Nick Schwellenbach
@schwellenbach.bsky.social
I'm an investigative journalist at POGO: https://www.pogo.org/about/people/nick-schwellenbach
Signal: @schwellenbach.27
Encrypted email: schwellenbach@protonmail.com
Substack: https://districtofcorruption.substack.com/
Signal: @schwellenbach.27
Encrypted email: schwellenbach@protonmail.com
Substack: https://districtofcorruption.substack.com/
Pinned
Greg Bovino’s Border Patrol Agents Use Disproportionate Force, Data…
Border Patrol agents in the El Centro Sector have reported using force on other people more than three times as many times as they have faced assaults – a ratio higher than anywhere else in the agency...
www.pogo.org
Border Patrol agents led by Greg Bovino have used force far more often relative to assaults they've faced than anywhere else in that agency, according to a new @pogo.org & Amer. Uni. Investigative Reporting Workshop analysis of four ys of federal data
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
www.pogo.org/investigatio...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
The two men came to the United States in 2025 on asylum claims, after they were arrested by the Iranian “morality police” for being gay years prior. In their home country, same-sex acts are crimes, punishable by death.
Story by @jerodmacevoy.com
Story by @jerodmacevoy.com
Gay asylum-seekers set for deportation to Iran fear execution in their home country
Two gay men from Iran who sought asylum in the U.S. are set to be deported out of Mesa and fear they will be executed in their home country.
azmirror.com
January 23, 2026 at 10:05 PM
The two men came to the United States in 2025 on asylum claims, after they were arrested by the Iranian “morality police” for being gay years prior. In their home country, same-sex acts are crimes, punishable by death.
Story by @jerodmacevoy.com
Story by @jerodmacevoy.com
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
NEW: MN judges continue to reject arrest warrants in ICE protests. Sources tell @ms.now feds aren’t providing evidence that protestors are committing the crimes of which they’re accused. First byline with the great @carolleonnig.bsky.social and Alex Tabet. www.ms.now/news/minneso...
Minnesota judges continue to reject arrest warrants in ICE protests
Sources say federal agents aren’t providing evidence that protestors are committing the crimes of which they’re accused.
www.ms.now
January 23, 2026 at 3:51 PM
NEW: MN judges continue to reject arrest warrants in ICE protests. Sources tell @ms.now feds aren’t providing evidence that protestors are committing the crimes of which they’re accused. First byline with the great @carolleonnig.bsky.social and Alex Tabet. www.ms.now/news/minneso...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Newly unsealed evidence makes it even clearer that Rubio and Noem knew they were targeting students based solely on their political speech and that they knew this policy was unconstitutional. They just didn’t care. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...
January 23, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Newly unsealed evidence makes it even clearer that Rubio and Noem knew they were targeting students based solely on their political speech and that they knew this policy was unconstitutional. They just didn’t care. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/u...
Massive new ICE detention center planned north of Richmond, VA, called the “ICE Washington, DC Processing Facility”
January 23, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Massive new ICE detention center planned north of Richmond, VA, called the “ICE Washington, DC Processing Facility”
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
NEW @publiccitizen.bsky.social report:
Trump canceled or froze 159 enforcement actions vs 166 alleged corporate lawbreakers over the past year.
1/3 of the corps have Trump admin ties such as ballroom donations.
They avoided paying $3.1B in penalties.
Full report: www.citizen.org/article/canc...
Trump canceled or froze 159 enforcement actions vs 166 alleged corporate lawbreakers over the past year.
1/3 of the corps have Trump admin ties such as ballroom donations.
They avoided paying $3.1B in penalties.
Full report: www.citizen.org/article/canc...
January 15, 2026 at 5:12 PM
NEW @publiccitizen.bsky.social report:
Trump canceled or froze 159 enforcement actions vs 166 alleged corporate lawbreakers over the past year.
1/3 of the corps have Trump admin ties such as ballroom donations.
They avoided paying $3.1B in penalties.
Full report: www.citizen.org/article/canc...
Trump canceled or froze 159 enforcement actions vs 166 alleged corporate lawbreakers over the past year.
1/3 of the corps have Trump admin ties such as ballroom donations.
They avoided paying $3.1B in penalties.
Full report: www.citizen.org/article/canc...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
The main bank account holding revenue from the Venezuelan oil sales is located in Qatar.
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Exclusive: US gets first $500 million Venezuelan oil deal, holding some proceeds in Qatar
The details shared with Semafor mark an initial milestone in the administration’s plan following the ouster of Nicolás Maduro.
www.semafor.com
January 15, 2026 at 4:42 AM
The main bank account holding revenue from the Venezuelan oil sales is located in Qatar.
