Radley Balko
@radleybalko.bsky.social
Journalist. Quattrone Center journalism fellow.
Author: Rise of the Warrior Cop.
Co-author: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.
New podcast: Collateral Damage
Substack: radleybalko.substack.com
Signal: radleybalko.52
Author: Rise of the Warrior Cop.
Co-author: The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist.
New podcast: Collateral Damage
Substack: radleybalko.substack.com
Signal: radleybalko.52
Reposted by Radley Balko
This is torture. The US is torturing children. Children whose words and whose art contain infinitely more humanity than the people keeping them detained.
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
From 12-year-old Ender, detained 60+ days
February 9, 2026 at 1:38 PM
This is torture. The US is torturing children. Children whose words and whose art contain infinitely more humanity than the people keeping them detained.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Amongst other things, this again highlights the core point about due process. It’s bad enough to be in a “show me your papers” situation, but your precious citizen/non-citizen, “legal”/“illegal” distinctions are meaningless when you can’t prove anything to authorities because they don’t give a shit.
And here is my story: ‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
www.irishtimes.com/world/us/202...
‘Absolute hell’: Irishman with valid US work permit held by Ice since September
Seamus Culleton has been in a detention facility in Texas for nearly five months despite having no criminal record
www.irishtimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 12:59 PM
Amongst other things, this again highlights the core point about due process. It’s bad enough to be in a “show me your papers” situation, but your precious citizen/non-citizen, “legal”/“illegal” distinctions are meaningless when you can’t prove anything to authorities because they don’t give a shit.
Someone should start writing the same “how the left made me leave X” hot take over and over, but sub in a different city each time. See how many times you can get published before someone catches on.
That trope is catnip for heterodox opinion mills.
That trope is catnip for heterodox opinion mills.
Bari Weiss bravely invites us to focus on the real fascism in Minneapolis
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
February 10, 2026 at 12:24 AM
Someone should start writing the same “how the left made me leave X” hot take over and over, but sub in a different city each time. See how many times you can get published before someone catches on.
That trope is catnip for heterodox opinion mills.
That trope is catnip for heterodox opinion mills.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Bari Weiss bravely invites us to focus on the real fascism in Minneapolis
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
February 9, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Bari Weiss bravely invites us to focus on the real fascism in Minneapolis
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
www.thefp.com/p/mob-rule-c...
Reposted by Radley Balko
DISTURBING: "Trump has directed top U.S. spy agencies to share sensitive intelligence about the 2020 election with his former campaign lawyer...Kurt Olsen—now a temporary government employee in the White House."
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
Trump’s ‘Stop the Steal’ lawyer probing 2020 election fraud has access to sensitive US intel
Top U.S. intelligence agencies are cooperating with Kurt Olsen, who worked with Trump to undermine the results of the 2020 election.
www.politico.com
February 9, 2026 at 10:02 PM
DISTURBING: "Trump has directed top U.S. spy agencies to share sensitive intelligence about the 2020 election with his former campaign lawyer...Kurt Olsen—now a temporary government employee in the White House."
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
www.politico.com/news/2026/02...
This asshole is case study in aptronym theory.
Chasing rageclicks in the culture war has caused the cheese to slide completely off these people’s crackers.
This is unhinged.
adampiggott.substack.com/p/the-woman-...
This is unhinged.
adampiggott.substack.com/p/the-woman-...
The Woman Problem
The historical moment when feminism got shot in the face.
adampiggott.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:06 AM
This asshole is case study in aptronym theory.
Reposted by Radley Balko
This is part of a pattern that is impeachable: Trump cuts previously appropriated Congressional funds, but only to states led by Democrats (California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota).
The Trump administration plans to rescind $600 million in public health funds from four states led by Democrats because it finds the grants “inconsistent with agency priorities,” according to documents reviewed by the NYT
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/h...
Trump Administration to Cut $600 Million in Health Funding From Four States
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 11:12 PM
This is part of a pattern that is impeachable: Trump cuts previously appropriated Congressional funds, but only to states led by Democrats (California, Colorado, Illinois and Minnesota).
