Latest news with #PatriotAct
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
White House Calls AOC 'Leader' of the Democratic Party
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The White House ripped into New York Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her stance on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) while simultaneously referring to her as the "leader" of the Democratic Party. Newsweek reached out to Ocasio-Cortez's office via email Wednesday for comment. Why It Matters Since his inauguration on January 20, President Donald Trump has prioritized immigration as a key pillar within his administration. Trump utilized the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a wartime law that grants the commander in chief authority to detain or deport non-citizens. The implementation was originally blocked in federal court and has since sparked a contentious legal back-and-forth. The Supreme Court originally upheld Trump's implementation of the act, but it ruled that deportees have the right to challenge their removal in a proper venue before being removed. What To Know Ocasio-Cortez has revived her opposition to ICE, calling it a "rogue agency that should not exist," Fox News reported, citing a fundraising email obtained by the outlet. The White House called out the lawmaker on Wednesday saying in part, "While President Donald J. Trump, his administration, and the heroes of ICE work overtime to rid our country of criminal illegal immigrant killers, rapists, and gangbangers, top Democrats are doubling down on their call to eliminate the agency responsible for getting these animals off our streets." The statement went on to reference the reported fundraising email, quoting Ocasio-Cortez saying, "I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist." It then refers to her as "Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the leader of the Democrat Party." "Where is the congresswoman's concern for her fellow New Yorkers who have been brutally killed, maimed, and raped by criminal illegal immigrants allowed to roam free due to New York's so-called 'sanctuary' policies?" the White House said, listing recent ICE arrests in New York. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends a markup meeting with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce committee in Washington, D.C., on May 13, 2025. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attends a markup meeting with the House Committee on Energy and Commerce committee in Washington, D.C., on May 13, have seemingly been in disarray since losing the White House, Senate and Congress after the election. Uncertainty about which figureheads to support within the party has also eroded internal cohesion. It is unclear whom the party will rally behind in 2028, as the field is wide open. Early polling, however, suggests that Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker are all potential front-runners. What People Are Saying White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson in the statement on Wednesday: "AOC, Democrat Party leader, calls for abolishing ICE. Meanwhile, the brave men and women of ICE get dangerous criminal illegal immigrants off our streets and protect American citizens. Why does AOC want to stop that?" House Speaker Mike Johnson, Wednesday on X, formerly Twitter: "Democrats still want to CLOSE DOWN ICE and OPEN UP our borders. It's not going to happen. Under President Trump, our border is SECURE once again and with the One Big Beautiful Bill, we'll provide ICE with additional funding for 10,000 new ICE officers and more detention space." Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, last week on X: "TPS [Temporary Protected Status] allowed thousands of Venezuelan families who fled to the U.S. to live and work here legally. They are trying to do things the right way. Trump isn't cracking down on "illegal" immigration—he's taking away people's legal status and growing the number of undocumented people." What Happens Next It is expected that the Trump administration will continue to fight for its immigration policies in court as Democrats regroup following the 2024 election loss.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AOC fundraises on trying to abolish ICE amid Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration
Republicans are ripping progressive New York Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for renewing her call to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in a recent fundraising email. "I believe that ICE, an agency that was just formed in 2003 during the Patriot Act era, is a rogue agency that should not exist," Ocasio-Cortez said in a fundraising email obtained by Fox News Digital. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), House Republicans' campaign arm, criticized the potential 2028 presidential candidate in an X post for fundraising on wanting to abolish ICE, a progressive rallying cry that rejects President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration. "House Democrat Minority Leader AOC is doubling down on their party's most extreme, unhinged agenda, while the rest of her party is bending their knee to the radical wing. At this rate, the Democrat platform in 2026 will be a fever dream of defunding the police, wide open borders, and far-left hellscapes," NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella told Fox News Digital in a statement. Trump Border Czar Fires Back At Aoc Over Doj Probe Remarks: 'Why Doesn't She Pass Some Legislation?' "Why are you considered to be extreme?" Ocasio-Cortez asked in the fundraising email. It's a strategy often deployed by the progressive New Yorker, according to a Fox News Digital review of Ocasio-Cortez's campaign emails. Read On The Fox News App Ice Touts Record-breaking Immigration Enforcement During Trump's First 100 Days Ocasio-Cortez says she is considered "extreme" because she supports Medicare for All, champions the Green New Deal, challenges Democratic Party leadership, believes in "democratic socialism," is funded by small-dollar donations and believes ICE should "not exist." "Pathetic, yet predictable from AOC," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News Digital. "This kind of demonization of ICE officers has led to our officers facing a 413% increase in assaults. While bottom-barrel politicians like AOC fight to protect criminal illegal aliens, our ICE officers will continue putting their lives and safety on the line to arrest murderers, kidnappers, and pedophiles that were let into our country by the Biden Administration's open border policies." "AOC, Democrat Party leader, calls for abolishing ICE," White House spokeswoman, Abigail Jackson, said in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Meanwhile, the brave men and women of ICE get dangerous criminal illegal immigrants off our streets and protect American citizens. Why does AOC want to stop that?" The potential 2028 candidate was at the forefront of the "abolish ICE" movement, a rejection of Trump's immigration policies in his first administration, during her 2018 congressional campaign when she unseated longtime Democrat incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley. While older, moderate Democrats haven't been as vocal about abolishing ICE, another young progressive, who has faced heat within his party for a plan to primary challenge older Democratic incumbents in safe blue districts who are "asleep at the wheel," DNC vice chair David Hogg, has also called to "abolish ICE." "We must acknowledge the terrifying moment that we are in right now, and that what we are hearing and seeing with our own eyes is, in fact, happening. We are watching as our neighbors, students and friends are being fired, targeted and disappeared. It is real. People we love are being targeted and harassed for being LGBTQ. Our co-workers, U.S. citizens and immigrants alike are being disappeared off the street by men in vans with no uniform," Ocasio-Cortez told a crowd in Montana on Sen. Bernie Sanders' "Fighting Oligarchy" Tour. Ocasio-Cortez has an ongoing feud with Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, as the New York congresswoman instructs her constituents how to impede ICE arrests. Ocasio-Cortez is facing a potential Department of Justice probe for a webinar she hosted in February on how to handle ICE agents. The Trump administration has led a robust crackdown on illegal immigration since returning to the White House this year. During the first 100 days of Trump's second term, ICE arrested 66,463 illegal immigrants and removed 65,682, according to ICE. The agency said three in four of those arrests of illegal immigrants involved someone accused of committing a crime. The Fox News Voter Analysis in 2024 found that 52% of voters said Trump was the better candidate to handle immigration, while just 36% said Harris. Additionally, it was a top issue for voters, with 20% saying it was the most important issue facing the country. Ocasio-Cortez, Homan and the DCCC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment. Fox News Digital's Alexandra Koch contributed to this report. Original article source: AOC fundraises on trying to abolish ICE amid Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration
Epoch Times
09-05-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
Who Pays for My Stolen Dreams? A Restaurant Owner's Demand for Accountability
Commentary For 13 years, I poured my heart into Sage Regenerative Kitchen, my Los Angeles chain of five restaurants that employed 350 people and nourished communities with sustainable farm-to-table and local meals. By early 2020, I was poised to sell for $25 million, securing a legacy for my four young children. Then the pandemic struck—not just a virus, but a response so arbitrary, suspicious, and devastating that it obliterated my businesses, home, farm, and dreams. While bureaucrats silenced dissenters like doctors Jay Bhattacharya and Pierre Kory and enforced nonsensical rules, corporations like Amazon and Walmart amassed billions, leaving small businesses like mine in ashes. At 46, I'm starting over, and I demand answers: Who pays for what was stolen from us? The pandemic response wasn't a good-faith error—it reeked of coordination and control. Governments worldwide acted in lockstep: lockdowns, vaccine mandates, and censorship. Therapeutics like These doctors screamed the truth—lockdowns caused In Los Angeles, rules changed hourly, each more absurd. By Friday midnight, I'd get edicts: 'Chairs 6 feet apart.' 'No indoor dining.' 'Masks off while eating, on in restrooms.' 