@iliana3.bsky.social
Dedicated to public interest immigration and indigent defense
Reposted
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Virginia’s New Governor Ends ICE Program. Local Contracts Remain, For Now. - Bolts
Abigail Spanberger left the 287(g) program, which empowered state law enforcement to detain immigrants. Will Democrats also bar local police and sheriffs from the program?
boltsmag.org
February 4, 2026 at 10:36 PM
NEW: Abigail Spanberger this afternoon ordered that all state agencies leave ICE's 287(g) program.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
This means that the state police (and some other agencies) will no longer be empowered to detain and arrest people for ICE.
Big, big move by the governor within weeks of coming into office.
Reposted
Great read. An ICE attorney working for DOJ temporarily explains that ICE has no clue how all of this "federal court" stuff works and makes clear that both ICE and DOJ were totally unprepared for the flood of habeases that were the inevitable result of the Minneapolis raids.
February 4, 2026 at 10:52 PM
Great read. An ICE attorney working for DOJ temporarily explains that ICE has no clue how all of this "federal court" stuff works and makes clear that both ICE and DOJ were totally unprepared for the flood of habeases that were the inevitable result of the Minneapolis raids.
Reposted
1/ Vaccines worked so well that people have forgotten what life looked like without them. #Measles is reminding us. Because it’s the most contagious virus on Earth, even small drops in vaccination give it an opening.
And right now, those openings are everywhere, both nationally and globally.
And right now, those openings are everywhere, both nationally and globally.
February 4, 2026 at 4:28 PM
1/ Vaccines worked so well that people have forgotten what life looked like without them. #Measles is reminding us. Because it’s the most contagious virus on Earth, even small drops in vaccination give it an opening.
And right now, those openings are everywhere, both nationally and globally.
And right now, those openings are everywhere, both nationally and globally.
Reposted
In addition, "immigration judges" are not actual judges in the sense that most people think of them. They are technically senior attorneys working for the Department of Justice and have very few protections against unlawful firing, as the Trump admin itself has been doing lately!
February 3, 2026 at 4:46 PM
In addition, "immigration judges" are not actual judges in the sense that most people think of them. They are technically senior attorneys working for the Department of Justice and have very few protections against unlawful firing, as the Trump admin itself has been doing lately!
Reposted
Again, this is FALSE. Administrative warrants are NOT signed by an immigration judge (or any judge at all). They are generated and signed by ICE officers themselves with no external oversight whatsoever.
Here is a blank sample warrant. Note who signs off on it; an "immigration officer."
Here is a blank sample warrant. Note who signs off on it; an "immigration officer."
February 3, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Again, this is FALSE. Administrative warrants are NOT signed by an immigration judge (or any judge at all). They are generated and signed by ICE officers themselves with no external oversight whatsoever.
Here is a blank sample warrant. Note who signs off on it; an "immigration officer."
Here is a blank sample warrant. Note who signs off on it; an "immigration officer."
Reposted
Yup; Lewandowski runs DHS for Noem, it’s widely known.
"The email also revealed a rather bizarre chain of command, with Bovino saying he reported to Noem’s aide, Corey Lewandowski..."
www.thedailybeast.com/leaked-email...
www.thedailybeast.com/leaked-email...
Leaked Email Reveals Border Patrol Goon’s Jaw-Dropping Complaint About Tactics
Gregory Bovino urged leadership to allow him to do immigration enforcement his way.
www.thedailybeast.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Yup; Lewandowski runs DHS for Noem, it’s widely known.
Reposted
Apparently morale at DOJ is so low that line attorneys are asking to be held in contempt so they can get some sleep yikes
February 3, 2026 at 9:15 PM
Apparently morale at DOJ is so low that line attorneys are asking to be held in contempt so they can get some sleep yikes
Reposted
Federal Judges have a very real and well-established reason to fear doxing and violence and yet I doubt anyone thinks it would be acceptable for them to preside from the bench in a hood.
February 4, 2026 at 2:10 AM
Federal Judges have a very real and well-established reason to fear doxing and violence and yet I doubt anyone thinks it would be acceptable for them to preside from the bench in a hood.
Reposted
Breaking: Eight more prosecutors are leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, including Ana Voss, the current civil division chief, the Star Tribune reports.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
February 2, 2026 at 11:36 PM
Breaking: Eight more prosecutors are leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota, including Ana Voss, the current civil division chief, the Star Tribune reports.
