Mike Hixenbaugh
@mikehixenbaugh.com
NBC News senior reporter | Author of THEY CAME FOR THE SCHOOLS | Co-creator of SOUTHLAKE & GRAPEVINE podcasts | Retired t-ball coach
www.mikehixenbaugh.com
www.mikehixenbaugh.com
Pinned
Mike Hixenbaugh
@mikehixenbaugh.com
· Oct 30
Last year we got a tip about a children's pastor who'd managed to stay in ministry for decades even as allegations of sex abuse trailed him across four states.
I kept pulling thread and found something far bigger: a 50-year pattern of abuse and cover-up in the largest Pentecostal denomination 🧵 1/
I kept pulling thread and found something far bigger: a 50-year pattern of abuse and cover-up in the largest Pentecostal denomination 🧵 1/
Of the Dilley detention center, Gonzales says: “It is a nice facility … nicer than some elementary schools.”
Gonzales on Liam Ramos and his family: "They're not gonna qualify for asylum. So what do you do with all the people that go through the process and do not qualify for asylum? You deport them. I understand that 5-year-old and it breaks my heart. I also think, what about that 5-year-old US citizen?"
February 8, 2026 at 6:31 PM
Of the Dilley detention center, Gonzales says: “It is a nice facility … nicer than some elementary schools.”
This is Amalia.
She spiked a fever of 104 in ICE lock up, a lawsuit says. Her oxygen levels dropped to 50%
Officers stood watch during her 10-day emergency hospital stay.
When she was well enough to leave, doctors said Amalia should go home.
Instead, ICE put her and her mom back in detention.
She spiked a fever of 104 in ICE lock up, a lawsuit says. Her oxygen levels dropped to 50%
Officers stood watch during her 10-day emergency hospital stay.
When she was well enough to leave, doctors said Amalia should go home.
Instead, ICE put her and her mom back in detention.
February 8, 2026 at 4:45 PM
This is Amalia.
She spiked a fever of 104 in ICE lock up, a lawsuit says. Her oxygen levels dropped to 50%
Officers stood watch during her 10-day emergency hospital stay.
When she was well enough to leave, doctors said Amalia should go home.
Instead, ICE put her and her mom back in detention.
She spiked a fever of 104 in ICE lock up, a lawsuit says. Her oxygen levels dropped to 50%
Officers stood watch during her 10-day emergency hospital stay.
When she was well enough to leave, doctors said Amalia should go home.
Instead, ICE put her and her mom back in detention.
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
“After baby Amalia had been hospitalized for 10 days, ICE thought this baby should be returned to Dilley, where she was denied access to the medicines that the hospital doctors told her she needed."
NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
Toddler hospitalized with respiratory failure was returned to ICE detention without prescribed medication, lawsuit says
The 18-month-old was sent back to a South Texas facility after days in intensive care with severe respiratory distress, according to a federal lawsuit.
www.nbcnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 9:42 PM
“After baby Amalia had been hospitalized for 10 days, ICE thought this baby should be returned to Dilley, where she was denied access to the medicines that the hospital doctors told her she needed."
NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
Toddler hospitalized with respiratory failure was returned to ICE detention without prescribed medication, lawsuit says
The 18-month-old was sent back to a South Texas facility after days in intensive care with severe respiratory distress, according to a federal lawsuit.
www.nbcnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:25 PM
NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
‘Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, talking often about her weeks in Texas and the workers who watched over her.
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
February 7, 2026 at 1:48 AM
‘Maria still has vision problems and headaches. The sweet girl who loved her teacher and played with Barbies is now fearful and withdrawn, talking often about her weeks in Texas and the workers who watched over her.
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Whenever she sees a police officer, she tenses.
“It’s the bad men,” she said.’
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
"After years without accidents, Maria started wetting her pants and her bed. She cried through the night, asking when she and her parents would return to their apartment in New York. She begged to start breastfeeding again."
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:04 PM
"After years without accidents, Maria started wetting her pants and her bed. She cried through the night, asking when she and her parents would return to their apartment in New York. She begged to start breastfeeding again."
