Illegal immigration
March 26, 2026 — Scott Johnson
The Eighth Circuit decision in the Avila case yesterday should scramble the incessant reporting about the orders violated in the flood of habeas cases filed in Minnesota’s federal courts. These orders required respondents to do this and that immediately in connection with Operation Metro Surge. The barrage began with a statement by Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz mentioning orders in 66 cases. As I understand it, 53 of the 66 cases
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March 26, 2026 — John Hinderaker
I was on television with Rita Panahi last night, talking about a number of topics including the status of the conflict in Iran. Rita is of Iranian descent, and lived in Iran as a girl. She remembers being forced to chant “Death to America.” So the Iran conflict is close to her heart. As always, her staff was quick to get the segment up on YouTube: They separately posted Rita’s
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March 26, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Bill Shipley is the attorney who holds down the fort at Shipwreckedcrew’s Port-O-Call. I recommend his site for readers looking for trustworthy legal commentary on the issues of the day. Bill is a former Assistant United States Attorney who moved on to open his own defense practice. Beginning in the fall of 2021, Bill represented defendants charged in connection with the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. Over
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March 25, 2026 — Bill Glahn
This headline had to hurt: from the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Federal court backs Trump administration’s immigrant detention policy. After this morning’s 2-1 decision by the 8th circuit appeals court, the Star Tribune was left to deliver the bad news to its ever-dwindling liberal readership. Minnesota federal judges had not been following the clear letter of the law in more than a thousand habeas corpus cases. These rogue judges had been
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March 25, 2026 — Bill Glahn
The case originated out of the Minnesota federal district. It was one of many such cases seeking the release of one or more illegal aliens detained by ICE. The 2-1 decision by the Eighth Circuit can be read here. The case originated in August 2025 and is captioned Joaquin Herrera Avila v. Bondi. The appeals court reversed the district court judge’s decision to order the release of the illegal alien
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March 24, 2026 — John Hinderaker
We saw it at the State of the Union, when Democrats refused to stand for the principle that our government should protect American citizens, not illegal aliens. Now Senator Chris Murphy says it out loud: Senator Chris Murphy: "The people we care about most, the undocumented migrants" He actually said that pic.twitter.com/FsEPmWs81U — End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 24, 2026 Here is a question: would Democrats openly pledge their fealty to
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March 23, 2026 — Bill Glahn
From the New York Post, Chicago Dem slammed for suggesting Loyola student caused her own murder: ‘Wrong place at the wrong time’ The Post reports, A progressive Chicago Dem is taking a ton of heat for suggesting that a Loyola University Chicago student who was allegedly executed by an illegal migrant caused her own murder — and that she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Chicago Alderwoman
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March 21, 2026 — Bill Glahn
From ABC News, Trump administration seeks to move ahead with removing Abrego Garcia to Liberia. You will recall the long saga of our Maryland Man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, of El Salvador. ABC reports, The Trump administration is moving forward with its plan to swiftly remove Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia as soon as a court allows. In a series of filings on Friday, administration officials asked a judge to dissolve
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March 19, 2026 — Bill Glahn
Once again, I had the opportunity today to directly observe the inner workings of the world’s most expensive “lost and found” operation, conducted at taxpayer expense by the U.S. federal district court for Minnesota. Even though ICE itself has wound down Operation Metro Surge in the state, a handful of missing property reports linger on from already-closed habeas corpus cases where the corpus (the former ICE detainee) has long ago
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March 19, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Chuck Cooper is one of Washington’s most prominent conservative attorneys. A former law clerk to Chief Justice Rehnquist, he went on to serve as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel in the Reagan Justice Department. He is now a principal in private practice at his own Washington firm. Last week Cooper testified at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment. The video
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March 18, 2026 — Bill Glahn
Federal judges based in Minnesota are presiding over the world’s largest “lost and found” operation. Looking at the court’s official calendar for the next two weeks, among the district’s seventeen (17) sitting judges, only one (1) jury trial is scheduled, and even that’s just a one-day affair for a civil case. But Obama-appointed Judge John Gerrard (on loan from the Nebraska district) has scheduled a contempt-of-court hearing for Monday, March
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March 16, 2026 — Bill Glahn
The same judge is overruled on the same issue, again. From The Hill, newspaper, Appeals court allows Trump to swiftly deport migrants to third countries. It was the First circuit court of appeals. A 2-1 majority found in favor of Trump (Bush/Biden appointees, a different Biden appointee dissented). The order overrules (for the second time) a Biden-appointed district judge. The Hill reports, A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the
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March 13, 2026 — Scott Johnson
That didn’t take long. Judge Bryan has denied United States Attorney Dan Rosen’s motion that he recuse himself in the habeas case of Tong Xiong’s. In his seven-page order, Judge Bryan holds that the motion is procdurally improper and substantively deficient. Alpha News has posted the order online here. Judge Bryan suggests that the case brought against the Trump administration defendants in Minnesota v. Noem is nothing more than background
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March 13, 2026 — Scott Johnson
I reported on the contempt hearing called by Minnesota federal judge Jeffrey Bryan in “For want of a shoelace.” Judge Bryan ordered United States Attorney Daniel Rosen to attend and answer to the Department of Lost and Found that Judge Bryan was running for ICE in some 28 cases. Judge Bryan’s order scheduling the contempt hearing is posted online here. The absurdist playwright Eugène Ionesco had nothing on Judge Bryan.
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March 12, 2026 — John Hinderaker
Last night I was on the Rita Panahi Show, with Caroline Marcus filling in for Rita. We talked about the war in Iran, reports of possible drone attacks on California, whether Jill Biden’s memoir will give us the straight story of her husband’s withdrawal from the 2024 race, whether illegal immigration should be a crime, and more. The video below leads off with Lefties Losing It. I come on at
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March 7, 2026 — Scott Johnson
In “For want of a shoelace” I tried to convey what I thought was the essence of the contempt hearing called by Judge Jeffrey Bryan in 28 habeas cases earlier this week. The courtrooom in St. Paul’s Warren Burger Federal Building was packed with lawyers and members of the press. Julie Kelly combed through the hearing transcript. She adds some details and comments that I let ride. However, the song
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March 6, 2026 — Scott Johnson
Senior Minnesota federal district Judge John Tunheim held the second contempt hearing this week on the personal property that has gone lost or missing by ICE in the detention and removal of illegal aliens from Minnesota. I reported on Wednesday’s hearing before Judge Jeffrey Bryan in “For want of a shoelace,” now republished by Alpha News under the more straightforward headline “US attorney interrogated at contempt hearing over illegal aliens’
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