01/28/25
Good morning! It’s Tuesday, January 28th.
American Immigration Lawyers Association Day of Action, which immigration lawyers use as a day to lobby for better immigration laws.
Please let them succeed!
And now, the news.
Update: Colombia
-via AP News and Daily Beast
Starting with an update on the tariff-off between Trump and Colombia that started last weekend.
Late Sunday night, Trump announced that Colombia would start accepting the flights of deported migrants back into the country. Which means the tariffs are not currently in place.
However, hundreds of visa appointments at the US Embassy in Colombia were canceled on Monday, which Trump says will not be rescheduled until the deportation flights resume.
And just to be clear, this isn’t like – oh the appointment was canceled, so I’ll try again next week. In Colombia, it can take up to two years to get an appointment. The embassy estimates it could take several months for the canceled appointments to be rescheduled.
Side note – when Trump announced that the sanctions, the official White House announcement spelled Colombia with a “u”, like the university. Or Columbia Tri-Star.
Wanna talk about not sending their best… maybe next time don’t just take a little guess at the spelling of a country.
ICE Agents Are Camera-Ready
-via CNN
This isn’t really big news but the White House told US immigration officials that they need to wear clothing that clearly identifies their respective agency, in case they’re caught on camera.
Gotta be camera ready!
I mean, yes of course agents should be self-identifying but this is just another clear sign that this is for political capital, more than anything else.
And politics are political, sure, but these are people’s lives.
It’s not a game.
Bird Flu
As the bird flu enters a new phase, with more than a dozen experts saying a human pandemic is possible as the virus shows that it has the capacity to change, the CDC has been told to stop working with the WHO, nor are they allowed to visit the WHO offices.
As a reminder, Trump did sign an executive order to remove the United States from the WHO but it was expected to be a little bit of a slower withdrawal. This, with the bird flu of it all (plus all the other things that are making us sick), is not great!
Also, as a reminder, we contribute to the WHO, but they also contribute to us. We need their info as much as they need us to inform them of the general goings on here.
So… wash your hands!
Trooper Shot Himself
-via AP News
Thomas Mascia, a New York state trooper who says he was shot in the leg on a Long Island highway last year, has been arrested for making a false claim after police alleged that he shot himself in the leg and then stashed the gun.
Prosecutors say he did it to gain attention and sympathy.
Oh no! Tommy! You’re little leg hurt? You got a boo boo.
Ugh.
Seek help.
Jan 6th
-via CNN, Washington Post, and NPR
And hey, how about a couple pieces of news about the time the current President incited an insurrection because he lost the 2020 election and couldn’t accept it because he just never got a hug from his dad and Fox News told him real men don’t get therapy (they do! They should! Therapy should be free and mandatory)
On Monday Trump’s interim US attorney for DC asked to two of his prosecutors, the chief of the Criminal Division and the chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights section, to do an interview review of the way the investigation into said insurrection was handled.
This follows the House’s executive order telling the Department of Justice to root out political bias within the ranks.
They are literally investigating their political enemies.
And to make all of this even more upside-down and backwards – they view their enemies as the people who were against the insurrection.
And the way science goes, if they’re against the people against insurrection. Doesn’t that mean that maybe they’re for insurrection?
Sure seems that way to me!
To that end – more than a dozen Department of Justice officials who worked on the January 6th case has been fired. And forget even pretending like it’s about something it isn’t, because acting AG James McHenry said they were fired because: “Given your significant role in prosecuting the President, I do not believe that the leadership of the Department can trust you to assist in implementing the President’s agenda faithfully.”
And then there’s this final bit of the puzzle… Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the Oath Keepers who was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his actions on January 6th, actions that included literally orchestrating some of the most violent actions that happened on the 6th and then, following the attack, saying that he personally regretted not bringing guns to the capitol. Saying: “We could’ve fixed it right then and there. I’d hang Pelosi from the lamppost.”
That guy, that subhuman horror show, who the president pardoned… has now had a travel restriction lifted which means he is able to go to the capitol anytime he wants.
He is an insurrectionist!
Come on over, anytime you want.
Come visit your friends!
I cannot overstate this enough… this man, this presidency, these actions are all wildly dangerous.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of immigration lawyers.
Because this presidency is ripping families apart for clout! For political clout.
So disgusting.
But you’re not disgusting! You’re great! And because of that… I’m proud of you.