St. John Barned-Smith
@stjbs.bsky.social
Reporting for the SF Chronicle. RPCV: Paraguay. Call me ‘Sinjin.'
Signal: stjbs.82
Signal: stjbs.82
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
At a deep theoretical level, Stephen Miller and JD Vance think their view that immigrants threaten social solidarity is widely shared. But what's now happening is MAGA is driving native-born Americans to show solidarity with immigrants. Now Miller is trying to break that up w/coercion and violence.
Terror is essential to Miller's project. It's designed to dissuade us from showing solidarity with the immigrants getting removed. Stand in the way of ethnic cleansing and you risk violence yourself.
(h/t @whstancil.bsky.social and @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com)
newrepublic.com/article/2053...
(h/t @whstancil.bsky.social and @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com)
newrepublic.com/article/2053...
January 17, 2026 at 2:32 PM
At a deep theoretical level, Stephen Miller and JD Vance think their view that immigrants threaten social solidarity is widely shared. But what's now happening is MAGA is driving native-born Americans to show solidarity with immigrants. Now Miller is trying to break that up w/coercion and violence.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — US judge rules federal officers in Minneapolis-area immigration operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters.
January 17, 2026 at 1:35 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — US judge rules federal officers in Minneapolis-area immigration operation can’t detain or tear gas peaceful protesters.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
“The entire operation is becoming slower and more resource-intensive. There is good reason to believe that more immigrants are with their families tonight because of ICE Watch.”
For @msnownews.bsky.social, I wrote an article about how ICE Watch is grounded in sociological theories of violence prevention.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
The reality is that most men will only commit public violence in extremely specific scenarios and ICE Watch disrupts the conditions necessary for escalation.
Opinion | I'm a Minneapolis sociologist who studies violence. Here's how ICE observers are helping.
Research into how violence occurs shows that disapproval from the people around you can help reduce it.
www.ms.now
January 17, 2026 at 2:39 AM
“The entire operation is becoming slower and more resource-intensive. There is good reason to believe that more immigrants are with their families tonight because of ICE Watch.”
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.
Vehicles that are abandoned due to an ICE detention and towed to the City's impound lot will be released to their owners or a representative at no cost.
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
Learn more: https://www.minneapolismn.gov/getting-around/parking-driving/impound-lot/#d.en.200746
January 16, 2026 at 11:42 PM
ICE has kidnapped so many people from their cars that the city had to put out this statement. Let that sink in.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
New: We built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
The Companies Behind ICE
Sludge built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.
readsludge.com
January 16, 2026 at 8:19 PM
New: We built an interactive map of every ICE contractor working with the Trump administration.
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
readsludge.com/2026/01/16/t...
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
NEW — ICE violence has spread well beyond Minneapolis, with agents landing in small cities like St. Cloud. I spoke with Alice Valentine, a local queer trans woman, who protested ICE on Monday and was pepper sprayed, beaten and jailed as a result, along with her girlfriend.
This is Alice's story:
This is Alice's story:
Queer trans ICE protester in small Minn. city recounts agents' violence and humiliation
Alice Valentine of St. Cloud was pepper sprayed and jailed by ICE for trying to protect immigrant neighbors.
www.thehandbasket.co
January 16, 2026 at 6:58 PM
NEW — ICE violence has spread well beyond Minneapolis, with agents landing in small cities like St. Cloud. I spoke with Alice Valentine, a local queer trans woman, who protested ICE on Monday and was pepper sprayed, beaten and jailed as a result, along with her girlfriend.
This is Alice's story:
This is Alice's story:
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
January 16, 2026 at 4:20 PM
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
I've updated the 'On the Ground' list with reporters from the Star-Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio and MinnPost. List continues to include reporters in Chicago and Portland, plus DC reporters also covering the immigration crackdowns and court fights -- bsky.app/profile/ndha...
January 16, 2026 at 2:47 AM
I've updated the 'On the Ground' list with reporters from the Star-Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio and MinnPost. List continues to include reporters in Chicago and Portland, plus DC reporters also covering the immigration crackdowns and court fights -- bsky.app/profile/ndha...
