David Leopold

Listening to Va Gov-elect Abigail Spanberger’s magnanimous victory speech, thanking her opponent for her service and reaching out to those who didn’t vote for her. Tears in my eyes remembering what real American leadership looks like.

ABC News featured Jenni Rivera’s story of losing her and her kids losing their husband and father to self deportation today. Please watch this video and sit with the agonizing reality that our members at American Families United face right now.

abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/vid...

Finally. Our hostages are home.

Investigation by Sen. Jon Ossoff alleges abuse of children, pregnant women in ICE custody An investigation by the office of Sen. Jon Ossoff alleges more than 500 counts of human rights abuses in immigration detention, including the abuse of pregnant women and children.

U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff says his office has documented more than 500 cases of abuse in immigrant detention centers, including the abuse of pregnant women and children.

🧐 ALSO: Jeanine Pirro says district residents can carry rifles and shotguns in DC.

Think this will work out?

🧾 Jeanine Pirro's office ends D.C. rifle and shotgun felony prosecutions policy share.google/cizgtCuSI4cD...

🧾 National Guard troops in DC are now armed: Official
is.gd/wOJM4S

Cruelty for cruelty’s sake.

Friends and family gather to remember Eden, a year after she was killed in captivity ***

"A year has passed, and I still can't understand that you aren't here," said Eden's mother, Shirit Yerushalmi, at the ceremony in Tel Aviv's Yarkon Cemetery. "Not a day goes by when I don't think of you, about your big heart and the way you loved life."

www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

U.S. Pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans After Right-Wing Outcry

Putin gets applause and a limo ride. Gazan children get refused medical visas. Who’s more of a national security threat? www.nytimes.com/2025/08/16/u...

IRS, White House clashed over immigrants’ data before tax chief was ousted The Trump administration’s move to push out IRS Commissioner Billy Long came after the agency said it couldn’t release some information on taxpayers suspected of being here illegally.

Fact reported in this article—>“Undocumented immigrants pay tens of billions of dollars in taxes each year, which the ITINs help facilitate.” www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Good morning. Trump is protecting Epstein files. The confederacy lost and they were traitors, mRNA vaccines are the future, cops shouldn’t wear masks, Trump cut taxes for the rich and ripped benefits from the poor.

Have a weekend

I agree and certainly would have handled it differently. But when it comes to vexatious immigration litigation the DOJ is in no position to complain.

‘This is sending a message’: DOJ moves to sanction lawyer who took pro bono deportation case The move comes after Trump directed the department to seek to sanction lawyers “who engage in frivolous, unreasonable, and vexatious litigation.”

The administration’s deportation playbook reads like a dystopian travel guide—CECOT, South Sudan, torture included. But when lawyers push back, suddenly we’re the problem? Sorry, zealous advocacy isn’t a crime. Yet. www.politico.com/news/2025/08...

Former Superman actor Dean Cain reveals he’s becoming an Ice agent to support Trump’s mass deportation agenda The actor will be sworn in ‘ASAP’ amid the federal agency’s recruitment drive and unprecedented immigration raids that have sparked protest across the US

Dean Cain joining ICE during masked raids is peak method acting. From Superman to “I am only following orders.” Looks like “truth, justice and the American way” got deleted from the script 🤔 www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

Pope Leo reflects on migrants and refugees as ‘messengers of hope’ Pope Leo showed a special interest in the well-being of immigrants during his work before the papacy and has been described as the “first modern immigrant pope.”

“Pope Leo XIV urged the public to see migrants and refugees as “messengers of hope” on Friday, as the Trump administration focuses on mass deportation efforts in the pontiff’s former home country.” www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Video: Powell Corrects Trump on Cost of Fed Renovations During a tour of the Federal Reserve’s headquarters, President Trump debated with Jerome H. Powell, the Fed chair, over the cost of renovations to the central bank’s headquarters.

I have this clip running on a loop. www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...

