Amira
@amirah.bsky.social
I do politics but would much rather talk about pop culture.
Political Director @imeupolicyproject| formerly @justicedemocrats and @senatedems
Political Director @imeupolicyproject| formerly @justicedemocrats and @senatedems
Reposted by Amira
finally, the ICE reform we’ve been waiting for: no masks unless you really want to wear them
February 5, 2026 at 2:29 AM
finally, the ICE reform we’ve been waiting for: no masks unless you really want to wear them
Reposted by Amira
NEW: since last year, a pair of "highly trained" feds have been involved in an array of incidents attacking crowds with chemical weapons.
We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team.
Read more:
We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team.
Read more:
Identified: the El Paso BORTAC crew rampaging through the Midwest
One violent duo in particular, U.S. Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17), have been frequently seen alongside former commander-at-large Greg Bovino terrorizing crowds wi...
unraveledpress.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:24 PM
NEW: since last year, a pair of "highly trained" feds have been involved in an array of incidents attacking crowds with chemical weapons.
We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team.
Read more:
We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team.
Read more:
Reposted by Amira
Body cams on ICE isn't going to change anything. It's just another way for them to gather images of people's faces so they can refine their lists. They won't increase accountability or prevent ICE agents from shooting people. They've already done it on camera every time.
February 4, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Body cams on ICE isn't going to change anything. It's just another way for them to gather images of people's faces so they can refine their lists. They won't increase accountability or prevent ICE agents from shooting people. They've already done it on camera every time.
Reposted by Amira
i feel like we've had a good enough sample size for like two decades on whether or not body cameras on cops do anything whatsoever to stop them from killing people. the guy that murdered renee good was filming it on his phone for fun!
February 4, 2026 at 12:58 PM
i feel like we've had a good enough sample size for like two decades on whether or not body cameras on cops do anything whatsoever to stop them from killing people. the guy that murdered renee good was filming it on his phone for fun!
Reposted by Amira
I stand corrected. Four out of 5 Democrats want to abolish ICE.
Any elected Dem asking for less is outside the mainstream of their party.
Any elected Dem asking for less is outside the mainstream of their party.
Their new poll came out today. It's up to 79% support including 66% (!) strongly support.
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
d3nkl3psvxxpe9.cloudfront.net/documents/ec...
February 3, 2026 at 10:44 PM
I stand corrected. Four out of 5 Democrats want to abolish ICE.
Any elected Dem asking for less is outside the mainstream of their party.
Any elected Dem asking for less is outside the mainstream of their party.
Reposted by Amira
Kindergarten teacher called a prank ICE hotline thinking it was real. She called to report her 6 year old student to ICE to try to get them and their family deported.
6 years old.
She does not enjoy hearing her own words and actions played back to her.
6 years old.
She does not enjoy hearing her own words and actions played back to her.
Kindergarten teacher wants kindergartener deported
YouTube video by Ben Palmer
m.youtube.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:26 AM
Kindergarten teacher called a prank ICE hotline thinking it was real. She called to report her 6 year old student to ICE to try to get them and their family deported.
6 years old.
She does not enjoy hearing her own words and actions played back to her.
6 years old.
She does not enjoy hearing her own words and actions played back to her.
Reposted by Amira
They have a go fund me to assist with legal fees.
gofund.me/c58716223
gofund.me/c58716223
Donate to Support Jerome Richardson's Legal Defense, organized by mary mccallum
Jerome Richardson is a youth leader and activist who has always stood up fo… mary mccallum needs your support for Support Jerome Richardson's Legal Defense
gofund.me
February 3, 2026 at 3:14 AM
They have a go fund me to assist with legal fees.
gofund.me/c58716223
gofund.me/c58716223
Reposted by Amira
Go Fund Me about the young person arrested on Monday in MN along with Lemon and Fort.
They have a go fund me to assist with legal fees.
gofund.me/c58716223
gofund.me/c58716223
Donate to Support Jerome Richardson's Legal Defense, organized by mary mccallum
Jerome Richardson is a youth leader and activist who has always stood up fo… mary mccallum needs your support for Support Jerome Richardson's Legal Defense
gofund.me
February 3, 2026 at 3:42 AM
Go Fund Me about the young person arrested on Monday in MN along with Lemon and Fort.
Reposted by Amira
“I’m so grateful for all the street medics and folks directing traffic out there yesterday, especially for the pets and kids and elders who were caught in the gas, and those of us who were retching and blinded.”
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 2:16 AM
“I’m so grateful for all the street medics and folks directing traffic out there yesterday, especially for the pets and kids and elders who were caught in the gas, and those of us who were retching and blinded.”
Reposted by Amira
Regardless, for at least tomorrow, 350,000 people can breathe a sigh of relief and go to work or school tomorrow without suddenly having been rendered "illegal" and forced to either go back into danger or risk being rounded up by ICE agents on the street.