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
Reposted
74% of Democrats support abolishing ICE, with 53% *strongly* supporting it, according to YouGov polling from last month.
Weak calls for "reform" are coming from *elected* Democrats like Chuck, not the average Democratic voter.
Weak calls for "reform" are coming from *elected* Democrats like Chuck, not the average Democratic voter.
Democrats want commonsense reform for ICE:
End the roving patrols and racial profiling.
Take accountability and abide by the same rules as local police.
Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America.
End the roving patrols and racial profiling.
Take accountability and abide by the same rules as local police.
Masks need to come off, body cameras need to stay on—no secret police in the United States of America.
February 3, 2026 at 10:36 PM
74% of Democrats support abolishing ICE, with 53% *strongly* supporting it, according to YouGov polling from last month.
Weak calls for "reform" are coming from *elected* Democrats like Chuck, not the average Democratic voter.
Weak calls for "reform" are coming from *elected* Democrats like Chuck, not the average Democratic voter.
Reposted
He literally pulled a "you should smile more" IN RESPONSE TO AN EPSTEIN QUESTION.
KAITLAN COLLINS: What would say to Epstein survivo---
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
TRUMP: You are so bad. You are the worst report. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. They should be ashamed of you.
February 3, 2026 at 10:56 PM
He literally pulled a "you should smile more" IN RESPONSE TO AN EPSTEIN QUESTION.
Reposted
This is unreal. An AUSA talking like that in open court is about as close as you can come to a total breakdown. Never heard of anything like it.
February 3, 2026 at 8:46 PM
This is unreal. An AUSA talking like that in open court is about as close as you can come to a total breakdown. Never heard of anything like it.
Reposted
A UAE investor secretly gave Trump $187 million and his top Middle East envoy $31 million. And then Trump gave that investor access to sensitive defense technology that broke decades of national security precedent.
Brazen, open corruption. And we shouldn't pretend it's normal.
Brazen, open corruption. And we shouldn't pretend it's normal.
February 3, 2026 at 4:26 PM
A UAE investor secretly gave Trump $187 million and his top Middle East envoy $31 million. And then Trump gave that investor access to sensitive defense technology that broke decades of national security precedent.
Brazen, open corruption. And we shouldn't pretend it's normal.
Brazen, open corruption. And we shouldn't pretend it's normal.
Reposted
Tom Homan in August: ICE agents “need a judicial warrant for a search” ⬇️
February 3, 2026 at 4:38 PM
Tom Homan in August: ICE agents “need a judicial warrant for a search” ⬇️
Reposted
NOTE: when an immigration judge issues a final deportation order, the I-205 signed by an ICE officer allows ICE to detain that person for deportation, but it does not allow them to enter a home without consent. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/can-...
Can ICE Enter a Home to Make an Arrest With Only an Administrative Warrant?
A tentative take, on both the rights and the remedies.
www.lawfaremedia.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:20 PM
NOTE: when an immigration judge issues a final deportation order, the I-205 signed by an ICE officer allows ICE to detain that person for deportation, but it does not allow them to enter a home without consent. www.lawfaremedia.org/article/can-...
Reposted
WRONG. I-205 administrative warrants are not issued by immigration judges. They’re signed by ICE officers. And EVEN IF THEY WERE issued by an immigration judge - they are executive branch employees, NOT judicial branch. JUDICIAL warrants are needed to enter a home without consent.
Q: You're a constitutional lawyer. Can you detail the 4th Amendment protections someone has if ICE approaches their home w/an administrative warrant?
MIKE JOHNSON: When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it's issued by an immigration judge, & that is a sufficient legal authority to go apprehend someone
MIKE JOHNSON: When ICE goes to execute a warrant, it's issued by an immigration judge, & that is a sufficient legal authority to go apprehend someone
February 3, 2026 at 3:49 PM
WRONG. I-205 administrative warrants are not issued by immigration judges. They’re signed by ICE officers. And EVEN IF THEY WERE issued by an immigration judge - they are executive branch employees, NOT judicial branch. JUDICIAL warrants are needed to enter a home without consent.
Reposted
I don't know if non-lawyers understand how insane this statement is. I honestly can't think of anything remotely comparable in non-lawyer speak. I guess the closest would be a surgeon saying "Imagine if I had to wash my HANDS before doing surgery!"
