A future Democratic-controlled Congress should take up the job that Obama and the party’s old guard abandoned: put strict limits on the use of drones that won’t simply be alternately loosened and tightened by whichever president comes to power, explicitly outlawing “targeted killing” and any other attempt at finding a loophole for the already existing ban on assassinations; finally repeal the 2001 Authorization of the Use of Military Force that has been serially abused by presidents to fight often secret wars all over the world; end mass surveillance, whether in the form of the National Security Agency’s warrantless backdoor searches that Democrats actually expanded under Joe Biden, or in the warrantless spying that the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies now do through private data brokers; close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp that Trump is now trying to send migrants to; and embark on a twenty-first-century version of the Church Committee to investigate and lay bare national security abuses.
Archiv: 27-09-2025 US president declares an US city (Portland) a war zone / deploys military / authorizes use of deadly force on citizens
Federal officers use crowd control munitions as demonstrators protest outside Portland ICE building
The union-organized protest began several blocks from the Portland ICE building and included a march through the city’s South Waterfront neighborhood. During the march, sometime after 4 p.m., some protesters crowded the immigration building’s driveway, blocking a security gate that leads into the facility.
Federal officers stationed at the ICE building deployed tear gas that drifted through the air, traveling several blocks and into the larger crowd of demonstrators made up of families, including children and elderly people. Many held signs that read “Immigrants are not Criminals Our President Is!!” and “ICE Out of Our Communities,” but were forced to scatter after they were hit by the thick chemical mist.
US Senate, Do the Right Thing and Refuse to Fund ICE
More Americans now support abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, than keeping it.
Stephen Miller: ICE’s ideologue-in-chief
(January 26, 2026)
Today, we’ll be talking about Stephen Miller, Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, and how the deadly ICE surge in Minnesota is only the latest example of domestic policy that he has championed. In Trump‘s second administration, Miller is emerging as the main architect and enforcer of Trump‘s signature policies: from hardline immigration policies and mass deportations, to retaliation against the administration‘s perceived enemies, to increasingly aggressive foreign policy.
Trump‘s immigration approval drops to record low, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Just 39% of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing on immigration, down from 41% earlier this month, while 53% disapprove, the poll found.
Protests against ICE spread across U.S. after shootings in Minneapolis and Portland
Three congresswomen from Minnesota attempted to tour the ICE facility in the Minneapolis federal building on Saturday morning and were initially allowed to enter but then told they had to leave about 10 minutes later.
U.S, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison and Angie Craig accused ICE agents of obstructing members of Congress from fulfilling their duty to oversee operations there.
„They do not care that they are violating federal law,“ Craig said after being turned away.
ICE‘s killing in Minneapolis shows American empire has come home
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency was created in the shadow of the so-called Global War on Terror that followed the attacks of 11 September 2001.
It became a key pillar of the architecture of repressive surveillance and militarised tactics that emerged during the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
ICE itself was specifically designed to pursue „national security threats“ within the United States, granting agents sweeping discretion over who could be deemed to „pose a threat to public safety or national security“.
Since then, it has come to represent a rogue operation, its reputation clouded by harrowing stories of abuse, impunity and a near total lack of oversight.
Its close association with Palantir, a surveillance firm accused of helping generate kill lists for Israel, has also further embedded it within the US military-industrial complex.
Scalawag Magazine described Palantir‘s partnership with ICE as „one of the many links comprising the military-industrial surveillance connections between ICE and Israel Defense Forces“.
These links, it wrote, illustrate the ideological and practical ties between the two bodies, as they work to advance the militarisation of policing through the weaponisation of surveillance technology.
ICE has also participated in several exchanges with the Israeli military, and during the student protests for Gaza, it lifted names from the blacklisting website Canary Mission to identify and arrest protesters.
Protests against ICE planned across U.S. after shootings in Minneapolis and Oregon
Protests against immigration enforcement are planned for cities and towns across the country on Saturday after one federal officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis and another shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.
The demonstrations come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security pushes forward in the Twin Cities with what it calls its biggest-ever immigration enforcement operation. President Trump‘s administration has said both shootings were acts of self-defense against drivers who „weaponized“ their vehicles to attack officers.
