Lisa Ballard
@basilleaf.bsky.social
Web Dev. Free Palestine. She/Her.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
January 28, 2026 at 11:38 PM
I know all eyes are on Minneapolis, but there's a fast-approaching nightmare in Springfield, Ohio.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Trump is revoking protected status for tens of thousands of Haitians living there on Feb. 3.
Reportedly, on Feb. 4, 1000 ICE agents are arriving to remove this population. Ethnic cleansing.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
CBS News invites everyone who works for them to quit.
Below is the buyout offer all CBS Evening News staff received today.
"We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be, and we want to provide support. As such, we are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment."
"We hope you are excited about this vision, but we understand that some of you may not be, and we want to provide support. As such, we are offering an extraordinary chance to leave CBS News with an enhanced separation payment."
January 28, 2026 at 11:39 PM
CBS News invites everyone who works for them to quit.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
ICE kidnapped 5 people from my community this morning. I don’t live in Minneapolis. I live in LA County. They’re still here and their still brutalizing.
January 28, 2026 at 7:50 PM
ICE kidnapped 5 people from my community this morning. I don’t live in Minneapolis. I live in LA County. They’re still here and their still brutalizing.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Of course. And that’s why Dems need to lean in and work towards dismantling ICE.
First no funding.
Impeach Noem.
Demand hearings on ICE’s operation in MN.
Demand that Miller resign.
Don’t let up.
First no funding.
Impeach Noem.
Demand hearings on ICE’s operation in MN.
Demand that Miller resign.
Don’t let up.
“An administration official gave away the game to Punchbowl News, admitting that these “de-escalatory measures” are about placating Senate Democrats so they don’t seize this moment to demand restrictions on ICE as part of any government funding package.”
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
newrepublic.com/article/2057...
Donald Trump Is Frightened
Trump wants to appear eager to minimize out-of-control clashes between government militias and protesters. But he doesn’t want to stop the things causing those clashes in the first place.
newrepublic.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Of course. And that’s why Dems need to lean in and work towards dismantling ICE.
First no funding.
Impeach Noem.
Demand hearings on ICE’s operation in MN.
Demand that Miller resign.
Don’t let up.
First no funding.
Impeach Noem.
Demand hearings on ICE’s operation in MN.
Demand that Miller resign.
Don’t let up.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
This isn’t just “owning the libs” — this is the highest office in the nation using technology to lie to the entire world. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Beware: Government Using Image Manipulation for Propaganda
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week posted a photo of the arrest of Nekima Levy Armstrong, one of three activists who had entered a St. Paul, Minn. church to confront a pastor who
www.eff.org
January 27, 2026 at 10:39 PM
This isn’t just “owning the libs” — this is the highest office in the nation using technology to lie to the entire world. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
We finally got gun-control.
Trump: "With that being said, you can't have guns. You can't walk in with guns. You just can't. You can't walk in with guns. You can't do that. But it's just a very unfortunate incident."
January 27, 2026 at 5:47 PM
We finally got gun-control.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
A reminder that Liam Ramos, the son of legal residents in Minnesota, is still being held in a Texas prison.
A five year old little boy - and America’s global reputation - now scarred for life.
(📸 Ali Daniel’s/AP)
A five year old little boy - and America’s global reputation - now scarred for life.
(📸 Ali Daniel’s/AP)
January 27, 2026 at 1:19 PM
A reminder that Liam Ramos, the son of legal residents in Minnesota, is still being held in a Texas prison.
A five year old little boy - and America’s global reputation - now scarred for life.
(📸 Ali Daniel’s/AP)
A five year old little boy - and America’s global reputation - now scarred for life.
(📸 Ali Daniel’s/AP)
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
One small thing you can do today: ICE is ramping up in Maine. Food For All is delivering meals to 300 families that can't leave their homes. They need $7k a day to continue operations. The Culture Study community is raising enough to cover a day—join us?
Donate directly: givebutter.com/Scx87A
or
Donate directly: givebutter.com/Scx87A
or
Food Delivered With Dignity
In the current environment we need to raise a $7,000 a day to sustain our operations
givebutter.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM
One small thing you can do today: ICE is ramping up in Maine. Food For All is delivering meals to 300 families that can't leave their homes. They need $7k a day to continue operations. The Culture Study community is raising enough to cover a day—join us?
