David C. Kimball | Lightnews

David Kimball

@kimballdc.bsky.social

330 followers 340 following 17 posts

Professor of Political Science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis

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Political science 51%

Business 13%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Mary Feeney, Elizabeth Stokoe, Ralf Michaels , and 5 more Mary Feeney, Elizabeth Stokoe, Ralf Michaels, Robert C. Richards, David C. Kimball, Dana R. Fisher, Mark Rice, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

Dave Vetter @davidrvetter.bsky.social · 12h

"A modern-day concentration camp ... People have been killed by the staff here." Irish citizen Seamus Culleton has been in ICE detention since September, despite having a valid work permit and his own business in the US.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Mor Naaman, Laurent Pech , and 3 more Brendan Nyhan, Mor Naaman, Laurent Pech, Rebecca Tushnet, David C. Kimball, Nathan P. Kalmoe

THE CITY @thecity.nyc · 20h

ICE officials under a judge’s order to clean up squalid conditions on the 10th floor of 26 Federal Plaza detained migrants on a secret floor where they decided that ruling didn’t apply, attorneys for the Trump administration said Monday.

www.thecity.nyc/2026/02/09/2...

ICE Moved Detainees to Previously Undisclosed Floor of 26 Federal Plaza

A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reduce overcrowding and squalid conditions at a Manhattan holding room. Months later, he finds ICE merely shifted floors.

www.thecity.nyc

Reposted by Adrian Daub, David C. Kimball, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò , and 3 more Adrian Daub, David C. Kimball, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Virginia Sapiro, David Darmofal

ProPublica @propublica.org · 1d

5/ “I have already spent more than 60 days waking up eating the same repetitive meals…going to the doctor and that the only thing they tell you is to drink more water and the worst thing is that it seems like the water is what makes people sick here…”

From 12-year-old Ender, detained 60+ days

Page 1 of a child’s handwritten letter, written in Spanish in a cursive script. Translation: “Hello I am Ender and I am 12 years old, I have been at this center for 2 months. I arrived here for an immigration appointment and I don’t think they should grab immigrants who are innocent, like instead of grabbing criminals because I mean they prefer to lock up children than look for people who really shouldn’t be in the U.S. They told me I could only be here 21 days but I have already spent more than 60 days waking up eating the same repetitive meals, going outside and that the majority of guards never pay attention to people, eating dinner always the same as the day before, seeing people cry every day for the same reasons, trying to sleep in that horrible uncomfortable bed, going to the doctor and that the only thing they tell you is to drink more water and the worst thing is that it seems like the water is what makes people sick here…”

Page 2 of a child’s handwritten letter, written in Spanish in a cursive script. Translation: “…going to wait for the bad answers from the judges, hearing the bad news from people who no longer have hope, having to share a room with minimum 3 families, and all that so they send us back to our countries.” Below the text is a drawing in pen of three women, titled “My family” and labeled with “Mama,” “Sister,” and “me” in Spanish.

Reposted by Tom Clark, David R. Miller, David C. Kimball

Brendan Nyhan @brendannyhan.bsky.social · 3d

Not how the rule of law works. Precisely the opposite, in fact.

Reposted by Timnit Gebru, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers , and 11 more Timnit Gebru, Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, Diane Ravitch, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Jared Yates Sexton, Michael D. McDonald, Erol Akçay, David C. Kimball, Ann Bartow, Suzanne Conklin Akbari, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Colin Woodard, Kevin Grant

Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 3d

ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”

What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.

$MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Alberto Castañeda Mondragón says his memory was so jumbled after a beating by immigration officers that he initially could not remember he had a daughter and still struggles to recall treasured moments like the night he taught her to dance. But the violence he endured last month in Minnesota while being detained is seared into his battered brain. He remembers Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents pulling him from a friend’s car on Jan. 8 outside a St. Paul shopping center and throwing him to the ground, handcuffing him, then punching him and striking his head with a steel baton. He remembers being dragged into an SUV and taken to a detention facility, where he said he was beaten again. He also remembers the emergency room and the intense pain from eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages.$

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David C. Kimball

Omar Wasow @owasow.bsky.social · 3d

“Trump treated black employees differently. A former hotel exec said Trump criticized a black accountant: “Black guys counting my money! I hate it. I think that the guy is lazy. And it’s probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks.” nyti.ms/3qriGio

Opinion | Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List, Updated (Published 2018)

The media uses euphemisms. Here’s the truth: President Trump is a racist.

nyti.ms

Reposted by Benjamin I. Cook, David C. Kimball

Jeff Lukas @lukasclimate.bsky.social · 5d

Given the latest NOAA CBRFC inflow forecast for Lake Powell, I dusted off this plot from my Twitter days and updated it.