2 people shot by Border Patrol agents in Portland, Oregon, DHS says
(January 9, 2026)
DHS said after the agents identified themselves, the driver „weaponized his vehicle and attempted to run over the law enforcement agents.“
„Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,“ DHS said. The department said the man drove off with his passenger.
The shooting occurred at around 2:18 p.m. local time in the Hazelwood neighborhood in East Portland. Portland police officers responded to a 911 call and „confirmed federal agents were involved in a shooting,“ Day said.
About six minutes later, Day said, officers responded to a separate location about three miles away for a 911 call, where they found a man and woman with gunshot wounds.
ICE OUT For Good
On Wednesday, January 7th, Renee Good, an American citizen, was killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This killing is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against members of our communities.
A broad coalition of groups across the country is calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action on Saturday, January 10th and Sunday, January 11th to demand accountability, honor the life lost, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions.
Timing: Noon-2:00 pm local time preferred; however, plan what works for your local community. All events should be concluded, and attendees dispersed before dusk.
ICE Out For Good Coalition Announces Nationwide Weekend of Action Demanding Accountability After ICE Killing of Renee Nicole Good
(January 9, 2026)
Washington, D.C. — A broad national coalition, including Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition, and partner organizations across the country, is calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action on Saturday, January 10, and Sunday, January 11. In less than 24 hours after the announcement, there are already 1,000 events anticipated nationwide. You can find the growing list of events here.
Fatal ICE shooting of Minneapolis activist sets stage for national protests
Protest organizers said more than 1,000 weekend events were planned across the country demanding an end to large-scale deployments of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ordered by President Donald Trump, mostly to cities led by Democratic politicians.
Trump zieht Nationalgarde aus US-Städten ab
Kurz vor Weihnachten hatte Trump vor dem Obersten Gerichtshof der USA bei seinen Plänen eines Nationalgarde-Einsatzes in Chicago eine Niederlage kassiert. Der Oberste Gerichtshof der USA wies einen entsprechenden Eilantrag ab.
Trump says he’s withdrawing National Guard from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland
His announcement comes after the US Supreme Court last week rejected his request to allow him to deploy the guard to Chicago to protect ICE agents as part of the administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
What is the Posse Comitatus Act, and how does it apply to Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in California and Washington, D.C.?
(September 9, 2025)
Dan Urman, director of the law and public policy minor at Northeastern University, who teaches courses on the Supreme Court, says the National Guard is often caught between state and federal authority. The guard generally reports to their respective state governors, “but if they get called into federal service, then the Posse Comitatus Act applies to them.”
“To work around this, presidents can ask governors to deploy their state’s National Guard members,” Urman says.
Judge permanently blocks deployment of National Guard to Portland, saying Trump exceeded his authority
In a 106-decision, Trump-appointed U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut made permanent an order she issued last month blocking the deployment into the city.
„The evidence demonstrates that these deployments, which were objected to by Oregon‘s governor and not requested by the federal officials in charge of protection of the ICE building, exceeded the president‘s authority,“ the judge wrote.
Rep. Dan Goldman, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Comptroller Brad Lander Call on NYPD to Enforce State and Local Law Against Abusive Federal Immigration Officers
NEW YORK, NY — Congressman Dan Goldman (NY-10) was joined by Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams today for a press conference calling on New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch to strictly enforce state and local laws and hold federal immigration agents accountable for unlawful conduct, including potentially arresting federal officers who illegally assault or detain New York residents. Assemblymember Tony Simone and Councilmember Alexa Aviles were also in attendance.
The press conference followed Goldman’s letter to NYPD Commissioner Tisch, citing numerous instances of federal immigration officers abusing their authority and detaining, arresting, and deporting American citizens and law-abiding, non-violent New Yorkers.
‘This is Lawless Terror’: Chinatown Reacts to ICE’s Street Vendor Raid on Canal Street
At a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Goldman, who was focused on the detention of citizens — rather than the noncitizens, who remain detained in New Jersey — suggested that the involvement of the NYPD would help prevent federal abuse. “We will continue to call on the NYPD to make sure that they are present for these raids,” he said. “Because it’s the NYPD’s job to protect New Yorkers.”
The Congressman also announced that his office would be starting a “Rapid Response Task Force” to coordinate a response to overreach by federal authorities.
