Jenn Kauffman
@jennaudrey.bsky.social
Local DC policy is my work. MPH health equity @ BU SPH is my school. Alum of AFL-CIO & UMass Labor Center (among other places). I talk mostly about public health + politics + workers’ rights. **Personal account.**
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
EXCLUSIVE: Senior DHS officials double down on arresting and detaining refugees in new memo.
Hours after DOJ filed the new memo in court in Minnesota, a magistrate judge denied Law Dork's request for greater public access in the case — including remote electronic docket access.
Hours after DOJ filed the new memo in court in Minnesota, a magistrate judge denied Law Dork's request for greater public access in the case — including remote electronic docket access.
Exclusive: Senior DHS officials double down on arresting and detaining refugees in new memo
Hours after DOJ filed the new memo in court in Minnesota, a magistrate judge denied Law Dork's request for greater public access in the case — including remote electronic docket access.
www.lawdork.com
February 19, 2026 at 1:23 AM
EXCLUSIVE: Senior DHS officials double down on arresting and detaining refugees in new memo.
Hours after DOJ filed the new memo in court in Minnesota, a magistrate judge denied Law Dork's request for greater public access in the case — including remote electronic docket access.
Hours after DOJ filed the new memo in court in Minnesota, a magistrate judge denied Law Dork's request for greater public access in the case — including remote electronic docket access.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
A recent Congressional letter accuses DHS of not being compliant with a major civil rights law due to the mistreatment of disabled ICE detainees. As I reported for @motherjones.com, this is worsened by the fact DHS' office for civil rights has TWO EMPLOYEES now.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
DHS axed its civil rights staff—and opened the door to a major lawsuit
The agency is now barely pretending to follow disability law. Its former civil rights head says that makes ICE vulnerable.
www.motherjones.com
February 18, 2026 at 12:50 PM
A recent Congressional letter accuses DHS of not being compliant with a major civil rights law due to the mistreatment of disabled ICE detainees. As I reported for @motherjones.com, this is worsened by the fact DHS' office for civil rights has TWO EMPLOYEES now.
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
February 18, 2026 at 1:14 PM
ProPublica published children's letters and drawings documenting their sadness and suffering at Dilley. And Dilley staff are now retaliating by confiscating kids' letters and drawings.
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
www.sacurrent.com/news/san-ant...
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Latest from @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social: “To unnecessarily deport a sick baby and his entire family is heinous. My staff and I are in contact with Juan’s family. We are laser-focused on tracking them down.”
Congressman Castro says that Juan Nicolás’ 16-month-old sister was deported too. The family was given the $190 left in their commissary when they were “abandoned across the border.”
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/17/2...
thebarbedwire.com/2026/02/17/2...
2-Month-Old Baby Juan Nicolás & His Mother Were ‘Abandoned Across the Border’ Hours After He Was Hospitalized With Bronchitis, Castro Says
“His life is in danger,” Congressman Castro said Tuesday about the baby.
thebarbedwire.com
February 18, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Latest from @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social: “To unnecessarily deport a sick baby and his entire family is heinous. My staff and I are in contact with Juan’s family. We are laser-focused on tracking them down.”
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
MAJOR: Twin Cities Tenants joins five labor unions, together repping 25,900 members, to launch a rent strike drive, vowing to withhold rent March 1 if @governorwalz.mn.gov fails to deliver an eviction moratorium and rent relief. If launched, this would be the largest US rent strike in 100+ years.
February 17, 2026 at 7:01 PM
MAJOR: Twin Cities Tenants joins five labor unions, together repping 25,900 members, to launch a rent strike drive, vowing to withhold rent March 1 if @governorwalz.mn.gov fails to deliver an eviction moratorium and rent relief. If launched, this would be the largest US rent strike in 100+ years.
It’s as if the people from Arrested Development were real and not funny.
The US Department of Health and Human Services just released this video.
February 17, 2026 at 11:23 PM
It’s as if the people from Arrested Development were real and not funny.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
MUST READ:
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The billionaires' eugenics project: how Epstein infiltrated Harvard, muzzled the humanities and preached master-race science
Edge - Jeffrey Epstein's favourite intellectual salon - was sold to me as a gathering of the world's finest minds, writes Virginia Heffernan. The files reveal it was something far darker: a decades-lo...
www.thenerve.news
February 15, 2026 at 7:05 PM
MUST READ:
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
The best synthesis I have seen so far of things I knew or had put together from various sources but had not really seen pulled together 🧪
Importantly, I don’t think these academics were an aberration. I think a lot of scientists would have entered these circles, given the option.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
This post showed up in my feed right above an article about how AI hallucinations are a mathematical inevitability.
