Ken Jacobs
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Ken Jacobs
@kjacobs9.bsky.social
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Senior Policy Advisor, UC Berkeley Labor Center
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Reposted by Ken Jacobs
jakemgrumbach.bsky.social
We have a Boston Review Forum out today on the Democratic Party in a time of authoritarianism

www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
Senator Chuck Schumer conducts a news conference in the U.S. Capitol in May 2025. Image: Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images FORUM How Not to Defeat Authoritarianism Moderation used to help Democrats win, but its advantages now have been greatly exaggerated. Adam Bonica, Jake Grumbach With responses from → Cori Bush, Amanda Litman, Matthew Yglesias, G. Elliott Morris, Julia Serano, Eric Rauchway, Suzanne Mettler & Trevor E. Brown, Thomas Ferguson, Timothy Shenk, Jared Abbott & Milan Loewer, Jenifer Fernandez Ancona, Lily Geismer, Danielle Wiggins, William A. Galston, and Henry Burke
February 3, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
joolia.bsky.social
DHS said that the woman CBP shot in the chest in Portland was “involved” in a gang shooting.

Her ~involvement~ was that suspected gang members sexually assaulted and robbed her.
samtlevin.bsky.social Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · 1d
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:
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:02 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
lisadiedrich.bsky.social
Judge Reyes: “Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision & did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely.”
stevevladeck.bsky.social Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 1d
Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1 More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet]. So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90 Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination). Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law. Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI. Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up, twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8 U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all. See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id. The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes, the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary, Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A. As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot] Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section IV.B.2.b. Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959 lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of them. For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under 5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.
February 3, 2026 at 1:31 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
aaronsojourner.org
#KavanaughStop
"They was terrified. The kids was crying. People was screaming. They looked very distraught. I was out there crying when I seen the little girl come around the corner, because they was bringing the kids down, too, had them zip tied to each other," Watson said. "That's all I kept asking. What is the morality? Where's the human? One of them literally laughed. He was standing right here. He said, 'f*** them kids.'" Watson said trucks and military-style vans were used to separate parents from their children. Other neighbors said agents destroyed property to get in the building.
October 2, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
councilorgreen.bsky.social
I just got tear gassed along with thousands of union members, many of whom had their families with them. Federal agents at the ICE facility tear gassed children. We must abolish ICE, DHS, and we must have prosecutions. I expect to see enforcement of our city code prohibiting the use of tear gas.
February 1, 2026 at 1:23 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
jakemgrumbach.bsky.social
Why didn’t Biden’s DOJ do anything about the combo of coup attempt and pedos? Files were unsealed in early 2024 so plenty of time. It’s beyond Bill Clinton being implicated. I think it’s because it takes down elites of all stripes. What an indictment (pun intended) of so many in the ruling class.
February 1, 2026 at 2:41 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
timdickinson.bsky.social
Today I saw ICE gas little white kids in the streets of Portland with chemical weapons. Imagine what they're doing to brown and black kids in the detention camps
February 1, 2026 at 2:08 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
startribune.com
Thousands of people filled the streets of downtown Minneapolis in protest of federal immigration enforcement for the second consecutive Friday.

