement away…
Despite US Import Ban, Sugar Cane Cutters Still Face Abuse in Dominican Republic
El Seibo, Dominican Republic — Fields of sugar cane are spread as far as the eye can see across Central Romana Corp.’s plantation. As the largest sugar producer and exporter, and the largest private landowner and employer in the Dominican Republic, the company has built…
🦄 Borders & Migration, Global
Tijuana Groups Protest Border Wall Construction at Friendship Park
Tijuana, Mexico — Eduardo seemed not to notice the soft midday rain slowly dampening his clothes and beading up on the sleeves of his jacket. Just a couple hundred feet from where the Pacific lapped the beach of both Mexico and the U.S., drawing no…
🦄 Investigative, Police, Tech
Criminal Intel Files Show Facial Recognition, Warrantless Surveillance in Minnesota
Minneapolis, MN – Documents obtained via a series of public records requests from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) provide rare insight into police intelligence gathering. The documents include case numbers in which facial recognition was used, details about systems that gain access to vehicle…
🦄 Racism & Far-Right
Patriotwave’s Boogaloo: Engineering an Aesthetic of Violence
CONTENT ADVISORY: Bigotry, violence, sexual assault
Whether Proud Boys in their Fred Perry uniforms ‘standing back and standing by,’ or white men in polo shirts and khakis holding torches, modern white supremacy violence has a specific look and feel to it. The latest trend in…
🦄 Investigative
Icebreaker Pt 10 – Leaked ICE Agent Private Bill and Commercial Trade Fraud Investigation Handbooks
United States – Unicorn Riot obtained hundreds of pages of leaked ICE agent manuals. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has a broad jurisdiction that includes both immigration and customs-related law enforcement.
Two areas that HSI works in are “private bill” and “commercial trade fraud” investigations.…
🦄 Investigative
Icebreaker Pt 7 – ICE Case Management Handbook Based on Federal Law Enforcement “System of Systems”
United States – Unicorn Riot obtained confidential Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) policy manuals in 2017. Icebreaker Part 7 covers ICE’s “Case Management Handbook” which was in effect between 2008 and 2016. The handbook is closely based on a critical database structure called the Treasury…
🦄 Borders & Migration
Border Patrol Agent Back on Trial for Cross-Border Killing of Teenager
Tucson, AZ – Border Patrol agent Lonnie Swartz is being retried in court for the 2012 cross-border killing of 16-year-old José Antonio Elena Rodriguez. In April 2018, Swartz was found not guilty of second degree murder with hung jury on lesser charges of manslaughter. A…