“We plan to hire an AI rewrite specialist to ingest the reporting by Hannah and others and use AI to convert it into stories.”
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
The editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer said it will use AI to ‘write’ its articles.
www.cleveland.com/news/2025/10...
February 16, 2026 at 1:05 PM
This post showed up in my feed right above an article about how AI hallucinations are a mathematical inevitability.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
From Alec Gaffney at @agencyiq.bsky.social:
"There doesn’t seem to be a coherent approach to evidentiary requirements at the FDA at this time, other than one that demonizes vaccines."
"There doesn’t seem to be a coherent approach to evidentiary requirements at the FDA at this time, other than one that demonizes vaccines."
February 14, 2026 at 12:48 PM
From Alec Gaffney at @agencyiq.bsky.social:
"There doesn’t seem to be a coherent approach to evidentiary requirements at the FDA at this time, other than one that demonizes vaccines."
"There doesn’t seem to be a coherent approach to evidentiary requirements at the FDA at this time, other than one that demonizes vaccines."
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
President Trump's lawyers have told a court he shouldn't have to respond to lawsuits because it would distract him from running the government.
But he's found time to bring lawsuits of his own, against the New York Times and even against his own administration.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
But he's found time to bring lawsuits of his own, against the New York Times and even against his own administration.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
February 14, 2026 at 12:17 PM
President Trump's lawyers have told a court he shouldn't have to respond to lawsuits because it would distract him from running the government.
But he's found time to bring lawsuits of his own, against the New York Times and even against his own administration.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
But he's found time to bring lawsuits of his own, against the New York Times and even against his own administration.
www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social.
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Washington Post layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, preliminary Guild data shows
"We cannot ignore what this means for equity, representation, and the future of this organization."
www.niemanlab.org
February 13, 2026 at 10:48 PM
The @washingtonpost.com layoffs disproportionately affected union members of color, per data from the @postguild.bsky.social.
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
50% of Hispanic/Latino guild members, 45% of Black members, and 43% of Asian members were laid off, compared to 37% of white members.
www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/wash...
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
As my colleague @tusk81.bsky.social beautifully wrote in this piece, "This Valentine’s Day, let’s all come together to reject the attacks on our immigrant neighbors and to let them know they are valued, appreciated, and deserving of their place here in this country we all call home."
💓
💓
Happy Valentine’s Day To Immigrants Everywhere
This Valentine’s Day, let’s all come together to reject the attacks on our immigrant neighbors and to let them know they are valued and loved.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com
February 12, 2026 at 11:05 PM
As my colleague @tusk81.bsky.social beautifully wrote in this piece, "This Valentine’s Day, let’s all come together to reject the attacks on our immigrant neighbors and to let them know they are valued, appreciated, and deserving of their place here in this country we all call home."
💓
💓
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
NEWS: @dcattorneygeneral.bsky.social is suing notorious D.C. slumlord Sam Razjooyan and two family members under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law used to dismantle the mob. He says they ran a "sprawling illegal enterprise" that mostly impacted low-income residents.
February 12, 2026 at 2:55 PM
NEWS: @dcattorneygeneral.bsky.social is suing notorious D.C. slumlord Sam Razjooyan and two family members under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, a law used to dismantle the mob. He says they ran a "sprawling illegal enterprise" that mostly impacted low-income residents.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Surprising precisely no one: Of course it was CBP doing reckless shooting at the border, using a weapon that didn’t belong to them, that caused this (deserved) freakout by the FAA.
BREAKING: The Pentagon let Customs and Border Protection use an anti-drone laser before the FAA closed El Paso airspace, AP sources say.
FAA closes airspace around El Paso, Texas, for 10 days, grounding all flights
The Federal Aviation Administration is closing the airspace around El Paso International Airport in Texas for 10 days, grounding all flights to and from the airport.
bit.ly
February 12, 2026 at 12:47 AM
Surprising precisely no one: Of course it was CBP doing reckless shooting at the border, using a weapon that didn’t belong to them, that caused this (deserved) freakout by the FAA.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
This is the second account - the first being in Chicago - of DHS agents mass detaining people and then *sorting them by race*.
