6 h. ago Tennessee town considers deal to turn closed prison into immigration detention facility

Officials in a rural Tennessee town are scheduled to meet to consider an agreement to turn a former state prison into an immigration detention facility operated by a private company

Events

65 h. ago Trump promised to be a dictator on day one. We’re now past day 200

Donald Trump’s second term has seen a sustained assault on democratic institutions – political, judicial, media, cultural, academic – that appears to be only accelerating The anger was raw and resolute. Speaking at the Republican congressman Mike Flood’s town hall in Lincoln, Nebraska, a woman pointed to the estimated $450m cost of “Alligator Alcatraz”, an immigration detention facility in Florida. “How much does it cost for fascism?” she demanded. “How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?”The crowd erupted in applause and whoops. In the week that Donald Trump marked his 200th day in office, few mainstream political commentators are bandying around terms such as “fascist”. But many are warning of a societal march towards authoritarianism that, far from losing momentum, appears to be gathering pace. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Belarus journalist is convicted of treason and jailed for 10 years as crackdown on dissent continues

A Belarusian journalist was convicted of treason and revealing state secrets and was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a closed trial

Events

5 d. ago US judge orders halt to construction at ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ detention center

Temporary halt for facility in Florida Everglades comes as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental lawsA federal judge on Thursday ordered a temporary halt to construction of an immigration detention center – built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” – as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws.The facility can continue to operate and hold detainees for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice), but workers will be barred from adding any new filling, paving or infrastructure for the next 14 days. US district judge Kathleen Williams issued the ruling during a hearing and said she will issue a written order later Thursday. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Judge orders temporary halt to construction at Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center

A federal judge has ordered a temporary halt to construction of an immigration detention center — built in the middle of the Florida Everglades and dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” — as attorneys argue whether it violates environmental laws

Events

6 d. ago A new immigrant detention partnership nicknamed after Indiana's iconic racetrack inspires backlash

Top Trump administration officials boast that a new partnership to expand immigrant detention in Indiana will be the next so-called “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Events

6 d. ago ‘Horrific’: report reveals abuse of pregnant women and children at US Ice facilities

Report from senator Jon Ossoff’s office found 510 credible reports of human rights abuses since Trump’s inaugurationA new report has found hundreds of reported cases of human rights abuses in US immigration detention centers.The alleged abuses uncovered include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse of detainees, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions, inadequate food and water, exposure to extreme temperatures, denial of access to attorneys, and child separation. Continue reading...

Events

6 d. ago My travels in Trump’s Florida: Maga superstars, gen Z Republicans – and the shame of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

Is the US in a new gilded age of inequality? On a 400-mile journey from a triumphant conservative youth summit to a hastily constructed immigration detention centre, the answer became clearer Anywhere but Washington: fearmongering, mass deportations and self-enrichment – videoThe mezzanine floor of the Tampa Convention Center buzzes chaotically with rightwing chatter: conspiracy theories, grievance politics and Christian nationalism. Look in any direction and someone in front of you, washed in sharp studio lights, is drawing a crowd and creating content.Ahead of me, Russell Brand sits on a white sofa, broadcasting live on the conservative video-streaming service Rumble – his guest is the “alt-right” influencer Jack Posobiec. To the left, along an alleyway lined with small broadcast booths, is the longtime Donald Trump adviser and self-proclaimed “dirty trickster” Roger Stone, who is holding court on a podcast. To the rear, on a large metal scaffold, is Steve Bannon’s War Room channe...

Politics

6 d. ago Judge considers whether Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' detention center violates environmental law

A federal judge is hearing arguments about an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades, known as “Alligator Alcatraz.”

Events

7 d. ago More than 100 human rights abuses discovered in immigration detention since Trump took office, senate probe says

Report from Senator Jon Ossoff uncovers dozens of allegations, including medical mistreatment of children women and children

Politics

7 d. ago Florida prepares to build a 2nd immigration detention center to join 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Florida Gov_ Ron DeSantis’ administration is apparently preparing to build a second immigration detention center, awarding at least one contract for what’s labeled in state records as the “North Detention Facility.”

Politics

8 d. ago Judge orders Florida, federal officials to produce 'Alligator Alcatraz' agreements

A federal judge has ordered officials to produce agreements showing who has legal authority at “Alligator Alcatraz,” an immigration detention center in the Florida Everglades

Politics

8 d. ago Harvard president reportedly says he is not considering $500m deal with Trump

Alan Garber told faculty a settlement with the White House is not imminent, according to Harvard’s student newspaperThe Harvard University president, Alan Garber, has told faculty a deal between the Ivy League institution and the Trump administration is not imminent – and denied reports that the university is considering a $500m settlement with the White House, Harvard’s student newspaper the Crimson reported.The Crimson attributed that information to three unnamed faculty members in a report published early on Monday. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Migrants at Ice jail in Miami made to kneel to eat ‘like dogs’, report alleges

Incident in which migrants were shackled with hands tied of one succession of alleged abuses at jails in FloridaMigrants at a Miami immigration jail were shackled with their hands tied behind their backs and made to kneel to eat food from styrofoam plates “like dogs”, according to a report published on Monday into conditions at three overcrowded south Florida facilities.The incident at the downtown federal detention center is one of a succession of alleged abuses at Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (Ice) operated jails in the state since January, chronicled by advocacy groups Human Rights Watch, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Sanctuary of the South from interviews with detainees. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago GOP congressman claims ICE detention centers are ‘pretty friggin’ nice’ as concerns rise about conditions

While Democrats are concerned by the conditions of the immigration detention facilities, Republicans claim there’s no reason for alarm

Politics

3 w. ago Kristi Noem says other unnamed states are in the process of building Alligator Alcatraz

At least five Republican governors are reportedly considering building large-scale immigration detention centers modeled after Florida’s

Politics

3 w. ago Ohio mosque worshippers reel after imam is detained by Ice: ‘No one is ever truly safe’

Egyptian-born Ayman Soliman was detained while attending a regular check-in with immigration officersA week after the detention of their imam, Egyptian-born Ayman Soliman, worshippers at the Clifton mosque in Cincinnati, Ohio, are still in shock.Soliman was detained on 9 July while attending a regular check-in with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) officers, weeks after being told that his asylum status had been terminated, a provision that he had held for more than seven years. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago How DeSantis administration blindsided county officials with plans for ‘Alligator Alcatraz’

More than 100 emails expose the extent to which authorities in southwest Florida were left unaware of plans to build a sprawling immigration detention centre in the Everglades

Politics

3 w. ago Emails show DeSantis administration blindsided county officials with plans for 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration left many local officials in the dark about the immigration detention center that rose from an isolated airstrip in the Everglades

Politics

3 w. ago Trump's big dream to reopen notorious Alcatraz prison gets closer to reality driving Democrats mad

Attorney General Pam Bondi and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are in San Francisco to announce the reopening of the infamous island prison of Alcatraz. 

Politics