I absolutely agree that Congress must claw back the additional funding DHS received from last summer's big ugly bill. No matter what guard rails Congress enacts (and guard rails *are* important), the Trump administration has demonstrated, time and time again, its willingness to ignore the law and do whatever it wants. Without the additional funding, ICE will be unable to expand its paramilitary force and network of detention centers.
They ARE red! Sherrod Brown is magnificent. The rest of the state? Not so much.
One gobsmacking tidbit - we all remember the "dogs and cats" JD, or whatever his name is today, vomiting about in the campaign and how we all were shocked? Remember the town folks all clutched their pearls and defended their neighbors - the Haitians who economically saved that town - and on election day? I am going to put this in all caps because it so sickens me
64% OF THE TOWN VOTED FOR THE BAST*RDS! 64%!
64% The largest Republican vote in that town since Grover Cleveland.
I wouldn't trust those miserable ingrates to tell what day it was, let alone care for the good of this country.
I agree completely. In upcoming negotiations, Democrats MUST advocate, not only for changes in DHS policies and actual activities, but for changes in the concentration camps which are filled with tens of thousands of innocent people who have been denied due process and nearly everything else. Convicted criminals, especially violent ones, should be sent back home - but these represent only a tiny fraction of those who are incarcerated. Their rights under the law should be enforced and many should be released. And, finally, DACA recipients who have followed the rules should receive permanent citizenship immediately. Can we please stop playing around with the futures of these young people?
glad to see the vote yesterday on clawing back funds. guess it was a safe, performative vote.
also thrilled to see nation wide protests against ice in solidarity with minnesota. dont want to be debbie downer, but i think what dems are asking for is all the polite, normal stuff. the regular order for law enforcement. so its a polite ask. the bigger issues are miller, noem, clawing back funds, the mission. so i hope schumer et al put some muscle into their asks. we own this issue. we should push a little harder. we have the momentum. americans saw white people executed in the streets in borad daylight. so it hit close to home. they are rejecting this regime. let's go after the funding too!
In addition to all the things mentioned, there is clearly also something very wrong with ICE recruitment practices and training requirements.
In Norway, to become a police offer, you must complete a specialized three-year educational and training program. As far as I know, that is not the case in the USA – and even less so for ICE and the CBP.
When you hand powerful guns, masks, and a feeling of carte-blanche authority, you are really, really asking for trouble. Especially if you are handing all that – plus virtual impunity – to the likes of Proud Boys, Christian Nationalists and other MAGA Trumpists.
That is why, in addition to all the necessary measures mentioned so far, in the long term ICE’s recruitment threshold and training program must be seriously strengthened and professionalized.
My understanding is that ICE adopted a 47-day training period in honor of the 47th President. Yeah, I had to look that up a few times to make sure I had heard/read it correctly.
So, no, of course, the preparation/training for such a life-death job is inadequate and doesn't even compare to that of a police officer.
But it might be very much aligned with the militia during wartime - and since the govt is addicted to using aggressive wartime/combat vernacular, this all fits together.
police training also requires study and exams for levels of advancement, state law. link here shows entry level requrements in a state with a really great governor - yay, Mikie!! note the automatic disqualifiers!!
Believe you are correct. Which only goes to show you (and ArcticStones) that, at least at present, ever-expanding ICE has nothing to do with law enforcement and public safety.
Also, what exactly is their training during those 47 days? Loyalty to Trump? Do they just sit around and eat because many of them look overweight. I know. Petty observation. Seriously, what is their "training" now? It seems to me they think they can do whatever they want and are proud of their cruelty and inhumanity.
It's also statistically inevitable that ICE officers will find themselves on the other end of tragedy. This will play right into the govt's hands to institute something close to martial law - likely right near the 2026 elections. That's the other big fear.
Most of us fear this as well. Look at how they tried to make Pretti kicking out a tail light into a domestic terrorist but not the January 6th rioters.
if the dems can put in the budget bill that all ice, border patrol etc have mandatory 6 mos training, that will slow this train down. whatever the training for us marshalls is would be sufficient. and the MSM needs to start following the money trail on the billions DHS is spending on transport, detention, warehouse purchases, arms, technology, etc. they are a virtual army now. anything that slows them down. background checks mandatory too.
