Updates on the Federal Intervention in DC and other Recent Posts

Yesterday, three more states announced that they would send members of their National Guard units to the District of Columbia. With announcements by Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee, a total of six states are now providing troops. The others are West Virginia, South Carolina, and Ohio. While the Confederacy was not able to occupy Washington, DC during the Civil War, cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump seems to be providing that opportunity now. As I mentioned in yesterday's blog post, National Guard troops will also begin carrying weapons during their deployment. Documented activities by the federal agencies active in D.C. continue to suggest that the operation is not primarily aimed at fighting crime. Rather, the emphasis continues to be on immigration arrests and removing tent encampments.

One of the more visible tactics used by law enforcement is surprise roadblocks at which every car is stopped, and checks for seatbelts, driver’s licenses, and immigration status are conducted. Frequently, these roadblocks are placed in areas likely to be frequented by immigrants. For instance, a roadblock was placed near Audi Field during a Washington Spirits soccer game. These roadblocks are likely unconstitutional, but that doesn't seem to bother Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the other agencies involved. The popular local blog Popville today had a photo taken near Dupont Circle showing a truck full of food delivery mopeds that appear to have been impounded during a round-up of delivery drivers. Popville also published a photo showing ICE agents staking out the Casa Lala preschool in Petworth.

On Sunday, the Washington Post ran an article about the widely publicized incident on R Street NW in which several federal officers tackled a food delivery driver and then took him into custody. The man was identified as Cristian Enrique Carias Torres, a Venezuelan national. Many of the food delivery drivers, especially those using mopeds, are Venezuelans. During the administration of former President Joe Biden, Venezuelans were granted temporary protected status, which allowed them to remain in the U.S. legally. Trump lifted that status in the spring, but a federal judge later stayed the decision. As such, TPS remains in effect for Venezuelan nationals. The federal officers appear to be simply grabbing anyone that meets their image of an undocumented resident and stuffing them into unmarked vehicles. If the detained individuals are not provided access to lawyers or allowed due process, they may well be deported despite their legal status.

The White House pushed back against allegations that the federal personnel are concentrating on low-crime areas. Data was released showing that of non-immigration arrests, 101, or 48%, took place in Wards 7 and 8. It is notable that the data also showed that there had been 164 immigration-related arrests, demonstrating that the focus on immigration is real. More importantly, both Ward 7 and Ward 8 extend west of the Anacostia River, into the type of neighborhoods known for dining and entertainment options on which federal officers have concentrated. Therefore, the White House data does not necessarily demonstrate a focus on high-crime neighborhoods. Yesterday, there were two separate shootings on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in southeast D.C. Three people were wounded in the shootings, which were only 2 hours apart. Witnesses on the scene reported only seeing Metropolitan Police officers and no federal officers. As a local news reporter tweeted, "Two shootings within two blocks within the last 2 hours. And the National Guard hanging out at the National Mall. WHAT A JOKE!!!!"

Yesterday I also wrote about the arrest in Las Vegas of Tom Alexandrovich, the Executive Director of the Defense Division of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, on charges of Luring a Child with a Computer for Sex. Alexandrovich was released on a $10,000 bond and immediately absconded back to Israel. More information about this case has come to light. Yesterday I mentioned a report that Alexandrovich was released after intervention by U.S. Department of State officials, acting at Israel's behest. After I published my post, the State Department issued a statement denying any involvement. However, the additional information only added to the suspicious circumstances of this case. Alexandrovich was arrested along with 7 other men. While Alexandrovich's arrest took place on August 6, it was not announced until August 15, by which time Alexandrovich was already back in Israel. Moreover, Alexandrovich seems to have received more lenient treatment than the others arrested in the operation. Two of the others were denied bail altogether, two were released on bail amounts that were twice the amount of Alexandrovich's, and the last had a lower bond, but was required to wear an electronic monitoring device. It is inexplicable why someone who was such an obvious flight risk would be released.

The operation which caught Alexandrovich involved both federal and local law enforcement. As such, authorities at either level could prosecute him. The acting U.S. attorney for the region is Sigal Chattah. Chattah was born in Israel, maintains dual citizenship, and has been fiercely pro-Israel on her personal X feed (which she deleted yesterday). Late yesterday afternoon, Chattah tweeted that she would leave the prosecution of Alexandrovich to the Clark County District Attorney's Office. This message didn't display any awareness, let alone concern, that Alexandrovich had fled to Israel and that only federal authorities had any hope of getting him back (and even they have almost no chance). But, just a few hours later, Chattah tweeted again to say that "A liberal district attorney and state court judge in Nevada FAILED TO REQUIRE AN ALLEGED CHILD MOLESTER TO SURRENDER HIS PASSPORT, which allowed him to flee our country." Chattah did not mention the name of the alleged child molester or the name of the country to which he had fled. With Chattah first passing responsibility to local officials to prosecute and then blaming them for letting Alexandrovich go, all within the course of a couple of hours, her position is really hard to explain.

In May, I wrote about the arrest of Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka. Several members of the U.S. Congress were conducting an oversight inspection of the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility that is located in Newark. Baraka arrived after the Representatives had entered the building and was admitted into the courtyard of the facility. Before he could enter the building, Baraka was told that he would not be permitted to do so and that he must leave the premises. Baraka left, but waited outside where protesters had gathered. Federal agents exited the detention center and attempted to arrest Baraka, spurring a confrontation. The Representatives protested the arrest and tried to protect Baraka. During the scrum, Representative LaMonica McIver, who had been pushed and bumped multiple times by ICE officers, brushed against one officer (video shows that she was likely trying to balance herself after being bumped by another ICE officer). McIver was subsequently charged with assaulting federal agents. Today, Politico reports that:

According to McIver’s attorneys, a Department of Homeland Security special agent was on the phone as the events unfolded that day. Citing bodycam footage they obtained in the case, the attorneys wrote that the special agent, after hanging up the call, turned to a group of fellow agents and announced: “We are arresting the mayor right now, per the deputy attorney general of the United States. Anyone that gets in our way, I need you guys to give me a perimeter so I can cuff him.”

This suggests that the arrest was ordered by Todd Blanche, the second-highest ranking official in the Department of Justice. As Politico says, "The special agent’s apparent suggestion that he was acting at Blanche’s direction is the latest sign that top Justice Department officials are harnessing the power of law enforcement against Democrats and other perceived enemies of President Donald Trump." Less than two weeks later, federal prosecutors dropped the charge against Baraka, but a federal judge described that as an "embarrassing retraction" and suggested that there had been a "failure to adequately investigate, to carefully gather facts and to thoughtfully consider the implications of your actions before wielding your immense power." The new evidence indicates that it was even worse than that and, in reality, there had been no investigation or gathering of facts. The arrest was based simply on Blanche's order. This is another demonstration of how Trump is failing to achieve even the status of tin-pot dictator. At best, he is managing to be a faux-gold-plated-pot dictator. Trump could not do a fraction of the damage that he is doing to our country were it not for the willing contributions of those like Blanche.