Faiza Patel
@faizapatel.bsky.social
Co-Director, Liberty & NatSec @BrennanCenter
Unfortunate branding
November 25, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Unfortunate branding
Reposted by Faiza Patel
Former ambassadors and senior State Department officials — including Steady State members — warn that the U.S. is targeting foreign students and scholars for their lawful speech, undermining free-expression principles and harming America’s global standing.
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
November 20, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Former ambassadors and senior State Department officials — including Steady State members — warn that the U.S. is targeting foreign students and scholars for their lawful speech, undermining free-expression principles and harming America’s global standing.
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
The numbers are in: new foreign student enrollment dropped by 17 percent this year. 60+ former sr State Dept officials and ambassadors (both D& R) explain why this is bad for America & Americans: drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
Letter to Rubio - 11.17.2025
drive.google.com
November 25, 2025 at 6:03 PM
The numbers are in: new foreign student enrollment dropped by 17 percent this year. 60+ former sr State Dept officials and ambassadors (both D& R) explain why this is bad for America & Americans: drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
After 9/11, the U.S. built a huge surveillance infrastructure for counterterrorism. It was abused to target Muslim Americans, but the broad authorities were also used to go after protestors. Immigration enforcement is the new counterterrorism: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.
www.brennancenter.org
November 25, 2025 at 5:52 PM
After 9/11, the U.S. built a huge surveillance infrastructure for counterterrorism. It was abused to target Muslim Americans, but the broad authorities were also used to go after protestors. Immigration enforcement is the new counterterrorism: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
ICE has long used the latest spy tech to pursue immigrants — but now it’s also targeting anti-ICE protesters and anyone who allegedly funds them. bit.ly/3Kq348R
ICE Wants to Go After Dissenters as well as Immigrants
The Trump administration is being open about its plans to violate Americans’ First and Fourth Amendment rights.
www.brennancenter.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:45 PM
ICE has long used the latest spy tech to pursue immigrants — but now it’s also targeting anti-ICE protesters and anyone who allegedly funds them. bit.ly/3Kq348R
Who would have guessed this would happen? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Trump Administration Live Updates: Judge Tosses Criminal Charges Against James Comey and Letitia James
www.nytimes.com
November 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Who would have guessed this would happen? www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
This is a huge win that you might have missed last week: we successfully pressured airlines to shut down their data broker, which was selling passenger data to the government without a court order. I'm going to keep at it until other industries to follow suit.
After 404 Media's months-long reporting and pressure from lawmakers, the data broker owned by the U.S.’s major airlines will now shut down a program in which it sold access to hundreds of millions of flight records to the government and let agencies track peoples’ movements without a warrant.
November 24, 2025 at 3:32 PM
This is a huge win that you might have missed last week: we successfully pressured airlines to shut down their data broker, which was selling passenger data to the government without a court order. I'm going to keep at it until other industries to follow suit.
Reposted by Faiza Patel
1/6 Thread on story from @us.theguardian.com on FBI & NYPD spying on court watch Signal group chat. Bottom line: this stuff has been happening for ages and until we dismantle the post 9/11 domestic spying apparatus it will keep happening. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
1/6 Thread on story from @us.theguardian.com on FBI & NYPD spying on court watch Signal group chat. Bottom line: this stuff has been happening for ages and until we dismantle the post 9/11 domestic spying apparatus it will keep happening. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
Across the country, police departments have adopted AI-driven platforms to assist with data collection and analysis. But without robust safeguards, these data fusion tools risk generating inaccurate results, perpetuating bias, and undermining individual rights. bit.ly/44nxPlx
The Dangers of Unregulated AI in Policing
New data fusion tools risk embedding biases and chilling free speech.
www.brennancenter.org
November 22, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Across the country, police departments have adopted AI-driven platforms to assist with data collection and analysis. But without robust safeguards, these data fusion tools risk generating inaccurate results, perpetuating bias, and undermining individual rights. bit.ly/44nxPlx
This is the right outcome. We generally need to re-think the explosive growth in info sharing of the last 2 decades. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
Judge blocks IRS from sharing data with DHS for immigration enforcement
A federal judge blocked the Internal Revenue Service from sharing data with immigration enforcement officials, ruling that the tax agency violated federal law and individual rights in its support for ...
