{"id":903457,"date":"2026-05-04T07:13:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:13:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/venezuelan-man-sues-u-s-over-total-hell-he-endured-in-cecot-prison\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T07:13:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T12:13:34","slug":"venezuelan-man-sues-u-s-over-total-hell-he-endured-in-cecot-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/04\/venezuelan-man-sues-u-s-over-total-hell-he-endured-in-cecot-prison\/","title":{"rendered":"Venezuelan Man Sues U.S. Over \u201cTotal Hell\u201d He Endured in CECOT Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"main\">\n<div><span><\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Neiyerver Adri\u00e1n Leon Rengel, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man deported by the Trump administration to CECOT prison in El Salvador, is trying to make sure what happened to him will never happen again.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>CBS News <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/cecot-prison-lawsuit-neiyerver-adrian-leon-rengel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>confirmed<\/span><\/a><span> Leon Rengel had filed a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the United States, seeking $1.3 million in damages for false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Leon Rengel was one of hundreds of immigrants deported to CECOT, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2025\/03\/20\/human-rights-watch-declaration-prison-conditions-el-salvador-jgg-v-trump-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>notoriously<\/span><\/a><span> inhumane institution, for four months, before being released in a prisoner swap in July 2025. He alleges that he was beaten and abused by guards, and forced to drink the water that he and other prisoners had washed themselves in.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThere came a point when I thought about hanging myself with the sheet they gave us,\u201d Leon Rengel told CBS News in Spanish.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A report from Human Rights Watch has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2025\/11\/12\/us\/el-salvador-torture-of-venezuelan-deportees\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>documented<\/span><\/a><span> how Venuezelans endured \u201carbitrary detention,\u201d \u201ctorture,\u201d and sexual abuse at CECOT.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>The lawsuit also alleges that Leon Rengel, who had an active asylum case at the time of his deportation, had no criminal record besides one misdemeanor\u2014in which he paid a small fine for possession of drug paraphernalia\u2014and that the Department of Homeland Security incorrectly determined he was a gang member because he had a tattoo of a lion and a hair clipper.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Leon Rengel told CBS News he was a barber and was not part of any gang. Others at CECOT have also said they were told their tattoos were the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/192861\/trump-deport-immigrants-tattoos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>reason<\/span><\/a><span> they were detained.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>DHS continues to claim Leon Rengel was a gang member, though it told CBS that providing any proof of this would \u201cundermine\u201d national security.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Regardless of whether you think immigrants should be allowed to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, the federal government is meant to abide by due process laws and wait for deportation cases to be heard before taking action. The Trump administration not only illegally sent people out of the country but sent them to prisons to be tortured. It amounts to one of the cruelest of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/207369\/trump-post-presidency-accountability-hague\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>many crimes<\/span><\/a><span> committed by the Trump regime. We can only hope Leon Rengel gets his day in court.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Texas Representative Chip Roy knows exactly how his own bill, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/207791\/save-america-act-poll-tax-jim-crow-redux\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>SAVE America Act<\/span><\/a><span>, could make it harder for married women to prove their identity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWe\u2019ve got some folks out there that are trying to stir the pot on this allegation that it somehow is a barrier for married women to be able to vote because they\u2019ve got to deal with getting IDs with name changes and all those things,\u201d Roy said in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/CalltoActivism\/status\/2036428294288011671\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>newly released<\/span><\/a><span> footage from a February 2025 Zoom meeting with the Election Integrity Network. The secretly recorded footage was obtained and released by the media group Called to Activism.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cAlthough frankly I\u2019m trying to not to elevate the issue too much, my chief of staff had to go get a new ID in Virginia. Virginia\u2019s adopted the REAL ID system, so she had to go through a bunch of hoops. She\u2019s gonna have to go back to the DMV twice because they want the paperwork for it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>\ud83d\udea8LEAKED VIDEO: We\u2019ve obtained secretly recorded video of Republican Chip Roy ADMITTING he\u2019s trying to hide concerns his SAVE Act hurts women voters:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m trying not to elevate the issue\u2026 my Chief of Staff\u2026 had to go through a bunch of hoops\u2026 (and) go back to the DMV twice.