Chicago Alderperson handcuffed by federal agents speaks out as ICE escalates tactics

We need to get this information out.Β  This morning I heard from Alison Gill on the Daily Beans news podcast that ICE agents lied about a woman they shot ramming them.Β  Turns out body camera videos shows ICE ramming the woman, cutting her off and screaming at her “do something about it bitch” then shooting her.Β  I watched on The Majority report as ICE pepper sprayed a school, local police officers, and arrested an alderman official who was demanding to see the warrant in a hospital.Β  Legally ICE is required to have a warrant on private property like a hospital, but they manhandled the woman and arrested her.Β  They were in civilian plain clothes and had no identification.Β  This is the Proud Boy thug gang being let loose on the public with no controls.Β  We are not a free people.Β  Get the word out to anyone and everyone because most mainstream media is not showing this.Β  Β Hugs

Jamaal Bowman Reacts To Thug Stormtroopers Raiding Chicago Neighborhood | Jamaal Bowman | TMR

 

β€˜F— them kids’: ICE agents drag children out of bed, ransack Chicago building

β€œDozens of federal agents raiding an entire apartment building with kids in it just to see what they can find. It’s the most egregious abuse of our basic rights as Americans I’ve seen in a long time, maybe in my lifetime,” says Chris Hayes

BREAKING: Trump deported a two year old American citizen.

U.S. citizen with REAL ID handcuffed and held in immigration raid before being released

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/us-citizen-immigration-raid-real-id-handcuffed-alabama-rcna208794

The man told Noticias Telemundo that authorities took his ID from his wallet and told him it was fake before handcuffing him.

A U.S.-born citizen who was wrestled into the dirt, handcuffed and detained in a vehicle as part of an immigration raidΒ had a REAL ID on himΒ that was dismissed as fake, the man’s cousin said Friday.

Video of the arrest,Β aired by Noticias Telemundo, showed authorities grabbing Leonardo Garcia Venegas, 25, while at a job site in Foley, Alabama, on Wednesday and bending his arms behind him. Someone off-camera can be heard yelling, “He’s a citizen.”

Garcia told Noticias TelemundoΒ that authorities took his ID from his wallet and told him it was fake before handcuffing him.Β REAL ID is the identification U.S. citizensΒ are required by law to have in order to travel through airports and enter federal buildings. It is considered a higher security form of identification.

“Apparently a REAL ID is not valid anymore. He has a REAL ID,” his cousin Shelah Venegas said. “We all made sure we have the REAL ID and went through the protocols the administration is asking for. … He has his REAL ID and then they see him and I guess because his English isn’t fluent and/or because he’s brown it’s fake, it’s not real.”

Garcia had told Noticias Telemundo that “they grabbed me real bad” and the handcuffs were placed “very hard” on him.

Garcia said he was released from the vehicle where he was held after he gave the arresting officials his Social Security number, which showed he is a U.S. citizen.

The arrest has left Garcia, who was born in Florida, shaken, particularly because the officers also arrested and detained his brother, who is not in the country legally, Venegas said. She added that Garcia lived with his brother. Their parents are from Mexico.

Leonardo Garcia Venegas.
Leonardo Garcia Venegas.Telemundo

“He was actually pretty sore when he got back,” Venegas said of Garcia. “He said his arms were hurting and his hands. His wrists, you could see where he had all the marks from the handcuffs. … The way they put him on the ground, his knees also were hurting.”

She said they have been trying to find a lawyer but local ones have told them that it is nearly impossible to sue a federal agent. It is not clear from the video whether the authorities were federal immigration agents or local law enforcement carrying out enforcement duties.

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement to NBC News that Garcia interfered with an arrest during a targeted worksite operation.

β€œHe physically got in between agents and the subject they were attempting to arrest and refused to comply with numerous verbal commands,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary. β€œAnyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest.”

The response did not address the dismissal of Garcia’s identification.

Garcia denied that he interrupted an arrest. He told NBC News that he was trying to take out his phone when an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent took it and threw it to the ground and then an agent began grabbing him.

Venegas said Garcia’s brother has signed deportation papers because the family didn’t want him detained “forever” as they’ve seen happen to another family member, who was held for months in a Louisiana detention center.

“It’s inhumane, what they are doing to our people. They are treating them as if they were murderers,” she said.

Venegas said the immigration arrests are creating repercussions among Hispanics, even among U.S. citizens.

“It’s about race now. It’s not about whether you are here legally or not,” she said.