February 3, 2026 at 2:23 AM
Regardless, for at least tomorrow, 350,000 people can breathe a sigh of relief and go to work or school tomorrow without suddenly having been rendered "illegal" and forced to either go back into danger or risk being rounded up by ICE agents on the street.
Reposted by Amira
Judge Reyes starts with a comparison: George Washington versus Kristi Noem.
![[start quotation] MEMORANDUM OPINION
On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of
all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President
Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8
U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United
States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS
holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take."[end quotation]
Underneath is a screenshot of a tweet, which reads: " Secretary Kristi Noem
@Sec_Noem
I just met with the President.
I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.
Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom-not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS.
WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.
6:52 PM
Dec 1, 2025
13.2M Views](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:2vtbmhmrwzbqcfv4we4uxzzt/bafkreibseafaz2alyw7z2wcopu7uht4x26giiuqqov5cznw34rhdgqub7u@jpeg)
February 3, 2026 at 12:49 AM
Judge Reyes starts with a comparison: George Washington versus Kristi Noem.
Reposted by Amira
This isn't a win. It's a systematic way to catalog protesters and legal observers into the Palantir database.
It's not even tinfoil hat category to claim this any longer.
We're being targeted and added to watch lists.
It's not even tinfoil hat category to claim this any longer.
We're being targeted and added to watch lists.
This should have been the case long before they killed two Americans.
Border patrol agents should never have been sent in masks and camo to wreak havoc and aimlessly run around a state 1,500 miles from the Southern border.
apnews.com/article/immi...
Border patrol agents should never have been sent in masks and camo to wreak havoc and aimlessly run around a state 1,500 miles from the Southern border.
apnews.com/article/immi...
Every Homeland Security officer in Minneapolis is now being issued a body-worn camera, Noem says
The secretary of Homeland Security is requiring that all officers on the ground in Minneapolis wear body cameras.
apnews.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:59 AM
This isn't a win. It's a systematic way to catalog protesters and legal observers into the Palantir database.
It's not even tinfoil hat category to claim this any longer.
We're being targeted and added to watch lists.
It's not even tinfoil hat category to claim this any longer.
We're being targeted and added to watch lists.
Reposted by Amira
DHS said that the woman CBP shot in the chest in Portland was “involved” in a gang shooting.
Her ~involvement~ was that suspected gang members sexually assaulted and robbed her.
Her ~involvement~ was that suspected gang members sexually assaulted and robbed her.
After Border Patrol shot two people in Portland, DHS claimed they were "vicious gang members" tied to a past shooting.
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
But records I obtained reveal a US prosecutor has since directly contradicted DHS, saying, "We're not suggesting he is a gang member." My dive into how DHS' claims have collapsed:
DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘A smear campaign’
Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims
www.theguardian.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:02 AM
DHS said that the woman CBP shot in the chest in Portland was “involved” in a gang shooting.
Her ~involvement~ was that suspected gang members sexually assaulted and robbed her.
Her ~involvement~ was that suspected gang members sexually assaulted and robbed her.
Reposted by Amira
Everything moves so fast now. It's impossible to give every event the care and attention it deserves, especially when the bar is "at least no one died."
But what happened in Portland outside the ICE building was evidence of yet another escalation—and a terrifying harbinger of things to come.
But what happened in Portland outside the ICE building was evidence of yet another escalation—and a terrifying harbinger of things to come.
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 1:30 AM
Everything moves so fast now. It's impossible to give every event the care and attention it deserves, especially when the bar is "at least no one died."
But what happened in Portland outside the ICE building was evidence of yet another escalation—and a terrifying harbinger of things to come.
But what happened in Portland outside the ICE building was evidence of yet another escalation—and a terrifying harbinger of things to come.
Reposted by Amira
The recent, hard-hitting campaign to pressure Target into better behavior, has been exceptionally well-coordinated and inventive.
Yesterday in NYC’s Columbus Circle, on the heels of ~20 similar actions at Targets in Minnesota on Saturday, and leading up to bigger ones to come very soon.
Our core demand is simple:
Target, stop collaborating with ICE
Our core demand is simple:
Target, stop collaborating with ICE
February 2, 2026 at 7:33 PM
The recent, hard-hitting campaign to pressure Target into better behavior, has been exceptionally well-coordinated and inventive.
Reposted by Amira
Minneapolis friends (and everyone else!), there's so much in here to energize and inform us! In particular, the Junauda Petrus poem “Ritual on How to Love Minneapolis Again” is guaranteed to crack your hearts open with beauty.
Prisons, Prose & Protest - #35
Rants, Musings and More
prisonculture.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:31 PM
Minneapolis friends (and everyone else!), there's so much in here to energize and inform us! In particular, the Junauda Petrus poem “Ritual on How to Love Minneapolis Again” is guaranteed to crack your hearts open with beauty.