And now we get yet ANOTHER worsening of the ICE roundups--done in secret and leaked to the NYT. A memo authorizing even low-level ICE agents to arrest, without ANY warrant, any persons they "believe" are undocumented immigrants and "likely to escape." It's the interpretation of that last phrase that has been vastly expanded via this new memo. Open season to arrest and throw into detention ANYONE ICE believes might be here illegally and "likely to flee." No probable cause needed for such "beliefs." Not even a reasonable suspicion standard. It's completely subjective as to what some AR-15 carrying, masked agent "believes" about you. Who cares if you're an American citizen--natural born or naturalized? Who cares if you're an approved refugee with a right to live and work here? Who cares if you have TPS or other protected status (like Dreamers) allowing you to be here and work legally? If you don't look the right way, or talk the right way, or dress the right way, or eat the right food, some WWF wannabe who's all Rambo'd up can pluck you off the street, from your residence, from your job or school and whisk you away to a warehouse. Good God in Heaven!
ice is IRRETRIEVABLY BROKEN!!! ABOLISH ICE as it is and redo it when dems are back in Nov. Make that promise to us-the people-your bosses- and you might get the job. What is happening in those concentration camps-why aren't elected dems in there? Nobody wants to think about it? the torture, the sexual assaults, the murders? ice executed Alex Pretti in broad daylight on the street and where is our justice? they are doubling down on this because it is the only way to stay in power.
Thank you. I am leaving for an Indivisible Ice Out rally. Will read it when I get back. Wish I had a sign but they usually have signs we can borrow. No one else I know is going, but I feel I need to show up. Next time, I want a sign that says Stop the Hate.
Thank you for that update. That little boy has been on my mind since his and his father's detainment. He represents so many other innocent children who've been caught up in this heinous government operation. For me personally, this tugs at my heart, as I have a 5 year old grandson.
They would be good candidates as Norway remembers the invasion of Nazi's in WWII. Steinbeck wrote a memorable novel about that, The Moon is Down. Read it in 60 years ago when I was in high school and it has stayed with me. Never did I believe it could happen here!
Although not discussed in today's Hopium post, I feel the need to make the following observation. The arrests of reporters Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are intended to chill and intimidate journalists across the U.S.
I'm waiting to hear the Democrats take a moral stand against what's happening with so-called immigration enforcement. I don't think this is about immigration. It's about dehumanizing entire groups of people. Donald Trump has been doing this since he ran for president the first time, and even before that, with the racist policies of his real estate projects. The color of one’s skin or one’s accent is now equivalent to the yellow star.
I swear, when I feel petty for laughing at comments like these, I remember she had the audacity to ask for President Obama's birth certificate. Plus, her voice is like chalk on a chalkboard for me.
I don't feel petty making comments like these. She is among the luckiest women in the world - God knows we have no evidence that hard work had anything to do with it (though one could say when you marry Trump, the whole road is hard). That she's stingy of heart, soul, morals, and mind is her business, but as a public figure in a position of some power, she deserves the comments -- and perhaps more. Only time, her immigration history/docs, and more Epstein docs will tell.
I'm including Bernie's clawback request to Senators Durbin and Duckworth this morning. We must reverse the mess the BBB created that led to this unfettered spending. And apply that money to Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidies - the things we really need and want in this country.
Holy moly! This comes from NC Senator Thom Tillis's FB account. My jaw is hanging open!
A sycophant is more than just a "yes-man."
It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. They aren't just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that's a promotion, social status or favor.
Some characteristics: The motive is self-interest. They aren't praising you because they like you; they're doing it because you have something they want. The behavior is over the top fawning, or constant agreement (including when you're wrong).
Common Synonyms: toady, flunky, bootlicker.
Some parallels for movie buffs:
Grima Wormtongue (the Stephen Miller of Lord of the Rings) is an advisor to King Theoden. He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King’s decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman. He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader's standing for his own benefit.
Dolores Umbridge (the Kristi Noem of Harry Potter) is an example of a bureaucratic sycophant. She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those "beneath" her.
I'm not on social media, so I had to look this up, cause you didn't enclose the entire text in quotes -- so I wasn't sure what was his text and what was your editorial.
You have to wonder if he isn't getting cultural references from one of his kids. But he's absolutely right on. (although not just for movie buffs of course)
I absolutely agree that Congress must claw back the additional funding DHS received from last summer's big ugly bill. No matter what guard rails Congress enacts (and guard rails *are* important), the Trump administration has demonstrated, time and time again, its willingness to ignore the law and do whatever it wants. Without the additional funding, ICE will be unable to expand its paramilitary force and network of detention centers.
And now I know why drumpf is sending ice to Springfield. 🤬
Ohio...
Could it be because Donald believes that is where that annoying performer of protest songs, Bruce Springsteen, lives?