Her family owns a fairly large contracting company, she said, “and a lot of the people that work with us are not working. … They are refusing to go to work. They said they are not going to go until this stuff calms down.”

Venegas added that the majority of her family is self-employed and “we do the same thing every other citizen does.”

“It’s just insane we can’t be different, the color that we are. We contribute to this country the same way every other citizen does with their taxes,” she said. “But we have to be the ones that every time we go to work, we are going to be scared that we’re going to get discriminated.”

“I think about my family,” she said. “Even though a lot of them are citizens, I think about how we all work in the same area in construction and they can’t sit out there because they could literally get harassed or attacked the way my cousin did.”

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka arrested at ICE detention facility in NJ

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/newark-mayor-ras-baraka-taken-into-custody-by-ice-in-new-jersey/


This is selective persecution which is illegal.Β  So if this ever goes to court he will have the charges dismissed.Β  In the meantime the hate party cult of tRump just made him a front runner for the mayoral election.Β  Hugs.


 

Posted:Β 

Updated:Β 

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for allegedly trespassing at anΒ ICE facilityΒ in New Jersey on Friday afternoon, authorities said.

β€œThe Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” Alina Habba, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, posted on X.

Baraka was taken to an ICE field office at 620 Frelinghuysen Ave. in Newark, according to his office. The charges have not been announced.

β€œWe are actively monitoring and will provide more details as they become available,” his representatives said.

Witnesses said the arrest came after Baraka attempted to join a scheduled tour of the facility with three members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation, Reps. Robert Menendez, LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

When federal officials blocked his entry, a heated argument broke out, according to Viri Martinez, an activist with the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. It continued even after Baraka returned to the public side of the gates.

In video of the altercation shared with The Associated Press, a federal official in a jacket with the logo of the Homeland Security Investigations can be heard telling Baraka he could not join a tour of the facility because β€œyou are not a congress member.”

Baraka then left the secure area, rejoining protesters on the public side of the gate. Video showed him speaking through the gate to a man in a suit, who said: β€œThey’re talking about coming back to arrest you.”

β€œI’m not on their property. They can’t come out on the street and arrest me,” Baraka replied.

Minutes later several ICE agents, some wearing face coverings, surrounded him and others on the public side. As protesters cried out, β€œShame,” Baraka was dragged back through the security gate in handcuffs.

β€œThe ICE personnel came out aggressively to arrest him and grab him,” said Julie Moreno, a New Jersey state captain of American Families United. β€œIt didn’t make any sense why they chose that moment to grab him while he was outside the gates.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement that as a bus of detainees was entering the detention center, β€œa group of protestors, including two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility.”

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin was quoted in the statement as calling it β€œbeyond a bizarre political stunt” and saying it put agents’ and detainees’ safety at risk.

β€œMembers of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility,” McLaughlin said.

The department said the facility has the proper permits and inspections have been cleared.

The Newark mayor was visiting Delaney Hall to conduct oversight after the building was turned into an ICE facility.

Delany Hall was leased for $63 million annually from a private prison group known as The GEO Group. The city of Newark is suing for more inspections, claiming ICE has not indicated how many detainees it has in the building – which can only house 1,000 people.

Baraka said on Monday that the issues at Delany Hall go beyond the lack of safety inspections and proper permits.

This is a developing story please check back for updates.

Dominique Jack is a digital content producer from Brooklyn with more than five years of experience covering news. She joined PIX11 in 2024. More of her work can be foundΒ here.

–Associated press material was used in this report.

Trump & Deportations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

John Oliver discusses the recent deportations by the Trump administration, the conditions in the facility people are being sent to abroad, and why even Henry Winkler could be in danger of being expelled from the U.S. Yeah, even national treasure Henry Winkler.

Shocking Moments You Missed In The Oval Office! | Christopher Titus Bonus Armageddon Update

β€˜We’re citizens!’: Oklahoma City family traumatized after ICE raids home, but they weren’t suspects

https://kfor.com/news/local/were-citizens-oklahoma-city-family-traumatized-after-ice-raids-home-but-they-werent-suspects/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJ_QL1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFHRjV0Y2EwTnI4R2pqMVI2AR4zcnV54IV6xDFtZ-JOWbTSuWUuEbqjxQ6L9UtKOYQqJcYHbnAMbUUbj-GG_A_aem_BSYWD8eZJzFS9TH_rbpK5g


