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Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

And this. His Trump supporting boss who generously concluded on his own that good guys look this weren’t who Trump could have intended to deport.

The president of the adhesive company where Carlos worked had voted for Trump.

He believed in the immigration crackdown. But not for Carlos. He called Carlos' life “exemplary."

He asked the judge in his letter to allow Carlos to remain in the U.S.
Carlos Della Vallle is my friend and a former employee for almost 25 years.

In those 25 years, 1 watched Carlos grow from a young man. He lived his life, working hard, coming to work everyday. He was an excellent employee over those 25 years. I watched as he grew and got married, bought a home, raised a son, who is presently enrolled in college at University of Pittsburgh.

He is a good husband, father, neighbor, worker, and just the type of person we want in this country. As a young man, Carlos made a mistake. But, he has since lived an exemplary life.

I'm sure President Trump had men like Carlos in mind when talking about what the new immigrants will look like. He's not that criminal element that's come here. He's tried for years to gain citizenship.

If Carlos were to be separated from his family, his United States born wife and son would be subject to unfair hardship, forced to move, leave college and cause a loss of income. This would cause his wife, Angela, an American, to leave her country.

I am asking that the courts rule that Carlos be allowed to remain here, and expedite his efforts to become an American citizen, and to continue living as he has here for the past almost 30 years.
He has earned the right.

A former employer of Carlos wrote to the court asking that he not be deported because Carlos is the type of immigrant President Trump wants in the country.
Carlos, he said, deserved to be a U.S. citizen.

"I'm sure President Trump had men like Carlos in mind when talking about what the new immigrants will look like. He's not that criminal element that's come here," the company head wrote.

January 31, 2026 at 6:16 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

The jury swayed by over 200 letters from the community which resulted in the jury rejecting his status of illegal re-entry.

After a two-day trial, a jury found Carlos not guilty of illegal reentry into the U.S., swayed by 200 letters from his community. They found Carlos had spent more than two decades at a company where he was now a plant manager. He paid his taxes. He was a good citizen.
The cheers had barely faded when an immigration agent pulled Carlos and Angela aside.

Though Carlos had just been found not guilty of illegal re-entry, it did not matter. In the new administration, he remained guilty of being undocumented.

"Carlos, I'm sorry," the ICE officer told them.

"You are without status, and you're going into detention."

January 31, 2026 at 6:12 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Interesting read for a variety of reasons, chiefly the dedication of his wife to follow him to each detention location.

A few other interesting facts. Like this Walk into Mexico now directive.

After a flight from Alexandria, Louisiana, to Brownsville, Texas, Carlos and the other detainees were told by border agents to walk across the border into Matamoros, Mexico.

Some complied. Carlos refused. He did not want to give up on his family so easily.

The border agents transferred Carlos to a facility in Port Isabel, Texas. Angela again was right behind.

January 31, 2026 at 6:10 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

😳

Close with Vance. Vying for a spot in a Vance administration.

www.stlpr.org/show/st-loui...

January 28, 2026 at 4:03 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

It worked! Bad Bunny for the win.

January 24, 2026 at 3:54 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Rubio quote from May 2025 when sanctioning three Cuban court officials for arresting and detaining a human rights protester advocating freedom from oppression.

www.cubaheadlines.com/articles/303...

The State Department reiterated that Robles was prosecuted solely for displaying a sign with the words:
"Freedom, no + repression, #FreeDenis." "This disproportionate response underscores the regime's intolerance towards dissent and the lack of fundamental freedoms on the island," it noted.

January 23, 2026 at 12:44 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

About these districts, because everyone is thinking primary.

Suozzi- highly likely to win
Gellen- one possible D contender;
district leans D
Davis- Redrawn district, 15 of 22
counties voted Trump.
Gonzalez- is one of just 13 House districts nationwide to vote Trump but elected a D. One R opponent w/ military and law enforcement credentials.

Golden-retiring
Perez-extreme Trump district; one D primary challenger
Cuellar- indicted & pardoned, redrawn Trump lean district if S.Ct upholds; likely to flip to R if not the candidate. Primary challenger:
Ricardo Villarreal.

January 23, 2026 at 1:11 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Sophia Bruun, 22
Returned home to Denmark in one of those coffins.

January 19, 2026 at 10:51 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

He co-sponsored the Laken Riley Act. www.politico.com/news/2025/01...

Just days into his Senate career, the Democrat threw his support behind the Laken Riley Act - lending crucial momentum to the GOP-authored immigration bill that would force the incarceration of many undocumented immigrants accused of crimes.
In an interview, Gallego said it could be just the first of many votes he takes with Republicans on immigration and border issues - the reason he believes Democrats lost so broadly in 2024.

January 18, 2026 at 3:25 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

This is the work of a professional photojournalist. The shot no one else would take.

Look at that picture. It conveys so much.

Anger, vindictiveness, a man who can’t control himself, a danger to those around him and, unfortunately, the world.

📸 Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters

This picture is one of the rare photos to capture the true essence of Trump. An angry, evil, vindictive man who can’t control himself.

He’s fuming here at that brave Ford worker. This image is one of the few that conveys how dangerous he is.

January 17, 2026 at 5:50 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Visualizing an attack on Greenland with its arctic terrain reminds me of this amazing story.

One of my favorite books, it tells the incredible story of a resistance fighter on the run amidst a Nazi-occupied Norway. The fjords and topography play a starring role in his harrowing journey.

January 16, 2026 at 3:53 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Like clockwork.

January 12, 2026 at 2:21 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Wrong. Also disputed in your previous post.

January 8, 2026 at 12:01 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Forget the movie reference.

This statement from a senior defense official is the most chilling statement you’ll hear.

The senior official told The Intercept that Trump was now almost completely unrestrained and that the system of geopolitical agreements, norms, and institutions crafted by the U.S. since World War II is finished.

"The liberal rules-based order," the official said, "is dead."

January 6, 2026 at 12:02 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Notice how three of these men look down in shame once he starts criticizing the press.

Witkoff, Hegseth and Dan Caine look down in shame as Trump criticizes the press.

December 28, 2025 at 8:11 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Money for the private contractors, to hell with everyone else.

December 21, 2025 at 6:07 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

Good Lord. Equating Leavitt with Mamdani.

December 16, 2025 at 1:08 PM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

This narrows it down.

www.cnn.com/2025/11/11/p...

The US military has concentrated many of its assets in Puerto Rico, including the MQ-9 drones, F-35 fighter jets, and at least one AC-
130] gunship. All have limited ranges and are likely being used for the strikes in the Caribbean. The gunship was spotted on October 9 armed with precision-guided missiles for striking ground targets, CNN has reported.

Most of the strikes have been carried out using MQ-9 Reaper drones, the sources said, which are remotely piloted aircraft used by the military and are typically armed with Hellfire missiles. Other strikes have been conducted by manned aircraft, including AC-130J gunships and fighter jets, the sources said.

December 11, 2025 at 2:58 AM

Smith816

@smith816.bsky.social

This man has a nonverbal son with a rare genetic condition and proclaims himself an advocate for people with disabilities, yet he refers to a former President as a vegetable in that video and is a loyal supporter of the current President who uses the word retarded.