The Feb 1st outlook for Colorado River flows hasn't been this poor in >35 years. Even if wetter weather ahead, bottom-10 outcome likely.

h/t @glenwoodrek.bsky.social

Graph showing the NOAA Colorado Basin River Forecast Center's forecasts of April to July inflows to Lake Powell from 1991 to 2026, with colored lines showing how each season's forecast evolved from January through July. The latest Forecast, February 2026, is the lowest outlook for this time of year since at least 1991.

Reposted by Will Jennings, Daniel W. Drezner, David C. Kimball , and 1 more Will Jennings, Daniel W. Drezner, David C. Kimball, Timothy D. McBride

Bill Kristol @billkristolbulwark.bsky.social · 6d

New Q poll: ICE approval 34%-63%, down from 40%-57% on Jan. 13. 60% think ICE should withdraw from Minneapolis, while 36% think ICE should continue its operations in Minneapolis.

poll.qu.edu/poll-release...

61% Of Voters Think The Trump Administration Has Not Given An Honest Account Of The Fatal Shooting Of Alex Pretti, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; 58% Of Voters Think DHS Secretary Kris...

"We need more facts and an independent investigation is the way to get them, say voters who cast doubt on the honesty of the account of how Alex Pretti ended up dead on a Minneapolis street," said Qui...

poll.qu.edu

Reposted by David C. Kimball

clay jackson @clayjak.substack.com · 6d

NAMES MENTIONED IN THE FILES:
•Trump— 38K+
•Reid Hoffman— 2.6K+
•Bill Gates— 2.5K+
•Peter Thiel— 2.2K+
•Elon Musk—1.1K+
•Richard Branson— ~1K
•Howard Lutnick— 653
•Kevin Warsh— 521
•Larry Ellison— 398
•DACA recipients— 0
•Trans people— 0
•Drag queens— 0

www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...

A list of powerful men named in the Epstein files, from Elon Musk to former Prince Andrew

A who’s who of powerful men make appearances in the huge trove of documents released by the Justice Department in connection with its investigations of Jeffrey Epstein.

www.pbs.org

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, David C. Kimball

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 6d

Billionaire investor and GOP donor Ken Griffin: “This administration has definitely made mis-steps in choosing decisions or courses that have been very, very enriching to the families of those in the administration” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Citadel’s Ken Griffin says Trump White House has ‘enriched’ family members

Wall Street figure and Republican donor offers rare public criticism of perceived administration’s self-dealing

giftarticle.ft.com

Reposted by Roger A. Pielke, Matthew Bunn, A. E. Dessler , and 23 more Roger A. Pielke, Matthew Bunn, A. E. Dessler, Ken Caldeira, Dimitry Kochenov, Stacie B. Dusetzina, Caroline Krafft, Joseph Schafer, Kevin Carey, R. M. Wilson, Aaron Sojourner, Andrew L. Whitehead, Stacy D. VanDeveer, James Goodwin, Brian Keegan, David C. Kimball, Michael Jones‐Correa, Alessandro Rigolon, Sam Kamin, Juanjo Medina, Thomas J. Hayes, Goldie Blumenstyk, Timothy D. McBride, David Darmofal, Kristina McElheran, Marian Negoita

Cato Institute @cato.org · 7d

The US immigrant population generated more in taxes than they received in benefits from all levels of government every year from 1994 to 2023.

The Cato study provides the first-ever 30-year analysis of the fiscal effects of immigration on government budgets.

https://ow.ly/jy8a50Y8kM3

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Linda J. Skitka, Steve Peers , and 9 more Brendan Nyhan, Linda J. Skitka, Steve Peers, Caroline Krafft, John Mullahy, Merijn Chamon, David C. Kimball, Lisa Diedrich, Ann Bartow, Daxton R. Stewart, Charles T. Mathewes, Élisabeth Vallet

Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 7d

Even if you don't have time to read all 83 pages of Judge Reyes's opinion barring the Trump administration from rescinding Temporary Protected Status for 350,000+ Haitians, please at least check out the four-page introduction.