Donate directly: givebutter.com/Scx87A
or
Donate directly: givebutter.com/Scx87A
or
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
I’m an eternal pessimist but Bovino getting run out of Minneapolis with his tail between his legs is a win.
Celebrating a victory on Monday doesn’t mean you’re giving up the fight for Tuesday.
Celebrating a victory on Monday doesn’t mean you’re giving up the fight for Tuesday.
I don't keep doomers in my feed but since apparently some folks do: "celebrate each and every win, loudly" is Organizing 101
January 27, 2026 at 4:54 AM
I’m an eternal pessimist but Bovino getting run out of Minneapolis with his tail between his legs is a win.
Celebrating a victory on Monday doesn’t mean you’re giving up the fight for Tuesday.
Celebrating a victory on Monday doesn’t mean you’re giving up the fight for Tuesday.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
January 27, 2026 at 12:30 AM
Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
This is a moment of profound fragility for the Trump admin; call your reps and tell them to press the advantage. Call for Noem to resign or be impeached. Call for Miller's ouster.
January 27, 2026 at 1:24 AM
This is a moment of profound fragility for the Trump admin; call your reps and tell them to press the advantage. Call for Noem to resign or be impeached. Call for Miller's ouster.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Want to feel better, ICE agents?
Quit. Go public. Name names. Testify in the inevitable hearings and trials to come.
No matter what, history will judge you. Your call.
Quit. Go public. Name names. Testify in the inevitable hearings and trials to come.
No matter what, history will judge you. Your call.
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
www.independent.co.uk
January 26, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Want to feel better, ICE agents?
Quit. Go public. Name names. Testify in the inevitable hearings and trials to come.
No matter what, history will judge you. Your call.
Quit. Go public. Name names. Testify in the inevitable hearings and trials to come.
No matter what, history will judge you. Your call.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
This isn't about "training issues." The murderer who executed Renee Good has been with ICE for 10 years, and according to DHS, the murderer who executed Alex Pretti has been there for 8 years.
These aren't "new recruits," or officers that can be "retrained." ICE can't be reformed. Abolish ICE.
These aren't "new recruits," or officers that can be "retrained." ICE can't be reformed. Abolish ICE.
January 26, 2026 at 11:04 PM
This isn't about "training issues." The murderer who executed Renee Good has been with ICE for 10 years, and according to DHS, the murderer who executed Alex Pretti has been there for 8 years.
These aren't "new recruits," or officers that can be "retrained." ICE can't be reformed. Abolish ICE.
These aren't "new recruits," or officers that can be "retrained." ICE can't be reformed. Abolish ICE.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
My husband didn't know, so I'll repeat it here: Border Czar isn't a real job. Tom Homan has a fake job with a fake title. It also means that he wasn't confirmed by anyone in Congress. (Trump tried to confirm Homan in 1.0 but he failed bc Homan was too corrupt even pre-cava bag.)
January 26, 2026 at 11:09 PM
My husband didn't know, so I'll repeat it here: Border Czar isn't a real job. Tom Homan has a fake job with a fake title. It also means that he wasn't confirmed by anyone in Congress. (Trump tried to confirm Homan in 1.0 but he failed bc Homan was too corrupt even pre-cava bag.)
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.”
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
January 26, 2026 at 11:35 PM
The biggest risk in this moment is something sociologists call “symbolic compliance.”
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
That’s when an institution that is violating civil rights gives the public just enough symbolic victories that accountability efforts lose steam before there has been any meaningful change.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Understand this: There are Trump regime concentration camps in America, where innocent people are being killed and tortured and sexually abused—not to mention caged indefinitely—and that includes men, women, and children. These Nazi-style camps are on military bases to keep their activities secret.
Immigrants Detained at Fort Bliss in Texas Report Abuse and Inhumane Conditions
Detained people at largest immigration detention facility in the country report accounts of physical and sexual abuse.
www.aclu.org
January 26, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Understand this: There are Trump regime concentration camps in America, where innocent people are being killed and tortured and sexually abused—not to mention caged indefinitely—and that includes men, women, and children. These Nazi-style camps are on military bases to keep their activities secret.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
... the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere ... the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward ... The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
January 25, 2026 at 7:23 AM
... the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere ... the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward ... The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
The best headline I've seen about MN murder was "Gunmen still at large."