www.washingtonpost.com
November 22, 2025 at 12:04 AM
This is the right outcome. We generally need to re-think the explosive growth in info sharing of the last 2 decades. www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
1/6 Thread on story from @us.theguardian.com on FBI & NYPD spying on court watch Signal group chat. Bottom line: this stuff has been happening for ages and until we dismantle the post 9/11 domestic spying apparatus it will keep happening. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 3:03 PM
1/6 Thread on story from @us.theguardian.com on FBI & NYPD spying on court watch Signal group chat. Bottom line: this stuff has been happening for ages and until we dismantle the post 9/11 domestic spying apparatus it will keep happening. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
Our experts detail what we know about recent crime trends in New York City, including sharp drops in murders and shootings, as well as persistent challenges to tackle.
bit.ly/4o734Zo
bit.ly/4o734Zo
2025 Trends in Crime and Safety in New York City
New York remains one of the safest cities in the country, but some persistent challenges require close attention.
www.brennancenter.org
November 19, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Our experts detail what we know about recent crime trends in New York City, including sharp drops in murders and shootings, as well as persistent challenges to tackle.
bit.ly/4o734Zo
bit.ly/4o734Zo
Reposted by Faiza Patel
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Opinion | Jamal Khashoggi: What the Arab world needs most is free expression
The Arab world needs a modern version of the old transnational media so citizens can be informed about global events.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
I will never forget having to edit Jamal’s final, posthumous piece for the Washington Post, after he was murdered.
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
He was calling for free expression in the Arab world. You can read it here :
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/glo...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
We're suing the city of San Jose for its pervasive ALPR surveillance program. With nearly 500 ALPRs, the SJPD allows its officers to search millions of records, all without a warrant. These unconstitutional searches must be stopped. Read the complaint: www.eff.org/cases/siren...
We're suing the city of San Jose for its pervasive ALPR surveillance program. With nearly 500 ALPRs, the SJPD allows its officers to search millions of records, all without a warrant. These unconstitutional searches must be stopped. Read the complaint: www.eff.org/cases/siren...
SIREN and CAIR-CA v. San Jose
The San Jose Police Department has blanketed the city’s roadways with nearly five hundred Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs). The police department uses this unblinking surveillance network to
www.eff.org
November 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM
🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨
We're suing the city of San Jose for its pervasive ALPR surveillance program. With nearly 500 ALPRs, the SJPD allows its officers to search millions of records, all without a warrant. These unconstitutional searches must be stopped. Read the complaint: www.eff.org/cases/siren...
We're suing the city of San Jose for its pervasive ALPR surveillance program. With nearly 500 ALPRs, the SJPD allows its officers to search millions of records, all without a warrant. These unconstitutional searches must be stopped. Read the complaint: www.eff.org/cases/siren...
This is a really imp read. Victims get prosecuted and no accountability for abusive ICE agents.
In recent months, the Justice Department has filed charges under 18 USC 111 against more than a hundred immigrants, anti-ICE protestors, and random passers-by—accusing them of "assaulting, resisting, or impeding" federal officers
The Administration’s Favorite Statute
Federal prosecutors have charged more than 100 people with Section 111 violations. Was their crime anything more than opposing Trump’s immigration policies?
www.theatlantic.com
November 18, 2025 at 9:23 PM
This is a really imp read. Victims get prosecuted and no accountability for abusive ICE agents.
1/5 Thread on TX gov Abbott's purported "designation" or Muslim Brotherhood & CAIR as foreign terrorist orgs. Bottom line: it is a PR move that aims to discredit the largest Muslim American civil rights group in the US but its legal impact is likely ltd.
November 18, 2025 at 7:27 PM
1/5 Thread on TX gov Abbott's purported "designation" or Muslim Brotherhood & CAIR as foreign terrorist orgs. Bottom line: it is a PR move that aims to discredit the largest Muslim American civil rights group in the US but its legal impact is likely ltd.
