Matthew Hoppock
@hoppock.bsky.social
FOIA and Immigration Law and dumb jokes.
Banning public prayer huh. That’s certainly a choice…
“Federal authorities told demonstrators Friday that there would be ‘no more prayer’ in front of or inside the Broadview ICE facility, in a move that mystified local leaders and raised legal questions.” blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/07/f...
Feds Tell Faith Leaders 'No More Prayer' Outside Broadview Facility
In a possible violation of the First Amendment, federal officials instructed demonstrators to stop holding religious gatherings outside the immigration processing facility in suburban Broadview after ...
blockclubchicago.org
November 8, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Banning public prayer huh. That’s certainly a choice…
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
ER doc here! This is a lie. Wait times are up because the American healthcare system is an unsustainable business model and a for-profit national healthcare system just doesn’t work. These problems will continue to get worse until we change that system. It literally has nothing to do with immigrants
Vance: "If you're an American citizen & you've been to the hospital in the last few years, you've probably noticed wait times are especially large & very often somebody who's there in the ER is an illegal alien. Why do those people get healthcare benefits at hospitals paid for by American citizens?"
October 1, 2025 at 6:49 PM
ER doc here! This is a lie. Wait times are up because the American healthcare system is an unsustainable business model and a for-profit national healthcare system just doesn’t work. These problems will continue to get worse until we change that system. It literally has nothing to do with immigrants
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
It’s not a crime to be in this country as an undocumented person. It’s a civil violation.
But you know what is a crime? Taking a bribe from undercover agents in exchange for the promise of government contracts WHEN YOU’RE THE FCKING BORDER CZAR.
But you know what is a crime? Taking a bribe from undercover agents in exchange for the promise of government contracts WHEN YOU’RE THE FCKING BORDER CZAR.
September 21, 2025 at 2:15 AM
It’s not a crime to be in this country as an undocumented person. It’s a civil violation.
But you know what is a crime? Taking a bribe from undercover agents in exchange for the promise of government contracts WHEN YOU’RE THE FCKING BORDER CZAR.
But you know what is a crime? Taking a bribe from undercover agents in exchange for the promise of government contracts WHEN YOU’RE THE FCKING BORDER CZAR.
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
The Justice Department's acting deputy chief was caught on a hidden camera saying that the government will "redact every Republican" from an Epstein client list and "leave all the liberal, Democratic people."
DOJ deputy chief: government will "redact every Republican" from Epstein client list
The deputy chief later said his comments were not based on what he's learned from his role at the DOJ.
www.axios.com
September 4, 2025 at 9:19 PM
The Justice Department's acting deputy chief was caught on a hidden camera saying that the government will "redact every Republican" from an Epstein client list and "leave all the liberal, Democratic people."
We finally have the State Department Human Rights reports 6 months late, and it's hard to overstate how bad they are. These will get people killed. Specifically, women and LGBTQ folks have just been written out of these reports. Good luck applying for asylum... www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Rubio recasts long-held beliefs with cuts to U.S. human rights reports
The State Department’s annual human rights reports arrive a half-year late with significant cuts and little fanfare from America’s top diplomat.
www.washingtonpost.com
August 13, 2025 at 3:11 PM
We finally have the State Department Human Rights reports 6 months late, and it's hard to overstate how bad they are. These will get people killed. Specifically, women and LGBTQ folks have just been written out of these reports. Good luck applying for asylum... www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
A Chicago woman went to immigration court. Her case was dismissed; she and her infant were taken by federal agents who turned her over to contractor MVM. They spent five days confined at the Sonesta O'Hare hotel without communication to the outside world.
My first byline at @injusticewatch.org:
My first byline at @injusticewatch.org:
ICE contractor locked an immigrant and her baby at an O’Hare hotel for five days
Valentina Galvis' detention at a hotel raises questions about the types of facilities being turned into de facto detention centers as the Trump administration ramps up immigration detention.
www.injusticewatch.org
August 7, 2025 at 6:27 PM
A Chicago woman went to immigration court. Her case was dismissed; she and her infant were taken by federal agents who turned her over to contractor MVM. They spent five days confined at the Sonesta O'Hare hotel without communication to the outside world.
My first byline at @injusticewatch.org:
My first byline at @injusticewatch.org:
lol at the Whitehouse spokesperson responding to my comments on stripping Rosie O'Donnell of her citizenship by only pointing out that I've donated to Democrats. My dude. Get a better spokesperson, there's so much better material on me. www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/u...
July 19, 2025 at 12:53 AM
lol at the Whitehouse spokesperson responding to my comments on stripping Rosie O'Donnell of her citizenship by only pointing out that I've donated to Democrats. My dude. Get a better spokesperson, there's so much better material on me. www.cnn.com/2025/07/18/u...
