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ICE OMNIBUS. MAY 11, 2026. 💀🚨😤

🔴 RODNEY TAYLOR — SPEAKING TODAY:

Double amputee barber from Loganville, GA. Came to US from Liberia at age 2 for surgery. 473 days in ICE detention at Stewart (CoreCivic). Detained over a 1997 teenage burglary — pardoned in 2010. Pardon didn't matter to ICE. Health deteriorated: ill-fitted prosthetics caused bone spurs and neuropathy. Released May 4. Speaking publicly for the first time today.

Taylor: "There were moments when I wasn't sure I would survive the neglect I faced in detention. I am proof that when people organize and refuse to look away, we can win. I am home. I am free."

🔴 NBER STUDY (May 4):

For every 6 ICE arrests, 1 US-born man loses his job. 7,574 undocumented workers stopped working per surged area. Employment also fell 4% among immigrants who stayed — due to fear. Construction, manufacturing, agriculture hit hardest.

🔴 CALLING 911 = ICE DETENTION:

A Florida man called 911 for a welfare check on his sick 4-year-old. He ended up in ICE custody. 76% of domestic violence clients at one nonprofit are afraid to call police. A Virginia woman died allegedly because she was afraid to report abuse. ICE has made calling 911 a threat.

🔴 SC ACCOUNTABILITY GAP:

WPDE asked all 53 SC lawmakers who co-sponsored an ICE cooperation bill to explain it. Not one answered.

#ICE #RodneyTaylor #Jobs #Immigration #TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle by @thewashingtonpretzel

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5 months ago

LGBTQIA+ ROUNDUP. MAY 9-10, 2026. 🏳️‍🌈💀😤
4 US-based LGBTQ+ stories this week.

🔴 VATICAN — HISTORIC: For the first time ever, the Vatican included testimonies from gay married men in an official report. The report calls conversion therapy "devastating" and says it caused LGBTQ+ Catholics "profound suffering."

Timing: this drops weeks after SCOTUS struck down Colorado's conversion therapy ban 8-1. The Vatican calls the practice devastating. SCOTUS just opened the door to it. 💀

🔴 ALLAN MARRERO — FREE: Gay immigrant Allan Marrero was freed after 150 days in ICE custody across 6 states. He was detained during his routine green card interview in November 2025. No criminal history.

ICE chained him at the ankles, waist, and wrists for up to 8 hours per transfer.

NYC → NJ → AZ → TX → FL "Alligator Alcatraz" → MS.
His husband Matthew: "Love has brought him home. But justice still has work to do."

🔴 SMITH COLLEGE: The Trump Education Dept. launched a Title IX investigation into Smith College — one of the Seven Sisters — for admitting transgender women. Federal funding is at stake. If successful, the action could ripple to Wellesley, Bryn Mawr, Barnard, and others.

🔴 POLITICAL VIOLENCE: 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ candidates received death threats in 2026. Survey of 200+ candidates in 40+ states. The LGBTQ+ Victory Institute: political violence is reshaping who feels able to run for office.

#LGBTQIA #Vatican #ConversionTherapy #AllanMarrero #SmithCollege TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle by @thewashingtonpretzel

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5 months ago

ICE OMNIBUS. MAY 9, 2026. 🚨💀😤

18 stories. Here's what happened today.

🔴 BRONX: ICE tackled 19-year-old Jeury Concepcion outside a bodega. Wrong person. 7 stitches and a concussion. Dropped at an unfamiliar park, still bleeding. DHS: he matched the description.

🔴 OHIO: Jero Phamakao came to Ohio at age 6. He never missed an annual ICE check-in. He was deported to Laos — a country he barely knows. His wife works 7 days a week now.

🔴 ARIZONA: ICE detainee Alexander Hernández attempted suicide after being put in SOLITARY for demanding medical care. ICE has not paid its off-site medical contractors since October 2025.

🔴 PROFITS: CoreCivic revenue +25%. GEO Group +17%. GEO got a new $60M skip-tracing contract. ICE wants to BUY 10 detention centers so they can't be sued.

🔴 COURTS: 11th Circuit ruled ICE cannot hold interior detainees without bond hearings. A DC judge found ICE committed 33 warrantless arrest violations after she banned them.

🔴 LEGISLATION: 287(g) agreements up 13x under Trump — 137 to 1,784. California Senate voted 38-0 to cap ICE commissary markups at 35%. Hawaii passed 3 anti-ICE bills.