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
An immigration atty repping families at a detention facility said a child suffering from appendicitis collapsed in pain after being denied meaningful med attn. "The child passed out in a hallway vomiting and writhing ... only to be offered Tylenol" www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... @mikehixenbaugh.com
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 9:37 PM
An immigration atty repping families at a detention facility said a child suffering from appendicitis collapsed in pain after being denied meaningful med attn. "The child passed out in a hallway vomiting and writhing ... only to be offered Tylenol" www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news... @mikehixenbaugh.com
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
“Unlike earlier iterations of family detention, many of the children now held at Dilley are U.S. residents, apprehended not at the border but at their homes, outside schools, in courthouses and during routine immigration check-ins.”
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:14 PM
“Unlike earlier iterations of family detention, many of the children now held at Dilley are U.S. residents, apprehended not at the border but at their homes, outside schools, in courthouses and during routine immigration check-ins.”
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
"“Liam is all the kids there." Powerful and disturbing report from @mikehixenbaugh.com
Maria is one of hundreds of children, who — like Liam Ramos — have been held at a Texas detention facility where parents say children languish as they’re served contaminated food, receive little education and struggle to obtain basic medical care.
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Here's our attempt at telling their stories. 2/
Children trapped in Texas immigration facility recount nightmares, inedible food, no school
A photo of Liam Conejo Ramos, a scared 5-year-old, drew attention to a detention center in Dilley, Texas. Advocates say his experience reflects what hundreds of children have endured out of public vie...
www.nbcnews.com
February 6, 2026 at 6:37 PM
"“Liam is all the kids there." Powerful and disturbing report from @mikehixenbaugh.com
Drawing by a 5-year-old who has been held at the family detention center in Dilley, Texas, for more than eight months: Stick figure children behind bars saying, "Let us go."
February 6, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Drawing by a 5-year-old who has been held at the family detention center in Dilley, Texas, for more than eight months: Stick figure children behind bars saying, "Let us go."
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
February 6, 2026 at 6:25 PM
This is Maria, a 6-year-old detained by ICE last year.
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
She began to unravel soon after arriving at a detention center in Texas, wetting the bed after years without accidents, crying through the night and begging to breastfeed again.
Most of all, she wanted to be reunited with her cat, Milo. 1/
The federal government at work: Trump says New York and New Jersey can have money Congress already appropriated for a major rail project but only if Chuck Schumer renames Penn Station and Dulles airport after him
Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project — if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him | CNN Politics
President Donald Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he was finally prepared to drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a major New York infrastructure projec...
www.cnn.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:10 AM
The federal government at work: Trump says New York and New Jersey can have money Congress already appropriated for a major rail project but only if Chuck Schumer renames Penn Station and Dulles airport after him
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
Medgar Evers’ killer was a Klansman, but Trump administration says stop calling him a racist mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/m...
Medgar Evers’ killer was a Klansman, but Trump administration says stop calling him a racist - Mississippi Today
Among anticipated changes to a new visitor brochure for the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Home National Monument is no longer using "racist" to describe the killer of the civil rights leader.
mississippitoday.org
February 5, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Medgar Evers’ killer was a Klansman, but Trump administration says stop calling him a racist mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/m...
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
NEW: The Justice Department published dozens of unredacted images of nude women (and possibly teens) as part of its Epstein release.
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
The Government Published Dozens of Nude Photos in the Epstein Files
www.nytimes.com
February 2, 2026 at 12:33 AM
NEW: The Justice Department published dozens of unredacted images of nude women (and possibly teens) as part of its Epstein release.
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
The faces of those people were also left unredacted.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/01/u...
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
New — I spoke to eight people who were present at the ICE protest on Saturday in Portland, Oregon when federal agents deployed tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of families, children, elderly and disabled people, and their pets.
These are their stories:
These are their stories:
What it's like to see ICE tear gas kids
Attendees at a Portland, OR protest describe a vicious, unprovoked and sudden attack
www.thehandbasket.co
February 3, 2026 at 1:25 AM
New — I spoke to eight people who were present at the ICE protest on Saturday in Portland, Oregon when federal agents deployed tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of families, children, elderly and disabled people, and their pets.