\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/S6XSFLJIs4\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/S6XSFLJIs4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CalltoActivism\/status\/2036428294288011671?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><span>The SAVE America Act would require that Americans present proof of citizenship like a passport or birth certificate to register to vote. If a person\u2019s current name does not match their document, they would have to provide extra documentation to provide their identity. (The REAL ID system has similar requirements to obtain state identification.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Roy and other Republicans claim the bill will fight against voter fraud\u2014which is exceedingly rare\u2014but it will likely just make it harder for the some 69 million married American women who have changed their names to vote, as well as trans voters who have changed their names.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cThat\u2019s just part of the issue with how we try to set up the ability to identify people,\u201d Roy continued in the video. Despite describing in detail the very challenge married women would face if the SAVE Act passes, he then denied the bill would create any voting hurdles for married women.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cBut there\u2019s no barriers at all to married women being able to vote,\u201d he nonsensically concluded, failing to hear his own ignorance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Though he had just highlighted a potential hurdle that married women may face when they register to vote, Roy claimed that \u201cthere\u2019s no barriers at all to married women being able to vote\u201d with the SAVE America Act.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>If Donald Trump says he\u2019s ready for peace with Iran, why is the Pentagon planning to deploy thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East?<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Defense is plotting to deploy 3,000 members of the U.S. Army\u2019s 82nd Airborne Division, two U.S. officials told <i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/livecoverage\/iran-war-us-israel-news-updates-2026?gaa_at=eafs&#038;gaa_n=AWEtsqf2AzZ2IxEaMjcOmtyl6eYTHATxATJaFtEO59GjRYww9W-z9KaTGxs_dqO321M%3D&#038;gaa_ts=69c2ddb6&#038;gaa_sig=di4I6yfMgzi-SXUf8pgNLn595qZACEpo-RO_nD_scer89BuZ20kM8sTyN0FWfPhhBEZ-uffvIM-zMzaJLQe_3Q%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">The Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/i>. The orders are expected to be signed Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>While the decision to put boots on the ground has not been made, the officials told the <i>Journal<\/i>, deploying the elite, rapid-response paratrooper division does expand the range of options Trump can take in Iran. The decision comes just days after Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208060\/trump-iran-war-announcement-market-manipulation-oil-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">announced<\/a> that the U.S had held \u201cproductive talks\u201d with Iranian officials moving closer to a \u201ccomplete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East, with a five-day pause on strikes against energy infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>Iranian officials have <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208057\/trump-u-turn-iran-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">denied<\/a> that the country is in talks with the United States, and some have speculated Trump\u2019s announcement was merely an attempt at <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208060\/trump-iran-war-announcement-market-manipulation-oil-prices\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">market manipulation<\/a>. At the same time, Israel launched <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208066\/israel-attack-tehran-iran-rift-trump-grows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">fresh attacks<\/a> on Tehran Monday despite Trump\u2019s gesture at peace.<\/p>\n<p>The 82nd Airborne Division, comprising up to 5,000 soldiers, specializes in missions that include parachute assault, reinforcing U.S. embassies, and enabling emergency evacuations. Earlier this month, the U.S. Army <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/207471\/army-training-exercise-escalation-iran\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">spontaneously canceled<\/a> a training exercise for the elite division, sparking concerns that they would be deployed to the Middle East. It seems now that those concerns were well-founded. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>President Trump took questions after Markwayne Mullin was confirmed as homeland security secretary on Tuesday, and dropped a strange detail about the ongoing negotiations to end the war in Iran.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>After a journalist asked Trump why he would bother trying to negotiate with Iran if, as the president has claimed, he doesn\u2019t trust their leadership, Trump <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Acyn\/status\/2036515538164392444?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>replied<\/span><\/a><span>:<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cBecause they\u2019re going to make a deal. They did something yesterday that was amazing, actually. They gave us a present. And the present arrived today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money. And I\u2019m not going to tell you what that present is, but it was a very significant prize.\u2026 That meant one thing to me\u2014we\u2019re dealing with the right people.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Trump on Iran: They gave us a present today. And it was a very big present worth a tremendous amount of money and I&#8217;m not going to tell you what that present is but it was a very significant prize. It said to me that we are dealing with the right people. