Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council. Commenting generally on immigration law and policy. Retweets =/= endorsements, views are my own.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
the funny thing about this of course is that "athenian democracy" was a cautionary tale to the framers, who saw it as unstable and prone to demagogues and tyrants like the one rubio works for
October 8, 2026 at 11:35 AM
the funny thing about this of course is that "athenian democracy" was a cautionary tale to the framers, who saw it as unstable and prone to demagogues and tyrants like the one rubio works for
I don't believe that Americans won't work certain jobs, but the reality is that the domestic labor supply largely does NOT want to do backbreaking farm labor; and the wages required to fill the positions could be so high they'd bankrupt farms competing in a global market.
Vance: "When people say Americans won't work on farms or in dirty jobs, what they're saying is Americans won't work those jobs for poverty wages, nor should they. When they say we have to bring in accountants, what they're saying is there aren't enough ppl who can do math in the US, which is absurd"
October 8, 2026 at 3:26 PM
I don't believe that Americans won't work certain jobs, but the reality is that the domestic labor supply largely does NOT want to do backbreaking farm labor; and the wages required to fill the positions could be so high they'd bankrupt farms competing in a global market.
What a ridiculous answer.
Q: How do you define socialism personally?
JD VANCE: I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is you want to replace American workers with foreigners workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports
JD VANCE: I think in reality what it actually means in the American context is you want to replace American workers with foreigners workers, and you want boys to play in girls' sports
October 8, 2026 at 3:14 PM
What a ridiculous answer.
ICE is already setting record arrests, fueled by a growing push towards arresting people with no criminal records and people who are technically out of status but are checking in with the government and waiting for a bureaucrat to decide their applications.
Now they want to ramp up arrests by 50%.
Now they want to ramp up arrests by 50%.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement leadership told agents nationwide to increase immigration arrests by 1,000 more people daily, returning to a previous goal of 3,000 daily arrests, according to two sources familiar with the verbal directive. https://cnn.it/4zgcsQc
October 8, 2026 at 2:06 PM
ICE is already setting record arrests, fueled by a growing push towards arresting people with no criminal records and people who are technically out of status but are checking in with the government and waiting for a bureaucrat to decide their applications.
Now they want to ramp up arrests by 50%.
Now they want to ramp up arrests by 50%.
ICYMI, last night a federal court in Arizona ordered ICE to "facilitate the return" of an Egyptian man currently imprisoned incommunicado by the Equatoguinean government.
Mr. Soliman was sent to Equatorial Guinea with no notice. ICE refused his request for a torture screening.
Mr. Soliman was sent to Equatorial Guinea with no notice. ICE refused his request for a torture screening.
WHOA. This is big news.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
October 8, 2026 at 1:53 PM
ICYMI, last night a federal court in Arizona ordered ICE to "facilitate the return" of an Egyptian man currently imprisoned incommunicado by the Equatoguinean government.
Mr. Soliman was sent to Equatorial Guinea with no notice. ICE refused his request for a torture screening.
Mr. Soliman was sent to Equatorial Guinea with no notice. ICE refused his request for a torture screening.
ICE appears to be using the parking lot of the Roxbury warehouse for processing and brief detention, and at least once appears to have taken people inside.
But also, read this inside look from a federal contractor about how everyone knew the warehouse plan was insane but Miller demanded inhumanity.
But also, read this inside look from a federal contractor about how everyone knew the warehouse plan was insane but Miller demanded inhumanity.
October 8, 2026 at 1:43 PM
ICE appears to be using the parking lot of the Roxbury warehouse for processing and brief detention, and at least once appears to have taken people inside.
But also, read this inside look from a federal contractor about how everyone knew the warehouse plan was insane but Miller demanded inhumanity.
But also, read this inside look from a federal contractor about how everyone knew the warehouse plan was insane but Miller demanded inhumanity.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
"I indicated that I was a member of Congress, and I was here to provide oversight and to enter and to see this series of rooms...They said no, I was not allowed to enter," said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona. https://bit.ly/47a2ZxX
DHS Is Using FEMA Buildings as Pop-up Immigration Courts, Denying Public Access
Congressman Greg Stanton says he was blocked from entering a makeshift immigration courtroom, raising concerns about public access to the proceedings.
bit.ly
October 8, 2026 at 1:25 PM
"I indicated that I was a member of Congress, and I was here to provide oversight and to enter and to see this series of rooms...They said no, I was not allowed to enter," said Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona. https://bit.ly/47a2ZxX
WHOA. This is big news.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
October 8, 2026 at 2:42 AM
WHOA. This is big news.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
Mr. Soliman is a 31-year-old gay man from Egypt who came here at 3 with a green card. He lost his green card after a conviction, but an immigration judge found that he would be persecuted in Egypt and barred sending him there. He's locked in a hotel in Equatorial Guinea now.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
The "SI" thing is was intended to provoke this exact sort of sniveling response from the courtiers, to train the oligarchs to humiliate themselves for Trump so they'll do it again later when it really matters.
