I acquired this link to a David Nihil short in 3 different ways, but it will not embed. I promise it’s worth the click, and it’s short.
https://youtube.com/shorts/qdFI3Y1Xa2o?si=yhsp9ugIcxHkeAqi
Category: News / Information
Three MS Now clips on the culture wars the economy, and racism.
The video below does include some information about the Epstein files redactions that clearly protect tRump. Hugs
Yes, investigation claimed at least 1,200 detainees ‘dropped off the grid’ from ‘Alligator Alcatraz’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/yes-investigation-claimed-least-1-110000366.html
Taija PerryCook
6 min read
- Investigations by the Miami Herald found that the whereabouts of two-thirds of over 1,800 men detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” during July 2025 were unknown, contradicting claims that 1,200 detainees were missing from the facility.
- The Herald used two detainee rosters obtained in July and August to determine that 800 detainees had no record in ICE’s online database, while over 450 had no location listed, raising concerns about the accuracy of detainee tracking at the Florida migrant detention center.
- Despite claims of missing detainees, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied that anyone was unaccounted for at “Alligator Alcatraz” in ICE’s online detention locator system, highlighting discrepancies between public reports and official statements regarding the facility.
In January 2026, a claim resurfaced online that approximately 1,200 detainees were “missing” from the so-called Alligator Alcatraz, the Florida migrant detention center touted by Trump as the “new standard” for immigration facilities.
“BREAKING NEWS 1200 detainees at alligator alcatraz are missing and their records have been wiped,” read one Instagram post (archived) on Jan. 28.
While it is true that according to a series of investigations by the Miami Herald, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” during July 2025 were unknown, January 2026 posts claiming these findings were “breaking news” were misleading. The Herald published its findings in a series of investigations in summer 2025.
We first broke down the Herald’s investigations on Sept. 25, 2025, when a number of social media posts (archived, archived, archived) circulated the claim. The Jan. 28 Instagram post above was a repost of a video (archived) originally shared by TikTok account @rark.muffalo on Sept. 23, 2025:
The Herald did not claim to independently verify whether family members could not locate the 1,200 detainees, as the posts above claimed, but rather used two detainee rosters the outlet obtained to inform its reporting. It was unclear whether any significant developments took place since we first published our assessment of the investigations, but we reached out to the Herald reporters who reported the stories seeking any relevant information, and will update this story if we receive a response.
On July 14, the Herald first published the names of more than 700 detainees housed at “Alligator Alcatraz.” The story noted:
The list — made public for the first time here — was shared with the Department of Homeland Security and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which oversees the site. Neither disputed its accuracy.
On Aug. 19, the Herald published another story based on a second list the outlet obtained of 1,400 detainees’ names. The reporters did not list each name on the roster as they did with the July 14 story. In the second story, reporters compared the two datasets and searched names on the detainee locator system for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and found that two out of five immigrants on the list of detainees from the outlet’s July 14 story were moved elsewhere. The Aug. 19 story read:
More than 40% of the 750 detainees in the initial list were sent not out of the country but to other ICE facilities, the Herald found. Another 40% were still at the detention center.
Alligator Alcatraz detainees often did not appear in ICE’s locator system, the Herald found, and the fate of the rest — around 150 detainees — is unclear. Some of them were likely still at Alligator Alcatraz but others may have been deported.
The numbers in both data sets are snapshots in time, and fluctuate as detainees enter and leave the facility.
By Sept. 16, reporters Ben Wieder and Shirsho Dasgupta used the two detainee lists the Herald obtained in July and August to determine that, “As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.”
They then broke the numbers down. According to their findings, 800 detainees showed no record in the online database for ICE, while more than 450 listed no location and only instructed the user to “Call ICE for details.”
We wrote to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — which oversees ICE — as well as the Florida Division of Emergency Management — which oversees operations at “Alligator Alcatraz” — seeking information on detainees reportedly not accounted for. DHS responded: “FALSE. No one is unaccounted — including at Alligator Alcatraz — in ICE’s online detention locator system. This is yet another hoax about the facility.”
While the Herald did not reveal where it had obtained the two lists of detainees, the news site did use public records to reportedly verify the accuracy of the lists. In an email to Snopes, Wieder wrote:
To inform our reporting in this story and our prior stories, we compared information on the lists we’ve obtained with information from ICE’s online detainee locator system. We’ve also verified information from the lists with the EOIR immigration courts database and with other public records. Our comparison of the data we’ve obtained with these other external records and numerous interviews has confirmed the accuracy of the data.
