update - Judge Xinis slams / sanctions Trump admin for intentional evasion in Abrego Garcia case
- Thread starter mandrill
- Start date
It's possible.Give it time. You might develop a soft spot for Justice Coney Barrett.
She's been more consistent than Gorsuch.
So far it seems as if as long as it isn't about gender roles, she is less driven to focus on getting an ideological result regardless of the law.
A key White House official is insulting Chief Justice of the United States John G. Roberts, Jr., and the nation's top jurist should know, a legal expert said on Saturday.
It all started with the Supreme Court over the weekend temporarily halted the Trump administration's deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.
That led one MAGA influencer to write on X, "As usual, Alito and Thomas are the only two Justices you can count on to uphold the integrity of our republic. Replacing them is going to be one of the most important issues of our time."
Paul Ingrassia, President Trump’s White House Liaison for Department of Homeland Security, followed that up with his own reply:
"Generations of lawyers and judges, on both sides of the aisle, have been infected with a parasitical ideology that denies reason and common sense, causing irreparable damage to our judicial system. This is why a putatively 'conservative' Supreme Court so often fails to uphold the most basic principles of constitutional governance," he wrote. The Trump admin official concluded with, "The judges in law courts today, including the majority in the nation’s Highest Court, telegraph with these decisions that they have no understanding of law and its proper function and role. President Trump is the first leader who has actually meaningfully attempted to reverse this destructive trajectory, and done so with the gravitas of executive power that will be sure to have a lasting impact for years to come."
Lawfare's Anna Bower, who recently commented on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denying the Trump administration's request over a judge's definition of "facilitate," then alerted Roberts himself.
"Hey, John Roberts?" Bower wrote. "The White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security is saying that you have 'no understanding of law and its proper function and role.'"
'Hey, John Roberts?' Chief Justice alerted as White House liaison insults his intelligence
It all started with the Supreme Court over the weekend temporarily halted the Trump administration's deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members under an 18th-century law.
That led one MAGA influencer to write on X, "As usual, Alito and Thomas are the only two Justices you can count on to uphold the integrity of our republic. Replacing them is going to be one of the most important issues of our time."
Paul Ingrassia, President Trump’s White House Liaison for Department of Homeland Security, followed that up with his own reply:
"Generations of lawyers and judges, on both sides of the aisle, have been infected with a parasitical ideology that denies reason and common sense, causing irreparable damage to our judicial system. This is why a putatively 'conservative' Supreme Court so often fails to uphold the most basic principles of constitutional governance," he wrote. The Trump admin official concluded with, "The judges in law courts today, including the majority in the nation’s Highest Court, telegraph with these decisions that they have no understanding of law and its proper function and role. President Trump is the first leader who has actually meaningfully attempted to reverse this destructive trajectory, and done so with the gravitas of executive power that will be sure to have a lasting impact for years to come."
Lawfare's Anna Bower, who recently commented on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals denying the Trump administration's request over a judge's definition of "facilitate," then alerted Roberts himself.
"Hey, John Roberts?" Bower wrote. "The White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security is saying that you have 'no understanding of law and its proper function and role.'"
'Hey, John Roberts?' Chief Justice alerted as White House liaison insults his intelligence
Trump' $6 Million CECOT Prison Funding: A Blatant Violation of the Leahy Law and Human Rights
The Trump administration’s decision to funnel $6 million of American taxpayer money to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison is a grotesque, undeniable violation of the Leahy Law—a bedrock of U.S. human rights policy designed to keep our funds from bankrolling torturers and abusers. This isn’t a gray area; it’s a screaming red line crossed with reckless abandon. The evidence is overwhelming, the consequences are dire, and the American people deserve to know exactly why Trump and his cronies are guilty as hell of breaking this law. Let’s tear this apart piece by damning piece.
The Leahy Law: No Money for Monsters
The Leahy Law, enacted in 1997, is crystal clear: the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense are prohibited from providing assistance to foreign security forces credibly implicated in gross human rights violations—think torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, or rape [1][6]. If there’s even a whiff of such abuses, funding is off the table unless the foreign government is actively prosecuting the perpetrators [2][9]. This isn’t optional; it’s a legal mandate to ensure American dollars don’t prop up brutality. Trump’s team didn’t just ignore this—they obliterated it.
The Smoking Gun: CECOT’s Human Rights Atrocities
El Salvador’s CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo) isn’t just a prison; it’s a human rights nightmare. The U.S. State Department’s own 2023 Human Rights Report lays bare the horrors: systemic abuse, torture, beatings, electric shocks, and over 300 deaths in custody over three years [3][4]. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented overcrowding so severe that inmates get less than 6.5 square feet of space—below international standards—and face torture, incommunicado detention, and zero due process [3][10]. Prisoners are locked in windowless cells for 23.5 hours a day, denied mattresses, family visits, or legal counsel [4][15]. This is a “concrete and steel pit” designed to “dispose of people,” as a former UN torture expert put it [16][18].