These are their stories:
These are their stories:
Some important context for anyone writing about that Texas special election shocker
February 2, 2026 at 11:07 PM
Some important context for anyone writing about that Texas special election shocker
Smart take on the big Dem victory in Texas from @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social.
educationwars.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
educationwars.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Lessons from the Lone Star State
A winning populist campaign with support for public education at its center
educationwars.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:01 PM
Smart take on the big Dem victory in Texas from @jenniferberkshire.bsky.social.
educationwars.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
educationwars.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
In November, a trans woman was forced out of a restroom by an arcade manager at a pinball tournament in NC.
The incident, and the way it was handled by the International Flipper Pinball Association, has fractured the community.
1/
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
The incident, and the way it was handled by the International Flipper Pinball Association, has fractured the community.
1/
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
How a trans woman's removal from a restroom tore the world of competitive pinball apart
Pinball is one of the most welcoming sports for trans players. But after a confrontation at an arcade last fall, pinball’s governing group is struggling to rebuild trust.
www.nbcnews.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:14 PM
In November, a trans woman was forced out of a restroom by an arcade manager at a pinball tournament in NC.
The incident, and the way it was handled by the International Flipper Pinball Association, has fractured the community.
1/
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
The incident, and the way it was handled by the International Flipper Pinball Association, has fractured the community.
1/
For @nbcnews.com:
www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
The anti-trans panic has spread to the world of competitive pinball.
Yes, pinball.
@joyurcaba.bsky.social has the story.
Yes, pinball.
@joyurcaba.bsky.social has the story.
How a trans woman's removal from a restroom tore the world of competitive pinball apart
Pinball is one of the most welcoming sports for trans players. But after a confrontation at an arcade last fall, pinball’s governing group is struggling to rebuild trust.
www.nbcnews.com
February 1, 2026 at 10:52 PM
The anti-trans panic has spread to the world of competitive pinball.
Yes, pinball.
@joyurcaba.bsky.social has the story.
Yes, pinball.
@joyurcaba.bsky.social has the story.
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
A note from our editors:
February 1, 2026 at 9:10 PM
A note from our editors:
Reposted by Mike Hixenbaugh
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting
The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...
www.propublica.org
February 1, 2026 at 9:12 PM
1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
Leigh Wambsganns devoted her professional life to Trump and his movement.
On Friday, he seemed to reward her loyalty by endorsing her campaign for Texas senate.
But after she lost a safe GOP seat by double digits, Trump says he’s never heard of her: “What can I say? I have nothing to do with it.”
On Friday, he seemed to reward her loyalty by endorsing her campaign for Texas senate.
But after she lost a safe GOP seat by double digits, Trump says he’s never heard of her: “What can I say? I have nothing to do with it.”
Q: In Texas, a Democrat won a special election in an area you won by 17 points. Your reaction?
TRUMP: I don't know. I didn't hear about it. Somebody ran -- where?
Q: In Texas
TRUMP: I'm not involved. You mean I won by 17, and this person lost? Things like that happen. I'm not on the ballot
TRUMP: I don't know. I didn't hear about it. Somebody ran -- where?
Q: In Texas
TRUMP: I'm not involved. You mean I won by 17, and this person lost? Things like that happen. I'm not on the ballot
February 1, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Leigh Wambsganns devoted her professional life to Trump and his movement.
On Friday, he seemed to reward her loyalty by endorsing her campaign for Texas senate.
But after she lost a safe GOP seat by double digits, Trump says he’s never heard of her: “What can I say? I have nothing to do with it.”
On Friday, he seemed to reward her loyalty by endorsing her campaign for Texas senate.
But after she lost a safe GOP seat by double digits, Trump says he’s never heard of her: “What can I say? I have nothing to do with it.”
A defining image from Minneapolis.
January 31, 2026 at 5:57 PM
A defining image from Minneapolis.
“It’s so heartbreaking,” the mother said, wiping away tears. “I always wanted to see her graduate.”
This is one of those stories everyone should read. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
This is one of those stories everyone should read. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
This Minneapolis family has been in hiding for weeks, fearful of being deported
From a missed graduation ceremony to daily anxiety about walking their dog, one family recounts their ever-present fear of being deported as immigration agents flood their city.
www.nbcnews.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:52 PM
“It’s so heartbreaking,” the mother said, wiping away tears. “I always wanted to see her graduate.”
This is one of those stories everyone should read. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
This is one of those stories everyone should read. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...