🔴 MAINE: Olivia Andre, 19, is home after 6 months. DHS called her release "activist judge" ruling.

#ICE #Immigration #Detention #287g #CoreCivic TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

GAS UP 52%. GROCERIES HEADED HIGHER. THE IRAN WAR IS HITTING YOUR WALLET. 💀🚨

⛽ GAS PRICES (per AAA):

▶ National average: $4.54/gallon — up 52% since the Iran war began Feb 28
▶ Pre-war (Feb 26): $2.98/gallon. Now: $4.54. That's $1.56 more per gallon.
▶ Strait of Hormuz closed = largest oil supply disruption in market history per IEA
▶ Experts: prices won't bounce back quickly even if war ends

WORST STATES:

California $6.06 | Hawaii $5.64 | Washington $5.61
Ohio: up $2.06/gallon — worst state increase
100+ counties saw $2+ increases. One KY county: nearly doubled.

🛒 GROCERY PRICES:

▶ USDA food forecast: up 3.1% in 2026 — nearly double January's projection
▶ Beef already 12.1% higher than last year — forecast to rise another 6.3%
▶ 7 grocery categories rising above their 20-year average: beef, fish, fresh veg, processed produce, sugar, beverages, more
▶ Fertilizer costs up 30-40% for some farmers
▶ Purdue: if war continues, adds 3-6% to grocery inflation over next 18 months
▶ PCE inflation hit 3.5% annual rate in March — 3-year high

Fuel costs make up 15-30% of total food cost. More pain is coming.

Shelf prices lag energy shocks by 3-6 months. We're still in the lead-up.

#GasPrices #Groceries #IranWar #Inflation #TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

The Washington Pretzel | US PoliTickle by @thewashingtonpretzel

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5 months ago

LGBTQIA+ ROUNDUP. MAY 7, 2026. 🏳️‍🌈💀🌍

🔴 TREVOR PROJECT 2025 SURVEY:

▶ 1 in 10 LGBTQ+ youth attempted suicide in 2025
▶ 41% seriously considered it
▶ Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and political rhetoric are a significant driver
▶ Youth in affirming communities attempt suicide at LESS THAN A THIRD the rate of those in unaccepting communities
▶ 15% were threatened with or subjected to conversion therapy
▶ Survey covers the first year of Trump's second term
Affirming spaces save lives. Anti-LGBTQ+ politics kill.

🌍 BOTSWANA:

In March 2026, Botswana formally removed its colonial-era "unnatural offences" law from its Penal Code — 7 years after the High Court declared it unconstitutional. The law had criminalized gay sex with up to 7 years imprisonment. LEGABIBO: queer people "are not criminals."

WHAT'S NEXT:

Same-sex couple Bonolo Selelo and Tsholofelo Kumile are challenging the marriage ban. High Court case: July 2026.

🌈 PRISM IOP — DENVER:

Guidelight Health launched Prism on May 7 — an LGBTQIA+ affirming intensive outpatient mental health program for adults in Denver. Central Park & Cherry Creek clinics. Trauma-informed. Evidence-based. (720) 730-2523.

#LGBTQIA #TrevorProject #Botswana #MentalHealth #AAPIHeritageMonth TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

ICE: SHOOTING. DETENTION. DEPORTATION HUB. — AAPI HERITAGE MONTH 2026. 💀🚨

THREE STORIES. TODAY.

🔴 OLIVIA ANDRE — PORTLAND, MAINE:

A judge ordered ICE to release 19-year-old Olivia Andre by Friday after 6 months at Dilley, Texas. Originally from the DRC. Nursing student. Her mother and siblings were freed in March. She stayed. Her lawyer: "The Trump administration had no lawful basis for detaining her." She lost 20 pounds in custody.

🔴 SILVERIO VILLEGAS-GONZÁLEZ — FRANKLIN PARK, ILLINOIS:

An ICE agent shot Silverio, 38, in the neck during a traffic stop on September 12, 2025 — days after he dropped his kids at school. He died. DHS claimed "severe injuries" and he was dragged "a significant distance." Body cam showed the agent said "nothing major." 8 months later, the FBI has released nothing. Illinois State Police just opened their own probe. DHS response: "Political stunt. States cannot investigate us."

