Mary Fontana

Measles outbreak at the children's immigration detention facility... it's like a greatest (worst) hits record of the Trump administration.

“Abolish” or “defund” aren't within grasp in 2026. But where are:

- End qualified immunity
- Rewrite use-of-force so this crap isn't ruled “within policy”
- Overturn July 8 mandatory detention memo
- Reinstate TPS
- Open up detention centers, enforce humane conditions

He doesn’t even *ask* for it.

"Let me see if I understand. If Agent [Redacted] crashes his patrol car into a telephone pole while pulling out of a 7/11, does he need to file a report? Of course. But if he shoots a man, he doesn’t need to file a report? That’s right. Your honor, I don’t mean to be flippant. But I wonder, if Agent [Redacted] had run over Juan Patricio with his car, and killed him, and done some damage to the vehicle, at least a memo might have been generated." -El Paso Attorney Enrique Moreno speaking to a Border Patrol witness in the trial following the 2003 lethal shooting of a 19-year-old Mexican immigrant.

Mountains and houses beneath a blue sky with puffy clouds.

Greetings from the El Paso-Juárez border, where we have Blue Sky in abundance.

Featuring me... and many other talented poets!

New poem in THE SHORE @theshorepoetry.bsky.social :

www.theshorepoetry.org/mary-fontana...

I feel this acutely. Someone close to me, who has been a naturalized US citizen for decades and presents as an elderly white woman, is afraid to travel outside the US to visit family for fear she will not be allowed back in.

To be clear, this is what an insurrection looks like:

I wrote this choose-your-own-ending story about migration across the US-Mexico border to illustrate the many impossible choices that Central and South American refugees often navigate in their home countries, on the journey, and once they reach the US. Please check it out and LMK what you think!

This is exhausting.

This is shocking, and also an example of Orwellian language creep. Sending a US citizen to another country is not "deporting" that person. Kidnapping, maybe. Exiling.

Have never said or even thought these words before, but: GO HARVARD!

@vcardenas.bsky.social: "The U.S. Supreme Court has been clear that Mr. García should be brought back to his family in Maryland. Yet, today, President Trump said they have no plans to abide by the Court’s ruling and return a man that President Trump’s own DOJ acknowledges was mistakenly deported."

Profile | The Wild Umbrella

Couple of new poems up over at The Wild Umbrella. One is about babies and astronauts, the other death and crocodile cousins. If none of that intrigues you, you aren't human:

www.thewildumbrella.com/profile/eab3...

The man pictured in the below post is Andry, who came to a port of entry seeking asylum. A foolish CBP officer threw him into ICE detention last year because of his “mom” and “dad” tattoos with little crowns over them.

That was bad enough. Then Trump sold him to El Salvador.

BRING THEM BACK.

ALIEN ENEMIES ACT: ALIEN ENEMY VALIDATION GUIDE In the case of: ________________________________ A-File No:__________________ 1. The person named above is fourteen years or older: 2. The person named above is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States: 3. The person named above is a citizen of Venezuela: If any of these three requirements are not satisfied, the person named above shall not be ordered removed under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). In such a case, you should consult your supervisor and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and, where applicable, initiate removal proceedings under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). 4. The person named above is validated as a member of Tren de Aragua (TDA), as determined by reference to the following evaluation form: Instructions: Complete the following validation evaluation form for each suspected alien targeted for removal under the AEA, or, following apprehension, for each alien potentially subject to an AEA removal. After accounting for the two comments below, aliens scoring 8 points and higher are validated as members of TDA; you should proceed with issuing Form AEA-21B, titled, “Notice and Warrant of Apprehension and Removal under the Alien Enemies Act.” Aliens scoring 6 or 7 points may be validated as members of TDA; you should consult with a supervisor and OPLA, reviewing the totality of the facts, before making that determination; if you determine an alien should not be validated at this time as a member of TDA, when available, you should initiate removal proceedings under the INA. Alien scoring 5 points or less should not be validated at this time as member of TDA; when available, you should initiate removal proceedings under the INA.

