No Explanation, No Warning

Earlier this month a French scientist (whose name has not been disclosed), traveling to Houston, Texas for a conference was denied entry to the US. Immigration officers at the airport confiscated and searched his phone, looking for anything critical of the ultra-fragile Orange Cesspool administration

“This measure was apparently taken by the American authorities because the researcher’s phone contained exchanges with colleagues and friends in which he expressed a personal opinion on the Trump administration’s research policy,” the minister added.
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The researcher was reportedly then accused of writings “that reflect hatred toward Trump and can be described as terrorism”.

Another AFP source said that US authorities accused the French researcher of “hateful and conspiratorial messages”. He was reportedly also informed of an FBI investigation, but told that “charges were dropped” before being expelled. (source) 

Apparently, having opinions that hurt Captain Shitzinpants' oh-so-delicate fees-fees makes one a terrorist now.

On Monday March 17th, a Georgetown University professor was arrested by masked agents who said they were from the DHS and that his visa had been revoked. Dr. Badar Khan Suri, from India, is accused of "spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” Badar’s Ph.D., by the by, was in Peace & Conflict Studies from Nelson Mandela Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. His wife is an American citizen of Palestinian descent.

Remember Mahmoud Khalil? Yeah, he’s still being held in an ICE detention center in Louisiana. To date, Khalil has not been charged with a crime.

Rebecca Burke, the  28-year-old cartoonist from Wales was imprisoned for 19 days.

Mr Burke said he and his wife, Andrea, did not know for certain she was coming home until she walked through the arrivals gate at Heathrow, and only knew she had left the detention facility because another detainee called them.

“They took her from the detention centre to the airport, Becky's told us she was in leg chains, waist chains and handcuffs. We just think that’s totally disgusting, what on earth did they think she was going to do? (source)

 Why was she taken? //shrugs// Some minor, bullshit visa issue. Rebecca does NOT have a criminal record and was just a tourist.

Dr. Rasha Alawieh, a physician specializing in kidney transplants and professor at Brown University, a Lebanese citizen, H-1B visa holder, was taken at Boston airport. Federal agents had found photos of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on her phone.

She had attended this man’s funeral and I guess, in the microscopically tiny brains of this administration, that means she's a terrorist.

There’s Canadian citizen Jasmine Mooney:

There was no explanation, no warning. One minute, I was in an immigration office talking to an officer about my work visa, which had been approved months before and allowed me, a Canadian, to work in the US. The next, I was told to put my hands against the wall, and patted down like a criminal before being sent to an Ice detention center without the chance to talk to a lawyer.
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We were bound in chains that wrapped tightly around our waists, with our cuffed hands secured to our bodies and shackles restraining our feet, forcing every movement into a slow, clinking struggle.
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There were no pillows. The room was ice cold, and one blanket wasn’t enough. Around me, women lay curled into themselves, heads covered, looking like a room full of corpses. This place made the last jail feel like the Four Seasons.
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 It felt like we had all been kidnapped, thrown into some sort of sick psychological experiment meant to strip us of every ounce of strength and dignity.
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The reality became clear: Ice detention isn’t just a bureaucratic nightmare. It’s a business. These facilities are privately owned and run for profit.

Companies like CoreCivic and GEO Group receive government funding based on the number of people they detain, which is why they lobby for stricter immigration policies. It’s a lucrative business: CoreCivic made over $560m from Ice contracts in a single year. In 2024, GEO Group made more than $763m from Ice contracts. (source)

Go read Jasmine’s story. It’ll blow your mind!

So far, three German citizens have been jailed—Lucas Sielaff, Jessica Brösche, and Fabian Schmidt.

Todd Lyons is the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security. Brownshirt Barbie, the always cosplaying, puppy offing Kristi Noem, is in charge of Homeland Security.

This song is playing in my head this morning:
Bruce Cockburn—If I Had a Rocket Launcher