Reposted by Faiza Patel
"The United States is giving up its position as a magnet for the best and brightest" -- letter from 58 former ambassadors and high-ranking State Department officials decrying the Trump admin's targeting of foreign students and scholars. drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
November 17, 2025 at 4:56 PM
"The United States is giving up its position as a magnet for the best and brightest" -- letter from 58 former ambassadors and high-ranking State Department officials decrying the Trump admin's targeting of foreign students and scholars. drive.google.com/file/d/1GIq2...
This is a good discussion of the lone "antifa" indictment brought by the administration. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what...
What’s Up With the Terror Indictment Against Alleged Antifa Members?
The Justice Department’s tacked-on charges are just for show. The larger plan is not.
www.lawfaremedia.org
November 15, 2025 at 7:01 PM
This is a good discussion of the lone "antifa" indictment brought by the administration. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/what...
Reposted by Faiza Patel
1. Yesterday, the State Department designated four Antifa-affiliated entities as global terrorist organizations. It’s part of the Trump regime’s effort to inflate the threat posed by “Antifa.” None of these supposed groups is even alleged to have attacked Americans.
www.state.gov/releases/202...
www.state.gov/releases/202...
Designations of Antifa Ost and Three Other Violent Antifa Groups - United States Department of State
Today, the Department of State announces the designation of Antifa Ost, Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense...
www.state.gov
November 14, 2025 at 3:08 PM
1. Yesterday, the State Department designated four Antifa-affiliated entities as global terrorist organizations. It’s part of the Trump regime’s effort to inflate the threat posed by “Antifa.” None of these supposed groups is even alleged to have attacked Americans.
www.state.gov/releases/202...
www.state.gov/releases/202...
Super interesting. How many ‘bragawatts’ have the hyperscalers announced so far? on.ft.com/4qCvVap
How many ‘bragawatts’ have the hyperscalers announced so far?
A: Forty-six DeLorean time jumps
on.ft.com
November 12, 2025 at 9:43 PM
Super interesting. How many ‘bragawatts’ have the hyperscalers announced so far? on.ft.com/4qCvVap
Is facial recognition the new voter ID?
My latest, on ICE/CBP use of facial recognition & the larger threat it poses to our right to vote.
Opinion | ICE and CBP’s use of facial recognition technology needs guardrails — now
If left unchecked, immigration enforcement’s use of facial recognition technology could potentially trigger a constitutional crisis.
www.msnbc.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Is facial recognition the new voter ID?
Hard to avoid the war on terror roots of today. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
Opinion | The Tragedy of Dick Cheney
www.nytimes.com
November 4, 2025 at 11:12 PM
Hard to avoid the war on terror roots of today. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/o...
Super interesting
Taken seriously, this opinion is a quiet earthquake that might shake the foundations of several law firms which made agreements with Trump.
New from @rosenzweigp.bsky.social: www.thebulwark.com/p/big-law-bi...
New from @rosenzweigp.bsky.social: www.thebulwark.com/p/big-law-bi...
Big Law’s Big Choice
A D.C. Bar opinion shows why it would be ethical for the nine Big Law firms to rescind their settlement agreements with Trump. But to do so would invite his wrath.
www.thebulwark.com
November 4, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Super interesting
Spot on! www.cato.org/blog/lawmake...
There's a Right To Record ICE Raids--and There's No Blanket Immunity for Raiders
Notwithstanding pronouncements from leading officials of the Trump administration, the consensus of federal courts is that the Constitution protects the right to record immigration raids, and federal ...
www.cato.org
October 28, 2025 at 8:57 PM
Spot on! www.cato.org/blog/lawmake...
1/2 Not the first time this threat has been made v. Mamdani. Read on to see how a long line of Supreme Court cases developed to prevent this type of ideological targeting.
October 25, 2025 at 10:12 PM
1/2 Not the first time this threat has been made v. Mamdani. Read on to see how a long line of Supreme Court cases developed to prevent this type of ideological targeting.