Latest news with #BradleyBartell
The Guardian
19-06-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Ice is cracking down on Trump's own supporters. Will they change their minds?
By now, the cycle of Donald Trump supporters being slapped in the face by his policies is common enough that it shouldn't warrant a response. What is noteworthy is the fact that his crusade of mass deportations seems to have taken the Maga crowd by surprise in a way that makes little sense if you've been paying attention to Trump, his campaign promises, his party and the people he surrounds himself with. Even as they witness friends and family members hurt by this administration's immigration clamp-downs, some Trump supporters appear resistant to doing a full 180. Bradley Bartell, whose wife, Camila Muñoz, was recently detained, says he has no regrets about voting for Trump. Muñoz is from Peru and overstayed a work-study visa that expired right when Covid hit. She was trying to get permanent residency in the US when she was detained. 'I don't regret the vote,' Bartell told Newsweek. His rationale? Trump is a victim of a bad immigration system that his administration inherited. 'He didn't create the system but he does have an opportunity to improve it. Hopefully, all this attention will bring to light how broken it is.' For Jensy Machado from Manassas, Virginia, things are a bit more complex. Machado, a naturalized US citizen, was driving to work when, according to NBC 4, he was stopped by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents, who brandished guns and surrounded his truck. According to Machado, a man facing a deportation order had given Machado's home address as his, and when Machado assured agents that they had the wrong person and offered them his Virginia driver's license, they ordered him to leave his car and handcuffed him. 'I was a Trump supporter,' Machado, who is Hispanic, said. 'I voted for Trump last election, but, because I thought it was going to be like … against criminals, not every Hispanic, Spanish-lookalike.' 'They will assume that we are all illegals,' he continued. 'They're just following Hispanic people.' Machado said his support for the administration has been shaken. Others have been rattled by how and where Trump's policies are being applied. That dissonance is well articulated in a recent New York Times piece about a small Missouri town that supported Trump – and is now grappling with the effects of his decisions. Many residents of Kennett, Missouri, were stunned when a beloved neighbor, Carol, was arrested and jailed to await deportation after being summoned to Ice offices in St Louis in April. According to the government, Carol came to the US from Hong Kong in 2004, and has spent the past two decades trying to secure legal stay in the country, ultimately being granted a temporary permission to stay known as an order of supervision. Carol's most recent order of supervision was supposed to be valid through August 2025, but on the day of her arrest, she was told it was being terminated. Now, despite the fact that she's spent the last two decades building a life and community in this small town, getting married and buying a house, she's spent weeks moving between jails as she awaits a final decision on her deportation. 'I voted for Donald Trump, and so did practically everyone here,' said Vanessa Cowart, who knows Carol from church. 'But no one voted to deport moms. We were all under the impression we were just getting rid of the gangs, the people who came here in droves … This is Carol.' That last line – and the Kennett story as a whole – reveals a deeply American way of thinking about law and order and civil liberties: that anything is fair game once someone is considered a 'criminal'. It's an idea that has been sent into overdrive in the Trump years, where 'criminal' has become a catch-all for the most evil, dangerous and undesirable in our communities, and shorthand for referencing anyone society doesn't want to deal with. Trump ran on a campaign of hate, and the voters who helped cement that hatred and codify it into policy are now encountering the kind of state-sanctioned violence they endorsed at the ballot box. Still, to say 'I told you so' in a moment like this is not only useless, it feels like a cruel understatement when the thing you were warning about is so destructive. So what can we learn from this? US leadership is clearly invested in the destruction of vulnerable American lives. If people who have been directly affected by Trump's behaviour still find reasons to rationalize his leadership, it's a reminder that ousting this regime will require the rest of us to speak out against tyranny and the establishment politics that got us here in the first place. Tayo Bero is a Guardian US columnist
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
ICE to spend up to $45 billion on contractors for immigrant detention, deportation