ICE is a thug unit run by a major thug.Β  Β This family was badly mistreated, in some ways brutalized.Β  Β I read earlier where the mother said the 20 ICE agents who broke into their home with no warring then wanted the women, one adult and the others teenagers to remove their clothing in front of them to get dressed before being forced outside in the rain.Β  Β The report said the mother refused saying even her husband had not seen the children nude and she did not want them to do that in front of these men.Β  They were ordered in their “underwear” outside in the rain where they were kept for hours.Β  Β Is this the government / police any way people should be treated by law enforcement in the US.Β  They so disrespected this family sure in the fact they were correct with no room for any doubt.Β  They had no empathy, no common sense.Β  In the time I was an axillary sheriff’s deputy we were trained never to act like that.Β  We were taught to respect the rights of people but be aware they might be lying and the danger of the situation.Β  Β Respect the rights of the people.Β  All people on US soil, in the country regardless of status have due process rights.Β  Β The right wing haters want to tell you that if you are here illegally you have no rights but SCOTUS has repeatedly said every person here does.Β  HugsΒ Β 

As for Marissa’s phones, electronics, and cash, they have no idea which agency has those belongings or how to get those items back.Β Β 


Posted:Β 

Updated:Β 

Update: 4.30.25

At this time, there is not a fundraising campaign set up for the family. KFOR will share any details if that happens.

Original:

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) β€” A woman says her family’s fresh start in Oklahoma turned into a nightmare after federal immigration agents raided their home, taking their phones, laptops, and life savings – even though they were not the suspects the agents were looking for.

The agents had a search warrant for the home, but the suspects listed on the warrant do not live in the house.

The woman who actually lives in the house had just moved to Oklahoma City from Maryland with her family about two weeks earlier.

The woman, who News 4 will refer to as β€œMarisa”, and her three daughters came to Oklahoma looking for a slower, more affordable pace of life.

They rented a house in a seemingly safe northwest Oklahoma City neighborhood.

Her husband stayed back in Maryland a couple of extra weeks, planning to join them this weekend.

β€œI was like, β€˜okay, Oklahoma’s my home now,’” Marisa said.

But any comfort they had disappeared Thursday morning when about 20 men, armed with guns, busted through the door.

β€œI don’t know who they were,” she said. β€œIt was dark. All the lights were off.”

Marisa said the men identified themselves as federal agents with the U.S. Marshals, ICE, and the FBI.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service denied having agents present during the raid, telling News 4 they were β€œaware of the operation before it happened,” but did not assist in any capacity.

β€œI keep asking them, β€˜who are you? What are you doing here? What’s happening,’” she said. β€œAnd they said, β€˜we have a warrant for the house, a search warrant.’”

She said they ordered her and her daughters outside into the rain before they could even put on clothes.

β€œThey wanted me to change in front of all of them, in between all of them,” she said. β€œMy husband has not even seen my daughter in her undergarmentsβ€”her own dad, because it’s respectful. You have her out there, a minor, in her underwear.”

Marisa said the names on the search warrant were not hers or anyone in her family.

She recognized them as names listed on mail still arriving at the houseβ€”likely former residents.

β€œWe just moved here from Maryland,” she said. β€œWe’re citizens. That’s what I kept saying. We’re citizens.”

She said the agents didn’t care.

β€œThey were very dismissive, very rough, very careless,” she said. β€œI kept pleading. I kept telling them we weren’t criminals. They were treating us like criminals. We were here by ourselves. We didn’t do anything.”

Marisa said the agents tore apart every square inch of the house and what few belongings they had, seizing their phones, laptops and their life savings in cash as β€œevidence.”

β€œI told them before they left, I said you took my phone. We have no money. I just moved here,” she said. β€œI have to feed my children. I’m going to need gas money. I need to be able to get around. Like, how do you just leave me like this? Like an abandoned dog.”

Before they left, Marisa said one of the agents made a comment.

β€œOne of them said, β€˜I know it was a little rough this morning,’” she said. β€œIt was so denigrating. That you do all of this to a family, to women, your fellow citizens. And it was a little rough? You literally traumatized me and my daughters for life. We’re going to have to go get help or get over this somehow.”

Now, Marisa said they have, quite literally, nothing.

β€œI said, β€˜when are we going to get our stuff back?’ They said it could be days or it could be months,” she said.

Marisa said she is left with nothing but questions.