It's a tour de force:

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

"On December 2, 1783, then-Commander-in-Chief George Washington penned: “America is open to receive not only the Opulent & respected Stranger, but the oppressed & persecuted of all Nations & Religions.”1
More than two centuries later, Congress reaffirmed President Washington’s vision by establishing the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program. See 8 U.S.C. § 1254a (TPS statute). It provides humanitarian relief to foreign nationals in the United States who come from disaster-stricken countries. It also brings in substantial revenue, with TPS holders generating $5.2 billion in taxes annually. See Part VI.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has a different take. [screenshot of tweet].

So says the official responsible for overseeing the TPS program. And one of those (her word) “damn” countries is Haiti. Relevant here, three days before making the above post, Secretary Noem announced she would terminate Haiti’s TPS designation as of February 3, 2026. See 90
Fed. Reg. 54733 (Nov. 28, 2025) (Termination).

Plaintiffs are five Haitian TPS holders. They are not, it emerges, “killers, leeches, or entitlement junkies.” They are instead: Fritz Emmanuel Lesly Miot, a neuroscientist researching Alzheimer’s disease, Dkt. 90 (Second Am. Compl. (SAC)) ¶ 1; Rudolph Civil, a software engineer at a national bank, id. ¶ 2; Marlene Gail Noble, a laboratory assistant in a toxicology department, id. ¶ 3; Marica Merline Laguerre, a college economics major, id. ¶ 4; and Vilbrun Dorsainvil, a full-time registered nurse, id. ¶ 5. They claim that Secretary Noem’s decision violates the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 706(2), and the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Government counters that the Court does not have jurisdiction, and, in any case, the Secretary did not violate the law.

Plaintiffs seek to stay the Secretary’s decision under 5 U.S.C. § 705 pending the outcome of this litigation. See Dkt. 81 (§ 705 Mot.). To decide their motion, the Court considers first whether it has jurisdiction. It does. See Part II. It then considers: whether Plaintiffs have a substantial likelihood of success on the merits; whether they will be irreparably harmed absent a stay; and whether a merged balance of the equities and public interest analysis favors a stay. See Part III. Each element favors Plaintiffs. See Parts IV, V, and VI.

Plaintiffs charge that Secretary Noem preordained her termination decision and did so because of hostility to nonwhite immigrants. This seems substantially likely. Secretary Noem

has terminated every TPS country designation to have reached her desk—twelve countries up,
twelve countries down. See Section IV.A.2. Her conclusion that Haiti (a majority nonwhite
country) faces merely “concerning” conditions cannot be squared with the “perfect storm of
suffering” and “staggering” “humanitarian toll” described in page-after-page of the Certified
Administrative Record (CAR). See Section IV.A.3.a. She ignored Congress’s requirement that
she “review the conditions” in Haiti only “after” consulting “with appropriate agencies.” 8
U.S.C. § 1254a(b)(3)(A); see Section IV.A.1. Indeed, she did not consult other agencies at all.
See id. Her “national interest” analysis focuses on Haitians outside the United States or here
illegally, ignoring that Haitian TPS holders already live here, and legally so. See Section
IV.A.3.b. And though she states that the analysis must include “economic considerations,” she
ignores altogether the billions Haitian TPS holders contribute to the economy. See id.
The Government’s primary response is that the TPS statute gives the Secretary
unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants. And, yes,
the statute does grant her some discretion. But not unbounded discretion. To the contrary,
Congress passed the TPS statute to standardize the then ad hoc temporary protection system—to
replace executive whim with statutory predictability. See Section I.A.
As to irreparable harm, the Government contends that, at most, the harms to Haitian TPS
holders are speculative. But the Department of State (State) warns [screenshot]

Dkt. 100 (§ 705 Reply) at 20–21.4 “Do not travel to Haiti for any reason” does not exactly
scream, as Secretary Noem concluded, suitable for return. And so, the Government studiously
does not argue that Plaintiffs will suffer no harm if removed to Haiti. Instead, it argues Plaintiffs
will not certainly suffer irreparable harm because DHS might not remove them. But this fails to
take Secretary Noem at her word: “WE DON’T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.” See Section
IV.B.2.b.
Finally, the balance of equities and public interest favor a stay. The Government does not
cite any reason termination must occur post haste. Secretary Noem complains of strains
unlawful immigrants place on our immigration-enforcement system. Her answer? Turn 352,959
lawful immigrants into unlawful immigrants overnight. She complains of strains to our
economy. Her answer? Turn employed lawful immigrants who contribute billions in taxes into
the legally unemployable. She complains of strains to our healthcare system. Her answer? Turn
the insured into the uninsured. This approach is many things—in the public interest is not one of
them.
For the reasons below, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ Renewed Motion for a Stay Under
5 U.S.C. § 705, Dkt. 81.

