katya schwenk
@katyaschwenk.bsky.social
reporter at The Lever @levernews.com
once alt-weekly writer
once alt-weekly writer
Pinned
katya schwenk
@katyaschwenk.bsky.social
· Nov 17
Here's your starter pack for the team behind The Lever's investigative journalism. Follow and enjoy!
grateful to be part of this team.
i cover corporate greed & political corruption, with particular interest right now on profiteering in our immigration & criminal legal systems.
send tips, ideas, gossip, etc. to [email protected] or 413-658-4677 (text or Signal)
i cover corporate greed & political corruption, with particular interest right now on profiteering in our immigration & criminal legal systems.
send tips, ideas, gossip, etc. to [email protected] or 413-658-4677 (text or Signal)
Reposted by katya schwenk
In Feb., a group led by Erik Prince, founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater, proposed ICE create a “skip tracing team” of contractors to locate immigrants targeted for deportation.
Great piece by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social on how those plans are developing, plus new info in the quoted thread.
Great piece by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social on how those plans are developing, plus new info in the quoted thread.
November 11, 2025 at 12:57 PM
In Feb., a group led by Erik Prince, founder of the mercenary firm Blackwater, proposed ICE create a “skip tracing team” of contractors to locate immigrants targeted for deportation.
Great piece by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social on how those plans are developing, plus new info in the quoted thread.
Great piece by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social on how those plans are developing, plus new info in the quoted thread.
amazing stuff
Border Patrol agent Lairmore testifies that he was not injured by the sandwich, but he felt the impact through his ballistic vest.
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
The sandwich came apart and "kind of exploded" on his chest upon impact, he says.
"I could smell the onions and mustard."
November 6, 2025 at 7:52 PM
amazing stuff
Wrote about the new revelations in recent weeks about ICE's plans to send out bounty hunters to track down immigrants, which appear to be pulled from the mass deportation blueprint crafted by Erik Prince & various other military contractors. www.levernews.com/inside-ices-...
Inside ICE’s Plans For A Bounty Hunter Army
Military contractors called for — and are now getting — contracts to help carry out Trump’s mass deportations, with a bounty for every immigrant they track down.
www.levernews.com
November 6, 2025 at 6:41 PM
Wrote about the new revelations in recent weeks about ICE's plans to send out bounty hunters to track down immigrants, which appear to be pulled from the mass deportation blueprint crafted by Erik Prince & various other military contractors. www.levernews.com/inside-ices-...
Reposted by katya schwenk
Already today, Israel has:
-Conducted a drone strike on Khan Younis in Gaza
-Shot & wounded two others near Khan Younis
-Killed 5 Palestinians in Gaza City
-Fired on & wounded a several others near Jabalia
All in violation of the “ceasefire.”
-Conducted a drone strike on Khan Younis in Gaza
-Shot & wounded two others near Khan Younis
-Killed 5 Palestinians in Gaza City
-Fired on & wounded a several others near Jabalia
All in violation of the “ceasefire.”
October 14, 2025 at 1:42 PM
Already today, Israel has:
-Conducted a drone strike on Khan Younis in Gaza
-Shot & wounded two others near Khan Younis
-Killed 5 Palestinians in Gaza City
-Fired on & wounded a several others near Jabalia
All in violation of the “ceasefire.”
-Conducted a drone strike on Khan Younis in Gaza
-Shot & wounded two others near Khan Younis
-Killed 5 Palestinians in Gaza City
-Fired on & wounded a several others near Jabalia
All in violation of the “ceasefire.”
after being sued for violating human trafficking law, the GEO Group has brought this case to SCOTUS, a window into a decades-long battle by private contractors for legal immunity. this is what you get when you outsource more &more core govt operations to powerful private firms
The nation’s largest private prison company is asking the Supreme Court to give federal contractors blanket immunity from lawsuits — including human trafficking claims.
If they win, private contractors could operate with even less accountability than they do now.
If they win, private contractors could operate with even less accountability than they do now.