BAIER: The president says 'SI.' Are you into SI or AI?
BEZOS: I do like SI, because 'artificial' is not a very flattering thing. Like, nobody wants an artificial sweetener, artificial flavoring.
BEZOS: I do like SI, because 'artificial' is not a very flattering thing. Like, nobody wants an artificial sweetener, artificial flavoring.
October 8, 2026 at 12:13 AM
The "SI" thing is was intended to provoke this exact sort of sniveling response from the courtiers, to train the oligarchs to humiliate themselves for Trump so they'll do it again later when it really matters.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
Update on US-Ecuadorian maritime ops:
"An Ecuadorian judge declared 32 crew members of two vessels that were intercepted and bombed by the United States in Pacific waters innocent on Wednesday."
efe.com/mundo/declar...
"An Ecuadorian judge declared 32 crew members of two vessels that were intercepted and bombed by the United States in Pacific waters innocent on Wednesday."
efe.com/mundo/declar...
efe.com
October 8, 2026 at 12:37 AM
Update on US-Ecuadorian maritime ops:
"An Ecuadorian judge declared 32 crew members of two vessels that were intercepted and bombed by the United States in Pacific waters innocent on Wednesday."
efe.com/mundo/declar...
"An Ecuadorian judge declared 32 crew members of two vessels that were intercepted and bombed by the United States in Pacific waters innocent on Wednesday."
efe.com/mundo/declar...
This was one of the more diabolical Trump admin moves on immigration; ordering ICE to stop taking biometrics for detained immigrants seeking immigration benefits from USCIS, which meant that the agency would deny their applications by default.
October 7, 2026 at 10:46 PM
This was one of the more diabolical Trump admin moves on immigration; ordering ICE to stop taking biometrics for detained immigrants seeking immigration benefits from USCIS, which meant that the agency would deny their applications by default.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
JUST IN: A judge has blocked ICE's policy "to stop collecting biometric information" from detainees that they need to pursue lawful status, like visas for human trafficking survivors and other crime victims.
ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
October 7, 2026 at 10:35 PM
JUST IN: A judge has blocked ICE's policy "to stop collecting biometric information" from detainees that they need to pursue lawful status, like visas for human trafficking survivors and other crime victims.
ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show...
Haha wow is this comically corrupt.
/he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.
/he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.
October 7, 2026 at 9:48 PM
Haha wow is this comically corrupt.
/he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.
/he didn't end up paying her the money because he said he'd get in trouble with his wife.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
“Excluding the pandemic, these are the largest employment declines Minnesota has seen in both leisure and hospitality and accommodation and food services since 2007.”
Mass deportation is ugly — and costs us all.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/the-ice-ta...
Mass deportation is ugly — and costs us all.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/the-ice-ta...
The ICE Tax Imposes Yet Another Heavy Price All Minnesotans Must Pay
The Twin Cities know first hand the pain and violence of ICE raids. Another casualty is their economy.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com
October 7, 2026 at 8:04 PM
“Excluding the pandemic, these are the largest employment declines Minnesota has seen in both leisure and hospitality and accommodation and food services since 2007.”
Mass deportation is ugly — and costs us all.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/the-ice-ta...
Mass deportation is ugly — and costs us all.
americasvoicecnn.substack.com/p/the-ice-ta...
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
walk me through the logic here, Republican staffer
October 7, 2026 at 7:17 PM
walk me through the logic here, Republican staffer
Meanwhile, over on X, the Secretary of Homeland Security is posting about "vandalizing the demographics of America," a phrase which is either a chilling suggestion of white nationalism from Mullin or just straight pablum which means nothing but sounds just fash enough to excite the faithful.
October 7, 2026 at 6:39 PM
Meanwhile, over on X, the Secretary of Homeland Security is posting about "vandalizing the demographics of America," a phrase which is either a chilling suggestion of white nationalism from Mullin or just straight pablum which means nothing but sounds just fash enough to excite the faithful.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
This is a very good analysis of the Texas GOP's white supremacist-adjacent future, via @hooks.bsky.social.