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
“There is no basis in law for a president to set up an offshore account that he controls so that he can sell assets seized by the American military,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
www.semafor.com/article/01/1...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
The Star Tribune had an insane graphic about the presence of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. There are more immigration officers in the metro right now than local police officers.
January 15, 2026 at 12:56 AM
The Star Tribune had an insane graphic about the presence of immigration enforcement in Minneapolis. There are more immigration officers in the metro right now than local police officers.
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Happening Now: Students have walked out of school and are protesting against ICE in Saint Paul, Minnesota
January 14, 2026 at 8:02 PM
Happening Now: Students have walked out of school and are protesting against ICE in Saint Paul, Minnesota
Today, Inspector General Joe Cuffari released his "Major Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security." DHS includes ICE & Border Patrol
There's no mention of "use of force" or "conditions of detention"
www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
There's no mention of "use of force" or "conditions of detention"
www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
www.oig.dhs.gov
January 14, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Today, Inspector General Joe Cuffari released his "Major Management and Performance Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security." DHS includes ICE & Border Patrol
There's no mention of "use of force" or "conditions of detention"
www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
There's no mention of "use of force" or "conditions of detention"
www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/defaul...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents at Ajo Station in Arizona talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
A collaboration between POGO Investigates and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop:
A collaboration between POGO Investigates and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop:
Inside One of the Border Patrol’s Most Violent Sectors
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
www.pogo.org
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents at Ajo Station in Arizona talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
A collaboration between POGO Investigates and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop:
A collaboration between POGO Investigates and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop:
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Newly obtained texts between Border Patrol agents reveal their strategies for how to get away with using force against migrants.
Absolutely vital new investigation by my colleagues @schwellenbach.bsky.social @marenmachles.bsky.social
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Absolutely vital new investigation by my colleagues @schwellenbach.bsky.social @marenmachles.bsky.social
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Inside One of the Border Patrol’s Most Violent Sectors
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
www.pogo.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Newly obtained texts between Border Patrol agents reveal their strategies for how to get away with using force against migrants.
Absolutely vital new investigation by my colleagues @schwellenbach.bsky.social @marenmachles.bsky.social
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Absolutely vital new investigation by my colleagues @schwellenbach.bsky.social @marenmachles.bsky.social
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Trump has previously said that journalists should be jailed until they reveal the source of confidential leaks.
He suggested that the threat of prison sexual assault would lead reporters to cooperate with leak investigations.
He suggested that the threat of prison sexual assault would lead reporters to cooperate with leak investigations.
January 14, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Trump has previously said that journalists should be jailed until they reveal the source of confidential leaks.
He suggested that the threat of prison sexual assault would lead reporters to cooperate with leak investigations.
He suggested that the threat of prison sexual assault would lead reporters to cooperate with leak investigations.
“What they’ve been allowed to get away with in the past sort of set the benchmark for what’s appropriate,” said Christy Lopez, a former DOJ official, of the Border Patrol.
Lax accountability is “one of the reasons why it’s been able to get so bad so quickly" over the last year.
Lax accountability is “one of the reasons why it’s been able to get so bad so quickly" over the last year.
After last week's fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good & another Border Patrol shooting, this new investigation by @pogo.org and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop probes some key reasons why agents who use violence rarely face discipline
www.pogo.org/investigates...
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Inside One of the Border Patrol’s Most Violent Sectors
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
www.pogo.org
January 14, 2026 at 2:40 PM
“What they’ve been allowed to get away with in the past sort of set the benchmark for what’s appropriate,” said Christy Lopez, a former DOJ official, of the Border Patrol.
Lax accountability is “one of the reasons why it’s been able to get so bad so quickly" over the last year.
Lax accountability is “one of the reasons why it’s been able to get so bad so quickly" over the last year.
After last week's fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good & another Border Patrol shooting, this new investigation by @pogo.org and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop probes some key reasons why agents who use violence rarely face discipline
www.pogo.org/investigates...
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Inside One of the Border Patrol’s Most Violent Sectors
Texts and records reveal how Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona privately talk about use of force and accountability — and how to avoid discipline.
www.pogo.org
January 14, 2026 at 2:15 PM
After last week's fatal ICE shooting of Renee Good & another Border Patrol shooting, this new investigation by @pogo.org and American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop probes some key reasons why agents who use violence rarely face discipline
www.pogo.org/investigates...
www.pogo.org/investigates...
What’s happening now in Minneapolis and elsewhere is breathing life into the literal definition of “whistleblower”
January 13, 2026 at 11:50 AM
What’s happening now in Minneapolis and elsewhere is breathing life into the literal definition of “whistleblower”
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
The Department of Homeland Security has altered its account of an immigration enforcement-related shooting in a Baltimore suburb on Christmas Eve after details in its initial statement were contradicted by local police. https://cnn.it/4btDhYq
January 13, 2026 at 10:31 AM
The Department of Homeland Security has altered its account of an immigration enforcement-related shooting in a Baltimore suburb on Christmas Eve after details in its initial statement were contradicted by local police. https://cnn.it/4btDhYq
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Plugging again for @minnesotareformer.com, which is free to read with no paywalls or ads. You don't even have to "make an account."