Broadly speaking, the detention center — which is technically run by the state of Florida — has reportedly made it difficult for attorneys to reach their detained clients, therefore allegedly violating detainees’ First and Fifth amendment rights, according to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Sept. 16 story, while dependent on these two detainee rosters for evidence, also presented testimony from family members of two detainees who had reportedly gone missing.
One man, a 53-year-old Guatemalan detained at “Alligator Alcatraz” whose family asked that his name not be included for fear of retribution, didn’t show up for a hearing, according to his attorney. A government attorney told the man’s attorney that he’d accidentally been sent to Guatemala instead of being transferred to a different detention center ahead of the hearing, as planned.
Communication from another man, Cuban national Michael Borrego Fernandez, went silent after ICE transferred him to another facility in California. His family described the situation as “psychological torture,” as they were worried about his health, given a recent surgery. They then found him in Mexico, where ICE had deported him without notice.
In sum, while Snopes had not independently verified that each name on the purported lists the Miami Herald used to determine that two-thirds of the detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz” during July 2025 were missing from ICE’s locator system, evidence exists from real cases that detainees apparently have gone missing for stretches of time, or are not where ICE said they were. Therefore, the possibility exists that other detainees reportedly missing from the ICE system were also deported or sent to other unknown facilities without their family’s or attorney’s knowledge.
Sources:
Camacho, Pedro. ‘Lawyers Report Disappearance of Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz Detainees From ICE Database: “It’s a Black Hole”‘. Latin Times, 18 Sep. 2025, https://www.latintimes.com/lawyers-report-disappearance-hundreds-alligator-alcatraz-detainees-ice-database-its-black-589703.
Ceballos, Ana, et al. ‘Is Your Family Member or Client at Alligator Alcatraz? We Obtained a List’. The Miami Herald, 14 Jul. 2025, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article310541770.html.
Fernández, Abel. ‘The Mysterious Disappearance of Hundreds of Immigrants Detained at Alligator Alcatraz’. EL PAÍS English, 18 Sep. 2025, https://english.elpais.com/usa/2025-09-18/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-hundreds-of-immigrants-detained-at-alligator-alcatraz.html.
Loe, Megan. ‘”Alligator Alcatraz” Is Real. Here’s What to Know about the Florida Detention Center’. Snopes, 2 Jul. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/alligator-alcatraz-fl-detention/.
Ndonwie, Churchill. ‘Alligator Alcatraz Revival: Appeals Court Pauses Order Shuttering Detention Camp’. The Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article311976400.html.
Wieder, Ben, and Shirsho Dasgupta. ‘Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz Detainees Drop off the Grid after Leaving Site’. The Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2025, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article312042943.html.
Wieder, Ben, et al. ‘”Psychological Warfare”: Internal Data Shows True Nature of Alligator Alcatraz’. The Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025, https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article311718011.html.
Updates:
Feb. 3, 2026: This story was updated to clarify that an Instagram video from Jan. 28, 2026, was a repost of a video originally posted on Sept. 23, 2025.
Trump Defends Racist Obama Meme & MAGA Rages Over Bad Bunny’s Spanish Halftime Show | The Daily Show
I like at the end where he calls maga a weak pity party and mocks them for their fake outrage and hurt feelings when others do what they themselves celebrate doing. The fact that tRump and right wing media claim that no one understood any of the words because they were in spanish is clearly false. This is what droveStephen Miller totally racist and insane in his teen years in school that people were talking in a language he couldn’t understand. He made no effort to learn it instead screamed at others to accommodate him by speaking english he so he could understand.