The following alt-text is excerpted of a larger checklist, as the whole page doesn't fit within alt-text character limits. Comment 2: For purposes of validating an alien as a member of TDA, at least one scoring category must involve conduct occurring, or information received, within the past five years. Valuation Explanation Category Definition Explanation Points Judicial Outcomes and Official Documents a. Subject has been convicted of violating Title 18, United States Code, Section 521 or any other federal or state law criminalizing or imposing civil penalties for activity related to TDA 10 b. Court records (e.g., indictments, criminal complaints, sentencing memorandums) identifying the subject as a member of TDA, describing specific activity of TDA 5 Self-Admission a. Subject self-identifies as a member or associate of TDA verbally or in writing to law enforcement officer, even if that self identification to a law enforcement officer is unwitting, e.g., through lawful interception of communications. 10 Criminal Conduct and Information a. Subject participates in criminal activity (e.g., narcotics trafficking, human smuggling, etc.) with other members of TDA, including preparatory meetings and significant incidents directly attributed to TDA 6 b. Law enforcement or intelligence reporting identifying subject as a member of TDA, to include Bureau of Prisons validations and reliable foreign partner information. 4 c. Credible testimonies/statements from victims, community members, or informants that affirm the subject’s membership in or allegiance to TDA. 3 d. Detailed open-source media (e.g., newspapers, investigative journalism reports) that describe arrest, prosecution, or operations of a subject as a member of TDA 2 e. Subject conducts and/or facilitates business with TDA (e.g., money laundering, mule, service provider) 2 Documents and Communications

Final page: Association a. Surveillance documentation that a subject is frequently observed closely associating with known leaders and members of TDA 2 b. Subject part of group photos with two or more known members of TDA 2 c. Subject presently resides with known members of TDA 2 Total Points VALIDATION DETERMINATION Note: If any of the four requirements are not satisfied, do not complete this validation determination. Based on the validation guide and instructions above, including Comments 1 and 2, I find that the person named above, _______________________________________________: 1. Is fourteen years or older; 2. Is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident of the United States; 3. Is a citizen of Venezuela; and 4. Is a member of Tren de Aragua. Accordingly, the above-named person is validated as an Alien Enemy. _____________________ _________________________ __________________ Name of Agent/officer Signature of agent/officer Date completing the form completing the form ______________________ _________________________ ____________________ Name of Supervisor Signature of Supervisor Date

NEW: @aclu.org obtained ICE's "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide," confirming all it takes to be sent to rot in prison in El Salvador is being Venezuelan and 1) having a tattoo an ICE officer says is a "gang tattoo" and 2) displaying "logos," "symbols" or clothes an ICE officer says are gang signs.

Aslan?

This is the best thing I've read all week. The winner of the windfall is the one who finds the...

North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Entire Sky by Joe Wilkins
Everyone Who is Gone Is Here by Jonathan Blitzer

One small victoriousness: it appears we CAN still say "equity."

Protest sign reading "Stand Up For Science"

Protest sign reading "Think research is expensive? Try DISEASE."

A protest with a banner reading "Stand up for science" and a sign with a normal distribution and the words "This is NOT normal."

Protest with a sign reading "Phagocytose the rich"

A few more pics from today's Stand Up for Science rally in Seattle. Phagocytose the rich!

@standupforscience.bsky.social

A crowd holding signs in front of the Space Needle and blue sky

Protest sign reading "Science is our hope for a brighter future"

Protest sign reading "Diverse Scientists = Better Science"

Protest sign reading "Science is for everyone"

Sunny vibes and great turnout at Seattle's rally to Stand Up For Science. Glad to see UW Immunology well-represented.

@standupforscience.bsky.social

Agree! Though I wish they had a different cover photo here...

Comment: Pending cuts to medical research would harm all in state | HeraldNet.com As UW medical scientists, we urge Washingtonians to defend the NIH’s life-saving research funding.

Opinion piece from UW scientists Jakob von Moltke @jmoltke.bsky.social , Patrick Mitchell, and Thornton Thompson advocating against proposed cuts to biomedical research. Washington (state) readers especially take note:

www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comm...

Wondering what you can do TODAY to oppose the madness? Comment on proposed changes to passports that would change "gender" to "sex" and require everyone to choose only M or F based on sex assigned at birth. Links below take you to the comment forms. Took me about 8 min to do all 3.

@jmoltke.bsky.social

Welcome to the Bluesky account for Stand Up for Science 2025!

Keep an eye on this space for updates, event information, and ways to get involved. We can't wait to see everyone #standupforscience2025 on March 7th, both in DC and locations nationwide!

#scienceforall #sciencenotsilence

Seattle keeping President's Day with a protest at the Federal Building.

No one can tell that whole story & no group can fight all of those changes. Pick a lane. Fight for that thing. Tell that story.

Let me see if I've got this straight. The one group of refugees the US is accepting right now is... white South African landowners?