"I don't believe the polls" -- Homan on polls showing a majority of American oppose Trump's deportation policies

The Israel Medical Association demands humanitarian aid be brought into Gaza. "Harm to innocent people approaching aid hubs in Gaza must be avoided. There'a a serious concern international law is being breached."

“Americans are recoiling,” almost 60% oppose Trump’s attempt to take away birthright citizenship.

📺 @davidleopold.bsky.social joined CNN Newsroom to explain how Trump’s policies are shredding our constitutional rights.

ICE chief stands by mask use in immigration raids, despite criticism There is no constitutional protection or ban on immigration agents wearing masks or face coverings. ICE acting head Todd M. Lyons defended the practice.

Masked enforcement by ICE agents isn’t just alarming—it’s legally dubious and ethically indefensible. It undermines identification laws, invites impersonation risks, and chips away at public trust. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

A Former ICE Official Is Worried That the Agency Is About to Go on a Hiring Spree of Proud Boys “What self-respecting person who wants a meaningful career in law enforcement would go to work" at ICE "right now, knowing the way [it] comports itself?"

A former ICE official warns new hires may include Proud Boys & insurrectionists. With Trump expanding ICE & gutting oversight, this isn’t reform—it’s weaponization. Civil liberties aren’t just eroding. They’re being bulldozed. slate.com/news-and-pol...

Must read thread.

Video: Documenting L.A.’s Surge in Immigration Arrests Jennifer Medina, a political reporter at The New York Times who is based in Los Angeles, speaks with a witness who recorded an immigration raid near a Home Depot.

ICE can’t just snatch people off the street.

✅ Must have reason to believe the person committed a federal offense or is unlawfully present.
✅ Must get a warrant—unless escape risk.
✅ Must ID themselves and state the reason for arrest.

Due process isn’t optional. www.nytimes.com/video/us/pol...

ICE declares millions of undocumented immigrants ineligible for bond hearings A memo from ICE’s acting director instructs officers to hold immigrants who entered the country illegally “for the duration of their removal proceedings,” which can take months or years.

Due process isn’t optional. Stripping bond hearings and forced incarceration immigrants is state-sanctioned cruelty. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Trump's Dangerous Tariff Madness, A Judge Restrains ICE in LA, "It's A War on Due Process" - My Conversation With David Leopold Lots of meaty conversations for your weekend viewing and listening pleasure

From Hopium:
- Stopping Trump's tariff madness
- Judge reins in ICE in LA
- Dude ain't no Superman, he's a big, blubbery babyman
- New interviews w/@philweiser.bsky.social @davidleopold.bsky.social @taraemcg.bsky.social @charlesgaba.com @slotkin.senate.gov 👇

www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/trumps-dan...

LIVE SOON: David Leopold Joins Us To Talk About Trump's Escalating War on Immigrants and Our Rights Starting Jul 11 at 2:15 PM EDT

Today, 2:15pm ET - Immigration attorney and expert @davidleopold.bsky.social joins @simonwdc.bsky.social on Substack. Link below to join live!

BREAKING: Massive ICE raid ongoing at a farm in Camarillo, Ventura County, CA.

Local news reports that an unknown number of workers have been detained.

Almost 20% of US strawberries come from the county. US food supply at risk from Trump’s fascist thugs & Stephen Miller’s quota.

Federal judge issues new nationwide block against Trump’s order seeking to end birthright citizenship | CNN Politics A federal judge agreed Thursday to issue a new nationwide block against President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end birthright citizenship.

Good news! A federal judge in New Hampshire has blocked Trump's executive order ending Birthright Citizenship and will certify class action. www.cnn.com/2025/07/10/p...

Heat, storms, mosquitoes the big threats at Alligator Alcatraz, experts say Florida’s hastily constructed detention camp in the Everglades, which began processing immigrants late this week, has been praised by President Trump.

Forget gators. The real threats are mosquito-borne viruses that can cause irreversible brain damage. No treatment. No escape. Add hurricanes, and it’s a human rights crisis waiting to unfold.

This isn’t immigration enforcement. It’s performative punishment. www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2025/...