“For the president to denigrate the service of these patriots is absolutely unconscionable,” he said.
“No wonder Keir Starmer is p----d off… these folks stood shoulder to shoulder with us for two decades of war and across numerous missions.”
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/2b30441...
Statement from Michael and Susan Pretti Parents of Alex Jeffrey Pretti “We are heartbroken but also very angry. Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital. Alex wanted to make a difference in this world. Unfortunately, he will not be with us to see his impact. I do not throw around the ‘hero’ term lightly. However, his last thought and act was to protect a woman. The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He had his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.
Kare 11 local news just read, in full, this statement from Michael and Susan Pretti, the parents of Alex Pretti.
"Please get the truth out about our son."
What We Know After Today’s CAS Meeting U.S. government officials informed residents of Camp As Sayliyah that the camp will close by March 31. Officials said residents will be moved to unspecified third countries, but did not name a single country under consideration. No information was provided on legal status, durability of protection, or long-term assistance in those third countries. When residents asked whether they would be sent to African countries, officials declined to answer and moved on. Officials stated the decision came from Washington, underscoring that this is a policy choice, not a logistical inevitability. Residents were told that details would be shared later, despite a rapidly approaching deadline. Some residents were told they could “voluntarily” return to Afghanistan, a country still under Taliban control. Many residents made clear they would refuse transfer to countries where they have no legal protection, family ties, or viable future.
Who Is at CAS 1100 Afghan USRAP referral recipients (800) and SIV applicants (300). Afghans who worked alongside U.S. forces, diplomats, and aid organizations. Family members of Afghans already legally in the United States. 150 Family of U.S. military servicemembers More than half women More than half children Individuals evacuated by the U.S. government because remaining in Afghanistan was deemed unsafe.
Just in:
The 1,100-ish Afghans the U.S. moved to Qatar for asylum & SIV processing were just told the camp is closing in March and they'll be transferred elsewhere.
They (half women & children) have been stuck since Trump froze refugee travel a year ago. Via @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social
Join me and my family on Friday, January 16, to hear from my friend and our next governor, Eric Swalwell. Location coming soon. I hope to see you there.
www.eventbrite.com/e/san-diego-...
Today is #Festivus.
On Festivus, we air our grievances.
I’ve got many.
Watch this, share it, and then post your own.
Do feel free to, as I have in mine, include a special message to those most deserving.
#ICE has been sending check in notices to Afghans (and others) to appear on Christmas Day (Dec 25) and New Years Day (Jan 1).
Visit AfghanEvac.org/ice to share your information with use so we can rally attorneys and other support in places where ICE is trying to ruin holidays.
Please share.
#BREAKING: The President just ended exemptions to the travel ban for Afghan SIVs and immediate family members.
#AfghanEvac’s statement below, attributable to @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social
Don't believe the nonsense out there on the internet about the tragic Bondi Beach shooting attacking Jewish Australians celebrating Hanukkah.
There is no known connection to Afghanistan or Afghans.
A heartbreaking story and a reminder that trauma doesn’t disappear at the airport.
Our Afghan allies need real mental-health support, community, and stability. One tragedy cannot define an entire community.
time.com/7340248/afgh...
New #AfghanEvac Monday Morning Update is out.
afghanevac.substack.com/p/monday-mor...
#AfghanEvac President @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social was on MS Now yesterday discussing the horrific shooting in DC and why we cannot allow all Afghans to be vilified for the actions of one man.
We must #HonorThePromise.
Full clip at youtu.be/L-rZP3kcKo8
AfghanEvac President @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social on @newsnation.bsky.social this morning.
youtu.be/mAgaQWk6RX4
AfghanEvac President @shawnjvandiver.bsky.social on @pbsnews.org
www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...
The #ElectionRiggingResponseAct is a temporary, transparent safeguard.
If other states redraw their maps mid-decade, CA voters get the final say — preserving our independent redistricting commission for the long term.
This is not about partisanship.
It’s about defending the republic.
Today, the threat is real: President Trump is pushing mid-decade gerrymandering in Texas and elsewhere to tilt the 2026 elections.
If CA doesn’t prepare, we risk seeing the same tactics here.
I’m a Navy veteran, a national security expert, and a civic leader in California.
I’ve defended democracy overseas and here at home, and I’ve spoken up when leaders cross the line.
That includes leading this letter calling for Asm Voepel’s removal after he compared Jan 6 to Lexington & Concord.
I submitted this letter to the California Legislature today in strong support of the #ElectionRiggingResponseAct.
It’s a temporary safeguard against attempts to rewrite the rules of our democracy for partisan gain.
🧵👇
If you’re Afghan, a veteran, or any American who believes in keeping our word—know this:
The U.S. government just gutted the team doing the hard, quiet work to keep that promise alive.
And Mary had a nice day off.
If you're pissed off, visit afghanevac.org/donate to support our work.
This isn’t about politics.
It’s about people.
It’s about babies born while their moms are being fired.
It’s about allies still trapped.
It’s about a promise broken again and again and again.
This is what betrayal looks like.
Her own family arrived in the U.S. as refugees.
She knows exactly what this moment means. She knows what’s at stake.
And she knows the lives being lost because of silence and delay.
She knows.
When she was working for HFAC's GOP team, she routinely scream cried at Biden Administration officials about how they didn't care about Afghan women and girls.
Now, she's trying to send Afghan women and girls in our care (at CAS, in the US, and elsewhere) to certain death, if she has her way.
Let’s be clear about who Mary is:
She was the lead counsel for the @houseforeign.bsky.social investigation into Afghanistan.
She flew to Qatar & didn’t meet with a single Afghan at the CAS site.
She attended Afghan envoy meetings and refused to speak to Afghans.
You know who didn’t disappear?
Veterans. Military families. Advocates. Afghans in exile. Volunteers still showing up every day to do the job the U.S. government promised to do. And every single CARE leader.
We’re still here.
Even if Mary won’t show up for her own people.
Mary Kabir-Seraj Bischoping is Afghan. She holds one of the most powerful positions in government dedicated to Afghan affairs.
She could’ve fought for her team. She could’ve spoken up. She could’ve said, “Not on my watch.”
Or she could've quit.
Instead, she said nothing—and she disappeared.
This isn’t just tone-deaf.
It’s not just bureaucratic cruelty.
It’s cowardice.
And it’s a betrayal.
That’s right.
While the people actually doing the work to help Afghan allies were getting fired, Mary took a personal day.
One of those people had given birth less than 24 hours earlier.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Time for another #AfghanEvac 🧵
@statedeptus.bsky.social just fired the entire leadership team working on #Afghan Relocations (CARE).
And Mary Bischoping—the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan—took the day off.
ICE is now arresting Afghan allies—at their first court hearing—after they entered legally via CBP One, filed asylum + SIV paperwork, and followed every damn rule.
They’re using “improvidently issued” like a magic phrase to disappear people.
We have the video.
#AfghanEvac
I’m tired of hearing how much Members of Congress “care” behind closed doors.
If you’re not speaking up in public about the Afghan allies we left behind, then you’re part of the problem.
This week, a few stood up. Most stayed silent.
Enough is enough. Take a stand. @afghanevac.bsky.social
