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.

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”