Reposted by Radley Balko
February 9, 2026 at 3:04 PM
Reposted by Radley Balko
"Kristi Noem & the FBI "initially dismissed reports of children being zip-tied and hit with rubber bullets as “completely false,” though the F.B.I. later amended its statement to say no “young children” were bound. Several hundred people were detained for four hours." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
A Raid in a Small Town Brings Trump’s Deportations to Deep-Red Idaho
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:08 PM
"Kristi Noem & the FBI "initially dismissed reports of children being zip-tied and hit with rubber bullets as “completely false,” though the F.B.I. later amended its statement to say no “young children” were bound. Several hundred people were detained for four hours." www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Reposted by Radley Balko
“Lying in feces, throw up, urine… like animals in a cage at the zoo.”
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
February 9, 2026 at 1:41 PM
“Lying in feces, throw up, urine… like animals in a cage at the zoo.”
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
A whistleblower recounts the horrific ICE detention center conditions in Baltimore — a similar story everywhere.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Hundreds of millions spent on human misery
In the last month ICE has bought warehouses in:
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
- Hagerstown, MD: $102 million
- Surprise, AZ: $70 million
- Hamburg, PA: $87 million
- Tremont, PA: $120 million
- San Antonio, TX: $82 million
- El Paso, TX: $123 million
- Social Circle, GA: price unknown
This is unprecedented.
February 9, 2026 at 7:15 PM
Hundreds of millions spent on human misery
Reposted by Radley Balko
I feel like a really unfun fun fact the general public should be aware of: when you reach out to ICE with media inquiries or for statements, they usually just respond with a list of mugshots of people they’ve arrested.
February 8, 2026 at 1:52 PM
I feel like a really unfun fun fact the general public should be aware of: when you reach out to ICE with media inquiries or for statements, they usually just respond with a list of mugshots of people they’ve arrested.
Reposted by Radley Balko
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
ICE to begin detaining immigrants inside Social Circle warehouse in April
Homeland Security plans to build warehouse detention facilities in other cities being met with opposition.
www.ajc.com
February 9, 2026 at 5:56 PM
ICE has now spent over half a BILLION dollars just on purchasing warehouses around the country to convert into detention camps.
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
If these mega-camps are utilized to the full capacity ICE intends, they'll be the largest prisons in the country, with little real oversight. www.ajc.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Radley Balko
This is such an embarrassing interview. Good for CNBC for asking the most straightforward questions.
REP. STEIL: Some Dems demands put at risk the safety of members of law enforcement
CNBC: You mean like taking off their masks and having a badge that shows who they are?
STEIL: Well, they're known to their supervisors
CNBC: No other law enforcement officials in the US are allowed to wear masks
CNBC: You mean like taking off their masks and having a badge that shows who they are?
STEIL: Well, they're known to their supervisors
CNBC: No other law enforcement officials in the US are allowed to wear masks
February 9, 2026 at 5:25 PM
This is such an embarrassing interview. Good for CNBC for asking the most straightforward questions.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Must read reporting for @propublica.org by @micarosenberg.bsky.social, who spent weeks speaking with parents and children detained at Dilley about conditions there.
This is 18-mo-old Amalia waving to me when she was detained.
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
She was hospitalized with a respiratory infection while at ICE’s Dilley facility for immigrant families.
She’s one of dozens of detainees who I spoke to via video and phone calls, letters and an in-person visit. 🧵1/
February 9, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Must read reporting for @propublica.org by @micarosenberg.bsky.social, who spent weeks speaking with parents and children detained at Dilley about conditions there.
Reposted by Radley Balko
He Fled Torture in Uganda. ICE Is Trying to Send Him Back.
www.motherjones.com
He fled torture in Uganda. ICE is trying to send him back.
twp.ai
February 9, 2026 at 6:13 PM
He Fled Torture in Uganda. ICE Is Trying to Send Him Back.
Reposted by Radley Balko
1. Trump has launched a torrent of bigoted invective against Somali migrants, calling them "garbage" and demanding they be kicked out of the country
Now, the Trump administration is rigging the immigration courts against them
We've uncovered the details of the scheme
Now, the Trump administration is rigging the immigration courts against them
We've uncovered the details of the scheme
How Trump is rigging immigration courts against Somali migrants
During a December 2 cabinet meeting, President Trump unleashed a torrent of bigoted invective against Somali migrants.
popular.info
February 9, 2026 at 2:17 PM
1. Trump has launched a torrent of bigoted invective against Somali migrants, calling them "garbage" and demanding they be kicked out of the country
Now, the Trump administration is rigging the immigration courts against them
We've uncovered the details of the scheme
Now, the Trump administration is rigging the immigration courts against them
We've uncovered the details of the scheme
Reposted by Radley Balko
"Trump voters urge him to tone down the rhetoric and focus more on domestic issues, especially clearer pathways to legal status for law-abiding immigrants", proving they unaccountably had no clue who they were voting for.