I often tell of the time I was in Germany. I tried hard to learn German but I just couldn’t for some reason. But I did try. I would be out with friends and they would go into a shop and try to order only to come out angry the Germans wouldn’t speak english to them. I would go into the same shops and in broken slaughtered German with lots of pointing try to order and the Germans there would switch to english for me. I asked a German friend why that was. He laughed and explained that it was because the other guys had an attitude that Germans had to speak english to them in Germany. It was disrespectful to the country and to the people. My friend told me that when I attempted to talk to German people I attempted to use their language even though I did it really badly and they found that respectful. They liked it that I tried. I don’t see why it is so bad to speak spanish. Heck I wish I could. I admire people who can speak different languages. But tRump and the maga want a white ethnostate that is just everything they like and nothing else. Hugs
Boosting The Signal For Abandoned Pets
GAY MARRIAGE UNDER ATTACK: New campaign targets hard-won rights
Every creditable study done shows that kids of same sex couples do as well if not better than the kids of opposite sex couples. And of course what tool do they use, we ust protect the children. Every culture war issue these christian groups attack hey use we have to protect the children. Trans rights issues, books and media depicting LGBTQ+, and drag queens are all attacked using that same trope of protecting the children. It is a dodge because where were these save the kids people when school lunch programs were slashed, when food assistance was cut to the bone, where were they when kids had underfunded schools among some issues that affect kids? Hugs
‘I won’t vote for any funding’ for DHS, ICE unless our demands are met: Sen. Blumenthal
A democratic senator is speaking out against ICE and doing so forcefully. I appreciate him doing this. Where is Chuck Schumer? At least he is not getting in the way of others trying to get the democrat’s message out to the people. Hugs
Interview With Georgia Fort:
Georgia Fort Makes It Plain “Journalism Is Not A Crime”
Episode 2 of “I Spent Three Days In Minneapolis!”
W. Kamau Bell Feb 08, 2026
(The above link is for the video interview at the top of this Substack page; 20 minutes and small change. -A.)
Happy Superbowling to all who celebrate.
It’s been less than 48 hours since I sent out the first episode of I Spent Three Days in Minneapolis. (Are these “episodes”? I don’t know what else to call them. They are more than interviews… Moments? Happenings? Witnessings?) The response from you all has been amazing and truly heartening. It is inspiring to think that me and a small crew turned all this around so quickly AND ALSO that it has found an audience. It really makes me proud. I can’t wait to share more, so leeeeeeeeet’s gooooooooooo!
I’m sending this today, because my subscribers don’t seem like the types of people who’d get upset having their Superbowl activities interrupted with an incredible conversation. One of the big “gets” that my producer Deshawn Plair chased down was this meet-up with three-time Emmy-winning, Twin Cities journalist Georgia Fort. Luckily, our film crew, Destiny and Kai, were already working on a project with Georgia, so they helped set this up.
And while I’m always down to talk to an independent Black journalist, this was extremely special. Georgia was only a few days removed from making international news. On January 30, Georgia Fort and my fellow ex-CNNer Don Lemon were arrested for the “crime” of reporting on a news story. Georgia and Don were covering the protest of a church where a pastor is being accused of being a member of I.C.E. (FYI, joining I.C.E. is what Jesus wouldn’t do.)
The Trumped up charges (literally TRUMPED UP) against Georgia and Don are for conspiracy(?) and for interfering with the church goers first amendment rights(??). (Yeah, suuuuuuuuure!) As much as I am mocking the anti-constitutional arrests, these are still FEDERAL charges. Two other people (both Black) were also arrested at the protest.
Let’s not forget that arrests like these are even bigger than our country’s already big need to defend the first amendment. These arrests are about punishing people who the administration simply doesn’t agree with, and more people than just the ones arrested are affected. In addition to being an award-winning independent Black journalist, Georgia is a mom, a wife, a daughter, a mentor to young Black journalists, and community member who cares. During our talk Georgia bravely admits to being terrified, but as she declares, “God did not give me a spirit of fear.”
“God did not give me a spirit of fear.” – journalist Georgia Fort
This interview was taped around 5pm on February 3, 2026. Georgia was kind enough to sit with me after she had already had a day filled with interviews. As always, shout out to Destiny and Kai for turning this around so quickly. Again, I hope you don’t mind me filling up your inbox.
Thanks again to The McKnight Foundation for partnering with me on this project.
WHO’S WITH ME?
Here’s the video I made the day I learned about the arrests.
I had no idea that I would be talking with Georgia only four days later,
W. Kamau Bell on Instagram: “I stand with @donlemonofficial, @b…
(snip-Support Minnesota info, tours info)
2 MS Now clips on the administrations racism / ICE and attempts to whitewash history to remove words like racist. The goal is to erase anything that makes white people look bad.
Scottie's Playtime 