👽 🛡️ 👑 🤘🏼 ⚔️ 🥷 🚂 🏛️ 🍓 Those are emojis the FBI, NYPD, CBP and US Army have said could be signs of affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang + part of their “code language”, internal records show. “Just like tattoos, we could see folks rounded up + tortured based solely on their use of certain emojis”

BIG: US law enforcement claims certain *emojis* could signal Tren de Aragua gang membership, leading to deportations, as revealed in intelligence documents we obtained & shared with @samtlevin.bsky.social / @maanvisingh.bsky.social / @us.theguardian.com. #FOIA www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

US law enforcement officials have claimed the use of certain emojis could signal affiliation with Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan gang, according to internal records reviewed by the Guardian and obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org, a government transparency non-profit.

NEW: US law enforcement have claimed the use of certain *emojis* could signal affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang, records reveal. The "ludicrous" claims, like assertions about tattoos, could further fuel false gang labels + deportations. W/ @propertyofthepeople.org emoji docs excerpted here ⬇️

UC Berkeley gives the Trump admin the names of 160 faculty + students for a federal investigation into “alleged antisemitic incidents.” Judith Butler, one of the targeted scholars, tells me: "It is an enormous breach of trust... It's shocking. Did you consider not complying with this request?”

NEW: Los Angeles protesters successfully disrupted ICE's crackdown by targeting hotels where officers stayed, emails show. Widespread rallies led Army to make list of "hotels to avoid" due to "harassment." "When we don’t want ICE in our neighborhoods, we can actually take actions to force them out"

The largest ever data analysis of the US trans population is out today •2.8m trans ppl total, including 724K youth •3.3% of youth are trans •Minnesota had highest rate of trans adults + Hawaii had highest rate of trans youth, tho trans ppl are widely represented in similar ranges in all 50 states

NEW: Two US citizens jailed in LA ICE raids speak out. Andrea Velez + Adrian Martinez were both grabbed outside their workplaces + say agents refused to believe they were citizens. Andrea was unsure the masked men were officers as they dragged her into their car: “I thought they were kidnapping me”

NEW: Border patrol made false claims about Los Angeles protesters it jailed, misrepresenting basic facts of events that were filmed. I obtained records of officers acknowledging + "apologizing" for errors The DOJ is now dismissing cases, an embarrassment for Trump-appointed US attorney Bill Essayli

NEW: An Irish tourist visiting the US was jailed by ICE for 3 months after overstaying 3 days due to medical issue. Thomas agreed to be deported, but instead went to federal prison where he recounted horrific conditions + no medical care. “Nobody's safe from the system if they get pulled into it"

Federal officers from across US government depts have joined ICE to execute raids, but we don't know who they are while they widely cover their faces + refuse to identify themselves. "Masked agents in casual clothing using force against people in public is associated with police states."

DHS keeps accusing critics of "assaulting officers" when videos show otherwise. In some cases, it's the protesters + prominent Dems who are roughed up or injured by officers. It's "classic policing," says @dreanyc123.bsky.social. “The harder you get beaten, the more likely you’ll get those charges"

NEWS: In one of the first major federal prosecutions of an LA protester, the DOJ has moved to dismiss the case. Jose Manuel Mojica was accused of assaulting officers, but came forward to Guardian to recount how he was brutally attacked by agents. “I feel a huge relief. The truth always comes out."

NEW: A Los Angeles protester is facing 8 years in prison on federal charges of assaulting an officer. Jose Mojica, 30, comes forward to say it was he who was brutally assaulted by border patrol. We obtained video. “We're not the violent ones. They escalated it. They're chasing down innocent people"

AB Hernandez, the teen athlete targeted by Trump's anti-trans attacks: “I know how hard I've worked. That's what matters...Track is everything to me. It's an honor I’m a champion for something I love" Her mom Nereyda: “They try to intimidate ppl to quit, but I’m not scared of them" My interviews:

New investigation: After Oregon invested $20m for drug addiction services, counties spent the funds on prosecutors, sheriffs, police gadgets + cars. I got records revealing how law enforcement used $ meant for treatment, as providers face major cuts + patients are stuck on waiting lists to get help

Trump's call to revive Alcatraz may be a far-fetched publicity stunt, but his efforts to reopen shuttered prisons are well underway across the US. Five closed jails and prisons have reopened for ICE or will soon. More are being targeted. My breakdown of their scandals + the private firms profiting:

Trump is now housing hundreds of immigrants in notorious federal prisons. I collected accounts from detainees who report: Moldy food; shortages of food and toilet paper; given used underwear + bloodstained clothes; no medical care; filthy cells; cut off from family; some missing their ICE hearings

NEW: Thousands incarcerated in California were given faulty drug tests that produced false positives – some denied parole due to erroneous claims of opioid use, according to internal records + lawyer testimony. Officials have known about the issue for months, but have not cleared people's records.