October 14, 2025 at 1:45 PM
after being sued for violating human trafficking law, the GEO Group has brought this case to SCOTUS, a window into a decades-long battle by private contractors for legal immunity. this is what you get when you outsource more &more core govt operations to powerful private firms
Reposted by katya schwenk
The nation’s biggest private prison company — accused of human trafficking — is asking the Supreme Court to make it immune from lawsuits.
Their argument? Corporations should be shielded from lawsuits when doing the government’s dirty work.
Their argument? Corporations should be shielded from lawsuits when doing the government’s dirty work.
The nation’s largest private prison company is asking the Supreme Court to give federal contractors blanket immunity from lawsuits — including human trafficking claims.
If they win, private contractors could operate with even less accountability than they do now.
If they win, private contractors could operate with even less accountability than they do now.
October 10, 2025 at 9:42 PM
The nation’s biggest private prison company — accused of human trafficking — is asking the Supreme Court to make it immune from lawsuits.
Their argument? Corporations should be shielded from lawsuits when doing the government’s dirty work.
Their argument? Corporations should be shielded from lawsuits when doing the government’s dirty work.
Reposted by katya schwenk
Shoutout to @katyaschwenk.bsky.social for covering this story in Jacobin:
jacobin.com/2025/09/wall...
jacobin.com/2025/09/wall...
College Textbooks: Wall Street’s New Cash Cow
For years, textbook prices have burdened students already struggling with loans and sky-high tuition costs. Now Wall Street is taking over the market, tightening its grip on a staple campus institutio...
jacobin.com
October 8, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Shoutout to @katyaschwenk.bsky.social for covering this story in Jacobin:
jacobin.com/2025/09/wall...
jacobin.com/2025/09/wall...
Reposted by katya schwenk
Blackwater comes to the border! The $893 billion defense bill that advanced last week would grant the Pentagon unprecedented new authority to contract out its "border security" operations to private military contractors.
new from me: www.levernews.com/defense-bill...
new from me: www.levernews.com/defense-bill...
Defense Bill Opens Door To Guns-For-Hire At The Border
The must-pass legislation that just passed the House would, for the first time, allow the Pentagon to send private military contractors to the border.
www.levernews.com
September 16, 2025 at 9:16 PM
Blackwater comes to the border! The $893 billion defense bill that advanced last week would grant the Pentagon unprecedented new authority to contract out its "border security" operations to private military contractors.
new from me: www.levernews.com/defense-bill...
new from me: www.levernews.com/defense-bill...
Reposted by katya schwenk
Of course, the reality isn’t quite what Price says it is (and of course there’s an Elon connection) as you can read in this story by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social of The Lever.
www.levernews.com/the-headmast...
www.levernews.com/the-headmast...
September 5, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Of course, the reality isn’t quite what Price says it is (and of course there’s an Elon connection) as you can read in this story by @katyaschwenk.bsky.social of The Lever.
www.levernews.com/the-headmast...
www.levernews.com/the-headmast...
Reposted by katya schwenk
in recent weeks, the Trump admin has siphoned millions of $ from FEMA to fund ICE.
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
The Decades-Long Plan To Rob FEMA To Pay ICE
Trump is using regulatory tricks to funnel disaster-relief funds to immigration enforcement, even as climate disasters threaten millions.
www.levernews.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM
in recent weeks, the Trump admin has siphoned millions of $ from FEMA to fund ICE.
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
in recent weeks, the Trump admin has siphoned millions of $ from FEMA to fund ICE.
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
The Decades-Long Plan To Rob FEMA To Pay ICE
Trump is using regulatory tricks to funnel disaster-relief funds to immigration enforcement, even as climate disasters threaten millions.
www.levernews.com
August 29, 2025 at 1:56 AM
in recent weeks, the Trump admin has siphoned millions of $ from FEMA to fund ICE.