And yet, Trump’s administration handed over $6 million to keep 261 deported migrants—mostly Venezuelans accused of gang ties without evidence—locked in this hellhole [3][13]. These men, many with no criminal records, were shipped to CECOT under the dubious authority of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, stripped of hearings or lawyers, and left to rot in conditions that scream “gross human rights violations” [3][10][13]. Tim Rieser, the Leahy Law’s primary author, didn’t mince words: sending uncharged migrants to CECOT, where they’re denied all rights and subjected to “cruel and shockingly degrading conditions,” is a blatant violation [3][17]. Charles Blaha, who oversaw Leahy vetting at the State Department, agrees, calling the payment a legal and moral failure [3].
No Vetting, No Transparency, No Excuse
The Leahy Law demands rigorous vetting of foreign security units before a single dollar is sent [2][11]. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, which likely coughed up the $6 million, is subject to this requirement [3][17]. But there’s zero evidence that Salvadoran prison units at CECOT were vetted for human rights abuses [3][4]. The last public list of rejected units is from 2022—before CECOT even existed—leaving a gaping hole in accountability [3][17]. Experts say El Salvador’s abysmal prison record and CECOT’s documented abuses mean it should be blacklisted, no question [3].
Worse, the Trump administration has stonewalled Congress and the public. No human rights groups have been allowed inside CECOT to verify conditions [3]. When Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks and Joaquin Castro demanded answers about the payment’s legality and vetting process, they got silence [4][7]. Posts on X from journalists and activists echo this outrage, noting the administration’s refusal to disclose even basic details, with some invoking “state secrets” to dodge questions [13][25]. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a deliberate cover-up to shield a policy that’s rotten to its core.
Trump’s Team: Guilty as Charged
Let’s name names. President Donald Trump personally championed this deal, posting propaganda videos on Truth Social showing deportees shackled and shaved at CECOT, calling them “monsters” to justify their fate [18]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio brokered the agreement with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, praising CECOT’s “very good jails” and boasting about the “fair price” of $6 million [18][21]. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured CECOT, filming a chilling warning to migrants: “This is one of the consequences you could face” [15]. These aren’t bureaucrats gone rogue; this is Trump’s inner circle orchestrating a policy that flouts U.S. law.
The evidence is ironclad:
Consequences: A Stain on America’s Soul
The fallout from this violation is staggering. First, the human cost: 261 men, including asylum seekers like Andry Hernandez Romero—a gay Venezuelan with no criminal record—are trapped in CECOT’s brutal conditions, facing potential torture or death [13][18]. Families are left in agony, unable to contact loved ones or challenge their detention [11][14]. The U.S. is complicit in these abuses, violating not just the Leahy Law but the international principle of non-refoulement, which forbids sending people to places where they face serious harm [10][18].
Second, the legal and diplomatic damage: by funding CECOT, the U.S. undermines its global credibility as a human rights defender. Allies like Canada and the EU, already critical of Bukele’s authoritarianism, see this as America endorsing a “human rights crisis” [14][16]. Congress could respond with sanctions or budget cuts to the State Department, while lawsuits—like one led by the ACLU—may expose further illegalities [13][18]. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has already flagged CECOT’s overcrowding and torture, putting pressure on the U.S. to answer for its role [5][20].
Third, the American people are screwed over. That $6 million came from your taxes, funneled to a prison that violates U.S. law and fuels suffering [3][25]. This isn’t about border security; it’s about Trump’s team using your money to outsource cruelty, bypassing courts and Congress to do it. If unchecked, this sets a precedent for more secret deals with authoritarian regimes, eroding democratic accountability.
Who’s Affected? Everyone.
The Trump administration’s decision to funnel $6 million of American taxpayer money to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison is a grotesque, undeniable violation of the Leahy Law—a bedrock of U.S. human rights policy designed to keep our funds from bankrolling torturers and abusers. This isn’t a gray area; it’s a screaming red line crossed with reckless abandon. The evidence is overwhelming, the consequences are dire, and the American people deserve to know exactly why Trump and his cronies are guilty as hell of breaking this law. Let’s tear this apart piece by damning piece.
The Leahy Law: No Money for Monsters
The Leahy Law, enacted in 1997, is crystal clear: the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense are prohibited from providing assistance to foreign security forces credibly implicated in gross human rights violations—think torture, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, or rape [1][6]. If there’s even a whiff of such abuses, funding is off the table unless the foreign government is actively prosecuting the perpetrators [2][9]. This isn’t optional; it’s a legal mandate to ensure American dollars don’t prop up brutality. Trump’s team didn’t just ignore this—they obliterated it.
The Smoking Gun: CECOT’s Human Rights Atrocities
El Salvador’s CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo) isn’t just a prison; it’s a human rights nightmare. The U.S. State Department’s own 2023 Human Rights Report lays bare the horrors: systemic abuse, torture, beatings, electric shocks, and over 300 deaths in custody over three years [3][4]. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented overcrowding so severe that inmates get less than 6.5 square feet of space—below international standards—and face torture, incommunicado detention, and zero due process [3][10]. Prisoners are locked in windowless cells for 23.5 hours a day, denied mattresses, family visits, or legal counsel [4][15]. This is a “concrete and steel pit” designed to “dispose of people,” as a former UN torture expert put it [16][18].