The Illinois Accountability Commission: "reasonable cause to believe federal agents shot and killed Villegas González without apparent justification."

🔴 YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO — HIDDEN DEPORTATION HUB:

3News verified 1,000+ ICE flights and 2,572 detainees booked in one year at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. Shackled. Flown out. Daily. Hidden in plain sight in northeast Ohio.

#ICE #OliviaAndre #SilverioVillegas #Youngstown #AAPIHeritageMonth TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

HOMAN: WE WILL FLOOD NEW YORK WITH ICE AGENTS. 🚨

HOCHUL: TRUMP PROMISED HE WOULDN'T. I'M NOT ASKING.

Border czar Tom Homan at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, May 5:

🔴 "We're going to flood the zone. You're going to see more ICE agents than you've seen before."
🔴 To Hochul: "You forced us into this position."

WHY:

Hochul refused to enter a 287(g) agreement with ICE — the program that deputizes local police and corrections officers for immigration enforcement. She also proposed banning all state and local agencies in New York from signing such agreements, and banning ICE agents from wearing face coverings in public.

HOMAN ON MASKS:

"Because of the hateful rhetoric of governors and mayors who don't know what the f— they're talking about, that's necessary. Threats are up over 8,000%."

HOCHUL'S RESPONSE:

"Donald Trump himself said he would not send a surge of ICE agents to the State of New York unless I ask. I'm not asking."

Trump made that promise. His own border czar is now breaking it. 💀

Source: Long Island Life & Politics / The Daily Signal — May 5, 2026

#ICE #Homan #Hochul #NewYork #287g TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

LOUISIANA GOV. LANDRY FACES RECALL. HE STOPPED ELECTIONS MID-VOTE TO ERASE A BLACK CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT. 🚨💀

THE SEQUENCE:

▶ April 29: SCOTUS ruled 6-3 Louisiana's second majority-Black district was unconstitutional — gutting a key part of the Voting Rights Act
▶ April 30: Landry declared an "electoral emergency" and suspended the May 16 House primaries — while early voting was already happening and ballots had already been mailed
▶ 104,000+ Louisianans had already voted early when he pulled the plug
▶ Trump on Truth Social: "Thank you for moving so quickly" 🤢

THE NEW MAP:

ACLU of Louisiana says expect 6 majority-white congressional districts out of 6 — or 5 white, 1 Black. Louisiana currently has 2 majority-Black districts, both held by Black Democrats. One would be erased.

THE RECALL:

▶ Filed May 4 by Marian Gbaiwon Hills and Katilyn Stepter — two Baton Rouge residents
▶ Reason cited: "pattern of actions that undermine fair representation"
▶ Needs 500,883 signatures (20% of voters) in 180 days
▶ Deadline: October 31, 2026
▶ Note: No Louisiana statewide recall has ever succeeded in triggering an election

Rep. Cleo Fields: "Louisianans are casting ballots RIGHT NOW. This election must continue."

#Landry #Louisiana #VotingRights #Recall #Redistricting TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

ICE AND DHS: A CORRUPTION OMNIBUS 💀🚨
YOUR MONEY. THEIR POCKETS.

🔴 WAREHOUSE OVERPAYMENT (Rachel Maddow/MSNOW):

▶ Georgia: valued $26M → ICE paid $129M (nearly 5x)
▶ Roxbury NJ: assessed $62M → ICE paid $129M (more than double)
▶ Salt Lake City: assessed $97M → ICE paid $145M (50% over)

🔴 $45 BILLION DETENTION EXPANSION (NPR/Kaste):

▶ 68,000 people held now. Goal: 100,000 beds.
▶ Detention costs $125+/day per person
▶ Electronic monitoring: under $10/day
▶ The prison industry keeps them locked up longer. More profit.