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
i wrote about how our cruel immigration system became so intertwined with disaster relief, a story that goes back to the early days of the war on terror:
www.levernews.com/the-decades-...
for decades, celebs & billionaires have used a little-known FAA program to try to obscure their private jets' flight records.
now, that program, created & expanded by the corporate jet lobby, has a new client: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
my latest: www.levernews.com/ice-is-using...
now, that program, created & expanded by the corporate jet lobby, has a new client: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
my latest: www.levernews.com/ice-is-using...
ICE Is Using Taylor Swift’s Loophole To Hide Deportation Flights
Aviation regulators have been making it harder to track celebrities’ private jets. Now, Trump’s immigration enforcers are taking advantage.
www.levernews.com
August 22, 2025 at 8:28 PM
for decades, celebs & billionaires have used a little-known FAA program to try to obscure their private jets' flight records.
now, that program, created & expanded by the corporate jet lobby, has a new client: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
my latest: www.levernews.com/ice-is-using...
now, that program, created & expanded by the corporate jet lobby, has a new client: Immigration and Customs Enforcement
my latest: www.levernews.com/ice-is-using...
Reposted by katya schwenk
A FT analysis has identified a number of detention facilities housing hundreds more people than they were designed to hold. The experience has left lasting scars. https://on.ft.com/3IAh26M
July 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM
A FT analysis has identified a number of detention facilities housing hundreds more people than they were designed to hold. The experience has left lasting scars. https://on.ft.com/3IAh26M
Reposted by katya schwenk
“I’m plainly convinced that my situation in this ICE jail is direct retaliation for my coverage,” Mario Guevara told @ajc.com in an exclusive interview from the Folkston, Georgia ICE detention center where he is currently detained, despite a judge's bail order. “I haven’t committed any crimes.”
Hispanic journalist in Atlanta detained by ICE speaks out
Mario Guevara tells the AJC about his month behind bars, and his once positive feelings toward Donald Trump.
www.ajc.com
July 20, 2025 at 1:01 AM
“I’m plainly convinced that my situation in this ICE jail is direct retaliation for my coverage,” Mario Guevara told @ajc.com in an exclusive interview from the Folkston, Georgia ICE detention center where he is currently detained, despite a judge's bail order. “I haven’t committed any crimes.”
I wrote about ICE's rent-a-cops: www.levernews.com/how-ice-is-o...
How ICE Is Outsourcing Mass Deportations
One of the world’s largest private security firms is poised to rake in millions from the Trump administration’s historic deportation spending blitz.
www.levernews.com
July 18, 2025 at 12:07 AM
I wrote about ICE's rent-a-cops: www.levernews.com/how-ice-is-o...
Reposted by katya schwenk
A critical investigation of the private DeSantis donor reaping the most reward from helping build the Everglades concentration camp.
Incredible independent journalism from @floridatrident.bsky.social.
Incredible independent journalism from @floridatrident.bsky.social.
Governor DeSantis is building “Alligator Alcatraz” with little oversight – and this big campaign donor is set to reap millions from it
As the large commercial trucks roar one after another onto the airfield property in the Everglades where a massive detention camp for immigrants is being
floridatrident.org
July 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
A critical investigation of the private DeSantis donor reaping the most reward from helping build the Everglades concentration camp.
Incredible independent journalism from @floridatrident.bsky.social.
Incredible independent journalism from @floridatrident.bsky.social.
a multimillionaire reality TV star has made a single Florida county the world's biggest investor in Israel's genocide, & now has ensured there are no state restrictions to invest in junk war bonds!
this could funnel millions more public $ to Israel: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
this could funnel millions more public $ to Israel: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Israel’s War Is Florida’s New Investment
Florida is poised to eliminate long-standing guardrails limiting local investment in increasingly risky Israel bonds that help finance the country’s war efforts.
www.levernews.com
June 12, 2025 at 2:40 PM
a multimillionaire reality TV star has made a single Florida county the world's biggest investor in Israel's genocide, & now has ensured there are no state restrictions to invest in junk war bonds!
this could funnel millions more public $ to Israel: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
this could funnel millions more public $ to Israel: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Investing in Israeli bonds is the central way local govts in the U.S. fund Israel's war on Gaza.