It's still a small team, but worth adding to your list of media.
It's still a small team, but worth adding to your list of media.
January 13, 2026 at 6:03 AM
Plugging again for @minnesotareformer.com, which is free to read with no paywalls or ads. You don't even have to "make an account."
It's still a small team, but worth adding to your list of media.
It's still a small team, but worth adding to your list of media.
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
Top DOJ officials quit after their division refused to probe Minnesota ICE shooting
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now/news/doj-civ...
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now/news/doj-civ...
A new spate of Justice Department officials quit because their section didn't want to probe Renee Good's shooting
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now
January 13, 2026 at 7:51 AM
Top DOJ officials quit after their division refused to probe Minnesota ICE shooting
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now/news/doj-civ...
At least four leaders of the Civil Rights Division resigned because the section's head, Harmeet Dhillon, decided not to investigate shooting of Renee Good.
www.ms.now/news/doj-civ...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
I bothered to actually talk to some immigration officers and their views on ICE's shooting of Renee Good are more divided than I expected: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
Immigration Agents Terrified by ICE Backlash
Leaked documents show Border Patrol needs volunteers for Minneapolis surge
www.kenklippenstein.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:41 AM
I bothered to actually talk to some immigration officers and their views on ICE's shooting of Renee Good are more divided than I expected: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/immigratio...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
As ICE detention numbers skyrocketed last year, oversight inspections of detention centers dropped sharply.
Read my new investigation, authored in collaboration with American University’s investigative reporting workshop.
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Read my new investigation, authored in collaboration with American University’s investigative reporting workshop.
www.pogo.org/investigates...
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025
The number of ICE detention facility inspections dropped by 36.25% in 2025, even as detention rates — and deaths in ICE custody — surged across the nation.
www.pogo.org
January 12, 2026 at 4:53 PM
As ICE detention numbers skyrocketed last year, oversight inspections of detention centers dropped sharply.
Read my new investigation, authored in collaboration with American University’s investigative reporting workshop.
www.pogo.org/investigates...
Read my new investigation, authored in collaboration with American University’s investigative reporting workshop.
www.pogo.org/investigates...
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025 - by my @pogo.org colleague @ziembavision.bsky.social & Isabel Del Mastro www.pogo.org/investigates...
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025
The number of ICE detention facility inspections dropped by 36.25% in 2025, even as detention rates — and deaths in ICE custody — surged across the nation.
www.pogo.org
January 12, 2026 at 5:22 PM
ICE Inspections Plummeted as Detentions Soared in 2025 - by my @pogo.org colleague @ziembavision.bsky.social & Isabel Del Mastro www.pogo.org/investigates...
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
This glib statement is all the more risible when you recall how many law enforcement officers used their vehicles as weapons against protesters in 2020... and how many Republican-dominated states *sought to legalize killing protesters with vehicles* as a reaction to the demonstrations
Noem: "People need to stop using their vehicles as weapons ... it's clear that it's being coordinated. People are being trained"
January 7, 2026 at 11:44 PM
This glib statement is all the more risible when you recall how many law enforcement officers used their vehicles as weapons against protesters in 2020... and how many Republican-dominated states *sought to legalize killing protesters with vehicles* as a reaction to the demonstrations
Reposted by Nick Schwellenbach
The WaPo piece above builds on this reporting by @schwellenbach.bsky.social and @dfriedman.bsky.social, who are doing fantastic work covering the corruption going on at DHS.
Massive DHS “Self-Deportation” Contract Challenged as Secretive and “Unlawful”
The “rushed” deal worth up to $915 million was handed to a firm with “no track record” as a federal contractor, a rival's lawsuit alleges.
www.pogo.org
December 23, 2025 at 4:29 PM
The WaPo piece above builds on this reporting by @schwellenbach.bsky.social and @dfriedman.bsky.social, who are doing fantastic work covering the corruption going on at DHS.
Missed this when it came out but this is thoughtful and has some history I didn't know about in regards to GAO
www.justsecurity.org/122832/shoul...
www.justsecurity.org/122832/shoul...
Should Inspectors General be Moved to the Legislative Branch?
Almost immediately upon taking office for his second term, President Donald Trump unlawfully fired 17 inspectors general (IGs), and over the course of this year has taken actions to demote and replace...
www.justsecurity.org
December 17, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Missed this when it came out but this is thoughtful and has some history I didn't know about in regards to GAO
www.justsecurity.org/122832/shoul...
www.justsecurity.org/122832/shoul...