ICE to spend up to $45 billion on contractors for immigrant detention, deportation Private prison company CEO calls $45 billion detention expansion plans 'exciting' as President Trump ramps up deportations Show Caption Hide Caption Trump voter's wife freed after 49 days in ICE custody Bradley Bartell and Camila Munoz have been reunited after she spent 49 days in ICE detention after their honeymoon. The Trump administration is preparing to dramatically escalate the number of private contractors it uses to help track, manage, detain and deport people living illegally in the United States, with an eye-popping potential price tag of more than $45 billion over the next several years. The White House has set a goal of removing 1 million people annually, making good on President Donald Trump's campaign promise to conduct the largest deportation operation in history. "If we don't get these criminals out of our country, we are not going to have a country any longer," Trump posted on social media April 21. Among the newest moves are a $72 million no-bid deal to hire a team stacked with former federal officials to fingerprint, DNA test and retina-scan detainees, help manage intake paperwork and track down high-priority targets, freeing up Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to conduct more arrests. ICE officials said they don't have the time to hire federal agents fast enough, and will be able to redeploy more than 650 existing agents once the private contractors come aboard. ICE has 6,000 agents, plus additional support staff. Expanding detention capacity Estimates put the number of people living here illegally at anywhere between 10 million and 16.8 million. Trump has regularly criticized former President Joe Biden for permitting millions of people to enter the United States under parole or an asylum claim after the border was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Trump faces several challenges to his mass deportation plans, including insufficient detention capacity. He first tried to detain people at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba, but appears to have backed off that plan over litigation and the significantly higher costs of building a large-scale detention facility offshore. He has also paid El Salvador $6 million to house other detainees. While ICE has long used private contractors to supplement its work, Trump's new approach reflects a massive expansion in both staff and facilities. ICE's current budget is $9.6 billion, with about 41,000 detention beds. ICE reported holding nearly 48,000 people in detention in mid-April. ICE plans to add up to 60,000 new detention beds in facilities across the country this year, according to contracting details viewed by USA TODAY. Congress is considering a funding bill to pay for the contracting, after approving a temporary $430 million increase in March. Trump has halted most federal hiring, but exempted public safety agencies, including ICE. "ICE urgently requires additional resources to immediately implement the direction provided" in the executive orders, the agency wrote in announcing one of the contracts. "Increased detention capacity is needed immediately to avoid the release by ICE of a significant numbers of aliens into United States, a situation that poses significant public safety risks." ICE says it's willing to spend up to $45 billion to add those extra beds. Private prison contractors including CoreCivic have seen their stock prices soar as a result. "This is essential for them to carry out the mass deportations they promised or threatened, depending on your perspective," said Prof. Michael Kagan, who runs the Immigration Clinic at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas law school, which provides free legal help to people facing deportation. "They're talking about an almost-unfathomable increase in funding." Lakin Riley Act's impact In a February earnings call, CoreCivic President and CEO Damon Hininger said the new Laken Riley Act passed by Congress and signed by Trump could alone require 60,000 to 110,000 additional beds. The law, named for a University of Georgia nursing student killed by a man living illegally in United States, requires ICE to detain immigrants illegally in the U.S. if they've been accused or arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assaulting a police officer, shifting the responsibility for their custody from local jails to the federal system. Hininger called it "truly one of the most exciting periods" of his career, and said the company is proposing to provide ICE with 28,000 detention beds. Other beds could come from Geo Group, which also already contracts with ICE. "We're still just a few weeks into the new administration, so stay tuned for more on ICE contracting," Hininger said, according to a transcript of the Feb. 12 call for investors. Critics worry the expanded use of contractors will make it even harder to monitor conditions within the ICE detention system. The Trump administration has ended multiple monitoring systems designed to provide outside oversight of ICE, along with abolishing internal ombudsman programs that helped ensure the detention facilities weren't violating detainees' human rights. Eunice Cho, senior staff attorney at the ACLU's National Prison Project said of the expansion: "It certainly represents an astronomical amount of money that ICE is preparing to spend … especially in the wake of such a dramatic push for efficiency, such dramatic cutbacks in government services like Social Security, veteran's benefits, cancer research."