Reposted by Jacob T. Levy, David C. Kimball, Kate Jackson , and 1 more Jacob T. Levy, David C. Kimball, Kate Jackson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Omri Marian @omrimarian.bsky.social · 9d

I feel these days warrant that I share my earliest, and probably probable most important teaching moments on academic shared-governance.
In the 2013-14 academic year I was an assistant professor at the University of Florida, Levine College of Law. We were searching for a new Dean...

Reposted by David C. Kimball, Timothy D. McBride

Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 9d

In case you were wondering what Alex Acosta of Epstein infamy is up to now, he’s landed gigs at the State Leadership Initiative (alongside Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts) and at Newsmax. 1/

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Linda J. Skitka, William Myers , and 1 more Anna O. Law, Linda J. Skitka, William Myers, David C. Kimball

Phil Rocco @philiprocco.bsky.social · 9d

Reading the astounding preliminary report of Illinois Accountability Commission on the federal abuses of Midway Blitz. Every state touched by the ICE assault needs to create a body like this just to preserve / consolidate the factual record. ilac.illinois.gov/content/dam/...

Executive Summary
The announcement of Operation Midway Blitz on September 8, 2025, was part of a calculated
campaign to sow fear and chaos in an American city that the Trump Administration saw as
noncompliant with its policies on immigration. President Trump and federal officials at his direction
spent months ramping up their immigration enforcement tools, testing out new tactics, and
threatening to come for Chicago and Illinois. Even before the inauguration, President-elect Trump’s
‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan said the Administration’s immigration enforcement was “going to start
right here in Chicago, Illinois.” The Trump Administration's first publicized aggressive enforcement
effort of 2025 was in Chicago with Operation Safeguard, just days after the January
inauguration.

Reposted by Jonathan A. Foley, Laurent Pech, David C. Kimball , and 2 more Jonathan A. Foley, Laurent Pech, David C. Kimball, Kate Starbird, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Katherine Long @klong.bsky.social · 9d

In the days before the presidential inauguration, an Emirati sheikh paid $187 million to entities controlled by Donald Trump’s family to take a major stake in one of the president’s crypto companies, World Liberty Financial.
www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company

$500 million investment for 49% of World Liberty came months before U.A.E. won access to tightly guarded American AI chips.

www.wsj.com

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma , and 33 more Anne Applebaum, Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma, Stephan Lewandowsky, David Brady, Andrew Scott, Mark D. White, Maarten Vink, Guy Grossman, Paul Goldstein, Daniel W. Drezner, Michael Kevane, Trevon D. Logan, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Aaron Sojourner, Martha Albertson Fineman, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Scott A. Imberman, Michael H. Whitworth, David C. Kimball, Jason Lyall, Michael Jones‐Correa, Nancy Langston, Mark Priestley, Ann Bartow, Deborah Avant, Matthew P. McAllister, Karen O’Leary, Christina Pagel, Olivier Mannoni, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Timothy D. McBride, Dunlap, Peter Jacobs, Jesse R. Lasky

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

This is just insane. It’s only a matter of time before DHS kills another innocent person here.

(clip via MPR and @davidjbier.bsky.social on X)

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 9 more Joanna Bryson, Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Elizabeth Stokoe, Paul Davies, Alan Lester, David C. Kimball, Glen O’Hara, Aurélien Mondon, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Jeroen Van Bouwel, Peter Bergman

Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 10d

Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...

X Posts about London Crime - large growth in number of likes after monetisation introduced

Reposted by David C. Kimball

Tim Dickinson @timdickinson.bsky.social · 10d

Wild: (Microsoft) Xbox Live banned Epstein for being a sex offender in 2013, but Microsoft founder Bill Gates kept making appointments with him

Reposted by David C. Kimball

John Gramlich @johngramlich.bsky.social · 12d

Chart from new @pewresearch.org survey: Which actions related to federal immigration enforcement do Americans see as acceptable or unacceptable? www.pewresearch.org/politics/202...

Chart showing Americans' views on whether certain actions related to federal immigration enforcement are acceptable or not. The chart is based on a Jan. 20-26 Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults.