In Oregon, 4,000+ defendants facing criminal charges have no attorneys due to a public defender shortage, incl 400+ ppl who've waited 3+ months for a lawyer. The state's new "war on drugs" law is worsening the crisis, with cops now arresting + jailing thousands of drug users for minor possession:

Oregon's new War on Drugs: thousands of people are being arrested and jailed for low-level possession, many unhoused, unable to access lawyers + faced with long waits for treatment. My dispatch on the end of decriminalization, reported from Medford, the city leading the way in jailing drug users:

30+ pro-Palestine protesters sue UCLA + LAPD for widespread civil rights violations, wrongful arrests + excessive force in 2024. Suit names alleged counterprotesters who attacked the Palestine Solidarity Encampment for hours while police + UC failed to intervene, some officers standing feet away:

We've confirmed the US Bureau of Prisons has transferred trans women to men's prisons despite three court rulings blocking Trump's executive order “I’m continuing to be punished for existing. I'm a pawn in others' political games" -Whitney, 31-year-old woman taken to men's prison this week, told us

Gov Newsom widely condemned by LGBT lawmakers + groups for "throwing trans people under the bus" in anti-trans podcast chat “Denying young ppl the opportunity to play sports is denying them the opportunity to be who they fully are. We'll keep fighting like hell"-Bamby Salcedo/Trans Latin@ Coalition

"How have we arrived at a place where self-identified feminists ally themselves with a man who has so extravagantly dedicated his personal and political lives to the humiliation, domination + degradation of women and girls?" @joolia.bsky.social on anti-trans feminists boosting Trump + the far-right

South Carolina is set to execute Brad Sigmon by firing squad, reviving a death penalty method that hasn't been used in 15 years in the US. The 67-yr-old chose firing squad due to concerns about lethal injection. The last 3 killings took 20+ mins, appearing to cause pain akin to suffocation/drowning

Miss Major Griffin-Gacy, one of the Black trans women who was at Stonewall on the night of the first riot - she fought back, got knocked out and spent the rest of the night in the Tombs - is still fighting for trans rights. She spoke with @samtlevin.bsky.social in 2023.

Trans healthcare providers across the US are fighting to maintain care for youth patients as their institutions cancel vital treatment after Trump's order. They describe chaos, confusion + agonizing conversations with desperate families "It's like withholding CPR from someone struggling to breathe"

Marion Bowman will be killed by lethal injection tonight in South Carolina, the first execution of 2025 in US. He maintains his innocence + has become outspoken about the brutal conditions on death row. He shared w/ us some of his goodbye messages + letters he's exchanged with friends on death row:

I've collected accounts from trans folks inside US prisons facing Trump's brutal crackdown: trans women rounded up + placed in solitary before transfer to men's prisons; canceled medical appointments + loss of vital healthcare; vicious taunting "You're going to be a man," one guard told trans women

NEW: On South Carolina death row, Marion Bowman has been stuck on "execution watch" for months on end, waiting to be killed. He's caged in a tiny cell, nearly 24/7 isolation, cut off from family + community inside. When briefly out of his cell, he's in full body shackles + led around on a dog leash.

I spent time with incarcerated firefighters on the frontlines in Pasadena. They're working 24-hour shifts, hiking for hrs thru darkness + steep rugged terrain, dodging debris + embers, clearing brush by hand. They make $5-10 a day and $1/hr bonuses on fires "When things get rough, we push through"

There are now 1,100+ incarcerated firefighters on the LA frontlines, including 50+ youth. The jobs are highly coveted - some of the most meaningful activities available in CA prison, but they risk their lives for $5-10 a day. Several have died in recent yrs + many struggle to get jobs after prison.

