Gabe Ortíz

Knoxville News Sentinel Letter to the Editor: “Mr. Trump has admitted that this legislation is needed if he is to stay in control of both houses of Congress. It is not about election integrity … It is to maintain Republican control.” https://www.knoxnews.com/story/opinion/readers/2026/03/20/letter-save-act-is-not-about-election-integrity/89212115007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=true&gca-epti=z115146p001950c001950v115146d--xx--b--xx--&gca-ft=202&gca-ds=sophi

“This directly contradicts Trump’s claim that he kicked Epstein out of the resort in 2004 due to his poaching of Mar-a-Lago employees. Goldman claimed that the document was being deliberately withheld by the Department of Justice, violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act …” https://newrepublic.com/post/207950/democratic-congrssman-goldman-epstein-file-trump-epstein-mar-a-lago

The New Republic's Greg Sargent: "So no Democrats should vote for another dime for this war, right?"

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee: "Absolutely. They should not."

https://newrepublic.com/article/208015/transcript-trump-war-takes-dark-turn-leaks-unnerve-dems-madness

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“I am grateful to everyone who, in one way or another, played a part in offering support and strength, and who was always there,” said his mother, Raiza Contreras. “Very soon, my son will be back with his siblings and me — it is both a relief and a blessing.”

Watch Moses Mike Johnson struggle to name even one example of voter fraud: https://newrepublic.com/post/207866/mike-johnson-cant-name-one-voter-fraud-story-save-act

"’Even though we are U.S. citizens, we're afraid,’ says Tracy Huerta, 32, an English-language teacher at Liam's school. ‘We always carry our passports.’”

Two pages from People’s six-page feature on anti-immigrant raids that have targeted Minnesota 👇🏽

“ICE does not merely have a compliance problem,” said Alaink Kemple of the Mass Blackout Coalition. “It has a documented record of killing people in custody, sexually abusing children, detaining and deporting American citizens, and defying federal courts. We will not stand in silence as this government builds new, illegal concentration camps to continue what its own judiciary has repeatedly ruled unlawful.”

https://www.thefarce.org/they-bought-the-warehouse-in-secret-because-they-know-what-happens-when-you-find-out/

"Instead of medical care, ICE has offered her another solution: self-deport. Every two or three days, she says, ICE officials enter their room to ask people to sign forms agreeing to voluntary removal.

Many have taken it, including a man from Minnesota whose lawyer said he only agreed because he was being denied medication for his diabetes."

https://minnesotareformer.com/2026/03/16/i-feel-desperate-minnesota-woman-suffering-medical-emergency-stuck-in-texas-detention/

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“This man fought our war for 10 years,” said Shawn VanDiver, president of #AfghanEvac. “He had six kids, one of whom is an American citizen. He was brought here by the United States of America. He’s been working hard in Texas, paying taxes ... He was doing everything right.”

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

"'Do those Christians who bear grave responsibility in armed conflicts have the humility and courage to make a serious examination of conscience and to go to confession?' the pope asked in a speech to priests."

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“The woman is awaiting her next court hearing later this month. She is afraid to attend in person due to a rise in ICE arrests at immigration courts across the country, and is wary of leaving her house, even to go grocery shopping or go to work.”

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“During his time in Florida, he said immigration agents pressured him to sign a voluntary departure order. He refused, he said, thinking of his family.

'I came to this country to work and move forward,’ Vargas said. 'If I have to go through this to be with my family, I will.’”

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

"Top Trump goon secretly begs GOP to bury key MAGA promise."

"White House deputy chief of staff James Blair told House Republicans to stop emphasizing 'mass deportations' during a policy listening session at their annual retreat in Doral, Florida, Axios reports."

https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-trump-goon-secretly-begs-gop-to-bury-key-maga-promise/

Juan Gabriel says hello from his weekend house 🐾

The Independent, Jan. 2026: “Despite the video evidence, Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin called Pretti a ‘deranged individual’ during an appearance on Fox News.” https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/markwayne-mullin-maga-gaslighting-minneapolis-shooting-b2907328.html

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

"When Tapper pressed Mullin on whether Good’s actions warranted her being killed, the senator said yes, repeatedly insisting that her vehicle was being used in a so-called 'lethal manner.'

Tapper then pointed out that video footage appears to show Ross firing at the side of Good’s car—what Tapper described as 'out of harm’s way' from the vehicle. Mullin dismissed the footage."

“‘Faced with the possibility of a tragedy of enormous proportions, I am making a heartfelt appeal to the parties involved to assume their moral responsibility to stop the spiral of violence before it becomes an irreparable abyss,’ Pope Leo XIV said in his weekly Angelus address Sunday morning.” https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/sunday-angelus-address-pope-leo-war-iran-usa-israel-20260301.html

Greg Bovino “is under criminal investigation in Minneapolis for his conduct during Operation Metro Surge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced in a Monday press conference.” https://talkingpointsmemo.com/morning-memo/greg-bovino-under-criminal-investigation-in-minneapolis

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

"Not only did Trump’s Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick admit to visiting Epstein island after lying about it (and has so far faced no consequences), but Trump himself is named more than a million times in the files, according to lawmakers with access to the un-redacted documents. Several victims identify Trump by name, alleging he raped and assaulted them."

