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
If ICE still stands for "Immigration and Customs Enforcement" then why do Republicans want them anywhere near a polling location?
Because lawless ICE goons are harassing, arresting, and murdering people who are citizens, you idiot.
February 12, 2026 at 8:00 PM
If ICE still stands for "Immigration and Customs Enforcement" then why do Republicans want them anywhere near a polling location?
Reposted by Radley Balko
SCOOP: An FBI counterterrorism agent spent weeks pursuing a nonviolent climate activist, and showed up at his door. The visit suggests a possible probe into the climate group as the Trump admin increases surveillance of activists, calls them domestic "terrorists."
theintercept.com/2026/02/12/f...
theintercept.com/2026/02/12/f...
FBI Counterterrorism Agents Spent Weeks Seeking a Climate Activist — Then Showed Up at His Door
The visit suggests a possible FBI probe into Extinction Rebellion NYC as the Trump administration increases surveillance of activist groups.
theintercept.com
February 12, 2026 at 6:47 PM
SCOOP: An FBI counterterrorism agent spent weeks pursuing a nonviolent climate activist, and showed up at his door. The visit suggests a possible probe into the climate group as the Trump admin increases surveillance of activists, calls them domestic "terrorists."
theintercept.com/2026/02/12/f...
theintercept.com/2026/02/12/f...
Reposted by Radley Balko
Someone was abducted at 10 AM by ICE on Central Ave. Their coworker says they’ve lived here for over 20 years, are documented, and have 3 kids who were born here.
Don’t be fooled by headlines when they’ve been lying to us the whole time. We still need you out patrolling until every agent is gone.
Don’t be fooled by headlines when they’ve been lying to us the whole time. We still need you out patrolling until every agent is gone.
February 12, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Someone was abducted at 10 AM by ICE on Central Ave. Their coworker says they’ve lived here for over 20 years, are documented, and have 3 kids who were born here.
Don’t be fooled by headlines when they’ve been lying to us the whole time. We still need you out patrolling until every agent is gone.
Don’t be fooled by headlines when they’ve been lying to us the whole time. We still need you out patrolling until every agent is gone.
Reposted by Radley Balko
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 1:35 AM
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...
Christ. Aside from the very fucking basic 1A principles here, imagine a world in which the FCC actually had the authority to do this. How would a service like Apple News perfectly balance every viewpoint? They wouldn't. They'd just change the formula to appease whichever party is in power.
February 12, 2026 at 5:24 PM
Christ. Aside from the very fucking basic 1A principles here, imagine a world in which the FCC actually had the authority to do this. How would a service like Apple News perfectly balance every viewpoint? They wouldn't. They'd just change the formula to appease whichever party is in power.
I'd also just add that "if we don't go after immigrants, the fascists will" is the precise language Palantir's CEO has used for years to justify letting the government use his company's authoritarian tech.
He is now an open, unapologetic supporter of this administration.
He is now an open, unapologetic supporter of this administration.
Trump lied about immigrants in 2016 too. He then defeated an official from the administration that holds the deportation record.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
Not going to read them all because jesus fucking christ but this is nasty work from Friedersdorf
February 12, 2026 at 5:13 PM
I'd also just add that "if we don't go after immigrants, the fascists will" is the precise language Palantir's CEO has used for years to justify letting the government use his company's authoritarian tech.
He is now an open, unapologetic supporter of this administration.
He is now an open, unapologetic supporter of this administration.
Trump lied about immigrants in 2016 too. He then defeated an official from the administration that holds the deportation record.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
Not going to read them all because jesus fucking christ but this is nasty work from Friedersdorf
February 12, 2026 at 5:03 PM
Trump lied about immigrants in 2016 too. He then defeated an official from the administration that holds the deportation record.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
If migration caused Trump's reelection (I don't think it did), it wasn't b/c of migrants. It was b/c mainstream, centrist outlets amplified fearmongering about migrants.
Reposted by Radley Balko
This is exactly what you'd do if you wanted to make sure that wrestling fans chanted "Fuck ICE" throughout the hours of live wrestling you air in prime time every week.
February 12, 2026 at 4:38 PM
This is exactly what you'd do if you wanted to make sure that wrestling fans chanted "Fuck ICE" throughout the hours of live wrestling you air in prime time every week.