Breaking: A former California prison guard was convicted of 64 sexual abuse charges against incarcerated women. One survivor who testified: “This is not a one officer problem. From my experience, Gregory Rodriguez is one bad apple on a tree that's rotten to its core.”

Galen Buckwalter, 68, shared with me his harrowing tale of being forced to flee the Eaton fire alone on his wheelchair through dark streets and fierce winds, dodging debris as fire neared his home. “In emergencies, disabled people are the last to get services…We have no system. You’re on your own”

There are 52,000+ unsheltered people in Los Angeles facing toxic air and fire hazards. Winds are destroying tents and structures. City says it’s made available *135 hotel vouchers.* Advocates say they can’t access them “It feels like you’re breathing in lead + you can see what you’re breathing in”

California has deployed 400 incarcerated firefighters to fight the LA blaze. They make $26 over 24-hr shift. “We’re doing this heroic, crucial work, but many ppl inside cannot support their family, can barely afford hygiene supplies. Nobody is saving money,” Amika Mota, former firefighter, told me

Biden commuted 37 ppl on death row + 1000s on home confinement at risk of returning to prison. But so far he hasn’t used clemency to free currently incarcerated ppl. My feature on one group pleading for help: survivors of guard sexual abuse who exposed widespread misconduct. “Give us a chance”

Los Angeles resentenced + freed 300 people serving long prison terms for "serious crimes." <1% reoffended (none violent). No one convicted of murder reoffended. Some would've been incarcerated for decades more. "Thousands in prison today could be safely released," outgoing DA George Gascón told me

NEW: We interviewed women behind bars who exposed the widespread sexual abuse of US prison officers, but who have struggled to get relief. They are pleading with Biden for clemency. “After everything I’ve been through, I deserve to be protected. Give me a chance … Let me see my granddaughters”

NEW: US Bureau of Prisons to pay $115m to 100+ survivors of major staff sexual abuse scandal, the largest settlement of its kind in BOP history. Big win for plaintiffs who exposed widespread misconduct + paid a great price for speaking out. Many, however, still languishing in BOP + seeking freedom

Intensifying pressure on Biden to grant clemency to people on federal death row: Pope Francis, Catholic leaders, major civil rights groups, current + former prosecutors, prison officials who oversaw executions, mental health orgs, murder victims' families + more all urging Biden to clear death row

NEW: Biden is facing calls to grant clemency to women who were sexually abused by prison guards + remain incarcerated “If he can pardon his son, he can definitely grant clemency to survivors of this heinous abuse by federal government employees,” one survivor told me 20+ cases sitting on his desk:

Arguments in the Supreme Court's trans youth healthcare case laid bare the conservative justice's broad threats to trans and queer rights, bodily autonomy + decades of legal precedent. ANALYSIS w/ @kredburn.bsky.social @sydneyduncan.bsky.social @imarajones.bsky.social @urge-org.bsky.social + more:

Trump carried out more federal executions than the past 10 presidents combined. 40 ppl on death row are now in danger, many asking Biden for clemency. “The majority of people here become better men for themselves, their family and friends and supporters” -Billie Allen, at risk of execution, told me

NEW: the trans healthcare ban before the US Supreme Court rests on a group of doctors who have repeatedly been discredited and dismissed by judges as unqualified, inexperienced + biased “experts” spreading religious doctrine and misinformation. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

Hi, Bluesky 👋 We're the Guardian's US newsroom. You can find our starter pack of @us.theguardian.com journalists here: go.bsky.app/LcZs9SB

THREAD: how California can defend the state against Trump's mass deportations, according to immigrant rights advocates. While the state was a leader in Trump's 1st term, Gov Gavin Newsom has repeatedly vetoed sanctuary measures that would've made the state more prepared. Will that now change? 🧵

California AG Rob Bonta tells me CA DOJ has been prepping for months for Trump 2.0 and has already drafted legal briefs, including to challenge a national abortion ban. “We’ve got a lot in our back pocket ready to drop. The whole strategy is thought through. We're very advanced in our preparation."

CW: police brutality + injuries I obtained video of Phoenix cops detaining a man on the ground + burning him on hot pavement for 4 mins in July (on a 114F day). He was hospitalized for weeks, 3rd-degree burns. He was not the suspect they sought. “Felt like acid burning my skin" -Michael Kenyon, 30