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wisconsin man's wife detained by ICE, raising funds for legal fees
The Brief The wife of a Wisconsin man who voted for President Donald Trump was detained by ICE after their honeymoon. Husband Bradley Bartell is raising money for legal fees. Data shows just over 46,200 people have been detained by ICE so far this year. WISCONSIN - A Wisconsin man said his wife is in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility after being taken into custody on their way back from their honeymoon. The husband said he's sticking by his wife and his presidential vote, despite the policies that might have led to the split. What we know Bradley Bartell and his Peruvian wife, Sylvia Camilla Muñoz-Lira, live in the Wisconsin Dells area. Bartell said on Feb. 15, his wife was detained by ICE coming back from their honeymoon in Puerto Rico. It was not how Bartell saw his first year of marriage. SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News "The vows are in sickness and in health and I'm going to add in freedom and detention," Bartell said. "We were leaving Puerto Rico at the airport, and TSA was asking everyone if they were American citizens or not [...] We didn't have our marriage certificate or anything on us like that, so because of that, they grabbed her." Since then, he said his wife was kept in Puerto Rico and Florida for a few days before being transferred to a detention center in Louisiana. The backstory He said his wife came to America on a U.S. visa in 2019 and stayed after it expired. The two married last summer and had submitted paperwork a few months ago for permanent residency. "She has no history of anything bad. She's hardworking and wants to be a part of this great country," he said. What He's Saying Data shows just over 46,200 people have been detained by ICE so far this year, as President Donald Trump's administration promised to crack down on immigration – which Bartell said he voted in support of. "I still feel like I voted for the [lesser] of two evils," Bartell said. "I'm not a hardliner, but the support for Trump is still there [...] I know it's the administration's attempt to put everyone who [has a] visa overstay into deportation proceedings." Big picture view Immigration attorney David Rozas is Muñoz' attorney. FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android "We are fighting really hard to convince the government to give her a bond," he said. "I don't have as much info as I would like, it's a nightmare in that way." FOX6 news reached out to ICE but has not heard back. What's next The attorney said he is still awaiting a court date. In the meantime, Bartell is currently raising money for legal fees and to be able to post bond with a GoFundMe. The Source Bradley Bartell and attorney David Rozas contributed to this report.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - Trump voters are starting to get burned by DOGE's chainsaw
At some point, you have to stop feeling bad for people who repeatedly stick their hand in the fire and act shocked when it burns. Come on, folks — how many times do you need to touch a stove before you realize it's hot? Take Bradley Bartell, a Wisconsin man who voted for Trump in 2024 and is now devastated because ICE has detained and may deport his Peruvian wife. He 'knew they were cracking down,' he says. 'I guess I didn't know how it was going down.' Really, Bradley? You voted for the guy who said he was going to round up immigrants, but somehow you didn't get the memo? Then there's David Pasquino, a vet who worked for Veterans Affairs until Trump's so-called 'efficiency' cuts came around. Now he's complaining about the 'chainsaw' they used instead of a 'scalpel.' Now, he feels 'betrayed.' Did you think being a veteran would save you from the guy who refers to fallen service members as 'losers' and 'suckers,' David? And Jennifer Piggott, who proudly flew a Trump campaign flag outside her home, was abruptly fired from her job at the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service in Parkersburg, West Virginia. 'I feel a little bit betrayed,' she told Reuters. These aren't isolated incidents. This is a self-inflicted catastrophe. That same anger is also appearing in town hall meetings held by Republican members of Congress — at least the ones who still dare to hold such events. For those of us who spent years waving red flags, the temptation is to yell, 'Told ya so!' Now, don't get me wrong. Reveling in someone else's misery is, at best, bad form. No decent person wants to rub salt in the wounds of someone who just lost their job (to DOGE), their farm (Trump's tariffs are not doing farmers any favors) or their spouse (to deportation). It's ugly. But what are we supposed to do when people repeatedly ignore every warning and only wake up when they've been slammed in the face with the consequences? Are we supposed to act like it wasn't obvious? Are we supposed to feel bad that reality is turning their nice, shiny fantasies into a dumpster fire? Sure, there's a certain karmic justice in all of this. But karma makes for a terrible political strategy. Because, as much as it might seem like these personal reckonings should spark some soul-searching, that's not how the real world works. People don't typically experience hardship and say, 'Wow, I miscalculated.' Instead, they think, 'This isn't fair. This isn't supposed to happen to me.' And then they seek out an external villain — the 'deep state,' immigrants, the media, you name it. Admitting you were wrong is more difficult than doubling down. So here's the question: Will these personal wake-up calls matter? Will they make people take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize they were duped by Trump? The short answer is: It depends. The hardcore Trump base won't abandon ship just because prices didn't come down and their brother-in-law lost his government job. They've stuck with Trump through every storm and are in it for the long haul. But let's not forget, Trump didn't win 77 million votes just from his base. He also tapped into support from Americans who were fed up with the system. Economic issues like inflation and general frustration with the Biden administration helped fuel his rise. Latino men, young people and casual 'low information' voters — people who have rarely leaned toward Republicans — decided to take a chance on him. These are the