Read:
Read:
Texas Republicans Might Finally Lose. Will They Learn Anything?
This November could be the beginning of the end of Trumpism. The state GOP is adrift.
www.texasmonthly.com
October 7, 2026 at 5:58 PM
This is a very good analysis of the Texas GOP's white supremacist-adjacent future, via @hooks.bsky.social.
Read:
Read:
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
Records obtained by @americanoversight.org: "The Trump administration reduced training for officers whose departments agreed to help ICE from four weeks of in-person education to 40 hours of virtual training last year as part of a broader effort to expand the agency’s footprint across the nation."
Emails show how ICE trimmed training for deputized officers
Police officers helping ICE arrest unauthorized immigrants were given a shortened training course that scaled back instruction on the nation’s immigration laws.
www.washingtonpost.com
October 7, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Records obtained by @americanoversight.org: "The Trump administration reduced training for officers whose departments agreed to help ICE from four weeks of in-person education to 40 hours of virtual training last year as part of a broader effort to expand the agency’s footprint across the nation."
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
perfect frame
Pete Hegseth trails behind the crowd while running with troops in San Diego
October 7, 2026 at 5:48 PM
perfect frame
Pretty clear that the Trump admin's "Civil Rights" department is actively seeking to force schools to segregate further and deny more Black students.
October 7, 2026 at 3:43 PM
Pretty clear that the Trump admin's "Civil Rights" department is actively seeking to force schools to segregate further and deny more Black students.
The OPT rule is out, and it's a mess. DHS is aware that this rule will be challenged in court, but didn't even bother to do a defensible analysis of the costs.
For example, their estimate of costs that this rule will impose on the public over 10 years is a range between $241 million to $29 billion.
For example, their estimate of costs that this rule will impose on the public over 10 years is a range between $241 million to $29 billion.
October 7, 2026 at 2:29 PM
The OPT rule is out, and it's a mess. DHS is aware that this rule will be challenged in court, but didn't even bother to do a defensible analysis of the costs.
For example, their estimate of costs that this rule will impose on the public over 10 years is a range between $241 million to $29 billion.
For example, their estimate of costs that this rule will impose on the public over 10 years is a range between $241 million to $29 billion.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
Trump admin's new rule adding prohibitively expensive new fees for "OPT"—temporary work authorization program for international students and new grads in the United States—is out.
Would require colleges to pay $70,000 for year one. $30,000 for years two and three combined for STEM fields.
Would require colleges to pay $70,000 for year one. $30,000 for years two and three combined for STEM fields.
public-inspection.federalregister.gov
October 7, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Trump admin's new rule adding prohibitively expensive new fees for "OPT"—temporary work authorization program for international students and new grads in the United States—is out.
Would require colleges to pay $70,000 for year one. $30,000 for years two and three combined for STEM fields.
Would require colleges to pay $70,000 for year one. $30,000 for years two and three combined for STEM fields.
Reposted by Aaron Reichlin-Melnick
BREAKING:
ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote.
The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote.
The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
ICE probed hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S.
The agency also contemplated deploying undercover agents to "initiate prosecutions" against the groups and "dismantle" them.
www.democracydocket.com
October 7, 2026 at 1:26 PM
BREAKING:
ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote.
The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
ICE over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote.
The internal documents, obtained by the Democracy Forward, showed that ICE's investigative arm also contemplated sending undercover agents to investigate the organizations.
This segment is about DHS's claim that they have identified and arrested over 2,000 "terrorists," a claim laughable on its face.
This is largely because the admin has reclassified multiple criminal gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations," and ICE's gang identification is notorious sloppy.
This is largely because the admin has reclassified multiple criminal gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations," and ICE's gang identification is notorious sloppy.
Rep. Greg Murphy describes people who have lived in America for decades and have families here and are brutally deported by ICE as "collateral damage," and says "thank God we're getting rid of the garbage that's in our country:"
October 7, 2026 at 1:25 PM
This segment is about DHS's claim that they have identified and arrested over 2,000 "terrorists," a claim laughable on its face.
This is largely because the admin has reclassified multiple criminal gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations," and ICE's gang identification is notorious sloppy.
This is largely because the admin has reclassified multiple criminal gangs as "foreign terrorist organizations," and ICE's gang identification is notorious sloppy.