'Booths need 8-foot backs—no, 10 feet.' I spent $70,000 renovating outdoor patios, only for the government to ban outdoor dining weeks later, claiming it was 'too dangerous.' I pivoted relentlessly to keep my 350 employees paid—selling vegetables, toilet paper, even low-cost frozen meals. I tried everything, but nothing stopped the bleeding. Data showed lockdowns didn't curb the virus but decimated economies—$4 trillion in global GDP losses, per the Occupational Safety and Health Administration , the health department, and police for lacking 'proper documentation' in my own restaurants. I begged officials to reconsider. They said, 'The train is moving—get on.' Americans embraced censorship, begged for restrictions, and vilified those sounding alarms. I lost my farm, my sanctuary, and my home. This wasn't a virus—it was policy. Small businesses, employing nearly half of America's workforce, were collateral damage. A 2020 Contrast that with corporate giants. Amazon's revenue soared Who's accountable? Bureaucrats with little at stake followed orders, ignored data, and dismissed my pleas. Health officials who sidelined therapeutics, politicians who prolonged lockdowns, and tech giants who censored truth must face scrutiny. Without cost or accountability, history will repeat. After 9/11, the Patriot Act stripped freedoms under the guise of security. COVID's response eroded more—movement, speech, livelihoods—through arbitrary mandates. If we the people don't stand up and say enough, bureaucrats will continue eroding freedoms, drumming up any crisis to justify control. We need independent investigations—transparent, relentless—into why dissent was crushed, why small businesses were targeted, and who profited. Governments exist to protect life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, not to quarantine the healthy or crush livelihoods with unscientific edicts. If I miss a bill, I pay a late fee. If I err in business, I lose money. What's the cost for leaders who destroyed Sage Regenerative Kitchen and countless other businesses? Friends say, 'Move on.' I am—rebuilding with grit, faith, and love for my four children, creating For my 350 employees, my community, and millions of shattered entrepreneurs, we deserve answers, reforms, and a vow: never again. This wealth transfer must be reckoned with, or we'll lose everything. Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
People Who've Escaped Authoritarian Governments Are Sharing When They KNEW It Was Time To Leave, And Sadly This Is Starting To Feel More And More Relevant
Due to the state of, well, everything in the world right now, the topics of authoritarian governments are on everybody's mind. Recently, Reddit user Free_Dimension1459 asked, "People who escaped authoritarian governments, when did you KNOW it was the right time for you to leave your country?" Sadly, there were A LOT of replies. Here are some of the most compelling: 1."I remember asking my mom why she left the Philippines in the '70s. She explained the Ferdinand Marcos regime and how he declared martial law. She said when that was announced, she knew she had to leave. She had been working towards moving anyway, but she said that was her cue to hurry it up." —duckface08 2."I'm from Myanmar (formerly Burma). Most of us young people left the country when they enacted the conscription law. Now you can't leave the country unless you've done military service — which essentially means until you die. There's a civil war going on, and they need more meat for the meat grinder." —LordAdri123 3."I left Russia back in 2006. Everything was great back then (freedom of internet, foreign tourists, international brands, etc.), but I had a weird feeling it wouldn't last long. I cannot explain it. I visited my parents for a month in 2019, and it felt like the beginning of the end. Then came Covid, and the war." "IKEA and McDonald's left the country, and flights were cancelled. The time I lived in Russia was a short window between the Soviet era and the prosperity of the 2000s. I'm a bird. I used my gut feeling to fly away." —HAKAKAHO 4."I left the US in 2006. With the Patriot Act and several other infringements of citizens' rights, I felt it was the right time to leave." —SeaDry1531 Related: Women Are Sharing The Surprising Things They Discovered About Men When They Got A Boyfriend, And The Responses Range From Hilarious To Actually Kind Of Heartbreaking 5."My grandad left Poland after he was thrown in a concentration camp and escaped. He was very clever and bilingual in German. He made it to the UK. He was 16 in 1939." —Anonymous 6."The police started harassing people on the streets after a protest in Belarus. Some of them were killed, some injured. Thousands were imprisoned and tortured. It is still happening. When everything happened, I just took the first morning flight and left for another country." "This is the short version; the full story is a bit more complicated, obviously." —fromcityoftheSun 7."When I went to the market and found nothing at all but bones. When I had a gun pointed in my face and was robbed for the umpteenth time. When one of my neighbors got shot, and I heard his relatives screaming. When kids died around me in protests. When we got tear gassed and shot at by the National Guard. When the dictator was dancing salsa in a mandatory national transmission while he celebrated the death of protesters. I left Venezuela in 2016 and it still fucking hurts." "I am blessed and privileged. I am grateful that out of sheer good luck, I got to escape via plane and not through the Darién Gap or a shoddy boat. Others are not that lucky. If you have