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
One man tracking people being deported & deportation flights at the Minneapolis airport.
One person creating a record for future inquiries & potential prosecutions.
Trevor Paglen's deep surveillance documentation now being done by everyday people.
www.npr.org/2026/02/06/n...
One person creating a record for future inquiries & potential prosecutions.
Trevor Paglen's deep surveillance documentation now being done by everyday people.
www.npr.org/2026/02/06/n...
Minneapolis now has daily deportation flights. One man has been documenting them
A professional airplane enthusiast has been tracking the federally chartered deportation flights out of the Minneapolis airport as DHS sends immigration detainees to other states and, eventually, othe...
www.npr.org
February 7, 2026 at 7:20 PM
One man tracking people being deported & deportation flights at the Minneapolis airport.
One person creating a record for future inquiries & potential prosecutions.
Trevor Paglen's deep surveillance documentation now being done by everyday people.
www.npr.org/2026/02/06/n...
One person creating a record for future inquiries & potential prosecutions.
Trevor Paglen's deep surveillance documentation now being done by everyday people.
www.npr.org/2026/02/06/n...
Reposted by Radley Balko
i don’t know if it’s the jaunty bow tie or what but i cannot stop laughing at this
February 7, 2026 at 6:19 AM
i don’t know if it’s the jaunty bow tie or what but i cannot stop laughing at this
Reposted by Radley Balko
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
I stand with County Executive Calvin Ball as he signs emergency legislation today prohibiting privately owned buildings from being used as ICE detention centers.
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Howard County chose dignity, accountability, and its people. Tune into our event now:
bit.ly/4a2VtHw
Redirecting...
bit.ly
February 7, 2026 at 2:34 PM
I'm sorry the guy changing the rules on the fly is named what
Reposted by Radley Balko
MAGA-aligned military commanders are pressuring enlisted service members to go to the Melania movie and bring their families. Troops at 8 different bases have complained. www.businessinsider.com/us-military-...
February 7, 2026 at 12:12 PM
MAGA-aligned military commanders are pressuring enlisted service members to go to the Melania movie and bring their families. Troops at 8 different bases have complained. www.businessinsider.com/us-military-...
Reposted by Radley Balko
They looked for “Don T” in the Epstein files and redacted all instances, which means they also redacted a lot of “don’t”
February 7, 2026 at 7:56 PM
They looked for “Don T” in the Epstein files and redacted all instances, which means they also redacted a lot of “don’t”
Reposted by Radley Balko
NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
Toddler hospitalized with respiratory failure was returned to ICE detention without prescribed medication, lawsuit says
The 18-month-old was sent back to a South Texas facility after days in intensive care with severe respiratory distress, according to a federal lawsuit.
www.nbcnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:25 PM
NEW: A baby held in immigration detention became so sick, she had to be rushed to a hospital in severe respiratory distress.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
“She was at the brink of dying,” a lawyer told me.
But the girl didn’t go home after her 10-day hospital stay; instead, ICE put her and her mother back in lock up at Dilley.
Someone should look into that.
I hate to break it to you, but cops have been told they're above the law for a lot longer than that, in this country.
Even under a best case scenario — Dems take the WH in 2028, ICE and BP are abolished or rebuilt from scratch — we’re still going to have thousands of angry, unemployed, well-armed, MAGA loyalist former immigration cops who have been told for 3-4 years that they’re above the law.
February 7, 2026 at 8:53 PM
Someone should look into that.
Reposted by Radley Balko
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.
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.
February 7, 2026 at 5:54 PM
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.
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.
Reposted by Radley Balko
The banality of evil is shocking. An ex-Big Lots warehouse for cheap consumer junk is bought by ICE to ship as many as 7,500 handcuffed human beings, as the Trump regime builds a U.S. gulag archipelago
The unthinkable comes to Pa. coal country. My special report www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...
The unthinkable comes to Pa. coal country. My special report www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...
From Big Lots to warehousing humans: ICE plan sparks fear in Schuylkill County | Will Bunch
A massive warehouse in Tremont. Pa. that once moved cheap goods will now detain migrants in an $119 million ICE deal.
www.inquirer.com
February 5, 2026 at 5:54 PM
The banality of evil is shocking. An ex-Big Lots warehouse for cheap consumer junk is bought by ICE to ship as many as 7,500 handcuffed human beings, as the Trump regime builds a U.S. gulag archipelago
The unthinkable comes to Pa. coal country. My special report www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...