🔴 2,500 UNUSABLE VEHICLES (Washington Examiner/Giaritelli):

▶ Sheahan bought 2,500 flashy branded ICE vehicles
▶ Officers cannot use them
▶ House Dems demanding answers from ICE Director Todd Lyons

🔴 73% NO CRIMINAL RECORD (independent analysis):

▶ 73,000 in ICE custody
▶ 73% have zero criminal convictions
▶ Only 5% are violent offenders

🔴 FEDERAL PRISONS SHORT ON FOOD (ProPublica/Blakinger):

▶ Guards leaving prisons for ICE bonuses
▶ Prisons understaffed, working doubles
▶ Running low on food and toilet paper

🔴 DHS SHUTDOWN ENDED WITHOUT ICE FUNDING (NBC/Kapur):

▶ Congress funded all of DHS EXCEPT ICE and CBP
▶ Ended the 75-day shutdown on April 30

#ICE #DHS #Corruption #Detention #TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

ICE SECRETLY GAGGED FLORIDA POLICE. "CALL US BEFORE YOU ANSWER ANY RECORDS REQUEST." 🚨💀

A secret ICE directive sent to hundreds of Florida and Texas law enforcement agencies tells local police: before you respond to any FOIA request, Sunshine Law request, press conference, or social media post about immigration enforcement — call ICE first.

🔴 THE MEMO: "If your agency receives FOIA or Sunshine Law requests… you should immediately consult with the ICE FOIA office or your local Field Office Director."

Florida has some of the strongest open records laws in the country. Records are presumed PUBLIC unless specifically exempted. ICE is overriding that.

Legal experts say it won't hold up — but in the meantime, police are complying and the public is blocked.

💀 THE NUMBERS:

▶ Miami-Dade: 100 → 971 ICE-certified officers in under 4 months
▶ A records request for that data: met with a $48,394 fee estimate. Request closed.
▶ Florida: 345 local ICE agreements. Texas: 376. Growing every day.

Former ICE director Sandweg: "I can't think of any operational reason to keep this data confidential. Transparency is an important tool against misconduct."

An undocumented South Floridian named Carla: "It makes me feel more invisible. Like I could just slip through the cracks and nobody would ever know."
Source: Florida Trib / Two Can Be True — Monique O. Madan

#ICE #Florida #OpenRecords #287g #FOIA TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle
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5 months ago

ICE DETAINED THEM. KACEY MUSGRAVES INVITED THEM TO OPEN HER SHOWS. 🎺🌟

On February 25, the Gámez-Cuéllar family showed up for a routine immigration check-in. ICE detained all of them — including their three sons: Antonio, 18; Caleb, 14; and Joshua, 12.

They had fled cartel violence in Mexico and entered the US through asylum in 2023, settling in McAllen, Texas. They followed the law. They showed up. ICE took them.

They were released in early March after national outrage.

🌟 WHO THEY ARE:

▶ Antonio and Caleb are members of Mariachi Oro — McAllen High School's award-winning ensemble that has played Carnegie Hall and the US Capitol
▶ Antonio is the top mariachi trumpet player in the state of Texas
▶ All three will perform as The Mariachi Brothers

🎸 WHAT KACEY DID:

Two weeks after the family was released, Kacey Musgraves personally invited them to open three shows on her Middle of Nowhere tour at Gruene Hall in New Braunfels, TX.

Kacey: "I really want to go an extra mile to show the Mexican culture that I deeply appreciate it, that I see it, and that it matters."

🎺 THE SHOWS:

May 3, 4, and 5 at Gruene Hall. All sold out. The final show: Cinco de Mayo.

Antonio: "It's one of the biggest ones that we ever played."

Rep. Gonzalez: "They should have never been detained in the first place."

#KaceyMusgraves #MariachiBrothers #GamezCuellar #ICE #McAllen GrueneHall TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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5 months ago

CUBAN NATIONAL DIES IN ICE CUSTODY. APRIL 28, 2026. 💀

Denny Adan Gonzalez, 33, died at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia while in ICE custody. Suspected cause: suicide. Official cause still under investigation.

🔴 Found unresponsive in his cell at 10:25 pm by CoreCivic staff. CPR started. Pronounced dead at 11:11 pm.

HIS STORY:

▶ Entered US May 2019. Apprehended, deemed inadmissible, ordered removed. Deported January 2020.
▶ Re-entered unlawfully. Encountered in El Paso April 2022. Released under supervision.
▶ Reported REGULARLY to ICE in Charlotte, NC — until September 2025.
▶ Arrested December 12, 2025 on assault and domestic violence charges. ICE lodged a detainer. Transferred to Stewart January 2026.

CORECIVIC: A for-profit private prison company that runs Stewart and is paid per detainee by the federal government.

THE NUMBER: 47 ICE custody deaths in 2026. A 20-year high. Gonzalez is the latest.

#ICE #DennyGonzalez #CoreCivic #ICEDeaths #TheWashingtonPretzel USPoliTickle

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6 months ago