Kristina Cooke

NEW: Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully, a Reuters review of court records found.

The government keeps doing it nonetheless.

www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

Maduro is out but his top allies still hold power www.reuters.com/world/americ...

To give you a sense of how big a departure this year, the government doesn't do this for wanted criminals.

As Trump misses deportation goals, ICE pushes migrants to give up their cases The email from a U.S. immigration officer presented Kelly and Yerson Vargas with a stark choice: accept deportation to their native Colombia or risk being charged with a crime and separated from their...

The email from a U.S. immigration officer presented Kelly and Yerson Vargas with a stark choice: accept deportation or risk being charged with a crime and separated from their 6-year-old daughter. Inside Trump’s pressure tactics w/ @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/us/ice...

U.S. citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents about children gathering at bus stop, lawyers say Lawyers for Carlos Jimenez said he was in fear after an agent threatened him with chemical spray, then pointed a gun at him.

US citizen shot from behind as he warned ICE agents children would be coming to get bus, lawyers say

“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force A pastor was pulled over for looking lost. A 72-year-old was marched out in his bathrobe due to mistaken identity. Memphis’ mayor welcomed the federal law enforcement surge, but some residents say the...

NEW: “I Don’t Feel Safe.” Black Memphis Residents Report Harassment by Trump’s Police Task Force, by @wendicthomas.bsky.social @katieburgess.bsky.social w/ @mlk50.com

“The Government sometimes makes brief investigative stops. . . . If the officers learn that the individual they stopped is a U. S. citizen or otherwise lawfully in the United States, they promptly let the individual go.”

Justice Kavanaugh in Vasquez Perdomo:

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p...

Attorney for woman shot by Border Patrol claims officer said 'Do something b-----' before shooting Body-camera video appears to contradict the government's claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed. A judge ordered Martinez and a co-defendant released pending trial.

Body-camera video appears to contradict the government’s claim that Marimar Martinez, 30, drove toward officers before one of them opened fire at her late Saturday morning in Brighton Park, her attorney claimed.
trib.al/9Sxu9IN

Of all the things we’ve seen in Chicago, can’t recall anything like these scenes, reportedly from 63rd and Kostner on the South Side

Journalism that fails to infuse a historically informed lens is akin to covering the smoke but never asking who lit the fire. History-centered journalism should be the framework within every newsroom.

I spoke to a Venezuelan woman who was arrested in this raid and later released with her 4yo son. She said agents broke down their door, pointed guns at them and made sexualized remarks about Venezuelan women. When she returned to her apartment it was boarded up and all her possessions were gone.

Feds in military gear flood downtown Chicago; top border official says arrests based on 'how they look' The immigration agents were spotted making arrests in downtown Chicago and River North neighborhood early Sunday.

In which a top US Border Patrol official, incredibly, tells my tall and Anglo colleague @chipmitchell1.bsky.social that he's not the type they're looking for as they go about downtown Chicago arresting people based on "how they look"

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Exclusive: Guatemalan document undercuts U.S. claims on child deportations Many family members of unaccompanied Guatemalan migrant children who are part of a group the Trump administration attempted to deport over the weekend did not want their children returned to Guatemala, according to an internal Guatemalan government report that contradicts assertions made by U.S. officials.

Exclusive: Guatemalan document undercuts U.S. claims on child deportations, w/ Emily Green and @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/legal/govern...

NEW FROM @reuters.com: Top U.S. law firms have sharply scaled back their efforts to challenge the federal government in court, especially on behalf of pro bono clients, in the face of threats from President Trump.

www.reuters.com/investigatio...

My colleague Diego Ore tells the story of a family who self-deported to Mexico. As they passed Mexican customs, officials confiscated their truck and took $5,000, the family's entire savings, for what they called a fine.

An American toddler in foster care, a mom in ICE detention A brief jail sentence turned into over four months in an immigration detention cell for the mother and an extended stay in foster care for son

This week, I wrote about Ingrid Mejia, a Guatemalan egg farmworker who spent more than four months in ICE detention after a traffic misdemeanor, while her 3-year-old son, a U.S. citizen, was stuck in foster care. www.reuters.com/world/us/an-...

Trump’s Deportees to El Salvador Are Now “Ghosts” in U.S. Courts Even as the Administration refuses to reveal the names of those it has deported under the Alien Enemies Act, a network of lawyers and advocates is fighting to keep their cases alive.