Reposted by David C. Kimball

Minutemen Bot @minutemenbot.bsky.social · 12d

The ship's creaking
Taking on bullshit

Reposted by David C. Kimball

Susan Marie Swanson @susanmarieswanson.bsky.social · 12d

One Minnesota journalist doing remarkable work right now is Elizabeth Shockman/@eshockmanwrites.bsky.social for @mprnews.org. This article posted yesterday on child detentions is an essential read. An essential read.

‘ICE conveyor belt’ illegally detaining, moving Minnesota children to Texas faster than courts can respond

ICE is pulling Minnesota immigrant families with legal status out of their driveways, homes and school commutes and sending them to Texas within hours — in at least two cases against a judge’s order. ...

www.mprnews.org

Reposted by David C. Kimball, Stephen Pimpare, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 13d

"Federal troop deployments to U.S. cities cost a total of $496 million in 2025, CBO estimates. Continuing current deployments will cost $93 million a month; 1,000 Guard personnel deployed to a city will cost at least $18 million a month." www.cbo.gov/publication/...

Reposted by Will Jennings, David C. Kimball, Stella M. Rouse

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Robert C. Richards , and 2 more Marc Lynch, Steve Peers, Robert C. Richards, Jason Dittmer, David C. Kimball

Spencer Ackerman @attackerman.bsky.social · 14d

Stop what you’re doing and read this piece, which is as powerful as you’d expect from @adamserwer.bsky.social witnessing the events of last week on the ground in Minnesota. “The secret fear of the morally depraved is that virtue is actually common, and that they’re the ones who are alone.”

Minnesota Proved MAGA Wrong

The pushback against ICE exposed a series of mistaken assumptions.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Rebecca Solnit, Nandita Sharma, Stephan Lewandowsky , and 25 more Rebecca Solnit, Nandita Sharma, Stephan Lewandowsky, Juliet B. Schor, Scott L. Greer, John McLaren, Rosemary A. Joyce, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Michelle Everson, Aaron Sojourner, Scott A. Imberman, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, Samantha Brennan, Erol Akçay, David C. Kimball, Mark Priestley, Kate Starbird, Claire L. Adida, Leah Stokes, Olivier Mannoni, Prakash Kashwan, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Francesco Nicoli, Colin Woodard, Virginia Sapiro, Timothy D. McBride, Melinda Baldwin, David Darmofal

Representative Seth Magaziner @magaziner.house.gov · 14d

Reminder that, as of the latest reports, Liam Ramos is still in prison in Texas - now for 5 days.

His parents are legal asylum seekers with no criminal record.

Reposted by David C. Kimball

YouGov America @today.yougov.com · 15d

A chart of YouGov polling data with the headline: "More Americans say the shooting of Alex Pretti was not justified than say it was justified. Those who have seen video overwhelmingly say it was not justified."

The chart's sub-headline is: "Based on what you know, was the shooting of the man in Minneapolis justified or not justified? (%)."

The chart has the note: "Note: Whether people had seen video of the shooting is based on responses to the question, "Did you see any videos of Border Patrol agents shooting a man in Minneapolis on Saturday?""

Reposted by David C. Kimball

Jonathan Baran @jonathanbaran.bsky.social · 15d

I also wrote about him and most certainly have not forgotten. www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...

Videos of fatal ICE shooting in Chicago raise questions about DHS account

DHS said an officer was “seriously injured” by an undocumented immigrant who hit and dragged him with his car. Video indicates the officer suffered minor injuries he dismissed as “nothing major.”

www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Joe R. Feagin, Robert C. Richards, Rebecca Tushnet , and 2 more Joe R. Feagin, Robert C. Richards, Rebecca Tushnet, David C. Kimball, Mark Rice

Santiago Mayer @santiagomayer.com · 18d

ICE keeps abducting babies.

www.startribune.com/agents-detai...

Agents detain and send 2-year-old girl and her father to Texas despite court order to release toddler

Attorneys for the family say they were asylum-seekers who were pulled over without a warrant and did not have a final order for removal.

www.startribune.com

Reposted by David C. Kimball

Doghouse Reilly @chadstanton.blacksky.app · 18d

“It appears to be the first time in Oregon that Trump administration immigration authorities have detained an entire family unit, and is one of a few rare cases of immigrants being detained while seeking medical care.”

www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

ICE detains family seeking emergency care for child at Portland hospital

The Venezuelan parents and their 7-year-old daughter entered the U.S. legally.

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