The headline really sanitizes what they did to this guy. Getting stripped naked, inadequate food, sleep deprivation sounds more like war on terror ear rendition than "interrogation."
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People conveniently forget that Joe Biden cosponsored the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995 and was one of the biggest advocates for expanding government powers during the post 9/11 and PATRIOT Act debates.
The headlines nearly always do a disservice to the reporting, which in this case states “violently interrogated”.
I attribute the concerted whitewashing in the visible headlines to newspapers’ editors and publishers.
Protocols exist and are being ignored, flagrantly. I think they’re trying to make examples of people with these early actions. Human rights violation and theater.
They’ve been treating Brown & Black people like this for many years, regardless of the president’s political party. Las hieleras were started under Obama. Family separation too. It’s getting attention now bc the abuse of *white* people is new.
Not all the recent victims are white. One of the higher profile deportations this week was a Thai-born immigrant deported to Laos. But your point is valid.
Yes & her case likely wouldn’t have made the news were it not for these white people. It’s like when a commercial jet crashes and suddenly the news picks up single engine crashes for a week. Those small planes crash all the time but aren’t “newsworthy.” Crass metaphor, but it’s how news works.
They’re testing the fence to see what the public will tolerate. They tolerated separating infants from parents at the border some to never be reunited.
Such conduct will destroy the tourist industry, which “seems” intentional.
Where are they getting people to do this? What a moral failure.
It's not because of a little pot. It's that these wannabe brownshirts feel empowered to commit these acts with no retribution, and they are reveling in it.
just horrific treatment and surely this is infringement of several constitutional protections ? does Law matter now ? However, my guess is that they are using AI to see if he ever posted anything anti trump etc on social media ? but this is plain terror as simple as that, I can't believe how quiet
This isn't appeasement. I have been screaming about bp since early war in terror. There is nothing different about being detained by border patrol in tx vs ma. Bp does not need the state to agree to anything, they have absolute jurisdiction over anyone they decide to detain.
Legal help has to go through the same channels regardless what state the person was originally detained in. There is no blue state advantage or protection from border patrol.
Border patrol, ICE, DHS, airport scanners, no fly lists, Guantanamo, for profit prisons… the list of things I’ve been screaming about since 2001 feels endless.
It leads me to wonder (I hope incurrectly) that, like the removal of ius soli birthright citizenship, they want to remove constitutional rights & protections from aliens, even legally resident ones. I hope I'm wrong, but lit looks like a direction of travel.
they made hot clear want to remove birthright and making it clear with the guy from Columbia, legality is nothing ... I think they will try a 'natural born US' citizen soon
Even if his past minor convictions may warrant deportation, there is still a lawful process and clearly it was ignored. This is not how should be treating people.
I don't think a 10 year old DUI or a possession charge that got dismissed warrants deportation of a PRA. Maybe missing the hearing but that was 3 years ago. There's something more political to this I'd bet. Maybe he was critical of Trump or he's gay or something.
Terrorism. He’s vulnerable to a legalistic detention, on a legalistic pretext, and they need more than just brownskinned people to be detained and incarcerated lest a judge say “you’re only targeting non whites”.
I just think they're looking for excuses to get rid of anyone they can that doesn't 100% support Trump. Right now it's non-citizens but I think we can already see they'll eventually go after citizens.
Partner does not automatically mean someone is homosexual. Using it is ambiguous at best. I just think it should be clearer. But also that Germans use “partner” regardless of orientation or marital status.
Anyone involved in treating this man this way should be out of a job by yesterday, but this admin would rather pardon rapists and violent terrorists than do justice.
An Australian on a connecting flight to Canada was detained and questioned a while back about traveling to get an abortion, in the transfer area of a California airport, so yes, absolutely not.
How long bf this regime starts to target American citizens for detention if the regime doesn’t like what they say or whom they support? They can’t deport us to a country of origin. Is the plan to house citizens in camps or send us to a country like Venezuela? Curious 👀
“U.S. federal agents tortured a green card holder from Germany to the point of hospitalization because he had a DUI and small pot charge over 10 years ago.”
Uggh. Possession of marijuana is a federal offense regardless of state law. Be careful folks.(“Schmidt had a misdemeanor charge for having marijuana in his car in 2015, which his mother said was dismissed after laws changed in California around marijuana possession.”)
@shaheen.senate.gov and Hassan — just your vote making more and more sense. You are seditious co-conspirators as proven by your recent vote, and here is just more proof. May you know every ounce of this poor man’s experience as your own.
US folk really need to look into their country's behaviour abroad in the last 100 years. (And I write as the citizen of the country which laid the foundation for all these horrors)
I was just talking to my boss about US involvement in Jamaica in the late 70s to prevent the re-election of a socialist PM and she knew nothing about it. This is a highly educated Harvard grad we’re talking about, but I wasn’t surprised.
So much of our countries' pasts pass us by. Lots of UK folk are really resistant to the idea that we became a wealthy country through exploitation, and that these benefits persist.
One of the cornerstones of fascism is taking horrific governmental behaviors conducted abroad and turning those behaviors inward against the country’s citizenry. None of this stuff is truly new for the US govt.
But that is the term his mother used. She also described in detail what happened to her son. It’s not as though she made that statement and it wasn’t included in the article. I detest stories normalizing bad behavior but I think it’s a reach here.