To date, the Trump Administration has refused to share the names of the men it has sent to El Salvador. One attorney involved in the advocacy efforts described her clients as “ghosts.”

SOS: Migrants held in Texas fear notorious El Salvador prison Venezuelan detainees in Texas fear the Trump administration will send them to El Salvador's notorious CECOT maximum security prison.

Jeferson Escalona, who DHS said was a “self-admitted” member of Tren de Aragua: "They're making false accusations about me. I don't belong to any gang." W/ @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/americ...

US focuses on persecution claims as white South Africans seek resettlement U.S. officials have interviewed white South Africans seeking refugee status about their troubles with land disputes, crime and perceived racism, while refugees from other countries are being deported or barred from the United States.

After Trump's order on refugee status for Afrikaners, hundreds of white South Africans joined informal WhatsApp groups where they share information about the process.
In one, applicants discussed potentially chartering a flight for their pet dogs.
www.reuters.com/world/us-foc...

Photo of Senator Chris Van Hollen with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.

Exclusive: Houston police are cooperating with ICE, experts say Experts say the reports reveal a growing sense of cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration officials.

EXCLUSIVE: A woman last month flagged down a Houston police officer to tell them about a car crash. The officer responded by calling federal immigration authorities on her.

www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

‘One million.’ The private goal driving Trump’s push for mass deportations. Immigration officers and analysts are increasingly skeptical the Trump administration can deport that many immigrants in a single year.

🚨 WaPo exclusive — The Trump admin has set its sights on deporting **1 MILLION** immigrants this year.

How it went from a quiet ambition to a White House strategy.

Scooping with @mariasacchetti.bsky.social.

A U.S. border patrol unit traveled 300 miles to carry out sweeping arrests in “Operation Return to Sender” — which the unit was calling a “highly targeted” action. Documents we obtained show that, of the 78 individuals arrested, only one of the individuals was previously known to border patrol. The other 77 were not listed as having a deportation order or criminal history. — Reporting by Evident, CalMatters & Bellingcat

An investigation into obtained arrest records contradicts the U.S. Customs & Border Protection's messaging that Operation Return to Sender was a "highly targeted” law enforcement action.

Full report from Evident, @calmatters.org, @sergioolmos.bsky.social & @bellingcat.com: evidentmedia.live/44fZ1mX

Trump's bid to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members faces new US court limits U.S. judges said on Wednesday they would impose new limits on President Donald Trump's attempts to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members under a wartime law, after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a broad ban on such removals in another court.

Asked why the Trump admin will not release details on cases of alleged gang members sent to El Salvador, Noem defended the government’s assessment.

“We’re confident that people that are there should be there, and they should stay there for the rest of their lives"

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Trump plans to fine migrants $998 a day for failing to leave after deportation order The Trump administration plans to fine migrants under deportation orders up to $998 a day if they fail to leave the United States and to seize their property if they do not pay, according to documents reviewed by Reuters.

The Trump administration plans to fine migrants under deportation orders up to $998 a day if they fail to leave the United States and to seize their property if they do not pay, according to documents reviewed by Reuters. W/ @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

We talked to 50 families of Venezuelans sent to El Salvador. They said their loved ones were barbers, tattoo artists, construction workers; many had tattoos that honored family members and their professions. They all said they had no links to Tren de Aragua.

As a journalist, I'm pleased that everyone connected with the Trump administration seems to be in agreement that people shouldn't be punished for handing over sensitive information to reporters.

Relatives of missing Venezuelan migrants desperate for answers after US deportations to El Salvador Family members of Venezuelan migrants who suspect their loved ones were sent to El Salvador as part of a rapid U.S. deportation operation over the weekend are struggling to get more information as a legal battle plays out.

Family members of Venezuelan migrants who suspect their loved ones were sent to El Salvador as part of a rapid US deportation operation over the weekend are struggling to get more information as a legal battle plays out. @kristinacooke.bsky.social and Sarah Kinosian www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Exclusive: Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US, sources say U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.

Exclusive: Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US - w/ @kristinacooke.bsky.social www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Trump officials launch ICE effort to deport unaccompanied migrant children The Trump administration is directing immigration agents to track down hundreds of thousands of migrant children who entered the United States without their parents, expanding the president's mass deportation effort, according to an internal memo reviewed by Reuters.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...