“This is not immigration enforcement,” he said. “This is lawless terror to create a pretext for Donald Trump to send the military into New York City.”
Court permits Trump‘s troop deployment in Portland, pending further appeal
U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut issued two temporary restraining orders early this month — one that prohibited Trump from calling up the troops so he could send them to Portland, and another that prohibited him from sending any National Guard members to Oregon at all, after the president tried to evade the first order by deploying California troops instead.
The Justice Department appealed the first order, and in a 2-1 ruling Monday, a panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the administration.
Immergut’s second order remains in effect, so no troops may immediately be deployed.
No Kings protests: What to expect at Saturday‘s marches around the country
No Kings organizers estimated that more than 5 million people turned out for the June protests. They speculate that Saturday‘s event could be even bigger.
WHY ARE US TROOPS OCCUPYING AMERICAN CITIES?
The Trump administration is playing another long game, or trying to, in the streets of US cities under Democratic Party governance, using existing presidential emergency powers to send National Guard, Army troops and ICE agents to hunt down and arrest suspected undocumented immigrants and detain and deport them, without the due process demanded by the Constitution. What’s happening now may be a trial run for the use of those forces to interfere on the behalf of the president and the Republican Party in states where the Democratic Party has a chance to win crucial seats in next fall’s Congressional elections. I’ve been told by someone with inside knowledge that planning for such action is now under way in the White House.
Warum das US-Militär demokratische Städte übernimmt
Trump behauptet, er habe die rechtliche Befugnis, bei Feststellung eines Notstands Kriminalität in allen Staaten zu bekämpfen, einschließlich derer unter demokratischer Kontrolle. Mir wurde jedoch berichtet, dass das politische Team im Weißen Haus eine parallele, tiefere Motivation verfolgt: einen Präzedenzfall für bundesweite Notstandseingriffe zu schaffen – per präsidentieller Anordnung –, um vor den Kongresswahlen im nächsten Herbst mit Truppen intervenieren zu können.
Einige im Weißen Haus – nicht unbedingt der Präsident selbst – wissen, dass diese angerufenen Notstände „falsche Notstände“ sind. Aber wie ein Insider es formulierte: Wenn man es „wiederholt tut“, können solche Maßnahmen zukünftigen politischen Einfluss entfalten. Nennen Sie es eine neue politische Normalität.
Pope Leo XIV says Hegseth’s talk of war is ‘worrying’
(September 30, 2025)
Asked about the secretary’s meeting with the generals and comments about readiness for war, Pope Leo said: “This way of speaking is worrying, because it shows each time an increase in tensions — this vocabulary, even shifting from ‘Minister of Defense’ to ‘Minister of War.’ Let’s hope it is only a way of speaking. Certainly, they have a style of government where they want to show strength, to put pressure, and we hope it works, but that there will not be war. One must always work for peace.”
Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth, and the “War from Within”
(October 5, 2025)
Peace abroad and war at home? It’s an unusual note to strike in an electoral democracy.
Judge halts National Guard deployment to Portland from any state to perform federal duties
“The court recognized what we’ve said all along: there is no rebellion, no invasion, and no justification for militarizing our communities,“ Rayfield said in response to the ruling. „The President cannot keep playing whack-a-mole with different states’ Guard units to get around court orders and the rule of law.”
Illinois files a lawsuit to block Trump deploying the National Guard, joining Oregon
Oregon and Portland went back to the court — this time with California as an additional party to the lawsuit — and asked U.S. District Judge Karin J. Immergut for a new temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from sending the California National Guard to Oregon.
In her ruling, Immergut barred any National Guard members from being relocated from any state for service in Oregon. One day earlier, she had temporarily blocked the Trump administration from federalizing the Oregon National Guard.
Newsom joins Oregon’s suit after Trump sends California National Guard to Oregon
(October 5, 2025)
President Donald Trump deployed 300 California National Guard troops to Portland after a federal judge blocked the president’s call-up of Oregon’s National Guard, a workaround that has already drawn a new round of legal challenges.
Late Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom joined Oregon leaders’ pending lawsuit, asking Portland-based U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut to block Trump’s effort to sidestep her initial ruling by deploying California troops.