Latest news with #MadisonSheahan
Fox News
2 days ago
- Fox News
Deputy ICE leader blames sanctuary city policies for drunk driving deadly incident involving illegal migrant
I.C.E. deputy director Madison Sheahan ties sanctuary city policies with a fatal drunk driving incident in Wisconsin on 'The Will Cain Show.'
The Intercept
23-07-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Feds Criminalize Aiding Protests Against ICE
Speaking on Fox News last week, a top official from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the agency was expanding its dragnet for arrests. 'I think we all know that criminals tend to hang out with criminals,' ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said. 'And so when we start to build a case, we're going to be going after everyone that's around them. Because these criminals tend to hang out with like-minded people who also happen to be criminals.' The pledge to broaden arrests came as an immigration sweep that sowed fear across the Los Angeles area has been met by a growing protest movement to stop the raids and arrests. 'This appears to be a targeted, political attack on resistance to a military incursion on our communities.' In addition to arresting hundreds of immigrants across Southern California, the government is targeting a mounting number of people who are responding to the raids or helping protests. Some of those targeted have provided supplies to protesters or tried to identify ICE agents conducting raids in masks and plain clothes. The remarks from Sheahan, the ICE official, came three days after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to stop indiscriminate ICE raids in LA. In the order, Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong condemned the administration's use of a person's characteristics — like their appearance, accent, or occupation — as a basis for arrest. 'Roving patrols' operating without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers violated the Fourth and the Fifth Amendments, the judge wrote. 'What the federal government would have this Court believe — in the face of a mountain of evidence presented in this case — is that none of this is actually happening.' Now, those accused of helping the anti-ICE movement are facing prosecution or investigation. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted a man after he handed out face shields to people protesting ICE in Los Angeles two days after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard. Alejandro Orellana, 29, pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiracy to aid and abet civil disorders. According to a grand jury indictment, the face shields were 'advertised as designed to protect from chemical splashes and flying debris.' 'Alejandro Orellana's arrest for distributing supplies is an outrageous violation of civil rights and should be a wakeup call to people everywhere,' said California attorney Thomas Harvey. 'This appears to be a targeted, political attack on resistance to a military incursion on our communities,' Harvey said. 'Distributing supplies to protesters is not a crime. It's a critical role to help keep people safe — especially in the face of some of the most violent police repression I've seen since the Ferguson uprising.' In Orellana's case, an agent from the FBI made a claim similar to the one the ICE deputy would later make to Fox News — that it was assigning criminality to people based on assumptions, not on evidence. The agent claimed in an affidavit that wearing such gear like the face shields, designed to protect against law enforcement using pepper spray or tear gas, 'is not common amongst non-violent, peaceful protesters.' Instead, he argued, the face shield was 'the kind of item used by violent agitators to enable them to resist law enforcement and to engage in violence and/or vandalism during a civil disorder.' Read our complete coverage As part of expanding its definitions of criminal activity to include forms of protest responding to ICE, the government ramped up its efforts to investigate people suspected of providing identifying information about ICE agents. On July 11, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem released a statement condemning 'anarchists and rioters' in Portland who posted flyers with identifying information about ICE agents and said the department would prosecute 'those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law.' Last month, Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a bill that would make identifying ICE officers a federal crime. In another case in May, ICE agents raided the home of a family in Irvine, California, on a criminal search warrant. They were investigating the source of flyers that had been posted around LA earlier this year with identifying information about ICE officers. The government suspected the family's son was responsible. Rep. Dave Min, D-Calif., issued a statement after the May raid saying he was 'deeply concerned' with news of the raid and had asked federal law enforcement for more information. Min's office did not respond to questions about whether they had yet received any such information. Several of the efforts to further criminalize protest flyers or mutual aid have also been used against pro-Palestine student protesters, Cop City activists in Georgia, and people providing water to migrants. Police charged protesters opposing the construction of the so-called Cop City police training facility with felonies for posting flyers in 2023, The Intercept reported. The activists had posted flyers in a neighborhood where a police officer lived, naming him and alleging that he was connected to the killing earlier that year of Manuel 'Tortuguita' Terán. Police shot Tortuguita 57 times, killing the activist during a multiagency raid on the Atlanta Forest protest encampment. In 2023, prosecutors brought charges under Georgia's Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations law against 61 activists for their participation in organizing bail funds for Cop City protesters. Prosecutors dropped charges against three of the activists last year, and others are still awaiting trial. In a slew of other high-profile cases, elected officials have been arrested for aiding migrants being pursued for arrest by ICE agents. Earlier this year, the FBI arrested a judge accused of helping a man use an alternate exit from a courtroom when ICE agents were waiting outside the main door. 'It should be terrifying to every person that the U.S.' In Arizona in 2018, prosecutors famously slapped humanitarian volunteers offering food, shelter, and water to migrants in the desert with federal criminal charges. Border Patrol targeted their faith-based group as a criminal organization. In 2005, activists with the same group faced criminal charges for transporting migrants to receive medical care; the charges were later dismissed. 'It should be terrifying to every person that the U.S., which has long held political prisoners, is ramping up its oppressive tactics,' said Harvey, the California attorney. 'And now, with the new funding, ICE will have more money than any policing force in U.S. history to build a gulag system filled with localized versions of 'Alligator Alcatrazes' to cage immigrants and political dissidents.'