The unthinkable comes to Pa. coal country. My special report www.inquirer.com/opinion/ice-...
Reposted by Radley Balko
ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
Twin Cities tow truck driver returns abandoned vehicles to families after ICE arrests
Juan Leon sends a "chase" car to check out where abandoned vehicles are located and arranges discreet drop-offs. Since late December, he estimated they have dropped off 250 cars.
www.cbsnews.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:30 AM
ICE has grabbed so many people from their vehicles that there are abandoned cars across Minnesota.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
This tow truck driver returns the cars for free as a public service, and he’s been getting death threats.
They hate the helpers.
Which is why must keep helping.
Reposted by Radley Balko
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
Opinion | This Is Just Who Trump Is
www.nytimes.com
February 7, 2026 at 4:49 PM
"For years, a cottage industry of political observers has contorted itself to obscure and occlude the obvious. That regardless of what others see in him, Trump’s entire political career...cannot be understood outside the context of his bitter, deep-seated racism." (gift link)
Reposted by Radley Balko
This in-depth story shows ways @mississippifreepress.org is different:
1. We reported from on ground in North Mississippi where we’re building a bureau.
2. We led with real people on the ground, not politicians in Jackson or DC.
3. Deep context on ICE raids here.
4. ICE responds to us (we ask).
1. We reported from on ground in North Mississippi where we’re building a bureau.
2. We led with real people on the ground, not politicians in Jackson or DC.
3. Deep context on ICE raids here.
4. ICE responds to us (we ask).
A small group of protestors assembled near an empty warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi, in mid-January with one objective: to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security from converting the building into an immigration detention center.
ICE Proposal to Hold 8,500 Immigrants in Mississippi Mega Warehouse Draws Local Opposition
An ICE plan to use a warehouse to hold 8,500 immigrants in Byhalia, Mississippi, has drawn opposition from residents and Sen. Roger Wicker.
buff.ly
February 7, 2026 at 3:13 PM
This in-depth story shows ways @mississippifreepress.org is different:
1. We reported from on ground in North Mississippi where we’re building a bureau.
2. We led with real people on the ground, not politicians in Jackson or DC.
3. Deep context on ICE raids here.
4. ICE responds to us (we ask).
1. We reported from on ground in North Mississippi where we’re building a bureau.
2. We led with real people on the ground, not politicians in Jackson or DC.
3. Deep context on ICE raids here.
4. ICE responds to us (we ask).
Seems kinda' crazy that a guy getting paid to let the government run a gulag on his property also owns an upscale cafe in a county that went 28 percent for Trump in 2024. Maybe the people who regularly dine there need to be better informed about who owns it.
The owner of the office building ICE turned into this concentration camp is owned by Robert Murray, this pos is maga through and through. Despite the town and pressure to kick ICE out, he refused. His bread and butter is an upscale place called Cafe Escadrille. Leave a review on Google maps here:
maps.app.goo.gl
February 7, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Seems kinda' crazy that a guy getting paid to let the government run a gulag on his property also owns an upscale cafe in a county that went 28 percent for Trump in 2024. Maybe the people who regularly dine there need to be better informed about who owns it.
Reposted by Radley Balko
“They’re basically torturing people into signing off on their own deportation,” said one attorney.
Superb, deeply reported story, via @charpentier.bsky.social
Superb, deeply reported story, via @charpentier.bsky.social
Concentration camps: stories of as many as 50 people to a cell — men and women in some cases — with no windows and limited airflow, a single camera-monitored toilet, aluminum blankets, no showers and poor quality food.
ICE detainees from Maine being held under ‘inhumane’ conditions in Mass. facility, attorneys say
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson said the allegations of overcrowding and lack of access to lawyers are false.
www.pressherald.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:03 PM
“They’re basically torturing people into signing off on their own deportation,” said one attorney.
Superb, deeply reported story, via @charpentier.bsky.social
Superb, deeply reported story, via @charpentier.bsky.social
Reposted by Radley Balko
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
February 7, 2026 at 2:20 PM
this is so funny, god bless louise lucas, Hero of the Commonwealth
Reposted by Radley Balko
Damage done by this latest petulant outburst by Trump and Hegseth:
—1% to Harvard, from loss of students and ongoing links to career military.