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
In like six months or so we’re gonna have some wild undercover investigative pieces from journalists who got jobs as ICE agents huh
January 16, 2026 at 2:20 AM
In like six months or so we’re gonna have some wild undercover investigative pieces from journalists who got jobs as ICE agents huh
That’s… incredible.
One of the stories that makes me the saddest out of this ICE invasion is one out of the Minnesota Star Tribune today about ICE agents eating at a little Mexican restaurant in the small town of Willmar, Minn, —and then, when they were done, arresting some of the workers.
January 16, 2026 at 4:46 AM
That’s… incredible.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
“Noem: U.S. Citizens Should Be Prepared To Show Proof.”
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
January 15, 2026 at 11:04 PM
“Noem: U.S. Citizens Should Be Prepared To Show Proof.”
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Dear beltway reporters, the next time she appears in public, please ask her to prove her citizenship right there on the spot. Does she carry her birth certificate? Her passport?
“Noem: U.S. Citizens Should Be Prepared To Show Proof.”
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
Did you vote for a “Show Me Your Papers” society?
January 16, 2026 at 12:45 AM
Dear beltway reporters, the next time she appears in public, please ask her to prove her citizenship right there on the spot. Does she carry her birth certificate? Her passport?
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
SCOOP from Douglas Macmillan
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
A fellow detainee says he witnessed Geraldo Lunas Campos being choked to death by guards at the ICE detention center in Texas on Jan. 3.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 15, 2026 at 10:46 PM
SCOOP from Douglas Macmillan
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Medical examiner believes death of man in ICE custody was homicide, recording says
www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/...
Pentagon to overhaul independent military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’ wapo.st/49oSc4R
Pentagon to overhaul independent military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’
Plans for more Defense Department control of Stars and Stripes surface after job seekers were asked about their commitment to President Donald Trump’s policies.
wapo.st
January 15, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Pentagon to overhaul independent military newspaper, calling it ‘woke’ wapo.st/49oSc4R
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Rerunning a top quack conspiracy from the 1990s
The FDA quietly removed webpages saying cellphones aren’t dangerous as the Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches a study on cellphone radiation.
RFK Jr.’s Health Department Is Studying Health Effects of Cellphones
Government webpages saying cellphones aren’t dangerous have been quietly removed.
on.wsj.com
January 15, 2026 at 11:03 PM
Rerunning a top quack conspiracy from the 1990s
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Just so people outside of MN know - a lot of the US citizens getting “arrested” by ICE never get processed at Whipple. They are roughed up during the arrest and then often dropped off miles from where they were picked up. It means we don’t know the true scale of what ICE is doing based on ICE stats
January 15, 2026 at 7:01 PM
Just so people outside of MN know - a lot of the US citizens getting “arrested” by ICE never get processed at Whipple. They are roughed up during the arrest and then often dropped off miles from where they were picked up. It means we don’t know the true scale of what ICE is doing based on ICE stats
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
JUST IN: New ACLU class action lawsuit in Minnesota seeks to bar ICE from stopping Latino and Somali residents without probable cause. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
January 15, 2026 at 5:47 PM
JUST IN: New ACLU class action lawsuit in Minnesota seeks to bar ICE from stopping Latino and Somali residents without probable cause. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act in Minnesota to quell ICE protests - apple.news/AiYi__BoQRYm...
Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act in Minnesota to quell ICE protests — The Washington Post
Protesters clashed with authorities in Minneapolis as city officials called for calm after an immigration enforcement officer shot a man in the leg.
apple.news
January 15, 2026 at 2:22 PM
Trump threatens to invoke Insurrection Act in Minnesota to quell ICE protests - apple.news/AiYi__BoQRYm...
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Near Lyndale and 24th Ave in Minneapolis tonight, feds have reportedly shot another person.
Preliminary info is shaky for now, hearing two people injured.