Reposted by Amira
Remarkable: 55% of noncollege whites and even 50% of rural whites say ICE is too aggressive, per new Fox News poll.
And 71% of independents disapprove of Trump on immigration.
This is digging deep into Trump's base.
We detail these numbers on today's pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
And 71% of independents disapprove of Trump on immigration.
This is digging deep into Trump's base.
We detail these numbers on today's pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Trump Tirade over Protests Goes Off Rails as Crushing Fox Poll Hits
As Trump grows more delusional about how hated his ICE raids have become, a longtime pro-immigrant organizer explains why this may be a watershed moment in terms of public opinion on the issue.
newrepublic.com
February 2, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Remarkable: 55% of noncollege whites and even 50% of rural whites say ICE is too aggressive, per new Fox News poll.
And 71% of independents disapprove of Trump on immigration.
This is digging deep into Trump's base.
We detail these numbers on today's pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
And 71% of independents disapprove of Trump on immigration.
This is digging deep into Trump's base.
We detail these numbers on today's pod:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Reposted by Amira
4 federal agents pull over an elderly US citizen for the suspected crime of being brown, break her car window, throw her to the ground, then drive off after they find her US Passport in her purse. The Salem Police, when called, say there’s nothing they can do. www.salemreporter.com/2026/01/31/u...
U.S. citizen injured by federal agents in Salem who demanded to see “papers,” union says - Salem Reporter
A home care worker and union worker was pulled from her car and injured by federal agents Thursday according to a statement by SEIU 503. To comment on this story, use the form at the end of the repor...
www.salemreporter.com
February 1, 2026 at 2:47 PM
4 federal agents pull over an elderly US citizen for the suspected crime of being brown, break her car window, throw her to the ground, then drive off after they find her US Passport in her purse. The Salem Police, when called, say there’s nothing they can do. www.salemreporter.com/2026/01/31/u...
Reposted by Amira
We know that 4more children from Liam's school are still in ICE custody in TX. But we still do not know how many children from MN in total have been detained by ICE.
JUST IN: The five-year-old Columbia Heights Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, who have been in an ICE detention facility in Texas, are on their way home.
Liam Conejo Ramos and his father have landed back in Minnesota following a judge's order
Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old whose detention by ICE sparked national fervor, returned home to Minnesota with his father, Adrian Conejo Arias, Sunday morning after a judge ordered their release.
www.mprnews.org
February 1, 2026 at 4:19 PM
We know that 4more children from Liam's school are still in ICE custody in TX. But we still do not know how many children from MN in total have been detained by ICE.
Reposted by Amira
Now for the rest of the babies they’ve shoved into that detention center.
BREAKING... and Thank God...
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, father board plane for Minneapolis after detention center release - ABC News abcnews.go.com/amp/US/5-yea...
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, father board plane for Minneapolis after detention center release - ABC News abcnews.go.com/amp/US/5-yea...
5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, father board plane for Minneapolis after detention center release
A federal judge on Saturday ordered that the pair be released.
abcnews.go.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Now for the rest of the babies they’ve shoved into that detention center.
Reposted by Amira
Reminder to Texans that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day to register to vote in the March elections
February 1, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Reminder to Texans that tomorrow (Monday) is the last day to register to vote in the March elections
Reposted by Amira
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
February 1, 2026 at 5:05 AM
JUST IN: Democrats flip a red seat in the Texas Senate.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Taylor Rehmet wins against Leigh Wambsganss, a conservative activist who helped lead right-wing efforts to take over TX school boards.
With all early vote, and 95% of precincts, in, Dem up 57/43.
Trump won this seat by 17% in Tarrant County.
Reposted by Amira
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
February 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
Yesterday, five-year-old Liam and his dad Adrian were released from Dilley detention center. I picked them up last night and escorted them back to Minnesota this morning.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Liam is now home. With his hat and his backpack.
Reposted by Amira
I learn so much from @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social and his interview (newrepublic.com/article/2059...) read with @hammerandhope.bsky.social's great interview with Doran Schrantz are a must
Our Power Is Organized People
Creating a movement across generations, races, and faiths in Minnesota.
hammerandhope.org
January 30, 2026 at 6:19 PM
I learn so much from @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social and his interview (newrepublic.com/article/2059...) read with @hammerandhope.bsky.social's great interview with Doran Schrantz are a must
Reposted by Amira
4/4 out of the shooters of Martinez, Pretti and Good are current or former Border Patrol agents
I think it’s nice ICE is the proxy for immigration enforcement reform, but pretty clear border patrol has become a lawless mess over several more lawless administrations and we need to rebuild that from the ground up even more urgently than ICE
January 30, 2026 at 6:29 PM
4/4 out of the shooters of Martinez, Pretti and Good are current or former Border Patrol agents