Mike Johnson speaks out against the use of judicial warrants in immigration cases:
"Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant"
"Imagine if we had to go through the process of getting a judicial warrant"
February 3, 2026 at 4:08 PM
I don't know if non-lawyers understand how insane this statement is. I honestly can't think of anything remotely comparable in non-lawyer speak. I guess the closest would be a surgeon saying "Imagine if I had to wash my HANDS before doing surgery!"
Reposted
The new SAVE Act’s “show your papers” requirement is a direct attack on the freedom to vote. bit.ly/4rA2p4R
New SAVE Act Bills Would Still Block Millions of Americans From Voting
The “show your papers” requirement is an attack on the freedom to vote.
www.brennancenter.org
February 3, 2026 at 4:21 PM
The new SAVE Act’s “show your papers” requirement is a direct attack on the freedom to vote. bit.ly/4rA2p4R
Reposted
BERNIE SANDERS: Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism
SANDERS: Nah. Uh uh. I didn't ask measles. Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism
BHATTACHARYA: I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism
SANDERS: Nah. Uh uh. I didn't ask measles. Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism
February 3, 2026 at 3:59 PM
BERNIE SANDERS: Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism
SANDERS: Nah. Uh uh. I didn't ask measles. Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism
BHATTACHARYA: I do not believe that the measles vaccine causes autism
SANDERS: Nah. Uh uh. I didn't ask measles. Do vaccines cause autism?
BHATTACHARYA: I have not seen a study that suggests any single vaccine causes autism
Reposted
BREAKING: 8 more U.S. Attorneys in MN resign from Trump’s DOJ in protest as backlash grows.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
February 3, 2026 at 1:29 AM
BREAKING: 8 more U.S. Attorneys in MN resign from Trump’s DOJ in protest as backlash grows.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
This isn’t normal; isn’t routine reshuffling. It’s a rebellion.
Last month, 6 veteran prosecutors quit in protest. Normal staffing for the MN DOJ’s office is around 50 attorneys. They’re down to just 9.
Reposted
Putting on my suit and tie and going on America Erwache to describe a 234 year old basic requirement of the constitution for lawful searches and seizures as a “nonstarter.”
Rep. Mark Harris: "Some of these things are nonstarters. Having judicial warrants? To me, hat's a nonstarter. Being able to make off their mask, putting them at risk? That's a nonstarter. I would say anything that's going to hamstring the work of ICE, that's just not going to go anywhere."
February 3, 2026 at 1:26 PM
Putting on my suit and tie and going on America Erwache to describe a 234 year old basic requirement of the constitution for lawful searches and seizures as a “nonstarter.”
Reposted
1/ We’re in the middle of a rough respiratory season. So naturally, everywhere you turn online, someone is offering advice on how to “boost your immune system.” The problem is that good science and bad advice are all tangled together, making it hard to know what actually works. Let's get into it 👇
February 2, 2026 at 11:20 PM
1/ We’re in the middle of a rough respiratory season. So naturally, everywhere you turn online, someone is offering advice on how to “boost your immune system.” The problem is that good science and bad advice are all tangled together, making it hard to know what actually works. Let's get into it 👇
Reposted
HUGE. A victory for more than a quarter million Haitians with Temporary Protected Status. A significant majority of them entered the United States legally and have never been out of status since.
Even the Trump admin isn't saying Haiti is a safe country for them to go back to.
Even the Trump admin isn't saying Haiti is a safe country for them to go back to.
BREAKING: Judge Ana Reyes, in DC, issues a stay of DHS Sec. Noem’s decision to end Haiti’s temporary protected status (TPS) designation, a decision that was to go into effect on Tuesday and could have ended legal status for up to 350,000 people overnight. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
February 3, 2026 at 12:46 AM
HUGE. A victory for more than a quarter million Haitians with Temporary Protected Status. A significant majority of them entered the United States legally and have never been out of status since.
Even the Trump admin isn't saying Haiti is a safe country for them to go back to.
Even the Trump admin isn't saying Haiti is a safe country for them to go back to.
Reposted
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...
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].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreicrroq5taft777rmau2ffjlsphbcatlxnwwigf2yekoke533yycim@jpeg)
![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]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:nwnlnixtjh3qhkwpz2uy5uwv/bafkreid3cmawech25ummuj2tjvgxsrvufma2kmrijlfpglalwddd3qkikq@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 1:06 AM
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...
It's a tour de force:
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...