—99% to career military officers, losing educational, social, and lifetime-connections benefits of stint at Harvard.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
—1% to Harvard, from loss of students and ongoing links to career military.
—99% to career military officers, losing educational, social, and lifetime-connections benefits of stint at Harvard.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Defense Department Severs Academic Ties with Harvard | News | The Harvard Crimson
The United States Department of Defense announced Friday evening it would sever all academic ties with Harvard, saying the University’s partnerships with Chinese institutions and antisemitism on campu...
www.thecrimson.com
February 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Damage done by this latest petulant outburst by Trump and Hegseth:
—1% to Harvard, from loss of students and ongoing links to career military.
—99% to career military officers, losing educational, social, and lifetime-connections benefits of stint at Harvard.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
—1% to Harvard, from loss of students and ongoing links to career military.
—99% to career military officers, losing educational, social, and lifetime-connections benefits of stint at Harvard.
www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
Reposted by Radley Balko
Devastating decision from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last night endorsing the Trump Bureau of Immigration Appeals 2025 ruling that undocumented immigrants “apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided in the U.S.”
February 7, 2026 at 3:20 PM
Devastating decision from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last night endorsing the Trump Bureau of Immigration Appeals 2025 ruling that undocumented immigrants “apprehended anywhere in the United States are ineligible for release on bond, regardless of how long they have resided in the U.S.”
Reposted by Radley Balko
I feel like Los Angeles is a place where people expect ICE to happen because the kidnappings have been happening to my home city for decades, so there’s less media attention to it now. and I want folks to see that in LA, Latine students are organizing major protests & the police are attacking them
LAPD Charges at Hundreds of High School Students in Peaceful Walkout Protest at MDC ~ L.A. TACO
LAPD arrested at least two teenagers protesting ICE raids in Los Angeles yesterday. They were also seen corresponding with ICE agents on Alameda Street during the demonstrations.
lataco.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:10 PM
I feel like Los Angeles is a place where people expect ICE to happen because the kidnappings have been happening to my home city for decades, so there’s less media attention to it now. and I want folks to see that in LA, Latine students are organizing major protests & the police are attacking them
They look like the “irregular” rack at an outlet store that sells young white dudes.
February 7, 2026 at 2:07 PM
They look like the “irregular” rack at an outlet store that sells young white dudes.
Reposted by Radley Balko
New: Trump's administration tonight told a Boston judge that his proposal that it issue a student visa to a Babson College student it deported to Honduras in violation of a court order is "unfeasible" and said ICE declines to facilitate her return. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Trump administration won't let student deported to Honduras return
President Donald Trump's administration on Friday called a judge's proposal that the government issue a student visa to a college student it deported to Honduras in violation of a court order "unfeasi...
www.reuters.com
February 7, 2026 at 1:26 AM
New: Trump's administration tonight told a Boston judge that his proposal that it issue a student visa to a Babson College student it deported to Honduras in violation of a court order is "unfeasible" and said ICE declines to facilitate her return. www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...
Reposted by Radley Balko
The GOP thinks this is different than their own gerrymandering bc they see this as people not in the Herrenvolk getting disproportionate representation. They don’t think liberals & city voters are real Americans, so when they do it it’s fine. They have told us this, here in WI & across 🇺🇸, for years:
February 7, 2026 at 3:40 AM
The GOP thinks this is different than their own gerrymandering bc they see this as people not in the Herrenvolk getting disproportionate representation. They don’t think liberals & city voters are real Americans, so when they do it it’s fine. They have told us this, here in WI & across 🇺🇸, for years:
Reposted by Radley Balko
The policy change orders the removal of any post made by official State Department accounts on X before President Trump returned to office in 2025. n.pr/3MhYNoP
State Department will delete X posts from before Trump returned to office
The policy change orders the removal of any post made by official State Department accounts on X before President Trump returned to office in 2025.
n.pr
February 7, 2026 at 1:53 PM
The policy change orders the removal of any post made by official State Department accounts on X before President Trump returned to office in 2025. n.pr/3MhYNoP
Reposted by Radley Balko
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
February 6, 2026 at 3:00 PM
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
Reposted by Radley Balko
They’ll be hearing from his father
February 7, 2026 at 2:14 AM
They’ll be hearing from his father
Reposted by Radley Balko
who called it Heated Rivalry and not Fuck Ice
February 6, 2026 at 3:08 PM
who called it Heated Rivalry and not Fuck Ice