America is following the Putin model on immigration. know, voters last year didn’t vote for a brutal inhumane treatment of migrants. That’s what they’re getting. What’s happening in Minneapolis and elsewhere looks more like the way Russia or other dictators behave when there is no rule of law. Moreover, the initial vow to go after proven criminals, which most Americans supported, has been cast aside.
Now it’s just round them up, lock them up. There was a video yesterday in Minneapolis that showed a man, a citizen, yanked out of his home, still in his pajamas. And thanks to the irrepressible Judd Legum, we also learned that ICE detainees, now listen to this, who’ve almost doubled since Trump took office, they are being denied medical treatment. Migrants with serious heart conditions and suspected cancer are being basically ignored.
Last year voters did vote to undo what they thought were the bad policies of Joe Biden on immigration, which created a porous border and less aggressive deportation of criminals. They did not vote for untrained ICE storm troopers terrorizing communities.
And also on this issue, it’s worth noting that CBS’s 60 Minutes, great program this Sunday graphically captured the inhumane horror of the notorious El Salvador prison where ICE is sending a number of migrants. CBS, of course, now is owned by the Ellison’s close Trump pals who tapped a conservative opinion journalist to run CBS News. She sidetracked the story a month ago, charging it wasn’t ready. It ran on Sunday with almost no changes from that original story.
I gather the pressure became too much even for the Ellison person. But that it was delayed for a month is very ominous.
Al and James, America isn't following Putin's model...Trump and Miller and Vought are following Putin's model. They aren't America. We are.
The CBS 60 Minutes story delay is an interesting case study in editorial independence vs ownership influence. When a piece sits for a month with minimal changes but only airs after public pressure, it raises questions about gatekeeping criteria. I saw similar patterns back when working adjacent to media orgs, editorial timelines that shift based on non-editorial factors can erode trust even when the story eventually runs.