Now, as those bonds are considered increasingly risky, Florida is set to pass a new law barring any guardrails for the investments, a new& dangerous model: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Now, as those bonds are considered increasingly risky, Florida is set to pass a new law barring any guardrails for the investments, a new& dangerous model: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Israel’s War Is Florida’s New Investment
Florida is poised to eliminate long-standing guardrails limiting local investment in increasingly risky Israel bonds that help finance the country’s war efforts.
www.levernews.com
June 12, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Investing in Israeli bonds is the central way local govts in the U.S. fund Israel's war on Gaza.
Now, as those bonds are considered increasingly risky, Florida is set to pass a new law barring any guardrails for the investments, a new& dangerous model: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Now, as those bonds are considered increasingly risky, Florida is set to pass a new law barring any guardrails for the investments, a new& dangerous model: www.levernews.com/israels-war-...
Reposted by katya schwenk
New from @theappeal.org and @typeinvestigations.org: For years, people incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison have raised the alarm about mystery diseases and foul-smelling water at the prison. But no one is taking responsibility for ensuring the water is safe. theappeal.org/mule-creek-d...
“If You Want to Live, Don’t Drink the Water”
After mystery illnesses and toxic reports, prisoners at California’s Mule Creek State Prison worry their water is killing them.
theappeal.org
May 15, 2025 at 1:59 PM
New from @theappeal.org and @typeinvestigations.org: For years, people incarcerated at Mule Creek State Prison have raised the alarm about mystery diseases and foul-smelling water at the prison. But no one is taking responsibility for ensuring the water is safe. theappeal.org/mule-creek-d...
As @jamesglave.bsky.social touches on here, there are potentially significant EU/Canadian privacy law implications of DHS' secretive "Travel Intelligence Program," which does not appear to have been subject to any data sharing agreements (which has been the case for other passenger data).
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) investigates potential PIPEDA breaches. Canadians concerned about Air Canada's activities through Airlines Reporting Corporation and its Travel Intelligence Program may express that concern here: www.priv.gc.ca/en/report-a-...
Report a concern - Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Want to tell us about a privacy issue or concern? Learn about the various ways you can report a concern to the OPC.
www.priv.gc.ca
May 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
As @jamesglave.bsky.social touches on here, there are potentially significant EU/Canadian privacy law implications of DHS' secretive "Travel Intelligence Program," which does not appear to have been subject to any data sharing agreements (which has been the case for other passenger data).
Direct quote: "We concluded this new opportunity was too valuable not to pursue" !
Avelo Airlines has agreed to run deportation flights for the Trump administration. Commercial carriers typically avoid such work to keep away from politics, but the company's CEO said the money from ICE flights is too good to pass up.
Avelo Airlines Faces Backlash for Aiding Trump’s Deportation Campaign
www.nytimes.com
May 12, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Direct quote: "We concluded this new opportunity was too valuable not to pursue" !
great thread on our reporting on how an airline-owned financial intermediary is selling your travel data to ICE:
The other side of the coin is this is how these middlemen type companies maintain favorable PR and regulatory environments with eager collaboration and customer service for law enforcement.
May 12, 2025 at 4:50 PM
great thread on our reporting on how an airline-owned financial intermediary is selling your travel data to ICE:
Reposted by katya schwenk
“This is probably the single most significant aggregated repository of data about American air travelers,” said Edward Hasbrouck, an expert in travel data privacy. “That the government has gotten access to it is a very big deal.”
www.levernews.com/airlines-are...
www.levernews.com/airlines-are...
Airlines Are Collecting Your Data And Selling It To ICE
An aviation industry clearinghouse is collecting passenger information from billions of past and future flights and selling it to Trump’s immigration enforcers.
www.levernews.com
May 11, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“This is probably the single most significant aggregated repository of data about American air travelers,” said Edward Hasbrouck, an expert in travel data privacy. “That the government has gotten access to it is a very big deal.”
www.levernews.com/airlines-are...
www.levernews.com/airlines-are...