These are the same lawyers who would be tasked with bringing the wave of new denaturalization cases. One of the reasons I'm doubtful that such a wave is coming, at least in the short term.
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
Two-thirds of the DOJ unit defending Trump policies in court have quit
The U.S. Justice Department unit charged with defending against legal challenges to signature Trump administration policies - such as restricting birthright citizenship and slashing funding to Harvard University - has lost nearly two-thirds of its staff, according to a list seen by Reuters.
www.reuters.com
July 14, 2025 at 5:31 PM
These are the same lawyers who would be tasked with bringing the wave of new denaturalization cases. One of the reasons I'm doubtful that such a wave is coming, at least in the short term.
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
www.reuters.com/legal/litiga...
Not sure why, but Matthew J. O'Brien was listed as the Assistant Chief Immigration Judge at the Annandale Immigration Court until this week. He's no longer listed as an ACIJ at all. Might have been moved to another part of the DOJ? Hard to imagine that they fired him a month after re-hiring him idk
Trump's DOJ has re-hired former immigration judge Matthew O'Brien (formerly with FAIR and IRLI). Terminated in 2022 from his IJ position during his probationery period, now he's been hired in a supervisory role. ACIJ over Annandale.
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
July 12, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Not sure why, but Matthew J. O'Brien was listed as the Assistant Chief Immigration Judge at the Annandale Immigration Court until this week. He's no longer listed as an ACIJ at all. Might have been moved to another part of the DOJ? Hard to imagine that they fired him a month after re-hiring him idk
Just got an email that the Criminal Justice Act ("CJA") fund is depleted and CJA attorneys (appointed to represent federal defendants) can't be paid. It says to keep submitting vouchers and they'll pay "as soon as funding is available." What an absolute nightmare. www.uscourts.gov/about-federa...
CJA Panel Attorney Funds Information FY 2025
As of the week of July 7, 2025, Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel attorney funds have been depleted. Panel payments will be deferred until funds become available. Please continue to file, process, and ...
www.uscourts.gov
July 10, 2025 at 9:19 PM
Just got an email that the Criminal Justice Act ("CJA") fund is depleted and CJA attorneys (appointed to represent federal defendants) can't be paid. It says to keep submitting vouchers and they'll pay "as soon as funding is available." What an absolute nightmare. www.uscourts.gov/about-federa...
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
Grok is a full blown nazi now.
July 6, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Grok is a full blown nazi now.
EOIR's acting director has sent a memo to immigration judges telling them they can ignore two critical laws about asylum for domestic abuse survivors and "administrative closure." Only the BIA or the Attorney General can overrule agency precedent. What this means 🧵 www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1...
www.justice.gov
July 7, 2025 at 2:00 PM
EOIR's acting director has sent a memo to immigration judges telling them they can ignore two critical laws about asylum for domestic abuse survivors and "administrative closure." Only the BIA or the Attorney General can overrule agency precedent. What this means 🧵 www.justice.gov/eoir/media/1...
A lot of the reporting on the denaturalization priorities memo hasn't ben very thorough and some pieces have gotten the premise wrong. This WaPo piece does a pretty good job describing what the memo actually means and puts it into context. Gift link. wapo.st/44y1NTp
Immigration lawyers criticize Justice Department push to pull citizenship
The Department of Justice said it would prioritize seeking to strip citizenship from naturalized U.S. citizens in more cases.
wapo.st
July 5, 2025 at 2:19 AM
A lot of the reporting on the denaturalization priorities memo hasn't ben very thorough and some pieces have gotten the premise wrong. This WaPo piece does a pretty good job describing what the memo actually means and puts it into context. Gift link. wapo.st/44y1NTp
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
The for-profit prison company GEO Group has surged in value under President Trump.
But despite its soaring fortunes, the ICE contractor has continued to resist having to pay detainees more than $1 a day for cleaning facilities where the government has forced them to live.
(Published March)
But despite its soaring fortunes, the ICE contractor has continued to resist having to pay detainees more than $1 a day for cleaning facilities where the government has forced them to live.
(Published March)
An ICE Contractor Is Worth Billions. It’s Still Fighting to Pay Detainees as Little as $1 a Day to Work.
GEO Group, whose stock is valued at $4 billion, says that state minimum wage laws don’t apply to the cleaning services that it’s asked detained migrants to perform at facilities where they’re kept.
www.propublica.org
July 3, 2025 at 12:15 AM
The for-profit prison company GEO Group has surged in value under President Trump.
But despite its soaring fortunes, the ICE contractor has continued to resist having to pay detainees more than $1 a day for cleaning facilities where the government has forced them to live.
(Published March)
But despite its soaring fortunes, the ICE contractor has continued to resist having to pay detainees more than $1 a day for cleaning facilities where the government has forced them to live.