About "agitators" --
1. Homan can't even capitulate without threatening more illegal, military-ish force against people exercising their 1A rights.
2. I doubt it's unintentional that they continue to use a loaded term inextricably linked with segregationists and bigots.
1. Homan can't even capitulate without threatening more illegal, military-ish force against people exercising their 1A rights.
2. I doubt it's unintentional that they continue to use a loaded term inextricably linked with segregationists and bigots.
He literally says in this clip that ICE will keep in Minnesota “quick reaction forces” — a military term — to go after “agitators.” Remember that those on the ground in MPLS have spent more than a week trying to tell everyone that Trump’s prior “deescalation” was a ruse and ICE is still operational
Homan: "Operation Metro Surge is ending. In the next week, we're going to deploy the officers here on detail back to their home stations or to other areas of the country where they're needed."
February 12, 2026 at 4:36 PM
About "agitators" --
1. Homan can't even capitulate without threatening more illegal, military-ish force against people exercising their 1A rights.
2. I doubt it's unintentional that they continue to use a loaded term inextricably linked with segregationists and bigots.
1. Homan can't even capitulate without threatening more illegal, military-ish force against people exercising their 1A rights.
2. I doubt it's unintentional that they continue to use a loaded term inextricably linked with segregationists and bigots.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Photo Credit: "Observers record federal agents at the scene after a multi-vehicle crash following an apparent pursuit by a federal agent near the intersection of Selby and Western avenues in St. Paul. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)"
Every photo from Minneapolis looks like this. Cops decked out with guns and full tac gear facing off against people in bathrobes, parkas, and sweatpants armed only with whistles and cell phones.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
February 12, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Photo Credit: "Observers record federal agents at the scene after a multi-vehicle crash following an apparent pursuit by a federal agent near the intersection of Selby and Western avenues in St. Paul. (Leila Navidi/The Minnesota Star Tribune)"
Mullin is lying.
Here's the explicit demand from Democrats: "DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant."
It's about entering private homes and businesses. The Democrats are *not* demanding a judicial warrant before any arrest of an undocumented person.
Here's the explicit demand from Democrats: "DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant."
It's about entering private homes and businesses. The Democrats are *not* demanding a judicial warrant before any arrest of an undocumented person.
SEN MULLIN: 'They have them in handcuffs.' | The Brian Kilmeade Show
YouTube video by Markwayne Mullin
youtu.be
February 12, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Mullin is lying.
Here's the explicit demand from Democrats: "DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant."
It's about entering private homes and businesses. The Democrats are *not* demanding a judicial warrant before any arrest of an undocumented person.
Here's the explicit demand from Democrats: "DHS officers cannot enter private property without a judicial warrant."
It's about entering private homes and businesses. The Democrats are *not* demanding a judicial warrant before any arrest of an undocumented person.
Reposted by Radley Balko
I watched two 16-year olds get abducted, I have not been able to get any organization to try to help them, I think about them every day, I read stuff like this and I want to puke
Some children in Dilley were so distraught they cut themselves or talked about suicide, parents told ProPublica.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
They said kids lost their appetites after finding worms and mold on their food, had trouble sleeping, and were constantly sick.
The Kids Trump Sent to ICE’s Dilley Detention Center
ProPublica went inside the immigrant detention center for families in Dilley, Texas. Children held there told us about the anguish of being ripped from their lives in the United States and the fear of...
www.propublica.org
February 12, 2026 at 12:49 PM
I watched two 16-year olds get abducted, I have not been able to get any organization to try to help them, I think about them every day, I read stuff like this and I want to puke
Reposted by Radley Balko
It's one thing to get a "no true bill."
It's quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.
It's quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.
No grand jurors found the Trump DOJ met low probable cause threshold in failed indictment of Democratic lawmakers
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...
No grand jurors found the Trump DOJ met low probable cause threshold in failed indictment of Democratic lawmakers
None of the D.C. grand jurors who heard the Trump administration’s pitch on why they should indict Democratic lawmakers over a video urging members of the
www.nbcnews.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:50 PM
It's one thing to get a "no true bill."
It's quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.