Miami Herald
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
ICE App Launches in NY, Spreads Across Country
ICE's Deputy Director Warns of "violence." NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK / ACCESS Newswire / July 22, 2025 / Coquí, a groundbreaking mobile app built by and for immigrant communities, has officially launched. Developed in partnership with Rapid Response Networks nationwide, the free app enables verified users to send and receive real-time alerts about nearby immigration enforcement activity. During a recent CBS interview, ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan claimed concerns that Coquí "can cause users to go and cause violence." The backlash was immediate. Advocates, legal experts, and Coquí users swiftly condemned the remarks as inflammatory and baseless. Fact check: there is no evidence that Coquí has ever been used for incitement or interference of any kind. "When fear wins, they win," said the founder of Coquí. "If you love this country and its people, standing up for your neighbors isn't a threat - it's a duty." Named after the small but resilient Puerto Rican tree frog, Coquí is rooted in community strength and designed with safety in mind. As part of its ongoing rollout, the Coquí team announced two new features launching this week: Coquí Communities will allow users to create, manage, and join trusted private groups within the Allies will pin local businesses on the map, highlighting "safe spots" and those standing in solidarity with immigrant communities. The app is encrypted, collects no personal data, masks user locations, and employs anti-trolling protocols to protect users. "You have a choice," said the founder of Coquí. "Stand with us." ABOUT COQUICoquí is a secure, anonymous mobile app designed to help immigrant communities share and receive real-time information about immigration enforcement activity. Built by grassroots organizers, technologists, and advocates, Coquí supports safety, solidarity, and resistance through smart, community-first technology. Learn more at Related Video SOURCE: Coqui Related Images press release
CBS News
16-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Apps that track ICE agent locations help alleviate migrant workers' fears
As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on illegal immigration, some migrants are turning to apps that tell them the location of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to avoid arrest. Oscar, who came to the U.S. from Venezuela two years ago, drives horses across the country for work. Oscar, who asked CBS News to change his name to protect his identity, works legally in the country under temporary protected status. But, he says that offers little protection from the threat of an ICE arrest and indefinite detention. "I am traumatized right now," Oscar said. "I feel like somebody is behind me, even if I don't do anything wrong." To do his job, Oscar relies on the app Coqui, which shows him if ICE agents are nearby. On a recent trip hauling horses from New York to South Carolina, he spotted ICE activity, forcing him to take an alternate route. Coqui is one of several apps that have been developed recently to let people know when ICE agents are nearby. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan told CBS News she thinks such apps are dangerous and could be used to spot and ambush ICE agents. "There's always a form of free speech and a lot of things in technology, and we understand that and respect that, but where it crosses a line is when it becomes dangerous, not only to the ICE officers ...," Sheahan said, adding, "If it's impeding in law enforcement effort, that's where that line comes in as well." Coqui was developed by a somewhat unlikely founder: Peter, who asked CBS News not to use his last name to protect his identity. He runs an animal rescue. Asked what motivated him to create the app, Peter told CBS News, "There certainly is the desire to protect the people that you love, but there's also a very practical reason. We need help here, and we need workers to get to work." Peter said some of his employees weren't just not showing up for work, "People were scared to leave their homes." Even though he's here legally, Oscar says the app lets him do his job with a little less fear. "I'm afraid because these people don't ask you before getting detained," he said. "I saw people I know getting detained and being deported." Being deported, Oscar says, would mean "the end of my American dream."
Express Tribune
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
ICE's ‘Operation Tidal Wave' sets record 1,120 immigrant arrests in one week
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detain a man after conducting a raid at the Cedar Run apartment complex in Denver, Colorado, US, February 5, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS In a record-setting immigration enforcement action, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Florida state agencies arrested 1,120 individuals in a single week as part of Operation Tidal Wave, which officials say marks the largest number of immigration-related arrests in one state within such a short period since ICE's inception in 2003. The joint operation, conducted April 21–26, targeted undocumented immigrants with prior criminal convictions, gang affiliations, or final deportation orders. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan called the initiative 'historic' and a 'first-of-its-kind' operation, made possible through expanded cooperation with Florida under the federal 287(g) program, which allows local agencies to enforce immigration law. Among those arrested were individuals from Guatemala (437), Mexico (280), and Honduras (153), with others from Venezuela, El Salvador, and Colombia. ICE reported the arrests included gang members from MS-13, Tren de Aragua, and 18th Street, as well as individuals convicted of serious crimes like murder and kidnapping. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, speaking alongside ICE officials at a press conference, said the state's commitment to federal immigration enforcement 'is just the beginning' and vowed to continue efforts that he said prioritize public safety. Critics, however, raised concerns about due process and community impact. Immigration advocates allege that many detainees were stopped during routine traffic checks or while heading to work, and that some had pending asylum claims or legal work permits. 'This operation terrorized communities,' said Renatta Bozzetto of the Florida Immigrant Coalition. 'Authorities provided no proof that most of those detained were threats to public safety.' ICE says the operation serves as a model for other states, with more local enforcement partnerships expected under federal plans to expand interior immigration enforcement nationwide.
