Today is not a good news day, so if you are looking for Hope or Uplift, change the channel.
“In a notification sent to Congress over the weekend, Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed that a 75-year-old Cuban national named Isidro Perez died while in ICE custody on June 26. The death, which appears to have been caused by a heart attack, is “still under investigation,” according to the notification, which was sent our way by a congressional aide. Obviously, the man’s age immediately makes it look odd that he was in ICE detention in the first place. But here’s something else that’s striking about this case: According to the ICE note, the man was first paroled into the United States in 1966. Yes, you read that right. The man has been here for almost 60 years—and he appears to have been around 16 years old when he first arrived from Fidel Castro’s Cuba. … Immigration law experts tell me they think that given his 1966 arrival in the United States, Perez was likely paroled into the U.S. as part of the parole programs that the U.S. implemented for Cubans fleeing Castro’s reign. … [Q]uestions will surely be raised about why someone of this age—who had been paroled into the U.S. as a teenager before Americans set foot on the moon—was detained in the first place. “Not only is it unjust and unnecessary to execute a deportation order from two generations in the past, but when the target is an elderly person with health issues, detention is particularly dangerous,” Reichlin-Melnick told me. “As part of their deportation drive, are they going to start reconsidering more people paroled into this country 50 years ago?” asked Yael Schacher, an advocate with Refugees International, adding that in no sense was Perez any kind of “flight risk.” - Greg Sargent, The New Republic, June 30, 2025.
“Migrant children and families are not “invaders.” They are victims of U.S. immigration policy that has repeatedly torn families apart, inflicting lasting harm on child development and well-being. How did we arrive at a moment where protesting the detention of a child ripped from their parent’s arms is met with militarized force? … Millions of Americans who recognize immigrants are our friends, our neighbors, and our fellow human beings are outraged. Protests — not just in Los Angeles but nationwide — reflect a growing demand for accountability. And should future leaders get a chance to remake our immigration system, they must not forget who is at the center of the harm Trump has wrought: children and families seeking safety.” - Jordan Foster, Dylan Gee and Dina Francesca Haynes, June 26, 2025.
We’re All Rats Now: Time to take a stand, again, against racism - Paul Krugman, June 30, 2025.
DHS Building Very Own Concentration Camp In Florida, And Yes There Are T-shirts - Gary Legum, June 30, 2025.
According to Tom Homan, it’s normal for people to die in federal custody. - Edith Olmsted, June 30, 2025.
Maybe tomorrow will bring better news. Meanwhile, comments always welcome. THANK YOU! to all subscribers, free and paid.
And don’t go near the ‘gators.
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It’s hard not to feel hopeless, but so important not to. Thanks for being one of the heros we can lean on Dan!
😢😩