β€œWhat if I would have been armed,” she said. β€œYou’re breaking in. What am I supposed to think? My initial thought was we were being robbedβ€”that my daughters, being females, were being kidnapped. You have guns pointed in our faces. Can you just reprogram yourself and see us as humans, as women? A little bit of mercy. Care a little bit about your fellow human, about your fellow citizen, fellow resident. We bleed too. We work. We bleed just like anybody else bleeds. We’re scared. You could see our faces that we were terrified. What makes you so much more worthier of your peace? What makes you so much more worthier of protecting your children? What makes you so much more worthy of your citizenship? What makes you more worthy of safety? Of being given the right that they took from me to protect my daughters?”

Marisa told News 4 the agents wouldn’t even leave her a business card.

She said she has no idea who to contact to get her things back.

Marissa told KFOR the U.S. Marshal’s Service and the FBI were involved in this raid.

However, a representative for the U.S. Marshal’s Service says their team was not involved.

News 4 reached out to the FBI. Last week, a spokesperson said they were assisting on this case and directed inquiries to Homeland Security.

A spokesperson for Homeland Security told News 4 they are looking into it and will get back to us, but we have not heard from them.

As for Marissa’s phones, electronics, and cash, they have no idea which agency has those belongings or how to get those items back.

 

some news articles I wanted to post but had no time to do it.

HHS Plans to Cut the National Suicide Hotline’s Program for LGBTQ Youth

HHS Plans to Cut the National Suicide Hotline’s Program for LGBTQ Youth


Hegseth shared detailed military plans in second Signal chat that included his wife and brother

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/20/politics/hegseth-second-signal-chat-military-plans/index.html


DOGE VisitsΒ National Gallery of Art to Discuss Museum’s Legal Status

The move is the latest from Elon Musk’s unofficial cost-cutting agency toΒ exert influence beyond traditional federal agencies.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-18/washington-dc-national-gallery-of-art-gets-a-visit-from-doge


Trump’s D.C. U.S. attorney pick appeared on Russian state media over 150 times

Nominee Ed Martin did not initially disclose his RT and Sputnik appearances from 2016 to 2024 to the Senate. The State Department has said the networks act like arms of Russian intelligence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/04/16/ed-martin-rt-sputnik-usattorney/


β€˜Whole generation of kids is damaged’: RFK Jr. takes MAHA on the road

β€œI just couldn’t nod my head enough,” an Indiana weight loss coach said after watching Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/15/rfk-mehmet-oz-maha-indiana-00291821


Leader of Colorado’s Libertarian Party calls man anti-gay slurs in Facebook exchange

Messages through official account responded to criticism of party’s social media postings, relevance

Leader of Colorado’s Libertarian Party calls man anti-gay slurs in Facebook exchange


The Tactics Elon Musk Uses to Manage His β€˜Legion’ of Babiesβ€”and Their Mothers

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/the-tactics-elon-musk-uses-to-manage-his-legion-of-babies-and-their-mothers/ar-AA1CZEkq


RFK Jr. contradicts CDC on causes of autism

https://www.axios.com/2025/04/16/kennedy-cdc-autism-rates


Starmer told UK must repeal hate speech laws to protect LGBT+ people or lose Trump trade deal

β€˜Good chance’ of agreement, says JD Vance – but a source close to the administration says his concerns over Britain’s hate speech laws β€˜are still a red line’

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/trump-jd-vance-trade-deal-free-speech-b2733806.html


New England man, a US citizen, says border agents detained him for hours

https://www.wmur.com/article/new-england-us-citizen-border-detained-41525/64492295


The Real Reason El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele Cozied Up to Trump

The self-described β€œcoolest dictator” has big secrets to hide, according to one journalist who spoke to Al Letson.

The Real Reason El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele Cozied Up to Trump


US β€˜demands control’ from Ukraine of key pipeline carrying Russian gas

Senior Kyiv economist describes latest position of Trump administration in talks as β€˜colonial-type’ bullying

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/12/us-demands-control-from-ukraine-of-key-pipeline-carrying-russian-gas


Australian with working visa detained and deported on returning to US from sister’s memorial

Man who says he had previously left and re-entered the country multiple times alleges border officials called him β€˜retarded’ and boasted β€˜Trump is back in town’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/11/australian-with-us-working-visa-detained-insulted-deported


β€˜We are flying blind’: RFK Jr.’s cuts halt data collection on abortion, cancer, HIV and more

Fired workers and outside experts say the cuts leave the nation more vulnerable to health threats.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/13/abortions-cancer-in-firefighters-and-super-gonorrhea-rfk-jr-s-cuts-halt-data-collection-00284828


For the First Time, Artificial Intelligence Is Being Used at a Nuclear Power Plant

Some lawmakers think additional guardrails are needed for future uses. For now, the facility will use AI to comply with regulations.