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/46eMS6cWN5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/46eMS6cWN5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Acyn (@Acyn) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Acyn\/status\/2036515538164392444?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><span>It is simultaneously funny and depressing to hear that Iranian leaders have realized they can essentially just bribe Trump with an expensive gift. It\u2019s a similar strategy to that recently employed by Mar\u00eda Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader who <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/204969\/nobel-peace-prize-winner-donald-trump-lead-venezuela\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">presented<\/a><span> her Nobel Peace Prize to Trump in January, sparking allegations that she was trying to curry favor with the president. (Trump was thrilled by the gift but later <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/204905\/trump-venezuelan-opposition-leader-chado-nobel-prize\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">snubbed<\/a><span> Machado anyway.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Reporters prodded Trump about what the present was. The president wouldn\u2019t say exactly but hinted that it \u201cwas oil and gas related\u201d and \u201crelated to the flow, and to the Strait [of Hormuz].\u201d Perhaps an agreement giving Trump and his cronies exclusive access to an oil field?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Negotiations to end the war have gotten off to a rocky start. After Trump claimed on Monday that Iran and the U.S. had held \u201cproductive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities,\u201d Iranian officials came out and said the talks had never happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the fact that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran are <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/world\/iran\/live-blog\/live-updates-iran-war-trump-peace-talks-israel-gulf-attacks-markets-rcna264854\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>very much ongoing<\/span><\/a><span>, as is Iranian retaliation, Trump also claimed in his remarks that the \u201cwar has been won\u201d and \u201cthe only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>The Trump administration suffered another loss in court after a federal judge <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/03\/24\/daca-recipient-deportation-ruling-00841604\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">ordered<\/a> them to bring a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient they deported to Mexico while she was in the process of applying for lawful permanent residency.<\/p>\n<p>Maria de Jesus Estrada Juarez came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1998 when she was 15 years old and received DACA protection in 2013. Last month, the Sacramento, California, resident showed up at an immigration hearing with her 22-year-old U.S. citizen daughter, only to be greeted by federal agents, detained, and deported.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>But on Monday, U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins declared Juarez\u2019s deportation unlawful and demanded that the Trump administration return her to the United States by March 30, <a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.caed.483808\/gov.uscourts.caed.483808.15.0.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">calling<\/a> it a \u201cflagrant violation of the regulatory protections afforded to her under DACA.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is difficult to argue that Petitioner\u2019s removal constitutes anything less than an \u2018extreme circumstance,\u2019\u201d Coggins wrote in her order. \u201cLess than 24 hours after Petitioner\u2019s good faith appearance to pursue lawful permanent resident status in this country \u2014 she was removed to a nation where she had not lived in over 27 years pursuant to an order purportedly entered against her when she was fifteen years old.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Justice Department claims that Juarez\u2019s DACA status did not exclude her from deportation, while the Department of Homeland Security has yet to publicly comment. In the past, DHS has tried to argue that <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/207916\/ice-detains-daca-recipient-baby-nicu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">DACA<\/a> status is not protection from deportation, even though the status of the program is tied up in court. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>President Trump currently has a negative approval rating with male voters as the demographic groups he leaned on for support continue to abandon him.<\/p>\n<p>CNN\u2019s Harry Enten broke down <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ForecasterEnten\/status\/2036492765828157714?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">recent polling<\/a> on air Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cDonald Trump and Republicans won in 2024 because of support from male voters \u2026 and male voters are abandoning Donald Trump,\u201d Enten said. \u201cIn November of 2024, he beat Kamala Harris among them by 13 points. By 13 points. Look at where he is now on his net approval rating. Down he goes! It\u2019s a 20-point shift away from Donald Trump. He is now seven points underwater, at this particular point, among men. I think it is very difficult for Republicans to do well in this midterm cycle. If Donald Trump is underwater with men.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYikes! Yikes, yikes, yikes! Men under the age of [45] on Trump. He won them in 2024 by five points. Look where he is now.