BORTAC just rolled up in an armored vehicle. A crowd is gathering outside the police tape—MPD presence as well.
Preliminary info is shaky for now, hearing two people injured.
BORTAC just rolled up in an armored vehicle. A crowd is gathering outside the police tape—MPD presence as well.
January 15, 2026 at 2:12 AM
Near Lyndale and 24th Ave in Minneapolis tonight, feds have reportedly shot another person.
Preliminary info is shaky for now, hearing two people injured.
BORTAC just rolled up in an armored vehicle. A crowd is gathering outside the police tape—MPD presence as well.
Preliminary info is shaky for now, hearing two people injured.
BORTAC just rolled up in an armored vehicle. A crowd is gathering outside the police tape—MPD presence as well.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
January 15, 2026 at 2:17 AM
Walz: "What's happening in MN defies belief. News reports simply don't do justice to the level of chaos & disruption & trauma the federal govt is raining down... This long ago stopped being a matter of immigration enforcement. Instead, it's a campaign of organized brutality against the people of MN"
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:
I am The Post’s ‘federal government whisperer.’ It’s been brutal.
One reporter’s effort to show how Trump was transforming government brought her 1,168 new sources — and nearly broke her.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
“One day, a woman wrote to me on Signal, asking me not to respond. She lived alone, she messaged, and planned to die that weekend. Before she did, she wanted at least one person to understand: Trump had unraveled the government, and with it, her life.” @hannahnatanson.bsky.social essay:
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
This is surreal. 4 Oglala Lakota men kidnapped by ICE in Minneapolis have finally been located. One of them was released but the other 3 are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp used to imprison Native people incl. the Dakota 38 during Dakota Wars.
ictnews.org/news/north-c...
ictnews.org/news/north-c...
Four Oglala detainees located, three still in ICE custody - ICT
The four Lakota detainees were reportedly sent to a former concentration camp used during the Dakota Wars
ictnews.org
January 14, 2026 at 10:31 PM
This is surreal. 4 Oglala Lakota men kidnapped by ICE in Minneapolis have finally been located. One of them was released but the other 3 are being held at Fort Snelling, a former concentration camp used to imprison Native people incl. the Dakota 38 during Dakota Wars.
ictnews.org/news/north-c...
ictnews.org/news/north-c...
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
In the last 4 days:
-- Elise Slotkin says she's being criminally investigated by DOJ
-- ICE illegally goes "door to door" in Minneapolis
-- FBI raids the home of a WP journalist
-- DHS illegally arrests, detains 100+ Somalians with legal refugee status
-- Elise Slotkin says she's being criminally investigated by DOJ
-- ICE illegally goes "door to door" in Minneapolis
-- FBI raids the home of a WP journalist
-- DHS illegally arrests, detains 100+ Somalians with legal refugee status
January 14, 2026 at 2:47 PM
In the last 4 days:
-- Elise Slotkin says she's being criminally investigated by DOJ
-- ICE illegally goes "door to door" in Minneapolis
-- FBI raids the home of a WP journalist
-- DHS illegally arrests, detains 100+ Somalians with legal refugee status
-- Elise Slotkin says she's being criminally investigated by DOJ
-- ICE illegally goes "door to door" in Minneapolis
-- FBI raids the home of a WP journalist
-- DHS illegally arrests, detains 100+ Somalians with legal refugee status
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Zero percent chance this is true.
January 14, 2026 at 4:40 PM
Zero percent chance this is true.
Reposted by St. John Barned-Smith
Craig: "In my district, 2 days ago a special ed teacher pulled into her school parking lot, her windows were smashed, she was taken & detained for 12 hours. I've never seen such an out of control agency. That's why as soon as I leave, I'm joining a group to file articles of impeachment against Noem"
January 14, 2026 at 3:46 PM
Craig: "In my district, 2 days ago a special ed teacher pulled into her school parking lot, her windows were smashed, she was taken & detained for 12 hours. I've never seen such an out of control agency. That's why as soon as I leave, I'm joining a group to file articles of impeachment against Noem"