📷️: Aaron Lavinsky
January 30, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
adamserwer.bsky.social
www.newyorker.com/news/the-led...
What ICE Should Have Learned from the Fugitive Slave Act
Americans took to the streets to defend their neighbors in the nineteenth century, too.
www.newyorker.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
andylevy.net
it’s not necessarily that all these people in the epstein files participated in the raping of girls it’s that none of them cared and if he hadn’t been arrested and died they’d still be out there trying to be his friend
January 31, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
richardmusing.bsky.social
This is one of the best analyses of what is going on you will ever read. It is well worth your time.
www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong
The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.
www.theatlantic.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
charlottegarden.bsky.social
Oh, the guy whose signature look drew repeated comparisons to nazi uniforms also casually made antisemitic remarks?
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
Bovino Is Said to Have Mocked Prosecutor’s Jewish Faith on Call With Lawyers
www.nytimes.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
angus.bsky.social
Holy crap. Minnesota police chief tracks down ICE agents in his car and de-arrests a woman who lives in his town.
January 31, 2026 at 4:00 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
adamserwer.bsky.social
Anyway congrats to our Free Speech Champions(tm) who helped usher in the most censorious American government since the Palmer Raids
January 30, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
owasow.bsky.social
“Visible state violence against sympathetic civilians was the beginning of the end for Jim Crow. It may be a turning point now, too.” Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/o...
Opinion | We’re Seeing the Weakness of a Strong State
www.nytimes.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:47 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
mattsteinglass.bsky.social
Jew in Amsterdam here. Please use Anne Frank as a comparison point to explain how state persecution of scapegoats impacts children, that is the point of her example, thanks
January 28, 2026 at 8:10 AM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
kyledcheney.bsky.social
REAKING: A federal judge in Minnesota has barred the Trump administration from arresting / detaining the state's 5,600 refugees while they await lawful permanent resident status. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 28, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
larrycolvin.bsky.social
The woman who recorded Alex Pretti's shooting tells CNN she has still not been contacted by anyone in the federal government as part of its investigation.
January 28, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
abinbaltimore.bsky.social
I’ve been making a thread for myself to keep track - of songs, at least. Some amazing songs are emerging. bsky.app/profile/abin...
abinbaltimore.bsky.social Abigail Breiseth @abinbaltimore.bsky.social · 9d
Songs for these times thread: 🧵

“We are not free, but we are brave.” Leticia Van Sant, Home of the Brave.

youtu.be/vPaSQHzjA9s
January 28, 2026 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
brucespringsteen.net
I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

Stay free
Bruce Springsteen - Streets Of Minneapolis (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Bruce Springsteen
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 5:02 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
rweingarten.bsky.social
We are at an inflection point. Americans are fighting back peacefully-thousands in Minnesota last week & millions across the country last fall. AFT members will stand up again for No Kings on March 28. Our communities are hurting & people deserve a gov’t that listens www.politico.com/news/2026/01...
Third ‘No Kings’ nationwide protest planned for March
“This lawless police force is committing crimes all across the country,” said Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible.
www.politico.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:30 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
newseye.bsky.social
Wow.

The front page of tomorrow’s Charlie Hebdo magazine in France.
Underneath the name Charlie Hebdo is a pile of bloodied dead bodies representing US citizens killed by ICE. The pile of bodies are collected in one corner to represent the stars of the US flag and the streaks of blood caused by them being dragged across the ground form the red and white stripes. In the foreground an armed skinhead officer with an ICE vest is dragging his latest victim with multiple gunshots to join the pile. The world is watching in horror.
January 27, 2026 at 11:02 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
adamserwer.bsky.social
One thing I found deeply moving about resistance in the Twin Cities was the universalism of loving your neighbor, the philosophy driving the opposition to the ICE/BP invasion. I couldn't help but notice the contrast with the blood and soil-ism of Miller and Vance. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
Trump-administration officials and MAGA influencers have repeatedly called these activists “violent” and said they are involved in “riots.” But the resistance in Minnesota is largely characterized by a conscious, strategic absence of physical confrontation. Activists have made the decision to emphasize protection, aid, and observation. When matters escalate, it is usually the choice of the federal agents. Of the three homicides in Minneapolis this year, two were committed by federal agents. “There’s been an incredible, incredible response from the community. I’ve seen our neighbors go straight from allies to family—more than family—checking in on each other, offering food and rides for kids and all kinds of support, alerting each other if there’s ICE or any kind of danger,” Malika Dahir, a local activist of Somali descent, told me. If the Minnesota resistance has an overarching ideology, you could call it “neighborism”—a commitment to protecting the people around you, no matter who they are or where they came from. The contrast with the philosophy guiding the Trump administration couldn’t be more extreme. Vice President Vance has said that “it is totally reasonable and acceptable for American citizens to look at their next-door neighbors and say, ‘I want to live next to people who I have something in common with. I don’t want to live next to four families of strangers.’” Minnesotans are insisting that their neighbors are their neighbors whether they were born in Minneapolis or Mogadishu. That is, arguably, a deeply Christian philosophy, one apparently loathed by some of the most powerful Christians in America.
January 27, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Reposted by Ken Jacobs
seiu.org
Raising the minimum wage in 19 states didn’t happen by accident.
It’s a victory earned by workers standing together and fighting for what we are rightfully owed.
January 27, 2026 at 3:50 PM