More than 400 people, including hundreds of citizens, were “sorted” at gun point into racial and ethnic groups by 200 ICE agents who fired flash-bang grenades into cars with people inside, pointed guns at children & demanded their zip tied parents not comfort them. apple.news/Ausdx6kWtT0e...
Idaho families sue over immigration raid that swept up hundreds, including U.S. citizens — NBC News
About 400 people, including children and U.S. citizens, were detained for four hours while they were denied food and water in the raid, according to the lawsuit.
apple.news
February 12, 2026 at 2:26 AM
This is the second account - the first being in Chicago - of DHS agents mass detaining people and then *sorting them by race*.
There is still time to pressure the Senate!
NEWS: The U.S. Senate has given initial approval to the Republican resolution repealing D.C.'s tax-decoupling bill. The vote was 51-46, fully along party lines.
(Deleted last tweet that said it was the final vote. That is likely to happen tomorrow. Apologies.)
(Deleted last tweet that said it was the final vote. That is likely to happen tomorrow. Apologies.)
The U.S. Senate has started debating the Republican resolution that would repeal the tax bill passed by the D.C. Council late last year to decouple the city's tax code from certain federal provisions.
February 11, 2026 at 11:40 PM
There is still time to pressure the Senate!
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Except Jan. 6 rioters, right Gym? 🙄
Jim Jordan: "You have a right to protest in the street, but that doesn't give you a right to go into the Capitol and disrupt Congress"
February 11, 2026 at 10:12 PM
Except Jan. 6 rioters, right Gym? 🙄
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 10, 2026 at 10:29 PM
“Four of my children just evaporated,” Badran said, holding back tears. “I looked for them a million times. Not a piece was left. Where did they go?”
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
There are no words to adequately describe the evil here.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
This is the aftermath of an ICE kidnapping a few blocks from my home in St. Paul—an hour ago. A quiet street full of broken glass and at least three wrecked cars. The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance. He was on a stretcher and covered by a sheet, though a cop said he was alive.
February 11, 2026 at 4:46 PM
This is the aftermath of an ICE kidnapping a few blocks from my home in St. Paul—an hour ago. A quiet street full of broken glass and at least three wrecked cars. The target of the kidnapping was taken away by ambulance. He was on a stretcher and covered by a sheet, though a cop said he was alive.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
If Ring’s goal is to pull at the heartstrings of dog lovers (like me!) to legitimize surveillance, this critique from @weratedogs.com is a very important counterpunch.
February 10, 2026 at 8:23 PM
If Ring’s goal is to pull at the heartstrings of dog lovers (like me!) to legitimize surveillance, this critique from @weratedogs.com is a very important counterpunch.
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
José hasn’t left his house for 29 days – not to shovel the snow at his driveway, not to fix up the car.
When the car needed an oil change, he video-called his wife, Sara, from inside so he could walk her through it. He’s afraid to even get near the front door.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
When the car needed an oil change, he video-called his wife, Sara, from inside so he could walk her through it. He’s afraid to even get near the front door.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
The Minnesotans trapped at home, too terrified of ICE to go outside: ‘Our house is like a jail’
The surge of federal immigration agents has forced many families to remain inside for weeks, living in fear of roving ICE patrols snatching people off the street
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:55 PM
José hasn’t left his house for 29 days – not to shovel the snow at his driveway, not to fix up the car.
When the car needed an oil change, he video-called his wife, Sara, from inside so he could walk her through it. He’s afraid to even get near the front door.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
When the car needed an oil change, he video-called his wife, Sara, from inside so he could walk her through it. He’s afraid to even get near the front door.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
Reposted by Jenn Kauffman
2/ “I miss my school and my friends I feel bad since when I came here to this Place, because I have been here too long.”
From 9-year-old Susej F, detained for 50+ days
From 9-year-old Susej F, detained for 50+ days
February 9, 2026 at 12:25 PM
2/ “I miss my school and my friends I feel bad since when I came here to this Place, because I have been here too long.”
From 9-year-old Susej F, detained for 50+ days
From 9-year-old Susej F, detained for 50+ days