As Trump presidency enters second year, his voters share hopes – and concerns reut.rs/3Mc4h4H
As Trump presidency enters second year, his voters share hopes – and concerns
Trump voters urge him to tone down the rhetoric and focus more on domestic issues, especially clearer pathways to legal status for law-abiding immigrants, healthcare reform, curbing waste and fraud, and lowering US debt.
reut.rs
February 9, 2026 at 4:19 PM
"Trump voters urge him to tone down the rhetoric and focus more on domestic issues, especially clearer pathways to legal status for law-abiding immigrants", proving they unaccountably had no clue who they were voting for.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Is there some sort of award for perfectly missing the point?
February 9, 2026 at 3:57 PM
Is there some sort of award for perfectly missing the point?
Reposted by Radley Balko
Thanks to ProPublica for citing my prior @texasobserver.org report in their story about how an "election fraud" researcher who is a convicted bathroom voyeur may be fueling the federal government's investigations
February 9, 2026 at 2:02 PM
Thanks to ProPublica for citing my prior @texasobserver.org report in their story about how an "election fraud" researcher who is a convicted bathroom voyeur may be fueling the federal government's investigations
Reposted by Radley Balko
This is a wild departure from past practices. All the talk of the “Worst of the Worst” is a lie. Usually between 50-75 percent of ICE deportees have criminal records. We’ve turned ICE from a crime-fighting org into a racial profiling and ethnic cleansing operation.
February 9, 2026 at 2:16 PM
This is a wild departure from past practices. All the talk of the “Worst of the Worst” is a lie. Usually between 50-75 percent of ICE deportees have criminal records. We’ve turned ICE from a crime-fighting org into a racial profiling and ethnic cleansing operation.
Reposted by Radley Balko
When I worked for Reason magazine during Trump's rise to power in 2016, I was explicitly forbidden by the editor in chief from writing about Trump's racism, or the violence and racism at his rallies.
It was a "sideshow," I was told.
It was a "sideshow," I was told.
February 9, 2026 at 2:10 PM
When I worked for Reason magazine during Trump's rise to power in 2016, I was explicitly forbidden by the editor in chief from writing about Trump's racism, or the violence and racism at his rallies.
It was a "sideshow," I was told.
It was a "sideshow," I was told.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Weird. I tried to warn libertarians about Trump
February 9, 2026 at 2:04 PM
Weird. I tried to warn libertarians about Trump
Reposted by Radley Balko
Minneapolis residents are facing a growing food crisis. Fear from ICE is keeping families—especially elders, parents, and the homebound from groceries.
Feed Minneapolis funds trusted local food shelves and kitchens, with a goal of feeding 10,000 people in 2 weeks.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fe...
Feed Minneapolis funds trusted local food shelves and kitchens, with a goal of feeding 10,000 people in 2 weeks.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fe...
Donate to Support Feed Minneapolis: Urgent Food Relief, organized by Andrew Behrman
FEED MINNEAPOLIS
A COMMUNITY IN CRISIS NEEDS YOU NOW
Minneapolis r… Andrew Behrman needs your support for Support Feed Minneapolis: Urgent Food Relief
www.gofundme.com
February 8, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Minneapolis residents are facing a growing food crisis. Fear from ICE is keeping families—especially elders, parents, and the homebound from groceries.
Feed Minneapolis funds trusted local food shelves and kitchens, with a goal of feeding 10,000 people in 2 weeks.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fe...
Feed Minneapolis funds trusted local food shelves and kitchens, with a goal of feeding 10,000 people in 2 weeks.
www.gofundme.com/f/support-fe...
I feel like I'm losing my goddamnned mind.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.
Opinion | Libertarians Tried to Warn You About Trump
www.nytimes.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:09 PM
I feel like I'm losing my goddamnned mind.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.
This op-ed was written by Kathrine Mangu-Ward. Katherine is editor-in-chief of Reason magazine.
Reason fired @shikhadalmia.bsky.social for being too anti-Trump.