And yet, Trump’s administration handed over $6 million to keep 261 deported migrants—mostly Venezuelans accused of gang ties without evidence—locked in this hellhole [3][13]. These men, many with no criminal records, were shipped to CECOT under the dubious authority of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, stripped of hearings or lawyers, and left to rot in conditions that scream “gross human rights violations” [3][10][13]. Tim Rieser, the Leahy Law’s primary author, didn’t mince words: sending uncharged migrants to CECOT, where they’re denied all rights and subjected to “cruel and shockingly degrading conditions,” is a blatant violation [3][17]. Charles Blaha, who oversaw Leahy vetting at the State Department, agrees, calling the payment a legal and moral failure [3].
No Vetting, No Transparency, No Excuse
The Leahy Law demands rigorous vetting of foreign security units before a single dollar is sent [2][11]. The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, which likely coughed up the $6 million, is subject to this requirement [3][17]. But there’s zero evidence that Salvadoran prison units at CECOT were vetted for human rights abuses [3][4]. The last public list of rejected units is from 2022—before CECOT even existed—leaving a gaping hole in accountability [3][17]. Experts say El Salvador’s abysmal prison record and CECOT’s documented abuses mean it should be blacklisted, no question [3].
Worse, the Trump administration has stonewalled Congress and the public. No human rights groups have been allowed inside CECOT to verify conditions [3]. When Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks and Joaquin Castro demanded answers about the payment’s legality and vetting process, they got silence [4][7]. Posts on X from journalists and activists echo this outrage, noting the administration’s refusal to disclose even basic details, with some invoking “state secrets” to dodge questions [13][25]. This isn’t just negligence; it’s a deliberate cover-up to shield a policy that’s rotten to its core.
Trump’s Team: Guilty as Charged
Let’s name names. President Donald Trump personally championed this deal, posting propaganda videos on Truth Social showing deportees shackled and shaved at CECOT, calling them “monsters” to justify their fate [18]. Secretary of State Marco Rubio brokered the agreement with El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele, praising CECOT’s “very good jails” and boasting about the “fair price” of $6 million [18][21]. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured CECOT, filming a chilling warning to migrants: “This is one of the consequences you could face” [15]. These aren’t bureaucrats gone rogue; this is Trump’s inner circle orchestrating a policy that flouts U.S. law.
The evidence is ironclad:
- Credible Allegations: CECOT’s abuses are documented by the State Department, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and survivors [3][4][10][15].
- No Vetting: The administration can’t produce a shred of evidence that Salvadoran prison units were cleared under Leahy Law protocols [3][17].
- No Due Process: Deportees were denied hearings or counsel, with 75% of the 238 Venezuelans showing no criminal records, per CBS News [13][18].
- Congressional Evasion: Rubio and company have dodged oversight, leaving lawmakers like Meeks and Castro grasping for answers [4][7].
Consequences: A Stain on America’s Soul
The fallout from this violation is staggering. First, the human cost: 261 men, including asylum seekers like Andry Hernandez Romero—a gay Venezuelan with no criminal record—are trapped in CECOT’s brutal conditions, facing potential torture or death [13][18]. Families are left in agony, unable to contact loved ones or challenge their detention [11][14]. The U.S. is complicit in these abuses, violating not just the Leahy Law but the international principle of non-refoulement, which forbids sending people to places where they face serious harm [10][18].
Second, the legal and diplomatic damage: by funding CECOT, the U.S. undermines its global credibility as a human rights defender. Allies like Canada and the EU, already critical of Bukele’s authoritarianism, see this as America endorsing a “human rights crisis” [14][16]. Congress could respond with sanctions or budget cuts to the State Department, while lawsuits—like one led by the ACLU—may expose further illegalities [13][18]. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights has already flagged CECOT’s overcrowding and torture, putting pressure on the U.S. to answer for its role [5][20].
Third, the American people are screwed over. That $6 million came from your taxes, funneled to a prison that violates U.S. law and fuels suffering [3][25]. This isn’t about border security; it’s about Trump’s team using your money to outsource cruelty, bypassing courts and Congress to do it. If unchecked, this sets a precedent for more secret deals with authoritarian regimes, eroding democratic accountability.
Who’s Affected? Everyone.
- Deportees: The 261 men in CECOT, many innocent, face indefinite detention and abuse [13][18].
- Families: Loved ones are left without answers, fearing for relatives’ lives [11][14].
- American Taxpayers: You’re funding human rights violations, with zero transparency [3][25].
- U.S. Credibility: Our global standing as a human rights leader is trashed [14][16].
- Congress: Lawmakers are sidelined, their oversight powers mocked [4][7].
- Future Migrants: This deal signals open season on vulnerable people, with more deportations likely [10][18].