/s
Would it be that it were that inane. No, it's because there is a large population of Haitians living there.
Yes, and it's the site of the "eating the cats, eating the dogs" rumor. Vance is from Ohio. They want Ohio to go red in all the elections. Pure evil.
They ARE red! Sherrod Brown is magnificent. The rest of the state? Not so much.
One gobsmacking tidbit - we all remember the "dogs and cats" JD, or whatever his name is today, vomiting about in the campaign and how we all were shocked? Remember the town folks all clutched their pearls and defended their neighbors - the Haitians who economically saved that town - and on election day? I am going to put this in all caps because it so sickens me
64% OF THE TOWN VOTED FOR THE BAST*RDS! 64%!
64% The largest Republican vote in that town since Grover Cleveland.
I wouldn't trust those miserable ingrates to tell what day it was, let alone care for the good of this country.
Bruce lives in New Jersey!
I know, it was a bad joke.
Heather Cox Richardson says we need to call them what they are: concentration camps. They need to be closed!
I’ve started calling them “concentration camps” to my electeds.
I agree completely. In upcoming negotiations, Democrats MUST advocate, not only for changes in DHS policies and actual activities, but for changes in the concentration camps which are filled with tens of thousands of innocent people who have been denied due process and nearly everything else. Convicted criminals, especially violent ones, should be sent back home - but these represent only a tiny fraction of those who are incarcerated. Their rights under the law should be enforced and many should be released. And, finally, DACA recipients who have followed the rules should receive permanent citizenship immediately. Can we please stop playing around with the futures of these young people?
And people are dying in there. It’s atrocity, a crime against humanity, and must be stopped immediately.
glad to see the vote yesterday on clawing back funds. guess it was a safe, performative vote.
also thrilled to see nation wide protests against ice in solidarity with minnesota. dont want to be debbie downer, but i think what dems are asking for is all the polite, normal stuff. the regular order for law enforcement. so its a polite ask. the bigger issues are miller, noem, clawing back funds, the mission. so i hope schumer et al put some muscle into their asks. we own this issue. we should push a little harder. we have the momentum. americans saw white people executed in the streets in borad daylight. so it hit close to home. they are rejecting this regime. let's go after the funding too!
In addition to all the things mentioned, there is clearly also something very wrong with ICE recruitment practices and training requirements.
In Norway, to become a police offer, you must complete a specialized three-year educational and training program. As far as I know, that is not the case in the USA – and even less so for ICE and the CBP.
When you hand powerful guns, masks, and a feeling of carte-blanche authority, you are really, really asking for trouble. Especially if you are handing all that – plus virtual impunity – to the likes of Proud Boys, Christian Nationalists and other MAGA Trumpists.
That is why, in addition to all the necessary measures mentioned so far, in the long term ICE’s recruitment threshold and training program must be seriously strengthened and professionalized.
My understanding is that ICE adopted a 47-day training period in honor of the 47th President. Yeah, I had to look that up a few times to make sure I had heard/read it correctly.
So, no, of course, the preparation/training for such a life-death job is inadequate and doesn't even compare to that of a police officer.
But it might be very much aligned with the militia during wartime - and since the govt is addicted to using aggressive wartime/combat vernacular, this all fits together.
That is shockingly inadequate! Which surely is by intention. Compare ICE’s meager 47-day requirement to these:
– Becoming an American law-enforcement officer (police) generally requires roughly 21 weeks of intense training.
– Becoming a Norwegian law-enforcement officer requires three (3!) years of comprehensive classroom instruction and training.
police training also requires study and exams for levels of advancement, state law. link here shows entry level requrements in a state with a really great governor - yay, Mikie!! note the automatic disqualifiers!!
https://njsp.njoag.gov/recruiting/minimum-qualifications-and-disqualifiers/
I believe I heard that the training used to be six months.
Believe you are correct. Which only goes to show you (and ArcticStones) that, at least at present, ever-expanding ICE has nothing to do with law enforcement and public safety.
It is a militia in wartime.
That's the govt's position.
They are probably not far from dropping in the phrase "the fog of war" to justify another tragedy.
They are already referring to their "rotations" as being "in theatre." Where have we heard that before? Oh yeah, IN THE MILITARY.
Theatre, as in Kabuki (not the art form, but strictly performative in the political sense).
Also, what exactly is their training during those 47 days? Loyalty to Trump? Do they just sit around and eat because many of them look overweight. I know. Petty observation. Seriously, what is their "training" now? It seems to me they think they can do whatever they want and are proud of their cruelty and inhumanity.