January 25, 2026 at 1:31 PM
The best headline I've seen about MN murder was "Gunmen still at large."
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
M. Gessen, gift link: The soviet secret police too "were ruled by quotas... Fundamentally, the terror was random. That is, in fact, how state terror works. The randomness is the difference between a regime based on terror and a regime that is plainly repressive"
Opinion | State Terror Has Arrived
www.nytimes.com
January 25, 2026 at 1:55 PM
M. Gessen, gift link: The soviet secret police too "were ruled by quotas... Fundamentally, the terror was random. That is, in fact, how state terror works. The randomness is the difference between a regime based on terror and a regime that is plainly repressive"
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Thinking - again, and always - about the Wilhoit quote.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
The people who'll tell you today's murder victim in Minnesota shouldn't have turned up to a protest carrying a gun are the same people who said Kyle Rittenhouse was perfectly entitled to do the same thing.
January 25, 2026 at 3:16 AM
Thinking - again, and always - about the Wilhoit quote.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
About how pointless it has been, in my life, to take at face value what the right wing says it values, and to try to reason with them based on that.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
I just want to make it clear that it was *Border Patrol* agents who murdered Alex Pretti, and those fuckers murder people regularly here along the border.
Renee Good´s murderer is also a former Border Patrol agent (currently ICE).
Disband ALL the paramilitary groups and prosecute every member.
Renee Good´s murderer is also a former Border Patrol agent (currently ICE).
Disband ALL the paramilitary groups and prosecute every member.
January 25, 2026 at 3:28 AM
I just want to make it clear that it was *Border Patrol* agents who murdered Alex Pretti, and those fuckers murder people regularly here along the border.
Renee Good´s murderer is also a former Border Patrol agent (currently ICE).
Disband ALL the paramilitary groups and prosecute every member.
Renee Good´s murderer is also a former Border Patrol agent (currently ICE).
Disband ALL the paramilitary groups and prosecute every member.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
I keep thinking about statements like these. I suspect a significant portion of ICE—perhaps most of it—believes Vance / Miller / et al that they have total legal immunity for anything they do.
This is (1) not true as a matter of law and (2) a lie intended to incite the violence we've seen from ICE.
This is (1) not true as a matter of law and (2) a lie intended to incite the violence we've seen from ICE.
January 25, 2026 at 3:53 AM
I keep thinking about statements like these. I suspect a significant portion of ICE—perhaps most of it—believes Vance / Miller / et al that they have total legal immunity for anything they do.
This is (1) not true as a matter of law and (2) a lie intended to incite the violence we've seen from ICE.
This is (1) not true as a matter of law and (2) a lie intended to incite the violence we've seen from ICE.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Same group who claimed states rights and small gov when it came to removing women’s rights.
Are now defending big gov stopping a states right to investigate the deaths of their citizens by out of state government funded masked men using cars, guns and murder to terrorize Americans.
Truly pathetic.
Are now defending big gov stopping a states right to investigate the deaths of their citizens by out of state government funded masked men using cars, guns and murder to terrorize Americans.
Truly pathetic.
January 25, 2026 at 1:38 AM
Same group who claimed states rights and small gov when it came to removing women’s rights.
Are now defending big gov stopping a states right to investigate the deaths of their citizens by out of state government funded masked men using cars, guns and murder to terrorize Americans.
Truly pathetic.
Are now defending big gov stopping a states right to investigate the deaths of their citizens by out of state government funded masked men using cars, guns and murder to terrorize Americans.
Truly pathetic.
Reposted by Lisa Ballard
Pritzker: "The GOP is nowhere to be found. They're the ones that scream and yell about 'federal tyranny' about interference with states' rights. And now, their president is violating states' rights and attacking our states and Republicans are nowhere to be found to talk about it."
January 24, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Pritzker: "The GOP is nowhere to be found. They're the ones that scream and yell about 'federal tyranny' about interference with states' rights. And now, their president is violating states' rights and attacking our states and Republicans are nowhere to be found to talk about it."