Maria de Jesus Estrada, a Sacramento-area mother and #DACA recipient who has lived in this country for more than 25 years, was deported last week after her green card appointment: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/she-never-had-a-chance-natomas-mother-daca-recipient-deported-after-green-card-appointment/103-a82e8575-0e01-43cd-a590-c47388c90308

“The Department of Homeland Security admitted to Congress this month that it deported dozens of unauthorized immigrants who are protected under U.S. law because they were brought as children to the United States, according to a letter made public Thursday.” https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/26/dhs-daca-immigration-noem-dreamers-00801921

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“Trump admitted in a 2 a.m. Truth Social post in the early hours of Saturday morning that he expected U.S. citizens to die in the war he had just started, but that put no dent in the party schedule at Trump’s private beach resort.”

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue,” Pope Leo XIV said, urging a halt to “the spiral of violence before it becomes an unbridgeable chasm.”

“Pope Leo XIV has blasted the US and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran, warning that peace is not achieved with weapons and suffering.” https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/pope-leo-iran-us-attack-statement-b2929745.html

I usually don’t like sharing social media posts from the geriatric racist, but this one from several years back seems relevant amid Operation Epstein Fury 👇🏽

911 logs show detained children struggling to breathe, suffering seizures, or burning with high fevers — including babies and toddlers: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/911-calls-kids-s

“Two transgender Kansans are suing the state, challenging a new law that immediately invalidates their driver’s licenses and opens up the possibility of lawsuits against anyone suspected of being transgender for using the ‘wrong’ public restroom.” https://www.kwch.com/2026/02/27/2-transgender-kansans-suing-state-over-law-invalidating-drivers-licenses-enforcing-restroom-change/

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“The state law was rushed through the state legislature using an expedited procedure known as ‘gut and go’. This means the text of one bill can be taken out and substituted for entirely new language or provisions, bypassing standard committee vetting and speeding through the voting process, which is legal in Kansas.”

“Yesterday, I reviewed unredacted evidence logs at the Department of Justice," said Rep. Robert Garcia. "Oversight Democrats can confirm that the DOJ appears to have illegally withheld FBI interviews with this survivor who accused President Trump of heinous crimes.” https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/doj-withheld-epstein-files-allegation-trump-1235521875/

FFS LET TRANS PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIVES IN PEACE

“Today, transgender people across Kansas are reporting receiving letters from the Kansas Division of Vehicles stating that they must surrender their driver's licenses and that their current credentials will be considered invalid upon the law's publication in the Kansas Register on Thursday.”

https://open.substack.com/pub/erininthemorn/p/kansas-sends-letters-to-trans-people?r=1psrs&utm_medium=ios

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“ICE and CBP also contracted with Glock for millions of dollars in handguns and accessories, the report says. Taking all these contracts together, the report starkly concludes: ‘ICE and CBP have together placed orders to purchase thousands of new high-powered lethal weapons at taxpayer expense.’”

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

"... Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have formally approved contracts for at least a whopping $144 million in weapons, ammunition, and other accessories during Trump’s first year. The analysis—based on government contracting data—documents at least a fourfold increase for ICE and a doubling for CBP related to 2024, concluding that this will 'build a heavily-armed domestic police force.'"

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“The thought of holding thousands of families in massive warehouses should challenge the conscience of every American. Whatever their immigration status, these are human beings created in the image and likeness of God, and this is a moral inflection point for our country.”

"The Justice Department has withheld some Epstein files related to allegations that President Trump sexually abused a minor, an NPR investigation finds. It also removed some documents from the public database where accusations against Jeffrey Epstein also mention Trump." https://www.npr.org/2026/02/24/nx-s1-5723968/epstein-files-trump-accusation-maxwell?utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bsky.app

There is simply no celebrating the 2026 Winter Olympics without also celebrating the immigrant roots of Team USA – just look at the numbers.

Nearly 17% of Team USA has direct immigrant ties, according to research from the Institute for Immigration Research at GMU 👇🏽

https://americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/nearly-17-of-team-usa-has-direct

RE: @tusk81@mastodon.social

“Andrea Mastro of Voorhees echoed that message.

‘They are our neighbors, and I support them,’ she said.”

“Others at the protest said their goal was to reassure immigrant neighbors that they are not alone.

‘I want to let them know that other Lindenwold residents really care about them,’ said Chong Kim of Lindenwold.” https://6abc.com/post/protest-follows-ice-activity-lindenwold-new-jersey-school-bus-stop/18597460/

Television personality Jeanine Pirro “failed to indict six Democratic lawmakers for their role in creating a public service announcement in which they urged members of the military and intelligence communities to ‘refuse illegal orders”: https://people.com/grand-jury-denies-doj-indictments-democratic-lawmakers-11904322

"Chappell Roan has announced she left Wasserman after the agency's founder, Casey Wasserman, was named in the latest batch of Epstein files, released by the Department of Justice on Jan. 30."

"Artists deserve representation that aligns with their values and supports their safety and dignity," she wrote. "This decision reflects my belief that meaningful change in our industry requires accountability and leadership that earns trust."

https://people.com/chappell-roan-left-wasserman-agency-founder-named-epstein-files-11903270