It does seem almost inevitable that they're going to kill more people. We must keep up the pressure!
It's also statistically inevitable that ICE officers will find themselves on the other end of tragedy. This will play right into the govt's hands to institute something close to martial law - likely right near the 2026 elections. That's the other big fear.
Most of us fear this as well. Look at how they tried to make Pretti kicking out a tail light into a domestic terrorist but not the January 6th rioters.
if the dems can put in the budget bill that all ice, border patrol etc have mandatory 6 mos training, that will slow this train down. whatever the training for us marshalls is would be sufficient. and the MSM needs to start following the money trail on the billions DHS is spending on transport, detention, warehouse purchases, arms, technology, etc. they are a virtual army now. anything that slows them down. background checks mandatory too.
Unfortunately, I believe the MSM is a huge part of the problem. They are practically state run with their both sides and sane-washing.
and 50k signing bonuses, bonuses for reaching the target headcount!
Daily dose of hope and light during times of darkness.
Please join us and subscribe at the link!
https://www.dailyhaikuforyou2026.net
And now we get yet ANOTHER worsening of the ICE roundups--done in secret and leaked to the NYT. A memo authorizing even low-level ICE agents to arrest, without ANY warrant, any persons they "believe" are undocumented immigrants and "likely to escape." It's the interpretation of that last phrase that has been vastly expanded via this new memo. Open season to arrest and throw into detention ANYONE ICE believes might be here illegally and "likely to flee." No probable cause needed for such "beliefs." Not even a reasonable suspicion standard. It's completely subjective as to what some AR-15 carrying, masked agent "believes" about you. Who cares if you're an American citizen--natural born or naturalized? Who cares if you're an approved refugee with a right to live and work here? Who cares if you have TPS or other protected status (like Dreamers) allowing you to be here and work legally? If you don't look the right way, or talk the right way, or dress the right way, or eat the right food, some WWF wannabe who's all Rambo'd up can pluck you off the street, from your residence, from your job or school and whisk you away to a warehouse. Good God in Heaven!
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/us/politics/ice-expands-power-agents-warrants.html?unlocked_article_code=1.IlA.VbMr.5CfWd_9rCQfr&smid=url-share (gift link--hope it works!)
ice is IRRETRIEVABLY BROKEN!!! ABOLISH ICE as it is and redo it when dems are back in Nov. Make that promise to us-the people-your bosses- and you might get the job. What is happening in those concentration camps-why aren't elected dems in there? Nobody wants to think about it? the torture, the sexual assaults, the murders? ice executed Alex Pretti in broad daylight on the street and where is our justice? they are doubling down on this because it is the only way to stay in power.
A San Antonio judge has just ordered the release of the 5 year old boy and his dad from the Dilley detention center no later than Tuesday.
I hope someone will make sure he gets home because the government will just drop them in Texas.
The child has been depressed and possibly ill.
Liam? Dear God, I cry for that kid.
His little face haunts me. I know there are many others just like him, but he is the face of all those innocent children taken from their homes.
Yes, Liam Conejo Ramos and his father, Adrián Alexander Conejo Arias, will be released on order of federal Judge Fred Biery while their asylum case is proceeding. His mother, Erika Ramos, is very concerned about their son's deterorating health. https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/judge-5-year-old-migrant-released-texas-ice-21320852.php
Here's an interview of Rep. Joaquin Castro with PBS about the conditions at Dilley detention center. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-rep-castro-recounts-visit-with-liam-ramos-5-year-old-detained-by-ice
Thank goodness.
Unfortunately, I could not read the first link article. Says you have to be a subscriber. But thank you. Good news.
NEW LINKS https://www.sacurrent.com/news/texas-news/federal-judge-orders-release-of-liam-ramos/
and gift article from NYT with link to the Judge's order https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/us/politics/liam-ramos-ice-release.html?unlocked_article_code=1.I1A.8NFm.mzC_AtqQOktC&smid=url-share
Thank you. I am leaving for an Indivisible Ice Out rally. Will read it when I get back. Wish I had a sign but they usually have signs we can borrow. No one else I know is going, but I feel I need to show up. Next time, I want a sign that says Stop the Hate.
Thank you. We had one on Wednesday and it was a good turnout. There were even some Republicans there to protest ICE and Trump.
Thank you for that update. That little boy has been on my mind since his and his father's detainment. He represents so many other innocent children who've been caught up in this heinous government operation. For me personally, this tugs at my heart, as I have a 5 year old grandson.