(Published March)
It’s almost July. The State Department Human rights reports were due February 1. The statue requires them to produce these reports to Congress, so I guess, if Congress isn’t interested in compelling the executive to obey the law, there’s not much the rest of us can do. Still
Starting to wonder if the State Department just isn't going to publish its annual Human Rights reports this year. For at least the last decade the annual human rights report has been published by this time. It's only been pushed into April 3 times. Never into May.
June 24, 2025 at 2:38 PM
It’s almost July. The State Department Human rights reports were due February 1. The statue requires them to produce these reports to Congress, so I guess, if Congress isn’t interested in compelling the executive to obey the law, there’s not much the rest of us can do. Still
In Denver talking with immigration buddies about denaturalization.
June 20, 2025 at 7:39 PM
In Denver talking with immigration buddies about denaturalization.
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
Every mass deportation in American history has in practice been a racial deportation www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/u...
June 16, 2025 at 5:45 AM
Every mass deportation in American history has in practice been a racial deportation www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/u...
Reposted by Matthew Hoppock
She resigned a few weeks ago, I believe.
June 12, 2025 at 8:00 PM
She resigned a few weeks ago, I believe.
Board of Immigration Appeals member Ellen Liebowitz appears to have either left or been fired. No longer listed as a BIA member as of June 4, 2025. Liebowitz had served since 2016, under Obama, Trump, and Biden, and was a senior legal advisor at the BIA before that. www.justice.gov/eoir/board-o...
Board of Immigration Appeals
www.justice.gov
June 12, 2025 at 7:52 PM
Board of Immigration Appeals member Ellen Liebowitz appears to have either left or been fired. No longer listed as a BIA member as of June 4, 2025. Liebowitz had served since 2016, under Obama, Trump, and Biden, and was a senior legal advisor at the BIA before that. www.justice.gov/eoir/board-o...
How does this person attend their immigration court hearing? And if they don't go in person, where do they go? There's no website listed. There is no IJ or courtroom listed. I guess it's TBD, and we'll surely figure it out before trial. But if this person isn't represented, what do they do?
June 10, 2025 at 7:32 PM
How does this person attend their immigration court hearing? And if they don't go in person, where do they go? There's no website listed. There is no IJ or courtroom listed. I guess it's TBD, and we'll surely figure it out before trial. But if this person isn't represented, what do they do?
Just got some FOIA records back for a request I submitted in 2020 about the last denaturalization push. Crazy that we're once again talking about a mega-denaturalization effort. Here are the USCIS Director's emails from last time. cdn.muckrock.com/foia_files/2...
cdn.muckrock.com
June 9, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Just got some FOIA records back for a request I submitted in 2020 about the last denaturalization push. Crazy that we're once again talking about a mega-denaturalization effort. Here are the USCIS Director's emails from last time. cdn.muckrock.com/foia_files/2...
Some big moves at EOIR. The Acting Chief Immigration Judge is now Anna C. Little (a NY IJ). Jeffrey Miller who was hired as Acting Regional Deputy Chief Immigration Judge in January appears to be out. Miller was also ACIJ over the Houston courts. More... www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
Office of the Chief Immigration Judge
www.justice.gov
June 2, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Some big moves at EOIR. The Acting Chief Immigration Judge is now Anna C. Little (a NY IJ). Jeffrey Miller who was hired as Acting Regional Deputy Chief Immigration Judge in January appears to be out. Miller was also ACIJ over the Houston courts. More... www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
Trump's DOJ has re-hired former immigration judge Matthew O'Brien (formerly with FAIR and IRLI). Terminated in 2022 from his IJ position during his probationery period, now he's been hired in a supervisory role. ACIJ over Annandale.
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
May 20, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Trump's DOJ has re-hired former immigration judge Matthew O'Brien (formerly with FAIR and IRLI). Terminated in 2022 from his IJ position during his probationery period, now he's been hired in a supervisory role. ACIJ over Annandale.
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
www.justice.gov/eoir/office-...
Starting to wonder if the State Department just isn't going to publish its annual Human Rights reports this year. For at least the last decade the annual human rights report has been published by this time. It's only been pushed into April 3 times. Never into May.
May 5, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Starting to wonder if the State Department just isn't going to publish its annual Human Rights reports this year. For at least the last decade the annual human rights report has been published by this time. It's only been pushed into April 3 times. Never into May.
Whitehouse. gov now has a red banner at the top that says "Lo-fi MAGA Video to Relax/Study To US." If you click on it, it's just a cartoon of Trump signing a piece of paper over and over and a scrolling text of false statements. You're supposed to "relax" to this? We are in weird times friends.
May 2, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Whitehouse. gov now has a red banner at the top that says "Lo-fi MAGA Video to Relax/Study To US." If you click on it, it's just a cartoon of Trump signing a piece of paper over and over and a scrolling text of false statements. You're supposed to "relax" to this? We are in weird times friends.