Letters from an American
Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics.
Heather Cox Richardson's narrated newsletter about the history behind today's politics.Listen on
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Garamond
1. MS 13 was founded in Los Angeles. However Kilmar Abrego Garcia has not committed any crimes nor is a member of the group.
2. We are "renting" prison space from El Salvador and, thus, their Customer.
3. Kilmar Abrego Garcia could be home this afternoon.
4. Trump and all complicit officials should be charged with kidnapping and torture.
It appears Trump has pretextual reasons for refusing to comply with the court orders in question. We (#ThePeople) MUST make Trump back down well before he dares to the unlawful rendition of American citizens with whom Trump has fear because said citizens refuse to be SILENCED.
US Constitution 13th Amendment:
Section 1. Neither slavery, nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Slavery was in the capture and removal. The jurisdiction now is the contract with El Slaveadoor?
This new US gov't celebrates it's lawlessness and cruelty. I am sick and will create opportunities to fight for our constitutional rights.
American's are next if they get away with this.
This country, lead by trump and his thugs is scaring me (and I’m a female, retired teacher never changed with any kind of a crime) as evidently I could be deported and thrown in a jail here or in a foreign country. Why are we standing by and letting this happen. 😢👎
Treason to write a book but not to attack congress. Honestly! We must get this man back
And today, the president of El Salvador says he is not able to return him. I wonder what $$$ would say? House? Senate? Justice Dept? What say ye? We the People? If he is not returned, and very, very soon, Give It Up. What about an exchange? Any Trumpeteer want to take his place?
#WeThePeople must REFUSE to be SILENCED.
So what does it take kiddies, One extraordinary rendition or one million? Time to effect change in D.C.
We must insist that Trump be IMPEACHED and this time CONVICTED and removed from office.
Today, in a jaw-dropping press conference with Bukele, Trump confirmed that Abrego Garcia would have to stay in prison in El Salvador and that his confinement there was outside the jurisdiction of the United States. His creatures, Bondi and Miller went further by citing the decisions of two immigration judges that refused his bond application on the basis that the meagre evidence presented of his gang membership was sufficient or not obviously wrong. Miller even suggested that the administration's deportation order superseded the later decision of another immigration judge to grant him "withholding of removal" status that would block his deportation to El Salvador due to the threat that gangs would pose to him, finding that "he was more likely than not to be harmed if he was returned to El Salvador." To top it off, Bondi claimed that all the SCOTUSruling meant by requiring the 'facilitation' of Garcia's release was to provide a plane to bring him back, nothing more. Miller even claimed that the SCOTUS decision was 9-0 in favour of the administration, a whopper of a lie because the only thing all the justices agreed on was that habeas corpus was available and Garcia was denied any due process. Bukele, for his part, also claimed to be powerless. He said: "Are you suggesting I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? How can I return him to the United States, like I smuggle him into the United States? Of course, I'm not going to do it." CNN later reported that El Salvadoran officials had told them they had independent evidence of his gang membership but declined to show it to reporters. This whole thing is a disgraceful stitch-up between two blatantly corrupt leaders played out in front of the whole world with breathtaking audacity.
Madness, total MADNESS
Mendacity, perversity, impunity, insolence -it was all there in that meeting. All praise to CNN's Kaitlan Collins who had to quietly bear the rudeness of Trump and the execrable Miller.
The rule of our law has no power over the dictates of one man, a man bound by oath & office to uphold our law? What then is there to hold anyone to our laws?
Be sure to watch HCR & Rep. Jasmine Crockett tonight about Project 2025! Redwine.blue @7p.m. ET!
Bring Abrego Garcia back!!!!!!! Now.
Enough is enough. Craziness runs amok, got that?
After the choice by the Trump administration to ignore the Supreme Court, it is very questionable as to what leverage remains at the disposal of those in opposition.
If one of us is illegally oppressed all of us are oppressed. If we don’t rally and shout and stand up to this, we have handed the Felon his dictatorship. We cannot be silent now and we do have leverage: this is tax season. We can withhold taxes simply by getting deferments for payments. We can March-and petition and sue and sue again. We can organize and reorganize what we organized. We should not take this quietly and when you talk to your MOCS daily, don’t be nice—they have broken their Oath of Office and they know it but hope you don’t. Tell them exactly what you think without fear or cussing. Stand! We ARE America and we DO have Power.
BRING HIM HOME alive safe and well. Kilmore Abrego Garcia we will fight for your safe return.
Another great episode with HCR.
We should disband the supreme court and give the money to Abrigo Garcias family.....
Unfortunately, this time, the court made the right decision. It is the lawless administrations that are forcing this constitutional crisis. We should strap in for a wild ride. Our founding fathers may not have anticipated a chief executive who thumbs its nose at the rule of law. This would have been unheard of during the Age of Enlightenment.
but this is a kangaroo court and their decisions are useless because they have no way to enforce their decisions.... something is terribly wrong what the administration can do whatever the f---- they want....
I keep thinking of Benedict Arnold. Sure fit the part of a loyal to the cause dude- right up until someone figured out his whole story. Wouldn't surprise me about T.
No rules Trump, rules, change is required.
I'm reminded of the quote from the great American patriot, Mao Ze Dong:
"Political power extends from the barrel of a gun."
Well, anyway, at least Harvard isn't bowing down. Yet.
That gestapo-style approach used by the bullies who grabbed Mr. Abrego Garcia demonstrates that they should be call LICE.
We need to impeach Trump and send him to El Salvador for his crimes.
In this discombobulated, upside down, stressed out scene, the most encouraging read I have had in a long time is Michael Lewis newest book, Who is Government.
Bring Abrigo Garcia home...
IMPEACH AND ARREST DJT and his administrative staff for treason and crimes against the American people.
We need some sanity back in our beautiful USA !!
This is truly insane. How do they get away with saying that the Venezuelan prisoners are now ‘citizens’ of El Salvador???
the government( by that i mean the president) of el salvador can return any prisoner he chooses to the usa. so what ever he wants, trump can give him
Powerful and well said as always
All clear and important !
Someone help me understand, having admitted that they took Garcia in error, what’s in it for Trump not to bring him back. Particularly in light of the SCOTUS unanimous ruling?
Makes me wonder if they are killing people in El Salvadore and they don't want him to come home and tell everyone what he saw.
I believe he is already dead and so are many others who were sent there. I have no way of knowing for sure but it would fit the scenario we are getting.
Or if Garcia is dead? No one living in the US should be sent to El Salvador - it’s a world gone mad!
"And then they came for me" 1942