folks who figured, 'What the heck, maybe he'll fix things.' Now, they're the ones getting hit the hardest and possibly regretting their decision. As buyer's remorse starts to spread, it's like watching a slow-motion trainwreck. As Nate Silver and Eli McKown-Dawson pointed out, Trump's approval rating is dropping. He is now 5 points underwater, with 47 percent approval and 52 percent disapproval. While Trump is losing support among some of his voters, he is unlikely to lose all of it in today's polarized world — especially with media bubbles filtering out inconvenient news and views. A February Vanderbilt poll shows that 52 percent of Republicans now align more with MAGA than the traditional GOP, an increase from June 2023. However, most non-MAGA Republicans will also stand by their man, no matter what he says or does. The real shift may come from 'soft' supporters — those who joined Trump's movement in 2024. These are the folks who might abandon ship if Trump keeps starting fires that scorch them too. The question isn't whether Trump will lose his base. He won't; that's a given. It's whether enough of those fair-weather voters, the ones who thought they could just kick back and enjoy the show, will wake up. But don't hold your breath. Some people still refuse to learn — even after they get burned. Because, really, what did you expect? Matt K. Lewis is a columnist, podcaster and author of the books 'Too Dumb to Fail' and 'Filthy Rich Politicians.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
19-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump voters are starting to get burned by DOGE's chainsaw
At some point, you have to stop feeling bad for people who repeatedly stick their hand in the fire and act shocked when it burns. Come on, folks — how many times do you need to touch a stove before you realize it's hot? Take Bradley Bartell, a Wisconsin man who voted for Trump in 2024 and is now devastated because ICE has detained and may deport his Peruvian wife. He 'knew they were cracking down,' he says. 'I guess I didn't know how it was going down.' Really, Bradley? You voted for the guy who said he was going to round up immigrants, but somehow you didn't get the memo? Then there's David Pasquino, a vet who worked for Veterans Affairs until Trump's so-called 'efficiency' cuts came around. Now he's complaining about the 'chainsaw' they used instead of a 'scalpel.' Now, he feels 'betrayed.' Did you think being a veteran would save you from the guy who refers to fallen service members as 'losers' and 'suckers,' David? And Jennifer Piggott, who proudly flew a Trump campaign flag outside her home, was abruptly fired from her job at the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service in Parkersburg, West Virginia. 'I feel a little bit betrayed,' she told Reuters. These aren't isolated incidents. This is a self-inflicted catastrophe. That same anger is also appearing in town hall meetings held by Republican members of Congress — at least the ones who still dare to hold such events. For those of us who spent years waving red flags, the temptation is to yell, 'Told ya so!' Now, don't get me wrong. Reveling in someone else's misery is, at best, bad form. No decent person wants to rub salt in the wounds of someone who just lost their job (to DOGE), their farm (Trump's tariffs are not doing farmers any favors) or their spouse (to deportation). It's ugly. But what are we supposed to do when people repeatedly ignore every warning and only wake up when they've been slammed in the face with the consequences? Are we supposed to act like it wasn't obvious? Are we supposed to feel bad that reality is turning their nice, shiny fantasies into a dumpster fire? Sure, there's a certain karmic justice in all of this. But karma makes for a terrible political strategy. Because, as much as it might seem like these personal reckonings should spark some soul-searching, that's not how the real world works. People don't typically experience hardship and say, 'Wow, I miscalculated.' Instead, they think, 'This isn't fair. This isn't supposed to happen to me.' And then they seek out an external villain — the 'deep state,' immigrants, the media, you name it. Admitting you were wrong is more difficult than doubling down. So here's the question: Will these personal wake-up calls matter? Will they make people take a long, hard look in the mirror and realize they were duped by Trump? The short answer is: It depends. The hardcore Trump base won't abandon ship just because prices didn't come down and their brother-in-law lost his government job. They've stuck with Trump through every storm and are in it for the long haul. But let's not forget, Trump didn't win 77 million votes just from his base. He also tapped into support from Americans who were fed up with the system. Economic issues like inflation and general frustration with the Biden administration helped fuel his rise. Latino men, young people and casual 'low information' voters — people who have rarely leaned toward Republicans — decided to take a chance on him. These are the folks who figured, 'What the heck, maybe he'll fix things.' Now, they're the ones getting hit the hardest and possibly regretting their decision. As buyer's remorse starts to spread, it's like watching a slow-motion trainwreck. As Nate Silver and Eli McKown-Dawson pointed out, Trump's approval rating is dropping. He is now 5 points underwater, with 47 percent approval and 52 percent disapproval. While Trump is losing support among some of his voters, he is unlikely to lose all of it in today's polarized world — especially with media bubbles filtering out inconvenient news and views. A February Vanderbilt poll shows that 52 percent of Republicans now align more with MAGA than the traditional GOP, an increase from June 2023. However, most non-MAGA Republicans will also stand by their man, no matter what he says or does. The real shift may come from 'soft' supporters — those who joined Trump's movement in 2024. These are the folks who might abandon ship if Trump keeps starting fires that scorch them too. The question isn't whether Trump will lose his base. He won't; that's a given. It's whether enough of those fair-weather voters, the ones who thought they could just kick back and enjoy the show, will wake up. But don't hold your breath. Some people still refuse to learn — even after they get burned. Because, really, what did you expect?