money to spare, go to a Venezuelan-owned restaurant, help your local refugees, and donate to UNHCR or Doctors Without Borders." —AmazingRise 8."I used to know a woman who was from Haiti. She said the right time to leave was in 1980 when the Tonton Macoute came for her husband, who was a political dissident. That was the last time she and the kids saw him." —nmuncer Related: "Something In My Head Said, 'Don't Get Up'": 16 Older Adults Reveal The Wildest Supernatural Encounters From Their Childhood 9."My grandfather, the bravest man I have ever known, fled Germany shortly before the Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935. He had been a lawyer and had arranged everyone's passports, hidden some gold away, and established a place for them to flee. The judiciary was already under the control of the regime. He took his wife and five children and crossed France into Belgium. By 1936, he was applying for asylum to multiple countries, including the US (where he knew people in the embassy). He was summarily denied." "My family fled along the coast on foot, separating children and adults so they weren't all traveling together, hoping their odds were better that way. My grandmother and two aunts were caught and sent to the gas chambers at Treblinka. Mikhael was caught by the Gestapo in Southern France and summarily executed on the spot. Joseph developed pneumonia and died somewhere in northern Spain. My grandfather and father were smuggled into Portugal, got onto a boat, and eventually made it to New Palestine. After the war, my grandfather had had enough of the Zionists, and he was finally granted a US immigration visa and came here in 1947. I was born on American soil in 1961." —Pusfilledonut 10."We left Turkey after the 2016 coup. I think we did the right thing, but now we have another authoritarian government to deal with in the US." —Sirenafeniks 11."My grandmother left Hungary when the hospital she worked at took a direct hit around the October Revolution. It was amazing what she and her family survived for love of country before that moment." —violetx 12."My great grandma fled the USSR during the pogroms and settled in Germany. The day Hitler was elected, she and her husband starting packing and made a break for the US." —RaySizzle16 13."My great-grandparents took their six kids and fled Scotland during the second Highland Clearance. They lost their land at bayonet point. My great-grandfather went from being an educated doctor in the Highlands to being a janitor here in the US because the British were determined to starve out the Scottish clans just like they did with the Irish." —sunlitmoonlight1772 14."When Putin invaded Crimea, I accepted a job offer to move out of Russia. People around me didn't care much, and I realized that Putin knew he could do anything he wanted there because people wouldn't protest. I thought he would turn the country into a full-on dictatorship, and I was right." —Vjuja 15."My mother and her parents left Bosnia in 1991 when the Iron Curtain fell and Yugoslavia started falling. They saw the whole conflict and genocides coming." —femboyisbestboy 16."When Putin and Medvedev swapped positions as president and prime minister in 2012, my wife and I looked at each other and were like, 'yep, it's time to go.' Best decision ever." —CanadianRussian74 finally, a reminder to stay vigilant now more than ever: "I have read many accounts of people who lived in authoritarian governments, and most didn't notice until authoritarianism was already in full swing." "Many seem to deny it until it affects them directly. Most people are just living their lives, and a lot of people consciously avoid the media as it's generally depressing. The first to leave are those who are paying attention." —WXavierM H/T r/AskReddit Some replies have been edited for length and clarity. Also in Internet Finds: People Revealed The Creepiest, Cult-Like Towns In The United States And, Jesus Christ, It's Icky Also in Internet Finds: 27 Extremely Disturbing Wikipedia Pages That Will Haunt Your Dreams Until The End Of Your Days Also in Internet Finds: 101 People Who Woke Up One Morning And Promptly Had The Most Painfully Awkward And Embarrassing Day In Human History
Buzz Feed
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
People Who Escaped Authoritarianism Share Their Final Straws
Due to the state of, well, everything in the world right now, the topics of authoritarian governments are on everybody's mind. Recently, Reddit user Free_Dimension1459 asked, "People who escaped authoritarian governments, when did you KNOW it was the right time for you to leave your country?" Sadly, there were A LOT of replies. Here are some of the most compelling: "I remember asking my mom why she left the Philippines in the '70s. She explained the Ferdinand Marcos regime and how he declared martial law. She said when that was announced, she knew she had to leave. She had been working towards moving anyway, but she said that was her cue to hurry it up." —duckface08 "I'm from Myanmar (formerly Burma). Most of us young people left the country when they enacted the conscription law. Now you can't leave the country unless you've done military service — which essentially means until you die. There's a civil war going on, and they need more meat for the meat grinder." —LordAdri123 "I left Russia back in 2006. Everything was great back then (freedom of internet, foreign tourists, international brands, etc.), but I had a weird feeling it wouldn't last long. I cannot explain it. I visited my parents for a month in 2019, and it felt like the beginning of the end. Then came Covid, and the war." "IKEA and McDonald's left the country, and flights were cancelled. The time I lived in Russia was a short window between the Soviet era and the prosperity of the 2000s. I'm a bird. I used my gut feeling to fly away."