\u2026 Down we go to negative 19 points. That\u2019s nearly a 25-point switcheroo against the president of the United States when it comes to men under the age of 45,\u201d Enten continued. \u201cThose men that had switched their allegiances over to the Republican Party are seeing what the president is doing. They don\u2019t like what the President is doing, and they are very much soured on the president of the United States, men under the age of 45.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The primary catalyst for this reversal is of course <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/207773\/trump-gdp-economic-numbers-brutal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">the economy<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve spoken about it over and over and over again. The cost of living. It\u2019s inflation. In October 2024 \u2026 Trump was trusted more than Kamala Harris by 10 points on this issue. Now we\u2019ve got a 40-point switcheroo in the other direction,\u201d Enten said. \u201cHis net approval rating on the cost of living among men is underwater by 30 percentage points.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>Trump won in 2024 because of men. They are abandoning him right now.<\/p>\n<p>He won men by 13 pt in 2024, but his net approval is now -7 pt with them.<\/p>\n<p>Men under 45: Trump won by 5 pt in 2024. Now he&#8217;s 19 pt underwater with them.<\/p>\n<p>On cost living, he&#8217;s now 30 pt underwater with men! <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UxvvS16VLf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/UxvvS16VLf<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ForecasterEnten\/status\/2036492765828157714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">March 24, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>This poll is absolutely brutal, and it isn\u2019t the only one. Last month, centrist think tank <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thirdway.org\/memo\/how-young-men-view-trump-2-0-after-one-year\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Third Way<\/a> found that only 38 percent of 1,462 men between the ages of 18 and 29 approve of the first year of Trump\u2019s second term. Fifty-eight percent say Trump has \u201cnegatively impacted their finances.\u201d Sixty-five percent are struggling to pay the bills. And 61 percent believe that the president isn\u2019t carrying out his campaign promises.<\/p>\n<p>Trump\u2019s decisions as president\u2014the worldwide tariffs, the war on Iran, the lack of action on housing and affordability\u2014are negatively impacting the same issues he campaigned on, and now the people who voted for him seem to be having some regrets. The upcoming midterm elections will be a rude awakening. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"ContainerPlacement1\">\n<p>More on Trump\u2019s growing unpopularity: <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Minnesota officials sued the Trump administration Tuesday, accusing it of withholding information related to the killings of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/206039\/alex-pretti-death-homicide-ice\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>Alex Pretti<\/span><\/a><span> and Renee Good, who were shot by federal officers in Minnesota earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.290713\/gov.uscourts.dcd.290713.1.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>lawsuit<\/span><\/a><span> claims federal authorities \u201ctook exclusive control of evidence,\u201d and refused state and local authorities basic information following both killings, as well as the non-fatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, who was shot by a federal agent in Minneapolis.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cInstead of sharing information, federal authorities took exclusive possession of evidence that had been collected, and they denied Minnesota investigators access to key information,\u201d the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.290713\/gov.uscourts.dcd.290713.1.0_2.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>lawsuit<\/span><\/a><span> reads. The state argues this failure to cooperate violates its \u201cresponsibility to protect against and address violence within its borders, including by prosecuting homicides, attempted homicides, and assaults.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>All three shootings were part of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/205168\/ice-violence-minneapolis-noem-more-agents\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>Operation Metro Surge<\/span><\/a><span>, the destructive incursion of more than 3,000 armed federal immigration officers into Minnesota to arrest, detain, and and take down anyone who got in their way. The Department of Homeland Security said it arrested more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2026\/02\/04\/dhs-reaches-more-4000-arrests-illegal-aliens-including-murderers-sex-offenders-gang\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>4,000 undocumented people<\/span><\/a><span> between December 2025 and February 2026, in what it called what as \u201cthe largest DHS operation ever.\u201d It cost Minneapolis more than <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.minneapolismn.gov\/news\/2026\/february\/oms-impact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>$200 million<\/span><\/a><span> in damages.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cThe Surge created widespread fear among Minnesota residents, both citizens and noncitizens. It caused hundreds of millions of dollars in economic harm. And it flooded Minnesota\u2019s federal courts with lawsuits challenging the unlawful detentions that resulted from the operation,\u201d the plaintiffs, which include Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, wrote. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Minnesota officials previously accused federal officers of non-cooperation after the DHS took over the investigation into Good\u2019s killing, a decision that was defended by outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Noem is listed as a defendant in the lawsuit alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The state urges cooperation in criminal investigations is essential not only to justice, but a functioning judicial system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cAt stake is not only Plaintiffs\u2019 access to evidence central to these shootings but also a fundamental principle of our constitutional system: that the States retain the sovereign authority\u2014and responsibility\u2014to investigate crimes committed within their borders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><i><span>This story has been updated.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>The Pentagon is working with private companies to control what we know about Donald Trump\u2019s reckless military campaign in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>Leaked U.S. military guidance obtained by independent journalist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kenklippenstein.com\/p\/leaked-document-iran-war-meets-little\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Ken Klippenstein<\/a> Tuesday revealed instructions to dozens of commercial satellite operators about how to describe the extent of the damage in Iran.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>The Pentagon warned against using language that assumed \u201coperational conclusions,\u201d such as \u201cTarget destroyed\u201d or \u201cTarget eliminated.\u201d Instead, the language should describe only \u201cobservable infrastructure damage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rather than saying things like \u201cStrike successfully destroys facility,\u201d companies were urged to say things like \u201cImagery shows the structure largely collapsed with debris covering the building footprint.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the U.S. military was hoping to avoid more claims that Iranian assets had been \u201cobliterated\u201d that they would have to walk back afterward. In any case, the Pentagon appears to be exercising censorship over what Americans are allowed to know, allowing Trump to prosecute his war in Iran with impunity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Roughly 100 companies operate reconnaissance satellites, comprising a $6 billion to $7 billion industry. Those companies have commercial clients as well as contracts with the federal government, incentivizing them to comply with any advisory guidelines from the Pentagon.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile there\u2019s a case to be made that they [the companies] should fight it, almost everyone makes the vast majority of their revenue from government contracts in this industry and, after Anthropic, nobody is interested in putting up a fight,\u201d a source familiar with the guidance told Klippenstein. \u201cI think it\u2019s also another layer of trying to make things [about the war] seem less bad than they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pentagon cut ties with Anthropic earlier this month, <a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/207528\/anthropic-lawsuit-pentagon-wilmerhale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">labeling<\/a> the company a supply chain risk after the company insisted on guardrails for the use of its Claude AI model.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Klippenstein argued that the Pentagon\u2019s censorship campaign may have already been a success. Planet Labs, one of the largest commercial satellite imaging companies, blocked public access to imagery of the Iran war for two weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on February 28. The company claimed it had made that decision after consulting with military and intelligence experts. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Trump\u2019s top adviser couldn\u2019t hold back a sigh as the president scrambled to justify the war in Iran at a roundtable event in Memphis on Monday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TheTNHoller\/status\/2036143270934262196?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>stream<\/span><\/a><span> from Memphis ABC showed Miller turn his head, puff out his cheeks, and take a deep breath as the president urged the importance of bombing Iran before it was \u201cvirtually impossible to stop them.\u201d The White House deputy chief of staff then returned his seemingly exasperated gaze back to the president.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<figure>\n<blockquote data-media-max-width=\"560\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">MEMPHIS ABC 7 catches a DEEP SIGH from Stephen Miller as Trump peddles his ever-changing justifications about Iran <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/vQIMkGRfb1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/vQIMkGRfb1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Tennessee Holler (@TheTNHoller) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TheTNHoller\/status\/2036143270934262196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">March 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><span>Trump and Miller were joined by FBI Director Kash Patel, Attorney General Pam Bondi, and Defense Secretary <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.indy100.com\/politics\/pete-hegseth-iran-holy-war\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Pete Hegseth<\/a><span> at the roundtable event on crime and public safety in Memphis.