Pema Levy

JUST IN: A federal judge says the Trump administration has been “terrorizing” refugees — violating the promise America made to them when they fled persecution at home — by locking them up illegally. He blocked the policy for those in MN storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

How Trump will fill his immigrant gulags DHS is rewriting its detention rules to ignore the law—and entrap millions.

The contours of a dual state are coming into view, one in which anyone targeted by Trump’s deportation and detention program has no rights that can save them.

Read @pemalevy.bsky.social on how DHS is rewriting its detention rules to ignore the law—and entrap millions.

Fair enough! But seems like a Utah decision, not a federal requirement

Actually, no. Buying alcohol has an age requirement, not an ID requirement. No one thinks a 70-year old has to produce ID to buy a beer.

Special Saturday Triad: What I Saw at the Battle of Minneapolis The national media has moved on. Minnesota is still under siege.

“You now live in a country where volunteers deliver babies at home, in secret, off the books, because mothers fear that if they go to the hospital, they will be abducted by masked, armed agents of the state while giving birth.”

4 journalists detained in Cameroon reporting on Trump’s deportations Lawyers say Trump is sending migrants to Cameroon who originated elsewhere. AP freelancers, among others, were detained while reporting on the deportees.

Four journalists, including AP freelancers, were detained in Cameroon on Tuesday while reporting on migrants deported there by the Trump administration.

They were released, but their devices were confiscated.
w/ @maeganvaz.bsky.social + @liamjscott.bsky.social

On tariffs, the Supreme Court must choose between the president and their plutocratic patrons This case is all about power and loyalty.

reupping this because of its prescience www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

My profile of Congressman Cory Mills is based on interviews with 18 people who have known the Florida Republican from his youth to the present day.

There's stolen valor, a restraining order, a failed grenade company, sex workers, a Trump endorsement, and much much more.

Here's what I found.

And Gorsuch so thoroughly refutes Thomas' take here that it's just embarrassing that Thomas decided to publish it anyway. Like, no facts will get in the way of making Trump king.

On tariffs, the Supreme Court's GOP justices appear ready to save Trump from himself The administration's economic recklessness threatens Republicans' grip on power.

Context behind the ruling, as @pemalevy.bsky.social wrote in November during oral arguments:

"A loss for Trump will, in fact, be doing him a favor. And the GOP-appointed justices—who have spent the past 10 months giving Trump virtually everything he wants—surely know this."

Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s tariff regime The justices hand a rare rebuke to a president they've enabled.

I cannot get over how Justice Thomas wants to just hand Trump a bunch of powers delegated to Congress by the Constitution. Originalism at its finest.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Tennessee said yes to ICE—and turned into a deportation state How the feds worked with state troopers to terrorize Nashville’s immigrants.

There's video of ICE doing a massive operation with Tennessee state troopers—and making horrible comments as they go along.

I'm talking awful racial profiling and bad jokes like "The guacamole is never going to taste the same."

So much to dig into here: www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

This week's stories about secret deportations to "third countries" are chilling

"they did not know they were being sent to Cameroon until they were handcuffed and chained on a [DHS] flight" -NYT

The stories failed to explain that this illegal shit is happening b/c SCOTUS okay'd it on shadow docket

Report: Staff at Dilley raiding cells to confiscate kids' letters and drawings detailing conditions inside

ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.

www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...

Another nail in the coffin of the presumption of regularity

Testing Kristi Noem's transparency claim We're suing CBP and ICE for their footage.

Testing Kristi Noem's transparency claim

1/ ProPublica collected handwritten letters in mid-January from children held at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the same facility where 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos was taken.

Hundreds of kids are still detained.

We’ll let the children’s words speak for themselves. 🧵

Toddler hospitalized with respiratory failure was returned to ICE detention without prescribed medication, lawsuit says The 18-month-old was sent back to a South Texas facility after days in intensive care with severe respiratory distress, according to a federal lawsuit.

NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.

“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.

But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.

A chilling episode. After the government’s case against Espinoza Martinez fell apart, they just decided to detain him anyway… apparently illegally

Unitary executive theory coming for civil service protections, making the partisan spoils system great again

I'm so sorry to hear that. Your work has been so important and I hope you find a place to continue it.

cover of The Washington Post on Wednesday Feb 4, 2026. Headline on bottom, right: Musk wanted to hook users; his chatbot got more sexual

My story on Elon Musk cutting safeguards at xAI is on the front page of today's @washingtonpost.com. I’m also among 100’s of reporters laid off. I absolutely loved my job my brilliant coworkers & the thrill of reporting @ the center of forces upending the world: AI & Silicon Valley’s political power

Meet the mastermind behind Trump’s definition of "woman" May Mailman’s anti-trans crusade could threaten gender equality for all.

"Stephen [Miller]’s the ideas guy. And then I’m trying to be the one who makes it happen.” Meet May Mailman, the mastermind behind Trump’s sweeping anti-trans orders. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump’s FBI raid could lead to a takeover of elections in Georgia’s largest county Trump wants control "over the voting in at least 15 places.” He could start in Fulton County, Georgia.

Trump’s FBI raid could lead to a takeover of elections in Georgia’s largest county

Trump's war on history As America's 250th anniversary approaches, the president wants to control the country's future by bulldozing its past.

Inside Donald Trump's corporate-funded war on America history www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.

Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.

January was a warning of where Trump will go next The administration's authoritarian project is accelerating.

This horrible month is almost over. But its lessons shouldn't be ignored. The Trump administration’s authoritarian project is accelerating.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

January was a warning of where Trump will go next The administration's authoritarian project is accelerating.

This horrible month is almost over. But its lessons shouldn't be ignored. The Trump administration’s authoritarian project is accelerating.

www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

I get tired of saying it, but I’ll say it again: the nature of oppression in America is that they workshop it first on Black, Latino, Asian & Native people.

But it is always, in the end, coming for everyone.