—HAKAKAHO "I left the US in 2006. With the Patriot Act and several other infringements of citizens' rights, I felt it was the right time to leave." —SeaDry1531 "My grandad left Poland after he was thrown in a concentration camp and escaped. He was very clever and bilingual in German. He made it to the UK. He was 16 in 1939." —Anonymous "The police started harassing people on the streets after a protest in Belarus. Some of them were killed, some injured. Thousands were imprisoned and tortured. It is still happening. When everything happened, I just took the first morning flight and left for another country." "This is the short version; the full story is a bit more complicated, obviously."—fromcityoftheSun "When I went to the market and found nothing at all but bones. When I had a gun pointed in my face and was robbed for the umpteenth time. When one of my neighbors got shot, and I heard his relatives screaming. When kids died around me in protests. When we got tear gassed and shot at by the National Guard. When the dictator was dancing salsa in a mandatory national transmission while he celebrated the death of protesters. I left Venezuela in 2016 and it still fucking hurts." "I am blessed and privileged. I am grateful that out of sheer good luck, I got to escape via plane and not through the Darién Gap or a shoddy boat. Others are not that lucky. If you have money to spare, go to a Venezuelan-owned restaurant, help your local refugees, and donate to UNHCR or Doctors Without Borders."—AmazingRise "I used to know a woman who was from Haiti. She said the right time to leave was in 1980 when the Tonton Macoute came for her husband, who was a political dissident. That was the last time she and the kids saw him." —nmuncer "My grandfather, the bravest man I have ever known, fled Germany shortly before the Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935. He had been a lawyer and had arranged everyone's passports, hidden some gold away, and established a place for them to flee. The judiciary was already under the control of the regime. He took his wife and five children and crossed France into Belgium. By 1936, he was applying for asylum to multiple countries, including the US (where he knew people in the embassy). He was summarily denied." "My family fled along the coast on foot, separating children and adults so they weren't all traveling together, hoping their odds were better that way. My grandmother and two aunts were caught and sent to the gas chambers at Treblinka. Mikhael was caught by the Gestapo in Southern France and summarily executed on the spot. Joseph developed pneumonia and died somewhere in northern Spain. My grandfather and father were smuggled into Portugal, got onto a boat, and eventually made it to New Palestine. After the war, my grandfather had had enough of the Zionists, and he was finally granted a US immigration visa and came here in 1947. I was born on American soil in 1961."—Pusfilledonut "We left Turkey after the 2016 coup. I think we did the right thing, but now we have another authoritarian government to deal with in the US." —Sirenafeniks "My grandmother left Hungary when the hospital she worked at took a direct hit around the October Revolution. It was amazing what she and her family survived for love of country before that moment." —violetx "My great grandma fled the USSR during the pogroms and settled in Germany. The day Hitler was elected, she and her husband starting packing and made a break for the US." —RaySizzle16 "My great-grandparents took their six kids and fled Scotland during the second Highland Clearance. They lost their land at bayonet point. My great-grandfather went from being an educated doctor in the Highlands to being a janitor here in the US because the British were determined to starve out the Scottish clans just like they did with the Irish." —sunlitmoonlight1772 "When Putin invaded Crimea, I accepted a job offer to move out of Russia. People around me didn't care much, and I realized that Putin knew he could do anything he wanted there because people wouldn't protest. I thought he would turn the country into a full-on dictatorship, and I was right." —Vjuja "My mother and her parents left Bosnia in 1991 when the Iron Curtain fell and Yugoslavia started falling. They saw the whole conflict and genocides coming." —femboyisbestboy "When Putin and Medvedev swapped positions as president and prime minister in 2012, my wife and I looked at each other and were like, 'yep, it's time to go.' Best decision ever." —CanadianRussian74 And finally, a reminder to stay vigilant now more than ever: "I have read many accounts of people who lived in authoritarian governments, and most didn't notice until authoritarianism was already in full swing." "Many seem to deny it until it affects them directly. Most people are just living their lives, and a lot of people consciously avoid the media as it's generally depressing. The first to leave are those who are paying attention."—WXavierM H/T r/AskReddit