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The clip has gone viral on social media, and many are interpreting Miller\u2019s sigh as an unintentional show of disagreement with Trump\u2019s reckless war in Iran, which has already <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/news\/2026\/3\/1\/us-israel-attacks-on-iran-death-toll-and-injuries-live-tracker\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>killed<\/span><\/a><span> more than 1,500 Iranians and 13 U.S. soldiers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Despite the slipup, in the same discussion Miller showed complete devotion to Trump\u2019s crackdown on crime, which has included the deployment of federal troops into Memphis and five other U.S. cities\u2014a decision that\u2019s already cost taxpayers nearly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/205840\/donald-trump-national-guard-deployments-cost\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>$500 million<\/span><\/a><span>. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cWhat President Trump has done on border security and public safety is a national miracle that will be studied not only for generations but for centuries to come,\u201d Miller said. The national miracle he\u2019s referring to has included thousands of deportations, violent ICE kidnappings, and the deaths of two U.S. citizens.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><span>Dumb comments from Lauren Boebert aren\u2019t exactly <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2025\/04\/01\/congress\/oliver-stone-jfk-lbj-boebert-00265127\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>rare<\/span><\/a><span>, but her latest is a real doozy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cYou can\u2019t make this stuff up!!\u201d the Colorado representative <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepBoebert\/status\/2036197120827392069?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>wrote<\/span><\/a><span> on X Monday. \u201cICE agents show up at airports, and suddenly TSA wait times in Minneapolis drop to less than five minutes! Called it!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>She accompanied the post with a shaky 18-second clip of herself reiterating what she\u2019d already written, with an additional dig at Democrats for creating \u201cthree-plus hour wait times\u201d at other airports.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure>\n<blockquote>\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>You can\u2019t make this stuff up!!<\/p>\n<p>ICE agents show up at airports, and suddenly TSA wait times in Minneapolis drop to less than five minutes!<\/p>\n<p>Called it!! \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/cpeD9hC45q\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/cpeD9hC45q<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u2014 Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RepBoebert\/status\/2036197120827392069?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">March 23, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p><span>Of course, Democrats have put forward a grand total of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/donald-trump\/trump-rejects-ramp-fund-dhs-airport-delays-worsen-except-ice-rcna264724\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">eight bills<\/a><span> to fund the Transportation Security Administration. All have been roundly rejected by Republicans and President Donald Trump because they don\u2019t reinstate funding for the whole of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Republican Senator John Kennedy even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208116\/republican-senator-john-kennedy-louisiana-says-trump-blame-tsa-lines-nightmare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">admitted<\/a><span> on Fox News Monday that Trump had nixed a plan that would fund TSA and not ICE.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>But that wasn\u2019t even the biggest gaffe of the tweet. That was the fact that there are currently <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/minnesota\/news\/ice-at-msp-airport\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>no ICE agents<\/span><\/a><span> working in the Minneapolis airport. Boebert was quickly hit with a community note that pointed this out.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cApparently you can \u2018make this stuff up!!\u2019\u201d one user <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/patriottakes\/status\/2036423673339347393\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span>wrote<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Wait times are indeed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mspairport.com\/airport\/security-screening\/security-wait-times\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">less<\/a><span> than five minutes at the airport, speaking to the dedication of the unpaid TSA workers in Minneapolis.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/post\/208141\/venezuelan-man-sues-us-deportation-cecot-prison\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neiyerver Adri\u00e1n Leon Rengel, a 28-year-old Venezuelan man deported by the Trump administration to CECOT prison in El Salvador, is trying to make sure what happened to him will never happen again. CBS News confirmed Leon Rengel had filed a first-of-its-kind federal lawsuit on Tuesday against the United States, seeking $1.3 million in damages for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":903458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25348,100604],"tags":[15754,7889],"class_list":{"0":"post-903457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-total","8":"category-venezuelan","9":"tag-total","10":"tag-venezuelan"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=903457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/903457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/903458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=903457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=903457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=903457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}