California residents are now being sent to prison for shoplifting. In the first year of Prop 36, shoplifters have been charged with felonies + imprisoned for stealing diapers, hygiene supplies, a $13 belt, groceries and soda. DAs filed 15,000+ felonies for thefts previously treated as misdemeanors

NEW: California DAs have charged nearly 20,000 people with drug possession *felonies* under Prop 36, a new tough-on-crime law. Despite promises for "mass treatment," only 57 of those people have successfully gone into treatment + had their cases dismissed in the first year. Others face prison time.

Under oath, ICE agents in Oregon revealed: -quota of eight arrests a day per team, equaling roughly 50 arrests a day in OR -agents use a special app to choose areas + ppl to surveil -agents have followed, stopped + arrested ppl without probable cause, warrants or basic info about their targets.

NEW: Judge orders ICE to release a Minneapolis man and asylum seeker unlawfully detained for 50 days. In January, Elvis Joel TE + his 2-year-old were arrested without a warrant + flown to Texas despite an order barring their transfer. The girl was later released, but he remain jailed until today.

NEW: ICE tackled + arrested Juanita Avila, an Oregon shop owner who is a legal permanent resident and had her green card in her pocket. When she asked through sobs why they didn't believe her, one masked agent replied: “Because they lie all the time.” Video + interview with her and her daughter:

A MN protester accused of assaulting ICE officer had case dropped after vids showed no assault. LA protester accused of assaulting ICE w/ “hat” had case dropped; judge said govt acted in “bad faith” In Chicago, 92 ppl were arrested for assault/impeding ICE; 0 convicted DOJ keeps lying and losing:

NEW: Jeffrey Epstein cultivated relationships with CBP officers at the airports he frequented. Epstein emailed and texted with six CBP officers, invited them to his island, visited with them at the airport, and frequently sought to determine who was going to be on duty when he was traveling

NEW: Two women incarcerated in a CA prison have come forward to report sexual assaults by a staff cook while they were working in the kitchen, paid 12¢/hr. They told me he threatened discipline if they spoke up. The prison concluded abuse occurred, a very rare outcome, but he hasn't faced charges.

NEW: Jonathon Redondo-Rosales, a 36-year-old LA protester, spent six months in jail accused of assaulting a federal officer with a *cloth hat.* A judge tossed out the DOJ’s case, accusing govt of acting in “bad faith” and engaging in “prosecutorial harassment“ that could “chill lawful protest”

More than 1,400 pending criminal cases in Oregon must be dismissed due to a huge shortage of public defenders, state supreme court ruled. Many defendants have waited months or years to get a lawyer, a constitutional violation leaving them unable to fight charges, indefinitely derailing their lives.

Elizabeth, a 10-year-old Minnesota girl, spent a month detained at the ICE facility in Dilley, TX before her release last night w/ her mom. Dilley now has a measles outbreak and hundreds of other kids remain detained. Elizabeth has flu-like symptoms and her mom has hives, a school official told me

After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting. But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:

Liam, 5, has been freed, but four other students from his school district remain detained in Texas. Two boys from his elementary school were taken Thurs “This isn’t something we are prepared or trained for. We’ve dedicated our lives to protecting + educating children,” school superintendent told me

ICE detained a 5-year-old Minnesota boy coming home from school + took him and his dad to Texas, school officials say. The family has an active asylum case + entered the US at a port of entry. "They’re taking children. They're not violent criminals. They're little kids," the superintendent told me.

NEW: Five trans youth athletes speak out about what school sports means to them + the toll of exclusion. "Sports is my escape" -Lina, 14-yr-old tennis + track athlete. "We’re just kids. We’re just trying to have fun…We’re not trying to be monsters. We’re just trying to find connection + community."

NEW: The FBI has launched "domestic terrorism" investigations into anti-ICE activity across the US. Some cases are under Trump's NSPM-7 order to crackdown on "anti-fascism" and "anti-Americanism." Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org + shared w/ Guardian include FBI map of cases in 30+ states:

DOJ is ending protections against sexual abuse in prisons for LGBTQ+ people. Trans, intersex, nonconforming, queer folks already faced rampant violence behind bars, but a new memo says "effective immediately" institutions won't be held responsible for violations. "It's a green light for predators."

BIG: FBI spied on Signal group chat of immigration activists CourtWatch, classifying them as violent terrorist extremists for quietly sitting in on court cases, as revealed in intel bulletin we obtained & shared w/ @samtlevin.bsky.social @us.theguardian.com. #FOIA www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

NEW: The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of NY immigrants' rights volunteers organizing court watch+ labeled activists “anarchist violent extremist actors.” Joint FBI/NYPD report shows law enforcement accessed private planning convo of ppl monitoring ICE Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org

NEW: The US has deported a longtime Oregon firefighter who was arrested by Border Patrol while deployed at a major wildfire in Washington state. José Bertin Cruz-Estrada, separated from his family, is speaking out from Mexico for the first time: “I feel betrayed ... What am I going to do now?"

NEW: police depts across the US spread a false story that Venezuelan gang members were planning to kill officers. Records obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org and shared with @theguardian.com, reveal that the FBI quietly acknowledged a widely shared rumor about Tren de Aragua was false.

NEW: Christian legal group Alliance Defending Freedom "deceived" the Supreme Court + "profoundly misrepresented" LGBTQ+ research, according to scholars cited by ADF. Quoted experts speak out about ADF's "distortions" + "false evidence" in major case, on deck tomorrow, to revive "conversion therapy"

NEW: Six people detained in California’s newest + largest ICE facility speak out, saying they are confined in filthy cells, struggling to access basic medications, going hungry due to insufficient food, drinking dirty water, and faced with “military-like” staff. “This place is built to break us”

👽 🛡️ 👑 🤘🏼 ⚔️ 🥷 🚂 🏛️ 🍓 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.