It's quite another to get *shut out* in the grand jury.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Reposted by Radley Balko
!!!
JUST IN: Judge Kelly has barred the Trump administration from transfering 20 former death row inmates (commuted to life sentences by Biden) to the notorious ADX supermax prison, saying they were given "sham" due process after decision was made. ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
February 12, 2026 at 2:32 AM
!!!
My mistake. Apologies.
The point of course applies to St. Paul too. And Chicago, L.A., Portland, and the other cities this administration is attacking.
The point of course applies to St. Paul too. And Chicago, L.A., Portland, and the other cities this administration is attacking.
Just as a point of clarification, the photo is from St. Paul which often gets ignored in the national coverage but is being hit just as hard by ICE goons.
February 12, 2026 at 1:28 AM
My mistake. Apologies.
The point of course applies to St. Paul too. And Chicago, L.A., Portland, and the other cities this administration is attacking.
The point of course applies to St. Paul too. And Chicago, L.A., Portland, and the other cities this administration is attacking.
Reposted by Radley Balko
So DOD risked civilian airspace to obliterate some fucking balloons; when FAA found out and asked them to stop they refused; FAA did what it had to keep people safe; when the public rightly freaked out, DOD relented, lied, and blamed the FAA.
Sounds like Hegseth!
www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/u...
Sounds like Hegseth!
www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/u...
February 11, 2026 at 10:58 PM
So DOD risked civilian airspace to obliterate some fucking balloons; when FAA found out and asked them to stop they refused; FAA did what it had to keep people safe; when the public rightly freaked out, DOD relented, lied, and blamed the FAA.
Sounds like Hegseth!
www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/u...
Sounds like Hegseth!
www.cnn.com/2026/02/11/u...
Every photo from Minneapolis looks like this. Cops decked out with guns and full tac gear facing off against people in bathrobes, parkas, and sweatpants armed only with whistles and cell phones.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
February 11, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Every photo from Minneapolis looks like this. Cops decked out with guns and full tac gear facing off against people in bathrobes, parkas, and sweatpants armed only with whistles and cell phones.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Yet every verified MAGA chode on X dutifully calls it a riot or violent insurrection.
Reposted by Radley Balko
Goldman: "Will the survivors and victims who are here please stand up one more time. By show of hands, how many of you or your loved ones actually have met with the DOJ? None ... How many of you were ignored by the DOJ? All of them." (Bondi responds by smearing Goldman.)
February 11, 2026 at 7:41 PM
Goldman: "Will the survivors and victims who are here please stand up one more time. By show of hands, how many of you or your loved ones actually have met with the DOJ? None ... How many of you were ignored by the DOJ? All of them." (Bondi responds by smearing Goldman.)
Reposted by Radley Balko
Baltimore's crime rate has dropped dramatically under Moore. The homicide rate last year was a 50-year low.
February 11, 2026 at 10:58 PM
Baltimore's crime rate has dropped dramatically under Moore. The homicide rate last year was a 50-year low.
Reposted by Radley Balko
So they can sue for $10 billion now, right?
Internal Revenue Service improperly shared confidential tax information of thousands of individuals with immigration enforcement officials, according to three people familiar with the situation, appearing to breach a legal fire wall intended to protect taxpayer data.
IRS improperly disclosed confidential immigrant tax data to DHS
The tax agency only recently discovered it improperly disclosed tax information on thousands of the wrong people to immigration enforcement.
www.washingtonpost.com
February 11, 2026 at 9:50 PM
So they can sue for $10 billion now, right?
Reposted by Radley Balko
JUST IN: U.S. Customs and Border Protection says Border Patrol agent Charles Exum, who shot Chicago's Marimar Martinez, "was placed on administrative leave":
February 11, 2026 at 10:27 PM
JUST IN: U.S. Customs and Border Protection says Border Patrol agent Charles Exum, who shot Chicago's Marimar Martinez, "was placed on administrative leave":
Reposted by Radley Balko
I can’t believe we’re back to medieval level conflicts like “local government thugs stop, harass priests, cardinal intervenes”
February 11, 2026 at 12:41 AM
I can’t believe we’re back to medieval level conflicts like “local government thugs stop, harass priests, cardinal intervenes”