It is heartbreaking.
Perhaps a charitable organization will step in and get him home.
I stand with The Nation who has nominated the people of Minneapolis for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Awarding them the Nobel would be great! That would REALLY annoy the Felon-in-Chief!
They would be good candidates as Norway remembers the invasion of Nazi's in WWII. Steinbeck wrote a memorable novel about that, The Moon is Down. Read it in 60 years ago when I was in high school and it has stayed with me. Never did I believe it could happen here!
Although not discussed in today's Hopium post, I feel the need to make the following observation. The arrests of reporters Don Lemon and Georgia Fort are intended to chill and intimidate journalists across the U.S.
This is a report back.
Called my representative and left a message saying: ”please push to defund ICE by opposing any appropriations bill that maintains ICE funding.
Further, please support a standalone DHS funding bill so that funding for other government agencies is not held hostage during negotiations. And
there is one important piece missing from the emerging Congressional proposals, and that’s clarification of ICE’s mission and targets. “
Have finished bunch of postcards to voters in Georgia to be mailed out this week.
Have joined a weekly stand out that captures the attention of the hundreds of commuters going home in the afternoon.
I'm waiting to hear the Democrats take a moral stand against what's happening with so-called immigration enforcement. I don't think this is about immigration. It's about dehumanizing entire groups of people. Donald Trump has been doing this since he ran for president the first time, and even before that, with the racist policies of his real estate projects. The color of one’s skin or one’s accent is now equivalent to the yellow star.
And PS: I wish Melania, the First Lady, an Einstein Visa recipient, and now in the US for decades, could speak English.
I swear, when I feel petty for laughing at comments like these, I remember she had the audacity to ask for President Obama's birth certificate. Plus, her voice is like chalk on a chalkboard for me.
I don't feel petty making comments like these. She is among the luckiest women in the world - God knows we have no evidence that hard work had anything to do with it (though one could say when you marry Trump, the whole road is hard). That she's stingy of heart, soul, morals, and mind is her business, but as a public figure in a position of some power, she deserves the comments -- and perhaps more. Only time, her immigration history/docs, and more Epstein docs will tell.
I think her modeling days were shady to say the least. She is a horrible person.
She is indeed a horrible person. She wore the infamous ”I really don’t care
Do you” jacket to visit an immigrant child detention center in Texas in 2018. https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/ace/ws/800/cpsprodpb/1272D/production/_103856557_mediaitem103856553.jpg.webp
As always, Simon, thank you for helping us understand and guiding us through another week.
Here's my daily dose of hope and light during these challenging times.
Please subscribe at the link!
https://www.dailyhaikuforyou2026.net
I'm including Bernie's clawback request to Senators Durbin and Duckworth this morning. We must reverse the mess the BBB created that led to this unfettered spending. And apply that money to Medicaid, SNAP, ACA subsidies - the things we really need and want in this country.
Holy moly! This comes from NC Senator Thom Tillis's FB account. My jaw is hanging open!
A sycophant is more than just a "yes-man."
It refers to someone who acts excessively servile toward someone important in order to gain an advantage. They aren't just being nice, they are using excessive flattery, often insincerely, to get what they want, whether that's a promotion, social status or favor.
Some characteristics: The motive is self-interest. They aren't praising you because they like you; they're doing it because you have something they want. The behavior is over the top fawning, or constant agreement (including when you're wrong).
Common Synonyms: toady, flunky, bootlicker.
Some parallels for movie buffs:
Grima Wormtongue (the Stephen Miller of Lord of the Rings) is an advisor to King Theoden. He uses whispers and false flattery to control the King’s decisions, all while secretly serving Saruman. He is a classic example of a sycophant who uses his position to poison a leader's standing for his own benefit.
Dolores Umbridge (the Kristi Noem of Harry Potter) is an example of a bureaucratic sycophant. She is terrifyingly sweet while she is around those she considers her superiors and she sucks up to authority to gain the power she needs to bully those "beneath" her.
I'm not on social media, so I had to look this up, cause you didn't enclose the entire text in quotes -- so I wasn't sure what was his text and what was your editorial.
Wow!
For others, everything in my post is his except for the first sentence about me being gobsmacked. Unbelievable! And yet true.
You have to wonder if he isn't getting cultural references from one of his kids. But he's absolutely right on. (although not just for movie buffs of course)
The connection he leaves unsaid is that Trump is Sauron/Voldemort!
I bet this post made Lindsay Graham feel singled out, lol!