Meets all international definitions of torture for detainees. There’s contact information on my timeline for both the German ambassador and the IRC. Folks should call and lodge formal complaint.
Absolutely agree. In fact, withholding medication already in possession pretty much amounts to a full human rights violation breaking even the treaties on how prisoners of WAR can be treated.
Of course, any remembering the POW treatments of the Gulf War know the US can do that without Trump.
This was torture. Out and out torture for no damn good reason. One would argue there’s no reason for torture, ever, but that’s beside the point here. He committed no crime. Americans have gotten far too comfortable with authorities doling out abuse prior to people in custody.
Yeah they tortured him. It isn't like there's a case here that requires information they were trying to extract either, so the purpose was that they wanted to punish him.
When we use the word “punish” (we also see this with “revenge”) there is an assumption that the harm is in response to something the victim actually did and that it was actually wrong, but often that isn’t the case. By not calling it punishment, we avoid inadvertent victim blaming or justifying harm
That’s why “the cruelty is the point” is such a useful phrase. It’s not about whether the torturers can scrape up some kind of excuse; it’s about what they did.
In defense of the word "punish", it also can refer to the motivation. If these action are intended to target individuals for the actions of their birth country or the actions of the previous administration. As in collective punishment which I think we all understand to be wrong.
Nothing “needs” to be said in a certain way. Nobody is demanding anything or punishing (ha!) anyone for imperfect word choice here.
But precision and clarity in language ARE important especially since propaganda (including careful and strategic word choices) is the primary weapon of these times.
Reports like this have been coming out of ICE detention for a decade at least. They aren't accountable in the way other agencies are. Given the irregularity of some arrests, we shouldn't be shocked if citizens start getting the same treatment.
I'm sure it's all because EU nations and Canada are embarrassing the US dictators on the world stage. So they're taking it out on innocent people from those countries, as a means to punish those countries for daring to embarrass the kings of the US.
If you know any permanent residents, encourage them to apply for citizenship as soon as they are able and not delay. Germany allows dual citizenship, so he would not give it up if he naturalized as a US citizen.
I'm a dual US/Canadian, both at birth. I do not think my US Certificate of Citizenship at birth will be regarded with anything except suspicion. Permanent residency is evidence of legal residency in the US and it's being ignored.
Wasn’t it reported that his green card was renewed last year? Or did I get that wrong? Why he would he have a mandatory immigration hearing when he already has a green card? If anyone knows…. Thanks.
I volunteered for a woman who lived in Sanctuary at my church under the first Trump administration. This is exactly what happened to her. No notification of a supposed court appearance.
It won't take long before the European Union puts the US on the 'do not travel' list, on at least a Level 2 which recommends increased caution over some "heightened risks to safety and security." 2 German + 1 British tourists being held by ICE and now a German green card holder and there are more..
I've read about water deprivation from ICE, in the past, with other people who've been interrogated. We keep hearing stories of abuse at the hands of ICE. Not seeing this being fixed.
Only the worst people will come here after stories of this treatment, those who are willing to pay a bribe to Trump for a gold card, and that must be the point?
Comments
https://www.reddit.com/r/50501/comments/1jbloxw/witness_the_disappearing_of_mahmoud_khalil_video/
Nobody should willingly come here, it's not safe.
I attribute the concerted whitewashing in the visible headlines to newspapers’ editors and publishers.
Protocols exist and are being ignored, flagrantly. I think they’re trying to make examples of people with these early actions. Human rights violation and theater.
https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/hieleras-iceboxes-rio-grande-valley-sector
Drag someone in, put them through hell, keep incommunicado, then disappear them.
Such conduct will destroy the tourist industry, which “seems” intentional.
Where are they getting people to do this? What a moral failure.
It will get worse.
The purpose is to send a message
It is now unsafe to travel into and out of the United States of America. It is akin to visiting Russia. You may be taken and held without limit.
did anyone
or are you all just social media whiners who do nothing ?
really think it is time for liberals to stop giving money to NPR
or at least my station, #WBUR
they constantly run these vile both sides top of the hour news summary stories
https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2025/03/14/brown-medicine-doctor-told-shes-being-deported-after-trip-to-lebanon/82418182007/
@govmaurahealey.bsky.social
@aclum.bsky.social
#VisualizeAlliedBombers
Now this? One has to be crazy to go to the US.
https://www.abebooks.co.uk/9780805078619/Overthrow-Americas-Century-Regime-Change-0805078614/plp
https://bsky.app/profile/soapachu.bsky.social/post/3lalfuspp232g
https://bsky.app/profile/victorerikray.bsky.social/post/3lkfxrxvbec25
Contact the German Embassy Washington DC
Telephone
Ambassador Andreas Michaelis
+1 (202) 298-4000
To contact the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the United States, you can call (+1) 202-361-1566
Please flood them with calls to report this illegal treatment
Of course, any remembering the POW treatments of the Gulf War know the US can do that without Trump.
Good.
But precision and clarity in language ARE important especially since propaganda (including careful and strategic word choices) is the primary weapon of these times.
This is literally how authoritarians behave.
@shaheen.senate.gov
Glad you voted for ICE $$
Could also be worse w Noem tho